New York’s Geezer and Genoa, Italy’s Isaak are set to issue their split LP, Interstellar Cosmic Blues & The Riffalicious Stoner Dudes, on May 17. As labelmates on Heavy Psych Sounds, they are united in dedication to groove and weighted tones, and they’re certainly both acts you’d call ‘heavy,’ but from one side of the platter to the other, there’s no question they each stand on their own as well.

Geezer open side A with “Acid Veins” (lyric video premiering below) as one the first of four characteristically grooving inclusions. It and the capping “Oneirophrenia” were recorded with David Andersen at The Artfarm, while the middle two, “Little Voices” and “Mercury Rising,” were tracked during the sessions for the band’s most recent album, 2022’s Stoned Blues Machine (review here), which were helmed by Chris Bittner at Applehead Recording in Woodstock, NY, near the band’s hometown of Kingston. I’m not sure when “Acid Veins” and “Oneirophrenia” were tracked, but they fit well in bookending the Interstellar Cosmic Blues portion of this split, with “Acid Veins” sweeping in on a quick rush of noise and digging almost immediately into its verse riff in an easy nod and swing from guitarist/vocalist Pat Harrington, bassist Richie Touseull and drummer Steve Markota that holds for the duration through the first of their four choice hooks and into the fuzz-drenched twister solo section that carries them out in classic stoner rock style.

Perhaps in comparison to Isaak, whose stated purpose here is to branch out in sound and personnel alike (give me a minute, we’ll get there), Geezer‘s four cuts might not come off as outwardly pushing boundaries in the same way, but in “Acid Veins,” “Little Voices,” which might be about depression or might be about having kids — take your pick; either way, “sometimes it gets dark” — and “Mercury Rising” they bring to emphasis the more straight-ahead songwriting that on their albums has done so much to complement and sometimes ground their jammier and more psychedelic material.

“Mercury Rising” is a little longer and starts out with a mellow jam for its first minute-plus, but picks up from there around a rolling riff and verse/chorus trades. It’s a hook I remembered instantly from being in the studio when Stoned Blues Machine‘s basic tracks were put down, and it’s a highlight here as well. Rounding out, “Oneirophrenia” — the title in reference to the semi-hallucinatory dream-state between being awake and asleep; you know, brain stuff — grows insistent in its shove as it moves through its halfway point, but closes Geezer‘s stretch with a condensed exploration of low-key spacey vibing, giving some representation to the reach that might show up near the end of an LP. Hypnotic by the end of its six minutes, it’s the proverbial ‘big finish’ perfectly scaled-down to suit the context in which it arrives. Sometimes a song just finds its place. That happens four times on the first half of Interstellar Cosmic Blues & The Riffalicious Stoner Dudes.

The plot thickens with the start of Isaak‘s “The Whale,” as the core four-piece of the band — vocalist Giacomo Boeddu, guitarist Francesco Raimondi, bassist Gabriele Carta and drummer Davide Foccis — waste not a second of their circa-15-minutes and transfigure the crunch of a song like “OBG” from last year’s Hey (review here) long-player onto a careening gallop that, particularly with the bellow that tops it, feels more born of the Baroness school of riffing. Welcoming the first of three guests in Fabio Cuomo (Gotho, Liquido di Morte), they calm it down somewhat momentarily in the bridge before building up to a charged finish, but are very obviously working to expand the perception of the band as The Riffalicious Stoner Dudes, and both “Crisis” and “Flat Earth” follow suit in methodology and the shirking of expectation.

As to how recent Isaak‘s tracks are, I don’t know that either, but as vocalist Fabio Palombi (Burn the Ocean, Nerve) joins in for “Crisis” and Ufomammut drummer Alessandro “Levre” Levrero guests on “Flat Earth,” they both help the cause. “Crisis” sets out on an initially angular course of riffing before settling into the verse with Foccis on the bell of the ride, Mastodonic in thickness of tone in a way that feels not so far removed from what Hey wrought and daring a bit of shuffle in its chorus. The twist comes with the departure first into acoustic-inclusive heavy, almost-folkish push before they surge forward with the post-hardcore shouts of Palombi overtop, which give an intensity that Isaak answer by shifting back to the verse and chorus to round out. The sense of their trying new ideas, branching out in terms of sound, is palpable, but they’ve neither dropped their lead-with-riffs modus or the momentum of “The Whale” just before, and as Boeddu‘s own vocals have always had a bit of burl to them and certainly do here as well, it’s not too much of a leap to Palombi‘s part that it derails the song. It works, in other words.

