Rocky Mountain Riff Fest Brings the Heavy Underground to Kalispell
The music starts on Friday at the free 21+ pre-party at Glacier Park VFW followed by the all-ages festival on Saturday at the Kalispell Eagles
By Maggie Dresser
At the inaugural FuzzFest in 2017, an all-ages crowd converged in the basement of the now-shuttered Old School Records on First Street West in downtown Kalispell, moshing to the riffs of a rotating cast of a dozen metal bands, ranging in heaviness as the sound of drums and bass reverberated into blissful doom.
The festival at the record shop and music venue served as a stomping ground for Jamie Yeats and his band Wizzerd, a staple in the underground metal scene in Kalispell and beyond.
FuzzFest has since morphed into what is now the Rocky Mountain Riff Festival, which became an annual show at Old School Records until the store closed in 2023, prompting organizers to relocate across the street to the Kalispell Eagles 234 where it will be hosted on Saturday, April 18 starting at 4:20 p.m.
Bands will play on the Eagles’ two stages – one in the ballroom and another in the basement – where fans continue to gather in Kalispell a decade after FuzzFest launched to celebrate an underground genre that includes heavy psychedelic stoner rock and metal.
Raised in Kalispell, Yeats zeroed in on his hometown as the Flathead Valley’s heavy hub where he grew up going to Old School Records and immersing himself in the scene.
“I specifically like having it in Kalispell,” Yeats said, referring to the festival. “A lot of people who live here don’t want to travel to Whitefish and it gives a nice sense of community in Kalispell. There are a lot of bands that come on tour for it and I started promoting a lot of shows for the Eagles and at Old School. Kalispell is a name in the heavy underground and it’s the homebase of the Flathead.”
Yeats said musicians, businesses and artists like Isaac Passwater – who crafted the festival’s 2026 poster – have also been a key part in supporting the underground community as the festival gains traction every year.
In addition to Yeats’ band, Wizzerd, several local acts including SurfBat, Schticky, Free Drugs, Swamp Ritual and Onion Milk will take the stage. Other artists will travel from across the country including Cincinnati-based Lung, Spokane-based Merlock and headliner American Sharks, based out of Austin, Texas.
“It’s pretty cool to get people from all over to our little town,” Yeats said. “I’m pretty excited about the headliner – I’ve been a fan since I was a teenager.”
Riff Fest will host all ages at the Eagles until 10 p.m. on Saturday, but if it were up to Yeats, underage fans would be able to mosh until closing.
After Old School Records shuttered three years ago followed by Glacier Lanes last year, the Flathead Valley is now an all-ages music venue desert aside from larger concert halls, which are less catered to the underground teenage spirit.
“I think it’s important for young people to go do,” Yeats said. “Growing up in this town myself, it can be boring and for me as a young musician – having a space like Old School changed my life.”
Yeats said venues in Whitefish are also often reluctant to take a chance on more experimental and heavier acts in the Flathead Valley, where the musical identity leans toward country and Americana.
While Yeats acknowledges Riff Fest might sound intimidating to an unfamiliar listener, he describes an inclusive scene where he hopes the audience will learn about different types of music.
“I think a lot of people get the wrong idea,” Yeats said. “It’s loud – but it’s a lot more accessible than you might think.”
The free 21+ preparty kicks off on Friday, April 17 at Glacier Park VFW in Kalispell at 10 p.m. Doors open at the Kalispell Eagles 234 at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 18 with Onion Milk launching the festival at 4:20 p.m.
Tickets for Saturday’s show are available at Wheaton’s and Photo Video Plus for $30. Additional activities include a record swap, a photo booth and Chowboys Grill.
