“This quartet has been burning up stages all around their hometown, fueled by their abrasive blend of doom metal, psych rock, goth and a tangy soupçon of pop music… They landed a spot on the 2018 Best New Band poll in alt-weekly Willamette Week, but could quickly take over the world.” — Paste Magazine “They mesh elements of doom, Krautrock and atmospheric indie into one bewitching rock whole.” –Classic Rock Magazine “A greasy, sun-baked rock jam calling back to the genre’s classic days while showcasing a heavy doom edge that gives it a modern spin.” 6 Best New Songs Right Now — Revolver Magazine
Portland, OR quintet Blackwater Holylight announce March 2020 headlining tour dates today, while also releasing a new video. The clip is a dramatic art short film set to the song “Jizz Witch” from the band’s 2018 self-titled debut album. Watch/share the video via YouTube HERE. Please see current tour dates below. Blackwater Holylight released their acclaimed sophomore albumVeils of Winter (RidingEasy Records) in October 2019. Hear/share Veils of Winter: YouTube, Bandcamp, Spotify.
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festivalhas announced its lineup for the two April weekends (10-12th, 17-19th) this year. As expected, it’s a weird mix that already has some people praising it and others deriding it.
If you ask me, the Friday dates are the best bang for your buck. Rage Against the Machine, Calvin Harris, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, IDLES, Peggy Gou, Amyl and the Sniffers, Sleaford Mods, and Friendly Fires on one bill are worth the price of admission.
As for the Saturday dates, Thom Yorke and Caribou would be great to see, sure, but the announcement that was blowing up Twitter was that Danny Elfman would be playing there. No one yet knows if he’s bringing an orchestra to perform tunes from his many film scores, Oingo Boingo tunes, or a combination of both. Either way, it’s tempting to fly to California just to see his set. Fatboy Slim will put on a fun set on Sunday nights, I’m sure, but the rest of that lineup doesn’t thrill me.
Get your tickets while you can. The first weekend is already sold out.
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 theFender 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.
Free jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements – comprised of poet/MC Camae Ayewa (aka MoorMother), saxophonist Keir Neuringer, trumpeter Aquiles Navarro, bassist Luke Stewart, and drummer Tcheser Holmes – return with a new standalone single, “Homeless/Global,” out now via International Anthem and Don Giovanni. “Homeless/Global” is an unabridged take from the first moments of a recent Philadelphia recording session, and is the first piece of new music the group has released since their 2017 acclaimed self-titled debut. Their forthcoming follow-up LP will see release in spring of 2020.
“Homeless/Global” stretches out inside a vacuum of time, running over 23 minutes in a blink of an eye. The track starts by falling backwards into an energetic recollection of Strata East swing, swelling forcefully till it bursts into the foreboding preach of Ayewa. Her poem is wide-ranging, touching on migration, exile, and border violence. Ayewa runs down an inventory of Black history that “no one remembers.” The band builds back up through soaring saxophone by Neuringer, before the rhythm section simmers down to a deep pocket of psychedelic groove held together by Stewart’s mantric basslines and textured by Navarro’s extended trumpet technique, as drummer Holmes dances dynamically around a pulse. “Homeless/Global” captures the essence of the band in improvisational ritual, and the increasingly powerful capacity they’ve collectively developed over 2+ years on the road.
A statement on the music, from the band: “As with the session for our first album, we began this session by just setting studio levels and hitting that record button. ‘Homeless/Global’ was the first thing we played, no script, no plan. It’s a studio take that reflects what we do live: take the stage without a map, navigate the world in deep, telepathic, contrapuntal communion with each other and the histories we’re tapping into, push into the known and unknown, and arrive at the end together.“
Originally performing as two different ensembles at a Musicians Against Police Brutality event in 2015 (in response to the NYPD slaying of Akai Gurley), the five musicians that now make up Irreversible Entanglements recognized a shared ethos, and shortly after, assembled as a single unit for an impromptu studio date at Seizure’s Palace in Brooklyn. That session yielded their debut album Irreversible Entanglements (released by International Anthem & Don Giovanni in September 2017). Critical and communal acclaim for the album (including “Best of 2017” nods from NPR Music,WIRE Magazine, Bandcamp, and others) fueled a high demand for the band in the live setting, and the group have since spent much of 2018 and 2019 on the road. They have collaborated in performance with many legends of creative music including Amina Claudine Myers, Pat Thomas, and Nicole Mitchell; and their highest profile shows have included Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, Le Guess Who Festival In Utrecht NL, Barbican in London, and the Smithsonian in Washington DC.
Keep your mind open.
[Stay up to date on music news and reviews by subscribing.]
