Nashvillian three-piece Howling Giant are fresh off issuing one of the year’s best heavy records in The Space Between Worlds (review here), so they would seem to be well within their rights to take the show on the road. They’ll head up and back down the East Coast starting in Asheville, North Carolina, and close by hosting Horseburner in their hometown on a run they’ve given a long silly name in the spirit of such things. They’ve also got a game up on their website that looks like fun which is why I haven’t played it yet, and did I mention their album’s really good? Good. It’s out now on Blues Funeral Recordings. I got one on something called a “compacted disk.” It uses lasers, which seems all the more appropriate for these guys.

Dates and info came down the PR wire:

HOWLING GIANT ANNOUNCE NOVEMBER TOUR DATES

*NEW ALBUM, THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS, OUT NOW!

Following the release of arguably one of the year’s best psych-stoner-metal releases, HOWLING GIANT will be delivering the goods live on a November tour. The band’s epic metaphysical sci-fi saga The Space Between Worlds, is out now from Blues Funeral Recordings.

PURCHASE/STREAM THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS:
https://bluesfuneralrecordings.bandcamp.com/

Also announced, HOWLING GIANT has launched a new website, which includes an embedded and ready-to-play 80s-inspired “Comet Rider” video game where players can maneuver a little pixelated truck through a little pixelated desert and try to avoid hitting little pixelated rocks and tumbleweeds and cacti while an 8-bit arcade version of the tune plays over the action. Play the game now at https://www.howlinggiant.com/comet-rider-video-game.

HOWLING GIANT Tour Dates:
Nov 9 – Asheville, NC – The Odditorium (Steel and Stone Fest 2019)
Nov 10 – Charlotte, NC – Skylark Social Club
Nov 11 – Charleston, SC – Tin Roof
Nov 12 – Wilmington, NC – Reggie’s 42nd Street Tavern
Nov 13 – Richmond, VA – Wonderland RVA (w/Brother Hawk)
Nov 14 – Washington, DC – Atlas Brew Works
Nov 15 – Waterbury, CT – Brooklyn Cafe
Nov 16 – Easthampton, MA – The Ohm Rehearsal Space
Nov 18 – Brooklyn, NY – The Knitting Factory (w/Brother Hawk)
Nov 21 – Johnson City, TN – The Hideaway
Nov 22 – Huntington, WV – The V Club
Nov 23 – Nashville, TN – Cobra (w/Horseburner)

howlinggiant.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/howlinggiant/
https://www.instagram.com/howlinggiant/
https://www.facebook.com/bluesfuneral/
bluesfuneral.com

Howling Giant, “Cybermancer and the Doomsday Express” official video

Howling Giant, The Space Between Worlds (2019)

Well, hello there, new All Them Witches single. Wasn’t really expecting you until I guess two days ago when I stumbled on the social medias notification of your impending arrival. The Nashville three-piece are headed to Europe in a couple weeks to tour alongside Ghost and Tribulation, in what would seem to be a pretty big deal for all involved parties. It’s All Them Witches‘ second Euro run of the year, and unless I’m mistaken they were there for festivals and then some too — yup, they did Hellfest — so it’s not uncovered ground even if these are inevitably bigger venues and different circumstances. People like that Ghost band. They’re, like, a thing that people like.

Fair enough. As it happens, All Them Witches, as a band and in my experience of them as people, are a thing I like, so the new single “1×1” is among the most welcome news I’ve had in a while. The track would seem to take a somewhat grim lyrical view — if one imagines the lyrics to be about the touring experience also covered on their most recent album, 2018’s ATW (review here), it’s something of a surprise they’re hitting the road at all; hopefully that’s not the case — but one way or the other, it’s the heaviest tone I’ve heard from the band in at least the last half-decade, and bassist Charles Michael Parks, Jr. continues to grow ever more commanding as a singer. He shines here in subtle layers of harmonized vocal flourish — note that Parks, guitarist Ben McLeod and drummer/cover artist Robby Staebler are all credited with vocals — that, to All Them Witches fans, should be nothing less than a joy to behold, whatever the lyrical subject matter accompanying. In company with McLeod‘s all-in prog guitar solo, short but effective, and Staebler‘s recognizably fluid roll, they are an ever-changing, ever-growing unit who nonetheless remain uniquely their own.

