Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Tuesday June 28th

Hello Dear Readers,

I liked blogging so much yesterday that I decided to try it out again. I didn't make it out last night, but I figured maybe some of you did? Did you? Anyway the important thing is that you people know about the shows if you want to go out and support the local music scene. Blah blah blah so on and so forth. There are a lot of shows tonight. A lot of them look good. Sigh. I kinda hate it when that happens. I want to write about all of them. I will probably just do the bare minimum, though. I will list why you should want to go to these shows. Here they are:

The Know is having a show with Nucular Aminals, The Hooded Hags, and The Shivas. Nucular Amninals are a great band. They just put out their record on the legendary K Records. Plus it is a band members birthday. Plus this is their tour kick off to support their new self titled album (they have an old self titled album out there). The Hooded Hags has members of Cat Fancy!, Hornet Leg, and Big Black Cloud. If you are hip to these bands you probably know more about this band than I do. I know that I have written about all of those bands but haven't seen any of them. The Shivas play music that sounds like pop on some drugs that slow everything down a bit (perhaps with a few tracers). The show is at 8 PM.

Doug Fir is having a show with Hunx & His Punx (San Francisco), Shannon & The Clams (Oakland), and Guantanamo Baywatch. Hunx & His Pun are a band that are on Hardly Art, a label that I am generally very pleased with. They are also a band that I have read a lot of hype about. To be truthful the majority of the hype that I have read has been from The Mercury. Look at this. I think that the Hardly Art website has a much better description than I could come up with regarding Hunx and Co., "Hunx and His Punx might be the first ever "girl group" fronted by a flamboyant gay male whose dream in life is to sound like a girl. They have created a unique new sound they refer to as "Young Oldies," a mixture of 50s teenage rock ‘n’ roll, 60s girl groups and bubblegum pop." It is very fitting that Shannon & The Clams are opening since their frontwoman Shannon Shaw is one of the Punx. She makes equally as good very poppy garage music. I love them both. Guantanamo Baywatch do an excellent take on surf pop. I have read about them a lot. Check them out! The show is $10 and starts at 9 PM.

Bunk Bar is having a show with Kelly Blair Bauman and Old Light. I like Kelly's music. It is shimmery. It jangles. It is Americana. It deserves an audience. You could be that audience! He is playing with Old Light, a band that could show you a thing or two on how to rock out with your autoharp out. They also have some solid harmonies. The show is FREE and starts at 10 PM.

Ella Street is having a show with Amos Val, Man Your Horse (Vancouver, Canada), and The Harvey Girls. I really enjoy Amos Val. If you were ever a fan of instrumental post-rock. Then you are familiar with some of the sounds that this band creates. It is well made in a genre that is easy to make sound real crappy. It is slow building and epic. It will tug at your heart strings. Man Your Horse is a fun math rock band. I think that they are part of the party math rock band genre. Is that a genre? It should be. The Harvey Girls make off kilter pop music. It is hard to describe. But CIMTB founder, Goldie loves them. She does not love a lot of bands. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

Valentine's is having a show with Tunnels, The Crow, and Grouper. Tunnels make experimental minimal neo-electro music. Or is it dark wave? I may be getting my genres mixed. Someone help me out here. Also I don't know anything about The Crow. But Grouper I do know. I really like the folk-ish reverb drenched waves of music that Liz Harris creates. It is always a treat to see her play. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "hi". That would be very nice.

Ben

Amos val - Seascape For A Man from Michael Guzman on Vimeo.

Amos Val is playing at Ella Street tonight

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Monday June 27th

Hello Dear Readers,

Oh my goodness. It has been a hot second since I have blogged. I have been in a bit of a transitional period in my life. I was gone for a long time on practically back to back tours with Y La Bamba and then recorded most of an album with that band. Then I went to my hometown and helped move a certain special person from Sacramento to Portland. Anyway, I am back am. I haven't seen too many shows. I caught most of the show at Bar Bar's Saturday outside deal, though. Mike Midlo of Pancake Breakfast was great. He pulled out a lot of "cowboy covers". This included a few by Willie Nelson. I always forget that I really like some of Willie's songs. But I am getting side tracked. Today is the first day I have made any attempt to get back to a regular schedule. I started late (naturally), but it is Monday so there aren't that many shows. Here are the ones that look good:

