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The Brant Bjork Trio Announce Live Shows; Playing Burque Rock City Fest and More

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 5th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Live dates are cool and whatnot, and in addition to the gigs in their native California, The Brant Bjork Trio will feature at Burque Rock City Fest, Desertfest New York and Ripplefest Texas, but the real story here is the existence of the band in the first place, or at least the incarnation. Having appeared at Heavy Psych Sounds Fest CA in March, the lineup of guitarist/vocalist Brant Bjork, bassist Mario Lalli and drummer Ryan Güt played under the banner of Bjork‘s name, but expanding from that now, The Brant Bjork Trio follows on from other Bjork-centered collaborations like Brant Bjork and the Operators — of which Lalli was part; he also sang on Jalamanta and has generally been around since the outset — Brant Bjork and the Bros., and most recently the trio Stöner, whose advent coincided with continued solo work.

Güt having participated in both that solo work — 2022’s Bougainvillea Suite (review here) was all the more a highlight for his contributions on organ as well as drums — and in Stöner since that trio’s pandemic-era advent, his presence here is no surprise. And certainly Lalli has been around that orbit as well. His Rubber Snake Charmers project toured last year with Stöner (live review here) and even as his main outfit Fatso Jetson is about to embark on an extended summer run through Europe with High Desert Queen, his collaborating with Bjork is hardly new, as noted above. With Stöner bassist/vocalist Nick Oliveri out doing his own solo stuff, Lalli is a natural fit for the third in the trio even aside from being one of the founding principals of Californian desert rock. Band’s kind of a no-brainer to be right on.

Given that, the question is whether or not they’ll record. Brant Bjork always seems to have songs in ready supply, and certainly Heavy Psych Sounds has shown its willingness to follow where his journey leads, whether that’s a record like 2019’s extra-funk-leaning Jacoozzi (review here), catalog reissues, or Stöner‘s live album, two studio full-lengths and EP to-date. I have no info on that, but am glad to have the occasion to hope they might, and I’ll look forward to seeing them at Desertfest when the time comes. Always killer to catch a glimpse of the real deal in action, and these dudes are most definitely that.

The poster was put up on social media. I added the fest dates and typed out the list, so if something’s screwy, that’s probably on me. Still, here goes:

The Brant Bjork Trio shows

West coast dates are coming together!
More shows announcing soon !!!

The Brant Bjork Trio live:

July 8 Transplants Brewing Co. Palmdale CA
Aug. 5-6 Burque Rock City Fest Albuquerque NM
Sept. 7 Wayfarer Costa Mesa CA
Sept. 8 Knitting Factory North Hollywood CA
Sept. 9 Benders Bar San Francisco CA
Sept. 14-16 Desertfest New York NY
Sept. 21-24 RippleFest Texas Sagebrush TX
Sat Sept. 30 Casbah San Diego CA

The Brant Bjork Trio:
Brant Bjork – guitar/vocals
Mario Lalli – bass 
Ryan Güt – drums

https://www.facebook.com/BrantBjorkOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/brant_bjork
http://www.brantbjork.com

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Burque Rock City Fest Adds Brant Bjork, Yawning Balch, Fatso Jetson, Year of the Cobra and More in Second Announcement

Posted in Whathaveyou on April 27th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Two things to immediately note in this second lineup announcement from Burque Rock City 2023. One, it’s Brant Bjork solo, which means Stöner are still on the backburner as he and Nick Oliveri dip back into their own stuff. Two, this will be the first live performance from Yawning Balch, which is the amalgam of Yawning Man and Bob Balch of Fu ManchuYawning Man recently brought in Greg Saenz on drums ahead of their European tour, and presumably he’ll do this gig as well, though I suppose it’s always possible Bill Stinson could sit in for it. One way or the other, jams will be had.

