by theseseans (NYC)
Firstly, did you see we are giving away Kylesa tickets!!?!?
Okay, so Kylesa are playing Cakeshop this Saturday with Stinking Lizaveta, Unearthly Trance, and Darsombra and we are giving tickets, but what else is going on this weekend?
Tonight you can find me at The Charleston catching DC grind kings Magrudergrind, Canadian powerviolence force The Endless Blockade, NYC's Unearthly Trance, and the always fun Atakke.
Tomorrow night Precious Metal hosts a special Friday night event (also) at the Charleston. Gods and Queens and Millions will make for a special show.
And of course you remember Liturgy right? Saturday, if you can't squeeze your way into Cake Shop grab your chance to see this black metal force stripped back down to it's original solo state!
Read more for all the rest! See you out there....
Crustcake Picks - NYC Shows 05/28 - 06/3Thursday 5/28/09 - Magrudergrind, The Endless Blockade, Unearthly Trance, Atakke @ The Charleston
Friday 5/29/09 - Gods and Queens, Millions, Ottoman, The Neighbours, Fist Fokkers @ The Charleston
Saturday 5/30/09 - Kylesa, Stinking Lizaveta, Unearthly Trance, Darsombra @ Cakeshop
Saturday 5/30/09 - Liturgy @ Dispatch Gallery
May 28, 2009
Crustcake Picks - NYC Shows 05/28 - 06/3
Want FREE Tickets to the Kylesa Show in New York This Weekend?
Crustcake has a pair of tickets to give away for this Saturday's (May 30th, 2009) Kylesa show at Cakeshop in Manhattan with Stinking Lizaveta, Unearthly Trance, and Darsombra. All you gotta do is hit up crustcakecontests@gmail.com and tell us how many drummers are in Kylesa.
Your chances of winning these tickets are better than you think. We'll pick a winner Friday at 5pm EST, so hurry up kids. Here's a fun video, yay!
May 27, 2009
Crusty Clip of the Week: Neurosis - Locust Star
Every single Wednesday without fail, your hosts post a suitably stale video clip that we think needs to be revisited. Click here for more Crusty Clips. Got a clip you think we should post? Send it to crustcake@gmail.com.
by The WZA'd (Philadelphia)
[Edit: Crustcake Gerf told me we already posted this video in 2007, so if you're upset about that I offer you this alternative. Enjoy!]
I've heard that seeing Neurosis live is a religious experience. Judging by how monolithic their music is, I can only assume so, as I've never seen them myself (sucks that they only play a few times a year).
"Locust Star" is one of the short tracks on "Through Silver in Blood," a landmark album in Neurosis's history (not to mention the entire genre of post-metal). The other songs, with the exception of a couple, all clock in at over ten minutes. "Locust Star," though, encapsulates so much meaning and emotion into just a bit over five minutes, which is why it's such a good song.
This video apparently was filmed at Ozzfest, according to the video description. I'm not sure where the video itself comes from, or why it has faux film-grain effects, but it's obviously professional. I chose this over the official music video because it's one of the clearest videos you can see of Neurosis performing, and... well, just watch. These are men possessed. You can tell that when they play, they mean it.
Neurosis - "Locust Star":
Buy: Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood [Amazon]
Live Review: Mastodon, Kylesa, Intronaut
by The WZA'd (Philadelphia)
Mastodon
When: Friday, May 9th, 2009
Where: The TLA, Philadelphia, PA
With: Kylesa, Intronaut
When my friend told me that the Mastodon show in Philly was sold out, I knew that this show was going to be a big deal. Mastodon plays in stadiums and was nominated for a grammy; they’re about as mainstream as a metal band can get without being Metallica or sell-outs (which aren’t mutually exclusive, mind you). Their two supporting bands, Kylesa and Intronaut, are still decidedly underground though. For a few days before the show, I wondered what kind of people were going to show up. Current-day Metallica fans? Pitchfork-loving hipsters? Radio rockers? Old-school Mastodon fans? How many other people were as excited to see Kylesa as I was?
We got to the TLA at eight, right as Intronaut started playing. After stopping quickly at the merch stands (remember to tip, kids), we went straight into the crowd. There was a pretty dense group of people close to the stage, and right behind them was an imaginary hole where the pit was going to be.
