It’s not easy to find good festivals in the US, and it’s even more difficult if you’re looking for Stoner Rock festivals. Sweden has them, Greece has them, the Netherlands has them, Portugal has them—the list goes on and on outside of the US.
I also live in the Midwest, so events like Psycho Las Vegas or Desertfest New York seem slightly out of reach, and Lollapalooza can hardly even be considered a Rock festival at this point. But Ripplefest Texas has caught my eye the last few years, bringing some of my absolute favorite bands together for one hell of a line up.
As I have gotten to know people in the Stoner Rock community over the last couple years, I knew I had to make my way down there. It appeared there was no better place to finally see this community I love in action. I now consider many people that I have met online via Instagram or the podcast friends of mine, but, until Ripplefest 2023, I have really only met a small handful of people in person.
I had a few goals for the weekend in mind as I flew from Chicago to Austin, TX:
- Don’t get drunk and embarrass myself
- Meet some people in person that I had only met online until now
- Get some podcasting done so I can count this as a work trip (See video above)
- Meet Nick Oliveri
