7th Level Music

Blanck Mass lets us know that “Love Is a Parasite” before the release of his new album due August 16th.

[‘No Dice’] sounds like heaven and hell locked in an arm wrestle, jockeying for attention.”
– Stereogum
Blanck Mass – the solo electronic project of Scotland-based musician Benjamin John Power – shares the final pre-release single / video, “Love Is a Parasite,” from his forthcoming album, Animated Violence Mild, out August 16th on Sacred Bones. The video, directed by Craig Murray, reflects the track’s chaotic energy, and depicts scenes of a commercial shoot that takes an absurd turn. “I wanted to speak to Craig Murray about making the ‘…Parasite’ video as his work definitely bridges that gap between the grotesque and the beautiful that I am so keen on,” says Power. “Presenting the darker theme of global mass consumerism whilst poking fun at the ’80s and starring a Drag Queen overseeing chaos wasn’t going to be an easy task but he nailed it.”

“It was great to be asked by Ben to work on this which instantly led us to bizarrely mirrored ideas… I decided to set the film in 1983 as a nod to Cronenberg and in order to do that everything from the costumes to the shooting and post production needed to fit,” says Murray. “I have a deep nostalgia with this time period and its video formats, so to honour it we shot on a transmission feed which we glitched by plugging and unplugging the cable. I find emulated effects offensive.”

Animated Violence Mild is Power’s fourth full-length as Blanck Mass, and his most emotionally direct statement yet. The album was written throughout 2018, at Power’s studio outside of Edinburgh. These eight tracks are the diary of a year of work steeped in honing craft, self-discovery, and grief – the latter of which reared its head at the final hurdle of producing this record and created a whole separate narrative: grief, both for what Power has lost personally, but also in a global sense, for what we as a species have lost and handed over to our blood-sucking counterpart, consumerism, only to be ravaged by it.
Watch “Love Is a Parasite” Video –
https://youtu.be/pmMY35HlTAo

Stream “No Dice” –
https://youtu.be/Lsnb6GBrQP8

Stream “House vs. House” –
https://youtu.be/7DJ12asti2k

Pre-order Animated Violence Mild –https://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/products/sbr220-blanck-mass-animated-violence-mild
Blanck Mass Tour Dates:
Fri. Sept. 20 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott (w/ Helm)Sat. Sept. 21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere (w/ Helm)
Mon. Sept. 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA (w/ Helm)
Tue. Sept. 24 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe (w/ Helm)
Wed. Sept. 25 – Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s (w/ Helm)
Thu. Sept. 26 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle (w/ Helm)
Fri. Sept. 27 – Detroit, MI @ UFO (w/ Helm)
Sat. Sept. 28 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground (w/ Helm)
Sun. Sept. 29 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz (w/ Helm)
Tue. Oct. 1 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey (w/ Helm)
Thu. Oct. 3 – Portland, OR @ Holocene (w/ Helm)
Fri. Oct. 4 – Oakland, CA @ Starline (w/ Helm)
Sat. Oct. 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon (w/ Helm)

Keep your mind open.

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The title track from Angel Olsen’s upcoming album, “All Mirrors,” is all dreamy dark wave.

*All Mirrors* cover art / photo by Cameron McCool

“In every way — from the making of it, to the words, to how I feel moving forward, this record is about owning up to your darkest side, finding the capacity for new love and trusting change even when you feel
like a stranger.” — Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen will release her fourth full-length album, All Mirrors, on October 4th via Jagjaguwar. Olsen’s bold and unexpected All Mirrors comes over three years after the release of MY WOMAN, a top 10 critically praised album of 2016. In conjunction with today’s announcement, Olsen unveils the title track and its video, directed by Ashley Connor and conceived by Olsen.

On her vulnerable new album, All Mirrors, Olsen takes an introspective deep dive towards internal destinations and revelations. In the process of making this album, she found a new sound and voice, a blast of fury mixed with hard won self-acceptance. All Mirrors gets its claws into you on both micro and macro levels. Of course, there’s that singular vibrato, always so very close — seemingly simple, cooed phrases expand into massive ideas about the inability to love and universal loneliness. And then suddenly — huge string arrangements and bellowing synth swells emerge, propelling the apocalyptic tenor.

