Posted in Whathaveyou on February 5th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Fu Manchu are in the studio now and I think they said on Instagram they’re eyeing a May release for their next album, which would rule and would arrive in timely fashion as they celebrate their 30th anniversary all year on the road. They joined the Up in Smoke 2020 lineup at the end of last week along with Mars Red Sky, Pallbearer, The Heavy Eyes — still waiting for the full tour to be announced — Sons of Morpheus and Mother Engine.
It’s a pretty efficient bundle if what you’re looking for is ‘awesome,’ and I think probably it is. It seems early for the Fall fest season to start taking shape, but it always does when it happens around now, so points for consistency at very least, and Sound of Liberation, which is behind this fest as well as Keep it Low and has a hand in several others along the way — Desertfest in Berlin, Antwerp and New York, and so on — rarely leaves this kind of thing to chance. Pro-shop and all that.
The latest announcement is below. I’m late with it but I’m late with everything. I’m a pitiful old man, give me a break.
Smokers, we’ve been eager to share some line up news with you and we could for sure do it slowly and patiently, announcing one band after another… but you know what? It’s Friday, so take them all!!
Californian legends Fu Manchu are celebrating their 30th anniversary and we’re super stoked they’ll celebrate it with us!
They’ll make your neck hurt alongside mighty US doomsters Pallbearer, French’s unique psych-doom wizards Mars Red Sky, groove masters The Heavy Eyes, also from the USA, German Instrumental wonder Mother Engine and beloved Swiss psychedelic trio Sons of Morpheus !
We’re super proud and excited to welcome those amazing acts on board! Can’t wait, see ya there!
??Up In Smoke takes place at Konzertfabrik Z7 – Pratteln in Pratteln on 2-3-4 October 2020.
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 22nd, 2019 by JJ Koczan
Happy impending birthday to Sound of Liberation, and I say that with all sincerity. The European booking concern has helped to reshape Europe’s heavy underground particularly over the course of this decade with its involvement in fests like Up in Smoke, Keep it Low, and of course the Desertfest series in London, Berlin, Belgium and now New York, while also having a hand in putting together killer package tours on a one-after-the-next ongoing basis that’s as exhausting-looking as it is enviable, watching from a continent away as I am. They’ll celebrate 15 years in late-June 2020 with two shows featuring Fu Manchu (who themselves are celebrating 30 years), Sasquatch, The Atomic Bitchwax and more to be announced.
Frankly, with those three, I’m not sure they need anyone else, but the roster of Sound of Liberation continues to expand, moving into the Greek scene recently with Naxatras and Villagers of Ionnina City as choice pickups, so I’m also curious to see who gets invited to the party. The shows are in Wiesbaden and Munich and early-bird tickets are on sale now.
Info follows as posted on thee social medias:
We are super excited to announce the first acts for our 15 years Sound of Liberation birthday events!!
Sound of Liberation is honoured and proud to welcome one of the best live acts on this planet.
Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seat belts because the mighty heavy rock riff legends, the Kings of the Road, Fu Manchu will push the gas pedal to the maximum! We’re super hyped that our birthday coincides with Fu Manchu’s, who will celebrate their 30 years of existence with a special anniversary tour!
Speaking of killer live acts…we have two more for you.
We are stoked to welcome back in Europe, after 2 long years, New Jersey´s riffdealers The Atomic Bitchwax, as well as L.A.´s powerhouse Sasquatch.
You all surely know their great and highly energetic live performances and we can´t wait to welcome them to our two huge birthday parties!
Dear fans and friends, we are preparing for two special anniversary shows, in two excellent venues. Expect an outstanding line up with 8 to 10 bands, no overlappings in the timetable, indoor stage and outside area, beergarden and some more specials we are working on! ?
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 17th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
All I know is this: 2020 is my year for Freak Valley. I’ve been invited for years. In 2020 I’m going. And further, I’m saying it now. Normally I don’t commit really to anything that involves even a modicum of traveling until after all the plans are locked in and I’ve checked in at the airport, but Jens Heide at the fest passed along the invite once again, as he’s patiently done for a while now, and unless a piano falls on my head between now and then or my flight to Siegen crashes into the Atlantic, I’m gonna be there. Hell or high water, as it were.
