Posted in Whathaveyou on April 16th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Calgary trio Woodhawk have got that swing on their new single “Strangers Ever After,” which is the first single to come from their aspirationally-titled new album, Love Finds a Way, due out June 6 on Grand Hand Records. There’s classic-style, organ-enhanced boogie meeting with a modern production and tonal fullness, all aligned around a central push and tense sections of chug — skillfully wrought, melodic, clear in its intention to engage but not without expressive purpose either. It keeps its balance after spinning around in a few circles, and the solo is class before the bluesy verse returns to round out.
Been six years, but that happens sometimes. Cool to have a new one coming from these guys either way. Here’s the info from the PR wire, and of course the song with all its bodes-well vibes:
WOODHAWK Reveals First Single “Strangers Ever After” From New Album “Love Finds A Way” Out June 2025
Canadian stoner rock powerhouse Woodhawk returns with the announcement of their highly anticipated third studio album, “Love Finds A Way,” set for release on June 6, 2025, via Grand Hand Records. The Calgary trio of Turner Midzain (guitar/vocals), Mike Badmington (bass), and Kevin Nelson (drums) are also dropping the record’s first single, “Strangers Ever After,” today, giving fans their first taste of new Woodhawk material since 2019’s acclaimed “Violent Nature”. The band comments on the new single:
“This was the first song we wrote for this album. And I think we reworked it more than any song. It started out with a completely different feel and timing than what we ended up with. It was way darker. But we kept coming back to it and really loved the result. Strangers Ever After is a kind of demise of a relationship. The farewell to someone that maybe…you were better off never knowing. This is dark and honest.”
“Love Finds A Way” marks an evolution in the band’s creative journey. Their earlier work was very much influenced by bands like The Sword and Black Sabbath, with lyrics about wizards and goblins, but they’ve worked hard on bringing more emotion to their writing. The nine-track album promises to deliver the dynamic range fans have come to expect from Woodhawk, featuring what Midzain describes as ‘some really riff-rocking songs, but also a lot of hardship and honesty’.
“Strangers Ever After” showcases the band’s signature blend of classic hard rock sensibilities and modern stoner metal influences, delivering the infectious grooves and memorable hooks that have earned Woodhawk a devoted following since their formation in 2014. They are recommended for fans of The Sword, Red Fang, and Thin Lizzy.
Track Listing 1. Grave Shaker – 4:41 2. Strangers Ever After – 4:24 3. Truth Be Told – 7:21 4. White Crosses – 6:10 5. The Unholy Hand – 5:21 6. No Place For Hate – 5:18 7. Love Finds a Way – 6:16 8. Relapser – 4:52 9. Killing Time – 8:37
Woodhawk is: Turner Midzain – Guitar & Vocals Mike Badmington – Bass & Vocals Kevin Nelson – Drums
I’ve been fortunate enough to have The Obelisk among the slew of included presenters for Calgary’s The Electric Highway festival, and I’m glad to be able to continue the thread in 2025. The site’s logo is down there on the poster, keeping company both good and plentiful, but if you’re drawn to the lineup itself rather than the ‘sponsors,’ that’s only reasonable. Bison will headline alongside Castle — two righteous Canadian exports, the latter with a new album out this past Fall — and Fever Dog wlil make the trip from California while Buffalo Bud Buster, The Getmines, Blacksmith and Brewer and La Chinga return, and others, including two Calgary locals to start each night, make first appearances.
It’s a rad mix and, again, thanks to The Electric Highway for letting The Obelisk have anything to do with it whatsoever. I’ll do an oldschool hip-hop shoutout to Billy Goate and Steve Howe. Woop woop and such.
Details as per the PR wire:
The Electric Highway Festival (Calgary, AB) Announces 2025 Lineup w/ BISON, CASTLE, LA CHINGA, BUFFALO BUD BUSTER and more!
The Electric Highway Festival is excited to announce the full lineup for the 2025 edition of the Festival being held in Calgary, AB on April 4 & 5 at Dickens (1000 9 Ave SW).
