Today I'm interviewing John Gist who is perhaps the person responsible for keeping the Desert/Stoner Rock scene alive and kicking in Las Vegas through his excellent work with Vegas Rock Revolution and his annual Planet Desert Rock Weekend Festival.
I caught up with John recently to discuss Planet Desert Rock Festival 2025 Edition, the formations of Vegas Rock Revolution and what people can expect to see and hear within the next edition of this KICK-ASS Festival. ]
Here's what John has to say....
Hey Steve thanks so much everything you do for the scene and its cool to chat!
We're here to discuss the upcoming Planet Desert Rock Weekend which will be hitting it's 5th Edition in Jan 30th 2025 to Feb 1st 2025. What can people expect to see from that weekend if they didn't know anything about the festival?
PDRW is setup different than the other 3 or so regularly done festivals for the underground scene in the USA. I have always felt a careful curation is paramount to what I am trying to do with PDRW. This year we have bands from 8 different countries slated to come perform. We did this back at PDRW v2 when we brought in bands like Saturna, Mr. Bison, Omega Sun, Kaiser, 1968, Green Desert Water, Captain Caravan and Monsternaut.
The way the weekend is set up is that the shows aren't until the evenings and so that folks can enjoy the days in Vegas doing all the cool things you can do in Vegas like the parks, gaming, museums ( Mob Museum, Punk Rock Museum, Atomic Museum, Pinball, etc), sightseeing, shopping, shows or whatever else Sin City has to offer. Each night of PDRW takes place in one venue and no overlapping sets.
The sound of the festival is of the utmost importance. Nights 1 & 2 take place in one of the absolute best rock venues in the country and is owned by Danny Koker who is the star of the TV show Counting Cars. They have the most amazing sound system and stage along with lighting system. The following night we shift over to the Fremont Street area at The Usual Place. We have done the last two PDRW there for an evening and its been killer.
The sound is done by Patrick Bonner who is a veteran of the scene that evening. He has travelled with bands like Orange Goblin, Nebula and others on tour doing sound. The feedback we got from PDRW goers and the bands have been amazing for both venues.
Recently we added a 4th night and that will be at Sinwave which is in The Arts District. It's a new venue with a cool setup and the Arts District is a neat area with lots of independent restaurants, shops and unique spots for libations. The vibe has been described as a fun party atmosphere where everyone gets to hang while catching great bands in a comfortable setting.
Some great bands you have performing at this edition of the festival - Fireball Ministry, Mos Generator, Sergeant Thunderhoof, Valley Of The Sun and Fire Down Below to name just a few. Are these bands all chosen by yourself to perform or did you have other folks asking you to put these bands on the same bill?
I hand select every single band. There is a certain amount of visualization that goes into who I invite each year. There is no doubt I get a ton of people asking/suggesting/telling me a band should be in the lineup but I stay true to what I am trying to achieve.
Sometimes I tell people this isn't McDonalds where you just order something. LOL.
There have been some cases where bands have reached out to play and after careful consideration, we made it happen like for instance Beastmaker, Solace and Valley of the Sun! Speaking of Valley of the Sun this will be a return to PDRW as well as Mr. Bison, Omega Sun and Green Desert Water.
Where is the festival taking place and where can people by tickets?
Tickets are available on Eventbrite and we have cool poster options. Fuzz Evil's Joey Ruddell is doing some of the posters again along with shirt designs. Alex Sonolith of the Vegas band Sonolith also helps so much on artwork and posters as well. He has since early on been a great supporter of Vegas Rock Revolution Shows since the beginning.
Where is the festival taking place and where can people by tickets?
Tickets are available on Eventbrite and we have cool poster options. Fuzz Evil's Joey Ruddell is doing some of the posters again along with shirt designs. Alex Sonolith of the Vegas band Sonolith also helps so much on artwork and posters as well. He has since early on been a great supporter of Vegas Rock Revolution Shows since the beginning.
By the way Sonolith who has performed at several PDRWs has a new album soon to be released.
Will you be announcing any more bands to the bill or is the final confirmed lineup?
We have 1 more band to announce for the first three nights and four more to add to PDRW final night we named "Last Call" to go with Bonehawk who we are super stoked to have come out from Michigan. Their music is at a very high level of heavy rock.
