After being fortunate enough to have been asked last year, there was no way I wasn’t going to be up for having The Obelisk on board to present Heavy Mash 2018. The second edition of the Arlington, Texas-based festival will take place on Oct. 13 and feature a full day and a full lineup of all-killer heavy rock, doom, psych and whatnot, with Austin-dwellers Duel as the headliners on the heels of their 2017 sophomore album, Witchbanger (review here). In fact, when fest organizer Mark Kitchens — also of Stone Machine Electric — brought up the issue recently, my only question was whether the awesome frog from last year’s poster would make a return. To the benefit of all humanity, you can see clearly above that it has.
Duel sit atop the lineup with Californian imports Great Electric Quest and Dallas’ Mountain of Smoke, whose second album, Gods of Biomechanics, will be out July 7 and is an absolute crusher. As it turns out, Great Electric Quest are the only non-Texas band on the bill, as amid the roster of Doomstress, Stone Machine Electric, Switchblade Jesus, Orthodox Fuzz, Gypsy Sun Revival, Witchcryer and Dead Hawke, there isn’t one group that doesn’t call the Lone Star State home. I guess that’s what happens when the place you’re from is awash in creativity and, uh, huge. Just ask California.
The geographic theme at play only makes Heavy Mash 2018 more special, since Texas’ heavy underground is nothing if not worth highlighting, and no doubt at least some of the acts will have shared stages in the past, making it all the more of a party at Division Brewing, which once again will host the event and seems to just be asking for trouble in so doing. So much riffs. So much beer. I hope they have a good mop for afterward.
Get your ass to Texas:
The Obelisk Presents: Heavy Mash 2018
Oct 13 at 1 PM
Division Brewing 506 E Main St, Arlington, Texas 76010
After last year’s successful event, we are pleased to announce this year’s Heavy Mash! Once again, our great friend Wade hosts this event at Division Brewing in Arlington, TX on October 13th, 2018.
Nothing but heavy music and great beer! Here is this year’s line-up:
DUEL – 11pm Great Electric Quest – 10pm Mountain of Smoke – 9pm Doomstress – 8pm Stone Machine Electric – 7pm Switchblade Jesus – 6pm Orthodox Fuzz – 5pm Witchcryer – 4pm Gypsy Sun Revival – 3pm DEAD HAWKE – 2pm
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 29th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
In discussion for over a year and preceded by the band’s first full US tour and their signing to Totem Cat Records, Great Electric Quest‘s Chapter II will be released on July 6. To herald its arrival, the San Diego four-piece are streaming the song “Seeker of the Flame” now, and it’s got all the classic metal vibes one could ask for coming off of the band’s 2016 debut album, Chapter I (discussed here), as they continue to eschew their hometown’s penchant for heavy psych jams and instead raise horns high in a salute to timeless riffing and an aggressive spirit. Dudes have put in some real time on tour, and it seems like it’s about to bring them to a new level of notoriety and direction.
They kill it, in other words. Record’s good. Keep an eye out:
GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST: new LP “Chapter II” out July 6th on Totem Cat Records
San Diego’s shredding heroes GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST return with their aptly-titled second LP “Chapter II”, a hook-laden heavy metal odyssey out July 6th on Totem Cat Records!
Sonic storytellers GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST are true merchants of Rock and Roll and Heavy Metal taking listeners on a journey into an ever expanding world of captivating characters and allegories…
“Chapter II”, the long anticipated 2nd LP coming from GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST bring their journey to flat out gargantuan proportions. Barn burners like “Seeker of the Flame”, “Anubis” and “Wicked Hands” set fire to the torch that illuminates the Epic title track “Of Earth”; a 15 minute saga full of “Creation, “Destruction”, and the resolution of “Ancient Machine”. The penultimate track “The Madness” is a gritty ode to classic riff rock and the closing track “Heart of the Son”, simply unites.
Riffage, solos, rhythms, and lyrics along with the production of Jeff Henson (Duel) and Tony Reed (Mos Generator) combine to bring a bigness and fullness of color that elevates this album into upper echelons. Adam Burke’s cover art is a mind blowing combination of bad ass and fun as the four members are represented in an almost superhero like fashion protecting planet Earth with their Rock and Roll as they ride over her. “Chapter II” is here and so is GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST, delivering the whole package with an album that should resonate for years to come.
