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Eye of the Stoned Goat 5: White Dynomite and Weed is Weed Added to Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 26th, 2015 by JJ Koczan

eye-of-the-stoned-goat-5-logo

Lineup announcements have started coming through for the previously revealed The Eye of the Stoned Goat 5 festival, which will take place June 12 and 13 in Amityville, NY. It’s looking like a pretty tight assemblage of bands hitting Long Island for the fest, with Lord Fowl and John Wilkes Booth leading the charge as the first two announcements a couple weeks ago and Weed is Weed and White Dynomite just added last night to a bill that already also includes KingsnakeGozuIt’s Not Night: It’s Space, Brimstone Coven and Ol’ Time Moonshine.

If you’ll indulge me, I’ll get caught up on the announcements, including those for Weed is Weed and White Dynomite, just so we’re all on the same page going forward.

Here they are going all the way back:

Alright folks, it’s time to drop a couple heavy hitters on ya!

We are extremely proud to announce, appearing at this year’s festival is Massachusetts Rock n’ Roll time bomb White Dynomite!

Also, a band that truly needs no introduction, with former members of Pentagram, Spirit Caravan and Earthride… the almighty Weed is Weed!!!

We’ve been trying to get these guys on the ‘Stoned Goat for years, this year the planets all aligned in our favor.. Bringing their tough-as-nails, working class grooves to Long Island this year is none other than Philadelphia’s own Kingsnake!!!

Announcing the next two artists joining the Amityville Music Hall stage at ESG5 this June…. Small Stone Records and local New York Psych-Rock trio It’s Not Night: It’s Space!!!

Also, hailing from the depths of Toronto Canada, the demon-rock peddlers Ol’ Time Moonshine!!!

Alright folks, it’s time to kick things up a notch! Joining us on this year’s ESG5 installment is none other than Small Stone Records and Desertfest 2014 alums GOZU!!!

Next up…. We are thrilled to announce that appearing at ‘Eye of the Stoned Goat 5″ on June 12-13th is Long Island’s very own Moon Tooth and Metal Blade Records Occult Rock Dealers Brimstone Coven!!!

Eye of the Stoned Goat is proud to announce the first two bands appearing at ESG5 in Long Island, NY June 12-13th are none other than former ESG alums- LORD FOWL and John Wilkes Booth!

https://www.facebook.com/TheEyeOfTheStonedGoat
http://www.theeyeofthestonedgoat.com/
https://www.facebook.com/WeedIsWeed
https://www.facebook.com/WhiteDynomiteBoston

White Dynomite, White Dynomite (2014)

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The Skull, Spirit Caravan, Apostle of Solitude and More Confirmed for Maryland Doom Fest 2015

Posted in Whathaveyou on December 18th, 2014 by JJ Koczan

There isn’t much more to the Maryland Doom Fest 2015 at this point than a list of bands, dates and a place, but that’s really all you need. In true Maryland doom style, no bullshit, no one-at-a-time teasers, just “here’s this awesome thing” and you can either show up or suck. The inaugural edition of the Frederick-based fest will take place at Cafe 611 and bring together a killer assemblage of acts, headlined by The Skull and Spirit Caravan and also boasting Apostle of Solitude and War Injun-offshoot Outside Truth.

To that point, while Maryland itself is well represented — Spirit CaravanOutside TruthIron ManWeed is WeedFoghoundMind’s EyePull, Daydreams with Nightmares, etc. — the festival’s reach is immediately wider, not only pulling in Lord and Valkyrie (the latter of whom should have a new album out by then, on Relapse) from nearby Virginia, but reaching up the Eastern Seaboard to nab Rhode Island’s Balam and into the Midwest for The Skull and Apostle of Solitude, who together supplied some of 2014’s best doom in their latest albums.  What’s consistent throughout the lineup is the spirit of doom. There’s some variety around sludge, stoner, heavy rock and so on, but it’s a riffer’s delight front to back and it looks like it’ll be one worth traveling to see.