The White Eagle is having a show with Chris Robley & The Fear of Heights, The Dimes, and Sarah Jackson Holman. Apparently while I was away Chris Robley and company have been doing a residency at the White Eagle. If you are a fan of pop music that is well crafted and polished to perfection, you will be very pleased with all of the bands playing tonight. Chris Robley is someone that has been on my radar. He is hard to describe and tends to follow the muse wherever it leads. That leaves an output that is eclectic and hard to describe. Sometimes it is acoustic sounding. Other times it is straight ahead pop. Sometimes is grandiose. Sometimes it is very intimate. Most of the time it is at a place in-between. The Dimes make tunes that are really sweet sounding. I have never seen them, but their recordings are filled with pretty sounding doubled vocals. The guitars are acoustic, but this is no acoustic songwriter music. This is feel good pop. Sarah Jackson Holman plays a piano and sings. And she does an exceptionally good job doing so. She has apparently been playing since seven which makes her young age a little more bearable. I mean she has been at it for a while. She put out her debut album on Expunged records (they discovered Blind Pilot, remember?). I think that she usually has some people to help her flesh out the songs when she plays live. Y La Bamba played a show with her once. It was good. The best part of the show is the price. FREE. It all starts at 8:30 PM.

Valentine's is having a show with Drew Grow & The Pastors' Wives, Them Hills, and Duover. Drew Grow is a hard worker. Last year he put out no less than three releases. It wasn't so long ago that he broke his body real bad. But he was back on the road before what seemed humanly possibly. I have had a soft spot for his music since I first saw him perform with his Pastors' Wives a few years back. It is great and must be seen live to fully appreciate how well these people play together. Them Hills are a indie pop band from Nevada City that I swear I have heard of before but can't place how or when. They must have played here before. I really enjoy what I have heard. I think it will appeal to fans of the Wrens. If you like that band you will know why. If not then I will just say that the band uses noisy guitars in a very pretty way. I have not seen the duo of Duover in a long time. I have seen them several times before and enjoy their acoustic pop goodness. It is an impressive example of what two people are capable of doing when they put their efforts together. They are also pretty cute together (sorry, but it had to be said). The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "hi". That would be nice.

Ben


Is it just me or does this remind you of Iron & Wine? Anyways, The Dimes play at The White Eagle Tonight.

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SUMMER LOVIN'...

Hey kids, sorry for the delay. I've been super busy both good and bad... I've been working with a great writer's group, the Willamette Valley Sorcerers, and I've been commissioned to compose some musical scores for various projects. I'll make sure to share the music when those go live. On the other hand, I have recently been diagnosed with Meniere's Disease, which really sucks and cramps my style. At least I'm in good company.

Anyway, what better way to cheer muyself up by sharing some great music with you guys!

First up is a really exciting submission from local mashup creator DJ Invisiboy. Mind you, mashup is not anything new, but it's always gratifying to see someone really nail it. Invisiboy tackles it from the "plow wide" angle, throwing as many elements into the mix as seamlessly as possible. This is definitely going into my high-energy-clean-the-house-mix. Check him out at djinvisiboy.com, where there's a new free mashup album, Phonograffiti waiting. Here's a taste:



Next there is an announcement from new buddy Rafe and his band Technology Vs. Horse. You may remember TvH from the epic "Cage The Elephant" thread. I've been looking forward to something new from them, and with "Potential Pleasure Device", they deliver. It's a teaser- you think you're getting some hipster faux electronic whatever, but it quickly jumps into what I can only dub as a worthy successor to Jack Wetton-era King Crimson. The first track even has a ridiculously obscure shout-out to Genesis. What does it say about their musical nerdery that that's in there? What does it say about mine that I caught it immediately? Bottom line, I wish I was in this band. Check out their facebook page where you can listen to Potential Pleasure Device.


