When it’s finally released — and it will be, mark my words — Clamfight‘s I vs. the Glacier will hit you so hard your pants are going to shit themselves. You’re not even going to shit your pants. They’re going to do it for you. That’s how heavy Clamfight are. One of my favorite reasons that Philadelphia is my favorite city, the two-guitar foursome checked in with an update on the progress for the completion of the album’s artwork. Though by the time it’s out, we’ll all no doubt long since have felt like we did indeed fight a glacier, rest assured this one’s going to be worth the wait.

Here’s the latest from frontdrummer Andy Martin and the cover art:

So it occurred to me that a little heads up to the general, riff-loving populace might be in order when at a show a few weeks back a buddy of mine said, “So when’s Chinese Democracy II coming out?” A little harsh, but more than a little warranted.

The former Clamfight 3 — now called I Versus the Glacier — is done. Way done in fact. It’s mixed and mastered and nearly ready for your greedy mitts. Currently we’re waiting on a final panel of art from the massively talented Josh Wright and then it’s on to JJ to decide when this puppy comes out.

What’s been behind the delay you ask? Life, really. We’re four guys with pretty demanding professional lives and are just as passionate at keeping roofs over our loved ones’ heads as we are rocking your tits off. Hell, one of us is launching a private audiology practice and I’m pecking this thing out while just minutes from hopping a plane to Iceland to spend my summer digging.

We’re busy guys but whenever JJ says I Versus the Glacier is coming out, we’ll be shelving as much of the work stuff as possible and looking to play this thing live for as many of you as we can possibly reach, while still holding onto those aforementioned roofs. Personally I can’t wait.

Once we have an actual release date to announce we’ll have an official track premiere, although a handful of you may have gotten your hands on that track from one of our recent shows. We’re proud of the finished product and honored to be working with JJ and The Maple Forum, and we can’t wait to get it out there to the loyal community. You’ll be hearing from us soon…

There you have it. In the meantime, if you haven’t gotten yours yet, there are a meager 60 copies of HeavyPink 7″ left, and they’re available through the Maple Forum BigCartel store. Thanks as always for your support of The Obelisk and its low-key, limited-type label arm.

Heartfelt kudos and congratulations to The Maple Forum alumnus Darryl Shepard on the limited vinyl release of Dronolith, the second album from his one-man drone project, Blackwolfgoat. Bilocation Records handled the pressing, but he’s got copies for sale through the Blackwolfgoat Bandcamp page for people in the States, and if you didn’t check out the album when it was released on CD through this site’s in-house label last year, now’s definitely the time. That Alexander von Wieding cover must be gorgeous in a glossy gatefold.

Shepard and his cohorts in Black Pyramid will be playing this year’s four-day, all-ages SHoD festival in Connecticut, so stay tuned for more on that, and in the meantime, here’s the details on the Dronolith vinyl release, straight from the man himself:

Two months after they were shipped, the Blackwolfgoat, Dronolith, vinyl has finally arrived and I have them in my hands. I’ll be selling these, shipping to the US only. Rest of the world can order directly from Kozmik Artifactz, it’ll be cheaper and easier that way. Thanks to Bilocation Records for everything. I have 35 copies and once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Blackwolfgoat, Dronolith on vinyl, splatter or clear, gatefold cover. Released on Bilocation Records, limited to 350 copies. 46 minutes of blissed-out guitar drone. Order it directly off of Bandcamp.

Vinyl facts:
– limited to 350 copies only: 250 clear 180g vinyl / 100 clear green white splatter 150g vinyl
– special vinyl mastering
– 300gsm glossy gatefold cover
– handnumbered
– high quality vinyl, pressed in Germany
– artwork and layout by Alexander von Wieding

Click here to purchase HeavyPink‘s HeavyPink 7″ by PayPal or other methods.

I don’t know if you’ve ever met him or spoken to him, but I can’t even begin to tell you how excellent it is to work with Tony Reed. He’s one of the most bullshit-free individuals I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet, and by way of an example, when I emailed him yesterday to say, “Hey dude, I’ve sold a few copies of the HeavyPink 7″ in the last week and thought it might be a good time to do an update, you got anything new in the works?” it wasn’t even an hour later that he got back to me with info on two new albums he’s a part of and the news that he’s starting in on the next batch of HeavyPink songs already as well.

While I admit I’m hardly impartial, I’m really excited to see where Reed takes the one-man HeavyPink psychedelic project next. Of all his current bands and acts to which he’s contributed of late — Stone Axe, Mos Generator, Blood of the Sun, and so on — I really thought that HeavyPink was something different and unique within his catalog. Something he’d never done before. That was a big part of why I was so happy to help put it out, and with 67 copies left, I hope that if you wound up hearing the 7″, you’ve enjoyed it as well.

Reed informs that he, as ever, is busy. In addition to preparing for Stone Axe‘s set of Free covers at London Desertfest, which runs from April 6-8, and their European tour with Stubb and Trippy Wicked and the new releases detailed last week, he’s gotten started on what will be the first Mos Generator output in four years, a brand new studio album tentatively titled Nomad, for which there will also be a video for the song “Cosmic Ark.” In addition to this, Blood of the Sun‘s new album, Burning on the Wings of Desire, will be released by Listenable Records later this year.

So all good things, and in addition, Reed mixed and mastered the recently-lauded Stubb full-length, and recorded the new Saint Vitus album that’s due out this Spring, so it’s never too long before he’s heard from, one way or another.

Thanks for your support of HeavyPink, The Maple Forum and The Obelisk. To purchase one of the remaining 67 copies of HeavyPink‘s debut 7″, please follow the link above or simply click here.

