Posted in Whathaveyou on November 6th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
After completing yet another US tour over the summer, Portland, Oregon’s Ape Machine begin a run through Europe next week. Their new album — I think it’s an album; was initially announced as an EP, so I’m not sure — is called Coalition of the Unwilling, and it’s out Nov. 20 on Heavy Psych Sounds following the band’s Live at Freak Valley (review here), which came out earlier this year on Ripple. They’re a good band, but even more than that, Ape Machine continue to break their collective ass in terms of the work they put in. They’ve hit the road hard for several years now, played fests, one-offs, crossed the country and so on, and letup just doesn’t seem to be a factor when it comes to their ethic. It’s admirable as hell that they haven’t strangled each other by now. Plus, they rock.
They’ve posted a new song, “Under this Face,” as demonstration of that fact, and you can find it under the PR wire info below:
Rock’n’roll ain’t dead! Portland rockers APE MACHINE to release “Coalition Of The Unwilling” this month on Heavy Psych Sounds; European tour to kick off next week.
Rock’n’roll has never been so alive, as Portland’s most exciting and hard-hitting riff merchants APE MACHINE are set to make heads turn again, with the imminent release of their fourth album on Heavy Psych Sounds. “Coalition Of The Unwilling” will land this November 20th in all good record stores.
The name APE MACHINE is a nod to the days of reel-to-reel magnetic tape audio recording; a fitting moniker for the Portland heavy-hitting quartet as the band plays through vintage tube amplifiers and lays down its songs using exclusively throwback quality studio equipment.
With a heady mix of animal aggression and technical precision, APE MACHINE’s music carries an organic depth and warmth rarely heard since the time of rock’s glorious early years (or your Dad’s bad ass record collection) infused with an exceptional modern sensibility. When the mystical lyrics of vocalist Caleb Heinze lock in with the band’s stone-cold groove, the band demonstrates an earth-shaking ability to rock. A true four-piece, the group has been called “a rock and roll band with a finger on the pulse of the 70’s and their asses firmly in the present” and “real heavy-psych for the iPhone generation” that delivers “true guts and glory rock and roll”.
After the Portland foursome has established their rock supremacy with third album “Mangled By The Machine” in 2013 (Ripple Music) and several tours including a smashing performance at Freak Valley Festival in 2014, APE MACHINE are taking another great turn this year by signing on Italian powerhouse Heavy Psych Sounds for the release of their fourth full-length “Coalition Of The Unwilling”.
APE MACHINE – New album “Coalition Of The Unwilling” Out this November 20th on Heavy Psych Sounds Pre-orders from November 5that this location
TRACK LISTING: 1. Crushed From Within 2. Disband 3. Give What You Get 4. Under This Face 5. Ape’N’Stein 6. Never My Way
Catch them on their European tour now: 12.11 – BENEVENTO (Ita) TBA 13.11 – ZEROBRANCO (Ita) Titty Twister 14.11 – ZEROBRANCO (Ita) Altroquando 15.11 – CASTEL D’ARIO (Ita) Hostaria 16.11 – STRETTI DI ERACLEA (Ita) Chinaski 17.11 – ERBA (Ita) Centrale Rock 18.11 – CAGLIARI (Ita) Bohemien 19.11 – OSSI (Ita) Alex Bar 20.11 – MUNSTER (De) Rare Guitar Shop 21.11 – SIEGEN (De) Vortex 22.11 – BERLIN (De) Bassy 23.11 – TBA 24.11 – TBA 25.11 – Frankfurt (De) TBA 26.11 – MANNHEIM (DE) 7er 27.11 – ERFURT (De) Tiko 28.11 – OLTEN (Ch) Coq D’Or 29.11 – BASEL (Ch) TBA 30.11 – ITALY TBA 01.12 – INS (Ch) Schuxenhaus 02.12 – ST GALLEN (Ch) Rumpeltum 03.12 – ZUG (Ch) Galvanik “Whau! Bar” 04.12 – LUZERN (Ch) Bruch Bros 05.12 – ROMA (Ita) Sinister Noise
APE MACHINE IS Caleb Heinze – Vocals Ian Watts – Guitar Brian True – Bass Damon De La Paz – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 21st, 2015 by JJ Koczan
Portland heavy rockers Ape Machine began an admirable string of tour dates last night in Bend, Oregon, and they’ll continue on through the bulk of Sept. in support of their newly-issued live outing, Live at Freak Valley (review here), which was recorded on their European tour in 2013. They’d previously been confirmed for a European tour in Nov., but I’ve yet to see those dates surface.