I’m hopeful for a new Year of the Cobra album, if not this year then next. They had some exciting growth pre-pandemic and toured like mad, and have been somewhat quieter since, but hopefully this Fall they’re back at it hard. Tenderizor were — I’m not sure if they still are — affiliated with hometown Albuquerque weirdo heroes Leeches of Lore, so that’s a cool local tie, and Red Mesa features Roman Barham, who is organizing this fest and is a co-founder of Monolith on the Mesa of which Burque Rock City is an offshoot, maybe just for this year. Bringing in Fatso Jetson only enhances the desert vibe, and Electric Citizen will be on hand to lend their particular take on classic heavy. With Ojo Malo and Nomestomper and Street Tombs filling out, it’s a solid announcement for the two-dayer; a kind of conceptual preview for the likes of RippleFest Texas and Desertfest New York in substance if not geography. A lot to like, is the bottom line.

Tickets are on sale now, early-bird style. Dig it, and check out the TubeVision show I stumbled on from Brant Bjork, 2003 in San Francisco. Bros.-era. 20 god damned years ago. Pretty badass:

Burque Rock City 2023 second poster

BURQUE ROCK CITY FEST: Announces MORE BANDS!

Burque Rock City Is Happy To Announce Another Round Of Bands For August 4th & 5th Downtown ABQ At The Historic El Rey Theater & Insideout Bar

Burque Rock City Would Love to Welcome:

Brant Bjork * Yawning Balch * Year Of The Cobra * Fatso Jetson * Electric Citizen * Tenderizor * Street Tombs * Red Mesa * Ojo Malo * Nomestomper

First Wave of Amazing Bands Previously Announced:

Weedeater * Pike Vs The Automaton * Belzebong * Early Moods * High Desert Queen * Thunder Horse * Sorcia * Prism Bitch * Coma Revovery

Get Your Early Bird Tickets NOW!! Once Full Lineup Is Announced, Tickets Will Go Up!

Early Bird Day Pass-$100: https://holdmyticket.com/event/412535

Early Bird 2 Day Pass-$200: https://holdmyticket.com/event/412537

Roman Barham, co-founder of Monolith on the Mesa, has been quietly working on Burque Rock City Fest.

Branching south from the Monolith On The Mesa tree is Burque Rock City Fest in Albuquerque, NM At The Historic El Rey Theater & Insideout Bar On Friday August 4th & Saturday August 5th 2023.

More band announcements & more exciting info soon.

monolithonthemesa.com
instagram.com/monolithonthemesa
facebook.com/monolithonthemesa
twitter.com/onmonolith

Brant Bjork & The Bros., Live at Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA, Sept. 7, 2003

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Desertfest New York 2023: Second Lineup Announcement Brings Monster Magnet, Godflesh and More

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 24th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

This looks so good I’m kind of nervous about it. Monster Magnet and Godflesh join the ranks of the Melvins, Boris and Colour Haze at the forefront of the bill for Desertfest New York 2023 today, with the further additions to the lineup of Brant Bjork, Valley of the Sun, Mantar, Huntsmen, Upper Wilds and Dunes. Insert impressed-whistle here.

I guess what we’re seeing in 2023 is that version of Desertfest New York that was what they were growing toward when the festival held its inaugural edition in 2019. It’s been a long-ass time since I’ve seen Monster Magnet, and the promise of a career-spanning set makes me hope all the more it happens, but I’ll tell you outright that there are precious few acts of any genre who can match the intensity of purpose wrought by Godflesh at their best live. I assume they’ll be doing some amount of touring either a lot or a little as they support their upcoming album, Purge, which is set to release in June (info here), but no question they’ll be a highlight of the fest here, if one among many.

Shit, I still haven’t seen Castle Rat, so there’s A LOT to look forward to here. Interesting that it’s Brant Bjork playing and not Stöner, but I’ll take it for sure. You can read the rest of Desertfest New York‘s announcement below, stunning as it is, hoisted from the PR wire:

Desertfest New York 2023 second poster

Desertfest New York reveals further artists for September event including Monster Magnet, Godflesh, Brant Bjork, Mantar & more

TICKETS ON SALE NOW VIA WWW.DESERTFESTNEWYORK.COM

Leading independent stoner rock, doom, psych & heavy rock festival Desertfest announces eight new artists for their third New York edition this September. Heavy-rock legends MONSTER MAGNET make their headline return to the event, following their unfortunate 2022 cancellation. The New Jersey space rockers will join the festival for a long-awaited celebratory set, spanning their entire 30-year catalogue.

