"Resolution is one of the unexpected delights I’ve heard from the Stoner Rock scene this year. As Pink Fuzz are brilliantly inventive combining classic Stoner Rock against areas of Shoegaze, Alt Rock and Indie Rock for a record that’s bound to become a firm favorite within the underground scene." -- Outlaws of The Sun

"Resolution is a sleek, hard rocking album with a lot of energy." -- New Noise Magazine

“Riotous Desert Rock.” – NPR

Denver trio Pink Fuzz share a new single today on all platforms. An early preview launched via Outlaws of The Sun HERE. The song "Don't You Wanna Go To Heaven?" was mixed by All Them Witches guitarist Ben McLeod and is available to hear and share on all DSPs HERE. 

Pink Fuzz launch tour dates this week, joining Austin heavy psych trio The Well (RidingEasy Records) for a stretch of Western States shows throughout the month. Please see all dates below. Tickets for all shows are available HERE. 

Following quickly on the heels of their acclaimed new album Resolution, Pink Fuzz's taut new single shows the benefits of their extensive touring over the previous year with The Sword, Black Pistol Fire, Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol and Earth Tongue. 

Pink Fuzz is a brother/sister led three-piece out of Denver made up of singer/guitarist John Demitro, singer/bassist LuLu Demitro and drummer Will Trafas. Pink Fuzz came to fruition at the end of 2017. Quickly picking up steam and wanting to expand out of Denver, Pink Fuzz started touring extensively. Creating a DIY circuit throughout the country, they’ve built a grassroots fanbase that has anxiously been awaiting new releases. Finally, 4 years after their previous release, the band's latest album Resolution landed September 19th, 2025. 

John’s baritone guitar lends itself to their heavy and fuzzed-out tone. The tuned down sound mixed with vocal harmonies and unique melodies is their calling card. The band’s newest material has been gaining fans since they debuted it at Treefort 2021. The coined term “High-Speed Desert Rock” suits them well as their show is fast-paced, dynamic and hard-hitting.

New singles "Don't You Wanna Go To Heaven?" and “Manipulator” were recorded at Cauldron Audio Works and engineered by Riley Rukavina. The tracks were mixed by Ben McLeod of All Them Witches. The single features custom artwork by Katy Black of Spoonbenders. 

Resolution was produced by Kevin Mckeown (Black Pistol Fire) and mixed by Alain Johannes (Queens of the Stone Age, Chris Cornell, PJ Harvey, Arctic Monkeys). The album received a wellspring of praise from NPR, New Noise Magazine, KNAC Radio (SF), The Obelisk, and many more. 

"Don't You Wanna Go To Heaven?" b/w “Manipulator” is available as a standalone single on streaming and download, released October 6th, 2026 via Permanent Teeth. Resolution is available on LP, cassette and download via Permanent Teeth. Orders are available HERE. 

PINK FUZZ - LIVE 2026:

10/07 Taos, NM - Revolt Gallery *

10/08 Albuquerque, NM - Sister Bar *

10/09 Trinidad, CO - Fancy Spider Fest *

10/10 Denver, CO - The Federal Theatre *

10/14 Frisco, CO - 10 Mile Music Hall *

10/15 Salt Lake City, UT - Aces High *

10/16 Boise, ID - Neurolux *

10/17 Yakima, WA - Bearded Monkey *

10/18 Vancouver, BC - Astoria *

10/20 Seattle, WA - Funhouse *

10/21 Portland, OR - High Water Mark *

10/22 Sacramento, CA - Cafe Colonial *

10/23 Oakland, CA - Thee Stork Club *

10/24 Vista, CA - Booze Bros *

10/25 Costa Mesa, CA - Wayfarer *

10/26 Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon *

* w/ The Well

"I guarantee you, it will be jammed firmly in your head for days on end." -- Metal Injection

“An instant earworm.” — Metal Sucks

“As ridiculously awesome as their big, dumb moniker would imply… churning out lumbering cascades of clobbering, trucker hat riffage that toe a slobbery line between Dinosaur Jr., Primus, Pantera and ZZ Top.” – Decibel Magazine

"Epically catchy... Imagine the ear-wormy fuzz-rock riffage of Dinosaur Jr. if it was played on an eight-string guitar with super heavy low-end." -- Revolver Magazine

"Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol have a winning formula: the most unflinchingly massive guitars you've ever heard in your life paired with surprisingly melodic, laid-back vocals." -- Consequence of Sound

Austin trio Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol share the final single from their forthcoming fourth album Ca$h Grab today on all platforms. The album will be released worldwide on October 23rd. Ca$h Grab is available for pre-order on LP/CD/MC HERE. Hear/share "Follow Through" +4 singles on all DSPs HERE.