Canadian veteran sludge metal band BISON headlines the whole festival while doom metal band CASTLE headlines Friday night. They will be joined by Southern California band FEVER DOG, and various Western Canadian bands including LA CHINGA, BUFFALO BUD BUSTER, THE GETMINES, 88 MILE TRIP, and more. The Final Full Line Up by Day: Friday, April 4, 2025 Castle (San Francisco/ Vancouver) Buffalo Bud Buster (Calgary) Blacksmith and Brewer (Vancouver)) CHÛNK (Vancouver) Hydracat (Edmonton) The Astral Prophets (Calgary) BUNS (Calgary) Doors 5pm – Show 6pm Saturday, April 5, 2025 Bison (Vancouver) La Chinga (Vancouver) Fever Dog (Southern California) The Getmines (Vancouver) 88 Mile Trip (Vancouver) Lover (Calgary) GEOFF (Calgary) Doors 5pm – Show 6pm
Advance 2-day passes are available for $75. Advance single-day tickets are $40 for Friday and $45 for Saturday
The Electric Highway Festival hosts various genres that range from Desert Rock, Stoner Metal, Doom, Sludge, Trippy Psychedelic, Surf Rock, Acid Rock, Noise Rock, Fuzz Rock, Space Rock, Blues Rock, Heavy Psych, Heavy Blues, Southern Rock, Fuzzy Punk, Sludgy Hardcore bands and variations of any of the previously mentioned styles. The festival includes a vendor area with interesting goods for attendees to take home with them.
Previous editions of the festival featured one of the event’s past favorites Californian headliners Sasquatch, Juno Award-winning Canadian band ANCIIENTS, Vancouver’s La Chinga, Space Queen, Dead Quiet, and more, Gnarwhal from Yellowknife, NWT, Calgary’s Gone Cosmic, Hombre, Flashback among many more, and a whole host of other great bands.
Canadian metallers Anciients rest atop the bill for The Electric Highway 2024, the Calgary-based three-dayer festival co-presented by The Obelisk along with a slew of others. After the date reveal and ticket-onsale in November, the fest has now begun to unveil its lineup, which is probably fortunate because it’ll be April before you know it. Vancouver’s Dead Quiet and Empress are also included, as well as Darty from Chron Goblin‘s ambient project Musing, the returning hardcore-born heavy of Owls and Eagles and I think a few other repeat offenders. Hell, Anciients played Calgary 420 Fest in 2017, which was the precursor to The Electric Highway, so there’s history here if you want to find it.
There will be more as well, so sit tight. Canadian heavy is its own ecosystem distinct from the US underground, and I always look forward to seeing who’s going to be at The Electric Highway as a great way of finding new bands and checking in on those regulars. I’ve never been to Alberta and don’t harbor any delusions that I’ll be at The Electric Highway — though it’d be fun — but I’m glad to support this fest with this site and dig into some of the finest in heavy that the Great White North (and maybe a few American bands by the time they’re done; you’ll recall last year Sasquatch headlined) has to offer.
The PR wire puts it thusly:
The Electric Highway Festival (Calgary, AB) Announces First Round of Bands For 2024 Lineup
w/ Anciients, Dead Quiet, Empress, Flashback, Buffalo Bud Buster and more!
The Electric Highway Festival is excited to announce the first round of bands for the 2024 edition of the festival being held in Calgary, AB on April 4, 5, and 6 at Dickens (1000 9 Ave SW).
Canadian Juno Award-winning Vancouver band Anciients will headline the whole festival. They will be joined by various Western Canadian bands including Dead Quiet, Empress, Flashback, Buffalo Bud Buster, and more.
Anciients (Vancouver) Dead Quiet (Vancouver) Empress (Vancouver) Buffalo Bud Buster (Calgary) Flashback (Calgary) Pharm (Kelowna) Owls & Eagles (Calgary) Gnarwhal (Yellowknife) Solid Brown (Calgary) The Getmines (Vancouver) Tebby And The Heavy (Edmonton) Musing (Calgary) Blacksmith & Brewer (BC Sunshine Coast) Stone Spear (Kelowna) Black Daggers (Red Deer) Atomic Yeti (Saskatoon) Conjure Hand (Victoria)
Limited Early Bird passes are on sale for $65 until the rest of the bands are announced or the early bird passes sell out. Regular advance passes will be available at that time. There will also be a variety of single-day tickets available as well as 2-day passes.
Posted in Reviews on November 28th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Day two and no looking back. Yesterday was Monday and it was pretty tripped out. There’s some psych stuff here too, but we start out by digging deep into metal-rooted doom and it doesn’t get any less dudely through the first three records, let’s put it that way. But there’s more here than one style, microgengre, or gender expression can contain, and I invite you as you make your way through to approach not from a place of redundant chestbeating, but of celebrating a moment captured. In the cases of some of these releases, it’s a pretty special moment we’re talking about.