In creating All Mirrors, Olsen initially planned to work on a dual record release — a set of raw and real solo songs and a full band version of the same songs — both to be released at once. She recorded the solo version with producer Michael Harris in Anacortes, Washington. There, she was determined to keep it bare bones in order to contrast with the not yet recorded full band record. Soon after that was completed, she began work on the more ambitious, fleshed out version with producer John Congleton, with whom she collaborated on 2014’s breakout Burn Your Fire for No Witness, arranger Jherek Bischoff, multi-instrumentalist/arranger/pre-producer Ben Babbitt, and a 14-piece orchestra.

While remaking the album with full production and new collaborators, Olsen developed a new relationship with control, and as she got further into the process, she realized she “needed to separate these two records and release All Mirrors in its heaviest form. . . It was impossible for me to deny how powerful and surprising the songs had become. The truth is that I may have never allowed this much sonic change in the first place had I not already made an account of the same songs in their purest form.”

Over heavy synth and oscillating percussion, lead single “All Mirrors” navigates between the perception of what one wants to see and reality. “I chose this one as the title because I liked the theme: the theme of how we are all mirrors to and for each other,” says Olsen. “Even if that is not all of it, there is always an element of projection in what we’d like to see in people and scenarios and in the way we see ourselves in those scenarios, with those people.”

The Jagjaguwar limited and exclusive All Mirrors bundle includes the album on opaque aquamarine vinyl and the All Mirrors 7” on silver with black splatter vinyl. The 7” includes two versions of the album’s title track: “All Mirrors” album version and “We Are All Mirrors” solo version.

As previously announced, the All Mirrors tour kicks off on October 28th. A full European leg has been added. All dates are below.
Watch Angel Olsen’s “All Mirrors” Video –
https://youtu.be/Jjt698Zv5jQ

All Mirrors Tracklist:
1. Lark
2. All Mirrors
3. Too Easy
4. New Love Cassette
5. Spring
6. What It Is
7. Impasse
8. Tonight
9. Summer
10. Endgame
11. Chance

Pre-order All Mirrors –
https://angelolsen.ffm.to/allmirrors

Angel Olsen Tour Dates:
(new dates in bold)
Mon. Oct. 28 – Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom &
Wed. Oct. 30 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes *
Thu. Oct. 31 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall *
Fri. Nov. 1 – Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre *
Mon. Nov. 4 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
Tue. Nov. 5 – New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre *
Thu. Nov. 7 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s (Levitation) *
Fri. Nov. 8 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater *
Sat. Nov. 9 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion *
Sun. Nov. 10 – Lawrence, KS @ The Granada *
Tue. Nov. 12 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *
Wed. Nov. 13 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee *
Thu. Nov. 14 – Chicago, IL @ The Riviera Theatre *
Fri. Nov. 15 – Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre *
Sat. Nov. 16 – Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre *
Mon. Nov. 18 – Montreal, QC @ mTelus *
Tue. Nov. 19 – Boston, MA @ Royale *
Fri. Nov. 22 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel *
Sat. Nov. 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel ^
Mon. Dec. 2 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren *
Tue. Dec. 3 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park *
Thu. Dec. 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Palace Theater *
Fri. Dec. 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Palace Theater #
Sat. Dec. 7 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater *
Mon. Dec. 9 – Portland, OR @ Roseland *
Tue. Dec. 10 – Vancouver, BC @ The Orpheum Theatre *
Wed. Dec. 11 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre *
Fri. Dec. 13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot *
Sat. Dec. 14 – Denver, CO @ The Gothic Theatre *
Sun. Dec. 15 – Denver, CO @ The Gothic Theatre *
Thu. Jan. 23 – Lisbon, PT @ Capitólio
Fri. Jan. 24 – Porto, PT @ Hard Club
Sat. Jan. 25 – Madrid, ES @ Sala BUT
Sat. Jan. 26 – Barcelona, ES @ Sala Razzmatazz
Tue. Jan. 28 – Geneva, CH @ Festival Antigel
Wed. Jan. 29 – Munich, DE @ Kammerspiele
Thu. Jan. 30 – Berlin, DE @ Huxleys Neue Welt
Fri. Jan. 31 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
Sat. Feb. 1 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller
Mon. Feb. 3 – Stockholm, SE @ Vasateatern
Tue. Feb. 4 – Gothenburg, SE @ Pustervik
Wed. Feb. 5 – Hamburg, DE @ Gruenspan
Thu. Feb. 6 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Fri. Feb. 7 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma
Sat. Feb. 8 – Paris, FR @ La Cigale
Mon. Feb. 10 – Bristol, UK @ SWX
Tue. Feb. 11 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
Thu. Feb. 13 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz
Fri. Feb. 14 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom

