Live Music Preview: South Austin Braces for Ripplefest Texas 2026
Ripplefest is back. The doom and stoner metal gathering returns to The Far Out Lounge & Stage and Sagebrush September 17 through 20, and South Austin should expect another four days of riffs, sludge, and good hangs. Organizers Lick Of My Spoon Productions are again promising zero band overlap, so if you commit to all four days, you actually catch the entire lineup instead of picking favorites. 2026 marks the sixth edition since the fest launched in 2021. Same two S. Congress venues. Same reason to clear your calendar. Tickets are at lickofmyspoon.com.
The kickoff lands at Sagebrush, the metal and honky tonk sanctuary that’s hosted everyone from Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol to Spoon and remains one of the most “Austin” venues in Austin. Chicago/NW Indiana outfit Shadow of Jupiter opens with proto doom and 70s stoner riffing off their new record Bones. Houston lifers Mr. Plow bring hooky, pop culture leaning riffs from a band that predates the term “stoner rock” itself. Austin trio Demons My Friends, born out of a jam session at SXSW 2022 with roots in Mexico City’s QBO and DC’s Fellowcraft, play fuzzed out stoner doom. German trio Plaindrifter round out the early bill with the hypnotic, prog leaning heavy psych off their new album Gestalt, plus more.
Friday moves the main programming to both stages at The Far Out Lounge, zero overlap in effect for real now. SKLOSS, the Austin/Glasgow spacegaze duo, and local doom outfit Rebreather represent the hometown crowd, alongside Ripple Music mainstays Thunder Horse and their Sabbath meets New Wave of British Heavy Metal sound. The heavier end of the bill brings Montreal’s Dopethrone, who call their own DIY filth “Slutch,” and St. Louis doom sludge trio Fister. Topping the night is Kyuss legend John Garcia, stepping in for YOB after founder Mike Scheidt’s hand surgery forced a cancellation.
Saturday doubles down at The Far Out Lounge across the heavy spectrum. Denver’s Khemmis headline off the strength of a genre defining run that goes back to 2015’s Absolution. Norway’s Kal-El bring their sci-fi themed cosmic stoner metal, Swiss trio Dirty Sound Magnet their psychedelic and prog rock, and local heavy psych duo and Lick Of My Spoon signees Gran Moreno their Spanish lyricized fuzz. Asbury Park hardliners Solace close out the night with what they call “dirt metal,” a mix of stoner doom and hardcore that’s been going since 1996.
Sunday sends the festival back to Sagebrush, tradition holding for the reunion-style closer. Swedish stoner rock institution Greenleaf, led by Dozer guitarist Tommi Holappa, headline what is genuinely their first ever US tour, twenty five plus years into the band’s existence. Seattle’s Witch Ripper bring a proggy strain of doom that’s long since outgrown straight stoner rock, and Nashville duo Friendship Commanders, fresh off a Kurt Ballou produced record, round out the bill alongside more.
Get your four day pass now before the good tiers sell out. This is a no overlap fest, so plan your sets, hydrate between bands, and bring earplugs if you value your hearing past 2030. Come see the family.
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