Right from the opening track, “Flustrated,” it’s clear Dali’s Llama are having fun with their latest offering, Howl Do You Do? (released through their own Dali’s Llama Records). Maybe after eight records of straight up desert rock, the Zach Huskey-led Palm Springs, California, outfit decided it was time to try something else – and who could blame them for that? They’ve been kicking out fuzzy jams with such regularity that the routine was bound to wear them down, so a turn to garage rock and horror punk is probably just what the band needed to shake things up. A lot of their bluesy core is still in tact, but if all you know of Dali’s Llama is what they’ve done the last several years – records like Sweet Sludge, Full on Dunes and Raw is Real – Howl Do You Do? is bound to be something of a surprise.

The organ features heavily on songs like “She’s My Halloween” and “Flash Flood, Flash Flood,” played by Mikael Jacobson, who joins Zach, bassist Erica Huskey, guitarist Joe Dillon and drummer Craig Brown (all of whom also contribute backing vocals), but I tend to return more to the piano-laced sounds of the title track, which has a more blues-driven feel to it than the camp spookiness of the horror punk material. Just a personal preference. Huskey’s songwriting, probably the central driving force within Dali’s Llama, is strong as ever, though it should be noted the structures of the songs haven’t really changed so much from the band’s last couple full-lengths, just the genre play. It’s like Dali’s Llama have put on a costume – a Halloween costume, appropriately enough. Underneath, they’re still who they are, but they’re playing the part of a garage horror punk band for an album. Howl Do You Do? was probably a lot of fun to make.

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Los Angeles-based double-guitar five-piece Night Horse treat classic rock like it’s a pretty lady. They take it out do a nice dinner, they hold the door, they pick up the tab, maybe they go to a show afterwards, and all the while they’re perfectly charming. Of course, sweet love is later made, and the end result is the band’s second album for Tee Pee Records, Perdition Hymns, which is 11 tracks of high-grade rock and roll genetics that, listening through, I’m honestly surprised didn’t come out on Small Stone. Where Tee Pee has mostly diverted into the heavy psych realm — bands like Quest for Fire, Naam, Earthless, etc. – Night Horse seem more suited to accompany the likes of Sasquatch, the recently-reviewed Red Giant, Gozu and perhaps most of all Sun Gods in Exile, whose 2009 album Black Light, White Lines, was equally shy about showing off its riff and solo prowess. And by that I mean not at all.

But there’s a Tee Pee connection in that Night Horse guitarist Justin Maranga also plays in Ancestors, so there you go, mystery solved. And honestly, after hearing the kind of blues-driven ‘70s jams Night Horse traffic in, I can’t imagine not wanting to put out a record like Perdition Hymns, no matter what sound you’re trying to associate your label with. Songs like the powerful opening trio of “Confess to Me,” “Angel Eyes” and “Rollin’ On” provide the kind of rock wallop you’d usually expect from an older bunch of dudes, but Night Horse’s love for what they do is evident. You can hear it in the playing of Maranga and fellow six-stringer Greg Buensuceso, in the straight-ahead rhythms of bassist Nick D’Itri and drummer Jamie Miller, and in the vocals of Sam James Velde, whose performance was also a highlight on Night Horse’s debut, The Dark Won’t Hide You, but is perhaps even stronger on Perdition Hymns, standing up with no trouble to the considerable instrumental competition provided by the band behind him.

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Just last week, I posted Night Horse tour dates and made my complaint known that the band wasn’t going to be coming out to the East Coast. Lo and behold, last night I check the PR wire and what’s there but a new batch of shows for guitarist Justin Maranga‘s other band, the heavy-psych awesomeness known as Ancestors, and they’re not coming east either! What is it, man? Do I smell?

The answer to that question, inevitably, is yes. While I go track down some deodorant to reapply, check out these Ancestors dates with new Tee Pee labelmates, The Fucking Wrath:

Ancestors and The Fucking Wrath will embark on a string of West Coast tour dates in late October. The Fucking Wrath recently signed with Tee Pee Records and will be releasing the EP Terra Fire on October 19. Ancestors are supporting their 2009 critically acclaimed sophomore album Of Sound Mind.