I don't know much about Stripmall Architecture other than I've heard great things about them. And... they don't disappoint. One quiblle I had, and maybe I'm just getting even more curmudgeonly, but in the press release, why would you list both Fever Ray and The Knife as comparisons? That's like, "Yeah, if you like Journey or Steve Perry..." Anyway. The video for their new track "Ownsome" is like a perfect storm of hipster irony, but remains fucking awesome despite that. It's sort of a live-action version of "The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton." So enjoy.

Stripmall Architecture - Ownsome from Stripmall Architecture on Vimeo.

I don't really know what the hell is going on here, but I love it. Angelo Spencer is the man!


Last but not least, everyone needs to go buy Papillon's new album, "All Day Tomorrow". Papillon's lead singer is my dear friend and former bandmate Mikael Jehanno, who as the leader of Papillon has been consistently cranking out some of the greatest French-American psychedelic rock EVER. Do yourself a favor, and get into some Papillon now!

April 27, 2011

PAPILLON | Myspace Music Videos

That's it for today. Go out and soak up some of that sunshine while it lasts!

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Ron's Picks: Baby Teardrop's X Is For Love

The Baby Teardrop's are, without a doubt, one of the finest acts to grace the indie music scene this year.  Their sound is exactly what you might expect to hear from a modern marvel these days.  Yet, they are so truly original, they might just become your favorite band with zero reasoning, but a total assurance that this little threesome from NYC has impacted your ear buds in a huge way!

With the release of their debut album, X Is For Love, we find The Baby Teardrop's in a final solidification of a group that has teeter totter on the brink of existence for a few years.  Coming together as three, this album showcases their ability to produce harmonized and melodic interpretations of indie rock as we know it today.  From love ditties like "ME Where", to grunge inspired manifestations of the distinct, and somewhat disturbing, realities of this cold music business (see "Think It, Look It, Act It, Become It").  This is an album that has everything you could ever wish for, and all from an extremely solid band of modern pioneers.

Baby Teardrop's debut album, X Is For Love was released last April.  You can find the album on their website, babyteardrops.com.

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Ron's Picks: Gasoline Monk's Dislocated Joints Vol. 1

Forrest Armstrong, a.k.a. Gasoline Monk, is an artist in every sense of the word. Although stark (and I’ll say) unjust opinions of “electronic” or “synth noise” commonly existence within many circles in the sometimes overtly pretentious music scene, we have something entirely different here. Dislocated Joints Vol. 1 instantly sounds like a labor of love for one man, and the plethora of sounds he is able to mix and mash over a heavy and never ending beat drum. The complications of the album is what makes its so wonderfully unnerving and justifiable.

Dislocated Joints Vol. 1 moves with a rhythm that simply leaves you entranced (all pun intended). But the sounds collaborated within this album are more like jazz than anything else. Obviously not Charlie Parker blowing his horns sort of jazz. But, more of the sincerely mad and overzealous sort of jazz that Kerouac produced in a literary sense. In a way, Gasoline Monk is a true and honest depiction of the modern world’s shift into the digitalized sometimes suffering, and other times exhilarating, conceptions of spiralling or torpedoing into a sea of 1’s and 0’s. And all the way down (or up, however you see it) we will be bless with beautiful .25 second blips of rhythm, hard drum beats, and purely tantalizing synth.

There are various reasons to love Gasoline Monk. Some are obvious traits such as dancability and universal rhythm sections. But, if you really dig deep, and recognize the power of this man’s music and his use of uncomplicated complications, then you might truly understand how this jazz influenced king of DJ’s a genuine artist. Above all, this guy is, to say the least, brilliant.

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Luck-One Sounds Of My City

To those not already embedded in the Portland hip-hop scene, this is as good a place to start as any. Much has been written about Hanif Collins aka Luck-One's hard time past. He has since transcended far beyond his questionable youthful discretions and has found a new path of positivity in his life through recent musical endeavors. Even though Collins has made a physical move to Seattle, in part due to the lack of economic opportunities afforded to him in his hometown of Portland, he still reps the city he grew up in as evidenced in the following video. It's not often that you find a rapper admitting to sleeping out of his car in the name of his art and musical goals, but Luck-One is no ordinary rapper. Wise beyond his years and more talented on the mic than 99% of those in his chosen field, this young emcee is truly a force to be reckoned with. Despite his inordinate skill level, Collins remains one of the most humble emcees you'll ever come across in person. Mad props young buck! Your time is now.