British industrial icons GODFLESH join proceedings for a rare New York performance, with Justin Broadrick at the helm GODFLESH will undoubtedly shake the Knockdown Center to its very core. If there was one set to add to your “do not miss” list for DF NYC, it’s this one.

Desert-hero BRANT BJORK rolls into the weekend to bring the very best in sun-soaked California stoner vibes. Whilst German sludge-punk duo MANTAR will offer up an ear-shattering live performance with their first New York appearance since 2016.

Elsewhere, the festival welcomes the groove of VALLEY OF THE SUN, genre-bending storytellers HUNTSMEN, psychedelic locals UPPER WILDS & U.K. based stoner rock outfit DUNES to the bill.

The globally renowned event will return to the unique space of the Knockdown Center in Queens, alongside an exclusive pre-party at heavy metal institution, Saint Vitus Bar from 14th to 16th September 2023. 3-day passes (incl. Saint Vitus pre-party) are SOLD OUT with limited 2-Day passes still available.

With more to be announced, including day splits & day tickets in early June, Desertfest is the biggest celebration of underground heavy music that the East-Coast has to offer.

3-day passes (incl. access to Saint Vitus Pre-Party) & 2-day passes (Knockdown Center only) are on sale NOW via the following link – https://link.dice.fm/Desertfest_NewYork

Full Line-Up
Saint Vitus – Sept 14th | Knockdown Center Sept 15th & 16th 2023

Melvins | Monster Magnet | Boris | Godflesh | Colour Haze | Truckfighters | Brant Bjork | 1000Mods | Mantar | White Hills | Lo-Pan | Duel | R.I.P | Valley of The Sun | Ecstatic Vision | Heavy Temple | Huntsmen | Clouds Taste Satanic | Mick’s Jaguar | Castle Rat | Grave Bathers | Spellbook | Upper Wilds | Dunes

https://facebook.com/Desertfestnyc/
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_nyc/
http://www.desertfestnewyork.com

Monster Magnet, Live in Berlin, Jan. 20, 2020

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Heavy Psych Sounds Fest California 2023 Announces Full Lineups

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 23rd, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Park myself in Joshua Tree for a weekend just as the winter is turning to spring, catch a ton of awesome bands from and beyond the desert? Yeah, that sounds pretty magical, to be honest. Nothing against San Francisco. I’ve seen videos from outside at Thee Parkside and it looks like an incredible place to see a gig, but if I’m making the trip from the other side of the country — and unless there’s a sudden fiscal windfall in my favor, I’m not, sadly — it’s the desert calling, all the more with All Souls and BigPig and Third Ear Experience on that bill. That’s a memorable weekend in the making.

The 2023 lineups for Heavy Psych Sounds Fest in California are finished, and with the two posters next to each other you can see some of the differences from one to the other, but they’re mostly the same as artists will play in one city one night, the other the other, and as someone who remembers seeing Yawning Man and Fatso Jetson together a decade ago at Desertfest London 2013 (review here), I’d offer up a kidney to do so again if I thought I could be healed in time to actually enjoy the show in March.

Anybody want to buy some… shit I have nothing of value. Alright then.

Here’s the bill:

heavy-psych-sounds-fest-california-2023-final-lineups

Heavy Psych Sounds Records & Booking is proud to announce *** HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST CALIFORNIA 2023 JOSHUA TREE & SAN FRANCISCO ***

full lineup announcement

Heavy Psych Sounds together with Plastic Cactus Productions and Subliminal SF presents the full lineup of the Heavy Psych Sounds Fest California 2023 !!!

