To anyone who’d argue that the “stoner” sound is belonging to any one region or locale — i.e. the Palm Desert in California or the Southern US — first, you’re just wrong, and second, take a look at an act like The Grand Astoria, who call St. Petersburg in Russia home. They bill themselves as a stoner punk band, and in their more active, upbeat material like “Evolution of the Planet Groove,” I can hear it especially in the vocals of guitarist Kamille Sharapodinov, whose singing style might seem awkward with the music until you recall how many stoner rockers are just punkers who grew up.

That said, of the tracks on their MySpace, I prefer the grander, more instrumental and jammy vibe of “The Man. The Sun. The Desert,” which, although not without its moments of hesitation, has a more graceful flow and when Sharapodinov does offer vocals, they’re more subdued. The build up on that track, bolstered by the guitar work of Igor Suvorov, the bass of Farid Azizov and Nick Kunavin‘s drumming, leads to more straightforward thrash riffing and screaming solos sure to satisfy anyone looking to add a little metal into the mix.

These multiple personalities play out even further on “The Art of Communication with Aliens,” which takes the riffing to yet another level of noisy crunching heaviness. Fortunately, for anyone who’d want to experience The Grand Astoria‘s self-titled, self-released album, they’ve made it available free of charge. I know I’ll be checking it out, as it’s always interesting to hear what those from another culture bring to an established sound — and since you don’t hear much about the Russian scene, it could be an eye-opening experience. Here’s looking forward.

Detroit rock favorite Small Stone Records has officially announced its annual SXSW showcase, set to take place at Encore in Austin, TX, on March 18. As a veteran of several of these affairs, I can safely say they’re always the best show at all of SXSW, and more than that, completely void of all the music industry douchebaggery that the rest of the festival seems to thrive off of. If you’ve never made the trip, this lineup looks like it might be worth it:

Thursday March 18th
at Encore (next to Emo’s)
611 Red River Austin, TX 78701 – 512-474-6688

Official SXSW Showcase
1am – Dixie Witch
12mid – House of Broken Promises
11pm – Solace
10pm – Sasquatch
9pm – The Brought Low
8pm – Throttlerod
7pm – Luder

Converse / Small Stone Day Party FREE!
Free Booze! Free Chow! Free Rock!
*Inside Stage*
6pm: Honky
5pm: Sun Gods in Exile
4pm: Tia Carrera
3pm: Magnet School
2pm: Chylde

*Outside Stage*
5:30pm Suplecs
4:30pm Gozu
3:30pm Roadsaw
2:30pm Killa Dilla
1:30pm Whitey Morgan & the 78’s

Besides this ass kicking lineup of music above, we will have a few other special things going on at this event. The fine folks at Converse are manufacturing an extremely limited run of 50 Small Stone Records Chuck Taylor’s that will be giving away at the gig only. And, to fill your belly, we will have a spread of fine Mexican grub on hand…The Day Party is FREE to enter!!! This will leave you with some extra cash to tip your bartenders and buy some merch! In the evening, you will be required to pay a small door cover charge, or show your SXSW badge and/ or wristband to enter the Small Stone SXSW Showcase.

In and out in a little over 12 minutes, this split 7” between British rockers Alunah (whose ending ‘h’ seems a recent addition) and multi-continental experimental droners Queen Elephantine is a quick trip, but a satisfying one nonetheless. Limited to 250 copies and issued through Catacomb Records, each side of the vinyl features one song just past six minutes long and though the two bands work in different atmospheres, there’s a far-off echo that permeates both pieces and builds cohesiveness between the styles.

With “Song of the Sun,” Alunah offer comparatively straightforward riff-based heavy rock, set apart from the pack by the lead vocals of Sophie (no last name given), for whom Acid King comparisons can’t possibly be anything new. Nonetheless, the band spend their time wisely, fading out and back in at the end for an additional few seconds of riffing and lead lines. The four piece aren’t really breaking any new ground for stoner rock, but neither are they offensive. They’re recording a new full-length this year, and I’d be interested to check it out, so if the idea of “Song of the Sun” was to get people interested in the band by giving them a small taste, then it worked.

