Holy fucking shit. It’s a good thing Maryland Doom Fest 2019 isn’t until next June, because it’s going to take me that long to process how badass this lineup is. It’s like JB decided this was the year everybody plays. A fourth day has been added. A second venue has been added — it’s Cafe 611 and Guido’s Speakeasy now — and wow. Just, fucking, wow. The headliners: Pentagram, Conan, Earthride and Mothership. And the list of bands that follows is absolutely staggering. Of course some things are bound to change between now and then, and there are announcements yet to be made about the pre-show, but really. They’ve absolutely, positively gone to a completely new level of festival here.

It’s gonna be crowded.

And it’s gonna be a blast. If you need me, I’ll be booking my room at the Motel 6 in Frederick.

The announcement was simple and came just in the form of the poster — art is by Kyle Stratton, whose band Atala also make a return to the bill — and from near and far, far and wide, acts are coming in to make what looks like it’ll be an absolutely unforgettable weekend (-plus) of heavy.

Here’s the lineup:

MARYLAND DOOM FEST 2019 – JUNE 20-23

DOOMSTERS, GRUNGERS, SLUDGERS, STONERS, & PAGANS —

We are extremely pleased to present to you……The Maryland Doom Fest 2019 lineup!!!

50 of the heaviest, most talented bands to grace the stage.

We bring you INTERITUM from Tasmania, CONAN from England, PENTAGRAM from our soil, and an additional 47 top performing USA acts traveling from all across the continent!!

As if that’s not enough, the MDDF Pre-Fest Party will be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the SHoD (Stoner Hands of Doom) Festival with a spectacular lineup of bands who have performed at the great SHoD fests in years past!! The Pre-Fest / SHoD 20th Anniversary Celebration will be monumental in countless ways!!!!

Please support the Doom scene and share this epic event with your comrades and we will see you at #4daysofdoom !!!!

EARLY BIRD Discounted ticket sales start Dec. 17th, 2018 – for two weeks only.

This astronomical lineup and the 2019 festivities are dedicated to my very good friend and prior MDDF partner from 2015 – 2018, Mark Cruikshank!!

DooM !!! ~JB

Lineup:
Earthride
Warhorse
Solace
Wasted Theory
Devil to Pay
Deer Creek
Weed is Weed
Freedom Hawk
After the Sun
Mothership
Pale Divine
Lo Pan
Year of the Cobra
The Age of Truth
Backwoods Payback
Kingsnake
Interitum
The Druids
Clouds Taste Satanic
Benthic Realm
Dead Sisters
Funeral Horse
Pentagram
Apostle of Solitude
Foghound
Beelzefuzz
Atala
Sixes
Forming the Void
Knoxxville
Atomic 26
Eternal Black
Greenbeard
Electric Age
Pale Grey Lore
Thunderchief
Seasick Gladiator
Crooked Hills
Conan
ZED
Kings Destroy
Toke
Thousand Vision Mist
Horehound
Thonian Horde
Shadow Witch
Faith in Jane
Temptations Wings
Wolf Blood
Stone Dust Riders

https://www.facebook.com/events/371836710006412/
https://www.facebook.com/MdDoomFest/
https://www.themarylanddoomfest.com/

Earthride, Live at Maryland Doom Fest 2018

[Click play above to stream the premiere of Holy Grove’s ‘Valley of the Mystics’ from Holy Grove II. Album is out Nov. 9 on Ripple Music.]

If Holy Grove II was an action figure, it would be one-per-case. If it was coffee, it would be run through the digestive tract of Peruvian bats before brewing. If it was a mushroom, it would only grow on the Western slope of one mountain in the Alps and would only be obtainable by one family who’ve harvested it for 700 years using specially trained dogs. And yes, it would be hallucinogenic. It is, in other words, a rare album. Not so much in pressing — Ripple Music has numbered versions, but those who want it can get it — but in form. It’s a coalescing of influences into something new and of marked individual character. Holy Grove aren’t necessarily out of step with the heavy hotbed that’s swelled in their native Portland, Oregon, over the course of this decade, but as that generation of acts becomes more mature, they’re engaged in an obvious commitment to move their sound to new places.

