7th Level Music

Live: Mac Sabbath and Tejon Street Corner Thieves – Bell’s Eccentric Café – Kalamazoo, MI – August 27, 2024

This was the first time Mac Sabbath played in Kalamazoo, Michigan, so many people there only had a vague idea of what to expect (My girlfriend among them.).

Thanks to road construction and a detour that took us at least five miles out of the way, we missed the first opening act, Spaceman Bob, but did get there in time to see the second band – Tejon Street Corner Thieves.

They played a fun set of dark country, alt-folk, and psychobilly about subjects like drinking whiskey, unprotected sex, and curses upon enemies.

The buzz for Mac Sabbath was strong by the time they came on stage in tuxedos to celebrate their tenth anniversary as a band.

They soon shed the tuxedos and proceeded to shred through a fun set of “drive-thru metal” including songs like “Chicken for the Slaves” and “Organic Funeral.”

The crowd was instantly in on the jokes (“We’re not going to play anything by Pantera Bread.” / “There is some other drive-thru metal we like. International Bauhaus of Pancakes. They have a song called ‘Taco Bela Lugosi’s Dead.’ It’s pretty good.”) and the rock. I don’t know how many others got the Roy Orbison / Blue Velvet reference, but I love it every time they do it, as well as the Catburglar‘s time to step down from the drum set and sing “Bread” – a riff on KISS‘ “Beth.”

In dreams, Ronny Osborne walks with you.

“I haven’t laughed this hard since I first saw Gwar,” said a man behind me. A lot of people were like him, loving the gags and the constant jokes about Cake. Another fun, new bit was them playing an “Iron Maidenny’s” song about a fish sandwich called “The Grouper” that included lead singer Ronny Osborne having a sword fight with a man in a military uniform and fish mask.

They ended with the powerhouse duo of “Pair-a-Buns” and “Frying Pan,” getting a rousing send-off from the crowd.

Mac Sabbath’s Employee of the Month catches a giant straw after pouring Ronny a (Gasp!) Heineken!

Mac Sabbath’s fun stage show makes it easy to overlook how good they are as musicians. Slayer McCheese can shred a guitar and make it look easy, while Grimalice puts down bass licks that can rumble an entire building.

There’s rumor that Mac Sabbath might be retiring after this tour, so don’t miss out on seeing them while you have the chance.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Annie at Adrenaline PR for the press pass!]

Data Animal is “Dancing with the Devil” on their new single.

LISTEN TO “DANCING WITH THE DEVIL” HERE

BUY “DANCING WITH THE DEVIL” HERE

BUY THE “CHEMICAL COWBOY / DANCING WITH THE DEVIL” SINGLE HERE

Get ready to unleash the chaos with Data Animal‘s explosive new electro punk single, “Dancing with the Devil ”! With a relentless blend of searing synths, thrashing guitars, and raw, unapologetic vocals, this track is a sonic rebellion against the mundane. “Dancing with the Devil” captures the ferocity and spirit of the underground scene, delivering a blistering anthem that’s destined to ignite mosh pits and set the night ablaze. Out August 27th – only on Dedstrange.

Data Animal is bursting out of Berlin’s underground music scene mixing the sounds of NYC’s No Wave legends Suicide, psychedelic godfathers Spacemen 3 and the drum machine, noise driven racket of early The Jesus and Mary Chain and making it completely their own. Founded between Berlin and New Zealand and signed to Oliver Ackermann’s (Death by Audio / A Place To Bury Strangers) label Dedstrange in the midst of a global pandemic, the group is headed up by Mitchell James O’Sullivan and joined by a rotating cast of Berlin’s music scene luminaries. The band has grown in notoriety for their blistering live set including shows with The Brian Jonestown Massacre, A Place To Bury Strangers, GIFT, and YHWH Nailgun following their highly regarded debut album Future Primitive.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Steven at Dedstrange!]

Rewind Review: The Damned – Damned Damned Damned (1977)

There are records and there are records that change the game. The Damned‘s debut album Damned Damned Damned is one such record. People hadn’t heard anything quite like it before 1977. This album made people sit up and pay attention.

Comedian Craig Ferguson once described punk rock as “sounding like a fight…and that made me feel happy,” just before he introduced The Damned on his show in 2008 to play the album’s opener “Neat Neat Neat.” It’s a great description because the song instantly ignites a fire wherever and whenever it’s played. “Fan Club” has a swaggering danger to it. Rat Scabies‘ crashing cymbals on “I Fall” sound like a thousand breaking windows.