They crash into the start of “Flat Earth” and set out across the split’s final track with a marked tension in the guitar. The pace isn’t quite as thrust-minded as “The Whale,” but the first of Isaak‘s three songs still affects the momentum of the last, and while they’re a bit more in line with what they’ve done before, when the chorus hits, what in many contexts would be a desert rock riff takes on a new persona and energy. It is both a blast and wall-‘o-tone heavy; the snare punctuating turns in the guitar and bass at the end of bellowing measures. Right at three minutes in, the guitar solo starts and the rhythmic pattern follows, but they’re back in the chorus soon enough and build from there into the ending section — which I’m pretty sure is where Levrero joins Boeddu — which both answers back to Geezer‘s ceremonious closeout and underscores the vibrancy behind the surprises from The Riffalicious Stoner Dudes, who just might need to add a ‘+’ to their side B descriptor.

The bottom line for Interstellar Cosmic Blues & The Riffalicious Stoner Dudes as a whole is quality work from established acts each with their own chemistry and intent for the release. They are nowhere near close enough in style to be competing with each other, but if you put one on loud, certainly the next will benefit from that same volume. Kind of a no-brainer for those who know the bands, maybe, and for those who don’t — that’s not a judgment on my part, ever; I’m not talking down to anyone — in Geezer‘s display of craft and Isaak‘s willful progression of style, they both play to strengths in an engaging summary of what they do. Yeah, the split’s got a long title, but hell, it also covers a lot of ground.

Enjoy “Acid Veins” below, followed by more info from the PR wire:

Geezer, “Acid Veins” lyric video premiere

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ACID VEINS is the third GEEZER single taken from the split album Interstellar Cosmic Blues & The Riffalicious Stoner Dudes. The release features Geezer and Isaak and will see the light on May 17th via Heavy Psych Sounds.

SAYS THE BAND:
“Acid Veins is about life on the road. The good, the bad and the ugly side of touring in an underground rock band. While it is (in many ways) the best experience in the world, it ain’t for the faint of heart and it sure as hell ain’t always fun and games. We love what we do and we don’t take anything for granted. This one’s for the road dogs, for the lifers. Much love and safe travels!”

TRACKLIST
SIDE A
Acid Veins (Geezer)
Little Voices (Geezer)
Mercury Rising (Geezer)
Oneirophrenia (Geezer)

SIDE B
The Whale (Isaak feat Fabio Cuomo from Gotho & Liquido di Morte)
Crisis (Isaak feat. Fabio Palombi from Nerve & Burn the Ocean)
Flat Earth (Isaak feat. Levre from Ufomammut)

GEEZER are:
Pat Harrington – vocals/guitar
Richie Touseull – bass
Steve Markota – drums

ISAAK is
Giacomo Boeddu – vocals
Francesco Raimondi – guitars
Gabriele Carta – bass
Davide Foccis – drums

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Heads up on the forthcoming long-player Eschaton (The End of All Things) from Kingston, New York, dark heavy rockers Shadow Witch. Set to release in May, it’s their fourth long-player and first offering in the three years since 2020’s Under the Shadow of a Witch (review here), and the material casts a striking blend. They’ve never been light on theatricality even on record, never mind the odd bit of under-blacklight gigging, but as the lead single “Tell Me” conveys and as plays out across the rest of the album, their all-in impulses are matched by the level of craft such that rather than competing with each other, both work together to serve the ends of the individual songs.

I always get itchy when good bands start talking about ‘endings’ in titles, since there are numerous examples of last records that either consciously or not knew they were going to be the last and went so far as to mention it, and Eschaton (The End of All Things) ticks that box as it weaves grooving through doom, chugging metal, gospel blues, modernized ’70s classicism and more besides. One never knows what the future will bring, but it’s not the immediate end of Shadow Witch, although it does mark the final appearance of guitarist Jeremy Hall with the band, who have brought in Jesse Cunningham on guitar alongside frontman/singer/noisemaker Earl Walker Lundy and the rhythm section of bassist David Pannullo and drummer Justin Zipperle (also piano and organ).

Probably safe to assume live dates will follow, but like at least 60 percent of the other East Coast acts issuing albums this Spring, Shadow Witch will make the journey to Frederick for Maryland Doom Fest 2024 at the always-welcoming (not sarcasm) Cafe 611. By the time they get there, they will have already put out their best LP to-date.

