Next week, airy San Francisco psych rockers Sleepy Sun start a US tour that will cross the nation and turn north into Canada in support of their new album, Maui Tears. It will run from Feb. 13 almost through the end of March before planting the five-piece back on their native soil, and then after that, they head to Europe in April, where they’ll take part in Desertfest Berlin 2014. Busy schedule, but all it means is that by the time they hit the Astra Kulturhaus, they’ll be so locked in they’re likely to have forgotten what life was like before they played a show every night. Which is bad for personal relationships, but good for a rock and roll crowd.

The PR wire sends confirmation:

DESERTFEST BERLIN 2014 — SLEEPY SUN CONFIRMED

We are delighted to announce today in exclusivity that Mammoth Psych Rockers SLEEPY SUN will lead their trippy fresh waves to DESERTFEST BERLIN 2014!!

SLEEPY SUN is an American psychedelic rock band from San Francisco (Ca) first formed as Mania in 2005 by students Bret Constantino, Matthew Holliman, Evan Reiss, Brice Tice and original bass player Hubert Guy.

The band progressed from their original garage rock stylings into psychedelia and in 2007 changed their name to SLEEPY SUN, with the addition of former singer Rachel Fannan. Soon after the band set to work on their debut and self released “Embrace” in 2008 (re-issued by ATP Recordings in 2009), which received favorable reviews. Shortly after the release of the album Guy left the band and was soon replaced by new bass player Jack Allen.

SLEEPY SUN released their follow-up album, “Fever” in 2010, and “Spine Hits” in 2012, the band’s first studio album without Fannan. Now in 2014, they released on January 28th their fourth LP “Maui Tears” via Dine Alone Records: 9 tracks of mind-melting trip exploring festering psych-garage, languid space-rock and stoner-waltz delirium!

During the past five years, SLEEPY SUN also embarked on multiple tours, and the band’s mixture of alchemy and architecture on stage has twisted knowing and discerning heads. With their live show becoming a subject of acclaim, Brit-pop colossus Arctic Monkey’s hauled them out on tour in 2010, and drone-psych leviathans Black Angels did the same a year later. Starting a 35-dates tour in the USA on February 13th, they will reach European lands in April, and will make a stop at DESERTFEST BERLIN 2014, for our pleasure!

http://www.desertfest.de/
https://www.facebook.com/SleepySun/
http://sleepysun.net/

Sleepy Sun, “The Lane” official video

Here’s a quick impression of me the last time I saw Hull. Ready? Okay, here goes: “Duh Hull are fucking fantastic and I’m an idiot for not listening to them like every day. Duh.”

I was right, actually, because even now as I put on their 2011 to-date magnum opus, Beyond the Lightless Sky (review here), I’m reminded immediately of just how righteous the Brooklyn four-piece can get. I haven’t seen much word of new material for a follow-up, though they played some live if that counts (I think it does), and they reissued their debut EP, Viking Funeral, last year, so they’re definitely still active. Really interested to hear what they turn out for a new album though, since both their albums at this point have had such a conceptual framework. Like mom says though, good food takes time.

Hull will join the lineups for Desertfest in London and Berlin (they’re also playing Roadburn), and I’ve also included recent announcements below for Ed Mundell‘s The Ultra Electric Mega Galactic and German rockers Powder for Pigeons, who’ll play Berlin.

Dig:

We are thrilled to announce today that Sludge rock conjurors HULL will play at DESERTFEST BERLIN 2014!

Hailing from the streets of Brooklyn, HULL materializes as a massive entity storming stages and immersing their audiences in a blanket of grandiose down-tuned compositions. A shifting fault line of decibel heavy harmony, this collective force converges in a collision of thrash, doom, classic rock, and formal orchestral works. Submerged in cosmic soundscapes, HULL challenges the mind with flowing, off-time fugues and powerful, dynamic movements.

Hard at work since the release of their seminal EP “Viking Funeral” in 2006, HULL unleashed in 2009 a new creation “Sole Lord” that offered a promising extension of the ambitiously psychedelic doom legacies of Neurosis and Isis. Two years after, the band’s sprawling latest saga “Beyond the Lightless Sky” emerged, and was a colossal and cohesive statement full of misdirection and surprises.

Moment of atmospheric drift, mathematical twist, and belligerent march tied together into the suggestion that this was a band to watch. Fortunately for all of us, HULL has planned to embarked on a European mission with Elder this spring, and we are proud to get them at DESERTFEST BERLIN 2014 (with maybe new songs, if we believe what we could read on their facebook page!)

Some of you expected them, and here they are : THE ULTRA ELECTRIC MEGA GALACTIC! We are proud to welcome Ed Mundell (ex Monster Magnet, The Atomic Bitchwax) at DESERTFEST BERLIN 2014!!

When he left Monster Magnet in 2010, Ed Mundell began to explore a range of psychedelic jams. Gradually, this jammy impulse led to the formation of THE ULTRA ELECTRIC MEGA GALACTIC (from now on refered to as TUEMG), and toward the end of the last decade, the band composed of Ed Mundell, bassist Collyn McCoy (Trash Titans, Otep) and drummer Rick Ferrante (Sasquatch), began playing out here and there on the American West Coast.

TUEMG play an instrumental psychedelic, heavy spaced out power rock and it’s bloody fantastic! Hard Rocking, 70’s inspired, the band bring a new fresh take on the power trio set-up and they know how to make their instruments talk. As soon as you start listening TUEMG, the atmospheric mix of terrific and imaginative bass runs, cosmic guitar sounds and fanstastic drumming takes you for a trip into the furthest reaches of the seventies flavoured psychedelic universe the trio inhabits.

Early 2013 brought their S/T debut, and if you dig space travelling, these 9 songs are a must that you European people will be abe to enjoy in live for the first-time ever at DESERTFEST BERLIN 2014!