If you’re still reading this and haven’t torn yourself from the verbiage to click play, hey, thanks. Otherwise, five of the best minutes of your day await you at the bottom of this post, and you might want to grab a download while you can, because All Them Witches have a habit of putting these things out on Bandcamp and then removing them and never talking about them again. Like a secret. Shhh.

Recording info and tour dates and such:

1X1 by All Them Witches

Produced by All Them Witches Koo Koo

Recorded by Ben McLeod at The Church, Woodbury, TN
Assistant Engineering by Elad Shappiro
Mixed by Ben McLeod

Mastered by Mikey Allred at Dark Art Audio in Nashville, TN

All Them Witches w/ Ghost & Tribulation:
Sat 16 November – Nottingham (UK) – Motorpoint Arena
Sun 17 November – Cardiff (UK) – Motorpoint Arena
Mon 18 November – Glasgow (UK) – SSE Hydro
Wed 20 November – Dublin (Ireland) – 3Arena
Fri 22 November – London (UK) – Wembley SSE Arena
Sat 23 November – Leeds (UK) – Arena
Sat 30 November – Katowice (Poland) – Spodek
Sun 01 December – Prague (Czech Republic) – Universum
Tue 03 December – Budapest (Hungary) – BSA
Thu 05 December – Mantova (Italy) – PalaBam
Fri 06 December – Zurich (Switzerland) – Halle 622
Sun 08 December – Barcelona (Spain) – St. Jordi
Tue 10 December – Lisbon (Portugal) – Sala Tejo
Wed 11 December – Madrid (Spain) – Vistalegre
Fri 13 December – Strasbourg (France) – Zenith
Tue 17 December – Luxembourg (Luxembourg) – Rockhal
Wed 18 December – Nantes (France) – Zenith
Thu 19 December – Toulouse (France) – Zenith

Tickets for our 3 NIGHT STAND in Nashville at EXIT/IN are ON SALE NOW!

Dec 27 – https://bit.ly/2To3Qo6
Dec 28 – https://bit.ly/2YSu07z
Dec 29 – https://bit.ly/2YxYjRw

All Them Witches is:
Charles Michael Parks, Jr – bass, vocals
Ben McLeod – guitar, vocals
Robby Staebler – drums, vocals

http://allthemwitches.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/allthemwitches
https://www.instagram.com/allthemwitchesband/
http://www.allthemwitches.org/

All Them Witches, “1×1”

The Space Between Worlds, the Blues Funeral Recordings debut full-length from Nashville three-piece Howling Giant, ticks all its boxes. It pays off the potential of their prior short releases. It solidifies their approach to songwriting and helps set their course for their ultimate defining of who they are as a band. It rocks. It showcases an awareness of the whole-album form separate from simply a collected bunch of songs. It is full, clear in its intention, and produced in such a way as to bolster the music without any sense of mismatch between band, song and the recording helmed in continuing collaboration with Kim Wheeler. And yet all of this does little to convey the achievement the Tennessee progressive heavy rockers are making throughout.

