Earthless – 7th Level Music

Top 25 live shows of 2022: #’s 15 – 11

We’re almost to the top ten! Let’s get to it!

#15: Primus – Clyde Theatre / Ft. Wayne – May 10th

It’s a bit baffling that it had taken me this long to see Primus. I’ve been listening to them since 1991. I caught them on their “A Tribute to Kings” tour, in which they played Rush‘s entire “A Farewell to Kings” album as the second set. It was a mind-altering show that mixed Rush’s material with Primus’ own stuff.

#14: Gary Numan – Park West / Chicago – March 21st

This was a loud, powerful set in a smaller venue than the last place I saw Gary Numan (Chicago’s Thalia Hall), so it felt more visceral. It was a jam-packed crowd, too, with everyone anxious to finally be out of the house and seeing live music again. Numan played a great mix of new and old material that had everyone buzzing.

#13: The Black Angels – Levitation Austin / Stubb’s – October 30^th

The Black Angels never disappoint, and this hometown / home festival set was another solid one. Coming on stage in matching “Black Angels” jackets, they got down to business and killed it with a lot of excellent material from their new album, Wilderness of Mirrors, and classic material.

#12: Frankie and the Witch Fingers – Levitation Austin / Stubb’s – October 30^th

One of the bands opening for The Black Angels that night was Frankie and The Witch Fingers, who were dressed for the Halloween weekend in zombie makeup and ready to tear into us like a pack of ghouls. They had the crowd moshing, throwing stuff, and crowd-surfing before the set was halfway done.

#11: Earthless – Pierre’s / Ft. Wayne – September 13^th

Shame on you if you missed this show because it was practically a private concert. A small crowd had gathered to see Earthless unload their cosmic rock in a small space. It was the last show of this leg of their tour, and they held nothing back for the enthusiastic fans who were there.

Who’s in the top ten? Come back tomorrow to learn!

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Earthless and The Heavy Company – Piere’s – Ft. Wayne, IN – Sept. 13, 2022

It was the end of the first leg of Earthless‘ U.S. tour, and it turned out to be guitarist Isaiah Mitchell‘s birthday. It also turned out to be another stunning performance by them.

My friend and I go to the venue too late to see the first opening band, Ancient Days, but we did catch The Heavy Company (otherwise known as THC) play a blues-infused rock set that impressed the enthusiastic crowd.

Earthless played for a little over an hour, and that set was three songs. If you’re new to Earthless, you need to know that two of those songs were over twenty minutes long, and the third was nearly fifteen minutes long. They don’t skimp anything during a show. They give all every time. I yelled, “I can’t feel my face.” after the end of the second track.

L-R: Isaiah Mitchell, Mario Rubalcaba, Mike Eginton

It’s difficult to describe how much heavy power they unleash. I was reminded during their performance of an analogy my wife heard once about a full jar. Take a large, earthenware jar and fill it with rocks. Is the jar full? No. It may seem like it is, but you could fill the space between the rocks with water. Full now? No, because you could slowly add sand to the jar to absorb the water and take up all the remaining space. Now the jar is so heavy you’d need Hulk-like strength to lift it.

Now change the venue to a music venue that holds about 200 people and change the rocks to Isaiah Mitchell’s bass riffs, the water to Mario Rubalcaba’s drum fills, and the sand to Mike Eginton’s heavy bass riffs and you’ll get the idea.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Earthless – Live in Guadalest (2013)

Back in 2009, psych / kraut-rock trio Earthless (Mike Eginton – bass, Isaiah Mitchell – guitar, and Mario Rubalcaba – drums) played a music festival in Guadalest, Spain. Thankfully for all of us, Live in Guadalest was recorded and released in 2013 as a special item at the band’s merch table during an Australian tour and also made available as a digital download for those of us who missed out on the few physical copies produced.

