Released today, Sasquatch‘s Fever Fantasy has been done, fully mastered, since March 2020. And yes, even before the world stopped it was called Fever Fantasy. The two-thirds-Los-Angeles-one-third-Boston trio finished work on it and it has sat ever since, waiting for the right time. Now, as the glut of everybody’s-back-type releases subsides and the band has already been on tour, Sasquatch are ready to strike. Fever Fantasy collects nine songs in a 42-minute run, and in some ways, it very much builds on their last album, 2017’s Maneuvers (review here), in terms of its structure, right down to the eight-minute “Ivy” taking sort of a near-centerpiece position as the longest track similar to how Maneuvers standout cut “Just Couldn’t Stand the Weather” was placed, where on many records it would certainly be the closer.
Maneuvers was the introduction of drummer Craig Riggs — also vocalist for Roadsaw, Kind, White Dynomite, etc., and owner of Mad Oak Studios, where Fever Fantasy, Maneuvers and at least some part of every Sasquatch LP since 2006’s II (discussed here) have been recorded — to the lineup alongside founding guitarist/vocalist Keith Gibbs and bassist Jason “Cas” Casanova, whose tenure goes back to 2010’s III (review here) and 2014’s IV (review here). The band hit the road hard for that album and Fever Fantasy shows how locked in they absolutely were by the time they hit the studio, tracking these songs with Andrew Schneider, who mixed the last album and here captures some of the heaviest tones Sasquatch have ever released.
Opening track “It Lies Beyond the Bay” (premiered here) sets out with sampled waves, then solo guitar, and with a near-Mastodonic snare fill, the full-weight crash-in of the song is unleashed at exactly 45 seconds into the song, which I’ve been hearing for over two years and is still able to elicit a ‘holy shit’ moment. Between the wash from Riggs‘ cymbals — Schneider has a very distinctive way of getting drum sounds; I’d put him in alongside Karl Daniel Lidén in that capacity — and the fullness and depth of tone from Gibbs and Casanova, Fever Fantasy is a bigger and at times more aggressive sounding take on who Sasquatch are.
There’s some flourish of organ in “It Lies Beyond the Bay” — not sure if that’s David Unger in a return guest spot or not — and that will return again in “Witch,” the aforementioned “Ivy” as well as side B’s “Voyager” and “Cyclops,” but the band’s focus is on beginning the salvo that side A becomes. Thus “It Lies Beyond the Bay” is set for full audience immersion, and with “Lilac” right behind it boasting a layered hook, urgent riff and likewise dense fuzz, the crashes and pulls just before its solo section doing well to set up the conveyed desperation and the vocal harmonies that follow a payoff unto themselves. “Witch” is no less a banger, but taps a classic desert-ish fuzz riff and settles into an easy-riding groove in a way that neither of the first tracks seemed to do. Side B’s “Save the Day, Ruin the Night” will more directly reference Kyuss with its “100 Degrees”-esque central progression, but “Witch” is no less Sasquatch‘s own for that. It goes to show just how much what one thinks of as modern American heavy rock is shaped in the band’s image.
Obviously a focal point and I suspect not the actual tracklisting centerpiece so that it could squeeze onto side a, “Ivy” arrives a bit like slamming into the wall, but one suspects that’s what was in mind. A slower roll has never been beyond Sasquatch‘s reach, and “Ivy” touches on psychedelia without losing its straight-ahead purpose, moving between drift and forward volume surge. A highlight solo leads into a quieter ending bookending the subdued start, and side B leadoff/actual-centerpiece “Live Snakes” kicks in with a decidedly grounded feel. Gibbs‘ jet-engine tonality isn’t to be understated here.
“Live Snakes” is stage-ready, as one might expect, and after the surprisingly hypnotic “Ivy,” it genuinely feels like the beginning of another record. I suspect with the pause required by the vinyl side split, Fever Fantasy allows a digestive stretch, a little bit of processing time, but one can appreciate how side B takes off as though daring the listener to keep up with the band, the band proving they can do whatever they want in terms of album structure and have it work. If “Live Snakes” is Fever Fantasy starting over, maybe it should be a little dizzying, and as they back “Live Snakes” with the speedier boogie of “Voyager” before turning to the denser-packed “Part of Not Knowing,” which is the only other song to reach over five minutes long and unfolds like a controlled demolition by the time it reaches its second half with the dreamy solo and some of Gibbs‘ lyrical repetitions over top.
