Pacifica Pub Hosts Epic Two-Day Stoner Rock Celebration
By Dave Pehling
PACIFICA (CBS SF) -- The promoters behind last year's massive all-day heavy rock festival Epicenter 2017 that brought a whopping nine heavy rock bands to San Jose take over Winters Tavern in Pacifica this weekend with twice as many acts and specialty kegs from multiple breweries for More Beers in Hell.
Presented by Heavy San Jose, More Beers in Hell gathers a mighty line-up of psych, stoner metal and hard rock outfits from the Bay Area and abroad to arguably the best bar in Pacifica. Already well known for it's "no crap on tap" policy and wide ranging beer selection, Winters Tavern stands as the perfect location for a two-day party reveling in heavy sounds and excellent ales. Among the brew houses participating in the event by providing special kegs are Figueroa Mountain Brewing, Devil's Canyon Brewing Company,Sante Adairius Rustic Ales, Ghost Town Brewing and Old Kan Beer and Co.
The festival kicks off Friday night with a free pre-party showcase of five bands starting at 8:30 p.m. with San Jose occult/doom trio BT Saints. In addition to sets from Santa Cruz-based sludge-metal experimentalists Vultures at Arms Reach, Oakland's blackened metal merchants Catapult the Dead and San Francisco's own monolithic psychedelic metal combo Lowcaster, the pre-party bill will be headlined by a new project helmed by Lucust French of fuzzed-out Arizona psych/desert rockers Burn Thee Insects. More Beers in Hell will mark the Bay Area debut of French's group Sno Cone.
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On Saturday, the festivities commence at 12 p.m. with a band that is sure to start the marathon day of heavy sounds (including a number of acts from the roster of Bay Area heavy rock imprint Ripple Music) on the right note, Sabbath Buddy Sabbath. An all-star collaboration featuring members of two of More Beers in Hell's biggest draws -- Oceanside veterans Great Electric Quest (whose galloping metal anthem "Beers in Hell" inspired the festival's name) and San Diego's ferocious Red Wizard -- the band will deal out muscular takes of Black Sabbath's classic hits that will have those in the know arriving early.
The rest of the day will unfold with a wide range of pulverizing riffs and psychedelic jams, from the Hendrix/Doors-inspired grooves of LA band Roast and the bluesy stoner stomp of Auburn's Shotgun Sawyer to catchy desert fuzz of LA crew Salem's Bend and the left-field space/doom stylings of South Bay outfit Kook that boasts the guitar talents of original High on Fire member Karl Larson. Other highlights include hard-grooving veteran San Jose quartet Zed -- whose acclaimed 2016 album Trouble In Eden mixed elements of crushing Soundgarden/Alice in Chain heft with the swinging heavy blues-rock of Clutch -- celebrated San Francisco doom merchants Brume, Maidenesque Fresno metal band Haunt before a closing set from Zeppelin-esque Visalia, CA-based boogie rockers Slow Season starting at midnight. For tickets and more information, visit the More Beers in Hell website.
More Beers In Hell
Friday, May 18, 8 p.m. free
Saturday, May 19, 12 p.m. $20
Winters Tavern
