Posted in Whathaveyou on April 9th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Two sides, two shows, one from 2008 and one from late last year. To my knowledge, Live will be the first captured-on-stage offering from long-running Portland trad-metal rockers Danava, as well as their first collaboration with Heavy Psych Sounds — their 2023 LP, Nothing But Nothing (review here), came out through Tee Pee — and considering how much touring they’ve done since their mid-aughts outset, they’re well due. Seems pretty clear the intent in dividing Live between ‘then’ and ‘now-ish’ is to give their latest work and current lineup some deserved documentation — i.e., the album ruled — while the A side offers longtime followers a chance to remember where they came from. What’re you gonna do, argue? It’s Danava. If you’re a fan, you’ve probably already ordered. If not, not. They’ll keep going regardless.
But if you’re here, before you move onto the next thing, click off, get distracted, whatever, take a listen to “Shoot Straight with a Crooked Gun” below. It’s the first single from Live and the song that starts the 2023 gig. Before the song starts, you’ll hear the crowd being welcomed and, just before the music kicks in, “We’ve been ready.” I think once you hear what follows, you’ll agree, even if you’ve never listened to Danava before today. That’s why you put out a live record.
From the PR wire:
DANAVA to release “Live” album on June 21st via Heavy Psych Sounds; first track and preorders available now!
Pacific Northwest’s proto-heavy revelers DANAVA announce the release of their “Live” album this June 21st through European powerhouse Heavy Psych Sounds and present a thunderous first excerpt with “Shoot Straight With A Crooked Gun”.
Capturing the frenzy of their European tours in 2008 and 2023, this new album from the revered proto-heavy merchants is a must-have for fans old and new! Featuring a live recording from Whelan’s in Dublin and 007 Strahov in Prague, the tracklist is a testament to DANAVA’s prowess on stage. From the hypnotic rhythms of ‘Introduction/Spinning Temple Shifting’ to the raw energy of ‘Let The Good Times Kill,’ each song is a journey through the band’s dynamic universe!
With two decades of relentless dedication, the Portland-based rock’n’roll overlords have endeavored to unleash their authentic and electrifying fusion of hard rock and heavy metal upon a world burdened by strife and turmoil. Their mission is to harness music’s power as a beacon of hope, uniting lives and imaginations as one collective force. Join them on this journey toward a vibrant existence amidst the chaos we never chose to inhabit. Together, we rise. Together, we create. Don’t miss the chance to embark on this exhilarating ride as DANAVA ushers in a new era of fluidity before we vanish into the ether!
Described as a concoction reminiscent of Rainbow, Dio, Thin Lizzy, early Maiden and Judas Priest, DANAVA’s sonic brew promises a bold assertion of dominance in the current rock and roll landscape. As acclaimed musician Mike Scheidt of YOB puts it, Danava has always exemplified excellence in their craft, and this latest release is no exception.
TRACKLIST: Side A – Recorded at Whelan’s, in Dublin (4/13/08) 1. Introduction/Spinning Temple Shifting 11:59 2. Maudie Shook 8:41 Side B – Recorded at 007 Strahov, in Prague (11/11/23) 1. Shoot Straight With A Crooked Gun 5:57 2. Nothing But Nothing 4:14 3. Longdance 7:55 4. Let The Good Times Kill 3:31
DANAVA is Gregory Meleney – vocals/guitar Levi Campbell – vocals Kerby Strom – guitar Dominic Casciato – bass Matt Oliver – drums
[Click play above to stream premiere of the title-track from Danava’s Nothing But Nothing. Album is out April 28 on Tee Pee Records, with preorders here.]
Now we know what the fire emoji was made for. Some bands burn churches, Danava burn barns to a point of near-exclusivity (they’ve also been through a number of rhythm guitarists). The Portland, Oregon, troupe led by guitarist/vocalist Greg Meleney have been at it to one degree or other for 20 years as of 2023, and in that time have moved from hipster metal upstart invaders — yes, they were on that compilation in ’06, alongside Kemado denizens like The Sword and Saviours who had headbangers clutching purist pearls in the mid-aughts — to being elder statesmen of the Pacific Northwest underground and a band who’ve helped teach an entire generation how to throw down, influential in sound and work ethic.