RBBP also recently announced December headlining tour dates, ahead of more extensive dates in early 2027 to be announced soon. Fans can get tickets HERE for all shows. Please see current dates below. 

The previously scheduled tour dates with Death From Above 1979 have unfortunately been postponed by the headliner. RBBP will not be available to play the later dates due to scheduling conflicts. 

Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol further the sarcastic tone of their previous album’s title Big Dumb Riffs to double down with Ca$h Grab. The irony here — and perhaps the point — is that Ca$h Grab is the band’s most introspective and lyrically vulnerable songwriting to date. 

Of course, the band still bludgeons with thunderous 8-string guitar, growling bass chords and pummeling drums throughout. But these songs are as bassist Aaron Metzdorf explains,“more pop song forward, while still in the idiom of heavy music.”

The album finds the trio — vocalist/guitarist Leo Lydon, drummer Sean St. Germain and bassist/vocalist Metzdorf — expanding their mastery of heavy, hook-filled riffs and rhythms couched in earworm melody that would make Green Album era Weezer jealous. Following the Spartan Primus-meets-Pantera rhythmic ruction in 2 minutes or less of Big Dumb Riffs, the band lets melodies lead the battlefront this time around. In so doing, the lyrics are more personal and revealing, juxtaposed with twisting notes that nod to influences from Built To Spill and Sugar style indie pop to early 90s-era Rush. 

“The heavier parts are even heavier, but more fleshed out. And the heaviness is not just in a guitar riff, but heavy lyrics, heavy melody,” Metzdorf says. “Some of the heaviest parts of the whole album are Leo's vocals. While the poppier stuff has a more prominent role on this one.”

Ca$h Grab kicks off where the last album left off: The slow burn quiet/loud dynamic of “Freakshow”, seemingly the end result of the quasi-psychotic conceit of the previous disc’s “In a Jar,” both of which are sung by Metzdorf, who sings lead on 5 of the album’s 14 tracks. Vocalist/guitarist Leo Lydon really showcases the versatility in his singing, belting out high notes like never before on songs like “Fate Is”, “Peaches” and the title track. And while his vocals soar, Lydon’s 8-string guitar rumbles with menacing low end while intertwined with Metzdorf’s thick, heavily distorted bass chords. The band’s secret weapon, St. Germain pulls it all together with his innovative beat substitutions and explosive, syncopated hooks delivered with an effortless groove and fun loving smile. 

In the two years since Big Dumb Riffs, the band toured relentlessly, both as a headliner and supporting The Sword, Death From Above 1979, Pigs x9, King Buffalo and more. Their meticulously curated annual Big Dumb Fest in Austin and headlining dates continue to sell out and the band’s ever growing rabid fanbase proves that RBBP’s iconic reign has just begun. 

Ca$h Grab will be available on LP, CD, cassette and download/streaming on October 23rd, 2026.

RICKSHAW BILLIE’S BURGER PATROL - LIVE 2026:

10/23 Austin, TX - Mohawk Austin (Album Release Party)

11/28 Silverado, CA - Silverado Festival 

12/04 Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves

12/05 Tyler, TX - Stanley’s Famous Pit BBQ

12/06 Memphis, TN - Hernando’s Hideaway

12/09 Indianapolis, IN - Black Circle

12/10 Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups

12/11 Louisville, KY - Zanzabar

12/12 Asheville, NC - Eulogy

12/14 Orlando, FL - Will’s Pub

12/15 Tampa, FL - New World Brewery

12/16 St. Augustine, FL - Cafe Eleven

12/17 Pensacola, FL - The Handlebar

12/18 New Orleans, LA - Siberia

12/19 Houston, TX - Bad Astronaut 

Artist: Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol

Album: Ca$h Grab

Record label: RBBP / Permanent Teeth

Release Date: October 23, 2026

01. Freakshow

02. I Doubt It

03. Peaches

04. Fate Is

05. Punisher

06. Follow Through

07. Bury Me in Denver

08. Ca$h Grab

09. The Disappearing Man

10. No Juice

11. Bough Down

12. Talking To You

13. Couple Skate

14. Lush

https://linktr.ee/rickshawbilliesburgerpatrol

www.rickshawbilliesburgerpatrol.com

rickshawbilliesburgerpatrol.bandcamp.com

“Pamphlets tear into insatiable greed and the moral rot of power on “Against the Forces of Nature,” a blistering, serrated-guitar eruption whose feverish urgency and impassioned performance introduce their debut album ‘Somewhere in Zacatecas’ with thrilling force.” — Atwood Magazine