The reasons Holy Grove II, which comprises five tracks in 44 minutes and boats a much-ballyhooed guest appearance from YOB‘s Mike Scheidt alongside Holy Grove vocalist Andrea Vidal on 12-minute closer “Cosmos,” are plenty: timing, performance, production, songwriting, presence. It’s the right album at the right time — we’re coming up on the end of that decade in Portland heavy; something new is welcome. The performances of Vidal, guitarist Trent Jacobs, bassist Gregg Emley and drummer Eben Travis are energized, soulful and creative, and captured with a master’s hand by Billy Anderson, who if he hasn’t yet started writing the book on heavy production methods should probably get to work on that. A special kind of presence can be heard in Jacobs‘ leads at the end of the penultimate “Solaris” as well as in Vidal‘s vocals that run concurrent with it leading to a classic metal surge that’s organ-inclusive and full-sounding and lands with all the more impact for its sudden end, and the entire proceeding is memorable precisely because of the songwriting work that’s gone into it.

Vidal follows in a line of Oregonian vocalists that includes few others — the aforementioned Mike Scheidt is one, former Witch Mountain singer Uta Plotkin was another — who are able to bring such soul to a heavy context. From the swinging beginning minutes of opener “Blade Born” onward, she steps forward and is in utter command of the material in a way that even two and a half years ago on Holy Grove‘s self-titled debut (review here) just wasn’t possible. Part of that is easy to read as a comfort factor, and it applies to the entire band. Travis is a more recent acquisition, and he makes his presence known from that first swing onward through the second-half rollout slowdown of “Blade Born” and into the cowbell shuffle and tom runs of straight-up rocker “Aurora” that follows and is by far the shortest inclusion on the album at 3:51, but in Emley‘s low end and Jacobs‘ riffing and leads, there’s never a sense that Holy Grove are rushed or playing in any other way than they want to be.

It is a poised collection, but not pointedly so. That is, with the time they spent on tour domestically and abroad, Holy Grove have very clearly found who they are as a group and set themselves to presenting that in these songs. It works. And whether a listener wants to put that narrative to it and think of Holy Grove II in the context of its predecessor or if it’s someone’s first experience with the band, it doesn’t matter. The way the album unfolds is welcoming regardless, and as “Aurora” boogies directly into launching chug of near-11-minute side A capper/album centerpiece “Valley of the Mystics,” the emphasis becomes not on stylization as a means of exclusivity — they’re not tapping into classic and/or traditional doom impulses to show off their taste — but on doing what works best for the song itself. As the opener hinted and both “Solaris” and “Cosmos” affirm on side B, Holy Grove are well suited to these longer forms. That’s not to take away from “Aurora,” which serves a vital function here and is kickass all the while, just to note that given the space to soar, Holy Grove do so.

“Valley of the Mystics” recedes to let Vidal take forward position in a Dio Sabbath-style verse before resuming the roll for a chorus that boasts self-harmonies — more please — and trades again quiet and loud before shifting into the traditionalist metallurgy already noted, and rings out at its finish to conclude the side as “Solaris” fades in on amp noise before crashing through an intro huge and darker-edged en route to a plodding, nodding progression of its own. Organ helps “Solaris” evoke a grand feel, and keyboard plays a central role in “Cosmos” as well, as the two are paired smoothly in the second half of the record. The sudden end of “Solaris” brings a quiet start to the closer, which again pulls back instrumentally to a quieter verse, this one part of a linear build rife with sonic details in the keys, guitar noise and so on. At 3:28, keyboard/Mellotron takes a central position that might otherwise go to the guitar, but the two intertwine smoothly ahead of another chorus, a solo, an almost complete drop to silence, and the setting of the stage for Scheidt‘s arrival, first with atmospheric growls deep in the mix, then with a clean line that emerges from that mass of tone surrounding.

I’m not going to say a bad word about Scheidt‘s appearance — he’s always welcome as far as I’m concerned — but there is a part of me that doesn’t want Holy Grove to share the apex of their second long-player. It’s theirs. They earned it. Bringing in someone else doesn’t necessarily take away from that, but it does change the form of it, and as Travis‘ drums roll and crash to an end of residual amp noise and echoing voice, the highlight of Holy Grove II remains the album itself and the clear process it’s begun in terms of hammering out the potential that the four-piece showed on their debut. Their flair for dramatic turns instrumentally and vocally is writ large here, but they never lose sight of songcraft, and even as Vidal and Scheidt carry through the crescendo of “Cosmos” together, it’s still the entirety of Holy Grove that’s leaving such a resonant impression. There are who will hear it and those who won’t, but this band is casting their influence out over doom with this record, and I’d be surprised if others didn’t catch it and work from it in the future. And they’re not done growing either, because as exciting as Holy Grove II is, it’s already worth looking forward to Holy Grove III. Recommended.