The PR wire has the announcement:

US Stoner/Doomsters SHADOW WITCH Return With The New Album; New Single Out Now

2024 should be one helluva year for Shadow Witch, given the potency of their upcoming fourth release, “Eschaton (The End Of All Things)”, coming on ARGONAUTA Records.

Those already familiar with the band’s signature mix of dark 70’s hard rock, doom, stoner, and hints of proto-punk will absolutely not be disappointed, but all is not as it was before.

This time around, a great many nuances from the past are brought to the fore, and this is certainly what should be considered their most dynamic, and, dare I say, accessible effort yet. The catchy hooks that were once reigned in are now literally everywhere, and the choruses, also plentiful, are absolutely huge, with the latter often carrying a strong gospel flavoring. The dark grooves of old sound quite comfortable sharing time with the sunlight freshly peeking through the band’s oft-drawn curtains. This new album is denser than the others, and Lundy delivers what I’d say is his most varied, colorful, and soulful vocals to date. No easy feat.

It’s obvious, at least to this listener, that Shadow Witch wanted a new, perhaps intentionally unexpected infusion of something adventurous, and they have proven themselves more than up to the sizable task on this fourth trip to the studio.

This is a remarkable listen, from start to finish.

Need more proof? Check out the lead-off single “Tell Me” to get a tasty little nibble of what’s going on with the band in the present. It’s AC/DC-influenced anthemic intro and subsequent uptempo groove is not to be denied, just…. enjoyed. (Words by David LaMay)

—

Founded 2015 in New York’s Hudson Valley, SHADOW WITCH is an enigmatic beast of a band, harnessing decades of varied influences with a decidedly “vintage rock” sensibility. Beginning with their first release ‘Sun Killer’ in 2016, and ‘Disciples Of The Crow’ in 2017, the band has garnered excellent reviews from the international heavy music community. After signing to Italy’s ARGONAUTA RECORDS, the band returned in 2020 with their brooding occult-rock ode to obsession ‘Under The Shadow of a Witch’. This year, again with ARGONAUTA, SHADOW WITCH release their highly anticipated fourth album ‘ESCHATON (The End of All Things).

Shadow Witch are:
Jesse Cunningham – guitar*
Earl Walker Lundy – vocals, Mellotron, noise
David Pannullo – bass
Justin Zipperle – drums, piano, Hammond organ

(* Jeremy Hall plays guitar and synth on Eschaton (The End of All Things)

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Shadow Witch, “Tell Me”

Shadow Witch, Under the Shadow of a Witch (2020)

A Geezer and Isaak split LP is an easy win for the universe. It’s out May 17, and I feel like that’s probably all I need to say, except to point out that I’m glad Geezer‘s “Little Voices” is coming out. That song was recorded when the Kingston, New York, trio were in Woodstock to track their 2022 album, Stoned Blues Machine (review here). On side B, Genoa, Italy’s Isaak — who were all-caps on their 2023 album, Hey (review here), which was their first full-length in eight years — have three tracks featuring collaborations with members of Liquido di Morte, Nerve and Ufomammut and they specifically promise an experimentalist ethic that is sure to expand their own sonic palette. Given the righteously cumbersome title Interstellar Cosmic Blues and the Riffalicious Stoner Dudes, the split already carries a lighthearted and unpretentious vibe that should fit nicely in the respective catalogs of both outfits.

First word came down the PR wire a bit ago, and you can stream “Little Voices” down at the bottom. Preorders and whatnot included:

Heavy Psych Sounds to announce split album GEEZER // ISAAK – Interstellar Cosmic Blues & The Riffalicious Stoner Dudes – presale starts TODAY !!!

Today we are stoked to start the presale of a brand new split album featuring the US blues rockers GEEZER and the Italian heavy stoners ISAAK.

The release is called INTERSTELLAR COSMIC BLUES & THE RIFFALICIOUS STONER DUDES !!!

RELEASE DATE: MAY 17th

ALBUM PRESALE: https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop.htm#HPS306

USA PRESALE: https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop-usa.htm

RELEASED IN
10 ULTRA LTD TEST PRESS VINYL
100 ULTRA LTD COLOR IN COLOR TRANSP. BACK. RED/SPLATTER BLUE VINYL
350 LTD BLUE VINYL
BLACK VINYL
DIGIPAK
DIGITAL

TRACKLIST
SIDE A
Acid Veins (Geezer)
Little Voices (Geezer)
Mercury Rising (Geezer)
Oneirophrenia (Geezer)

SIDE B
The Whale (Isaak)
Crisis (Isaak)
Flat Earth (Isaak)

ALBUM DESCRIPTION

GEEZER

As the “Interstellar Cosmic Blues” half of this EP, we consider these songs to be some of the best that we’ve produced. Songs that could all be “singles” all on their own. And they better be because “The Riffalicious Stoner Dudes” brought some savage riffage of their own! Put it all together with amazing artwork by Mirkow Gastow and release it on Heavy Psych Sounds, the BEST record label on the planet… and you’ve got all the makings of a great record! A modern classic right out of the box. Dig it!

