Posted in Whathaveyou on May 24th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
Holy crapola, you mean to tell me Russian Circles have seven albums? Way to make me feel old, PR wire. The latest of the bunch is called Blood Year, and it will be issued Aug. 2 through Sargent House, which makes the Chicagoan three-piece label-kin to Earth and Boris, and though one tends to think of those bands as icons of the heavy form, don’t Russian Circles kind of fit in that echelon at this point as well. All kidding and feeling-old (about which I was very much not kidding) aside, these guys are long-since-proven veterans and their influence has been widespread for at least the last decade, if not longer, so yeah, a release on Sargent House feels right. Shit is important to a lot of people.
The new song, called “Arluck,” has been making the rounds this week and you can hear it at the bottom of this post if you haven’t yet or if you’d like to again, and in addition to the album announcement, there’s the requisite slew of tour dates included in the PR wire info as well.
Have at it:
RUSSIAN CIRCLES ANNOUNCE THEIR NEW ALBUM, ‘BLOOD YEAR,’ & NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
The formidable trio’s seventh studio album will be released on August 2 via Sargent House. Check out the first single “Arluck” now.
There are few things one can be sure of these days, though one truism that remains is that Russian Circles will continue to reign as one of instrumental music’s supreme champions. These masters of sonic tension and release plan to deliver their seventh studio album August 2nd on Sargent House. Dubbed Blood Year, the LP is less a musical exploration and more a statement of authority, lest there be any doubt that Russian Circles remain a force to be reckoned with on the stage and in the studio.
The Chicago trio have always explored the dynamics of volume and timbre, with their albums often vacillating between caustic attacks and blissful respites. Russian Circles returned to the studio with Kurt Ballou to record Blood Year, but this time they tracked it in Chicago at Steve Albini’s world-famous Electrical Audio. From guitarist Mike Sullivan’s riff-fueled assaults, to Dave Turncrantz’s war machine rack and floor toms and Brian Cook’s meat grinding bass lines, the sound of Blood Year is that of a band unafraid to flaunt their hard-earned prowess.
Sullivan, Turncrantz, and Cook made a conscious effort to approach the songs on Blood Year with the same organic feel of a live show. In an age where rock records are often built on a computerized grid, Russian Circles chose to track the foundations of the songs together in one room as complete takes without click tracks. The human pulse and unmetered energy is woven throughout Blood Year, a presence that can be felt with each bone-rattling minute.
Blood Year will be released via Sargent House on August 2 and Russian Circles will be on tour in North America this September, October and November in support of it. FACS and Windhand will appear on select dates — check out all tour dates listed below.
Blood Year is available for pre-order here. Stay tuned for more news.
RUSSIAN CIRCLES LIVE: May 31 Chicago, IL @ Do Division Fest
RUSSIAN CIRCLES IRELAND/UK DATES AUG 08 Dublin, IRE @ Button Factory * AUG 09 Galway IRE @ Roisin Dubh * AUG 10 Belfast UK @ Limelight 2 * AUG 12 Glasgow, UK @ G2 + AUG 13 Manchester, UK @ Gorilla + AUG 14 London, UK @ Earth + AUG 16 Bristol, UK @ ArcTanGent Festival +
Support from * No Spill Blood + A.A. Williams With further European tour dates to be announced soon.
