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When Sub Pop signed Tacoma’s J.R.C.G., it felt so righteous. Ordinarily, local groups that rock as fiercely and unconventionally as J.R.C.G. toil on micro indie labels, playing shows in sub-200-capacity venues and begging KEXP DJs for spins. But having the bulging financial and promotional muscles of a large company such as Sub Pop behind you is a rare treat for such uncompromising musicians, and J.R.C.G. (drummer Justin R. Cruz Gallego and a rotating cast of badasses) deserve every dollar thrown their way.
A powerful and inventive presence behind the kit and in his home studio, Gallego started his solo project from the ashes of the awesome Dreamdecay, whose punishing space-rock and post-punk moves made them one of the region’s most vital acts of recent times. When they opened for UK buzz band Dry Cleaning at the Neptune Theatre in 2021, Dreamdecay overshadowed the more celebrated headliners with tumultuous rock pieces that thundered artfully and apocalyptically.
With J.R.C.G., Gallego builds upon that formidable foundation while expanding his palette, embracing funk, electronic music, and Latin rhythms on the excellent 2024 album, Grim Iconic…(Sadistic Mantra). The track “34” announces Gallego’s new direction, with its chunky funk rhythm banging over a seething synth drone, followed by a rococo, Zappa-esque guitar solo and zoned vocals that evoke a less exhausted Thom Yorke. “Dogear” should’ve been a club smash with its explosive rhythm rumbling somewhere between ’80s Latino funkateers Konk and Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime.” It’s an anthem bubbling up from a pit of angst.
J.R.C.G. diverge from typical outdoor-music-festival fare in that they’re not about breezy escapism or forced feel-good vibes. Rather, like Moor Mother did in her astonishing Bumbershoot set last year, they make you confront life’s darker aspects and help you to transcend the bullshit through the sheer power of their music and words.
Bumbershoot is Saturday, August 30 & Sunday, August 31 at the Seattle Center. Tickets are available at bumbershoot.com. We’re counting down to Bumbershoot 2025 by featuring a different participating musician or artist every day for the two weeks leading up to the festival—see all our picks here.