Intronaut were brutal. As we got closer to the stage our legs began shaking because, well, the floor was. I could already tell I was going to like them. They weren’t playing very fast, but they were heavy, and that lent to the atmosphere of their performance. Both guitarists had mics and stood on either side of the bassist who stood in the center, cool as a cucumber. Seriously, it looked like this guy could have been buying a snow-cone in a hurricane, he was so chill. In a way, their presentation also defined their music – intense and urgent in some ways, but very relaxed and easygoing in others. Some bands may have pulled this off sloppily, but Intronaut handled the opposing moods perfectly.
Kylesa set up next. More people were in the audience now, and I could tell there was finally going to be an active pit. They started their set with “Where the Horizon Unfolds,” and after that quickly transitioned into “Perception.” Every member of Kylesa was headbanging violently on-stage, and that energy quickly transferred into the audience. There were some people (me included) who were singing along to the songs, and the pit became very active very fast. Kylesa put on one hell of a pounding, stomping, psychedelic show of force, only slowing down to play some of their moodier songs like “Unknown Awareness” and “Phantoms,” but quickly stepping it up again to play “Hollow Severer.”
The time between when Kylesa finished and when Mastodon started playing was when most of the audience showed up. Shame. However, the people who were there for the other bands were still in the front, and that included the moshers, the long-haired headbangers, and me. Thirteen year old kids in Crack the Skye t-shirts didn’t stand a chance.
The screen on stage started showing images of stars and other spacey graphics, included bearded men and clips from old black-and-white movies. Then, the members of Mastodon walked out and the first few notes of “Oblivion” echoed throughout the room. All atmosphere they might have been trying to set up was soon completely destroyed though. The audience crushed towards the front, and everybody in the room started singing along, moving back and forth whether they wanted to or not. I was caught off guard and couldn’t fall over if I tried.
Thinking I was clever, I put my hands on the shoulders of two strangers next to me and raised myself up a bit. This backfired though, and soon I was the first person that evening to crowd-surf. Soon, I was launched in the air, and the only thought I had before landing on the heads of the people next to me was “I’m gonna hit Brent Hinds.” The security-guy grabbed me, told me not to worry about it, and I went back into the crowd.
That was all during “Oblivion,” a long, mourning, brooding song. To say the least, this crowd was pumped. Most of the time, this is a good thing. Mastodon, however, was trying to set up a mood which wasn’t helped by the rowdy audience or the technical problems they started experiencing with the screen behind them. You know something’s off when Brent Hinds raises his finger to his lips and says “shhh.” Of course people didn’t quiet down. They were here to see Mastodon, not ISIS.
This dissonance between the energy of the crowd and the songs they were playing continued pretty much throughout all the rest of the songs from “Crack the Skye,” which they played in its entirety. Even the members of the band themselves looked tired and ready to move on to something more active.
So when they loosened up and played “Bladecatcher,” everybody, including the band, went nuts. After that, it was solid metal song after solid metal song, ending in the one-two punch of “Iron Tusk” transitioning quickly and directly into “March of the Fire Ants.” No, they didn’t play “Blood and Thunder,” but I’m okay with that.
I’ve heard that at some shows, they played “Hearts Alive,” but there’s no way this crowd was ready for another ten minute slow epic, especially at the end. “March of the Fire Ants” was the perfect way to end the show, and people left immediately after it was over, not expecting or really wanting an encore.
Mastodon may very well have done themselves a disservice by having heavier, more energetic bands on before them. After Kylesa was done, people were ready for crazy, whale-killing Mastodon, and instead they got thoughtful, spacey Mastodon. I’m not dissing their new record – I love it – but I will say that playing through the whole thing before they got to their crowd-pleasing songs might have been a bad idea.
Despite the minor problems, Mastodon, as well as the other bands, put on an awesome show. If you haven’t seen Mastodon yet, I highly recommend it. This band is one of the best metal bands ever, hands down, and if you don’t see them you’re doing yourself a disservice.
May 25, 2009
Coliseum: new 7", new Skateboard, new tour, new ALBUM!
