I’m sure somewhere in the dark recesses of the weirdo-est corners of Portland, Oregon, some craggly seer could’ve foretold the reappearance of hooded wizards Blackwitch Pudding, but let’s face it, that dude smells like pee and most of his predictions have to do with chemtrails. It’s been nearly two years since the band unveiled their Covered in Pudding Vol. 1 EP (review here) that offered muddied, rumbling and hilarious takes on Roky Erickson, KISS, Rush and Judas Priest as a follow-up to their 2013 debut LP, Taste the Pudding (review here), and not only have they come lurching back from the smoke-filled ether in which one assumes they dwell, but they’ve brought some formidable company along for the ride. Blackwitch Pudding feat. Soul Wizard will release a new 10″ single, Betty Kougar b/w Herman the Worm Man, on April 15.

While the identities of guitarist Space Wizard, bassist Lizard Wizard and drummer Wizard Wizard remain a secret, it just so happens that Soul Wizard is also known to mortals as Uta Plotkin, the former vocalist of Witch Mountain. The new two-songer from Blackwitch Pudding feat. Soul Wizard marks the first recorded output for Plotkin since leaving Witch Mountain in Aug. 2014, and while to anyone even remotely familiar with her work it should come as no surprise that she offers such a noteworthy performance vocally — emphasis on “soul” in Soul Wizard — and provides accent to her bluesy delivery with harsher gutturalisms in both tracks of the 10″, the lyrics to both cuts push the effect even further. Departing from the personal nature of her prior outfit’s last album, Plotkin presents two horror-show characters who fit perfectly alongside the “Gods of Grungus” and “Shark Commando” who’ve populated Blackwitch Pudding‘s other releases.

The A-side cleverly plays “Betty Kougar” as a middle-aged dream-haunting monster on the prowl for younger men — “She’ll make a man out of you/Then she’ll un-man you” — while “Herman the Worm Man” turns more sinister — “When I look at you I see a thousand creeping uncles/Licking their lips and patting their laps/And whispering ‘don’t tell daddy'” — and creeps out along those lines with a character who has worms where his hair and fingers should be. Plotkin seems utterly at home telling these stories, and Blackwitch Pudding roll out a faster, classic-metal swing in “Betty Kougar” and a slower, more doomed groove in “Herman the Worm Man,” their malevolence duly thickened but still retaining its party-ready edge considering, you know, it’s all made up horror stories played by people in wizard outfits and all that.

I wouldn’t speculate as to whether Blackwitch Pudding feat. Soul Wizard is a one-time deal or an ongoing collaboration, either full-time or something in-between, but “Betty Kougar” and “Herman the Worm Man” build on what the band has done before and bring it together with the most powerful voice to come out of the Pacific Northwest heavy boom, and in addition to being a good time, it’s a pairing that works remarkably well for all involved. Now if only we knew who the hell Lazer Wizard is.

Recorded by the nigh-on-ubiquitous Adam Pike at Toadhouse Studios, Betty Kougar b/w Herman the Worm Man is out April 15. Both tracks are available to stream below, followed by the release info, with my thanks to the band.

Enjoy:

Blackwitch Pudding takes you on a rocking, interplanetary voyage through the deepest reaches of your evil mind with Soul Wizard at the helm. This two track limited release features the voice of Soul Wizard and is available in black and brown/white marble. Get ready to bend over and take it… into hyper drive!

Releases April 15, 2016.

Music by Space Wizard
Lyrics by Soul Wizard
Vocals – Soul Wizard
Guitar – Space Wizard
Bass – Lizard Wizard
Drums – Wizard Wizard
Backup Vocals – Space, Lizard, Wizard, and Lazer Wizard

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Adam Pike at Toadhouse Studios. Artwork by Darren St. Darren. Additional art by David Paul Seymour, Steven McClain, and Liesl Meissner.

