Posted in Whathaveyou on May 30th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Well, they are Python. It’s settled. What exactly that means remains to be seen, but the new outfit fronted by none other than Chritus Linderson have posted their debut single “Walking the Night” and it gives at least some idea of where they might be headed in terms of finding a space between doom, early metal and classic-style heavy rock. Of course, Linderson split with Goatess last year while still keeping his place in Lord Vicar, and Python brings him together with guitarist K. Knogjern, bassist J. Mattson and singly-named drummer Björn as a new group reportedly working on their debut album right now. Today. As we speak.
Maybe, maybe not, but it was a bummer when Linderson and Goatess went their separate ways, so a new project from him is welcome, however busy he may already be besides. “Walking the Night” is pretty straightforward and also reportedly the first song the band put together, so who knows how far along they actually are in working on a record — in other words, this might be it for now — but they’re one to keep an eye out for anyway, especially for doom lovers, who probably don’t need the likes of me to tell them that.
Here’s their announcement and the track. Dig it:
We are Python.
Formed in late 2017 by people with a wide variety of influences and with a goal to create something different for each one.
These people are:
Chritus – Vocals K. Knogjern – Guitars J. Mattson – Bass Björn – Drums
We are currently writing songs for what will be considered our debut album. It will be released when we feel it to be necessary and by a label we feel to be worthy.
Until then we would like to present our first trace of existence.
Walking the night is the first song written and the first song recorded.
Osaka, Japan, duo Blacklab make their debut July 20 on New Heavy Sounds with Under a Strawberry Moon 2.0. The album is a remix of the two-piece’s first outing — hence the “2.0” — which saw a limited self-release last year. And even before one gets around to the finale of “Big Muff,” which digs into nearly 10 minutes of distortion driven, presumably, by the effects pedal of the same name, the band’s onslaught of doomed extremity has already made itself felt in the screams of the churning “Black Moon,” the liberal amount of feedback strewn throughout the eight included tracks, and even the empty space that populates the verse of “Warm Death” before the and-you-thought-“Hidden Garden”-was-abrasive chorus takes hold. Black Sabbath are a factor on that earlier track, that is, on “Hidden Garden,” as well as on the titular nod in “Symptom of the Blacklab,” but even the most familiar of riffs are given new life and new impact through the blown-out fashion in which they’re used and further influence drawn from the likes of earlier Kylesa, way-gone Boris, Napalm Death, Burning Witch and others too numerous and/or obliterated to list.
Ultimately, you can namedrop whoever you want — the point is that Blacklab use these sounds to their own ends, not the other way around. They’re not playing to genre so much as bending genre to the shape they want it to take, even in “Symptom of the Blacklab,” which directly engages the piece it references in its name before sprinting off elsewhere for a two-minute run that’s the shortest on the record but carrying no less impact for that. Comprised of guitarist/vocalist YukoMorino and drummer Chia Shiraishi, Blacklab arrive obviously schooled in the ways of doom, but that only seems to grant them the foundation to branch out. Whether it’s the crashing end of “Warm Death” or the blower fuzz of “His Name Is” that follows, Blacklab‘s chief interest seems to be in pushing the limits of style and finding a place where chaos meets control while still holding firm to a heavy groove.
So do they get there? Short version: yes. Particularly as their debut, and even in the New Heavy Sounds redux form, Under a Strawberry Moon 2.0 is a significant statement of aesthetic purpose. In its volume-worshiping sensibilities and its distortion-on-distortion shove, it has moments that sound like they’re genuinely about to fall apart, and yet before they finish with the aforementioned “Big Muff,” they offer the relatively straightforward, melodic-vocal-topped “Fall and Rise,” seeming to be in direct conversation in its first half with the marching rhythms of Acid King, and there’s never any doubt of the consciousness at work behind their craft as the track moves into more visceral chug and growling past its midpoint. Whether brutal or serene, Under a Strawberry Moon 2.0approaches its influences with a pickaxe and proves capable of giving the front-to-back listening experience a feeling of extremity that ultimately serves to unite the varied material and give Blacklab all the more context for the breadth of their work overall. They seem to make the most of it here, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they push even further into their own space next time out.