That’s not nothing, but Nothing But Nothing is the first Danava record in 12 years, and arrives through Tee Pee Records with suitable anticipation; a studio return for an act who’ve spent plenty of the decade-plus since 2011’s third album, Hemisphere of Shadows, on tour, and which encapsulates and pushes deeper into the classic metallurgy Meleney and company have fostered since their 2006 self-titled so brazenly engaged thrash with vintage-style production and heavy rock tonality.
Comprising eight songs that run — emphasis on ‘run’ there as regards meter and general urgency; 12 years later they’ve got no time to waste — an LP-friendly 42 minutes, Danava‘s fourth full-length leans with ferocity into the band’s established metallic modus, Meleney (who also co-produced with Evan Mersky at Red Lantern in Portland) and follow-guitarist Kerby Strom igniting fretboards with overarching fleetness of finger, shredding with righteous glee across hot-shit singles like the leadoff title-track (premiering above), “Let the Good Times Kill,” “At Midnight You Die,” which was issued as a standalone in 2016 (review here), and the subsequent side B rippers “Strange Killer” and “Nuthin But Nuthin,” the latter a fitting companion to the opener that’s nonetheless a completely different song, positioned with just the maybe-Slovak-language blues rocker “Čas” behind it to close out.
The threat is made plain with the art by Richard Clifton-Dey (Blue Öyster Cult, many pulp book covers) out front as much as the lyrics to “At Midnight You Die” or “Strange Killer,” and with bassist Dominic Casciato and drummer Matthew Oliver — who is all over that bell of the ride cymbal in the hooky “Strange Killer” — in the propulsive rhythm section, Danava have never sounded so outwardly sharp. Where Hemisphere of Shadows basked in a rawer style in terms of the recording, Nothing But Nothing feels daring in its cleanliness and hard-edged presentation, letting the careening riffs that start on second-one of “Nothing But Nothing” and define much of the work here speak for themselves with resounding lucidity. One wouldn’t call it polished in a pop sense, but on the scale of Danava‘s own discography, it’s a definite and willful-feeling shift in intention and a choice that serves the songs well, the frenzied opener scorching the ground with still-accessible intensity en route to “Let the Good Times Kill,” the chorus of which reminds of Belladonna-era Anthrax in its head-down charge and no-room-for-bullshit mindset.
Force and momentum, gravity, thrust and g-o-spells-go, Danava use speed to knock their listeners off-balance at that outset, and in cuts like the duly-screaming instrumental “Season of Vengeance” and in the culminating solo of keyboard-laced side A closer “Enchanted Villain” that’s backed by a last chorus to complete its 6:58 stretch as the longest track here — a lead line bookends that reminds of whatever it is that opens Ross the Boss‘ show on Gimme Metal, but is roughed up and more for speed than grandiosity — they are outright dizzying in a way that can’t help but surge adrenaline.
“Enchanted Villain” lands that blow feeling like an arrival after the sprint that is “Season of Vengeance” — marked by the kind of turns that make most guitarists very, very angry in the studio — and its synthy middle underscores the ’80s metal vibe, rising out of harmonized guitars in the hook with a “Heaven and Hell”-ish chug behind and no time to waste, successfully conveying its titular enchantment before bringing the chug back to the forefront and making its way into its next solo and ending at about five and a half minutes in.
