In the interest of framing a discussion, we’ll call it the debut album from Brant Bjork Trio being recorded this week by the three-piece in California. But really, it’s not the first record Brant Bjork and Mario Lalli have made together, and it’s not the first record that Brant Bjork and Ryan Güt have made together — it’s just the first time the three of them are together under this configuration. Güt, on tour with Bjork and Nick Oliveri as part of Stöner, I’m pretty sure drums on the upcoming Mario Lalli and the Rubber Snake Charmers release, and there was no shortage of crossover jamming on that tour between Stöner and Lalli‘s emergent project, spearheaded aside from his tenure with Yawning Man or Fatso Jetson.

So familiar-enough dudes, but with new songs. I guess they need to get it all done as soon as possible because in March it’s back on the road. First they’re in South America, then Australia, then Europe this Spring for three Desertfests and Sonic Whip in the Netherlands and more besides, including club shows with Ruff Majik (who also have new stuff in the works) and Monkey3 (who have a new record on Napalm out in March). A summer or September album release doesn’t seem unreasonable to anticipate, all the more since Brant Bjork Trio have already been confirmed for Rock im Wald (end of July) and Hoflärm in Germany and SonicBlast Fest in Portugal this August, which speaks of more European touring to be announced for later in the year.

Here are all the tour dates I could find. Note they were also at Planet Desert Rock Weekend in Las Vegas this past weekend. I assume the eventual LP will be on Heavy Psych Sounds, but you never know until you get the ‘X-person who’s signed to Heavy Psych Sounds signs to Heavy Psych Sounds’ news announcement. Always fun, those. Anyhoo:

Heading into the studio this week to capture these tres hombres grooving a righteous batch of new tunes !

In March we head out to rock in South America and Australia ✌🏽🎵🙏 good times roll on ⚡️⚡️⚡️

https://linktr.ee/brantbjorktrio

Brant Bjork Trio
SOUTH AMERICAN TOUR 2024 !!
06/03 Casa de Salud Concepcion Chile
07/03 Metronomo Santiago Chile
08/03 Casa Aurea Sao Paulo Brazil
09/03 Uniclub Buenos Aires Argentina
10/03 Plaza Mateo Montevideo Argentina

Brant Bjork Trio w/ Full Tone Generator
Get DOWNunder !
28/03 – Barwon Club Geelong
29/03 – Frankston Singing Bird Studio
30/03 – Gasometer Hotel Melbourne
31/03 – Crown & Anchor Hotel Adelaide
03/04 – The Basement Canberra
04/04 – Dicey Rileys Wollongong
05/04 – Marrickville Bowlo Sydney
06/04 – Mos Desert Clubhouse Gold Coast
07/04 – Panthers Port Macquarie NSW

Sound of Liberation proudly presents:
BRANT BJORK TRIO – EURO 2024 TOUR
10.05.24 (NO) Oslo, Desertfest
11.05.24 (NL) Nijmegen, Sonic Whip
12.05.24 (DE) Cologne, Club Volta * w/ monkey3
14.05.24 (DE) Hamburg, Bahnhof Pauli
15.05.24 (DE) Bielefeld, Forum
16.05.24 (BE) Sint-Niklaas, De Casino * w/ monkey3
17.05.24 (UK) London, Desertfest
18.05.24 (FR) Wasquehal, The Black Lab
19.05.24 (FR) Nantes, Le Ferrailleur
20.05.24 (FR) Paris, Backstage By The Mill
22.05.24 (DE) Aschaffenburg, Colos-Saal * w/ Siena Root
23.05.24 (CH) Aarau, Kiff * w/ Ruff Majik
24.05.24 (DE) Munich, Feierwerk * w/ Ruff Majik
25.05.24 (DE) Erfurt, VEB Kultur * w/ Ruff Majik
25.05.24 (DE) Berlin, Desertfest
28.05.24 (NL) Amsterdam, Melkweg

Tickets: https://linktr.ee/brantbjorktrio

The Brant Bjork Trio:
Brant Bjork – guitar/vocals
Mario Lalli – bass 
Ryan Güt – drums

https://www.facebook.com/BrantBjorkOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/brant_bjork
http://www.brantbjork.com

Brant Bjork Trio, “Sunshine” live at Desertfest New York 2023

Pretty rad bill out of the gate for Rock Im Wald, which tops its thus-far bill with Danko Jones, who should be made an ambassador for Canada by now, as well as Sweden’s Graveyard, might-have-a-new-record-out-by-July UK stompers Orange Goblin, and the Brant Bjork Trio with its namesake on guitar and Mario Lalli on bass. Then you get into Planet of Zeus coming from Greece — maybe touring with Godsleep? — an appearance from The Devil and the Almighty Blues, which doesn’t happen all the time and you want to be there when it does, and the implied confirmation of summer European activity for High Desert Queen out of Texas, and it’s a win even before you get down to The Great Machine‘s madcap performance penchant, the upstarts Margarita Witch Cult, El Caco who released their first album in seven years in 2023, a partially-revamped Asomvel and Psychonaut‘s post-metallic texturing. It’s 13 bands. They’ve all got something going on.

