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Keep it Low 2019: Truckfighters, Ecstatic Vision, Ruff Majik and Instrument Added

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 27th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

keep it low 2019 banner

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:

keep it low 2019 poster

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”

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Keep it Low 2019 Adds Nebula, Steak and Braindead Wavelength to Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 13th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

keep it low 2019 banner

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-PanThe MachineDesert 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

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Keep it Low 2019: The Machine, Lo-Pan, Desert Storm and Dopelord Added to Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on December 19th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

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 2019 square

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)

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Keep it Low 2018: Crowbar and Ananda Mida Join Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 13th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

keep it low 2018 banner

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

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Keep it Low 2018 Adds High Fighter & The Devil and the Almighty Blues

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 3rd, 2018 by JJ Koczan

The lineup for Keep it Low 2018, which already feels like a birthday present with the likes of Colour HazeAcid KingElderLowriderWo FatSasquatch 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:

keep it low 2018 poster

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

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Keep it Low 2018 Adds Elder, The Well & Dune Pilot to Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 31st, 2018 by JJ Koczan

I have said on multiple occasions over the years that of all the European autumntime festivals that have emerged, Keep it Low in Munich is the one I’d most care to attend. Not a year passes that the lineup isn’t stellar and digging right to the heart of heavy rock and doom — plus Colour Haze is there pretty much annually — and not a year goes by that I don’t imagine myself hopping on a plane to Germany for a kickass weekend among awesome bands and awesome people. They call them “Keepers,” which is pretty clever if you think about it.

The lineup this year? Already excellent, with Wo Fat, the aforementioned Colour Haze, Acid King, Sasquatch, Child and so on, but certainly tossing Elder into that mix doesn’t hurt either. They’re the latest adds along with Texan riffmarchers The Well and Munich’s own Dune Pilot, who, if it needs to be said, play desert rock.

Sound of Liberation, which presents the fest, announced them as follows:

keep it low 2018 poster

Keepers!

We are glad to unveil 3 more bands for Keep It Low Festival 2018 (the fantastic Elder, the entoxicating The Well & the vigorous DUNE PILOT) as well as the daysplit! More bands will be announced later, but as our 2-day passes are sold-out, we wanted to release the day tickets as soon as possible, and give you the infos to make your choice :)

Hard-Tickets & e-tickets for Friday & Saturday are available right here: www.keepitlow.de/tickets-keep-it-low!

—-

Elder is the definition of a work in progress, as the group continues to meld the familiar sounds of Sleep‘s colossal riffage with their ever-evolving vision of soaring melodies and sonic soundscapes. Listeners will find themselves locked into the trio’s lengthy epics, which toe the line between the chasms of classic stoner metal and mindblowing psychedelia.

Austin-based power trio The Well redefine heavy rock by merging massive riffs with sophisticated melodies. Their progressive sound stems from a nostalgic desire to blend different musical styles as diversified as Joy Division to Blue Cheer. At a time when rock music is fading among the masses, The Well inject an intoxicating dose of raw adrenaline into a fatigued genre. Their nostalgic reverence, simple structure and modern expression put them at the forefront of today’s heavy rock.

The Munich based band DUNE PILOT is celebrating desert rock just like the founding fathers of this genre would have imagined it. Certainly with beards, fuzz and plenty of low tones but also with groove, riffs and a sound that would bring tears of joy to the eyes of Josh Homme or Dave Wyndorf. However, they did not earn their reputation of being one of the most authentic German stoner bands through just their recordings. On stage, they are also one of the most vigorous stoner-bulldozers.

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

Elder, Reflections of a Floating World (2017)

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Keep it Low 2018: Wo Fat, Child & Supersoul Added

Posted in Whathaveyou on April 10th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Three bands, three different continents. Wo Fat, from Texas (a continent unto itself), Supersoul from Athens, and Child from Melbourne. Sometimes you just have to tip your hat, and that’s pretty much where I am as regards the latest round of adds to Keep it Low 2018. The festival, set for Oct. 19 and 20 in Munich, Germany, features familiar faces like Colour Haze and Acid King, and has its annual skatepark and biergarten going for it, but I think a pretty clear message is being sent here about scope as well. Like I said, three bands, three continents. That’s an impressive amount of reach.

I’ll be curious to see if Wo Fat announce a Fall 2018 European tour and, if they do, if it coincides with a new album release. They’re about due for a next record, and while I’d believe they might just fly over for one show, if they’re doing an entire European run, it might be to mark the occasion of a new LP. I’m not saying I know that, because I don’t, but it’s just something that makes sense to me.