Placed penultimate, “Save the Day, Ruin the Night” has vitality enough behind it to become a live favorite and a dead-ahead shove that bookends “Part of Not Knowing” with “Voyager” on the other side, giving that track all the more space of its own for redirecting the flow of Fever Fantasy toward the straightforward, classically-informed groove ahead of the meatier finale in “Cyclops,” which rolls out smoothly and has a build in its second half that warrants its position as the closer to some degree, the returning organ bolstering the capper with enough accent to reinforce the point of how much Sasquatch have achieved on this record, the one before it, and across the nearly 20 years since their 2004 self-titled debut helped usher in a new generation of heavy rock for the age of higher-speed internet and, eventually, social media.
That they are now veterans of stage and studio is writ large across Fever Fantasy — they simply own the sound — but especially as they’ve progressed in gelling the Gibbs/Cas/Riggs lineup via touring, the growth in the band continues to be palpable in the craft and performances of these songs. Established fans or newcomers, Sasquatch are their own most effective argument in favor of Sasquatch, and as statesmen of the US underground, they represent some of its finest in quality and work ethic. One wonders what they’ve been doing while biding their time for two plague years, but as Fever Fantasy is manifest at last, the crucial moment to focus on truly is right now. A band 18 years on from their debut pushing themselves to new levels is something rare and special. A record like Fever Fantasy makes that easier to understand.
Doors are in about half an hour. From the cursory reconnaissance I’ve done at this point, it’s easy to think the Knockdown Center could become a multi-year home for Desertfest New York. It’s big, which certainly helps, and there’s more space than is being used right now. The second stage room is tiny — the sense I get is that by the time Sasquatch go on that will be an issue, but no one’s here yet except for bands and I’ve got basically a warehouse room to myself to write this.
Got in last night at 1AM, woke up around 7AM, so not the worst night of sleep ever. I was destroyed last night by the end of that show. Utterly bludgeoned. But I made it home and I expect I’ll do the same tonight. Hydrate. Advil. Who wants to hear my litany of old man complaints about my plannar fasciitis in my right foot? Nobody, I know. But it’s there. A presence in my life.
Sasquatch are here, and Mothership, John Garcia and the Band of Gold are soundchecking. Geezer and Howling Giant and various others, some I know and some I don’t. It looks like a show. I still have no idea how I’ll cover it but I’ll write when I can while bouncing back and forth between stages and see as much as I can see. That’s pretty much always the plan anyway. With the support of the egg and cheese on chaffle sandwich The Patient Mrs. made me this morning and the bit of pecan butter I finished up on the ride in, I should buy myself a couple hours of go. After that, will need coffee.
But alas, one crisis at a time.
Leather Lung
They had some new songs and asked if there were sleazy motherfuckers in here or not. If not, I think the general humidity in this room should provide some before the night’s out. Leather Lung were one of the last bands I saw before lockdown, and their heavy swinging sludge-rock-plus-extreme-this-and-that remains as nasty as I remembered. They’ve filled the room and heads are nodding, more and more coming in. I can feel the rumbling of the low end in the concrete floor, so take from that what you will. The start of a fest like this is always nerve-racking. You have to find the groove of the place, the groove of the crowd, the groove of the timing and the groove of your own mindset. Fortunately, Leather Lung have plenty of groove to spare to aid that process, and their taking stage isn’t so much a wading into the river of riffs — the riffver??? — as a full-on crazy old-timey Southern church baptismal dunk. Who says you can’t have aggro songs about getting fucked up?
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Black Tusk
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this band before, but I’m also pretty sure it’s been at least a decade, if not longer. They’ve had their ups and some real-life tragedies along the way — like everybody — but they’re a pro-shop metal band and they play like it. First act on the big stage and similar to Leather Lung, The intent seems to have been to roll out with something meaner rather than a languid style. Hey man, mean works. They’re piping them outside to where the food trucks are through a separate P.A., and I guess if you want furious riffs with your souvlaki, that’s a go. I will abscond momentarily to the smaller room again for Howling Giant, whom I’ve only seen at Psycho Las Vegas, but whose shenanigans are already legion in my brain. I’ve been looking forward to it, as I’ve been looking forward to all of this. Black Tusk though, digging that ferocity. Pummeling. And very much in that way of bands who’ve spent forever touring that they could just plug in wherever and make that happen.
