You in no way need me to tell you to go see Scott Kelly. The Neurosis guitarist/vocalist, as a solo performer, has more than enough of a reputation behind him at this point that if you don’t know to show up and sit quietly, it’s nobody’s fault but your own. What I’ll do instead is point out the trio of videos at the bottom of this post of Kelly at work. The first clip is a trailer for a new 7″ split with his upcoming tourmate/collaborator John Judkins (Rwake). It contains new music and makes me very badly want a copy of that single. The second is a live clip from earlier this year of Kelly and Judkins performing “The Sun is Dreaming in the Soul” together, and if you needed further argument to get out to a show, that should about cover it. And the third is a recently-posted clip from Revolver of Kelly playing Neurosis‘ “Stones from the Sky” in the open-air setting of Crater Lake that The Patient Mrs. showed me the other day. I don’t know who might’ve thought of setting that one up, but whoever it was, they deserve a raise.

Judkins is the latest in a distinguished line of Kelly-solo collaborators that includes Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), CHVE of Amenra, and Scott “Wino” Weinrich, among others, but as you can see in the clip below, he brings a genuine complement to Kelly‘s acoustic work. As for Kelly himself, he recently got off tour with Mastodon and has a new band going called Semantron with Dave French of Brothers of the Sonic Cloth and Guy Nelson of Green Jellö about which one hopes to hear more in the New Year.

Until then, this from the PR wire:

SCOTT KELLY Announces Early 2018 European Tour Dates With John Judkins

SCOTT KELLY of NEUROSIS announces a European solo tour for early 2018, where he’ll accompanied by John Judkins of Rwake.

The tour will be supported by the release of a 7″ EP which captures the two artists performing at their show at White Water Tavern in Little Rock, Arkansas on March 3rd, 2017, during a US tour together. In selecting these two songs for the release, SCOTT KELLY offers, “we felt that they show the depth, emotion, and life that we are trying to bring to them.”

This limited edition live 7″ will be sold throughout the tour via My Proud Mountain, available in quantities of 200 on purple vinyl and 100 on black vinyl. A full overview of the dates can be found below.

SCOTT KELLY European Tour 2018 w/ John Judkins:
1/11/2018 Stubnitz – Hamburg, DE w/ Peter Wolff
1/12/2018 UT Connewitz – Leipzig, DE w/ Peter Wolff
1/13/2018 TBA – Poznan, PL
1/14/2018 Chmury – Warsaw, PL
1/15/2018 Klarisky Church – Bratislava, SK
1/16/2018 Kapu – Linz, AT
1/17/2018 Circolo Magnolia – Milan, IT
1/18/2018 Traffic Club – Rome, IT
1/19/2018 Cueva – Caligari, IT
1/20/2018 Poudrière – Belfort, FR
1/21/2018 Black Sheep – Montpellier, FR
1/22/2018 Karspek – Lyon, FR
1/23/2018 Sunset Bar – Martigny, CH
1/24/2018 Knabenschule – Darmstadt, DE w/ Peter Wolff
1/25/2018 Parterre – Basel, CH
1/26/2018 Sabotage – Lisbon, PT
1/27/2018 Understage – Porto, PT
1/28/2018 Festsaal Kreuzberg – Berlin, DE @ CTM Festival
1/29/2018 Arena 3raum – Vienna, AT
1/30/20018 A38 – Budapest, HU
1/31/2018 Club Mochvara – Zagreb, HR
2/02/2018 Dachstock – Bern, CH
2/03/2018 Pauluskirche – Dortmund, DE w/ Peter Wolff
2/04/2018 Gebr de Nobel – Liden, NL

https://www.facebook.com/ScottKelly.official
http://www.myproudmountain.com
https://www.facebook.com/myproudmountain
https://www.neurotrecordings.com
https://www.facebook.com/neurotrecordings

Scott Kelly & John Judkins tour trailer

Scott Kelly & John Judkins, “The Sun is Dreaming in the Soul” live Feb. 28, 2017

Scott Kelly, “Stones from the Sky” live at Crater Lake

Based in Riga, Latvia, heavy post-rocker trio Tesa are gearing up to hit the road this August in Europe alongside none other than Neurosis themselves. As support slots go, that’s a damn good one to get, even for a band who’ve been around for 11 years and who already did a stint opening for Jucifer this year. At the very least, it’s a fitting occasion for one to reissue one’s latest LP, and with My Proud Mountain getting behind the new version — the original was released on Skyr Records as a 2LP — all the better to hit the road with records in tow.

