I wanna go to this. Let me not mince words. I know it’s the week after Maryland Doom Fest and that for a dude who lives in Massachusetts and has a baby and is already planning on hitting the Netherlands, Germany and Las Vegas this spring and summer that’s an awful lot of travel, but man, Electric Funeral Fest III looks like an absolute blast. How could you look at a lineup with The Midnight Ghost Train, Amplified Heat and Cloud Catcher and not want to be there? And then after all that boogie you’ve got Primitive Man to flatten the earth so Weedeater have a nice clean surface to get absolutely filthy with their sludge? Come on.

Will I get to go? Yeah, probably not. But it’s nice to think about. Check out the poster and the full lineup from the PR wire and see if you don’t agree:

ELECTRIC FUNERAL FEST III To Take Place June 29th-30th In Denver; Initial Lineup Includes Headlining Appearances By Speedwolf And Weedeater + Tickets On Sale TODAY

The third edition of Dust Present’s ELECTRIC FUNERAL FEST will return to Denver, Colorado on June 29th-30th, 2018!

The annual South Broadway festival, known loosely as The Blowout on Broadway, will be grander than ever in its third iteration, expanding to include a third stage inside the Mutiny Information Cafe, a spot known city-wide for its welcoming atmosphere and promotion of DIY events of all types. Located across the street from Hi Dive and just a block north of 3 Kings Tavern – the two hosting venues of last year’s festival, and two Denver favorites – the Mutiny stage will be the first all-ages stage offered at ELECTRIC FUNERAL FEST and its central location will bolster the street festival environment cultivated over the last two years that’s become an integral part of the Electric Funeral’s attraction.

Friday June 29th will mark the one-night return of Denver speed metal legends Speedwolf as the group reunites for their first show in over four years with a headlining slot at 3 Kings. There may be no band in recent memory that’s achieved the cult status in Denver that Speedwolf has, and a raucous in-your-face performance inside 3 Kings will surely invoke wild memories (or forgotten ones) of infamous Speedwolf appearances of yore. Friday’s support spans from the soaring dual harmonies of 2017 MVPs Spirit Adrift, crushing Iowa doom trio Aseethe, the unmatched ’70s blues-boogie of Amplified Heat, Portland’s self-proclaimed street doom merchants R.I.P. and many more.

The top slot Saturday June 30th will see the aggressive stoner metal onslaught of Wilmington, North Carolina’s Weedeater. Driven by the gutteral growl and enthralling stage energy of bassist/vocalist “Dixie” Dave Collins, North Carolina’s manic sons are poised to lift the crowd a bit higher than usual. The meat of the day two lineup matches the versatility of day one, including the misanthropic punishment of Primitive Man, Duel’s high-flying proto-metal roar, the manic blues attack of The Midnight Ghost Train, Opoponax Records sleepers Grey Gallows and many more.

A full festival lineup will be released in the coming weeks.

ELECTRIC FUNERAL is Denver’s premiere heavy music festival, built as a bridge between one of North America’s most powerful and vibrant cities for heavy music and the legions of bands and fans who visit the Mile High City each year. ELECTRIC FUNERAL, an event run and produced by musicians, stands as the antithesis to corporate driven rock festivals. Founded as a beacon for the Denver scene, ELECTRIC FUNERAL FEST 2018 ramps the spotlight up a little brighter this year, showcasing over fifteen bands from Denver, including a few behemoths holding down headlining and top support slots.

Venues:
Hi Dive (21+), 3 Kings Tavern (21+), Mutiny Information Cafe (all ages)

Ticket Options:
$50 early-bird two-day pass (50 available)
$32 one-day pass
$60 two-day pass

Tickets available at: http://www.electricfuneralfestiii.eventbrite.com

Friday, June 29th:
Headliner: Speedwolf (reunion show)
Support: Spirit Adrift, Aseethe, R.I.P., Amplified Heat, Forming The Void, Love Gang, Urn, Smokey Mirror, Augur, Necropanther, Bandits, Green Druid, Keef Duster

Saturday, June 30th:
Headliner: Weedeater
Support: Primitive Man, The Midnight Ghost Train, Duel, Grey Gallows, Cloud Catcher, The Munsens, Loom, White Dog, Vexing, Wizzerd, Space in Time, Smolder & Burn, Alone, Still Valley

https://www.facebook.com/events/1976102246000271/
https://www.eventbrite.com/o/dust-presents-12848870878
http://www.facebook.com/dustpresents
http://instagram.com/dustpresents

Cloud Catcher, “The Whip” Live at Electric Funeral Fest 2017

I’m not gonna discount the notion of seeing the likes of Josefus sharing the stage with The Well and Doomstress, or of watching the almighty Acid King roll out their riffly triumphs next to Dead Meadow, Elder, Mothership and a megaslew of others, but I think the fact that if you buy a ticket for the second day of End Hip End It you get two slices of pizza speaks volumes to the vibe the Spring, Texas-based festival is going for, and that’s a vibe with which I think just about anybody can get down.

