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The Dirty Streets Tour Starts this Week

Posted in Whathaveyou on August 17th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

Okay, so I know I already posted these tour dates from the perspective of The Atomic Bitchwax, who are headlining this tour for which Memphis heavy blues rockers Dirty Streets will provide support. In my defense, I’ll say only that the tour kicks ass and if you can’t get down with someone trying to spread the word about shows you should go to, you’re probably on the wrong site. I don’t know how you got here, but feel free to move along. You know what? I got a press release today with the same dates from Lo-Pan, who are also joining for part of the trek. I’m gonna post them tomorrow. Take that, if you even can.

The Dirty Streets head out as they continue to proselytize their fourth album, White Horse (review here), as they’ve done pretty steadily since it came out on Alive Records last year. They’ll do the entire run with The Atomic Bitchwax and then some, and they’re even getting an early start tomorrow night in Murfreesboro, so the dates would seem to be easily worth a look on their own.

Dig it:

dirty streets

DIRTY STREETS US tour dates
8/18-Murfreesboro, TN @ Media Re-run
8/19-Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone
8/20-Hattiesburg, MS @ The Tavern
8/21-New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
8/22-San Antonio, TX @ Limelight
8/23- Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
8/24- Austin, TX @ Grizzly Hall
8/25- Fort Worth, TX @ Rail Club
8/26-Albequerque NM @ TBA
8/27-Las Vegas NV @ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
8/28-San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
8/29-Hollywood, CA @ Viper Room
8/30-San Francisco, CA @ Elbo Room
8/31-Portand, OR @ Dantes
9/1-Vancouver, BC @ BIltmore
9/2- Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
9/3-Bellingham, WA @ Shakedown
9/4-Missoula, MT @ VFW hall
9/6-Minneapolis, MN @ Grumpy’s
9/7-Chicago IL @ Double Door
9/8-Cleveland OH @ Grog Shop
9/9-Philadelphia PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
9/10-Brooklyn, NY @ Black Bear
9/12-Savannah, GA @ El-Rocko
9/17-Memphis, TN @ Cooper Young Fest
9/23-Memphis, TN @ DKDC

https://www.facebook.com/thedirtystreets
http://www.alive-records.com/artist/the-dirty-streets/
http://dirtystreets.bandcamp.com/

The Dirty Streets, White Horse (2015)

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Dirty Streets on Tour Till June; Euro Dates Announced

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 11th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

dirty streets

Next weekend, Memphis heavy blues rockers Dirty Streets head to SXSW, where they’ll hop on the Bongzilla tour for the night and join the formidable ranks of Bongzilla, Black Cobra, Kings Destroy, Lo-Pan and Author and Punisher. In August, they’ll be playing Psycho Las Vegas (details here). Most of the time in between, they’ll spend on the road supporting their late-2015 album, White Horse (review here), which was released by Alive Records and reaffirmed the trio’s commitment to quality songwriting and classic-style craftsmanship. They already toured the US alongside Spirit Caravan, so this time around they’re headed to Europe for a slew of shows in Switzerland, Spain, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

That’ll take Dirty Streets from April 7 through to May 7, but they’ve got shows booked for June in the States as well. Nothing like keeping busy. Dates (and there are many of them) follow, courtesy of the PR wire:

dirty streets euro tour poster

Dirty Streets USA/Europe tour dates

We’re heading to Europe this April!