Ancestors/The Fucking Wrath tour dates:
10/20 Zahn Zillas, Ventura, CA
10/21 Hemlock Tavern, San Francisco, CA
10/22 East End, Portland, OR
10/23 Comet Tavern, Seattle, WA
10/25 Jambalaya, Arcata, CA
10/26 Nick’s Night Club, Chico, CA
10/27 Jose’s Mexican Bar & Grill, Monterey, CA

I still haven’t listened to Night Horse‘s second album, Perdition Hymns. I’ll get there. It’ll be reviewed soon enough. Not like I need to worry though, because the band’s upcoming tour is headed nowhere near Jersey, so even if I was to immerse myself in their ultra-bluesy ’70s rock, I wouldn’t get the chance to complement that experience with a live show. Crazy California gets everything. Fuckin’ hoverboards.

Alright. Here’s tour dates from the PR wire:

Night Horse returned with their highly-anticipated sophomore effort Perdition Hymns on Aug. 3, produced and mixed by Matt Bayles (Pearl Jam, Mastodon, The Sword). Perdition Hymns is a patent demonstration of a group that has quickly become a well-refined songwriting machine. The band has chiseled the six-minute jam style songwriting of their debut The Dark Won’t Hide You into the hook-laden gems that comprise Perdition Hymns; with riff driven catchiness and soaring melodies that stick.

Perdition Hymns is a rock and roll classic for current times; a statement of what’s to come within today’s musical landscape; a missing link to years gone by; and a glimpse into what is about to become.

Night Horse tour dates:
Aug. 20 Los Angeles, CA Vacation Vinyl (Free in-store)
Aug. 28 San Diego, CA Soda Bar
Sept. 10 San Diego, CA The Casbah (w/Olivelawn)
Sept. 14 Long Beach, CA The Prospector (w/Radio Moscow)
Sept. 15 Ventura, CA Zan Zillas (w/Radio Moscow)
Sept. 16 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland (w/ Radio Moscow)
Oct. 7 San Francisco, CA The Hemlock
Oct. 8 Portland, OR East End
Oct. 9 Seattle, WA The Comet

It’s strange, because Nick Oliveri has such a reputation for being predictable and reliable, but Mondo Generator has canceled their previously announced US tour. Insert your own “rejoining Queens of the Stone Age” rumor here. The PR wire sent over this brief statement:

Mondo Generator have had to postpone their current US tour. The band are very sorry about this and would like to apologize to all involved; The shows will be rescheduled to run in December and January. New dates will be announced shortly.

Oh wait, I’m sorry, High on Fire tour all the time. That’s not shocking at all. My mistake.

Here’s the latest batch of dates off the PR wire:

World renowned hard rock giants High on Fire have announced a North American headlining tour. The massive fall expedition – dubbed the “Sanctioned Annihilation Tour” — will feature support from Torche and Kylesa and is set to launch on September 29 at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, CA.

Additionally, High on Fire has been chosen to participate as part of the 2011 Soundwave Festival. Billed as Australia’s “biggest metal and rock festival” and set to take place in late February and early March of next year, Soundwave will feature High on Fire alongside such names as Iron Maiden, Slayer, Queens of the Stone Age, Social Distortion, Monster Magnet, Rob Zombie and more.

High on Fire North American “Sanctioned Annihilation” headlining tour:
Sept. 29 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall #
Sept. 30 Pomona, CA Glasshouse #
Oct. 1 Flagstaff, AZ Orpheum Theatre #
Oct. 2 Albuquerque, NM The Launchpad #
Oct. 3 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater #
Oct. 5 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theatre #
Oct. 6 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom
Oct. 8 Rock Island, IL Rock Island Brewing Company #
Oct. 9 Urbana, IL Canopy Club #
Oct. 10 Chicago, IL Metro (Riot Festival)
Oct. 11 Bloomington, IN Bluebird #
Oct. 13 Covington, KY Historic Southgate House #
Oct. 14 Detroit, MI Majestic Theatre #
Oct. 15 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop #
Oct. 16 Rochester, NY Water Street #
Oct. 17 Northampton, MA Pearl Street #
Oct. 19 Halifax, NS The Paragon Theatre (Halifax Pop Explosion)
Oct. 21 Portland, ME Port City Music Hall #
Oct. 22 Providence, RI Club Hell #
Oct. 23 Boston, MA Middle East Downstairs #
Oct. 24 New York, NY Webster Hall #
Oct. 26 Philadelphia, PA Starlite Ballroom #
Oct. 27 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle #
Oct. 29 Gainesville, FL Common Ground (Ye Old Fest)
Nov. 7 Austin, TX Waterloo Park (Fun Fun Fun Fest)
(# = with Torche, Kylesa)