Songs 1 & 4 Recorded and Mixed by David Andersen at the Artfarm (Accord, New York)
Songs 2 & 3 Recorded and Mixed by Chris Bittner at the Applehead Recording (Woodstock, New York)
All Songs Mastered by Scott Craggs

GEEZER are:
Pat Harrington – vocals/guitar
Richie Touseull – bass
Steve Markota – drums

ISAAK

Art comes from change and experimentation.
These three songs are exactly that.
Three songs, three different souls.

This recording session is born from the collaboration of some friends invited by the band, and these are:

Fabio Cuomo from Gotho & Liquido di Morte – THE WHALE
Fabio Palombi from Nerve & Burn the Ocean – CRISIS
And last but not the least, Levre from Ufomammut – FLAT EARTH

ISAAK is
Giacomo Boeddu – vocals
Francesco Raimondi – guitars
Gabriele Carta – bass
Davide Foccis – drums

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Geezer, “Little Voices”

Next month, Kingston, New York, trio Geezer and Richmond, Virginia, four-piece Book of Wyrms will head north together for a three-date weekender in Ontario and Quebec. As both bands note below, it’s their first time playing in Canada, and for the dates in Toronto, Ottawa and Québec City, they’ll be keeping good company with a sampling of the righteous Canadian heavy underground. You can see the names on the poster and in the announcement, so I’ll spare you my just listing them again, but it’s a curated assemblage.

Geezer go in continued support of 2022’s Stoned Blues Machine (review here) on Heavy Psych Sounds, having most recently played Heavy Psych Sounds Fest in San Francisco and Joshua Tree, California. For Book of Wyrms, they’ll herald new projects in the works, including plans to record their next full-length at summer’s end, which will follow their 2022 single “Sodapop Glacier” (premiered here) as well as 2021’s Occult New Age (review here), released by Desert Records.

Of the locals, I’ll cop to being less familiar with Hempress and Acid Moth, though Hempress released their Masters of the Trade LP last year and that’s pretty cool and Acid Moth just last Friday offered their self-titled debut EP, complete with a Trailer Park Boys reference and riffs a-plenty. Aawks, Low Orbit and Witchrot are known quantities and killer enough to make the Toronto show practically a festival. And you’ll note The Death Wheelers, who play the last date in Québec City, released their Topon Das-mastered Mondo Trasho 7″ last Fall as the follow-up to their 2020 debut on RidingEasy Records. Sounds like fun, but I know one way to find out for sure.

To that end, I hit up Geezer last week and invited myself along for the trip. Looks like it might even happen, so one way or the other, here’s looking forward:

GEEZER & BOOK OF WYRMS – Canadian Road Trip

Geezer and Book of Wyrms are teaming up for a May road trip to Canada, joined by noted northern lights Aawks, Low Orbit, and Witchrot (Toronto May 11), Hempress and Acid Moth (Ottawa May 12), and the Death Wheelers (Quebec City May 13). These ragers are generously brought to you by Pale Horse Promotions, Fuzzed n Buzzed Records, and Sewer Pool Productions.

Says Pat Harrington of Geezer: “This will be our first time in Canada and we are totally stoked about it. I reached out to Jake from BoW about the idea of doing some shows together and they were already working on the Canadian idea, so we put our heads together and it all worked out real quick. We’re excited about the bands we’re playing with and the promoters have already been working hard on spreading the word, so we expect this short run to be a banger!”

Says Book of Wyrms’ Jake Linsley: “This will be our first time playing outside the US, and getting to go with our buddies in Geezer just makes it extra badass. I’ve been listening to Aawks a lot so it’s gonna be cool to play with them while we’re up there. Other than that, we have a few summer runs coming up that haven’t been announced yet, a new song on a compilation that hasn’t been announced yet, and we’ll be back in the studio at the end of the summer to record our fourth LP.”