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THE BEST ALBUMS YOU'VE NEVER HEARD: Ted Hawkins "The Final Tour"

Everyone has them... amazing albums that form part of the soundtrack of your life, but you've never met anyone who has even heard them. Or even hear of them, which is the case with what I am presenting today: Ted Hawkins.

So who the hell is Ted Hawkins?

Hawkins, a repeatedly discovered rough talent from Venice Beach by way of Mississippi, was primarily a busker once he turned to music. In and out of correctional facilities the first half of his life, it's said that a visit by Professor Longhair to Ted's jail inspired him to become a musician, and he was a natural. Hawkins, much like the Delta blues troubadours that predated him by a few decades, wasn't picky about what genres of music he played and was influenced by. His songs (original or otherwise) fell somewhere in between blues, soul, country, gospel, pop, and folk. His voice is best described as somewhere between Sam Cooke and Bob Seger, and in fact Cooke was one of his largest and earliest influences. Raw, honest, soulful... it is Hawkins' voice that most fans say is what grabbed them initially. His guitar playing is as minimalist as it gets- open tunings, a couple of capo changes, and major chords only.

Apart from his Venice Beach busking days, where he was always a huge crowd draw, Hawkins released a handful of albums between 1982 and his death from a diabetes-related stroke in 1995. None of these achieved him any particular renown or success- though his debut was given 5 stars in Rolling Stone- at least not in the US. After working with Andy Kershaw in the late 80s, Ted was convinced to move to the UK, and became a favorite there in Europe, thanks in part to Kershaw's radio show.

After his unceremonious return to the States, Hawkins seemed to be on the verge of success yet again, until his life was cut short. A fabulous live CD "The Final Tour", documents exactly that. I'll be going through it track by track to give some commentary on this lost legend and his music.

"Intro/There Stands The Glass"

The album kicks off with a short command from Hawkins for everyone to have a good time tonight. "I don't know what you came to do... I came to have a good time." And then-

His voice, emphasizing the relatively bland word "there" in what can best be described as a wail torn from the bottom of the world's pain. This song (originally performed by Webb Pierce) is a simple ode to drowning your sorrows, and is a powerful opener.

"Watch Your Step"

After a short break where he informs us that having been through Hell together, Ted and his guitar are both "a lil' scorched," we have "Watch Your Step." This next track is perhaps the most basic on guitar, but here Hawkins shows his range in both lyrical sophistication and vocal dynamic. The narrator's outrage at finding his lover in flagrante veers between vulnerable (Think I can take it?/You're mistaken/My heart's breakin'/I won't make it) to macho (I don't mind the things you do baby- if you do 'em my way). At the end of the song, he also showcases his signature technique of doing a manual fade-out by leaning back from the mic.

"Strange Conversation"

'Conversation' has a strange sort of loping rhythm. The studio version had "whooo-whoooo" choral background vocals, and an electric lead line, and limp session rhythm section. It's served well- like all of Hawkin's originals- by being stripped down to just the man himself. The song is just about an undignified breakup over the phone, but Hawkins does manage the seemingly impossible: rendering the cliche pop vocal tic "Baby baby baby" as the terrifying plea of a desperate man.

"Sorry You're Sick"

It probably takes someone who has lived the life to really write a song like this.

Good morning my darling, I’m telling you this
To let you know that I’m sorry you’re sick
Those tears of sorrow won’t do you no good
I’d be your doctor if only I could

What do you want from the liquor store?
Something sour or something sweet?
I’ll buy you all that your belly can hold
You can be sure you won’t suffer no more

There's not much more to say here, just try not to weep.

"Bring It On Home Daddy"

A great example of how a song can combine a number of well-worn love song tropes, and with a dash of gravity bought at a great price with personal experience, turn it into a true declaration of love and loss.