I have the pleasure today of hosting opener “Black Moon” as a premiere ahead of the album’s release. Please find it below, followed by more info on the band from the PR wire, and please enjoy if you dare:
Blacklab describe themselves as ‘the Dark Witch Doom Duo from Osaka Japan’. However, when it comes to witches, they are more the spectral Sadako from ‘The Ring’ than campy ‘Countess Dracula’. Chilling cool with built in overdrive.
Yuko and Chia are undoubtedly immersed in the Japanese stoner doom scene, and it’s no surprise that with this first offering, they’ve pulled out a calling card that is as ‘in yer face’ and arresting as anything out there. A full frontal assault of distorted riffs, howls and ghostly vocals, as well as bags of riot grrl attitude and lo-fi bravado.
Being nominally a ‘Doom’ band, expect a bucket load of Sabbath worship for sure, but Blacklab have a vibe and experimental undertow akin more to their countrymen ‘Boris’ and the souped up lo-fi fuzz of Ty Segall or Comets On Fire. Tracks like ‘Black Moon’ ‘Hidden Garden’ ‘Spoon’ ‘Symptom Of The Blacklab’ (which starts like Sabbath … then thrashes somewhere else), twist, burn and boil into the red. ‘His Name Is …’ is a churning chunky throb. ‘Spoon’ and ‘Warm Death’ offer moments of relief and crushing noise. And ‘Big Muff’ is … well … 9 minutes of drum-less fuzz, that will probably do serious damage to your speakers. What’s not to love?
This first Blacklab release on NHS, is a version of their ‘Under The Strawberry Moon’ album which was released in tiny numbers on CD only in Japan, a pull together of previous tracks and new songs recorded over 2017. But the NHS variant is different. Wayne Adams (Death Pedals, Shitwife, Vodun, Casual Nun) noise guru at Bear Bites Horse Studio, has remixed the tracks to maximum effect, upping the fuzz and weight of the originals, to create Under The Strawberry Moon 2.0. exclusively for NHS. You will not be disappointed.
It’s an album full of promise, and we at New Heavy Sounds are super stoked to be working with ‘the Dark Witch Doom Duo from Osaka Japan’. Expect a new album when they have crawled back out of their televisions.
Blacklab are: Yuko Morino, guitar and vocals. Chia Shiraishi, drums.
Under The Strawberry Moon 2.0 will land on July 20th. Available as limited edition Black/Orange vinyl which includes a free CD and download of the whole album. Also available in regular CD and digital formats.
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 29th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
In discussion for over a year and preceded by the band’s first full US tour and their signing to Totem Cat Records, Great Electric Quest‘s Chapter II will be released on July 6. To herald its arrival, the San Diego four-piece are streaming the song “Seeker of the Flame” now, and it’s got all the classic metal vibes one could ask for coming off of the band’s 2016 debut album, Chapter I (discussed here), as they continue to eschew their hometown’s penchant for heavy psych jams and instead raise horns high in a salute to timeless riffing and an aggressive spirit. Dudes have put in some real time on tour, and it seems like it’s about to bring them to a new level of notoriety and direction.
They kill it, in other words. Record’s good. Keep an eye out:
GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST: new LP “Chapter II” out July 6th on Totem Cat Records
San Diego’s shredding heroes GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST return with their aptly-titled second LP “Chapter II”, a hook-laden heavy metal odyssey out July 6th on Totem Cat Records!
Sonic storytellers GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST are true merchants of Rock and Roll and Heavy Metal taking listeners on a journey into an ever expanding world of captivating characters and allegories…
“Chapter II”, the long anticipated 2nd LP coming from GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST bring their journey to flat out gargantuan proportions. Barn burners like “Seeker of the Flame”, “Anubis” and “Wicked Hands” set fire to the torch that illuminates the Epic title track “Of Earth”; a 15 minute saga full of “Creation, “Destruction”, and the resolution of “Ancient Machine”. The penultimate track “The Madness” is a gritty ode to classic riff rock and the closing track “Heart of the Son”, simply unites.
