Heavy Psych Sounds enters the Spring festival game with Sonic Ritual Fest 2017. The announcement of the new fest comes only days after a Heavy Psych Sounds night was also confirmed for Desertfest Berlin 2017 (info here), and as Sonic Ritual will take place over the course of two nights in three different cities in two different countries, it’s nothing if not an ambitious rollout. That’s before you get to the lineup, which spans Europe and both coasts of the US in its scope, importing acts like desert rock legends Yawning Man and Philly cosmic rockers Ecstatic Vision to play alongside Scotland’s The Cosmic Dead and Italian spaceheads Giöbia.

Sonic Ritual Fest 2017 is intended as a springtime companion to the fall’s Heavy Psych Sounds Fest, so we’ll have to see over time how the two develop, but the idea off the bat of a multi-city approach over subsequent nights, with two different packages that then converge for one huge blowout is a pretty cool way to start. Heavy Psych Sounds still has two more bands to add to the Athens show for May 19, so I’ll be keeping an eye open to see who makes the cut. Perhaps a native Greek act or two would fit the profile? Could be just about anybody, I suppose. There doesn’t seem to be much that’s out of HPS‘ reach these days.

Info and ticket preorder links follow:

Sonic Ritual Fest 2017

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS Records & Booking Is really happy to unveil the line ups for the SONIC RITUAL FEST

May 19 IT Ravenna-Bronson:
GIOBIA
THE COSMIC DEAD
ECSTATIC VISION
ISTVAN

May 19 GR Athens-An Club:
YAWNING MAN
DUEL
+2 more bands to be announced!

May 20 IT Bloom-Mezzago:
YAWNING MAN
GIOBIA
THE COSMIC DEAD
DUEL
ECSTATIC VISION
DOCTOR CYCLOPS
ANANDA MIDA
THE CLAMPS

PRE SALE NOW AT: http://www.heavypsychsounds.com/fest/sonic-ritual/
Sonic Ritual Fest is the new HeavyPsychSounds Spring Fest!
FEATURING: Space Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner, Heavy Psych
KILLER ARTWORK BY THE MIGHTY Luca Solo Macello

http://www.heavypsychsounds.com/fest/sonic-ritual/
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/

Yawning Man, Live in London, Sept. 1, 2016

A couple weeks ago when Desertfest Berlin 2017 announced Saint Vitus as its final headliner, the festival noted that it was in the process of partnering with other promoters on smaller shows to surround the fest proper and, ultimately, enrich it. I’m assuming that this teaming up with Italian imprint Heavy Psych Sounds to bring Farflung, Giöbia, Duel and Glitter Wizard to the bill is the first realization of that idea. Hard for them to pick a better first pairing, frankly. I’ve gone on at length about the depth of work Heavy Psych Sounds has done over the last however many years, so I’ll spare you that, but suffice it to say they’ve more than earned this showcase, and if anything, they could no doubt add to it easily.

Still, a cool addition for Desertfest Berlin 2017. From the PR wire:

Desertfest Berlin 2017: FARFLUNG, GIÖBIA, DUEL, GLITTER WIZARD (Heavy Psych Sounds Records)

“HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS” NIGHT

We are thrilled to announce four more bands today, all invited by the Italian label Heavy Psych Sounds Records! Heavy Psych Sounds specializes in Heavy Psych, Stoner, Retro Rock, Vintage Rock, Proto Punk, Sludge, Acid Rock, Doom, Space Rock, 70 Rock, Garage Psych and Fuzz Blues. They released more than 50 albums with great bands such as Nick Oliveri, Karma To Burn, Black Rainbows, Farflung, Fatso Jetson, Mos Generator, The Freeks, Glitter Wizard, Wedge, Sgt Sunshine and many more!

FARFLUNG (USA)
Internationally recognized as torchbearers in the contemporary space rock scene, Los Angeles-based cult band Farflung is ready to bring the universe sound at DesertFest Berlin! Imagine, as if the bastard child of Amon Duul ii and Hawkwind arose from the ashes of America… stark and glimmering… bathed in the energetic glow of the Stooges… one last cup raised to the lunatics and wishing for wounds… They have set their course for the farthest reaches of the universe…

GIÖBIA (IT)
Giöbia has been one of the most influential psychedelic bands in Italy over the last years. Seduced by the lysergic side of the ‘60s, by exotic mantras and the evocative power of space-rock, Giöbia is a band with many facets and one only faith, that is to turn every encounter with sound into a psychedelic experience.