As the original release was a year and a half ago, the five-track Ghost can be streamed in full via Tesa‘s Bandcamp page and on the player below. It’s worth digging in, particularly to hear how deep they bury the vocals. That shit is turned way, way down. Farther down than your favorite black metal band.

From the PR wire:

My Proud Mountain release Latvian trio Tesa’s Ghost LP prior to live dates with Neurosis in August

Latvia’s Tesa operate with evident conviction, and their flourishing, distinct sound is the epitome of how grand and graceful guitar-driven music can be. Since 2005, the trio of Karlis Tone, Davis Burmeisters and Janis Burmeisters have created a mature, rapturous vision of heavy music without the constraints of genre, reverting to their trusted intuition to create the glorious movements that can challenge any of the founding figures of longform rock with depth.

GHOST, their latest LP formed of five segments for each letter, will see physical release (in CD and 2xLP format) through My Proud Mountain on 5th August, and it is a phenomenal demonstration of the band’s gripping adaptive approach. With the assistance of James Plotkin’s mastering (he who has worked with Sunn O))), Electric Wizard, Earth, Michael Gira, Tim Hecker and many more), GHOST sounds loud and important played at any volume, and the palpable passages of suspense and subsequent devastating releases give the record a momentum that endures all 40 minutes. Most spectacular is the apparent ease in which all three members, working together so closely, supply heaving riffs, emotionally exhausting melodies and soundscapes, and heroic lively tempo, creating a sound that cannot be named but can be intensely felt. This capacity of theirs to stun has won them the attention of the similarly singular Neurosis, with whom they toured Europe with in 2013 and will tour again with in August (dates below), and GHOST should surely elevate them to a larger plane of exposure that their music can expand in to.

“At some point, when you’ve kind of earned some recognition and there’s a general idea in people’s mind, what you do, and what to expect form you as a band, it’s really easy to just stay in a comfort zone, musically. But I think that we actually tried to step outside a bit from that, and at some level, try to do something different than people expect from you. Maybe it’s more brutal at some parts, more direct and harsh. We try to escape the so-called post-rock thing.” – Janis Burmeisters /Tesa on GHOST

1. G
2. H
3. O
4. S
5. T

TESA:
Karlis Tone – bass, vocals, noises
Davis Burmeisters – guitar
Janis Burmeisters – drums, vocals, noises

LIVE DATES W/ NEUROSIS:
wed 10.08. CZ-Jaromer Brutal Assault
thu 11.08. IT-Brescia Festa Radio Onda D’Urto
fri 12.08. CH-Le Locle Rock Altitude
sun 14.08. AT-Vienna Arena
mon 15.08. GER-Leipzig UT Connewitz
tue 16.08. GER-Hamburg Grünspan
wed 17.08. NL-Haarlem Patronaat
fri 19.08. GER-Karlsruhe Substage
sun 21.08. PT-Porto Amplifest

tesa.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/bandtesa
http://www.myproudmountain.com/
https://www.facebook.com/myproudmountain/

Tesa, Ghost (2015/2016)

Known for his work as a producer in addition to adding the foundation of beats to Corrections House alongside members of Eyehategod, Neurosis and Yakuza, as well as for pioneering doom extremity in Buried at Sea and exploring the low-end depths of post-metal in Minsk, Chicago’s Sanford Parker can now check “solo artist” off his list. His debut album, Lash Back, will be issued by My Proud Mountain in July and is also available to preorder through War Crime Recordings (yup, the same label that put out my book), in which he’s also a partner.

This is at least the second LP Parker has had out this year, and it seems like it should pair pretty well with Mirrors for Psychic Warfare, the atmospheric two-piece consisting of Parker and his Corrections House bandmate Scott Kelly, who made their debut this Spring on Neurot, but I wouldn’t actually go so far as to speculate what this thing will sound like until I hear it. Even then, one might hesitate.

From the PR wire:

Sanford Parker to release debut solo album ‘Lash Back’ via My Proud Mountain on July 22nd

Sanford Parker is the reputed producer and electronics wrangler behind some of metal’s most exploratory outfits, breaking new territory in his work as a fixture of Buried At Sea, Minsk, Corrections House and Mirrors For Psychic Warfare, and featuring on and producing numerous records from respected names across the experimental spectrum. His trademark paranoid atmospherics slalom from the nuanced to the crushingly direct, siphoning elements of industrial, cold-wave and power electronics to give bleak, brutalist clout to his work.

