Mac Sabbath announces big fall U.S. tour.

7 Song Vinyl Debut Full Length Album Out Now!

Available at http://www.macsabbath.bigcartel.com

&

https://www.officialmacsabbath.com

The waiting is over! I mean When it comes to “drive-thru metal”, who needs waiters!?! With our debut album release we are about to “pop-up” all over the states for the first time in years! So head over for a triple decker helping of the cheese you need! on sale now!” – Ronald Osbourne

MAC SABBATH will return to the road this Fall to bring America another heaping helping of unhealthy – but irresistible – Drive-Thru Metal on the 2022 Pop-Up-Drive-Thru Tour, featuring special guests Speedealer, southern rock heavier and faster then anything this side of Motorhead and shoulders, and Lung, the electric cello and drums female duo, kicking off one heck of a party feast for the senses! A food fight to the death!

MAC SABBATH will be popping up all over the States – just like in our debut release,” says the band’s perplexing clown faced frontman Ronald Osbourne“Confusing the USA one more time!”

MAC SABBATH on tour:

09/27/22 Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages

09/28/22 Goldfield Trading – Sacramento, CA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

09/30/22 Dante’s – Portland, OR – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

10/01/22 El Corazón – Seattle, WA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

10/04/22 Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

10/06/22 WAVE – Wichita, KS – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages

10/07/22 Knuckleheads – Kansas City, MO – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

10/08/22 Wooly’s – Des Moines, IA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

10/09/22 Fine Line – Minneapolis, MN – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

10/11/22 Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

10/12/22 Afterlife Music Hall – Lombard, IL – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

10/13/22 Red Flag St. – Louis, MO – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

10/14/22 Elevation – Grand Rapids, MI – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages

10/15/22 Magic Bag – Ferndale, MI – with Speedealer and Lung – 18+

10/18/22 HI-FI Indy & HI-FI Annex – Indianapolis, IN – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

10/19/22 Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages

10/20/22 The Crafthouse Stage & Grill – Pittsburgh, PA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

10/21/22 Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

10/23/22 Wall Street Theater – Norwalk, CT – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

10/26/22 The Foundry – Philadelphia, PA – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages

10/27/22 Black Cat – Washington, DC – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages

10/28/22 Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center – Harrisburg, PA – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages

10/29/22 The Underground – Charlotte, NC – with Speedealer and Lung -All Ages

10/31/22 The Grey Eagle Asheville, NC – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages

11/01/22 EXIT/IN – Nashville, TN – with Speedealer and Lung – 18+

11/03/22 The Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

11/04/22 42nd Street Tavern/Reggies – Wilmington, NC – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

11/05/22 Jack Rabbits Live – Jacksonville, FL – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages

11/06/22 Tuffy’s Bottle Shop/Lounge/Music Box – Sanford, FL with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

11/08/22 Lafayette’s Music Room – Memphis, TN – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

11/09/22 Chelsea’s Cafe – Baton Rouge, LA – with Speedealer and Lung – 18+

11/10/22 Zony Mash Beer Project – New Orleans, LA – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

11/11/22 Come and Take It Live Austin, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages

11/12/22 Trees – Dallas, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

11/14/22 Paper Tiger – San Antonio, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – 21+

11/15/22 RockHouse Bar & Grill – El Paso, TX – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages

11/16/22 Meow Wolf – Santa Fe, NM – with Lung – 21+

11/18/22 Marquis Theater – Denver, CO – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages

11/19/22 Mesa Theater – Grand Junction, CO – with Speedealer and Lung – All Ages

12/16/22 Vinnie’s Bar & Grill with TBA – Concord, CA – 21+

12/17/22 The Catalyst with TBA – Santa Cruz, CA 16+

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]

Medicine Singers announce fall U.S. tour.

Photo by Erik Luyten

Medicine Singers announce a fall headlining tour and present a live video of “Sunrise (Rumble),” a standout track from Medicine Singers , their self-titled debut album out now on Stone Tapes/ Joyful Noise Recordings.

Recently highlighted in a New York Times article as a group on the forefront of Native experimental music, the Medicine Singers’ groundbreaking debut LP acts as a guided tour de force of decades of musical genres influenced by Native American music, and their live show remains the stuff of legend. The Medicine Singers often set up in-the-round, and go into a trance-inducing set where the walls between band and spectator – as well as between psychedelic rock and shamanic chants – are blurred. Full dates are listed below and tickets are on sale tomorrow, Friday August 19th.