As if you wern't excited enough about Coliseum's new 7" (two songs via Deathwish) right? Well, Coliseum have now announced news of a new tour, skateboard, and a new album. Fuck yeah.
The 7" can be pre-ordered now on the Deathwish website, or wait and buy it on Shirtkiller. The artwork for the vinyl was done by John Baizley, which is funny because we just got done telling you guys about how he did all this artwork for Blacktusk, the man's a machine!
For you skatepunks out there, Coliseum actually has a skateboard you can buy at their shows with the Baizley artwork on it. Read all about it on their myspace blog.
Near the end of their tour (which we kind of covered) with Napalm Death, Coliseum also mentioned that after a short tour with Russian Circles, they'll be "hiding out to work on [their] next album, which will be recorded later this year and released early 2010." Apparently, they're not just going to re-hash what they've been doing, but instead do something new creatively. "Darkness lay ahead" they say. We can only assume black metal.
Tour dates below.
Coliseum Tour w/ Russian Circles:June 15 Atlanta, GA The E.A.R.L.
June 16 Memphis, TN Hi Tone
June 17 St. Louis, MO Off Broadway
June 18 Columbia, MO Mojo’s
June 19 Iowa City, IA The Picador
June 20 Lawrence, KS Jackpot
June 21 Omaha, NE Slowdown
May 20, 2009
Crusty Clip of the Week: Anthrax feat. Public Enemy - Bring the Noise
Every single Wednesday without fail, your hosts post a suitably stale video clip that we think needs to be revisited. Click here for more Crusty Clips. Got a clip you think we should post? Send it to crustcake@gmail.com.
by The WZA'd (Philadelphia)
I've never been the biggest fan of Anthrax, but I've never disliked them either. However, a few months ago I heard their version of "Bring the Noise" by Public Enemy and was just floored (I know, LTTP, but this is why it's a Crusty Clip and I'm not posting it as news). I love this song. Using a simple riff as a hip-hop beat? Genius! Too bad nu-metal ruined hip-hop/metal fusion.
If you're upset that I got some hip-hop in your metal though, be happy at least that I didn't post this, because I was this close.
Anthrax featuring Public Enemy - "Bring the Noise":
Buy: Anthrax - Attack of the Killer B's [Amazon]
YOB's new album: The Great Cessation
Remember our "Most Anticipated Records of 2009" list? Remember how YOB's new album was on it? Well, now we're anticipating it even harder, seeing as it will be released on July 14th via Profound Lore. Produced by Sanford Parker (Minsk, Nachtmystium), the album will be about an hour yet only five tracks long. Can you say DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM? If you're interested in listening to an entire FIFTH of the album (that's 20%!), you can do so at their myspace. Enjoy!
Track Listing Below.
YOB - The Great Cessation1.) Burning the Altar (12:34)
2.) The Lie that is Sin (11:16)
3.) Silence of Heaven (9:48)
4.) Breathing from the Shallows (7:35)
5.) The Great Cessation (20:34)
ASG and Black Tusk split 10" with John Baizley artwork coming soon
Black Tusk has a split 10-inch with ASG coming out soon. The split was produced by Phillip Cope of Kylesa, and the artwork is being done by John Baizley of Baroness. It will be called "Low Country," and will be released on Hyperrealist in all relevant formats (that means vinyl, CD, and digital).
This is actually one of three Black Tusk splits announced this year, the other two with Holy Mountain and Fight Amputation, both produced by Cope with artwork by Baizley. We're pretty sure this means that Black Tusk now has more artwork done by Baizley than Baroness, his own band, does.
They also have a new full-length album coming out and are touring currently. Tour dates for both ASG and Black Tusk below.