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Howling Giant
These guys are a riot. A lot of bands can goof off and visibly have fun while playing their songs. Howling Giant can do that, play at a humbling level, and base it around killer material. They might be the only even vaguely prog-leaning heavy band out there who balance that against not taking themselves too seriously, and they absolutely refuse to leave their audience behind. Yeah, it was pretty god damned packed in that little room — they call it the Texas Stage, which is a little ironic considering the proportions — but my reason for walking out before Howling Giant were done had less to do ultimately with the heat and humidity and more with the sudden, very powerful urge I felt to buy a Howling Giant t-shirt. So I did that. Then, because there was no getting in whatsoever as the space was slammed with hoo-mans, I scootched over to the main stage again and chatted to some folks about this and that. Trying to remember to do that. There’s something like 1,400 people here this weekend. I feel like everybody’s everybody’s friend. That’s easier to think while Howling Giant play.
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Mothership
Doesn’t matter who you think of from that infinite set of list ’70s heavy rock bands, Mothership do it better. Texas trio, trip on the ship, all that. Just a great time. I guess they’ve been off tour for a while — who hasn’t? — but they made the big stage feel small with just the three of them and a vitality that few in whichever microgenre can match, and that energy is infectious, particularly from Kelley Juett on guitar, who is the classic wildman on stage. I have seen them three times now, at Maryland Doom Fest, in Boston with C.O.C., and here, and in this big room and that small one, they filled the space with sound and a genuine feeling of celebrating rock and roll. Kyle Juett on bass and vocals is more subdued, and drummer Judge Smith sits back there like he’s about to start laughing his ass off any minute. And then he does. Even better. You gotta be doing something right when Orange Goblin are on this stage next and people are asking for one more song.
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Geezer
Seems silly because I’ve seen them a bunch of times over their years — not much recently, duh — but I was really looking forward to Geezer’s set. It’s okay to like a band, right? I feel like I know their new album, Stoned Blues Machine, pretty well, since I was there when most of the basics were recorded and don’t tell anyone but I’m streaming it this coming Wednesday, but it was nothing but a pleasure to hear those songs come to life on stage. “Cold Black Heart,” “Atomic Moronic,” “Logan’s Run.” That’s a good-ass time. And they seemed in high spirits, no implication intended as to lucidity. Kind of a release show for them, since the record’s out next week, but I still haven’t seen any merch from them around. So it goes. The smaller room — I’ve heard a few complaints; it is what it is; be earlier — has a kind of raised floor along stage left and I went up there for a bit and watched. They’re not quite hometown heroes in NYC, but they draw a good crowd and deliver to them. That made it a little extra satisfying to watch them kill as they did.
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Orange Goblin
Orange Goblin. I mean, what do you say about a band like that? This was my first time seeing them with Harry Armstrong — apparently also his first time in New York, as was declared from the stage — but come on, was there any way it was going to be anything less than stellar? My real question is whether Ben Ward will come out for a guest spot with John Garcia later. But I’ve been seeing this band live for well over a decade and a half and I’ve not once been underwhelmed. I’ve seen them here, in London, elsewhere, and all they do is rock and roll. I feel like there are so many other bands I don’t need to see because I’ve seen Orange Goblin, and that’s not a slag on anybody, but god damn. You never know when they’re not gonna come back (to take the living), so I feel like every set should be treasured, and this one certainly will be. That sounds corny as shit, but I mean it. I read they’ve got new material in the works too. How hard will they tour? How feasible is it? I don’t think it’s a question of how much they have in the tank, because watching them play, the answer is plenty, but with all they’ve done, the influence they’ve had, they still get on stage and bring it like a hungry band. They’re one of a kind, much to the chagrin of the many pretenders out there.
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Holy Death Trio
It certainly did get dark in that little room. And I guess not so much with turning lights on. Okay, you make do. Holy Death Trio came up from Texas to play this show, and they played like a next-generation act, like they’ve got it together, have a plan when they go on stage and have put in the work to make their presentation as engaging as possible. One assumes it would’ve been even more so with lights on, but you know, sometimes it can be like a secret. Hey this band is super-cool but shh. Their record came out through Ripple last year in the label’s Blasko-curated splurge and if they’re going to tour for real life, it seems like they’re the kind of act where people are going to ask if you’ve seen them yet. I have now, and I’ll hope to again. They’ve got a party atmosphere — if you want to keep it to Austin bands, they’re like a less frenetic Amplified Heat — but they’re all the more exciting since they seem to be finding and still developing their approach. And make no mistake, asses were kicked. All I’m saying is that if they keep on the way they’re going, more will be in the years to come.