I’m not sure if more bands are being added, but presumably there will be a change here and there one way or another — June 26-28 is a long time away — and if I hear anything, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, here’s the poster and lineup for the first Maryland Doom Fest:

maryland doom fest 2015

The Skull
Spirit Caravan
Apostle of Solitude
Outside Truth
Unorthodox
Iron Man
Valkyrie
Weed is Weed
Balam
Project Armageddon
Foghound
Pull
Mind’s Eye
Slaves BC
Foehammer
Season of Arrows
Lord
Daydreams with Nightmares

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-maryland-DOOM-Fest/815331421863100
http://cafe611.com/

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audiObelisk Transmission 041

Posted in Podcasts on October 17th, 2014 by JJ Koczan

Click Here to Download

 

Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!

I didn’t realize, but it’s been over a year now since I started putting together podcasts regularly again. Almost 14 months, actually. Goes quick. I’m still having a good time doing them though. It’s become kind of a late-night ritual for me, assembling the audio and putting the tracklisting together and uploading everything the night before it goes live. It’s heading toward one in the morning as I type this. Long since asleep, The Patient Mrs. calls it “JJ time.” Fair enough.

A few twists and turns in this one, so watch out. I was all getting on some rocking vibes with Brant Bjork and that He Whose Ox is Gored, but after The Golden Grass things took a pretty wild turn. You may not have heard Atomikylä yet, but it’s players from Dark Buddha Rising and Oranssi Pazuzu, so it gets pretty bleak pretty quick. From there, it’s just further into doom with MossApostle of Solitude and The Sabbathian before Godflesh — as only they can — provide a slap back to reality. The second hour, as habit dictates, is a full-on freakout. That Olson/Shively/Barry track is members of Across Tundras and the album was just released, so if you get the chance to check it out, I’d say go for it. In the meantime, enjoy:

First Hour:
Brant Bjork and the Low Desert Punk, “Stokely up Now” from Black Power Flower (2014)
He Whose Ox is Gored, “Buried Twice” from Rumors 7” (2014)
Weed is Weed, “Eat Cookies” from Blunt Force Trauma (2014)
The Golden Grass, “The Robin Song” from Realisations (2014)
Atomikylä, “Ihmiskallo” from Erkale (2014)
Moss, “Carmilla (Marcilla)” from Carmilla (2014)
Apostle of Solitude, “Luna” from Of Woe and Wounds (2014)
The Sabbathian, “Nightshade Eternal” from Ritual Rites (2014)
Godflesh, “Life Giver Life Taker” from A World Lit Only by Fire (2014)
Lords of Beacon House, “Cool Water Blues” from Lords of Beacon House (2014)

Second Hour:
Geezer, “Tales of Murder and Unkindness” from Gage (2014)
Olson/Shively/Barry, “Jagged Cliffs” from Tierra del Fuego Blues (2014)
Dead Sea Apes, “Threads” from High Evolutionary (2014)
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, “Psychopomp” from Psychopomp (2014)

Total running time: 1:59:36

 

Thank you for listening.

Download audiObelisk Transmission 041

 

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Weed is Weed Stream Blunt Force Trauma in Full; Album Reissue out Today

Posted in audiObelisk on October 14th, 2014 by JJ Koczan

weed is weed

At one point or another, Weed is Weed members Dave Sherman (vocals/guitar), Gary Isom (guitar) and Rob “Cougin” Brannigan (drums) were members of the underrated Maryland doom act Wretched, but that’s just one of the lines of connection between them. Isom, who also played drums in Pentagram for a time, was Sherman‘s bandmate in the original lineup of Spirit Caravan, and it’s safe to say that these dudes, as well as guitarist Jason Fisher, bassist Darren Waters and guitarist Rob Portillo — yeah, that’s right, up to four guitars — have been kicking around the underbelly of MD’s fertile doom underground for a while. Today marks the Ripple Music issue of their 2013 debut album, Blunt Force Trauma (review here), initially self-released.