“Sharp observational lyrics on top of shark angular guitars, and a fun but pointed punk sound that still is every bit as arty as it is fierce.” — We All Want Someone To Shout For

"Taut, angular post-punk... much of their music addresses the larger forces that contribute to the anxieties, instability and uncertainty of contemporary life." -- MAGNET Magazine

Philadelphia/NYC band Pamphlets share a new single today from their forthcoming album Somewhere In Zacatecas. The song, "Spacesuits" premiered earlier via MAGNET Magazine HERE. The single is now available on all DSPs HERE.

Lead track "Against The Forces of Nature" also premiered recently alongside an in-depth interview in which the band discusses their personal-is-political outlook via Atwood Magazine HERE. 

Singer/guitarist Jeremy Marquez (Brooklyn) and bassist Ben Griffin (Philadelphia) formed the project after connecting through a network of friends. The duo bonded over a shared admiration for contemporaries such as Preoccupations, Ought, and Protomartyr and classic groups like The Fall, Joy Division, and Bloc Party.

They honed a driving, high-energy punk sound and became notable for their infectious live performances. Their latest EP “Cause// Effect” ushered in a new phase for the band leaning towards a heavier sound and sentimental lyricism. With songs that attempt to speak about the chaos, uncertainty, and anxiety of our current moment, Pamphlets position themselves as an unabashedly political call to action.

Somewhere In Zacatecas will be available on CD and digital on January 29th, 2027 via Lost Future Records. Orders are available HERE. 

PAMPHLETS - LIVE 2026:

10/17 Philadelphia, PA - Ray's Happy Birthday Bar

11/05 London, UK - Strongroom

11/07 Blackpool, UK - Bootleg Social 

11/08 Chelmsford, UK - Hot Box

11/09 Southampton, UK - Heartbreakers

11/10 Binche, BE - La Binchoise

11/11 Hannover, DE - La Binchoise

11/12 Wuppertal, DE - Talsounds

11/13 Leipzig, DE - Noch Besser Leben

11/14 Berlin, DE - Loge

Artist: Pamphlets

Album: Somewhere In Zacatecas 

Record Label: Lost Future Records

Release Date: January 29th, 2027

01. Skurtcore

02. Against the Forces of Nature

03. Patek Philippe

04. Spacesuits

05. La Di Dah

06. ...And The Urge to Bleed Out in the Snow

07. Spitting Glitter

08. Glove in Hand

09. Dog With No Bark

10. Steady Yourself

11. Collide-a-Scope

On The Web:

linktr.ee/pamphlets4u

pamphlets4u.com

lostfuturerecords.com

instagram.com/lostfuturerecords

lostfuture.bandcamp.com

“The Living Pins filter 60s psychedelic grooves through the more straightforward sensibilities of 90s alt-rock,

a combination that's both accessible and impossibly cool. Hearing Clark and Peltz harmonize over the garage-rock strut of opener ‘Raven,’ or the sweet pop-rock hooks of ‘Jaguar,’ you can see why Kim Deal of The Breeders counts herself as a fan.” — The Onion AV Club

"Channels classic pop rock sounds, brimming with assuredness and melodic hooks." -- Austin Town Hall

“Colorful, left-of-center rock and roll steeped Austin’s long psychedelic tradition… The Living Pins treat rock history like a box of strange ingredients, pulling familiar sounds apart and rearranging them into something playful, melodic, and wonderfully peculiar.” -- Glide Magazine

"A lively union of post-grunge guitar psychedelia and Stonesy chug, as if the nation's Nineties soundtrack evolved out of seminal garage rock comp Nuggets instead of the Velvet Underground." -- Austin Chronicle

"Taps into a nostalgic mystique... implausibly filters Texas psychedelia through the sheen of 70s FM radio." -- MAGNET Magazine

Austin, TX band The Living Pins share a new single from their forthcoming debut full length Roxy Unicorn today on all streaming services. "A and B" premiered earlier via MAGNET Magazine HERE. The song is now available to hear and share on all DSPs HERE.