I’m not putting it out, but for anyone who didn’t get a copy of Dronolith when The Maple Forum put it out on CD last year, take note: the second album from Blackwolfgoat will be on limited vinyl coming March 12. The one-man progressive drone project of Darryl Shepard (now of Black Pyramid, also Milligram, Hackman, etc.) will be released on Bilocation Records/Kozmik Artifactz and can be preordered through the latter’s webstore.

Here are the details, direct from Shepard:

VINYL FACTS
– Limited to 350 copies only: 250 clear 180g vinyl / 100 clear green white splatter 150g vinyl
– Special vinyl mastering
– 300gsm glossy gatefold cover
– Hand-numbered
– High-quality vinyl, pressed in Germany

TRACKS
1. Building Buildings 6:09
2. Ruane 6:36
3. Tyche 4:11
4. Fear of Stars 5:54
5. Event Radius 7:03
6. Dronolith 15:30

They also have two other bands on the bill, but sue me, I’m biased. The Maple Forum veterans Kings Destroy will be celebrating the release of their album, …And the Rest Will Surely Perish on vinyl (the CD long since sold out), and they do so with future European tour partners Rosetta, with Clamfight — whose next record is now mixed, mastered and awaiting artwork, pressing and eventual Maple Forum release — and Floridian heavies Hollow Leg. It’s going to be quite a Wednesday, indeed.

If you’re in the area, obviously it’s got my vote for “places you should be” — free Genesee cans from 7-10PM adding to the already considerable element of danger — but even if not, I think you can appreciate the killer flyer they made featuring “sampled” Philippe Druillet art:

See you there.

As of this post, there are 76 copies of HeavyPink‘s HeavyPink 7″ left. If you don’t have yours yet, you can order it using the Paypal button above or by clicking here to go to the Maple Forum store. It’s come to my attention that some people who’ve bought the record have had trouble with the download card — the link on the little piece of paper doesn’t work. If that’s you, I’d hope that instead of, say, calling me a chump on Facebook, you’d reach out and ask me for a solution to the problem. I’m more than happy to help out anyone who’s had trouble in any way I can, whether it’s sending you the files direct or anything else I can do to rectify the situation.

A full version of “Flower and Song,” the A-side to the single, has made its way to YouTube, and I thought I’d include it here for you to check out if you haven’t yet seen/heard it. Once again, HeavyPink is the one-man psychedelic incarnation of Tony Reed, whose careful hands have in the past sculpted Mos Generator and Stone Axe from out of the rock and roll ether. Reed handles all the instruments, vocals and recording equipment himself, and I’m just glad he let me be involved at all.

Thanks to everyone so far who has ordered a copy of the record. Your support of The Maple Forum and The Obelisk is genuinely appreciated.

On the player below is an audio sampler of HeavyPink‘s HeavyPink 7″ that features both tracks included on the physical record itself, “Flower and Song” and “There is a Light.” There are currently 88 copies of the vinyl left, and if you haven’t yet made a purchase, you can do so using the PayPal button above or at The Maple Forum‘s store at BigCartel. Whether or not you buy the platter, I hope you enjoy the audio, which is followed by some refresher info in case you’ve missed the story so far:

[mp3player width=460 height=120 config=fmp_jw_widget_config.xml playlist=heavypink-sampler.xml]

HeavyPink is the new solo project of T. Dallas Reed, the multi-instrumentalist and driving force behind Port Orchard, Washington, rock revivalists Stone Axe and the guitarist and principle songwriter for Mos Generator, among other acts. Ever self-motivated, Reed performed all the instruments on HeavyPink‘s self-titled debut 7″ and recorded the songs himself at his own HeavyHead Studio earlier this year.

The HeavyPink 7″ is the fourth release on The Maple Forum (forum040) and finds Reed branching out from the straightforward nature of his past offerings and into more psychedelic territory — still maintaining his penchant for memorable verses and choruses, but crafting them into warm walls of sound that are deeply layered and richly toned. HeavyPink is unlike anything Reed has done in the past, and yet definitively his own, bearing the mark of his songwriting through both included cuts, “Flower and Song” and “There is a Light.”

All purchases of HeavyPink‘s HeavyPink 7″ come with a sticker and download card, and included in the download is the bonus track “Long Live the Mellotron,” on which Reed pays homage to the titular instrument and uses it to near-symphonic effect. Whispered vocals and other noises ensure that even those who’ve been a longtime follower of the man’s work are in for a genuine surprise.

Purchases can be made using the PayPal button above or at the Maple Forum store. Thanks as always for your support of The Obelisk and The Maple Forum.

Shipping Option

Domestic US $11.00International $13.00

Special thanks to Ollie Stygall from The Sleeping Shaman (he’s also the guitarist/vocalist of Grifter) for seeing fit to give the HeavyPink 7″ a thoughtful, well-written review. It’s definitely appreciated on this end, and makes for a great read if you haven’t seen it.

There are — true to the headline — 98 copies of HeavyPink‘s HeavyPink remaining in my possession. I’ve got emails out to a couple distro-type outlets, so hopefully it’ll start popping up in other places, and if you’re interested in doing a review, please drop a line and we’ll get that moving as well. Tony Reed also makes for a great phoner, as anyone who’s covered Stone Axe or Mos Generator over the years knows well.

Speaking of, I’ll be getting on the horn with him myself come tomorrow to talk about something very special and not necessarily HeavyPink related. It’s a big story, and I’m hoping to have it up before the end of the week, so stay tuned on that. I don’t want to give too much away, but yeah, it’s gonna be killer.

In the meantime, if you want a copy of the HeavyPink 7″, place your order using the PayPal button above or click here to go to the Maple Forum store at BigCartel. Thanks for your continued support.