“Straw Foot,” written by David Eugene Edwards during his time with 16 Horsepower, was released on that band’s 2000 album, Secret South, as the closer. It’s one of the record’s more memorable tracks — 16 Horsepower‘s take on the traditional “Wayfaring Stranger” is also particularly striking, as are several others; “Poor Mouth,” “Silver Saddle,” etc. — and this performance was filmed in 2009, some four years after they disbanded and some seven after Wovenhand, Edwards‘ subsequent and current outfit, released their landmark self-titled outing.

The two bands exist on such different wavelengths it’s hard to think of them running concurrently, though in many ways Secret South was the last 16 Horsepower album, followed by the live album Hoarse (2000), 2002’s Folklore, half of which was takes on traditional folk songs à la the aforementioned “Wayfaring Stranger” (no less brilliantly done; see “Single Girl” and “Outlaw Song”), and their swansong compilation Olden, which brought out material from early sessions in 1993 and 1994. But they did run for a while at the same time, Wovenhand releasing their sophomore album, Consider the Birds, even as 16 Horsepower embarked on some of their final touring. Hindsight gives smoothness to what at the time are often jagged transitions.

There’s a lot of great stuff on the internet. I’m particularly fond of this site, for example. There’s a lot of crap too. I’ve had a hard time coming up with something better than the clip above of Edwards playing “Straw Foot.” The raw, organic performance showing the song’s roots. Edwards‘ voice, which I’ve no doubt generations to come will fail to imitate. How the camera seems to dance in and out of focus to the music. It’s something I keep going back to, so I wanted to post it here in case anyone else had missed it along the way. I know sometimes we all get busy, and not in the fun way.

I recently had occasion to pick up Wovenhand‘s latest album, 2012’s The Laughing Stalk, on CD from Glitterhouse Records. Psych heads might recall their early Monster Magnet releases. After The Laughing Stalk (original review here) was released last fall, I spent some pretty significant time with the then-available digital stream via Bandcamp. There was a special edition LP/CD version available, but for someone like me — I hope you’ll pardon the melodrama, but I sometimes feel like the Omega Man of the CD-purchasing market — a straight-up compact disc was what I was looking for, so when I saw the Glitterhouse version available, digipak-style, I jumped on it, and no regrets.

It hadn’t been that long since I heard it anyway, but I still felt like I was somewhat revisiting tracks like “King O King” — the line “The people, a vain thing” standing out even more this time around — and the building spiritual energy of “Coup Stick,” which bides its time amidst organ tones to open up with Edwards vocals in its second half. I didn’t even know the album was recorded live (no easy feat given the variety of arrangements), so for that little piece of knowledge, it was easily worth the price for a purchase I was going to make anyway. And if the worst that happens is I spent more time hypnotized by Ordy Garrison‘s drums on “Maize” and “In the Temple,” chances are I’ll live.

Probably this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s mine, so for a bit of symmetry with where we started this post, here’s the title-track to The Laughing Stalk to finish:

Crossing genre lines over a course of three days in Wroclaw, Poland, the fifth annual Asymmetry Festival is set to take place at the Centennial Hall from May 2 to May 4. The lineup includes native Polish acts — even Vader get a slot — alongside a host of others from around Europe and the US, from Ufomammut to Melvins Lite, Agalloch to razor-happy Norwegian black metallers Shining. I don’t know how many people reading this are going to make it to Wroclaw for the fest when it kicks off, but sometimes I just like to post about stuff happening in other places to remind myself it’s a big world and awesomeness isn’t relegated to any one geographic region or other.

Dig the Malleus poster and fest info below:

Asymmetry Festival 5.0

The 5th edition of Asymmetry festival will run from Thursday May 2 to Saturday May 4 2013, at the Centennial Hall in Wroclaw, Poland,
marking 3 days with some of the bravest and most influential artists in heavy music.

Legendary and genre-defyning acts like MELVINS, MAYHEM and CULT OF LUNA are only some of the highlights of the diverse main stage program, also featuring oppressive sludge/noisecore of Belgian cult AMENRA, hypnotic gloomy cinematic excursions of THE KILIMANJARO DARKJAZZ ENSEMBLE, black metal undertones of SHINING and the almighty death metal of Polish fame VADER, just to name a few. 2 other stages will present bands that are highlights of the modern European scene. Above all it’s the music quality that is at the heart of the festival philosophy.