Their current run finds them out alongside their fellow Portlanders Five White Dudes in a Band Called Black Pussy, and Live at Freak Valley is out now on Ripple Music. Seems like longer than two years since their last full-length, Mangled by the Machine (review here) hit, but I guess time flies when you tour a month at a clip.
For info, we turn, as ever, to the PR wire:
Portland rockers Ape Machine and Black Pussy take to the road for US Tour this month | Live At Freak Valley available on Ripple Music now
Having recently toured their latest full-length album Mangled By The Machine in the US and Europe, Portland rockers Ape Machine are set to hit the road this August and September in support of their new Live LP/DVD combo release Live At Freak Valley on Ripple Music. The daring new release was filmed and recorded at the Freak Valley Festival in Germany last year; an event that has proven to be a veritable showcase and ‘Who’s Who’ in the brave new world of upcoming psychedelic and heavy stoner-rock bands. The set features Ape Machine’s blistering hour-long performance in front of a sold-out festival crowd and serves up proof that the band more than lives up to their reputation of captivating and commanding live audiences.
In addition to the upcoming Live at Freak Valley release, Ape Machine has released three critically acclaimed full-length albums, two recent releases of which – Mangled By The Machine and War To Head – were produced by the late Ikey Owens (Jack White, Mars Volta, Mastodon) who also contributed keyboards to both albums. Owens was set to produce the band’s fourth full-length this summer before his untimely death last October while on tour with Jack White. In Ikey Owens’s absence, the band plans to record their next full length this fall with long-time friend Jacob Golden producing.
Last year also found Ape Machine touring extensively, sharing the stage with bands such as Motorhead, Helmet, Orange Goblin, Crobot plus many others. This August however the band embark on a US tour with good friends and fellow Portlanders Black Pussy, bringing their frenzied live show stateside and teaming up with one of the best up-and-coming bands in the scene.
For the full list of tour dates, see below. (All dates w. Black Pussy).
8/20 – Volcanic – Bend, OR 8/21 – McShane’s – Eugene, OR 8/22 – Audie’s – Fresno, CA 8/23 – Los Globos – Los Angeles, CA 8/24 – Casbah – San Diego, CA 8/25 – JR’s – Sierra Vista, AZ 8/26 – Blue Max – Midland, TX 8/27 – Lola’s Saloon – Ft. Worth, TX 8/28 – Holy Mountain – Austin, TX 8/29 – Walter’s – Houston, TX 8/30 – The Ten Eleven – San Antonio, TX 8/31 – Howlin’ Wolf – New Orleans, LA 9/1 – Loosey’s – Gainesville, FL 9/2 – Backbooth – Orlando, FL 9/3 – New World Brewery – Tampa, FL 9/4 – The Nick – Birmingham, AL 9/5 – The Jinx – Savannah, GA 9/6 – Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta, GA 9/7 – Springwater Supper Club – Nashville, TN 9/8 – Reggie’s – Chicago, IL 9/9 – Tater and Joe’s – Terre Haute, IN 9/10 – The Demo – St. Louis, MO 9/11 – Outland Ballroom – Springfield, MO 9/12 – Lookout Lounge – Omaha, NE 9/13 – Zoo Bar – Lincoln, NE 9/14 – Larimer Lounge – Denver, CO 9/15 – Leftwoods – Amarillo, TX 9/17 – Beaut Bar – Las Vegas, NV 9/18 – Hood Bar – Palm Desert, CA 9/20 – DNA Lounge – San Francisco, CA
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 25th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
It was kind of a surprise to have Ape Machine ink a deal with Heavy Psych Sounds, not because they don’t deserve to get picked up by a label doing cool things, but because they seemed so firmly entrenched in the roster of Ripple Music, which put out their last full-length, 2013’s Mangled by the Machine (review here), and earlier this year, the Live at Freak Valley (review here) live offering. And actually, it’s not that they’ve signed to Heavy Psych Sounds to the exclusion of everyone else, just that they’ll be working with the label for a tour — Heavy Psych Sounds has a booking arm — and an EP release to coincide with it.