On “Born to Kill,” Brian James‘ guitar roars and soars at the same time. “There’s a brand new kid in town,” Dave Vanian declares on “Stab Your Back.” He was right because The Damned’s frontman inspired thousands to come after him. “Feel the Pain” dips its toes into psychedelia.

“New Rose” was the second A-side of the split single with “Neat Neat Neat,” and it’s another punk classic full of pent-up anger (“A got a rage inside of me, hormones, and frantic energy (“A got a feeling inside of me. It’s kinda strange, like a stormy sea. I don’t know why, I don’t know why. I guess these things just gotta be.”). James’ guitars on it trade shredding and growling throughout it.

No Damned album review would be proper without mentioning Captain Sensible, who played bass on this record before later switching to lead guitar. Sensible’s bass line on “Fish” is full of heavy fuzz that hits you like a mackerel upside the head. “See Her Tonite” is another rager, burning down everything around it. Scabies’ drums on it are just bonkers.

Sensible continues the heavy bass thuds on “1 of the 2,” and Scabies throws in so many wild fills that you lose track of them. “So Messed Up” absolutely crushes, barley giving you time to get ready even with Vanian’s three-count to start the song. The album ends with their cover of The Stooges‘ “I Feel Alright,” which somehow matches the original’s intensity and ups the madness.

This album is a classic and shouldn’t be missed.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: New Age Healers – The Spin Out

Shoegaze and psychedelic music have always been siblings, and this is readily apparent on The Spin Out by Seattle’s New Age Healers.

Opening with psych-keys, fuzzy bass, and orbital guitars on “Dying Moon,” the album is off to a great start and instant head-turning for anyone hearing it for the first time. Farkhad Saidmuratov‘s keys on the title track creating a neat effect the builds into bright rays breaking through dark clouds. The whole song builds to a stunning end.

“Spark Up” has a dangerous edge to it thanks to Jeramy Koepping and frontman Owen Murphy‘s guitar work and Adam LeVasseur‘s snap, crackle, pop, and crash drumming. “Operatic” reminds me of some of A Place to Bury Strangers‘ early tracks during the verses.

Allen Murray‘s bass on “Chemical Control” is like a lit fuse racing toward a cache of explosives that will blow open a dam holding back sound that will flatten everything in front of it. “Let’s take a trip,” Murphy sings at the beginning of “Radiate,” and the band certainly obliges that suggestion as they all click with psych-rock guitars, 60s garage beats, mod synths, and lyrics about connecting on multiple levels with someone. The album ends with “All Wrapped Up,” bringing you back down to Earth, but you immediately want to levitate off it again by putting this album on repeat.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Owen of New Age Healers!]

Human Impact say that sometimes we have to “Destroy to Rebuild” on their new single.

Human Impact, the laser-precision noise-rock alliance of Unsane frontman Chris Spencer, Cop Shoot Cop‘s squall-maker Jim Coleman, Made Out of Babies‘ Eric Cooper and Daughters‘ Jon Syverson, release Gone Dark, the band’s second full-length album, on Oct. 4 via Ipecac Recordings.

A preview of the nine-song album arrives today with the release of “Destroy to Rebuild” (https://youtu.be/J1ABKh6fUtc), a gnashing ode to cleaning the slate and starting anew. Spencer explains: “There are times when, as frustrating as it may be, it’s best to completely tear everything down and start fresh from a new beginning.”

Gone Dark is a fiercer, tighter upgrade of their taut grooves, brittle guitar shards, impassioned shouts and clouds of dystopian noise. Not a cry from the darkness but a shout through the darkness, a robust proclamation of resilience and opposition in the face of impending apocalypse.

It follows their self-titled debut, which was released on the eve that the world stood still, and was followed by a slew of singles which culminated in the the release of EP01 in 2021 and touring in 2022. The band graced the cover of New Noise Magazine (France) and were featured in a New York Times article amongst other recognition.

“We were all looking to go with something more raw and aggressive than the previous releases.” adds Spencer. “There was a real desire to capture more of what the live performances had been like. With this one, we had plenty of time to develop a full, cohesive album joining songs together with interstitial pieces more like a live performance would be. With Gone Dark we have arrived at a place where we fully understand who we are as a band, so it’s a bit more focused and relentless.”

The Human Impact arsenal is more formidable than ever thanks to the addition of bassist Eric Cooper (Made Out of Babies, Bad Powers) and drummer Jon Syverson (Daughters). Spencer had spent the 2020 Covid lockdown working on a cabin in the East Texas woods and would travel into Austin for informal jam sessions with the pair in the bass player’s garage. Friendly blasts through vintage Unsane songs ultimately resulted in the rhythm section being fully absorbed into the Unsane and Human Impact lineups for their 2022 European tours.

