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“We have a giant container that we fill with joints, and usually we’ve all eaten 100 to 200 milligrams of edibles”: Hashtronaut, the stoner rockers who make Sleep look straight-edge
Hashtronaut, a stoner rock band from Denver, Colorado, have built a reputation for gigs that hit far harder than their jokey name and cannabis-soaked persona might suggest, with guitarist Robb Park noting that audiences who expect a novelty act are often surprised by how serious the band's live performances are. The piece, tied to a recent appearance at London's Desertfest, explores how the band leans fully into their weed-fuelled identity while still delivering a heavier and more intense sound than typical "stoner rock" acts, drawing comparisons to bands like Sleep.
The band, whose motto is "weed and riffs and amps and weed," are candid about consuming large quantities of cannabis as part of their process, including joints and edibles, taking advantage of Denver's legal recreational marijuana laws for adults aged 21 and over. Despite the comedic framing suggested by their name, Park stresses that Hashtronaut are "dead serious" musicians, with the article framing this contrast between their laid-back stoner image and their heavy, committed live sound as central to the band's appeal.
In short
- Denver band Hashtronaut pair heavy cannabis use with intense live shows
- Guitarist Robb Park says fans expect a joke band, get serious music
- Band consumes large amounts of edibles and joints under Colorado's legal cannabis laws
Explained simply
Hashtronaut are a heavy rock band from Denver, Colorado, a city in the US state where adults aged 21 and over can legally use recreational cannabis. The group openly makes cannabis part of its public image, alongside slow, heavy guitar music often known as stoner rock.
The band’s name and jokes about getting high can make them seem like a novelty act, but their music is played with the weight and intensity of heavy metal. Their sound is compared with Sleep, an influential band in the same broad scene.
That contrast helps explain Hashtronaut’s appeal: they embrace a playful, cannabis-centred persona while presenting themselves as serious musicians. Their story also sits within a wider rock tradition where bands use humour, loud guitars and altered states as part of their identity.