Places to go, things to hear. We march.
Quarterly Review #11-20:
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Primordial, How it Ends
Excuse me, ma’am. Do you have 66 minutes to talk about the end of the world? No? Nobody does? Well that’s kind of sad.
At 28 years’ remove from their first record, 1995’s Imrama, and now on their 10th full-length, Dublin’s Primordial are duly mournful across the 10 songs of How it Ends, which boasts the staring-at-a-bloodied-hillside-full-of-bodies after-battle mourning and oppression-defying lyricism and a style rooted in black metal and grown beyond it informed by Irish folk progressions but open enough to make a highlight of the build in “Death Holy Death” here. A more aggressive lean shows itself in “All Against All” just prior while “Pilgrimage to the World’s End” is brought to a wash of an apex with a high reach from vocalist Alan “A.A. Nemtheanga” Averill, who should be counted among metal’s all-time frontmen, ahead of the tension chugging in the beginning of “Nothing New Under the Sun.” And you know, for the most part, there isn’t. Most of what Primordial do on How it Ends, they’ve done before, and their central innovation in bridging extreme metal with folk traditionalism, is long behind them. How it Ends seems to dwell in some parts and be roiling in its immediacy elsewhere, and its grandiosities inherently will put some off just as they will bring some on, but Primordial continue to find clever ways to develop around their core approach, and How it Ends — if it is the end or it isn’t, for them or the world — harnesses that while also serving as a reminder of how much they own their sound.
With a partner in drummer Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative, Danzig, etc.), guitarist/songwriter Dan Lorenzo (Hades, Vessel of Light, Cassius King, etc.) has found an outlet open to various ideas within the sphere of doom metal/rock in Patriarchs in Black, whose second LP, My Veneration, brings a cohort of guests on vocals and bass alongside the band’s core duo. Some, like Karl Agell (C.O.C. Blind) and bassist Dave Neabore (Dog Eat Dog), are returning parties from the project’s 2022 debut, Reach for the Scars, while Unida vocalist Mark Sunshine makes a highlight of “Show Them Your Power” early on. Sunshine appears on “Veneration” as well alongside DMC from Run DMC, which, if you’re going to do a rap-rock crossover, it probably makes sense to get a guy who was there the first time it happened. Elsewhere, “Non Defectum” toys with layering with Kelly Abe of Sicks Deep adding screams, and Paul Stanley impersonator Bob Jensen steps in for the KISS cover “I Stole Your Love” and the originals “Dead and Gone” and “Hallowed Be Her Name” so indeed, no shortage of variety. Tying it together? The riffs, of course. Lorenzo has shown an as-yet inexhaustible supply thereof. Here, they seem to power multiple bands all on one album.
Just because it wasn’t a surprise doesn’t mean it’s not one of the best debut albums of 2023. Bringing together known parties from Boston’s heavy underground Jim Healey (We’re All Gonna Die, etc.), Doug Sherman (Gozu), Bob Maloney (Worshipper) and J.R. Roach (Sam Black Church), Blood Lightning want nothing for pedigree, and their Ripple-issued self-titled debut meets high expectations with vigor and thrash-born purpose. Sherman‘s style of riffing and Healey‘s soulful, belted-out vocals are both identifiable factors in cuts like “The Dying Starts” and the charging “Face Eater,” which works to find a bridge between heavy rock and classic, soaring metal. Their cover of Black Sabbath‘s “Disturbing the Priest,” included here as the last of the six songs on the 27-minute album, I seem to recall being at least part of the impetus for the band, but frankly, however they got there, I’m glad the project has been preserved. I don’t know if they will or won’t do anything else, but there’s potential in their metal/rock blend, which positions itself as oldschool but is more forward thinking than either genre can be on its own.
Based in Oakland and making their debut with the significant endorsement of Small Stone Records and Kozmik Artifactz behind them, atmospheric post-heavy rock five-piece Haurun tap into ethereal ambience and weighted fuzz in such a way as to raise memories of the time Black Math Horseman got picked up by Tee Pee. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. With notions of Acid King in the nodding, undulating riffs of “Abyss” and the later reaches of “Lost and Found,” but two guitars are a distinguishing factor, and Haurun come across as primarily concerned with mood, although the post-grunge ’90s alt hooks of “Flying Low” and “Lunar” ahead of 11-minute closer “Soil,” which uses its longform breadth to cast as vivid a soundscape as possible. Fast, slow, minimalist or at a full wash of noise, Haurun‘s Wilting Within has its foundation in heavy rock groove and riffy repetition, but does something with that that goes beyond microniche confines. Very much looking forward to more from this band.
