https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

The Golden Grass Premiere “100 Arrows”; New EP to Coincide with Euro Tour

Posted in audiObelisk on March 14th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

the golden grass

The Golden Grass head back to Europe in just under two weeks’ time, and as they go, they’ll carry 150 CD-R copies of their new EP, 100 Arrows along for the ride. And yes, it’s an EP, but when one includes the bonus tracks, it’s also eight songs and 35 minutes long, so the Brooklyn outfit aren’t exactly half-assing it either. Last year, the trio released their third album, Absolutely (review here), which found them bringing a progressive bent to their harmony-laced classic heavy rock, taking a path of willful creative growth after debuting on Listenable Records with their 2016 second full-length, Coming Back Again (review here), while holding firm to the bright tonality and sunshine vibes that have been among their most distinguishing features all along.

The returning trio of guitarist/vocalist Michael Rafalowich, drummer/vocalist Adam Kriney and bassist/backing vocalist Frank Caira present four new recordings for the EP proper, launching with the title-track in barnburner fashion as a driving opening riff is quickly introduced by the drums and the motor-gallop is off. A swaggering verse conveys 100 Arrows as a more straight-aheadthe golden grass 100 arrows offering than was Absolutely, and the subsequent “Fast Time Running” bears that out despite a seven-minute runtime that moves into call-and-response lines in its second half ahead of a quick turn to Steppenwolf chug and wah-drenched earliest-doom riff and soloing, backed by Kriney‘s steady beat and plenty of oh-hell-yes bass from Caira. That’s a digging lead-in for their take on “Magic Potion” by Open Mind, which taps into late-’60s bikerism, and a redux of The Bubble Puppy‘s “Hot Smoke and Sassafras,” which originally appeared on the 4-Bands Split Vol. 2 (review here) from Heavy Psych Sounds in 2016. An overarching rawness in the recording, at least relative to the last album, gives these songs a live feel, which is only appropriate since that’s their context, but frankly the jam in “Hot Smoke and Sassafras” or the attitude-soaked push of “100 Arrows” itself makes the EP worth the price of admission, especially if you’re already going to the show.

Demos for “Catch Your Eye” and “Burn it all Away” from the pre-production session for Absolutely follow, and as the latter — an instrumental that seems to in this form be awaiting its vocal arrangement — didn’t make it onto that album, it’s another piece that fans should be curious to get. Takes on Tin House‘s “I Want Your Body” and Icecross‘ “Wandering Around” follow, both of which come from a Daytrotter Session recorded in Iowa in 2017. The Tin House track is all about swing and swagger and so right in The Golden Grass‘ territory, and they bring an upbeat shove to “Wandering Around” as well that turns smoothly into a cowbell-inclusive jam before a quick “woo!” makes the transition to the solo and back to the verse, The Golden Grass — as ever — taking classic material and making it their own. They’ve been exceptionally proficient at that since their 2014 self-titled debut (review here), and it would seem that wherever they go in terms of sound — or, for that matter, actual going — that’s the constant they bring with them. The ready familiarity of their original material makes them an all the more inviting listen, and their covers only give further context. Nothing they’ve done up to this point has been an accident, and as they move beyond Absolutely and whatever might come after this tour, they continue to go with confidence and melody in like measure.

I’m happy to host the premiere of “100 Arrows” for your streaming pleasure. You’ll find it on the player below, followed by the text of the one-sheet for the release, including the tour dates for the upcoming European run, for which The Golden Grass will be joined by Wedge from Berlin.

Please enjoy:

In For The Kill Records is proud to announce the release of “100 Arrows”, the brand new limited edition CD EP by Brooklyn based heavy boogie rock trio THE GOLDEN GRASS! This release coincides with their March-April 2019 European Tour, their 5th time crossing the pond! This release sees the prolific trio move further into harder and darker territories, with proto-metal moves flexing wildly, yet still retaining all their signature soulful good-time swing & glorious vocal harmonies.

After 6 years of touring, not to mention 3 LPs and a handful of split releases along the way, the Grass have proven themselves to be one of the hardest working bands in the global traditional heavy rock underground, and this new EP is a majestic culmination of their musical abilities and seamless breadth of influence.

The “100 Arrows” EP consists of 4 brand new studio recordings, featuring 2 original new compositions as well as smashing covers of OPEN MIND’s “Magic Potion” & BUBBLE PUPPY’s “Hot Smoke And Sasafrass”, both of which have been standards in THE GOLDEN GRASS’ live show for several years. In fact, this is the 2nd time they have recorded “Hot Smoke And Sasafrass”, as it previously appeared on their 2xLP split release with KILLER BOOGIE, BANQUET & WILD EYES in 2016 (on Heavy Psych Sounds), and they chose to re-record it because they had developed such an intense and expansive version of it over the years, it needed proper documentation!

The CD release will also include 4 bonus tracks, 2 of which come from 2016 pre-production demos for their “Absolutely” LP and the other 2 from their live Daytrotter session from 2017, which includes cover versions of TIN HOUSE’s “I Want Your Body” and ICECROSS’ “Wandering Around”, both of which had also been staples in their live repertoire for years.

This EP is released in an edition of 150 pro-printed CD-Rs exclusively for their March-April 2019 European Tour with German hard rockers WEDGE.

Order at:
Bandcamp: https://tinyurl.com/y6rxx574
BigCartel: https://tinyurl.com/y3bn22cs

THE GOLDEN GRASS “100 Arrows” Track Listing:
1. 100 Arrows
2. Fast Time Running
3. Magic Potion (originally by OPEN MIND)
4. Hot Smoke And Sasafrass (originally by BUBBLE PUPPY)
Bonus Tracks
5. Catch Your Eye (2016 demo)
6. Burn It All Away (2016 demo)
7. I Want Your Body (2017 Daytrotter Session, originally by TIN HOUSE)
8. Wandering Around (2017 Daytrotter Session, originally by ICECROSS)

2019 European Tour Dates with WEDGE, presented by Swamp Booking and Magnificent Music:
27.03. (PL) Torun Dwa Swiaty
28.03. (PL) Warszawa Chmury
29.03. (PL) Krakow Alchemia
30.03. (PL) Poznan Pod Minoga
31.03. (PL) Wroclaw D.K. Luksus
01.04. (AT) Vienna 3Raum
02.04. (AT) Salzburg Rockhaus
03.04. (DE) Frankfurt Parkhaus-wk-16
04.04. (DE) Höxter Toneburg
05.04. (DE) Chemnitz Die Zukunft
06.04. (DE) Berlin Zukunft/Ostkreuz
07.04. (DE) Leipzig Moertelwerk
08.04. (DE) Jena Kulturbahnhof
09.04. (CZ) Bilina Moskva
10.04. (CZ) Brno Kabinet Muz
11.04. (AT) Innsbruck PMK
12.04. (IT) Bologna Freakout
13.04. (IT) Milano COX18
14.04. (CH) Martigny Caves du Manoir
15.04. TBA
16.04. TBA
17.04. (DE) Wurzburg Immerhin
18.04. (CH) Olten Coq d’Or
19.04. (DE) Münster Rare Guitar
20.04. (DE) Oldenburg MTS

The Golden Grass on Thee Facebooks

The Golden Grass on Bandcamp

The Golden Grass on Twitter

In for the Kill Records BigCartel store

Tags: , , , , ,