The Medicine Singers’ tour kicks off with a very special “immersive” performance on September 24 at Brooklyn’s Pioneer Works to celebrate the release of Medicine Singers and the launch of Stone Tapes, Yonatan Gat’s eclectic new label. The show will be opened by two site-specific duo performances from Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth)  & Hassan Ben Jafaar (Innov Gnawa) and Laraaji & Mamady Kouyate (Bembeya Jazz)  performing inside the Charles Atlas video installation in Pioneer Works’ main hall, followed by a special Medicine Singers 10-piece band featuring jaimie branch, Thor Harris, Lee Ranaldo, Laraaji and Gat.

 
BUY TICKETS TO SEE THE MEDICINE SINGERS
 
WATCH “RUMBLE” LIVE VIDEO
 

Half a decade after the spur-of-the-moment story of how the musicians first met and unraveled their sound on an unsuspecting audience during SXSW 2017 when Gat saw Eastern Medicine Singers play on the street and invited the band to spontaneously join his show  – the collaboration between the musicians reaches a climax with this breathtaking debut album as Medicine Singers, helping pave the way to this year’s rising wave of Native contributions to experimental music – shining a spotlight on guest vocalists representing indigenous nations from outside of the Northeastern Woodland tribal area. “Where else can you get all these different native people singing together on an album?” bandleader Daryl Back Eagle Jamieson asked. “On this album you have east, west, north and south all coming together. That’s why we say it’s medicine.”

For Jamieson, this album is more than a collection of songs, it’s a vessel of culture, history and language; a symbol of the strength and creativity of the Eastern Algonquin people in contemporary American society. “I want to show people not only that our Indian culture is just as good as the rest of the culture that’s out there, but also that the two can exist together, side by side.”

 
Medicine Singers Tour Dates
Sat. Sept. 24 – Brooklyn, NY @ Pioneer Works (RECORD RELEASE / STONE TAPES LABEL LAUNCH) *
Wed. Sept. 28 – Troy, NY @ No Fun
Thu. Sept. 29 – Montreal, QC @ Pop Montreal
Fri. Sept. 30 – Toronto, ON @ Vashe ZDorov’ye
Sat. Oct. 1 – Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog West
Sun. Oct. 2 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Mon. Oct. 3 – Indianapolis, IN @ Square Cat
Sat, Oct 8 – Washington, DC @ Down in the Reeds Festival
 
* w/ Lee Ranaldo & Hassan Ben Jafaar (Duo), Laraaji & Mamady Kourate (Duo)
 
Watch Medicine Singers’ “Hawk Song” Video
 
Watch The “Daybreak” Lyric Video
 
Watch The “Sunrise (Rumble)” Video
 
Listen to “Sanctuary”
 
Purchase Medicine Singers

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Yuri at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Midnight Oil announces final shows of final tour.

Since Midnight Oil’s new album Resist debuted at #1 early this year, the legendary Australian band has toured around Australia, North America, and then Europe, on their last concert tour. The final leg of this epic run kicks off this week at the Mundi Mundi Bash near Broken Hill followed by rescheduled gigs in Cairns, Darwin, New Zealand, Perth and Canberra to make up for various climate and Covid disruptions earlier this year. In addition, this final leg will include shows at Broome’s Stompem Ground Festival (after a 20 year hiatus) and a new WA gig in Busselton (see below for all details).

Today, the last four dates of this tour were revealed with Midnight Oil announcing two uniquely intimate extra shows in both Melbourne and Sydney. A portion of proceeds from each of these new gigs will be donated to environmental and Indigenous causes and general public tickets will go on sale 10am local time on Monday 22 August via: midnightoil.com/tour

Melbourne will finally experience Midnight Oil playing their classic album 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 in its entirety at the Palais Theatre on Monday September 12 under the banner “One For The Planet”. The band had originally announced this special idea for a benefit show back in March, but Covid got in the way so, like their other cancelled gigs, they are now making good on that earlier promise.

Two nights later, on Wednesday September 14, the Oils will play a final show at the Palais under the banner “One For The Road”. This extra Melbourne date will see the band performing the entire show (ie: no support) and delivering an extended set that will include classics from every Midnight Oil album and EP across their storied career.

