Posted in Bootleg Theater on October 31st, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Berlin-based five-piece Operators released their third album, Revelers (review here), earlier this year and thereby reignited the dynamic rock and roll throwdown of 2013’s Contact High (review here) and 2012’s Operators (review here), with their most charged and dynamic outing yet. The band, who take elements from classic heavy but never lose themselves full-on into vintage-ism and never have, are somewhat underrated at this point as songwriters, as organ-soaked cuts like “Pusher” and “Walkin’ on Air” demonstrate, but as they demonstrate in their new video for the 10-minute LP finale “Rolling Hitch,” that’s done just about nothing to slow their party down. And especially in this video, which is their second from the record behind a clip for “Messina,” that party comes to life.
And hey, if you’re going to throw a throwdown, where better to do so than on the water? Operators get some friends together, hit the dock and let the good times and grooves alike roll as they will. The song features a guest appearance from Wight guitarist/vocalist René Hofmann, who also recorded and mixed Revelers, and though he doesn’t seem to be in the clip, the band obviously had a blast in putting it together. Seriously, is there anything better than watching a band live on a boat? Immediate awesomeness. Of the one or two times I’ve been fortunate enough to do such a thing, it’s never failed to thrill, and hey, if Operators wants to open a cruise line, they’ve got a pretty good commercial for why you should show up right here. I’d hit up that ship.
Check out “Rolling Hitch” below, followed by some more info from the band, and please enjoy:
Operators, “Rolling Hitch” official video
We are proud to present our second music video for our new album ‘Revelers’!
An ongoing journey. Settling down and moving ahead again. Tied knots and sharpened blades. ‘Rolling Hitch’ deals with making peace with yourself, with the neverending quest to find serenity.
Filmed by our dear friend Fabian Willi Simon on a magnificent boatride on the ‘Anarche’, Aug 19th 2017. Thanks to everybody who helped to make this happen.
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 21st, 2014 by JJ Koczan
German heavy psych trio Mother Engine are the latest confirmation for Desertfest Berlin 2015. They join the esteemed ranks of Orange Goblin, Red Fang, Black Pyramid and Karma to Burn in the lineup for the fest, which is set for the end of next April at the Astra Kulturhaus, where Desertfest has been held since its inception. I won’t pretend to know a lot about the three-piece, who got their start in 2011 and decided to press on as an instrumental act following the departure of their frontman, but if the jammy heavy rock they propagated on their 2012 Fuzzmatazz Records debut, Muttermaschine, is any indicator of where they’re at now, they should fit right in on the bill.
The album is rife with warm tones and a natural, jammed-out vibe in the post-Colour Haze vein, though a little rougher around the edges for Mother Engine being a new band. Since it will be about two and a half years after the release by the time they take the stage at Desertfest, I’d be interested to hear how they’ve changed in that time. Maybe the slot coincides with a new album? I guess we’ll find out sooner or later.
For now, the announcement:
Mother Engine confirmed for DesertFest Berlin 2015!!
Since their legendary campsite gig at the Stoned From The Underground 2013, everyone has either heard of their name or even their great debut record, “Muttermaschine”. Their music is chill-out music to the max, music that touches your soul, and they truly deserved to be part of the festival next year!
DESERTFEST BERLIN #4 – APRIL 23th, 24th, 25th 2015 ASTRA KULTURHAUS / F-HAIN/X-BERG BERLIN (GER)
Red Fang + Orange Goblin + My Sleeping Karma + Black Pyramid + Karma To Burn + Brutus + Dopethrone + The Atomic Bitchwax + Lo-pan + Mountain Witch + Mother Engine + many many more acts:)
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 15th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
A sort of double-dose of news from German heavy rockers Stonehenge, whose debut, Bunch of Bisons (review here), was released last year. They’ll be reissuing that album on vinyl through Fuzzmatazz Records in December, and they’re also at work on their second full-length. The organ-laced riffers have posted some footage from the studio — not much music in the clip, but a lot of giggling — and while there’s no word on a solid release date for the sophomore outing, they’ll hit the road also in December alongside Operators for a few shows and presumably have some new material in tow for their set as they support the Bunch of Bisons vinyl.
Fuzzmatazz passed along the following:
Lets make it official! @FUZZMATAZZ records will re-release Stonhenge’s great first Album Bunch of Bisons in a strictly limited edition very soon. We are working really hard to make this LP to come in December. It will be a very special and ultra nice looking piece of vinyl with a shitload of extras inside – e.g. new mastering, poster, handprinted cover…
So make sure to get yours very fast! We will start a preorder as soon as we know the Date of the production! So stay tuned…
—
That is what stonhenge has to say about this…
Hello people, after long silence we’re back with a boom!
Last week we were in the studio to record our second album. Here’s a video. More news tomorrow and the day after.
