U.S. Christmas to re-issue 'Bad Heart Bull' debut vinyl on May 22nd.



NJ based indie PLAY THE ASSASSIN will issue ‘Bad Heart Bull’ the debut release from Appalachian doom folksters, U.S. Christmas on May 22nd, 2012. Originally self-released by the band on CD-R back in 2004, the vinyl will be limited to 250 copies and issued in 3 different configurations (Ultra Clear w/ black splatter; Bone White w/ blue swirl; & Swamp Green w/ yellow haze). Vinyl/T-shirt bundles and autographed test pressings are available with all proceeds being split between the National Breast Cancer Foundation & the Oglala Sioux Tribe / Pine Ridge Reservation.

U.S. Christmas is a apocalyptic space-rock | doom blues ensemble originating from the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. Led by guitarist/vocalist Nate Hall, the band; BJ Graves (drums), Justin Whitlow (percussion, sounds), Josh Holt (bass, drones), and Meghan Mulhearn (violin), have enter their second decade of blurring the boundaries of crushing rock & acoustic dark blues.

U.S. Christmas’s musical influences range from modern metal & doom to guitar slingers & classic artists including Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Hawkwind, Caustic Resin, & Neurosis. While the music of U.S. Christmas has never been described as being jammy or amorphous; the bands brand of dirty & loose psychedelic rock originate from members bringing their individually created musical parts into a room together and letting the collective synergy between them form a singular groove. One would think the spaciness of the music would bring lyrical themes dealing with outer-space, yet their lyrical content actually focuses more towards that of nature, earth, & terrestrial human history.

After a pair of self released CD-R’s (Bad Heart Bull & Prayer Meeting), U.S. Christmas released their third album (Salt the Wound) via Russia’s RAIG Imprint, and then signed with the United States based, Neurot Recordings (home of Neurosis, Shrinebuilder, Across Tundras, etc.) to release the three full lengths, (Eat the Low Dogs, Run Thick in the Night & The Valley Path). Band leader Nate Hall released his debut solo album, A Great River, via Neurot Record in May 2012.

BAD HEART BULL is a 43 minute slab of mutant doom blues; think Neil Young without the ‘Heart of Gold’. “I used a lot of different electric guitars and amps – a little Fender Vibro Champ for some of the leads on ‘Black Snake’ and an Orange full-stack for the wall of distortion, but the foundation of Bad Heart Bull was Les Paul Customs & Marshall Mosfet stacks.” says Hall.

BAD HEART BULL is streaming now at http://store.playtheassassin.com/album/bad-heart-bull. Pre-orders are being accepted.