Taking place in an incredible venue – monstrous monument of modernism – Asymmetry Festival provides fans of alternative music with one-of-a-kind music and visual experience and amazing atmosphere. This is where fans and connoisseurs of heavy/experimental/noise music from east and west meet to enjoy unpretentious and relaxed vibe of real underground.

We aim to keep the spirit of alternative way of thinking alive by encouraging an open dialogue about art, music and its role in modern culture.
Wroclaw itself is a beautiful city full of attractions, bars clubs and great parks to get some rest after the hyper loud concerts. It also offers countless possibilities of reasonably priced accommodation. All these makes Asymmetry and ideal gate away destination. It’s a chance to discover different, less commercial and more focused festival experience.
This festival is organized be people who above all love music and want to create an event that brings music and fans together on a new, more experiential level.

Festival program:

02.05.2013 | main stage:
Nevesis, Balázs Pándi , Agalloch, Mayhem, Matadorem, Vader.

03.05.2013 | main stage:
IconAclass, The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, Shining, Cult of Luna, Astronautalis.

04.05.2013 | main stage:
Von Magnet, Matallic Taste of Blood, Amenra, Melvins Lite, Ufomammut.

Tickets:

Festival pass (3 days) ticket – 50 euro
Single-day ticket, 1st day (02.05.2013) – 24 euro
Single-day ticket, 2nd day (03.05.2013) – 24 euro
Single-day ticket 3rd day (04.05.2013) – 17 euro

Festival Pass and Single-day tickets are available at www.asymmetryfestival.pl and at Ticketpro, Eventim, eBilet oraz Ticketportal sale points.
The prices will change after May 1st, check our website for actual prices.

The purchase of a ticket will grant the attendants various discounts around Wroclaw, including selected hotels and other accommodations, museums, art galleries, cafeterias, restaurants and other recreational spots.

For more information:
www.asymmetryfestival.pl
www.konwent.asymmetryfestival.pl
www.facebook.com/Asymmetry.Fest

The level to which New Zealander four-piece Shallow Grave carry listeners with them along their undulating downer path isn’t necessarily commensurate to the volume at which their self-titled debut is played, but more never hurt. On the six-track/55-minute outing, released by Astral Projection (Lamp of the Universe, Arc of Ascent), the Auckland outfit oppress almost universally, beginning with a cold atmospheric introduction to “Devil’s Harvest” and never quite losing that sensibility at any time throughout their assault. They are, impressively so for a first record, markedly individual within their sphere, with a sound that takes elements of sludge, post-metal (some “tribal” drumming here, some Neurosis guitar wail there), but despite coming across with considerable tonal largesse on the album itself still manage to maintain a raw sensibility as well – crust almost, but slower and more complex, with a subtle swirl that offsets the barking vocals. Comprised of Tim Leth, James Barker, Brent Bidlake and Mike Rothwell, they’re an outfit who keep their origins obscure but who’ve been playing out since at least 2010, and have obviously used that time well in developing this material, which is drawn together by ambient drones and samples that pull the listener along from one track into the next, as “Devil’s Harvest” moves into “Chemical Fog” once it has run its fervently abrasive course with low hum and high-pitched whistle, amp noise maybe run through an echo chamber. Shallow Grave are hardly the first band to use this method to unite their pieces into a single whole, but it works for them throughout here, and on the one occasion when they don’t – the later “From Boundless Heights,” which feedbacks its way into “To Unfathomable Depths” – the effect is even more complementary. At their heart, though, they pummel. “Chemical Fog,” which moves at a faster clip than the opener, gives no ground in terms of its tonal heft, and it’s a ferocious headphone listen, all the more consuming without distraction for the intricacies that show themselves in the two guitars at work and the layers of screams that show up as the song moves past its halfway point. The ensuing samples are well mixed and well met by the band’s crashes, but it’s the final mostly-instrumental (some ambient screams) push that most satisfies, the track arriving at a massive peak before being consumed to a rising wall of painful low-end static noise.

