Posted in Whathaveyou on July 2nd, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Obviously it’s early to announce a tour for Spring 2021, but you gotta announce something, right? Corrosion of Conformity and Spirit Adrift were to take to Europe together this past April and May, making festival stops and more as the Southern metal progenitors celebrated 25 years since the release of their landmark Deliverance (discussed here) album, and yeah, that probably would’ve been cool. They’ll go next year instead, both bands, starting in late April in Dublin and staying abroad for about a month to finish in Birmingham after swiping down onto the continent proper, hitting Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands en route. Looks good to me. Hey guys, can I come? I’m quiet and I don’t eat much.
Two things about this tour:
1. Let’s just assume that the two days off between April 28 and May 1 and the extra day between May 12 and May 14 are to account for stops at Desertfest London and Berlin, respectively. C.O.C. were set to appear at both this year, so it stands to reason they’ll help both festivals celebrate 10 years in 2021.
2. A little more nonsequitor, but when was the last time you saw a stretch of European tour dates with more shows in France than Germany? Good for you, France. Enjoy the shows.
Dates follow, as posted on social media and dutifully transcribed by yours truly:
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – EUROPE 2021
w/ Spirit Adrift
Sat 24 Apr Academy Dublin IE Sun 25 Apr Limelight 2 Belfast UK Tue 27 Apr Garage Glasgow UK Wed 28 Apr Club Academy Manchester UK Sat 01 May Headbangers Balls Festival Izegem BE Sun 02 May Le Grillen Colmar FR Tue 04 May Petit Bain Paris FR Wed 05 May Connexion Live Toulouse FR Fri 07 May Razzmatazz 2 Barcelona ES Mon 10 May Legend Milan IT Tue 11 May Klub Complex Zurich CH Wed 12 May Rockhouse Salzburg AT Fri 14 May Backstage Halle Munich DE Sun 16 May Pumpehuset Copenhagen DK Tue 18 May Logo Hamburg DE Wed 19 May Patronaat Haarlem NL Fri 21 May Engine Rooms Southhampton UK Sat 22 May 02 Institute 2 Birmingham UK
It’s a classic either way, but I’m willing to go to bat for Wiseblood as the best Corrosion of Conformity record. Blasphemy!, you say. Controversy! Harumph! Harumph!
I agree it’s commonly accepted that 1994’s Deliverance (discussed here) is the Raleigh, North Carolina, band’s peak. The band themselves spent much of last year touring it again for its 25th anniversary, and in 2014, when they first reunited as the four-piece of bassist/sometimes vocalist Mike Dean, guitarist/backing vocalist Woodroe Weatherman, drummer/backing vocalist Reed Mullin (RIP 2020) and prodigal frontman guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan, it was tagged as the ‘Deliverance era’ lineup.
So why the defiance of common knowledge? Easy, Wiseblood is a better record. I talked about this a little bit a decade ago, but the key difference for me between the two landmark full-lengths — they both are, I would in no way deny it — is that with Deliverance, you kind of had to be there. I remember hearing “Clean My Wounds” on the radio and seeing the video on MTV. Same for “Albatross.” Deliverance has had an influence on bands that spans at least one generation, but if we’re looking at it purely from the level of songwriting, I’ll take Wiseblood almost every time.
Issued in October 1996 through Columbia Records with John Custer producing as ever, Wiseblood is without question a product of the CD era. It runs nearly 58 minutes long and brings together 13 tracks, including the advance singles “King of the Rotten” (the album opener), “Drowning in a Daydream,” and the slower-chugging “Man or Ash,” on which James Hetfield of Metallica put in a guest appearance on vocals alongside Keenan. But that was just a piece of the whole story. Wiseblood — like most commercial releases of the time — was not without filler, but in cuts like “Goodbye Windows,” “Long Whip / Big America,” “The Snake Has No Head,” “Wiseblood,” “Born Again for the Last Time,” the ultra-swaggering “The Door” and the subdued “Redemption City,” as well as those three songs that were sent to radio stations ahead of time, the band showed not only that Deliverance wasn’t a fluke, but that they could build off it and conjure even greater songwriting achievements. Wiseblood‘s title-track alone deserves to be pressed to a 12″, let alone the rest of the album. And as the record wound down, with the still catchy “Wishbone (Some Tomorrow)” following “Redemption City” and the satisfyingly speedy but largely forgettable “Fuel” and the almost-eight-minute instrumental jam “Bottom Feeder (El que come abajo)” closing out, even what might’ve been called filler retained quality and dynamic.