The lineup is varied from Funeral Horse and Switchblade Jesus to King Buffalo and Stone Machine Electric, but there’s a heaping representation of the fertile Texan underground here, and that’s likewise respectable. My understanding is they’ve run into some branding issues — I guess repeating any word in your fest name in Texas is verboten because you’re making fun of SXSW? seems to me SXSW could stand to be taken down a peg or two, but couldn’t we all? — and might rename the event for 2018, but whatever you call it, it looks like a good time to me.

Lineup, other info and ticket link follow:

END HIP END IT MUSIC FESTIVAL

OCT 21 – OLD TOWN SPRING, TEXAS

DAY 1 will feature 25 bands in Old Town Spring, Texas. Preservation Park will have three stages of music as well as many interactive art projects thanks to the Generators Playground.

Stage 1
Dead meadow 12:00 – 1:00
The Bright Light Social Hour 10:40 – 11:20
Golden Dawn Arkestra 9:20 – 10:00
Bayonne 8:00 – 8:40
The deer 6:40 – 7:20
AMERICAN SHARKS 5:20 – 6:00
ROSE ETTE 4:00 – 4:40
VANILLA WHALE 3:00 – 3:40
pyreship 2:00 – 2:30
JODY SEABODY & THE WHIRLS 1:00 – 1:30

Stage 2
Acid King 11:20 – 12:00
ELDER 10:00 – 10:40
MOTHERSHIP 8:40 – 9:20
king buffalo 7:20 – 8:00
eagle claw 6:00 – 6:40
greenbeard 4:40 – 5:20
funeral horse 3:30 – 4:00
SWITCHBLADE JESUS 2:30 – 3:00
WARLUNG 1:30 – 2:00

Stage 3
John Evans Band 8:20 – 9:00
Flower Graves 7:10 – 7:50
The Cuckoos 6:10 – 6:50
Ancient Cat Society 5:10 – 5:50
The Mammoths 4:10 – 4:50
Mantra Love 3:10 – 3:50
Howard & the Nosebleeds 2:10 – 2:40

OCT 22 – WALTER’S DOWNTOWN
SUNDAY at Walter’s Downtown there will be two stages with 13 bands on rotation. Ticket purchasers will receive two drink tickets and two pizza slices!

the well
L.A. Witch
doomstress
amplified heat
space villains*
white dog
josefus
crypt trip
stone machine electric
only beast
concrete heat
daze
shallow

KIP Passes get you…
Entry to both days
backstage access
FREE T-shirt on Saturday
access to hammock hangout
one extra beer on Sunday

At End Hip End It you will find a tightly tucked 20 acre plot of land filled with green grass, craft breweries, interactive art projects, live music, beer tasting events, auctions for charities, Light shows, food trucks, VIP access, local vendors, and more. Interactive art projects will be hosted by Bao Pham of the Generators Playground.

https://www.facebook.com/HoustonPsychFest/
https://www.facebook.com/events/444285199249564/
http://www.endhipendit.com/
http://www.endhipendit.com/tickets
https://www.instagram.com/end_hip_end_it/
http://www.twitter.com/endhipendit

Acid King, Live at Electric Funeral Fest, June 17, 2017

Amplified Heat, How Do You Like the Sound of That (2007)

The lesson here is simple: If you can chase down Amplified Heat records, do it. They’re not always the most politically correct of bands, but chances are that they can out-boogie just about anyone else in the room. Based in Austin, Texas, and comprised of brothers Jim Ortiz (guitar and vocals), Gian Ortiz (bass and backing vocals) and Chris Ortiz (drums), Amplified Heat stand among the most powerful of power trios I’ve ever had the pleasure to see grace a stage, and it’s a no-brainer to consider them one of the most underrated classically styled rock bands active on any level. I mean, we’re talking Radio Moscow-level good. Boogie as a frantic, manic-expression of raw thrust. You can hear it even in the acoustic/handclap tomfoolery of “Moonshine” on their second long-player, How Do You Like the Sound of That, which Arclight Records released in 2007, let alone in dirt-rocking scorchers like “What Went Wrong,” the quick drum-solo blast of “S.A.P.O.,” the ultra-catchy “Rambler” or the later title-track with its channel-swapping lead work over blown-out cymbal wash. Pure fucking righteousness, front to back.