* = w/ Vagabon
^ = w/ Madi Diaz
#= w/ Rodrigo Amarante
&= w/ Lean Year

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Jon Spencer announces Midwest summer tour.

Jon Spencer has announced a brief summer tour with his newest band, the HITmakers, of the Midwest United States to promote his solo album Spencer Sings the Hits!

Reviews of his earlier shows mention him playing not only new solo cuts, but also stuff from his massive catalog of other material from the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Boss Hog, and Pussy Galore.

Tour dates are as follows:

Wed 8/28 – Pyramid Scheme – Grand Rapids MI Thu 8/29 – HI-FI – Indianapolis IN Fri 8/30 – Schubas – Chicago IL Sat 8/31 – H.O.G. National Rally, Harley-Davidson Museum – Milwaukee WI Sun 9/1 – Turf Club – St. Paul MN Mon 9/2 – Vaudeville Mews – Des Moines IA Tues 9/3 – Ignition Music Garage – Goshen IN

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Gabe Gurnsey’s remix of Shura’s “religion” is the perfect amount of summer dance floor heat.

Shura is pleased to release the Gabe Gurnsey remix of “religion (u can lay your hands on me),”a track from her forthcoming album, forevher, due August 16th. Gurnsey – a London based producer and co-founder of seminal post-industrial act Factory Floor – adds oscillating beats and a club-driven tempo to the single.

“I’ve been a huge fan of Shura’s work since ‘Nothing’s Real’ so it was an honour to be asked to remix her latest single ‘Religion’,” says Gurnsey. “Shura’s vocals alone are a dream element to have in the remix process and that coupled with the amazing textures and production that lie deep in her tracks have made working on this a massive pleasure. The vocal hook ‘Oh girl don’t stop ‘ was destined for the dance floor…”

Written primarily about Shura’s relationship with her girlfriend and their long-distance conception, forevher traces everything from the initial pull of desire to that first IRL meeting (“the stage”), before recognizing when the connection develops into something scarily meaningful. It’s a classic NYC-to-London love-story, but one told through the totally modern filter of dating apps, unanswered texts, Skype chats…and MUNA gigs. The album was co-produced alongside Joel Pott – with musical turns from Jona Ma (from Jagwar Ma), Will Miller (Whitney), T-E-E-D and additional vocals from Rosie Lowe, Kerry Leatham, Reva from Nimmo.
“religion (u can lay your hands on me)” Remixes:
1. religion (u can lay your hands on me)
2. religion (u can lay your hands on me) [Gabe Gurnsey Remix]
3. religion (u can lay your hands on me) [Gabe Gurnsey Remix Edit]
4. religion (u can lay your hands on me) [Gabe Gurnsey Dub]

Listen to “religion (u can lay your hands on me)” remix –
https://youtu.be/IcYMriu4onQ

Pre-order forevher –
https://shura.ffm.to/forevher

Watch/Listen/Share:
“the stage” –https://youtu.be/wha1nQp2Bvk
Watch Video for “religion (u lay your hands on me)” – https://youtu.be/HHI_WpVLT1g
Stream “BKLYNLDN” – https://shura.ffm.to/bklynldn
Stream “BKLYNLDN” (i_vu London Dub) –https://youtu.be/kAxprvn2IGI