The hooks were everywhere. “Redemption City” (“what a pity…”), “Wiseblood” (“youngblood creepin’…”), “Goodbye Windows” (“I’d rather have holes in my eyes…”), “Long Whip / Big America” (“hey hey hey, what’s that game you play…”), “Drowning in a Daydream” (“there’s a man who watches over me…”), “Man or Ash” (“these are primitive — times!”), “Wishbone (Some Tomorrow)” (“twilight explodes in my time of the blind…”), and I don’t know about you, but I don’t have to do more than look at the titles “Born Again for the Last Time” or “The Door” or “King of the Rotten” to hear Keenan‘s voice singing them in my head. These songs continue to resonate even 24 years later, and speaking as a fan, they’ve aged well.
Of course, for a band who got as big as C.O.C. did at the time — “Drowning in a Daydream” was nominated for a Grammy in 1998 — every era will have its proponents, and C.O.C. have had enough eras to fulfill that impulse, whether it was their earlier trio days playing hardcore punk, or the beginning of Keenan‘s tenure with the band on the Karl Agell-fronted (later of Leadfoot) 1991 outing, Blind, on through the mid-’90s and into the 2000s with America’s Volume Dealer — slicker in production, still ace in craft — and the sans-Mullin 2005 In the Arms of God LP, after which the band went on pause as Keenan focused his time on Down, then proceeded without him for a self-titled (review here) in 2012 and 2014’s follow-up, IX(review here), before regrouping as a four-piece, touring like mad and eventually offering up 2018’s No Cross No Crown (review here), finding a middle-ground between nostalgia for the ’94-’96 era and the ensuing 20 years, essentially as an extension of the work the band was doing on the road.
With the band’s winding history, I understand how for a subsequent generation, they can be kind of intimidating to take on. 10 years ago, I advocated Wiseblood as the place to start, and I stick by that entirely. Deliverance was glorious — still is. The kind of record people dream of making. But Wiseblood, with its more developed melodies, plays between metal and hard, heavy and Southern rock and the sheer chemistry between the artists who made it, feels less connected to the time it was made. It’s always been in the shadow of its predecessor’s greater sales, and there’s no question which one begat the other — “King of the Rotten” feels like an answer to “Heaven’s Not Overflowing,” “Redemption City” to “Albatross,” and so on — but taken on its own merits, even up to the jam that unfolds across “Bottom Feeder (El que come abajo),” coalescing the interludes of the album prior into one longer feast of riffs and groove, I’ll still take Wiseblood, blasphemy or not. If you disagree, well, that’s fun too.
C.O.C., like everyone, have had their plans stifled by the realities of 2020. They would’ve headlined Desertfest this year in London and Berlin, and done more touring besides. Whatever happens for the rest of this year and the next and the next, the band’s accomplishments are legitimately the stuff of legend, and while the loss of Mullin earlier this year no doubt weighs heavy on the group, one can’t help but wonder if maybe they aren’t putting their downtime to use as so many others are and beginning to think about new material following up on No Cross No Crown. I’d take another C.O.C. record. That’s only ever something to look forward to.
As always, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading.
—
My father used to tell me he prayed for death every day. One time, he showed me where a tooth was chipped where his mother beat him with a belt and the buckle knocked him in the mouth. I’ve been thinking about that image. About the kind of guilt that must instill, the kind of self-loathing. He threatened plenty enough, but my father never hit me. I guess that’s progress, right? Generational progress?