DUEL (USA)
Duel is heavy psychedelic stoner doom metal from Austin, Texas, hugely influenced by the darker sounds of early 70’s Proto-metal. The band features two ex Scorpion Child (Nuclear Blast) members. Their sound is menacing and brutally old school. Total purists, their tunes cut right to the bone with heavy, deep groove and blistering tone. Tough and Loud! Hard rock as it should be!

GLITTER WIZARD (USA)
This band of California rifflords pillage the best of vintage hard rock while keeping their laser eyes on the future, creating a unique brand of oddball psychedelia. Their onstage performance is a glammed-up force to be reckoned with and they’ve been taking their act on the road from the West Coast all the way to Europe.

Previously confirmed for this year’s DESERTFEST BERLIN: SLEEP, JOHN GARCIA & BAND (playing songs from Kyuss to Slo Burn), SAINT VITUS, BONGZILLA, SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT, MARS RED SKY, LOWRIDER, 1000MODS, STONED JESUS, TOUNDRA, ECSTATIC VISION, SUMA, MAMMOTH MAMMOTH, THE COSMIC DEAD, PONTIAK, TUBER, SATAN’S SATYRS, WUCAN, VENOMOUS MAXIMUS, THE WELL, GOLD, RIFF FIST, ODD COUPLE, TSCHAIKA 21/16.

DESERTFEST BERLIN 2017 will feature more than 50 bands in total! Remember that you have until Wednesday, February 1st to buy your tickets for 85€ (visit our Website, or use the links below in this release). After that, the weekend pass will be 95 €.

http://www.desertfest.de/tickets
https://www.facebook.com/DesertfestBerlin
http://woolheads.com/shop-2/festivalmerchandise/desertfest-berlin-2016-early-bird-ticket-action-1/
https://shop3.ticketscript.com/channel/html/get-products/rid/4MGC3S6H/eid/327518/validity/any_day/language/en

Giöbia, Magnifier (2015)

Last month, Italian heavy psych rockers Giöbia were announced as signing to Heavy Psych Sounds for booking. Now comes word that Spring 2017 will bring a new single, What Have You Done, as a 7″ platter via the specializing-in-such-things German imprint H42 Records, holding forth a B-side with no less than a cover of Hawkwind‘s “Silver Machine.” Not a minor track to take on by any means, but Giöbia‘s mind expansion hit a particularly resonant wave on 2015’s Magnifier (review here), which came out on Sulatron, so one has little doubt they’re up to the task.

More when I (hopefully) hear it. H42 sent the following down the PR wire:

GIÖBIA will release two new songs on a limited 7“ in May 2017 on H42 Records

Limited up to ONLY 270 copies
50 on white vinyl (H42 Records Edition)
100 on red vinyl
100 on black vinyl
20 testpress edition with different artwork

Side A: What Have You Done
Side B: Silver Machine (Hawkwind Cover)

Already on her last album ‘Magnifier’ the sound became harder and darker. With the upcoming 7 “, this path has been consistently pursued: ‘What have you done’ is a straight forward heavy psychedelic rocker. Without a break it follows on the B side ‘Silver Machine’. The Giöbia version of this Hawkwind classic will blow you away!

Giöbia has been one of the most influential psychedelic bands in Italy over the last years. Seduced by the lysergic side of the ‘60s, by exotic mantras and the evocative power of space-rock, Giöbia is a band from Milano, Italy with many facets and one only faith, that is to turn every encounter with sound into a psychedelic experience. The band counts four members: leader Bazu (vocals and string instruments), Saffo (organ, violin, vocals), Detrji (bass) and Betta (drums) and their name – Giöbia – comes from an ancient pre-christian festivity celebrated in Northern Italy when a big straw puppet resembling a witch is burnt as a propitiatory ritual towards the forces of nature.

https://www.facebook.com/giobiaband
https://giobiagiobia.bandcamp.com/
http://www.giobia.com/
https://www.facebook.com/H42Records/
https://h42records.bandcamp.com/
http://www.h42records.com/

Giobia, Magnifier (2015)

This one makes sense. Italian imprint and booking agency Heavy Psych Sounds — founded and run by Gabriele Fiori of Roman trios Black Rainbows and Killer Boogie — is among the foremost ambassadors of his country’s heavy underground. In the meantime, Milan’s Giöbia have emerged as a powerhouse of spaced-out groove, their fourth and most recent long-player, Magnifier (review here), having come out via Sulatron Records last year to the thrill of lysergic braincell-miners worldwide. Pairing the two up to put the band on the road? Yeah, again, that makes sense.

