Tag: Acid King

Review: Acid King – Live at Roadburn 2011

Recorded at the famous metal / stoner rock festival in The Netherlands. Live at Roadburn 2011 is a heavy recording of Acid King‘s performance there. The band is legendary among stoner metal enthusiasts, and any release from them is a cause for celebration. They haven’t released a lot of material (although a new album is due in 2023), but what they have released is almost held sacred by their fans.

“All right,” says lead singer and guitarist Lori S. at the beginning of the set, sounding like she’s about to start working on an old motorcycle she’s had in the back of the garage for a couple years. What follows is Peter Lucas‘ growling bass introducing the title track of their famous album, Busse Woods. It’s not unlike a monster awakening from a long slumber, and Lori S.’s guitar is the chant of a high priestess calling the beast forth. You know you’re in for danger once Joey Osbourne‘s drums pound down the walls.

This rolls into “2 Wheel Nation,” a salute to outlaw biker gangs and the idea, at least, of living free on the road. It roars like a 1970s Harley-Davidson ridden by a orc leaving Mordor. “Silent Circle” is anything but silent. It’s heaviness is almost crushing. “On to Everafter” gets all cosmic with Lori S.’s swirling riffs and Osbourne’s desert rock drumming.

Once you’re in orbit, “Coming Down from Outer Space” brings you back to the surface with the full pull of Earth’s gravity (and the re-entry roar of Lucas’ bass). Somehow, “Electric Machine” hits even harder than that. Lori S.’s vocals echo back from the outer rim of the galaxy, bringing untold legions of alien warriors with it. The set ends with the colossal “Sunshine and Sorrow.”

It’s a good capture of some stoner metal giants playing to an appreciative crowd, and a nice warm-up for Acid King’s next record.

Keep your mind open.

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Top 30 live shows of 2019: #’s 20 – 16

We’ve reached the top 20! Here we go…

#20 – Reverend Horton Heat – House of Blues – Chicago, IL – November 28th

I hadn’t seen Reverend Horton Heat in years. He had a new drummer and added a pianist since I’d last seen him. This was a fun “Holiday Hayride” show that included Christmas tunes as well as plenty of his hits and a guest set by Dave Alvin.

#19 – Chromatics – Park West – Chicago, IL – May 31th

I knew this show was going to be a sell-out as soon as it was announced, but I still managed to score tickets. Despite me almost having to drag a drunk jerk out of the crowd after he punched someone, this turned out to be well worth the trip and ticket price because Chromatics delivered a beautiful set of shoegaze and synth wave that had everyone fawning over them.

#18 – Dave Alvin – House of Blues – Chicago, IL – November 28th

A set within a set, Dave Alvin played a half-hour set with the Reverend Horton Heat as his backing band during the “Holiday Hayride” show. Mr. Alvin put on a clinic in outlaw country and country-punk, absolutely shredding multiple guitar solos that even had Jim Heath grinning in amazement.

#17 – Acid King – Levitation Austin – November 09th

Stoner rock veterans / icons Acid King closed the outdoor stage during the RidingEasy Records showcase at Levitation Austin this year. It was a great, heavy set that showed they hadn’t lost anything and could still wallop you like a force of nature.

#16 – Here Lies Man – Levitation Austin – November 09th

Playing that same showcase earlier in the day was Here Lies Man, who brought a solid groove throughout the entire set that was as funky and heavy as I’d hoped it would be.

Who cracks the top 15? Come back later today to find out!

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Austin 2019 recap – Day Three

We would spend about twelve hours in downtown Austin on the third day of Levitation Austin 2019. We had tickets to see a lot of bands, and it was the busiest day of the festival for everyone involved.

We began at, once again, Barracuda, where the RidingEasy Records showcase started off the afternoon. We missed the opening of Warish‘s set due to having to eat lunch beforehand at a nearby Thai restaurant. We knew we’d need fuel for the day. Warish was blaring on the inside stage, making my wife say, “There’s nothing ‘ish’ about it!” Their cover of Nirvana‘s “Negative Creep” was solid and much-appreciated.

Next up, and outside, were Here Lies Man, whose last two albums have been in the top ten of their respective years for me. They put on a groovy set to a crowd that was loving their heavy “Black Sabbath plays Afrobeat” sound and the warmer weather.