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John Garcia and the Band of Gold
A good mix of John Garcia solo stuff and the requisite Kyuss tunes. “July” from Slo Burn. How could you fit everything from such a career? He said from the stage that they hadn’t done anything in two and a half years. Me neither, dude, one YOB show and a couple outdoor Sun Voyager gigs notwithstanding. Perhaps the weekend’s most brutal conflict is John Garcia on the same time as Sasquatch. That’s a hard one to live through, though not like there’s a wrong answer, except leaving. “Whitewater” felt duly like a watershed moment, the band by then totally warmed up and killing it. I guess you’d say Garcia’s stage presence is quiet. He has his moves but doesn’t go nuts or anything. He thanked the crowd and the Desertfest crew though respectfully and even when Sasquatch went on in the smaller room it was packed. Less all-charge than Orange Goblin, because that’s the music they play, but they tore up that jam in “Whitewater” and earned that whole Band of Gold moniker, even before they kicked into an uptempo take on “Green Machine” to close out. I saw Vista Chino play that song. That was cool too. This is a drunk crowd. Maybe I’m not the only one for whom this is pandemic-breakout, which inevitably is more fun than an outbreak, also happening but let’s not talk about it.
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Sasquatch
I know it’s been a long day because I had to look up whether Sasquatch’s new album, Fever Fantasy, had been announced yet and I’m the one who wrote the announcement. You want rock and roll? There it is. That band. Keith Gibbs, Jason Casanova, Craig Riggs. Holy shit. They are the American heavy rock ideal, unstoppable in their momentum until they pull the rug out from under and lock in another killer groove. They opened with “Just Couldn’t Stand the Weather.” I fucking love “Just Couldn’t Stand the Weather!” How did they know? And I kind of feel like people holding up their cellphone flashlights when the band asked for more light on the stage was as close as the universe was going to come to doing me personal favors tonight, beyond simply being here. But Sasquatch have already been back on tour and they’ve got more in the works as I understand it, but god damn, just go see them. Just go. How many bands pass 20 years since they started and still deliver like that? There are a couple on the bill tonight, actually, but outside this building it’s far rarer. It was packed in the room 15 minutes before they went on, and the lights were low again, but whatever, it’s fucking Sasquatch. Bullshit need not apply.
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Corrosion of Conformity
They went on 15 minutes late, which, you know, so it goes when there’s no one else playing behind you. Plenty of Judas Priest to listen to in the meantime. By the time they were through the jammmy take on “Paranoid Opioid” that opened the set, Mike Dean starting it off quiet on bass — fucking rad — time didn’t matter. Plenty of the standards in the set, including “Vote with a Bullet,” which I wondered if they’d break out (Pepper Keenan said something about it on stage but I didn’t catch what), but I guess it’s been a year since there was an insurrection on the Capitol Hill, so, fair game. Highlight for me might’ve been “Born Again for the Last Time,” which will be stuck in my head forever and that’s just fine, but there was plenty of competition there, and I was just really, really happy to see them again. I wonder if they’ll do another record. That’d be interesting. They probably don’t need to yet, really — I don’t think there was anything from the latest album in the set — but I’d be curious what they came up with after a few quiet years and the road time they put in before and apparently after the covid era, such as it is. Bottom line though is new album or not, I’ve been listening to this band since before I hit puberty and every chance I get to watch them play I’m happy to do it. More so as time goes on.
—
Other Random Observations:
– Dude in the Ween shirt wins shirts. In general there’s a bit of deviance from the black-shirt-blue-jeans norm. I support that.
– I have good friends here, new and old. It’s important to remember that. I have been and continue to be pretty isolated in regular life.
– Lot of couples attending.
– Knockdown Center could have four stages going, easy, and that’s before you put anything outside other than the food trucks.
– I have hugged and been hugged more this evening than in the last two and a half years.
– I’m still not 100 percent sure if I’m in Brooklyn or Queens. Life, huh?
– Still feels a little weird being out, but I brought a mask and I haven’t felt compelled to wear it as yet, so that’s… progress?
Gadzooks! You’d almost think I planned these things out in advance. Please rest assured that this 84th episode of The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal is as conceptually haphazard as usual — I’d say it’s as haphazard in execution as well, but Dean Rispler does a banger job putting it all together, editing, etc. — so it’s really just my end that’s a wreck. In any case, today begins Desertfest New York 2022 proper at the Knockdown Center in Brooklyn, and I’m thrilled to have this playlist as a selection from among the bands playing it.
Some are New York or area natives — Geezer, King Buffalo from Upstate, Somnuri from Brooklyn itself — but whether it’s WarHorse coming down from Boston to play or High on Fire, Brume, Red Fang, Dead Meadow, Sasquatch and others coming from the other side of the country to Orange Goblin making the trip from the UK, it’s a rager. The playlist is killer because the fest is killer. Simple as that.