The fest is set for July 25-27. Both SonicBlast and Hoflärm (in Portugal and Germany, respectively) are two weeks later, Aug. 8-10. Among the shared confirmations there are Brant Bjork Trio (who also announced a Spring run around the Desertfests and Sonic Whip) and Graveyard (for SonicBlast), so fair enough to expect tour announcements to come from them, and I’ll add Planet of Zeus and Margarita Witch Cult to that with an asterisk for ‘likely’ since of course I never actually know anything about anything.

There will be more to come, of course — it’s a three-dayer — and I’ll do my best to keep an eye out, but already there’s a lot to dig here. From socials:

We are delighted to present the first 13 bands for our Rock im Wald Festival 2024, taking place from July 25th to 27th. As always, we have once again given our best to offer you Rock’n Roll in its most beautiful facets. And there is more to come soon, of course. Finally, we aim to provide you with three festival days filled with musical surprises and highlights this year.

For those of you who are already convinced, you can now secure your tickets in our ticket shop, which can be found at the following link.
https://rockimwald.de/ticket-shop/
Cheers & Peace
Eure #RIW Crew

Line-Up so far:
DANKO JONES | GRAVEYARD | ORANGE GOBLIN | BRANT BJORK TRIO | PLANET OF ZEUS | THE DEVIL & THE ALMIGHTY BLUES | THE GREAT MACHINE | PSYCHONAUT | EL CACO | ASOMVEL | GODSLEEP | HIGH DESERT QUEEN | MARGARITA WITCH CULT

https://www.facebook.com/rockimwald.festival
https://rockimwald.de/

The Devil & the Almighty Blues, “The Ghosts of Charlie Barracuda” live at Soulstone Gathering 2023

Previously confirmed for Desertfest Oslo, Desertfest London and Desertfest Berlin, the Brant Bjork Trio have now tied those slots together as part of a European tour set for Spring. This tour is coupled by stints set for South America in March and Australia later in March and early April.

That will just about bring the three-piece of Brant Bjork, Mario Lalli and Ryan Güt to here, which is the start of May at Desertfest Oslo and the launch of this tour. You’ll note that the run — which is put together by Sound of Liberation — is billed as ‘Pt. 1.’ It makes sense to think that ‘Pt. 2’ might happen in July or August, when they’re already confirmed for Hoflärm and SonicBlast Fest, which will either precede or not a slot at Ripplefest Texas, I can’t even remember. Gonna say, “probably?”

Before anything else, though, they’ll be at Planet Desert Rock Weekend in Las Vegas the weekend of Jan. 25, which is next week. I was hoping to make the trip, but well, hope don’t pay flights and a room for a couple nights and I don’t have a job, so yeah.

Note shows here with Ruff Majik and Monkey3. Both are slated to have new records out this year, maybe even in the first half of the year. And for what it’s worth, Siena Root are there too and they had a record in 2023, and Brant Bjork Trio have new songs as well. These kinds of things can make a run like this all the more special.

Go go go:

Sound of Liberation proudly presents:
BRANT BJORK TRIO – EURO 2024 TOUR

10.05.24 (NO) Oslo, Desertfest
11.05.24 (NL) Nijmegen, Sonic Whip
12.05.24 (DE) Cologne, Club Volta * w/ monkey3
14.05.24 (DE) Hamburg, Bahnhof Pauli
15.05.24 (DE) Bielefeld, Forum
16.05.24 (BE) Sint-Niklaas, De Casino * w/ monkey3
17.05.24 (UK) London, Desertfest
18.05.24 (FR) Wasquehal, The Black Lab
19.05.24 (FR) Nantes, Le Ferrailleur
20.05.24 (FR) Paris, Backstage By The Mill
22.05.24 (DE) Aschaffenburg, Colos-Saal * w/ Siena Root
23.05.24 (CH) Aarau, Kiff * w/ Ruff Majik
24.05.24 (DE) Munich, Feierwerk * w/ Ruff Majik
25.05.24 (DE) Erfurt, VEB Kultur * w/ Ruff Majik
25.05.24 (DE) Berlin, Desertfest
28.05.24 (NL) Amsterdam, Melkweg

Tickets: https://linktr.ee/brantbjorktrio

The Brant Bjork Trio:
Brant Bjork – guitar/vocals
Mario Lalli – bass 
Ryan Güt – drums

https://www.facebook.com/BrantBjorkOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/brant_bjork
http://www.brantbjork.com

