It’s great to see Mike Patton back onstage & performing once again as Mr. Bungle rile up a sold-out crowd at Hollywood Palladium

Mr. BungleBy Josh Herwitt //

Mr. Bungle with Melvins, Spotlights //
Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles
May 11th, 2023 //

When news broke in Sept. 2021 that Faith No More and Mr. Bungle had canceled their upcoming tour dates with lead singer Mike Patton citing “mental health reasons” for the decision, I was concerned.

Patton, after all, had been one of my favorite vocalists growing up, and considering all of the incredible musicians we have lost over the past decade, I was afraid we might have another leave us far too soon. The sudden and tragic passing of Chris Cornell back in 2017 had hit me hard as it had for many fans of 90’s alternative rock, but I knew that losing someone as influential and talented as Patton would also be difficult for me to stomach.

Thankfully those fears of mine didn’t come true despite Patton battling depression during the COVID-19 pandemic and eventually being diagnosed with agoraphobia. Because with a vocal range that spans six octaves, the Northern California native has carved out a rather unique career as a singer, producer, film composer and voice actor over the last three decades, regularly collaborating with other genre-bending artists like avant-garde jazz saxophonist John Zorn, hip-hop producer Dan the Automator and classical violinist Eyvind Kang on music outside of the heavy material he has been known to write as a member of FNM, Mr. Bungle, Fantômas, Tomahawk and Dead Cross.

Patton, nevertheless, has always maintained a relentless work ethic. His schedule would often see him juggling a myriad of projects simultaneously — whether it was fronting one of his five bands, serving as a producer for Merzbow, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Sepultura, Melvins, Melt-Banana and Kool Keith or running Ipecac Recordings alongside co-founder Greg Werckman for the last 20-plus years.

But that all changed in 2020 when the coronavirus spread and much of the world locked down. Afraid to go outside and be around people, Patton turned to alcohol as a way to cope but found himself unable to perform and in need of some professional help. The isolation, like it had for plenty of others, had gotten to him and zapped his confidence, causing him to freak out right before FNM were slated to hit the road and pull the plug on a dozen shows (none have been rescheduled so far).

Mr. Bungle - Mike Patton

“That’s when I kind of lost it, and it was ugly and not cool,” he told Rolling Stone last summer about his struggles. “I didn’t want to be in front of people, which is weird because I spent half of my life doing that.”

So when Patton made his first appearance onstage a few months later when Mr. Bungle toured South America, there was a sense of relief that the 55-year-old was finally in a better place and back on track. Then came a spring tour announcement at the beginning of this year, offering further evidence that he was ready to make up for lost time on an 11-date run on the West Coast with labelmates Melvins and Spotlights that included a sold-out showing at the Hollywood Palladium last Thursday.

For everything that he has been through, Patton seemed to be in good spirits when Mr. Bungle took the stage in LA shortly after 10 p.m. The quintet made up of Patton (lead vocals, keyboards, samples), Trey Spruance (lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Trevor Dunn (bass, backing vocals), Anthrax’s Scott Ian (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Slayer’s Dave Lombardo (drums, glockenspiel) has been kicking off several of its headlining sets on the “Geek Show 2023” tour with a cover of John Sebastian from The Lovin’ Spoonful before tearing into tracks — including “Bungle Grind”, “Eracist”, “Anarchy Up Your Anus”, “Methematics” and “Raping Your Mind” — off the group’s fourth LP titled The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo that dropped toward the end of 2020, and with the Palladium’s large ballroom floor packed to the gills, you could tell that the capacity crowd had been waiting eagerly through both supporting acts to be whipped into a frenzy.