RUSSIAN CIRCLES NORTH AMERICAN DATES: September 11 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon * September 12 Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Culture Center * September 14 Bozeman, MT @ Rialto Bozeman * September 16 Seattle, WA @ Neumos * September 17 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom * September 19 San Francisco, CA @ August Hall * September 20 Ventura, CA @ Discovery Ventura * September 21 Los Angeles, CA @ The Teragram Ballroom * September 23 Mesa, AZ @ The Nile * September 24 Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf * September 25 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater * September 28 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall * October 18 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Pyramid Scheme October 19 Detroit, MI @ El Club October 20 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace October 21 Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount October 23 Portsmouth, NH @ 3S ArtSpace October 24 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair October 26 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw October 27 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer October 29 Washington, DC @ Union Stage October 30 Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry November 1 Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall + November 2 Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre + November 3 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade + November 4 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s + November 6 Houston, TX @ The Secret Group + November 8 Austin, TX @ Levitation November 9 Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Company + November 11 St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall + w/ FACS * w/ Windhand +
Blood Year — Track Listing: 1. Hunter Moon 2. Arluck 3. Milano 4. Kohokia 5. Ghost on High 6. Sinaia 7. Quartered
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 2nd, 2018 by JJ Koczan
We already know from prior announcements that Chicago-based heavy post-rock forerunner instrumentalists Russian Circles (there are like six or seven other titles one might bestow on them with various degrees of superlative praise inherent) will be in Europe in time for this year’s Freak Valley Festival. This North American run alongside Relapse Records four-piece King Woman will precede that trip, obviously, but the chief question would seem to be if there’s a European tour announcement coming from them and if so, when they might actually head over, whether it’s summer fests or a run in the later end of Spring. With Freak Valley as a launch or landing point, it could kind of go either way.
Rest assured, I don’t know nothin’ about nothin’. The PR wire, on the other hand:
RUSSIAN CIRCLES ANNOUNCE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR WITH KING WOMAN
See them on the road in March & April throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Russian Circles have never been ones to stay quiet, and their first announcement of 2018 only serves to prove that predilection. This March and April, Russian Circles will be joined by Sargent House management roster-mates King Woman for a North American tour. Spanning just over three weeks, the bands will play shows in select markets from coast to coast; check out the full tour routing below.
Russian Circles are hot off an extensive 2017 world tour with Mastodon and Eagles Of Death metal and to say they are primed for this headlining run would be an understatement. Clocking in over a decade together, the Chicago power trio have grown into one of most prolific groups in both the instrumental and rock realms. With a steamrolling catalog redefining the boundaries of both genre and instrumentation—from cinematic arias to metalloid-fueled bludgeoning—Russian Circles continue to find new sonic expanses to conquer. Whereas many bands in the instrumental world are content to cruise with the lush crescendos and washed-out timbres of their predecessors, Russian Circles persevere in their quest to conjure multidimensional, textural narratives.
Acting as the the sonic foil to Russian Circles’ electrifying instrumentals is the rumble and roar of King Woman. Formed in 2009 by vocalist Kristina Esfandiari, the Bay Area outfit have crafted a sound thoroughly their own—one that fuses the cobweb texture of drone and shoegaze with the melancholic heft of doom. Their debut LP, 2017’s Created In The Image Of Suffering (Relapse), paired weighty subject matter with brooding songwriting, earning the band widespread acclaim. Complete with deeply personal, introspective lyrics that serve as a catharsis for years of religious and mental torment, King Woman truly suffer to create their art.
See Russian Circles and King Woman on one stage this spring:
Russian Circles — On Tour w/ King Woman: 03/22 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room * 03/23 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater * 03/27 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex 03/29 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall 03/31 Portland, Oregon @ Wonder Ballroom 04/01 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile 04/02 Vancouver, BC @ Baltimore Cabaret 04/04 Calgary, AB @ Dickens 04/05 Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room 04/07 Saskatoon, SK @ Louis Pub 04/08 Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick 04/11 Toronto, ON @ The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern 04/12 Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa 04/14 Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall 04/16 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair 04/17 Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere 04/18 Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel 04/20 Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit 04/21 Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch 04/22 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle *No King Woman
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 15th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Not taking anything away from anyone in this latest announcement from Freak Valley 2018, but for me, the find of the bunch is South African heavy-grooving three-piece Ruff Majik, who, what they lack in spelling they more than compensate for with riff-led immersive roll as well as a prolific rate of releases.
Again, that’s not to detract at all from the radness of the fact that Year of the Cobra are making the trip, or that Russian Circles will no doubt feature somewhere near the top of the bill, but I wasn’t familiar with Ruff Majik prior to this announcement and was happy to have the chance to check them out.
If you’d like to do the same, their latest EP is streaming at the bottom of this post. Go ahead and give it a shot. Maybe name your price on one of those downloads they have set up on such terms.
Here’s the full announcement from the fest, which, as it happens, I wrote:
Happy New Year, Freaks!