It’s good news for the band, either way, and good news for those who’ve been fortunate enough to catch onto their intricate but still catchy wares. They’ll have a full-length out before too long on Ripple as well, and according to Heavy Psych Sounds — who posted the announcement below — it’s looking like the band will be on the road for the better part of a month. Doesn’t sound too bad. Dates are still to come, but here’s initial word from the label:
HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS Records is honoured to announce the signing of another awesome band *** Ape Machine ***
A true four-piece, Portland, Oregon’s Ape Machine has been called “a rock and roll band with a finger on the pulse of the 70?s and their asses firmly in the present” and “real heavy-psych for the iPhone generation” that delivers “true guts and glory rock and roll.” Combining psychedelic, classic and progressive rock with arena-worthy metal, bluesy stoner-rock and catchy riffs in odd signatures.
Heavy Psych Sounds Records will release A new Record/Ep in November and will book a four weeks European tour from November 12 to December 5.
more details will be communicate in the next weeks together with new cool announcements!
Posted in Reviews on March 31st, 2015 by JJ Koczan
When I finished yesterday’s reviews, I felt suitably beat, but as ever, there was a bit of catharsis to it too. Today’s pile takes us all the way to the other end of the world and back again to my (relative) back yard, and then loops around one more time for good measure with a few stops in between. While I’m coherent enough to form sentences, you’ll pardon me if I get right to it.
Quarterly Review #11-20:
Motherslug, Motherslug
If the name Motherslug or the cover art look familiar, it’s because the Melbourne double-guitar five-piece initially released their self-titled EP late in 2012 (review here). This NoSlip Records release, however, takes the tracks from that, couples them with cuts from Motherslug’s subsequent outing, a 2014 two-tracker called Three Kings in Darkness, and remasters both for vinyl as one 39-minute full-length. There’s a bit of progression evident in the newer cuts, “Trippin’ on Evil” and “Three Kings in Darkness,” but the LP smartly arranges them so that each ends its respective side, led into by two songs from the self-titled, so the impression is more that Motherslug are expanding their riffy, Southern-style sludge rock sound – which is still true, it just initially happened over two releases – rather than they’re mixing and matching different recordings. By the time you get to either, however, Motherslug will have already bowled over you with rolling, thick sludge riffs that could just as easily have come from Maryland or Virginia as Australia.
Allston(e) newcomers Worshipper make an accomplished-sounding debut with Black Corridor/High above the Clouds, two self-released tracks that mark their first release as a band. The two-guitar four-piece balance classic metal riffs and doom tendencies with soaring-style clean vocals and fast-moving grooves, as much Candlemass as High on Fire. “Black Corridor” wows with its solo but more with its hook, guitarist John Brookhouse and bassist Bob Maloney sharing vocals while Alejandro Necochea adds guitar and Dave Jarvis draws it all together on drums, and “High above the Clouds” adds some choice early-Dio “Egypt”-ology to the mix. It’s a sense of grandeur that’s neither overblown nor mishandled by the winding track, which coupled with its predecessor demonstrates Worshipper’s firm grip on a style melding heavy rock and metal into a take of their own, and a progression beginning that seems to have a definite idea of where it wants to end up. One can’t help but look forward to finding out.
Hard to think of a band from Portland, Oregon, these days as being underrated, but Ape Machine fit the bill all the same. The four-piece of vocalist Caleb Heinze, guitarist Ian Watts, bassist Brian True and drummer Damon de la Paz played Germany’s Freak Valley festival as part of a 2013 European tour in support of the then-recently-released Mangled by the Machine (review here), their third album and Ripple Music debut, and accordingly, most of what shows up on the 48-minute Live at Freak Valley comes from that record, later album cuts like the swaying “Strange are the People” and stomp-slide-fueled “Ruling with Intent” leading to a run through Mangled by the Machine’s first five tracks, in order, to close the set. With a cover of Deep Purple’s “Black Night” (something they also did on their second record) in tow with others from their first two records, Live at Freak Valley makes a solid intro to a group more people should know.
A compilation that draws from Churchburn’s 2013 self-titled and two tracks recorded late in 2013/early in 2014 – opener “Embers of Human Ash” and the subsequent “V” – The Awaiting Coffins revels in its extremity of doom and no-light-shall-pass atmospherics. The duo of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Dave Suzuki (ex-Vital Remains, among others) and Ray McCaffrey (ex-Sin of Angels) issue the CD/LP via Armageddon Shop, and while there are plenty of droning moments, acoustic interludes and stretches of depressive noise, the Rhode Island outfit is primarily brutal. Suzuki, joined on vocals for the first two cuts by guitarist Kevin Curley and bassist Mike Cardoso, leads a pummeling charge in “V” that’s more death than death-doom, but far be it from me to quibble. For “Come Forth the Swarm,” the Sin of Angels cover “Crown of Fallen Kings” and “Kneel upon Charred Remnants,” it’s just McCaffrey and Suzuki, and the dynamic is different and the recording rawer, but the bleak territory being explored has a similar root. Add on an unlisted cover of Celtic Frost’s “Return to the Eve,” and The Awaiting Coffins is even more of a sure thing.