ASG Tour DatesMay 21 2009 Madison’s Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Black Tusk Tour Dates
May 22 2009 Chillipper Cocoa Beach, Florida
May 23 2009 Landshark Jacksonville, Florida
May 24 2009 Franks Front Row Daytona, Florida
May 25 2009 Filthy McNasty’s Vero Beach, Florida
May 28 2009 Brogues w/ Remain Calm Lake Worth, Florida
May 30 2009 The Back Booth Orlando, Florida
Jun 5 2009 The Palm Room Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
Jun 19 2009 Peppermint Beach Club Virgina Beach, Virginia
Jun 20 2009 The Pit Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
Jun 21 2009 Wild Ocean Wildwood, New Jersey
Jun 22 2009 Talking Head @ Sonar Baltimore, Maryland
Jun 23 2009 The Charleston Brooklyn, New York
Jun 24 2009 The Note Westchester, Pennsylvania
Jun 25 2009 Monty’s Crown Rochester, New York
Jun 27 2009 Zumiez Couch Tour @ Monmouth Mall Eatontown
Jun 28 2009 Zumiez Couch Tour @ Crossgates Mall Albany, New York
Jun 29 2009 Garfield Artworks Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jun 30 2009 Beachland Tavern Cleveland, Ohio
Jul 1 2009 The Cobra Chicago, Illinois
Jul 2 2009 Double 00 Pub Redford, Michigan
Jul 3 2009 The Ravari Room Columbus, Ohio
Jul 4 2009 The Hideaway Johnson City, TennesseeMay 21 2009 Nara Sushi, Richmond, VA Richmond, Virginia
May 22 2009 Bug Jar, Rochester, NY w/ Keelhaul Rochester, New York
May 23 2009 Underworld, Montreal QC w/Maylene and The Sons of Disaster Montreal, Quebec
May 24 2009 La Casbah, Quebec City QC w/Maylene and The Sons of Disaster Quebec City, Quebec
May 25 2009 Babylon, Ottawa ON w/Maylene and The Sons of Disaster Ottawa, Ontario
May 26 2009 The Kathedral, Toronto ON w/Maylene and The Sons of Disaster Toronto, Ontario
May 27 2009 Casbah, Hamilton ON w/Maylene and The Sons of Disaster Hamilton, Ontario
May 28 2009 The Lounge, London ON w/Maylene and The Sons of Disaster London, Ontario
May 29 2009 Trumbullplex Detroit MI detroit, Michigan
May 30 2009 Frankies, Toledo OH w/Skeletonwitch Toledo, Ohio
May 31 2009 Wiseguys, Somerset, KY w/ Alegionnaire Somerset, Kentucky
Jun 1 2009 Lenny’s, Atlanta, GA w/ Music Hates You Atlanta, Georgia
May 19, 2009
Crustcake Picks: ATX Shows 5/19 - 5/24
by Van Damned (ATX)
Whatever we're doing down here in the Lone Star state must be working, because some of the premier touring acts in the country converge on the Austin area this week. Seriously, read this line-up and weep.
Schedule after the jump.
Tonight, Tuesday the 19th, finds post-metal posterboys ISIS showcasing material off Wavering Radiant in Texas for their first time. Fresh off a one-off, weekend show in Tokyo with the mighty Mono, Pelican returns as support. Brooklyn's Tombs open. Show starts at 9:30 p.m. outside at Emo's.
Inside, get your straight-edge on with Earth Crisis and Walls of Jericho.
If you need more Scandanavian death in your life, head Southbound 35 for Opeth and Enslaved at the Scout Bar in San Antonio.
Get ready to party hearty all over again, because the next night will see doom monsters the Melvins run through 1993's sludge/fuzz touchstone Houdini in its entirety. Their Emo's show is one of only seven dates this spring commemorating their 25th (!) anniversary as a band.
Take Thursday night off. You'll need your rest to carry you through the weekend.
Friday, catch psych-doom bricklayers Zoroaster and Mouth of the Architect at Red 7.
Also, May in Austin means two things: summer-temperature weather (90 degrees and up) and Chaos in Tejas, yet another underground music festival this city seems to so effortlessly throw together and flawlessly pull off. This one focuses on hardcore punk and metal and is so good, it stretches over five days. Just some of the bands playing include Cock Sparrer, Amebix, Cro-Mags, Eyehategod, Harvey Milk, Propagandhi, Severed Head of State and Japan's A.I. Don't adjust your computer monitors, folks, you read that right.
Here's what I'm seeing:
After the Zoroaster/Mouth of the Architect show, I'm heading over to the Broken Neck late-night to catch local crusties World Burns to Death open for the legendary A.I.
