Tee Pee Records, which is the organizing entity behind Cosmic Sonic Rendezvous, caught a heaping ration of shit on social media when they shared the AI poster below. Probably not a good look, or what they wanted from the rollout. I kind of wondered if stirring the pot and pissing people off wasn’t the intention in the first place — working on the ‘no such thing as bad press’ model — and get people talking to manipulate the algorithm. I don’t know.

The arguments against using AI span from the tepid ‘you should pay artists’ — sorry, someone is not entitled to my money if I can get a thing for free; I didn’t invent capitalism I’m just smothered by it — to more crucial concerns about environmental damage being done, water usage, warehouse-sized data centers disrupting when not outright destroying ecosystems, and the psychopathic corporate culture behind the companies that make it. Fuck OpenAI every single day from now until eternity. I believe there can be value to artificial intelligence. I also believe human beings are incapable of creating any kind of intelligence to be more than a slave and that will be a thing that needs to be reconciled. If the robots Terminator‘d us, we’d for sure have it coming.

The distraction was unfortunate, mostly because the lineup for Cosmic Sonic Rendezvous — it’s not the first; there was one in 2015 and Carousel, Worshipper and Mirror Queen played then as well — is right on. Set to take place May 23-24 at The Woodshop, Monarch and The Meadows, which are apparently on the same block, the event boasts the likes of Eyehategod, Dead Meadow, The Skull-offshoot Legions of Doom, Sacri Monti, Sun Voyager, Black Moon Cult, Al-Qasar (ex-Blaak Heat Shujaa), an apparently reuniting Carousel and others. I don’t know if what’s on the website so far is the complete bill or not, but with 13 acts over two days, you’d probably be able to see all of it, and that’s an appeal in itself.

I’ve included the poster here because it’s relevant to the story. If you want to come at me for proliferating, tell it to your AI therapist instead.

From the PR wire:

COSMIC SONIC RENDEZVOUS! – MAY 23-24, 2026

Prepare for an electrifying weekend of Rock & Roll in its purest, loudest forms! From the dark and menacing riffs of Pentagram to the sky-gazing grooves of Dead Meadow, guitar driven explorations of the best psych and heavy rock will take over an industrial Brooklyn block for one lovely weekend in May.

It’s a Cosmic Sonic Rendezvous.

Early-bird weekend passes info coming soon!

Lineup:
Pentagram
Eyehategod
Dead Meadow
Legions of Doom
Sacri Monti
The Obsessed
Al-Qasar
Satan’s Satyrs
Sun Voyager
Carousel
Worshipper
Black Moon Cult
Mirror Queen

Venues: The Meadows; The Brooklyn Monarch; The Woodshop
Website: cosmicsonicfest.com

Presented by Tee Pee Records

cosmicsonicfest.com

teepeerecords.com
https://teepeerecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/teepeerecords
https://www.facebook.com/teepeerecords/

Dead Meadow, Voyager to Voyager (2025)

Always one of life’s great pleasures to revisit Roadburn via the subsequent audio streams that emerge from each edition of the Netherlands-based megafest/underground gathering. I’ll admit that most of these acts I didn’t see at Roadburn 2016, but that hardly lessens the appeal at all. If anything, it gives me a chance to hear some stuff I missed like Pittsburgh natives Carousel — whose unceremonious breakup earlier this month was both a surprise and a bummer — playing a set with Alejandro Necochea of Tee Pee labelmates Worshipper filling in on guitar, or Green Carnation, whose adventurous progressive death metal was an unexpected addition and a callback to earlier days.

Of this round though, I did manage to catch Zone Six playing at the Cul de Sac, the second-smallest room at Roadburn 2016 behind Extase. They played late on the first night of the fest (review here) and were a psychedelic joy to behold, with Sula Bassana on drums and synth and Komet Lulu on bass and Rainer Neeff playing guitar. It was an immediately different personality than one might get from seeing Electric Moon, in which Sula and Lulu also play (the former on guitar/synth), but immersive and gloriously spaced out. Goes without saying I recommend you check out all this stuff, but that one for sure, speaking as someone who was there to see it. I’ve been hoping they press it to disc.

