Howard Share “Oh Dear Brother” From New Album, Together Alone, Out September 14th On Fashion People
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Blackwater Holylight release new single and announce west coast tour dates.
BlackWater HolyLight share first video from RidingEasy debut album, announce West Coast tour dates
Rewiring “heavy music” w/ hints of Sonic Youth, Chelsea Wolfe, Raincoats, Stooges, Beefheart, et al.
Watch “Wave of Conscience” video (YouTube)
Hear & share Blackwater Holylight album (Bandcamp) (Brooklyn Vegan)
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“Flat out it’s one of the best heavy psych debut albums you’ll hear in 2018.” — The Obelisk
“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
Portland, OR quartet BlackWater HolyLight share the first video from their breakout debut album today. Watch and share “Wave of Conscience” via YouTube.
BlackWater HolyLight also announce West Coast tour dates starting August 3rd. Please see current dates below.
Their self-titled RidingEasy Records debut has received unanimous press praise and continues to grow. Brooklyn Vegan recently streamed the entire album HERE. (Direct YouTube.)
The notion of “heavy music” is continuing to expand of late, with many intrepid artists finding new ways to incorporate the power of traditional metal into new music, but without all of its trappings. Enter Portland, OR quartet BlackWater HolyLight to further swirl musical elements into a captivating hybrid of emotional intensity. Heavy psych riffs, gothic drama, folk-rock vibes, garage-sludge and soaring melodies all collide into a satisfying whole with as much contrast as the band’s name itself.
“I wanted to experiment with my own version of what felt ‘heavy’ both sonically and emotionally,” says founder and vocalist/bassist Allison (Sunny) Faris. “I also wanted a band in which vulnerability of any form could be celebrated.” BlackWater HolyLight — Faris, guitarist/vocalist Laura Hopkins, drummer Cat Hoch and synth player Sarah Mckenna — formed upon the breakup of Faris’ longtime band and she sought a fresh start. “In my last band I was the only female in a group of 6, so I wanted to see how my song writing and vulnerability could glow taking the drivers seat and working with women.”
The band’s self-titled debut begins with a simple, almost grunge-like riff as a chorus of voices introduce a melodic line in call-and-response until the band kicks in, slowly building into crescendo like a lost outtake from Led Zeppelin‘s Houses of the Holy. Elsewhere, “Sunrise” begins with a chorus-drenched post-punk groove until a sonic boom of heavily distorted guitar skree erupts out of nowhere. Nearly as suddenly, the song returns to its lulling core, subtly building the tension until it ruptures completely in a blast of noise. Likewise, “Carry Her” establishes a dark, sparse melody and distinctly thin sounding drums not far removed from early work of The Cure. However, BlackWater HolyLight’s penchant for surprise attack finds a sudden shift into a doom-like dirge, colored with eerie synth notes and pounding shards of fuzz. Throughout the album, their songs shirk traditional verse-chorus-verse structure in favor of fluid, serpentine compositions that move with commanding grace. The band expertly, yet subconsciously, incorporates hints of Chelsea Wolfe, Celebration, Captain Beefheart, The Raincoats, The Stooges, Pink Floyd, Jane’s Addiction and more to form their unique brand of dark’n’heavy transcendence..
BlackWater HolyLight was recorded by Cameron Spies at Gold Brick Studios and The Greenhouse, and with Eric Crespo at Touch Tourcher Recording in Portland. The album is available on LP, CD and download, released April 6th, 2018 via RidingEasy Records on LP & CD at www.ridingeasyrecs.com and digital at blackwaterholylight.
BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT LIVE:
08/03 Nevada City, CA @ Cooper’s
08/04 Oakland, CA @ Elbo Jack London
08/07 Las Vegas, NV @ Bunkhouse
08/08 Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon w/ Zig Zags
08/09 Oceanside, CA @ Pourhouse w/ Red Wizard
08/10 Fresno, CA @ Full Circle
08/11 Arcata, CA @ Alibi |
Artist: BlackWater HolyLight
Album: BlackWater HolyLight
Label: RidingEasy Records Release Date: April 6th, 2018
01. Willow
02. Wave of Conscience
03. Babies
04. Paranoia
05. Sunrise
06. Slow Hole
07. Carry Her
08. Jizz Witch
On The Web: Keep your mind open.
[Ease your conscience by subscribing.]