I noticed that I’ve picked up a couple records lately based on recommendations in the comments for this site, so this is the start of a new series of Buried Treasure posts about those albums. Hope you dig it.

A couple weeks ago when I did the Where to Start post on the Palm Desert scene, one of the responding comments was from Midwestern stoner rock luminary and all-around great guy Postman Dan (The Fallopian Dudes, Sow Belly, etc.), who said I should check out the album Gossamer by Solarfeast, which featured the guitar and vocals of Vic du Monte (AKA Chris Cockrell, Kyuss‘ first bassist), Tony Tornay (Fatso Jetson) on drums and was produced by Brant Bjork. Not the hard sell by any means, but it was enough.

There just happened to be a copy for sale on eBay at the time, so I nabbed that just before the auction ended an got the disc in the mail the other day. It’s dirty, it’s definitely of its era in the mid-’90s, and it’s plain to see why Brant Bjork didn’t make a career of producing bands, but what Solarfeast has in spades is charm. Gossamer has a lot more punk in it than I expected, but a song like “My Cradle, My Grave” goes a long way toward showing the influence the desert scene has had on the outside world.

I don’t know if I’d go as far as to pass the recommendation onto anyone just getting started with desert rock, but for those who’ve been around the music for a while, done the Kyuss thing, etc., Solarfeast‘s Gossamer is an interesting curio, and it’s cool to trace the links — Vic du Monte’s Idiot Prayer released two albums through Brant Bjork‘s Duna Records (now Low Desert Punk) and Cockrell‘s latest project, Vic du Monte’s Persona Non Grata, features Alfredo Hernandez (Yawning Man, ex-Kyuss) on drums — and see just how incestuous this scene is. Plus, it’s fun, and we all need that sometimes.

I don’t think I’m breaking any new critical ground when I say that Mondo Generator‘s last full-length, Dead Planet, wasn’t exactly blowing the doors down. Nonetheless, as the figure so critical in bringing any kind of edge to the songwriting of Queens of the Stone Age, to whom I can only hope and imagine he’ll return eventually if not sooner, I have faith in Nick Oliveri to pull a killer record from out his often-seen ass, and I look forward to the Time to Destroy LP that will follow the band’s new single, Dog Food.

The PR wire has the goods on Dog Food, which features Happy Tom (Turbonegro) and Dave Grohl, and some Mondo Generator tour dates. Be friends with it:

Mondo Generator have announced a run of shows through August and September in support of their new single Dog Food (available on August 10). Special guests for all shows will be Tweak Bird with Its Casual and Violent Soho also joining for selected shows. Tickets are on sale now at venues and usual outlets…

Aug. 4- Elbo Room, San Francisco CA
Aug. 6- Dante’s, Portland OR
Aug. 7- Studio 7, Seattle WA
Aug. 9- Club Vegas, Salt Lake City UT
Aug. 11- 3 Kings Tavern, Denver CO
Aug. 12- Riot Room, Kansas City MO
Aug. 13- Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis MN
Aug. 14- Frequency, Madison WI
Aug. 15- Double Door, Chicago IL
Aug. 16- Southgate House, Newport KY
Aug. 17- Smalls, Hamtramck MI
Aug. 18- Bug Jar, Rochester NY
Aug. 19- Santos, New York NY
Aug. 20- Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge MA
Aug. 21- North Star Bar, Philadelphia PA
Aug. 22- 37th & Zen, Norfolk VA
Aug. 24- Casbah @ Trenton Music Hall, Charlotte NC
Aug. 25- Stella Blue, Asheville NC
Aug. 26- Hi Tone Cafe, Memphis TN
Aug. 27- The Conservatory, Oklahoma City OK
Aug. 28- Emo’s, Austin TX
Aug. 29- Skillman Street Bar, Dallas TX
Aug. 31- Launch Pad, Albuquerque NM
Sep. 2- Spaceland, Los Angeles CA