Holy Grove on Thee Facebooks

Holy Grove on Instagram

Holy Grove on Twitter

Holy Grove on Bandcamp

Ripple Music website

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

Ripple Music on Thee Facebooks

Boogie rock newcomers Komodor have set a Jan. 11, 2019, release for their self-titled debut EP. Respected purveyor Soulseller Records will handle the pressing of the French four-piece’s first offering, which is a rousing endorsement in itself, and there’s a teaser for the EP that you can stream at the bottom of this post. Those experienced in the modern interpretations of classic forms that the heavy ’10s have brought will find the ground familiar enough, but being a new band, Komodor seem to bring a good amount of energy to what they’re playing.

Also significant, the entirety of Blues Pills appears on the EP and their bassist, Zack Anderson, handled recording duties. I know Blues Pills guitarist Dorian Sorriaux is based in France, so maybe that’s the connection, but it’s something of a surprise to have the whole band Blues Pills involved. “Join the Band” indeed. I’d also wonder whether the recording took place in France or Sweden, but either way, an organic vibe persists.

The PR wire has the art and release details:

KOMODOR – Debut EP announcement

Do you wanna have a good time? Are you ready to rumble? Back from the 70’s, here we are!

Soulseller Records is proud to announce the signing of French psychedelic rockers KOMODOR!

Their first release, a self-titled mini album, will be published on 11th January 2019 on CD, 12” LP and in digital formats.

It features guest appearances by the entire BLUES PILLS band, whose bassist Zack Anderson even recorded the four songs. Inspired by MC5, James Gang, Grand Funk Railroad and many more, KOMODOR invites you to their journey through rock’n’roll!

Check out a first little teaser at this location: https://youtu.be/L6VAd755ljY

Tracklist:
1. Still The Same
2. Join The Band
3. Nasty Habits
4. 1984

Line-up:
Goudzou – Bass
Elrik Monroe – Drums
Ronnie Calva – Lead Guitar
Slyde Barnett – Lead Vocals & Guitar

https://www.facebook.com/KOMODORBAND
https://www.instagram.com/komodor_band/
http://www.soulsellerrecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/SOULSELLERRECORDS

Komodor debut EP teaser

If the title sounds completely over the top, it is. I think that’s the idea. Apart from a studio snippet posted on the social medias, this is the first audio made public from Dun Ringill‘s impending debut album, Welcome, and it’s a rousing start. That’s probably the idea too. “Welcome to the Fun Fair Horror Time Machine.” What’s in a name, right?

Well, this name brings along nine-plus minutes of classic doom from members of Doomdogs and The Order of Israfel, among others — six dudes; plenty of pedigree to go around — and calls upon the masters of Scandinavian doom in order to cast its sound. Yes, I’m talking about Candlemass, but also some of Lord Vicar and Reverend Bizarre‘s ultra-schooled worship of Saint Vitus and Black Sabbath, doom that wants to get to the roots of when it and metal came together to become something dark and encompassing. I don’t know if horror themes will persist throughout Dun Ringill‘s recently-tracked LP, which Argonauta will release early next year, but they make an impression here with nod-ready riffs and vocals that swap between cleaner, Ozzy-style vocals and a throaty delivery of the titular hook that, yeah, it’s a little silly, but is also bound to get stuck in your head.

That is, get ready to spend the rest of your day welcoming various and sundry other people to the fun fair horror time machine. If only in your inner monologue.

I won’t claim to know what the rest of the album has in store, but “Welcome to the Fun Fair Horror Time Machine” is a more than solid execution of unpretentious traditional doom, and it bodes well for what might follow. The personnel already had me looking forward to the record. It’s fortunate to have the first glimpse at the material itself live up to that.

