Calling it right now: there’s gonna be a new Samsara Blues Experiment album out by the time they get to Munich for the 2020 edition of Keep it Low Festival. Do I know that? Hell no. Not at all. I have no such knowledge, and even if I did — mind you I don’t, at all, really; that’s not me being coy, I actually don’t fucking know — but they’re not a band who just get out and do fests on a whim. Now, I don’t necessarily know if they’ll be on tour for four weeks and hit all the Euro fests happening at that time, whereas I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Yawning Man pop up on other lineups in addition to this one — I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a new record out too, while I’m thinking about it — but it was late-2018 when they said they were getting to work on a follow-up to 2017’s One with the Universe (review here), so it doesn’t at all seem unreasonable to think that record will come to fruition by this Fall.

I don’t know that. But I’m calling it now. If it doesn’t happen, I probably won’t remind you that I said it would. Ha.

Greece’s Last Rizla and Germany’s Chang and Mindcrawler have also signed on to play, and you’ll find the full announcement from the fest below. You’ll note there’s no mention of a new Samsara Blues Experiment album. Nothing: that’s exactly what they would say if it was going to happen.

From thee social medias:

Keepers,

We know that October is quite far away, but we just can’t help it! It’s our pleasure to welcome 5 more killer acts to Keep It Low Festival 2020!

Samsara Blues Experiment (GER)
Yawning Man (US)
Last Rizla (GRE)
Chang (GER)
Mindcrawler (GER)

We hope you like this announcement as much as we do!

2-day tickets are selling fast and there aren’t many left, so don’t sleep on that and get yours here:

Tickets available here:

https://www.sol-tickets.com/produkte/51-tickets-keep-it-low-festival-2020-feierwerk-area-muenchen-am-09-10-2020

https://woolheads.com/product/keep-it-low-festivalticket-weekend-2020

https://www.eventim.de/artist/keep-it-low-festival/

https://www.facebook.com/events/975025036197960/
https://www.facebook.com/keepitlowfestival/
https://www.keepitlow.de/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/

Samsara Blues Experiment, One with the Universe (2017)

With early-bird tickets already sold through and regular ol’ two-day tickets on their way out, it’s never too early for the Munich-based Keep it Low Festival to start announcing acts, and the first bunch arrives in a batch of four with The Vintage Caravan, Domkraft, Willow Child and The Heavy Eyes taking part. One assumes that, barring some tradition-defying circumstance, Colour Haze will be confirmed as well sooner or later, but for now it’s these four and that’s a pretty awesome start.

In addition to of course being most righteous fodder for daydreams — Keep it Low has always been a particularly enticing prospect to me, and that’s true of Keep it Low 2020 as well, but I’ve never been able to make the trip — the slow building of festival lineups over the span of months help indicate who’ll be on the road where and when. Seems likely, for example, that The Heavy Eyes will be touring Europe around this appearance, and they might even make other fest appearances at well, whether it’s at the also-Sound of Liberation-presented Up in Smoke in Switzerland, or Desertfest Belgium or anywhere else. These things will all come together over the course of this year as they do, and I always look forward to seeing how it all plays out, who’s doing a one-off and who’s going to be on a weeks-long stretch, etc. I’m a nerd for that kind of stuff, if it wasn’t obvious.

And I think it probably was.

Here’s the announcement, short and sweet, per the social medias:

Keepers,

we wish you all the best for 2020! Today we can finally present you the first bands for Keep It Low Festival 2020:

The Vintage Caravan (Rock, Blues Rock | Iceland)
Domkraft (Psychedelic, Stoner, Doom | Sweden)
The Heavy Eyes (Fuzz Rock, Blues Rock, Stoner Rock | USA)
Willow Child (Retro Rock | Germany)

We’re very happy to welcome these four great acts to our line-up!
The 2-day tickets are already selling very good – so make sure to grab your ticket soon!

Tickets available here:

https://www.sol-tickets.com/produkte/51-tickets-keep-it-low-festival-2020-feierwerk-area-muenchen-am-09-10-2020

https://woolheads.com/product/keep-it-low-festivalticket-weekend-2020

https://www.eventim.de/artist/keep-it-low-festival/

https://www.facebook.com/events/975025036197960/
https://www.facebook.com/keepitlowfestival/
https://www.keepitlow.de/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/

Domkraft, “The Watchers” official video

Well, if we’ve learned anything so far in 2019, it’s that The Obsessed will be spending significant amounts of it in Europe. The Maryland doom forebears have already been confirmed for Freak Valley and SonicBlast Moledo this summer, and they’ll be back this Fall — assuming they ever leave — with slots at Up in Smoke and now Keep it Low 2019. This is in addition to July UK dates with Alunah and an appearance next month in New Mexico for Monolith on the Mesa. Oh yeah, and there was that tour they did in March with C.O.C. and Crowbar too, so, you know, not a little bit of touring in general.