TRACK LISTING: 1. Seeker Of The Flame 2. Of Earth I 3. Of Earth II 4. Anubis 5. Wicked Hands 6. The Madness 7. Heart Of The Son
GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST is Tyler “T-Sweat” Dingvell – Vocals Buddy Donner – Guitar Daniel “MuchoDrums” Velasco – Drums Jared Bliss – Bass
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 20th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
My understanding there’s a whole lot more that goes on at Calgary’s 420 Music and Arts Festival than just bands playing, but golly, there sure are a lot of bands playing. I just hope someone keeps a running tally of what’s on the playlist for Brant Bjork‘s DJ set, because you know that dude is going to both out-funk and out-punk the entire room and I’d pretty much take each track as a recommendation for an album I needed to check out. Oh yeah, Dopethrone, Sasquatch, La Chinga, Mendozza, and about 20-odd other bands playing are pretty cool too. Not taking anything away from that. Just saying someone needs to write that shit down for me.
The PR wire has all the info:
CALGARY’S 420 MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2018 LINE-UP W/ DOPETHRONE, BRANT BJORK, SASQUATCH, LA CHINGA – TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Official Festival Poster Artwork by Mike Calhoun / Sketchy Intuitions, Austin, TX
Calgary, AB’s 420 Music & Arts Festival presented by METALHEADS UNITED announces their 2018 line-up for April 19th, 20th, and 21st featuring headliners Dopethrone, Brant Bjork (Kyuss, Vista Chino) (special guest DJ set on 420), Sasquatch and La Chinga along with over 20 other acts ranging from stoner rock/stoner metal, doom, psychedelic and heavy blues.
420 Music & Arts Festival 2018 Line-Up
Thursday April 19
Sasquatch (Los Angeles, CA) Great Electric Quest (San Diego, CA) Electric Owl (Calgary, AB) Gin Lahey (members of Chron Goblin and Witchstone) (Calgary, AB) RAW (Calgary, AB) Set and Stoned (Calgary, AB) Solid Brown (Calgary, AB)
Friday April 20
Brant Bjork (Palm Desert, CA) (DJ sets between bands, spinning rare vinyl and closing the festival night) La Chinga (Vancouver, BC) Buffalo Bud Buster (Calgary, AB) Mendozza (Vancouver, BC) Bazaraba (Calgary, AB) Chronobot (Sask) Black Hell Oil (Saskatoon, SK) The Mothercraft (Edmonton, AB)
Saturday April 21
Dopethrone (Montreal, QC) Buzzard (Victoria, BC) Orbital Express (Regina. SK) The Electric Revival (Calgary, AB) Chunkasaurus (Nanaimo, BC) Heron (Vancouver, BC) Ogimaa (Winnipeg, MB) Haaze (Calgary, AB) Pelican Death Squad (Calgary, AB)
Ticket Info:
Advance festival 3 day passes are now available for $69 CAD (plus applicable service charges) until April 1st then will increase to regular price of $89 (plus applicable service charges).
Limited quantities of individual day tickets will be available beginning March 1st.
Festival passes available online only at the festival store at the following link: http://www.420musicandartsfestival.ca/store-2/
Festival passes give fans entry to Distortion on April 19, 20 and 21 and additional 420 Music and Arts Festival Events to be announced at a later date.
Passes are not transferable between attendees during the event. Passes will be exchanged for wrist bands, which must be worn for entrance to the events.
All passes purchased online will be available for pick up at venue or shipped to choice of mailing address. Physical passes will be mailed out in early February. Any passes purchased for shipping by February 15th, are scheduled to arrive by March 1st. If you do not receive your passes by the listed date, please contact the festival at http://www.420musicandartsfestival.ca/contact/. A shipping confirmation will be sent when passes are mailed.
All ticket sales are final. No refunds will be issued unless full festival cancellation. 420 Music & Arts Festival reserve the right to change the line up as required due to band scheduling and / or other circumstances beyond their control.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 14th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
Great Electric Quest are not a band who do things small. Some bands, they nibble. These dudes are more about chomp. When they hit the road, they hit it. When they take the stage, they bring a flag to wave, and as anyone who heard their 2016 debut album, Chapter I (discussed here), can attest, their sound follows suit. More headbang than nod, horns thrown, asses kicked, the whole nine.
In other words, they’ve earned the endorsement inherent in signing to Totem Cat Records (see also Spectral Haze, Cloud Catcher, Dopethrone, Karma to Burn, and so on), and with the list of tour dates below headed to and through SXSW in Austin, Texas, and up the Pacific Coast and into Canada, it looks like they’ll continue to earn it as they get ready to make their debut on the label with their awaited sophomore full-length, Chapter II.