The set is “only” two songs, but the shortest one is twenty-two minutes and fourteen seconds long. That’s the second track, “Godspeed.” The first, “From the Ages,” is over half an hour and tears out of the gate like an Arabian race horse with black coffee in its veins. It turns into a meditative jam around the eleven-minute mark. The song is cruising along a dark highway by minute-fifteen, and your mind is blown eight minutes later when they break the song down yet again.

“Godspeed” melts whatever traces of your brain are left from the previous track. It starts mellow enough, but soon Rubalcaba is hammering away at his kit with renewed vigor and Eginton and Mitchell put the pedal to the metal. Eginton’s bass is particularly funky on this version of “Godspeed,” and Mitchell seems to be playing two guitars at once. The breakdown at the seventeen-minute mark is outstanding and the fade out leaves you breathless.

This is a good place to start if you’ve never seen Earthless live. It will make you want to catch them as soon as possible, as you should. You won’t regret it.

Keep your mind open.

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RidingEasy Records is reissuing Randy Holden’s rare 1970 doom metal album – “Population II.”

RidingEasy Records proudly announce the official reissue on physical and digital formats of the extremely rare 1970 proto-metal album Randy Holden – Population II. Considered one of the first doom metal albums ever, the ex-Blue Cheer guitarist’s solo debut has long been sought out by collectors. The remastered full length will be available on all streaming platforms for the first time, with a master more true to the original mix on LP, CD and streaming.

This weekend, Saturday December 21st, Holden will perform a rare live show at the Whiskey A-Go-Go in L.A. supported by drummer Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless, RFTC, OFF!) It will be a career-spanning set featuring songs from the Fender IV, the Sons of Adam, the Other Half, Blue Cheer, and his solo work, including Population II. Tickets and info HERE.

“Godzilla just walked into the room. People just stood there with their eyes and mouths wide open.”

To hear Randy Holden describe the audience’s reaction in 1969 to his solo debut performing with a teeth-rattling phalanx of 16 (sixteen!) 200 watt Sunn amps is about as close as many of us will get to truly experience the moment heavy metal music morphed into existence. However, at last we have unearthed the proper fossil record.
Population II, the now legendary, extremely rare album by guitarist/vocalist Holden and drummer/keyboardist Chris Lockheed is considered to be one of the earliest examples of doom metal. Though its original release was a very limited in number and distribution, like all great records, its impact over time has continued to grow.

In 1969, Holden, fresh off his tenure with proto-metal pioneers Blue Cheer (appearing on one side of the New! Improved! Blue Cheer album and touring for the better part of a year in the group), aimed for more control over his band. Thus, Randy Holden – Population II was born, the duo naming itself after the astronomical term for a particular star cluster with heavy metals present.

“I wanted to do something that hadn’t been done before,” Holden explains. “I was interested in discordant sounds that could be melodic but gigantically huge. I rented an Opera house for rehearsal, set up with 16 Sunn amps. That’s what I was going for, way over the top.”
And over the top it is. The 6-song album delves into leaden sludge, lumbering doom and epic soaring riffs that sound free from all constraints of the era. It’s incredibly heavy, but infused with a melodic, albeit mechanistic, sensibility.

“At the time, I was hearing these crazy melodies everywhere I went,” Holden says. “I thought I was going crazy.” For example, one day he slowly rooted out a powerful sound that had been nagging him and discovered it coming from a ceiling fan. “Machinery all around us doesn’t turn in a perfect rhythm. That’s what I was tuning into, I heard the music and the discordant sounds coming from the machinery. It was perfect for rendering the machine we built.”

Troubles with the album’s release bankrupted Holden, who subsequently left music for over two decades. It was bootlegged several times over the years, but until now hasn’t seen a proper remaster and has yet to be available on digital platforms. “The original mastering just destroyed the dynamics of it,” Holden says. “They flattened it out. Now we got a really nice remaster that should be the closest thing to the original recording.”

Population II will be available on LP, CD and download on February 28th, 2020 via RidingEasy Records.