Riffage, solos, rhythms, and lyrics along with the production of Jeff Henson (Duel) and Tony Reed (Mos Generator) combine to bring a bigness and fullness of color that elevates this album into upper echelons. Adam Burke’s cover art is a mind blowing combination of bad ass and fun as the four members are represented in an almost superhero like fashion protecting planet Earth with their Rock and Roll as they ride over her. “Chapter II” is here and so is GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST, delivering the whole package with an album that should resonate for years to come.
TRACK LISTING: 1. Seeker Of The Flame 2. Of Earth I 3. Of Earth II 4. Anubis 5. Wicked Hands 6. The Madness 7. Heart Of The Son
GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST is Tyler “T-Sweat” Dingvell – Vocals Buddy Donner – Guitar Daniel “MuchoDrums” Velasco – Drums Jared Bliss – Bass
Albuquerque, New Mexico-based heavy desert rockers Red Mesa release their second album, The Devil and the Desert via their own Desert Records imprint on June 1. The follow-up to the trio’s 2014 self-titled debut and their 2016 appearance alongside Blue Snaggletooth on Ripple Music‘s The Second Coming of Heavy– Chapter Four(review here), it’s a seven-track/38-minute outing the urgency of which seems to be affirmed through the sheer act of its creation.
To wit: Split into two vinyl sides and released on that format with money garnered via crowdfunding, the beginning of the recording process found guitarist/vocalist Bradley Frye without a band. Both bassist Shawn Wright and drummer Duane Gasper split after a gig last August (that must have been some show), and rather than call it a day and go home, Frye decided to hit the somewhat ironically named Empty House Studio with producer/engineer Matthew Tobias and press forward with making the record.
That decision in itself was pretty bold, and it pays dividends throughout The Devil and the Desert, the title of which refers to its dual themes. From front to back there would seem to be a narrative of hallucinogens, the arrival of the devil, the desert itself, and so on, and musically, the material becomes more severe the deeper into the record one goes, Frye starting out with a semi-acoustic swamp blues that touches on psychedelia in “The Devil’s Coming ‘Round” — which has a few heavy riffs of its own, like a Southwestern fuzz-proffering Monster Magnet with Frye cast in the Wyndorf role — and the ethereal sandy grunge of centerpiece “Desert Sol,” before tipping the balance to more weighted fare with “Sacred Datura,” the motor-chugging “Route 666” and the trippy desert heft and spaciousness of the 10-minute closing title-track.
By the time Frye gets around to “The Devil and the Desert,” he’s traveled a significant distance even from “The Devil’s Coming ‘Round” and other early cuts like opener “Devil Come out to Play” and the instrumental “Springtime in the Desert,” which opens psychedelic and fades out only to return with more grounded acoustics. That play between the real and unreal becomes central to The Devil and the Desert, and in order to better evoke it, Frye put Tobias to work on drums/percussion and brought in studio players Jon Mcmillian (bass) and lap steel/baritone guitarist Alex McMahon in order to better evoke the sense of a full-band playing. To be blunt, it works.
The danger with using session musicians especially on an independent release is that, while generally ultra-talented, they have little investment in the project at hand. They’ll play well, but won’t share the passion of those who hired them or who composed the material they’re playing. Frye and Tobias found the right people. To listen to the fleshed out arrangement of “Desert Sol” at the album’s center, McMahon‘s baritone and lead guitar melds easily with what Frye does on electric and acoustic guitar and vocals and with Tobias‘ percussion. And since the second, more generally weighted half of the record was made with the clearly self-aware Frye and Tobias working as a duo playing the parts of a full band — Frye taking up bass as well as guitars and vocals — there’s a shift in presentation as well as general mindset just where one is intended.
So again, it works. I don’t know if Frye — whose since brought on bassist Randy Martinez and drummer Roman Barham to play in the live incarnation of Red Mesa — would say losing two-thirds of his band prior to recording was an asset, but listening to the channels switch in the bouncing verse of “Sacred Datura,” or hearing the fuzzy rhythm part back the soaring lead, one would have a hard time arguing he didn’t make the most of it, and that The Devil and the Desert didn’t turn out as broad in sound as it is cohesive in its themes. It’s a mindful outing that rather than simply working within genre confines, uses the elements of desert rock, lost country and psychedelia in carefully set balances to suit its own needs and purposes. It is an album commanding aesthetic, rather than being led by the rules of it.