Blackwitch Pudding on Thee Facebooks

Blackwitch Pudding on Bandcamp

Thief Presents continues to throw down a gauntlet with its festivals. It seemed fair after so thoroughly upping the game earlier this year with Psycho CA that big things would be in store for that fest’s autumnal counterpart, the Day of the Shred, but when you come out of the gate like it’s no big deal and be like, “Oh hey Captain Beyond is playing our fest year whatever,” you’re officially killing it. You’ve got John Garcia, Yawning Man and Ides of Gemini together, which makes me wonder if Zun won’t make an appearance, and Spirit Caravan, Elder and Crowbar, along with a righteous ton of others, up to and including Portugal’s Black Bombaim. It gets a hearty and heartfelt fucking a.

Details from the PR wire:

Day of the Shred Festival to Light Up Southern California November 1

Dia de los Muertos-themed Concert Event to Feature Performances from Captain Beyond, Spirit Caravan, Crowbar, John Garcia, Mondo Generator, Torche and More

This fall, The Day of the Shred Festival returns to Southern California, presenting a diverse lineup of heavy music acts. Billed as an experience “to gather the living and remember the dead”, The Day of the Shred will take place on November 1 (Dia de los Muertos) in Santa Ana, CA. Celebrating monolithic riffs, skateboarding and the souls of the departed, the second annual festival will be an all day, all ages event. Presented by Thief – also the creators of the annual Psycho California Festival — The Day of the Shred will feature headliners Captain Beyond, Spirit Caravan, Crowbar, Torche, John Garcia (of Kyuss fame), Elder, Saviours, Mondo Generator and more.

Tickets for the 2015 Day of the Shred Festival are on sale now at this location. Early bird general admission tickets are $59 (+ tax) and a limited VIP ticket package (which includes express entry, a signed festival screen print, access to the artist lounge, complimentary microbrew and snacks, a limited edition record bag and an exclusive Thief X Obey concert shirt) is also available.
What: Day of the Shred Fest 2015
Where: The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA
Time: 2PM – 2AM
Tickets: Eventbrite.com/e/day-of-the-shred-2015-tickets-17017683349

The just-announced lineup for The Day of the Shred 2015 is as follows:

CAPTAIN BEYOND
SPIRIT CARAVAN
CROWBAR
JOHN GARCIA
MONDO GENERATOR
TORCHE
ELDER
SAVIOURS
OXBOW
FULL OF HELL
THE BODY
YAWNING MAN
KOWLOON WALLED CITY
BLACK BOMBAIM
FIGHT AMP
THOU
NIGHT DEMON
IDES OF GEMINI
MOS GENERATOR
GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST
WHITE MANNA
POOBAH
COMMUNION
BLACKWITCH PUDDING
DUEL
Stay tuned in to The Day of the Shred Fest via the Facebook event page and follow THE DAY OF THE SHRED on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/dayoftheshred
https://twitter.com/thiefpresents
https://instagram.com/thiefpresents/
www.DayoftheShred.com

Weedeater, “Gimme Back My Bullets” Live at Day of the Shred 2014

If you put your mind to it, you can probably think of one or two things as romantic to do on Valentine’s Day as going to see Portland’s own Gods of Grungus Blackwitch Pudding close out their “Magic up Your Butt” West Coast tour with a hometown gig at High Water Mark, but I doubt any of them would be as much fun. The wizard-robed three-piece streamed their Covered in Pudding Vol. 1 EP here earlier this year, and it was a work of demented genius to follow-up their 2013 debut full-length, Taste the Pudding (review here), but I don’t imagine either captures the full tonal spellcasting they do on stage.

To that end, the series of occasional video premieres we’ve been doing (“we” being you and I) from the 2014 Ceremony of Sludge continues, this time with Blackwitch Pudding themselves. The song they dig into in the clip below carries the charm-laden title “Gathering Panties,” and it comes from the LP. You’ll note the creeper riff at the start and the pummeling it portends. More curious, perhaps, is the arrival of a fourth wizard on keyboard. I’m not sure the designation of this particular magician. Likely he was conjured from the ether to further the efforts of Space Wizard, Lizard Wizard and Wizard Wizard in crafting their otherworldly murk, and to that ether he soon returned. Or something.

