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Sherman Fest: Remembrance Benefit for Dave Sherman Lineup Announced

Posted in Whathaveyou on September 14th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

All kidding aside, if Maryland Doom Fest wanted to rebrand as Sherman Fest, I feel like event-organizer JB Matson (also of Bloodshot, War Injun, Outside Truth, etc.) would be well within rights. There is no overstating the impact Dave Sherman — generally “Sherm” if you were saying hey at a show — of EarthrideSpirit CaravanWeed is Weed and so many others had on Maryland’s ever-vital doom underground, and the tributes continue to come through in the wake of his passing on Sept. 4.

A benefit has been expected. This is what Maryland doom does. In the long tradition of the American working class looking out for its own because, well, it’s not like anyone else is stepping up to help, the underground based around Frederick — now with a home at Cafe 611 where the aforementioned Maryland Doom Fest is held; formerly centered at Krug’s Place down across the way from the 7-Eleven, where Stoner Hands of Doom resided for a few editions — a benefit festival for Sherman‘s family is well in character for that scene. They’ve done a ton of them over the years, from Evil Fanny to Rev. Jim Forrester to Adam Heinzmann of Foghound — who’ll play Sherman Fest — to any number of others. It’s part of the mourning process, and like the poster says in this case, part of celebrating the life and music of Dave Sherman.

And in the last week, having seen some of Sherm-stories these bands have told — BorrachoThousand Vision Mist, even Place of Skulls — it’s clear this lineup is hand-picked for the purpose. I don’t know how you could play a benefit in this dude’s honor and not have the show of your life. Emotion and volume will flow in kind.

Poster and info follow. Doom bless Dave Sherman:

Sherman Fest Poster

Sherman Fest – Live at Cafe 611

Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022

611 N. Market St., Frederick, MD

This is a unique music scene and this get together is a tribute to Dave Sherman’s legacy.

All proceeds are in Dave’s name to support his mother through this tragedy.

Lineup:
Place of Skulls
Foghound
Mangog
Alex Wickham & Johnny Wretched
Bloodshot
Pimmit Hills
Bonded by Darkness
Borracho
Thousand Vision Mist
The Crows Eye
Faith in Jane
Born of Plagues

Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1019802608697365

Poster by Bill Kole.

https://www.facebook.com/MdDoomFest/
https://www.instagram.com/marylanddoomfest/
www.marylanddoomfest.com

Earthride, “Earthride” Live at Maryland Doom Fest 2017

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R.I.P. Dave Sherman, 1966-2022

Posted in Features on September 6th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

earthride dave sherman

After truly living doom as much anyone ever has, Dave Sherman, bassist of Spirit Caravan and King Valley and frontman of Earthride, Wretched, Weed is Weed, and Galactic Cross, among others, has died. Word spread through social media that Sherman had passed; though the rumor was a cardiac event, the cause is yet unconfirmed. Born Oct. 16, 1966, Sherman was 55 years old.

Sherman was an inimitable stage presence and a creative soul. He always had a touch of mischief, but also always wanted everyone in on the joke. He was bigger than every stage he played on, and he played on every size stage. I had the good fortune to be in touch with him over the years about music, several interviews, and so on. Sometimes he was one of the smart kids playing dumb. When he walked into a room, you knew it, not the least by his voice.

And at least in my own experience, he was a humble, sweet guy. Shy in a way. I’ll miss thinking there might be another Earthride record coming or a chance of another Spirit Caravan reunion, or another Galactic Cross record, though the Earthride catalog remains particularly pristine for something that delighted in sounding so totally dirty.

He should have been mayor of Frederick, Maryland, but he was royalty in that scene and his loss will be felt for years. Doom on the East Coast and beyond grieves.

As bassist for Shine and Spirit Caravan, Sherman provided a perfect counterpoint to the guitar of Scott “Wino” Weinrich, and the two remain linked indelibly through the work they did on Spirit Caravan’s two full-lengths, EP, and other releases. Stirring the pot at front of the stage for Earthride, he was a man in his element. I can see him on stage at Cafe 611, Maryland doom incarnate at Maryland Doom Fest, soaking it in like the life force it was. And that is how I prefer to remember him. In his band, in that spot.

Dave Sherman will be missed.

On behalf of myself — still somewhat reeling, so pardon me — and this site, I send condolences to everyone who knew Sherm, and that was a great many people. His bandmates and family alone is a long list, especially for a man who made so many feel like family. To his friends in Frederick and worldwide, love.