Today, in addition to announcing the label alliance and the tour dates — which, really, would be enough for any single morning, afternoon or evening — Great Electric Quest also premiere their cover of Thin Lizzy‘s “Cold Sweat.” The cut comes from the Glory or Death Records compilation Bow to Your Masters Vol. I: Thin Lizzy, which the label has up for preorder now.
Sound like a lot? Chomp chomp.
Here’s the latest from the PR wire:
GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST signs with TOTEM CAT RECORDS, premier “Cold Sweat” contribution for GLORY OR DEATH RECORD’S Thin Lizzy compilation, and Announce ANUBIS COMPELS TOUR double shot SXSW invasion III and Pacific North West Canadian Invasion.
Over the coming months of March and April Great Electric Quest are set to play a ton of premier SXSW festivals, a SXSW official Showcase, and take their high energy performance / Beer Antics into the great North of Canada, while stopping off in some staple Pacific North locations. Hop on the Journey of Rock and Roll and Metal with Great Electric Quest, heavy tunes and good times are a given!
Track Listing for LP 1 (Downloads available now with Pre-Sale Purchase): Are you Ready – Mothership Massacre – Mos Generator Don’t Believe a Word- White Dog Suicide – Egypt – Doom Chinatown – Red Wizard Thunder and Lightning – KOOK She Knows – Slow Season Cold Sweat – Great Electric Quest Cowboy Song – Goya
Track Listing for LP 2 (Downloads available soon with Pre-Sale Purchase): It’s Only Money – Wo Fat Johnny – Worshipper Jailbreak – DUEL Emerald – Gygax Still in Love with You – Isaiah Mitchell (Earthless) Opium Trail – Jeff Matz (High on Fire), Mark Yalowitz (Zeke), Mike Scheidt (Yob), and more The Rocker – Bow to Your Masters Supergroup ????? – High On Fire And more…
GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST Live: SXSW INVASION III 3.7 – Tucson AZ, House of Bards 3.8 – El Paso TX, Rock House Bar & Grill 3.9 – San Angelo TX, Deadhourse 3.11 – Dallas TX, Gas Monkey 3.13 – Austin TX, SXSW Black Smoke Conjuring, Lost Well 3.14 – Austin TX, SXSW Stoner Jam, Spiderhouse Ballroom 3.15 – Austin TX, SXSW Stoner Daze, Texas Mist 3.15 – Houston TX, Acadia Bar 3.16 – Houseton TX, Groove and Vibe Festival 3.16 – Austin TX, SXSW SHOWCASE @ 720 Club 3.17 – San Antonio TX RIPPLE FEST @ Lime Light 3.18 – Marfa Tx, Lost Horse Saloon 3.21 – Tempe AZ, Yucca Tap Room?
PNWC INVASION 4.12 – Carlsbad CA, Boars Crossin’ 4.13 – TBA 4.14 – TBA 4.15 – Everett WA, Tony V’s Garage 4.16 – Seattle WA, Central Saloon 4.18 – Spokane WA, The Pin 4.19 – Calgary AB, CANADA 420 Music and Arts Fest @ Distortion 4.20 – Kalispell MT, Rocky Mountain Riff Fest 4.21 – TBA 4.22 – South Lake Tahoe CA, HARD ROCK CASINO Spring Meltdown Metal Fest 4.23 – Long Beach CA, Black Light District Lounge
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 3rd, 2018 by JJ Koczan
While one could hardly at all argue that the title Bow to Your Masters is in any way inappropriate for a tribute to Irish heavy rock legends Thin Lizzy, it seems the intention on the part of Glory or Death Records is to make it an ongoing series, perhaps featuring different acts along the way in the spirit of Magnetic Eye‘s homages to Jimi Hendrix, Helmet and Pink Floyd? That’s of course if I’m correctly reading the preorder info — and hey, I’m pretty much a clueless moron so there’s always a chance I’m not — below for the first LP of the two currently slated to arrive for Bow to Your Masters: Thin Lizzy early this year and including a special screenprint of the album art and immediate streaming option.
You can see the LP1 and LP2 tracklistings below. They, uh, rule.
No really, I mean it. Killer assemblage:
Welcome to the first release from Glory or Death Records Bow to Your Masters series of tribute albums. For this first release we chose something special: Thin Lizzy, one of the most influential rock-and-roll bands of all time.
There are two vinyl options: -“Glory” green LP1 vinyl and “Death” colored/patterned LP2 vinyl -“Death” orange/black splatter LP1 vinyl and “Death” colored/patterned LP2 vinyl
There is also a tri-fold CD option!
All editions come with a 12×12 screen print of the album cover. Final shipping date TBD-likely early 2018.