"Roxy Unicorn" launched previously via Glide Magazine HERE. 

Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran says this about The Living Pins: ”One of the things I can really recognize when I hear a bit of music -- is the FUN. The fun that they were having when they made that. And they were having such a great time making that music. In fact, if you do check out Living Pins, you will hear that in all of their music. They don’t have a lot of it out there, but they are having such a laugh when they’re doing this stuff, and I think it’s wonderful.”

Ever since Pam Peltz and Carrie Clark worked together slinging produce and cashiering at Wheatsville Food Co-op in the mid-90s, they’ve been drawing their own pirate map of the rock world as The Living Pins.  

Releasing super well-received EPs and singles up til now, Roxy Unicorn is their first full-length album. A lush sonic landscape of Austin psychedelia pulled into focus with some 70s-FM-radio-era shimmer and polish. They’ve always had their eye on that candy window into the mystery tour.

Carrie Clark is a known Austin Music Hall of Famer as the frontwoman for 90s shoegaze favorites Sixteen Deluxe (Trance Syndicate, Warner Bros). Pam Peltz was the frontwoman for 90s Austin alt-rock trio Ursa Major and produced some beloved early Daniel Johnston tracks on Continued Stories. Sixteen Deluxe guitarist/singer Chris “Frenchie” Smith of the legendary Bubble Studios produced Roxy Unicorn.

“Roxy Unicorn”, the first single, is a baroque frolic inside an imaginary CBGB pop-up at Versailles, so they say. It has a tasty weird intro and then a galloping heartbeat to the end. “Secondary radiant joy” is a new favorite phrase for the summer.

Austin vinyl-based label Flak Records (“Because music should be physical”) will be doing a limited vinyl release when the full album Roxy Unicorn is officially out.

In 2023, Carrie made a special appearance at the A Curious Mix of People (University of Texas Press) book launch at the Central Austin Library and talked with its authors about the well-documented weirdness of the 90s Austin music scene and being frontwoman for Sixteen Deluxe. Here’s an excerpt:

Richard Whymark: “Didn’t you say you almost became Gwen Stefani?”

Carrie Clark: “Oh my God, yeah. At the time when Sixteen Deluxe was getting courted by every label in the book. Cuz it’s like ‘Oh, who’s the next Nirvana?’ or the next whatever. And yeah, I think one of those offers was ‘Hey, we’ll sign you guys but we get to decide what Carrie wears and we get to decide what her hair looks like and we get to decide all of these things about image… We said ‘No’”.

Roxy Unicorn will be available on LP and download/streaming on November 13th, 2026. 

THE LIVING PINS LIVE:

10/10 Austin, TX - Aristocrat Lounge

11/12 Austin, TX - Waterloo Records - pre-album release in-store

11/14 Austin, TX - Vinyl Beauty Bar

Artist: The Living Pins

Album: Roxy Unicorn 

Record Label: self-released / Flak Records (LP)

Release Date: November 13, 2026

01. Serpent

02. Roxy Unicorn

03. Gold

04. Revolution

05. Got Down

06. A and B

07. Understand

08. Album

09. 108

10. We Are Golden

11. Early Morning

On The Web:

livingpins.com

thelivingpins.bandcamp.com

instagram.com/livingpins

facebook.com/livingpins

"I guarantee you, it will be jammed firmly in your head for days on end." -- Metal Injection

“An instant earworm.” — Metal Sucks

“As ridiculously awesome as their big, dumb moniker would imply… churning out lumbering cascades of clobbering, trucker hat riffage that toe a slobbery line between Dinosaur Jr., Primus, Pantera and ZZ Top.” – Decibel Magazine

"Epically catchy... Imagine the ear-wormy fuzz-rock riffage of Dinosaur Jr. if it was played on an eight-string guitar with super heavy low-end." -- Revolver Magazine

Austin trio Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol announce December headlining tour dates today, supporting their forthcoming fourth album Ca$h Grab. The album will be released worldwide on October 23rd. Fans can get tickets HERE for all shows. Please see all dates below. 

Ca$h Grab is available for pre-order on LP/CD/MC HERE. Hear/share "Ca$h Grab" +3 singles on all DSPs HERE.