We’re creeping ever closer to the start of FREAK VALLEY FESTIVAL 2018, and you know what that means: More announcements, more reasons to come, and less time to plan your trip. If you missed out on tickets before they sold out, sorry, but you can’t say you weren’t warned. For everyone else, we’ve got FIVE awesome new confirmations to reveal for the lineup!
Please welcome Russian Circles, Black Bombaim, Year of the Cobra, Ruff Majik and MY BABY to the bill for Freak Valley 2018!
RUSSIAN CIRCLES
No way these guys need any introduction. For over a decade, Chicago instrumental trio Russian Circles have made themselves forerunners of heavy and psychedelic post-rock, and with their records Enter, Station, Geneva, Empros, Memorial and Guidance, they’ve become one of the most essential acts of their generation. Expect immersion like nothing else when they take the stage for all the Freaks! They might even leave the lights on! On second thought, nah, probably not.
BLACK BOMBAIM
If you’ve never experienced Portuguese jammers Black Bombaim live, you don’t even know what you’ve been missing. The raw chemistry, the dynamic turns – everything they do recalls the best of improvisational psychedelic rock. Their flow is molten and unlike anyone else’s in the style, and they come to Freak Valley as ready to explore new ground as ever in the far-out cosmic reaches.
YEAR OF THE COBRA
While the bass/drum two-piece recalled riffy greats like Sleep and Acid King on their debut album, In the Shadows Below, it was the 2017 EP, Burn Your Dead, that really showed off the diversity of sound Year of the Cobra could bring to bear. The Seattle duo hit Europe for the first time supporting the album and as they come back ahead of a new full-length in 2018, we’re thrilled to welcome them for their first visit to Freak Valley!
RUFF MAJIK
Traveling all the way from Pretoria, South Africa, the heavy-grooving trio Ruff Majik have been belting out releases at a prolific clip since their 2015 debut, The Bear. By the time they make it to Siegen this May, they’ll be riding high on the blues-psych vibes of their latest work, A Stag in the Leaves, and we can’t wait to introduce them to the Freaks and give everyone a taste of their laid back riffs and classic style.
MY BABY
Based in Amsterdam (because where else?), My Baby come to Freak Valley 2018 offering a spirit and a musical energy like nothing else on the bill. Their 2017 album, Prehistoric Rhythm, ran contrary to its name with a blend of soul, blues, funk, dance and classic rock that could only be from the future. Still, it spoke to something primitive in all of us – a basic need to move, to get up, to shake ass, and we know they’ll have the Freaks doing exactly that.
Freak Valley Festival 2018 // No Fillers – Just Killers
Line-up 2018: OM, Russian Circles, My Sleeping Karma, My Baby, Yuri Gagarin, Dÿse, Black Bombaim, Year of the Cobra, Ruff Majik, Rage of Samedi, Nap More tba soon
Posted in Reviews on October 6th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
I’ll admit I’m a little surprised at the shape this Quarterly Review has taken. As I begin to look back on the year in terms of what records have been talked about over the span, I find it’s been particularly geared toward debut albums, both in and out of wrap-ups like this one. There’s less of that this time around, but what’s happened is some stuff that doesn’t fall into that category — releases like the first two here, for example — are getting covered here to allow space for the others. Let’s face it, nobody gives a shit what I have to say about Russian Circles anyhow, so whatever, but I’m happy to have this as a vehicle for discussing records I still think are worth discussing — the first two releases here, again for example — rather than letting them fall through the cracks with the glut of new bands coming along. Of course things evolve as you go on, but I wish I’d figured it out sooner. Let’s dive in.
Quarterly Review #31-40:
Russian Circles, Guidance
From the warm wash of guitar that begins “Asa” onward, and no matter how weighted, percussive and/or chug-fueled Russian Circles get from there, the Chicago trio seem to be offering solace on their latest outing, Guidance. Recorded by Kurt Ballou and released through Sargent House, the seven-track offering crosses heavy post-rock soundscapes given marked thickness and distinct intensity on “Vorel,” but the record as a whole never quite loses the serenity in “Asa” or the later “Overboard,” crushing as the subsequent “Calla” gets, and though the spaces they cast in closer “Lisboa” are wide and intimidating, their control of them is utterly complete. Six albums in, Russian Circles are simply masters of what they do. There’s really no other way to put it. They remain forward thinking in terms of investigating new ideas in their sound, but their core approach is set in the fluidity of these songs and they revise their aesthetic with a similar, natural patience to that with which they execute their material.