Brant Bjork Trio, “Let the Truth Be Known” live in North Hollywood, Sept. 8, 2023

After celebrating the fifth anniversary edition in 2023, German festival Hoflärm has made known the first round of acts confirmed for its three-day stretch from Aug. 8-10. If you’re paying attention — and I know you are — that’s the same weekend that SonicBlast Fest is happening in Portugal, and Brant Bjork Trio, Wine Lips, Sacri Monti, Home Front and Poison Ruin are confirmed for that as well, so there’s going to be some driving happening that weekend across Western Europe, to be sure. Nonetheless, the initial lineup reveal for Hoflärm finds the German fest welcoming Slomatics and Siena Root in addition to the above, and from this we can glean that Brooklyn’s Castle Rat will be taking their theatrical show abroad supporting their to-be-released debut LP, and Bikini Beach, Thronehammer and Tornet round out. If this was it — and as the poster tells you, it isn’t — you’d call it three days well spent. Or I would, anyhow.

From social media:

HOFLÄRM – First Band Announcement – THE RIDE IS ALWAYS LOW

Join us 2024 for the 6th stony ride to Hoflärm! We are very happy to announce the first bands of the line-up today! We also announce the start of the presale by 01.01.2024 at 6 pm (link in bio)!

Get ready for our first Headliner @winelipsband !

Coming all the way from Canada, Wine Lips will tear down the stage with a big Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party of their current album! If you know, you know!

Needles to say, @brant_bjork is a legend. Therefore we felt very honoured to welcome Brant, @mariolalli and Ryan Gut for the second time to the unholy woods of mary valley! Back at Hoflärm 2022 these guys visited with Stöner, in 2024 they will hit Hoflärm with a special Brant Björk set!

You wanted something new, you get something new! @poisonruin and @arewenothomefront will test you apart with their fresh sound! Poison ruin will deliver you some Infest the Rats‘Nest Vibes, while Home Front brings you the energy with their influences by Joy Division, High Vis and late 80s Post Punk.

We welcome @siena root, @slomatics and @sacri_monti_band ! These three bands are the holy trio of stoner, psych and doom!

What would be a Hoflärm Fest without our dearest Friends Sabine, Jan and Andre ? This year they will come to perform with @earthship_official

Castle Rat will be for the first time in Europe! They just played Desertfest New York with their Electric Wizard inspired Doom!

To complete this announcement we welcome @thronehammer.official , @bikini_beach_fuzz & @tornet_xvi !

Tickets go on sale by 01.01.2024 18:00 cet.

https://www.facebook.com/Hofcafe.Hoflaerm
https://instagram.com/hoflaerm/
https://www.hoflaerm.de/

Sacri Monti, Live at Sonic Whip 2022 (2023)

Man, you ever feel like you’re crawling to the finish line? I’m doing news catchup the next couple days, and this announcement from SonicBlast Fest came out like last weekend or some such with a first round of lineup adds for the Aug. 2024 edition of the Portuguese heavy festival — it’s the 12th one — and as I sit here with my e’er expanding ass sinking e’er deeper into the couch I feel about as far removed as I could from, let’s say, the glorious nighttime walk across the beach in Âncora that I was lucky enough to be born to eventually undertake after a night at SonicBlast earlier this year.

Not only was it my first time in Portugal and Iberia, period, but I met people I never thought I’d get to meet, saw old friends and made new ones, and for a few days pretty much lived the festival ideal. You get there, see sets, go back, write, drink all the coffee, take pictures, write more, write more, eventually collapse from fatigue, then go home with a rejuvenated spirit. You know, fest life.

Submitted for your daydreams is the initial billing for SonicBlast Fest 2024, with the heavy, stoner, psych and punk and hardcore sides of the festival represented and a solid punch of names with Graveyard, Brant Bjork Trio, 1000mods and Truckfighters. Think this means Deathchant and Sacri Monti will tour Europe together? I do. Think it means Sacri Monti‘s album will be out by then? I hope so. Deathchant, who also played this year, are awesome, by the way.

Here’s news. Tickets are on sale already:

SONICBLAST FEST ’24 – Aug. 8-10

It’s getting hard to breathe… We’re so proud to announce the first bands for SonicBlast Fest’s 12th edition!! Viagra Boys, Graveyard, Wine Lips, Brant Bjork Trio, Sunami, Colour Haze, Home Front, Truckfighters, Poison Ruin, 1000mods, Sacri Monti, Maruja, Deathchant and Máquina will join us at the craziest heavy psychedelic weekend by the ocean ⚡🌊☀️

*** more to be announced soon ***

🔥 Full festival tickets are already on sale at BOL (Fnac, Worten, Ctt…), at https://garboyl.bol.pt/ and at https://www.masqueticket.com/entradas/sonicblast-fest-2024