Shura Tour Dates:
Thu. Sept 26 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue *
Fri. Sept. 27 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile *
Sat. Sept. 28 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge *
Mon. Sept. 30 – San Francisco, CA @ Independent *
Wed.. Oct. 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom *
Thu. Oct. 3 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar *
Wed. Oct. 16 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle ^
Thu. Oct. 17 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement ^
Fri. Oct. 18 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage ^
Sat. Oct. 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s ^
Sun. Oct. 20 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern ^
Tue. Oct. 22 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall ^
Wed. Oct. 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg ^
Mon. Nov. 4 – Paris, FR @ Café de la Danse #
Tue. Nov. 5 – Cologne, DE @ Luxor #
Wed. Nov. 6 – Munich, DE @ Ampere #
Thu. Nov. 7 – Berlin, DE @ Lido #
Fri. Nov. 8 – Hamburg, DE @ Mojo #
Sun. Nov. 10 – Copenhagen, DK @ Hotel Cecil #
Tue. Nov. 12 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg #
Wed. Nov. 13 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Orangerie #
Thu. Nov. 14 – London, UK @ Roundhouse
Sat. Nov. 16 – Dublin, IE @ Academy
Sun. Nov. 17 – Glasgow, UK @ Oran Mor
Mon. Nov. 18 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz Manchester

*w/ support from Quinn Christopher
^ w/ Support from Hannah Cohen
# w/ support from Rosie Lowe

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Live: Jeff Lynne’s ELO and Dhani Harrison – United Center – Chicago, IL – July 27, 2019

Electric Light Orchestra is one of my wife’s favorite bands and I’ve always appreciated the way bandleader Jeff Lynne and his mates combined classical music with pop and prog-rock. Lynne had been touring with the newest version of his band for several years, but this was the first time we’d been able to catch one of Jeff Lynne’s ELO shows.

We were surprised to learn that Dhani Harrison (yes, George’s son) and his band were the opening act. They played a solid rock set that melded industrial, psychedelia, and groove. Dhani, much like his father, rocked both electric guitar and ukulele.

Starting with “Standing in the Rain,” Mr. Lynne and his twelve-piece backing band had the crowd with them from the first note. Throwing down “Evil Woman” as the second song and “All Over the World” as the third had the entire United Center jumping.

Two nice treats during the main set were “Do Ya” by the Move (one of Lynn’s first bands) and him playing the Traveling Wilburys‘ “Handle Me with Care” with Dhani Harrison playing along and singing his father’s vocal parts. “Last Train to London” and “Rockaria!” were also great, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the great visuals throughout the entire show. You wouldn’t expect less from a band named Electric Light Orchestra.

One odd moment for us, at least in the section where we were seated, was during “Shine a Little Love” and hardly anyone was clapping at the right moments during the chorus. I tried to encourage everyone around us to take part in, you know, the rhythm section of the song, but alas, we only saw a few people doing it.

They ended the set with the quadruple threat of “Telephone Line” (one of the best sad songs of the 1970’s), “Don’t Bring Me Down,” “Turn to Stone” (which still packs a powerful punch), and “Mr. Blue Sky.” The encore was a cover of Chuck Berry‘s “Roll Over Beethoven” that featured the band, and Lynne, shredding their respective instruments.

It was a fun night, and we were happy to check this off my wife’s bucket list of shows. They’re still touring throughout the summer, so grab some seats if you can.

Keep your mind open.

Jeff Lynne – still shredding guitar and rocking sunglasses.

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Black Belt Eagle Scout presents “My Heart Dreams” and announces North American tour.

“‘At the Party,’ finds a slice of solace in navigating the human experience with similarly marginalized friends by her side. Here, ‘the party’ is the crooked world Paul journeys in solidarity with her fellow POC; together, they make the best of life’s wayward turns.” – Pitchfork

“Katherine Paul delivers hums and oooh’s that melt into the mellow drums, creating a foggy, subdued mesh of pretty sounds.” – FADER on “At the Party”

“[‘At the Party’] is an astounding reverb-soaked number with sprawling guitars that track up and down the length of the neck as Paul easily transitions between near-whispered verses and heady falsetto choruses.” – UPROXX

Black Belt Eagle Scout – the recording project of multi-instrumentalist Katherine Paul – presents a new single / video, “My Heart Dreams,” from her forthcoming album, At the Party With My Brown Friends, due August 30th via Saddle Creek. In conjunction, she announces a headline North American tour. “My Heart Dreams” follows lead single “At the Party.” Written in Ohlone land during a transitional part of Paul’s life, “My Heart Dreams” expresses a consuming desire to find new love in the midst of heartbreak. The accompanying video, filmed by Angel Two Bulls and co-directed by Angel and Paul, depicts Paul wandering amongst the Portland Pride parade, the scene eventually turning into a live performance.