Enjoy:

Dun Ringill, “Welcome to the Fun Fair Horror Time Machine” official video

We are so proud and happy to finally release our debut video!

The single is also out on all digital platforms.

It was easy for us to pick the track “Welcome to the Fun Fair Horror Time Machine” as the first video and single” the band explains. “It shows the variety of the band that has their roots in doom but paints them with nordic folk music. The lyric idea behind is to explore the evil and dark side of our minds and this song and video shows it pretty well.“

Filmed & Directed by Robert Hellström
Make up Marianne Stepperud Antonsen
Actors Tomas Olsson, Ozzy Grammann, Eddie Grammann
Special thanks to Nalles Tivoli

Dun Ringill on Thee Facebooks

Argonauta Records website

Argonauta Records on Thee Facebooks

I had a feeling it would be Cursed Tongue. I used context clues! But basically it’s not a stretch to think of The Heavy Crown putting out their second album, the impending Reign On, through the label that has shown such a penchant for taste in its choice of releases. I’m curious to hear how some of the sci-fi aspects noted below come together, as when the artwork was first posted there was little actually said about the sound of the record itself. Their debut, 2015’s Full of Haze, was and remains an organ-laced classic heavy rocker through and through. Given all they’ve been through since with the 2016 passing of drummer Jelle “Lil Bonham” Tommeleyn, it’s not a wonder their style would have shifted some, but the question of how much is an intriguing one going into the album’s release.

We won’t have to wait long to find out. As Cursed Tongue begins its preorders in a couple weeks for the vinyl due early in 2019 — I see “March” listed below, so fair enough — the band will also release the album digitally on Nov. 3, so the audio will be out. And because I have no concept of the passage of time, I’ll note that Nov. 3 is this coming Saturday.

The PR wire tells the full story:

THE HEAVY CROWN SIGNS TO CURSED TONGUE RECORDS FOR A WORLD WIDE RELEASE OF THEIR SECOND ALBUM ‘REIGN ON’ SCHEDULED FOR EARLY 2019.

Rarely have we as a label been this psyched for an imminent Cursed Tongue Records release and even more so honored to be given the chance to work with Belgium’s own The Heeavy Crown on releasing their absolutely stunning sophomore album. Following the wake of turmoil caused by the untimely and sad passing of their previous drummer Jelle Tømmeleyn, The Heavy Crown have managed to turn something utterly devastating into a figure of immmense beauty. ‘Reign On’ is a soothing, sonic sculpture that despite projecting sheer heartache commands full attention and leaves you replenished and rejuvenated.

‘Reign On’ will be out digitally on November 3rd, 2018 in honor of the passing of ‘Lil Bonham. With the vinyl release via Cursed Tongue Records slated around March 2019. Pre-orders will be follow shortly after the digital release, more info on that in due time.

BIO:

I : “FULL OF HAZE” (2014-2016)

Heavy and groovy powertrio from Bruges, with subtle psychedelic and soulful influences. And a less subtle wink to stellar bands from the late sixties and seventies era, although with a contemporary and original sound.

Instantly making sense upon the first spin, “Full of Haze” will please many young listeners in search of that epicness of before-mentioned decades, and will strike an equal amount of people with pure nostalgic joy…

Already highly praised for its originality and well-executed songwriting by many of the underground scene, but THE HEAVY CROWN was not planning on slowing down after their first record yet.

II : “LIL’ BONHAM” (2016-2018)

Nonetheless, the band took an indefinite hiatus and was forced into inactivity following the very sudden and untimely death of drummer Jelle Tommeleyn in the winter of 2016. Future plans -both musical and personal- had made way for a prolonged time of intense grief and disorientation…

When the phase of involuntary acceptance came along many months later, remaining members Tristan and Jasper decided to carry on with the THE HEAVY CROWN in honour of their deceased friend, and to preserve the love, contribution and effort he had put into the band.

III: “REIGN ON” (2018-…)

Inspired by the tragedy that took place two years earlier, THE HEAVY CROWN wrote a sophomore record entitled “Reign On”, and released it on the day the departed drummer would’ve celebrated his 27th birthday (and coincidentally, the day their new drummer Stan turned 22). The concept album tells a cosmic tale with “Lil’ Bonham” acting as the main protagonist, portraying a metaphorical astronaut trying to find a way to communicate with his loved ones from outer space, which is resembled by afterlife and death.