My wife became a fan of Blackwater Holylight after we went back inside to see their set. It was a cool, trippy, and sexy mix of psychedelia.

She also appreciated the killer set by The Well, who were among the band’s I was most excited to see at the festival. They threw down one of the best sets I’ve seen all year. It was hard-hitting, solid groove stoner-doom metal and a great mid-day lift.

We kept that theme going with Acid King, who flattened what little was left of the outside stage by now. It was great to see and hear these legends live. They still shred.

It was a quick walk to Stubb’s BBQ to see the Black Angels and John Cale. The Black Angels put on another fine set. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen them live now, and they never put on a bad show.

“I think we’re more excited than you are,” said the Black Angels’ lead singer, Alex Maas, before John Cale took the stage to play tracks that ranged from fun to creepy and covered his solo work and Velvet Underground cuts. The Black Angels joined him and his band onstage for an encore performance of “Sister Ray” that was a thrill for everyone on stage and in front of it.

The Black Angels (left) and John Cale and his band perform “Sister Ray.”

As cool as that was to see and hear, we still had more sets to catch. We zipped back to Barracuda to see Night Beats and Cosmonauts. Night Beats were first, with Danny Blackwell rocking his awesome hat as usual, and they put on a great show on the outdoor stage. Blackwell is a gunslinger with his guitar. I’d almost forgotten how much he shreds.

I’d heard good things about Cosmonauts’ live sets, mostly that they were guitar onslaughts. That description wasn’t far off, because they shook the walls of the building and were a great end cap to a long, wild day.

We were exhausted by the time we got back to the garage apartment we were renting in Austin, but it was a fun day. The next would bring death by audio.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Acid King – Busse Woods (2019 reissue)

I grew up in a small town.  We lived across the street from the more expensive lake houses and next to a woods that was part of a pine tree farm.  I spent many hours in that woods, crafting stories, searching for treasure, fighting imaginary battles, and listening for monsters.  Every kid has a place like this, and for the members of stoner metal legends Acid King (Brian Hill – bass, Joey Osbourne – drums, Lori S. – vocals and guitar) it was Busse Woods.

Their 1999 album has received a full reissue from RidingEasy Records to celebrate Busse Woods‘ twentieth anniversary.  The album has become almost a mystical tome in the last two decades with its tales of nature’s power over man, creepy things in the shadows of old trees, and good ole fashioned heavy riffs.

The opener, “Electric Machine,” has such heavy bass thumps that you’d think a giant was tap dancing next to you.  “Silent Circle” starts with a guitar riff that’s like a burning trail of gasoline heading straight for an ammunition warehouse.  It only gets louder and heavier from there.  “Tell all the people I’m on my way.  There is no tomorrow for me…Silent circle breaks the chain,” Lori S. sings.  It’s a song about death, at least on its surface, but it might also be a song about resurrection – whether that resurrection is beneficial or harmful to her (or mankind, perhaps) is up to the interpretation of the listener.

The title of “Drive Fast, Take Chances” is certainly a reflection on the band’s wild times in Busse Woods not far from their Illinois hometown, smoking weed, listening to metal, and ditching school and the cops.  The riffs and drums on it are as heavy as the fallen trees in their favorite stomping grounds.  An unexpected treat is Acid King’s cover of “39 Lashes” from Jesus Christ Superstar.  The onslaught of the drums is only outweighed by the battle axe-heavy guitar chords and thunderous bass.

“Carve the Five” starts off with a languid bass line from Brian Hill that lures you into what almost feels like a safe place, but Joey Osbourne’s drum fill at the start of the track is akin to a rattlesnake’s rattle (if that rattlesnake were a giant 8HD variety) warning you to tread carefully.  The title track finishes the album with a long instrumental that boils and bubbles like the contents of  cauldron.

It’s great that Busse Woods (pronounced “buss-ee,” by the way) is getting a nice reissue for its twentieth anniversary because this album should be even more known than it already is.  It’s a bit of a secret classic.  Those who know about it revere it.  Those who have only heard of it are intrigued by it.  Those who don’t know of it are changed after discovering it.

Keep your mind open.

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