Of course, Nothing But Nothing isn’t all speed-metal haranguing, rampant memorable hooks and murderous-but-not-really lyrical themes, even if it’s mostly that. The finale “Čas” has already been noted as a departure linguistically, and its correspondingly quiet guitar intro, subdued verse and actually-midtempo roll — even Meleney‘s solo seems to try to restrain itself — are no less distinguished from the bulk of what precedes. Easing the transition there is “Nuthin But Nuthin,” which reimagines Judas Priest and Mk II Deep Purple as the same band; organ, brooding verse, gang-shout fist-pumper hook that delivers the title-line in a way that “Nothing But Nothing” shied away from in launching the album, brazen in its groove and aware of that which it speaks in terms of the influences it’s working from. And at the start of side B, “At Midnight You Die” is plenty fast but more NWOBHM than thrash, while “Strange Killer” lets up on the throttle some and is less jaw-clenched in its verse and own departure into fanfare, a choral part taking hold at 3:47 into the total 6:45 that’s there and gone in the spirit of that keyboard part in “Enchanted Villain” while making an impression of its own.
Branching out on side B is well in the wheelhouse for classic metal and heavy rock, but Danava are firm in their purposes throughout Nothing But Nothing, and whatever pace they’re keeping or elements are at play in the individual tracks, the progression across the album is natural and undeniable in the momentum they’re able to build going into the sweep that starts “Nuthin But Nuthin” and the moody finish that “Čas” — the title of which is ‘time’ in English according to a major tech company’s translation matrix — provides, rounding out a show-’em-how-it’s-done blueprint for bringing together different aspects of both styles from various eras preceding. An excellent and welcome return from an act who’ve earned their place as veterans.
If in hearing it one finds the spinning-in-circles madness of “Nothing But Nothing” or “Season of Vengeance,” the quicker parts of “Enchanted Villain,” etc., to be overwhelming, that would seem to be a big part of the point. It’s worth keeping in mind that wherever they go and however close they come to lightspeed in getting there, they’ve never out of control, not at all reckless, sloppy or haphazard, and if it’s landmarks you need to help keep up, they abound in choruses and riffs alike. Simply put, Danava — with Meleney as the founding principal — are masters of the form, and Nothing But Nothing is very much a thing in demonstrating that as furiously as it does. You might be sucking wind by the time they’re done, but that doesn’t mean you won’t also be ready to go around again.
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 29th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
I’m not going to pretend to have heard every band in this 16-strong announcement from Portugal’s SonicBlast Fest 2023, and honestly, that’s part of the appeal as far as I’m concerned. And if you’re looking for bigger names, certainly bringing in The Black Angels and Thuston Moore of Sonic Youth ought to qualify. But check out Mythic Sunship being confirmed, Mirror Queen heading abroad once again from their home in New York, Dozer supporting their first album in 15 years, Crippled Black Phoenix bringing their thoroughly English gloom to the otherwise sunshiny proceedings, Sasquatch pushing their forever-tour further presumably after completing the recording of their next LP, Danava and Love Gang both supporting new releases, on and on.
Is this the part where I tell you how killer the lineup looks and perhaps list off the various parts of my body I’d cut off in order to attend? Yeah, probably. But my own escapism aside, you can see for yourself what SonicBlast has put together in terms of a diverse range of sounds based around a unifying heavy ideal, and between the new names and those previously confirmed, it seems like it’s going to be a special couple days for those attending as well as the bands actually playing the thing. Maybe that could be you too.
Here’s the latest from social media:
We’re so proud and honored to announce 16 more bands that’ll blow our minds this summer, at SonicBlast Fest 2023 — The Black Angels, Thurston Moore Group, Bombino, Dozer, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX (official), Imarhan, Hällas, Scowl, SPY, Sasquatch, LOVE GANG, Mythic Sunship, Etran de L’Aïr, DANAVA, Mirror Queen and scatterbrainiac!!
Join us in this crazy heavy psychedelic weekend by the ocean at Praia da Duna dos Caldeirões, Âncora, Portugal!
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 21st, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Man, that new Danava single is some hot shit. Three and a half minutes. A burner. Hevvy fuggin metuhl.
I kind of feel like the new Danava record and tour is this winter’s funniest worst kept secret. The tour dates have been shared around for a while, and word of the album title, Nothing But Nothing, goes back to the end of 2021. But the PR wire has made it all official — April 28 release, preorders up from Tee Pee — with the tracklisting and the tour dates and so on, and brought the single along for the ride, and yeah, that song just kicks ass. There’s a lot of classic metal happening right now, but the way Danava do it, right on the line between rock groove and more aggressive intent, is a distinguishing factor if their reputation and past work isn’t. I’ve been lucky enough to see them a couple times, and would be happy to do so again one of these years. Aside from being a band somebody decided a while back was important, they’re destroyers on stage.