Artwork by Branca Studio

https://www.facebook.com/sonicblastmoledo/
https://www.instagram.com/sonicblast_fest
https://sonicblastfestival.com/

Colour Haze, Sacred (2022)

Getting Masters of Reality over has been a project in the works for Desertfest London since before the pandemic, and it looks like 2024 will be the year. The band burned a few bridges over the last couple years when frontman Chris Goss took a hardline right-wing stance on issues surrounding covid and whatever else (that kind of thing will win fans as well in some cases), but their work remains the stuff of legend and any time there’s a connection to OG-era Californian desert rock — as there is with Goss, who was there in his own band and as producer for Kyuss, etc. — that’s a boon and a good get for Desertfest generally, though even if you’re not a Masters of Reality fan owing to politics or just never having gotten on board, the entire line right under them on the poster is unfuckwithable: Godflesh, Monolord, Acid King and Ufomammut. Goodness gracious. And the next name is Brant Bjork. Gonna be Desertfest, to be sure.

Warms my cold dead ‘eart to see Stinking Lizaveta and Darsombra confirmed — I’ll put Domkraft in that sentimental-favorite category as well, and check out fellow Swedes Astroqueen doing some more traveling — and I look forward to the grandiose plaudits soon to be bestowed on Warpstormer and Goblinsmoker after their respective appearances, which is something Sergeant Thunderhoof should be able to help them through. With Clouds Taste Satanic traversing the Atlantic again, and others like Pijn and Duskwood, Mantar, Maserati and Monkey3, there’s a three-day fest’s worth of acts already revealed in this first announcement and probably two or three more three-day fests’ worth of names to come. I’ll tell you outright I’d shit a brick to see this. If you’re gonna be there, know how lucky you are.

From the PR wire:

Desertfest London announces 25 bands for 2024 edition including headliners Masters of Reality plus, Godflesh, Monolord, Acid King, Ufomammut & more

Friday 17th May – Sunday 19th May 2024 | Weekend Tickets now on sale

Desertfest London have unveiled 25 bands for their 12th edition, taking place across multiple venues in Camden next May 17th – 19th.

Following their pandemic induced cancellation in 2020, Desertfest is thrilled to announce desert rock pioneers Masters of Reality for the event. It will be the band’s first UK appearance in almost a decade. Masters of Reality is the brainchild of legendary producer Chris Goss (Welcome to Sky Valley, Rated R, Blues for The Red Sun, Dust, Songs for The Deaf). Their combination of hard-rock blues with a progressive tinge makes no apologies for not sticking within the stylised box listeners would expect, yet simultaneously provides the perfect lesson in the musical ethos and story-telling of the Palm Desert scene – all led by the man who laid its foundations.

Following an unforgettable performance at the New York edition of the Desertfest franchise a few months ago, industrial trailblazers Godflesh will return to London for a masterclass in sonic brutality. UK exclusive performances come in the form of Swedish doom masters Monolord, California stoner metal legends Acid King and the long-awaited return of Italian experimentalists Ufomammut.

Further Desert Rock royalty rolls into Camden Town, as Brant Bjork Trio will treat attendees to a back-catalogue few artists can compete with. Instrumental sound shifters Maserati, hard-hitting duo Mantar, introspective visionaries Cloakroom and heavy-psych rockers Monkey3 will take the concept of genres and set them ablaze.

Elsewhere the likes of Blanket, Domkraft, Pijn, Sugar Horse, Stinking Lizaveta and Darsombra will bring a captivating change of pace to the event. Whilst the stoner rock vibes remain alive and well with Astroqueen, Wet Cactus, Sergeant Thunderhoof and Duskwood.

If that wasn’t enough to get your teeth into, Desertfest rounds of its first announcement with Goblinsmoker, Clouds Taste Satanic, Warpstormer, Sonic Taboo & Wizdoom.

Weekend Tickets for the event are on sale now via www.desertfest.co.uk with much more to still be announced!

Full line-up:
MASTERS OF REALITY | GODFLESH | MONOLORD | ACID KING | UFOMAMMUT | BRANT BJORK TRIO | MASERATI | MANTAR | CLOAKROOM | MONKEY3 | BLANKET | ASTROQUEEN | DOMKRAFT | PIJN | SUGAR HORSE | STINKING LIZAVETA | WET CACTUS | DARSOMBRA | SERGEANT THUNDERHOOF | GOBLINSMOKER | DUSKWOOD | CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC | WARPSTORMER | SONIC TABOO | WIZDOOM

TICKETS ON SALE – www.desertfest.co.uk

http://www.desertscene.co.uk/support
https://www.facebook.com/DesertfestLondon
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_london/
https://www.desertfest.co.uk/

Godflesh, Live in Boston, Massachusetts, Sept. 15, 2023