It goes without saying that this show was at Ace of Clubs. Nowhere else in Manhattan has the gumption to put on a gig like this on a Saturday night. And even if they did, it wouldn’t be nearly as good without the cornbread upstairs, so there you go.

In thinking about writing this review, I looked up the last time I saw Devil to Pay at Ace of Clubs, and wow, I must have been in a shit mood that day. Tried to remember what would have had my panties all up my butt, but can’t think of any lasting traumas from November. As ever, I’m sure it was something trivial and there was nothing I could do about it. That’s usually what does it.

This time around, Devil to Pay sounded pretty killer. They’re kind of right in the heavy rock middle ground; not quite just stoner, not quite just doom, not entirely Southern but every now and then belting out a guitar lick that’d make Pepper Keenan smile. Some of their material is frustrating in that, standing there in front of the stage, I want the four-piece to really kick into it, bust out a balls-heavy groove and just ride it for five or six minutes, but that’s not their thing. The Indianapolis outfit is more focused on structure, on streamlined songwriting, and since they’re good at it, I’m not about to hold that against them. They had a good crowd for their set and everyone, myself included, was much pleased at the rock that ensued. I’d love to hear an album from them with a really vibrant, raw production. Take away some of the class from what they do, dirty it up a bit, and see how it comes out.

Lo-Pan, who followed immediately, are fast becoming one of my favorite bands. I’ve seen them three times now in the last four months (once in Michigan, twice at Ace of Clubs), and with every set they’ve delivered solid heavy American stoner rock, unabashed in its fuzzy glory, killer in its rhythms and topped with soulful vocals. They’re the real deal, and I get the feeling if all goes well, their next album might just be the best Small Stone Records debut since Sasquatch (though, admittedly, Lo-Pan have an advantage in this since it wouldn’t actually be their first album). I recorded video of one of their songs — a new one, I think — which you can view below.

I don’t know why I didn’t buy a Lo-Pan shirt last time I saw them, but needless to say, I rectified the oversight at Ace of Clubs.

The last band of the evening’s total four was local metal outfit Ikillya, who organized the show. Why a band so outwardly metal would want to play with stoner acts is beyond me, but although they were the odd men out on the bill — maybe they like it that way; it certainly has its appeal — they gave an admirable showing. There’s a lot of performance in what they do. They even have a banner to play in front of. But they back that performance with a level of metallic tightness that I’m just not used to seeing anymore. There are metalcore elements, but they’re more like a crunchier Shadows Fall than a Killswitch Engage, if you understand the difference. If you don’t, I’m sure you’ll survive. Either way, their sound might not have been in line with what else was happening that night, but their energy and dynamism would have made them stand out no matter who was on the bill, and yes, I do mean that as a compliment.

It was a good night. I saw some good friends, some good bands, and didn’t even get embarrassingly trashed doing it. I’ll be back at Ace of Clubs on August 7 to catch Earthride, Valkyrie, Alkahest and several others I can’t recall at the moment, so expect to hear more about how much ass the venue kicks. Devil to Pay and Lo-Pan are still touring. Check out the rest of the dates here.

aOT7

The above image (apart from having the text added and a little cropping) is unedited. It is an aerial view of New Jersey from someone who I can only imagine was on their way to or from Newark Airport. What you’re seeing is the blanket of haze that rests over my beloved Garden State June to September every year. Pretty much all throughout July and August, you can’t see the sky except through the humidity. It is miserable and sopping.

The purpose of audiObelisk Transmission 007 is to honor (or perhaps, like a ritual sacrifice, appease) the summer itself. I’ve chosen tracks that embody different aspects of the season: sunny days (Unida, Fu Manchu, The Atomic Bitchwax), warm nights (Angels of Light, Six Organs of Admittance, Los Natas, Colour Haze), and some that just sound like they’re as wretchedly soaked through with sweat as I am these several months each year (Snail, Loop, Dead Meadow).

You’ll find a lot of the desert rock discussed in the last Where to Start post, new music from the likes of Fatso Jetson, Yawning Man, Backwoods Payback and Brant Bjork, and, true to the title, some Blue Cheer and a little blues from Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker and Blind Lemon Jefferson. As always, all are my rips from physical sources.