“The idea behind this video was to do something fun while showing the resilience of the Indigenous people, particularly women and girls, which is why I chose to have the Black Belt Eagle Scout band be portrayed by young Indigenous girls.” describes Paul. “In an age where Missing and Murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) are finally getting the attention they deserve, it’s important to make their strength visible. The justice around MMIW is something we should all be paying closer attention to and I hope my platform serves to heighten awareness. The girls and extras in the video are members of the Portland Two Spirit Society, a special group of LGBTQ Indigenous and Native American/Alaska Natives and the Portland All Nations Canoe Family.”

Where her 2018 debut, Mother of My Children, was a snapshot of loss and landscape and of Paul’s standing as a radical indigenous queer feminist, this new chapter finds its power in love, desire and friendship. At the Party With My Brown Friends is a profound and understated forward step. The squalling guitar anthems that shaped its predecessor are replaced by delicate vocals and soft keys, sentiments spoken and unspoken, presenting something shadowy and unsettling; a stirring of the waters. The end result presents a captivating about-face that redefines Paul’s beautifully singular artistic vision.

Black Belt Eagle Scout was named a favorite new artist of 2018 by NPR Music, Stereogum, Paste and Under The Radar. She will continue to tour extensively, playing Sled Island, Newport Folk Festival, and Pickathon this summer before embarking on a headlining North American tour. Then, she will support Devendra Banhart on tour later this fall. Tickets are on sale now. One dollar from every ticket sold through presale will be donated to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center. All dates can be found below.

Watch Black Belt Eagle Scout’s “My Heart Dreams” Video https://youtu.be/cmGP7WZO4Pw

Listen to “At the Party” https://bbes.ffm.to/atpwmbf

Pre-order At the Party With My Brown Friends https://bbes.ffm.to/atpwmbf

Black Belt Eagle Scout tour dates: Thu. Aug. 1 – Seattle, WA @ ARTS at King Street Station Fri. Aug. 2 & Sun. Aug. 4 – Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon Wed. Aug. 21 – Victoria, BC @ Bastion Square Parkade Thu. Aug. 22 – Seattle, WA @ Olympic Sculpture Hall Sun. Aug. 25 – Port Townsend, WA @ Thing Mon. Oct. 21 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios Thu. Oct. 24 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern Wed. Oct. 30 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater * Fri. Nov. 1 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown * Sat. Nov. 2 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater * Sun. Nov. 3 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall * Tue. Nov. 5 – Memphis, TN @ The Hi-Tone * Wed. Nov. 6 – St. Louis, MO @ Foam Thu. Nov. 7 – Lawrence, KS @ White Schoolhouse Fri. Nov. 8 – Fort Collins, CO @ Surfside 7 Sat. Nov. 9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Diabolical Records Sun. Nov. 10 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux Thu. Nov. 12 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project Wed. Nov. 13 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord Thu. Nov. 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Bar Fri. Nov. 15 – San Diego, CA @ Ché Café Sat. Nov. 16 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress Sun. Nov. 17 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Bunkhouse Saloon Tue. Nov. 19 – Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Wed. Nov. 20 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Fri. Nov. 22 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda Sat. Nov. 23 – Dallas, TX @ The Foundry Sun. Nov. 24 – Houston, TX @ Satellite Tue. Nov. 26 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge Wed. Nov. 27 – Nashville, TN @ DRKMTTR Sat. Nov. 30 – Detroit, MI @ Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit * Sun. Dec. 1 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall * Tue. Dec. 3 – Montreal, QC @ L’Olympia * Wed. Dec. 4 – Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre * Thu. Dec. 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel * Sat. Dec. 7 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club * Sun. Dec. 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer * *= w/ Devendra Banhart

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WSND DJ set list for July 29, 2019

I wasn’t sure I was going to make it to the station this morning, but everything worked out fine. Thanks to all who listened and contributed to the show. Here’s the set list (and here it is on YouTube).

