Nashville’s All Them Witcheshave announced their new, and self-titled, album is available for pre-order. A digital copy is less than eight bucks, a CD is less than ten, and a double LP on transparent red vinyl is less than twenty-five. The lead track, “Fishbelly 86 Onions,” comes with a pre-order, and it’s a hard-hitting six-minute barn burner.
The album is out September 28th, and I’m sure it will be in my top 25 of the year. ATW can do no wrong.
Keep your mind open.
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All Them Witches begin them summer tour today. They’re playing with Primus AND Mastodon May 6th – June 3rd. Tickets are on sale now. Catch them if you can. They’re great live.
MAY 3 • Rose Music Hall • COLUMBIA, MO MAY 4 • Slowdown • OMAHA, NE
MAY 6 • Red Rocks Amphitheater • MORRISON, CO ^ MAY 8 • The Criterion • OKLAHOMA CITY, OK ^
MAY 9 • White Oak Music Hall • HOUSTON, TX *
MAY 10 • South Side Ballroom • DALLAS, TX ^ MAY 11 • Austin 360 Amphitheatre • DEL VALLE, TX ^
MAY 12 • Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion • ROGERS, AR ^
MAY 14 • BJCC Concert Hall • BIRMINGHAM, AL ^
MAY 15 • Nashville Municipal Auditorium • NASHVILLE, TN ^ MAY 16 • Fox Theatre • ATLANTA, GA ^ MAY 18 • Portsmouth Pavilion • PORTSMOUTH, VA ^
MAY 19 • Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheater • CHARLOTTE, NC ^
MAY 20 • Red Hat Amphitheater • RALEIGH, NC ^
MAY 22 • Diamond Credit Union Theatre • READING, PA ^
MAY 23 • Artpark Amphitheater • LEWISTON, NY ^
MAY 25 • Cool Insuring Arena • GLENS FALLS, NY ^
MAY 26 • Bold Point Park • EAST PROVIDENCE, RI ^
MAY 27 • Maine State Pier • PORTLAND, ME ^
MAY 29 • Blue Hills Bank Pavilion • BOSTON, MA ^
MAY 30 • Penn’s Landing – Festival Pier • PHILADELPHIA, PA ^
JUN 1 • Stone Pony Summerstage • ASBURY PARK, NJ ^
JUN 2 • Pier Six Pavilion • BALTIMORE, MD ^
JUN 3 • Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk • BROOKLYN, NY ^
JUN 6 • Mascotte • ZURICH, SWITZERLAND
JUN 7 • Caribana Festival • CRANS-PRES-CELIGNY, SWITZERLAND JUN 8 • Download Festival • NEWBURY, UNITED KINGDOM
JUN 8 • Best Kept Secret • HILVARENBEEK, NETHERLANDS
JUN 9 • Donnington Park • NEWBURY, UNITED KINGDOM
JUN 10 • Donnington Park • NEWBURY, UNITED KINGDOM JUN 11 • AB Box • BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
JUN 13 • Backstage Halle • MUNCHEN GERMANY
JUN 14 • Nova Rock • NICKELSDORF, AUSTRIA
JUN 15 • Z-Bau • NUREMBERG, GERMANY JUN 16 • Maifield Derby Festival • MANNHEIM, GERMANY
JUL 14 • Ballard Seafoodfest • SEATTLE, WA
OCT 14 • Aftershock Festival • SACRAMENTO, CA
^
w/ Primus and Mastodon * w/ Mastodon and Mothership
In case you need some good news, Nashville psych / blues rockers All Them Witcheshave released a free EP available for download.
It’s four tracks of more haunting songs from the band. The opener, “Hares on the Mountain,” is an old English love song that practically summons the ghosts of dead soldiers from their unmarked graves with Allan Van Cleave‘s slightly menacing organ and Ben McLeod‘s drones and Celtic ghost guitar work. “Before the Beginning” is a slick Fleetwood Mac cover, and “Call Me Star” (from their excellent album Dying Surfer Meets His Maker) is a lovely display of Michael Parks‘ old soul / weary traveler vocals as his acoustic guitar and McLeod’s sparse psychedelic chords back him.