2nd news-update: We’re touring with the OPERATORS in december. Also we’re playing 2 shows with Pyrior in Halle (18.10.) and Berlin (23.12.)
3rd news-update: our first album “Bunch Of Bisons” will be re-released on VINYL!!!
In the couple of next months we give you an ultra-limited special-edition in cooperation with the supercool label “Fuzzmatazz records”, the same label our friends “OPERATORS” put their record on. Stay tuned.
Posted in Reviews on March 11th, 2013 by JJ Koczan
If you didn’t know that stoner rock was a battle, then instrumental trio Stonerfront Nijmegen would like to inform that they’ve got the Dutch field covered. Actually, I’d doubt the three-piece, for whom the EP 3-Days-Desertmarks a physical debut — pressed to180 gram vinyl and released through Fuzzmatazz Records — would even seek to make such lofty claims. Their ethic, rather, rests solely in the direction of unpretentious stoner rocking, riffs leading the way for thick, rolling, semi-psychedelic grooves, light touches of early Monster Magnet jangle making their way into the guitar of Remco Verweij while bassist John Munnich fills out a rich low end in locked march with drummer Peter Dragt‘s classic grooves, the overall result on the 20-minute EP’s three tracks resting comfortably somewhere between Kyuss‘ formative desert rock and Karma to Burn‘s straightforward riffy motoring.
Sounds familiar? It probably should, and if any of the above names ring a bell, it probably will. Stonerfront Nijmegen — who hail from, wait for it, Nijmegen — touch on some of the jam-mindedness that’s au courant in European heavy, and thanks to Munnich’s satisfyingly weighted tone, they have a bit in common with some of Elektrohasch‘s current set, albeit overall coming across as less fuzzy on the 9:10 A-side, “Stonerfront Nijmegen” or side B’s “Sector 11” (5:46) and “Sandchaser” (5:54), despite their tendency to wander. The two shorter tracks offer a better look at the trio’s sonic personality than the longer cut, though none of the three should prove a challenge to anyone with prior genre exposure. I’d be curious to know how someone who unfamiliar with Dave Wyndorf‘s ’90s exploits might hear the opening strum of “Stonerfront Nijmegen” or the siren sounding an alarm apparently meant to wake listeners up for the circling jam to come, but either way, StonerfrontNijmegen seem more bent on interpretation than innovation in their ethic, and as the jams are suitably earthy and the vibe is cool, the wheel seems to have little argument in keeping its long-appreciated shape.
The interplay between Verweij and Munnich throughout all three cuts is high on the list of Stonerfront Nijmegen‘s assets, though it’s worth noting as well that Dragt‘s jazzy changes give them a likewise intricate foundation to build on, and that the drummer is just as pivotal in establishing the soulful stops prior to the six-minute mark as either of the other two. 3-Days-Desert may not be remaking the band’s stated style in its own image, but neither is it void of personality. The siren returns in the second half of the eponymous opener, and to tie it all together, a bomb drops at the end of the track, leading to the sandier climate of “Sector 11” on the next side of the album, a Sky Valleylow end making its presence felt early into the jam that emerges to hold at a steady level where one might expect a build. If Stonerfront Nijmegen are missing their John Garcia anywhere on the EP, it’s on “Sector 11,” though few and far between are the singers who dynamic enough to keep up with the track’s variability of mood — a Garcia croon would do it; not much else. They do thicken out some in the second half, but it’s not like they’ve been rising musically toward a payoff, so really it’s just a heavier part written into the script, no more or less offensive than anything they’ve done to this point. Encouragingly, they go back to the central line of earlier in the track at the end, giving “Sector 11” a structured feel. This brings an added touch of context to the more classically motoring “Sandchaser.”
Less of the desert than of the speedway, “Sandchaser” finds Verweij again at the fore, but this time with chunky chugging riffs that touch almost on a rockabilly style, and subsequently a howling lead that, yes, Munnich answers back with a killer bassline, but moreover an unhinged feel that both stands testament to Dragt‘s ability to hold a song together and wants nothing for personality while also filling the space that vocals might otherwise occupy. In any case, Stonerfront Nijmegen — who first got together in 2008 but saw 3-Days-Desertcome to fruition after lineup shuffles — would have some growing to do if they seemed remotely interested in doing it. As it stands, they might actually be better off in categorically exploring their influences with relaxed-atmosphere jams rather than trying to force progression into where progression doesn’t want to be, and if that’s the case, then these tracks at very least make the most of what sounds like a good time writing and recording, and taken for what they are, leave one with no real complaints. Further, the more I listen through, the less I find myself asking of 3-Days-Desert, which I’m happy to consider the EP establishing its own context and inviting the listener to approach it on its own level. It’s unambitious, but not without its own charm in part because of that.