LP1 live for preorder buyers now. Preorder on Big Cartel and we’ll send a link to listen to the entire first LP. You know you want it! Just to clarify, the preorder includes physical and digital files for both LPs!
Track Listing for LP1 (available to stream for preorder buyers)
Are you Ready – Mothership Massacre – Mos Generator Don’t Believe a Word – White Dog Suicide – Egypt Chinatown – Red Wizard Thunder and Lightning – KOOK She Knows – Slow Season Cold Sweat – Great Electric Quest Cowboy Song – Goya
Track Listing for LP 2 (not available to stream yet)
It’s Only Money – Wo Fat Johnny – Worshipper Jailbreak – DUEL Emerald – Gygax Still in Love with You – Isaiah Mitchell (Earthless) Opium Trail – Jeff Matz (High on Fire), Mark Yalowitz (Zeke), Mike Scheidt (Yob), and more The Rocker – Bow to Your Masters Supergroup ????? – High On Fire And more…
With their 2016 debut full-length, Chapter I, San Diego-based four-piece Great Electric Quest set out to immediately distinguish themselves from their surroundings. While much of San Diego’s heavy underground shares an affinity for classic heavy rock, instead of boogie and swirl, songs like “1901” and “Beers in Hell” found a driving combination of classic metal, frontman Tyler “T-Sweat” Dingvell leading a charge with a throaty interpretation of what James Hetfield might’ve sounded like had Metallica released their first record circa ’73. Buddy Donner‘s guitar, Jared Bliss‘ bass and Daniel “Mucho” Velasco‘s drumming honed a sonic niche that could be either brash, as on the initial shred of “Madam Elbib” or “Egypt,” or patient and tinged with doomly atmospherics, like the rolling blues of eight-minute centerpiece “Cry of the Wolf,” or the dramatic side B highlight “7 Years.”
Especially for a first salvo, Chapter I‘s self-assured songcraft came across as genuine, and Great Electric Quest hit the road fervently to support. Already veterans of Psycho Las Vegas in 2016, this past Spring, they took off on their first coast-to-coast US tour, and in June, they made a stop in Denver to play the Electric Funeral fest alongside Acid King, Corky Laing’s Mountain and a slew of others. They’re currently wrapping another run, dubbed the ‘Beer Vikings Tour’ that has seen them partying their way across the West Coast in the company of Lords of Beacon House, with whom they’ve also newly issued a split single (review here) via Glory or Death Records.
All of this, of course, is prelude to the next album, and indeed, Chapter II is on its way, drum solo in “Of Earth I” and all. On that song and short, tight pieces like “Wicked Hands,” the scorching “Anubis” and the righteously post-Thin Lizzy groove-minded “The Madness,” Great Electric Quest work to draw together the different sides they displayed throughout Chapter I into a cohesive, singular approach of their own, as likely to shred out on “Of Earth II” as to underscore that same shred with acousti-Sabbath flourish and Dingvell‘s throaty echoes. As the range between opener “Seekers of the Flame” and closer “Heart of the Son” makes plain, Great Electric Quest are becoming an even more dynamic outfit than they were when they started, and they leave little doubt across Chapter II‘s span about their capacity to turn heads before they make them bang, roll, or nod. They are, simply, a band who demand attention.
Moving out from the first record into the next, I wanted to get a sense of Great Electric Quest‘s processes, their time on the road and their time in the studio. You’ll find the last two Beer Vikings tour dates below, and then under that, the cover art for Chapter II by Adam Burke and a conversation with the whole band about their origins and more.
Beer Vikings Tour Remaining Dates:
11/16/17 ABQ, NM Burt’s Tiki Lounge W/ Undying Evil & Prey for Kali
11/17/17 Tempe, AZ Yucca Tap Room W Red Wizard, Greenbeard, Stone Witch, Old Fashioned Assassin, Dead Canyon, HVY
Please enjoy the following Six Dumb Questions:
Six Dumb Questions with Great Electric Quest
—
What’s the status of Chapter II? When can we expect it to show up? Was there anything you guys were looking to do differently or to specifically build off of coming from the first album?
Buddy Donner: Your asses is grasses, and Quest is the lawnmower!
Tyler Dingvell: Haha, the “status” is like an ice cold 12er that’s been on chill for about 20 min… It’s ready to be guzzled and enjoyed, we just gotta pop the top, or in this case finalize the label and release date…
BD: Yeah, we’ve got the final tracks! It took a ton of work and time from not only the band, but a whole Krew of our “Quest Family.” We are very lucky to have the friends we do with their talents in their respectful areas. The tracks are finally 100 percent the way we want them to sound, we couldn’t be happier. At this point we wanted to take some time to “shop for labels” and mastermind the release, but the tracks are done and ready to send to production once we’ve made our decisions on the business side of things. I wouldn’t expect the album to be released any later than Spring 2018. We’re fortunate to have such a dedicated Road Krew; we’ve been able to get a ton of work done since the release of Chapter I and we are only ramping up to push for bigger things to follow Chapter II.