We have 1 more band to announce for the first three nights and four more to add to PDRW final night we named "Last Call" to go with Bonehawk who we are super stoked to have come out from Michigan. Their music is at a very high level of heavy rock.
We promise the final announcements will be a diverse selection of bands from the underground heavy rock scene and we will have a one time performance happening on the final night as well that is sure to be killer!
Where did the idea start of putting together an annual festival in Las Vegas came about?
A number of factors came into play on the idea of doing these weekenders Truth be told I worked in marketing for years and years for big companies but around 2016 my life changed dramatically from being a married successful highly stressed upper middle manager of programs and teams to basically pressing the reset button.
Where did the idea start of putting together an annual festival in Las Vegas came about?
A number of factors came into play on the idea of doing these weekenders Truth be told I worked in marketing for years and years for big companies but around 2016 my life changed dramatically from being a married successful highly stressed upper middle manager of programs and teams to basically pressing the reset button.
I gravitated to live rock music more and more during this time. Starting noticing how few people were going to many of the shows and started thinking I wonder if I could set up shows. Eventually was given the chance by 3 separate ladies at 3 separate venues to try my hand at it. I learned a lot during that time including how peculiar people can be in the scene who controls the levers shall I say.
The 1st show I ever booking was with House of Broken Promises. Arthur Seay also of Unida fame and I developed a relationship and eventually he linked me up to chat with.... John Garcia from Kyuss! After a cool ass talk with John we hatched a show concept that was called "A Night with John Garcia".
I had come in Nick Oliveri, Dave Angstrom (Hermano), Arthur Seay (Unida) and Chris Hale (Slo Burn) to perform with John. It was absolutely an amazing event and it was held at the Hard Rock Casino. Also that night Luna Sol featuring Dave Angstrom, Nick Oliveri and Death in Pretty Wrapping featuring Arthur Seay + Mike Cancinco of Unida/House of Broken Promises all played.
Now hey I have to admit I loved Psycho Vegas and it was inspiring. The direction I wanted to go though was a smaller more intimate type weekender that didn't have all the screaming stuff involved. Much prefer to blend closer to heavy psych and hard rock bands instead. Vegas is a cool place to have a weekender as it's one of the most popular spots in America to visit. Our weather last year was 60 for a day or two this year for PDRW IV.
Has it got any easier or harder arranging these annual festivals?
Has it got any easier or harder arranging these annual festivals?
It's a labor of love. Since getting back at a couple years ago, I have really tried to stay consistent in my processes. Some of the more tenuous things that have to be planned out is budgeting and revenue projections. I lost a massive amount of money on PDRW v2 and learned some very hard lessons. I basically quit even thinking about it and then a couple years later Covid happened.
Slowly I have been building it and fans have increased each year. Most of the success of PDRW goes to the people who support these fun weekends. The scene really seems to be galvanizing as many are making multiple fests a yearly thing. The Ripplefest Texas connection is very organic as not only do many of the same now come to Vegas for PDRW but also their fest general Ryan Garney is a guy I have much love for and have helped him over the years with some marketing. I go every year with my two high school buds and we hang with so many cool folks from around the world each year.
What are the main aims and objectives for Vegas Rock Revolution?
To help the scene's best bands get elevated as well as expose more rockers who have no idea how much good heavy rock is out there that is kept underground by the big 3 record labels and the money machine that controls music industry. I work with selective bands on their marketing, promotions, social media along with a few other things and I only work with bands that i believe have upside in growth. Don't want to get paid what little I charge for my services if I don't think it will get anywhere.
Do you have a set of rules that you abide by when booking gigs or promoting certain bands?
No rules really other than be professional and come to play your heart out. Generally I don't want to repeat a band for PDRW for 2 years except for headliner like bands. Trying to make it a unique PDRW each year and not the same bands all the time.
What have been your biggest challenges and rewarding experiences so far with Vegas Rock Revolution and Planet Desert Rock Weekend?
Biggest challenges is revenue vs expense. If folks don't come out and support then PDRW is doomed potentially. I have to carefully work with the bands on pay so that neither of us over extend which leads me to a challenge I will bring up that may be eye opening. When the bands that have elevated some get booking agents or management companies they jack the rate so high that we (the four fests) can't really book them much.