BadBoE – Funky Intro
Matisyahu – Dispatch the Troops
Angels from Hell radio ad
Metallica – Train Kept A Rollin’ (request)
Ravi Shankar – Dadra
IDLES – I’m Scum
Captain Beefheart – Ashtray Heart
The Besnard Lakes – Colour Yr Lights In
The Black Angels – The Executioner
The Black Angels – I’d Kill for Her
Franz Ferdinand – Jacqueline
Charles Bradley and the Menahan Street Band – Stay Away
Django Django – Marble Skies
Jimi Hendrix – Valleys of Neptune (request)
Exorcism’s Daughter radio ad
Verbena – John Beverly
Paris Suit Yourself – Sometimes
Husker Du – Ain’t No Water in the Well (live)
Nirvana – Very Ape (live)
Gary Wilson – I Thought of You Last Night
Locker Room Girls radio ad
The Black Keys – Countdown
Fountains of Wayne – Traffic and Weather
The Donkeys – Sun Damaged Youth
Electric Light Orchestra – Turn to Stone
Weird Al Yankovic – Lasagna (request)
Theater of Blood radio ad
Bo Ningen – Henkan
Scotty Barnhart – Say It Plain

I should be back on air August 5th at midnight Eastern Daylight Time.

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Beehive’s “When Can I See You Again?” is a manic punk rager to which all of us can relate.

Northern California duo Beehive share the first track from their forthcoming debut EP Depressed + Distressed via The Big Takeover. Hear and share “When Can I See You Again?” HERE. (Direct Bandcamp and Soundcloud.)

It’s the simple things that matter, right? Beehive know this well. The Northern California duo writes short, deceptively simple rock songs in the vein of early Wire, Suicide, The Spits and Television Personalities. Each song seems laser focused on a desperately repeated vocal phrase and repeatedly hammered riff splayed out over the emotional indifference of a Hammond Auto-Vari 64 drum machine.

Vocalist/guitarist Jake Sprecher — who also.played in Terry Malts (SF), Smokescreens (LA) and Business of Dreams (LA), all part of Slumberland Records family – urgently yelps and howls desperate and angry lyrics like a man with no time to waste. Bassist Bud Amenti (also of Shutups) fills in any gaps with subtle walks and fills while holding down the band’s monolithic sound. Beehive never stop the drum machine during their live set, there are no breaks, which adds to the intensity.

Beehive came into existence at the beginning of 2019, but in that short time has been hitting venues hard up and down the West Coast to set up their 7-song debut EP Depressed + Distressed for release in early Fall. The EP was recorded live in the studio in one take to 1/2″ tape. No messing around.

Depressed + Distressed opens with a short intro (“Tick Tock”) leading into the mantra-like wail of “Get Off My Back,” as the duo holds and pummels an A-major chord, as Sprecher chants over the top. Elsewhere, “90’s Trash” sarcastically rips up nostalgia for music of our youth and disposable culture. “When Can I See You Again?” seethes with desperation and obsession we’ve all experienced at some point, the guitars clattering and clawing, perhaps trying in vain to stop the incessant drum machine. “Wasting Our Time” wastes no time getting to the point: Our time, our lives, as a measure of existence, is only wasted by ourselves and each other. Kind of heady and deep, but utterly simple.

Depressed + Distressed will be available on 10″ EP and download on September 6th, 2019 via Jester Records.

BEEHIVE LIVE 2019: 09/14 San Francisco, CA @ Knockout 10/09 Portland, OR @ Valentine’s 10/10 Seattle, WA @ Cha Cha Lounge

On The Web: beehive1.bandcamp.com

instagram.com/beehive_trash

facebook.com/beehivetrash

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Levitation Austin announces second wave of its 2019 lineup.