I wrote the lineup announcement below, as I’ve done for the fest for a couple years now, and happily. It’s a great first round showing international reach and a range of styles, but of course look out for much more still to come. Freak Valley over the last few editions has begun to branch out in some fascinating ways, and I’d expect that to continue while also retaining its heavy core.
I can’t wait to get over there for it.
Freaks, the time is nigh!
Did you miss us? We missed you. Tickets go on sale TOMORROW (10/18) for Freak Valley 2020 and we couldn’t be more excited to bring you the first lineup announcement for next year’s fest! Get your calendar marked for 11-13 June and remember this is just the beginning and over the next couple months we’ll have so much more to come in terms of bands and other happenings for you. 2019 was our best year yet and we’re looking forward to topping it once again!
Tickets are officially on sale at our Freak Sabbath Vol.5 // Freak Valley Ticket Sale Kick Off, with Church of Misery and many more, but it’s time to dig into the first bands for Freak Valley Festival 2020 and we think you’ll agree it’s a great way to start.
FU MANCHU (30th Anniversary)
30 years of the Fu! Fuzz legends and heavy rock mainstays Fu Manchu are one of the most influential riff purveyors of all time. From the original stoner rock era in the ’90s through their modern takes on punk and spacey groove, Fu Manchu are, simply put, one of the most essential live bands you’ll ever see. They’ll mark three full decades of rock in 2020, and bringing them to Freak Valley was an absolute must. Of course we’re all huge fans and to have them on our stage is an honor no matter what the occasion, but this one is even more special considering their celebration. Happy birthday, Fu Manchu! Welcome to Freak Valley!
SLOMATICS
It was something of a tragedy in 2019 when our plan to bring Northern Ireland’s Slomatics over to play was cut short because of airline difficulties. That’s no way to go. We knew immediately we’d invite them back for 2020 and try it again and we’re glad to report that the band is on board as well. They’ll still be supporting their 2019 album, ‘Canyons,’ but where it was going to be brand new when they played this year, we’ve all had a little time to digest the massive riffs and wide-sprawling vibes that make their sound so distinctive. 2020 is the year! We can’t wait to finally see this band.
ENDLESS BOOGIE
There’s nothing better than a band with the perfect name, and New York-based mellow jammers Endless Boogie most certainly have that. The band are masters of hypnotic and class-style jams brought to life not with a wash of effects, but through sheer repetition and builds that are subtle in their dynamic but seem able to cover an infinity of ground that goes however far they choose at any given moment. Even among heavy and psychedelic rock, there’s nothing quite like them in terms of the character they bring to how they play. With onstage charisma, periodic improv vocals, and righteous jams, they’ll come to Freak Valley 2020 as one of our most anticipated acts.
MONOMYTH
From Den Haag in The Netherlands, Monomyth are a beacon of heavy progadelic instrumentalism. Their latest opus is ‘Orbis Quadrantis’ on Suburban Records, and its lush melodies and exploratory vibe carry the listener across its span with all the grace of masters of the form. They’ve been kicking around Europe and the festival scene for the last six years since their self-titled debut came out, and it feels only overdue to have them at Freak Valley as part of our 2020 lineup. Just look for the sea of nodding heads in front of the stage and you’ll know you’re in the right place. They are one not to miss.
TEMPLE FANG
Space, as ever, is the place, and Amsterdam’s Temple Fang are sure to take us there as they come to Freak Valley for the first of what we hope will be many happy returns. With former members of Death Alley and the vastly underrated Mühr, Temple Fang set out on a new voyage of their own last year, and while we anxiously await a debut release, the chance to bring them to Siegen to play was too good to pass up. Maybe you’ve heard them yet and maybe you haven’t, but trust us when we tell you that these guys are up to something special and this is a band you want to see or you’ll regret it later. We promise.
Many more to come!