Its point of view long established by the time they get around to the filthy lurch of “Hesher” — track three of seven — Cabin Fever is the first full-length from cultish doomers Wicked Trip. The Tennessee outfit revel in Electric Wizard-style fuckall on “Cabin Fever” after the warning in the spoken “Intro,” and the 11-minute sample-topped “Night of Pan” is a psych-doom jam that’s hypnotic right unto its keyboard-drone finish giving over to the sampled smooth sounds of the ’70s at the start of “Black Valentine,” which feels all the more dirt-coated when it actually kicks in, though “Evils of the Night” is no less threatening of purpose in its garage-doom swing, crash-out and cacophonous payoff, and I’m pretty sure if you played “No Longer Human” at double the speed, well, it might be human again. All of these grim, bleak, scorching, nodding, gnashing pieces come together to craft Cabin Fever as one consuming, lo-fi entirety, raw both because the recording sounds harsh and because the band itself eschew any frills not in service to their disillusioned atmosphere.
There’s an awful lot of sex going on in Splinter‘s Role Models, as the Amsterdam glam-minded heavy rockers follow their 2021 debut, Filthy Pleasures (review here), with cuts like “Soviet Schoolgirl,” “Bottom,” “Opposite Sex” and the poppy post-punk “Velvet Scam” early on. It’s not all sleaze — though even “The Carpet Makes Me Sad” is trying to get you in bed — and the piano and boozy harmonies of “Computer Screen” are a fun departure ahead of the also-acoustic finish in closer “It Should Have Been Over,” while “Every Circus Needs a Clown” feels hell-bent on remaking Queen‘s “Stone Cold Crazy” and “Medicine Man” and “Forbidden Kicks” find a place where garage rock meets heavier riffing, while “Children” gets its complaints registered efficiently in just over two boogie-push minutes. A touch of Sabbath here, some Queens of the Stone Age chic disco there, and Splinter are happy to find a place for themselves adjacent to both without aping either. One would not accuse them of subtlety as regards theme, but there’s something to be said for saying what you want up front.
Beginning with its longest component track (immediate points) in “Asteroid,” Terra Black‘s All Descend is a downward-directed slab of doomed nod, so doubled-down on its own slog that “Black Flames of Funeral Fire” doesn’t even start its first verse until the song is more than half over. Languid tempos play up the largesse of “Ashes and Dust,” and “Divinest Sin” borders on Eurometal, but if you need to know what’s in Terra Black‘s heart, look no further than the guitar, bass, drum and vocal lumber — all-lumber — of “Spawn of Lyssa” and find that it’s doom pumping blood around the band’s collective body. While avoiding sounding like Electric Wizard, the Gothenburg, Sweden, unit crawl through that penultimate duet track with all ready despondency, and resolve “Slumber Grove” with agonized final lub-dub heartbeats of kick drum and guitar drawl after a vivid and especially doomed wash drops out to vocals before rearing back and plodding forward once more, doomed, gorgeous, immersive, and so, so heavy. They’re not finished growing yet — nor should they be on this first album — but they’re on the path.
Sometimes the name of a thing can tell you about the thing. So enters Musing, a contemplative solo outfit from Devin “Darty” Purdy, also known for his work in Calgary-based bands Gone Cosmic and Chron Goblin, with the eight-song/42-minute Somewhen and a flowing instrumental narrative that borders on heavy post-rock and psychedelia, but is clearheaded ultimately in its course and not slapdash enough to be purely experimental. That is, though intended to be instrumental works outside the norm of his songcraft, tracks like “Flight to Forever” and the delightfully bassy “Frontal Robotomy” are songs, have been carved out of inspired and improvised parts to be what they are. “Hurry Wait” revamps post-metal standalone guitar to be the basis of a fuzzy exploration, while “Reality Merchants” hones a sense of space that will be welcome in ears that embrace the likes of Yawning Sons or Big Scenic Nowhere. Somewhen has a story behind it — there’s narrative; blessings and peace upon it — but the actual music is open enough to translate to any number of personal interpretations. A ‘see where it takes you’ attitude is called for, then. Maybe on Purdy‘s part as well.