Below, you can hear the premiere of “Sacred Datura” and read more about the song specifically from Brad Frye. Once again, The Devil and the Desert is out June 1 via Desert Records. Preorders are up now through Red Mesa‘s Bandcamp page.
Please enjoy:
Brad Frye on “Sacred Datura”:
The song “Sacred Datura” was initially conceived from Carlos Castaneda’s book The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Life. In the book Don Juan explains that Sacred Datura is also known as Devil’s Weed. Sacred Datura is meant to give human beings remarkable powers, such as being able to fly, uproot big trees, go into heat to become pregnant, very powerful stuff. In regards to the song, it’s more about having the power to confront your demons (or the Devil) head-on and be able to survive the encounter.
Most all the titles to songs on this record include the word ‘desert’ or ‘devil.’ I was originally going to name the song “Devil’s Weed” but I figured some hallucinogenic drug fans or plants geeks may appreciate the reference.
The other book that inspired the song was Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire. There’s a chapter in the book where a boy accidentally eats Sacred Datura and has quite a trip before he eventually dies from dehydration in the canyon lands of Utah. Although I’ve never taken Sacred Datura, I used my own experiences with psychedelic mushrooms to write the song.
It’s the first track I’ve ever recorded with me playing bass. The tracking session mostly consisted of Matthew Tobias telling me to “do it again.” The whirling sound that you hear at the very beginning of the song and continues throughout the first half of the song is from a homemade Leslie rotating speaker cabinet made from some hippie dude that I bought from in the trippy little New Mexico town of Madrid.
The riff in the second half of the song is most certainly an ode to Black Sabbath’s “Black Sabbath” riff. Seems like the kind of riff that would appear out of the cosmos on such a journey. Plus, it being the devil’s triad (root note, with a octave up, and a flatted fifth), which was banned from the churches in Europe in centuries past, seemed fitting to have in this album.
The album was recorded at Empty House Studio in Albuquerque, NM. Matthew Tobias engineered, produced, and mixed the entire album. Doug Van Sloan Mastered the album. Side A was recorded in September and October of 2017. Side B was recorded in January and February of 2018.
Release date: 250 colored vinyl LP’s will be available for sale in early June 2018. Limited edition. Brad Frye’s new record label, DESERT RECORDS, will release the album. Look for more releases in 2018 by DESERT RECORDS.
Red Mesa has a new rhythm section for 2018 for live shows. Roman Barhan (Rezin Tree, Black Maria, Jagged Mouth,) will play drums. Randy Martinez (Hounds Low, Jagged Mouth) will play bass.
Red Mesa is currently booking its first tour to play and promote the album.
I’m hoping at some point to review it, so I won’t go that deep into Funeral Horse‘s fourth full-length, Psalms for the Mourning, except to note that it’s a considerable step forward from its predecessor, 2015’s Divinity for the Wicked (review here), which is odd if you think about it because that album’s title-track — that is, “Divinity for the Wicked” itself — actually appears on the new record. But then, “odd” is kind of what Funeral Horse does and has done all along, starting on 2013’s Savage Audio Demon (review here) and the next year’s follow-up, Sinister Rites of the Master (review here). They’ve only gotten better at it, however, and it seems that a three-year break between releases where they’d been on a one-per-year pace before has resulted in a more cohesive approach overall.