Following their 2014 RidingEasy Records debut, …Lurar ut dig på prärien (discussed here) – which, presumably met with some pronunciation trouble outside the band’s native Sweden – Salem’s Pot return with Pronounce This!, further refining their blend of psychedelic swirl, odd vibes and garage doom riffing. They remain heavily indoctrinated into the post-Uncle Acid school of buzz and groove, and aren’t afraid to scum it up on “Tranny Takes a Trip” or the slower-shifting first half of “Coal Mind,” but the second portion of that song and “So Gone, so Dead” take a more classically progressive bent that is both refreshing and a significant expansion on what Salem’s Pot have accomplished thus far into their tenure. Still weird, and one doubts that’ll change anytime soon – nor does it need to – but as Pronounce This! plays out, Salem’s Pot demonstrate an open-mindedness that seems to have been underlying their work all along and bring it forward in engaging fashion.
International House of Mancakes – yup – is the follow-up to Bridesmaid’s 2013 long-player, Breakfast at Riffany’s, and like that album, it finds the Columbus, Ohio, instrumentalists with a penchant for inserting dudes’ names into well-known titles – see “Hungry Like Nick Wolf” and “Ronnin’ with the Devil” – but it also expands the lineup to the two-bass/two-drum four-piece of Scott Hyatt and Bob Brinkman (both bass) and Cory Barnt and Boehm (both drums). Topped off with KISS-meets-Village People art from W. Ralph Walters, there are shortages neither of snark nor low end, but buried underneath is a progressive songwriting sensibility that doesn’t come across as overly metal on cuts like “Ricky Thump” and doesn’t sacrifice impact or heft for the sake of self-indulgence. Opening with its longest track (immediate points) in “It’s Alectric (Boogie Woogie Woogie),” International House of Mancakes unfolds a heavy rock push that, while obviously driven in part by its sense of humor, earns serious consideration in these tracks for those willing to actually listen.
Too thick in its tones to be a completely vintage-style work, the sleazy vibes of Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell’s Keep it Greasy! (on Rise Above) are otherwise loyal to circa-1971 boogie and attitude, and whether it’s the rewind moment on opener “U Got Wot I Need” or proto-metallic bass thrust of the “Hawkline Monster” or the brash post-Lemmy push of “Tired ‘n’ Wired,” the album is a celebration of a moment when rock isn’t about being any of those things or anything else, but about having a good time, letting off some steam from a shit job or whatever it is, and trying your damnedest to get laid. Radio samples throughout tie the songs together, but even that carries an analog feel – because radio – and the good Admiral are clearly well versed in the fine art of kicking ass. Familiar in all the right ways with more than enough personality to make that just another part of the charm.
The invitation to completely immerse comes quickly on the 13-minute “Delusion Sound,” which opens Landing’s Third Sight (on El Paraiso), and from there, the Connecticut four-piece sway along a beautiful and melodic drift, easing their way along a full-sounding progression filled out with airy guitar and backing drones, moved forward patiently by its drum march and topped with echoed half-whispers. It’s a flat-out gorgeous initial impression to make, and the instrumental “Third Site” and “Facing South” follow it with a tinge of the experimentalism for which Landing are more known, the former led by guitar and the latter led by cinematic keyboard. To bookend, the 14-minute “Morning Sun” builds as it progresses and draws the various sides together while creating a rising soundscape of its own, every bit earning its name as the vocals emerge in the second half, part of a created wash that is nothing short of beautiful. One could say the same of Third Sight as a whole.