"Big Things"

You have to wonder whether it was the philosophy expressed in this song that kept Hawkins on the move the way he was. Everyone has a story tell- (gotta hurry, cause there ain't no time left!)- and some people tell it, some people deny it, and some people like Ted Hawkins have to exorcise it, every day.

"The Revenge of Scorpio"

This is a fun little number. Now, whether or not you believe in the validity of astrology(even as an acausal social construct like Carl Sagan did), you have to admit that Scorpios are fucking amazing. Here Hawkins recounts his time with a woman who is clearly the archetypal Scorpio, and Ted is on the business end of it when he slights her. His ending fadeout while repeating She pulled the rug from under me is chilling, and he sums it all up during the applause by stating "Good people... but I'd hate to have one as an enemy."

"Groovy Little Things"

"Any lovers in the house? How many of you fellas can testify tonight that your baby tastes like good gravy? Ain't no shame in my game." 'Groovy' is a testament to just loving the everliving fuck out of your partner.

"Ladder of Success"

It's always interesting to think about the relationship between art and personal experience, and consumer perception of same. Everyone has probably heard me rant in support of Adorno's theories on the gravity of art and the experience that informs or inspires it. It's true, though, so I won't stop mentioning it. Early in her career, Sheryl Crow was questioned about the biographical nature of her songs, and whether perhaps they were all auto-. She gave an answer along the lines of her not being a drugged-out Vegas whore, so why would they be about her at all? Similarly, I was always disappointed in the racist overtones of critics' displeasure over the disparity between the 3rd-world themes in Tracy Chapman's songs and her 1st-world upbringing. So what have we established? That artists can create works of universal truth around an issue without direct experience of that issue? Sure. But, as I have above noted, there's something special about art and artists that are directly 'scorched', so to speak. "Ladder of Success" is an interesting example. The message veers between straightforward encouragement of getting out there and plugging yourself(which Hawkins did not do) and a perhaps sarcastic command to "trust somebody" (which Hawkins did do, in the person of Andy Kershaw). Arguably, the latter was one of the best thing Hawkins did for himself, but popularsuccess ultimately shunned him, for the most part, and it was just a drop in the bucket of his tragic life. It is refreshing, though, to see someone give advice on climbing the ladder, while still giving the middle finger to the people at the top of it.
No matter what you know
Its who you know
No matter how great you are
You got to know somebody
That knows somebody
Who knows somebody
That is somebody
So run and tell somebody
To find a somebody
So they can pay somebody
To push somebody
You have to trust somebody
You have to trust somebody

"Part Time Love"

The banter at the beginning discusses how some "have accused Ted Hawkins of not liking the blues." He explains that he simply can't play them, and demonstrates a cliche blues lead line by singing it and proclaiming "That don't make no sense!" This heartbreaking song makes you want to give Hawkins a blanket, hot cocoa, and teddy bear. It's about settling down in the wreckage of your life (which you're probably responsible for) and making the best out of what is at hand. There's a passage in the middle that offers a lyrical gearshift, another hallmark of Hawkins' style:

People in the cemetery, they aren't all alone
Some have dust, and some have bones
I'd rather be dead, sleep in my grave
Than to live lonely each and every day
She came home this morning, I asked her where she'd been
She said don't ask me no questions daddy
Cause I'll be leaving again

"I Got What I Wanted"

This Brooke Benton cover seems simple- much like Hawkins himself. There's a subtle complexity, so just hunker down and listen. "Take heed, gentlemen," as he says in the banter.

"Bad Dog"

This is probably the most interesting of all Hawkins' songs, and the most rewarding of repeated listen. After a misleading start where it sounds like it's going to be another regular love song. Then Hawkins launches into a bizarre tale, his rapid-fire delivery reminiscent of a 'filk' singer trying to cram as many references into a measure as possible. The story, as best as I can figure out, is the narrator confronting his sweetheart over some occurrences since he got out of "you-know-where"(Azkaban?). The sweetheart's titular dog has decided that it hates everyone except some lucky new "dude" in her life. Part of the humor lies in Hawkins' use of the rhetorical technique of anaphora, where he enumerates all the people in the neighborhood the dog barks at, culminating in a bad experience for the narrator as he tries to be get in the same graces as the "dude".
He'd bark at the icecream man
He'd bark at the cockroach man
He'd bark at the welfare lady
I tried to give him some barbecued ribs once
He bit my hand
Hawkins does a manual fadeout while repeating the last line, and it is tempting to read into it that the narrator is coming to grips with his predicament. The banter bears this out, stating that the titular dog was "Well trained. It was something about me."