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DJ set list for July 11, 2018
Thanks to everyone who listened to my “Best of 2018 So Far” show last night on WSND and offered suggestions. There was a lot that I didn’t get a chance to play, but here’s what I spun last night.
- Steve Davit – Philly Sophia
- Crystales – Boring
- The Damned – Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow
- St. Paul and the Broken Bones – Midnight on the Earth (requested)
- Suspiria vintage radio ad
- The Young Mothers – Francisco
- Blown Out – Void Sucker
- Janelle Monae – Make Me Feel (radio edit)
- Tales from the Crypt vintage radio ad
- Flasher – Who’s Got Time?
- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Little Thing Gone Wild
- Fat Hot – Bad Drink
- Tales that Witness Madness vintage radio ad
- Screaming Females – Glass House
- Vazum – Big Gulp Lie
- Here Lies Man – Fighting
- Skyland Drive-in Theatre vintage intermission spot
- Ty Segall – Every 1’s a Winner
- The Duke Spirit – Cherry Tree
- MOTSUS – Warm
- Interpol – The Rover (requested)
- Teenage Psycho Meets Bloody Mary vintage radio ad
- Earthless – Gifted by the Wind
- Makeness – Stepping Out of Sync
- Texas Chainsaw Massacre vintage radio ad
- Blackwater Holylight – Willow
- CHAI – N.E.O.
- Joe Perry – Aye, Aye, Aye (requested)
- Shopping – The Hype
- Marian Hill – Subtle Thing
- The Thing with 2 Heads vintage radio ad
- BODEGA – How Did This Happen?!
- A Place to Bury Strangers – Never Coming Back
I’m back on air July 19th with a Pitchfork Music Festival preview show. I hope you give me a listen.
Keep your mind open.
[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]
Wrecka Stow: Ignition Music Garage – Goshen, IN
Located inside an old auto mechanic / brake specialist garage, Goshen, Indiana’s Ignition Music Garage (120 East Washington Street) is the best place for vinyl and used music in the area, and better than many other stores in larger, nearby cities like South Bend or Mishawaka.
First, they have a radio station in there.
It’s a remote studio for Goshen College’s station 91.1 the Globe. The Globe has won multiple awards for college radio quality and Goshen College students are often frequenting Ignition for record sales, live music (on a small stage there), or coffee at the attached place next door.
There’s plenty of music, of course.
I happened to go there on Record Store Day this year, so there were plenty of RSD special items on sale.
Record Store Day is always a bit odd for me because I don’t collect vinyl. I can’t go down that road because I know I’ll never stop and our house is full of enough stuff already. Still, that Autopsy score by Ennio Morricone and the Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock record were tempting. I’m that guy who goes to RSD and buys CDs.
I scored the Clash‘s Sandinista!. Julian Cope‘s Saint Julian (my cassette of that wore out years ago), Caroline Rose‘s I Will Not Be Afraid, and ZZ Top‘sEliminator (which I haven’t owned since I was in middle school). Oddly enough, I still haven’t listened to the Caroline Rose or ZZ Top albums.
Ignition sells music systems as well. They have turntables and Sonos systems. My wife bought me two Sonos speakers after hearing their good sound quality at Ignition.
There’s plenty to browse at Ignition, and the coffee shop next door isn’t too shabby either. If you’re not sure what to get at Ignition, I suggest you start here.
Keep your mind open.
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Rewind Review: The Duke Spirit – Bruiser (2011)
Full of wonderful fuzz and lovely vocals, the Duke Spirit‘s Bruiser begins with the rock solid “Cherry Tree,” a song about regret following a break-up. All the guitars on it surge with power as lead singer Liela Moss claims she doesn’t look back on the past with hope, but we all know otherwise. “Procession” flips the story a bit, with the former subject of Moss’ affections acting like he’s cool with everything, but her knowing that he’s on the verge of cracking at any moment. “Villain” has lovely piano and vocals by Moss while Oliver Betts puts down beats that are harder than you realize at first. The song’s about two people who know they’re probably bad for each other, but will most likely hook up regardless of that fact.
In case you haven’t guessed by now, the name of the album hints to the many songs on the record about the dangerous side of love, lust, and attraction. “Don’t Wait,” about the struggle to let go of someone after they’ve left (“Oh such a heavy love rolls out like a blanket. Why must it fold up on me?”) has that great mix of rock, shoegaze, and soul that the Duke Spirit do so well. Marc Sallis struts his bass stuff on “Surrender,” in which Moss sings that she just wants to surrender to a lover. Moss’ voice is already seductive enough, but it’s borderline devilish when she sings lyrics like “Oh the weather got worse , so you’ll have to stay here.”