Gone Dark was recorded with co-producer Andrew Schneider (Ken Mode, Cave In) in Austin’s Cedar Creek Studio. The collection is available on CD, Digital, black vinyl and a limited webstore exclusive blue vinyl. Pre-orders can be found here: https://humanimpact.lnk.to/gonedark.

Tour dates will be announced soon.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Monica at Speakeasy PR.]

Fuzzzel is a new app that provides artisanal white noise made by musicians.

Fuzzzel, the world’s first artist-driven white noise app, has launched today with six exclusive soundscapes from a formidable lineup of independent music visionaries.

Available now in the Apple App Store (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fuzzzel/id6596783978), Fuzzzel brings a unique artistic perspective to the functional concept of “white noise.”

The initial release of Fuzzzel boasts exclusive pieces from Academy Award-nominated composer Owen Pallett, ambient music icon Eluvium, industrial hip-hop theorists clipping., genre-hopping harp journeywoman Mary Lattimore, mind-bending experimental pianist Kelly Moran and legendary wildlife recordist Chris Watson. Their longform explorations of static, drones, fuzz, wind and spectrum-filling oblivion make Fuzzzel not only a utilitarian sound-making device but a one-of-a-kind creative platform.

Fuzzzel was created by software developer and veteran music journalist Christopher R. Weingarten (New York Times, Rolling Stone), rerouting the demand for white noise into the hands of professionals, sound artists and creatives. Every piece on Fuzzzel is a lengthy, exclusive ambient journey created with the pulse of a human being and the ear of a gifted musician. Each piece — together totaling more than two hours of new music — loops indefinitely alongside a unique video provided by each artist.

Although white noise, brown noise and pink noise are traditionally marketed as tools for self care, Fuzzzel offers no preference or aesthetic suggestions on how you appreciate these works. All of them are equally appropriate for background noise, sleep aid, meditation, concentration, home atmosphere, deep listening, party accompaniment or your everyday music rotation.

“One of my core beliefs about experimental music is that there’s no ‘correct’ way to listen to it,” says Weingarten. “I’ve intentionally left Fuzzzel abstract. Play these pieces quietly or loudly. Use them for daydreaming or for focusing. Use them as ambient noise or as your favorite jams. These are open spaces for the user’s own wants and needs.”

The musicians on Fuzzzel comprise some of today’s most forward-thinking and acclaimed artists, all blurring lines between independent rock, modern classical composition and avant-garde sound art. Over the course of more than two hours of original sound, their drones run the gamut from the delicate to the thunderous. Mary Lattimore creates a fragile soundworld from harp, Moog and copper handbells, while Eluvium summons wave upon wave of churning analog seastorms. Owen Pallett’s piece recalls the wind-battered plains of a Cormac McCarthy novel, while Kelly Moran’s Prophet synthesizer culls the cosmic woosh of classic kosmische. Clipping.’s piece is constructed of the “outer space” backgrounds of their Hugo-award-nominated 2016 sci-fi concept album Splendor & Misery — each ambience represents a different room inside the interstellar vessel where the album’s story takes place. Chris Watson, whose field recordings can be heard on David Attenborough’s beloved Life series of BBC documentaries, provides a blustery audio snapshot of the Spanish peninsula of Cap de Creus, where you can surround yourself in wind gales and birdsong.

“When I started approaching these artists, many of them would tell me that they had already concocted bespoke white noise solutions for their own lives,” says Weingarten. “I’m psyched to bring these personal pieces to the world, and allow people to connect with them in their own ways.”

Keep your mind open.

[Float over to the subscription box while you’re here.]

[Thanks to Monica at Speakeasy PR.]

Philadelphia’s Making Time EDM festival returns September 20-22, 2024.

Making Time ∞ proudly returns to Philadelphia’s Fort Mifflin this fall, Friday, September 20 – Sunday, September 22, for its fourth and most transcendental year yet. Once again, Making Time ∞ has pulled out all the stops with a distinct curatorial bent that makes the Philly event totally unique. Topping the bill are two UK duos that have changed the game – Optimo (Espacio) and Bicep – who will unite for a rare back-to-back set. Additional headliners include legends Floating Points and Theo Parrish. Friend of Making Time ∞, Daniel Avery, will back-to-back with the blistering Detroit electro icon DJ Stingray while 2manydjs’ anticipated set will focus on the New Beat music from their native Belgium.