When I get frustrated at The Pecan, I try and respond with kindness. It doesn’t always work, mind you. But I try. Is that progress too? I don’t want to be angry at my son. I don’t want to instill him with that loathing that I took as inheritance. My birthright to being a miserable bastard. I take pills. I’m not now, but I’ve been in therapy. My father never did that. I asked him about it once and he said, “A pill won’t change who I am,” or some such. Now that I’m an adult, I have to remind myself that that’s an illness I know well, because if I don’t, I view it as weakness. Is that progress, I wonder.
Sirens go by. I know I’m getting older because the world seems more terrifying. I love my wife. It’s me I could do without.
I’ll go to the playground today, take The Pecan out for a long walk to help him balance his energy out a little. He needs that. I took him to the doctor yesterday for his 30-month well visit. The lockdown at the office was serious. Then he took a nap and I went to Costco. The lockdown at Costco was less serious. People out. People still dying. Open the beaches. No one look at each other and you’ll be fine.
Drink bleach.
Or inject it.
No Gimme show this week. Pre-empted, which is fine. It was was a repeat anyhow, and they asked if I minded. Shit no. They’re good to me. I can’t complain.
Next week I’m streaming the Geezer album as of about five minutes ago. Also an Apostle of Solitude video premiere, and a Lamp of the Universe premiere and hopefully a Black Rainbows review. Lot of Ripple Music and Heavy Psych Sounds around here lately. Those two should team up as a multinational underground conglomerate and just sign everybody. Ripplepsych Sounds.
Posted in Radio on February 14th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
I didn’t get to say so in the episode itself, but the reason I end the latest edition of The Obelisk Show on Gimme Radio with two live tracks is because, although I never knew him, it was always amazing to watch Reed Mullin play, and it was always clear he relished the impact his work had on the crowd.
The entire episode is a tribute to the recently-deceased Corrosion of Conformity drummer, and it was kind of a whim of an idea I had to put it together. I was doing a regular-type playlist and it just kind of felt like I should say something about Mullin passing away — I already did a remembrance post, so I’ll spare you that here — and then I started to think of what song to play to go with that, and come on. Really? One song? I asked if anyone at Gimme had done any kind of special, and next thing I new, I was thumbing through the decades-spanning C.O.C. catalog to get tracks for a full playlist. And that’s where I wound up. Two straight hours of Corrosion of Conformity and zero regrets.
I tried to cover the different eras of the band as much and as broadly as I could. A few of the bigger hits are in there — “Albatross,” “Deliverance,” etc. — but for a band who’ve done so much, obviously there was a ton of ground to cover and no way to get it all in. The only full-length not included, of course, was 2005’s In the Arms of God, on which Mullin didn’t play. Other than that, I hope this stuff serves as a reminder of how special his playing was and how much he brought to the band.
The Obelisk Show on Gimme Radio airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Feb. 28. Thanks for listening if you do.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 6th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
So let me get this out of the way and say that the whole friggin’ Stoned and Dusted 2020 lineup is incredible. Kudos to the California Desert Wizards Association, which is the mysterious entity putting on the festival out in the Mojave, both at Pappy and Harriet’s and in the open air itself, taking place outside with camping and all the rest of it. Whole thing, great job. Okay. But seriously, at the first night of the thing, they’ve got Los Dug Dugs from Mexico City playing, and if you’ve never dug-dug into their stuff, it’s yet another lost classic of the heavy ’70s that’s begging to be heard. That’s an impressive get through and through. Nicely done.
Now, onto the rest. Yawning Man, Brant Bjork, Corrosion of Conformity, Masters of Reality, Dead Meadow, Earthless, Mos Generator, Big Scenic Nowhere, The Well. The inclusion of all of the last three I assume means that Tony Reed of Mos Generator and Ian Graham and Lisa Alley of The Well will take part in the Big Scenic Nowhere set — could be a package tour in the making there — and it doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect Mario Lalli might be on hand to play bass either, as Yawning Man will be playing the first night.
Toss in Hippie Death Cult, Helms Alee, The Heavy Eyes, BALA, Jesika von Rabbit, Sean Wheeler, Hammer of the Ozz and a few more TBA, not to mention Mad Alchemy doing the lights, and you’ve got a three-night desert party that’s very, very clearly going to be something special for those fortunate enough to be there to witness it.