Saturday, I'm staking an early claim at the front of Emo's for crust-metal titans Amebix, headlining Pierced Arrows, Judgement, A.I., Warcry and Outlaw Order.
Sunday, I'll be taking as needed for the pain caused by seeing Eyehategod for the first time. They're headlining Harvey Milk, Crude and Mind Eraser at Red 7.
Tuesday 5/19/09 - ISIS, Pelican, Tombs @ Emo's (outside); Earth Crisis (inside)
Wednesday 5/20/09 - The Melvins @ Emo's
Friday 5/22/09 - Zoroaster, Mouth of the Architect @ Red 7; Chaos in Tejas After Party w/ World Burns to Death, A.I. @ The Broken Neck
Saturday 5/23/09 - Chaos in Tejas: Amebix, Outlaw Order, A.I., Warcry, Pierced Arrows @ Emo's
Sunday 5/24/09 - Chaos in Tejas: Eyehategod, Harvey Milk, Crude, Mind Eraser @ Red 7
May 14, 2009
Converge enter studio, Doomriders finish in studio
Word has come down that the almighty Converge have entered the studio to begin work on their follow up to 2006's No Heroes. The band previously released a teaser of new material, but if you really want to stalk their every move, you can always follow their twitter.
This news comes just as the Doomriders announce that their work on Darkness Come Alive has been completed.
....Fuck yeah!
May 12, 2009
Show No Mercy - Salome, Woe, Black Anvil, Snake Sustain 6/7/09
by theseseans (NYC)
The latest in the excellent run of Show No Mercy shows has been announced. With Salome, Woe, Black Anvil, and Snake Sustaine as the line up, this show should be a nice mix of slow, deafening, and merciless. Label us excited.
I am personally excited to finally see Salome, especially after thoroughly enjoying Kat's vocal work on the latest Agoraphobic Nosebleed record.
See you there.
Crustcake Reviews: Castevet - Stones/Salts 7" [March 2009; Paragon]
by Van Damned (ATX)
U.S. Black Metal in mid-2009 can be divided into two camps: corpsepainted tr00 kvltists whose grim, one-man studies in isolation, depression and misanthropy are captured on buzzing four-tracks, released in ultra-limited quantities then fought over on eBay by a small but rabid fanbase and, well, everybody else.
New York’s Castevet decidedly fall into the latter category.
By adding the grimy, worm-ridden thickness of Morbid Angel and the visceral, expressive atmosphere of Neurosis to traditionally charming, blast-beaten Black Metal, Castevet separate themselves from the legions of aforementioned self-hating basement-dwellers.
Their two-song 7”, released by New York’s Paragon on ghostly translucent vinyl, opens with “Stones,” five solid minutes of surprisingly mathy, blackened sludge. Not totally averse to the kind of dissonant hardcore Converge perfected, guitars alternate between palm-muted tremolo picking and spacier, more angular constructions.
“Salts” continues and expands on the concept and finds the trio kicking into some seriously vicious territory before receding into a Wolves in the Throne Room trance.
The band’s MySpace touts the demonology tome The Lesser Key of Solomon and claims to have released this 7” under the sigil of Paimon, the “keeper of the secrets of music, art and philosophy.”
As far as I'm concerned, Castevet is welcome to release stuff under anybody’s sigil, as long as it's this good.
Note: According to a note from drummer Ian Jacyszyn, the pressing plant cut the record’s center hole slightly larger than normal, making the batch hard to center properly. Thoughtfully, the band included a CD-R copy of the release with the record.
7/10 [Audible]
5/10 [Physical]
May 11, 2009
Baroness return to studio for next full-length!
Baroness, done with Roadburn 2009, is finally going to Dallas, Texas to enter the studio next week after mercilessly teasing us every time we went on their myspace. New album 2009? "But when?" we cried. "Soon", they now say, stroking our faces as we wipe tears from our eyes.
The album is being produced by John Congleton, who also produced The Roots, Explosions in the Sky, and Buddy Miles. No word on who's doing the cover art yet, but we think we have a pretty good guess. As for the album title, nothing's been announced. No, we will not make a color joke.