I won’t be in the chat this time because, well, I’ll be at the fest, but I’ll check in if I can. Thanks if you listen, and thanks for reading.
The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.
Full playlist:
The Obelisk Show – 05.13.22
Corrosion of Conformity
Deliverance
Deliverance
Torche
Mentor
Torche
High on Fire
Hung, Drawn & Quartered
Surrounded by Thieves
VT1
John Garcia
Chicken Delight
John Garcia & The Band of Gold
Sasquatch
It Lies Beyond the Bay
Fever Fantasy
Dead Meadow
Sleepy Silver Door
Live at Roadburn 2011
Brume
Despondence
Rabbits
Red Fang
Number Thirteen
Murder the Mountains
Somnuri
Watch the Lights Go Out
Nefarious Wave
King Buffalo
The Knocks
The Burden of Restlessness
Orange Goblin
They Come Back (Harvest of Skulls)
Healing Through Fire
VT2
Inter Arma
A Waxen Sea
Sulphur English
WarHorse
Lysergic Communion
As Heaven Turns to Ash
Yatra
Terminate by the Sword
Born Into Chaos
Valley of the Sun
The Chariot
The Chariot
Druids
Path to R
Shadow Work
High Reeper
Plague Hag
Higher Reeper
Greenbeard
Diamond in the Devil’s Grinder
Variant
VT3
Geezer
Atomic Moronic
Stoned Blues Machine
Howling Giant
Nomad
The Space Between Worlds
The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is May 27 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 6th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
It’s fitting that Sasquatch‘s new album, Fever Fantasy, should be such a god damned beast, lurking in the shadows as it has been since being completed in late 2019. I wrote the announcement below and got an interesting lesson that I’d like to share with you. I think quotes are a good thing to include in PR — hearing direct from an artist is important, in addition to all the regular factoids and announcements from the omniscient public relations narrator voice, kind of promo-y but still not actually the band most of the time — and I wrote the one below from Sasquatch bassist Jason “Cas” Casanova, who, every time I remember he played in Tummler it reminds me of how much I dug that band.
In any case, I had the language all wrong, and I didn’t realize until he sent the draft press release back with changes yesterday that the voice I was writing in was my own. It was me talking through him, and that’s exactly why it didn’t work. He wrote his own quote, and sure enough, calling songs “tunes” and talking about getting the chance to “hang with old friends and new” is so much more in line with the no-bullshit aesthetic of Sasquatch than what I had there before. That kind of attention to detail on Cas‘ part reminds me that Sasquatch are veterans with more than 20 years under their collective belt — though only guitarist/vocalist Keith Gibbs has been in the band that long, Cas joining in 2007 and Craig Riggs doing likewise nearly a decade later — and that however casual they may seem on the surface, there’s no more laziness about their presentation than there is when they get on stage and hand everybody their ass, giftwrapped in riffs.
There’s a longer bio I wrote for Fever Fantasy as well that I’ll post up at some point, but today’s the first track premiere, with opener “It Lies Beyond the Bay” setting the quite-heavy tone for what follows, and the opening of preorders ahead of the June 3 release. I’ve been waiting for this album to come out and I think I’m not the only one, so please dive in, and enjoy the tune. And amid all the album news, don’t neglect the tour dates announced with Hippie Death Cult that will take the three-piece from Ripplefest Texas to and through Psycho Las Vegas in July and August, respectively. If you can fucking hang with that, I suggest you do so.
From me via the PR wire:
Sasquatch Launch Preorders for Fever Fantasy & Premiere Track; Tour Announced with Hippie Death Cult
Today, Los Angeles power trio Sasquatch announce the June 3 arrival of their awaited sixth album, Fever Fantasy. Preorders begin May 6 for the Mad Oak Records release, and the band have booked a four-week tour of the US and Canada alongside Portland, Oregon’s Hippie Death Cult.
It’s been five long years since Sasquatch powerhoused their way through Maneuvers, their last LP. With Keith Gibbs on guitar and vocals, Jason “Cas” Casanova on bass and drummer Craig Riggs (also Kind, Roadsaw, etc.) making his debut with the band, the album established a raw rock-for-rockers ethic that Fever Fantasy pushes forward and builds on. Returning to New York to work again with producer Andrew Schneider, the album was completed late in 2019 and has been waiting for release ever since.
“There was no way to know when the time would be right, of course,” says Casanova, “but we didn’t want to throw the tunes out there without being able to support them in the right way. We can’t wait to hang with old friends and new on the road for this album.”