"The Good and the Bad"

How do you follow that one? With a meditation on love and loss. A simple sad song, there is a sly come-on woven into the lyrics.

"All I Have To Offer You Is Me"

Charley Pride's 1969 hit was an important point in civil rights: opening up the #1 Billboard spot to African-american country-western singers. I will leave it up to the reader to decide the ultimate significance of this event in the context of racial equality (and hyphenization), but what is not up for debate is what an amazingly plaintive and heartfelt song this is, written by a man who helped Johnny Cash kick drugs. You can almost hear his huge brass balls chiming in the background. As far as Ted Hawkins is concerned, it's almost as if Pride wrote this song for him to perform. On a personal note, I have decided that this is the song I want played at my wedding(my wife would like "Glycerine" by Bush).

"As Long As I Can See The Light"

This John Fogerty composition represents the culmination of Hawkins' minimalistic interpretations. In the studio, calling its arrangement sparse would be an understatement, but live, Hawkins does the whole thing acappella. Jesus, give me a fucking tissue already...

"Biloxi"

From what I understand, this is pretty much direct autobiographical reminiscence of Hawkins' childhood, despite not having been written by him. There is an undefinable frisson about the way he sings that "The sky was red from off toward New Orleans," and it's best just to soak this one in and think about your own childhood.

"The Lost Ones"

This was the first Ted Hawkins song I ever heard, playing on the CD player in my stepdad's VW split. My stepdad only listens to trad jazz, so it should be self explanatory that Hawkins would be his only exception. It grabbed me instantly, because, for lack of a better word, this song is terrifying. It serves as a prequel of sorts to 'Sorry You're Sick'. The narrator, here an adolescent, lists the things that he doesn't have- chief of which is a way to take care of his dying mother and young sisters. You can easily see that when he grows up in 'Sick', how helping your partner drink themselves to death might be one the most merciful options. Now, in this, as all his songs, the subject matter could tip from overwhelmingly sad to fucking stupid in less capable and experienced hands. It never once approaches the glurgey levels of a Christian charity video- despite Hawkins himself being a Christian very vocal about his faith (vocal everywhere but... his vocals!).

"Missin' Mississippi"

This song has been covered by everyone from Charley Pride(hello again!) to Bob Dylan to Ronnie Milsap, and in Hawkins' hands it forms a much more straightforward counterpart to the childhood mystery of 'Biloxi'.

"A Thing Called Love"

There are those who feel that this is a weak closer for the album, but I maintain that the listener should use this cover of Johnny Cash's hit as perhaps... a digestif, or part of a denoument if you are so inclined. It would be hard to come down off of 'The Lost Ones' if this track and the previous one weren't there.


Well, that's it for the first installment of THE BEST ALBUMS YOU'VE NEVER HEARD. You should be hearing other bloggers' picks from the far corners of the musical world... soon. So, until next time, happy listening!

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FUCKING METAL!

Just so all you dear readers and submitters understand, we get a lot of press releases, show announcements, and material for review. A LOT. The thing about us, the fine bloggers of CIMTB, is that not only are we generally a busy lot- novelists, touring musicians, librarians, beardists, homoerotic fanfiction writers- but we are also guided by... and this may be what sets us apart... WHIMSY. Yes. So when your press release or show announcement or new single tickles our fancy, whether for good or ill, we post about it. I wish it was within our power to review everything.

That being said, here is the most recent thing to slip through the transom, from cool local venue Branx:



+ + + SATURDAY, JULY 2nd 2011 + + +




YOB

After the fallout surrounding the farcical lawsuit that befell YOB mainman Mike Scheidt concerning a former band that we cannot really say the name of because of legal reasons, a band that would then become Age Eternal which would also end up folding, it was inevitable and natural that Scheidt would start jamming once again with longtime YOB drummer Travis Foster and resurrect the beast with a vengeance.

