Monolith on the Mesa Rocks the High Desert 9/16 – 9/18
Monolith on the Mesa rocks the high desert September 16th, 17th, 18th, 2022 at Taos Mesa Brewing The Mothership outside of Taos, NM. Tickets are on sale here. Line-up includes Eyehategod, Yawning Man, Mondo Generator, Stöner, The Freeks, Mars Red Sky, The Obsessed, Nebula, and more.
The festival line-up is focused on heavy riff-rock acts from across multiple sub-genres including stoner rock, heavy psych, doom metal, sludge, drone, and retro rock. The festival grounds compliment the mind bending sounds of the bands. The unique aspect of this event is certainly the high desert mesa location. The venue offers a full view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The starry night sky is life altering on its own, but coupled with the sonic vibrations, it becomes truly transcendent.
An antidote to bright lights and big cities Monolith on the Mesa offers wide open skies, epic vistas of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, nearby hot springs, and many other ways to commune with nature. Some festivals strive to bring out the psycho in fans. Monolith strives to get fans high on altitude, epic tunes, wilderness vibes, fresh air, sunshine, moonlight, and starry skies.
The festival line-up is focused on heavy riff-rock acts from across multiple sub-genres including stoner rock, heavy psych, doom metal, sludge, drone, and retro rock. The festival grounds compliment the mind-bending sounds of the bands. The unique aspect of this event is certainly the high desert mesa location. The starry night sky is life altering on its own, but coupled with the sonic vibrations, it becomes truly transcendent.
“In memory of our fallen brother, and co-founder of Monolith On The Mesa, Daniel (Dano) Sanchez, we have asked Apache Shaman Crow Feather to perform an opening prayer for Dano” explains festival co-founder and talent buyer Roman Barham. He adds “A shrine for Dano will be assembled at the Taos Mesa Brewery venue grounds to pay homage to our sorely missed friend.”
Gary Arce of Yawning Man says: “I’m super stoked to be playing Monolith for at least two reasons. Billy Cordell — one of my favorite desert bass players is back in Yawning Man and will be jamming with me at the festival. And also because this will be our chance to say proper good-bye to Dano, who was obviously a huge part of this festival and just a super cool dude.”
Monolith on the Mesa is an open air festival focused around the “earthship” ampitheatre which holds 1,500 people. The festival sits at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains and at the edge of the Rio Grande gorge minutes from Taos Pueblo and the Gorge Bridge. Activities in the vicinity include rafting, hiking in the desert or in the mountains, mountain biking, soaking in the natural hot springs, as well as strolling the beautiful and historic streets and plazas of Taos. After sundown every evening, visual magicians, Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show, illuminate the night sky.
Dates and Times:September 16th, 17th, 18th, 2022 Doors at 12 noon daily
Venue:Taos Mesa Brewing The Mothership 20 ABC Mesa Rd, El Prado, NM, 87529 taosmesabrewing.com/mothership
Ticket Information:Monolith on the Mesa will honor tickets and other arrangements purchased in 2020 and 2021. Tickets will be rolled over to this year’s Will Call list.
Single Day Pass $60 ticket HERE.
Two Day Pass $100 ticket HERE.
Three Day Pass $150 ticket HERE.
Rain or shine event!
Festival Line-up:
Friday, September 16th, 2022 (doors at 12:00 pm) Mesa Stage-1:00-1:45/ GreenBeard Mesa Stage-2:00-2:45/ Blue Heron Mesa Stage-3:00-3:45/ Caustic Casanova Mesa Stage-4:00-4:45/ Red Mesa Amphitheater Stage-5:00-5:45/ Owl Mesa Stage-6:00-6:45/ The Atomic Bitchwax Amphitheater Stage-7:00-7:45/ Daikajiu Mesa Stage-8:00-9:00/ REZN Amphitheater Stage-9:00-10:00/ TBA Mesa Stage-10:00-11:00/ The Obsessed Amphitheater Stage-11:00-12:00/ Mars Red Sky
Saturday, September 17th, 2022 (doors at 12:00 pm Mesa Stage- 12:15-12:45/ Via Vengeance Mesa Stage-1:00-1:45/ Terra Damnata Mesa Stage-2:00-2:45/ Heretical Sect Mesa Stage-3:00-3:45/ Love Gang Mesa Stage-4:00-4:45/ Heavy Temple Amphitheater Stage-5:00-5:45/ Year of The Cobra Mesa Stage-6:00-6:45/ Rubber Snake Charmers Amphitheater Stage-7:00-7:45/ The Otolith Mesa Stage-8:00-9:00/ Eagle Twin Amphitheater Stage-9:00-10:00/ Nebula Mesa Stage-10:00-11:00/ Warhorse Amphitheater Stage-11:00-12:00/ Stöner
Sunday, September 18th, 2022 (doors at 12:00 pm)Mesa Stage- 12:15-12:45/ Fever Dog Mesa Stage-1:00-1:45/ Heave Mesa Stage-2:00-2:45/ Lilith Mesa Stage-3:00-3:45/ Communion Mesa Stage-4:00-4:45/ The Freeks Amphitheater Stage-5:00-5:45/ Duel Mesa Stage-6:00-6:45/ Tabernacle Amphitheater Stage-7:00-7:45/ El Perro Mesa Stage-8:00-9:00/ Mondo Generator Amphitheater Stage-9:00-10:00/ Ecstatic Vision Mesa Stage-10:00-11:00/ Eyehategod Amphitheater Stage-11:00-12:00/ Yawning Man
Festival Sponsors:
Ambrosha Mondragon-EXP Realty Black Harbor Blues Funeral Recordings Desert Records EarthQuaker Devices Fly PR Heavy Psych Sounds Records Heritage Hotels & Resorts Hotel Luna Mystica Magical Tattoo Music Go Round Rattlesnake Cable Company Revolt Gallery Rigs of Doom Sister Bar Slow Burn Coffee Roasters Sombra Grays STB Records The Obelisk Tractor Brewing Company Worshiper Cabinets
Blues Funeral:“We at Blues Funeral began our journey in the music industry almost 25 years ago, and it all began with the desert. We were inspired by the heavy sounds of California wide spaces, but the New Mexico desert is different, with a distinctly mystical character that has always infused and inspired what we do. That’s why it gives us such pride and pleasure to have a heavy music festival here in New Mexico that we can support and be part of. We couldn’t be more excited at the prospect of returning to Taos for the second iteration of one of this gathering, a destination event where our own bands like The Otolith and The Obsessed will converge alongside friends of the label like Caustic Casanova, Heavy Temple and Blue Heron to expand minds and forge memories in one of the most unique settings on the planet.” – Jadd Shickler/Blues Funeral Records
Desert Records:“Desert Records is a proud sponsor of “The Best Fest in the West”! Monolith on the Mesa is the premiere outdoor festival in Taos, NM. We were there for the inaugural fest in 2019. We can’t wait to be part of the natural beauty of Taos, the insane lineup of bands, and the beautiful music community for Monolith 2022. Enter the high desert!”- Brad Frye/Desert Records
Fowl Sounds: “We are honored to be a sponsor of Monolith 2022. We will be attending the fest and bringing lots of gear and swag to help your battle with the ‘war on tone’. Look for some pedal raffles and other exciting things at the fest. We can’t wait to experience Taos and watch the amazing line-up of bands.” – Michael Dimartino/Fowl Sounds
Rattlesnake Cables:“We’re super excited to be one of the sponsors of this year’s Monolith on the Mesa! So many great bands in this line-up. We wish we could be there in person to watch!”- Hank Donovan/Rattlesnake Cables