GEEZER & BOOK OF WYRMS live:
May 11 Hard Luck Toronto ON w/ AAWKS, Low Orbit & Witchrot
May 12 Dominion Ottawa ON w/ Hempress & Acid Moth
May 13 Scanner Québec City QC w/ The Death Wheelers

Geezer are:
Pat Harrington – vocals/guitar
Richie Touseull – bass
Steve Markota – drums

Book of Wyrms are:
Sarah Moore-Lindsey: Vocals and synthesizers
Kyle Lewis: Guitar
Chris DeHaven: Drums
Jay “Jake” Lindsey: Bass

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Book of Wyrms, “Sodapop Glacier” (2022)

Geezer, Stoned Blues Machine (2022)

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Richie Touseull of Geezer

—

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I’m a bass player, it’s that simple. I provide the rhythm for the other musicians to stand on. The essential heartbeat of the song, if you like.

And how I came to do it — I couldn’t afford to play drums, and there were too many guitar players around so the bass seemed like a good idea.

Describe your first musical memory.

Watching my elder brother, John, play the sax in the army band. I was so proud. Then, at the age of 12, I saw a local rock band, and that just blew my mind. I don’t remember what they were called, but that was the moment I knew I wanted to do be a musician.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Playing Freak Valley Festival with Geezer. Maybe because it just happened in June and so is top of mind, but it was a blast. Great to be up there with Pat Harrington and Steve Markota.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

Oh man, many times playing to empty rooms! We’ve all had that happen. You play your best, keep believing in what you’re doing and hold tight to the dream.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

To possibility — new ideas, new people, new opportunities. And the rush you get when you surprise yourself, that’s some high.

How do you define success?

Being able to do what you love every day. How many people can say they do that?

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

A singer I once played with was tripping on acid and it was no fun watching him roll backwards into the drum set with his legs in the air.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

I’ve had an idea to create a space where musicians come together to jam, record, perform, collaborate or just hang out. Just need to find the right space and make it concrete. Maybe I’ll get around to it.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

Art connects people. It connects the artist with the crowd or reader or listener. It connects groups of people in a shared experience, around an emotion or feeling. In that way it brings people together, and we need more of that now in the world.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

To travel more. My wife lived in Amsterdam, and I’ve never been. Maybe this fall.

[Photo by Robert Lesic, copyright 2022 www.robles-design.de]

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Geezer, Stoned Blues Machine (2022)

[Click play above to stream Geezer’s Stoned Blues Machine in full. Album is out Friday on Heavy Psych Sounds.]

Now we know what to call Geezer. They’re a Stoned Blues Machine. The Kingston, New York, three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Pat Harrington, bassist Richie Touseull and drummer Steve Markota have never been more so than on their latest collection. In mid-2020, the heavy, bluesy, intermittently-jammed-out-but-nearly-always-rocking trio issued the righteous Groovy (review here), which was a lockdown-era lifeline to a better time if also a reminder of the kind of party that absolutely at that point couldn’t happen. It may be that record’s fate to have never gotten its due in terms of being celebrated live, but Geezer knew even as that was coming out that they would press forward and continue to write, rather than sit on their hands and wait for the pandemic to abate.

Stoned Blues Machine answers the boogie and the ass-shake of Groovy, and with the lineup solidified around these three players since 2019’s Spiral Fires EP (review here), but pushes further and works on multiple levels — perhaps best emphasized in the title-track itself, which has a huge swinging nod as its foundation but also brings in finer details like some addled-sounding mumbles along with its verse lines before the hook, “Stoned blues machine/Living is my thing/When things ain’t what they seem/When you’re stoned, baby, don’t want to think about it,” is fleshed out with what might be a guitar effect that sounds like a dolphin chirrup, like they’re just screwing with you.

But that perspective is essential to understanding where Geezer are coming from especially early on. Working with producer Chris Bittner at Applehead Recording — I was fortunate enough to be there for the basic tracks of much of the record (in-studio posted here and here) — they’ve never sounded bigger, clearer or more professional, and that progression is natural from Groovy, 2021’s recorded-in-the-practice-space jam single Solstice (review here) filling the long, show-less gap between with its expansive, synth-laden exploration as an immersive holdover.

It doesn’t always work out this way, but the elaborate production is what allows Geezer to flesh out their songs. The dual-channel vocal layering for the “ooh” in opener “Atomic Moronic,” for example, or the tambourine adding to the crescendo of the penultimate “Saviours” ahead of the seven-minute finale, which sees them loosen the reins structurally and roll out a mellow jam in the midsection topped with effects-laced vocals and, after five minutes in, give over to a languid solo that’s a highlight in terms of its fuzzy tone and the just-holding-to-the-beat bassline that accompanies.