Tickets will be available at these booking offices by Monday morning Oct 21st: Die Tintenpatrone & Siegener Zeitung
Online Tickets (print at home and Hardtickets) will be available Wednesday Oct 23rd 6pm cet
Ticketprice will be €95 for all 3 dayz incl. camping. Camping will be possible from Wednesday June 10th next year!
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 29th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
Total no-brainer, right? Fu Manchu, Live at Roadburn 2003. Bam. Preorders up. If you’re going to the fest next month, you can pick it up there if you want. Otherwise, ship it or wait till June when the band have it out on their own At the Dojo imprint. Either way, I feel like I don’t even need to say anything about this. You can stream “Squash that Fly” at the bottom of the post — and contrary to what the Bandcamp player says, it’s from 2003, not 2013 — and hear for yourself, and honestly, that’s gonna do more for you than any kind of dumbass fanboy hyperbole I can throw your way about how awesome Fu Manchu are. Get the LP. There. Done.
No really, that’s it. From the PR wire:
The big news of today is that Roadburn Records will do a one time pressing of the Fu Manchu set at Roadburn 2003 (yes that is a while ago ;-)) on blue vinyl. This album will be available first at the festival and will be shipped out by the end of April for all pre-orders.
Scott Hill from Fu Manchu comments:
“Playing Roadburn back in 2003 was a blast! It was a year before we put out our “Start The Machine” release and we played a couple of songs from it live for the first time on that tour. One of the songs that’s on this live record, “I Wanna Be,” is a different arrangement than what ended up on the final studio release. We’re stoked that the show was recorded and that people will get to hear it. Always a good time playing at Roadburn!”
The album will be a one time pressing of 500 on blue vinyl. Later this year, the band will release the set worldwide on their own At The Dojo label. The album is available to pre-order online now – but will be available first at Roadburn 2019.
Full setlist 1.Squash That Fly 2.Hell On Wheels 3.Eatin Dust 4.Laserblast! 5.I Wanna Be 6.Boogie Van 7.King Of The Road 8.Written In Stone 9.Saturn III
Line up: Scott Hill – vocals guitar Bob Balch – Lead guitar / backing vocals Brad Davis – Bass – Backing vocals Scott Reeder – Drums / Backing Vocals
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 20th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
If we’ve learned anything at all about Psycho Las Vegas in the last few years, it’s that Psycho is gonna do its own shit its own way. It’s not about being the American Roadburn, or about being a non-suck Coachella. It’s Psycho Las Vegas. It’s its own thing, and to think otherwise is simply to have a mistaken impression. If you’ve been, you know this already.
It would seem to be in that spirit that where every other fest doles out its lineup either at once or piecemeal in a succession of announcements — trust me, I know: I write them — Psycho is once again doing its thing its way. With barely any text whatsoever, band posters have been trickling out through the Psycho Las Vegas Instagram, and if you’ve been paying attention, you’ve started to see some of the festival take shape. There was a first announcement way back in November, and I’m sure when it’s all said and done they’ll have more official word, but until then, it’s worth keeping your eyes open to see how it’s playing out. I’m trying to keep up as best I can.
To that end:
We’re upping the ante and taking this party to the strip. Join us August 16-18, 2019 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino for Psycho Las Vegas––featuring four stages, late night parties, and exclusive performances you won’t see anywhere else. Early Bird + Tier I tickets are on sale now atvivapsycho.com.
Lineup so far: Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats High on Fire Glassjaw YOB Perturbator Kadavar Oranssi Pazuzu Electric Wizard Fu Manchu Graveyard Amenra Deafheaven Old Man Gloom Clutch Power Trip Bad Religion Rotting Christ
America’s rock ‘n’ roll bacchanal returns as PSYCHO LAS VEGAS brings its annual debauchery and unbridled volume to the Strip itself, with a move to the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino that sets the stage for a Las Vegas Boulevard takeover, the likes of which have never been seen.
Slated for August 16th through August 18th, PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2019 will feature four stages, including the newly renovated Events Center, the iconic House Of Blues, the Mandalay Bay Beach, featuring a wave pool and lazy river, and an old-school Vegas-style Lounge smack dab in the middle of the casino floor. While all of the venues are located on the property, Mandalay Bay is connected by a complimentary tram service that provides easy access to affordable accommodations such as Luxor and Excalibur. Attendees will have access to discounted rates at all of these properties and other MGM hotels and resorts down the Strip.