As they follow-up their three EPs — 2017’s Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2 (review here), its 2016 predecessor, Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 1 (review here), and their recently-reissued 2015 self-titled — guitarist/vocalist Tom Polzine and drummer/vocalist Zach Wheeler welcome bassist/vocalist Sebastian Baltes to the lineup (Kevin “Big Business” Dempsey also contributes on bass) and conjure a sound that is an amalgam of modern influences, from the uptempo, Torche-style sludge-pop burst of the opening salvo in “Comet Rider” and “Nomad” as well as the presumed side B opener “Cybermancer and the Doomsday Express,” the Ancestors-style organ-laden heavy prog roll of “The River Guide” and the expansive “Everlight,” the Elephant Tree-esque harmonies in the acoustic/piano turn brought about with third track “Ghosts in the Well,” and the sheer scope of harmonies throughout, from the fuzzy forward sprint of centerpiece “Ice Castle” (which brings in Jason Shi of ASG for a guest vocal spot) to the massive trilogy that closes the record in “Everlight,” “The Orb” and “Stone Giant.” With Drew David Harakal II returning to add keys/synth as on all their past releases, Howling Giant unite their material under a conceptual sci-fi narrative of a multi-dimensional huntress chasing a dream-eating gateway destroyer through various worlds — or something — and thereby add even further willfulness to what they’re doing. Oh, and they also make it fun.

And that last one turns out to be pretty crucial, because Howling Giant sound like they’re absolutely having a blast as they careen through “Comet Rider” at the start and cut the tempo to bring up the hook of “Nomad,” and that positive feeling so much communicated through the melody of the vocals is infectious. With just an undertone of Elder‘s proggy fluidity, “Nomad” and “The River Guide” — with “Ghosts in the Well” between them — are able to still convey a sense of enjoying their creation, and that finds answer later as “The Orb” gleefully chug-gallops its way toward the finale with a mosh part that at the turn of the century one might’ve called a breakdown. It’s shenanigans, either way. Pure and simple. But it still adds depth to the spoken word and piano drift of “The River Guide” and the quiet contemplations of “Ghosts in the Well,” in such a way that it’s not simply about Howling Giant goofing off — though it’s partially about that, to be sure — but also about their being able to turn their passion for playing together into part of The Space Between Worlds‘ essential character. That level of revelry becomes one of the album’s grandest statements. It is a celebration.

However, it’s not lost in celebration. Especially topped with thoughtful arrangements of vocals as it is, The Space Between Worlds is never so lost in its own good times that it forgets either the individual task at hand in a song or how that song feeds into the record’s larger statement and plot. Howling Giant set a balance for themselves in sound and presentation alike, and when they need to, as on “The River Guide,” they show patience, and when they blast off in “Comet Rider” or “Cybermancer and the Doomsday Express,” they do so with suitable fervency. In either case, it’s the song and it’s the album that remain at the center of what they’re doing. I don’t know if individual tracks were written with the concept directly in mind or the narrative was applied later with lyrics after the music was done, etc., but the front-to-back flow of The Space Between Worlds isn’t to be understated, especially in how it comes through with side B pushing through to new levels of execution.

After the raucous four-minute open with “Cybermancer and the Doomsday Express,” Howling Giant round out The Space Between Worlds with its three longest tracks: “Everlight” (7:57), “The Orb” (7:08) and “Stone Giant” (6:17). It’s not so much that any of them directly touches on new stylistic ground for the band. Strictly speaking, they’re a forward step from the last EP, but of the same aesthetic ilk. The context has changed, however, and Howling Giant thrive across these three songs as they haven’t yet done to-date. They are the most upfront communication of scope that the album presents, and all the more so because of how obviously purposeful their placement and their complementing each other is.

“Everlight” announces its arrival with organ, airy guitar and vocals, and builds gradually over its first two-plus minutes to a sweeping progression given a tempo boost after the three-minute mark, and while its structure is linear, it’s nonetheless memorable for its hooky melody and standout lead work, going quietly into the unassuming drum-led beginning of “The Orb,” which unfolds and teases its turn to triplet-chug before it actually gets there at 2:01, the chill-down-spine energy immediate and the band ready to ride that moment for a while before breaking back to more melodic fare and returning — as they should — for a suitable crescendo that serves double for song and album alike.