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Bobby Liebling & Dave Sherman: Pentagram and Earthride Members Team for Nite Owl Release

Posted in Whathaveyou on June 24th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

What started out in 2009 as a limited CDR from Bobby Liebling’s Ram Family is now being given the moniker Bobby Liebling & Dave Sherman Basement Chronicles and released under the title Nite Owl on LP and CD through Svart Records. If you recall the Liebling documentary Last Days Here (review here), some of this music was featured. It was pretty raw then and is now as well, but you know, you bring together two of Maryland/D.C. doom’s most celebrated figures in Sherman and Liebling — not to mention Gary Isom and Russ Strahan, who both also add guitar and songwriting — there’s going to be some manner of continued interest.

Liebling earlier this year released the debut from The Limit, also through Svart. He’s about as close to ‘canceled’ as I’ve seen anyone in the doom community come — if the sexual-harassment-on-tour allegations didn’t do it, the assault on his mother seemed to — but remains a figurehead in Chesapeake heavy, and so yeah, putting this stuff out makes sense. Don’t be surprised if Pentagram makes a comeback either. That’s how it goes.

Release here is Oct. 29. Info follows:

nite owl basement chronicles

Nite Owl by Bobby Liebling and Dave Sherman Basement Chronicles

Preorder LP: https://svartrecords.com/product/bobby-liebling-dave-sherman-nite-owl-album/

Nite Owl by Bobby Liebling and Dave Sherman Basement Chronicles is a set of doom bangers, fuzz rockers and meditative late night boogie finally made available to a wider audience.

In the early years of the new millennium doom metal legend Bobby Liebling was going through a quieter period after the Pentagram lineup that had brought us the album Show ‘Em How had disbanded. Dave Sherman, Liebling’s longtime friend and a renowned doom metal musician (Earthride, Spirit Caravan) started hanging out with Bobby more regularly and eventually the duo decided it’s time to record something and see what it would bring. “After having crashed my car”, Sherman recounts, “I was regularly packing my 4 track into a backpack, saddling up on my iron horse and riding over in the dead of night to visit Bobby. He was in sore spirits and solitary at the time so I’d started going over to keep him company, thumb through his record collection, talk music and party. These hang sessions inspired us both, so I ended up writing some riffs. With the lights of the recorder lit, these night songs effortlessly flowed out of us and were chronicled in one take.”

The Nite Owl album is the first time these recordings, a snippet of which can be heard in the cult classic documentary Last Days Here, are made available officially apart from CD-r “I Plead The Fifth” of which just a handful of copies were made by the artists. The Svart version is also remastered and partially remixed at Noise For Fiction studios, for a slightly more amplified and less lo-fi experience.

Tracklisting:
I’m Takin’ No More (Liebling / Isom)
Drop The Gun (Liebling / Sherman)
You’re Like The Wind (Liebling)
All Lit Up (Liebling / Sherman)
Last Call (Liebling / Sherman)
Space Marshall (Liebling / Sherman)
Sweet Street Cheater (Liebling / Sherman)
Nite Owl (Liebling / Sherman)
South Of The Swamp (Liebling / Strahan)

Lineup:
Russ Strahan – Guitars (lead, slide)
Dave Sherman – Guitars (rhythm), Bass, Drums, Percussion
Gary Isom – Guitars (rhythm, harmony)
Bobby Liebling – Vocals, Guitars (lead, rhythm), Bass, Percussion

www.svartrecords.com
www.facebook.com/svartrecords

Bobby Liebling & Dave Sherman Basement Chronicles, “South of the Swamp”

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Six Dumb Questions with Earthride

Posted in Six Dumb Questions on September 11th, 2017 by JJ Koczan

earthride

This week marks the arrival of the first new Earthride release in more than half a decade. The new single, Witch Gun, arrives via Salt of the Earth Records as the follow-up to their third full-length, 2010’s Something Wicked (review here), which brought an expanded melodic palette from what the Frederick, Maryland, doom scene kingpins brought to their earlier work on 2005’s Vampire Circus, 2002’s Taming of the Demons and their initial 2000 self-titled EP, songs like “Destruction Song,” “Watch the Children Play” and the opening title-track itself showing considerable growth on the part of the band, who remain in no small part defined by the unmistakable character and presence of their frontman, Dave Sherman.