To that end, tickets go on sale Saturday, as per the PR wire:
STONED AND DUSTED 2020 LINEUP
Yeah buddy! Here it comes again! Are you ready?! Finally the scoop on this year’s Stoned and Dusted party, brought to you by your California Desert Wizards Association.
In 2020 we have THREE NIGHTS of fun: Friday May 22nd; Saturday May 23rd; and Sunday May 24th.
STONED AND DUSTED WELCOME PARTY: On Friday May 22 we have a very special lineup at California’s most famous cantina, Pappy & Harriet’s. Friday’s show is on the indoor stage and we are proud to present 1970’s psych legends from Mexico City, Los Dug Dugs, with desert legends Yawning Man and more TBA.
STONED AND DUSTED ROADHOUSE: On Saturday May 23 we are doing it up again at Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace (outside stage), our favorite dusty, desert roadhouse. Pack your earplugs, rolling papers and bring a designated driver for this insane lineup: Corrosion of Conformity, Masters of Reality, Brant Bjork, Helms Alee, BALA and a late show inside from Jesika von Rabbit.
STONED AND DUSTED CAMPOUT: On Sunday May 24 we invite you to a generator party – a Memorial Day concert, cookout and campout at a secret desert location. You can camp on site and party with your friends and fellow desert wizards late into the night. The boulders are there; we are bringing the rock! Dead Meadow, Earthless, Big Scenic Nowhere, The Well, The Heavy Eyes, Mos Generator, Sean Wheeler Y Los Caminos, Hippie Death Cult and Hammer of the Ozz. The Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show will light up the desert once again this year.
General on-sale begins late this Saturday night, Feb 8, around midnight into Sunday morning. Go to our website and join our email list for more information.
STONED AND DUSTED PRE-PARTY $22 STONED AND DUSTED ROADHOUSE $60 STONED AND DUSTED CAMPOUT $230
For the STONED AND DUSTED CAMPOUT, we also offer a camping gear add-on for those who can’t fly with a tent and want to camp out under desert skies.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 3rd, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Desertfest New York 2020 has made its first lineup announcement, with Corrosion of Conformity, Stoned Jesus, Bongzilla, Dead Meadow, Conan, Crypt Trip, Yatra, Toke, Leather Lung, R.I.P., Huntsmen, High Reeper and The Atomic Bitchwax confirmed. That’s a first North American appearance for Stoned Jesus, and I’ll be honest, I was gonna show up anyway after being there for the inaugural Desertfest NYC this past Spring, but even if I wasn’t, that would be enough to get me on board. Throwing in C.O.C., Dead Meadow, Conan and The Atomic Bitchwax, along with Bongzilla and, well, everybody, is a righteous bonus. One way or another, you got me early with this one, Desertfest. The calendar was marked. I’ll mark it again just to be safe.
Early-bird tickets are gone, but regular-type tickets are on sale now.
Just off the PR wire:
DESERTFEST NEW YORK REVEALS FIRST ACTS FOR 2ND EDITION TAKING PLACE SEPTEMBER 2020
DESERTFEST NYC 2020 11th – 13th September 2020 | Brooklyn, NY, USA
Desetrfest returns to Brooklyn in September 2020, after a wildly successful first edition in April 2019 the globally renowned stoner and doom event solidifies its position in the U.S.A. Adding an additional day at Bushwick venue, The Well from Friday 11th – Sunday 13th September, whilst moving its already cult status pre-party at Saint Vitus Bar to Thursday night. Early-birds have sold out already, but regular 3-day & 4-day passes are now on sale, as the first 13 bands are announced for the second celebration of underground heavy music.
Desertfest NYC is pleased to welcome genre defining legends CORROSION OF CONFORMITY to proceedings, the masters of Southern boogie will bring their signature stomp and impeccable live show to The Well in September 2020. After the recent loss of founding member Reed Mullin, we can’t wait to show C.O.C some serious Desertfest love.