Instrumental save for some samples, spoken proclamations and field recordings, Thrust/Parry was released by Belgian outfit OMSQ in limited numbers via Navalorama Records on CD to mark the occasion of a late-2014 UK tour, and it showcases an outfit of rare sonic adventurousness. Progressive, heavy structures unfold across three overarching movements in the 68-minute whole of the album, which at any moment makes shifts between dense riffs and crashing drums and exploratory washes of noise sound not only smooth but fitting, culminations like “North Sea” and 16-minute closer “4:48” as much about finishing a story as providing a sonic payoff, each cut serving not only the movement of which it’s component, but also the overarching flow of the record as whole. Stylistically wide open an unhindered by genre constraints, Thrust/Parry is a challenging listen that satisfies in proportion to how much one is willing to shift along with its changes in mood and style. Evocative throughout, it proves more than worth the effort.
Swiss five-piece Unhold trace their lineage back to an early-‘90s demo, but Towering (on Czar of Crickets) is their fourth album since their 2001 full-length debut, Walking Blackwards, and their first offering in seven years since Gold Cut in 2008. Something of an unexpected return from the Bern troupe, then, but not unwelcome, their Neurosis-influenced post-hardcore/post-metal finding renewed expression in the moody unfolding of “I Belong” or the tense bellow of the later, keyboard-infused “Hydra,” moments of triumph in ambient/crushing tradeoffs of “Voice Within” as guitarists Thomas Tschuor and Philipp Thöni step back and pianist Miriam Wolf takes lead vocals for a movement almost Alcest-like in its melodic course. Drummer Daniel Fischer and bassist Leo Matkovic are less a foundation than part of Towering’s nodding, modern-proggy whole, and it probably works better that way in smoothing out the various turns in extended pieces like the title-track or “Dawn,” which provides the apex of the album with the calmer “Ascending” and “Death Dying” as an epilogue.
Three words: Rock and roll. With Boston four-piece The Heave-Ho, it’s less about subgenre and more about paying homage to a classic ideal of straightforward expression. Dead Reckoning, the debut full-length from the lineup of guitarist/vocalist Pete Valle (ex-Quintaine Americana), bassist Keith “Barry” Schleicher (ex-Infernal Overdrive), drummer Dylan Wilson and lead guitarist Lawrence O’Toole, is eight songs (plus a closing radio edit, presumably for WEMF) of unpretentious rendition, steady in its delivery of grown-up-punker hooks and barroom rock such that, when Valle calls for “guitar!” prior to the solo in “Buffalo,” it’s entirely without irony or cynicism. Would be hard for “Thirsty Jesus” not to be a highlight on its title alone, but the lyrics also hold up. With a clean production style, centerpiece moment of clarity in “Afraid to Die,” and particularly riotous finish in “The Line,” Dead Reckoning has little use for stylistic nuance and a confident delivery across the board. Drunk as it is, it does not stumble.
Though Adelaide three-guitar six-piece Crypt title their debut release Kvlt MMXIV, it’s actually a Jan. 2015 release, a half-hour’s worth of stoner chicanery pressed up in a recycled-material digipak with a fold-out liner poster – the lyrics, yes, are written in a rune font – and the disc held in place by a piece of cork. The presentation of the songs themselves is no less off the wall, the lumbering “Green Butter” taking hold from the crust-raw opener “Siberian Exile” with unhinged low-end, drum stomp and some deceptively subtle airy guitar, and the weirdo blues howl of the following “These Last Days” only broadens the scope. Seems fair to say “expect the unexpected” since so much effort has been put into throwing off the frame of reference, but as the fuzz of “Idle Minds” and ambience into righteous groove of closer “Dead River” show, Crypt have more working in their favor than variety for its own sake, namely a fire in their delivery that burns away any slim chance this material had of sounding stale.