When one considers this record came out a decade ago, right around the same time Graveyard were making their debut, and it’s Amplified Heat‘s second outing behind their 2003 self-titled EP and the next year’s debut long-player, In for Sin (also on Arclight), the context becomes even more intriguing. But Amplified Heat have always been more concerned with being behind their time than ahead of it. In their construction, in their raw presentation and in their base of influence, they’re a true ’70s-inspired outfit, seemingly ready for private-press vinyl at a moment’s notice, and even as it starts out with the time-to-kick-ass threats of “Tough Guy” and gets all sloppy with your ladyfriend in the groovy “Man on the Road,” it does so with such a command of songwriting and performance that it’s hard to do anything other than go along with it. Their earlier work on the EP and In for Sin was more formative, but How Do You Like the Sound of That is more than confident — that’s not to say arrogant — enough in its swagger to live up to the challenge its title poses. The Ortiz brothers come along with this bluesy attitude in “She Drank that Wine” and the comedown closer “Sickness,” and on first listen, it seems like their greatest asset might be the energy of their delivery, but the truth of the matter is it’s their underlying core of songwriting that sustains them. Not only do they pack this punch in their sound, but the songs eek their way into your head. “Rambler?” “Through and Through?” Even the instrumental shuffle of the penultimate “Amplified Boogie” seems to have a hook, and the Ortizes make them all work to their advantage throughout the record’s still-quick 36-minute rush.

Again, it can be a tough one to keep up with, but if you need to listen twice, Amplified Heat more than earn that with the quality of the work itself, and the subtle twists of arrangement that find them working from all-out Blue Cheer worship into the slow-ride nod of “Through and Through,” with acoustic guitar layered in even under the torn-through solo at the finish. When they seem to be a garage band, they’re pulling the wool over your eyes so they can blindside you with the next round of heavy fuzz, grab your drink and guzzle it on the quick while you’re not looking. It’s like that. Hey, they’re on a budget, and beer’s not cheap in Austin these days.

To my knowledge, it’s been a minute since they got out and properly toured, but they remain active playing shows around their hometown — the social medias shows them on stage next month with Corky Laing’s Mountain and Duel, and that seems like appropriate enough company (event page is here). Their most recent studio work came in the form of 2011’s On the Hunt, which refined the craftsmanship on display throughout How Do You Like the Sound of That in memorable tracks like “Dirty Love, No Romance” and “Give it to Me,” but yeah, the bottom line when it comes to Amplified Heat is that there aren’t nearly as many people worshiping at their altar as there probably should be. I don’t know if they’ve got another record in the works or what — six years later, you’d obviously call them due — but you definitely wouldn’t hear me complain if one happened to show up.

Until then, if you know these cats, I hope you dig the chance to revisit, and if you don’t, I hope you dig their particular brand of push ‘n’ swing. As much boogie rock as is out there nowadays, few groups do it so well or with as much conviction as Amplified Heat. And they were doing it a decade ago.

In any case, I hope you enjoy, as always.

—

It’s the morning. Some cinnamon-flavored protein powder in my coffee doing me right as we approach 6AM. In a little bit, I’ll have to get up, put on real pants — those real pants, over there — and drive to work. Then, as though in preemptive penance for the two days off I’m about to enjoy over the weekend, I’ll have to drive back.

Rest assured, I’d much rather stay here, in my pajamas, and casually sip my coffee on the couch alongside the sleepy Little Dog Dio. Yesterday was her 11th birthday. She celebrated with a beef marrow bone. We celebrated with crust-less pesto quiche and sauteed spinach on the side. I cooked extra garlic for my spinach in chili powder and red pepper flakes. It was glorious. Shaved parmesan cheese and coarse-grated black pepper everywhere.

And yes, if you’re wondering, my making and eating cooked spinach is the result of an inspiration I brought back from this year’s Roadburn fest. Roadburn always changes you. This year, it changed me into someone who loves cooked spinach.