No further indication of that was necessary less than a minute into Mr. Bungle’s performance, as one crowd surfer after another came crashing into the photographer’s pit at the front of the stage and into multiple pairs of arms from the venue’s security team. And while the conditions for those of us on the photo list weren’t totally ideal given that we were only allowed to capture Mr. Bungle’s first two songs (plus unexpectedly dodge numerous horizontal bodies), it was quite a way to cover live music for the first time since being sidelined with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

I will be first to admit that Mr. Bungle, which only reunited a few years ago as a thrash metal outfit with Ian and Lombardo signing on, isn’t my favorite project featuring Patton. After more than a 20-year gap between albums, their latest is actually a re-recording of the outfit’s first self-released demo tape from 1986. That doesn’t make it bad of course, though it would be nice to hear something else new by this current iteration of the band. But as someone who has experienced his own health setback recently, I know it’s not always easy getting back out there, and that could certainly still be the case for Patton at times. You never know what someone else is going through or when will be the last time you see them, and that’s something you often learn with age. But life moves pretty fast, too … and right now we’re all better off with Patton in it once again.

MR. BUNGLE

Setlist:
Welcome Back (John Sebastian cover)
Bungle Grind
Eracist
Spreading the Thighs of Death
Territory (Sepultura cover)
Hypocrites
Speak English or Die (Stormtroopers of Death cover) (changed to “Speak Spanish or Die”)
Glutton for Punishment
Anarchy Up Your Anus
Methematics
Hell Awaits (Slayer cover) (intro)
True / Cold War / True
Raping Your Mind
World Up My Ass (Circle Jerks cover)
Sudden Death

Encore:
Loss of Control (Van Halen cover)
My Ass Is on Fire (with PEP tag)

MELVINS

Setlist:
Snake Appeal
Zodiac
Copache
I Want to Hold Your Hand (The Beatles cover)
Hammering
Never Say You’re Sorry
Evil New War God
Let It All Be
Blood Witch
Your Blessened
A History of Bad Men
Honey Bucket

SPOTLIGHTS

Setlist:
The Alchemist
Sunset Burial
Algorithmic
False Gods
Part IV

BeachLife Festival ups the ante again this May with The Black Keys, Gwen Stefani, The Black Crowes & more booked for fourth edition

BeachLife Festival - 2023 lineup

BeachLife Festival //
Seaside Lagoon – Redondo Beach, CA
May 5th-7th, 2023 //

It’s the first week of the new year, and you know what that means … it’s almost festival season!

No, the Coachella lineup hasn’t dropped yet — although we’ll be sure to cover it here whenever that day comes soon — but in the meantime, another Southern California music festival has already revealed its plans for this year.

Taking over Redondo Beach’s waterfront for a fourth time, BeachLife Festival has put together another quality roster this May that once again leans heavily in the direction of rock ‘n’ roll but also incorporates pop, reggae, jam, funk and punk. And all things black is certainly back in 2023, as The Black Keys and The Black Crowes will bookend the three-day event that has three-time Grammy winner Gwen Stefani set to take the stage Saturday after a special performance from Sublime with Rome of 1992’s 40oz. to Freedom, marking more than 30 years since Sublime released their seminal debut album.

Despite only debuting in 2019, BeachLife has continued to up the ante and its latest roster once again boasts plenty of talent as Pixies, John Fogerty (performing the music of Credence Clearwater Revival), Modest Mouse, Band of Horses, CAAMP, Tegan & Sara, Iration, The Head and the Heart, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Dispatch, Noah Cyrus, LP, Sugar Ray, Mavis Staples, The Aiborne Toxic Event, Aly & AJ and Trampled by Turtles round out an excellent undercard. The inclusion of Modest Mouse is especially noteworthy given that Jeremiah Green, the band’s longtime drummer and one of its founding members, passed away at the age of 45 last week. Check out the poster above for the rest of the acts scheduled to take the stage.

The festival, as it did in both 2021 and 2022, will offer guests the unique opportunity to sit on the main stage and eat a four-course meal while being only a few feet away from the action as part of its DAOU SideStage Experience. So if you’re looking to get a little extra bougie for a weekend, that could be just the experience to make BeachLife a very memorable one this spring.