A heavy and Sabbathian rock forms the underlying foundation of Spiral Shades‘ sound, and the returning two-piece of vocalist Khushal R. Bhadra and guitarist/bassist/drummer Filip Petersen have obviously spent the nine years since 2014’s debut, Hypnosis Sessions (review here), enrolled in post-doctoral Iommic studies. Revival, after so long, is not unwelcome in the least. Doom happens in its own time, and with seven songs and 38 minutes of new material, plus bonus tracks, they make up for lost time with classic groove and tone loyal to the blueprint once put forth while reserving a place for itself in itself. That is, there’s more to Spiral Shades and to Revival than Sabbath worship, even if that’s a lot of the point. I won’t take away from the metal-leaning chug of “Witchy Eyes” near the end of the album, but “Foggy Mist” reminds of The Obsessed‘s particular crunch and “Chapter Zero” rolls like Spirit Caravan, find a foothold between rock and doom, and it turns out riffs are welcome on both sides.
The closing “Sex on a Grave” reminds of the slurring bluesy lasciviousness of Nick Cave‘s Grinderman, and that should in part be taken as a compliment to the setup through “Black Cat” — which toys with 12-bar structure and is somewhere between urbane cool and cabaret nerdery — and the centerpiece “Bad Day,” which follows a classic downer chord progression through its apex with the rawness of Backwoods Payback at their most emotive and a greater melodic reach only after swaying through its willful bummer of an intro. Last-minute psych flourish in the guitar threatens to make “Bad Day” a party, but the Louisville outfit find their way around to their own kind of fun, which since the release is only three songs long just happens to be “Sex on a Grave.” Fair enough. Rife with attitude and an emergent dynamic that’s complementary to the persona of the vocals rather than trying to keep up with them, the counterintuitively-titled second short release (yes, I know the cover is a Zeppelin reference; settle down) from Bandshee lays out an individual approach to heavy songwriting and a swing that goes back further in time than most.
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 9th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
There will be much more info to come once they, you know, start listing the names of bands that will be playing the fest next April, but I’m thrilled to have The Obelisk in continued association with The Electric Highway. The site was among the co-presenters (there’s a bunch, so I’m not trying to be Mr. Checkoutmycoolface Face or anything) for the event earlier this year, and while I wasn’t so fortunate as to be there to see it, that Sasquatch video below looks pretty rockin’ and I look forward to learning who’s going to be there in 2024.
Early bird tickets — or as they call them in Europe: earlybird tickets — went on sale the other day and will be out until Nov. 30, so if you want to get together and road trip over to Calgary or something like that, hit me up. Might be fun. Maybe we could take a bus or a train! I hear Canada has those, having invested in public infrastructure and all that.
Looking at AirBNBs in Calgary. Will get back with prices.
From the PR wire:
The Electric Highway Festival (Calgary, AB) Kicks Off Early Bird Passes For 2024 Lineup
April 4- 6 – Dickens Pub
The Electric Highway Festival has launched early bird passes for their 2024 lineup being held in Calgary, AB on April 4, 5, and 6 at Dickens (1000 9 Ave SW.). Early bird passes go on sale Monday, November 6th at the cost of $65 CAD until November 30th.
The first round of bands for the 2024 lineup will be announced on Friday, December 1st along with advance passes going on sale that same day online.
Those in the Calgary area on Saturday, December 2nd will be able to purchase festival passes in person at the La Chinga CD release show, which is a “Pit Stop on the way to The Electric Highway Festival”.
Dec 2nd Tickets –https://www.showpass.com/lachingacalgary/
The Electric Highway Festival hosts various genres that range from Desert Rock, Stoner Metal, Doom, Sludge, Trippy Psychedelic, Surf Rock, Acid Rock, Noise Rock, Fuzz Rock, Space Rock, Blues Rock, Heavy Psych, Heavy Blues, Southern Rock, Fuzzy Punk, Sludgy Hardcore bands and variations of any of the previously mentioned styles.
The 2023 edition of the festival featured Californian headliners Sasquatch, one of the event’s past favorites, laying down their brand of fuzzy, kick-ass Desert Rock & Heavy Psych with direct support from Vancouver’s La Chinga who returned for their 4th appearance on the Saturday night. Black Mastiff returned to headline the Friday night with Calgary’s Gone Cosmic and HypnoPilot headlined the Thursday show with support from Citizen Rage. These were just a few of the wicked bands that played at this past year’s The Electric Highway.