TD: For me, Chapter II really feels like a first album. “It feels like the first time, like it’s never felt before” [singing]. Maybe it’s just nostalgic, but the way we have crafted these tunes and jammed them live before the release really feels like a first album… Chapter I was years and years of material finally recorded and this one was written all together in Glory or Death Studios with the same doods, around the same time, over many beers, bowls, and pulled pork sangwitches… haha. You can expect much more cohesion, production value, and of course, our legendary friend, Guns ‘n’ Roses alumni Teddy “Zig Zag” throwing down some keyboard tracks on choice tunes like “Of Earth” and “Heart of the Son.”
We’ve reached out to labels with whose artists we have become close friends, like Ripple, Heavy Psych Sounds, RidingEasy, Tee Pee, Rise Above, HeviSike, and Metal Blade, just to name a few. We just gotta figure out who is going to align with us the best for our vision going forward. We want to become a featured artist of the label and not just another blade of grass in a field of releases. We have a great thing going with our own label, Glory or Death Records, but we want to team up and take some things to the next level in 2018 and through this support system that has developed we should be seeing the shores of Europe with our next release. We are going to put a hell of a lot of effort towards performing, writing, touring, representing ourselves and label and we want to receive the same.
Tell me about your time in the studio for Chapter II. What was the vibe like while you were recording? How long were you there? What was the process like and how did it compare to working on Chapter I or the split with Lords of Beacon House?
TD: Well, simply put, recording Chapter I was like pulling teeth from the shark in Jaws and recording Chapter II was like the Cool Runnings record breaking bobsled run at the Olympics; minus the horrific crash, haha. The candle was burning at both ends for Chapter I and we would drive up to L.A., record until 4AM and then drive back to San Diego just to get caught in the horrific traffic caused by road repair through Camp Pendleton; it was a CF, as Ted, our 72-year-old Lyft driver in Austin two days ago would refer to it. He didn’t want to say “fuck,” haha. This album was great to write and record. It was fluid, we took our time, all the moving pieces worked together from tracking with Dan Frick, production and mixing with Jeff Henson and mastering with Tony Reed. It was fucking awesome to see the progress in overall sound as the tunes went through each process. Dan is one of my favorite people on the planet to work with and Jeff brought so much warmth and color to the tracks and Tony just set everything into place perfectly. Honestly, I’m fucking psyched on it and I am happy to say that it came out as something we feel proud of… Through my experience, that’s all you can really ask for as an artist. Being satisfied with the finished product.
BD: We recorded Chapter II with Dan Frick in Vista, CA, only minutes from home, which was a real pleasure compared to the two-hour commute for each session on Chapter I, which was tracked in Tujunga, CA. Working with Dan Frick is a fucking piece of cake. There isn’t a more laid-back dude out there and he is incredibly knowledgeable about all the instruments and the way things need to be done, how they are supposed to sound and what we need to change to correct things that didn’t quite sound right.
Following Dan, we sent the finalized tracks to Jeff Henson of Duel to do the mixing, which instantly brought the tracks to life. After making sure everything was played the way it needed to be, Jeff put his mojo on it and right away we were shocked with the vibe the tracks had on the first mixdown. We actually tracked the Lords of Beacon House [split] songs right after the Chapter II tracks with Dan as well. Why mess with a good thing?
Daniel Velasco: This is the first full-length album that I will be on, so I was very excited when I first set up my kit at the studio. I’ve played a ton of live shows with different bands over 10 plus years, but to finally have my drums recorded as part of this album really pumped me up. Especially after I knew they had already put out one full-length and I knew the level of commitment these guys had. The engineer Dan, was great and really set a calm vibe during the drum recordings. I recorded the drum tracks in about a day and a half with only Buddy playing scratch guitar and a metronome on most of the songs. Couldn’t say how it compared to Chapter I since I was not with the Quest on that album.
TD: I’m glad we could spare you the gauntlet, Mucho! Haha.
You’ve spent some pretty significant time on the road since Chapter I came out. What do you feel like you’ve learned about yourselves as a band through touring, and do you think all that road time has affected the sound on the new album at all?