Their joining the ranks for Keep it Low 2019 comes with the festival’s announcement of the day splits — that’s who plays when — and the further confirmations of Bongripper and Mantar, thereby assuring the ground will shake and fury (and spit) will be spit with aggressive purpose as the fest plays out. There are a host of other righteous acts confirmed — Lo-Pan! Nebula! The Machine! etc. — so check out the lineup below, and here’s the latest from Sound of Liberation, which is presenting the whole affair:

As promised, here come the day-split, the single-day tickets and 3 new awesome bands!

We thought it was about time to bring more darkness and ferocity into our 2019 line-up, and therefore we are proud to tell you that German heaviest duo MANTAR, Illinois’ monster of riff BONGRIPPER & Maryland’s doom pioneer The Obsessed join the bill today! We still have a few bands to announce, but this 7th edition of Keep It Low Festival 2019 is shaping up nicely, isn’t it? :)

Check out the poster below to know the day-split, and get your tickets here https://www.keepitlow.de/tickets-keep-it-low while you still can! 2-day passes are gone, it was faster than ever, and we’re sure those day tickets won’t last until the Summer!

https://www.facebook.com/events/250328939168797/
https://www.facebook.com/keepitlowfestival
https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/

The Obsessed, Sacred (2017)

One of the hazards in being so behind on shit all the time — all. the. time. — is temporal displacement. Thus, yesterday when I posted about Truckfighters making their reunion official and playing Keep it Low 2019 this Fall as a part of that process, that went up first, but actually came after the announcement that the Munich-based festival would host them this October. Does it matter? No. Is anyone other than me paying the slightest bit of attention? I can’t imagine they are. But, you know, temporal displacement. Someone call the DTI.

Good luck with that reference.

While I’m talking to myself, let me encourage you (me) wholeheartedly to dig into the new Ruff Majik single beneath the announcement from Keep it Low that follows. They have a new album coming that I’m hoping to premiere a song from when the time comes, and I think “Schizophrenic” is a pretty good indicator of why I’d want to do such a thing. They of course will also play Keep it Low, along with Philly’s Ecstatic Vision (new album? they’re due) and Munich’s own Instrument. It’s a solid bill, and no doubt there are even more announcements to follow. I’ll do my best to keep up, if only for my own edification.

Kaboom:

Truckfighters confirmed for Keep It Low Festival 2019!

Yes Keepers, you read it right!

Truckfighters’ hiatus is over and they will soon hit the stage again!! They played our very first edition of Keep It Low Festival in 2013, and we are thrilled to have them back in Munich this year to play their album “Gravity X” from finish to start!

Along with them, we are proud to announce today that Pennsylvania Heavy Psych quartet Ecstatic Vision, South African Garage trio Ruff Majik & Munich-based Postrock outfit Instrument are added to our 2019 line-up as well!

There aren’t many 2-day tickets left so better be fast and get them here: www.keepitlow.de/tickets-keep-it-low

https://www.facebook.com/events/250328939168797/
https://www.facebook.com/keepitlowfestival
https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/

Ruff Majik, “Schizophrenic”

True, those of us who obsess over things like who’s gonna tour and when are consistently intrigued by things like fest-lineup-announcements way in advance. Nebula are said to be working on a new album. Will it be out by the time the band hits the road in Europe this Fall to play Keep it Low 2019 in Munich? They’ll be at a decade’s remove from their last LP, so they’re nothing if not due. Will Steak have a new record out? And what of mysterious hometown outfit Braindead Wavelength? Questions abound as we’re so many months away from October. Keep it Low announced another band as well in this batch, so they continue to build a strong lineup as part of what will no doubt be a strong Fall fest and touring season.

If you missed the first Keep it Low 2019 announcement, it was Lo-Pan, The Machine, Desert Storm and Dopelord, and I know Lo-Pan have a new record coming out this year — though much to my chagrin, I haven’t heard it yet. Could Europe get a Lo-Pan and Nebula tour? Jeepers that’d be awesome.

See? This is how I spend my time. Thinking about this stuff. That’s my day. I don’t know if I should be bragging about that or embarrassed. Maybe both?

Anyway, here’s the partial Keep it Low announce:

Keepers,

It’s time for a second announcement, as we secured 4 more bands for Keep It Low Festival 2019!

Today we are excited to tell you that stoner rock legends Nebula (currently working on their long-awaited new album) will join our 7th edition in October, along with… London based fuzz rockers Steak, and Munich’s Post Grunge infused Metal band Braindead Wavelength!

Regular 2-day tickets can be purchased right here:
www.keepitlow.de/tickets-keep-it-low
(Limited Hard Tickets & Print-at-home Tickets)

https://www.facebook.com/events/250328939168797/
https://www.facebook.com/keepitlowfestival
https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/

Nebula, “To the Center” live at Camden Underworld, London, UK, July 6, 2018

This makes me happy for two reasons. First, Keep it Low has been a regular feature of my autumnal daydreams for years now. The Munich-based, Sound of Liberation-helmed festival, aside from regularly featuring hometown heroes Colour Haze — which would be reason enough to travel — consistently puts together quality lineups with a not-overblown vibe that resonates even to my dopey ass sitting across the Atlantic. So first and foremost, I’m glad they’re doing it again. I don’t they were two weeks outside of Keep it Low 2018 this past October before they were setting the dates for Keep it Low 2019, however, so that’s not exactly news if you keep up on social media.

