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Thinning the Herd Premiere “Gaikatt Mountain” Video

Posted in Bootleg Theater on May 15th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

thinning the herd

It’s been a while since the last check-in from New York-based heavy rockers Thinning the Herd. It happens. Their last album was 2013’s Freedom From the Known and after that came out they went through a few lineup shifts as a band will, and already in 2012 they’d lost drummer Rick Cimato in a fatal auto accident, so yeah, after something like that, you might need some time. Still, led by guitarist/vocalist Gavin Spielman, the band have a new video for the instrumental track “Gaikatt Mountain” from the aforementioned 2013 LP, made in homage to Cimato, and I’m happy today to host the premiere for it. You’ll find it below, followed by some comment from Spielman.

The track itself unfolds as a mellow jam, beginning with light strings strumming and gradually moving into fuzzier terrain. You can hear the live feel that Steve Albini recordings are known for in the rhythm section, even as acoustic and electric guitars intertwine, the bass punching through insistently all the while. Its easy flow is contrasted soon enough with a quick shift to a rushing riff and tempo-surge progression. You’ll see in the video it’s when the shift happens from landscape to cityscape, and there’s live footage spliced in as well, but later on the drone shots return and make a fitting cap even as the shift to quiet ends up more permanent. As these cats always were, it’s no pretense heavy rock with some metal oomph behind it that asks little indulgence beyond four minutes of your time.

The album’s seven years old, so absolutely, you can find it streaming in the places where streaming happens.

Enjoy the video:

Thinning the Herd, “Gaikatt Mountain” video premiere

Gavin Spielman on “Gaikatt Mountain”:

The inspiration for this song came during a shroom experience in my early teens. It was just a warm up technique, a riff that bridged spirit and technique for me, rudimentary but a melody I never stopped playing. I played this tune in bands before Thinning the Herd, and it went by “Hard To See” and had lyrics, but abandoned them. I feel the main riff is pure Thinning the Herd stripped down to its bare bones, and somewhat of a departure from our heavy tone. It’s the only instrumental song we’ve put out, and I’m glad we did because it’s a reminder of an angel flying overhead, watching us.

This new video signifies our drummer Rick watching us, looking down upon our journey into the unknown, blessing us with understanding of knowledge, showing us the simplicity of birth and death, capturing the ephemeral experience in between.

GAIKATT MOUNTAIN by THINNING THE HERD: The 9th Song off the third record (FREEDOM FROM THE KNOWN) by THINNING THE HERD (on St. Mark’s Records). This tune is an instrumental written in 2011 specifically for the record.

Available through all major online retailers including AMAZON and Apple Music, Bandcamp and Streaming on Spotify.

Recorded by Steve Albini in Chicago
Mixed by Wes Edmonds
Mastered by Tony Gillis in NYC
All lyrics and music G. Spielman
Video Production by Green Pine Tree Studio

Thinning the Herd on Thee Facebooks

Thinning the Herd website

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Thinning the Herd May or May Not be Monks from Outer Space in New Video

Posted in Bootleg Theater on August 14th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

…Actually, there’s very little possibility they aren’t, but I always like to allow for some interpretation. Once a trio and now a four-piece, New York City heavy rockers Thinning the Herd have a new video for the track “Rabbits” from their 2013 full-length, Freedom from the Known. This isn’t the first time their videos have been featured here (see also last year’s “Never Wanted”), but the band continues to entertain, this time with a kind of invasion of alien monks, played of course by the band themselves, who travel in a reflective silver disc and seem to monk it up in varying ecosystems amid a wash of digital visual effects.

As the PR wire informs below, Thinning the Herd have a couple gigs in the works including one in Brooklyn with Geezer, Borracho and Moon Tooth that looks pretty choice.

Dig it:

THINNING THE HERD Releases New Video

Lineup Expands To Quartet

Mind melting NYC pillagers THINNING THE HERD have just completed their newest official video for their ripping anthem “Rabbits,” the track hailing from the act’s sophomore full-length album, Freedom From The Known. The self-produced epic new video is a more than five-minute movie starring the band –including Rick Cimato, the band’s previous bassist who tragically passed away last year (RIP) — with a shit-ton of CGI and special effects integrating visuals from across the universe into an amusing film depicting ancient wizard monks migrating to Earth by command of a flying disc.

THINNING THE HERD continues to hook up shows in support of Freedom From The Known, with several late Summer and early Fall gigs locked and more in the works across the region. These pending shows will be the very first TTH performances as a quartet, as the longtime trio has just expanded, bringing in new blood Brian Murphey on bass and moving Wes Edmonds to second guitar. The rest of the current lineup is rounded out by drummer Garth Macaleavey, also Murphey’s bandmate in previous act Madame Trashy, and founding guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Gavin Spielman.

THINNING THE HERD Live:
9/13/2013 The Grand Victory – Brooklyn, NY @ Stoned Fry Day The 13th w/ Geezer, Borracho, Moon Tooth
10/26/2013 Webster Hall – New York, NY @ Stoned Halloween Show

http://www.tthmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/THINNINGTHEHERD
http://www.reverbnation.com/thinningtheherd

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Thinning the Herd’s Freedom from the Known Due May 9

Posted in Whathaveyou on April 5th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

NYC heavy rockers Thinning the Herd have had about as tough a couple months as a band can have, with the untimely death of drummer Rick Cimato over the holidays and questions as to whether or not the band would even continue on and release their Steve Albini-recorded sophomore full-length, Freedom from the Known. After soul searching and a series of tryouts, guitarist/vocalist Gavin Spielman and bassist Wes Edmonds have recruited Garth Macaleavey for the drummer position and will press ahead with not only putting the album out, but shows and new material as well.