Pretty wide gamut covered here as well, so there should be something for everyone:

Carousel – Live at Roadburn 2016

Crumbling Ghost – Live at Roadburn 2016

Green Carnation – Live at Roadburn 2016

Russel Haswell – Live at Roadburn 2016

Lugubrum Trio – Live at Roadburn 2016

Nibiru- Live at Roadburn 2016

Night Viper – Live at Roadburn 2016

Zone Six – Live at Roadburn 2016

Thanks as ever to Walter for letting me host the streams, as I am perpetually honored to do. To hear the first batch of Roadburn 2016 audio streams, click here, to hear the second one, click here, to hear the third one, click here, to hear the third one, click here, the fourth one, click here, and for all of this site’s coverage of Roadburn 2016, click here.

Roadburn’s website

Marcel Van De Vondervoort on Thee Facebooks

Whatever else you can say about Pittsburgh heavy rockers Carousel, they certainly had their adventures. The classically-styled outfit were brash, and their material brazenly took on ’70s stylization without going full-on vintage loyalist across their two albums, 2013’s Jeweler’s Daughter (review here) and last year’s 2113 (review here) — both on Tee Pee Records — and they came to represent a vision of classic heavy rock from the eastern half of the country that didn’t necessarily rely on the aggro approach of so many of the bands from the coast. Carousel were coming from their own place, soaked in booze and just a bit unhinged, but never veering from a quality songwriting that ultimately became their defining feature.

They call it quits after a somewhat tumultuous year. Last winter, they flipped their van in Wyoming on a West Coast stint. This Spring, they toured Europe alongside Elder with guitarist Alejandro Necochea (also of labelmates Worshipper) filling in for Matt Goldsborough (sometimes of Pentagram), playing Roadburn and Desertfest and many others besides. By that time, they’d already parted ways with drummer Jake Leger, who contributed to both albums, leaving just guitarist/vocalist Dave Wheeler and bassist Jim Wilson as original members as Justin Sherrell (ex-Blackout, Bezoar) took on the drums and John Dziuban (Sistered; who had initially joined on drums) became the guitarist. Like I said, tumultuous. Earlier this summer, Carousel canceled their scheduled appearance at Psycho Las Vegas for August, and a general lack of communication from the band ended with the announcement of their disbanding as Wheeler and Wilson plan to move forward in another band.

I was fortunate enough to see Carousel a year ago in Maryland (review here) and was struck by the vitality they brought to the classic rock form and the unabashed love they showed for the power of what a hook could do to an audience. Bottom line: Good band. They probably had more to offer than they got to.

Their announcement:

Hello fans and friends… It’s difficult to make this post but the time has come for carousel to call it quits. It’s been a hell of a ride but frequent lineup changes and other unfortunate events have necessitated this decision. Thanks to anyone who supported us over the years. We’re still humbled by the fact that anyone gave a crap about us or our music and we’re truly grateful to our label Tee Pee Records for taking a chance on us. Jim and Dave will carry on with their other band Outsideinside. We leave you with a clip of Jeweler’s Daughter live in Bilbao, Spain from our last tour. Again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It’s been a dream come true.

https://www.facebook.com/Carousel-220084014687656/
https://carousel2.bandcamp.com/
http://carouselpghmerch.bigcartel.com/
teepeerecords.com/products/

Carousel, “Jeweler’s Daughter” live in Spain, May 14, 2016

You know how I know Doomed Gatherings III has its shit together? Yeah, they’ve got Elder, Crowbar, Trouble, Monolord, Egypt, Ramesses, Mantar and so on confirmed to play over the course of the three-night event in Paris this May, and that’s super. Not arguing against any of that. But how you really know is that not only are Toner Low playing the thing, but they’re playing a set all three nights. That’s right: a Toner Low residency. I don’t know about you, but from where I sit there’s nothing about that concept that isn’t badass.

