…(Alex knows I’m just breaking his balls.)

New York’s sludgy testosterone rockers The Resurrection Sorrow kick off the first part of their Unholy Divine tour tomorrow, March 10, and the PR wire would like you to know all about it:

Still steadily promoting the hell out of their debut full-length Hour of the Wolf, thunderous New York rock quartet The Resurrection Sorrow will kick off the first leg of their three-part Unholy Divine tour tomorrow in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Resurrection Sorrow ’s The Unholy Divine tour, Part I:
3/10/2010 Mojo 13 – Wilmington, DE
3/11/2010 The Smiling Moose – Pittsburgh, PA
3/12/2010 The Depot – York, PA w/ Backwoods Payback, Wrath of Typhoon
3/13/2010 The Black and Red Bar – Washington DC w/ King Giant
3/14/2010 The Brighton Bar – Long Branch, NJ w/ The Ominous Order of Filthy Mongrels
3/15/2010 Lit Lounge – New York, NY w/ Maegashira

As I told The Brought Low bassist/backing vocalist Bob Russell while we waited outside guitarist/vocalist Ben Smith’s work for him to come down with a suggestion as to where to go to lunch and conduct this interview today (March 2, 2010), and as I’ve said on multiple occasions prior, every time I come to Midtown Manhattan, I swear it’s going to be the last time I ever do it. Sure enough, though, there’s always something to bring me back.

This time, it’s The Brought Low’s Third Record (review here), the band’s first offering in five years since they made their Small Stone Records label debut with Right on Time. An entirely unpretentious and confident collection of songs, it was easily worth the drive into the city to discuss with Smith and Russell the process of making the album with producer Andrew Schneider (Throttlerod, Puny Human, etc.), and as we went to dine at Cafe Edison — located in the hotel on Broadway of the same name — the environment reminded me of something straight out of a New York movie, one of those scenes where intimacy is somehow managed in one of the planet’s most crowded spots. For the record, Smith credits his father with showing him how to navigate Midtown.

Likewise, both Smith and Russell agree that a good portion of Third Record’s natural, organic sound comes from Schneider’s work behind the board, but neither discounts their comfort in the trio lineup of the band — rounded out by drummer Nick Heller — as a factor in the positive results. Over our shared meal, there was a lot of joking and a lot of lighthearted sarcasm (one of the charms of The Brought Low has always been their self-deprecating sense of humor), but it’s no question that the band is passionate and serious about what they’re doing and how far they’ve come in their decade of existence.

After the jump, Smith and Russell discuss making Third Record, their plans surrounding South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and, of course, how every other band is jive and The Brought Low kicks ass. It’s a given. Enjoy the interview.

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What New York City rockers The Brought Low have always managed to do best is get right to the point, and on their latest offering, the appropriately titled Third Album (Small Stone), the trio make it known right away that they’re open for business. “Old Century Man” is an upbeat rocker that plays directly into the trio’s old fashioned classic rock aesthetic. That song could be said to be the mission statement for the eight tracks following it, but The Brought Low do more sonically than hit overdrive for three minutes at a time and call it a day.

Which is fortunate, if you think about it, because if they did, we would have waited four years for a 27-minute record. And that seems silly somehow.

But no, The Brought Low offer substance in more than just temporal fashion right off the bat. There has always been an underlying emotionality to their songs, a blues-driven sense of loss made palpable to the listener through the vocals of guitarist Ben Smith. “Everybody Loves a Whore” keeps the vibe of the opener going, albeit more aggressively (or many that’s just me reacting to the name), but with “The Kelly Rose,” the band begins to show a personality in their work that 2006’s Right on Time had, at its strongest moments, started to fulfill. “The Kelly Rose” is catchy and memorable — a solid transition into “A Thousand Miles Away,” which takes a wistful, acoustic turn, highlighting a road-weary loneliness in the lyrics that’s perfectly suited to the pop melancholy of the music.

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New York doom rockers The Resurrection Sorrow, whose album, Hour of the Wolf (review here) boasted the kind of testicles that get in the way while you’re trying to do household chores, are heading out on the road and have let it known via the PR wire exactly what path their chaos will take. Witness:

With a steady stream of local and regional shows played over the last few months TRS are now booking the rest of the winter and spring months with more gigs, including Part I of the band’s three-part The Unholy Divine Tour. The next segment will be announced shortly. But next up is this Saturday’s brutal stoner throwdown at Ace of Clubs alongside Black Pyramid, Hull, Maegashira and Archon.

