Posted in Whathaveyou on December 31st, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Maryland Doom Fest hosts the offshoot festival Doom Hawg Day on Feb. 2 at Cafe 611 in Frederick, MD, with Pale Divine, Kingsnake, The Age of Truth, Faith in Jane and more on the bill. Not to be confused with Groundhog Day of Doom, which is happening the same day in Nyack, New York, the event is crammed in true MD fashion with 12 acts playing in a span of 10 and a half hours at the venue where Maryland Doom Fest also makes its home.
This is the first time MDDF has introduced the splinter festival, and while it’s easy to see it becoming an annual event — certainly these bands and plenty besides are around — it speaks to the overarching expansion of the Maryland Doom Fest that’s seen that festival move to four days for 2019 as well as pay homage to Stoner Hands of Doom with its pre-party. Will there be a corresponding autumn fest to mark the change of seasons on the other end? I have no idea, but with the Horehound, Freedom Hawk, Stone Dust Riders, Seasick Gladiator, Shadow Witch, Thunderchief and “Screaming Mad” Dee Calhoun rounding out this bill, certainly there’s plenty to chew on in the meantime.
So the question here is, is Groundhog’s Day the new doom holiday? Should it be? The Groundhogs are cool, so maybe yes? I’ll weigh out the pros and cons in my mind while you check out the lineup for Doom Hawg Day 2019 below and we can both meet up later to discuss our ideas. Think of the t-shirt designs! Goodness gracious.
Info follows:
The Maryland Doom Fest Presents: “Doom Hawg Day”!!
Feb 2, 2019 @ Cafe 611 – Frederick, Md Doors at 2:30 / $20 Come celebrate Ground Hog Day with us!!
? Pale Divine. 1250-130 ? Kingsnake 1155-1235 ? Faith In Jane. 1100-1140 ? The Age of Truth 1005-1045 ? Horehound. 910-950 ? Stone Dust Riders. 815-855 ? Seasick Gladiator 720-800 ? Freedom Hawk 625-705 ? Shadow Witch. 530-610 ? Thonian Horde. 435-515 ? Thunderchief. 340-420 ? Dee Calhoun. 300-330
There’s something of a shadow cast over the second solo release from singer-songwriter “Screaming Mad” Dee Calhoun. Go to the Devil — released, like Calhoun‘s 2016 debut, Rotgut (review here), via Argonauta Records — follows the January 2018 passing of “Iron” Alfred Morris III, the guitarist and founder of what for the better part of the last decade has been Calhoun‘s main outlet, Iron Man. Morris‘ death, which to my understanding was protracted and painful enough to truly be a work of Maryland doom, effectively brought that band’s long and storied career to a close, and while Calhoun has already begun developing a new full-band outfit alongside the likes of Bruce Falkinburg (The Hidden Hand) called Thee Iron Hand, there’s no way the loss of Morris didn’t affect him deeply as it did the entire Maryland doom community, to whom Morris was at least an Iommic figurehead, if not a direct mentor.
I’m relatively certain Calhoun had written if not actually recorded Go to the Devilbefore Morris passed away — that would make the penultimate “Your Face” about some other deeply personal loss — but it’s hard to think of the release outside this context, even if it’s more likely to be directly addressed next time around. And listening to Go to the Devil, there’s little doubt there will be a next time around. The album tops 55 minutes and features 11 tracks, so if nothing else, Calhoun has plenty to say. Even more telling there’s a clear line of progression from Rotgut to Go to the Devil in terms of overall approach, Calhoun overseeing an expansion of arrangements compared to the first collection and collaborating with another Iron Man bandmate, bassist Louis Strachan.