“Bodies” has another slick Sallis groove that paves the way for shoegaze riffs from Luke Ford and Toby Butler. There’s a short piano breakdown in the middle that catches you off-guard before Betts and the rest wallop you upside the head. “Delux” has organ and glockenspiel that ticks like a music box and warnings from Moss to a lover to keep his eyes and hands on her instead of someone else.
“Sweet Bitter Sweet” seems to be about sex with lyrics like “I’m coming with you, for there’s nobody else,” but you can never be sure with Moss’ writing. She can be deceptive and her use of metaphor is top-notch. It’s sexy even if it isn’t about sex. I’d be a gibbering idiot if she sang this to me in a smoky bar. Well, I’d be a gibbering idiot if she just walked into a room with me, but that’s beside the point. In “Running Fire,” Moss tells a lover that he can chase a future he can never fully grasp or he can return to the moment (and her) and be much happier. Ford and Butler shred on “Everybody’s Under Your Spell” (which has a great burn-out / fade-out at the end.
“Northbound” has some of Betts’ best beats on the record while Moss sings about a bad day becoming a better day as she realizes she’s going to end it by seeing her lover. “Homecoming” has a similar theme, but Moss can’t help but wonder if her happiness is an illusion.
Love can be bruising, but bruises and scars are sometimes the remains of a hard-fought but worthy battle. Bruiser and the Duke Spirit show us that love is worth it. Love is the thing for which we should all fight. What else is there?
By the way, certain versions of this album have bonus remixes of “Procession” (by Gary Numan, no less), “Cherry Tree” (by SONOIO), “Bodies” (by Black Onassis), and “Don’t Wait” (by Loose Meat).
Keep your mind open.
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Live: The Eagles – June 20, 2018 – New Orleans, LA
Seeing the Eagles for the first time was a night of many firsts. It was my first time not only seeing the classic rock band, but also my first time seeing a live music show in New Orleans (a city known for live music), my first time seeing Vince Gill (who is playing with the Eagles on this tour as a supporting guitarist and vocalist), and my first time seeing a show in a stadium suite.
This was a long-awaited dream come true for my wife, who is a big fan of the Eagles. Unfortunately, she never got to see them with Glenn Frey, but his son, Deacon Frey, is playing his father’s guitar parts and singing his father’s lyrics quite well.
The suite had the nice view of the stage as seen above, but we quickly learned that ordering from the “suite menu” isn’t sweet for your wallet, as shown in the example below.
That bowl of chips and dip costs $32.00 at the Smoothie King Center suites.
Luckily, there were a large number of us in the suite and people with better paying jobs than I who could afford such things (not to mention booze), and the Eagles soon made us forget about overpriced snacks.
Opening with “Seven Bridges Road” (which made my wife nearly leap out of her chair in joy), they played a night of greatest hits that tore through (among many others) “Take It Easy” (with Deacon Frey on lead vocal), “One of These Nights,” “Take It to the Limit,” “Tequila Sunrise,” and “Witchy Woman” before Joe Walsh took front and center with “In the City.”
I was happy to hear bassist Timothy Schmit sing “I Can’t Tell You Why” (one of the Eagles’ most underrated hits, if you ask me) and Vince Gill did a great lead vocal on “New Kid in Town.” I didn’t know until the crowd went nuts for him and Don Henley reminded all of us non-locals that Gill is a New Orleans native. As a result, his vocals on their cover of Fats Domino‘s “Walkin’ to New Orleans” were a big hit. Another surprise cover was of Tom Waits‘ “Ol’ ’55.”
My favorite Eagles songs are the rockers with blues influences, and “Those Shoes” is at the top of the list. I was happy to hear an almost sludgy version of it with Don Henley having fun with the vocals.
They did two encores. The first, of course, was “Hotel California,” which had a neat trumpet intro. The second included Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way” and “Desperado.” In case you didn’t know, Walsh still shreds. He hadn’t lost a thing since we’d seen him open for Tom Petty in St. Louis.
It was a fun night. They didn’t disappoint. My wife said it was the best concert she’d ever attended. That alone made it worth the trip.