2/13/2010 Ace of Clubs - New York, NY w/ Hull, Black Pyramid, Maegashiria, Archon
2/27/2010 Social Pariah Festival @ Holiday Inn – Fishkill, NY
3/05/2010 Sounds Asylum - Goshen, NY
3/06/2010 The Electric Factory – Utica, NY w/ Malice in Underland, Structural Integrity Compromised

The Unholy Divine Tour, Part I
3/10/2010 Mojo 13 - Wilmington, DE
3/11/2010 The Smiling Moose – Pittsburgh, PA
3/12/2010 The Depot - York, PA w/ Red River Revival, Backwoods Payback, Wrath of Typhoon
3/13/2010 The Black and Red Bar – Washington D.C. w/ King Giant
3/14/2010 The Brighton Bar - Long Branch, NJ w/ The Ominous Order of Filthy Mongrels
3/15/2010 Lit Lounge – New York, NY w/ Maegashira, Archon

A heartfelt “Fucking a” goes out to NYC’s best pure rock band, The Brought Low, who landed the gig of gigs opening for much-lauded supergroup Them Crooked Vultures Monday night, Feb. 8, at Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan! Quite a score, gentlemen. If you’ve ever seen The Brought Low live, you already know they’re more than equal to the task, since, to put it succinctly, they kill.

In also-ruling news, The Brought Low also recently finished their new album, Third Record, for upcoming release via Small Stone. They’ve just put up a new track, “The Kelly Rose,” on their MySpace. This year is looking better and better.

Here’s the deal in the band’s own words:

Just confirmed we are opening for Them Crooked Vultures this Monday night, February 8th @ The Roseland Ballroom in NYC! Super duper psyched!

Also, just posted a song from the new album Third Record called “The Kelly Rose” on our MySpace page so check it out! Should be up on iTunes in a few weeks and available as an actual CD later this spring.

I also just set up a Twitter account for the band so if you’re into that sort of thing check it out: http://twitter.com/TheBroughtLow.

Also looking very likely we will be playing some shows in the Midwest on our way down to the Small Stone Records South by Southwest Showcase in March. Stay tuned for tour dates.

Ever since reviewing their album and interviewing vocalist Alan Dubin about how much the city of Hoboken sucks ass, NYC horror doom industrialists Gnaw have had a soft spot in my heart. As much as possible, anyway, given how unpleasant the music is to the ear — which is on purpose, of course. Now Gnaw have scheduled some in-person type goings on and the PR wire has the info. Dig:

Following a recent appearance at NYC’s Apex Fest III, as well as several other shows, the city’s harshest infected industrial doom unit Gnaw continue to sonically erode landscapes, announcing more local live action and more in the coming months.

Kicking off Saturday, December 5th the unit will destroy Brooklyn’s Club Europa alongside Chicago’s Earthen Grave (featuring Ron Holzner from doom legends Trouble, members of The Living Fields and more, and virtuoso violinist Rachel Barton Pine) and Iron Man (heavy doom from Baltimore, featuring the guitar wizardry of Al Morris III).

Next up, Gnaw want the airwaves! On Tuesday, December 8th the band will rape the city and all other lands via a live radio broadcast from WFMU 91.1 FM studios, on Brian Turner’s Show on-air and on http://www.wfmu.org.

The band will be concentrating heavily on composing their second album in the winter months, but will break February 12th for a set at John Zorn’s NYC performance space The Stone, dedicated to experimental and avant-garde performers.

Gnaw features members Alan Dubin (ex-Khanate, OLD), Jamie Sykes (ex-Burning Witch, Thorr’s Hammer, Atavist), Carter Thornton (Enos Slaughter), Jun Mizumachi (of NYC industrial icons Ike Yard), Brian Beatrice (Emmy Award-winning sound design/mix wizard), and most recent addition Eric Neuser.

Gnaw live bashings:
12/05/2009 Europa – Brooklyn, NY w/ Iron Man, Earthen Grave
02/12/2010 The Stone – New York, NY

In a word: Ballsy.

As much as I�ve tried to come up with other descriptors for Hour of the Wolf, the self-released (through their own Midnight Dreams Productions) full-length debut from New York�s The Resurrection Sorrow, they all boil down to the same thing. This is testosterone driven doom rock that stands out like a high five across the table at a fancy restaurant. Think C.O.C., BLS, Crowbar, some Borgo Pass-style sludge, etc. So yeah, like I said: ballsy.

Bassist Alex Coelho (Tides Within) and vocalist Alex Dementia (After Dark) form the songwriting core of the band, and work tightly together. There is rarely a moment wasted on Hour of the Wolf; a well-suited straightforward approach gives the album an aggressive feel without being silly losing focus. The catchy opener, �Resurrect the Sorrow,� walks a thin line between heaviness and accessibility that makes it clear audience is a consideration for The Resurrection Sorrow, however there is no real pandering to be found there or elsewhere. Likewise, �Buried Dreams� and slower-paced later cut �Plague of the Dying Sun� don�t feel dumbed down or like they should be doing more than they are. They�re well-written pop songs, and they accomplish everything they should on that level.