Premier Guitar Magazine recently featured the band on their beloved Rig Rundown video interview series. Watch/share the Rig Rundown video via YouTube HERE and Premier Guitar HERE. 

Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol further the sarcastic tone of their previous album’s title Big Dumb Riffs to double down with Ca$h Grab. The irony here — and perhaps the point — is that Ca$h Grab is the band’s most introspective and lyrically vulnerable songwriting to date. 

Of course, the band still bludgeons with thunderous 8-string guitar, growling bass chords and pummeling drums throughout. But these songs are as bassist Aaron Metzdorf explains,“more pop song forward, while still in the idiom of heavy music.”

The album finds the trio — vocalist/guitarist Leo Lydon, drummer Sean St. Germain and bassist/vocalist Metzdorf — expanding their mastery of heavy, hook-filled riffs and rhythms couched in earworm melody that would make Green Album era Weezer jealous. Following the Spartan Primus-meets-Pantera rhythmic ruction in 2 minutes or less of Big Dumb Riffs, the band lets melodies lead the battlefront this time around. In so doing, the lyrics are more personal and revealing, juxtaposed with twisting notes that nod to influences from Built To Spill and Sugar style indie pop to early 90s-era Rush. 

“The heavier parts are even heavier, but more fleshed out. And the heaviness is not just in a guitar riff, but heavy lyrics, heavy melody,” Metzdorf says. “Some of the heaviest parts of the whole album are Leo's vocals. While the poppier stuff has a more prominent role on this one.”

Ca$h Grab kicks off where the last album left off: The slow burn quiet/loud dynamic of “Freakshow”, seemingly the end result of the quasi-psychotic conceit of the previous disc’s “In a Jar,” both of which are sung by Metzdorf, who sings lead on 5 of the album’s 14 tracks. Vocalist/guitarist Leo Lydon really showcases the versatility in his singing, belting out high notes like never before on songs like “Fate Is”, “Peaches” and the title track. And while his vocals soar, Lydon’s 8-string guitar rumbles with menacing low end while intertwined with Metzdorf’s thick, heavily distorted bass chords. The band’s secret weapon, St. Germain pulls it all together with his innovative beat substitutions and explosive, syncopated hooks delivered with an effortless groove and fun loving smile. 

In the two years since Big Dumb Riffs, the band toured relentlessly, both as a headliner and supporting The Sword, Death From Above 1979, Pigs x9, King Buffalo and more. Their meticulously curated annual Big Dumb Fest in Austin and headlining dates continue to sell out and the band’s ever growing rabid fanbase proves that RBBP’s iconic reign has just begun. 

Ca$h Grab will be available on LP, CD, cassette and download/streaming on October 23rd, 2026.

RICKSHAW BILLIE’S BURGER PATROL - LIVE 2026:

10/23 Austin, TX - Mohawk Austin (Album Release Party)

11/28 Silverado, CA - Silverado Festival 

12/04 Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves

12/05 Tyler, TX - Stanley’s Famous Pit BBQ

12/06 Memphis, TN - Hernando’s Hideaway

12/09 Indianapolis, IN - Black Circle

12/10 Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups

12/11 Louisville, KY - Zanzabar

12/12 Asheville, NC - Eulogy

12/14 Orlando, FL - Will’s Pub

12/15 Tampa, FL - New World Brewery

12/16 St. Augustine, FL - Cafe Eleven

12/17 Pensacola, FL - The Handlebar

12/18 New Orleans, LA - Siberia

12/19 Houston, TX - Bad Astronaut 

Artist: Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol

Album: Ca$h Grab

Record label: RBBP / Permanent Teeth

Release Date: October 23, 2026

01. Freakshow

02. I Doubt It

03. Peaches

04. Fate Is

05. Punisher

06. Follow Through

07. Bury Me in Denver

08. Ca$h Grab

09. The Disappearing Man

10. No Juice

11. Bough Down

12. Talking To You

13. Couple Skate

14. Lush

https://linktr.ee/rickshawbilliesburgerpatrol

www.rickshawbilliesburgerpatrol.com

rickshawbilliesburgerpatrol.bandcamp.com

"Primed to become your next favorite band." -- Metal Sucks

"An absolute joy to listen to and perhaps one of the most inventive albums to be released this year." -- Outlaws of the Sun

"Think the early days of Red Fang, when every chord and note was dripping with urgency, but with, one hand, a dash of progginess thrown in and, on the other, a dollop of sludgy sweetness that makes one think of Torche." -- Heavy Blog is Heavy

“Auralayer blend doom and guitar-forward pop sensibilities, capturing the decade from ’95 to 2005 when a generation of sing-along sludge blossomed from grunge’s demise.” — Decibel Magazine

"Builds momentum quickly and doesn't look back... An amalgam of modern heavy." -- The Obelisk

Auralayer, the heavy melodic trio out of Greenville, SC, share their new single from their forthcoming sophomore album today via The Obelisk HERE. The song "Wall to Wall" is now available to hear and share on all DSPs HERE.