DIRTY STREETS on tour
March 18 @ Arrow Bar — Texarkana, TX
March 19 @ Swan Dive Patio (SXSW) — Austin, TX
April 2 @ Young Avenue Deli — Memphis, TN
April 7 @ Rössli @ Reitschule — Bern, CH
April 8 @ Kofmehl — Solothurn, CH
April 9 @ Bruch Brothers — Luzern, CH
April 10 @ Le Bouffon de la Taverne — Geneva, CH
April 14 @ La Triangu — Sopelana, ES
April 15 @ The Green Irish Pub — Alcala de Henares, ES
April 16 @ Salason — Cangas de Morrazo
April 17 @ Café Cultural Auriense — Ourense, ES
April 18 @ Gran Café — Leon, ES
April 19 @ La Gramola — Orihuela, ES
April 20 @ Sala Pabersamateo — Valencia, ES
April 21 @ La Boite — Madrid, ES
April 22 @ Veneno Stereo — Castellon, ES
April 23 @ Rocksound — Barcelona, ES
April 24 @ Rock & Apples — Calella, ES
April 26 @ Scène Michelet — Nantes, FR
April 27 @ Sonic Ballroom — Köln, DE
April 28 @ Waschbar — Rüsselsheim, DE
April 29 @ Bluesgarage — Isernhagen, DE
April 30 @ Rare Guitar — Münster, DE
May 1 @ Pogo — Gorinchem, NL
May 4 @ Musicstar — Norderstedt, DE
May 5 @ Happy Billard — Hamburg, DE
May 6 @ Road Runners — Berlin, DE
May 7 @ Kesselhaus — Singwitz, DE
June 10 @ Hi Tone — Memphis TN
June 11 @ TBA — Hattiesburg, MS
June 13 @ Bears Fairfield — Shreveport, LA
June 14 @ Arrow Bar — Texarkana, TX
June 15 @ White Water Tavern — Little Rock, AR
June 16 @ Blue Note — Oklahoma City, OK
June 17 @ Maxines — Hot Springs, AR

https://www.facebook.com/thedirtystreets
http://www.alive-records.com/artist/the-dirty-streets/

Dirty Streets, “White Horse”

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Psycho Las Vegas Announces New Lineup Additions

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 28th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

psycho-las-vegas-lineup

Goodness gracious. Here I was minding my business on a Sunday night and Psycho Las Vegas went and more than doubled the size of its lineup, adding Uncle Acid, Elder, Converge, Wovenhand, Boris, The Black Heart Procession, Budos Band, Dead Meadow, SubRosa, Midnight, Disenchanter, Lumerians, Tombstones, ASG, Death Alley, Ides of Gemini, Goya, Dirty Streets, Crypt Sermon, Mantar, Gozu, Beelzefuzz, Lo-Pan, Holy Grove, CHRCH, Carousel and more. Not like the fest wasn’t huge already, but big bands, small bands, in-between bands, European bands, Asian bands, West Coast bands, East Coast bands — pretty much if it falls under the category of “bands,” they’re probably playing. And by way of a friendly reminder, this isn’t it. As you can see in the lineup below, there are more announcements to come next month.

Just look at this insane shit:

psycho las vegas poster

PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2016

Psycho Entertainment
Friday, August 26, 2016 at 12:00 PM – Sunday, August 28, 2016 at 12:00 AM (PDT)
Las Vegas, NV

BLUE OYSTER CULT
SLEEP
UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS
THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN
PENTAGRAM
CANDLEMASS
DEATH
TRUTH AND JANEY
CONVERGE
(Announced March 3rd)
BUDOS BAND
WOVENHAND
(Announced March 3rd)
BLACK HEART PROCESSION
FU MANCHU
BORIS
DOWN
ZOMBI
COLOUR HAZE
YOB
DEAD MEADOW
ELDER
ACID KING
DANAVA
SUBROSA
MIDNIGHT
SATAN’S SATYRS
THE SHRINE
JUCIFER
BONGRIPPER
BLOOD OF THE SUN
ORESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE
MARS RED SKY
SPELLJAMMER
BELZEBONG
THE COSMIC DEAD
TOMBSTONES
LUMERIANS
ASG
SAVIOURS
A STORM OF LIGHT
DEATH ALLEY
LECHEROUS GAZE
DIRTY STREETS
IDES OF GEMINI
GOYA
SPENCER MOODY SOLO (Murder City Devils)
WITCH MOUNTAIN
HAS A SHADOW
ASHBURY
CRYPT SERMON
MONDO DRAG
MANTAR
TALES OF MURDER AND DUST
SHROUD EATER
CRAZY BULL
DEMON LUNG
LOPAN
CHRCH
BEHOLD THE MONOLITH
DISENCHANTER
CAVE OF SWIMMERS
HORNSS
CAROUSEL
TIA CARRERA
GOZU
FLAVOR CRYSTALS
HOLY GROVE
BEELZEFUZZ
GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST
FAMILY
HIGHLANDS
LYCUS
THE COMPANY CORVETTE
WASHERWOMAN
THE RARE BREED
INVDRS