The two started working together during live sets to support Rotgut, and as he did to Calhoun‘s stage performance, Strachan brings significant character of play to songs here like opener “Common Enemy,” “The Lotus Field is Barren” and the title-track itself, the latter bordering on a full-band-style arrangement with a shaker for percussion alongside the guitar, bass and vocals. And of course, it’s the vocals that feature. Calhoun is a singer, and more, a metal singer, and while Go to the Devil communes with country twang and the blues much like its predecessor, it’s still coming from that very metal place, with Calhoun willing to unleash his inner Halford on “Born (One-Horse Town),” “Jesus, the Devil, the Deed” — also the title of a novella Calhoun has penned — the harmonica-laden “The Ballad of Dixon Bridge” or six-minute closer “Dry Heaves and Needles,” which opens with a news sample about a child found in a car whose parents had overdosed and seems to directly speak to the opioid epidemic.
That last song would seem to be as close as Calhoun comes to a social statement or critique on Go to the Devil — that is, he’s not writing protest folk songs or anything of the like — but the tradeoff there is that this collection by and large feels more personal than did Rotgut, with cuts like the aforementioned “Your Face,” as well as “Bedevil Me,” and “Me, Myself and I” taking on issues of depression and loss, and a return appearance from Dee‘s son, Rob Calhoun, adding personal flair to “The Ballad of Dixon Bridge.” Other songs may be just as personal, tracks like “The Final Stand of the Fallen” or “The Lotus Field is Barren,” but their emotional crux is couched in metaphor and storytelling, which is something at which Calhoun excels as a performer.
And it should be noted that Go to the Devil is more complex in its delivery than was the preceding album. That is, Calhoun — the power of his lungs well established — isn’t nearly so unipolar in his vocal execution. He’s not just screaming, and he’s not just mad. Sure, he raises a defiant middle finger in leather-vest fashion to St. Peter in the title-track, but on “The Final Stand of the Fallen,” “The Lotus Field is Barren” or the already noted “Your Face.’ This adds character to Go to the Devil on the whole, offsetting some of the whiskey-and-hellfire material and, in combination with the richer arrangements, making Go to the Devil a decisive forward step from Rotgut.
This is even more the reason why I said above there’s so likely to be a next time around; Calhoun hasn’t simple issued a follow-up to Rotgut doing the same thing all over again — he’s tapped into a creative progression of his own as a solo artist (if one with accompaniment) and his drive seems to be not to establish a formula and continue to work within it, despite some consistency of lyrical thematic, but to continue to charge ahead into territory yet unknown to him as a songwriter and a performer. Go to the Devil does that and succeeds with a foundation of memorable tracks offering a variety of moods and a quality of performance that acts as the thread tying them together. Thus far into his solo career, there would seem to be no goal Calhoun has set for himself creatively that he hasn’t surpassed.
Dee Calhoun, “Jesus, the Devil, the Deed” official video
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 19th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Following the March 30 release of his second solo album, Go to the Devil, the man who might possibly have Maryland’s most powerful set of pipes, Dee Calhoun — seriously, I can’t listen to the new Judas Priest record without thinking about Dee singing on those tracks — will embark on a European tour with his (former) Iron Man bandmate/regular accompaniment Louis Strachan along for the trip. To my knowledge, it’s the first time Calhoun has toured in Europe, though he went to the UK with Iron Man a few years back to play a Rise Above anniversary party. Still, no minor happening either way to do it essentially as a solo heavy metal singer-songwriter.
To herald the record’s March 30 arrival via Argonauta, the new video “Dry Heaves and Needles” has been posted. You probably don’t have to work too hard to guess what it’s about, what with he opioid crisis and all — though I hear meth is making a comeback too. In any case, there’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you know someone affected by addiction (I know I do) and it fucking sucks, but the song’s right on anyway, so dig in and enjoy.
From the PR wire:
DEE CALHOUN new single + European tour dates
DEE CALHOUN, voice of legendary doomers IRON MAN, releases the second single from his highly anticipated second solo album “Go to the Devil”.
“My ode to what has happened in the city of my birth, as well as countless other places across the USA.” – Dee Calhoun
“Go to the Devil” will be released by ARGONAUTA Records and available from March 30th, 2018. Preorders run here: http://bit.ly/2rvQDz9
Dee Calhoun and Louis Strachan will tour Europe from April 19th to April 29th.