BD: Playing on the road is fucking incredible. You finally dive into your life’s passion 100 percent. Every, single, thing, is about what you want to do with your life and every single night you’re meeting new people and making new friends and fans and ever-pressing towards your ultimate goal. We also drink a ton of beer, which of course is fun as hell.
Jerry Bliss: I love being on the road. It’s a lot work but we have the time of our lives doing it. The great thing about being on the road is us growing together as musicians but most importantly our friendships. The music is affected by our relationships with each other and friends and influences we meet out on the road. We show each other new music along every bus ride to the next destination.
DV: During live shows, I can hear all the members try new things during our set. Different bends on chords or the vocal melodies changing, new basslines during the solos etc. Once we all lock into it and we play it show after show, it feels like the songs will never be 100 percent complete, which I think is great! It keeps us on our toes and things fresh, while also providing something new for the crowd. Some of my favorite songs are live performances. Like on “Dazed and Confused” when they play it live, the rhythm section just takes off and it’s just having little differences from the studio albums that can create that unique experience. Once Chapter II is out and you compare it to Chapter I, you will hear the difference of the sound and groove I bring compared to the first album and if you compare that to the live performance you can be sure there is a couple tasty differences while still holding onto its core.
TD: The time on the road with this crew has shown us that we are strong enough and close enough to deal with any adversity. Blown air conditioning fans during the dead of Summer heat and blown out butt holes from too many gas station burritos. You learn to accept one another in a way that can only be family. Jerry’s butthole stinks the most though… it’s that familiar smell in the bus that only could have come from one sphincter.
To be serious for a second, the road has inspired us far more than anything else… The overwhelming support from all around the country really solidifies the idea that we can do this thing!! We can be a traveling rock band that can tour the FUCKING WORLD!!… It’s a really fucking humbling experience to get those people after every show that go out of their way to tell you how rad they thought the performance was and how much they enjoyed it. They buy the wax and t-shirts and are just so down to support us it blows our minds. We get put up in towns all across the country and these great people offer up their homes and lives to help us on our rock and roll journey. I’m sitting in Mike Calhoun’s kitchen right now outside of Dallas, Texas. One of the most real and coolest doods whom we have had the pleasure to meet. Our times here at Mike’s will always be cherished and held close as great memories. We even recently got hooked up with XYZ Clothing which is a dream come true for a little skate rat from Oceanside. The support that we receive in each town is truly unbelievable and it really makes you think that this dream of playing music all across the planet earth is going to come true…
I honestly love the growth though. This is present in Chapter II especially, in the songwriting and overall combination of different styles we all bring to the table. I’m really psyched on the direction and journey Chapter II takes us on and I think our listeners will be too.
Take me through Great Electric Quest’s songwriting process. Are there multiple contributors or does one person handle everything? What have you found works best for you guys, and do you have a song or songs that you feel really represents who you want to be as a band? How do you see yourselves growing as you continue to move forward?
BD: We have an incredible amount of styles between the four of us, which is perfect for what we want out of The Quest. It is a very even collaboration for our writing process. As one killer idea runs into another it pushes us to find ways to match each other’s ideas and raise the bar. We all have that undying urge for everything to be the best for the song at hand. It’s awesome, the motivation that comes when you are the last dude to write a part to a song that already kicks total ass… You’re sitting there thinking, “like, well shit… Whatever I do, it’s gotta fucking rip!”
Grabbing the listeners by the throat and pulling them through a tornado of sounds is what the Quest is all about. We never want to be stuck in a rut of one style, because we all enjoy playing all kinds of stuff. We write the songs different every time. I don’t think there is a single song on Chapter II that doesn’t have influences from all us, but there are definitely some strong sections that are written when we jam from one person and then we’ll grow off of them together from there. Sometimes we will camp out at Glory or Death Studios for days, cook up a crock pot meal or BBQ between jams and we will just all jam out some ideas together. (With lots of weed and beer of course.)
We drive to grab the viewer’s attention instantly and keep them thoroughly entertained throughout the entire set, and if any piece is lacking whatsoever we find a way to make it more interesting. Every tour we prep for, we strive to find ways to take things to the next level of entertainment for the audience (and our own amusement). From backdrops, to lights/fog, to flags and Anubis masks, we’re really delving into our original intent for the Quest that is for it to be a full-on show, not just a band standing there playing the notes the best they can. Climb shit, hang upside-down, shotgun beers, whatever the fuck we have to do to make someone have a good night and tell their buds about it.