However. The second reason is that Lo-Pan will be there. The Columbus, Ohio, natives are releasing a new full-length in 2019 that’ll be their first since 2014’s Colossus (review here), and as it stands right now, it’s my most anticipated album of the year. I’m glad to know they’ll be returning to Europe to support it in no small part because that means the record is definitely happening. I know it’s in the can and all that, but making tour plans is a confirming sign nonetheless. One doesn’t book such travel lightly, and I don’t imagine this will be the only Fall fest they play. There are certainly a few around, as subsequent lineup announcements will show.

But any way you look at it, the news is good. So here it is:

Keep It Low Festival 2019

11. & 12. October 2019
Feierwerk München

Early Bird Tickets sold out! Regular 2-day tickets now on sale.

Here come the first 4 bands confirmed for Keep It Low Festival 2019!

We are thrilled to welcome back the trippy The Machine (who played the very first Keep It Low in 2013), and bring for the first time at Keep It Low, the groovy Lo-Pan (Usa), the gloomy Dopelord (Pl) and the sludgy Desert Storm (Uk)!

Regular 2-day tickets can be purchased right here:
www.keepitlow.de/tickets-keep-it-low
(Limited Hard Tickets & Print-at-home Tickets)

https://www.facebook.com/events/250328939168797/
https://www.facebook.com/keepitlowfestival
https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/

The Machine, Faceshift (2018)

Keep it Low 2018 — AKA Keep it Low #6 — continues to add to its formidable lineup with New Orleans sludge forebears Crowbar and Italian psych-proggers Ananda Mida joining the bill. I like how even down to the lineup announcements, Keep it Low plays it a little more mellow than most other fests. It’s a Sound of Liberation product — see also Up in Smoke, the Desertfests in Berlin and Belgium, and any number of other tours and whatnots — so it’s not like they don’t know how to position it, but still, especially this year, the lineup announcements have come through more like a communique from one friend to another rather than a festival talking to its audience. How you frame these things matters. Not just as a part of branding, but as part of defining the experience of the fest itself.

To wit, as they add Crowbar and Ananda Mida — one band legendary and another band an upstart — the announcement makes the simple assumption that the person reading it knows who both bands are. It says quickly who the bands are and then moves on to plug the ticket link. This helps distinguish Keep it Low from other fests because it speaks more directly to the specific audience it’s working to capture. It’s a different way of saying “we’re fans too” than coming right out and saying it, and while I won’t take away from any other method a festival might choose to employ, it’s nonetheless an effective means of communicating that idea. And frankly, I believe it.

The update follows here, courtesy of the festival’s social media:

Keepers!

We are stoked to tell you today that New Orleans’ sludge metal veterans Crowbar join the Keep It Low Festival 2018 line-up (on Saturday) along with Italian stoner/psych collective ANANDA MIDA (on Friday)!

Our line-up now features 19 bands split over the 2 days! 2-day passes are long gone, but you can still grab day tickets right here: www.keepitlow.de/tickets-keep-it-low!

Do not wait for too long, Keep It Low is sold out evey year!

https://www.facebook.com/keepitlowfestival/
https://www.facebook.com/events/300578407135232/
https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/news

Crowbar, “Existence is Punishment” official video

Ananda Mida, Live Dec. 27, 2017

The lineup for Keep it Low 2018, which already feels like a birthday present with the likes of Colour Haze, Acid King, Elder, Lowrider, Wo Fat, Sasquatch and Child on the bill — among others — continues to get even richer. Two more bands have been newly added between German aggro sludge metallers High Fighter and Norwegian heavy blues purveyors The Devil and the Almighty Blues, and as distinct as the two acts’ sounds are, they each have a foothold in the capital-H ‘Heavy’ that unites them with each other and with the rest of Keep it Low‘s lineup, which might be the strongest I’ve yet seen from the festival in its six incarnations. And I don’t think they’re done adding bands, either.

High Fighter recently announced a string of UK dates for August supporting their visceral 2016 Svart Records debut, Scars and Crosses (review here), while The Devil and the Almighty Blues issued their second album, II (review here), last year via Blues for the Red Sun Records. I’m not sure if either appearance at Keep it Low 2018 will be part of larger touring plans, but it certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility for either act.

Keep it Low 2018 is presented by Sound of Liberation and is set for Oct. 19 and 20. The latest announcement follows:

Keepers,

As promised, here are 2 new bands confirmed for Keep It Low Festival 2018: Heavy-Blues Rockers The Devil And The Almighty Blues that we are thrilled to have back in Munich on Oct. 19th after the incredible show they played at Feierwerk in May; and the ferocious High Fighter to fuel your appetite with mean and dirty Blues, Stoner, Doom & Sludgy riffs on Oct. 20th!

Tickets are selling fast (2-day passes already gone), so do not wait too long to grab yours !
https://www.keepitlow.de/tickets-keep-it-low

https://www.facebook.com/keepitlowfestival/
https://www.facebook.com/events/300578407135232/
https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/news

High Fighter, “Darkest Days” official video