We’re getting to the point where Ceremony of Sludge should be announcing who’ll be taking part in 2015 — the festival was held in March this year at Club 21 and seems to have drawn a good crowd — so if and when I hear anything on that, I’ll keep you posted, but in the meantime, Blackwitch Pudding have some underwear they’d like to round up and I’m no one to stand in the way.

Direction by Cole Boggess, audio by Tim Burke. Tour details follow the video:

Blackwitch Pudding, “Gathering Panties” Live at Ceremony of Sludge

Paying Homage to the rotten filth from which they were born, Blackwitch Pudding are actually a band of three wizards. Legend has it they were raised from a stagnant, used puddle of ergot, left by the mysterious Blackwitch no less than 600 years ago. Trained in the dark arts of doom and witchery, these wizards wander the cosmos in search of nothing, for their path is a simple one: The riffs must be heavy and the smoke must be heavier.

Following the wildly successful release of their new EP, Covered In Pudding Vol. 1, the 600-year-old wizards of Blackwitch Pudding are taking their magic, their smoke, their lazers–and most importantly their riffs–on the road. Starting January 15th, you can catch the traveling wizard doom party extravaganza across the U.S….and a show so entertaining that no other doom metal band in their weight class can muster.

“MAGIC UP YOUR BUTT” U.S. TOUR DATES:

1/15 Seattle, WA @ The Narwhal
1/16 Portland, OR @ The Kenton Club
1/17 Ashland, OR @ Club 66
1/18 Sacramento, CA @ TBA
1/21 San Diego, CA @ The Til Two Club
1/22 Pomona, CA @ Characters
1/23 Tempe, AZ @ Tempe Tavern
1/24 Tucson, AZ @ Sky Bar
1/25 El Paso, TX @ Grynde Bar
1/26 San Antonio, TX @ Lime Light Bar
1/27 Houston, TX @ Rudyards
1/29 Austin, TX @ The Lost Well
1/30 Dallas, TX @ Lola’s Room
1/31 Little Rock, AR @ Vino’s
2/1 Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
2/2 Amarillo, TX @ TBA
2/3 Santa Fe, NM @ The Launchpad
2/4 Flagstaff, AZ @ The Hive
2/5 Las Vegas, NV @ The Dive Bar
2/6 Los Angeles, CA @ Los Globos
2/7 San Luis Obispo, CA @ Sweet Springs Saloon
2/8 San Francisco, CA @ The Hemlock Tavern
2/10 Bend, OR @ TBA
2/14 Portland, OR @ High Water Mark

Space Wizard – Guitar, Vocals
Lizard Wizard – Bass, Vocals
Wizard Wizard – Drums, Vocals

Ceremony of Sludge on Thee Facebooks

Blackwitch Pudding on Thee Facebooks

Blackwitch Pudding on Bandcamp

It won’t be too long into opener “Night of the Blackwitch” from Portland gurgle-doomers Blackwitch Pudding‘s new EP, Covered in Pudding Vol. 1, before something starts to ring awfully familiar. The be-robbed trio present four tracks on their latest self-released outing, each derived from a classic rock staple. In the case of “Night of the Blackwitch,” it’s Roky Erickson‘s “Night of the Vampire,” and Blackwitch Pudding tear into it and make it dank nasty: a stoned-out, tonal-overload gruel, grandiose only in its burn and lurch. The method soon becomes a running theme.

Their 2013 full-length debut, Taste the Pudding (review here), proffered similar extremity and weedian charm, but Covered in Pudding Vol. 1 wins out easily in terms of cleverness. To take Rush‘s “Working Man” and turn it into “Toke’n Man,” adjusting the lyrics accordingly, gleefully knuckledrags on sacred ground, and as KISS‘ “God of Thunder” becomes “Gods of Grungus,” I’m ready to declare the idiocy brilliant. Space Wizard (guitar), Lizard Wizard (bass) and Wizard Wizard (drums) channel a doomed-out, pot-addled Weird Al across these four tracks, and while each song obviously owes its debt to the original, there’s no question that the lunacy ensuing is their own.