JB: As far as songwriting goes, and what I love most about this band, is that everyone has a loud voice in how a song is going to go. Yes, someone can come up with a first riff, and once everyone is diggin’ that riff, we jam it, and almost immediately someone else is saying, “Oh man I have a lick that will go perfect for the chorus or bridge” and so forth. I remember one song in particular, “The Madness,” our drummer Mucho said to me, “Hey let’s try walking that riff back up on the chorus.” We tried it and it became one of my favorite parts of the song. So, you can see everyone is helping each other out and everyone’s ideas are being heard. Sometimes we try something and if it doesn’t work, no one’s feelings get hurt. We just try something else. It’s a great environment to work in and I think everyone’s songwriting has grown tremendously on Chapter II.
DV: We all contribute to each song on the album. We have these “Campouts” at our studio where we sleep, cook, and rehearse for days at a time. If someone comes out with a riff or melody, we can all hear different directions that the song can go to. Some directions are good and some not as much, haha, but as a team we always end up finding the right path that complements our music taste… Rock ‘n’ roll and heavy metal!!
TD: Yeah, basically what these guys said. We have so much songwriting collaboration in this band, it really is ideal. Anyone one of us could have our own band, or already have, where that one person was the main songwriter or leader. At this point, we have four people who have what it takes to have successful bands on their own and the combination of all of us together does kind of feel like a modern-day supergroup.
To someone on the other side of the country from it, what’s happening right now with all the bands coming out of San Diego looks absolutely unreal. How much of a “scene” is there really, in your experience? How tight are bands? What are the shows like and how much of a sense of community is there? What have been some of your best hometown experiences?
BD: From the start it’s been a big family that only continues to grow, man. There is some seriously unreal talent in San Diego and I have no doubt that many of these bands will go far. The bar is set very high in our area and there is some relentless dedication from many different musicians to keep people searching for their brain matter from endless mind-blowing shows. From the bone crushing power of the five barbarian headbanging longhairs of Red Wizard to the Kings of Heavy Metal CAGE to the groovy-as-fuck riffs of Loom, Roast and Desert Suns to the endless intergalactic caravan party of Space Wax to fucking Nihilist, Monolith, Warchief, Ritual Potion, Nebula Drag, Bedlams Edge, Monarch and at the opposite end of the Spectrum, hilarious acoustic gigs from Fellow Travelers of the Illusion Machine… What were the rest..? I’ve lost my share of brain matter as well…
To choose a single experience is like asking what your favorite Pink Floyd song is… (errr, Zeppelin for Mucho). Any local gig on any given night is always kickass, man. There is just so much support and love out there for music, art and just the pure love of good times (beer) in general.
JB: We have a great music community is San Diego. We have all been a part of it for over a decade playing in numerous bands all over San Diego. We know and have played with almost every rock ‘n’ roll band based out of San Diego. If a band plays rock ‘n’ roll in San Diego, we are most likely good friends with them and we’ve played with ‘em.
TD: The San Diego music scene is fucking great! We have so many incredible musicians and artists. If the radio played rock and roll, we would all own houses… haha. There is a great sense of community among the bands all the way from psych rock like Earthless, Radio Moscow, Loom, and Joy to the heavy music of Red Wizard and Quest. We all party together at shows and celebrate the music and love our community has! It’s a great place to live and as we all travel more and more we all become more familiar with how special of a place it is… and we celebrate it regularly with adult beverages, spliffs, and tunes!
Any other plans or closing words you want to mention?
DV: Fuck yeah, get some!
JB:Tyler has the smallest shmeckle of them all but a really big heart!
TD: Hahahaha. Open invitation for anyone reading this: let’s shotgun some beers and party across the Earth! We need to get some international shotguns going!! Drop us a line if you are interested in helping us book our European tours and Festivals or if you’re in a band and let’s get some shows going. We are heading across the pond in 2018!
BD: Thank you to everyone that has supported us over the years to make all of this possible!!! We are having the time of our lives and the future for the Quest is looking bright… Can’t wait for the next Chapter!!
Lords of Beacon House & Great Electric Quest, Wicked Ladies split (2017)
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 13th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
On Halloween, San Diego’s Great Electric Quest will release a new split via Glory or Death Records with L.A. compatriots Lords of Beacon House. It’s been in the works for a while — you might recall Lords of Beacon House had their track “Cadillac Daddy” premiered here back in May — but it’s actually coming out, and the very next day, Great Electric Quest will head out on a run they’ve dubbed the ‘Beer Vikings Tour,’ because well, you gotta call it something. As we get closer to the release date, it’s their turn to premiere a track, and you’ll find that below along with a stream of their righteous 2016 Chapter I full-length, which is due for a follow-up presumably sometime in the New Year.