Make no mistake, they’ll still dig into grown-up-punker-style stoner riffing on songs like the rolling “Emperor of all Maladies” or the grunge-vibing opener “Better Half of Nothing,” but with “No Greater Sorrow (Than My Love)” dug into a woeful, been-done-wrong heavy blues, “Sacrifice of a Thousand Ships” bursting out with heads-down thrash immediately following the acoustic guitar interlude “1965” — because of course — “Burial Under the Sun” almost directly copping its central riff from Sabbath and closer “Evel Knievel Blues” warping handclap-laden countrified twang with vocal effects and a flash of fuzz near the end, Funeral Horse have never sounded freer to go where and do what they please than on Psalms for the Mourning. It’s a dangerous prospect, but sonic disconnect is clearly part of the intention, as demonstrated by the peaceful finish of “1965” leading to the manic fade-in of “Sacrifice of a Thousand Ships,” as well as by the jangling tambourine end of “No Greater Sorrow (Than My Love)” giving way to the cough at the start of “Emperor of all Maladies.” They’re making a point to upset their own flow. It’s part of the fun.
This is the part where I tell you that no single song on Psalms for the Mourning necessarily represents the whole album, and yeah, that’s pretty much true. Guitarist/vocalist Walter “Paul Bearer” Carlos, drummer Chris Bassett and newcomer bassist Clint Rater — who no doubt has received a full-on Jason Newsted-style hazing by now — are all over the place on this one, but there’s a current of urgency, of disaffection and of weighted tone running beneath so much of the material that it somehow works together anyway. Again, I don’t want to go too deep into it because, well, I want to go too deep into it later, but for those who enjoy a bit of the bizarre with their rock, Funeral Horse strike a balance between memorable songs and weirdo vibes that by my estimation has only made them underrated for the last half-decade.
You can watch the premiere of the band’s new video for “No Greater Sorrow (Than My Love)” below, followed by more info courtesy of the PR wire. Psalms for the Mourning is out June 15 via Artificial Head Records.
Dig it and enjoy:
Funeral Horse, “No Greater Sorrow (Than My Love)” official video
Made up of front man/guitarist Paul Bearer, drummer Chris Bassett and new addition, Clint Rater on bass, Funeral Horse return to the fold this June with a brand-new studio album; their third in the canon for the Houston-based record label, Artificial Head Records.
Catching up on almost three years in the wilderness since the release of their 2015’s stoned-opus, Divinity For The Wicked, Psalms For The Mourning finds the industrious Texan trio revamping the thunderous doom-pop and hard rock that secured their cult status amidst the current crop of underground US rock. As an aural monument for the maligned, Divinity… made several inroads into the media with positive reviews, but here on Psalms For The Mourning, Funeral Horse serve up a true rock ‘n’ roll sermon for the masses. It’s an album that’s positively waiting to be picked up and played by those that have chosen their whole lives to turn on, tune in and drop out in pursuit of volume.
“We took more time writing and recording this material, taking in the turmoil from touring and personal conflicts and the loss of some good friends along the way,” explains front man Paul Bearer. “We’ve kept to the roots of who we are but the band’s tours in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Mexico last year was another big factor in the amount of care and time we took with the album. Those tours exposed us to some amazing bands and people who have helped to share in what the band is today.”
Psalms For The Mourning by Funeral Horse is released worldwide on 15th June via Artificial Head Records.
Live Dates: 16/6 – RECORD RELEASE SHOW: Spruce Goose Social Flyers Club – Houston, TX 17/6 – RECORD RELEASE SHOW: Antone’s Record Shop – Austin, TX 20/6 – 524 Studios – Baton Rouge, LA 21/6 – Hops and Habanas – Jackson, MS 22/6 – Old Nicks – Birmingham, AL 23/6 – Autograph Rehearsal Studio – Murfreesboro, TN 24/6 – Hot Springs Event Centre – Hot Springs, AR 7/7 – ARTIFICIAL HEAD RECORDS SHOWCASE: The Almighty Moontower Inn – Houston, TX
Line Up: Paul Bearer – Vocals, Guitars Chris Bassett – Drums Clint Rater – Bass
[Click play above to stream Nomad’s Feral in full. Album is out May 31 on APF Records.]