Click the picture up top to download or stream it above. Full list of tracks is after the jump.

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It’s humid as hell here in the valley, where I’ll be staying until Sunday when I head back up to Vermont until August 7. Something about this weather always makes me think of sludge. It’s the water in the air and the feeling like there’s no escaping its brutality. Sourvein would seem to emphasize that musically, so here’s Tom Denney‘s video for “Seamerchant.” Sourvein are slated to have a new album out this Fall.

This weekend the August podcast goes up. Don’t miss it.

Anyone who’s around, I’ll be at the Lo-Pan/Devil to Pay show tomorrow night at Ace of Clubs in NYC. Going to be a fantastic time, I’ve been looking forward to it all week. I’ve seen Lo-Pan twice now and both times they’ve killed it, and when last I caught Devil to Pay, I walked out having bought three of their albums. So there you go. Hope to see you there.

Whatever your plans, I hope you have a great and safe weekend.

What a question. Understand, I’m not talking about a grouping based on sound. I mean bands from the desert in California. It’s a limited bunch of musicians, centered around a few interconnected acts that have had a tremendous impact on stoner rock the world over. Although I think they’ve made some of the most important contributions to the genre, I’m including no outside bands here. It’s all about location.

Five bands  you need to know, and which album to get. Here goes:

1. Yawning Man: Most often credited as originators of the desert scene, an instrumental trio with Gary Arce, Mario Lalli (also Fatso Jetson) and Alfredo Hernandez (also Kyuss). Their new album, Nomadic Pursuits (review here), is fantastic and a great display of the influence they’ve had on those who’ve followed them, but recommendations for 2005’s Rock Formations are valid.

2. Kyuss: They’re the hallmark act of stoner rock, with import not just limited to the bands former members have launched (Queens of the Stone Age, Unida, Slo Burn, Brant Bjork, Mondo Generator, etc.). Welcome to Sky Valley is an all-time classic. As necessary as oxygen.

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While Takashi Miike‘s Gozu, the Japanese film from which the Boston band take their name, has a reputation for being purposely confusing and thrusting its audience into a state of disorientation, those who experience Gozu or their Small Stone debut, Locust Season, will most likely find themselves right at home amidst the well-structured and composed riff rock. The songs are catchy and the riffs range from killer to more-killer, but Gozu also have a defined sense of melody that comes out across tracks like “Jan-Michael Vincent” or the album opener “Meth Cowboy,” and that winds up being one of their most memorable assets.

Gozu has only been together for two years, and Small Stone signed them on the strength of a two-song demo and a recommendation from Roadsaw‘s Craig Riggs. If it seems like they came out of nowhere, that’s not exactly the case, but it is awfully sudden. Nonetheless, Locust Season sounds firm in its aesthetic and fully realized, thanks in part to the production of Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios in Allston, but also because Gozu know what they’re doing and aren’t afraid to show it.

Discussing the album and Gozu‘s origins with guitarist/vocalist Marc Gaffney only underscored my opinion of the natural feel of both the album and the band. Grotto‘s production is modern for sure, but Gaffney, fellow guitarist Doug Sherman, drummer Barry Spillberg and bassist Jay Cannava show a great deal of personality in their playing — something a more sterile album wouldn’t have let them do. In what’s already a banner year for Small Stone with releases by Sasquatch and The Brought Low, these newcomers serve only to make it even better.

After the jump, please find enclosed my Q&A with Gaffney, and enjoy.

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Aggressive stoner metallers The Fucking Wrath have been picked up by Tee Pee Records. For a label whose recent output has been closer to Dead Meadow-style psychedelic post-rock, it’s something of a surprise, given all the hardcore punk The Fucking Wrath inject into their music, but I guess you gotta change things up. Either way, it’s pretty god damn heavy.

The Fucking Wrath will have a new EP out this year and are set to hit the road this Fall alongside Ancestors. No, they’re not coming East. The PR wire speaks, we listen:

Tee Pee Records is proud to introduce the newest addition to their roster: The Fucking Wrath. The band will issue the EP Terra Fire in October on Tee Pee Records followed by a full-length in the spring of 2011. The Fucking Wrath will be performing at the recently-announced Power of the Riff Festival taking place on August 8th in Los Angeles. October dates have also been announced with new labelmates Ancestors!