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST ***CALIFORNIA 2023***
MARCH 25 & 26

SAN FRANCISCO @ OPEN AIR AT THEE PARKSIDE

JOSHUA TREE @ HI DESERT CULTURAL CENTER

JOSHUA TREE
HI DESERT CULTURAL CENTER
MARCH 25th and 26th

WINDHAND
WEEDEATER
BRANT BJORK
NEBULA
THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX
YAWNING MAN
FATSO JETSON
DUEL
HIPPIE DEATH CULT
GEEZER
KADABRA
WARLUNG
LOVE GANG
WITCHPIT
COSMIC REAPER
ALL SOULS
BIG PIG
THIRD EAR EXPERIENCE
DEATHCHANT
WHISKEY AND KNIVES
HIGH TONE SON OF A BITCH

SAN FRANCISCO
OPEN AIR AT THEE PARKSIDE
MARCH 25th and 26th

WINDHAND
WEEDEATER
MONDO GENERATOR
NEBULA
THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX
DUEL
HIPPIE DEATH CULT
GEEZER
KADABRA
WARLUNG
LOVE GANG
COSMIC REAPER
WITCHPIT
DEATHCHANT
HIGH TONE SON OF A BITCH
DISASTROID

TICKETS PRESALE SAN FRANCISCO:
https://www.venuepilot.co/events/65782/orders/new

TICKETS PRESALE JOSHUA TREE:
https://heavypsychsounds.ticketleap.com/heavy-psych-sounds-fest-joshua-tree-2023/

heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/

Windhand, Live in Hollywood, CA, June 26, 2022

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Heavy Psych Sounds Fest 2023 Announces Initial California Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on December 26th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

A couple days’ escape to Joshua Tree just as winter starts to wane sounds pretty god damn good right now. And that’s nothing against San Francisco, mind you — there’s an Amoeba Music there, so however otherwise expensive lodging may be, it’s worth it — but a bit of desert rock in its native habitat feels like a win, and with more bands to be announced, Heavy Psych Sounds Fest 2023 in California makes an enticing prospect. Daydream-worthy.

Traveling from the East Coast will be Weedeater, the particularly sludgy Witchpit, Cosmic Reaper and The Atomic BitchwaxDuel make the trip from Texas, Hippie Death Cult come down from Portland, Oregon, and Brant Bjork and Nebula represent California itself, so already the two-dayers (which will swap lineups from one night to the next) are varied in geography and style, and one would expect no less at this point. It ain’t Heavy Psych Sounds‘ first rodeo. The label/booking empire also recently announced two fests in Italy and if past is prologue, one expects plenty more to come as well spread throughout 2023.

We live in a golden age. Peak riffs.

From the PR wire:

heavy psych sounds fest california 2023 square

*** HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST CALIFORNIA *** first confirmed bands

Heavy Psych Sounds together with Plastic Cactus Productions and Subliminal SF presents the 2023 edition of the HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST CALIFORNIA !!!

The HPS Fest California will be taking place 25th and 26th of March, 2023 at the Thee Parkside (open air) in San Francisco and Hi Desert Cultural Center in Joshua Tree !!!

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST – CALIFORNIA
@ Thee Parkside, San Francisco
@ Hi Desert Cultural Center, Joshua Tree

March 25th and 26th 2023

FIRST CONFIRMED BANDS

WEEDEATER
BRANT BJORK
NEBULA
THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX
DUEL
HIPPIE DEATH CULT
COSMIC REAPER
WITCHPIT

+ more TBA

In January we will unveil the full line up and single day line up.

Same line up will play both cities in different days !!!

TICKETS PRESALE SAN FRANCISCO: https://www.venuepilot.co/events/65782/orders/new

TICKETS PRESALE JOSHUA TREE: https://heavypsychsounds.ticketleap.com/heavy-psych-sounds-fest-joshua-tree-2023/

heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/

Brant Bjork, Bougainvillea Suite (2022)

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The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal Playlist: Episode 96

Posted in Radio on October 28th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk show banner

Good show. Gets heavy. I started thinking about how my knee hurt and that reminded me of Høstsabbat (where I hurt it) earlier this month and I decided to dedicate the second hour-ish of the program to celebrating that lineup. And, well, that lineup was really god damned heavy — though, I say in the voice tracks too, it was way more sonically diverse a proceeding than it appears on the playlist below. So it goes. I’ll plead guilty on that.