With more tours to be announced and more music to come, Sasquatch aren’t just “returning” or “picking up where they left off.” In Fever Fantasy, they’re answering a call with volume heavy-hitting rock and roll as only they can.
Check out the first single from Fever Fantasy: “It Lies Beyond The Bay”.
TRACK LISTING It Lies Beyond The Bay (4:58) Lilac (4:14) Witch (4:44) Ivy (8:12) Live Snakes (4:03) Voyager (2:53) Part Of Not Knowing (5:06) Save The Day, Ruin The Night (3:20) Cyclops (4:36)
The album will be available in LP (black or limited edition Galaxy purple), compact disc, and digital formats.
To save on shipping…. Fans across Europe can pre-order physical copies through our online store at Lo-Fi Merchandise (https://www.lo-fi-merchandise.com/collections/sasquatch).
Fans in North America can pre-order physical copies or digital downloads through our direct store (https://sasquatchrocks.bandcamp.com) or physical copies at the Cosmic Peddler (https://www.thecosmicpeddler.com).
Those of you in Australia, Japan, and across Polynesia can order from either location (whichever is most cost effective on shipping and handling).
Summer 2022 US/Canada Tour Dates (w/Hippie Death Cult) 7.23.22 – Austin, TX | Far Out Club (RippleFest Texas) 7.25.22 – Houston, TX | Black Magic Social Club 7.26.22 – Lafayette, LA | Freetown Boom Boom Room 7.27.22 – New Orleans, LA | Santos Bar 7.29.22 – Orlando, FL | Will’s Pub 7.30.22 – Savannah, GA | The Wormhole 7.31.22 – Atlanta, GA | Boggs Social & Supply 8.02.22 – Summerville, SC | Trolley Pub 8.03.22 – Frederick, MD | Cafe 611 8.04.22 – Griswold, CT | Prost Bier and Music Hall 8.05.22 – Brooklyn, NY | Saint Vitus Bar 8.06.22 – Boston, MA | Middle East Upstairs 8.07.22 – Montréal, ON | Piranha Bar 8.09.22 – Ottawa, ON | Brass Monkey 8.11.22 – Youngstown, OH | Westside Bowl 8.12.22 – Columbus, OH | Ace of Cups 8.13.22 – Chicago, IL | Reggie’s 8.14.22 – Green Bay, WI | Lyric Room 8.15.22 – Minneapolis, MN | 7th Street Entry 8.18.22 – Salt Lake City, UT | Aces High Saloon 8.19.22 – Las Vegas, NV | Resorts World LV (Psycho Las Vegas) 8.20.22 – Palmdale, CA | Transplants Brewing Co. 8.21.22 – San Diego, CA | Brick by Brick
For over 20 years, Los Angeles power trio Sasquatch have been an institution among fuzz heads and those willing to groove. Their early work on 2004’s self-titled debut, 2006’s II and 2010’s III took them through lineup changes but found them unflinching in their purpose toward modernizing the classic heavy rock of their youth, and with 2013’s IV and 2017’s Maneuvers, their maturity — such as it is — has seen no letup in urgency. Founding vocalist/guitarist Keith Gibbs, bassist Jason “Cas” Casanova (ex-Tummler and Behold! the Monolith) and drummer Craig Riggs (Roadsaw, Kind) recorded Fever Fantasy late in 2019 with NY-based producer Andrew Schneider, and have held back releasing it until conditions permitted touring, and having already been to multiple continents and reaped the reward of a dedicated, still-growing fanbase, they look to 2022 and beyond as a chance to build on the accomplishments that have made them one of their generation’s most heralded American heavy rock bands.
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 22nd, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Back for its second year and with a fourth day in tow, Ripplefest Texas 2022 confirms its full lineup, a total beast of legends and newcomers. Really, I don’t even know what to say here except that if you’re lucky enough to go, it’s probably the kind of thing you’re going to remember for a long gosh-darn time, and it’s the kind of lineup that serves as lording-over fodder on the part of those who were there to those who weren’t. Well, at least it would if the heavy underground weren’t too cool to each other for that kind of gatekeeping nonsense. In any case, this looks like a massive undertaking to put on, and the roster of assembled acts gets a hearty ‘fucking a’ from my corner of the universe.
Tickets for all four days will run you $150, but I feel like the festival earns that on both quality and quantity of product.
Here’s the announcement, info and links:
RIPPLE FEST TEXAS – The Far Out Lounge – July 21-24
4-day passes available now!