Psycho Pool Party 8.25.16
MUDHONEY
FATSO JETSON
MOTHERSHIP
GOLDEN VOID
ELECTRIC CITIZEN
MAC SABBATH
GREENBEARD

ACCOMMODATIONS
Join the bands and crew at the Hard Rock Hotel & use the code: Psych16 at checkout to recieve 30% off your rooms.

ANNOUNCEMENT SCHEDULE
1/20 – “Warm up” Tickets Onsale 8am pst
2/14 – Full Lineup (60+ acts)
3/15 – Headliners Revealed
5/4 – Van/Chopper & Alt Exhibitions

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/psycho-las-vegas-2016-tickets-20777507083
WWW.PSYCHOLV.COM
WWW.HARDROCKHOTEL.COM

Sleep, Live at Psycho California, May 16, 2015

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Dirty Streets, White Horse: Gotta be Plain

Posted in Reviews on December 31st, 2015 by JJ Koczan

dirty-streets-white-horse

Memphis trio Dirty Streets, who dropped a “The” from their moniker with their 2013 third album, Blades of Grass (review here), set their foundation early in a blend of classic heavy rock and blues. Since coming together with the consistent lineup of Thomas Storz (bass, percussion), Justin Toland (vocals, guitar, percussion) and Andrew Denham (drums, percussion) and issuing their 2009 debut, Portrait of a Man, and its 2011 follow-up, Movements (review here), before signing to Alive Naturalsound, the three-piece have pushed toward a style built on organic instrumental chemistry and soulful delivery of their material, put together in a songwriting process traditional in its structure but given a vibrant energy by the three-piece’s performance, rhythms and melodies.

Their latest outing, the easy-boogieing White Horse, runs a bit deeper lyrically than did Blades of Grass, dealing with issues of drugs on “Good Pills” and “White Horse,” loneliness on “Good Kind of Woman” and “Dust” and a general longing for things to be better across opening duo “Save Me” and “Looking for My Peace” and the later “When I See My Light.” None of this is new territory for blues, but it’s darker than Dirty Streets have gone before, though set up in a contrast to the band’s generally upbeat instrumental modus. Even the acoustic-led “The Voices” and “Dust” seem to find some resolve or at least catharsis in their own efficient runs, and in any case, at 11 tracks/36 minutes, White Horse hardly sticks around long enough — either in its individual songs or front-to-back course — to wallow. There’s dancing to do.

That brevity and a general forwardness of purpose — Dirty Streets have always eschewed pretense and their fourth LP is no exception — work greatly to White Horse‘s favor. Denham‘s kick sets the pace immediately on “Save Me” and Toland‘s vocals start the first of several sing-along-ready parts the record has on offer, and before the listener really knows it, the track is underway. Something the band has long excelled at is gracefully walking a fine line between heavy, motor-ready riffing and a generally laid back, good-times atmosphere, and while the Matt Qualls-produced outing pans lead guitar from left to right channels on “Looking for My Peace” and peppers arrangements there with piano and on “Dust” with harmonies and wah-soaked notes from Toland to go with Storz‘s “Freebird” bassline, the songwriting ultimately gains as much from what it holds onto from prior outings as from what it presents as growth from the last couple years and/or elements that otherwise flesh out the material and add variety to the album as a whole.

dirty streets

So, a track like “Accents” (the longest inclusion at 4:09) takes cues from psych rock circa ’68 and through a melding of acoustic, guitar, piano and gang-contributed room-vocals charts a diverse trajectory and accomplishes what it sets out to do without a wasted moment. The same could easily be said for White Horse as a whole, an 8-track-ready groove like “Think Twice” meeting head-on with a percussion jam in its second half before Toland begins “When I See My Light” on solo vocals, a gospel nod maybe, before Storz holds together a relative guitar and drum freakout en route to one of the record’s most resonant hooks.