What a question. Understand, I’m not talking about a grouping based on sound. I mean bands from the desert in California. It’s a limited bunch of musicians, centered around a few interconnected acts that have had a tremendous impact on stoner rock the world over. Although I think they’ve made some of the most important contributions to the genre, I’m including no outside bands here. It’s all about location.

Five bands  you need to know, and which album to get. Here goes:

1. Yawning Man: Most often credited as originators of the desert scene, an instrumental trio with Gary Arce, Mario Lalli (also Fatso Jetson) and Alfredo Hernandez (also Kyuss). Their new album, Nomadic Pursuits (review here), is fantastic and a great display of the influence they’ve had on those who’ve followed them, but recommendations for 2005′s Rock Formations are valid.

2. Kyuss: They’re the hallmark act of stoner rock, with import not just limited to the bands former members have launched (Queens of the Stone Age, Unida, Slo Burn, Brant Bjork, Mondo Generator, etc.). Welcome to Sky Valley is an all-time classic. As necessary as oxygen.

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Aggressive stoner metallers The Fucking Wrath have been picked up by Tee Pee Records. For a label whose recent output has been closer to Dead Meadow-style psychedelic post-rock, it’s something of a surprise, given all the hardcore punk The Fucking Wrath inject into their music, but I guess you gotta change things up. Either way, it’s pretty god damn heavy.

The Fucking Wrath will have a new EP out this year and are set to hit the road this Fall alongside Ancestors. No, they’re not coming East. The PR wire speaks, we listen:

Tee Pee Records is proud to introduce the newest addition to their roster: The Fucking Wrath. The band will issue the EP Terra Fire in October on Tee Pee Records followed by a full-length in the spring of 2011. The Fucking Wrath will be performing at the recently-announced Power of the Riff Festival taking place on August 8th in Los Angeles. October dates have also been announced with new labelmates Ancestors!

Tour Dates:
08/08/2010 The Echoplex, Los Angeles, CA (Power of the Riff)
10/20/2010 Zahn Zillas, Ventura, CA*
10/21/2010 Hemlock Tavern, San Francisco, CA*
10/22/2010 East End, Portland, OR*
10/23/2010 Comet Tavern, Seattle, WA*
10/25/2010 Jambalaya, Arcata, CA*
10/26/2010 Nick’s Night Club, Chico, CA*
10/27/2010 Jose’s Mexican Bar & Grill, Monterey, CA*
* w/ Ancestors

The answer is no, it hasn’t been a year yet. It was only back in November of last year that I reviewed Palm Springs desert rockers Dali’s Llama‘s ninth album, Raw is Real, and now already they’ve returned with a follow-up. Due out August 9, Howl Do You Do? is number 10, and like the rest, it’ll be released on the band’s own Dali’s Llama Records. Hey man, if you believe in it, you do it.

There’s a new track called “She’s My Halloween” posted on Dali’s Llama‘s MySpace page now. As you can tell from listening, it’s a little different, a little spookier with the organ, and a whole lot more garage rock. That’s just how the band wanted it to be. Here’s what they had to say about it:

Although we are normally thought of as a tuned-down desert rock “stoner” band, we wanted to make a CD that shows our garage rock roots (with a big heap of raw blues). Hints of The Sonics, Music Machine and The Yardbirds grace this CD, with a more contemporary Fuzztones and The Damned influence. In the spirit of Green Day’s Foxboro Hot Tubs, this is our homage to the nuggets that inspired songwriter Zach Huskey when he was growing up Green on Red like. Join us on our journey through garageville, we’ll return to “heavy” soon enough. Hope you dig it.