Escapism and the power of imagination, loss and grief, being lost in space, wandering the afterlife realms, renewal and hope, healing through love, acceptance of the impermanent,… These main themes drove the band to take a new creative path, adapting a more progressive, psychedelic, spaced-out melancholic sound influenced by sci-fi and analog synth culture. Although staying true to the roots of the catchiness in songwriting and the vintage flavour the band was originated in, these new elements almost seem synonymous with rebirth and revival…

‘Reign On’ will be out on high quality, heavy weight vinyl via Cursed Tongue Records around March 2019.

Pre-orders will be available via Cursed Tongue Records bigcartel store: http://cursedtonguerecords.bigcartel.com/

CTR-017 The Heavy Crown – ‘Reign On’, vinyl official release date: exact date TBA, Spring 2019

All music and lyrics written by THE HEAVY CROWN
Produced by THE HEAVY CROWN
Recorded by Ace Zec & Tristan Vandenbouhede
Mixed by Jasper Govaerts
Mastered by Alan Douches
Artwork by Charles Degeyter
Photography by Jana Germanus

Track listing:

Side A
1. Becoming…
2. The Escapist
3. Reign On
4. Greenish Brown
5. Venus Gold

Side B
6. Won’t You Stay
7. Three Swans
8. Wicked Lady
9. Lovers Remorse
10.Goodnight, Moon

The Heavy Crown is:
Tristan Vandenbouhede • Bass, Keys & Vocals
Jasper Govaerts • Guitars
Stan Van Acker • Drums

https://www.facebook.com/wearetheheavycrown/
https://www.instagram.com/theheavycrown
https://wearetheheavycrown.bandcamp.com/
http://cursedtonguerecords.bigcartel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/CursedTongueRecords
https://www.instagram.com/cursedtonguerecords

The Heavy Crown, Full of Haze (2015)

I’ll just assume that sooner or later I’m going to get a press release down the PR wire about Lords of Beacon House getting picked up by this or that label — Ripple, RidingEasy, someone else who doesn’t necessarily start with the letter ‘R’ — for a vinyl release of their second album, LOBH II: Recreational Sorcery. Has to happen, right? Their 2015 self-titled debut (discussed here) came out on HomHomHom, and they had a split last year with Great Electric Quest on Midnite Collective, so yeah, if neither of them has already stepped in to handle the task — and I don’t know that they haven’t — it seems entirely likely that someone else would. Some things are too good to go un-pressed.

In the interim, however, Lords of Beacon House have made the album available digitally through their Bandcamp page, so if you want to be one of those people who are like, “Yeah, I was way into this record before it got put on LP, so, you know, special edition for me,” and all that, now’s your chance to be Johnny Groundfloor on it.

Recorded by Steve Kille from Dead Meadow, streaming in full, tour dates to follow sooner or later. Have at it:

LOBH II: Recreational Sorcery

Conjured and conceived over the span of two endless winters, guided and designed by forces unseen, and nearly claiming the lives of some of the band, this work has finally been approved by The Council to be unleashed upon mankind.

Behold, “Recreational Sorcery” the long-awaited sophomore release by the infamous Los Angeles heavy outfit Lords of Beacon House.

Something you might not know… “Tourniquet of Destiny”, a number depicting man accepting his fate and plunging further into darkness, features a cameo from underground brother and living legend Travis Baucum of Red Wizard fame on the blues harp. Stoked on this collaboration.

Tracklisting:
1. Recreational Sorcery 05:32
2. Graveyard Blues 03:15
3. Crown of Flies 07:16
4. Fool’s Gold 06:53
5. Poor Man’s Furs 05:14
6. Yonder Go That Ol’ Black Rider 04:41
7. Tourniquet of Destiny 04:29
8. Devil Dog Road 09:37

Engineered/Mixed by Steve Kille at Xemu Studios
Mastered by Erol Ulug at Bright Lights Studios
Produced by Lords of Beacon House
Artwork by Adam Burke at Nightjar Illustration