A soft piano comedown transitions into the drums starting “Stone Giant” and it’s clear Howling Giant aren’t done yet in terms of energy. Rather, they finish out by tying together the choruses of “Comet Rider” and “Cybermancer and the Doomsday Express” with some of the offering’s more progressive fare, and, as one would hope, leave it to a massive rolling groove to carry the record to its end in raucous but ultimately graceful fashion that only portends of things to come. A next chapter? Pt. 2? Maybe, if not in concept. One way or the other, the potential Howling Giant show for future growth shouldn’t undercut the value of this accomplishment. The Space Between Worlds stands high among 2019’s best debut albums, but also among its best albums, period, and shows the three-piece as ready to enter a new level of consideration as a force of forward-thinking heavy rock and roll.

Howling Giant, The Space Between Worlds (2019)

Howling Giant on Thee Facebooks

Howling Giant on Bandcamp

Howling Giant on Instagram

Blues Funeral Recordings on Thee Facebooks

Blues Funeral Recordings website

With a title invoking no less than the void of the cosmos itself, The Space Between Worlds is the upcoming long-player from Nashville progressive heavy rockers Howling Giant. The nine-tracker will be their debut on Blues Funeral Recordings and marks the arrival of bassist/vocalist Sebastian Baltes alongside guitarist/vocalist Tom Polzine and drummer/vocalist Zach Wheeler, and it’s out Sept. 27. That and the artwork and the tracklisting are pretty much what’s known about the thing to this point, plus a couple guest spots, including one from ASG‘s Jason Shi. I wouldn’t expect a Howling Giant release to be lacking flair anyhow, but that’s bound not to hurt the centerpiece track.

Howling Giant make a return appearance this month at Psycho Las Vegas, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a Fall tour announcement either follows that or precedes it, as the October touring landscape begins to really take shape, and Howling Giant are building a solid reputation as a touring act. Doesn’t seem like momentum they’d want to undercut, especially with the occasion of a full-length to celebrate.

Here’s looking forward to all of it.

From their Bandcamp:

Howling Giant – The Space Between Worlds – September 27

The Space Between Worlds is a concept album that follows the story of a huntress who travels the infinite metaphysical worlds brought into being by the dreams of humankind. In these realms, she encounters a dream eater which threatens to unravel the fabric of reality by devouring dreamers and destroying the dimensional gateways.

With the addition of new bassist Sebastian Baltes (son of longtime ACCEPT bassist Peter Baltes) to the band, the band has expanded their already impressive vocal harmony approach with the addition of a third voice. Friend of the band Drew Harakal adds extra sonic textures to the album with his organ and synth skills. And Jason Shi of ASG appears with a guest vocal cameo on the track Ice Castle.

Highlighting the band’s tremendous musical prowess and versatility, The Space Between Worlds is a warp trail of heavy rock and roll so weird it can only be called progressive, giving space to every sonic weapon in Howling Giant’s arsenal, and all bound by the album’s central concept and the members’ towering musicianship.

Engineered and mixed by Kim Wheeler
Mastered by Dave Shirk and Ryan Butler at Sonorous Mastering
Cover Art by Lindsey Camelio
Gatefold Art by Sue Davies

Releases September 27, 2019.

Tracklisting:
1. Comet Rider
2. Nomad
3. Ghosts in The Well
4. The River Guide
5. Ice Castle
6. Cybermancer and The Doomsday Express
7. Everlight
8. The Orb
9. Stone Giant

Howling Giant is:
Sebastian Baltes – Bass/Vocals
Tom Polzine – Guitar/Vocals
Zach Wheeler – Drums/Vocals

Additional Musicians:
Drew David Harakal II–Organ/Piano/Synths
Jason Shi – Additional Lead Vocals on track 5
Kevin “Big Business” Dempsey – Bass on tracks 1, 5, and 7

howlinggiant.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/howlinggiant/
https://www.instagram.com/howlinggiant/
https://www.facebook.com/bluesfuneral/
bluesfuneral.com

Howling Giant, Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2 (2017)

Having recently had occasion to see All Them Witches on stage in their trio incarnation (review here), I can only advise it. They’re pretty clearly feeling out the dynamic as a three-piece, but in so doing they’re able to bring a new sense of purpose to their jams, and to use space in their sound in a way they never have before. It’s interesting on a creative level and, even better, it kicks ass to see. I said when they had four members that each of them were necessary for what they were doing, and that was true. Their workaround seem to be in developing a new approach to how they function as a band, and it’s one that suits them, the rawer edge of guitar, bass, drums and vocals allowing them to dig into organic atmospheres as they never have before. I don’t know if they’ll stay that way or what will happen, but then it seems all the more reason to catch them now.