With new releases by both Yawning Man and Fatso Jetson (both delivered via Cobraside Distribution), 2010 is shaping up to be a banner year for fans of true desert rock. As in, rock, from the desert. It doesn’t get much more so than the sweetly toned Yawning Man, whose latest album is the quizzically-titled Nomadic Pursuits. In what’s being billed as a “reunion lineup” boasting guitarist Gary Arce, bassist Mario Lalli (also guitar/vocals in Fatso Jetson) and drummer Alfredo Hernandez, the instrumental trio offer a glimpse into generator-party bliss, ringing out reverb into the open air as many bands try to do and almost nobody pulls off this well.

True, it’s been five years since Yawning Man put out the Rock Formations full-length and the Pot Head EP, which were compiled on vinyl in 2008’s Vista Point, but I for one am of the opinion that if Yawning Man happened every day it would lose some of the magic. Yeah, it would be cool to get a fresh batch of jams each year – I know I wouldn’t get tired of hearing Arce’s guitar tone, which if you want to get right down to it is more or less what launched the now-legendary Palm Desert scene those many years ago – but there’s something special about a release like Nomadic Pursuits. It doesn’t happen often, it serves a very specific purpose, and it feels special when you listen. Not every album does that.

And it’s not like we’ve been Arce-less. There was the killer Yawning Sons record last year in collaboration with the UK’s Sons of Alpha Centauri, and there was Dark Tooth Encounter and Arce’s contributions to Ten East and others that have at least somewhat filled a Yawning void. Nonetheless, once you hear the lively interaction between Arce, Lalli and Hernandez on “Far-off Adventure,” you’ll be forced to agree there’s nothing quite like the real deal. At 8:28, that’s the longest cut on Nomadic Pursuits, but not necessarily the most satisfying. The opener, “Camel Tow,” is warm enough to make me long for air conditioning, and as the jam is later revived and mutated on “Camel Tow Too,” it becomes something of a running theme throughout the album. A focal point, almost, but the music carries such a spontaneity and natural feel that to call something that feels like I’m saying it’s contrived, which would be grossly inaccurate.

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I like to think sometimes that it takes more than personnel for me to be interested in hearing a new band, but I’m willing to admit that occasionally that’s not true. What had me excited about San Juan Capistrano four-piece Death Valley Roadkill was its rhythm section, comprised of ex-Fu Manchu and Nebula bassist and drummer, Mark Abshire and Ruben Romano. Their pasts having provided a significant mark on what stoner rock is today, I figured Death Valley Roadkill would probably fit right in line with what they’d done before, and whoever else was involved, well, whatever.

Thus, on my first listen to the more than several tracks Death Valley Roadkill have posted on their MySpace — live demos from the sound of them — I was duly surprised to hear nothing but acoustics. No fuzz, no distortion, no giant riffs and snide vocals. Sweet notes punctuated by light drumming and the easy-moving voices of Marco Foster (also guitar) and Rich J. Weinrauch (also also guitar). Abshire and Romano? They’re there, but hardly in the way they’re known for.

It turns out Death Valley Roadkill did this session unplugged in preparation for an acoustic gig, and that in fact, the band does plug in and fuzz out on a normal day, there just isn’t any of that material online yet. That in mind, songs like “Darkness” and “Dirt Road” make a whole lot more sense, and I look forward to hearing the “heavy” versions. Acoustically, the tracks a wholesome spontaneity to them, and it will be interesting to see if that carries over to the final recorded versions.

For now, this session is up for a limited time on Death Valley Roadkill‘s MySpace, and it’s a cool way to get introduced and to really pay attention to the structure of the songs as only acoustic material allows you to do. Don’t expect too elaborate a production — it’s room mics all the way — but put them on and run through a few while you’re working and you might be surprised how they stay with you afterward. Abshire and Romano seem to be in good company with Foster and Weinrauch, and as a longtime fan of their work, I’m glad to have them on the radar for what’s coming next.