Sydney will experience these same two special shows a few weeks later, as “RESIST: The Final Tour” ends with a bang back in the band’s hometown. “One For The Planet” (featuring “10-1” in its entirety) will be staged at the Luna Park Big Top on Wednesday September 28. Then “One For The Road” (an extended concert including classics from every album and EP) will celebrate the end of Midnight Oil’s touring career on the Labour Day public holiday – Monday October 3 – at the famous Hordern Pavilion where the band staged some of their most memorable Sydney gigs back in the day.

“The shows we’ve just done overseas have been some of the best and most enjoyable of our career”, said Midnight Oil guitarist/keyboardist, Jim Moginie. “Every gig on this last tour has had extra emotion around it so we’re looking forward to bringing those feelings back home again.”

“We’ve always supported causes that we believe are important during our tours so these four extra gigs are partly a way of doing that”, explains frontman, Peter Garrett. “They will allow the band and the audience to have a different experience each night by digging deep into the back catalogue in venues that are a bit smaller than the ones we’ve usually been playing in over recent years.”

“From the opening track on our first album through to the last song on our new one, we’ve always been blessed to have fans who are really passionate about what we do”, observed drummer Rob Hirst. “One For The Planet and “One For The Road” are our way of acknowledging that connection over 45 years. We’ve all shared an amazing journey together, so we want to celebrate that by playing something for everyone in places that feel special”.

The Midnight Oil fan pre-sale for these new shows kick off from 10am local time (staggered times – see below) on Thursday 18 August before the General Public on sale starting 10am local on Monday 22 August. Tickets from midnightoil.com/tour

The newly announced RESIST show at Barnard Park, Busselton, WA with special guest Regurgitator on Friday 23 September now joins the existing RESIST shows at Munro Martin Parklands, Cairns with special guests Busby Marou on Thursday 25 August, Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin with special guest Leah Flanagan on Saturday 27 August and Fellows Oval – ANU Campus, Canberra with special guests King Stingray, Emily Wurramara (solo) and Moaning Lisa on Saturday 1 October. Tickets via: midnightoil.com/tour

The band’s a day on the green Nikola Estate, Swan Valley, WA show with special guests Goanna and Stephen Pigram on Sunday 25 September is on sale now.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Sir Elton John – Soldier Field – Chicago, IL – August 05, 2022

It was Sir Elton John‘s first time playing in Chicago’s Soldier Field, but it would be his last time playing in Chicago or Illinois after scores of performances in the city and state. He’s on the “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour, which he has stated is his final one. As he told the packed stadium, he’s now seventy-six years old and wants to spend the rest of his time with his husband and sons.

So, he and his top-notch band, some of whom, like drummer Nigel Olsson, have been with him since his first record, played their hearts out and had a great time. The audience did, too, dancing and singing in the heavy humidity to “Tiny Dancer” and “Rocket Man.”

“Rocket Man”

He and the band (which, by the way, included Olsson behind a drum kit and two other percussionists) went nuts on “Levon,” which boomed through the entire stadium. “Candle in the Wind” was also a big hit with the crowd.

“Candle in the Wind”

They tore through “The Bitch Is Back,” “I’m Still Standing,” “Crocodile Rock,” and ended the main set with “Saturday Night’s All Right for Fighting” – any of which could’ve been a finale.

The encore started with his newest number one single, “Cold Heart,” and he followed it with his first number one hit – “Your Song,” which I must admit brought me to some brief tears. He ended, of course, with “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” to a standing ovation to the huge, sweaty crowd.

This was the middle of his North American tour before a short summer break. Don’t miss him if he comes near you. You won’t get another chance.

Keep your mind open.

“Your Song”

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Live: Death Valley Girls, Shadow Show, Waltzer – Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL – August 04, 2022

It had been two months to the day that I’d seen Death Valley Girls live, and that was at the Levitation France festival in Angers. They had recently returned from a tour of Europe and the United Kingdom and were now approaching the halfway point of a U.S. tour that would wrap up with appearances at this year’s Psycho Music Festival and Levitation Austin. They played The Empty Bottle with local garage-psych rockers Waltzer and Detroit 60s psych-pop trio Shadow Show.