These songs have been worked on, to be sure, but are not overwrought, and they offer a point of view of which the title-track is emblematic. Considering sociopolitical turmoil, a raging virus (which I’ll note for my own posterity that I have right now; thankfully a seemingly mild variant thus far), and whatever other apocalyptic visions one might cast over the last few years — can’t help but think of watching an insurrection in progress when I see the title “Broken Glass,” even though the song’s an uptempo strut-and-stomper with handclaps in its chorus, but certainly second cut “Logan’s Run” applies as well with its immediate shuffle-chug, more tambourine, big-room crash and final repetitions of “Do not resist” — there’s been no shortage of reasons to feel overwhelmed.

And Stoned Blues Machine doesn’t shy away from expressing confusion, dismay or judgment. “Atomic Moronic” is a song for the Trump years — the line, “You put your faith in stupid,” is as succinct a summary of American anti-intellectualism as one could ever hope to hear — but there’s no sense of preach either. “Atomic Moronic” and “Stoned Blues Machine” aren’t campaigning, and neither is “Broken Glass,” they’re just trying to get through it. That, too, is deeply relatable. It’s a kind of helplessness answered both by essentially saying ‘screw it’ and going to get high, and of course by writing these songs themselves, the act of creating them, arranging, recording, etc., which side B’s “Eleven” seems to engage directly. Turn up and get away, even if just in your own brain. Who would begrudge them that?

Especially when the material is so tight. Side A moves from “Atomic Moronic” into “Logan’s Run” into the maddeningly catchy “A Cold Black Heart” and “Stoned Blues Machine” with a build of propulsion that loses not a step as “Broken Glass” picks up with its bouncing snare and “Eleven” finds salvation in its volume — “The walls are closing in again/And I ain’t leaving/And I don’t want to think about it again” — and “Saviours” begins a more tempered shove en route to “The Diamond Rain of Saturn,” which for its first two minutes (until the countdown ends) rocks like all is normal and then spends the next four minutes tripping out until building back to the album’s last apex. All told, it’s eight tracks and 42 minutes that live up to the ethic they espouse and answer chaos with cohesion, setting the proverbial bar higher for themselves while discovering a way to both be in the moment lyrically and to get out of it.

Being their sixth album in less than a decade, Stoned Blues Machine continues to show forward growth on the part of the band, and the lineup of Harrington, Touseull and Markota deliver the songs with organic-feeling chemistry and an energy that having been there I’ll tell you is sincere. They worked hard to make the best Geezer album yet, and they made the best Geezer album yet. I’ll readily cop to being a fan of their work in general, but if one considers Groovy as a second debut for the band since it was their first with this incarnation (Harrington is the lone remaining founder), then Stoned Blues Machine is beyond a worthy follow-up. You can either get on board or not, it’s up to you, but the ability of Geezer to find good times in dark times isn’t to be understated, and if a Stoned Blues Machine is what they are, one only hopes there are wheels on the bottom so they can keep this creative momentum rolling.

Geezer, “Logan’s Run” official video

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This is my favorite kind of news these days. Band makes good record, is going abroad to tour. It’s been known for some time that New York’s Geezer would head overseas to play in support of their forthcoming LP, Stoned Blues Machine — I’ll be streaming it in full on May 18; tune in — as the three-piece were announced early on for Heavy Psych Sounds Fest in Switzerland and Austria. They’ll also be at Freak Valley and GockelScream, which makes this a pretty efficient run. There are still a couple TBA dates, so if you happen to live between Salzburg and Mannheim or between Mannheim and Berlin — or at least somewhere nearby — and can help out, maybe hit up Total Volume Agency to let them know, but even if they end up with two days off, seems like this one is well worth the journey. Stay safe, gents. I’ll see you at Freak Valley.

As such, I can only hope they’ll bring their bong spaceship as depicted in this most righteous poster art below by Steven Yoyada. Imagine a nug-powered FTL engine rolling lazily out of drydock and crossing the subspace threshold while expanding your mind. Think of the aliens you’d meet in that thing. We on Pluto, and so forth. Right on.

Pack your bags:

Total Volume Agency presents

*** Geezer – ATOMIC MORONIC EUROPEAN TOUR 2022 ***

01/06 Nantes FR: Little Atlantique Brewery
02/06 Chambéry FR: Brin De Zinc
03/06 Winterthur SW: Heavy Psych Sounds Fest
04/06 Luzern SW: Bruch Brothers
05/06 Salzburg AT: Heavy Psych Sounds Fest
06/06 TBA
08/06 Mannheim DE: Alter
09/06 TBA
10/06 Berlin DE: Wild at Heart
11/06 Dresden DE: GockelScream Festival
12/06 Karlsruhe DE: P8
14/06 Strasbourg FR: Molodoi
15/06 Netphen DE: Freak Valley Festival
16/06 Ghent BE: Kinky Star
17/06 Liège BE: KulturA
18/06 Paris FR: Supersonic

NEW ALBUM Stoned Blues Machine coming out May 20th on Heavy Psych Sounds !!!