Austin, Texas’ annual Levitation Music Festival has announced its second wave of bands for the four day experience, and some heavy-hitters have been added to the already good lineup.

Thursday’s lineup has added, among others, Jjuujjuu, Stonefield, Troller, and Creeping Death.

Friday’s lineup has added no less than the Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, David J., Elephant Stone, second sets by Holy Wave and Stonefield, and more.

Saturday’s added artists include Tobacco, Night Beats, Cosmonauts, Windhand, Beak>, and the Coathangers.

Sunday’s sets now include Christian Bland and the Revelators, Ringo Deathstarr, and others.

Levitation still isn’t done announcing more bands and sets, by the way. They will announce the third wave (and set times) before the end of summer. Don’t wait too long to get tickets to shows. Chelsea Wolfe and Ioanna Gika’s show has already sold out, and I won’t be surprised if the Flaming Lips’ show sells out in a hurry.

See you there?

Keep your mind open.

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Warish to unleash first LP, “Down in Flames,” September 13th.

Southern California trio Warish have shared the first track from their forthcoming full length debut Down In Flames on RidingEasy Records. The song, “Healter Skelter” is not a Beatles cover, but rather the title refers to the Manson Family’s misspelled blood scrawl at the site of their second murder in 1969. Loudwire premiered the song earlier HERE, hear and share the song now via YouTube and Bandcamp.

Warish hit the road this fall in support of the album with San Francisco stoner rock progenitors Acid King, who will also reissue their legendary Busse Woods album on RidingEasy on August 30th. Please see all dates below.

Imagine if early, weird Aberdeen Nirvana were crossed with low budget horror-obsessed garage-punks. You’d have sinister vibes with a visceral, twisted weirdness and bludgeoning riffs. Some might call it nightmarish, we call it Warish.

Warish is a very newly minted SoCal trio formed in early 2018 that has wasted no time making its presence known. The band formed when guitarist/vocalist and pro-skater Riley Hawk (son of skating legend Tony Hawk) and drummer Nick (Broose) McDonnell decided they wanted to try their hand at something more distinct than they’d done previously.

“We wanted to do simpler riffs and a fun live show,” Riley explains. “A little more punk, a little bit of grunge… a little evil-ish.” Their sound takes cues from a variety of cool underground sounds and twists it all into an energetic and exciting fist to the face of dark fury. Hawk’s effect-laden vocals hearken to 90s industrial monsters Ministry and David Yow’s tortured caterwaul in Scratch Acid. The guitars are heavy and powerful, though decidedly not straightforward cookie cutter punk; more like Cobain’s and Buzz Osbourne’s wiry contortions. The rhythms bash and pummel right through it all with aggressive force ensuring that nothing gets overly complicated and the horrors keep coming throughout the band’s uh, warlike assault.

Down In Flames will be available on LP, CD and download on September 13th, 2019 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

WARISH LIVE 2019: 08/30 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah 09/20 Portland, OR @ Star Theater – Hesh Fest * 09/21 Seattle, WA @ Highline * 09/23 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater * 09/24 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown * 09/25 Chicago, IL @ Reggies * 09/26 Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle * 09/27 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop * 09/28 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place * 09/29 Boston, MA @ Sonia * 09/30 New York, NY @ Knitting Factory * 10/01 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s * 10/02 Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall * 10/03 Raleigh, NC @ Kings * 10/04 Asheville, NC @ Mothlight * 10/05 Atlanta, GA @ The 529 * 10/06 New Orleans, LA @ One Eye Jack’s * 10/07 Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey * 10/09 Albuquerque, NM @ Sister * 10/10 Mesa, AZ @ Club Red * 10/11 Los Angeles, CA @ Satellite * 10/12 San Francisco, CA @ Chapel * 11/09 Austin, TX @ Levitation Fest * w/ Acid King

Down In Flames track list: 01. Healter Skelter 02. You’ll Abide 03. Big Time Spender 04. Bleed Me Free 05. In a Hole 06. Bones 07. Voices 08. Fight 09. Shivers 10. Run-in’ Scared 11. Their Demise On The

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