When it comes to 10-minute closer “Bong Hits and Lust,” I’m almost hesitant to give away what classic song it uses for a foundation. If you can get it from the title, more power to you, but I had to hear it before recognizing, and I think that only made it more enjoyable, so I won’t spoil it. The band, speaking as a unified whole, were kind enough to take time away from their potions and spells and whatever it is a wizard does these days — hedge funds? — to give a track-by-track account that subtly hints at the origins of Covered in Pudding Vol. 1‘s four components, and if nothing else, it’s a great read.

The EP officially releases Aug. 12. I hope this isn’t the last time they do this, and that Vol. 2 isn’t far off. Enjoy:

[mp3player width=480 height=300 config=fmp_jw_widget_config.xml playlist=blackwitch-pudding-covered-in-pudding.xml]

Blackwitch Pudding, Covered in Pudding Vol. 1 track-by-track

“Night of the Blackwitch”

We wrote this song about our cosmic witch-mother, the Blackwitch. She has a wicked way with pudding. She birthed us from pudding, raised us in the pudding and taught us how to spread the pudding. We figured she could use a theme song for when she’s having a good old broom-grinding get down. With a, ahem, Roky set of vocals this song spreads itself over your audio palate with long, smooth strokes of heavy psychedelia.

“Toke’n Man”

This song is about your everyday, blue-collared herbalist. Just as every man must be the king of his own castle, he must also strive to be the man who tokes the most. We wizards live this to the core; there truly is a toke’n man in all of us. There is no need to rush into this one — it is slow, heavy and triumphant. This rocket ship of a stoner anthem will blast you into outer space.

“Gods of Grungus”

Back in ’63 — 1663, that is — we used to party pretty hard. The age of witchcraft was upon us and we had just been busted stealing weed from our pops (the devil). He’s a pretty cool guy so he let us keep it and told us to “thunder on like gods of the night.” This song is a documented recording of a real wizard party. When you listen to this song we command you to party along because you know somewhere we are partying with you.

“Bong Hits and Lust”

It must have been around 1581, and we were somewhere near Trier in West Germany, having a good time getting down with some frisky witches doing some excellent black sorcery. Sooner or later this douchebag Archbishop Johann von Schöneburg and his army of priests showed up and ordered all the witches dead. We were pretty hammered, and by the time we woke up a few years later, over 300 perfectly radical witch-babes had been slayed. Needless to say, we took it pretty hard, and over the course of the next couple hundred years created this epic tribute to the bongs and broads and Bob Dylan of the middle ages.

Blackwitch Pudding on Thee Facebooks

Blackwitch Pudding on Bandcamp

Meanwhile, in the wizarding world of Blackwitch Pudding — otherwise known as Portland, Oregon — the mysterious hooded three-piece have set about assembling a new EP called Covered in Pudding Vol. 1 that they’ll release in limited numbers on tape just as summer hits its most excruciating. The three-piece impressed last year with their big ol’ tones on the full-length Taste the Pudding (vinyl review here), and I seriously doubt that they’ll get any less crust-caked for the cassette. Only 200 copies will be pressed, and it looks like it’s tape or digital or nothing, so if you dug Taste the Pudding or are looking to get introduced, they’ve got it all worked out as to how that might take place.

Covered in Pudding Vol. 1 — presumably the first in a series of pudding coverings — will be out on Aug. 12, and automatically wins for the song title “Bong Hits and Lust.” Some tracks just beg you to listen.

The PR wire has the cover art and details:

BLACKWITCH PUDDING unveil details of new EP, ‘Covered In Pudding Vol. 1’

It’s been nearly a year since the wizards of Blackwitch Pudding released their infamous debut LP, Taste the Pudding, and they have grown restless. Though one might question why, after 600 years of conjuring evil riffs, casting spells and wreaking supernatural havoc upon this planet that the trio has only created one full-length record, but the truth is, for centuries, pesky, silly mortals have been ripping them off and making the themes more palatable for straight-laced human consumption. So the robed wizards of doom have resurfaced again with a new EP, Covered In Pudding Vol. 1, to prove once and for all that they were here first, that their riffs shall ring true, and that rock and roll should be about an average wizard’s favorite things: sex, drugs, witch-babes and filth.