Now, Parker is striking out on his own with Lash Back, a full length record of mechanical, dystopic, beat-driven menace. Due out on the My Proud Mountain label on July 22nd, Lash Back is a marked departure from his metallic legacy, retaining some of the hallmarks of his impressive work to date but moving towards a distilled, gruesome interpretation of the electronic world’s darkest operators like Perc, Youth Code and Pharmakon. Scathing kick detonations establish anti-dance rhythms to lose consciousness to, and vast swathes of swarming disintegrated synths wrap around the beats until they obscure all that existed below. Whilst intentionally disorientating and confrontational (with titles like ‘Sheep Slaughter’ and ‘Knuckle Crossing’ underlining his aesthetic), Parker still provides enough coherence and mastery to make Lash Back a record of searing hot excellence, and with tracks like ‘Your Feral Blood’ impinging on Kevin Martin styled earthquake beats, and opener ‘Psychic Driving’ uniformly loud yet majestic like Dominick Fernow, each gap a gasp for breath, Parker has broken into a wicked and characteristic style.

LASH BACK TRACKLISTING:
1. Psychic Driving
2. Knuckle Crossing
3. Slow Children
4. Low Gaps
5. Your Feral Blood
6. Sheep Slaughter

http://www.myproudmountain.com/
https://www.facebook.com/myproudmountain/
http://warcrimerecordings.bigcartel.com/

Mirrors for Psychic Warfare, Live at Roadburn 2016

I’m not sure if Neurot Recordings is going to handle a North American release for Amenra‘s new My Proud Mountain live album, Live II, which is due out in June. The two imprints have worked together before, on the Townes Van Zandt tributes, Songs of Townes Van Zandt Vol. I and II, but I’ve yet to come across concrete word one way or another on the Amenra. If you’ll recall, Neurot released the Belgian post-sludgers’ last studio offering, 2012’s Mass V, so I can’t think of a reason they wouldn’t want to also handle the live record, but I wouldn’t want to assume. Figured for those in Europe and those willing to shell out for imports, sure word of the release through My Proud Mountain was better than nothing.

Amenra also have a relatively-new video and some European tour dates that you can check out below, courtesy of the PR wire:

AMENRA to release live album via My Proud Mountain in June, plus Willy Vanderperre video collaboration made public

RELEASE DATE: 30/06/2014

My Proud Mountain are gearing up to release LIVE II, the second live cd, and first live 2xLP from AMENRA. The recording is the live audio from their MASS V release show of last year, mixed and mastered by Billy Anderson and released in beautiful handmade screen-printed covers. The LP and CD will be screenprinted by hand by Seriagrafie / Fabian Lauer. Below is the artwork and tracklisting…

TRACK LISTING
The Pain It is Shapeless
Razoreater
Aorte.Nous Sommes Du Mème Sang
Boden
Nowena 9110
Silver Needle Golden Nail
Dearborn And Buried
A Mon Àme
Terziele
Am Kreuz

In case you missed the news, AMENRA recently teamed up with top fashion photographer Willy Vanderperre and director of photography Nicolas Karakatsanis for a stunning video which features the band stripped of all that we know of them, and you can watch and share via the Church Of Ra YouTube channel…

Vanderperre has worked with a startling array of individuals, from Kate Moss to Kanye West, but his encounter with AMENRA sees both parties break formation to form a hesitant, powerful and revealing union. The video, set to À Mon Âme from their most recent album, MASS V, may not be what you have come to expect from the cult crafters of discordance – but what are AMENRA if not masters of defying expectation?

Says CHVE of the collaboration; “It is not at all like the sort of visuals we usually present, it is more a case study, or a visual interpretation of the band, a little piece of concept art, if you will. The idea they [Willy Vanderperre and director of photography Nicolas Karakatsanis] had was stripping us of everything we had – ‘what if we took it all away from them?’, ‘what if we took them from their comfort zone?’. No shadows or darkness to hide in, dark imagery, props or metaphors or symbols to use.”…

He continues…”Compare it to what we sometimes or mostly do with our music – stick to the mere necessary, take a minimalistic approach of a whole. What do we really need? To create a certain ‘feeling’ of emotion. For us, it was an extremely interesting cooperation. We normally keep our guard extremely high, never give something out of our hands, to keep it as close to our skin as humanly possible – that’s exactly what they did as well, literally…It was awkward, uneasy, and very confronting for us to see, yet one of the most interesting things we did lately, and an honour for us to be working with such talented and inspiring people. ‘Under a watchtower of punishing light.’”