Denham delivers a highlight performance there and it once again holds true for all of White Horse that while Dirty Streets have more to offer melodically than they ever have before, it’s the rhythm, the groove, that carries the listener across the fervent flow between tracks. To wit, the roll of “Good Kind of Woman” into the relatively minimal “The Voices” — even that has a shaker in behind the acoustic guitar — and the raucuousness following with “Good Pills.” The band covers a lot of ground in under eight minutes, tossing out catchy choruses one after another and winding up even showing a bit of cynical edge as the two-minute “Good Pills” rounds out with the lines, “Don’t forget now to take your pills/I know you won’t because you can’t stop.”

In combination with the closing title-track, a masterful groove in the band’s post-Blue Cheer tradition, the theme of drug abuse is clear — not that they were masking it, given the album’s title — but the raw-rocking “Plain” and Hendrixian-psych-meets-’70s-prog of “Dust” provide a buffer while keeping the flow steady between them. Toland‘s vocal performance on “Dust” highlights the singer he’s become, but really, there isn’t one single member of Dirty Streets you might listen to who doesn’t show progression from where they were even two years ago, and much as White Horse as an entire work benefits from the strengths of its individual tracks, so too does the band become stronger for what TolandStorz and Denham bring to the material. “Plain” tries to make it sound like this is all very easy and simple in its chorus, “Plain/Gotta be plain/I can’t hide it,” but the truth is that chemistry like Dirty Streets‘ doesn’t just happen, and they do right by making the most of it throughout.

Dirty Streets, “Good Pills”

Dirty Streets on Thee Facebooks

Dirty Streets at Alive Naturalsound

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audiObelisk Transmission 054

Posted in Podcasts on November 25th, 2015 by JJ Koczan

Click Here to Download

 

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

I put up a podcast last year on the day before Thanksgiving as well. At least I’m consistent. In the US, today is the biggest travel day of the year, and I continue to feel like there are few things better in this universe than hitting the road accompanied by good music. Whether you’re driving alone on your way to see family for the holiday, commuting to work (that one doesn’t necessarily have to be by car, I suppose), going to stand on line for some silly discount item or whatever it might be, I hope you find something here you consider worth bringing along for the trip.

The holidays are always a pretty stressful time — when isn’t? — so once it gets past the initial burst of heft from Tombstones, this one stays pretty mellow for the most part. Deville and Kind rock pretty hard, but once it moves into the Dirty Streets and Old Man Lizard and so on, it’s more nod than headbang, which is accurate to where my brain is at. Looking for something chill in the face of miles to cover and meals to consume. If you’re in the US, a very Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, and if not, I hope you enjoy just the same.

Track details follow:

First Hour:
0:00:00 Isaak, “Fountainhead” from Sermonize
0:03:58 Tombstones, “Pyre of the Cloth” from Vargariis
0:13:30 Hound, “Over the Edge,” from Out of Space
0:17:44 Deville, “Mind on Hold” from Make it Belong to Us
0:21:17 Kind, “German for Lucy” from Rocket Science
0:28:26 Dirty Streets, “Save Me” from White Horse
0:31:55 Old Man Lizard, “Craniopagus Paraciticus” from Old Man Lizard
0:40:43 Across Tundras, “No Roads in any Direction” from Home Free
0:46:52 Niche, “On Down the Line” from Heading East
0:52:11 Wired Mind, “Road” from Mindstate: Dreamscape

Second Hour:
1:03:07 Seedy Jeezus, “Echoes in the Sky” from Echoes in the Sky
1:19:03 Dorre, “One Collapsed at the Altar” from One Collapsed at the Altar

Total running time: 1:49:21

 

Thank you for listening.

Download audiObelisk Transmission 054

 

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