Speaking of new material, Child have a new EP out. And I know nothing about Supersoul beyond the fact that they’re named after a badass Dozer song, but according to the fest, their first record came out in Sept. 2017.

Get yourself informed:

keep it low 2018 poster

We’re thrilled to unveil three more band confirmed Keep It Low – Festival 2018 today: Dallas swampadelic fuzz monsters Wo Fat, Melbourne heavy blues rockers CHILD (who release their new EP “I” 2 weeks ago) and Athens rock’n’roll trio SuperSoul (whose debut album “Faith Bender” came out last September)!

Once again, Keep It Low – Festival is going to be rad, and tickets are selling faster than ever, so better be quick and get yours while you still can!

KEEP IT LOW FESTIVAL 2018

2 days of Heavy Rock, Stoner, Doom, Psych fest featuring about 20 bands on 3 stages + Beergarden, Outdoor skate park, Rock Art Exhibit… So, all you Riffers, Rockers and friends of the low tunes, don´t miss Munich`s best Heavy Rock Fest! October 19th & 20th 2018!

KEEP IT LOW #6 (2018) COLOUR HAZE – ACID KING – WO FAT – THE PICTUREBOOKS – SASQUATCH – CHILD – THE GREAT MACHINE – SUPERSOUL – SUNDOG

Hard Tickets & Print-at-home Tickets available on:
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

Wo Fat, Midnight Cometh (2016)

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Keep it Low 2018: Colour Haze, Acid King, The Picturebooks, Sasquatch, Sundog & The Great Machine Confirmed

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 12th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

keep it low 2018 banner

If I can be completely honest for a moment, of all the European festivals that happen each Fall, none of them sets me to daydreaming quite like Keep it Low. Is it the fact that a headlining set from Colour Haze is pretty much guaranteed at this point? Well, that certainly doesn’t hurt. But in addition to that, it’s the vibe of the thing. Every year, fests start spewing out their lineups and try to outdo each other, and I have no doubt that 2018 won’t be any different. It’s a lot of fun, but Keep it Low tends to sidestep the hype in favor of a more laid back approach, and to me that speaks to the kind of vibe I’d like to check out on a cool October weekend in Munich. Acid King, Colour Haze and Sasquatch playing Keep it Low 2018? Pardon me while my mind wanders…

What follows here are actually the first two announcements from the festival via social medias. I put them together as one thing because, like with Up in Smoke the other day, I wasn’t getting Sound of Liberation‘s updates. Once again, that problem has hopefully been fixed at this point, so I should be able to keep up from here on out.

Emphasis on “should.”

Here’s the latest, anyhow:

keep it low 2018 poster

Keep it Low #6 – Oct. 19 & 20, 2018

The first three bands confirmed for Keep It Low – Festival 2018: Acid King, Sasquatch & The Great Machine! Regular Tickets are also now available! Grab yours quick (remember that Early Birds were gone in only 1 day!)

Acid King – Bathed in distortion and baptized in a plume of smoke, the Bay Area trio fronted by talented Lori S. is rocking the heavy scene for more than 2 decades and we are just thrilled to host them for our sixth edition of the festival.

Sasquatch – Californian Dudes are riffrockers to the core: mixing elements of 70s rock, metal and psychedelia…we’re all in for a hell of a party !

The Great Machine – Three piece heavy rock machine from Tel Aviv, Israel, known for their intense and straight forward live performances. Check them out, you won’t regret it!

Today, we’re thrilled to tell you that Colour Haze will be playing their yearly & exclusive Munich show at Keep It Low – Festival! The band has recently added a fourth bandmember (piano/organ/keys) and as usual you can expect an outstanding live set. We’re also stoked to welcome the amazing alternative-blues-rock duo The Picturebooks, and Munich-based heavy-blues outfit Sundog (who by the way will release their new EP “Where My Bones Lie” on March 17th at Feierwerk, you should check them)!

Last bunch of Keep It Low Hard Tickets: http://woolheads.com/shop-2/festivalmerchandise/keep-it-low-2-fays-festival-ticket-2018-early-bird

Keep It Low E-Tickets:
https://www.sol-tickets.com/produkte/24-tickets-keep-it-low-festival-feierwerk-area-muenchen-am-19-10-2018
http://www.eventim.de/tickets.html?affiliate=EVE&doc=artistPages%2Ftickets&fun=artist&action=tickets&erid=2131092&includeOnlybookable=true&xtmc=keep_it_low&xtnp=1&xtcr=1

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

Colour Haze, Live at Keep it Low 2017

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