ALBUM PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop.htm#HPS229

USA PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop-usa.htm

GEEZER is
Pat Harrington – vocals/guitar
Richie Touseull – bass
Steve Markota – drums

https://www.instagram.com/geezertown/
https://www.facebook.com/geezerNY/
http://geezertown.bandcamp.com/

heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/

Geezer, Stoned Blues Machine (2022)

The more I think about it, the more impressed I am all around by what Geezer accomplished yesterday. If you, like most people, have never been in a studio setting either to record or just sit there and be weird while someone else does, you might not know just how rare it is for a band to roll in, throw down for about 11 hours with one relatively minimal dinner break, and come out of it with the better part of an album recorded.

Of course there’s more work to do. Four more songs, to start with, and then overdubs, non-scratch vocals, and so on, but even so. The work-hard-work-smart nature of the band’s hitting it yesterday — and more, their down-to-business-but-cool-about-it attitude — was what you would hope a best case scenario would be for a group going into their sixth full-length and then some. Everybody has their insecurities, and recording can be and inherently is a push on that — was it good enough that time? is it ever? — but the way they kept focused on the work, even when the work was jamming out the start of “Stoned Blues Machine.”

I wound up staying after the session at the Super 8 in Kingston, about 15 minutes away from Applehead Studio. Maybe I could have driven home the 90-plus minutes, but I was tired and it’s not like there’s a surging global pandemic on or anything. The morning coffee is pretty rough — I’ve still had three cups — but I’ll admit to some nostalgia looking around the room and thinking of the Super 8 in Frederick, Maryland, and Maryland Doom Fest. It’s all pretty standardized.

Shower, some other work, then maybe a bit of exploring around Woodstock if it’s not too cold before I go back to the studio for day two. It’s been a long time since I was last up here for a long weekend broke-honeymoon, right after I got married. If nothing else, it’s the kind of place where I might expect to find some better coffee.

There’s a stream that runs behind the studio, a big open field next door. The tea shop down the way is badass (yes I said that), and I took a few minutes to drive through Woodstock’s main drag before coming back here. Hippie tourists and hippie locals, yuppies with a passing interest in counterculture met head-on by Free Tibet-types and tie-dye shops. My only regret is having neither the time nor the funds to shop. First one to tie-dye a pair of sweatpants wins my heart forever. And probably whatever they’re charging for them.

I’ve got until about 4PM here today, so hopefully that’s enough for them to bang out the basics on the other four songs.

Notes from day two:

12.19.21 – 11:50AM – Applehead Recording – Woodstock, NY

“Stoned Blues Machine”

Pat’s a bit late. Sick kids at home. They decide to roll out with a revisit to “Stoned Blues Machine,” but if their warmup jam doesn’t end up on the record, I’ll be personally disappointed. Dudes walked in and hit it like they never left, except better rested.

The solo’s a scorcher. Unmixed, it reminds me of Chocolate & Cheese-era Ween in that combination of dreamy warm tone and punk rock fuckoff. There was a hiccup at the start, but the listen-back sounds right on, and yes, Bittner saved that initial jam.

Little fixes. Tom at the start, two guitar things, and a retake on the solo. Steve has drum stuff. Richie has a couple bass things. Pat will go last and I assume put down the scratch vocals at the same time. This is the process. Do the song, listen to the song, tweak what needs tweaking. It’s not an uncommon tack. What differentiates this experience for me being here is the mood and the vibe. Smoke weed. Calm down.

Applehead Recording is — have I mentioned this? — a beautiful looking, beautiful sounding place to exist for whatever measure of time. But it’s also relaxed. It’s not so pro that, unless you’re me, you’re afraid to sit on the couch for fear of something exploding. It’s pro-shop, no question — the board’s as big as my living room — and I imagine every session is different, but with Geezer here, the prevailing spirit is mellow, unrushed, despite a universal need for coffee. Everybody’s waiting on the pot to finish.