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If you’re in the New York City area, which I think I’ve made clear enough this week that I am, you might want to consider spending your Wednesday evening tomorrow night with A Storm of Light, who are trekking all the way from Brooklyn to Manhattan for their CD release show. Should be a good time. The PR wire has this to say about it:

Brooklyn, NY doom/post rock experimentalists A Storm of Light — who recently returned from an extensive European tour in support of their newly released Forgive Us Our Trespasses full-length (Neurot Recordings) — will hold their official record release show tomorrow, November 18, 2009, at Ace of Clubs in New York City. Admission is free and vocalist Nerissa Campbell (Primitive North) will be joining the band for the show. Also on the bill: Biclops and Goes Cube. Details below:

A Storm of Light Record Release Show
Wednesday, November 18
Ace of Clubs
9 Great Jones St.
New York, NY 10012-1128
Doors 7:30 – Free Admission

8:00pm – Biclops
9:00pm – Goes Cube
10:00pm – A Storm of Light
More info: http://www.aceofclubsnyc.com

A Storm of Light features guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Josh Graham (Neurosis visuals, Blood and Time, Battle of Mice), bassist/vocalist Domenic Seita (formerly of Tombs and Asea) and guitarist/keyboardist Joel Hamilton (Book of Knots, Battle of Mice), who also recorded the latest full-length.

Popular legend has it that in other regions of this US of A, folks stick around for the whole show. They hang out, make a night of it, drink themselves silly and maybe discover some new music. Needless to say, that shit don’t fly in New York.

The coolest guy in the room is the one who shows up right before the band goes on. That’s the dude with the inside track. He must know the band. He probably called them on that $400 cell phone and asked when they’d hit stage. They probably told him because he’s important. Wow, look at him stand there blank faced and look like he could give a rat’s ass. When I grow up that’s who I want to be.

And so forth.

The thing about a Manhattan crowd is a Manhattan crowd has seen everything, and if they were going to like your band, they’d already like your band by now. Expose them to something new? Good luck, man. They were into your band’s influences before you ever heard of them. That’s just how it goes in New York — at least for the most part.

I’m guilty too. I did the same thing this past Friday when I went to see Devil to Pay at Ace of Clubs — which is, by the way, the only club in Manhattan that still puts on underground heavy rock shows worth seeing and commendable for that. I was in there just as they got on, and when they left, so did I. No interest in seeing the next band, knew nothing about the acts on before, was content with that ignorance; just wanted to catch Devil to Pay and split.

So that was my experience. I was driving, so drinking was out. I’d eaten a cheeseburger at the Acme restaurant upstairs and was too full for beer anyway. Hey Devil to Pay, kick my ass and send me on my way. They’re not the best in the world at what they do, but they do it well enough that it was a good set, and that’s pretty much how it went.

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It’s been extra-slow news-wise around here the last week or two, but NYC’s The Resurrection Sorrow (MySpace here) have an update on their new record, Hour of the Wolf via the PR wire that will hopefully kick off a flood of updates. If you’re reading this and you’re in a band, by the way, please feel free to email any news to jj(atsign)theobelisk.net and I’ll post it. Obelisk-appropriate local bands welcome. Me likey unsigned acts.

Using stone-heavy handed riffing, barbaric percussive destruction and brooding, occult-inspired vocals, The Resurrection Sorrow boast catchy hooks and infectious grooves not easily ignored. With homage being paid to the oracles of 1970s England, the Bay Area of the 1980s and those of 1990s Seattle and American swamplands, the band has taken the torch from its predecessors and are just taking it further into the cave.

The New York City-based unit features a cast of musicians who have collectively spent time in NYC acts Murphy’s Law, Tides Within, After Dark, Malstrom, Supervillain and more, bringing years of both studio and on-stage expertise to the table. The Resurrection Sorrow ’s self-released debut full-length Hour of the Wolf was recorded by veteran NYC engineer Joe Hogan (Nebula, The Atomic Bitchwax) and features intense artwork by Seldon Hunt (Pelican, SunnO))), Made out of Babies).

In celebration of this album’s unveiling, the band will play a record release show on November 21st and Brooklyn’s Trash Bar alongside Seventh Void (featuring Johnny Kelly and Kenny Hickey from Type O Negative and Danzig), as part of the Second Annual Trash Bar Music and Arts Festival.

Just a quick word about this show. It was over a week ago now — Saturday, Oct. 10, to be precise — but the Clutch gig I caught at Irving Plaza in NYC has taken residence in my spine, leading to residual flashbacks and long-term developing appreciation of a rare kind. Careful analysis of the input factors, variables, controls, etc., leaves open questions as to the cause here to be explored:

The second of two New York nights at Irving (it’s not “The Fillmore” no matter the dollars spent to market it as such) to close out a tour with Wino and Lionize, on paper there wasn’t really anything different about it. Just another Clutch set in Manhattan. They seem to happen every couple months like clockwork. But this one has stuck with me, and all I can really chalk it up to, as regards the band (which I say because I had many personal friends at the show and it was a pleasure to see them), is the set list.