Joining C.O.C across the weekend will be psychedelic stoners DEAD MEADOW, dreamy trips into a galaxy of guitar laden fuzz and the melodic drawl of frontman Jason Simon puts the band in a league of their own when it comes to genre-bending rock’n’roll. Making the trip from further afield we are pleased to welcome long-time friends of the Desertfest clan, Liverpool’s most revered doom band of the modern age, the battle-hammer of CONAN will make a mighty blow upon New York with the uttermost ferocity. Britain seems like the town next door compared to the distant lands of Ukraine, where STONED JESUS will make the pilgrimage for their long-awaited American debut at DF NYC. Heavily regarded as one of the leading bands in the stoner/doom scene in Eastern Europe, the bands defiant anthem ‘I’m the Mountain’ is close to perfection in eyes, and ears, across the globe.
After their unfortunate tour cancellation in 2019, we are pleased to welcome back riff-centric power trio THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX for a high octane set of thunder-boogie. Some of our favourite people to get loose with, Wisconsin premier party-starters BONGZILLA will fire off a sativa induced bacchanal of sludge. Street-walkin’ sleaze demons R.I.P have honed a sound, look and attitude that is entirely their own and will make no apologies or explanations for how utterly crushing it is. Whatever’s in the water in North Carolina seems to cultivate some of our favourite sounds and you’re damn right in thinking that includes TOKE, old-school 70’s worship comes in the form of doom metal quartet HIGH REEPER – a band who repeatedly turn our heads with their unique take on breaking new ground. Speaking of new ground, Americana doom pioneers HUNTSMEN have grabbed our attention with their fresh take on metal, an exceptional blend of Springsteen-equse melodies with crushing heaviness makes an otherworldly combo. Finally, to round off this excellent first reveal, we’re pleased to play host to the superb, CRYPT TRIP, YATRA and LEATHER LUNG.
3-day passes (The Well only) and 4-day passes which includes access to the pre-party at Saint Vitus, are on sale NOW viaTHIS LINK
Posted in Features on January 28th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
As Corrosion of Conformity make ready to embark on their first tour of Australia and New Zealand in six years, the North Carolina-based progenitors of Southern-style heavy rock announce the death of erstwhile drummer Reed Mullin. Mullin, 53, had been in and out of C.O.C. over the half-decade since their reunion with guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan, but his work proved as essential as ever to the band with 2018’s studio return, No Cross No Crown. A founding member of Corrosion of Conformity alongside bassist/vocalist Mike Dean and guitarist/backing vocalist Woodroe Weatherman in 1982, Mullin played on pivotal records like 1985’s Animosity and 1987’s Technocracy, driving the early sound of the then-trio through its hardcore punk furies, but proved no less adaptable to what became their evolving, signature sound and greatest commercial and critical successes.
With those albums, particularly 1994’s Deliverance and its Grammy-nominated 1996 follow-up, Wiseblood, Mullin anchored the powerful groove on which C.O.C.’s legacy and influence would be built, and even as Keenan emerged as a frontman, the drums behind him built the foundation on which the band resided and fleshed out their memorable songs. Years of reported health problems, etc., have kept him out of the band as they have become a working four-piece unit again, but on 2012’s self-titled LP and 2014’s follow-up, IX, a three-piece incarnation of Corrosion of Conformity with Mullin on drums/vocals, Dean and Weatherman reignited an exploration of their punk roots that still held to a riff-led charge. His work there, as ever, was crucial.
Mullin took part in every Corrosion of Conformity recording aside from 2005’s In the Arms of God, a then-swansong of sorts for the band as a four-piece, and was a creative force behind making C.O.C. who they were, are and will continue to be. The last time I saw him on stage was in 2015, and in presence, voice and style, he was a singular, special figure. He will be much, much missed.
Condolences on behalf of myself and the site to Mullin’s friends, family and associates, as well of course as the band itself, which will never be the same.
Their announcement follows:
Reed, It’s with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to a friend, a brother and pioneer.