Before that though, each one of the first three tracks is something I genuinely hope people will check out. Brant Bjork because he’s Brant Bjork and 14 records in he’s still trying new stuff. UWUW because Ian Blurton is a master and psychedelic heavy soul rock needed to happen. Dead Shrine because it’s new stuff from Craig Williamson (also of Lamp of the Universe) in a heavy style like Arc of Ascent, but with some different kinds of spaces thrown in. Dude just riffs and riffs and riffs. Yes.

Not saying the rest isn’t worth checking out in Ruby the Hatchet, Love Gang, or The Otolith, which is really the rest of the new stuff. The Otolith I’ve been listening to all week to review it and it’s bludgeoningly beautiful and has me wondering how to add a sixth inclusion to my top five for the year. Ruby the Hatchet are like if 1971 happened in 1981, and Love Gang are like if Motörhead were from Southern California or, in other words, from Denver. I certainly thought that song was killer when I premiered it. And a couple classics, some recent Enslaved, Orange Goblin, then the turn up to Norway for the fest-homage. As I said at the top, good show.

Thanks if you listen and thanks for reading.

The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 10.28.22 (VT = voice track)

Brant Bjork Bread for Butter Bougainvillea Suite
UWUW Staircase to the End of the Night UWUW
Dead Shrine The Formless Soul The Eightfold Path
VT
Ruby the Hatchet Deceiver Fear is a Cruel Master
Love Gang Meanstreak Meanstreak
The Otolith Ekpyrotic Folium Limina
Saint Vitus The Psychopath Saint Vitus
Enslaved Kingdom Kingdom
Orange Goblin Cozmo Bozo The Big Black
VT
Norna The Perfect Dark Star is Way Way is Eye
Bismarck The Seer Oneiromancer
The Moth Gatherer The Drone Kingdom Esoteric Oppression
Dopelord Your Blood Reality Dagger`
Graveyard Please Don’t Peace
Indian Directional From All Purity
VT
Slomatics Buried Axes on Regulus Minor Ascend/Descend
Kanaan Return to the Tundrasphere Earthbound

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Nov. 11 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

The Obelisk on Facebook

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Full Album Premiere & Review: Brant Bjork, Bougainvillea Suite

Posted in audiObelisk, Reviews on October 26th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

Brant bjork Bougainvillea Suite

[Click play above to stream Brant Bjork’s Bougainvillea Suite in its entirety. Album is out Friday through Heavy Psych Sounds.]

Cheers to whatever circumstances in the universe resulted in the usually-on-drums Ryan Güt getting an organ. Bougainvillea Suite is by somebody’s count the 14th studio album by Brant Bjork, and perhaps more crucially, it is the first since May 2020’s Brant Bjork (review here), an interim in which the multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter and desert rock figurehead has released two long-players as guitarist/vocalist as part of the trio Stöner with fellow Kyuss alum Nick Oliveri (also Mondo GeneratorDwarves, etc.) and the aforementioned Ryan Güt (on drums) in 2021’s Stoners Rule (review here) and 2022’s Totally… (review here). Because Stöner have been touring since about three months before it was actually safe for things to open up, Bougainvillea Suite — the thorny bougainvillea vines depicted on its cover art by Bjork and Mario Lalli (Yawning ManFatso Jetson, lately of Mario Lalli and the Rubber Snakecharmers, which is basically Stöner plus himself and vocalist/performance artist Sean Wheeler) — arrives as something of a surprise.