Who are these mortals who nicked their tunes? You’ll have to hear Covered In Pudding Vol. 1, out August 12th both digitally and on 200 limited-edition, wizard-conjured cassettes, and figure it out for yourself.

Covered In Pudding Vol. 1 Tracklist:
1. Night Of The Blackwitch
2. Toke’n Man
3. Gods Of Grungus
4. Bong Hits And Lust

Paying Homage to the rotten filth from which they were born, Blackwitch Pudding are actually a band of three wizards. Legend has it they were raised from a stagnant, used puddle of ergot, left by the mysterious Blackwitch no less than 600 years ago. Trained in the dark arts of doom and witchery, these wizards wander the cosmos in search of nothing, for their path is a simple one: The riffs must be heavy and the smoke must be heavier.

Covered In Pudding Vol. 1 is the follow-up to Blackwitch Pudding’s Billy Anderson-mastered, self-released debut, Taste The Pudding. Released in August 2013, it was so heavy, catchy and bewitching that the riffs cast by this power trio of wizards left thousands spellbound.

The band, their records, their merch, their live shows and the entire experience of Blackwitch Pudding is a self-sustaining, self-produced operation. Great lengths have been taken to ensure that no part of the spectacle that is Blackwitch Pudding has been overlooked. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the lights and the crushing feeling you get in the pit of your stomach travel to every stage, forest, and cabin they play. Hand-crafted by a loyal cadre of dark-art comrades, everything that goes into the Blackwitch Pudding experience is tailored to send the listener, and even more so the concert goer, into an unforgettable celestial black hole of stoned-out doom.

The wizards of Blackwitch Pudding are:
Space Wizard – Guitar, Vocals
Lizard Wizard – Bass, Vocals
Wizard Wizard – Drums, Vocals

Links:
blackwitchpudding.com
blackwitchpudding.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/blackwitchpudding
twitter.com/blackwitchpuddn

Blackwitch Pudding, Taste the Pudding (2013)

Dressed in wizard robes and toting songs like “Crabs” and “Super Sluts from Outer Space” — I think I saw that movie — the trio Blackwitch Pudding emerge from Portland, Oregon, with a forceful helping of semi-psychedelic sludge on their first LP, Taste the Pudding. I’ve worked pretty hard to do so and found myself largely unable to get past the classically metallic misogyny of the album’s cover, which falls flat of intentional irony and saps This is Spinal Tap of its satire while trading a leash for a blindfold, thus leaving open the possibility that, hey, maybe she’s into it and this is a practice in which she’s engaging as part of a loving, fulfilling relationship, only to close it again via the element of force implied by the second hand behind the drawn figure’s head. But because one only invites bullshit by namecalling (there’s only so many times I’m willing to hear that I “don’t get it”), I’ll stick to the music of the self-releasing three-piece’s debut. They make glorious use of dirt-encrusted tonal largesse, veering here and there into more extreme, Zoroaster-esque growling murk on “Shark Commando” and their finale, while saving start-stop plod for “Crabs” on side B.

The wizard-centric lineup of guitarist Space Wizard, bassist Lizard Wizard and drummer Wizard Wizard — they’re like the Ramones, only magical — plant a foot deep in the post-Sleep school of riff worship, but there’s a character to 10-minute closer “Acid Castle Mountain Top” that portrays more than “Dragonaut” imitation, Blackwitch Pudding leaving most of the all-out growls for the end of each half of the album, which is something all the more apparent on the vinyl version than the CD or digital, though Taste the Pudding benefits from the variety in whichever format. They ultimately descend in that closer from a trance-inducing nod to a smoke-clouded and noisy finish with even the drums spaced out by the end, all degenerating over a bed of constant toms, much darker and heavier than the don’t-take-it-too-seriously art and titles would seem to dogwhistle to the converted. Earlier on, “Gathering Panties” churns with beastly aplomb, a blast of low-end underscoring a riff that would otherwise motor were it not too monolithic to budge on the way to more fast/slow tradeoffs. Tempo dexterity works to Blackwitch Pudding‘s advantage from the start on opener “Mortre’D,” which drones and rumbles and abyss-shouts its way to life over the course of its seven-plus minutes, only to smoothly culminate with an increasingly speedy rush at the end of it.