“THE DEVIL OVER EUROPE – Spring Tour” tour dates: April 19, Aalborg, Denmark, 1000FRYD April 20, TBA, Netherlands/North West Germany April 21, Freiburg, Germany, WHITE RABBIT CLUB April 22, Prague, Czech Rep., MODRA VOPICE April 23, Budapest, Hungary, S8 UNDERGROUND April 24, Maribor, Slovenia, DVORANA GUSTAF PEKARNA April 25, Saint-Maurice, Switzerland, MANOIR PUB April 26, Milan, Italy, BLUE ROSE SALOON April 27, Turin, Italy, TBA April 28, Nancy, France, THE RIVETER April 29, TBA, North Germany/Denmark
Dee Calhoun – voice, guitar, percussion, keyboards Louis Strachan – bass
Posted in Bootleg Theater on January 24th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Swamp blues mysticism, metallic devilry and Americana folk balladeering meet head-on in the new single from Dee Calhoun. Even as the Iron Man vocalist reels from the recent passing of that outfit’s founding guitarist, “Iron” Alfred Morris III, earlier this month, he’s preparing as well to issue his second solo album for Argonauta Records, titled Go to the Devil, on March 30.
The new record’s been a while in the making — it was recorded last winter and details began to emerge not so long thereafter — but as Calhoun gets closer to unveiling the follow-up to 2016’s Rotgut(review here), he starts to reveal a little bit more about his creative process in the interim. For example, the new single “Jesus, the Devil, the Deed” would seem to tell a similar story as a novella Calhoun put out last summer, with a narrative brought to bear in bayou-style darkly Christian themes, told as ever through his powerful voice, ready to soar at a moment’s notice.
I haven’t heard the entirety of Go to the Devil as yet, so can’t necessarily speak to how “Jesus, the Devil, the Deed” interacts with its surroundings in that context, but with the active participation of Iron Man bassist Louis Strachan as a stage and studio partner accompanying Calhoun, the sound of “Jesus, the Devil, the Deed” is full in tone and would seem to offer a sense of breadth expanded from Rotgut just two years ago. Again, that may or may not be the case all the way around, but it’s certainly nothing to complain about as regards a first impression from the new long-player.
While we continue to wait for specifics on Calhoun‘s impending European tour dates, you can check out the clip for “Jesus, the Devil, the Deed” here, followed by more info from the PR wire.
Please enjoy:
Dee Calhoun, “Jesus, the Devil, the Deed” official video
Go to the Devil, the second solo album from IRON MAN vocalist DEE CALHOUN is going to be released by ARGONAUTA Records on March 30th, 2018.
“A very cold, very rainy autumn night. An unnamed man walks the barren streets, at the end of the line and at the end of his rope. His life has gone awry, and he seeks the one man who can perhaps remedy it. That man’s name is Jesus Christ.”
“When the man finds Jesus, he won’t ask for help or mercy; he’ll instead ask for the return of his soul, a soul that he pledged as a child, but now wants repossession of. A new buyer has come along, you see; a buyer in a top-dollar black suit, and whose malevolent presence has guided this man’s quest, every tormented step of the way…”
DEE CALHOUN, with the accompaniment of bassist LOUIS STRACHAN (both in studio and on stage), will tour Europe next Spring, with gigs in Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, France, Belgium, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Switzerland. Details to follow soon.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 21st, 2017 by JJ Koczan
As the details have surfaced over the last 24 hours regarding the tragic death of Rev. Jim Forrester outside the Fells Point, Baltimore, tattoo/piercing shop where he worked, the portrait they’ve drawn has only seemed more senseless. The former bassist for Sixty Watt Shaman, currently of Foghound and Serpents of Secrecy, on the mend from ongoing health issues, finding sobriety, married, getting through, and then shot in the chest outside his place of employment? You’d have a long, long way to go before you ever managed to convince me that makes any fucking sense whatsoever.
One thing Maryland heavy has always done, however, is rally together when the situation calls for it, and yeah, I’d say this situation calls for it. Two stages in Frederick, Maryland, will run benefits next Friday, Dec. 29, with proceeds going to Jim‘s funeral costs and honestly whatever else who the hell cares what they do with the money take all the money just take it please take it and take lasagna too. I’ve heard rumblings about more benefit shows to come and something brewing for Maryland Doom Fest 2018 as well next June, so stay tuned for more and I’ll update as much as I can because Jesus tapdancing Christ, some asshole shot Jim Forrester.