Tour Dates:
08/08/2010 The Echoplex, Los Angeles, CA (Power of the Riff)
10/20/2010 Zahn Zillas, Ventura, CA*
10/21/2010 Hemlock Tavern, San Francisco, CA*
10/22/2010 East End, Portland, OR*
10/23/2010 Comet Tavern, Seattle, WA*
10/25/2010 Jambalaya, Arcata, CA*
10/26/2010 Nick’s Night Club, Chico, CA*
10/27/2010 Jose’s Mexican Bar & Grill, Monterey, CA*
* w/ Ancestors

Like a lot of people, I first encountered Brooklyn rockers The Giraffes when they released their self-titled album in 2005 on Razor & Tie. To be honest, I didn’t think much of them at the time. Straightforward rock that was decent, good enough songwriting. I kept the album but never really went back to it, never kept up with the band. Out of the blue, half a decade later, the live album Show, released by Wisconsin’s Crustacean Records (celebrating their 15th year), drops on my doorstep and I’m wondering what the hell I’ve let slip my grasp all this time. Not only did Dave Catching – he wasn’t saying goodnight at the end of Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs for the Deaf, he was just saying — produce their last album, 2008’s Prime Motivator, with Joel Hamilton mixing, but more importantly, the songs on show are fucking killer, professional grade rock with attitude to spare. I feel a bit the fool.

The CD/DVD Show, with one disc adorably labeled “Earhole” and one labeled “Eyehole,” compiles 12 songs recorded at Union Pool in Brooklyn last year, playing tracks off the aforementioned Prime Motivator, the self-titled and beyond, igniting a raucous melee the likes of which few bands could. They kill, and as I listen/watch (let’s be honest, mostly listen), I can only wonder what Brooklyn does with this band. I mean, they’re actually rocking, and they’re actually good. In a borough whose music scene is populated by shitbird 20-year-old hipsters playing jagged math rock like they invented it, a band like The Giraffes must stand out like the most kickass herpes ever. On Show, the songwriting is tight, the performances are tight, the band is taking names and there’s no sense of self-conscious irony, no smugness to it. I watched the DVD and their pants aren’t even that tight! Hey guys, you might want to consider moving.

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…Of course, they’re taking the scenic route, on a tour that will go up and down the West Coast and into Canada for a couple dates. I can only imagine good times will be had by all and that Bison B.C. will demolish audiences are they are apt to do.

As you peruse the PR wire info and tour dates below, make sure you get a look at the description of Helmet‘s sound. I never thought of them as being particularly Zeppelin-esque. Am I wrong on that one? Check it out:

The Vancouver-based band Bison B.C. have just confirmed a two-week plus tour with legendary alternative metal band Helmet, who are known for fusing Zeppelin-esque riffing with a vehement post-hardcore precision, augmented by dense chords and offbeat time signatures. Bison B.C. will join Helmet when the tour kicks off on Wednesday September 8th in Sacramento, CA at Harlow’s Night Club. The tour finishes up on Sunday September 26th at BriXton in Redondo Beach, CA.

Guitarist and vocalist James Farwell comments, “I first started listening to Helmet when I was doing bonelesses and acid drops wasted in back alleys with big pants and small wheels; a long fucking time ago. Now my body is a jerk, but I still think of them when I drop tune — it is a fucking god damn honor to tour with Helmet.”

Sept. 8 Sacramento, CA Harlow’s Night Club
Sept. 10 Oakland, CA The Uptown
Sept. 11 San Jose, CA The Blank Club
Sept. 13 Portland, OR Dante’s
Sept. 14 Seattle, WA Showbox at The Market
Sept. 16 Vancouver, BC Venue
Sept. 18 Edmonton, AB The Starlite Room
Sept. 19 Calgary, AB Dickens Pub
Sept. 21 Casper, WY Downtown Grill & Venue
Sept. 23 Tempe, AZ The Clubhouse
Sept. 24 Santa Ana, CA Galaxy Theatre
Sept. 25 San Diego, CA The Casbah
Sept. 26 Redondo Beach, CA BriXton