What do you get with Weed is Weed? Weed. A lot of it. Also riffs. Their multi-guitar attack provides some density to the album’s 10 tracks but much of what you need to know about Blunt Force Trauma you can get from looking at the cover. It’s raw stoner fuckery, riffs leading the way with punkish abandon and Sherman‘s distinctive weed is weed blunt force traumagravelly vocals tossing out simple but effective hooks on cuts like the opener “Weed is Weed,” the more Southern-styled “Alligator Crawl,” the shuffling “Goin’ Down to Harlem” and “Low to No,” which sleeks out a winding sort of groove while paying homage to SabbathOzzy and, of course, reefer. Most of the songs deal with or at least mention weed on one level or another — it’s a steady theme — but they change it up musically some along the way and by the time they get down to “One Hit Wonder” and “Blunt Force Trauma,” the riffs win out. I won’t say much for “Eat Pussy” — though it’s important in a relationship to be attentive to your partner’s needs, and I’ve certainly heard worse advice than “Eat that pussy don’t you be no jerk” — but its alternate lyric, “Eat Cookies,” rounds out as a bonus track with no shortage of smirking cleverness and charm.

It’s one for the converted, but between half the band’s pedigree and the nod-ready riffs the six-piece ride into smoked-out oblivion, Blunt Force Trauma outstones the stoners and is a mean boogie the whole way through. They had it up somewhere at some point, and I already said it came out last year and was available from the band on CD, so I wouldn’t exactly call this a premiere, but I’m happy to be able to feature Weed is Weed anyway on the day of the Ripple release, and you’ll find the album in its entirety on the player below.

Please enjoy:

Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!

Weed is Weed‘s Blunt Force Trauma is out now on Ripple Music. More info at the links.

Weed is Weed on Thee Facebooks

Weed is Weed at Ripple’s webstore

Ripple Music

 

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Weed is Weed Get Planted on Ripple Music

Posted in Whathaveyou on November 1st, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Maryland’s Weed is Weed released their debut album, Blunt Force Trauma (discussed here), earlier in 2013. In addition to being the most unabashed hailers of the leaf I’ve come across in some time, the sixsome also marks the reuniting of Gary Isom and Dave Sherman, both formerly of Spirit Caravan. Of course, Sherman‘s been fronting Earthride in the intervening years — Isom also did a stint in Pentagram — and he brings his indomitable personality to Blunt Force Trauma as well, most especially on my personal favorite track from the album, the snickering “Eat Cookies.”

Weed is Weed also play Stoner Hands of Doom XIII next week, and Ripple will reportedly issue Blunt Force Trauma early next year. Please note that when I say “reportedly,” I mean according to the PR wire, which sent along the following:

weed is weed blunt force trauma

WEED IS WEED – Featuring Legendary Alumni from Pentagram, Earthride & Spirit Caravan – Sign to Ripple Music

Top-tier stoner/doom metal band WEED IS WEED has signed a world-wide deal with Ripple Music for the release of their full-length album, Blunt Force Trauma.

Years of seismic rumbling have led way to the tectonic formation that is WEED IS WEED. Two legendary masters of Maryland Doom, Dave “Sherm” Sherman and Gary Isom, come with a stoner/doom metal pedigree second to none. Sherm and Gary have been the creative catalysts in such genre defining bands as Pentagram, Earthride, and Spirit Caravan, and now they’re set to launch their newest, blazing heavy rock venture. Having assembled their most blazing line-up ever, this group of musicians have crafted the perfect sound track for red-eyed blazers the world over – Blunt Force Trauma. Blitzed out, stoned heaviness is the order as this collection of tales of reefer madness and alligator fights is slated to be released early 2014 by the ever impressive Ripple Music.

That’s right folks… People are about to take notice.

Sherm is completely shredding the vocals, undoubtedly turning in his best performance to date, as he is more than ably backed by the rip and tear of the triple (3!) guitar attack courtesy of Gary on slide & lead guitar teamed up with Jason Fisher and Rob Portillo’s riffing and rolling. Match that with the full on rhythmic assault of Darren Waters on bass, and the single moniker’d Cougin on drums, and this band is ready to pummel the unsuspecting ear drums of those about to burn!

With the ink just dry on their contract with Ripple Music, it is being announced that WEED IS WEED has also signed on with 313 INC Artist Management to help further their reach and plan their underground takeover.

Watch for some pre-release touring to be announced soon.

It’s no doubt that the riffs are gonna be huge, the vocals are gonna be gritty and the low end will rumble that PBR floating in your stomach. Weed Is Weed is taking over… and it’s going to be a smoky green revolution.

Check out some sneak peeks of the upcoming release, Blunt Force Trauma (Ripple Music) now at www.reverbnation.com/WeedIsWeed.

