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The Obelisk All-Dayer Countdown: Funeral Horse, “Burial of the Sun” Live in Houston

Posted in Bootleg Theater, Features, The Obelisk Presents on August 12th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk all-dayer

The Obelisk All-Dayer tickets

Since their inception three years ago, Houston heavy rockers Funeral Horse have proved to have more than enough weirdo edge to match their rolling, classic-style groove. In the fine and long-standing tradition of Bizarro Texas, their material is both strange and familiar somehow, playing smartly off conventions of traditional metal and punk and noise rock, but establishing an experimental undercurrent that assures they’re completely allied to none of the above.

From their first record, 2013’s Savage Audio Demon (review here), onward, Funeral Horse have willfully defied expectation. At the time I confirmed them for The Obelisk All-Dayer, Aug. 20 at Saint Vitus Bar — just EIGHT DAYS AWAY; get your tickets here — I did so in no small part because I thought maybe seeing them live would help explain at least in part just what the hell it is they’re up to. I wound up seeing them this past February and not only did I get a sense of the roots of their offbeat vibe, but was taken aback by their stage presence and the tightness of their performance as well. Bonus.

The song in today’s countdown video is called “Burial of the Sun.” It was filmed in Houston a couple weeks ago and it comes from Funeral Horse‘s impending fourth album, Psalms of the Mourning, which is currently being recorded. I’m stoked beyond all repair to welcome Funeral Horse to The Obelisk All-Dayer and hopefully watch as they blow a few minds and catch a lot of people off-guard, which they’re bound to do even if you think you might know what to expect.

Funeral Horse join Mars Red Sky, Death Alley, Snail, Kings Destroy, EYE, King Buffalo and Heavy Temple on the bill at The Obelisk All-Dayer, Aug. 20 at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, NYC. For more info and to get your tickets for under the door price, click here.

Enjoy “Burial of the Sun” below:

Funeral Horse, “Burial of the Sun” Live in Houston

The Obelisk All-Dayer tickets

Funeral Horse on Thee Facebooks

Saint Vitus Bar website

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The Obelisk All-Dayer Countdown: Kings Destroy, “Old Yeller” Live in Sweden

Posted in Bootleg Theater, Features, The Obelisk Presents on August 11th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk all-dayer

The Obelisk All-Dayer tickets

I wasn’t there to see it, of course, but I happen to know that this particular show has become something of a legend within Kings Destroy. It was the Getaway Rockfestival in Sweden, part of their 2012 European tour. They’d wind up hanging out with Weedeater — and by hanging out I mean stealing a forklift — and playing on what you can see in the video below is a massive stage to a likewise massive audience. Looks like it was an absolute blast.

Since even before Kings Destroy released their first album through this site’s short-lived record label wing, the New York outfit have been among my favorite bands to write about. They’ve consistently defied expectation — mine for sure, and I think their own as well — and have over the last five years become a highly individualized blend of noise rock, heavier sludge impulses and anti-genre fuckall.

On stage they’re confrontational in a way that was once a staple of their hometown. I’ve been fortunate enough to tour with them twice, and on the East Coast and the West, they’ve left audiences dumbfounded and won over in like proportion. Their third and latest record, Kings Destroy (review here), came out last year on War Crime Recordings and is a triumph of how far into their own they’ve come, full of memorable songs that have made for some genuinely ridiculous live shows. People have been kicked. By other people. On stage. Frequently.

There was basically no way I was going to put on The Obelisk All-Dayer — which is Aug. 20 at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn (get tickets) — and not have them involved. I’m glad they said yes. They’ll be the lone New York band on the bill, which they’re sharing with Mars Red Sky, Death Alley, Snail, Eye, Funeral Horse, King Buffalo and Heavy Temple. It’s going to be incredible.

With visions of forklifts in your head, enjoy “Old Yeller” below:

Kings Destroy, “Old Yeller” Live in Sweden

The Obelisk All-Dayer tickets

Kings Destroy on Thee Facebooks

Saint Vitus Bar website

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The Obelisk All-Dayer Countdown: Snail, “Smoke the Deathless” Video Premiere

Posted in Bootleg Theater, Features, The Obelisk Presents on August 10th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk all-dayer

The Obelisk All-Dayer tickets

This past weekend, West Coast riff-rollers Snail got together for rehearsal before they come east to play The Obelisk All-Dayer, Aug. 20 at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn. Nothing weird about that, right? Bands rehearse all the time.