Waltzer played a fun, solid rock set with a band who, if I heard the lead singer, Sophie, correctly had only been playing together for a short time and was made of members of many other cool Chicago bands. You wouldn’t have guessed they haven’t been together long, because everyone was in synch and had the audience moving. “They sound like Caroline Rose fronting L7, but with more psychedelia,” I thought at one point during their set.

Sophie of Waltzer

I was happy to hear from Shadow Show that they’re working on a new album, and equally delighted to hear their lovely psych-pop covered in lots of groovy fuzz in a live setting. They hadn’t played in Chicago since before the pandemic, so they were glad to be back on the road and playing a fun set. Afterward, I was stunned to learn that the father of bassist Kate Derringer was one of the driving forces behind the 7th Level music club I attended in Ft. Wayne, Indiana back in my high school days – and the inspiration for the name of this blog. Her father had seen my review of Shadow Show’s Silhouettes and asked her, “Who’s this guy who knows about the Level?” She’d read the review and was now just as floored to meet me in a weird “small world” moment.

Shadow Show (L-R: Ava East, Kerrigan Pearce, Kate Derringer)

Death Valley Girls came out and immediately got started with guitarist Larry Schemel and drummer Rikki Styxx creating a witch’s brew of beats and fuzz while lead singer / guitarist / keyboardist Bonnie Bloomgarden and bassist Sammy Westervelt shared a pre-set hug / meditation…and Ms. Westervelt rocked shoes that would make KISS envious.

Bonnie Bloomgarden (left) in Chuck Taylors, Sammy Westervelt (right) in shoes she might’ve stolen from Boots Collins or the David Bowie estate.

The creepy sounds soon transformed in “Abre Camino,” which only seems to get heavier every time I hear it live. They flowed right into “Street Justice” and stomped the gas pedal to the floor after that. Bonnie Bloomgarden was going into near-trances when she’d play keyboards by the time they got to “Disco.” New song “Magic Powers,” with Sammy Wetervelt on lead vocals, sounds better every time I hear it. Bloomgarden was prowling through and hugging many in the crowd as she sang “Disaster (Is What We’re After),” and they came back from the bottom of the stage stairs to play “Seis Seis Seis” as a sort-of encore.

They also hung out and chatted with anyone who wanted to chat after the show. Larry Schemel told me that this is the first tour in a long while for them for which they’ve been able to hand-pick their opening bands, so seeing them live right now gives you an insight into bands they also love.

Keep your mind open.

Death Valley Girls putting together spell components.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: “Weird Al” Yankovic and Emo Philips – Lerner Theatre – Elkhart, IN – July 26, 2022

“One of the reasons we wanted to do this tour was to highlight this incredible band,” “Weird Al” Yankovic said at one point during the packed show at Elkhart, Indiana’s Lerner Theatre. The show consisted of all original material and style parodies from Yankovic’s huge catalogue. None of his parody hits were played until the encore, and even then in a medley.

Instead, he and his band (of over forty years) played a lot of lesser-known songs that had everyone rocking and / or laughing. Speaking of laughing, veteran stand-up comic Emo Philips opened the show with his odd and often dark humor in which he skewered everything from religion to dating. He had a joke about a banana that he set up within the first ten minutes of his set and then didn’t pay off until near the end – much to the delight of everyone.

Yankovic and his band soon showed everyone how well they can rock by playing hard tracks like “Young, Dumb & Ugly,” “My Own Eyes,” and the dark, twisted “Larry.” The theme to his film, UHF, was a bit hit with the crowd, and the lounge version of “Dare to Be Stupid” (their famous Devo style parody) was stunning. “He’s even parodying himself,” said a guy next to me about it after the show.

It was a great example of how he and his band can play multiple genres with high skill (and switch back and forth between them) with apparent ease. The Doors style parody, “Craigslist,” showed how well they can play psychedelic rock. The closer of the main set was “Albuquerque,” a wild track that has to be seen and heard to be believed. How Yankovic remembers all those multi-layered lyrics is beyond me.

After a fake encore, in which they went barely offstage and pretended to check their phones and tune a guitar while in full sight of everyone, they came “back on” to do a sharp cover of The Isley Brothers‘ “Nobody but Me” and then the parody medley that went from “Amish Paradise” to “Yoda” and included everything from calypso to acapella Afrobeat chanting. I missed a lot of the humorous lyrics because I was too stunned try their musicianship to notice them.