Details and ticket links follow for the big to-do, for which there are reportedly more band announcements to come. Makes sense, as May’s still a ways off. The following came down the PR wire:

Crowbar, Ramesses, Trouble and more confirmed to play third DOOMED GATHERINGS festival in Paris!

The third edition of France’s only doom, sludge and filth-oriented festival DOOMED GATHERINGS is taking up residence again at Glazart venue in Paris, for three days of crushing, highly grooving and undoubtedly smoke-filled performances. The lineup is now almost complete with a total of twenty-one bands, among which Crowbar, Ramesses, Trouble, Monolord and Elder. Let there be doom.

DOOMED GATHERINGS III
May 14-16th at Glazart – Paris, France
3-day pass (55€) and day tickets (25€) on sale HERE

The current lineup is as follows, with two more bands remaining to be announced. Hotel deals will come up soon along with next announcement.

DAY 1 ? Saturday 14th May ?
Ramesses (UK) ? Toner Low (NL) ? Mantar ? Egypt (USA) ? Demonic Death Judge (FIN) ? The Lumberjack Feedback (FR) ? NNRA ? Bathsheba (BE)

DAY 2 ? Sunday 15h May ?
Crowbar (USA) ? Trouble (USA) ? Toner Low (NL) ? Samothrace (USA) ? Hang The Bastard (UK) ? Throw Me in the Crater (NL) + 2 more bands TBA

DAY 3 ? Monday 16h May ?
Elder (USA) ? Monolord (SWE) ? Toner Low (NL) ? Electric Moon (DE) ? Chaos E.T. Sexual (FR) ? DDENT (FR) ? Carousel (USA)

Doomed Gatherings is the first festival in France for everything doom, sludge, filthy and psyched out. Taking place for the third year at Glazart in the 19th district of Paris, the festival is powered by national heavy promoters Stoned Gatherings and assembles a fine selection of international headliners and breakthrough acts, for the sheer love of Heavy.

Glazart is an indoor/outdoor club located in the north-east of Paris, near reknown architectural unit of La Villette, a venue that is easily reachable from the underground and tramway lines.

? Getting to Glazart ?
7-15 avenue de La Porte de la Villette, 75019 Paris
? Metro 7 (Porte de la Villette station)
or Tram 3b (Porte de la Villette station)

https://www.facebook.com/events/1717007591852526
https://www.weezevent.com/doomed-gatherings
https://www.facebook.com/doomed.gatherings
https://twitter.com/StonedGathering

The Body, Live at Doomed Gatherings 2014

Every year, without fail, there comes a point at which one is forced to wonder if Roadburn has lost its damn mind. So it is today as the news hits the inbox of Roadburn 2016 “rounding out its lineup” with more bands than most festivals manage to host in a weekend. Unbefuckinglievable.

Over 30 acts have joined the bill for Roadburn 2016, which I’m thrilled and proud to say I’ll be attending and covering while also editing the Weirdo Canyon Dispatch daily ‘zine once again, including Scott Kelly and Sanford Parker‘s Mirrors for Psychic Warfare, Buried at Sea (also featuring Parker), New Keepers of the Water Towers, Usnea, Death Alley, Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, Beastmaker, Gomer Pyle, Carousel, Zone Six, The Progerians (who have a new video out that’s getting posted in just a bit, Menhir and of course many others.

Oh yeah, and Jucifer are playing the pre-show. Pure madness.

I can’t wait:

Final additions to the Roadburn bill, including full Cul de Sac line up

New additions to the bill include BURIED AT SEA, MIRRORS FOR PSYCHIC WARFARE, INVERLOCH, CULT OF OCCULT, CHVE, and USNEA.
Full line up for Cul de Sac venue announced, including ‘Roadburn Introduces…’
JUCIFER announced for the Hard Rock Hide Out pre-Roadburn part

BURIED AT SEA

From the beginning surge of feedback through the last filth-caked rumble, BURIED AT SEA’s sound is a monument to the notion of tone as weight. Abrasive in the extreme and matched in aural largesse only by the sway of its rhythm, it surrounds completely and oppresses mercilessly. Here at Roadburn Festival HQ, we are beyond excited to announce BURIED AT SEA will bring their one-of-a-kind dirges to Roadburn 2016 on Sunday, April 17 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