Earthride returns in 2017 following a stint on Sherman‘s part first in the reformed trio Spirit Caravan and bozzoven earthride tourthen in The Obsessed that ended following the recording of that band’s 2017 comeback LP, Sacred (review here), but in addition to fronting Weed is Weed, working on the new project Siren of Sorrows, and a history in and impact on Chesapeake doom that rivals the likes of Pentagram‘s own Bobby LieblingSherman is no less defined by his work in Earthride than Earthride is defined by him. The thick grooves he rides so fluidly on vocals on cuts like “Earthride” from the self-titled or “Fighting the Devils Inside of You.” The track “Witch Gun” is no less a part of this pantheon of Earthride landmarks, and perhaps all the more so for the future productivity it might be kicking off.

With the prospect of making a new album for release in 2018 ahead of them, Earthride will hit the road in October alongside unhinged sludge purveyors Buzzov*en. It’s more than a solid match. Both acts are legends in their field and have grit to spare and a reputation for chaos. As Earthride take to stages for the first time with the lineup of Sherman, founding drummer Eric Little (who also was in the lineup for Church of Misery‘s latest LP), guitarist Greg Ball and bassist Edmund Allen Brown, they’ll no doubt be exposing a new generation of listeners to their hugely lumbering grooves and riffs that for the last 17-plus years have more than lived up to their stated ethic of “Pure Maryland Doom for the Brotherhood of Music.” All the better to give their audience a glimpse of what next year might hold in a new release, further touring, and a more fully reborn Earthride.

Sherman was kind enough to discuss all this and more. Please enjoy the following Six Dumb Questions:

earthride-witch-gun

Six Dumb Questions with Dave Sherman of Earthride

Tell me about stepping back into Earthride after being with Spirit Caravan and The Obsessed. How much does Earthride feel like coming home for you? You’ve been doing Weed is Weed all along, but how different is it for you fronting Earthride?

It feels very refreshing especially after I was treated unfairly in The Obsessed. I’ve known Eric Little since we were in high school together. We were in one of our first bands as well — Judgement Hammer — 1986-ish, which was Eric Little drums, Dave Sherman bass, Kelly Carmichael guitar and Billy Rines voice. We played two Pentagram songs the song “Black Sabbath” and three or four originals that later mutated into Internal Void riffs. I love Weed is Weed, which we came out with an EP available digitally [through our] Facebook. Check that out, but fronting the mighty Earthride, getting back at the helm feels real good again.

How did the new lineup for Earthride come together? Who’s in the band now and how have the shows and rehearsals been? Of course you’re working with Kyle Van Steinburg and Eric Little again, but how much has Earthride changed over time for you? How do you feel about how the band has grown?

I was drinking local pub Guido’s in Frederick, Maryland, and I ran into an old friend Edmund Allen Brown. We started talking music and he’s one of the best bass players I’ve ever met and a real go-getter, so I thought what a perfect bass player for Earthride. Greg Ball was in a band Hovel and was willing to try out as the second guitar player and Kyle is gonna be on the 45 new single Witch Gun, out on Salt of the Earth USA and Totem Cat out of France and distribution for Europe, but the new band sounds killer and it feels good to hear the songs again.

You played Maryland Doom Fest in June. How was that experience? Maryland Doom has grown so much since Earthride got going, and of course your history goes back much further than that. How do you feel about where the scene is now and where do you think it’s heading? Does “pure Maryland doom” still mean the same thing for you?

Maryland Doom Fest was so good. Everybody was so into it and so happy to see Earthride again, smiling, cheering, headbanging. It was a pleasant surprise I think because the band’s old and has had a bit of longevity in the scene and we just never got out there as much as we should have. Now that we have the new band and lineup we are fired up about getting out a new album and tour. We are going out with Buzzov*en in October for 10 shows, East Coast, Midwest. Just from the MD Doom Fest standpoint, I think the scene is growing around the world and has grown beyond belief from what it was back in the day, and I want to Thank JB Matson and Mark Cruikshank for having this amazing festival. Cheers.

It’s been seven years since Something Wicked came out and 15 since Taming of the Demons. What can fans expect from the next Earthride album? Where are you in the process of putting it together? Do you know yet who’s doing the recording/producing or has that started? Will the songs from the new single also be on the record?

I have a ton of ideas and so does the rest of the band. We recorded the Witch Gun single at Omega Studio in Rockville, Maryland, so that is probably where we will record the new record at. Out next year. Hopefully working on the material now.