Whether they’re hailing on any given day from New York, Providence, RI, or Hong Kong, the prolific Queen Elephantine always seem up for a little mind expansion. Somewhat ironic is that by keeping their contribution, “Mephistopheles,” to around six minutes, they’re actually more reigned in than usual. I get the feeling there’s a half-hour version of this song out there somewhere. As it stands on the split, though, the band, led by Indy Shome continue their progressive journey through deconstructed psychedelia. In contrast to Alunah, Queen Elephantine care little for structure and ride their song out to wherever it takes them. In the context of an LP, this can be challenging, but here they keep it relatively on track, which makes for a fascinating balance.

For Alunah, this is their second release following the Fall to Earth EP (also on Catacomb), and Queen Elephantine seem to have a new split or online-only release every few months, so it’s a fair bet we’ll be hearing more from both bands. Going by the tracks included on this 7”, that’s just fine, since they each have something of their own to offer but don’t stray so far from the other as to make for incongruous listening.

Alunah on MySpace

Queen Elephantine on MySpace

Catacomb Records

Everybody’s touring Europe these days. Of course, in the case of Belgian duo SardoniS (MySpace here), it makes sense to want to get paid in Euros. Actually, come to think of it, that makes sense for everyone. Good for SardoniS though, whose self-titled CD is out now on MeteorCity, getting out and doing the thing. According to the PR wire, they’ve got a slew of dates, and a CD release party with the increasingly ubiquitous Karma to Burn. Dig it:

The official SardoniS CD release party will take place on April 10 in Het Depot in Leuven (Belgium) in support of Karma to Burn and Year Long Disaster. Organized by Belgian bookers Orange Factory.

Also, SardoniS will be touring Europe with Dark Fortress and SerpentCult. The tour dates are as follows:

Feb 12 2010 – Muziekodroom – Hasselt (B)
Feb 13 2010 – Helvete – Oberhausen (D)
Feb 14 2010 – Rocket Club – Landshut (D)
Feb 15 2010 – Exit Chmelnice – Prague (CZ)
Feb 16 2010 – Arena – Vienna (A)
Feb 17 2010 – Dynamo Werk 21 – Zurich (CH)
Feb 18 2010 – Rock It – Aalen (D)
Feb 19 2010 – Eastclub – Bischofswerda (D)
Feb 20 2010 – Ostendfest – Oostende (B)
Feb 21 2010 – Willemeen – Arhnem (NL)

If you asked, they probably wouldn’t tell you so — in fact, they’d probably say something along the lines of, “Who?” — but I think we all know Shrinebuilder‘s newly-scheduled NYC date was booked with me in mind. So thanks guys, for that. Could’ve been in Jersey, but it’s fine, I’ll make the drive. I appreciate the effort.

In addition to this show at NYU and their West Coast shows (some with Harvestman) and their Roadburn appearance, they’ll also be at the Scion Rock Fest on March 13. Busy, busy, busy. Here’s the latest tour update:

These two newly announced Shrinebuilder dates fall directly after the previously announced West Coast Neurot Recordings tour, also featuring labelmates A Storm of Light and with special appearances from Harvestman at three Bay Area shows. Shrinebuilder will also perform at this year’s Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Holland alongside Thorr’s Hammer, Goatsnake, Enslaved, Eyehategod, Eagle Twin, Church of Misery and more.

Shrinebuilder live appearances:
3/02/2010 The Casbah – San Diego, CA
3/03/2010 Echo – Los Angeles, CA
3/04/2010 Echo – Los Angeles, CA
3/05/2010 The Voodoo Lounge – San Jose, CA w/ Harvestman, Brain Oil
3/06/2010 Oakland Metro – Oakland, CA w/ Harvestman, Laudanum
3/07/2010 The Independent – San Francisco, CA w/ Harvestman
3/09/2010 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
3/11/2010 E+L Auditorium @ New York University – New York, NY
3/13/2010 Scion Rock Fest – Columbus, OH
4/17/2010 Roadburn Festival – Tilburg, Holland

I’m willing to wager it’s not homemade chocolate chip cookies, or puppies, or a Thank You card that says “Just Because” on the inside of it. Whatever else they’ve got in their vault, we can only assume it’s ugly, drug-addled and given to physical altercations. Seems to be the way it went with these guys.

They were only together for about a decade, but the chaotic legacy of North Carolinian sludge bastards Buzzov*en endures even as no one since has been able to capture quite the same level of fuck you-itude that seemed to come so naturally from vocalist/guitarist Kirk Fisher and the sundry musicians with which he surrounded himself throughout the band’s tenure. With the new Relapse collection, Violence from the Vault (Alternative Tentacles released the career-spanning Welcome to Violence in 2005), there surfaces five tracks recorded with Billy Anderson in 1995 featuring the same lineup as was on the 1994 Sore full-length.