Snail are spread out between Los Angeles and Seattle — and for those of you unfamiliar with American geography, that’s not a minor distance, even for being on the same coast. They don’t always get together to record, let alone practice, so to have the three of them in the same room performing material at all is something special, let alone their traveling across the country to play a gig.

The timing couldn’t have been better to have bassist/engineer Matt Lynch record some of their time together and put it in a video clip for “Smoke the Deathless.” Comprised of Lynch, guitarist/vocalist Mark Johnson and drummer Marty Dodson, Snail come to The Obelisk All-Dayer on the heels of their finest work to-date, 2015’s Feral (review here), which was released by Small Stone.

It’s the third album they’ve put out since 2009, but their fourth overall. Their debut came in 1993 and was followed by an EP and a 16-year disbanding. Even since coming back, they’ve toured only sparingly, so I cannot emphasize this enough — if you ever want to see these guys, take advantage of this opportunity. It may or may not ever come again, let alone on a bill shared with Mars Red SkyDeath AlleyKings DestroyEyeFuneral HorseKing Buffalo and Heavy Temple.

Thanks to Snail for making the trip to Brooklyn on Aug.20 to play The Obelisk All-Dayer and the trip to get in a rehearsal beforehand. You can check out the video from their session of “Smoke the Deathless” below in tripped-out style, then pick up your All-Dayer tickets at Ticketfly. Do that. Really.

Snail, “Smoke the Deathless” official video

The Obelisk All-Dayer tickets

Snail on Thee Facebooks

Saint Vitus Bar website

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The Obelisk All-Dayer Countdown: Death Alley Debut “Supernatural Predator” Live Video

Posted in Bootleg Theater, Features, The Obelisk Presents on August 9th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk all-dayer

The Obelisk All-Dayer tickets

True, it hasn’t been all that long since Amsterdam full-charge rockers Death Alley posted up a new clip for the title-track of their most excellent 2015 Tee Pee Records debut, Black Magick Boogieland (review here). Their doing so prompted something of a rant on my part — well fucking justified, from where I sit — about how god damn awesome they are live and how anyone in the US lucky enough to see them for the first time doesn’t even know the kind of right-past-the-next-level-and-onto-the-level-after-that-one show they’re in for.

Naturally, in bringing them aboard for The Obelisk All-Dayer, Aug. 20 at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn (tickets), it’s a sentiment by which I wholeheartedly stand.

All the better that as part of our countdown to The Obelisk All-Dayer, which is a mere 11 days away now, they should check in with a live video, as if to give any unsuspecting parties all the more reason to show up in-person. The clip is for “Supernatural Predator,” the epic and hypnotic space-infused closer from Black Magick Boogieland, and it was filmed this past June at Hellfest 2016 in Clisson, France.

Death Alley shared the Valley stage that day with Kadavar, Lecherous Gaze, Unsane and Puscifer, among others, and watching “Supernatural Predator,” it’s abundantly clear what a force they’ve become on stage. They come to The Obelisk All-Dayer to join forces with Mars Red Sky, Snail, Kings Destroy, Eye, Funeral Horse, King Buffalo and Heavy Temple as part of a short US tour that no doubt will spread their name farther than the cities they happen to be hitting along the way.

Thanks to the band for letting me host this premiere, and for playing in Brooklyn on the 20th as well. I can’t wait.

Enjoy:

Death Alley, “Supernatural Predator” live at Hellfest 2016

The Obelisk All-Dayer tickets

Death Alley on Thee Facebooks

Saint Vitus Bar website

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The Obelisk All-Dayer Countdown: Mars Red Sky Premiere “Seen a Ghost” Video

Posted in Bootleg Theater, Features, The Obelisk Presents on August 8th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk all dayer

The countdown is on! We’re less than two weeks out from The Obelisk All-Dayer, Aug. 20 at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, NYC (get your tickets here) and it’s time to get stoked for what’s sure to be a really special day. The lineup is insane — Mars Red SkyDeath AlleySnailKings DestroyEyeFuneral HorseKing BuffaloHeavy Temple — the room couldn’t be more perfect, and we’re not even there yet and I’m so into the vibe I can hardly even talk about it without getting choked up. To say I’m anticipating it is underselling the facts. I’m already losing sleep.