From there, they cut right into “Nameless Chants,” which rounds out the first half of the album. Shallow Grave is broken into de facto sides – three tracks on one, three tracks on another, broken up in the listing on the back cover of the CD – though at 55 minutes, it’s longer than an actual single LP would hold and “Nameless Chants” feeds as much into “From Boundless Heights” as anything else does to what follows. Still, the sense of structure remains resonant throughout, and it’s a handy tool for understanding part of Shallow Grave’s approach and the influences they’re working from, putting them in line with the tropes of more traditional doom without necessarily forging a stylistic alliance that might not comport with the droning, hypnotic repetitions of “Nameless Chants,” which works its way through several movements instrumentally, one led by the guitar, one led by the drums, gnashing and gnarling for a full five minutes before introducing a verse on vocals. This switch in compositional method comes at just the right time to throw off listeners, who might have a sense of knowing what to expect after “Devil’s Harvest” and “Chemical Fog,” which had their differences in tempo but essentially covered the same ground structurally. “Nameless Chants” is a harder read where it’s most needed, and the final slowdown serves as a crashing, crushing apex for the self-titled’s initial three cuts. With the linear listening experience of the CD, there’s no dip in momentum between that apex and the beginning of “From Boundless Heights,” the shortest track on Shallow Grave at just over five minutes – everything else tops eight, the opener 10 and the closer 15 – that continues the rush preceding and develops over its course into a furious churn topped by chaotic leads and screams that still manage to return to the song’s own march. Together, “From Boundless Heights” and “To Unfathomable Depths” account for the most distinctly post-metal section of the record, with the plod of the former leading straight into the gradually-arriving, lurching howl of the latter. Even here though – and for this I’ll give at least partial credit to the screamed vocals – Shallow Grave retain an identity of their own, keeping the atmosphere consistent with the rest of the album and the crushing sonics moving forward through loud/quiet tradeoffs.

Read more »

I was fortunate enough to catch a set from Harrisonburg, Virginia’s Earthling at SHoD in 2011, and was impressed with them then. There was a split single with Valkyrie last year, but beyond that, not much has been heard from Earthling‘s camp until now. Their debut album, Dark Path, is set for release on Forcefield Records May 7, and next month, they’ll be touring alongside Inter Arma. One imagines that will go well.

Earthling are on Thee Facebooks here. Here’s info off the PR wire:

EARTHLING Prepares To Release Debut LP Via Forcefield Records

Richmond, Virginia-based Forcefield Records confirms the pending Springtime release of the debut LP from local hellbrigade, EARTHLING.

Formed in early 2009 as a project between Harrisonburg natives Alan Fary (guitar/vocals) and Brently Hilliard (drums), following several member shifts solidified the EARTHLING lineup with Praveen Chhetri (guitar) and Jordan Brunk (bass). Having released a pair of three-song demos, a split 7” with the mighty Valkyrie, and having extensively inundated their local DIY music circuit, the band has crafted a crusty, blackened, thrashing hybrid of metal drawing influences from across the spectrum of extreme music.

Now on the heels of their split 7″ with Valkyrie (a band who shares guitarist, Alan Fary), Earthling has finally captured their corrosive sound on record, and now prepares to unleash hell upon its own kind with their ominous Dark Path on CD, LP and digital May 7th, 2013. A diverse, premier debut offering which will undoubtedly appeal to fans of all things ripping, Dark Path is a coarse display of the band’s terrorizing spirit; a ravenous force that has guided the group through countless shows, relentless demo recordings, and over five years of sheer sacrifice. Recorded by Garret Morris (Windhand, Cough, Parasytic, Bastard Sapling) and mastered by Mikey Allred (Inter Arma, Hellbender, Across Tundras), one can rest assured that this album is well versed in sonic mayhem. Earthling naturally teamed-up with seasoned local label, Forcefield Records, who now boasts the album as one of its most gripping releases, and EARTHLING as one of its most promising bands.

The future is clearly vast for EARTHLING, who will be attacking the road this spring with a string of dates already confirmed and many more to be confirmed over the coming weeks, including supporting Absu, ten shows alongside bros Inter Arma, and a MACRoCk showcase with Drugs of Faith, A Life Once Lost, Zoroaster and a bunch of others. View the confirmed roster of dates below and stay tuned for more info and tunes from Dark Path are revealed in the coming weeks.

EARTHLING Live Invasions:
4/05/2013 Blue Nile – Harrisonburg, VA @ MACRoCk
4/07/2013 Strange Matter – Richmond, VA w/ Absu
4/19/2013 Reggies – Wilmington, NC w/ Inter Arma
4/20/2013 TBA – North Carolina w/ Inter Arma
4/21/2013 Slims – Raleigh, NC w/ Inter Arma
4/22/2013 Blue Nile – Harrisonburg, VA w/ Inter Arma
4/23/2013 The Lab – Washington, DC w/ Inter Arma
4/24/2013 Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA w/ Inter Arma
4/25/2013 TBA – Providence, RI w/ Inter Arma
4/26/2013 Democracy Center – Boston, MA w/ Inter Arma
4/27/2013 Saint Vitus Bar – Brooklyn, NY w/ Inter Arma
4/28/2013 Golden West – Baltimore, MD w/ Inter Arma