I’d expect an announcement of a Giöbia European — or at very least Italian — tour to follow shortly behind this one that brings the band onto the Heavy Psych Sounds booking roster. So far as I know, they’ll still be releasing through Sulatron — which is run by Dave “Sula Bassana” Schmidt of Electric Moon, Zone Six, etc. — but there’s never been anything wrong with keeping more than one kind of the right company, so cheers to the band. Maybe a new release in 2017 as well? We’ll see.

Here’s what Heavy Psych Sounds had to say about all of it:

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS Records & Booking is really thrilled to announce that Giöbia started to be part of the booking roster!

So from today for any gig inquire please write to: info@heavypsychsounds.com

Giöbia has been one of the most influential psychedelic bands in Italy over the last years. Seduced by the lysergic side of the ‘60s, by exotic mantras and the evocative power of space-rock, Giöbia is a band from Milano, Italy with many facets and one only faith, that is to turn every encounter with sound into a psychedelic experience.

The band counts four members: leader Bazu (vocals and string instruments), Saffo (organ, violin, vocals), Detrji (bass) and Betta (drums) and their name – Giöbia – comes from an ancient pre-christian festivity celebrated in Northern Italy when a big straw puppet resembling a witch is burnt as a propitiatory ritual towards the forces of nature.

https://www.facebook.com/giobiaband/
https://giobiagiobia.bandcamp.com/
http://www.heavypsychsounds.com/bands/giobia.htm
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/

Giöbia, Magnifier (2015)

The final addition to the lineup for Up in Smoke 2016, which starts this Friday at Z7 in Pratteln, Switzerland? Camping space. Namely the floor of the venue, which will be cleaned after the last band finishes each night so that fest goers can grab their sleeping bags and bed down for the night, only to find breakfast waiting when they roll back to consciousness the next morning. I’ve never slept on a venue floor before. That would be a new one. But provided they get the beer/other fluids up, which I’ve no doubt they’ll be able to do because it’s Switzerland and things like that increase the likelihood that anyone gives a shit about what they’re doing, it seems like a cool way to achieve total immersion in a festival atmosphere. I’ve never gone camping either, though, so don’t necessarily take my word as an expert or anything.

With the festival’s most massive lineup yet, Up in Smoke 2016 kicks off this Friday. A new trailer for the fest with some 1000mods in it has been posted and you can find that under the camping info and complete billing below:

SOUND OF LIBERATION and Z7 KONZERTFABRIK PRATTELN proudly present the 4th edition of UP IN SMOKE INDOOR FESTIVAL on September 30th and October 1st 2016! Musical Highlights include Electric Wizard, Yob, Truckfighters, Pentagram and many many more.

Many of you asked for the chance to sleep over in the venue, like we offered in the last editions. Here´s the procedure:

After the last band is done playing, we will go on partying with Dj music for another hour. Then afterwards, we will ask everybody to step out of the main hall for a few minutes. The floor will be cleaned and covered with a sheet so that the place gets clean for all our “in site – campers”. If you want to sleep over in the venue, you should bring your sleeping bag and camping mat. Upon your arrival on the festival site you can store your belongings in the wardrobe and get it back for the night.

In the morning, we will offer you a nice breakfast with coffee/tea, bread and breadrolls, meat and cheese and sweet stuff to get you in shape for the next festival day! The price for sleep over and breakfast is 15.- CHF per person/night. There´s no option of separate bookings like ” only sleep over and no breakfast” or “only breakfast”.