For the next two weeks, I’ll be featuring a different band on the lineup every day in this space. Some will have premieres, and that’s the case today as we start the series with Mars Red Sky. Their song “Seen a Ghost” first arrived on 2013’s Be My Guide EP (review here) that preceded the 2014 release of their second album and Listenable Records debut, Stranded in Arcadia (review here), on which it also appeared.

The album version neatly summarizes the progressive jump the Bordeaux trio made between their 2011 self-titled debut (review here) and the subsequent full-length. Its march and its flourish combine perfectly with the breathy vocal melody from guitarist Julien Pras, and it has all the swirl of the first record while also clearly a building more individualized persona on top of that.

Mars Red Sky made a video for “Seen a Ghost” that’s never been shown anywhere until now, and I’m thrilled to be able to host the premiere of the clip. I have it on good authority — i.e. bassist Jimmy Kinast told me — they’ll be playing the song as part of their headlining set at The Obelisk All-Dayer as they have on select few occasions, and to my ears that only makes the whole thing more special.

Enjoy:

Mars Red Sky, “Seen a Ghost” official video

The Obelisk All-Dayer tickets

Mars Red Sky on Thee Facebooks

Saint Vitus Bar website

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Death Alley Post Video for “Black Magick Boogieland”

Posted in Bootleg Theater, The Obelisk Presents on July 29th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

death alley

I feel like you don’t even know. Unless you’ve already seen Death Alley, I’m not sure it’s possible to fully appreciate the momentous occasion that their arrival in the US for their first shows on the North American continent represents. They come supporting their 2015 Tee Pee Records debut album, Black Magick Boogieland (review here), and having seen them twice at Roadburn, I can tell their live show is a righteous next step for classic heavy rock, as punk as it is metal and delivered with nigh-on-unmatched vitality that proves so completely essential to the good time the material winds up conveying. Also every now and then they get weird, and that’s awesome too.

That’s what “Black Magick Boogieland” is all about — bringing these pieces together. I could not, could not, could not be more thrilled to have Death Alley in the lineup as part of The Obelisk All-Dayer, Aug. 20 at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn (JUST BUY YOUR FUCKING TICKETS ALREADY), and if the fact that they’re doing more dates besides — including Psycho Las Vegas — means more heads will catch on, then all the better. I cannot imagine being in the same building while they play and not being swallowed up by their energy. It’s going to be completely over the top in completely the best way possible. I fucking mean it.

They’ve got a new video for the aforementioned “Black Magick Boogieland” that you can dig into below. Clip info and tour itinerary follow:

Death Alley, “Black Magick Boogieland” official video

Video by: Boitelle & Grygierczyk Audio Visual Rock Productions

Title track from debut album Black Magick Boogieland. Out on Tee Pee records.

See you punks at one of these!
8/19 – Philadelphia – Kung Fu Necktie
8/20 – New York City – Saint Vitus (Obelisk Alldayer)
8/21 – New York City – Cake Shop
8/27 – Las Vegas – Hard Rock Hotel (Psycho Las Vegas festival)
8/31 – San Francisco – Elbow Room
9/01 – Los Angeles – Viper Room
9/02 – San Diego – Til Two Club
9/03 – San Diego – Til Two Club

The Obelisk All-Dayer tickets

Death Alley on Thee Facebooks

Death Alley BigCartel Store

Tee Pee Records website

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THE OBELISK ALL-DAYER: Official Poster & Runtimes Revealed

Posted in The Obelisk Presents, Visual Evidence on June 30th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk all-dayer poster skillit

Buy Tickets Here

Gaze upon its countenance and realize just how fucking awesome this show is going to be.

Aug. 20 at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn marks the first-ever The Obelisk All-Dayer, a one-of-a-kind celebration of things heavy, noisy, psychedelic, progressive, and weird. In addition to being the first New York appearances for French heavy psych mavens Mars Red Sky, Amsterdam-based motor-rockers Death Alley, West Coast riff-rollers Snail and bizarro Texas punks Funeral Horse, The Obelisk All-Dayer will feature food on-hand, full and recorded sets, limited-edition posters and other merch, and an afterparty with DJ Adzo (aka Adam Kriney of Brooklyn’s The Golden Grass) and Walter Roadburn (the man behind the internationally renowned Roadburn festival).