WEED IS WEED Live:

11/02 @ Iallos – Knoxville, MD
11/08 @ Strange Matter – Richmond, VA – Stoner Hands of Doom Fest

https://www.facebook.com/WeedIsWeed

Weed is Weed, “Blunt Force Trauma”

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Buried Treasure and What the Weed Is

Posted in Buried Treasure on August 5th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

The chorus of the eponymous opener of Weed is Weed‘s self-released Blunt Force Trauma full-length debut sums up the band’s mentality neatly. It goes:

Weed is weed
So plant the seed
Oh yes indeed.

If there was ever any doubt about what weed is, let it be answered: Weed is most definitely weed. Weed is Weed culls together some of Maryland’s favorite sons of doom, fronted by Dave Sherman of Earthride himself with his former Spirit Caravan bandmate Gary Isom on lead guitar. Jason Fisher plays guitar, Darren Waters plays bass — though Mark Ammen (Unorthodox, Pentagram) and Johnny Kotsioukis (Wretched) both also play on the album, and Rob “Cougin” Brannigan (Wretched) plays drums. As you’d have to expect, the songs on Blunt Force Trauma are stoner rock to the end of each leaf, led by the riffs and Sherman‘s inimitable growl, but there’s a rough edge to the production that gives each piece a rawer feel, whether it’s the low-end boogie of “Low to No” or the later percussion/bass-driven “Goin’ Down to Harlem.”

So far as I can tell, the only track that has no mention of reefer is the sixth cut, “Eat Pussy,” which charmingly gets a PG-rated reworking as the unlisted bonus track “Eat Cookies” — “Eat them cookies when you come home from work/Eat them cookies don’t you be no jerk,” and so on, with an “Oooh, snickerdoodle” thrown in for good measure. This kind of tongue-in-cheek shenanigans is to be found all over Blunt Force Trauma — the album’s name itself turned into a pun thanks to the pot leaf on the cover — but between the mega-chug of the riffs, Sherman‘s vicious vocals, which harness some of his roughest growls to date, and Isom‘s how-did-this-dude-wind-up-playing-drums lead work, there’s more to be had throughout than inside jokes about pot. Though of course there are plenty of those as well.

Prior to that aforementioned bonus cut, the album proper rounds out with its title-track, which is plenty raucous enough even before the six minutes of noise and feedback round out its full 10:49 stretch, but if you’ve not yet climbed into Weed is Weed‘s smoke-filled van, you’re probably gonna have to get your fix somewhere else anyway. More downer crash and heavy THC-addled dirt ensue, which has more or less been the course of the album, though not without some sense of changing things up in terms of tempo if not overall method. It’s a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of affair. They didn’t call is Weed is Something Else, did they?

Certainly not. As the group has been together since 2005 in one shape or another and since Blunt Force Trauma just came out this year, I won’t dare speculate on the timing of a follow-up, but whether you look at Weed is Weed as a sidebar to Sherman‘s work in Earthride or as a bunch of dudes from Maryland who’ve probably known each other for ages getting together to riff out and have a good time, the band makes no pretense about being anything more than just that. You might have to work to get a copy (and by “work” I mean send them a message on Thee Facebooks), but for those who can’t get enough of the grittier side of Maryland doom, Weed is Weed will be as welcome as cookies after work.

Weed is Weed, “One Hit Wonder”

Weed is Weed on Thee Facebooks

Weed is Weed on Reverbnation

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Moving the Earth Festival Coming to Baltimore June 22 & 23

Posted in Whathaveyou on April 11th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Comprising what’s sure to be a weekend full of riffs, fuzz and grooving stomp, the inaugural Moving the Earth festival is set to roll out at The Windup Space in scenic (if you like stoner rock, anyway) Baltimore, Maryland. It shares a weekend with Days of the Doomed III out in Wisconsin, but for anyone on the East Coast lamenting not being able to make the trip to the Midwest, the lineup below certainly makes a compelling argument in its own favor, with The Flying Eyes assuming a headliner position among stalwart Marylanders like War Injun and Weed is Weed while out-of-towners like When the Deadbolt Breaks and Borracho add variety to the still-quite-heavy mix.