Veterans of this year’s Psycho Las Vegas festival, it’s hard to decide which of Great Electric Quest‘s inclusions on the split is more classic metal in style: their cover of Iron Maiden‘s “Murders in the Rue Morgue” or the original “Ruling this World.” Pick one and run with it — turns out there isn’t a wrong answer — and either way you go, expect to be handed a vicious helping of grit to go with your riffage. As they showed all throughout Chapter I, their take on heavy rock is well informed by attitude and craftsmanship alike, but as right on and ready for tape-trading as cuts from that record like “Egypt” and “Cry of the Wolf” were, the new stuff has it beat. I don’t know if “Ruling this World” might show up on Chapter II when that surfaces, but it certainly bodes well for what’s invariably to come.
Tour dates and more info on the split follow, as well as the track premiere and exclusive download.
Enjoy:
Great Electric Quest – Split with Lords of Beacon House & “Beer Vikings Tour 2017”
Rock & Roll, Heavy Metal, Doom & Shredders GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST and Super Trippy, Kings of Cool, Groove Masters, LORDS OF BEACON HOUSE bring you a split to inhale…two WICKED LADIES jamming in the Caddy toking Spliffs and enjoying the tunes… sounds like a good time.
GEQ’s “Madam Elbib” the Gypsy Fortune Teller from their album CH.I and LOBH’s Black Majik Voodoo Woman from their to be released 2nd LP “Recreational Sorcery”, inspire this split brought to you by GLORY OR DEATH RECORDS and the ripping art work of AUSTIN BARRETT.
Pump the V’s, Puff a Spliff, and Cruise out to this 4 song split that’s just long enough to pick up another 12er from the Corner Liquor.
CHEERS! and Thank you to Midnite Collective and XYZ clothing for their support!
Album release date: 31 October 2017
Tracklisting: 1. Lords of Beacon House – Cadillac Daddy 2. Lords of Beacon House – Spliff Ripper 3. Great Electric Quest – Murders in the Rue Morgue (Iron Maiden cover) 4. Great Electric Quest – Ruling this World
GREAT ELECTRIC QUEST Beer Vikings Tour 2017: 11/01 Tucson AZ The Flycatcher 11/02 El Paso TX CJ’s W 11/03 San Angelo TX The Deadhorse 11/04 Austin TX Swan Dive 11/05 Dallas TX Gas Monkey 11/09 Oklahoma City OK Blue Note 11/10 Lawrence KS Replay Lounge 11/11 Savage MN Sword Metal Fest VI 11/13 Omaha NB Lookout Lounge 11/14 Wichita KS The Elbow Room 11/16 Albuquerque NM Launchpad 11/17 Tempe AZ Yucca Tap Room
Great Electric Quest is: Tyler “T-Sweat” Dingvell – Vocals Buddy Donner – Guitar Daniel “MuchoDrums” Velasco – Drums Jared Bliss – Bass
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 12th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
This Friday in Denver marks the beginning of Electric Funeral Fest 2017. Kicking things off at 4:15PM will be West Coast boogie groovers Lords of Beacon House, followed immediately by High on the Mountain right across the street. I know these things because the festival has newly announced its full schedule for its two-day run, which features the likes of Slow Season, The Well, Sourvein, Goya, Oryx, headliners Acid King and Corky Laing’s Mountain, and many others. I’ve got kind of a whirlwind couple weeks coming up as it is, but if you were offering me a ticket and a flight, I’d have a hard time turning this one down. Looks like it’s going to be an incredible time for those fortunate enough to be there.
If that’s you, I hope you have a blast. Here’s the info:
SATURDAY JUNE 17th The Joint by Cannabis Stage at 3 Kings Tavern 4:15 – 4:50 Dizz Brew 5:15 – 5:50 Red Wizard 6:15 – 6:50 Feather Stone 7:15 – 7:50 Great Electric Quest 8:15 – 8:50 Barrows 9:15 – 9:55 The Heavy Eyes 10:15 – 11:00 Electric Citizen 11:40 – 12:40 ACID KING
Electric Funeral will once again be happening in the South Broadway district of Denver. Anyone that is familiar with Denver knows that S. Broadway is one of the greatest neighborhoods this city has to offer. In our second year of this event, we have added a second stage at Hi Dive. Hi Dive is across the street from 3 Kings Tavern and easily one of the greatest places to party in Denver.
There is also no shortage of other great bars and restaurants in the area for attendees to visit if they need a break from head-banging. Although both stages are indoors, this will feel like just as much of an outdoor event as people go back and forth between the two venues that will run simultaneously through both evenings. Hey hey, my my, rock n’ roll sure ain’t fuckin’ dying in Denver!