The PR wire takes it:
DANAVA: Hard Rockin’, Cosmic Metallers Return with Tour, Album and Single After Decade on the Road
New LP Nothing But Nothing is released 28th April on Tee Pee Records
Rising from the depths of hell with fury, wrath, and rage, Danava – Portland’s hard rock anti-heroes – return with the release Nothing But Nothing, their first album in over a decade and a devastating collection of songs to soundtrack the inevitable decline of western civilisation.
Scheduled for release this April on Tee Pee Records, Danava, who formed in 2003, will mark their twentieth year of collective existence while seeking to deliver a sound that incorporates hard rock, heavy metal and a fire forged in the spirit of Iommi and Schenker.
Ever since the release of their debut album in 2006 the band has adopted a scorched earth approach that has blazed brightly through psychedelic metal solos, glam-rock flair, fret-board wizardry, 70s prog and a white line fever reminiscent of Lemmy at his most lethal.
With our world going to hell in a handcart make no mistake, we need Danava now more than ever. Fortunately for us, this March and April the band is taking to the road for a US tour (see dates below) ahead of the official release of Nothing But Nothing on Tee Pee Records on 28th April 2023.
TOUR DATES: 14th March – Brick by Brick – San Diego, CA 15th March – The Echo – Los Angeles, CA 16th March – Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA 18th March – Dante’s – Portland, OR 19th March – Substation – Seattle, WA 21st March – Aces High Saloon – Salt Lake City, UT 22nd March – Denver HQ – Denver, CO 24th March – White Oak – Houston, TX 26th March – The Goat – New Orleans, LA 28th March – Boggs Social & Supply – Atlanta, GA 29th March – New Brookland Tavern – West Columbia, SC 30th March – Richmond Music Hall – Richmond, VA 31st March – First Unitarian Church (Basement) – Philadelphia, PA 1st April – Brooklyn Made – Brooklyn, NY 2nd April – The Ottobar – Baltimore, MD 5th April – Brillobox – Pittsburgh, PA 6th April – Small’s – Hamtramck, MI 8th April – Reggie’s/Music Joint – Chicago, IL
TRACK LISTING:
1. Nothing But Nothing 2. Let the Good Times Kill 3. Season of Vengeance 4. Enchanted Villain 5. At Midnight You Die 6. Strange Killer 7. Nuthin But Nuthin 8. Čas
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 14th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
You don’t need much more here than the list of bands, which is its own excuse for being. Italian label Heavy Psych Sounds returns to the States at the end of next month with Heavy Psych Sounds Fests in Los Angeles and San Francisco. With the day-splits announced, you get a little more sense of how the two nights in two cities will function (it’s not an insignificant drive from one to the other, mind you) and share bands, but any way you go, you don’t lose, whether you’re looking at Dead Meadow and Weedeater headlining, the appearances of long-running acts like 16 and Danava and Nebula, or relative newcomers in Kadabra or Mountain Tamer and others from the label’s ever-expanding roster of talent.
It’s a fucking solid two day lineup. Doesn’t look completely overwhelming. Looks like a party, which is exactly what I expect it will be for those fortunate enough to be in attendance. Maybe that’s you. If so, cheers. I hear Bongzilla like it if you bring them weed.