While they’ve spent the last few years kicking around the deeper recesses of Brooklyn’s heavy underground, Reign of Zaius mark their debut release with the 26-minute Planet Of… EP, bringing together seven tracks that show what their time and buildup of material has wrought. Opener “Hate Parade” reminds of earliest Kings Destroy, but on the whole, Reign of Zaius are rawer and more metal at their core, the five-piece delving into shuffle on “Out of Get Mine” and showing an affinity for classic horror in both “They Live” – which starts with a sample of Roddy Piper being all out of bubblegum – and “Farewell to Arms,” previously issued as a single in homage to Evil Dead. The charm of a “Dueling Banjos” reference at the start of “Deliver Me” leads to one of the catchier hooks on Planet Of…, and the shorter “Power Hitter” closes with a bass-heavy paean to smoking out that digs into punkish summation of where Reign of Zaius are coming from generally as they continue to be a band up for having a good time without taking themselves too seriously.
Kind of a mystery just where the time goes on Sydney rockers Transcendent Sea’s self-released 50-minute first album, Ballads of Drowning Men. Sure, straightforward cuts like “Over Easy” and “Mind Queen” are easily enough accounted for with their post-Orange Goblin burl and boozy, guttural delivery from vocalist Sean Bowden, but as the four-piece of Bowden, guitarist Mathew J. Allen, bassist Andrew Auglys and drummer Mark Mills get into the more extended “Throw Me a Line,” “Blood of a Lion” and closer “Way of the Wolf” – all over 10 minutes each – their moves become harder to track. They keep the hooks and the verses, but it’s not like they’re just tacking jams onto otherwise structured tracks, and even when “Way of the Wolf” goes wandering, Bowden keeps it grounded, and that effect is prevalent throughout in balancing Ballads of Drowning Men as a whole. It takes a few listens to get a handle on where Transcendent Sea are coming from in that regard, but their debut proves worth at least that minimal effort.
Brothers Rael and Ryan Andrews, both formerly of Lansing, Michigan, art rockers BerT, revive their heavy punk duo Red Teeth with the four-song Light Bender 7” on GTG Records. Both contribute vocals, and Ryan handles guitar and bass, while Rael is on drums and synth through the quick run of “Light Bender, Sound Bender,” “Tas Pappas,” “134mps” and “Elephant Graveyard,” the longest of which is the opener (immediate points) at 4:49. By the time they get down to “Elephant Graveyard,” one can hear some of the Melvinsian twist and crunch that often surfaced in BerT, but whether it’s the ‘90s-alt-vibes-meet-drum-madness of “134mps” or the almost rockabilly riffing of “Tas Pappas,” Red Teeth – whose last release was eight years ago – have no trouble establishing personality in these songs. Approach with an open mind and the weirdness that persists will be more satisfying, as each track seems to have a context entirely of its own.
One can hear the kind of spacious darkness and through-the-skin cold of New England winters in this new split EP from Connecticut crushers Sea of Bones and grinding New Hampshire compatriots Ramlord from Broken Limbs Recordings. What the two share most of all is an atmosphere of existential destitution, but there’s an underlying sense of the extreme that also ties together Sea of Bones’ “Hopelessness and Decay” (10:36) and Ramlord’s “Incarceration of Clairvoyance (Part III)” (10:10), the latter of which continues a series Ramlord started back in 2012 on a split with Cara Neir. Both acts are very much in their element in their brutality. For Sea of Bones, this is the second release they’ve had out this year behind the improvised and digital-only “Silent Transmissions” 27-minute single, which of course was anything but, and for Ramlord, it’s their first split in two years, but finds their gritty, filthy sound well intact from where they last left it. Nothing to complain about here, unless peace of mind is your thing, because you certainly won’t find any of that.
Philadelphia-based five-piece Holy Smoke formed in the early hours of 2015, and the exclamatory Holy Smoke! It’s a Demo! three-track EP is their debut release. Opening with its longest cut (immediate points) in “Rinse and Repeat,” it finds them blending psychedelic and heavy rock elements and conjuring marked fluidity between them. As the title indicates, it’s a demo, and what one hears throughout is the first material Holy Smoke thought enough of to put to tape, but on “Rinse and Repeat” and the subsequent “Blue Dreams” and “The Firm,” they bring the two sides together well in a way it’s easy to hope they continue to do as they move onto whatever comes next, pulling off “The Firm” particularly with marked swing and a sense of confidence that undercuts the notion of their being their first time out. They have growing to do, and by no means would I consider them established in style, but there’s a spark in the songs that could absolutely catch fire.