I love that the EP ends with a dub track (Yes, a dub track) – “Dub Passageways.” It gives drummer Robby Staebler a chance to cut loose with some wicked chops. It’s a dub version of “Open Passageways” (also from Dying Surfer Meets His Maker) and a nice look into another musical style that’s influenced All Them Witches.
Weird rock maestros Primus, metal giants Mastodon, psych-rockers Jjuujjuu, and blues-psych heavyweights All Them Witchesare going on tour starting in May. Primus and Mastodon will share the stage with Jjuujjuu and All Them Witches on various spots of the tour, but any of these dates are worth seeing. This will probably be one of the heaviest / trippiest tours of the year, so don’t miss it.
The somewhat startling cover is a warning for a powerful, teeth-baring electro record that somehow catches all the chaos this year displayed. There was a lot of early buzz about this record upon its release, and for good reason. It’s a stunning piece of synthwave, dark wave, and psychedelic fever dreams.
This psychedelic blues-rock was pretty much a lock for my favorite rock record of the year as soon as I heard it. ATW brew up haunting tracks that range in subjects from being stuck in purgatory to internet addiction (which are pretty much the same thing).
Their reunion was possibly the most anticipated of the year, and they proved they hadn’t lost a thing on this great record. Front man James Murphy‘s lyrics are as searing as ever as he confronts aging, love, social media, partying, and Millennials. One of the singles, “Tonite” (one of my favorites of the year) is a great example. It’s a song about songs, but it’s also about the fears and joys of aging.
This is a bittersweet choice because one of the best post-punk records, and best records in any genre, of the year is by a band who broke up before it was released or even named. WALL‘s only full-length record is shrouded in mysterious lyrics about the current political landscape and the band itself. It’s also full of sharp guitar hooks and sass that is sorely missed. Consider yourself blessed if you caught one of their too few live shows.
I read a review of this album that described it as “a breath of fresh air.” I’m not sure I can beat that description because this stunning debut is the most beautiful record I heard all year. Ms. Owens’ synth soundscapes immediately seem to lighten gravity around you. It’s a tonic for the toxic atmosphere we’re living in right now (both in the real world and in the one that blitzes us from cyberspace every day). If 2017 got you down, listen to this album today and you will have a much better outlook on the year to come.
“I don’t know why this show isn’t sold out?” was the sentiment held by me and at least a few others when Kasabian played in Chicago. “These guys sell out Glastonbury!” said a guy behind me, referring to the massive British music festival. Sure enough, Kasabian put on a great, energetic set that had everyone bouncing and dancing. It might’ve been the liveliest set you missed all year.
I was stunned to learn that Nashville’s All Them Witches were playing for free up in Michigan. I was even more stunned by their set, which was a tight set infused with blues, rock, voodoo rock, and psychedelia. It immediately made me want to catch them again as soon as possible.
2017 has been the year of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. They’ve release four albums this year and a fifth is due to drop any day now. Their show at Chicago’s Metro was one of the craziest I attended all year. They tore through a set that not only played older material but also included tunes from the (at the time) unreleased album Murder of the Universe.
This show gave me chills. Anoushka Shankar is perhaps the greatest living sitar player on Earth, although I’m sure she’d disagree with that statement. Seeing and hearing her in an acoustically perfect venue playing traditional ragas might convince you of my earlier statement, however. It was a sublime performance.
Flying Lotus was the final act we saw at Mamby on the Beach this year. It was chilly by that time of day, but his set made you forget about the cool air blowing in from Lake Michigan. The visuals were stunning and the sounds he made from his mushroom cloud-like stand were an impressive array of psychedelic, trip hop, and dub sounds.
Who finishes in the top five for 2017? You’ll find out tomorrow!
Keep your mind open.