From the PR wire:
HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST CALIFORNIA 2022 – DAY SPLITS LINE UP
– feat. DEAD MEADOW, WEEDEATER, THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX, BONGZILLA, NEBULA, DANAVA and many more –
HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS in cooperation with SUBLIMINAL SF and SOS BOOKING present:
HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST CALIFORNIA 2022
28 & 29 May
(Memorial Day weekend)
LOS ANGELES @ 1720 Club
SATURDAY, MAY 28th
DEAD MEADOW DANAVA NEBULA HIPPIE DEATH CULT 16 KADABRA MOUNTAIN TAMER
SUNDAY, MAY 29th
WEEDEATER BONGZILLA THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX HIGH REEPER WARLUNG THE FREEKS JD PINKUS HIGH TON SON OF A BITCH
SAN FRANCISCO @ Openair at Thee Parkside
SATURDAY, MAY 28th
WEEDEATER BONGZILLA THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX HOT LUNCH HIGH REEPER WARLUNG JD PINKUS HIGH TON SON OF A BITCH
SUNDAY, MAY 29th
DEAD MEADOW DANAVA NEBULA HIPPIE DEATH CULT 16 KADABRA MOUNTAIN TAMER DISASTROID
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 3rd, 2021 by JJ Koczan
It’s been a solid decade since Portland’s we-get-to-say-we-were-here-first heavy rock traditionalists Danava released their last full-length, Hemisphere of Shadows, but as they look to follow-up their 2016 single, “At Midnight You Die” (review here), the band announce their new record, Nothing But Nothing, will be the manner in which they do so. That’s sure to elicit shrieks of joy from the Pacific Northwest and any number of other places that have people with ears, and it leads to the inevitable question of when or whether the band will get back on the road. They’ve invariably played whichever is your favorite festival, and they’ve done no shortage of tour-time over their near-20 years, so what the hell. Could happen, right?
I’ve been wondering when Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats are going to announce their own album and tour, both of which were originally booked for 2020. Danava have been out with them any number of times across the US, so a re-pairing doesn’t seem completely out of line. I guess we’ll find out eventually.
No release date or anything — the album isn’t recorded yet — but they’ll apparently do a new EP too. No argument.
How are ya, Planet Earth?! (WARNING: LONG BUT WORTH IT) we hope you’re all as well as can be in this greatest month of the year. Every year, bout this time, we do a Halloween themed shirt. This year we jus couldn’t deliver… because we’re busy as hell and headed for the studio to record our new album, “NOTHING BUT NOTHING” this Winter. Along with that, we have an EP planned, as well as an archival live album from a Dublin show we did with our old pals Witchcraft back in 2008. We’re excited to bring some new noise to yas, man! Been awhile… SPREAD THE GODDAMN WORD like we did in the days when music changed lives, damnit!! OH! Before we cut the line, we wanted to to tell you Portland family and friends that ONE a WEEK from today, @winkvintage is hosting @allgoodsigns and @shagmetohell for a rippin pop upper! You see this here mirror? There are only two in existence forever. One belongs to yours truly and the other will be for sale at the pop up next week. October 17. 11am-3pm! For the rest of yas? We have a shiiiitoad of this kind of stuff comin but FIRST? The new album. Until then…
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 2nd, 2019 by JJ Koczan
With a poster that would seem to honor the Frank Kozik heavy rock works of yore — and by “yore,” I mean about 20-25 years ago — Heavy Psych Sounds Fest will return to California for the second time in 2020, bringing the mightiest Golden State trio Earthless as headliners for stops in San Francisco and Los Angeles, while none other than desert ultra-pioneers Yawning Man will headline a second night in SF with a totally different lineup at a totally different venue. So it works out to be two nights in San Fran, one night in L.A., and the first San Fran show and the L.A. show are the same four bands — Earthless, Danava, High Reeper and Crypt Trip. Meanwhile, as that bill heads south along the coast to L.A., moving into SF is the five-pack of Yawning Man, Brant Bjork — who’ll do a solo acoustic show! — Hot Lunch, Turn Me on Dead Man and recent Heavy Psych Sounds label signees Disastroid.
Not frickin’ shabby, as the kids might (not) say.
You had to know Heavy Psych Sounds Fest would be back in Cali in 2020 after the successful West Coast stint earlier this year, so now where know where and when and with whom it’s happening. Ticket presales are on as of today, so do it up.