It was a fun show, and one you should catch if it’s anywhere close to you. Don’t go for the hits, go for the experience.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: GOAT – Fuzzed in Europe (2017)

Fuzzed in Europe is a six-song live EP from Swedish psych-voodoo rockers, GOAT, that compiles some of their favorite tracks from a European tour in the autumn of 2016. The tracks were picked due to them being alternate versions of album releases or even “normal” live cuts. As a result, we get to hear GOAT further expanding their cosmic sound into new dimensions.

The opener, “Talk to God,” is over seven minutes of hypnotizing psychedelia that takes on a bit more drone than the album version. The same goes for “Time for Fun,” which practically turns into a mantra by the end of it. “I Sing in Silence” transforms from a blissful dance into a trance-inducing vision of something much like the album cover.

The guitars on “Gather of Ancient Tribes” (possibly also known as, you guessed it, “GOAT”) are almost like magic wands casting spells as the female duo lead singers keep singing / chanting, “Into the fire!” “The Sun the Moon” speeds up in this live version, becoming a frantic voodoo-disco track.

A ten-minute-plus version of “Run to Your Mama” ends the EP, being heavier than other versions and no less head-spinning. You might end up dancing around shirtless and seeing visions of Egyptian gods riding boats across the sky while listening to it. I didn’t, but the fact that the image came to mind while writing this suggests otherwise.

The whole EP is full of moments like this. Don’t let it slip by you.

Keep your mind open.

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Girl Talk announces North American tour and releases a free acapella version of his latest record.

Photo by Teddy DeMask

Today, Girl Talk – aka Pittsburgh-based producer Gregg Gillis – announces a fall/winter 2022 North American tour. Tickets are on sale now. This announcement follows the release of Full Court Press, Girl Talk’s “timeless” (HYPEBEAST) collaborative album with Wiz KhalifaBig K.R.I.T and Smoke DZA, released this past spring on Asylum/Taylor Gang. Gillis rose to prominence off his meticulous construction of genre-smashing sample-based music, and these breakneck-paced party jams are championed in his euphoric live shows. Girl Talk’s forthcoming tour will see him performing in Las VegasHouston, Sacramento and more, all cities he did not play on the spring 2022 tour. Full dates are listed below. 

In conjunction with the tour announcement, Girl Talk releases a remix of Full Court Press’ “Ain’t No Fun,” which blends the vocals with elements of Harry Styles’ hit “As It Was.” Additionally, he’s released an acapella version of Full Court Press as a free download. This is an opportunity for other producers or music enthusiasts to be able to use the vocals from the album in their own remixes or DJ sets.

 
Listen to Girl Talk’s “Ain’t No Fun” Remix
 

With each Girl Talk album, from his breakout Night Ripper (2006) to Feed The Animals (2008) and All Day (2010), Gillis’ work has become increasingly detailed and complex. The last several years have seen Gillis focusing on production work for some of his favorite rap artists, including Wiz KhalifaT-PainTory LanezYoung NudyBasCozzErick The Architect (from Flatbush Zombies), Smoke DZADon Q, and Freeway. This year’s Full Court Press was a culmination of friendships going back ten-plus years and a “unique intersection of all of our work,” says Gillis.

 
Stream/Purchase Full Court Press
Watch the “Ready For Love” Video
Watch the “Put You On” Video
Watch “How The Story Goes” Visualizer
 
Purchase Tickets to Girl Talk’s 2022 North American Tour
 
Girl Talk Tour Dates
Fri. Sep. 16 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
Fri. Sep. 23 – Richmond, VA @ The National
Sun. Sep. 25 – Dover, DE @ Firefly Music Festival
Thu. Nov. 3 – Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live!
Fri. Nov. 4 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall
Sat. Nov. 5 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
Thu. Nov. 10 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
Fri. Nov. 11- Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
Thu. Nov. 17 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
Fri. Nov. 18 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Sat. Nov. 19 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
Fri. Dec. 9 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
Sat. Dec. 10 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
Thu. Dec. 15 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham
Fri. Dec. 16 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
Sat. Dec. 17 – Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jaycee at Pitch Perfect PR.]

John Waters’ Halloween Meltdown announces its 2022 lineup.