I very purposefully didn’t send the band the stuff I wrote yesterday, because the last thing I want to do is mess with the atmosphere here. When you come to do things like this, you’re a guest, but you also have to walk on eggshells a little bit. You try to make yourself small, to not impose yourself on things. Generally, no one will ask your opinion on anything, and if you have one, you’re probably better keeping it to yourself. It’s not that you’re an intruder, but if you were on the inside of the experience, you’d be in the band or behind the board, and you’re neither of those things. Be thankful for the coffee and the tunes.

Richie finishes quick, Pat’s next. Redoes the solo, tries some weird phase stuff on top. The door’s open the whole time. Super casual. Vocals follow, a little more of a spoken take in the verse to go with the roll, reminds me of the first album. Hook opens up fluidly, lyric about the world being a wreck, saying screw it, moving to the mountains and getting high. I mean, yeah. There’s 90 acres listed down the way I drove past on the way here. Wonder what that’s going for. Steve calls it “trucker vibes” when Pat comes back into the control room — my head immediately starts spinning with visuals playing off the Burn One Up comp. Geezer’s got some big shoes to fill in terms of cover art after Groovy, as it happens.

In any case, if this song is the title-track, it will have earned it.

12.19.21 – 1:30PM – Applehead Recording – Woodstock, NY

“A Cold Black Heart”

“Stoned Blues Machine” took a while, but it seemed like everyone was having a pretty good time with it.

An impromptu sing-along to Poison’s “Every Rose Has its Thorn” — sans Harrington, sans me — gives way to “A Cold Black Heart,” for which they do a couple takes of the intro first. It’s nothing so outlandish, but just a timing thing it seems.

The verse riff is a chug and a wind, reminding me of something I’ll probably need to hear it 15 more times to put my finger on, but it’s easy enough to hear where the chorus is going to be even hearing it run through the first time, and that’s probably a good sign. The solo take live sounds really solid, and there’s a turn into a different, slower chug for what I’d guess is a bridge that leads to another solo, they kind of jam on it with Richie’s bassline holding the tension of a build that tells me they’re bringing it back around, which they do, if just to finish.

Another take to work on the transition into that slower part, have some trouble getting it going, but do. The slower part seems to be a little faster, but the transition into it sounds more natural — it’s a split-second thing, but Steve got it — and in that later solo I hear a little “Heaven and Hell” between the bass and guitar. I will not complain about that, probably ever, though who knows if it’ll still be there after the mix, overdubs, etc. are done.

One more take. They sound more comfortable, like they’re locking in. That change again is no problem. I wonder if there will be vocals over this part, or some other trippy whatnot. Could hear keys there, easily. It’s pretty open before the lead line kicks in.

Third take was the best one. Hilarious as to how smoothly things have gone that that many times through a song seems like a lot. Drum mic broke. So it goes, probably expensively.

It takes some time to fix, which might honestly be the difference between my being able to be here for the other three songs and leaving before they’re done, but like anything, it’s a part of what happens when you’re in a studio.

12.19.21 – 3:07PM – Applehead Recording – Woodstock, NY

Work is still being done on “A Cold Black Heart,” putting some funkified bass parts in with what Chris Bittner calls the “Purple Haze” part, which is as good a name for it certainly as anything I’ve got. It’s swagger on swagger, in any case.

I think this’ll probably be the last song I hear while I’m at Applehead, by the time this gets done and the scratch vocals are done. I’ll take comfort in knowing that even though I’m not here until the end I’ve heard most of the record, whatever it ends up being called, unless they decide to leave some of what they did yesterday off. I won’t get to hear “Diamond Rain of Saturn,” which I was looking forward to just given the title, but I’ll look forward to hearing it when it’s done instead.

Today is colder but gorgeous and bright. I’m looking forward to seeing the sunset on my way back south, the mountains of doom that are the Catskill Appalachians — old, slow-rolling, eroded by time and a little sad about it — alongside the Thruway. I don’t get up here a lot.

3:15PM, Pat hits the vocals. “Late at night, I feel no pain/In the morning, I feel no shame.” Chris moves to one of the several key instruments around — an organ — to feel out ideas for that part. Seems reasonable.

Next song is “Little Voices.”

Today hasn’t been the crazy-productive jaunt that yesterday was, but I won’t be the least bit surprised when they finish the basics by the time they’re out of here tonight. I don’t know what the plan is for following up on the work they’ve done here, but if they came here to work with Chris Bittner and to work in that room — both pretty solid reasons from what I’ve been able to tell — then they’ve made a lot out of that opportunity. I guess whatever will happen from here will happen.

They’re talking food, which means it’s probably time I started packing up.