They play Desertfest in Berlin and London on this tour and numerous club shows, some of which are already sold out. Looks like a good tour, and it starts in just a couple days. Dig it:

All Them Witches – European Tour 2019

Thu 11 Apr Helsinki FINLAND – On the Rocks
Sat 13 Apr Oslo NORWAY – Rockefeller / John DEE / Sentrum Scene
Sun 14 Apr Stockholm SWEDEN – Debaser
Mon 15 Apr Copenhagen DENMARK – Hotel Cecil – SOLD OUT!
Wed 17 Apr Leffinge BELGIUM – Muziekclub De Zwerver
Thu 18 Apr Sint-Niklaas BELGIUM – Concertzaal De Casino
Fri 19 Apr Hasselt BELGIUM – Muziekodroom
Sat 20 Apr – Schinjndel NETHERLANDS – Paaspop
Mon 22 Apr Paris FRANCE – La Maroquinerie – SOLD OUT!
Wed 24 Apr Madrid SPAIN – SALA CARACOL MADRID
Thu 25 Apr Barcelona SPAIN – Razzmatazz
Fri 26 Apr Nimes FRANCE – Paloma / SMAC de Nîmes Métropole
Sat 27 Apr Milan ITALY – Bloom
Mon 29 Apr Vienna AUSTRIA – ARENA WIEN
Tue 30 Apr Prague CZ – Rock Café Prague
Wed 01 May Poznan POLAND _ Klub u Bazyla
Thu 02 May Warsaw POLAND – Klub Hydrozagadka
Fri 03 May Berlin GERMANY – DesertFest Berlin
Sat 04 May Nijmegen NETHERLANDS – Sonic Whip
Sun 05 May London UK – Desertfest London
Mon 06 May Brighton UK – The Haunt Brighton – SOLD OUT!
Wed 08 May Manchester UK – Band on the Wall – SOLD OUT!
Thu 09 May Cardiff UK – Clwb Ifor Bach – SOLD OUT!

http://allthemwitches.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/allthemwitches
https://www.instagram.com/allthemwitchesband/
https://twitter.com/allthemwitches
http://www.allthemwitches.org/

All Them Witches, ATW (2018)

[To enter giveaway: Leave a comment on this post with the name of the city where you want to see the show. Make sure your email is in the form provided so I can contact you if you win.]

So here’s the deal: All Them Witches start a tour tomorrow of the Midwest and Eastern Seaboard, ranging as far as Minneapolis and Milwaukee, Burlington and Montreal, and Atlanta and Durham. It’s 23 days of total roadtime, as the now-trio continue to support last year’s ATW (review here). I’ve been given the chance to give away a pair of tickets to any of the shows on this tour — they’re all listed below, but obviously, as the tour starts March 1 — aka tomorrow — it’s gotta be done on the quick.

Thus, a rush. If you can go see All Them Witches sometime in the next three-plus weeks, just leave a comment on this post and let me know what city. If you win, I’ll email you and let you know. I’m going to pick a winner as soon as possible this weekend, but if you’re in Atlanta or Charlotte, North Carolina, it might be tricky. I’m not saying don’t enter, but I’m not saying cancel grandpa’s birthday on account of the surefire evening plans either.

