U.S. Christmas Reissuing Debut Album Prayer Meeting Next Month
If you want to be freaked out, go ahead and type ‘us christmas prayer meeting’ in your search bar. Because while you might be thinking of Marion, North Carolina, psych-of-the-land purveyors U.S. Christmas and their 2003 debut album, Prayer Meeting, I can guarantee you there are a whole bunch of weirdos out there with different intentions along those lines. And it turns out they want to get together! Around the holidays! Shudder.
The point, however, is that U.S. Christmas will, in fact, reissue said debut next month through Hypershape Records in remastered and limited edition form, being sold in branded wooden boxes that look more than a little bit awesome. I was always back and forth on these guys — sometimes I got it, sometimes I didn’t — but they were always massively well received, and for anyone who didn’t get the chance to hear this one when it was first issued by the band 15 years ago, seven years after their last record seems as good a time as any.
Details come from the PR wire:
U.S. CHRISTMAS: Appalachian mountains’ dark space rock institution to release early recordings!
Seven years following the release of their last full-length album “The Valley Path” (2011, Neurot Recordings), American pastoral psychedelic congregation U.S. CHRISTMAS return with a newly remastered version of their awe-inspiring debut studio offering “Prayer Meeting” in November.
“Prayer Meeting” was originally the very first unreleased record by U.S. CHRISTMAS, hailing from Marion NC, in the middle of the Appalachian region.
USX have a long career and several released on the mighty Neurot Recordings, published just after an ultra-limited demo batch of “Prayer Meeting” was around.
“Some bands make demos. We made a record. We didn’t do this for a label, an agent, or anyone but ourselves. It was the first step toward what would become a series of connected works. This record marks a special time in my life, and I’m sure the other dudes agree. Those days in the little trailer in Marion, NC were electric and filled with building power. Listen up, these are the sounds of our foundation.”
Nate Hall, 2018
“Prayer Meeting” finally has been rediscovered, professionally remastered, and found its home in a ltd series of handmade and firebranded wooden boxes at Hypershape Records. Each box will be strictly unique and different from the previous one and will contain postcards and special gifts of nature collected by Nate himself on the Appalachian mountains, other than a luxury 8-panel digipack with visuals reboot at HPS headquarter. Honest and sincere record, it represents how the USX path started back in the days.
U.S. CHRISTMAS, active since 2002, has released 3 full length albums on Neurot Recordings, has performed across Europe and Nate himself performed at Roadburn Festival, they toured extensively US in the past and collaborated with musicians like Scott Kelly of Neurosis, Brett Netson of Caustic Resin and later Earth, Mike Scheidt of Yob…
“Prayer Meeting” tracklist:
1. Death By Horses
2. Devil’s Flower
3. Lazarus
4. Your Soul
5. Mantis
6. Norpo
7. Under The Nails
8. Queen of the World
9. Darling Corey
10. Gengivitis
11. Out
Written, performed and recorded by U.S. CHRISTMAS
– Nate Hall: guitar, vocals
– Tim Greene: drums
– John Presnell: bass
– Matt Johnson: theremin
All tracks recorded by Tim Greene except “Devil’s Flower”, recorded by Marshall Grant.
Remastered by Alexander Lizzori in Italy, Spring 2018
Artwork by Giorgio Salmoiraghi
Hypershape Records, 2018
facebook.com/usxofficial
https://uschristmas.bigcartel.com/
hypershaperecords.bandcamp.com
hypershaperecords.bigcartel.com