[We’re in the twelve days of Christmas, so you can still be generous with a subscription.]
Nashville’s All Them Witches will be returning to the U.S. and Canada for another tour in support of their excellent album Sleeping Through the War. The tour starts November 3rd in North Carolina and ends November 18th in Milwaukee. Don’t miss them if you get the chance to see them. They are great live and amiable chaps to boot.
NOV 3 • Cat’s Cradle • CARRBORO, NC
NOV 4 • The Southern Cafe and Music Hall • CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA
NOV 5 • Rock & Roll Hotel • WASHINGTON, DC
NOV 7 • The Foundry at The Fillmore • PHILADELPHIA, PA
NOV 8 • Music Hall of Williamsburg • BROOKLYN, NY
NOV 9 • Higher Ground • SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT
NOV 10 • Fairmount Theatre • MONTREAL, CANADA
NOV 11 • Lee’s Palace • TORONTO, CANADA
NOV 12 • The Bug Jar • ROCHESTER, NY
NOV 14 • Ace of Cups • COLUMBUS, OH
NOV 15 • Hi-Fi • INDIANAPOLIS, IN
NOV 16 • The Mill • IOWA CITY, IA
NOV 17 • Turf Club • ST. PAUL, MN
NOV 18 • The Back Room at Colectivo Coffee • MILWAUKEE, WI
It was an easy two-hour drive to Founder’s Brewery in Grand Rapids, Michigan and worth the time to see Nashville psych / blues rockers All Them Witches. It was the end of the winter leg of their tour, and I was glad they made it. I’d read about a show they had to cancel just a few days earlier due to the band being struck with stomach flu, so I’d called the venue to make sure the show was still happening. I was assured everything was fine.
It was. I met ATW’s lead singer and bassist, Charles Parks, at the band’s merch table and chatted with him. I told him I was glad to see him healthy. He described the last week as a mix of blizzard weather and lots of vomit. He said everyone was back in shape and that the flu was “nothing a lot of cold showers and sleep” couldn’t cure.
Opening for ATW was a metal band from North Carolina called Irata, who had been with ATW for the entire tour (no word if they also caught the stomach flu). Irata was already into their set by the time I got there and had the crowd cheering. They played a good blend of metal and stoner rock, and I’m always impressed when a drummer can sing lead while hammering out complex beats.
Irata
All Them Witches didn’t disappoint. Opening with a great rendition of “Alabaster,” they played most of their new album, Sleeping Through the War (which is one of my favorite records of 2017 so far), and had fun going into free-form jams on tracks like “Internet” and “Don’t Bring Me Coffee.”
All Them Witches
As I expected it would be, hearing “When God Comes Back” live is like standing in front of a tidal wave. They went for broke on it, perhaps because it was the last show of the tour. Drummer Robby Staebler’s kit seemed to small for his tall frame and Hulk-like smashing.
All Them Witches altering minds with “My Last Name Is the Blues.”
They ended with “My Last Name Is the Blues,” which I’d heard on their fine live record Live in Brussels, and I was delighted to hear it in person. They stretched it out for what seemed like ten minutes and it was outstanding.
They did what any good band does – leave you wanting to catch their next show as soon as possible. Don’t miss them if they come to a town near you.
Eight tracks are all that’s needed by All Them Witches (Ben McLeod – guitar, bass, mellotron, percussion, Charles Michael Parks Jr. – vocals, bass, guitar, mellotron, percussion, loops, Robby Staebler – drums, congas, Allan Van Cleave – keyboards, organ, piano, mellotron) to make a powerful statement about living in 2017 on Sleeping Through the War.
Starting with “Bulls,” the album goes head-first into psychedelic territory with reverbed guitars and vocals while Parks sings about sleeping through not only the wars outside our borders, but also the ones on TV, the ones in our heads and homes, and the ones right next door. “I’m married to my boredom,” he sings. How many of us can relate to that, either in our own lives or the lives of our loved ones?