MIRRORS FOR PSYCHIC WARFARE

We always knew they were unusually talented musicians, but in the last few years Scott Kelly and Sanford Parker have also become remarkably prolific, showing a wonderfully multi-faceted aspect to their artistic expression throughout a multitude of projects. They now appear as the sole members of this latest endeavour, MIRRORS FOR PSYCHIC WARFARE. A sort of reverse side of the coin to the unfettered, confrontational aggression of Corrections House, the five songs on their self-titled debut, are more insidious. MIRRORS FOR PSYCHIC WARFARE perform on Sunday, April 17 in the Green Room.

For more information about the above bands click here.

FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE BILL

In addition to the above, the following bands have also been added to the Roadburn 2016 line up.

CHVE – click here for more info

SIR ADMIRAL CLOUDSESLEY SHOVEL (part of Lee Dorrian’s curated event)
BEASTMAKER (part of Lee Dorrian’s curated event)
CAROUSEL
click here for more info on these bands

CULT OF OCCULT
DANIEL PAYNE
HELL
INVERLOCH
USNEA
click here for more info on these bands

CUL DE SAC LINE UP

Once again, Roadburn Festival is very happy to be hosting our fifth at the Cul de Sac in collaboration with Never Mind The Hype, an independent Dutch music platform (think: rock meets alternative, or stoner rock meets psych). At Cul de Sac, we will focus on showcasing promising Dutch and Belgian bands, plus some acts from further afield. Positioned just around the corner from the 013 venue, the intimate surroundings of the Cul de Sac mean you can get up close and personal with some of the best up and coming bands we could get our hands on.

Once again we have picked one band to showcase under the Roadburn Introduces… banner, and in association with Nevermind The Hype, we’re pleased to announce that the showcase band for 2016 is DOOL. Hailing from Rotterdam, DOOL will lure us into their spiraling netherworld, and connect with the international Roadburn community during an intimate show at the Cul de Sac on Saturday April 16 in Tilburg,The Netherlands. DOOL starts at 2 pm. Click here to read more about DOOL.

Thursday April 14
MOLOKEN
NEW KEEPERS OF THE WATER TOWERS
ZONE SIX
DEAD NEANDERTHALS
GOMER PYLE
MANTRA MACHINE
Click here for more info

Friday April 15
HERDER
ALKERDEEL FEATURING GNAW THEIR TONGUES
COCAINE PISS
NOCTUM
OBESE
CONCATENATUS
Click here for more info

Just as we did last year, Roadburn will focus on Belgium, and in collaboration with one of the country’s foremost bookings agencies, RuffStuff Music, we welcome some fantastic bands hailing from just next door in Belgium – bands that embodied the spirit of Roadburn. Together we will host some exciting, cutting edge bands, alongside Roadburn’s established acts, for the second year in a row.

Saturday April 16
HEMELBESTORMER (click here for more info)
GRIMMSONS
PARTISAN
THE PROGERIANS
WE’REWOLVES
VVOVNDS
Click here for more info

Sunday April 17
SYNDROME
CHAOS ECHOES
MENHIR
WITCH TRAIL
And finish your Roadburn experience with DEATH ALLEY
Click here for more info

HARD ROCK HIDE OUT

In keeping with what has become Roadburn tradition, we’ll be welcoming keen Roadburners to Tilburg on Wednesday, April 13 with a party at Cul de Sac. Whilst newcomers get their bearings, return visitors will slip straight back into old habits. Welcoming Roadburners to Tilburg this year will be none other than our our favourite pair of highly-amplified nomads – JUCIFER. They will park up at the Cul de Sac for the evening and rip through their harsh, thrashy, sludgy, doomy, downright massive tunes.

TICKETS

Day tickets for Thursday and Friday remain on sale, but all other ticketing options are now SOLD OUT. For a full rundown of the line up and to view the line up posters, please click HERE.