Far too many heavy rock and doom bands overlook that the classic progenitors of the genre were firmly rooted in strong melodic hooks, not just skull thwacking riffs. Greenville, SC trio Auralayer bring pop melodies to the forefront of their sound, ensuring that the heaviness hits with exceptional impact. 

Into the Aura Lair, the anticipated followup to Auralayer’s 2023 debut full length, Thousand Petals (King Volume Records) is heavy, fun and unpredictable. Think YOB, Torche and The Sword blended with 90s alt rock akin to Hum: Huge riffs pummeling through huge amplifiers, precise cannon like drums, and melodies that stick with you.

Guitarist Thomas Powell zeroes in on slamming High on Fire riffs counterbalanced with Hendrix psychedelic flourish and open-tuned alt-rock shimmer. Bassist/vocalist Jake Williams lays down sludgy, growling lows while his soaring, clean vocals hit powerful highs. The album is the first to feature new drummer Harold Smith, who brings a harder hitting style to their sound than heard previously. 

To help them harness their energetic musical vision, the band once again recruited Philip Cope, the founder of the experimental metal band Kylesa, who also engineered, mixed, and mastered their debut album at Jam Room Recording Studio in Columbia, SC. As with Kylesa, Cope helped to capture and channel the band’s diverse influences and experimentation into a cohesive sonic palette.

Into the Aura Lair will be available digitally on December 4th, 2026. Pre-orders are available HERE.

AURALAYER LIVE 2026:

10/09 Warner Robbins, GA - The Reverb Room

10/10 Athens, GA - Flicker Theatre

10/11 Chattanooga, TN - Cherry St. Tavern

10/30 Savannah, GA - The Wormhole

Album: Into The Aura Lair

Label: Auralayer

Release Date: December 4, 2026

01. Saldo

02. Tantalus

03. Wall to Wall

04. Survival

05. Down From Evil Eyes

06. Mythomania

07. Layers Beneath

08. Stuck on a Spike

09. Dead Arrival

On The Web:

linktr.ee/auralayer

"Here, Lustig turns toward something closer to psychedelic pop and alternative rock, although his instinct for unusual arrangements hasn’t gone anywhere." -- It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine

"Underground art-rock channeling Ron Mael (Sparks)." -- Echoes & Dust

NYC musician Raymond J. Lustig announces his forthcoming new album Welcome today, sharing the lead single "That's The Moment". The song is available to hear and share on Bandcamp and all DSPs HERE. 

Ray Lustig is 1/2 of NYC songwriting duo Manicburg and an award winning professor in composition at Julliard. Yes, THEE Julliard, school of performing arts. But this isn’t stuffy Classical music nor icy neo-Classical navel-gazing. Ray’s music shares more with psychedelic post-punk, Manu Chao, Tom Waits, Radiohead and other hard to categorize works of intricate composition. 

Welcome is his latest solo album exploring realms of alternative/indie rock coming hot on the heels of his choral opera Semmelweiss. The first single “That’s The Moment” is a hooky, electronic-infused psychedelic pop tune. 

Lustig's work transcends and integrates many genres, as composer, performer, producer, and bandleader. From symphonic works to experimental opera, instrumental music, to alternative rock and electronic music, his music maintains an artistic and sonic signature across strikingly different forces, an emotional intensity not about loudness but often quiet and constant.

While his early career was set in the world of Juilliard and Carnegie Hall, he has moved steadily “downtown” and around the world, working with international musicians ranging from underground rockers to modular synthesists, jazzers, traditional folk instrumentalists, and classical virtuosi.

With New York-based Italian artist Luigi Porto he started the band Manicburg, which released its debut album in 2024, and continues to tour and record.