The highly coveted “Psycho Special” passes, notorious for selling out instantly, are priced at $99, plus taxes and fees and go on sale Thursday, November 29th at 10:00am PST. Weekender General Admission passes are priced at $249, plus taxes and fees, and will increase to $299, plus taxes and fees, once the first tier sells out. Only 300 High Roller VIP passes will be sold at $499, plus taxes and fees, with package details to be announced in December. Single-day tickets will be available in the Spring at $109, plus taxes and fees. While the festival format will remain largely the same as previous years, the Thursday pre-party at DAYLIGHT Beach Club will be a more intimate event for attendees and will require a separate ticket from the festival pass. Tickets and more information available atVivaPsycho.com.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 19th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
There wasn’t really any doubt, but it’s nice to have confirmation that the lineup for Stoned and Dusted is awesome. So there you have Melvins, Fu Manchu, Brant Bjork, King Buffalo, Yawning Man, Acid King, Black Mountain, Lo-Pan, REZN, BigPig, Del-Toros, Sgt. Papers and, oh yeah, Radio Moscow for a bit of the ultra-boogie. I was having a conversation not so long ago with an artist who played last year and was talking about how the sound guy was indeed spaced way the hell out, so when you look at the poster and see “Sound Guy on Acid” listed above the Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show, you should know they may be speaking literally. No doubt that will only add to the one-of-a-kind experience of the desert’s own heavy party.
The lineup speaks for itself, so I’ll spare you the get-there-if-you-can-get-there rant and just drop the ticket link here for your purchasing and travel planning. There’s also a Spotify playlist below that, while I imagine you’re well familiar with the bulk of these acts, is no less welcome for that, as far as I’m concerned.
Dig:
Stoned and Dusted 2019
The California Desert Wizards Association will hold its second annual members’ gathering on May 25 & 26th, 2019 in the Southern California Mojave Desert, USA.
Total radness on Memorial Day weekend!
On Saturday May 25th we are doing it up at Pappy & Harriet’s, our favorite desert roadhouse and one of the world’s coolest music venues. Get ready for an outside show under the desert skies with Melvins, Fu Manchu, Brant Bjork, REZN, (Big) Pig, and lights by the Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show.
Our desert party is back and it’s going down on May 26th at a secret location near Joshua Tree, CA with Black Mountain, Acid King, Radio Moscow, Yawning Man (Official), King Buffalo, Lo-Pan, Sgt. Papers, Del-Toros, and the Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show. Limited tickets available, get yours now!
Posted in Features on January 1st, 2019 by JJ Koczan
If you’re reading this, congratulations on making it all the way through the existential rollercoaster that was 2018.
I hope you celebrated that year’s end and this year’s beginning in riotous fashion if that’s your thing, and if you’re more the stay-at-home-and-don’t-break-stuff type, I hope that was fun too.
Over the last month, best-of lists have been collected from all around the world and as we move into 2019, it’s time to do the results of the Year-End Poll for 2018.
What a year. As I look back on the lists submitted, of course I can’t help but think how absolutely incredible 2018 was for music. With the world crumbling around, creativity surged, and the quality of output was off the charts. I published my own list last week and was quickly inundated with stuff I forgot or that I missed owing to being robbed earlier this year — I guess I didn’t even realize until the post went up just how much that screwed me — and I’m sure there’s more still out there from what everyone turned in. It’s infinite. It keeps going. Trends change. Sounds change. People change. Creativity flourishes.
But I think if you’re reading this, you know why we’re here. We wound up with somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 discrete releases submitted. That’s more than five for every day of the year. And they came from 547 people, which is amazing. Accordingly, there should be plenty here to keep you busy for a while.
Not exactly suspenseful as to which was the album of the year, but it’s still interesting to see where stuff landed. Just to remind, there are two lists, one of the raw votes, and one in which a 1-4 ranking is worth five points, 5-8 worth four, 9-12 worth three, 13-16 worth two and 17-20 worth one. Thanks as always to Slevin for the help in setting up the back end functionality and compilation scripts.