The truth is I was going to end the week with some Yawning Man, because Gary Arce‘s guitar tone, though born and descriptive of the Californian desert, also matches the woods of Vermont better than I could have ever imagined, but I’m planning on reviewing their new album next week, and it wouldn’t do to repeat myself. As a substitute, enjoy the above track from Ten East, which is the formidable gathering of Arce, Mario Lalli, Brant Bjork and Bill Stinson.

It’s hot here, and buggy, but not as bad today as yesterday if you’re out of the sun, which, with the blinds down and my face buried deep in this laptop, I am as best I can be. I’ve already done more reading and writing here in the last day than I’d done all summer back home in the valley, so I feel good about that, despite feeling like I’m neglecting the site, which I am. I’ll try and establish a little more balance next week, I’m still kind of getting settled here.

Everything’s a process, in other words.

The Patient Mrs. and I are shortly to go see Predators, part because I’ve a weakness for the original and part because the theater is bound to have air conditioning, so I’ll wrap up here and say thanks for checking in. Next week I hope to have reviews of Blackwolfgoat, the aforementioned Yawning Man and Chicago‘s Geronimo!, among others, and I’ll put up my recent interview with Gozu‘s Marc Gaffney as well, so plenty of good things to come. Be safe and enjoy your weekend.

Dear Mr. Homme,

I’d be remiss if I didn’t start off saying thanks for the many years of ass kickery. Having never spoken to you either in-person or via telephone (the closest I’ve yet come was being blown off in 2005), this feels an appropriate avenue to mention that, although there’ve been highs and lows, hard rock probably wouldn’t be the same in 2010 without your having been in it for about two decades now. So yeah, much appreciated.

On to the business at hand: By now I’m sure you’ve seen the video of your former Kyuss cohorts, Nick Oliveri, Brant Bjork and John Garcia playing together at Hellfest in France during a Garcia Plays Kyuss set. If you missed it, here it is:

Pretty badass, I know. Now, the thing of it is, I can’t imagine you haven’t watched that and thought to yourself, perhaps more than ever before, that maybe it’s time to get Kyuss back together. I’m not going to urge you not to do it. Rather, the purpose of this letter is to ask that, if you do decide it’s time for a Kyuss reunion, to do it the right way.

By that I mean no shows. Think of all the reunions going on; bands get back together and they’re all so excited to be playing again — or they’re just doing it for cash — that they book a tour, and yeah, it can be great, but it’s a nostalgic thing. If Kyuss‘ music has proved to be anything, it’s timeless, and to see a reunion come about that’s just based on, “Hey, let’s trot out ‘Allen’s Wrench’ for the folks who didn’t get to see it,” would be disappointing and lame. I think that’s also why it hasn’t happened yet.

That’s not a slag on Garcia Plays Kyuss. I saw them in April and it was great to hear him sing those songs. But if you’re going to revive a band like Kyuss, whose popularity came after their breakup, the way to do it is to put out an album first. I know the music is a lot different, but the best-handled reunion I’ve ever seen was that of Celtic Frost (until it fell apart, anyway). They announced they were back together, and immediately started writing. They took as long as it needed to take to write — in their case it was about five years — and they put out a killer album in Monotheist, and only then did they start booking tours. It was a triumphant return, the shows sold out, the record was great, and most importantly, fans had a context for who Celtic Frost was in the present, instead of who they were when they put out Into the Pandemonium or To Mega Therion.

What I’m saying is, it’s been 13 years since Kyuss ended, and a lot has happened in that time. If you decide to bring Kyuss back, don’t just do it to play the greatest hits, do it as a creative endeavor. That way no one on either side, fan or artist, goes into it thinking things will be just like they were on Blues for the Red Sun, which is a ridiculous expectation but a prevalent one nonetheless. Write first, get Chris Goss to produce, and put out a Kyuss album. Then tour. You’ll find that what Kyuss was is entirely preserved, and what Kyuss is today can honor that while at the same time offer a glimpse of how time has changed you guys as players. As a fan, I just think Kyuss deserves more than the usual “one more go” reunion, and felt compelled to share my thoughts. On the off-chance you see them, thanks for reading.

Sincerely,
Some Dude You’ve Never Heard Of
Heaping Pismire Taskmaster