Led off by the cool start-stop bounce of “Trip on the Wine,” finished by the jamming Bo Diddley cover “Who Do You Love” (Quicksilver Messenger Service also did a version and George Thorogood made it a radio hit), with no shortage of hooks and Bjork‘s charismatic cool laced into the masterfully fuzzed “Good Bones,” the later “Ya Dig,” and so on, Bougainvillea Suite runs eight tracks in a relatively unassuming 41 minutes, and is fairly Stöner-adjacent in terms of sound and style. Güt may be on organ and percussion instead of drumming — Bjork handles vocals, guitar, bass, drums, and other percussion; co-produced with Yosef Sanborn at The Rad Cabin in Joshua Tree — and Oliveri may be relegated to an appearance on guitar and backing vocals on the song-for-our-times, finally-someone-saying-screw-it-let’s-get-high-in-a-way-that-isn’t-somehow-fascist “Bread for Butter,” but “Good Bones” and the subsequent “So They Say” have the laid back swing and swagger that are hallmarks of Bjork‘s work over the last 20-plus years of his solo career, and are composed in such a style that it feels like they could easily have been brought to a Stöner jam and turned into that band’s songs. Ditto “Ya Dig,” which actually it wouldn’t surprise in the slightest if it turned up on a third Stöner album, even more than “Bread for Butter,” which, again, has Oliveri singing on it.

This, however, is nothing to complain about, and while I’ll recognize that ‘Hey, Brant Bjork is writing songs that sound like Brant Bjork‘ isn’t exactly universe-defining insight, there’s no question he’s got a sound. For the last two years, that’s been channeled into getting Stöner going, and Bougainvillea Suite steps aside from that, but it’s largely inarguable, and with Güt on keys, these songs make a distinct impression whether it’s in comparison to the band in which Güt and Bjork also play or Bjork‘s solo catalog as a whole (did I mention 14 albums?). The organ is right there after the first drum fill in “Trip on the Wine,” and it runs a thread through the jabby-snare verses of “Good Bones” and fills out beneath the clever lyrics and telltale wah of “So They Say” before adding to the easy-motion twist of “Broke That Spell,” no less crucial an element than the guitar itself as it plays off the central riff and, especially in the latter, takes its own casual saunter of a progression as a preface for “Who Do You Love” still to come.

Like much of what persists throughout Bougainvillea Suite, that extended closing jam isn’t necessarily new ground for Bjork in terms of aesthetic or methodology, but in context it emphasizes the masterful hand with which he is able to guide the listener through the span of a classically constructed full-length; casual, funky and cool as ever, but not at all unconsidered. Side B, accordingly, is an expansion on the moves and tones established on side A, with “Bread for Butter” both the closest Bjork comes to Stöner and the most outward in terms of social commentary, though the comment is less political — Bjork has never shied away from speaking as a person of color through his music; see 2014’s Black Power Flower (review here), among myriad other examples; there is no sense of whitewash here either — than personal, an almost aspirational reminder to keep one’s head amid the onset of the various apocalypses of the last few years.

Brant Bjork (Photo by Mario Lalli)

Sound advice, and if perhaps that same impulse is behind the willful mellowness that’s happening across Bougainvillea Suite, it would make sense, but Bjork has said that much of the ‘bittersweet’ spirit in these songs comes from his own ups and downs, and that after a stretch that might legitimately be defined as an era of his output, he’ll no longer be making records at the same studio in Joshua Tree. If “Bread for Butter” is trying to take that in stride too, well, it would be in character as well as on theme, and it works in the context of the album itself as well, since Bjork‘s laying out of options, “The Beatles or the Stones,” prefaces the bit of devil-sympathy that shows itself in the acoustic strum and hand percussion of “Let’s Forget,”  a sweet and familiar refrain about the “beauty of now” with the title-line nestled into, “please let’s forget about yesterday.”

In terms of execution, the closing duo of “Let’s Forget” and “Who Do You Love” are clearly shooting for different vibes, the former wistful, the latter a blues jam built on top of cyclical tom runs, but they both bring into emphasis how much Güt is contributing here. “Let’s Forget” is peppered with melodic notes of what might be a Rhodes or at least Rhodes-ish sounds — if you told me it was guitar I’d just throw up my hands and say whatever; there are plenty of other examples to cite throughout the record in making the same point — and while it seems to be obscured before the song is really allowed to come apart following its here’s-another-channel-of-guitar solo (no complaints), the organ in “Who Do You Love” is as essential to defining the personality there as it is to “Trip on the Wine” or “Good Bones” back at the rockers-up-front outset. He’s the secret weapon in Stöner too. Should be used to it by now. While we’re talking about it, I’ll also note that few and far between are the artists who would allow someone else to have such an impact on a ‘solo’ record, and that is something to appreciate.