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 17th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Chicago’s Russian Circles will release their new, Kurt Ballou-recorded LP, Guidance, Aug. 5 on Sargent House. US tour dates have been announced to coincide, and a trailer for Guidance has been posted that you can see/hear below. It’s an immediately tense impression, propulsive drums leading a heavier crunch than what the trio’s last outing, 2013’s Memorial, presented. That’s not surprising necessarily with Ballou at the board, but it will be interesting to hear how the whole record plays out, which I wouldn’t dare make a guess on based off of 46 seconds of one of its tracks, whichever one it happens to be.
Fresh-chopped off the PR wire:
RUSSIAN CIRCLES ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM, GUIDANCE & NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
LP due out August 5th from Sargent House
Celebrated Chicago post-metal/rock trio Russian Circles are thrilled to announce their highly-anticipated sixth studio album, Guidance, due out August 5th from Sargent House. This 7-song, 40-minute LP was recorded by Kurt Ballou at GodCity Studio in Salem, MA and showcases Russian Circles at their best and most realized yet in their decade-long career. Check out the teaser video for Guidance now on YouTube.
In support of Guidance, Russian Circles have announced an extensive North American headlining tour that spans August through October and features Cloakroom and Helms Alee on select dates. This tour follows Russian Circles’ forthcoming appearances at Levitation Fest Vancouver and Crucial Fest in Salt Lake City in June. Most recently, Russian Circles toured the UK and Europe (where they headlined DesertFest in London, Dunkfest in Belgium among others) and their live show has been highly regarded since their inception; Seattle Times said, like their albums, Russian Circles’ “…live performance is a rhythmic experience. Their timbre and chord sequences are powerful, but their masterful control of tempo and shocking entry and exit points are perhaps their most prominent feature. Their breakdowns don’t only kill with brute force, but often catch you off guard when they fly in from the side.” While their recorded output is worthy in its own right, Russian Circles have long shined bright as a live act – check out all shows listed below with more to be announced soon
Guidance will be released on CD, LP and digital formats on August 5th from Sargent House. More news, and song premiere, coming soon.
Guidance, Track Listing: 1. Asa 2. Vorel 3. Mota 4. Afrika 5. Overboard 6. Calla 7. Lisboa
RUSSIAN CIRCLES – LIVE 2016 Jun 16 Vancouver, BC – Levitation Vancouver Jun 18 Salt Lake City, UT – Crucial Fest
RUSSIAN CIRCLES – with Cloakroom Aug 26 Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon Aug 27 Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center Aug 29 Missoula, MT – Palace Lounge Aug 30 Seattle, WA – Neumos Aug 31 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge Sep 2 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall Sep 3 Los Angeles, CA – The Teragram Ballroom Sep 5 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom Sep 6 Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad Sep 7 Englewood, CO – The Gothic Theatre Sep 8 Kansas City, MO – The Riot Room Sep 9 Chicago, IL – Metro
RUSSIAN CIRCLES – with Helms Alee Sep 25 Detroit, MI – El Club Sep 26 Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace Sep 28 Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair Sep 29 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer Sep 30 Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw Oct 1 Washington, DC – Rock & Roll Hotel Oct 2 Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall Oct 4 Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5 Oct 5 Birmingham, AL – Saturn Oct 6 Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon Oct 7 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live Studio Oct 8 Austin, TX – Barracuda Oct 9 Dallas, TX – RBC
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 10th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Fucking a, Crucialfest 6. You win this round.
The Salt Lake City-based festival has announced its 2016 lineup, and it’s both all over the place stylistically and awesome, so kudos all around. My understanding is early-bird tickets are on their way to being sold out, and with the likes of Russian Circles, SubRosa, Mos Generator, Form of Rocket, CHRCH, Mammoth Salmon and a slew of others I both have and haven’t heard of, I can’t say it’ll be a surprise when they’re gone. Hell, Ape Machine are gonna be there. You know it’s a party when they show up.