We are pleased to announce today the German-based Australian-born rockers POWDER FOR PIGEONS!!

POWDER FOR PIGEONS are an exceptional rock duo that was founded in 2012 by Rhys Jones (vocals/guitar) and Meike Hindemith (drums) in the hot and dusty Outback of Western Australia. Inspired by the rugged surroundings, they have crafted a gigantic sound that fills the frequency spectrum with punchy, warm, fuzzy guitar riffery and thumpin drums to be heard for miles around.

After releasing their debut album “Hell outta here” in March 2013 which they recorded live in the arid Australian desert, the Power Duo has toured extensively throughout Europe with stops in Germany, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, UK, Switzerland, Austria.

Stationed in Germany for months now, with a swag full of dirty new material, the band released last week their new amazing and thriving Rock and Roll effort making quite clear that they “live and breathe” the music for/on every rocking note! We are very happy to have them bringing their brand of sweaty fuzz/grunge to DESERTFEST BERLIN 2014!

http://www.desertfest.de
https://www.facebook.com/HULLsounds
https://www.facebook.com/TheUEMG
https://www.facebook.com/PowderForPigeons/

Hull, Beyond the Lightless Sky (2011)

Today, Clutch join the previously-announced Spirit Caravan reunion as headliners for the 2014 Desertfest in Berlin. No word yet on whether they’ll be playing London as well, but if nothing else, the fact that two of the central bands playing in Berlin shows just how far the reach not only both of these acts, but Maryland heavy rock in general, really have. Clutch have been touring hard pretty much since Spirit Caravan disbanded, and before that as well, and they’re among the world’s foremost purveyors of groove, so it’s not really a surprise that they’d be asked to play, but to have two Maryland-based acts at the top of a festival bill like that of Desertfest gives a little East Coast pride in realizing just how much both groups have contributed to the heavy rock underground over the years.

In any case, it’s a big “right on” in terms of the fest lineup and on general principle. Here’s the announcement from Desertfest:

CLUTCH (USA) – EXCLUSIVE SPRING SHOW IN MAINLAND EUROPE

Here we go with our second headliner announcement ! Well, we are proud to present to you the legendary quartet CLUTCH !!!

Formed in 1990 in Germantown, Maryland (USA), CLUTCH have released not less than 10 studio albums, several rarities and live albums, each one marked by a distinct and cohesive sound, migrating from heavy metal and hardcore punk to hard rock, integrating strong funk-blues influences and clever out-of-this-world lyrics, the whole with a taste that only they can provide !

Playing music for the music’s sake for more than 20 years, they have built up a straight-up solid reputation and have accumulated a devoted cult following through constant gigging (performing more than one hundred shows a year), unleashing all over the world their damn good waves of pure rock fury with a devastating excellence…

2013 was the year for these stalwarts of groove to return with a new pure piston-pumping juggernaut uppercuts, nearly four years since their last issue, an impeccably structured 44-and-a-half-minute collection of 11 tracks rightly named “Earth Rocker.”

They will join the DESERTFEST BERLIN in April 2014 for an EXCLUSIVE SPRING SHOW in MAINLAND EUROPE !!! We are so excited about that, and we hope you are too !!

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24th, 25th, 26th April 2014 : DESERTFEST BERLIN
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SPIRIT CARAVAN* Asg* Black Rainbows* Causa Sui* Cojones* Elder* Gozu* Huata* Master Musicians Of Bukkake* Prisma Circus* Radar Men From The Moon* Sardonis* and many more tba !

DESERTFEST BERLIN’s LIMITED HARD TICKET (3-day pass) can be ordered for 85€ (+ taxes) on desertfest.tickets.de or by sending a mail at TICKETS@DESERTFEST.DE. As X-mas special offer, by ordering 3 or more tickets, we offer you a free CD (our choice) ! This offer is valid until DECEMBER 20th 2013.

DESERTFEST BERLIN 2013 was sold out, so better be quick to be part of 2014’s unique 3 Days & Nights Heavy-Rock-Psycho-Doom Mayhem !!

Stay Tuned…

Clutch, Earth Rocker (2013)

Oft-touring Southern heavy rockers ASG have joined the lineup for the 2014 Desertfest in Berlin. The four-piece, who released the album Blood Drive this year on Relapse to much hullabaloo, were also previously announced for the London edition of the festival, and they’ll be playing a couple weeks earlier at Roadburn as well. Since it doesn’t seem likely they’ll fly to Europe for that, then fly back to the States only to return to Europe two weeks later, I’d expect full European tour dates are forthcoming sometime in the near future.

ASG also recently premiered a new video for the song “Scrappy’s Trip.” Desertfest had this to say about them being added to the Berlin lineup:

*** DESERTFEST BERLIN 2014 – ASG ***

Hey Desert-Folks !

We go on with another amazing announcement ! Today, North Carolina’s finest psychedelic stoner-punks ASG join the DESERTFEST BERLIN’s line-up !!

This year has been a triumphant one for ASG whose success with their last release “Blood Drive”, and we can’t be more excited to have these guys on board at DESERTFEST BERLIN !!

LIMITED HARD-TICKETS can be ordered by sending an email at TICKETS@DESERTFEST.DE (85€ + shipping costs) !!

Full announcement on : www.desertfest.de

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24th, 25th, 26th April 2014 : DESERTFEST BERLIN
************************************
SPIRIT CARAVAN* Asg* Black Rainbows* Causa Sui* Elder* Gozu* Huata* Prisma Circus* Radar Men From The Moon* Sardonis* and many more tba !

https://www.facebook.com/asgnation
http://www.desertfest.de

ASG, “Scrappy’s Trip” Official Video