Pretty simple deal, all told. Here are the tour dates:

All Them Witches w/ Plague Vendor:
Mar 1 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Mar 2 – Charlotte, NC @ Visulite Theatre
Mar 5 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Mar 6 – Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi
Mar 7 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Mar 8 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Back Room at Colectivo Coffee
Mar 9 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
Mar 10 – Madison, WI @ High Noon
Mar 12 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Stache
Mar 13 – Ferndale, MI @ Magic Bag
Mar 14 – Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop
Mar 15 – Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
Mar 16 – Toronto, ON @ Opera House
Mar 17 – Montreal, QC @ L’Astral
Mar 19 – South Burlington, VT @ Showcase Lounge
Mar 20 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Mar 21 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Mar 22 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
Mar 23 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
Mar 24 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall

As ever, I keep no emails, I sell no emails. I have no interest in or knowledge of such things. The only reason I want your email address is to tell you if you win. Thanks for reading and for your support. Good luck to all who enter.

[To enter giveaway: Leave a comment on this post with the name of the city where you want to see the show. Make sure your email is in the form provided so I can contact you if you win.]

http://allthemwitches.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/allthemwitches
https://www.instagram.com/allthemwitchesband/
https://twitter.com/allthemwitches
http://www.allthemwitches.org/

All Them Witches, ATW (2018)

I wrote a bio this past weekend for Howling Giant that, at least I hope, will be of some use as they move toward the completion and release of their debut full-length later this year. That’ll be nifty. In the meantime, to tide over we plebes, the Nashville trio are set to issue a remastered vinyl version of their 2015 self-titled debut four-song EP through Blues Funeral Recordings, and as the PR wire notes below, they’ll also take part in Ripple Music‘s upcoming successor to the The Second Coming of Heavy split series, called Turn to Stone, and Magnetic Eye‘s Alice in Chains homage, Dirt [Redux]. Do you wonder what song they’re doing? I do.

Because this is what happens when a band is so utterly restless, they’ll also head out on tour. Next month they’ll hit up the SX Stoner Jam along with the rest of the planet except for me because I’m not cool enough, and then in April it’s off to Psycho Smoke Out in L.A., which I’m also not cool enough for. Points to me for consistency and points to the band for not being able to sit still. Gotta go, gotta go.

I’ll hope to post that bio here sooner or later, but the PR wire sums up all their doings thusly:

HOWLING GIANT Announce Spring US Tour with Stops at SXSW Stoner Jam and Psycho Smokeout

Cosmic psych-metallers drop much-demanded vinyl EP and break in their new bassist on the road; full album due this summer.

If ever there was a band who seemed to be following a treasure map from humble origins to future psych-metal stardom, it’s Howling Giant. And 2019 is shaping up to be their biggest year yet.

First, the interplanetary riff-rockers will see their self-titled debut EP get an official release from Blues Funeral Recordings.

Featuring EC Comics-inspired artwork by Darren Merinuk and all tracks fully remastered by Dave Shirk (Mastodon, The Obsessed), the March 22nd release of this glorious slab on digital and wax marks the band’s first-ever vinyl offering, giving longtime supporters the chance (at last) to bring home a tangible piece of Howling Giant heaviness after watching them tear up yet another stage.

Available for pre-order at this location.

And speaking of tearing up stages, the band is just starting to gear up for a huge year on the road, with a clutch of dates in March leading straight into an almost month-long tour in April/May.

Featuring a string of shows with Indiana’s Archarus, the back-to-back tours include slots at the ever-popular South by Southwest Stoner Jam as well as the fest you’re guaranteed to forget (or you’re doing it wrong), the Psycho Smokeout (from the folks who bring you Psycho Las Vegas).