You’re doing the Descendants of Crom fest in Pittsburgh in September, but will Earthride tour for the new album? Any chance you could be headed to the West Coast or Europe in 2018, or is it a wait-and-see kind of deal for when the album comes out?

Yeah, we’re excited about everything we’re about to do and about what we’re trying to conquer which is people’s ears and trying to destroy their subconscious with heavy music. We’re doing the tour with Buzzov*en like I said on the East Coast and Midwest, which is gonna be a blast since they’re old friends of mine, but in 2018 we plan to do some more touring, try to get this new record out there. I would like to get back to Europe with the band and possibly do Roadburn or tour some festivals.

Any other plans or closing words you want to mention?

I appreciate the interview and I would like everybody to be looking for us: Earthride, Weed is Weed and a very new project called Siren of Sorrows which has Starr Piazza on voice from the band Serpent Witch. Thanks and peace.

Earthride, Live at Maryland Doom Fest 2017

Earthride on Thee Facebooks

Salt of the Earth Records website

Salt of the Earth Records on Thee Facebooks

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Wino Wednesday: Spirit Caravan, “Dove-Tongued Aggressor” Live at Hellfest 2014

Posted in Bootleg Theater on July 30th, 2014 by JJ Koczan

As an American, it’s hard for me to imagine the scale of an event like Hellfest, which takes place every June in Clisson, France, but certainly easy enough to admire it. The Valley stage seems to be here Hellfest hosts its Heavy, and from the likes of Black Pyramid to Neurosis to Unida, it’s a stage that’s been graced by some of the best bands the underground has to offer. This year, as part of their European reunion tour, Spirit CaravanWino on guitar/vocals, Dave Sherman on bass/vocals, Henry Vasquez on drums — made a stop at Hellfest as well, which seems only fitting. Wino had played there with The Obsessed a couple years back, and after appearances this spring at Desertfest and of course across the US, it’s a natural stop.

Perhaps it’s because I didn’t get to see them on their North American tour with Pilgrim that I’m so hung up on footage from the Spirit Caravan reunion gigs this year, or maybe it’s just that there’s so much video out there that I have a lot to choose from. Either way, the more the merrier as far as I’m concerned. The clip below of “Dove-Tongued Aggressor” finds the three-piece locked into one of their most satisfying rolling grooves, Vasquez killing it on drums as he will while Sherman tilts his head back for the ride and Wino stands poised at the microphone like he’s about to fight it. Very, very cool video.

The song was featured earlier this year around the time the US dates were announced and comes from Spirit Caravan‘s swansong 2003 compilation, The Last Embrace. It’s one of the last tracks they’d record before splitting up, and echoes some of the themes Wino would later explore in The Hidden Hand, but as they showcase here, is still definitively a Spirit Caravan nod.

Enjoy and have a great Wino Wednesday:

Spirit Caravan, “Dove-Tongued Aggressor” Live at Hellfest 2014

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Wino Wednesday: Spirit Caravan, “Dead Love/Jug Fulla Sun” at London Desertfest 2014

Posted in Bootleg Theater on July 16th, 2014 by JJ Koczan

Yeah, I know this isn’t the first Wino Wednesday clip culled from the video evidence snagged at this year’s Desertfest in London. Not even close, actually. But unlike Wino‘s sit-in with Weedeater (seen here) and his acoustic set with Spirit Caravan bandmate Dave Sherman (seen here), this week’s video is actually of Spirit Caravan performing. If that’s too minor a distinction, I apologize. Stick around and it’ll be something else next week.

For now, shot from the side of the stage in a rather nostalgic black and white, we see Sherman, drummer Henry Vasquez and, deep in the shot, Wino himself performing “Dead Love/Jug Fulla Sun” from Spirit Caravan‘s classic 1999 debut, Jug Fulla Sun. In a big way, the album would define the band going forward, and while their 2001 follow-up/swansong, Elusive Truth, brought new edges to the sound and they continued to progress right up to the new studio tracks they included with their final offering, the 2003 The Last Embrace compilation, Jug Fulla Sun remains a standout 15 years later in capturing the trio as they were in a natural, heavy rolling state. It’s hard to imagine the smooth instrumental “Dead Love” section and “Jug Fulla Sun” without each other, and as Sherman stomps out the groove in the early going of the latter, I can’t help but agree. Simply one of heavy rock’s best nods.