His choral opera SEMMELWEIS was staged in a 2018 production by Hungarian director Martin Boross. In 2026 Lustig and co-producer Maximilien Hein reimagined the music of the opera as a concept album taking the form of a song cycle. It met with global critical acclaim.

His latest album, WELCOME, due out in the autumn of 2026, takes his solo music again in the direction of alternative rock, with a lush electronic and compositional palette, exploring different angles of anxiety and fear in a menacing world, a serial tale of psychedelic peril.

Lustig has collaborated with American Composers Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony, Metropolis Ensemble, Budapest Operetta Theater, the Bartok Plusz Opera Festival, the American Opera Project, cellist Joshua Roman, tenor Nicholas Phan, pianist Blair McMillen, classical guitar ensemble Duo Noire, director Martin Boross, aanimator John W. Lustig, and more. He has taught composition and analysis at The Juilliard School and served on the Pulitzer Prize selection committee.

Ray’s work has been honored with the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, ASCAP’s Rudolf Nassim Prize for his orchestral work UNSTUCK, the Aaron Copland Award from Copland House, the Juilliard Orchestra competition, the New Juilliard Ensemble competition.

Lustig is part of a growing scene of artists and musicians based in the far-northern neighborhoods of Manhattan, and hosts monthly music parties in his studio there.

Welcome will be available on LP and digital on November 20th, 2026 via Respirano Records. 

Album: Welcome

Record Label: Respirano Records

Album Release Date: November 20, 2026

On the Web:

raylustig.com

instagram.com/raylustig 

facebook.com/raymondlustig 

raymondjlustigmusic.bandcamp.com

open.spotify.com/artist/raymondjlustig 

“Unlike other festivals that set up shop in a hot, scenic locale to showcase performers from other places around the world, The Mojave Experience has a more authentic vibe.” — Los Angeles Times 

The Mojave Experience festival today announces the second annual staging of the event, taking place March 19th-21st, 2027 in Joshua Tree, California. The festival has expanded to 3 days for its second year due to popular demand. Bands announce thus far include Corrosion of Conformity, Fu Manchu, Red Fang, Brant Bjork, Nebula and many more. The full lineup will be revealed soon. Tickets are on sale now for Early Bird and special bundles. Tickets are available HERE. 

The festival is the brainchild of organizer and High Desert native Patrick Brink, frontman of VOLUME and former lead singer of desert rock legends Fu Manchu. 

The Desert music & culture festival carries on the free-spirited tradition of Desolation Center, High Desert generator parties and the early days of Coachella. The Mojave isn’t just a backdrop. It’s part of the reason this festival exists.

Bands announced so far include:

Corrosion of Conformity

Fu Manchu

Red Fang

Brant Bjork

earthlings?

Mondo Generator

Nebula

Deathchant

Fatso Jetson

Unida

Yawning Balch

Big Scenic Nowhere

Sasquatch

Heavy Temple

High Desert Queen

Sons of Arrakis

20 Watt Tombstone

Magick Potion

Black Moon Cult

The Mojave Experience takes place in Joshua Tree, California at the Joshua Tree Lake & Campground. Attendees are encouraged to make use of the camping, hiking and rock climbing in the area while taking in the vast beauty and mystery of the region that birthed the Desert Rock movement.

There’s a long history of people coming out here to make music on their own terms, from Desolation Center and generator parties to infamous sessions at Rancho de La Luna and the early days of desert festivals. The Mojave Experience comes from that same independent spirit.

The Mojave isn’t just a backdrop — it’s the raw, unfiltered stage where music, art, and chaos collide. Out here, under open sky and desert sun, things feel different. There’s distance from the city, from the usual venues and from everything that normally surrounds a show. You come out here because you want to be here.

The Mojave Experience grew naturally out of that. It wasn’t created to recreate something from the past. It came from the music and culture that have existed in this desert for decades, while giving the next generation of bands and fans a place in it.

Year one proved that people will travel a long way for that experience. They came from across the country and beyond to spend a weekend in the Mojave, surrounded by people who came for the same reason. Desert legends, road-worn bands and new blood sharing the same stage for a few days in the place that inspired it.

No city park. No corporate festival setting.

Just the bands, the people and the Mojave.

Come ready. Come raw.

The Mojave Experience isn’t here to entertain you — it’s here to change you.

THE MOJAVE EXPERIENCE 2027:

03/19/2027 - 03/21/2027 Joshua Tree, CA - Joshua Tree Lake & Campground

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