Buried at Sea, Ghost (2007)

Been a minute since Massachusetts trio Elder were announced for Desertfest in London and Berlin, so maybe it’s not a revelation that they’re going to tour Europe in Spring 2016, but you know, nice to have confirmation. The progressive heavy three-piece are coming off their busiest touring year ever in 2015, as they continue to support last year’s Lore (review here), their third full-length, the sweeping scope of which is I think still being processed by listeners the world over.

The trip will include Pittsburgh heavy rockers Carousel, whose lineup continues to shift following the release of their second album, 2113 (review here). Already the band featured drummer John Dziuban (Sistered) after parting ways with Jake Leger (also of Bang) as of their last tour, but guitarist Matt Goldsborough (also Pentagram, intermittently), seems to have done likewise, resulting in a move from Dziuban to guitar and Brooklyn expat Justin Sherrell (Blackout, Bezoar) taking over on drums, while bassist Jim Wilson and guitarist/vocalist Dave Wheeler remain in their respective roles. A bit of chaos is good for the soul, or so I’m told.

Elder announced the voyage thusly:

ELDER TOUR UPDATE!

Well – it’s no surprise that we’re hitting the road again, this time with Pittsburgh heavy rockers Carousel. We’ll be bringing you some sneak peeks of new material and some other goodies. See you in April…
(Artwork – Adrian Dexter)

– Elder & Carousel –
European Tour 2016
17.04.2016 RUS – Moscow, Volta*
18.04.2016 RUS – St.Petersburg, Zoccolo 2.0*
20.04.2016 NOR – Stavanger, Folken
21.04.2016 NOR – Bergen, Hulen
22.04.2016 NOR – Oslo, Bla
23.04.2016 SWE – Gothenburg, Truckstop Alaska
24.04.2016 UA – Kiev, Robustfest*
25.04.2016 DK – Kopenhagen, Loppen
26.04.2016 GER – Hamburg, Hafenklang
27.04.2016 GER – Münster, Sputnikhalle
28.04.2016 GER – Chemnitz, AJZ Talschock
29.04.2016 GER – Berlin, Astra, Desertfest 2016
30.04.2016 P – Lisboa, Sound Bay Festival
01.05.2016 UK – Electric Ballroom, Desertfest 2016
02.05.2016 GER – Wiesbaden Schlachthof
04.05.2016 GER – Munich, Backstage
05.05.2016 CRO – Zagreb, Vintage Bar
07.05.2016 A – Linz, Kapu
08.05.2016 A – Vienna, Viper Room
09.05.2016 I – Bologna, Freak Out Club
10.05.2016 I – Milano, Lo-Fi Club
11.05.2016 CH – Lausanne, Le Romandie Club
12.05.2016 GR – Athen, An Club*
14.05.2016 ESP – Bilbao, Kristonfest
15.05.2016 F – Toulouse, TBA
16.05.2016 F – Paris, Glazart, Doomed Gatherings
17.05.2015 B – Brussels, Magasin 4
* = Elder only

https://www.facebook.com/elderofficial
http://beholdtheelder.bandcamp.com/
http://www.armageddonshop.com/search.php?artist=ELDER
http://www.stickman-records.de/

Elder, Lore (2015)

Well, that’s a wrap for Desertfest London 2016… unless, you know, you count the actual holding of the fest in April. Which you should probably count. Okay, maybe not a wrap at all.

But the lineup is complete, and that’s something in itself. Spanning genres and geographical borders, I feel like this year’s Desertfest London perfectly emphasizes just how much this festival has grown in its five years into this encompassing celebration of heavy rock, sludge and doom, holding firm to its local roots even in this last batch of bands, while also expanding its reach in pulling legendary acts from beyond the UK and Europe as well.

Russian Circles will headline the second of Desertfest London 2016’s three dog nights, and a slew of others have joined the bill as well, including Mondo Drag, Stinking Lizaveta, underrated Londoners Crystal Head, Siena Root and many more details below:

DESERTFEST LONDON: lineup complete with Russian Circles headlining the Saturday!

Russian Circles to headline the fifth edition of DESERTFEST LONDON this spring in Camden!