Spirit Caravan just reissued Jug Fulla Sun on a limited, hand-screened LP — Exile on Mainstream had them for sale — and they looked absolutely gorgeous. It’s a worthy investment as the band’s reunion continues and they promise work on a new album, which would be their first studio outing since Elusive Truth. More on that to come, I’m sure, but until then, hope you enjoy “Dead Love/Jug Fulla Sun” and get a sense of just how much vitality there is at the heart of this band.

Happy Wino Wednesday:

Spirit Caravan, “Dead Love/Jug Fulla Sun” Live at Desertfest London 2014

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Wino Wednesday: Spirit Caravan Honors Jason McCash in Tennessee

Posted in Bootleg Theater on April 16th, 2014 by JJ Koczan

The Spirit Caravan reunion US tour is over as of last night, but I expect we’ll be seeing videos still coming out from it for a while. One of the best I’ve seen, or at least the most heartening, is this one from Tennessee. Playing The Hideaway in Johnson City just last week, Spirit Caravan bassist/vocalist Dave Sherman took the time to shout out fallen The Gates of Slumber bass player Jason McCash and say a few words about him and the underground doom community as a whole — subjects about which he knows no small amount, to be sure. Though Spirit Caravan won’t have had the chance, Sherman‘s own outfit, Earthride shared gigs and festival bills numerous times with the Indianapolis trad doomers, and The Gates of Slumber were always embraced by Maryland’s passionate scene — a haven of believers if ever there was one.

That remains the case, actually, since Baltimore’s The Sidebar will host a benefit for McCash‘s family on July 12 with Earthride headlining and Pale Divine, Argus and Beelzefuzz on the bill. It’s one of several tributes to McCash set for the coming months with the money going to his widow and children. More info on that here.

Spirit Caravan head to Desertfest next week and continue their reunion in London and Berlin. After that, it’s something of a mystery. Saint Vitus are set to begin their 35th anniversary tour on May 8 (dates here) and that will run through most of the rest of the month, and beyond that, I’d presume either Europe or recording with one band or another. The Obsessed are still ostensibly “active” too, though at this point that’s the reunion that has resulted in the fewest shows, sticking mostly to festivals in the US and abroad.

Whatever comes, I’ll do my best to keep up with it, and in the meantime, enjoy Sherman, Wino and drummer Henry Vasquez as they honor Jason McCash with “Fang,” which comes off their 1999 debut, Jug Fulla Sun. Have a great Wino Wednesday:

Spirit Caravan, “Fang” Live in Tennessee, April 6, 2014

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Wino Wednesday #100: Stream Two Exclusive Live Spirit Caravan Recordings

Posted in audiObelisk on August 14th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Well, here we are. If you told me nearly two years ago that I’d have 100 weeks of Wino Wednesday under my belt, I probably would’ve believed you, but definitely thought you were exaggerating. But now, with Wino Wednesday #100, we stand at a milestone of nerddom and no regrets. It’s been a lot of fun exploring the discographies of Scott “Wino” Weinrich and his sundry bands, The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand, Premonition 13, Wino & Conny Ochs, the Wino trio, his solo acoustic stuff and contributions to the likes of Lost Breed, Solace, and so many more. I guess there’s nothing to do but keep going.

Before we do that, of course, we’ve got something special for Wino Wednesday #100. Recorded and mastered by Chris Gordon, I’m proud to present two exclusive live Spirit Caravan recordings that capture the three-piece of Wino, bassist Dave Sherman and drummer Gary Isom doing much the same thing that we’ve been doing these last 100 weeks — exploring the Wino catalog. Taped live at Emerson Theater in Indianapolis, IN, on Feb. 13, 2000, the tracks are “Looking Glass” and “Streamlined.”

“Looking Glass” originally appeared as the closer on Saint Vitus‘ 1988 fourth album (and second with Wino as vocalist), Mournful Cries, and it receives its due respect here with Sherman‘s bass tone and Isom‘s steady timekeeping. As far as Vitus cuts go, it’s far from the slowest, but it might seem so next to “Streamlined,” which comes from The Obsessed‘s 1994 outing, The Church Within. A quicker pace loses nothing of the thickness in the guitars and bass, and Spirit Caravan give a classically motoring riff an added sense of shuffle that almost can’t help but to shine through.

As a bit of trivia, these songs were recorded at the same gig as the version of Black Sabbath‘s “Wicked World” that ended up on Small Stone‘s first Sucking the ’70s compilation. I guess they were in a covers kind of mood that night.

Enjoy, and here’s to more Wino Wednesdays to come:

Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!

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