Here’s the info:
Earthless, Brant Bjork, Yawning Man and More to Team Up for Heavy Psych Sounds U.S. Festival Dates
Influential Italian Rock ‘N’ Roll Record Label Continues to Expand Its Sphere into North America; Spring 2020 Showcases in Los Angeles and San Francisco Announced
Respected underground rock record label Heavy Psych Sounds is proud to announce details of its 2020 U.S. ‘Heavy Psych Sounds Fest’ live events. Set for March 27 in San Francisco and March 28 in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, the special shows will spotlight an exclusive selection of Heavy Psych Sounds’ blue-chip roster, including live sets from acts such as ex-Kyuss musician Brant Bjork, Yawning Man, High Reeper and Crypt Trip, as well as special guests Earthless, Danava and more.
Headquartered in Rome, Italy, Heavy Psych Sounds specializes in presenting the best artists in the global heavy psych, doom, fuzz blues and space rock realms, and the Heavy Psych Sounds Fest series is no exception, spotlighting the ever-growing label’s dedication to its craft. Earlier this year, the label launched the U.S. festival series with shows in Austin, Dallas, LA and San Francisco; the events met to shining acclaim.
“We are so delighted to announce the second edition of the Heavy Psych Sounds Fests set for this coming spring in California,” says Heavy Psych Sounds label owner Gabriele Fiore. “We are excited to get so many cool bands on board as these line-ups look incredibly rad. Heavy Psych Sounds Records is so proud to have a growing roster of both trendsetting and up-and-coming U.S. based bands and these special shows will prove exactly why.”
HPS FEST CALIFORNIA
Friday 27 March San Francisco – Rickshaw Stop EARTHLESS DANAVA HIGH REEPER CRYPT TRIP
Posted in Reviews on April 28th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
The Well — not to be confused with the Austin, Texas, band of the same name — is around the corner from where The Acheron used to be in Brooklyn and there still stands The Anchored Inn as a congregation point. I was there for not the day’s first cup of coffee before day two of the inaugural Desertfest NYC kicked off back at the venue. It was cloudy and the air was chilled — April in New York — but by the time Electric Citizen were done, the sun was out and would remain so for the bulk of the day. That helped all the more since the main stage was outside.
A large tent was erected on an expansive enclave of a patio space. In back was the merch area, seating at picnic tables and along the other side there was a bar, taco stand, and the raised shipping container up some stairs that had been converted to a backstage lounge, complete with deck. The vibe was immediately relaxed and cool, with another bar inside and the second stage, in a smaller room off to the side of The Well‘s main corridor. My first time in the space, and it seemed ready for the event from its basic structure to the tent outside, though if Desertfest NYC is going to be an annual event, they’ll need a bigger one.
The afternoon kicked off soon enough, but though the venue switched from the Saint Vitus Bar the evening prior, the mood around was much the same. It was something Ron Holzner of The Skull would effectively summarize in saying, “About damn time we had a European festival come to the States. A sign of good things to come.” One hopes he’s correct in the foresight.
It was a packed nine-band day, mostly alternating back and forth between the stages, and it went vaguely like this:
Electric Citizen
It had been a few years since I last caught Ohio heavy rockers Electric Citizen, but their 2018 album, Helltown (review here), was a stripped down and switched on groover that at the same time offered the band’s most developed sense of melody yet, so yes, it was something to look forward to. I don’t think they were helped by the early slot, but with the bill as stacked as it was, there wasn’t really anywhere else to put them. There was, fortunately, a good crowd to start the day off, and that only grew in number as the RidingEasy Records five-piece went on, their sound pulling elements from cult rock, glam, doom and proto-metal in order to create a brew that’s readily familiar and nuanced at the same time. They played as a five-piece, with keys alongside the guitar, bass, drums and vocals, and frontwoman Laura Dolan noted from the stage that this was their sendoff for a European tour. They’ll spend the month of May in the UK and EU, playing Desertfest in London and Berlin as well as other dates before and after. They sounded ready to go, to say the least.