Britain has become a sludge factory. Seems like every time one turns around, there’s another disgruntled collective shouting, screaming, riffing and crashing out their frustrations in an onslaught of raw, downtuned chug. Manchester’s Nomad, who release their debut album Feral through APF Records — which has boldly taken it upon itself to corral an increasing amount of the national scene — have been around since 2013 and precede their first record with a 2014 EP, The House is Dead, and a 2015 split with Wort. A straightforward guitar, bass, drums, vocals four-piece, their focus on the seven-track/42-minute Feral seems to be on honing as pure a pummel as possible, and they do so via a decidedly New Orleans-tinged sludge, with vocalist Drian Nash reminding of Kirk Windstein in his shoutier moments, and the riffs of Lewis Atkinson calling to mind the earliest days of sludge metal as it veered from the unhinged slowed-down hardcore punk of Eyehategod and became the more cohesive, songwriting-centered output of Crowbar.
The rhythm section of bassist John Carberry and drummer Hayley McIntyre are, naturally, responsible for the foundation on which this aural homage takes place, and do well anchoring and rolling songs like “Swarm,” which take the ferocity of eight-minute opener and longest track (immediate points) “Curse of the Sun” and the subsequent title-track and push it in a bluesier, lead-topped direction. Though both their moniker and the album’s title evoke a sense of something wild, Nomad themselves are never out of control, and as they blend punk, metal, hardcore and doom on 2:53 centerpiece “The War is Never Over” — chugging mosh-part and all — they present their most intense moment with no less poise than anything preceding or following.
That’s not to say Nomad are staid by any measure, only that they know what they’re doing from the opening hum and fading up toms of “Curse of the Sun” through the long fadeout of the finishing riff to closer “Shallow Fate,” which even brings back — briefly — that same hum that opened the album. And they know which side of the genre they want to play to. Is ‘classic sludge metal’ a thing yet? If not, Feral makes an argument that maybe it should be. Of course, it has its varying sides and modes of expression — “Culture of Ruin” opens with a lightly strummed acoustic guitar to set the mood before moving into its full tonality, etc. — but the root of what they’re doing, and specifically in Atkinson‘s guitar tone, is that early/mid-’90s sludge metal, which is given an even angrier sensibility by Nash‘s vocals moving smoothly between gruff shouts and harsher screams.
There are moments — the riff that emerges in “Culture of Ruin” just past the halfway point, or the huge wash of crash about six minutes into “Curse of the Sun” before the staccato chugging takes hold — where Nomad give a sense of how they might progress from their debut and what they might bring to their sound over the longer term, but as a statement of who they are, Feral is less wild than it is cohesive in its presentation — which, of course, only works to its advantage. To wit, as the tracklisting plays out, the band moves between longer and shorter songs, alternating one then the other to effectively keep the listener off balance and to highlight the subtle diversity in their presentation and the fluidity with which they execute the structures of their songs. The end effect is to give Feral some of the madness its title brings to mind, even though it’s clear that Nash, Atkinson, Carberry and McIntyre are actively, consciously steering the material as they go.
In some cases, that might lessen the impact. It doesn’t here, because ultimately it’s a part of the aesthetic. Some early sludgers might have been out of control, but Crowbar never were, and as they’re a chief influence, it’s only fair that Nomad shouldn’t be either. The chugging slam of “The War is Never Over,” the bassline underscoring the title-track, the groove and build of “Shallow Fate” — all of these things arrive with a sense of purpose that makes the overarching listening experience of the album feel focused and all the more intense for the mindfulness at work behind it. These songs didn’t just happen; they were built. As a uniting factor, that purposeful delivery has as much to do with making the album work as the consistency of tone or mood, and in thinking ahead to what Nomad might do over the longer term, it’s among the most encouraging aspects of Feral, which may not ultimately be running wild and completely out of its mind, but certainly gnashes its teeth all the same in a manner that can only help them distinguish themselves from the UK’s crowded sludge underground.
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 28th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Supporting their NoSlip Records and DHU Records EP, The Second Rite (discussed here), Houston doom rockers Doomstress are once again hitting the road in June. The occasion is an appearance at Maryland Doom Fest in Frederick, MD, where they’ll play alongside Castle, Earthride (who rumor has it have a new bassist), Switchblade Jesus and headliners Windhand, and a host of others, but they’re also playing with a bunch of killer bands — who are both on and off the MDDF bill in their travels, including Josefus, in whose lineup Doomstress frontwoman Doomstress Alexis also plays, so check out the dates below and if they’re coming through, you know, buy some merch and whatnot.
