Gallery: Riot Fest 2018

Hobo Johnson and the LoveMarkers' Derek Lynch

It's been a wild ride for Hobo Johnson & the LoveMakers this year, ever since Hobo and his crew made a single-shot video for NPR's Tiny Desk series. They eventually lost out in the finals, but the video garnered millions of views and earned them a Tiny Desk slot. Guitarist Derek Lynch is seen here with his all-stock Olympic white Fender American Professional Jaguar.

Sum 41’s Dave Baksh

Dave “Brownsound” Baksh primarily rocks PRS guitars. During the band’s afternoon set, he went with his SC 250 for the song “Over My Head (Better Off Dead).”

Flogging Molly’s Dave King

The Irish-born punker gets help from his double-pickguard Martin to raise hell on “The Likes of You Again.”

Taking Back Sunday’s John Nolan

For “Don’t Look Back,” guitarist/vocalist (and Straylight Run founder) John Nolan jammed on his Fender American Pro Telecaster Deluxe Shawbucker.

Young the Giant’s Jacob Tilley

“Something to Believe In” matched the YTG guitarist with his tuxedo Lincoln Bitterbird. During our Rig Rundown with Tilley, we learned that the story of his main ride starts with the band’s sound engineer tagging him in an Instagram post by Lincoln Guitars (based out of Austin, Texas). Tilley loved the designs and hit it off with luthier Derek Asuan-O’Brien, and they collaborated on this Bitterbird, which features a Mastery bridge and tailpiece, McNelly pickups, and D’Addario NYXL .011–.049 strings.

Young the Giant’s Eric Cannata

When we filmed a Rig Rundown with Cannata in 2017, his No. 1 was a constant conundrum, switching between a ’60s Firebird and ’60s Jazzmaster. However, during “I Got,” he was grooving with a surf green Fender American Original ’60s Jag.

Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo

The Harvard grad tangoed with his Warmoth parts S-style “Satsuki” (which has a Seymour Duncan Trembucker in the bridge) for set opener “Buddy Holly.”

Reignwolf

Canadian-born, twisted-bluesman Jordan Cook, aka Reignwolf, harnessed his ’70s Gibson SG Standard, welcoming feedback and noise.

Wolfmother’s Andrew Stockdale

For the show-stopping “Woman,” Wolfmother’s lead man twists his faded-brown Gibson SG, which features a Bigsby and is either a’72 or ’73. During a 2016 interview with PG, Stockdale described his influences: “Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, George Harrison. I like Robby Krieger from the Doors. I like guitarists who don't necessarily just shred. I’m into people who try to bring some kind of melodic structure to the solo, so it’s almost like a hook.”

Elvis Costello

The Grammy winner grabbed his discolored signature Jazzmaster (from 2008) for the set-starting “Pump It Up.”

Interpol’s Paul Banks

The Les Paul Custom used by Interpol’s frontman during their new single, “If You Really Love Nothing,” has been Paul Banks’ main squeeze since high school.

Interpol’s Daniel Kessler

N.Y.C.-based 6-stringer Daniel Kessler leans into “All the Rage Back Home” on his Gibson ES-330TD, which sports a chrome Bigsby.

The Jesus Lizard’s Duane Denison

These Chicago hometown heroes closed out their set with old favorites like “Puss” and “Then Comes Dudley,” while still squeezing in a Chrome cover. Here’s what the Jesus Lizard guitarist told us in 2013 about his signature Electrical Guitar Company Chessie: “It’s a minimalist rock machine.” To enhance its mechanistic look, ECG drilled into the front of the guitar the bolts that normally line the edge of its guitars’ backs. Remove the bolts, and the guitar opens in one piece for repair. Its bare aluminum neck boasts the same width and pitch as a Gibson ES-135. “I can’t think of another guitar that has that combination—the pitch, the feel, plus the scale length, and all while keeping the weight down.”

JD McPherson

In an old PG interview, the roots rocker confessed his love for old-school Teles. But when it came time for a Rig Rundown, he couldn’t wait to show off this custom TK Smith instrument. It’s based on the Smith Special model, but with a Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird-style body. The bird’s-eye maple body features Smith’s custom C.A.R. pickups and a custom Bigsby-style tailpiece. TK Smith puts a hybrid set of Thomastik-Infeld flatwound strings on his guitars when they leave his shop, but McPherson said he couldn’t bend them as much as he liked so he’s using D’Addario Pure Nickel .011s.

Fear’s Lee Ving

The pioneer of California hardcore treated the crowd to an authentically ripe and crude set by performing their 1982 classic album, The Record.

Fear’s Eric Razo

Viva Hate guitarist Eric Razo made his Fear-festival debut wailing on his Fender Strat during “Beef Bologna.”

Bullet For My Valentine’s Michael Paget

“Padge” gets up close and personal with his signature ESP V for BFMV’s “Your Betrayal.”

Ben Weinman

The ESP signature artist (check out our Rig Rundown to learn all about it) opted for a different model while helping out the Suicidal Tendencies—he’s shown here getting to work with a ESP MH-1000 EverTune that’s loaded with EMG 81/85s.