There’s some amount of reassurance to Bougainvillea Suite in that it reaffirms Bjork‘s commitment to the work he does under his own name even as Stöner continues to tour and will presumably have another LP coming barring disaster — the two so far and subsequent tours seem to have been well received — and its somewhat melancholy spirit speaks both to the times and the personal landmark that it is for Bjork as an artist. In a career more than 30 years deep that has likely seen peaks and valleys enough to make the Rockies blush, the greater comfort one derives from Bougainvillea Suite is knowing that whatever comes, Bjork will figure it out, keep making music, keep going. Longevity, creativity, his own style of craft and performance have made him desert rock’s most formidable ambassador. All of these elements, and more, are present here in ready supply.

Brant Bjork on Facebook

Brant Bjork on Instagram

Brant Bjork website

Heavy Psych Sounds on Facebook

Heavy Psych Sounds website

Heavy Psych Sounds on Bandcamp

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Live Review: Stöner & Mario Lalli and the Rubber Snake Charmers in NJ, 09.07.22

Posted in Reviews on September 8th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

Stoner (Photo by JJ Koczan)

Pardon me if I bask in the convenience of this for a second. My entire adult life, and before that, even, I’ve traveled for shows. To New York, mostly, but also central and southern New Jersey, to Boston, to Connecticut, Wisconsin, California, Texas, to foreign countries, etc. I’ve never rolled out of the house and had a venue down the road.

Factory Records, which through a miracle of association was hosting Stöner and Mario Lalli and the Rubber Snake Charmers for an intimate, limited-to-50-tickets show — even more incredibly, one that started at 8PM — is 17 minutes from my house by car. I can’t think of anything I’ve ever been to that’s been closer than that. Certainly not a show I was as interested in as this one. Even when I saw Brant Bjork almost exactly three years ago in Jersey (review here), that was further away.

And for context and my own future reference, this show was one night after watching Germany’s Rammstein alight Metlife Stadium in a spectacle largely incomparable in scale to other concerts. Surely, hopefully, there would be less fireworks in the Factory Records lounge.

It was my first time seeing Stöner, with the aforementioned Bjork on guitar and vocals, Nick Oliveri on bass/vocals and Ryan Güt on drums, which felt a little late, even considering. They’d been through with Clutch, toured into New York, etc., but I hadn’t made it. And realistically, I might’ve missed this one too were it not comparatively on my doorstep. In any case, after Stöner‘s two studio albums, 2021’s Stoners Rule (review here), earlier 2022’s Totally… (review here), and the 2021 livestream/live record, ‘Live in the Mojave Desert’ (review here) and Live in the Mojave Desert Vol. 4 (review here), that served as their introduction to audiences, I felt pretty secure in my expectation for what was coming, not the least because I’d also checked out a stream of the Chicago show on this tour.

That stream was my first exposure to Mario Lalli and the Rubber Snake Charmers, who have been doing honors as the support act since this tour began in Brooklyn on Aug. 25. And even after watching that stream, somehow the potentiality for righteousness of having Mario Lalli — as legit as “desert rock legends” get, truly — on one flank of the stage and Brant Bjork — see previous aside — on the other had eluded me. But hot damn those were some jams. A quick iPad-as-keyboard intro, and off. I don’t know that it would work on a studio album, but with Sean Wheeler out front reminding the room that if you can’t hang with weirdo druggie poets you should get your ass out of the desert immediately, reading, semi-singing, gradually removing clothes, regularly crossing in front of the monitors that delineated where the crowd ended and the band began, it was a show for sure. Güt on drums like don’t even worry about it, Oliveri — who I last saw leaving blisters with Mondo Generator at Freak Valley Festival (review here) — doing some vocals but mostly just hanging out as a part of the thing, it was a jam vibe even if they clearly knew at least in part where they were headed, Lalli calling out the occasional change.