This year, the full scope of Making Time ∞ comes to the fore—Los Angeles folk royalty Jessica Pratt plays a day time live set. Hotly tipped Mexican ambient jazz artist Mabe Fratti also plays live, as will Caterina Barbieri, post-punk innovators Model/Actriz, UK star John Glacier, and experimentalist live acts of all stripes including Pavel Milyakov, UK percussionist Valentina Magaletti, and the powerful saxophonist Bendik Giske.

The bread and butter of Making Time ∞ is electronic music, but even here, the approach is full spectrum and gathers the best of the best from the current international dance scene, including Skee Mask, Laurel Halo,Nia Archives, Wata Igarashi,Paranoid London, Simo Cell, Djrum, Leon Vynehall, Kia, CCL, Aurora Halal, Scott Zacharias, Kieran Laveaux, Nosedrip, Purelink, Time Is Away, Death Is Not The End, Blazer Sound System, Paula Tape, and Nick León, to name a few.

With over 25 years of experience throwing parties, the legendary Philadelphia promoter and Making Time ∞ founder Dave P. has developed familial bonds with a number of artists who serve as regulars or “residents” of sorts. Avalon Emerson and John Talabot make their triumphant return, as do key Philly artists Universal Cave, JEWELSSEA, Zillas On Acid, King Britt, Rich Medina (playing an all 45’s DJ set) along with crews Great Circles and Subsurface. Brooklyn community music hub The Lot Radio will return to host a livestream stage.

Fort Mifflin is particularly well-suited for different speeds. The “casemates,” used for storage during wartime, serve as historic chill-out rooms or small indoor venues. The sprawling, mildly vertiginous fields can host outdoor live sets during the day before turning into Orbital-like outdoor raves at night, with longtime Making Time ∞ collaborators Klip Collective projecting visuals on various buildings whose colonial builders never could have imagined their modern repurposing.

As last year’s attendees discovered, when you’re at Fort Mifflin, you’re family. Making Time ∞ is about banding together to transcend inclement weather, by-numbers lineups, and corporate overlords of all persuasions. This is what makes Making Time ∞ totally unique and totally unforgettable. Each year, we come to Making Time ∞ for something different, something ambitious, abnormal and, yes, transcendent.

Three-day passes for Making Time ∞ 2024 are available to purchase now for $225 (plus taxes and fees). Tickets with no service charges are available at the following locations: The Lot Radio in Brooklyn, Middle Child & Middle Child Clubhouse in Philadelphia.

PURCHASE TICKETS FOR MAKING TIME ∞ 2024

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Ahmad at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Heavy Chicago metal festival returns November 01 – 03, 2024.

Last Rites, Live Wire Lounge and Pabst Blue Ribbon are excited to bring back Heavy Chicago this year for its “Second Edition.”

Heavy Chicago II November 1, 2 and 3 at Avondale Music Hall, which Time Out says is located in one of the buzziest neighborhoods in the world.

There are three levels of 3 day ticketing, a limit of 50 tickets at each level. When the first level $99 all in pricing tickets sell out, the next level tickets kicks in. The second level 3 day ticketing price is $109 and when that sells out, the third level price of $125 kicks in. Take advantage of the advance purchase discount and get your tickets early.

First level for 3 day tickets are $99 all fees and taxes included.
2 day tickets start at $89 all fees and taxes included.
Single day tickets: Friday $40 plus fees – Saturday & Sunday $50 plus fees

Get Tickets Here: https://www.seetickets.us/event/heavy-chicago-ii/613473

Sean Duffy, owner of Last Rites Promotions and Management companies says “Our inaugural edition last year was a great success! Once again we are in the hip hood of Avondale, which Time Out says is one of the buzziest neighborhoods in the world. We are over the moon to welcome our headliners this year: Friday night is Chicago doom band Bongripper with a co-headline by a local band that will be unveiled on September 8th! Support comes from Wraith (record in the Billboard top 200), Avernus (first show in nine years and a new record) and Motherless (Atlas Moth).

Saturday’s headline rips with the almighty Earth Crisis with special guests Jasta & Legions Of Doom, Grindcore supergroup, EarthBurner, plus The Crosses will be doing a special all “Die Kreuzen” set with the incredible Dan Kubinski on vocals (the only act we brought back from last year), a must see! Usurper are playing their first show in five years!

Sunday finishes strong with Cynic making their long awaited return for Chicago with special guests Toxic Holocaust! I promoted Cynic’s first several Chicago show’s back in the 90’s. It has come full circle for us. Black metal masters, Profanatica, play a rare set in the city. In October we will unveil a special guest that is buzzing right now and becoming local heroes! The Skull also return with a rare appearance and a special set for Trouble fans!