Sale at Relapse for Maryland Deathfest Bands like PIG DESTROYER (who also has some vinyl reissues)
Maryland Deathfest this year looks to be pretty sick. In honor of the sick line-up, Relapse is having an awesome sale on CDs from bands in the festival. All Relapse titles are 20% off, and all non-Relapse titles are 15% off. They've got Napalm Death, Wolves in the Throne Room, Pig Destroyer, Brutal Truth, Mayhem, The Red Chord, and tons of other artists available, so go check out the giant list they have. Also, Pig Destroyer's Myspace blog says that "all orders receive FREE SHIT!" and who doesn't like that?
Speaking of Pig Destroyer, a few of their albums are available on Vinyl at the Relapse online store. Phantom Limb, Terrifyer, and Natasha are all there, but if you're planning on getting Natasha we'd recommend just getting Terrifyer because that comes with the vinyl edition of Natasha anyway and they both go so well together. So now you have a choice - limited Pig Destroyer Vinyl or cheap Pig Destroyer CDs? You know what you have to do.
In case you were wondering, there are a few other items Relapse has available on Vinyl we think you should check out, and soon:
-Isis's Wavering Radiant. The Hydra Head store is sold out of them, but it looks like Relapse got quite a few! Get 'em while you can.
-Mastodon's Crack the Skye is available in a Deluxe and Regular edition both so awesome you'll regret buying that $50 wormhole thing.
-Agoraphobic Nosebleed's Frozen Corpse Stuffed With Dope is reissued as a picture disk. You should get it, because all the other AnB reissues sold out right quick AND because that album is the shit.
May 7, 2009
Big Business's new album, Mind the Drift now streaming for real this time!
Big Business is streaming their new album, Mind the Drift online, and this is the real deal! No talking involved at all, though they provided a download link for that version (the "Criterion Edition") just in case you thought that was hilarious. The new album is awesome though. Go listen to it, and read this Deciblog interview. You won't regret either choice.
And if you like the album, why not pre-order the CD from Hydra Head?
Tour dates with Tweak Bird below.
Man, you know what? That new Big Business album is actually really fucking good. Like, it's awesome. No lie. Listen to it all the way through.
Big Business and Tweak Bird 2009 tour datesMay 8 2009 The Note Westchester, Pennsylvania
May 9 2009 Union Pool Brooklyn, New York
May 10 2009 Mercury Lounge New York, New York
May 12 2009 Middle East Downstairs Boston, Massachusetts
May 13 2009 Grog Shop Cleaveland, Ohio
May 14 2009 The Basement Columbus, Ohio
May 15 2009 Headliners Music Hall Louisville, Kentucky
May 16 2009 Small's Detroit, Michigan
May 17 2009 The Bottom Lounge Chicago, Illinois
May 18 2009 Triple Rock Social Club Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 20 2009 Larimer Lounge Denver, Colorado
May 21 2009 Bar Deluxe Salt Lake City, Utah
May 22 2009 Neurolux Boise, Idaho
May 23 2009 Dante's Portland, Oregon
May 24 2009 Neumo's Crystal Ball Reading Room Seattle, Washington
May 25 2009 The Big Room Olympia, Washington
May 27 2009 Bottom of the Hill San Francisco, California
May 28 2009 Detroit Bar Costa Mesa, California
Jun 1 2009 Troubadour Los Angeles, California
Jun 2 2009 Casbah San Diego
Black September release new 7 Inches, stream new material
Black September have released two new 7 inches following their 7" split with Thou, and a self released EP. The two 7 inches, The Sermon of Vengeance, and Hordes Of Flesh and Bone can both be order directly from the band at their MySpace page. While you are at their MySpace, you can check out The Sermon of Vengeance's two tracks which are both up streaming.
Hordes Of Flesh and Bone is one massive track eclipsing 11 minutes, with Black September exploring new territory in collaboration with Winters In Osaka.
Black September - The Sermon Of Vengeance 7" w/ poster
Have Heart Plan World Tour
Have Heart have announced a World Tour along side Shipwreck A. D.. The two bands have started the ambitious tour in China and will end in the US in September, in between covering Australia, South America, Europe, Africa, Canada and Central America.
Have Heart are currently supporting 2008's Songs To Scream At The Sun.