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 17th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
I didn’t really know Calgary’s Mares of Thrace before this tour announcement, and I’m sure you did because you’re way more on the ball than I am — always — but in case you didn’t hear their 2022 record, The Exile, it’s below with twisting, modern post-Baroness riffing and a nastiness that is both a surprise and a welcome turn from expectation. That kick drum in “In All Her Glory” and the riff it punctuates are both encouraging further dig-ins to the album, so hey, I learned something today. Lifelong process and all that. I say again: nasty. Fucking a.
Vienna-based harsh-vocal nod rockers TarLung, who offered their latest album, Architect (review here), in 2021, are more of a known quantity in their big-toned groove and commanding, death-metal-style vocal. The fact that both bands share a penchant for blending elements from more extreme styles with heavy riffing makes for an enticing combination, leaving one to wonder where, on a given night, the line between metal and rock might exist if it does at all. I already said “fucking a,” so I’ll go with “right on” instead. Right on.
Shows start Oct. 20, as the PR wire tells it:
CANADIAN NOISE-DOOM DUO MARES OF THRACE AND AUSTRIAN SLUDGE-DOOM TRIO TARLUNG ANNOUNCE EUROPEAN 2023 TOUR BEGINNING OCTOBER 20TH
Mares of Thrace will be embarking on their first-ever European tour, joined by TarLung from Austria. Dates are listed below.
On the tour, the band comments:
“We’re delighted to be finally playing Europe; it’s been a major goal since this project’s inception. We’re also super stoked to be joined by TarLung, who are musical (and otherwise) like minds of the highest order.”
Mares of Thrace released their critically-acclaimed third record, The Exile, on Sonic Unyon Records in 2022, and have followed it up with North American tours with the likes of KEN mode, Vile Creature, and Tribunal.
TarLung are widely considered one of the mainstays of Austrian doom, and have shared stages with such genre luminaries as Eyehategod, Crowbar, and Conan; their 2021 record Architect was hailed.
Fri 20.10. Graz (AT) – Club Wakuum Sat 21.10. Alseno (IT) – Tingel Tangel Sun 22.10. (IT) – TBD Mon 23.10. Maribor (SLO) – Dvorana Gustaf Tue 24.10. Budapest (HUN) – Robot Wed 25.10. Krakow (PL) – Pub Pod Ziemia Thu 26.10. Katowice (PL) – Music Hub Fri 27.10. Warsaw (PL) – Chmury Sat 28.10. Berlin (DE) – Köpi Sun 29.10. Praha (CZ) – Modrá Vopice Mon 30.10. Brno (CZ) – Kabinet Muz Tue 31.10. Vienna (AT) – Venster99
Posted in Questionnaire on May 30th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Ross Ferguson of Owls & Eagles
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I like to think of my self as a music maker, I’ve always enjoys the layers you can create with sound. You don’t need to be an amazing musician, you just have to have an ear for what you think sounds good, figure out how to make that sound, find someone else to make it with, and voila, you have yourself a band. Music has always been a part of my life, from when I was a kid going through my parent’s record and cassette collections; to discovering punk and metal for the first time, that’s the first time I remember really listening to music and thinking “…that’s only four chords, I can do that!”. I performed in plays and performance pieces in school as often as I could, so the passion to be a stage musician was born. I find getting along with most people pretty easy, so I don’t think I’m too difficult to be in a band with. It makes a huge difference when all the members really gel and being in a band with your closest homie makes it easy.
Describe your first musical memory.
I remember piano and bagpipe music from very early on. My parent’s music collection was very eclectic, but the intro for Money for Nothing by Dire Straits blasted through Walkman speakers at as loud as you can handle is something I will always remember.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
Touring Canada with Dayglo Abortions in our hardcore project Citizen Rage. It gave me a whole new respect for touring musicians, especially those DIYers like us. Holy shit the driving hours and grunt work, but the most rewarding musical experience of my life to this date.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
I went down a Qanon rabbit hole during the pandemic. I’ve never trusted the government, wherever I’ve lived. I’m not saying they’re all bad people, but there’s too much chance for corruption with all the closed doors shit they do, and they are only accountable to the corporations and not the people and don’t get me started on the unelected groups that run shit behind the scenes. Short story long, I lost it at a jam going on about baby eating satanists probably lol and was called out, told to step back and look at who I was becoming. It was an interesting time for me personally and I’ve become a little more relaxed in my opinions since then.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Anywhere you want. King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard showed me that as long as the music is good, the fans will accept pretty much anything, regardless of genre. That feels like artistic progression to me, not being held to a specific style or sound, exploring different tones and shapes of sound is exciting to me and naturally leads your forward as a musician.