Dave Hornyak and I are the poster guys for “indie” people in the industry. ..the antithesis of Live Nation/AEG/JAM…two indie guys doing it for the passion and fun and to support the metal community. I started 40 years ago doing shows under Last Rites. This is the beginning of my 40th year. Over 4,700 shows booked and promoted here! Indie guy the whole time!! First Nirvana show, first six White Zombie shows, first five Pantera shows, first two Stone Temple Pilot shows, first three Type O Negative shows, Ministry, Machine Head, Helmet, Fear Factory, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Candlemass, plus shows with Anthrax, Misfits, Testament, Exodus, Dark Angel and many, many more. Dave Hornyak, creator of Live Wire Lounge, has been involved in the metal scene for 30+ years as both a drummer in numerous metal bands as well as hosting countless local and national acts at Live Wire since 2011. Over 70 years combined for the two of us!”

+ Don’t Miss The After Show Party at Live Wire Lounge 3394 N. Milwaukee Avenue!

Keep your mind open.

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

[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]

Mac Sabbath announces 10th anniversary tour.

Fast food rockers Mac Sabbath have announced a tenth anniversary tour!

“10 years? I guess you better come out and see this one! Sounds like the beginning of THE END!” – Mac Sabbath

Mac Sabbath with Special Guests Tejon Street Corner Thieves & Spaceman Bob

August 23 – Gatlinburg, TN – Gatlinburg Convention Center – 234 Historic Nature Trail

August 24 – South Nashville, TN – Eastside Bowl – 1508A Gallatin Pike

August 25 – Cincinatti, OH – Woodward Theater – 1404 Main Street

August 27 – Kalamazoo, MI – Bell’s Eccentric Cafe – 355 East Kalamazoo Avenue

August 28 – Chicago, IL – Reggies Music Joint – 2109 South State Street

August 29 – Bloomington, IL – The Castle Theatre – 209 East Washington Street

August 30 – Lawrence, KS – The Granada – 1020 Massachusetts Street

August 31 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room – 6212 Maple Street

Mac Sabbath Run with New Rotating Appetizer Menu

September 6 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues – 1055 Fifth Avenue

(with The Dickies, The Creepy Creeps and Peelander -Z)

September 7 – Garden Grove, CA – Orange County Garden Amp – 12762 Main Street

(with The Dickies and Peelander-Z)

September 8 – Palmdale, CA – Transplants Brewing Company – 40242 La Quinta Lane

(with Peelander-Z and Sapphic Musk)

September 15 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom – 308 N 2nd Avenue

September 18 – Katy, TX – Wildcatter Saloon – 26913 Katy Freeway

September 20 – Austin, TX – Meanwhile Brewing – 3901 Promontory Point Drive

September 21 – Dallas, TX – Trees – 2709 Elm Street

Don’t miss them. It’s a fun time.

Keep your mind open.

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

[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]

test plan let us know “It’s Not Enough” with their new single.

Tense guitar passages, latin inspired drum grooves and melancholic basslines lay the foundation for test plan’s latest single ‘It’s Not Enough’.

Bassist Rory Dickinson takes lead vocal duties for the first time, delivering a subdued performance that builds towards an explosive belt of cinematic catharsis, haunted bya repetitive mantra sung throughout the song. Dickinson’s lyrics delve into the scene of mourning, regret and self-reflection, mirroring cynical patterns in the wake of anxiety and self-defeat. One of test plan’s oldest songs, ‘It’s Not Enough’ explores the darker tones of the band’s sonic palette. The frenetic rhythms wash over the track leading to a kraut-rock infused instrumental passage before feedback and chaos descends again towards test plan’s loudest crescendo yet – an eruption of intensifying noise.

Accompanying the song, the surreal horror-infused music video directed by drummer and vocalist Max Mason explores a masked character urgently trying to find water, but unable to satisfy their thirst. Their hypnotic and disturbing journey is indicative of the music’s exploration of desperation and the disquieted sensation that bubbles under the surface of test plan’s music.

Teaming up once again with engineer and producer Darren Jones (Fat Dog, Gorillaz) from the band’s own north-London rehearsal studio, the
production pushes the most intense parts of the band’s sound to the forefront. Layers of visceral distortion and experimental flourishes punctuate through, capturing the claustrophobia of the gentle moments and the raw electricity in the midst of the carnage.

‘It’s Not Enough’ will be self-released on 20th August with their headline single launch show on 24th August at Paper Dress Vintage, London with Rampressue and Joshua Zero.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Rory from test plan!]