Today, Halloween Meltdown – the spooky sister-festival to the beloved Mosswood Meltdown – announces the stacked lineup for their annual Halloween-themed event, taking place on Saturday, October 8th and Sunday, October 9th in Oakland’s Mosswood Park, featuring performances from Amyl & The SniffersShannon & The ClamsFuzzSheer MagThe SpitsLydia Lunch and more. Hosted by John Waters, the 2022 Halloween Meltdown will feature a costume contest with a $500 cash prize and a haunted house designed by East Bay musician and horror artist, Rob Fletcher.

 
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
 
CURRENT HALLOWEEN MELTDOWN LINEUP
 
HOSTED BY JOHN WATERS
 
DAY 1
AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
THE SPITS
LYDIA LUNCH RETROVIRUS
KID CONGO POWERS
DEMOLITION DOLL RODS
BODY DOUBLE
…AND MORE!
 
DAY 2
SHANNON & THE CLAMS
FUZZ
SHEER MAG
JOSIE COTTON
NIIS
…AND MORE!
 
COSTUME CONTEST ($500 CASH PRIZE)
 
TICKET PRICES
GENERAL ADMISSION (DAY 1) – $59
GENERAL ADMISSION (DAY 2) – $59
 
VIP (DAY 1) – $99
VIP (DAY 2) – $99
 
WEEKEND PASS (GA) – $99
WEEKEND PASS (VIP) – $179

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

[Thanks to Jim at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Live: The Psychedelic Furs and X – Andrew J. Bird Music Center – Cincinnati, OH – July 20, 2022

“This place is like the Borg cube of music venues.”

That’s how my friend described the Andrew J. Bird Music Center in downtown Cincinnati. It’s an interesting performance space with good acoustics, but the interior “has no personality,” as she put it. It has a stark industrial feel, and hosting some industrial or goth shows in the place would be ideal. The only fixed seats are in the multiple balconies. The main floor is open, but rows of seats were added for The Psychedelic Furs and X.

This was the second time I’ve seen the Psychedelic Furs. The first was on their “Singles Tour” and this one was promoting their latest record, Made of Rain. First up, however, were L.A. punk legends X. Bassist John Doe mentioned how they’d been playing in a lot of beautiful theaters, but “I keep expecting Tina Turner to come out and tell us we’re in the Thunderdome in this place.” They put on a fun set, with Billy Zoom still shredding both guitar and saxophone, Exene Cervenka blessing the crowd, and D.J. Bonebrake playing both drums and xylophone. People were dancing in the aisles the whole time, and one guy was pogoing front and center for nearly their entire set. Billy Zoom came back out after their set and signed a few autographs.

I knew we were in for a good set from The Psychedelic Furs when they opened their show with “I Wanna Sleep with You” – one of my favorite tracks that I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear live. “Mr. Jones” followed and then the first of many great tracks from Made of Rain, “You’ll Be Mine.”

“Dumb Waiters”

Other sharp new tracks included Made of Rain‘s opener, “The Boy Who Invented Rock and Roll,” “Wrong Train,” “This’ll Never Be Like Love,” “No-One,” and “Ash Wednesday.” “Their new songs are beautiful,” my friend said. She’s right. Guitarist Rich Good puts more emphasis on the psychedelic part of the band’s sound on these new tracks.

They played plenty of classics, of course, with “The Ghost in You” being the loveliest and “Love My Way” being even more popular with the happy crowd than “Pretty in Pink.”

“Imitation of Christ”

The encore included a solid version of “Heartbreak Beat” that had everybody dancing and a stunning, beautifully chaotic (as they’d describe it) version of “India” – the first track on their first album. It was another song I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear live, and it was a killer end to a great show. Saxophonist Mars Williams played so hard and with such frenetic passion that we all thought he was going to pass out on stage at one point.

Another highlight is how Richard Butler‘s voice never seems to age, or perhaps it just gets better. He’s still on top of his game, as is the whole band. His brother, Tim Butler, still has that rockstar style and slight menace about him, and the bottom end of his bass is the band’s secret weapon. Keyboardist Amanda Kramer doesn’t go overboard with her playing, which means she’s secretly doing a lot of stuff you can barely comprehend – and she adds a mystery to the band’s stage presence behind her ever-present shades (as does Tim Butler). The band’s new drummer, Zack Alford, has serious chops and ups the volume with pure rock beats.

Richard Butler ruling.

Keep your mind open.

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