Supergroups aren’t as rare as they used to be, and most of them aren’t as good as they should be. One comes along every now and then that is an exemplary example of the term, and L’Epee is such a band.
Consisting of Lionel and Marie Liminana (of The Liminanas), Anton Newcombe (of The Brian Jonestown Massacre), and Emmanuelle Seigner (of Ultra Orange and Emmanuelle), L’Epee’s debut album, Diabolique, is a stunning album of psychedelic rock inspired not only by the band members’ own projects, but also by The Velvet Underground, European film scores from the 1960’s (the album’s name is inspired by the Mario Bava film Danger: Diabolik), and garage rock.
The opener, “Une Lune Etrange” (“A Strange Moon”), has a French title and English lyrics. The whole album bounces back and forth between English and French vocals, adding another layer of coolness to the record. The first track brings Liminana’s guitar work to the forefront as Seigner (who does lead vocal duties throughout the record) sings about not having a care in the world as things devolve around her. She is in control of her own world and destiny.
“Lou” is a loving tribute to Lou Reed that chugs along with heady drumming by Marie Liminana and incense smoke synth and reverb effects by Newcombe. “Dreams” sounds like an unearthed Parisian garage rock single recorded in 1967. This is no surprise when you consider Newcombe has a practical warehouse of vintage gear from the era the band used to create a perfect sound to reflect the time period.
Seigner’s vocals on “La Brigade Des Malefices” (“The Hex Brigade” or “The Cursed Brigade,” depending on how you translate it) are almost spoken word poetry behind Joy Division-like beats and distorted guitars. The hand percussion on “On Dansait Avec Elle” (“We Were Dancing with Her”) is a nice touch, almost creating a waltz inside a psychedelic trip.
I don’t know if “Ghost Rider” has anything to do with the comic book characters (either the western hero on horseback or the flaming skull-headed guy on a motorcycle), but it would be a fitting song on a movie soundtrack for them. Seigner sings of “sadness all around me” as she views the world from the other side of the veil (“Baby, I’m dead.”). Mrs. Liminana’s beats are like a throbbing heart and her husband’s guitar work is like a distant echo.
“Grande” (“Tall” / “Large”) has Middle Eastern rhythms and “Springfield 61” brings in church bells to create one of the brightest songs on the album. “Un Rituel Inhabituel” (“An Unusual Ritual”) is almost an instrumental of Newcombe and Mr. Liminana going back and forth with waves of guitar while Seigner sings simple “La la la” sounds and Mrs. Liminana pounds her kit for the back of the club. The closer, “Last Picture Show,” references multiple 1960’s films (“Get Carter,” “Dressed to Kill,” and others) as Seigner sings about a mysterious woman and Mrs. Liminana unleashes relentless beats.
Diabolique is easily one of the best debut albums of the year, and certainly one of the best psych-rock releases of 2019. I hope this collaboration continues, because this is the stuff of dreams.
Apparently not needing sleep like other human beings, Australian psychedelic juggernauts King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have announced spring 2020 tour dates through the U.S. and Canada. Tickets are already on sale. As you can see from the poster, these shows include three three-hour marathon sets – two in Colorado (one of which is already sold out) and one in California. Don’t miss your chance to see them live. KGATLW never disappoint.
“If you’ve never been to Burger Boogaloo, you’re missing out on what it means to truly revel in the glory of music.” – SF Weekly
“Burger Boogaloo is the perfect cult gathering of young and old music rebels who hate everybody in the world except each other.” – John Waters
It’s a holiday miracle! Oakland’sBurger Boogaloo is announcing the first round of artists on its 2020 lineup with a ticket special that’s perfect for everyone on your naughty list! This year’s fest features Bikini Kill (1st Bay Area show in 25 years), Circle Jerks (1st Bay Area show in 10 years), Plastic Bertrand (1st Bay Area show ever), Carbonas (1st Bay Area show in 10 years), Bleached, and more, with additional acts being announced in early 2020. Of course, the Boogaloo wouldn’t be complete without its lawless leader, John Waters, who will return to host for the 6th year in a row! Burger Boogaloo will be back in Oakland’s Mosswood Park on Saturday, July 11th and Sunday, July 12th.
The Boogaloo’s Holiday Ticket Special is going on now, with GA Weekend Passes for $109 and VIP Weekend Passes for $159. But don’t go waiting ‘til the last minute to grab your passes; discounted tickets are only available while supplies last!