It’s not necessarily rare for a show to make me want to go back and listen to one of the band’s records, but in the last week, I’ve hit up both Elephant Riders and Pure Rock Fury, neither of which is my favorite Clutch album by a longshot. I’ll say this as well: this was my fourth time seeing Wino’s solo band in 2009 (Roadburn, Atlantic City with Clutch, Planet Caravan and Manhattan with Clutch), and he never sounded better.

So clearly there was a special feeling about this night. Clutch broke out “Immortal,” “Cypress Grove,” “Ship of Gold,” “Sea of Destruction,” “The Dragonfly,” “Animal Farm,” and even capped off with a rare “Spacegrass.” It was the best I’d seen them all year, but you know, I seem to say that after every show. If I’m brave enough to make it out to Starland Ballroom when they’re there in December (last year was so crowded it was a nightmare), I’ll probably say the same thing then too.

But like an idea whose time comes on Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day, Clutch killed a crowd of familiars in NYC. Their shows are usually a party anyway, but this was a standout, and since I can’t seem to get over how good it was, it at very least seemed worthy of note here in case I wasn’t the only one with a similar experience of it.

…Tee Pee Records (via the PR wire) would like you to know this is where they’ll be:

10/22 – Tee Pee Records/Chronic Youth Day Party @ The Cake Shop
Nebula plays at 4:30PM w/ Priestess, Naam, Hull and more

10/23 – Brooklyn Vegan BBG Day Party @ Fontana’s
Nebula plays at 5:30PM w/ Crystal Antlers, Naam, Ume and more

10/23 – Tee Pee Records CMJ Showcase @ Union Pool
Nebula plays at 10PM w/ Priestess, Naam, Quest for Fire and more

The band has also posted an mp3 of the song “Aphrodite” from their latest album, Heavy Psych, for your listening enjoyment. Here it is:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Small Stone got their fall showcasing out of the way up in Boston already, but New York’s Tee Pee Records announced today they’ll once again be taking part in the CMJ Festival, and doing so with two separate parties: one for the day and the bigger label showcase at night. Riffs will abound and Nebula’s even coming into town for it, so it might be worthwhile for the bridge and tunnel types. Here’s the info PR wire style:

Tee Pee Records will have their 2009 CMJ Showcase at Union Pool on Friday, October 23rd. Among the bands playing are Priestess, Nebula, Naam, Hopewell, Imaad Wasif and more. Details below. Tee Pee will also be throwing a day party at Cake Shop on October 22nd in conjunction with our friends over at Chronic Youth.

Tee Pee Records 2009 CMJ Showcase
10/23/09 Union Pool
Doors 5PM Show 6PM
Lineup:
Priestess
Nebula
Naam
Quest for Fire
Kreisor
Hopewell
Imaad Wasif with Two Part Beast
Weird Owl

Tee Pee Records / Chronic Youth CMJ Day Party
10/22/09 Cake Shop
Noon-6PM
Free
Lineup:
Priestess
Nebula
Naam
Barn Burner
Hull
Kreisor

The children love Baroness, and though I don’t get it, I wouldn’t want that to stop anyone from checking out this combined listening party/show tomorrow night, Oct. 1, in Manhattan. They’re going to be playing the new Baroness record and there will be sets by Fight Amp, Moth Eater and Voyager, as you can see from the nifty poster below. You know you’ve been looking for an excuse to get wasted on Thursday…

Acclaimed NYC visual artist and illustrator Arik Roper’s work has become an essential part of the aesthetic to underground heavy (that’s not to say “stoner”) rock and doom. Posters, album covers, shirt designs for the likes of Sleep (both Jerusalem and Dopesmoker), Southern Lord Recordings, Rise Above Records, StonerRock.com, Buzzov*en, Eyehategod, High on Fire, Boris, Ancestors, Mammatus and countless others have made Roper’s trademark epic and highly detailed style a visual staple every bit as important as Orange amps blasting out Sabbath riffs. There are many albums that just wouldn’t be the same without it.

With one book — Mushroom Magick: A Visionary Field Guide — already under his belt and ever-more praise and exposure being heaped upon his work, Roper’s growing reputation has him high in the running for one of this generation’s most recognizable artists in or out of the metal underground. His pieces maintain signature elements, like common wavelengths running through them, while subject matter and inspiration vary widely. Adaptable and distinctive, he shows not only the technical development attained from his time at New York’s School of the Visual Arts, but a natural talent which can come only with time, practice and innate ability.

Roper was kind enough recently to take some time out and discuss via email his artistic process and evolution, how he got started drawing and which piece of classic cover art he most wishes had been his own. Interview is after the jump. Enjoy.

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