Ferocious death-doom meets with melodic atmospheres on Oceanwake’s second album, Sunless – a title that’s not quite a full summary of what the Finnish five-piece have on offer throughout the four tracks/44 minutes. Opener “The Lay of an Oncoming Storm,” also the longest cut at 15:35 (immediate points), shifts back and forth between lumbering brutality and sparse guitar atmospherics, and while one waits for the inevitable clean vocals that would put Oceanwake in league with countrymen Swallow the Sun, they don’t come yet. Instead, the track explodes into crashes and screams. Ten-minute closer “Ephemeral” holds the most satisfying build, but between the two, “Parhelion” (9:09) and “Avanturine” (8:03) manage to remind of the particular melancholic beauty of death-doom – including some of those melodic vocals – and how resonant its contrast of light and dark can be when held together by an emotional core as resonant as that of Oceanwake. Sunless is gorgeous and devastating, and not necessarily alternating between the two.
While one struggles not to be skeptical of any release in this day and age that opens with a “Radio Edit,” I won’t discount the quality of songwriting L.A.-based Lunar Electric display throughout their self-titled EP. Now a duo driven by guitarist/vocalist Dre DiMura, the band is highly-stylized but brims with a classic heavy rock swagger in “Bread and Circuses” (the aforementioned radio edit) and the subsequent “Moonlight,” a steady swing emerging in layers of heavy riffing and DiMura’s own croon, pushed ahead by the straightforward drumming of Kaleen Reading and the low-end heft of bassist Geena Spigarelli. They make a solid trio across “Moonlight” and “Sleepwaker,” which follows with its chugging break foreshadowing closer “Crossfire Child” (video premiere here) while building a tension of its own, though it seems unlikely that whatever Lunar Electric do next will have the same lineup because of geographic spread. Too bad. While young, and somewhat brooding, Lunar Electric nonetheless offer up a work of marked potential in their EP’s quick 17-minute span.
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 13th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
Underrated Portland heavy rockers Ape Machine kicked off a West Coast tour last night at the Star Theater in their hometown. The run will take them down through California and into Texas for South by Southwest and then back up to Seattle over the next couple weeks with stops in Arizona along the way. Kind of standard procedure for Ape Machine by this time, as they seem to bust out West Coast dates on the regular. They’re still supporting 2013’s right-on-the-money Mangled by the Machine (review here), but they’ll have a new live record, Live at Freak Valley, out through Ripple Music in May as well.
They’re also gearing up to record their next studio album, and are promising some new material on this tour, so if you happen to be in their path, it seems like solid reasoning to stay there. We turn to the PR wire for the particulars:
Ape Machine to release Live At Freak Valley LP/DVD set via Ripple Music | US Tour Dates for March (Inc. SXSW appearance)
Ape Machine’s Live At Freak Valley (LP/DVD) to be released on 26th May 2015
Having recently toured the US and Europe in support of their latest full-length album Mangled By The Machine, Portland stoners Ape Machine are set to hit the road this month in support of their new Live LP/DVD combo release Live At Freak Valley on Ripple Music.
The daring new release was filmed and recorded at the Freak Valley Festival in Germany last year; an event that has proven to be a veritable showcase and ‘Who’s Who’ in the brave new world of upcoming psychedelic and heavy stoner-rock bands. The set features Ape Machine’s blistering hour-long performance in front of a sold-out festival crowd and serves up proof that the band lives up to their reputation of captivating and commanding live audiences.
In addition to the upcoming Live at Freak Valley release, Ape Machine has released three critically acclaimed full-length albums, two recent releases of which – Mangled By The Machine and War To Head – were produced by Ikey Owens (Jack White, Mars Volta, Mastodon) who also contributed keyboards to both albums. Owens was slated to produce the band’s fourth full-length this summer before his untimely death this past October while on tour with Jack White. In Ikey Owens’s absence, the band plans to record their next full length this April with long-time friend Jacob Golden producing.
Last year also found Ape Machine touring extensively, sharing the stage with bands such as Motorhead, Helmet, Orange Goblin, Crobot plus many others. This March however the band kicks off their own West Coast tour, bringing their frenzied live show stateside on a trip through SXSW and beyond. (For the full list of dates see below.)
With their Live At Freak Valley release arriving on 26 May, this coming spring tour across the US, a new album in the pipeline and more planned for later in the year, 2015 promises to be busy year for one of the best new bands on the scene.