Keep your mind open.
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Rewind Review: Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band – The Mirror Man Sessions (1999)
Recorded sometime between 1965 and 1967 and originally released in 1971, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band‘s Mirror Man album was a bit of a hot mess when it was released. It was compiled of four tracks taken from a recording session that was supposed to be for a double album called It Comes to You in a Plain Brown Wrapper that was never finished or released due to them being dropped by their label (Buddha Records). According to John Platt’s liner notes for this 1999 re-release, “In 1971 someone at Buddha reviewed all the extant tapes, and a decision was made to issue a single album’s worth of material under the title Mirror Man. What they chose were the three live-studio cuts plus ‘Kandy Korn.'” The Mirror Man Sessions includes those four tracks as well as five more previously unissued cuts by the good Captain and his lads. The four original tracks were also placed in an alternate order than the original album “for aesthetic reasons” that Buddha Records claims “for the time being at least…is as close as we can reasonably get to the Captain’s original intentions.”
The four original tracks are (in this album’s order) “Tarotplane,” “25th Century Quaker,” “Mirror Man,” and “Kandy Korn.” I’m not sure anything I can write would do justice to “Tarotplane.” It’s a nearly twenty-minute psychedelic freak-out masterpiece with the Captain’s harmonica, shinei, and vocals sounding like a warped, scratched 78rpm record you found in the back of an old blues honkytonk. “25th Century Quaker” is so freaky that its beats from John French sound like a bag of oranges rolling down the stairs.
“Mirror Man” starts out with some of Captain Beefheart’s signature grungy harmonica work before Jeff Cotton and Alex St. Clair Snouffer‘s guitars let loose with warped chords that sound like they’ve been left out in the sun all day. The Captain’s vocals are either distant and funky or sound like they’re coming through a damaged megaphone. “Kandy Korn” is, on its face at least, about the waxy, sugary Halloween snack (“They look so good, I wanna eat ’em.”). I’m willing to bet it’s about something else, but I’ll let you make the call. It melts like candy on the roof of a VW van, and it practically sends you into a trance around the three-minute mark.
“Trust Us (Take 6)” has the Captain encouraging all of us to trust not only him and the Magic Band, but also people outside our comfort zones. The rhythm of it is more urgent than you realize at first. It becomes a toe-tapper and lingers a bit in jam band land. It also has a neat fake fade out and fade in that I’m sure has fooled many DJs in its time. It gets more warped the longer it goes. “Safe As Milk (Take 12)” is one of the Magic Band’s biggest hits. It has a cool, weird groove to it that’s hard to describe and the right amount of fuzz without being overwhelming. The Captain’s vocals are playful and you can tell that his singing style influenced everyone from Tom Waits to Mike Patton and Les Claypool.
“Beatle Bones N’ Smokin’ Stones” is an obvious poke at the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The Captain has fun with “Strawberry Fields Forever” lyrics (reverbed and stuttering) and Keith Richards’ blues riffs (turning them into almost calliope music). “Moody Liz (Take 8)” has near-country guitar licks that transform into psychedelic oddities. The lyrics are barely recognizable, but that’s okay because the track is more a showcase for Cotton and Snouffer’s bizarre yet fascinating guitar work. The album ends with “Gimme Dat Harp Boy,” and the Captain getting to strut his stuff on harmonica while the Magic Band drives the funk bus.
This might not be the best place to start your Captain Beefheart musical journey, but it’s essential listening if you’re a fan of his work and psychedelic blues.
Keep your mind open.
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The Young Mothers – Morose
Blending members from Chicago, NYC, Texas, and Scandinavia, the Young Mothers have created Morose – a wild mix of hip-hop, jazz, and house music that hasn’t been heard since the likes of Digable Planets and Jurassic 5.
Starting with “Attica Black,” the sweet drum groove by Frank Rosaly leads into a sharp rap and downright fierce trumpet jam by Jawaad Taylor and wild saxophone by Jason Jackson that sounds like something off a rare Captain Beefheart record. Jackson’s sax is soulful and then sad and then angry on “Black Tar Caviar.” The track turns into a funky, crazy one in the second half, sounding not unlike a Faith No More tune. Jackson’s sax bubbles alongside Jonathan Horne‘s guitar and Stefan Gonzalez‘s vibraphone on the instrumental “Bodiless Arms.”