Love and condolences to the family, friends and fans who will miss you and thanks for the music.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 19th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
I’m a little curious at this point how long Corrosion of Conformity‘s touring cycle for their early-2018 album, No Cross No Crown(review here), is going to grow. Granted, they’ve been flying other banners along the way, such as the 25th anniversary of Deliverance (review here) this year, but still, they were regularly touring before No Cross No Crown for a couple years, and they’ve only been at it harder ever since. They were already announced for Desertfest in London and Berlin, so a trip back to Europe was bound to happen, but now we have the dates. It’s Western Europe, which makes me think that they might get back at some point for the eastern half of the continent, but there’s also been word in the interim that guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan will head out this summer for festival dates with his other band, the supergroup Down, as they in turn celebrate the 25th anniversary of their debut album, Nola. So many anniversaries! I’m gonna run out of greeting cards.
So maybe after the early-2020 trip to Australia and New Zealand and the return to Europe around Desertfests, that’s a wrap for C.O.C. for now. For those curious — which is apparently an entire contingent on the band’s social media — I wouldn’t expect drummer Reed Mullin to be making either trek, but they’ve certainly done nothing but kick ass in his absence, if my own experience is anything to go by. Nothing against the dude, but C.O.C. aren’t taking the stage to deliver anything less than a stellar product, and sure enough, they don’t.
Here are the current upcoming dates. Spirit Adrift aren’t on all of the Euro shows, so check the poster too. Click either one to enlarge:
EUROPE DATES SPRING 2020 with Spirit Adrift SAT Apr 25 Dublin Ireland Academy SUN Apr 26 Belfast Limelight 2 TUE Apr 28 Glasgow Scotland Garage WED Apr 29 Manchester UK FRI May 01 London UK Camden DesertFest SAT May 02 Izegem Belgium Headbangers Balls Festival SUN May 03 Berlin Germany Desertfest Berlin TUE May 05 Salzburg Austria Rockhouse WED May 06 Munich Baskstage Halle THU May 07 Milan Italy Legend SAT May 09 Madrid Spain Sala Riviera SUN May 10 Barcelona, Spain Razmataz 2 TUE May 12 Paris, France le petit bain WED May 13 Rouen France Le 106 FRI May 15 Southhampton UK Engine rooms SAT May 16 Birmingham UK 02 institute 2
Corrosion of Conformity – Australian & New Zealand Tour Tour Dates: Tue 4 Feb – Auckland, Galatos Wed 5 Feb- Adelaide, Lion Arts Factory Thu 6 Feb – Perth, Amplifier Capitol Fri 7 Feb – Melbourne, Max Watt’s House of Music Sat 8 Feb – Brisbane, Crowbar Brisbane Wed 12 Feb – Sydney, Crowbar Sydney
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 26th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
Maybe you saw Corrosion of Conformity live at some point this year in the US. Maybe you caught them at Freak Valley and other fests this year or you’re looking forward to seeing them in Europe next Spring as they make the rounds of the Spring festival circuit, doing Desertfest in London and Berlin, no doubt among a slew of other still to be announced. The point is, C.O.C. have been touring. Hard.
And even as they’ve been celebrating their past and landmark releases, they haven’t exactly been shy about showing love to 2018’s No Cross No Crown(review here), and neither should they be, honestly, both because it kicks ass and because it was a long time coming. I dug what the re-emergent Animosity-era three-piece of C.O.C. started doing abut a decade ago, but it’s a different animal, even if it’s most (or I guess half now) of the same people.
Well, Corrosion of Conformity haven’t been to Australia and New Zealand in six years, so as they continue to make the rounds on this significant-ass album cycle, they’re headed out that way in February for a round of shows presented by Silverback Touring, who posted the dates thusly:
We are stoked to announce the triumphant return of Southern rock legends, Corrosion Of Conformity, to Australia and New Zealand, and this time with Pepper Keenan up front. Pepper returned to the band for 2018’s massive “No Cross No Crown” album which charted around the world, including Australia.
These shows are not to be missed. Tickets on sale now.
Corrosion of Conformity – Australian & New Zealand Tour Tour Dates: Tue 4 Feb – Auckland, Galatos Wed 5 Feb- Adelaide, Lion Arts Factory Thu 6 Feb – Perth, Amplifier Capitol Fri 7 Feb – Melbourne, Max Watt’s House of Music Sat 8 Feb – Brisbane, Crowbar Brisbane Wed 12 Feb – Sydney, Crowbar Sydney