Suicidal Tendencies’ Dean Pleasants

The band’s long-standing guitarist (since 1996) pitched in with his Fernandes S-style to bring the 1983 classic Suicidal Tendencies to life.

Clutch’s Tim Sult

In early 2018, we spent some time with the Clutch guitarist for a Rig Rundown, who was travelling with two ’60s SGs. In Chicago during Riot Fest, the veteran rocker did most of his damage with a Gibson SG ’61 Reissue.

Clutch’s Dan Maines

Bassist Dan Maines has played many basses (Fender, Lakland, Gibson), but starting with the 2017 winter tour (when we conducted a Rig Rundown) he’s been using this Rickenbacker 4003 with the Ric-O-Sound stereo jack. With the help of his tech, Maines uses a homemade pedal to split the pickups to their own Ampeg cabs—the neck hits the 1x15 and the bridge goes into the 8x10. And he has a third signal—a DI—that goes to front of house.

Incubus’ Mike Einziger

When we spoke with Mike in 2012, he shared that carpal tunnel syndrome was dictating his gear choices (especially guitars and guitar necks) and he was mainly playing Music Man Albert Lee signature models. Things must’ve improved, as he brought out his old friend during Riot Fest—a thinline Tele, a guitar he’s favored since the early 2000s.

Bad Religion’s Mike Dimkich and Jay Bentley

Dimkich goes old school by rocking a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Junior that is all stock, aside from a refinish and tuners. He loves the raw sound of a P-90: “It’s probably recorded more classic rock ’n’ roll records than folks would ever imagine and has been on most classic punk albums—NY Dolls, Sex Pistols, the Clash, 999, the Avengers,” he says, “plus the single pickup and minimal controls makes a guy’s life far easier in the heat of battle onstage!”

Co-founding bassist Jay Bentley, for the band’s 1988 classic Suffer and a few fan favorites, he rode hard and fast with his 1977 Fender Precision bass that has a DiMarzio DP122 pickup and a Badass bridge. And if you look closely, you’ll see that he has no tone or volume controls because “turning down isn’t an option.

Father John Misty

The Grammy-winning, former-Fleet-Foxes drummer brought a moodier mix of music to Riot Fest 2018. Father John Misty (aka Josh Tillman) orchestrated the dour jams with his Martin dreadnought outfitted with a LR Baggs soundhole pickup.

Flogging Molly’s Dennis Casey

The long-tenured Molly member (since 2002’s Drunken Lullabies) has always been in the Telecaster camp, but is seen here leaning back and bending strings on a parts T-style that was originally a double-bucker body but now has a pair of single-coils.

Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff

Because Antonoff isn’t busy enough with his other bands, Fun and Steel Train, why not start a third band? The lone permanent member of Bleachers used to make indie-pop magic thanks to an Epiphone Wilshire Phant-O-Matic, but this year’s festival circuit saw him depending on a Fender American Original ’60s Jazzmaster.

Face to Face’s Scott Shiflett

Punk rock runs through the Shiflett brothers blood: Scott has been the bassist/vocalist for Face to Face since 1995 and his brother Chris spent the ’90s playing with No Use For a Name and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes before landing the stadium-filling gig as a second guitarist in the Foo Fighters. This Fender P bass shows off Shiflett’s roots with stickers of Strung Out, Lagwagon, and Bad Religion.

Bully’s Alicia Bognanno

The Rig Rundown alumnus took the afternoon set by the horns with her No. 1 Bluesman Vintage, which is strung with D’Addario NYXL .010–.046 strings.

The Adolescents’ Dan Root

Sometimes you just don’t need much more than a hot bridge pickup and some attitude—both shown here with Adolescents’ guitarist Dan Root digging into his SG Jr. with a single Lace ’bucker.

Twin Peaks’ Cadien Lake James

The three-guitar attack of the Chicago garage punkers is spearheaded with James, shown here taking lead on his Fender Strat during “Butterfly.”

The Killing Joke’s Geordie Walker

The post-punk legend took the stage with his dear, old hollowbody friend at Chicago’s Riot Fest—a 1952 Gibson ES-295 that he’s enjoyed for decades.

The Aquabats’ Crash McLarson

The co-founding bassist Chad “Crash” McLarson loses himself in his “superhero” alter ego while keeping the rhythm on his P bass.

Johnny Marr

The former Smiths guitar magician, Modest Mouse contributor, and prolific solo star spoke to us about his love for the Fender Jag in our September 2018 cover story: “I find you absolutely have to have .011s on a Jag. No question on that! Guitarists that are used to playing with .010s on other guitars will find a Jag with .011s will behave in a way they understand. I personally set up my Jags so they have a little bit of fight in them.”

Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba

The Alk Trio founder and recent blink-182 addition brought the hometown crowd to life with his green Jag modded with a bridge EMG and Ducati sticker.

Underøath’s Timothy McTague

Earlier this year, McTague explained how he eschewed the conventions of metal and guitar. “I do the leads,” he explains, “though I don’t like being called the ‘lead guitar player.’ Yuck.” The band’s new record, Erase Me, mainly featured SGs (like the one shown here) and instituted four tunings. “We’re playing baritone in B standard [B–E–A–D–F#–B], plus drop C [C¬–G–C–F–A–D], drop C#, and drop D.”