Ring in the new year with some Boogaloo holiday magic via the ticket link below:
BURGER BOOGALOO 2020 INITIAL LINEUP HOSTED BY JOHN WATERS BIKINI KILL (1st Bay Area show in 25 years) CIRCLE JERKS (1st Bay Area show in 10 years) PLASTIC BERTRAND (1st Bay Area show ever) CARBONAS (1st Bay Area show in 10 years) BLEACHED ALICE BAG (of the Bags) FLIPPER THE FEVERS PANSY DIVISION THE YOUNGER LOVERS PANTY RAID MIDNITE SNAXXX
HOLIDAY SPECIAL TICKET PRICES Day 1 – $79 (Full Price: $99) Day 2 – $59 (Full Price: $69) Weekend Pass – $109 (Full Price: $129) VIP Day 1 – $129 (Full Price: $149) VIP Day 2 – $99 (Full Price: $109) VIP Weekend Pass – $159 (Full Price: $199)
Austin trioThe Well announce yet another round of North American, EU and UK tour dates in support of their critically acclaimed new album Death and Consolation (RidingEasy Records.) The band has spent much of the year on tour, and now continue the trek into 2020, sharing some US dates with label mates Zig-Zags and R.I.P. These will be The Well’s first ever tour in the UK, having only played London’s DesertFest in 2019, and fans’ first opportunity to see the band performing songs from the new album. Please see all dates below. The band also recently shared a new video via Brooklyn Vegan. Watch & share the 4K UHD video for album track “Raven” which was directed, shot and edited by William Orendorff HERE. (YouTube.) Death and Consolation is without a doubt a weighty album title. And, The Well is among the heaviest heavy psych bands in existence. So when we say that there’s even more darkness and intensity to the band’s third album than previous efforts, take heed. It’s a deep sea diving bell of enveloping heaviness and longing.
“This one is a little more personal,” says guitarist/vocalist Ian Graham. “2018 was a strange, dark year. A lot of change going on in my life, there was a lot of depression and coming out of it over the last year. I wanted to call this Death and Consolation, because in life that’s a constant.” While The Well continue to walk an intriguing line between authentic early 70s doom/heavy psych and frayed weirdness of dark folk – especially with their haunting unison male/female vocals – the new album also adds the stark vibe of post-punk acts like Joy Division and early The Cure. “I feel like this album is almost more gothic. We’re big fans of post-punk,” Graham says. There’s also much less jamming, the songs are tight and concise. And, did we mention, heavy? The band tuned down a full step to C-standard tuning for this album, which gives the proceedings its monstrous sound.
Sonically, Death and Consolation picks up where The Well — Graham, bassist/vocalist Lisa Alley and drummer Jason Sullivan — left off with their widely heralded 2016 RidingEasy album Pagan Science. The band once again recorded with longtime producer/engineer Chico Jones at Estuary Studio in 2018, who has turned the knobs for all three of their albums (Jones engineered the band’s debut album Samsara with producer Mark Deutrom [Melvins, Sunn0)))] in 2013.) Samsara, released late September 2014 was ranked the #1 debut album of 2014 by The Obelisk and Pagan Science among the Best of 2016 from the Doom Charts collective. Likewise, the band’s intense — some even say “possessed” — live performances have earned them featured slots at Austin’s Levitation Fest, as well as tours with Kadavar, All Them Witches, Black Tusk and more.
“This album might be a little less produced, because I didn’t want to push technical stuff as much,” Graham says. “I’m so scared of getting too complicated when getting better at guitar. This is still kind of punk rock.”
Death and Consolation is available on LP, CD and download via RidingEasy Records. Orders are available HERE.
THE WELL TOUR 2020: 01/22 – Milan, IT @ Ligera 01/23 – Bologna, IT @ Freakout 01/24 – Turin, IT @ Ziggy 01/26 – Lille, FR @ La Bulle Cafe 01/27 – Tours, FR @ Le Canadian Cafe 01/28 – Nantes, FR @ La Scene Michelet 01/29 – Bordeaux, FR @ Les Voutes 01/30 – Dijon, FR @ Peniche Cancale 01/31 – Rennes, FR @ Le Melies 02/01 – Paris, FR @ Espace B 02/03 – Brighton, UK @ Hope & Ruin 02/04 – Milton Keyes, UK @ The Craufurd Arms 02/05 – Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast 02/07 – London, UK @ Black Heart 02/08 – Bree, BE @ Ragnarok 02/09 – Berlin, DE @ Zukunft am Ostkreuz 02/10 – Salzburg, AT @ Rockhouse 02/19 – El Paso, TX @ Monarch 02/20 – Phoenix, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room 02/21 – San Diego, CA @ Til Two Club *02/22 – Oceanside, CA @ The Pourhouse *02/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ Permanent Records Roadhouse *02/25 – San Francisco, CA @ The Knockout 02/26 – Nevada City, CA @ The Brick 02/27 – Portland, OR @ High Water Mark +02/28 – Seattle, WA @ Substation +02/29 – Vancouver, BC @ TBA +03/02 – Kalispell, MT @ Old School Records 03/03 – Missoula, MT @ TBA 03/04 – Boise, ID @ The Shredder 03/05 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court 03/06 – Denver, CO @ Streets of London 03/07 – Albuquerque, NM @ The Launchpad * w/ Zig-Zags+ w/ R.I.P.