Some version of “Mainline” was previously released on the 1997 The Gospel According… II EP, and “Nod” appeared on a ’96 split with Sourvein, but “Paintake,” “Breed” and “I Never” seem to have been unearthed for the first time. The sound is raw, with plenty of cassette wobble in “Breed” and a general tin-can feeling throughout, but who ever listened to Buzzov*en for the pristine production value? When I’m waist deep in the nearly 16-minute noise/drone/slow-riff/screaming stretch of “Nod,” clarity of sound is the last thing on my mind. Making it out alive is much more of a primary focus.

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I was kind of bummed when CD World on Rt. 46 in Totowa went out of business, and couldn’t have cared less when Coconuts right down the road did the same. As I stood in the FYE on Rt. 10 in East Hanover with the “LAST 3 DAYS!” sign outside and all the yellow “Going out of Business — Everything Must Go!” paraphernalia strewn about the place, I was appreciative of the fact that the indies, the Vintage Vinyls and Sound Exchanges, are still going. Who knows for how long.

Everything was at least half off, and I was down that way anyway picking up my car at long last after the whole key/toilet debacle, so I figured I’d pop in. They had a few copies of Behemoth‘s Evangelion left, one of which I grabbed just for the hell of it, and a disc called Super Duper by the band Valentine Saloon that was $1.99 (before the sale) and had artwork that looked like it was by Frank Kozik. It wasn’t. The album was, however, produced by Jack Endino. Unfortunately, it was also really, really bad.

The upshot was the self-titled album from Portland, OR‘s Red Fang, whose new school beery/bearded boogie Melvins rocking got me wherever the hell I was going that night. The highlight of the record is probably “Humans Remain Human Remains,” although “Good to Die” has balls big enough to trip over them. There’s a definite Floor/Torche influence, which adds pop flair, and at their most unhinged, they’re not quite as break-stuffy as Akimbo — who’ve more or less mastered the art of cerebral post-hardcore violence — but they’re not so terribly far off.

It was a pleasant surprise to come upon Red Fang in that setting, where once, by sheer luck, I found a used copy of Astroqueen‘s Into Submission, but even so, I’m not sorry to see FYE go. It’s a bummer for anyone if they were looking to make a lifetime career out of working there, but judging by the bored looks on the faces of the post-adolescents behind the counter, I don’t think they were too concerned. As some ring bells in memory of physical media, I’m more than happy to pick up their discarded treasures for half price. And yeah, if Beyonce stops making CDs, that’s fine, but I’m pretty sure Red Fang‘s next one will be pressed to plastic one way or another. When it is, I’ll be ready for it.

I was all set to roll with this snarky and quite frankly dickheaded bit about how awesome this site is that it can just take embedding code from other sites and post the shit here too, but Spin‘s evil corporate security proved too much for me to handle. Buncha jerks.

Go there and hear the song and then come back here and read the PR wire whathaveyou about Dead Meadow‘s new album/film project, The Three Kings, out in March on Xemu Records:

The package consists of an album that stands alone with live material and five new studio songs produced by bassist Steve Kille including “That Old Temple” mixed by Dave Schiffman and mastered by Howie Weinberg. “Temple” is the first single and has an accompanying video. Dead Meadow have cradled the wide niche that resides between desert soaked ‘70s fuzz rock and sonically ambitious indie rock for over a decade. Members Kille, Jason Simon (vocals/guitar) and Stephen McCarty (drums) have released five studio albums, three of which were on Matador Records and two on Xemu Records. The Three Kings is a celebration of the band’s lyrical mythos and is directed by Artificial Army who in the past bent reality with videos for the likes of The Sword, Mars Volta and Coheed & Cambria.

The Three Kings will be released March 23rd on Xemu Records. The band has announced an upcoming, headlining US tour beginning this March. The band will be taking along good friend Imaad Wasif for the series of dates which will encompass nearly two full months from the kickoff date.

The Three Kings tracklist:
1. The Kingdom Come
2. Between Me and the Ground
3. Good Moanin’
4. At Her Open Door
5. The Whirlings
6. To the One
7. That Old Temple
8. The Narrows
9. Push ‘em to the Crux
10. Seven Seers
11. Greensky Greenlake
12. Beyond the Fields We know
13. Everything’s Going On
14. Lady
15. Darlin’
16. Queen of all Returns