Mastodon and Deafheaven let it riff in Garden City, Idaho, last night – a stone’s throw away from Boise, with the two metal bands at the topic of their game and finally touring on the same bill.
Here are some the images from the action-packed concert:
Black Moon Cult bleed heavy psych rock. If you don’t believe that statement and live in Boise, your chance to prove us wrong is to catch them tonight at Neurolux, where they will be part of a loaded bill also featuring Kal-El and Goya (who are also pals of The Bad Penny).
While we typically don’t repeat accolades bestowed upon bands by rival websites, it’s worth noting that The Obelisk named Black Moon Cult’s self-produced Ophidian Future: The Children of Yig the best debut record of 2025. Expect the trio from Toledo, Ohio, to tap heavily into that record, issued by Atlanta’s Black Doomba Records, during their set.
Founded by guitarist and vocalist Kaleb Riser five years ago, Black Moon Cult – who are signed to Atlanta’s Doomba Records (Megaton Communion, Thunderbird Divine) – also features bassist and synth player Kevin Lewis, along with drummer and percussionist Jeff Vandebussche.
The Bad Penny caught up with Black Moon Cult en route to Boise on Wednesday and chatted them up about what they have in store for tonight’s sure-to-be-thunderous gig. Here’s what Riser had so say:
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Bet you probably didn’t guess when we launched this series unofficially dubbed The Bad Penny Passport that our search for the best bands in countries around the world would include Russia, did you? We didn’t either. But thanks to one of our dearest friends, – mastermind behind badass black-metal projects Malist and Crimson Crown – we’re able to do just that, bringing you his list of recommended Russian bands we can virtually guarantee will not ring a bell (to you, at least).
In one of our more treasured entries in this series, we hand over the reins to – who remains anonymous for obvious reasons – to inform us about what he considers to be the greatest heavy bands spanning the country that spans more than 6.6 million miles and boasts a population of anywhere from 143 to 146 million citizens, depending on whether you consider Crimea to be part of it.
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By and large, Spacemoth’s Inward Eye is an autobiographical affair that multi-faceted artist Maryam Qudus created in tandem with digitally archiving her family’s home movies using a VCR that she left running repeatedly in her abode. While that might drive just about anyone nuts, Qudus exhibits no signs of erratic behavior on Inward Eye, a chill record in the vein of late-career Flaming Lips.
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Whereas most artists put blood, sweat and tears into ensuring that their records bear a consistent sound, theme, story line—or all three—Green Lung torched that handbook well before creating Necropolitan. If you thought Black Sabbath threw curveballs with “Changes,” “FX” and “Laguna Sunrise” on Vol. 4, you’ll be agog by what’s in store when you listen to Green Lung’s fourth album for the first time.
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David Bowie never named a single album that he considered to be his favorite, according to Vanity Fair. However, a 2003 edition of the same publication did publish a Bowie top albums list and albums that influenced David Bowie. The lengthy article name-checked 25 albums considered to be Bowie influences; we’ve narrowed down the list to 15.
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After the record-breaking turnouts that participated in the peaceful No Kings protests over the past year and change, ICE has adopted a new strategy of unlawfully detaining people of color – and dissenters who oppose the Trump regime’s draconian tactics. Due to their cowardly methods of “disappearing” hundreds upon thousands of men, women and children – many, if not most of whom, are legally allowed to be in the U.S. – we’ve become inured to the fact that unchecked authority, rampant lawlessness and a chilling grip of fear that the vast majority of us living here feel.
In response, ex-Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello – widely considered to be one of the greatest virtuosos of the past three decades – took it upon himself to amass a diverse set of musicians for a Woodstock-esque concert extravaganza. Named after the John Lennon hit from 1971, Power to the People took place Saturday in Columbia, Missouri – specifically, at Merriweather Post Pavilion, which has a capacity of approximately 19,000 attendees.
The entire event aired just one time on MS NOW on Saturday. But alas, clips of the historic galvanizing event are scattered across the Internet. Here are our top 10 favorite moments from Tom Morello’s “Power to the People” daylong event:
1. “This Land Is Your Land” jam by various artists
Last time around, we rolled out a rather comprehensive history of Nirvana’s biggest hit song, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” This time, we trace the lineage of the second single from Nirvana’s Nevermind – an aquatic, forlorn song that incorporates guns and early video special effects.
With a dreary mood that put even most major grunge songs to shame, “Come as You Are” is a downbeat tune that doesn’t exactly qualify musically as a ballad but had the sad thematic content to make it one of sorts. Like “Smells Like Teen Spirit” before it, “Come as You Are” also contains unsavory references, some of which are downright eerie decades after Kurt Cobain used a gun to commit suicide.
At the time of his death, Cobain apparently had heroin in his system; bleach, which is used in the injection process of the drug, also makes a (perhaps prescient) appearance in the words he sang on this tune.
Read The Bad Penny‘s full reflection on the song courtesy of AllMusic.
Despite a litany of posthumous releases – pricey box sets, “super deluxe edition” reissues, unreleased songs and more – “Smells Like Teen Spirit” will always remain Nirvana’s most enduring song. Not only did it reach the top spot on countless charts in dozens of countries, it became so ubiquitous in mainstream culture that it cemented Nirvana as one of the greatest rock bands ever and legitimized alternative music as the quintessential music genre of the 1990s.
Read more of my thesis on Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on AllMusic.