To help the scene's best bands get elevated as well as expose more rockers who have no idea how much good heavy rock is out there that is kept underground by the big 3 record labels and the money machine that controls music industry. I work with selective bands on their marketing, promotions, social media along with a few other things and I only work with bands that i believe have upside in growth. Don't want to get paid what little I charge for my services if I don't think it will get anywhere.
Do you have a set of rules that you abide by when booking gigs or promoting certain bands?
No rules really other than be professional and come to play your heart out. Generally I don't want to repeat a band for PDRW for 2 years except for headliner like bands. Trying to make it a unique PDRW each year and not the same bands all the time.
What have been your biggest challenges and rewarding experiences so far with Vegas Rock Revolution and Planet Desert Rock Weekend?
Biggest challenges is revenue vs expense. If folks don't come out and support then PDRW is doomed potentially. I have to carefully work with the bands on pay so that neither of us over extend which leads me to a challenge I will bring up that may be eye opening. When the bands that have elevated some get booking agents or management companies they jack the rate so high that we (the four fests) can't really book them much.
For instance some bands maybe get $1500 - $2000 or so a show at most on tour but if you check with the agents the number for fest goes up to $15,000 or whatever. Both Ryan Garney and I have been stung hard by these tough lessons. The scene is just not big enough to gamble like that.... meaning not enough folks go to our underground fests to balance out the costs of these "bigger" bands.
It's a delicate balance of value and gambling. I could name names but I think it would not be wise right now. Some of the bands get bigger and they want to separate themselves from the "stoner rock" scene thus they barely play any festivals in the USA as they have outpriced themselves.
Most rewarding has been getting to know so many people including bands! I love being part of something and trying to make a difference. Some folks stand up for certain causes or political BS but I stay committed to rock music and the spreading of it. We have the bands, the tunes and the passion... now we need more people to hear these amazing musicians.
Most rewarding has been getting to know so many people including bands! I love being part of something and trying to make a difference. Some folks stand up for certain causes or political BS but I stay committed to rock music and the spreading of it. We have the bands, the tunes and the passion... now we need more people to hear these amazing musicians.
We must confront why in America it has been stifled so much. The P-Diddy thing is uncovering what may be the key to why things are the way they are in the Big 3 labels that control everything as far as money is concerned.
How did you get involved with promoting within the whole underground Stoner Rock/Metal scene?
Well I was a Kyuss fan when they came out but kinda floated away for a while but around 2011 or so I was looking around on Amazon for used CD's and started checking out bands suggested. I resisted the idea of there being good heavier rock music being out there and not being on the radio... sounds familiar?
How did you get involved with promoting within the whole underground Stoner Rock/Metal scene?
Well I was a Kyuss fan when they came out but kinda floated away for a while but around 2011 or so I was looking around on Amazon for used CD's and started checking out bands suggested. I resisted the idea of there being good heavier rock music being out there and not being on the radio... sounds familiar?
I used to think the same way many are now as they seek validation of a band by traditional means. The four bands that woke me up from the conventional programming were: Rival Sons, Sasquatch, Freedom Hawk and Gozu.
Once I started digging deeper I found that the music that was rooted in the foundations of the music I dig the most (70;s & 90's rock) was alive and kicking but just barely on the radio including Sirius XM whose new rock channel created their own brand of heavy rock that is highly overproduced and in general crap! People like yourself, JJ Koczan, Billy Goate with Doomed & Stoned, Todd Severin with Ripple and Bucky Brown all had an impact on me getting more involved with the scene. Started doing The Doomed & Stoned show with Billy back in 2020 and its been a wild ride since!
What's your favourite and least favourite aspect of being involved with the underground scene?
I like the scene and feel it coming together more and more among the Gen Xers in America but we need more folks of any age to be presented some of our top bands so they can get into the scene.
And if you could change anything about the overall scene what would that be? We still need way more people to support the scene at live shows and part of that is recruiting new folks into the fold. People need to listen to their friends and understand first what kind of rock or metal music they like and then tailor what you suggest to them.
What's your favourite and least favourite aspect of being involved with the underground scene?
I like the scene and feel it coming together more and more among the Gen Xers in America but we need more folks of any age to be presented some of our top bands so they can get into the scene.
And if you could change anything about the overall scene what would that be? We still need way more people to support the scene at live shows and part of that is recruiting new folks into the fold. People need to listen to their friends and understand first what kind of rock or metal music they like and then tailor what you suggest to them.