Lords of Beacon House are:
Michael Lopez (Drums/Percussion)
Amir Ouaddi (Bass Guitar/Lead Vocals)
Peter King (Guitar/Backup Vocals)
Travis Baucum (Harmonica)

https://www.facebook.com/Lords-of-Beacon-House-714064795308176/
http://lordsofbeaconhouse.bandcamp.com/
http://lordsofbeaconhouse.com/

Lords of Beacon House, LOBH II: Recreational Sorcery (2018)

I won’t tell you that you need to do this or that, but if you have a second, you should hit up Shitty Person‘s Bandcamp page and take a look at the lyrics of their debut album, Judgement. Released by Svart Records this past June, the eight-track post/heavygaze/whatever outing by the Seattle-based outfit does so much more to capture the truth of misanthropy in lines like “Nobody believes shit talk’s all true/Even god’s not an asshole like you/If you believe half this shit’s true/Fuck you” than any number of doom bands out there who write songs about killing ladies or some other faux-edgy crap like that. Self-loathing don’t come cheap, and it bleeds through the slow tempos, sax solos, airy tones and dual-vocal melodies of Judgement in songs like opener “Butthole,” in which the above lines appear, and the subsequent “Take Your Clothes Off,” in which the sole lyric amidst the rolling drones and lush tonal unfurling is, well, “Take your clothes off.” If that’s there at all — and I’m not sure it is. To call it anything less than punk rock would be cheapening it, I think.

Later in the record, the they take on Electric Wizard‘s “Behemoth,” but before that, there’s the sad ramble of “Champagne and Cakes,” which brings the vocals of guitarist Benjamin Thomas-Kennedy (see also: Lesbian and Fungal Abyss) forward in a Michael Gira-informed dark post-Americana that gives way to biting noise by its finish. It’s hard to think of “Nobody Likes You” and “Your God is Ending You” as anything other than the crux of Judgement, both for the fact that they comprise more than a third of the album’s runtime and the perspective from which they work, both of them saying a lot with not a ton of words in an efficiency that somehow doesn’t at all undercut the fuckall so rampant in the proceedings. “Nobody Likes You” makes an attempt at kind self-talk with “Relax and be nice to yourself/And don’t be that way” before the inevitable turn: “Nobody likes you/Nobody likes you/Like you don’t like you/Nobody likes you,” a voice that seems to be directed inward ahead of “Your God is Ending You,” which is more accusatory.

Either way, Shitty Person is a fucking slog and that’s exactly what it’s intended to be. The disaffection of “Dumbshit” I’m not even going to recount here, because it wasn’t really my intention to just quote lyrics for this entire post, but needless to say, it’s palpable. “Behemoth” is brought suitably into Judgement‘s sonic context, and closer “Dark Bear” is an effects-laden 47-second spoken story of loss that ends the downerism plunge with another low. It’s not so much about catharsis as it is an exploration of that moment where you’re in it and there’s that feeling of utter hopelessness. Where depression informs everything you see and how you see yourself seeing everything; that bleak narcissism that produces an endless cycle of self-loathing that you can’t see any way out of. The last line, “And when he passed, everything turned to blue,” sums up a lot of it, but even that is just a slice of the actual-misery portrayed throughout. Where it’s always been that way and there won’t ever be a time where it isn’t. People call death metal brutal. Ha.

You can watch the “Take Your Clothes Off” video below. It’s got bathrobes. The album is name-your-price on the aforementioned Bandcamp if you’re up for it, and more info follows the clip on the player here.

Please enjoy:

Shitty Person, “Take Your Clothes Off” official video premiere

The video for Take Your Clothes Off is the secord in a series of visual versions of songs from Shitty Person’s debut album Judgement (Svart Records). Directed by Seattle artist/photographer/musician Lauren Rodriguez, it mirrors the song’s ecstatic apathy and laces the senses with same drug-fueled lust that the song engenders. Shot on film, the footage was captured at Shitty Person’s album release show at Seattle’s Clock Out Lounge where the band performed in their bathrobes as they are wont to do. This work follows the band’s first visual effort Butthole (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=161tyF1Of0k) directed by I Want You (http://iwantyoustudio.com/).

Shitty Person is the latest solo-ish project from Benjamin Thomas-Kennedy (Lesbian, Fungal Abyss). Along with other members of Lesbian, Rose Windows, and Master Musicians of Bukkake, Shitty Person makes music about self-hatred and counterproductive self-reflection. It sounds like drugs, has lots of swears, and will probably make you feel terrible.