Let’s go:
Top 20 of 2018 — Weighted Results
1. Sleep, The Sciences (1,087 points)
2. YOB, Our Raw Heart (721)
3. High on Fire, Electric Messiah (478)
4. Earthless, Black Heaven (413)
5. King Buffalo, Longing to Be the Mountain (408)
6. Windhand, Eternal Return (387)
7. All Them Witches, ATW (373)
8. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Wasteland (354)
9. Clutch, Book of Bad Decisions (323)
10. Fu Manchu, Clone of the Universe (315)
11. Greenleaf, Hear the Rivers (285)
12. Holy Grove, Holy Grove II (274)
13. Graveyard, Peace (225)
14. Brant Bjork, Mankind Woman (222)
15. Weedpecker, III (212)
16. Corrosion of Conformity, No Cross No Crown (197)
17. Monster Magnet, Mindfucker (189)
18. Conan, Existential Void Guardian (188)
19. The Skull, The Endless Road Turns Dark (167)
20. ASG, Survive Sunrise (164)
Honorable Mention:
Messa, Feast for Water (150)
Gozu, Equilibrium (148)
Judas Priest, Firepower (148)
Naxatras, III (148)
Forming the Void, Rift (146)
I’m not saying everyone had to love the Sleep record, but there’s no way it wasn’t the biggest underground heavy release of the year. That top spot was established the first day the poll went up and while YOB caught up as both neared 100 votes, there was no doubt how it would ultimately shake out. It was pretty clear early on what people were passionate about, but there are some interesting differences between the raw vote and the weighted results even high on the list, as you’ll see below.
Top 20 of 2018 — Raw Votes
1. Sleep, The Sciences (263 votes)
2. YOB, Our Raw Heart (185)
3. High on Fire, Electric Messiah (141)
4. Windhand, Eternal Return (115)
5. Earthless, Black Heaven (109)
6. King Buffalo, Longing to Be the Mountain (102)
7. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Wasteland (101)
8. All Them Witches, ATW (95)
8. Clutch, Book of Bad Decisions (95)
9. Fu Manchu, Clone of the Universe (93)
10. Greenleaf, Hear the Rivers (77)
10. Holy Grove, Holy Grove II (77)
11. Graveyard, Peace (69)
12. Brant Bjork, Mankind Woman (67)
13. Weedpecker, III (63)
14. Monster Magnet, Mindfucker (57)
14. Conan, Existential Void Guardian (57)
15. Corrosion of Conformity, No Cross No Crown (54)
16. The Skull, The Endless Road Turns Dark (50)
17. ASG, Survive Sunrise (48)
18. Gozu, Equilibrium (46)
19. Forming the Void, Rift (45)
20. Judas Priest, Firepower (43)
20. Khemmis, Bloodletting (43)
20. Mos Generator, Shadowlands (43)
20. Orange Goblin, The Wolf Bites Back (43)
Honorable Mention:
Messa, Feast for Water (41)
Domkraft, Flood (40)
Naxatras, III (40)
Thou, Magus (40)
Everything else got fewer than 40 raw votes. Why cap it at 40? I don’t know. Good a place as any. And when a top 20 has 26 releases on it, I don’t imagine there will be too many complaints about not enough stuff being included. One can hope, anyhow. You can see the difference between Sleep and everyone else here as well, a pretty precipitous drop after both them and YOB, and YOB and High on Fire — the top three being well ahead of everyone else in terms of general agreement.
The ‘Respect the Hustle’ Award
Somewhere around the middle of the month, I noticed a massive surge of votes for a band called Entropía and their debut album, Invisible. A bunch of people with lists of 20 just including Entropía. I’ve included them below, you can see them. I didn’t know what was up, whether it was the band spamming the vote or what, so I sent them a message. Turns out they had sent the link to their email list and asked for votes, and that’s how they all got in. Well, okay.