Don't give them Sleep right away! LOL Or some band that is nice to you so therefor you become a fanboy or fangirl and start putting them as the first band someone new to the scene should hear. You can't go wrong with bands like Sasquatch, Rival Sons, Dirty Streets, Freedom Hawk, The Watchers, King Buffalo or Clutch.
You also run some excellent Facebook Pages under the Vegas Rock Revolution banner. Does that take a lot of your daily time moderating both pages or do you manage your time quite well?
Yeah it can be very time consuming and I look at my Vegas Rock Revolution: Heavy + Hard Rock Group almost like a radio station. Ha for lack of a better term,.. I gatekeep the hell out of that page and approve each posting.
We all need some downtime to relax away from the scene. How did you relax away from the scene? Any personal hobbies that help you unwind?
*I really like to travel and need to do more of it but with my mom's health and age, I am really in a different space right now. Also I am a massive American football fan.
What are your favourite bands from within the scene itself?
You also run some excellent Facebook Pages under the Vegas Rock Revolution banner. Does that take a lot of your daily time moderating both pages or do you manage your time quite well?
Yeah it can be very time consuming and I look at my Vegas Rock Revolution: Heavy + Hard Rock Group almost like a radio station. Ha for lack of a better term,.. I gatekeep the hell out of that page and approve each posting.
We all need some downtime to relax away from the scene. How did you relax away from the scene? Any personal hobbies that help you unwind?
*I really like to travel and need to do more of it but with my mom's health and age, I am really in a different space right now. Also I am a massive American football fan.
What are your favourite bands from within the scene itself?
So many to list! ha ha. But I really love Villagers of Ioannina City. Their album Age of Aquarius is a pure masterpiece and it speaks to me in some mystical or spiritual way. I have been a long time lover of Sasquatch, Freedom Hawk, Rival Sons, Gozu, John Garcia, JIRM and many more!
Any great bands that folks should know about?
Any great bands that folks should know about?
The best under the radar bands for me to suggest is Tidal Wave (Sweeden), Saturna (Spain), Mr. Bison(Italy), JIRM (Sweden), Omega Sun (SLovenia), Sundrifter (Mass), Duneeater (Australia), Planet of the 8's (Australia), Witchskull (Australia), Dirty Streets (Memphis) and Sons of Arrakis (Canada)....
Hell I could say any band that has played PDRW is a band people should check out. Call me loyal but I sincerely believe in these bands!
Which physical media do you prefer – Cassette, CD or Vinyl?
Which physical media do you prefer – Cassette, CD or Vinyl?
CD..... love the sound and the size. My car has a cd player and it sounds so good still!
If someone is looking to start a career promoting gigs and festivals such as yourself, what advice would you offer them?
Move into it slowly and know that likely it will be more of a hobby. Make sure to talk to some people who have done the things you are considering but also actually listen to them some!
Any lessons that you've learnt along the way?
Don't get ahead of yourself and build a budget. Truly think through the numbers and don't just hope things will happen if you build it. There is a saying at my old employer Marriott had as part of their culture "Under promise and over deliver".
If someone is looking to start a career promoting gigs and festivals such as yourself, what advice would you offer them?
Move into it slowly and know that likely it will be more of a hobby. Make sure to talk to some people who have done the things you are considering but also actually listen to them some!
Any lessons that you've learnt along the way?
Don't get ahead of yourself and build a budget. Truly think through the numbers and don't just hope things will happen if you build it. There is a saying at my old employer Marriott had as part of their culture "Under promise and over deliver".
People are flaky so don't gamble too much on the shows early on.
Good Luck!
Words by Steve Howe and John Gist
Thanks to John Gist for doing this interview. Details for Planet Desert Rock Weekend 2025 can be found here:
Thanks to John Gist for doing this interview. Details for Planet Desert Rock Weekend 2025 can be found here:
From January 30th to February 1st, 2025 at Count's Vamp'd and The Usual Place (Las Vegas, NV)
EVENT & INFO // TICKETS
Links
VEGAS ROCK REVOLUTION on Facebook | Instagram
EVENT & INFO // TICKETS
Links
VEGAS ROCK REVOLUTION on Facebook | Instagram