Speaking of tickets, they’re already on sale here! Three-day GA and GA+ passes can be purchased for $379 or $419, and VIP is available for $849 as well as single-day tickets for $159 (GA), $179 (GA+) and $339 (VIP). Of course, there’s always the three-day Admirals pass for $995 or Captain’s pass for $2,999 and $1,250 (single-day) as well if you’re looking to make a big splash so get ’em while they’re still hot.

The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, Le Tigre, Phoebe Bridgers, Beach House & more give This Ain’t No Picnic new life in 2022

This Ain't No Picnic Festival 2022

This Ain’t No Picnic //
Brookside at the Rose Bowl – Pasadena, CA
August 27th-28th, 2022 //

As we have said in this space before, it has not been an easy time for the live music industry by any stretch of the imagination. Whether you’re an artist, employee or fan, enduring 18 months without in-person events was painful to experience. So, maybe it’s fitting Goldenvoice is reviving a festival that hasn’t been around in almost 20 years at this point.

The renowned California concert promoter is bringing back This Ain’t No Picnic for the first time since 2002 and taking over the Brookside Golf Course at the Rose Bowl for two days in late August (warning: it will be hot) with a killer roster that screams “Pitchfork Fest!”

A couple of NYC indie-rock giants in The Strokes and LCD Soundsystem, who are currently in the middle of a 20-date residency at Brooklyn Steel, will serve as headliners while the fest’s undercard offers its own set of highlights starting with the reunion of Le Tigre, another NYC product who last reunited in 2016 to release “I’m with Her” as their latest single.

Other notable names bolstering the iconic indie music festival’s lineup in 2022 include Phoebe Bridgers, Beach House, Jorja Smith, Kaytranada, Jungle, IDLES, Isaiah Rashad, Sparks, Turnstile, Circle Jerks, Descendents, Caroline Polachek, Mac Demarco, Slowthai, Courtney Barnett, Four Tet + Floating Points, Tinashe, Earl Sweatshirt, Yves Tumor, Queen Naija, Honey Dijon, Sleep, Deafheaven and more. Peep the poster above for the rest of the artists scheduled to perform.

Making its debut at Oak Canyon Ranch in Silverado where past incarnations of Lightning in a Bottle and other music festivals in the Southern California area have also taken place, This Ain’t No Picnic exposed the raw energy of punk-leaning, indie darlings like Sonic Youth, Sleater-Kinney and Guided by Voices in 1999 before taking another step toward the mainstream by booking Beck, Yo La Tengo, Built to Spill, At the Drive-In and Modest Mouse for its 2000 edition.

With there being more optimism surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic heading into next year, you can bet that tickets for this one will go quick so make sure to sign up for the presale occurring on Thursday, December 9th at 10 a.m. PT here before they go on sale at 2 p.m. PT here. GA passes will be available for $299-$349, with VIP going for $799 and Clubhouse at an eye-opening $1,199. But if you’re looking to dance and sweat your ass off in the Pasadena heat, this is the only summer picnic you’ll want to be at!

This Ain't No Picnic 2022 - daily lineups

UPDATE (May 3rd): This Ain’t No Picnic has delivered daily lineups for its return this August, with LCD Soundsystem headlining Saturday and The Strokes closing out the two-day festival on Sunday. Single-day tickets go on sale this Friday, May 6th at 10 a.m. PT here.

This Ain't No Picnic 2022 - Saturday set times

This Ain't No Picnic 2022 - Sunday set times

UPDATE (August 8th): Set times are here! This Ain’t No Picnic has released its schedule with slightly more than two weeks to go while also announcing a few lineup changes, including the addition of Leon Vynehall on Saturday. Unfortunately due to visa issues, Logic1000 and Tems will not be able to perform as previously scheduled, but in the meantime, make sure to download the mobile app here and you can still grab tickets here!

Goldenvoice