Along with the legendary band Sleep, YOB were always considered one of, if not the heaviest doom metal three-piece ever and already have quite the massive and impressive repertoire (a good portion of it released by Metal Blade) at their disposal. Most importantly, the reason why YOB have such a respect amongst the doom metal scene, is that they have forged a distinct sound (culled from such influences as Black Sabbath, Neurosis, Obsessed and the aforementioned Sleep) that no other doom metal band could adhere to.

Over the years, YOB have gained quite the reputation with their signature and distinct style of epic elongated crushing atmospheric sludge doom. With “The Great Cessation”, YOB have undoubtedly churned out their heaviest, darkest, and ultimately, as Schedit confidently describes, their best album in their storied career. Following in tradition of the YOB sound, “The Great Cessation” also welcomes new elements into the YOB sound picture which could take a few listeners by surprise.

"The Great Cessation” is a time-stretching, timeless, and unearthly slab of monolithic doom metal art. Produced by renowned knob pusher Sanford Parker (Pelican, Minsk, Nachtmystium, The Gates of Slumber, etc.) in the band’s hometown of Eugene, Oregon.

New album due out in August 2011 on Profound Lore!



DARK CASTLE (FL)

Awake in Sleep - Dark Castle from Paul Myers on Vimeo.

Florida’s musical legacy, as far as those of us who walk the left-hand path are concerned, has always lain within the murky depths of death metal, spawned decades ago by the godless noise mongers of Death, Morbid Angel, Deicide and more. It’s fitting, then, that the two musicians behind Florida’s most crushing new export, DARK CASTLE, have spent most of their lives playing in metal bands and honing the tools of their trade.

Currently based in St. Augustine, Florida, drummer/vocalist Rob Shaffer and guitarist/vocalist Stevie Floyd met in 2005 and bonded over a shared musical vision (and love for Death). They immediately began writing the music that would, over time, form the skeleton of their first release. Heavily inspired by spirituality, nature and the flow of creation and life itself, DARK CASTLE incorporate multicultural scales (particularly Hungarian and Japanese) and the kind of innovative time signatures that doom metal has always yearned for to create something new, exciting but always conscious of its bloody roots and the all-important groove.

Drawing upon their artistic backgrounds (both Stevie and Rob are accomplished tattoo artists) and D.I.Y. know-how, DARK CASTLE self-released the handmade, limited edition Flight of Pegasus EP in 2007. Their forward-thinking, psychedelia-laced doom epics caught the attention of At a Loss Records, who signed on to release their debut full-length, Spirited Migration in June 2009. Since the band’s inception, they have shared stages and toured with the likes of Baroness, Pentagram, Zoroaster, Rwake, Weedeater, Black Tusk, Sourvein and Jucifer and took the continent by storm on their first ever European tour with Kylesa in the spring of 2010. On stage, bathed in glowing red light and billowing smoke, DARK CASTLE summon the power to open minds and move mountains using only a guitar, a drum kit, two voices, two minds and a bottomless well of earth-shaking riffs.

".....the band achieves an entirely developed atmosphere that borders on prog ambience with instrumental centerpiece “Weather the Storm,” while maintaining a stripped-down aesthetic that confidently snarls in the direction of Oceanic-era Isis and younger, rawer Crowbar." - The Obelisk



WIZARD RIFLE

"....this oft-shirtless two-piece serves up herky-jerky guitar squall and mind-bending time signatures." - Portland Mercury

".....a proggy, dry ice and goat's blood-imbibing duo." - Willamette Week

".....recalls the Melvins in their hammering, slowed-down punk beat and half-chanted, half-yelled vocal harmonies. In an unusual achievement for something this heavy, they also rivals perennial noodlers Hella in instrumental virtuosity." - Oregon Live



SLOTHS

Unfortunately, Sloths has no biographical info or available videos, so here are some cute sloths.



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

7pm || ALL AGES, BAR W/ ID || $10 advance, $13 dos

ADVANCE TIX AVAILABLE AT BROWN PAPER TICKETS

FACEBOOK EVENT: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=172567272799770

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