Dark Path Track Listing:
1. Dark Path
2. Resent
3. Losing Sight
4. Soldier Of The Fortunate
5. Wilderness Throne
6. Pass Into Beyond

Earthling, Live at the Nile, Jan. 15, 2013

Ahead of the release of their new album, Mind Control, April 15 on Rise Above, UK mysteriosos Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats hit the stage this past weekend to make an official live debut in London. Something of a coming out party, I guess, for the up-till-now obscure four-piece, who’ll also play Roadburn next month. For a first look at the band, the clip below shows a number of things.

First, they can pack a house. The show took place at the Garage in London this past weekend, and as you can see, the place is full. Second, it’s multiple vocals helping to give the band their ghostly vibes. As much as focus has kind of automatically centered on Uncle Acid because of the band’s name — kind of a cultural cue — it’s clearly the full four-piece helping create the atmosphere.

You can read an excellent review of the show on the forum, and there’s more info on Mind Control here. Enjoy “I’ll Cut You Down” from the Garage:

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, “I’ll Cut You Down” Live in London

Some news you expect. On the other hand, some news is that Floor have signed to Season of Mist and are putting out a new record. It’s a pretty big difference. I already knew I was looking forward to seeing them on Friday in Brooklyn, but hearing there’s a new record in the works. I mean, shit man. Floor. Kind of hard to fuck with that.

Dig it:

Season of Mist is proud to announce the signing of the widely-respected underground rock band FLOOR.

FLOOR (Steve Brooks – Guitar, Vocals, Anthony Vialon – Guitar, Henry Wilson – drums) recently reunited on the heels of their career retrospective ‘Below and Beyond’ boxset, and are preparing to enter the studio for an imminent release.

FLOOR was originally formed by Brooks and Vialon in 1992, and issued singles on respected underground punks labels like No Idea, Bovine, Rhetoric and more. The band released their wildly influential self-titled full-length album in 2002, before splitting. Brooks went on to form another critically-acclaimed band: TORCHE, while Wilson formed DOVE.

Additionally, the reactivated band will hit the road for short run of dates before they enter the studio. The run will begin on May 27th in Charlotte, NC and conclude on April 10th in Birmingham, AL. Support on all dates comes from Joe Preston’s THRONES. A full list of dates can be found below:

FLOOR tour dates
Mar 27 Charlotte, NC – Tremont Music Hall
Mar 28 Washington DC – Rock and Roll Hotel
Mar 29 Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus
Mar 30 Providence, RI – AS220
Mar 31 Allston, MA – Great Scott
Apr 1 Philadelphia, PA – The Barbary
Apr 3 Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
Apr 4 Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups
Apr 5 Cleveland Heights, OH – Grog Shop
Apr 6 Grand Rapids, MI – The Pyramid Scheme
Apr 7 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
Apr 8 Chicago, IL – Subterranean
Apr 10 Birmingham, AL – Bottletree Cafe

Floor, Floor in full

Contrary to the plodding dreary doom their name might imply, Portland, Oregon’s Crag Dweller get down — and I do mean get down — with classic proto-heavy shuffle and spontaneous blues shred on their late-2012 debut full-length, Magic Dust, resulting in a collection that might draw one to conclusions about which magic dust they were talking about were it not all so soaked in booze. The trio of guitarist/vocalist Richard Vivarelli, bassist/vocalist Clifton Martin and drummer Travis Clow boogie hard enough on the first couple tracks that it seems like the wheels are about to come off, but their stomp has only just begun its full reveal.

Their songs are familiar as much as they’re endearing, but they’re more the latter, and Crag Dweller — one might recognize the cover art style of Adam Burke from his work with Ice Dragon and his own band, fellow Portlanders Fellwoods — do right to allow their audience little time to stop and think. The opening “Chrononaut” on Magic Dust and “So Far, So Good, So What…” both get underway in hurry-we-gotta-go-this-way-right-now fashion, barely stopping to show off how catchy they actually are before rushing through to the next part, the next groove, the next swaggering lead. Martin‘s bass tone, well, it’s just right. He opens “Chrononaut” at a creep and “The Gate” with immediate swing, and there as well as running alongside the piano on “Gotta Have It” and the organ (if not, that’s a nifty guitar effect) that shows up in the unspeakable groove toward the end of “Chrononaut,” his presence oppositeVivarelli’s guitar bolsters the songs more than just saying so implies.