This week started off pretty rough. Enough so that I got a note in response to the photo captions, which happens rarely enough for me to pretend that no one reads them (this is just fine by me). I’m hoping that today will bring it to an at-least-innocuous end and I can affect some kind of mental reset on Saturday and Sunday. Part of it is being down post-Roadburn. Part of it is work — knowing that I’m losing my current job next month and still having to go every day is a drag. There’s other stuff too.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the years embracing the idea of caveats, of obstacles. “If only X, then Y,” where X is some pain in my ass and Y is living with a reasonable sense of contentment about myself and/or my situation. “If only I made more money, then I’d be fine.” “If only I had time to write, I’d be set,” and so on. The harder truth? The issue isn’t some circumstance in my way. The issue is I’m a miserable bastard. I always have been and I always will be. There’s always going to be something. It’s inescapable. If it’s not obvious like “golly, I sure would feel better about my day if I wasn’t about to be shitcanned,” then rest assured, I’ll dig through until I find something else. I’m the problem.

Time for meds? Maybe. Hitting that point is usually a pretty good sign we’ve arrived there. Meds make you gain weight — not that the occasional bit of quiche doesn’t — which terrifies me, but yeah, we’ll see. Maybe if I’m on meds I won’t care. Ha. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment next Thursday to have blood drawn for a general checkup, so maybe I’ll be like, “Hey, so I’d like to drive into the median on the way home. Something we can do about this?”

Anyway, one presses through because that’s what one does. I’m not gonna sit here on my couch with my snoring dog listening to dreamy psychedelic rock and pretend I have it the hardest anyone has ever had it.

Here’s what’s in my notes for next week, subject to change as always:

Mon.: Yagow full album stream/review. This one’s a gem. Also Hermitess video.
Tue.: Causa Sui live album review. Doing myself a favor. Also Big Kizz video.
Wed.: Six Dumb Questions with Vokonis. Also PH video.
Thu.: Samsara Blues Experiment interview. Might also have a track premiere.
Fri.: Second Coming of Heavy review and whatever else comes along.

Full week. Monday and Tuesday are already packed for news and whatnot as well, so you know. We keep busy over here.

I hope you have a great and safe weekend. Thanks for reading, for checking in this week if you did, and for continuing to support this site. We’re about to get back to a place where The Obelisk is all I’ve got again, at least for a couple months, so expect some gushing about how much your ongoing involvement in this project means to me. Because it means an awful lot. Thank you.

Talk soon. Forum and Radio.

The Obelisk Forum

The Obelisk Radio

This is a record I heard about on the forum a bit ago but never really had the chance to write on. Amplified Heat are in the top four of the most incredible live acts I’ve ever seen, and of all the bands I’ve ever managed to catch live, they’re the one who most seemed like the only reason they started a band was because someone told them they could get chicks if they did so. I don’t know if they did or not, but okay.

Rest assured, the song I’ve had stuck in my head from the Austin, Texas, trio’s On the Hunt effort has been “Dirty Love No Romance,” but the video was for “Give it to Me,” so I feel like I’m no one to argue. In any case, Amplified Heat‘s Blue Cheer fetish comes across clearly, and that’s pretty much the point, so far as I can tell. One way or another, On the Hunt is devastatingly memorable, and a record I was glad to have picked up when I did. Better late than never, and so forth.

Podcasts aside, I’m loathe to post on the weekends, but I’ll have that Caltrop interview posted probably on Sunday. The Patient Mrs.’ brother is getting married tomorrow. After the rehearsal dinner tonight, I put on Kyuss‘s ..And the Circus Leaves Town and thought of Rock ‘n’ Roll Gina Brooks, whose tumors I’ve too often at this point internalized. There’s a longer story at this point, and I may tell it eventually, but maybe not. It depends on time.

Time, at this point, is something of which I don’t have much. I’d wanted to do that “The Canon of Heavy” post this week, and I didn’t, and there was other stuff too. Bit of a bummer. Anyway, stay tuned for that other interview, and next week, I’ll have reviews of Crystal Head and others. Worth checking back in for, if you weren’t sure.

Thanks to all who checked in. I hope you have a relaxing evening and that you’ll stop by over the weekend. I’ll be here as much as I can, what will the festivities and all. In any case, thanks much and good fun to come. My conscious head is mixing with dreams, so I’m gonna go to bed. Hope you have a great and safe weekend.