As someone fortunate enough to see Thinning the Herd when Cimato was in the band, I can say the trio was definitely at their strongest point yet going into this album, and I’m glad to see it’s coming out and the band is going to keep going. Here’s word of the May 9 release for Freedom from the Known, courtesy of  the PR wire:

THINNING THE HERD Confirms Details Of Delayed But Anticipated New Album

Following a tumultuous several months of hardships and hard work, once again restructuring the band for the second time in a year, NYC’s THINNING THE HERD this week confirms the details of the band’s pending second full-length, Freedom From The Known.

Founding vocalist/guitarist Gavin Spielman had replaced the crew on TTH’s 2011-released debut full-length, Oceans Rise, recruiting a new rhythm section in 2012 with bassist Wes Edmonds and drummer Rick Cimato (ex-Locked In A Vacancy). The ultra-solid new lineup honed the newest songs, and shipped out to Chicago last Summer to record the sophomore album Freedom From The Known at Electrical Audio Studios with studio guru Steven Albini. The trio filmed a new video for the album, and as they were preparing to release the best THINNING THE HERD material yet, Rick Cimato was tragically killed in a head-on collision over the 2012 holiday season.

Mourning the loss of their friend, Spielman and Edmonds hosted several local listening parties of the album for local fans and friends to honor Rick and his family, then started the process of bringing yet another lineup together to execute the new songs live, proudly, as Cimato would have wished. Spielman recently crossed paths with Brooklyn drummer Garth Macaleavey, and after hitting it off, brought Garth into the THINNING THE HERD camp.

With nearly forty-five minutes of brand new material, the varied Freedom From The Known continues the THINNING THE HERD tradition of avoiding genre pigeonholing, merging their blues, jam, sludge and NYHC influences into their expansive doom/rock foundation. Lyrically the band explores as wide an array of topics; surviving everyday life, achieving a higher consciousness through transcendentalism, the existence of alien and otherworldly life forms and more. This is where party-hard buildups melt into boundary-free jam sessions; THINNING THE HERD is the pinnacle of prime underground New York City rock. Freedom From The Known will finally be released on the band’s own Saint Marks Records, just as their previous EP and Oceans Rise full-length were, on May 9th, 2013.

Live THINNING THE HERD shows and regional tour plans are in the works for the immediate future, and will be announced in the coming days and through the Summer months in support of Freedom From The Known; stay tuned.

Thinning the Herd, “Never Wanted” Video

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Thinning the Herd Reveal Video for “Never Wanted” from Forthcoming Album Freedom from the Known

Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 16th, 2012 by JJ Koczan

Some videos just have it all, man. Drug innuendo, psychedelic booty dancing, a swirling drummer, tripped out ’90s-type digital effects, Orange stacks, the Buddha. The list goes on. Such is the case with “Never Wanted,” the first featured new track from NYC heavy rock trio Thinning the Herd‘s new full-length, Freedom from the Known. The three-piece, led by guitarist/vocalist Gavin Spielman (who also directed the video), put the album to tape with none other than Steve Albini and are expecting a release by the end of the year.

Mixed by bassist Wes Edmonds, it’s the most natural sound I’ve heard yet from the band, who issued their Oceans Rise debut last year (review here), and it seems that together with drummer Rick Cimato, Edmonds and Spielman have been able to tap into the rawness of sound the band has always been begging for while still conveying the strong core of songwriting that carries through their approach. Aside from the video being killer, it makes me look forward to hearing the album when the time comes.

Here’s “Never Wanted” followed by the album release info, courtesy of the ol’ PR wire:

Thinning the Herd, “Never Wanted”

New York-based THINNING THE HERD announces the completion of their new studio full-length as they plan for its liberation into the general population before the end of the year.

Over the Summer, the band shacked up with studio guru Steven Albini to harness the newest tunes for what will be the metallic doom/rock act’s third studio effort. Entitled Freedom From The Known, the ten-song crusher features an entirely new and improved THINNING THE HERD lineup, revamped once again by founding member Gavin Spielman and now including drummer Rick Cimato (ex-Locked In A Vacancy) and bassist Wes Edmonds. An act constantly striving to not be pigeonholed as “another doom band,”’ the newest material reflects more of the members’ blues and NYHC influences, though the presence of classic doom metal and 90’s grunge/sludge influences still shine through, and alien life forms, motorcycles, ego death, higher consciousness, transcendentalism and racism are just a few of the issues touched upon lyrically. Freedom From The Known is due out in December on the band’s own Saint Marks Records as with their previous album and EP.

Freedom From The Known Track Listing:
1. Never Wanted
2. Dr. Reed
3. Sludge
4. Buildings
5. Rabbits
6. White Liver
7 Blood
8. Path of Gold
9. Gaikat Mountain
10. In Front Of Me

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