I’m not sure if this is the full roster of bands or if Crucialfest 6 will be adding more, but it’s a killer assemblage as it is, as the PR wire can confirm:
Crucialfest 6 lineup announced
Salt Lake City, UT
Russian Circles, Helms Alee, SubRosa, Wizard Rifle, Mos Generator, Theories to headline Crucialfest 6 with historic reunion sets from SLC natives Form of Rocket, Ether, The New Transit Direction
When: June 15-18, 2016 Where: The Urban Lounge, Metro Bar, Kilby Court, The Art Garden Web:Crucialfest.com Tickets:bit.ly/1QLqLPN-Early bird discount wristbands still available
Crucialfest announces its most incredible lineup to date with Crucialfest 6! This June 15-18th CF6 brings the heavies to downtown Salt Lake City. Hosting 10 showcases and 50+ bands over 4 days (plus a warm up show June 11th), CF6 promises to deliver high-energy live performances from local and national bands alike, and a memorable experience for all. Crucialfest aims to heat up the local rock/metal scene & the touring environment for Utah bands by putting them on the stage with internationally recognized bands. It revitalizes the local scene with reunion sets from some of Salt Lake’s most influential bands. Info and tickets at:www.crucialfest.com
Confirmed Lineup: Russian Circles, Form of Rocket, The New Transit Direction, Ether, Helms Alee, SubRosa, Wizard Rifle, Mos Generator, Theories, Gaytheist, INVDRS, The Drip, InAeona, Immortal Bird, Ape Machine, Greg Bennick, CHRCH, Colombian Necktie, Baby Gurl, Elephant Rifle, Heartless Breakers, Fuzz Evil, Mammoth Salmon, Throes, Oxcross, Worst Friends, Mercy Ties, Muscle Beach, Sol, Bereft, Die Off, Handicapitalist, Thunderfist, I Buried The Box with your Name, MKNG FK, Donner Party House, Discoid A, Exes, Moon of Delirium, Turbo Chugg, Cicadas, Wulf Blitzer, Yeti Warlord, Former Tides, The Future of the Ghost, Scary Uncle Steve, Turtle Neck Wedding Dress, Cactus Pharm
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 28th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Well, that’s a wrap for Desertfest London 2016… unless, you know, you count the actual holding of the fest in April. Which you should probably count. Okay, maybe not a wrap at all.
But the lineup is complete, and that’s something in itself. Spanning genres and geographical borders, I feel like this year’s Desertfest London perfectly emphasizes just how much this festival has grown in its five years into this encompassing celebration of heavy rock, sludge and doom, holding firm to its local roots even in this last batch of bands, while also expanding its reach in pulling legendary acts from beyond the UK and Europe as well.
Russian Circles will headline the second of Desertfest London 2016’s three dog nights, and a slew of others have joined the bill as well, including Mondo Drag, Stinking Lizaveta, underrated Londoners Crystal Head, Siena Root and many more details below:
DESERTFEST LONDON: lineup complete with Russian Circles headlining the Saturday!
Russian Circles to headline the fifth edition of DESERTFEST LONDON this spring in Camden!
It’s finally here: your complete DESERTFEST LONDON 2016 line-up has arrived! Chicago’s majestic instrumental progsters Russian Circles are set to headline the Saturday night with Pelican as lead support. Not only that, but we have the mighty forefathers of doom Trouble celebrating their 30th anniversary with a very special show for us, just before Electric Wizard bring down the Sunday night curtain in style! See you all in April…
Desertfest is all about our passion for heavy music, our love through deep-rooted friendships and above all, our collective appreciation of diversity, musical skill and the broadest range of powerful performances…
RUSSIAN CIRCLES are not from the desert, they’re not exponents of standard 5-minute, 4-4 rock songs and they expose their soundscapes exclusively for us to form our own interpretations without the mask of any form of lyrics. Shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by flashes of white light and the occasionally projected visual, they’re performers worthy of headlining any show in front of an audience who have the ability to think before they roar. With fellow instrumental crusher-destroyers PELICAN primed and ready as their main support, get ready to see, smell and FEEL the sheer weight of these swirls of Siberia.