“Don’t Bring Me Coffee” is a hammering rocker that I think is about the proliferation of hipster consumers. I don’t know which of the Witches played bass on this track, but whoever did was trying to flatten the studio walls. “Bruce Lee” is as fast and bold as its namesake, and I love the space-rock guitar in it as Parker sings about trying to center himself after a bad relationship has ended, and not by his choice. The band almost ventures into stoner rock on the prime numbered “3-5-7,” and that’s all right with me. Staebler’s grooves are sweet, and Van Cleave’s keys are, as usual, excellent.
“Am I Going Up?” is a fine example (in the guitar riffs) of the Nashville blues influences All Them Witches adore. The song is about the uncertainty of death, and Parks wondering if he’s going to heaven and how long he’ll have to wait in the ground before he moves in either direction (or at all). “Alabaster” is about Parks’ childhood, how much things and the people have changed around him, and how much he is changing into them (“Every day they look more and more like me.”). The whole band grooves hard on this track and I’m sure it’s excellent live.
“Cowboy Kirk” might be the name of a childhood hero of Parks (“Love you like I love Cowboy Kirk,” he sings at the beginning.), but the person seems to be an allegory for Parks’ wishes to return to a simpler time. The song isn’t simple, that’s for sure. The guitars are layered on top of each other and I love how Staebler’s drums stay crisp throughout the tune.
The closer is “Internet,” a song about how people use what should be a magnificent invention for learning, art, and outreach to instead hide from reality and do Big Brother’s work for them. “All the moss of my childhood turned to eggshell while I wasn’t looking. If you’re asking me, I’ve got one thing to say: If I can’t live here, guess I’ll go live on the Internet,” Parks sings, verbally throwing ice water in our faces.
Most of us are sleeping through one war or another. It could be a literal one that we hope will just end if we don’t pay attention (i.e., Syria) or one we stopped caring about a long time ago and are just going through the motions of it by this point. It could be a war with a dream we refuse to chase or a trauma we refuse to confess. We have to wake up. We have to open our eyes and, yes, get off the Internet.
Live in Brussels by psychedelic blues rockers All Them Witches (Ben McLeod – guitars, Charlie Michael Parks, Jr. – vocals, bass, and guitar, Robby Staebler – drums, Allan Van Cleve – keyboards and violin) is one of those rare live records that pulls off a double feat. It makes you want to see them live and it makes you want to hear their new record as soon as possible.
I mean, the album opens with “The Death of Coyote Woman,” (in which Charlie Parks apologizes for the band “not being the best at being on time”), over ten minutes of stunning, fuzzy psych-rock that would make the MC5 and Pink Floyd proud. “Funeral for a Great Drunken Bird” keeps the guitar distortion on thick, which is all right with me. It flows into the stunning “When God Comes Back” that has both blues and metal fans nodding in time.
“Dirt Preachers” (from their excellent album Dying Surfer Meets His Maker) takes on a cool new tone with the excellent keyboard work by Van Cleve on it. “The Marriage of Coyote Woman” is a slick blues jam. The keyboards on “Elk.Blood.Heart” are like something from an early Peter Frampton record. The guitars on “Open Passageways” are a bit Middle Eastern, which is a nice touch. “Talisman” is a gritty folk ballad and a favorite among the crowd, especially when it transforms into an early Pink Floyd-like jam.
Speaking of epic jams, wait until you hear “Blood and Sand – Milk and Endless Waters,” which clocks in at 14:40. It’s a stunner with a lot of great keyboard work from Van Cleve. “Mountain” is a great blend of Americana and pysch-rock. “Heavy – Like a Witch” is another trippy rocker, and “Charles William” is a solid close to the set…until the encore when they play their version of a blues classic – “My Last Name Is the Blues.” It’s over eleven minutes of psych-blues freak-out and was worth the price of admission for the Brussels crowd.
You can get this whole album for free, by the way. I suggest you leave a tip to be nice. They suggest six bucks on their Noisetrade page, and that’s a steal for something this good.