Up in Smoke 2016 Final Line Up
Electric Wizard
Pentagram
Truckfighters
YOB
Elder
Greenleaf
Monkey 3
Cough
Black Cobra
1000mods
Yawning Man
Fatso Jetson
Dyse
Wucan
Desert Mountain Tribe
Giobia
High Fighter
Mother’s Cake
Ephedra

Also not to forget: No overlapping set times, sleep over/breakfast possibiity in the venue + some more specials to be announced soon to sweeten you the “TWO NOT TO BE MISSED DAYS OF VOLUME WORSHIP” !!! Grab your ticket (2-day passes) right now on our website, on www.z-7.ch and on our Facebook (tab ‘Buy Tickets’). If you prefer to buy an original, real hard-ticket, our partner Woolheads is selling them!

http://woolheads.com/cms/shop-2/festivalmerchandise/up-in-smoke-the-indoor-festival-vol-iv-ticket/
http://www.upinsmoke.de/eventinfo-indoor-festival
https://www.facebook.com/UpInSmokeIndoorFestivalInZ7
https://www.soundofliberation.com

Up in Smoke 2016, festival trailer

One could hardly accuse Desertfest Belgium 2016 of playing it subtle. The Antwerp-based festival has upped its stakes considerably this year, bringing in Goat as its first-announced headliner and now adding Red Fang to the bill as the second of three with the third still TBA. Perhaps even more of a consideration are the acts built around these major-force names: Uncle Acid, YOB, Pentagram, Weedeater, Elder and so on, that really demonstrate just how far the festival has come, adding its name to the elite class in a crowded European fall fest sphere.

Red Fang will have their new album out by the time they head over to play. Weedeater, SubRosa, Duel, Black Rainbows and Giobia have also signed on. The PR wire brings details:

RED FANG COMES TO DESERTFEST BELGIUM! Weedeater and others also confirmed

We promised you whopping big news, so whopping big news is what you get!

It is a true pleasure and honour to announce the stoner rock phenomenon RED FANG will be headlining Desertfest Belgium for 2016. As one of the most exciting bands to break out of the scene and into the collective rock community, this is truly a dream come true for us.

Allow us to further blow your excitement level through the roof with another great addition to the line-up: Southern moguls WEEDEATER will be playing the festival as well, along with the oldschool-not-retro heavy heavy psych of DUEL and BLACK RAINBOWS. And with SUBROSA and GIOBIA, we add some truly progressive stoner sounds to the Desertfest mix.

And we’re still not done! We’ll return to you in August with the reveal of our last headliner… we promise it’ll be another mindblower.

RED FANG

How about this for a good omen: Red Fang’s new album ‘Only Ghosts’ drops on the first day of our festival… so what else could we do but try and do our stinking best to get them on board!

And so here they are – the Portlandian stonerockers who have been on the rise since 2005, earning their respect and fame the good old fashioned way: by consistently blowing the mind of whoever witnessed their rifftastic songs, their scorching liveshows, their hilarious videos. Headlining this year’s Desertfest Belgium – you bet your ass we’re psyched!

WEEDEATER

Another scene mainstay that needs no introduction. You know Weedeater’s got the heaviest tone in the business, you know last year’s album ‘Goliathan’ delivered another slab of grooves thick as molasses. You know Dixie Dave will toast us with whiskey and throw up halfway the set from sheer excitement, you know drummer Travis will juggle his sticks a lot. But most of all: you know the gums will be fuzzed straight off your teeth when Weedeater hits the stage.

DUEL

Duel from Austin, Texas bring a brand of stoner doom that is utterly menacing and brutally old school. Hugely influenced by the pure darker sounds of early 70’s Proto-metal, their tunes cut right to the bone with heavy deep groove and a blistering tone. Tough and Loud, Hard rock as it should be!

BLACK RAINBOWS

The Italian Black Rainbows have established themselves as one of the most active fuzz-fueled rock acts in Europe. Blending the drive and swagger of 70’s hard rock with the sun-baked thickness of 90’s stoner rock, their sound could be described as “Hawkwind, MC-5 and Nebula crashing cars in the middle of the Mojave desert”. For proof, look no further than this year’s killer album ‘Stellar Prophecy’.

SUBROSA

Subrosa brings you Ancient Magickal Doom from the bowels of Salt Lake City. Balancing a sludgy low-end and high volume with ultra-melodic folk and experimental elements, the haunting ambience of two electric violins makes this a singular trip that feels emotional, eerie, bleak, and beautiful.