Keep your mind open.

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Earthless – Black Heaven

Psychedelic / stoner metal trio Earthless (Mike Eginton – bass, Isaiah Mitchell – guitar and vocals, Mario Rubalcaba – drums) decided to shake things up on their newest album – Black Heaven – by giving the majority of the tracks vocals by Mitchell. Their three previous records have all been comprised of long instrumental tracks that blend into each other, but Black Heaven opts for shorter cuts (one is even under two minutes) that still shred and astound.

Starting with “Gifted By the Wind,” Rubalcaba lures us in with almost a jazz beat until Eginton and Mitchell hit you like a one-two punch. Mitchell’s voice automatically brings Cream to mind (certainly a major influence on the band). “End to End” pans back and forth in your earbuds like a swaying cobra and then comes at you like an angry mongoose. Eginton’s bass riff in it is quite good, and the whole song is perfect for driving done the centerline on an open stretch of I-80.

“Electric Flame” is the longest song on the record (8:51, which is about half the length of most tracks from Earthless‘ previous three records) and Mitchell uses the “extra time” to deliver a great solo around the five-minute mark that takes the track into a great jam from all three guys. “Volt Rush” is the track that’s under two minutes, and it shows how Earthless can do in under two minutes what most bands can’t do in three times that – shred with jaw-dropping furor.

Don’t worry if you’re a fan of Earthless’ instrumental work, because the title track is nearly nine minutes of the band hitting harder than the Thing punching the Hulk. One of the many things I love about Earthless is how all three guys can launch into a solo at the same time, yet it all fits together, and how all three can come back to the same groove in the blink of an eye without missing a step. All you can do is let it hit you and say, “Holy [insert expletive of choice here].”

“Sudden End” is a great title for an album’s final track. It almost sounds like a Bad Company song, if Bad Company had opted for louder amps, heavier bass, and guitar that seems to be propelled by solar winds. Rubalcaba puts down chops that seem simple at first, but you soon realize that he is putting down a deceptively heavy groove that has to fade out because it shows no signs of stopping until the next time all the planets are in alignment.

Black Heaven is another fine record from Earthless and as good to hear as it sounds like was for them to make.

Keep your mind open.

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Earthless announces March 2018 North American tour dates.

Clear up your calendar for March 2018, because stoner metal giants Earthless will be touring North America. They’re also bringing legendary psychedelic band Kikagaku Moyo and psych-rockers Jjuujjuu with them. This is a great triple bill, so don’t miss it. I’m sure tickets will sell fast once they’re available. I plan to see them at their Chicago stop in late March 2018 at the Empty Bottle. I saw them there last year and it was a great show.

Keep your mind open.

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My top 25 live shows of 2016 – #’s 5 – 1

Here we are at my top five live shows of 2016.

#5 – Earthless at Levitation Chicago March 12th

Earthless are the only band to be in my top 10 concerts of 2016 twice. This was the second time I’d seen them and the first time I’d been close to the stage. It was a stunning performance that nearly left me speechless. They were also cool cats who were happy to sign my concert poster after their performance.

#4 – Night Beats at Levitation Chicago March 12th

Night Beats are the only band to be in the top 30 concerts of 2016 three times. Their Levitation Chicago performance was downright dangerous and established the swagger and tight chops I’d see from them all year. They, too, were also cool cats who signed my copy of their new album Who Sold My Generation for me after their set.

#3 – Deap Vally at the Chicago House of Blues October 13th

They were first on a bill with Death from Above 1979 and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and they set the bar so high that the other two bands couldn’t match it. They came to kick ass and take names…and they were all out of names. They, too, were cool cats who chatted with me after their set. Everyone was still talking about their performance as we were walking out of the venue.