Tower
Immediately after Electric Citizen wrapped on the main stage, the second stage launched with the classic metal stylings of Tower, who continue a tradition of gritty NY homage to the NWOBHM and early thrash that goes back pretty much to when that sound was current. There’s always been a place for that stuff in New York, and Tower represented well what Brooklyn has done in the wake of bands like Early Man in the last decade and Natur and others in this one, two guitars blazing to coincide with the first off-stage frontperson of the weekend — presumably not the last, though one never knows — and a riotous stage presence that all the more justified that spillover onto the floor. They were probably the most metal act of the day, but still well accessible to the Desertfest NYC crowd. I’ve made the argument a thousand times at this point that classic metal is the domain of the heavy underground. Tower were another notch in favor of that position, and they effectively captured the spirit of the metal to which they were paying homage via their material. Not unfamiliar, but that’s the point.
Danava
Back on the main stage, Portland, Oregon, stalwarts Danava answered such metallurgy with a bit of boogie, a bit of NWOBHM dual-guitar action, and a lot of soul. I’ve been fortunate enough to see Danava a couple times over the years, and though my initial impression of them wasn’t positive, they’ve proven consistent in terms of the high-quality of their work on stage and off — my initial impression, in other words, was wrong. The simple fact that they haven’t put a record out in eight years and continue to get booked on shows like Desertfest NYC and Psycho Las Vegas, where they’ll play the pool party in August, should speak volumes to their continued relevance, and though they had the At Midnight You Die single (review here) out through Tee Pee in 2016, you would have to say they’re due for a record. Overdue. But they killed. Founding guitarist/vocalist Gregory Meleney warned the crowd before they played what was presumably a new song, “Nothing but Nothing,” that they might screw it up, but by all appearances they nailed it, which was basically the case for their entire set.
The Skull
Yeah, I know The Skull is Ron Holzner and Eric Wagner from Trouble, and I know they’ve got Rob Wrong from Witch Mountain on guitar alongside Lothar Keller and they’ve got Brian Dixon from Cathedral on drums (though it was Chad Walls for this show). They’ve got all that, and I won’t take away from anyone’s pedigree whatsoever. But you know what else The Skull have? Songs. Songs. Songs. They’ve got songs that are memorable. Songs that stay with you after you put the album down and move onto the next thing. Songs that, when they play them on stage, you go, “Oh shit yeah, this song!” as I did when they launched into “When the Sun Turns Black” from their 2014 debut, For Those Which are Asleep (review here) and the title-track of last year’s follow-up, The Endless Road Tuns Dark (review here). Stage presence is a factor, of course, and if you’re going to call anyone in American doom a supergroup, it’s probably fair to do so for The Skull, but whatever they do, their foundation is there in the songs, and it’s the songs that carry them most of all. They were and are the best example I can think of for a band building something new out of a storied legacy.
Worshipper
Boston’s Worshipper packed the second stage room beyond capacity — there was a line out the door to get in — and played like a band who are about to release one of the best records of the year, which they are in the form of their second album, Light in the Wire (review here). They opened with “Visions from Beyond” and “Coming Through” from that offering and gave a preview of what they’re soon to take on the road in Europe with their Tee Pee labelmates in The Skull — they too will be at Desertfest‘s London and Berlin editions — as guitarist John Brookhouse and bassist Bob Maloney proffered dead-on vocal harmonies on material new and old, guitarist Alejandro Necochea tore into leads and offered more harmony alongside Brookhouse‘s guitar, and drummer Dave Jarvis pushed the entire thing forward, grounding the psychedelic stretches and keeping momentum on their side, which it was for the duration. They were the band I was most looking forward to in the lineup for the day, particularly in light of their new album, and they very clearly played to the momentousness of the occasion at the first American Desertfest. It was the kind of thing I’ll be glad to have seen.