RippleFest Texas 2022 is back and the lineup is as big and hot as Texas itself! 4 days of blistering hot music at Austin’s premier music venue The Far Out Lounge. There will be everything from crushing heavy riffs, to acoustic and banjo picking, to improvisation jam sessions and puppet shows! So many legends and great music that this will be a 4 day weekend you will not want to miss!
FULL LINEUP: Eagles of Death Metal, The Sword, Crowbar, Mothership, Big Business, The Obsessed, Stöner, Spirit Adrift, The Heavy Eyes, Sasquatch, REZN, Fatso Jetson, Heavy Temple, J.D. Pinkus, Lord Buffalo, Lo-Pan, Wino, El Perro, Void Vator, Hippie Death Cult, Howling Giant, Doctor Smoke, Nick Oliveri, High Desert Queen, Destroyer of Light, Ape Machine, High Priestess, Dryheat, Rubber Snake Charmers, Sun Crow, Holy Death Trio, Bone Church, Horseburner, Spirit Mother, Thunder Horse, Mother Iron Horse, The Age of Truth, Salem’s Bend, Las Cruces, All Souls, Kind, Fostermother, The Absurd, Godeye, Ole English, Mr. Plow, Snake Mountain Revival, Blue Heron, Grail, Formula 400, Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, Eagle Claw, Bridge Farmers.
The Far Out Lounge is located at 8504 South Congress. Winner of Best New Venue at the Austin Music Awards 2020.
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 2nd, 2022 by JJ Koczan
The picture here of Sasquatch with producer Andrew Schneider was originally posted in December 2019 to mark the occasion of the band entering the studio to record the follow-up to 2017’s Maneuvers (review here). Their next album has been in the can since shortly thereafter, and it looks like this Spring it will finally see release. Seems worthy of another beverage. Yet untitled, the record last I heard boasted nine new tracks (shh…) and will be no doubt greeted with appropriately feverish anticipation as the trio also look to hit the road to support its awaited arrival. Preorders, according to this new update from the band, are coming soon.
In the meantime, a stretch through the Southwest with High Desert Queen — previously announced, but I’m okay with putting up the dates twice if you are — will mark their return to touring life, and that’s set to begin one week from today. Seems reasonable to think they’ll be in Europe for the Fall festival season, circumstances permitting.
Here’s what they had to say about all of it:
Hey gang, It has been one massive hellride here the past two years, wouldn’t ya say? We’ve missed you all quite a bit and now that things are opening up, we are getting back on the figurative rock horse. Where to begin….
A NEW ALBUM?
Yes. It’s finally here (almost). This album was originally recorded a few months before the pandemic pooped on the parade and we reluctantly decided to put it on ice for this extended two-year period. We do have confirmation though that shipments of vinyl will soon be leaving the plant! Keep an eye out for pre-sales and a release date targeting late-April/early-May with some heavy touring behind it starting later in the summer. We’ll have some nuggets here soon so you can gauge if it’s a keeper or a clunker. (We hope you do enjoy it, but we know it’s not everyone’s cup of coffee).
SOUTHWEST USA TOUR 2022
Our first order of business is a two-week rodeo to Tejas and back with our Austin dudes, High Desert Queen (Ripple Music). This kicks off one week from now and tickets are onsale. We’d love to see your face, so whadaya say? Save us a seat at the bar? Team High Desert Queen will be giving brisket lessons in the parking lot before each show.
3.09 – Arlington, TX – Division Brewing 3.10 – San Antonio, TX – Amp Room 3.11 – Austin, TX – Far Out Lounge 3.12 – San Angelo, CA – The Deadhorse 3.13 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad 3.14 – Tempe, AZ – Yucca Tap Room 3.15 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar 3.16 – Costa Mesa, CA – The Wayfarer 3.17 – Santa Monica, CA – Harvelle’s 3.18 – Palmdale, CA – Transplants Brewing 3.19 – Palm Desert, CA – The Hood
SUMMER FESTIVALS AND TOURS LATER IN THE YEAR
We do have a couple of summer festivals that have been announced both here and abroad. We start things off with Desertfest NYC on Friday, May 13 with Monster Magnet, Corrosion of Conformity, Orange Goblin and a slew of other rad bands (including our dudes in Geezer). Then we move over to Europe the weekend of July 8-10 for Mammothfest in Greece. We have one additional summer European festival and US Festival that is still to be announced… so stay tuned. After we get back from Europe, the current plan is to be on an extended US Tour here through August and then back to Europe for a month in October in support of [the new album].