Chaos reigns on “Untitled #1,” which sounds like a drunk jazz band in a car wreck with a truck hauling a bunch of Theremins. I mean this in the best possible way. I actually wish it lasted longer, but “Jazz Oppression” is a fun follow-up and is probably one of the few songs that can induce a mosh pit at a jazz show. The title track is something as dirty and funky as a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion record, and Gonzalez’s vibraphone work on it is outstanding.
“Osaka” is another bizarre instrumental, but it’s tame when compared to “Untitled #2.” Remember that drunk jazz band in the car crash? Well now they’re fighting an army of killer robots. Again, I mean this in the best of compliments. “Shanghai” gets back to the band’s love of rap, but still drenches it in distortion, reverb, and sonic oddities.
It’s hard to describe Morose. The album’s title is also a bit of a mystery. The psychedelic jazz freak-outs on it are anything but morose. It’s an album that will get your blood pumping and freak you out a bit. It’s dangerous, and we always need dangerous music.
Keep your mind open.
[I’ll be morose if you don’t subscribe.]
Bodega – Endless Scroll
BODEGA‘s Endless Scroll is probably my favorite post-punk record of 2018 so far. Consisting of Nikki Belfiglio (vocals), Heather Elle (bass), Ben Hozie (guitar and vocals), Montana Simone (drums), and Madison Velding-Vandam (guitar), the quintet offering a sharp commentary on hipsters, the digital age, sex, masculinity, femininity, and politics.
No track better sums up their thoughts on the world of 2018 than the opener – “How Did This Happen!?” Aren’t we all asking that every day here in the U.S.? “It’s the world now, don’t discriminate. Everyone is equally a master and a slave,” Hozie sings. Preach it, brother. He name checks failing bookstores, people curating their playlists more than their relationships, and people angry for no damn reason. “Bodega Birth” shows off more of Elle’s slick bass lines as Hozie and Belfiglio sing about how the internet, which should be the greatest educational tool of all time, is now a colossally boring shopping mall.
Elle’s bass takes the lead on “Name Escape” as Hozie sings about how he can’t remember names of people he sees all the time, even though he can notice things like someone wearing different pants than the last time he saw him. Also, he doesn’t often care (“Have I heard the latest something ’bout so-and-so? / No, I have not, my son. Now I don’t want to know.”). Again, preach it, brother. “Boxes for the Move” is a story of heartbreak following a break-up as Hozie leaves his lover’s place with “fifteen soggy boxes” of stuff and wishing he had the booze that used to be in the boxes he got from the liquor store. “I Am Not a Cinephile” is a collective middle finger to movie snobs and other ultra-hipsters.
Hozie and Velding-Vandam’s squeaky guitars on “Can’t Knock the Hustle” sound like alarm klaxons or steel being hammered by a blacksmith. Belfiglio invites us all to love ourselves (if you get the drift) on “Gyrate” – even if you want to do it “in the middle of a party, in the middle of the floor.” “Jack in Titanic” is Hozie’s commentary about modern expectations of masculinity. It’s wonderfully catchy, and is currently tearing up airwaves in England. I’ve heard it on BBC 6 Music every time I listened to the station for the last three weeks. “Margot” is a tale of internet lust (ending with a computerized voice saying, “I touch myself while staring at your chat text box.”).
Elle and Simone are in perfect synch on “Bookmarks” while Hozie and Belfiglio sing about how easy it is to get distracted from work when the endless internet is in front of you. “Warhol” has the band proclaiming “Form against everything” and making fun of people thinking their fifteen minutes of fame is still in effect. “Charlie” is their latest single and a touching tribute to a friend of Hozie’s who drowned on New Year’s Eve 2007. “Williamsburg Bridge” sounds like a Velvet Underground track with Elle’s bass groove, Simone’s tribal drumming, and Hozie and Velding-Vandam’s guitars squawk in the background. “Truth Is Not Punishment” has Hozie singing about worrying about his mother and trying to convince a friend that honesty is the best policy (even when he’s not sure he believes that). The guitars in it build to near-manic levels, reflecting Hozie’s angst.
This is one of the best and catchiest albums of 2018 so far. I’m glad that post-punk is having a great revival, and bands like BODEGA are leading the charge.
Keep your mind open.
[Jack in Titanic subscribed. Why haven’t you?]
Japanese post-punkers CHAI to reissue debut album on Burger Records.
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