Read more for all the dates. 
Have Heart, Shipwreck A. D. 2009 US Portion of World TourAugust 14th - Philadelphia, PA
August 15th - Portland, ME
August 26th - Seattle, WA
August 27th - San Francisco, CA
August 28th - Anaheim, CA
August 29th - Phoenix, AZ
September 2nd - Austin, TX
September 3rd - St. Louis, MO
September 4th - Chicago, IL
September 5th - Romeo, MI
September 6th - Covington, KY
September 7th - Nashville, TN
September 8th - Birmingham, AL
September 9th - Jacksonville, FL
September 10th - Atlanta, GA
September 11th - Raleigh, NC
September 12th - New York, NY
September 13th - Hartford, CT
September 14th - Poughkeepsie, NY
September 15th - Erie, PA
September 16th - Syracuse, NY
September 17th - Albany, NY
May 6, 2009
The Melvins take Houdini on the road
OG fuzz-doom pranksters the Melvins turn 25 this year and to celebrate their silver anniversary, Buzz, Dale and co. are dusting off their 1993 sludge/grunge touchstone Houdini and taking it on a seven-date mini tour at the end of May, playing the record each night in its entirety.
As if this wasn’t exciting enough news, their two Seattle dates will feature recently reunited grunge doyens Green River. A few bands you may have heard of started after Green River’s breakup in 1988, including Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone and Temple of the Dog. So, you know, they’re kind of a big deal.
Tour dates below the jump.
Melvins Houdini Tour 2009
May 15 - Webster Hall, NYC
May 16 - Paradise, Boston
May 18 - Double Door, Chicago
May 20 - Emo’s, Austin
May 22 - Showbox @ the Market, Seattle*
May 23 - Showbox @ the Market, Seattle*
May 24 - Roseland, Portland
*with Green River
And filling in for the Melvins’ rhythm section, who are on the road as Big Business (touring behind their upcoming album Mind the Drift, which is great, by the way) is Mr. Bungle/Fantômas bassist Trevor Dunn and original Melvins drummer Mike Dillard. According to a post on the band’s MySpace blog, a few unexpected surprises, like songs from the Mangled Demos from 1983 collection, may pop up with Dale Crover playing the role of founding bassist Matt Lukin.
May 5, 2009
Live Review: Sleepytime Gorilla Museum
by Van Damned (ATX)
SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM
When: Sunday, May 3, 2009
Where: Red 7, Austin, TX
With: Death Is Not A Joyride and Opposite Day
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum opened the discussion the way any other band of post-apocalyptic carnival barkers would: with a nod and a wink, followed by a brutal kick to the teeth.
Like scavengers picking through the refuse and remnants of hundreds of years of popular culture (their costumes and makeup made them look equal parts Peter Pan’s Lost Boys and zombified Victorian aristocrats) SGM present an aural and visual spectacle rarely seen outside avant-garde performance-art troupes.
Come to think of it, "performance art" may fit them better than any clumsy music critic term. I mean, what the hell is Art Metal, anyway? Would calling it Avant Metal make any difference?
Regardless, the Oakland quintet has gathered a devoted, cult-like following in their 10-year existence. With only three true long-players released under the Sleepytime banner, each band member fills the rest of his or her spare time with a host of side projects and associated acts. By combining elements of heavy metal, Absurdist Theater, found objects, Dadaism and chamber rock, audiences are split between dumb-founded gawpers and immersive enthusiasts who head-bang with neck-breaking intensity.
Live, the group turns dense, dark, musically acrobatic tricks, cartwheeling with Meshuggah-like proficiency around poly-rhythmic, syncopated time signatures. Ethereal vocalist/violinist Carla Kihlstedt is the light to guitarist/curator Nils Frykdahl’s demented dark. Frykdahl is one of the few vocalists capable of giving the inimitable Mike Patton a run for his money, creating a thousand different voices and often jumping between many of them in a single song. (Appropriately, one of the few bands critics agree on comparing SGM to is Patton’s Mr. Bungle.) A true master, Frykdahl is Nick Cave, Ihsahn and Chuck Jones rolled into one.