Fucking devastating.
Lineups for the shows at Cafe 611 and Guido’s Speakeasy follow here. If you can’t make it, there’s also a GoFundMe set up linked below that you should donate to. Hell, even if you can go you should donate, because again, just take all the money please take all the money.
Here:
Rev Jim Benefit Concert – Dec. 29
Cafe 611 & Guido’s Speakeasy
N Market St, Frederick, Maryland
This event will feature 13 killer bands on 2 separate stages. Both Cafe 611 & Guido’s next door will be hosting this remembrance of Rev Jim’s life and fundraiser. Bands will be revealed soon. All proceeds go to his family. We will celebrate your existence forever Jim.
This wonderful, gental, kind man was tragically taken from us by a senseless act. All proceeds are to help alleviate the financial strain on his family: https://www.gofundme.com/funds-for-forrester
Show time is 6pm-12:30 pm Friday Dec 29th.
Lineup:
Cafe 611: King Giant Earthride The Age of Truth Thousand Vision Mist Thonian Horde Faith in Jane Dee Calhoun & Louis Strachan
Guido’s Speakeasy: Bailjack The Druids Et Mors Seasick Gladiator Clamfight Thee Iron Hand Lifetime Shitlist
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 1st, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Even as he’s gotten rolling with the new band Thee Iron Hand in the interim between activity from his main outfit, Iron Man, Maryland-based power-pipes vocalist Dee Calhoun has been prepping his second solo album, Go to the Devil, for release on Argonauta Records. What will be the follow-up to Calhoun‘s metal-country-soul debut, 2016’s Rotgut (review here) was originally due at some point this year but will instead come out early in 2018, and given the current news, I can’t help but think that’s even more fitting.
From April 19-29, Calhoun will head abroad for the first time to play a solo tour in Europe. It’s 11 shows in Denmark, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands and of course Germany, and presented by Leynir Booking in conjunction with Argonauta, it will find Calhoun joined by his Iron Man bandmate Louis Strachan on bass and traveling to foreign shores for the first time since Iron Man played Rise Above Records‘s 25th anniversary party in the UK in 2013, then supporting what’s still their most recent album, South of the Earth(review here).
And while that band is certainly due for a follow-up to that triumph of classic doom righteousness, I’ll go ahead and wish Calhoun all the best on his outward journey in the New Year and Spring to come. Still looking forward to Go to the Devil when it arrives. Expect more when I hear it.
Till then:
Leynir Booking is proud to present in April 2018 (19th-29th) THE DEVIL OVER EUROPE TOUR.
The voice of legendary doom band Iron Man, from Maryland USA, “Screaming Mad” DEE CALHOUN will be in Europe for 11 shows. Dee will be accompanied by Louis Strachan (Iron Man) on bass guitar.
Says Dee of the tour: “To be able to tour Europe as a solo artist is beyond a dream come true. I had a wonderful time there during various festivals with Iron Man, but to do a full tour is staggering.”
Dee has completed production of his sophomore solo release, entitled Go to the Devil. The album, which will be released via Argonauta Records in early 2018, is the follow-up to Dee’s 2016 solo release Rotgut.
Dee has been joined on this album by Iron Man bandmate Louis Strachan on bass. Dee handled vocal, acoustic guitar, and percussion duties, as well as additional instrumentation.
Go to the Devil, like Rotgut before it, was recorded in Dee’s home studio The Dustbuster. Mastering was handled by Doug Benson at Commodore Recording Studio in Thurmont MD.
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 27th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
It’s always awesome to see an artist hit a real creative stride, and though Dee Calhoun‘s main band, Iron Man, aren’t doing much at the moment, the vocalist known for his Halfordian shriek is hardly letting that slow him down. 2015 saw the issue of his first book project in a collection of short stories, and on Aug. 9, he’ll follow that up with a new novella titled Jesus, Devil, Deed. This is taking place even as Calhoun also prepares for the Argonauta Records release of his second solo album, Go to the Devil, which is landing on a quick turnaround from his 2016 just-because-it’s-unplugged-don’t-mean-it-ain’t-metal debut, Rotgut (review here).