Here’s to the first of many:

Moving the Earth Fest, June 22-23 at The Windup Space, Baltimore, MD

You can hear the low rumble in the distance getting deafeningly louder with every closing second… Plumes of diesel smoke, fire, and dust billow upwards to block out the sun… An army of sonic bulldozers are coming together to lay waste to the Mid Atlantic region’s musical landscape…….

The MOVING THE EARTH FEST, a two day celebration of all that is Heavy/ Stoner-Rock / Psych/ and Doom will take place at The Windup Space in Baltimore MD Saturday/ Sunday June 22nd and 23rd…….

MOVING THE EARTH FEST DAY 1
Saturday June 22nd

The Flying Eyes -(Baltimore psych rock heavyweights/ headliner)
Foghound – (ex Sixty Watt Shaman/ Halfway To Gone)
Weed is Weed – (ex Spirit Caravan / Earthride)
War Injun -(MD Doom legends)
When the Deadbolt Breaks -(NY/CT experimental, psychedelic, doom)
Wasted Theory – (Philly/ Del Stoner Rawk)
The Deserts of Maine -(ex Wooly Mammoth)
The Walking Ghost – (Aaron from W.t.d.b.- solo accoustic opener)

MOVING THE EARTH FEST DAY 2
Sunday June 23rd 2013

Bastards of Reality (AllStar KickAss Black Sabbath tribute/ headliner)
The Convocation – (ex-Moss Icon, Universal Order of Armageddon, & Born Against)
The 91’s -(PA Stoner Fuzz)
Borracho -(DC Stoner rock bulldozers)
Lazlo Lee and the Motherless Children – (manic garage/psych/ blues)
We are Blackbirds – (“heavy wood” prog/stonerrock)
Balors Eye -(inspired prog /tech metal w/ crushing grooves)
Ophidian – (bleak sludge/ doom)

Venue:
the Windup Space
12 W. North Avenue, Baltimore, MD.
(410) 244-8855

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Windup-Space/40942699251

Foghound, “Gotta Go and High Rider”

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Wino Wednesday: Dave Sherman’s Five Favorite Spirit Caravan Tracks

Posted in Bootleg Theater on May 2nd, 2012 by JJ Koczan

Happy Wino Wednesday!

He’s one of doom’s most indomitable and inimitable personalities, and as the frontman of Earthride, Dave Sherman (generally just say “Sherm” and anyone who’s met him will know immediately who you’re talking about), has become a living embodiment of the Maryland doom scene. Recently, he’s also been making a splash live with the outfit Weed is Weed, which reunites him with his former Spirit Caravan bandmate, Gary Isom.

Spirit Caravan only released two full-lengths in their time, 1999’s Jug Fulla Sun and 2001’s Elusive Truth, but the trio that began as Shine left a legacy and influence behind that has endured in the Maryland scene and well beyond. Though the band’s three members — Scott “Wino” Weinrich on vocals/guitar, Sherman on bass and Isom on drums — have each moved on to other projects (in addition to playing guitar in Weed is Weed, Isom also drummed in Pentagram for a stretch and has been in numerous other regional doom acts), their career has remained in part defined by what they did together as Spirit Caravan. Naturally that lessens as time goes on, but it remains true nonetheless.

Those new to the band who’d take on listening would do well to check out the 2CD 2003 MeteorCity compilation, The Last Embrace, which collects both full-lengths as well as previously unreleased material and stuff from 7″s and compilations. Sherman, who aside from being The Riff Made Flesh also happens to be a great dude, was kind enough to pick out his five favorite Spirit Caravan tracks for a very special Wino Wednesday this week.

Some are live, some are studio versions, but here’s a clip for each of Sherm‘s picks, along with a few words of explanation from the man himself. Right on:

 

Dave Sherman’s Spirit Caravan Picks:

1. “Powertime.” The first song I co-wrote with Wino.

 

2. “Sea Legs.” I love this song because Wino sings about… Gary and I. A well-done iguana and a real heavy gnome.

 

3. “Dreamwheel.” It’s so positive of a song – the dream keeps on rollin’!

 

4. “Lost Sun Dance.” The band’s first song we learned.

 

5. “Kill Ugly Naked.” I know it is an Obsessed cover, but not many people heard it until Spirit Caravan put it on Jug Fulla Sun!!!

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