Tour Dates: March 13 – Club 66 (Ashland, OR) March 14 – Cafe Coda (Chico, CA) March 15 – Audie’s (Fresno, CA) March 16 – Slide Bar (Fullerton, CA) March 17 – JR’s (Sierra Vista, AZ) March 18 – Blue Max (Midland, TX) March 19 – Eastdown Warehouse (Houston, TX) March 20 – DIY Spot (Tyler, TX) March 21 – SXSW Official Showcase on the Monster Energy Stage (Austin, TX) March 21 – Fuzzed Out (Lola’s) (Ft. Worth, TX) March 23 – Flycatcher (Tucson, AZ) March 24 – Casbah (San Diego, CA) March 25 – The Saloon (Encinitas, CA) March 26 – El Rio (San Francisco, CA) March 27 – Black Forest (Eugene, OR) March 28 – The Mix – (Seattle, WA)
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 2nd, 2014 by JJ Koczan
Portland heavy rockers Ape Machine are heading out again in support of their Ripple Music debut, Mangled by the Machine (review here). They’ve done a few runs at this point since the record came out last year, and they even got to open for Motörhead earlier this year, but this will be the longest tour they’ve done since this Spring and going to Europe in 2013, covering up and down in California and heading as far inland as Texas as they make their way around and back to the coast. No official word yet on writing or recording for a follow-up to Mangled by the Machine, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they busted out a new song or two for the trip.
The PR wire ain’t afraid of no ghosts:
APE MACHINE announce fall U.S. tour dates
Portland, Oregon stoner-rockers APE MACHINE have announced fall U.S. tour dates in support of their latest record, Mangled By The Machine, which is out now via Ripple Music. (Orderhere.)
The name Ape Machine is a nod to the days of reel-to-reel magnetic tape audio recording; a fitting moniker for the heavy-hitting quartet as the band plays through vintage tube amplifiers and lays down its songs using exclusively throwback quality studio equipment. With a heady mix of animal aggression and technical precision, Ape Machine’s music carries an organic depth and warmth rarely heard since the time of rock’s glorious early years (or your Dad’s bad ass record collection) infused with an exceptional modern sensibility. When the mystical lyrics of vocalist Caleb Heinze lock in with the band’s stone-cold groove, Ape Machine demonstrates an earth-shaking ability to rock. A true four-piece, the group has been called “a rock and roll band with a finger on the pulse of the ’70s and their asses firmly in the present” and “real heavy-psych for the iPhone generation” that delivers “true guts and glory rock and roll.”
Blending equal parts rock ‘n’ roll, blues, stoner rock and psychedelia, Ape Machine is out to melt faces and pound the apathy out of otherwise jaded listeners with a wall of heavy rock n’ roll tones unheard since the days of bell bottoms, long hair and blaring tube amplifiers.
Ape Machine’s mission is to combine intense melody, cutting riffs and blistering live improvisation. Where many bands rely on meticulously rehearsed, just-like-the-record-parts, they provide a live experience that is as unique as each evening it shares with an audience.
Oct 16: Black Forest – Eugene OR Oct 17: Witch Room – Sacramento CA Oct 18: Eli’s Mile High Club – Oakland CA Oct 19: Redwood Bar – LA CA Oct 20: Flycatcher – Tucson AZ Oct 21: JRs – Sierra Vista AZ Oct 22: Lowbrow Palace – El Paso TX Oct 23: House of Rock – Corpus Christi TX Oct 24: Continental Club – Houston TX Oct 25: The Grotto – Ft Worth TX Oct 26: Underground – Sante FE NM Oct 27: Pub Rock – Phoenix AZ Oct 28: Copper Door – Santa Ana CA Oct 29: U-31 – San Diego CA Oct 30: Prospector – Long Beach CA Oct 31: Soda Bar – San Diego CA Nov 1: Audie’s – Fresno CA Nov 2: Paddys Pub – San Jose CA Nov 3: Elbo Room – San Francisco CA
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 7th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
Whatever else might happen to Ape Machine over the course of their existence, they’ll be able to say they opened for Motörhead. No matter the trials, the victories, the downs and ups that might come to them as a band and as people, when they finally shuffle off this mortal coil, they will do so having played gigged with gods.
I don’t know if this will be the case for the members of the band, but that certainly seems like the kind of thing that, when you’ve had a shitty day and everything seems super-fucking dire and whatever else, you might feel much, much better after you sit back for a second and say, “Wait. I opened for Motörhead.” That’s bound to work for a while, anyway.