#2 – Gary Wilson at Levitation Chicago March 10th

I didn’t know much about Gary Wilson before seeing him at Levitation Chicago. I walked out a devoted fan. His show was part-lounge act, part-psychedelic freak-out, and part-performance art piece. He creeped out a woman next to me, made others laugh, others cheers, and others stand there with a “What the hell am I seeing and hearing?” look on their face. I couldn’t stop talking about his performance for weeks and haven’t stopped recommending him to everyone since.

#1 – Bebel Gilberto at Ann Arbor Summer Fest June 18th

Only one concert had a moment that made me cry in 2016, and that was when Bebel Gilberto and her guitarist performed a cover of Radiohead‘s “Creep.” Seeing this member of bossa nova royalty in a great venue (The acoustics in Ann Arbor’s Powerhouse Theatre are sublime.) was a dream come true, as I’ve had a serious crush on her and her music for many years. It was also the first show I attended on a press pass thanks to this blog, so it will always hold a special place in my memory.

Thanks for reading. I hope to get to just as many shows in 2017. Wish me luck and let me know about bands I need to see this year.

Keep your mind open.

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My top 25 live shows of 2016 – #’s 10-6

We’re in the top ten of the my favorite live shows of 2016.

#10 – The Flaming Lips at Middle Waves Fest in Ft. Wayne, Indiana September 17th

It was a triumphant return to Fort Wayne after nearly 30 years for them. The show was big, bright, and full of love. It was in the middle of the election season and just what we all needed at the time.

#9 – Earthless at the Empty Bottle in Chicago December 2nd

Earthless is easily one of the best live acts out there right now, and this was my first time seeing them in a small venue. I don’t know how the Empty Bottle was still standing by the time they were done because it was among the loudest and heaviest sets I’ve seen there.

#8 – John Carpenter at the Masonic Temple Theatre in Detroit July 15th

“I got a movie and a concert,” my wife said after seeing a screening of Escape from New York and then John Carpenter, his son, his godson, and the rest of his band play a fantastic retrospective of his film score music. It was also in a huge gothic structure, so that made it all the better.

#7 – Screaming Females at the Brass Rail in Ft. Wayne, Indiana June 26th

I’d wanted to see them for a couple years, and seeing them an hour’s drive away with my best friend in a venue not much bigger than the bottom floor of my house was one of my favorite memories of 2016. They were even kind enough to let me interview in their tour van. They crushed it, leaving most of the crowd dumbstruck.

#6 – L7 at the Metro in Chicago August 6th

Another band I’d waited years, even decades, to see was L7 and their sold-out reunion tour show in Chicago was one of the best performances I’d seen from any band in years. They hadn’t lost a thing and showed pretenders how it’s done.

Good grief! If these shows were so good, who’s in the top five? Come back tomorrow and see!

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Earthless – Live at Roadburn (2008)

Recorded at Tilburg, Holland’s annual Roadburn festival dedicated to rock and metal, Live at Roadburn is probably the closest you can get to an Earthless (Mike Eginton – bass, Isaiah Mitchell – guitar, Mario Rubalcaba – drums) concert without being there. It might not entirely melt your face, but it will certainly heat it up and warp your mind.

The double-disc CD version has two songs on each disc. A four-song set is average for an Earthless show, because most songs are at least fifteen minutes long. The performance starts off with “Blue,” which is not only a stoner rock gem, but it also has elements of prog-rock sprinkled throughout (the way Mitchell’s guitar and Rubalcaba’s drums bounce off each other, for instance). Mitchell’s guitar hits definite Cream territory around the ten-minute mark.

The song rolls into the epic “From the Ages” with Rubalcaba’s near-manic drumming and Eginton’s rock solid bass. The groove they hit around the 24-minute mark is outstanding. All three of them click so well that they make it sound easy. They drop into almost a blues-rock groove around the 31-minute mark (with Eginton’s mantra-like bass). They get cosmic around minute 38 and slowly build into re-entry burn rock fury.

