Say what you will about the new era of New Orleans supergroup Down — I know I will; that last album blew goat ass — but when these five dudes get on a stage and start blasting out their old tunes, it’s worth taking notice. To wit: the following live video from the Download Festival that Blabbermouth put up with a story about how they’re getting ready to record a fourth LP. Can’t say I’m looking forward to that since it means we won’t get new Crowbar anytime soon, but even with Phil Anselmo‘s yowling clean vocals and weak-ass screams, “Lifer” rules all.

After a long night of drinking, it’s me, the little dog Dio and the CD of Queens of the Stone Age, Songs for the Deaf that I popped in a couple minutes ago left awake in the valley. No other lights around save for the safety ones at the firehouse across the street — even the cops have gone home. Dog’s asleep. Just me and QOTSA; The Patient Mrs. gone to bed downstairs. Figure it’s time to share. Here’s “Go with the Flow,” to which I’m listening right now. Rock on, ye weekend warriors. See you Monday.

As promised the other day, I do have a feature on the badass sludginess that is Balboa MI (not to be confused with the other Balboa, on Translation Loss). Unlike every other feature to this point, however, this one’s on video. I filmed this out back of the Northern Lights Lounge in Detroit with drummer Cletus, guitarists RayRay Nelson and Justin Collard, bassist John Cates and vocalist Jarrad Collard. I also have some live footage I might put up as soon as I find a video editing program that doesn’t blow monkey ass.

In the meantime, be sure to check them out on the MySpace, and as always, enjoy.

MeteorCity sent out an update the other day with three new videos from Farflung (“Unborn Planet”), Black Pyramid (“And the Gods Made War/Visions of Gehenna”) and Freedom Hawk (“Stand Back”). As a public service to any and all interested parties, I’ve posted them here. Congrats to the label for having such visually inclined artists on its roster.

Someone told me salt water air is a natural remedy, so I’ve left the valley for a weekend cure on the shore of the Long Island Sound in hopes of reducing the swelling and discomfort still lingering after Monday’s wisdom teeth removal. Of course, since most of my ideas about health come from the 19th Century (bacon cures tuberculosis!), it’s a crapshoot as to whether or not it will work. I still have some vicodin should the need for it arise.

Since the weather here today is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen since the weather here yesterday, and since in times of sunshine and heat my mind automatically gets visions of German psychedelic rockers Colour Haze, I give you the below video, shot at this year’s Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, The Netherlands. I was upstairs on the 013 Popcentrum balcony when they played this version of “Sundazed” from 2003’s Los Sounds de Krauts. Enjoy

I’m getting ready to go have all four of my wisdom teeth pulled, and since I’ll be under general anesthesia, no video seems more appropriate to throw up here than Sleep. There’s a bunch of live clips from their reunion shows at All Tomorrow’s Parties posted on YouTube, but this one was the best I could find. Enjoy. When next we meet I’ll be considerably less wise and considerably more on painkillers.

I know I dig them well enough, and they’re way, way heavier on stage than they are on plastic, but are Floridian Hydra Head rockers Torche a doom band? They certainly fit into the realm of underground, semi-stoner metal, but I keep reading about them being doom pop or whatever and I’m not sure if I consider them doom at all, but something else entirely. Just something to think about while you enjoy the new video for “Across the Shields” from last year’s Meanderthal above. Any thoughts, please weigh in with a comment.

Alright y’all, there’s about a ton more shit I wanted to get up this week (IOU one Buried Treasure about the finds from last weekend in Connecticut), but I’ll just have to take the next couple days to revel in my failure. I’m due in Memphis for a wedding on Friday, and that’s a hell of a drive from the valley, so I gotta hit the road. Before I go, I leave you with this Acid Bath video for “Toubabo Koomi” from 1994’s When the Kite String Pops. For anyone disgruntled at doing taxes and whatever other bullshit you’ve got to deal with till the weekend, this should help relieve the stress.