Rancho Bizzarro Premiere “King of the Van” Video; Possessed by Rancho EP out Friday
Posted in Bootleg Theater on July 30th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
We all know the King of the Road says you move too slow. I’m not sure what the King of the Van says, mostly because Italy’s Rancho Bizzarro — that’s two ‘z’s and two ‘r’s — are instrumental, with time neither for lyrics nor pretense amid their fuzzy riffs and forward movement. Across the 23-minutes of their new EP, Possessed by Rancho — out this Friday on Argonauta Records — the Livorno four-piece careen through a desert cruising vibe, kicking up sand behind them as they push through in straightforward fashion, like if Karma to Burn had been from California instead of West Virginia, or I guess in this case on the west coast of Northern Italy. Fair enough. Either way, once they’re through the opening jam of “Open Bar Deluxe” — also the longest track on the release by far at 7:55 — the band settle with “King of the Van” into the heavy rocking sway that will ultimately define their course, as they follow-up their 2017 self-titled debut with further development in tone and rhythm, working from a familiar foundation, but bringing character to moments like the brash, drum-led outset of “El Motardo Loco,” with a classic-rocking riff that balances energies off each other between its guitar solo and insistent groove, before a sample from The Road Warrior opens “The Vengeance of Lord Humungus” with the song’s titular character indeed promising the song’s titular vengeance. Nothing if not appropriate.
“The Vengeance of Lord Humungus” shoves through with the expected brashness and “Giusquiamo Slow Drink” pulls back the drums to round out with atmospheric guitar and feedback lines.
It’s a departure, figuratively in terms of sound and literally in terms of the EP ending, but an effective wrap-up just the same. Certainly by then Rancho Bizzarro have gotten their point across in the energetic “King of the Van” and “El Motardo Loco,” the more expansive layered leads of “Open Bar Deluxe” — that must’ve been some selection of beverages — and the bruiser Truckfighters-style rollout of “The Vengeance of Lord Humungus.” They just wrapped up a string of Spring and Summer live dates, so I won’t claim to know what Rancho Bizzarro are up to for the Fall to come as they celebrate the release of Possessed by Rancho, but for a band who obviously base a lot of what they do sonically in terms of being able to build and harness momentum the EP release does precisely that for them on another level, keeping up the vitality of the prior record and acting as a step along the way toward the next one. Plus, if you don’t have 20 minutes of your day to dedicate to quality riffs, you may want to rethink your priorities. I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life, but yeah, I guess I kind of am. Quit your job. Go party. Rock and roll.
No, really, do it. I’ll wait.
One more time: Rancho Bizzarro‘s Possessed by Rancho is out Aug. 2 on Argonauta. Here’s the video for “King of the Van,” followed by a bit of the ol’ PR wire whatnot.
Please enjoy:
Rancho Bizzarro, “King of the Van” official video premiere
When Palm Desert tunes meet Detroit sounds, it’s time for RANCHO BIZZARRO to take over! The Italian four-piece, known from their excellent jam sessions drenched into fuzzy instrumental Stoner Rock with the hint of a classic 70’s attitude, has announced the release of a brand new EP, coming on August 2nd 2019 via Argonauta Records! Following the band’s self-titled 2017 debut album and their critically acclaimed MONDO RANCHO EP (2018), the upcoming ‘Possessed By Rancho’ EP will deliver a new trip of a sound between motorcycles, vans, women and bars!
Rancho Bizzarro is:
Izio (bass) / Matt (guitar) / Mark (guitar) / El Meloso (drums)