It’s finally here: your complete DESERTFEST LONDON 2016 line-up has arrived! Chicago’s majestic instrumental progsters Russian Circles are set to headline the Saturday night with Pelican as lead support. Not only that, but we have the mighty forefathers of doom Trouble celebrating their 30th anniversary with a very special show for us, just before Electric Wizard bring down the Sunday night curtain in style! See you all in April…

Desertfest is all about our passion for heavy music, our love through deep-rooted friendships and above all, our collective appreciation of diversity, musical skill and the broadest range of powerful performances…

RUSSIAN CIRCLES are not from the desert, they’re not exponents of standard 5-minute, 4-4 rock songs and they expose their soundscapes exclusively for us to form our own interpretations without the mask of any form of lyrics. Shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by flashes of white light and the occasionally projected visual, they’re performers worthy of headlining any show in front of an audience who have the ability to think before they roar. With fellow instrumental crusher-destroyers PELICAN primed and ready as their main support, get ready to see, smell and FEEL the sheer weight of these swirls of Siberia.

Desertfest is also proudly joining in with Chicago doom legends TROUBLE’s 30th anniversary celebrations. Original members Bruce Franklin and Rick Wartell will be touching the sky with their classic dual guitar leads and now-established front man Kyle Thomas (Alabama Thunderpussy, Floodgate, Exhorder) will be tempting the crowds with his prayers for the dead, it’s going to be a real mind bender!

The rest of final announcement for Desertfest London 2016 goes as follows:
SIENA ROOT
STINKING LIZAVETA
DYSE
MANTAR
MONDO DRAG
GURT
NECRO DEATHMORT
CAROUSEL
THE MOTH
CRYSTAL HEAD
SPIDER KITTEN
SEDULUS
BEASTMAKER
DOG DAYS

– DESERTFEST LONDON 2016 –
April 29th to May 1st in Camden, London (UK)
Weekend tickets available AT THIS LOCATION

https://www.leedstickets.com/eventinfo/4804/Desertfest-2016
http://www.thedesertfest.com/london/
https://twitter.com/DesertFest
https://www.facebook.com/DesertfestLondon
https://instagram.com/desertfest
http://desertfest.bigcartel.com/

Russian Circles, Live at Saint Vitus Bar 2014

Pittsburgh heavy rockers Carousel wrapped up their string of West Coast dates a few days earlier than expected. The four-piece, who released their second album through Tee Pee Records, 2113 (review here), this fall, were driving through Wyoming when they were involved in an accident and rolled their van. All parties — the lineup of guitarist/vocalist Dave Wheeler, guitarist Matt Goldsborough, bassist Jim Wilson and drummer John Dziuban — are fine, and they played a return-home show last night, so I guess they mean it when they say they’re unscathed, but they took a financial hit and have asked fans to help out by picking up a record or some other merchandise.

Carousel recently parted ways with drummer Jake Leger (also of Bang) and brought in Dziuban (Sistered) to fill the role. Aside from Vultures of Volume II (review here) in Maryland, the band also took part in Tee Pee‘s Cosmic Sonic Rendezvous in Brooklyn at the end of the summer, and will reportedly look to build more momentum touring in the New Year.

Gotta get their van rightside up first. Here’s word:

Hello friends and fans… We’ve had some of our best shows ever on this tour but as a result of a number of unfortunate events we find ourselves in a crappy position. Due to weather and mechanical problems we missed a lot of shows and guarantees. Yesterday we flipped our van on the Wyoming interstate. Gratefully, we all walked away from the accident. We are renting a van in Casper and will be back in the burgh in a few days. To put it mildly, the missed guarantees and unexpected expenses have put us in a financial pinch.

I am posting a link to our band camp and big cartel pages here. If you have ever considered purchasing Merch or downloading our music, there is no time like the present. Thank you all for your love and support. We’ll be back out there in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. Xoxo – Dave

https://carousel2.bandcamp.com/
http://carouselpghmerch.bigcartel.com/
teepeerecords.com/products/

Carousel, 2113 (2015)