Ditto that for Clow as well, since if all three members weren’t on board, the energy in “Gotta Have It” or the brashness of “True Believer” would fall flat, which they most certainly don’t. The good news? Crag Dweller recorded Magic Dust live. The bad news? Nothing I can think of except for the fact that they’re on the other side of the country. There’s no letup in the pocket groove of “Madness” or the start-stop funk at the heart of closer “Motel Burnout,” and as much as I love a CD issue, Magic Dust seems like it’s just itching for someone to pick it up as a vinyl release. After digging this and the 2012 demo that preceded it with some of the same tracks, I’m inclined to hope for the band’s sake that it happens soon.

If you’re in California this coming weekend, Crag Dweller have shows in Chico, Eureka and San Francisco, and they’re back in Portland for a gig April 5. More details are that their Bandcamp page, from whence I also swiped this player:

21 3 Copies Left.

Once again, if you’ve managed to pick up a copy of Clamfight‘s new CD, I Versus the Glacier, either using the Paypal button above or through the Maple Forum BigCartel store, you have my sincere thanks as well as that of the band.

We’re in the home stretch — a scant 21 copies remain in my possession and they’re going at a steady pace. If you’ve been on the fence, it’s a get-it-now-or-regret-it-later kind of deal. The Maple Forum doesn’t do second runs. It’s in the charter. Okay, there isn’t a charter, but seriously, the discs are moving, so thank you for that and they won’t be around for much longer. I guess that’s the point.

If you’re in Philly this coming weekend, as I know I’ll be, catch them Saturday, March 30 at Kung Fu Necktie with Borracho, Been Obscene and Supervoid. Friday, they’re at Cafe 611 in Frederick, MD, with Ichabod, War Injun, Beelzefuzz and Hollow Leg, and the band has sent along word of more shows to come, including confirmation that they’re looking to hit the West Coast this summer and news about new material in progress!

Anyone can bring you a Clamfight update with show news. Here’s one from drummer/vocalist Andy Martin that has a unicorn:

Forgive me for the bullet points folks, but I’m bashing this out on a borrowed laptop in a hotel somewhere deep in the wilds of Pennslytucky, and time is of the essence…

Shows:

• We’ve got two great shows this weekend, we’re at Cafe 611 in Fredrick Maryland with Ichabod, War Injun, Beelzefuzz, and Hollow Leg on Friday the 29th, and we’ll be hooking up with Supervoid, Been Obscene, and Borracho at Kung Fu Necktie in Philly on Saturday, March 30.
• April 6th we’re atThe Depot in York PA with Crobot, Kingsnake, and Witch Hazel.
• April 25th we’re back at Kung Fu Necktie with Holly Hunt, Sunburster, and the mighty Shroud Eater, in a show that’s sure to start our great southern weekender off with aching heads and rumbly tummies.
• April 26th-29th with our bosom chums/band-I-am-also-in, Heavy Temple, we’ll be rampaging through the southeast. Friday the 26th sees us both at the Oasis in Charleston, South Carolina, with Compel, Greenseer and possibly one more TBA, Saturday will likely see us in Virginia (details still getting ironed out on that one), and Sunday the 29th we’ll be wrapping it up with the Akris at Lallo’s in Knoxville Maryland.
• The other massive (for us anyway) show news is that we will be slipping the surly bonds of the east coast this summer. We can’t say when or with who but trust us, Clamfight will be heading west this summer.

The final bit of big news is that we are actively writing the next record. We’ve demoed about 25 minutes of material and have rolled out one new song, “Block Ship” live. Obviously things are very premature at the moment but we’re aiming to be in the studio by next winter. Saying much more would almost feel like cursing a process that’s been going really, really well for us, so we’ll just say this, we aim to be studio bound not long after hitting Richmond, Virginia, for Stoner Hands of Doom XIII this November.

Speaking of SHOD and “Block Ship,” we’ll be heading back to Gradwell House as soon as our schedules allow to record both “Block Ship” and a reworked version of a tune that shall remain nameless (for the time being) from our first record for our special SHOD-only split with Wizard Eye and Allthing.

Finally we’d just like to say one last thanks to Thump Box, Brain Candle, The Workhorse 3, Black Hand, and the many, many friends who came out to see us in Delaware last week. Delaware’s somehow always been incredibly cool to us and due to our show/my digging schedule last week’s show may have been our last in Delaware till the fall. Fear not first staters… We shall return.

Buy Clamfight’s I Versus the Glacier