Sooooo….lots happening in Sasquatchland. You can find some of our more recent merchandise through our website if you happen to need a flask, stocking cap, placemats (LPs), etc. We will be back with more to share just around the corner….but for now…adieu friends!
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 4th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Good shows. One’s own stay-at-home circumstances aside, it’s nice to see things happening like this. Lick of My Spoon Productions, headed by Ryan Garney of Austin’s High Desert Queen and the party responsible for the party that reportedly was Ripplefest Texas last year — and this year coming; they added an extra day — has booked its first tour, and it brings together the aforementioned High Desert Queen with none other than Los Angeles/Boston three-piece Sasquatch, whose new record has been sitting on the shelf since about 2019 at this point. Brutal delay. I wonder if they’ve got another one in the works yet.
There are still a couple dates TBA on the run, but it’s in the Southwest and, perhaps unsurprisingly, that includes a good bit of Texas, and a booking company’s first tour isn’t anything to sneeze at. They made it a good one.
From the social media:
LICK OF MY SPOON PRODUCTIONS is happy to announce its first ever booked tour! Sasquatch and High Desert Queen coming to a city near you! (More dates to be added soon)
TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT: We are thrilled to announce that we are going on tour with the legendary SASQUATCH! And they say dreams don’t come true…
We will be hitting the road to bring the riffs to a city near you the only way we know how: AT FULL VOLUME!
Hope to see you at a show!
3/9 Arlington, TX- Division Brewing 3/10 San Antonio, TX- Amp Room 3/11 Austin, TX- Far Out Lounge 3/13 Albuquerque, NM- Launchpad 3/14 Tempe, AZ- Yucca Tap Room 3/15 San Diego, CA- Soda Bar 3/16 Costa Mesa, CA- Wayfarer 3/18 Palmdale, CA- Transplants Brewing
*More shows to be added soon*
SASQUATCH is: Jason Casanova – bass Keith Gibbs – guitar/vocals Craig Riggs – drums
High Desert Queen is: Ryan Garney- Vocals Rusty Miller- Guitar Matt Metzger- Bass Phil Hook- Drums
Posted in Radio on November 26th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
I had two ideas in my head for this episode. The first was to do a stuff-to-look-forward-to-next-year playlist, which I did, and the second was to do a me-spending-your-money-on-Black-Friday-Bandcamp-recommendations edition, which I did not do.
Was it the right choice? I don’t know, but it kind of feels like a victory for the good guys every time I get to play All Souls, or King Buffalo, or Sasquatch — or Gozu, or Conan, Stöner, Colour Haze, etc. — and there’s some small chance anybody will hear it, so I won’t exactly say I regret going the way I did. There will be other Bandcamp Fridays, I think.
And to be perfectly honest, I like thinking about this stuff, about new records coming out. I like to wonder what bands will come up with, song-wise, sound-wise, how things will have changed since their last record, how the identity of a group can shift over time. Think of High on Fire. Think of Dozer! A new Dozer album after 14 years. Who the hell knows what that’s going to sound like?
So yeah, that’s what I went with. And since preorder is up for some of this stuff — 40 Watt Sun, the PostWax series of which Dozer are a part, Naxatras, Messa, Earthless — I guess maybe you could spend some money anyway here. Plus there’s always older records to buy. It’s a big planet. There are a lot of albums on it.
Thanks for listening if you do and/or reading. I hope you enjoy.
The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.
Full playlist:
The Obelisk Show – 11.26.21
Dozer
The Flood
Beyond Colossal (2008)
Some Pills for Ayala
Space Octopus
Space Octopus (2021)
Gozu
They Probably Know Karate
Equilibrium (2018)
Wo Fat
There’s Something Sinister in the Wind
Midnight Cometh (2016)
VT
Sasquatch
Destroyer
Maneuvers (2017)
Earthless
Electric Flame
Black Heaven (2018)
Stöner
The Older Kids
Stoners Rule (2021)
Långfinger
Silver Blaze
Crossyears (2016)
King Buffalo
The Knocks
The Burden of Restlessness (2021)
Torche
Times Missing
Admission (2019)
All Souls
Winds
Songs for the End of the World (2020)
Conan
Volt Thrower
Existential Void Guardian (2018)
High on Fire
Freebooter
Electric Messiah (2018)
Messa
Leah
Feast for Water (2018)
40 Watt Sun
The Spaces in Between
Perfect Light (2022)
VT
Colour Haze
Life
We Are (2020)
Naxatras
Land of Infinite Time
III (2018)
The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Dec. 10 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.