Today the official poster, which will be available at the Vitus Bar in a limited and one-time run of 50, has been revealed. Art is by Los Angeles-based designer Sean “Skillit” McEleny, who has worked with numerous acts across both coasts as well as the header for this site and perfectly captures the strange awe and wonder that the show is certain to elicit front-to-back.

Following the revelation earlier this month of the complete lineup, the set runtimes are now also available:

the obelisk all-dayer logo skillit-700

Mars Red Sky* 10:10-11:40
Death Alley* 8:50-9:50
Snail* 7:30-8:30
Kings Destroy 6:30-7:10
EYE 5:30-6:10
Funeral Horse* 4:30-5:10
King Buffalo 3:30-4:10
Heavy Temple 2:30-3:10
(Afterparty with DJ Adzo & Walter Roadburn* 12-2AM)
* Debut appearance in NYC

Set times are firm. The Obelisk All-Dayer is proud to be giving these bands enough time to flesh out their performances, as opposed to rushing one into the next in a festival. The intent is that the day will be a laid-back party more than a festival, from the start of Heavy Temple‘s cult-worthy riffing through the psych-blues bliss of King Buffalo, the possibly-cape-inclusive doings of Funeral HorseEYE‘s lush progressive rock, locals Kings Destroy‘s aggro noise push and the one-two-three punch of SnailDeath Alley and Mars Red Sky, none of whom has ever played New York before.

Get your tickets immediately.

The Obelisk All-Dayer tickets

The Obelisk All-Dayer event page

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The Obelisk Presents: Mars Red Sky North American Tour Dates

Posted in The Obelisk Presents on June 20th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

mars red sky us tour poster-700

In addition to having them as headliners at The Obelisk All-Dayer on Aug. 20 at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, I’m thrilled to announce that The Obelisk will present the first coast-to-coast North American outing from French heavy psych mavens Mars Red Sky. Put together by Tone Deaf in conjunction with the band, Earsplit PR and Listenable Records, the tour also includes stops at Doom over Toronto, a New England warmup show, and Psycho Las Vegas before rounding out with a drive up the West Coast, concluding in Seattle.

Mars Red Sky — the trio of guitarist/vocalist Julien Pras, bassist/vocalist Jimmy Kinast and drummer Mathieu Gazeau — recently released their third album, Apex III (Praise for the Burning Soul) (review here), the to-date peak of their progressive blend of heavy riffs, melodic resonance and expansive atmospheres. Given exceeding depth through memorable songwriting, it’s a bold step forward from their past work and an early contender for my favorite album of 2016. I could not be more thrilled to have this site included in the tour in the small way that it is if I tried. Thanks to the band and to everyone else for having The Obelisk involved.

Dates, event links, the band’s new video for “Friendly Fire” and more follow:

The Obelisk Presents: MARS RED SKY
8/19/2016 O’Brien’s Pub – Boston, MA [info]
8/20/2016 Saint Vitus Bar @ The Obelisk All-Dayer – Brooklyn, NY [info]
8/21/2016 Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA [info]
8/22/2016 Strange Matter – Richmond, VA [info]
8/23/2016 Spirit – Pittsburgh, PA [info]
8/24/2016 Cherry St Station – Wallingford, CT [info]
8/25/2016 La Vitrola – Montreal, QC [info]
8/26/2016 The Smiling Buddha @ Doom Over Toronto Festival – Toronto, ON [info]
8/27/2016 Reggies – Chicago, IL [info]
8/28/2016 Hard Rock Hotel And Casino @ Psycho Las Vegas –  Las Vegas, NV [info]
8/29/2016 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA
8/30/2016 The Viper Room – Los Angeles, CA [info]
9/01/2016 Starlight Lounge – Sacramento, CA
9/02/2016 Panic Room – Portland, OR [info]
9/03/2016 The Funhouse – Seattle, WA [info]

Mars Red Sky, “Friendly Fire” official video

Mars Red Sky US tour Facebook Event

Mars Red Sky on Bandcamp

Mars Red Sky on Twitter

Mars Red Sky’s BigCartel store

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