Jon Hopkins and Kelly Lee Owens present their new single and first collaborative recording, “Luminous Spaces,” available digitally now and on 12” on January 24, 2020. The track was originally destined to be a remix of Hopkins’ “Luminous Beings” by Owens, but after the pair worked closely together in the studio, it morphed into a standalone single. The two have built a working relationship over the past few years through sharing the same bill in live capacities and on DJ line-ups across the globe. Their work perfectly complements each other; Hopkins transcendent, dancefloor-focused electronics paired with Owens’ entrancing vocals and ethereal techno production creates a euphoric collaboration.
Hopkins on working with Owens: “This project started as something very different from what you’re hearing now – I wanted Kelly to do a straight remix of ‘Luminous Beings.’ I sent her the parts, but what she sent back just felt like something totally new, and had the potential to be so much more than a remix. She’d recorded these beautiful, uplifting vocal lines and had come up with joyous new riffs that recalled for me the best bits of the 90s trance/euphoria that I had grown up loving. I got a beautiful sense of nostalgia and a true heart-lifting joy the first time I heard it, and it was so painless to take it from there to a finished piece – related and born out of ‘Luminous Beings’ but very much its own thing.”
Owens on working with Hopkins: “‘Luminous Spaces’ initially began as a remix I did for Jon, which I also wrote vocals on top of. I sent the whole track to Jon for feedback and this lead to the start of a more collaborative effort, with him adding extra sound design/ production, and a new intro and outro, which I loved! The exchanging of ideas back and forth made it an extra special process for us and is why he decided to upgrade it to a full and proper collaboration. Our worlds truly colliding!”
Hopkins has forged a reputation for music that marries the dancefloor to the devotional, and for live performances that are visceral, generous, charged with a rapt, sensuous beauty. He’s regarded by The New Yorker as “one of the most celebrated electronic musicians of his generation” for his five solo albums – as well as collaborations with Brian Eno, David Lynch and King Creosote, and film scores for The Lovely Bones and Monsters. Last year, Hopkins’ Singularity received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album.
Kelly Lee Owens bridges the gaps between cavernous techno, spectral pop, and krautrock’s mechanical pulse, and is known for her energetic, engaging live shows and DJ sets. She is also an in-demand remixer, working with Björk, Mount Kimbie, St Vincent and Jenny Hval. Her debut self-titled album was released via Smalltown Supersound in 2017.
Following the single, Hopkins will play shows in New Zealand and Australia, including the Sydney Opera House, early in the new year. He will then begin his Polarity Tour across the UK and Europe, combining his more meditative piano music, for which he will be joined on stage by a small group of consummate musician and long-time friends, with his harder more techno-focused material. A full list of dates for the Polarity Tour can found below.
Jon Hopkins Polarity Tour: Tue. March 3 – Edinburgh, UK @ Usher Hall Thu. March 5 – Gateshead, UK @ Sage Gateshead Fri. March 6 – Dublin, IE @ Bord Gais Energy Theatre – SOLD OUT Fri. March 13 – Manchester, UK @ Bridgewater Hall Sat. March 14 – Bath, UK @ The Forum Sun. March 15 – Brighton, UK @ Dome Wed. March 18 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall – SOLD OUT Fri. March 20 – Paris, FR @ Salle Pleyel Wed. March 25 – Copenhagen, DK @ Koncerthuset – Koncertsalen Thu. March 26 – Stockholm, SE @ Gota Lejon Fri. March 27 – Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene Sun. March 29 – Helsinki, FI @ Helsinki Music Centre Tue. March 31 – Hamburg, DE @ Laeiszhalle Wed. April 1 – Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royal Thu. April 2 – Berlin, DE @ Philharmonie Sat. April 4 – The Hague, NL @ Rewire
Guitarist / vocalist Ed O’Brien of Radioheadrecently released the first single, “Brasil,” from his upcoming solo record. It’s a dreamy track that mixes synthwave, house, and psychedelia with O’Brien’s excellent vocals. He started writing “Brasil” back in 2013 and it’s now available to stream and pre-order as a 12″ single. You can also watch the cool video here.