Don’t forget that AMENRA are on the road and will soon head to the UK for two festival appearances, including Temples Festival this weekend. Here are the remaining dates…

LIVE DATES
SAT 3/05: TEMPLES FESTIVAL, BRISTOL UK w/ Neurosis
SAT 10/05: BTR FESTIVAL, LONDON UK w/ Cult of luna
SUN 8/06: VOORUIT, GENT BE w/ COR
THU 19/06: EKKO, UTRECHT NL
FRI 20/06: NIEUWE NOR, HEERLEN NL
SAT 21/06: NEUDEGG ALM, ABTENAU AT
SUN 22/06: FEIERWERK, MUNCHEN DE
SAT 28/06: GRASPOP, DESSEL BE
SAT 27/09: AB, BRUSSELS BE – AFTERLIFE ACOUSTIC

Watch the trailer for the Church of Ra European tour here.

http://www.churchofra.com
http://www.ritualofra.com
http://www.facebook.com/churchofra
http://www.myproudmountain.com/
https://www.facebook.com/myproudmountain
http://www.neurotrecordings.com
http://www.facebook.com/neurotrecordings

Amenra, “À Mon Âme” Video by Willy Vanderperre

Partnering alternately with Syndrome, The Leaving and Oldseed, Scott Kelly and the Road Home will begin a run of European tour dates this week that will carry them through the rest of this month and into next, supporting 2012’s The Forgiven Ghost in Me (review here). This will reportedly be the first time the trio of Scott Kelly (Neurosis), Noah Landis (Neurosis) and Greg Dale hit the road together in Europe, so not that you needed an excuse to go if you happen to live or find yourself in that part of the world, but you’ve got one just in case.

Dates and a promo video follow:

Scott Kelly and The Road Home: European Tour 2014

After nearly 100 European Shows Scott Kelly, guitarist and singer of Neurosis, proved that his solo work stands out alone.

Now, for the first time, he will come to Europe with “the Road Home”. His Band. The Band that recorded the highly acclaimed Scott Kelly and the Road Home – “The Forgiven Ghost In Me” LP/CD.

The Road Home are Noah Landis of Neurosis (Keyboards/Sounds) and Greg Dale who lately was on tour with Neurosis.

Together Scott, Noah and Greg continue to explore The Great Mystery.

Scott Kelly & The Road Home European Tour 2014!
Tue 04.02. BE Brussels @ DNA
Wed 05.02. BE Liege @ La Zone (1)
Thu 06.02. BE Arlon @ L’Entrepot (1)
Fri 07.02. FR Paris @ Espace B (1)
Sat 08.02. FR Bayonne @ Atabal
Sun 09.02. ES Mungia (Vizcaya) @ Olalde Aretoa
Mon 10.02. ES Coruña @ Mardi Gras
Tue 11.02. PT Oporto @ Passos Manuel
Wed 12.02. PT Lisbon @ Galeria Ze Dos Bois
Thu 13.02. ES Madrid @ La Boite
Fri 14.02. ES Barcelona @ Hangar
Sun 16.02. IT Bologna @ Freakout Club
Mon 17.02. AT Vienna @ Arena 3Raum (2)
Tue 18.02. CH Zurich @ Ziegel oh Lac (2)
Wed 19.02. CH Geneva @ La Gravière (2)
Thu 20.02. CH Martigny @ Sunset Bar
Fri 21.02. HR Zagreb @ Klub Mocvara
Sat 22.02. SI Velenje @ Klub eMCe Plac
Sun 23.02. HU Budapest @ A 38
Mon 24.02. SK Trnava @ Mala Synagoga
Tue 25.02. PL Krakow @ Lizard King
Wed 26.02. CZ Prague @ Klub Pilot
Thu 27.02. GER Dortmund @ Pauluskirche (3)
Fri 28.02. GER Leipzig @ UT Connewitz
Sat 01.03. GER Hamburg @ tba
Sun 02.03. DK Copenhagen @ KB18
Tue 04.03. NO Drammen @ Union Scene
Wed 05.03. SE Stockholm @ Lilla Hotellbaren
Thu 06.03. FI Tampere @ Klubi
Fri 07.03. LV Riga @ Cinema – K. Suns.
Sat 08.03. PL Warsaw @ Chmury
(1) Support: Syndrome
(2) Support: The Leaving
(3) Support: Oldseed

https://www.facebook.com/ScottKelly.official
http://www.myproudmountain.com/
http://www.neurotrecordings.com

Scott Kelly and the Road Home, European Tour Trailer