GIOBIA

Hailing from Milan, Giöbia is a celebration of the authentic sixties psychedelic underground, brought to taste with strong shoegaze influences. and sitars, old organs and synthesizers as well as a shitload of effects. A real treat for true lovers of psychedelic music!

https://www.facebook.com/desertfestbelgium/
https://twitter.com/desertfestBE
https://www.facebook.com/events/488174281372335/
http://www.desertfest.be/tickets

Red Fang, “Flies”

Based for the first time in Parma, Italy — the two prior editions had been held in Rome — Heavy Psych Sounds Fest Vol. III has announced a massive round of bands newly joined the proceedings, set for Oct. 28 and 29. The names have trickled out over the last couple weeks, but it seems a roundup is in order, considerable as the names are. In addition to The Atomic Bitchwax, who’ll be on the road with Pentagram at the time, and Fatso Jetson, whose slot was previously announced as part of their Heavy Psych Sounds-sponsored Italian tour, the likes of Mos Generator, Glowsun, Isaak, Komatsu, Void of Sleep and Black Bone have joined on.

I’d expect that means Mos Generator are about to announce a European tour, but I don’t think they’ve done so yet. They’ll head abroad supporting their new album, the excellent Abyssinia (review here), while hopefully Fatso Jetson‘s upcoming LP will be out by then as well. More on that if/when I hear it.

I’ve noted more than a handful of times how crowded the European festival circuit is for this fall, but Heavy Psych Sounds continues to put Italy on the map for heavy rock, its reach extended both domestically and internationally more than ever before, as you can see:

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST VOL 3 with Atomic Bitchwax, Fatso Jetson, Mos Generator, Giobia, Glowsun, Isaak….

Here to announce the HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST VOL 3.

The Festival will take place in Parma, Italy at Mu Club, 90 minutes down Milan or 45 minutes up Bologna, both are the good spot to arrive with airplane. The shows will be divided between 2 stages.

***Friday 28 October ticket 15 euro
**Saturday 29 October ticket 15 euro

*2 days ticket 25 euro only available at http://www.heavypsychsounds.com/fest/

Line Up:
THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX
FATSO JETSON
MOS GENERATOR
GLOWSUN
GIöBIA
ISAAK
FUZZ ORCHESTRA
DUEL
DEVILLE
KOMATSU
VOID OF SLEEP
BLACK BONE
……….More bands Tba…..

Artwork by Solo Macello.

WWW.HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS.COM

MU CLUB:
www.muparma.club

www.heavypsychsounds.com/fest
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://twitter.com/heavypsychsound
heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com

Mos Generator, “Outlander” from Songs for the Firmament

Moving from its former homebase in Rome to Parma, Heavy Psych Sounds Fest Vol. III is set for Oct. 28 and 29 at the MU Club. The first bands have just been announced as Fuzz Orchestra, Duel, Giöbia and Deville, but of course there will be more to come in that regard as the two-night event fills out its lineup presumably over the next couple months either one at a time or in batches.

Either way, I’ll take it. Heavy Psych Sounds Records — headed, as noted here often, by Gabriele Fiori of Black Rainbows and Killer Boogie — has done more than anyone in the last decade to promote the cause of Italian heavy rock. From signing native Italian bands to establishing a cross-continental reach with the label to booking tours and fests across Europe for bands domestic and foreign, Heavy Psych Sounds has become a brand synonymous with putting maximum passion behind everything it does. The fest that bears its name seems unlikely to be an exception.

The timing is noteworthy as well. Europe is awash in fests throughout September and October — Up in Smoke, Desertfest Athens, Desertfest Belgium, Keep it Low — so to add Heavy Psych Sounds Fest Vol. III to that pot only makes the lineup opportunities broader as more acts will be on tour. In that regard, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to think the Gozu and Holy Grove European run — the confirmed dates for which have yet to be revealed — might make a stop in Parma, considering that’s also a Heavy Psych Sounds production.

That’s not confirmed, of course, so don’t quote me on it. Just a supposition. When I hear more about who’s actually on the bill for Heavy Psych Sounds Fest Vol. III, I’ll let you know. For now, here’s the initial announcement:

Heavy Psych Sounds Records&Booking is proud to announce the:

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST VOL. III
October 28 & 29
Italy, Parma, Circolo Arci MU

First bands announced:
****FUZZ ORCHESTRA****
***********DUEL***********
**********GIOBIA**********
*********DEVILLE*********

1 day ticket or 2 days pass available soon at www.heavypsychsounds.com/fest

https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://twitter.com/heavypsychsound
heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com