The Portland, Oregon, four-piece will fulfill their destiny on Tax Day in Arizona. Info follows, courtesy of the PR wire:
APE MACHINE announce new tour dates; opening for MOTÖRHEAD
Portland, Oregon stoner-rockers APE MACHINE have joined forces with TKO BOOKING and now share a roster with the likes of Motörhead, Anthrax, Superjoint Ritual and other legendary acts. For now, they have revealed three new spring dates in support of their latest record, Mangled By The Machine, which is out now in the Ripple Music storehere.
The name APE MACHINE is a nod to the days of reel-to-reel magnetic tape audio recording; a fitting moniker for the heavy-hitting quartet as the band plays through vintage tube amplifiers and lays down its songs using exclusively throwback quality studio equipment. With a heady mix of animal aggression and technical precision, APE MACHINE’s music carries an organic depth and warmth rarely heard since the time of rock’s glorious early years (or your Dad’s bad ass record collection) infused with an exceptional modern sensibility. When the mystical lyrics of vocalist Caleb Heinze lock in with the band’s stone-cold groove, APE MACHINE demonstrates an earth-shaking ability to rock. A true four-piece, the group has been called “a rock and roll band with a finger on the pulse of the ’70s and their asses firmly in the present” and “real heavy-psych for the iPhone generation” that delivers “true guts and glory rock and roll.”
Blending equal parts rock ‘n’ roll, blues, stoner rock and psychedelia, Ape Machine is out to melt faces and pound the apathy out of otherwise jaded listeners with a wall of heavy rock n’ roll tones unheard since the days of bell bottoms, long hair and blaring tube amplifiers.
Ape Machine’s mission is to combine intense melody, cutting riffs and blistering live improvisation. Where many bands rely on meticulously rehearsed, just-like-the-record-parts, Ape Machine provides a live experience that is as unique as each evening it shares with an audience.
4/13 Portland, OR @ The Know (w/ Berri Txarrak, and Order of the Gash) 4/14 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah – 2 sets on patio stage 4/15: Chandler, AZ @ Ovations Live! (w/ Motörhead!)
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 8th, 2013 by JJ Koczan
Portland heavy rockers Ape Machine are at it again. After touring Europe this Spring, the four-piece are headed out for a West Coast run starting next Friday in Sacramento in support of their recently-released Ripple Music debut, Mangled by the Machine (review here). No word on when or if their good-time heavy boogie will grace the Eastern Seaboard, but hell, if you’re these guys coming from the West Coast and you’re going to go that far, you might as well stay on the plane until it lands in Europe and you can get paid, so I get it.
If you’re out that way, and even if not and you’re just generally interested in what cool bands are up to, dates follow:
APE MACHINE Announce West Coast Tour Dates
Portland, Oregon’s Ape Machine is hitting the road for the third time this year, once again plowing their way across the urban wastelands of the U.S. West Coast!
For the first time since the band’s landmark European tour this past June, Ape Machine is revisiting the frequent haunts of past West Coast tours, all in the support of the band’s critically-acclaimed Ripple Music debut, Mangled By The Machine. The quartet that admittedly is “out to melt faces and pound the apathy out of otherwise jaded listeners” is eager to bring the live Machine back to stages, and show the masses what hard and heavy music is supposed to do to the senses.
“We spent sixteen days trekking across Europe and that experience helped us refine our live set to be much more precise,” states guitarist and band founder, Ian Watts. “We’re a live band. The album (Mangled By The Machine) was recorded in a live setting and all in one session. It’s a natural setting for us and a place we itch to get back to every time we get off the road.”
APE MACHINE West Coast Tour Dates: Aug 16th @ Blue Lamp – Sacramento, Ca. Aug. 17th @ Audie’s Olympic – Fresno, Ca. Aug. 18th @ The Local Bar (Hangover Sundays) – Anaheim, Ca. Aug. 19th @ Soda Bar – San Diego, Ca. Aug. 20th @ The Royal Dive – Oceanside, Ca. Aug. 21st @ On The Rox – West Hollywood, Ca. Aug. 22nd @ Dex Records – Chico, Ca. Aug. 23rd @ Oak Street Speakeasy – Eugene, Or. Aug. 24th @ New Frontier Lounge – Tacoma, Wa.
Mangled By The Machine was released in early May of 2013 by Ripple Music, and is distributed throughout the North America through Nail/Allegro Distribution, the UK through Code 7, and Continental Europe through Clearspot International.