They wound up with well over 750 raw votes (to remind, Sleep got 263), and it didn’t feel representative to have them be album of the year, but hey, I respect the hustle, so they get the award accordingly. Nicely done, folks. I’ve been doing Year-End Polls since like 2010 and that’s never happened before. Their totals were 2,367 points and 777 votes.
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Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading. Whether this is the only post you’ve seen this year or you click ‘Like’ on everything that comes across your Facebook feed, your support is tremendously appreciated. This is the only post that will go up today, but we’ll be back to business as usual tomorrow, and in the meantime, you’ll find everybody’s list included after the jump.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 26th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
So, uh, in addition to the kickass poster art — which so good that I’m happy to look at it twice with the banner above and the vertical poster below, Desertfest Berlin 2019 pretty much rules as regards lineup as well. Granted, you could put “ham sandwich” on a card under Fu Manchu and Om, and I’d pass on the sandwich but still call that a really good show, but Wovenhand, All Them Witches, Witch, Colour Haze, Kikagaku Moyo, Naxatras, Earthless, on and on. I mean, come on. This is serious business. I know it’s the holidays and people are kind of checked out, but just look at this fucking thing. Plus, you know, the art.
Their latest announcement is duly celebratory:
FU MANCHU ++ THE DEVIL AND THE ALMIGHTY BLUES ++ ZIG ZAGS ++ SWEDISH DEATH CANDY confirmed for DESERTFEST BERLIN 2019!!!
HoHoHo dear desert festers! Perfect in time for Xmas, we would like to make a very special gift, and are more than proud to reveal 4 more bands for Desertfest Berlin 2019. And holy moly, it still feels like a dream but it’s getting real! Since our very first edition, we wanted them to play our stage, 8 years later it finally happens: Fu Manchu are going to play live at our beloved DESERTFEST BERLIN!!!
Since their inception, FU MANCHU has built itself a fanatical army of loyal enthusiasts all drawn to the group’s guitar-driven sound and carefree lyrics centered on old muscle cars, choppers, vans, skateboarding and science fiction. Over their impressing career, FU MANCHU has released 12 albums and has performed to sold out audiences all over the world. 2019 sees desert rock legends Scott Hill, Brad Davis, Bob Balch and Scott Reeder embarking on new adventures, with EXCLUSIVE SHOWS ONLY at DESERTFEST BERLIN + LONDON! “Germany is one of our favorite places to play and the crowds are always amazing. We’re stoked to be coming back to Berlin as part of Desertfest!” the band comments. And so are we to welcome FU MANCHU in 2019!!!
The Devil And The Almighty Blues will be armed with vintage Gibson guitars and tube amplifiers to take over DESERTFEST BERLIN! The Norwegian quintet’s blues- based rock is so heavy without becoming metal, slow without being doom, bluesy without being straight up and boring. Please welcome THE DEVIL AND THE ALMIGHTY live at the ARENA BERLIN, when they will also unleash upon us a brand new album in the Spring of 2019!
Grab your pack of Zig Zags desert rockers, as we will bring you the Los Angeles- based sci-fi power trio live on stage! With their scuzzy fusion of punk, metal and stoner sounds, these guys will deliver the ultimate soundtrack to get high on their sounds. Be prepared for a rad and insane live set!
Tunes as thick and heavily layered, powerful and melodic at the same time, Swedish Death Candy are rounding up today’s special Christmas announcement! Following their formation in 2014 and thundering live shows later, the four-piece psych band quickly began to grab attention from rock fans all over the globe. For a good reason: The variety within the band’s individual backgrounds, skill sets and influences has led the band to be truly unique – and one that is vital for today’s current scene.
Friends, we hope you are as much excited about this very special Christmas present as we are. But that’s not all, DAY TICKETS + FIRST SPLIT OF LINE-UP for each day are also now available and to plan your trip to Desertfest Berlin 2019: www.desertfest-tickets.de
The DESERTFEST-crew would like to wish all desert rockers, friends & families a peaceful Christmas and a heavy happy New Year. Stay safe, enjoy the festive season and we will see us all again soon at the capitol of the almighty riffs: DESERTFEST BERLIN 2019!