Weedeater
Some technical trouble with the bass amp before Weedeater went on, but plenty of shenanigans to fill the time and bassist/vocalist “Dixie” Dave Colins spat out auctioneer’s chatter and lines like “crack rocks” and “wow, wow, mom” in checking the mic. The North Carolinian trio — Collins, guitarist Dave “Shep” Shepherd, drummer Ramsey Ateyeh (I think; someone please correct me if I’m wrong) — are on a forever-tour, their last record, Goliathan (review here), having come out in 2015, but they absolutely packed that tent and people went apeshit for them to the point that, when I went into the photo pit later for Windhand, the barricade had moved up in front of the stage to the point that there was no more access to the other side. Weedeater do nothing but deliver, and I know Dixie is kind of playing to character, but dude is working from the moment he hits stage to the moment he leaves. He’s the James Brown of sludge, and Weedeater‘s legend has grown all the more over their nearly-25-years because of that. They played the songs they always play, they kicked ass like they always do, and they proved once more that there’s only ever been and there only ever will be one Weedeater. Accept no substitutes.
Mirror Queen
Let’s face it: you’re never going to beat Weedeater at their own game. Luckily for all involved, Mirror Queen were on a different wavelength entirely. Their progressive-tinged classic heavy rock is a staple of New York’s underground, and with guitarist/vocalist Kenny Sehgal‘s dual-role as the head of Tee Pee Records, their inclusion was all the more fitting. The four-piece, with Morgan McDaniel on guitar, James Corallo on bass and Jeremy O’Brien on drums, bounced and careened through a set that acquitted them well with the Desertfest crowd — doubly fortunate since they’ll be in Berlin soon enough — and asked nothing by way of indulgence while bringing to bear material of melody and weight that wanted neither in perspective or delivery. Mirror Queen have been around, and have had their share of lineup turnover, but the band as they are now was only engaging, and to those familiar with them and not in the crowd, they were a return to consciousness after the bash over the head that the main stage had just delivered. Heavy rock and roll is always welcome, and Mirror Queen were a fitting reminder why.
Windhand
Like Weedeater before them, like Black Cobra the night prior and like Monolord and Elder to follow the next day, Windhand were not an unknown quantity, but for a festival brand feeling its way out in a hard city, they made perfect sense for the bill, and their doom was absolutely massive in the tent that held the main stage. I had been thinking after The Skull played that there was no doom left for anyone else — and certainly Windhand‘s 2018 album, Eternal Return (review here), had more going on than just that — but the Richmond, Virginia, four-piece managed to scrape enough together in order to feel like they were burying the crowd alive in low end. I will gladly argue for Windhand as being among the most important bands of their generation, particularly for those who’ve come up since and have taken influence from the sense of atmosphere they bring to their material in the studio and on stage, and though they had a hard act to follow on the main stage, they lived up to even the mighty expectations that are placed on them at this point wherever they go. They are a headlining band, full stop. They’ve worked hard to become one, and they deserve every bit of significant acclaim they’ve garnered over the years, while still sounding like they want nothing more than to move forward.
Steak
Ambassadors from London’s populous heavy underground, Steak were nothing short of a refreshing way to close out the night. They’ve been a staple act of Desertfest London, which guitarist Reece Tee is also involved in organizing via Desertscene, as he was with Desertfest New York, so like Mirror Queen, they also had a family connection to the proceedings, but even their soundcheck drew a crowd keyed in to the fuzz tone and heavy roll they let loose. They were not halfway through the first song before frontman Chris “Kippa” Haley was standing on the front-of-stage riser, and he’d spend a goodly portion of the set up there, toasting the crowd and personifying the entire band’s really-glad-to-be-here mood, which was infectious. They too packed out the second stage room and held the crowd for the duration, begging a revisit for 2017’s No God to Save (review here) and showing off the development in their dynamic since which is set to manifest on their next record, due out before they play Keep it Low in Munich this October. Seeing them live for the first time in I don’t even want to count how many years only made me look forward to that more, whenever and however it might actually show up, and for the first Desertfest New York, they hit stage like a mission statement of what the festival brand is all about, from top to bottom. It was right on and then some.
—
It was not a small amount of day. As of now, it’s about two hours until it’s time to get back on the road from New Jersey to Brooklyn for the third and final round with Desertfest New York. The weather thus far seems to be uncooperative, but we’ll see how it all pans out this afternoon. Shower first. Shower first.