The group’s incredible homemade instruments -- including the Electric Pancreas, Pedal-Action Wiggler and the eight-foot-long Sledgehammer Dulcimer -- were showcased alongside traditional guitars, bass and drums on flawless renditions of “Angle of Repose” and “The Widening Eye.”
Bassist Dan Rathburn introduced an as-yet unreleased song he called “Old Gray Heron,” dedicating the tender (by Sleepytime standards) ballad to his late father.
The two-hour-plus show was capped by a Gothic-Americana/Gospel re-working of “A Hymn to the Morning Star,” followed by the legendary “Donkey-Headed Adversary of Humanity Opens the Discussion,” both from 2004’s Of Natural History.
Local openers Opposite Day whet nerd appetites with a dizzying display of Devo/Primus weirdness ramped to Berklee-levels of dexterity. In turn, Death Is Not A Joyride were far-reaching but underwhelming.
At times both frightening and mesmerizing, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum are proof positive that innovation and experimentation is still occurring, it’s just far, far outside the mainstream and deep, deep underground.
Torche video for "Across the Shields" is adorable!
Torche's video for "Across the Shields" premiered on Myspace yesterday, pretty much right after they announced their tour with Harvey Milk. Leave it to Torche to make a video as ridiculous as their metal peers might, but to cut out all the macho violence. This band just screams "hey, we're a good time!" If you couldn't tell, the costumes in the video are based on the artwork done by former member Juan Montoya for Meanderthal, and were also featured on the Healer/Across the Shields EP Hydra Head put out a couple months ago (which also included both videos on a DVD).
According to the Hydra Head blog, there will be a video for "Healer" premiering on that last bastion of musical integrity, MTV. How the auto-tuned public will take a Torche video, we can't guess. We can hope however, that this band gets all the attention it deserves.
Crustcake Premiere: Elder - "Riddle of Steel Pt. 1"
Download: Elder - "Riddle of Steel Pt. 1" [MP3]
We were so taken by Massachusetts-based pentatonic stoner rockers Elder when we posted about them last week that we were determined to bring our readers another taste. We managed to get our grubby little paws on an MP3 for the track "Riddle of Steel Pt. 1," which, for our money, is one of the best jams we've heard since Goatsnake's "Portraits of Pain."
The track, available for download above, is a seamless melding of Sleep and 35007 with acute desert rock sensibilities. The song comes off the band's self-titled debut and is available now on CD via MeteorCity, while Electric Earth is currently accepting preorders for a vinyl release (hooray!).
The band has a couple New England shows coming up, followed by an appearance at the 2009 Stoner Hands of Doom festival in Frederick, Maryland. Head to their MySpace page for more information.
May 4, 2009
Torche and Harvey Milk to tour east coast in July
Talk about perfect summertime music. Hydra Head label-mates Harvey Milk and Torche have just announced a tour of the east coast starting mid-July and ending in August. Just imagine: warm weather, a pretty girl (or guy) on your arm, maybe a cool beer in your hand, and some of the heaviest rock & roll music you can ever hope to hear. Perfect.
In other Harvey Milk news, their last (awesome) album, Life... The Best Game in Town is available for pre-order from the Hydra Head store. Go here for more information on that and some of their tour dates for May. July dates below.
Harvey Milk and Torche July/August dates
7/11 Miami FL @ Chruchill's Pub
7/12 Gainesville FL @ Common Grounds
7/13 Birmingham AL @ Bottletree Cafe
7/14 Memphis TN @ Hi Tone Cafe
7/16 Nashville TN @ Exit/IN
7/17 Indianapolis IN @ Emerson Theatre
7/18 Chicago IL @ Subterranean
7/19 Columbus OH @ Ravari Room
7/20 Cleveland Heights OH @ Grog Shop
7/21 Buffalo NY @ Tralf Music Hall
7/23 Toronto ON @ Lee's Palace
7/24 Montreal QC @ La Sala Rossa
7/25 Cambridge MA @ Middle East Downstairs
7/26 Brooklyn NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
7/28 Philadelphia PA @ First Unitarian Church
7/29 Washington DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
7/30 Charlotte NC @ Milestone
7/31 Atlanta GA @ EARL
8/1 Athens GA @ 40 Watt Club