And moreover, it was suited to the room. Some hanging lights, pieces of fabric adorned the ceiling, oriental rugs on the floor — nobody fell that I saw — and records decorative on the wall to reinforce the notion of many more outside the lounge room waiting to be purchased, couches lining the walls and merch in back, the vibe fit. This show? It was BYOB. I felt like I could genuinely hang out in that room. Like, for an evening. At a show. I felt welcome and comfortable. I consider that a premium these days.

The power blew at one point during the Rubber Snake Charmers set, but it was a quick recovery and Wheeler held it down in the meantime. They played for about 40 minutes and amorphous groove, and were nothing less than a pleasure to behold. And one assumes that having all three members of Stöner on stage playing as part of the opener made the changeover that much easier as well. There was still a bit of a break, which seemed fair enough, but Oliveri introduced them quick — a formality; everyone there knew who they were — and they hit into “Rad Stays Rad” before unfurling all of Stoners Rule, not necessarily in order, but in full nonetheless. “The Older Kids,” “Own Yer Blues,” “Evel Never Dies,” “Stand Down,” “Nothin’,” and even “Tribe/Fly Girl” for a mellow comedown late in the set.

From Totally… there was “Party March,” “Strawberry Creek (Dirty Feet),” and “A Million Beers,” the last of which was made all the more driving thanks to Güt‘s work on drums, ghost notes on the snare, loose-looking swing, holding the bottom of the sticks and able to roll or punker-blast, whatever the song calls for. I’ve been lucky enough now to see Güt play a few times between Brant Bjork‘s solo band and now Stöner, and he’s one of those drummers you could watch all day. In the mellow rollout of “Tribe/Fly Girl” or in the Ramones cover “R.A.M.O.N.E.S.” — which I didn’t see coming but probably should have — it was the drums holding it all together and as locked in as one might expect Bjork and Oliveri to be for having been in bands together over the course of the last 30-plus years, Stöner wouldn’t be Stöner without Güt behind the kit anymore than they would without Oliveri‘s shouts or Bjork‘s ultra-Phil Lynott-style vocal patterning.

There was a new song — I didn’t catch the name and didn’t remember to ask Bjork after the show; it was called “No Brainer,” apparently (thanks Ian from The Heavy Co.) — or maybe two, and in addition to the Ramones, the three-piece took on two Kyuss tracks to close out, starting with “Gardenia,” Oliveri‘s bass fills there worth the price of admission for the entire night and whatever you wanted to spend on merch after, and ending with “Green Machine,” which hell fucking yes I was singing along to. See also “Rad Stays Rad,” “The Older Kids,” “A Million Beers,” and so on.

Because that’s kind of the point of Stöner as I understand it: to find that place where rock and punk are the same and to capture that moment when the songs seem to really become a part of you. They’re right in that it’s the provenance of teenagers — they’re not a full-on nostalgia trip, but their sound is stripped far enough down to be considered a return to roots — but eventually you keep going and someone’s gonna tell you to go ask the older kids. Maybe even the older kids themselves. They’re right up there on stage, swapping vocal lines in an almost conversational style, killing it as they’ve done for the last three decades.

For real, what a show. Even the dude in the Rammstein shirt — not me; mine went in the wash — seemed to be enjoying himself. My big takeaways, aside from the holy-shit-it’s-right-here nature of the night, were that Mario Lalli and the Rubber Snake Charmers were awesome, that I’m glad Stöner are already moving forward with new material, and golly I hope Factory Records keeps doing shows. Even with that blink in the power, the place was very, very cool. I’ve already started thinking of bands I’d want to see play there. Could be good living. Legal weed in Jersey. Spot on the touring circuit between New York and Philadelphia.

Plus you could do like Güt and go snag some Blue Öyster Cult vinyl between sets. Intimate show, laid back crowd but clearly into it, and better sound than you’re probably thinking there was because it’s a record store. Charge more at the door, but hell, think of BYOB as the return on your investment if the concert itself isn’t. It was killer, and that spot, if they play it right, could really, really work as a destination for bands. Here’s hoping.

And I’m glad I waited to see Stöner, because this felt like a special gig in no small part because of the venue, but now that I’ve got the first one out of the way, next chance, I won’t hesitate.

Thanks for reading.

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