Although a relatively new band, Shitty Person’s roots run deep. “I’ve been playing drums for metal bands for almost two decades,” explains Thomas-Kennedy, “but before that, I used to front a couple of less heavy bands as the primary songwriter and guitar player. During the time I was touring with Lesbian-the-band, a lot of songs started kicking around my head that I didn’t know what to do with. As that project began to wind down, I had more time to start putting some of these ideas together. I bought a guitar and finalized a pile of songs. I decided to ask some of my favorite musicians if they would help me put a group together, and to my surprise, everyone I approached said they’d be into it. We played a live show to a sold-out crowd opening for Moon Duo in Seattle. It was the first time I had played guitar and sang in front of an audience in over 15 years. It went pretty well, so we made this album. I am extremely proud of it and honored that so much great talent jumped on board to pull it off.”

Benjamin Thomas-Kennedy – guitar and vocals
Daniel LaRochelle – rhythm guitar
Arran McInnis – lead guitar
Nicole Thomas-Kennedy – bass guitar
Dave Abramson – drums and percussion
Rabia Shaheen Qazi – vocals
Sam Yoder – percussion
Skerik – saxophone

Produced by Randall Dunn
Mastered by Jason Ward

Video directed by Lauren Rodriguez

Shitty Person on Thee Facebooks

Shitty Person on Bandcamp

Svart Records website

Svart Records on Thee Facebooks

Svart Records on Bandcamp

Despite a recent back injury to drummer Roman Barham — who I think I might’ve half-met earlier this year someplace; was it Maryland Doom Fest? — Albuquerque, New Mexico’s Red Mesa will head out on tour next month in support of their 2018 album, The Devil and the Desert (review here). This will be the band’s first-ever tour, and they’ll be out for 10 days beginning Nov. 8 suitably enough at the Launchpad in their hometown before covering a good swath of the sprawling and sandy Southwest, as well as into Los Angeles and San Diego, Las Vegas and so on. It’s a good run and they’re playing with good bands along the way — you can bet that Sierra Vista show is with Fuzz Evil — and there is a date still TBA in Tucson, so if you’re there and can help out, do that. Because it’s the right god damned thing to do, and you know it.

I’ve said as much before, but a first tour is a special time for a band that, like a first album, only comes once. Kudos to Red Mesa on getting out. I hope the shows are a blast.

Dates follow:

Red Mesa – First Tour

November 8th-November 17th.

Red Mesa will be heading out on the road this November for their first tour!

“The Devil In the Desert” tour will kick off in the band’s hometown of Albuquerque, NM on November 8th. From there, the band will do a SW/West Coast circuit.
This will tour will promote the band’s June 2018 release of “The Devil and The Desert” album.

The band’s ringleader, Brad Frye, will be doing vocals and playing guitar. Roman Barham, Albuquerque’s local favorite promoter, drummer, and music store owner will be playing drums. This tour will feature the band’s new bass player, Josh Vigil, an accomplished musician who plays bass and flamenco guitar.

The band has booked the tour themselves using the network of bands and venues they have worked with and hosted through the years. Salem’s Bend, King Chiefs, Nebula Drag, Big Mean, Fuzz Evil and many others will be hosting Red Mesa along the way.

“THE DEVIL IN THE DESERT TOUR 2018”
Thurs 11/8: Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
Friday 11/9: El Paso, TX – Neon Rose
Sat 11/10: Sierra Vista, AZ – The Horned Toad
Sun 11/11: Los Angeles, CA – Characters Pomona
Mon 11/12: San Diego, CA – Space Bar
Tues 11/13: Los Angeles, CA – The BLVD
Wed 11/14: Las Vegas, NV – Sahara Events Center
Thurs 11/15: Flagstaff, AZ – House Party
Fri 11/16: Tempe, AZ – Cornish Pasty Co.
Sat 11/17: Tucson, AZ – TBA

Big News! This tour will coincide with the release of Red Mesa’s cover song of “Breathe” for Magnetic Eye’s The Best of Pink Floyd compilation on November 9th.

https://www.facebook.com/redmesaband/
https://redmesarock.bandcamp.com/

Red Mesa, The Devil and the Desert (2018)