TICKETS HERE

$15 per session OR $35 weekend pass

Students: weekend pass $25 at door with student ID

SCROLL FOR LINEUP + BIOS

CRUCIAL TIMES FEST

Presented by:
Two days at The Guardian.
23 hardcore/punk bands!
Scroll for playlist and lineup.

Friday May 29 + Saturday, May 30

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LINEUP

GREAT FALLS

Cathartic, heavy, crushing, and unhinged. Vocalist/guitarist Demian Johnston (Kiss it Goodbye, Undertow, Playing Enemy), bassist Shane Mehling (Playing Enemy) and drummer Nickolis Parks (Gaytheist, Bastard Feast) have honed their sludgy, overwhelmingly intense brand of heaviness, punctuated by delectably discordant riffs, terrifyingly low, thwacking bass lines, and mesmerizingly tight percussion. In the live setting they’re notorious for a stage presence that is so aggressively confrontational that Mehling once broke his own arm mid-set.
INSTAGRAM

DOWNCAST

With a history that included over 200 shows over the course of four years, Downcast made the most out of their time together in the early '90s. Contemporaries of bands like Rorschach and Econochrist, the California group proved to be influential in the decades since breaking up. I mean this in the obvious musical sense of that, but also when it came to Downcast's political and ethical point of view, something hugely important and closely associated whenever someone brings them up to this very day.
INSTAGRAM

WAKE OF HUMANITY

After more than a decade, 3 releases under their belts, multiple US and European tours, Wake of Humanity (WOH) continues to move forward in their sound, politics, song writing and philosophy. Maintaining their core values of animal rights, defense of the environment and human justice, their dynamic sound continues to evolve to this day. 
INSTAGRAM / BANDCAMP

ENDLESS JOY

Endless Joy is a punk band from Seattle/Tacoma. What does the band sound like? Anxiety and tension, by way of guitar, bass, drums, vocals, volume, speed, anguished sonic twists. Short, sharp shocks, with little hope but ample catharsis. Just another exercise in hardcore-punk ritualism, or is there more to it? Up to you. Put on your dancing shoes and flail blindly until something hits you.
Photo credit: Evan Soto
INSTAGRAM / BANCDAMP

LAB RAT

Hardcore d beat punk rock for the vermin swarm. It starts and doesn’t stop. Following a noteworthy 2023 demo, Lab Rat quickly made a name for themselves in the clubs and sewers of portland oregon as an energetic live act, before delivering the promise with 2025’s self-titled lp LAB RAT. witness the the once-caged rodentine horde as it affects full frequency guitar revenge upon its former captors, themselves now sordid prey to the verminous mutant masses. The lab rat is unleashed! 
INSTAGRAM / BANCDAMP

OPERATIVE

Operative (Missoula, MT) plays hardcore punk, something that isn’t anything Montana bands are offering. Started In early 2024 as just friends who wanted an outlet and build it from scratch. Playing music about the end of the world, fighting fascism, and futuristic death components. Comprising of members of a bunch of Missoula/Bozeman bands. Their demo is to be released in May with a tour in the works.
BLEACH

drum and bass powerviolence for weirdos, from so-called portland, oregon. land back, free palestine, fuck a job, steal from your boss, fuck you.
INSTAGRAM / BANDCAMP

GASPACK

Gaspack is a HC/Grind band from Central Oregon, formed in 2023. Members included Izabella Hilsee(vocals), Garrett Judkins(drums), Mackenzie Hatfield(bass) and Sonny Daniels(guitar).Gaspack's sound is derived from a mixture of elements taken from powerviolence, punk, nü metal and hardcore. The band focuses on fairly short, aggressive songs with very personal lyrical content about anxiety, depression,  self sabotage, the cost of living and the struggles of navigating life. FFO: Despise You, Gulch, Nails, and Converge.
INSTAGRAM / BANDCAMP

TC CREW

TC crew is a straight edge hardcore band from tri cities Washington, for fans of bands like youth of today, floorpunch, and ten yard fight. With prominent themes of abstinence from drugs and alcohol, self betterment, and taking charge in your community, tc crew fully encapsulates the essence of what straight edge hardcore is all about. 