Dates and details follow:
Doomstress announce ‘They Came from Texas! Tour in June to play Maryland Doom Fest and 2 shows w/Texas heavy rock pioneers Josefus!
Doomstress will have just wrapped up a tour in May but will be hitting the road again in June on the ‘They came from Texas! Tour’ to play Maryland Doom Fest 4. (Doomstress Alexis & Brandon played Maryland Doom Fest 1 w/Project Armageddon).
This tour will also include two direct support dates for late 60s heavy rock/proto-metal pioneers Josefus on their 1st ever shows outside of Texas!
Doomstress Alexis (bass & vox), Brandon Johnson (lead guitar) & Matt Taylor (lead guitar) will be joined by fellow Texan, Buddy Hachar of Greenbeard, pounding the skins for this tour! Tour poster art by TriStarr (http://tristarr.art)
June Tour dates: 6/18 Mobile, AL @ Blind Mule 6/19 Chattanooga, TN @ Ziggy’s 6/20 Atlanta, GA @ 529 w/Tommy Stewart’s Dyerwulf 6/21 Raleigh, NC @ Local Band, Local Beer w/Demon Eye & Disenchanter 6/22 Charlottesville, VA @ Magnolia House 6/23 Frederick, MD @ Cafe 611 – Maryland Doom Fest IV w/Windhand, Castle, Earthride & The Watchers 6/24 Norfolk, VA @ Pourhouse of Norfolk w/Shadow Witch & Witchkiss 6/25 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie w/Goat Wizard 6/26 Canton, OH @ Buzzbin Bar w/Duel & Sparrowmilk 6/27 Ferndale, MI @ Zeke’s Rock N Roll BBQ 6/28 Kalamazoo, MI @ Shakespeare’s Lower Level 6/29 Chicago, IL @ The Hideout w/Josefus & PCW Syndicate 6/30 Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club w/Josefus & PCW Syndicate
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 28th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
You know, I was going to start out this post by wondering if Brooklyn trio The Mad Doctors knew that there was already a sequel to the 1992 movie Sister Act. It also starred Whoopi Goldberg, came out in ’93, and it was called Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. But you know what? I bet The Mad Doctors already knew that shit. And if you think about it, doesn’t that just kind of make the joke funnier? So the title of their new single, “Sister Act II: Electric Boogaloo (What if Idris Elba was the Next James Bond),” isn’t only a goof reference on the first Sister Act, it’s even more tongue-in-cheek because it’s a fake sequel to that movie when there’s already a real one. Plus, that whole thing with Idris Elba in the parenthesis. I believe the answer is, “white people on the internet got really pissed off about something that doesn’t matter in the slightest,” which, you know, is kind of the answer to any such “what if” scenario.
Because white people love bitching about shit that doesn’t matter. Like the deficit.
Other point: the title of the new The Mad Doctors single is clever as hell and the band are headed out on a Northeastern run as of this very evening to support it. I doubt they’ll be explaining the joke to everyone as they go, like, “It’s funny because there’s already a movie,” but you know, it’s still pretty funny. And the song’s streaming at the bottom of this post and a name-your-price download, so even better.
Details
The Mad Doctors – Sneakin Out The Web Tour
Northeast coffee fiends, booze hounds (and pitbulls), party rock boys, and folks of all things n stuff – after PIZZAFEST V we’re hitting the road for a week and spending some good quality time with our pals Fire Heads from Wisconsin!! It’s gunna be fuzzy! Check us out in the following places:
M 5/28 – Saratoga NY – Desperate Annie’s Tu 5/29 – Portland ME – Matthew’s Pub* W 5/30 – Salem MA – Koto* Th 5/31 – Pawtucket RI – News Cafe* F 6/1 – Stamford CT – Riot at Amadeus* Sa 6/2 – Rutherford, NJ – The Jungeon * = Fire Heads (WI)
Tour poster by Erick Freuhling (of Fire Heads)
The Mad Doctors are: Seth Applebaum – Gtr/vox Joshua Park – Bass Greg Hanson – Drums