Desertfest is also proudly joining in with Chicago doom legends TROUBLE’s 30th anniversary celebrations. Original members Bruce Franklin and Rick Wartell will be touching the sky with their classic dual guitar leads and now-established front man Kyle Thomas (Alabama Thunderpussy, Floodgate, Exhorder) will be tempting the crowds with his prayers for the dead, it’s going to be a real mind bender!
The rest of final announcement for Desertfest London 2016 goes as follows: SIENA ROOT STINKING LIZAVETA DYSE MANTAR MONDO DRAG GURT NECRO DEATHMORT CAROUSEL THE MOTH CRYSTAL HEAD SPIDER KITTEN SEDULUS BEASTMAKER DOG DAYS
– DESERTFEST LONDON 2016 – April 29th to May 1st in Camden, London (UK) Weekend tickets availableAT THIS LOCATION
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 15th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
True to their word, it’s Jan. 15 and Psycho California 2015 has announced the headliners for what looks like the best American festival lineup I’ve seen since the days of Emissions from the Monolith. That’s not to take away from the hard work anyone else is doing, but just look at the list of bands. It’s unreal. You’d want to be everywhere at the same time to see all of it. Absolutely wild.
Sleep and Pentagram were pretty clear choices to headline. Not only for being legends in the heavy underground, but for also being just about two of the only bands left. Sweden’s Cult of Luna were something of a surprise, but for a festival already showing a European reach in bringing aboard the likes of Samsara Blues Experiment and Stoned Jesus, they make sense. Hell of a bill. Kudos to anyone who actually gets to go to the thing.
Announcement follows, courtesy of the PR wire:
PSYCHO CALIFORNIA ANNOUNCES HEADLINERS: SLEEP, PENTAGRAM AND CULT OF LUNA
WEST COAST METAL FESTIVAL HAPPENING MAY 15, 16 & 17 AT THE OBSERVATORY IN SANTA ANA
FIRST WAVE OF ARTISTS ANNOUNCED INCLUDED KYLESA, EARTH, OM AND RUSSIAN CIRCLES
Psycho California, the west coast’s first annual metal festival and a must see for fans of doom, heavy psych and sludge, has announced the headliners for this year’s event: Cult of Luna (May 15), Sleep (May 16) and Pentagram, who will perform First Daze Here in its entirety (May 17).
“2015 is going to be a slow year for Cult of Luna. However as much as we are musicians we are also fans,” said Cult of Luna’s Johannes Persson. “Evaluating if the offer to play Psycho California was worth dusting off our instruments was not hard after looking on the line-up. Being on the same bill as Pentagram, Sleep and a festival packed with the best bands around is a privilege in itself and we’ll try to live up to that honor.”
The lineup for Psycho California is: Sleep, Pentagram, Cult of Luna, Kylesa, OM, Earth, Russian Circles, Bedemon, Conan, Wrench, Eyehategod, Indian, Earthless, Pallbearer, Stoned Jesus, Old Man Gloom, Cave In, Acid Witch, Truckfighters, Tombs, Bang, Electric Citizen, Coffinworm, SubRosa, Eagle Twin, Mammatus, True Widow, Anciients, Bellwitch, Dead Meadow, Lord Dying, Death By Stereo, Radio Moscow, Ancient Altar, Samsara Blues Experiment, Atriarch, Elder, Mothership, The Well, Deathkings, Wo Fat, Rozamov, Destroyer of Light, Highlands, Bloodmoon, Slow Season, Goatsnake, Crypt Trip, Wrench, Lords of Beacon House, Tumbleweed Dealer, Sinister Haze, Blackout, Red Wizard, Banquet and Loom.
Festival interludes will be provided by Housecore Records’ artist Author & Punisher and vinyl DJ set from Bob Lugowe (Relapse Records) and Sean Pellet (Last Daze Here).
Previously announced early bird tickets sold out immediately. Tickets for the festival are on-sale this morning with both a 3-day pass ($149.50) and a 3-day VIP pass available ($256.66)
VIP packages include a 3-day festival pass, a signed screen print concert poster by David D’Andrea, express entry via artist check-in booth, access to artist VIP lounge, a limited edition Thief X Obey festival tee, a Psycho record bag and patch as well as access to a complimentary craft tequila bar, premium microbrews and artisan snacks.