And “Super Sluts from Outer Space,” which follows, may be the shortest cut of the bunch — also probably the most stoner rock, thickening and obscuring an otherwise Red Fang-style mover groove, though there’s plenty of dank competition — but even it finds room for a moment’s pause in the middle, brief as it is. I find some of the album’s most effective bludgeonry to be in “Swamp Gas of the Nevermizer,” which blends airy psychedelic leads with crunching riffs, the already-noted fluidity of tempo, lyrics that may or may not be about farts, and even touches on blending the cleaner and more abrasive vocal approaches on display elsewhere in various measure. As the start of side B, it’s a standout cut anyway, though not the apex of Taste the Pudding itself, which make no mistake arrives in “Acid Castle Mountain Top.” Still, the overarching impression of Blackwitch Pudding‘s debut — visuals aside — is in its showcasing of the trio’s tones and how they might proceed from here to pummel their listeners with them. It’s a more than effective display, proving particularly through Lizard Wizard‘s bass that low end can reach just as impressive expanses as echoing, richly effected guitar. If you’ve got speakers you’re looking to get rid of, Blackwitch Pudding would seem a worthy way of blowing them out.

Blackwitch Pudding, Taste the Pudding (2013)

Blackwitch Pudding on Thee Facebooks

Blackwitch Pudding on Bandcamp

I haven’t posted about it yet, because when it comes to this kind of thing one can never really be sure something is going to happen until it’s already happened, but as you can see in the PR wire info below, pending disaster I’ll be hosting a series of videos following the 2014 Ceremony of Sludge in Portland, Oregon. While it would be nice to kick around the West Coast for an extra week after the Pentagram, Radio Moscow and Kings Destroy tour is over and actually attend the thing myself, I think I’d give poor The Patient Mrs. a coronary if I started lobbying for such a thing, so I’ll have to be content with the clips when they arrive.

The two-night fest is free as in “doesn’t cost any money to get in the door,” and set for March 7 and 8 at Club 21. With Lamprey, Holy Grove, Sioux, Serial Hawk, Blackwitch Pudding, Tsepesch, Disenchanter and Beard of Bees, the lineup is right on as well, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it all goes down.

Here are the preliminaries, followed by a couple track’s off Sioux‘s upcoming release, The One and the Many. Dig:

Third Annual Ceremony of Sludge Comes to Club 21, Portland

THIRD ANNUAL CEREMONY OF SLUDGE
MARCH 7 and MARCH 8 at CLUB 21 | Portland, OR
FREE

Portland Heavy Seen and Mr. Black present The Third Annual Ceremony of Sludge, to be held March 7th and 8th at Club 21 in Portland, Oregon. The annual mini-festival showcases some of the most crushing bands emerging from the heavy-music community here in the Pacific Northwest. The shows are 21+ and FREE.

Ceremony of Sludge lineup:

March 7
Lamprey
Serial Hawk
Tsepesch
Beard of Bees

March 8
Holy Grove
Sioux
Blackwitch Pudding
Disenchanter

The bands’ performances will be filmed by the Portland Heavy Seen project and released via TheObelisk.net to kick off their new video series.

Mr. Black, a Portland-based effects pedal company will provide Ceremony of Sludge T-shirts for $5, and offer discounts for their pedals.

Ceremony of Sludge: https://www.facebook.com/ceremonyofsludge
Mr. Black: https://www.facebook.com/mrblackpedals
Club 21: https://www.facebook.com/Club21PDX
Lamprey: https://www.facebook.com/lampreypdx
Serial Hawk: http://serialhawk.bandcamp.com/album/buried-in-the-gray-ep
Tsepesch: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tsepesch/204890382882138
Beard of Bees: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beard-of-Bees/441345789233457
Holy Grove: https://www.facebook.com/holygroveband
Sioux: http://siouxtheband.bandcamp.com/
Blackwitch Pudding: https://www.facebook.com/blackwitchpudding
Disenchanter: https://www.facebook.com/DisenchanterPDX

Sioux, The One and the Many (2014)