Disc 2 features “Godspeed” and “Sonic Prayer.” “Godspeed” begins with fuzzy distortion and rolling cymbals before bursting forth like a platoon of orcs smashing down a fortress wall. Your mind is almost in your shoes by the 16-minute mark because the song becomes a psychedelic freak-out at that point. The band is racing like a nitro-burning funny car about four minutes later when they’re into “Sonic Prayer.” It’s jaw-dropping by then (like any Earthless show).

Pick up this album if you can’t make it to an Earthless concert. It will get you into orbit. A live show will send you to the next solar system, but Live at Roadburn will at least help you circle the planet.

Keep your mind open.

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Live – Earthless, Ruby the Hatchet, Marmora – Chicago,IL – December 02, 2016

Imagine you flew from Guatemala to Chicago to see a band and they only played four songs (including the encore), but you were ecstatic by the end of the show. This is what happens at Earthless shows.

My friend, Paul, and I went to see Earthless, Ruby the Hatchet, and Marmora at the Empty Bottle. It was my third time seeing Earthless and Paul’s first. We hadn’t seen either of the opening acts. Paul and I are big fans of Earthless and their mostly instrumental cosmic rock, and the Empty Bottle (which was sold out) would be the smallest venue in which I’d seen them so far.

We met a couple who drove in from Wisconsin to see them for the first time. We all talked about the number of songs we’d get to hear from Earthless. They played four the first two times I saw them, so Paul and I were betting on at least three. The couple from Wisconsin hoped for four, and they were correct.

First up were Marmora – a Chicago four-piece that blended stoner rock with punk. Paul knew we were in for something groovy when their lead guitarist came out wearing a “Got blunt?” T-shirt.

Marmora – rocking hard despite having a rough day at the office.

Marmora had been through a rough day. The lead singer had screwed up his ankle, they mentioned having some sort of vehicle trouble earlier, they accidentally set their gear in dog poop while loading the van, the drummer’s foot pedal broke (thankfully, they had another), and the lead singer broke a string on his guitar. They put on a good set despite all that, and their rhythm section is particularly good.

Ruby the Hatchet put on a fine set of witchcraft rock with song titles like “Pagan Ritual” and “The Unholy.” They have a great organ player who brings a cool 1960’s vibe to their power. Their lead singer commands a room and her hand gestures as she soaks in the band’s sound might as well have been learned from Dr. Strange.

Ruby the Hatchet casting spells on all of us.

Earthless walked on stage with no muss or fuss. They said hello and then unleashed. A brother-sister duo from Guatemala were next to me and told me how they’d come to the States to follow Earthless on their current tour. They were big fans of stoner / doom metal. The brother, David, told me he’s been reaching out to stoner metal bands in hopes of convincing them to tour in Guatemala, where there is no stoner metal scene according to him. He and his sister had a great time, although his sister couldn’t understand why the audience wasn’t dancing more. “American audiences are so fucking stiff,” she told me.

She probably changed her mind by the time a fight broke out in a mosh pit started by some dude high and / or drunk out of his mind. I saw her grab the guy by the face while he was being dragged out by fans and security. Earthless, meanwhile, were too busy detaching the roof from the Empty Bottle and rocketing into space to notice or care. All three of them were on fire, but I must mention that this was the hardest I’ve seen drummer Mario Rubalcaba play so far. He beat his kit like it stole his skateboard.

That’s not a disco ball above Earthless. It’s a small moon they pulled down from the heavy gravity of their set.

Their first song, “Uluru Rock,” was 25 minutes long. The second, “Violence of the Red Sea,” was 15. The third, “Sonic Prayer,” was a half-hour. They came back on for a quick encore – a blazing cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Communication Breakdown” that lasted under five minutes and left everyone stunned. “I liked them before,” Paul said. “I like them even more now.”

Walking back out into the low 30’s weather after getting our faces melted was jarring, but it felt great. We’d been elevated. I’ve always said that Earthless chose that name for their band because their music can’t be confined to this planet. They proved that again in Chicago.

Keep your mind open.

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