SIMP

SIMP was created in 2022 by the Scientific Institute of Musical Propaganda for the La Croix company. Their music, while on the surface was about social issues and war, ultimately was about carbonated water and just the essence of the hint of flavor. While the band was dissolved unexpectedly in early 2025 due to poor focus group testing, a “reunion/final show” last-ditch attempt by La Croix’s marketing department is taking place on May 29th of 2026. The “La Croix Boixs” are back for one last drink…and boy are they thirsty! As the band would say: ACTIVATE THE (carbonated water in the) PIT (of your stomach)!
INSTAGRAM / BANDCAMP

PSYCHIC DEATH

Psychic Death doesn’t waste a single second. The Spokane hardcore punk trio, Audrey Gore (vocals/drums), Jon Montano (guitar), and Jeff Glinski (bass), hits like a sledgehammer from the first note. Their songs rarely break the two-minute mark, but in that brief window they unleash a storm of shredding riffs, pummeling bass, and Gore’s feral screams that sound like they’ve been clawed straight out of the gut. It’s chaos, catharsis, and pure velocity all at once.
INSTAGRAM / BANDCAMP

WORDS OF SCÁTHACH

Words Of Scáthach is a metalcore band from Portland, Oregon pulling influence from 90's staples such as Undying and Heartscarved. Formed in 2024 they have released a split and most recently an EP, “Loss as an Affirmation of Being”. 
INSTAGRAM / BANDCAMP
IT'S A SETUP

Since its founding in 2024, Spokane’s It’s A Setup has turned heads in the PNW hardcore scene with a throwback approach to both sound and substance. The quartet features a bottom-heavy two bass assault, melding the chaos of powerviolence with the intensity and power of metallic hardcore. Inspired by bands as wide-ranging as Dropdead, MK Ultra, and Undertow, It’s A Setup’s “more than music” approach is evident in their lyrics, art, and live show. 
INSTAGRAM / BANDCAMP

SICK JOKE

Sick Joke is a Spokane supergroup forged deep underground by members of Simp, Grave Depression, and Psychic Death. Their sound reeks of disgusting high-speed crusty d-beat Doom worship.  

PROLETERROR

Proleterror is an anti-racist street punk band hailing from Spokane, Washington, blending raw, gritty punk energy with a powerful message of resistance and unity. Proleterror's unapologetic lyrics, driving riffs, and relentless rhythms serve as both a call to arms and a rallying cry for solidarity in the face of bigotry and systemic injustice.
INSTAGRAM/BANDCAMP

ROOM 13

Room 13 is UP 2 NO GOOD
INSTAGRAM/BANDCAMP

REAPING FIELDS

apocalyptic black metal punk from Spokane WA.
INSTAGRAM /BANDCAMP

KURB

Spokane “evil” “youth” crew.  Fast, loud and poignant - the way hardcore should be.
INSTAGRAM/BANDCAMP
X-REALITY

LILAC CITY STRAIGHT EDGE
INSTAGRAM / BANDCAMP

BENT OUTTA SHAPE

Bent out of Shape is a teen formed beatdown band from Spokane Washington. They use elements of death metal, beatdown and hardcore and are making a name for themselves in the northwest scene.
INSTAGRAM

P.O.T.U.S.

bio coming soon.
INSTAGRAM/BANDCAMP

WILLING HANDS

Willing Hands is a metalcore band based in Spokane that was founded in 2024. Lyrical topics often revolve around living as a queer person in this current political climate, human rights, surviving traumatic experiences, and generally overcoming adversity.
INSTAGRAM

I ABSORB YOUR STATIC

Inez, Braeden, Wyk, and Riley come together to form iabsorbyourstatic. Spokane's brokest diy band focusses on community healing with their emotionally vulnerable lyrics, charged fry-screams, mathy guitars, intriguing rhythms, and somber saxophone. While they cry their hearts out (or make-out with a Rickenbacker if your name is Braden) on stage, you'll be crying in the pit. Make sure to hug your friends and tell them you love them after roundhouse kicking them during this set.
INSTAGRAM