So yeah, nothing about this not to like, as far as I’m concerned. Creativity flourishes, abounds and whatnot. Info about the book follows, as posted by the author himself:
Argonauta Recording Artist Dee Calhoun (aka “Screaming Mad Dee”), the voice of doom metal legends IRON MAN, has announced the release of his novella JESUS, DEVIL, DEED.
This novella marks Dee’s second venture into fiction writing; his first book, a collection of short stories called TALES OF THE SCREAMING AND MAD, was released in late 2015.
JESUS, DEVIL, DEED is the story of a broken man who petitions Christ for the return of his once devoted soul, so that he may sell it to Satan. The story is an expansion of the tale told in Dee’s song “Jesus, the Devil, the Deed,” which will appear on his upcoming album GO TO THE DEVIL, due later this year from Argonauta Records.
“It’s a story of desperation, exasperation, and of where one should ultimately place one’s faith and dependence,” Dee said. “It began as a song, and the song only tells a very condensed, basic version of the story. It’s almost like a twisted, modern version of the Crossroads myth, and it was great fun to flesh the tale out to see how the events fully unfolded.”
JESUS, DEVIL, DEED continues what has been a very productive year creatively for the singer/songwriter from Frederick, MD. In addition to this novella and GO TO THE DEVIL, Dee has also narrated Bruce Moore’s upcoming Christian Metal documentary METAL MISSIONARIES (due September 1st), and is fronting new Maryland-based heavy rockers THEE IRON HAND.
JESUS, DEVIL, DEED will be available on Wednesday August 9, 2017 via Amazon.com, CreateSpace eStore, and other online retailers. Dee will also have copies available at his live shows.
News regarding this and other things Dee-related can be found on his website, www.screamingmaddee.com.
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 19th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Go to the Devil, the second second solo album from Iron Man vocalist Dee Calhoun, is set to release later this year via Argonauta Records. The record was first announced here in the early hours of 2017, but more info has started to surface about the answer to last year’s Rotgut (review here) debut outing, including the cover art and a teaser clip that features multiple tracks which would seem to find the acousti-metal style of Calhoun‘s prior outing, informed by country and folk blues as it was, well intact. Of course, the power of his voice goes without saying at this point, or at least it should for anyone who’s heard his work with Iron Man or who caught wind of the first outing.
Of further note is bringing Iron Man bassist Louis Strachan into the studio as he’s become a regular accompaniment for Calhoun on stage, and I should probably also mention that it’s only been days since Calhoun‘s new project, Thee Iron Hand, was announced, which brings him together with members of The Hidden Hand, Ironboss and Lifetime Shitlist. More info on that is here. The current status of Iron Man seems to be somewhat up in the air.
Argonauta sent this down the PR wire:
DEE CALHOUN reveals new album teaser and cover artwork
“Screaming Mad” Dee Calhoun, the voice of doom legends Iron Man, is nearing completion of his sophomore solo release, entitled Go to the Devil. The album, which will be released via Argonauta Records later this year, is the follow-up to Dee’s 2016 solo release Rotgut.
Dee will be joined on this album by Iron Man bandmate Louis Strachan on bass. Dee will handle vocal, acoustic guitar, and percussion duties.
Go to the Devil, like Rotgut before it, is being recorded in Dee’s home studio The Dustbuster. Mastering will be handled by Doug Benson at Commodore Recording Studio in Thurmont MD.
The track listing for Go to the Devil is as follows:
Common Enemy Bedevil Me Born (One-Horse Town) The Final Stand of the Fallen Go to the Devil Me Myself and I The Lotus Field is Barren Jesus, the Devil, the Deed The Ballad of the Dixon Bridge Your Face Dry Heaves & Needles
The album’s cover is by Dee Calhoun, based upon his own concept.