Full tour dates for Howling Giant Spring 2019 are:
3/12/19: Lafayette, LA – Freetown Boom Boom Room *
3/13/19: Houston, TX – Dan Electros *
3/14/19: Austin, TX – SXSW Stoner Jam (feat. Howling Giant, Riff Lord, Backwoods Payback, Duel, Heavy Temple, Mountain Tamer, Hazytones, ZED and more) *
3/15/19: Arlington, TX – Division Brewing *
3/16/19: Texarkana, AR – Broadway Sports Bar and Billiards *
4/12/19: Memphis, TN – Hi Tone
4/13/19: Little Rock, AR – Vino’s
4/15/19: Oklahoma City, OK – 89th st. OKC
4/16/19: San Antonio,TX – Lime Light
4/17/19: Albuquerque, NM – Sister Bar
4/19/19: San Diego, CA – The Salty Frog
4/20/19: Los Angeles, LA – Psycho Smokeout (feat. Elder, Monolord, Goya, R.I.P., Electric Citizen and more)
4/21/19: San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
4/23/19: Seattle, WA – Highline
4/24/19: Bend, OR – Third Street Pub
4/25/19: Portland, OR – Tonic
4/27/19: Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
4/28/19: Denver, CO – Hi-Dive
5/01/19: Indianapolis, IN – Black Circle brewing
5/02/19: Chicago, IL – Reggies Music Room
5/03/19: Canton, OH – Buzzbin
5/04/19: Lexington, KY – Green Lantern
* Dates with Archarus

As if that wasn’t enough, Howling Giant are hard at work on their first-ever full-length album, which they’ll be sending to all ends of the cosmos later this summer in conjunction with, you guessed it, more touring.

Furthermore, the band are rumored to be one of the first bands tapped to appear on Ripple Music’s forthcoming Turn to Stone series of split releases, as well as having confirmed a coveted spot on Magnetic Eye Records’ next anxiously-awaited curated homage, Dirt [Redux].

Fortunately, there’s no such thing as too much Howling Giant in this world… or any other.

howlinggiant.bandcamp.com
twitter.com/howlinggiant
www.facebook.com/howlinggiant/
https://www.facebook.com/bluesfuneral/
bluesfuneral.com

Howling Giant, Howling Giant EP (2015)

Well, every All Them Witches record has been different from the one before it, and no matter what else happens, that’s bound to be the case with their next one as well. In an announcement posted over the weekend, the Nashville heavy-psych blues forerunners made public the departure of keyboardist Jonathan Draper. Draper was, of course, their second organist, taking the place of founding member Allan Van Cleave, who left the band prior to the recording of their latest album, ATW (review here). The stated intention is to carry on as the core three-piece, though if you have Rhodes and will travel, I wouldn’t not hit them up, since as bassist/vocalist Charles Michael Parks, Jr. says in the statement below, it’s an “indefinite” change. That hardly means forever.

Parks, guitarist Ben McLeod and drummer Robby Staebler certainly want for nothing as regards chemistry between them, so while that dynamic will inherently change without a fourth member, one expects they’ll come through. It might be an album or two getting settled, but the fact that they tour so hard invariably means that if there’s something to figure out musically or in terms of their presentation, they’ll have plenty of opportunity to do so. These guys have earned a good amount of trust in my book at this point.

Here’s what Parks had to say:

Hi there, time to talk about change!

Robby, Ben and I have been making music together for 6 years, and since then we have had an insane array of friends and family come and go through our musical life. We love all of them, we cherish all of them and their time, and talent. We want to celebrate the time we have spent together. Since our formation, the one goal I have had for this band is to be open, vulnerable, and willing to love and adapt to change as it presents itself.

That being said, we have decided to proceed in our musical experience as a 3 piece band, indefinitely. The power trio has been a huge part of rock tradition, and we are happy to join the ranks. I know this may be disappointing to some of you who have known us for awhile, and I fully understand the hesitation when the “known” becomes “unknown.” But what I want to say is, we love music, and there would be no reason for us to go on the road or endure what we endure if not for the transformative power of music. It is an ancient pull, and I don’t know exactly where it comes from, but we are knee deep and wading out.

Sincerely, thank you for supporting and trusting us. We have all rooted ourselves into the lives of each other, us to you, and in kind, you to us. There is no way to describe sharing the band/fan connection every night, but we are overjoyed to experience it with you.

-Parks ATW

http://allthemwitches.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/allthemwitches
https://www.instagram.com/allthemwitchesband/
https://twitter.com/allthemwitches
http://www.allthemwitches.org/

All Them Witches, ATW (2018)