How do you define success?
Being happy with who you are, what you have and where you are, however you define that.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
Nothing comes to mind. I thought of many things I wish hadn’t happened, but I don’t regret seeing them, that is besides every shit movie someone I care about made me watch.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
I’ve always wanted to build a house. Create a dwelling and live in it seems like such a basic human ability, it’s a shame most of us are so far removed from the process. If we paid a bit more attention, it might become more equitable and affordable.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
To make people feel or evoke an image or story without direct physical interaction.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Growing old with the love of my life and watching my grandchildren grow up.
Obviously I’m stoked to have a logo for The Obelisk on the poster for The Electric Highway 2023, to be held in Calgary, Alberta, later this month. Goes without saying. Honestly, even if this was just a Sasquatch and/or La Chinga show and I was asked to present it, I would, so yeah, there’s a lot to dig here and I’m pleased to be keeping good company, tucked away in the bottom right-hand corner well below the likes of Canada itself — I had no idea they gave grants for this kind of thing, but I’m not surprised; other countries don’t hate creative people nearly as much as the US seems to — and with 24 bands spread out over three days, there isn’t a doubt that state-support will be put to good and voluminous use.
The fest is March 23-25 — Thursday, Friday, Saturday — and along with familiar faces like Gone Cosmic and Black Mastiff, who were playing this thing when it was the Calgary 420 Fest, before it became The Electric Highway ahead of an ill-fated 2020 edition, there’s a bunch of bands I don’t know like Space Queen, Molten Lava and No More Moments, so you’ll pardon me if I have a bit of homework to do. Unfortunately, I won’t be in Calgary to see the fest in-person, but I’m happy and proud to support the work they’re doing and to take the poster below as a checklist of stuff to dig into.
So, off I go to do that, and off you go to the PR wire for the full lineup, links and so on:
Calgary’s The Electric Highway Festival Announces Lineup For Its Returns In 2023 – March 23 – 25
Full lineup can be found below.
3-day festival pass holders can pick up their wristbands at Dickens at any time during the event. Pre-order merch sales will also be available for pickup throughout the weekend too. Don’t be disappointed. Order your merch ahead of time.
The Electric Highway is a fully immersive festival experience and offers much more than just music. The festival also features an art and vendor exposition during all three days at Dickens, March 23 – 25, 2023.
Festival passes are on sale starting Jan 25th – 10AM MT; check www.TheElectricHighway.ca to purchase and for more festival information.
All tickets and pass holders will be receiving instructions by email on how to transfer their 2020 tickets for 2023 ones. As well, all vendors will receive an email to confirm their attendance. Anyone that cannot attend this year – both ticketholders and vendors – can transfer their attendance to a future year.
The Electric Highway looks forward to bringing this year’s festival to you, and can’t wait to see everyone in March!
Saturday, March 25th – Festival headliner: Sasquatch (Los Angeles, CA) with direct support from La Chinga (Vancouver, BC) Friday, March 24th – Headliner: Black Mastiff (Edmonton, AB/Vancouver, BC) with direct support from Gone Cosmic (Calgary, AB) Thursday, March 23rd – Headliner: HypnoPilot (Lethbridge, AB) with direct support from Citizen Rage (Calgary, AB) All other festival bands are: Brown Dwarf (Red Deer, AB) Buffalo Bud Buster (Calgary, AB) Destroy My Brains (Lloydminster, AB) Empress (Vancouver, BC) Father Moon (Calgary, AB) Garuda (Cranbrook, BC) Hombre (Calgary, AB) Iron Tusk (Siksika, AB) Molten Lava (Vancouver, BC) Musing (Calgary, AB) No More Moments (Siksika, AB) Owls & Eagles (Calgary, AB) Set & Stoned (Crossfield, AB) Space Queen (Vancouver, BC) Tebby & the Heavy (Edmonton, AB) The Astral Prophets (Calgary, AB) The Basement Paintings (Saskatoon, SK) The Sleeping Legion (Winnipeg, MB)
Ticket Information:
Advance 3-day Festival Passes are $75. Advance passes go on sale from January 25, 2023, until March 22 or while quantities last.
Regular Festival Passes are $95 at the door if quantities are available.
