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Mars Red Sky Announce Fall/Winter Tour Dates

Posted in Whathaveyou on September 19th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Mars Red Sky (Photo by Jessica Calvo)

Let’s casually presume that when Mars Red Sky release their new video on Oct. 4 for the track “Break Even,” that they’ll tag an announcement for their next full-length on with that, and I’m hoping it’ll be out before the end of the year. That does make it potentially a December release, and I’d hate to think of it not getting the look it deserves because listeners are settling into the holidays and the music industry is exhaling until late January or thereabouts, but they’ve got live shows set for the next half a year with likely a bunch more to come for Spring and Summer 2024, so I don’t think they’ll be lacking for spreading the word. They’ll do Freak Valley‘s big winter to-do in December as well, so whether that’s when the record comes out or not, it’ll be a busy month for the Bordeaux trio.

They posted the dates on socials with the ticket link and other whatnots. Earlier this year, the band put out the self-titled Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow EP (review here) and there’ve been some quality short releases throughout 2023 thus far, but I’m not sure I’ve heard anything to top that one in my mind. Their last full-length was 2019’s The Task Eternal (review here), so yeah, they’re about due to hit it again. Hope they come back to the States.

Here’s dates from socials:

Mars Red Sky tour

MARS RED SKY – TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT

Here we are!! Thanks to 3C and Sound of Liberation for the gigs. New video clip “Break Even” to come out on October 4th 2023. Stay tuned ’cause we have more cool things to announce.

Take care!

TICKETS: https://marsredsky.rocks/tour

31.10.2023 AUDINCOURT, FR – Le Moloco
03.11.2023 CHAMBERY, FR – LA SOUTE
11.11.2023 NIORT, FR – Rise & Fall Festival
16.11.2023 VANNES, FR – L’ECHONOVA
17.11.2023 VALLET, FR – Westill
18.11.2023 ARGENTEUIL, FR – La Cave Argenteuil
01.12.2023 MACON, FR – Matilda
02.12.2023 OLTEN, CH – OltenAir Rock Session
03.12.2023 GENEVA, CH – UNDERTOWN
05.12.2023 REGENSBURG, DE – Alte Mälzerei
06.12.2023 VIENNA, AU – ARENA WIEN
07.12.2023 DRESDEN, DE – Chemiefabrik Dresden (Chemo)
08.12.2023 JENA, DE – KuBa
09.12.2023 SIEGEN, DE – FREAK VALLEY FESTIVAL Winter Edition
19.01.2024 AMIENS, FR – 1001 Bières Amiens
20.01.2024 ISSY-LES-MOULINEAUX, FR – Le Réacteur
02.02.2024 CHALON-SUR-SAÔNE, FR – LaPéniche
03.02.2024 STRASBOURG, FR – La Laiterie Artefact
07.02.2024 LYON, FR – Marché Gare
21.03.2024 ANGERS – Le Chabada – Angers (club et salle de concerts)

Vicious Circle Records – Mrs Red Sound

MARS RED SKY are:
Julien Pras : guitar, vocals
Jimmy Kinast : bass, vocals
Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau : drums, vocals

Photo Jessica Calvo Photographe – artwork Fluor_99

http://www.facebook.com/marsredskyband/
https://www.instagram.com/marsredsky/
https://marsredsky.bigcartel.com/
https://marsredsky.bandcamp.com/
http://www.marsredsky.net

https://www.facebook.com/mrsredsound33
https://www.instagram.com/mrsredsound/
https://mrsredsound.bandcamp.com/
https://mrsredsound.com/

https://www.facebook.com/viciouscirclerec
https://www.instagram.com/vicious_circle_records
https://viciouscircle.bandcamp.com/
https://www.viciouscircle.fr/

Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow, Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow EP (2023)

Mars Red Sky, “Maps of Inferno” official video

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The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal Playlist: Episode 107

Posted in Radio on March 31st, 2023 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk show banner

So I kinda wanted to hear some old shit alongside all the new shit, which I guess I feel okay about. I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like every second of every show has to be super-recent as much as possible to get word out about new bands again as much as possible — and again again as much as possible to the extent of whatever the audience for this show is; I honestly have no idea — but that’s not even close to being true in reality. I could play Death, no one would give a shit.

I should play Death. Next show if I remember, which I’m saying up front is like 70/30 no.

Anyway, so old High on Fire into new Dozer and Altered States’ recent “The Crossing” crossing with The Hidden Hand’s “The Crossing” from their brilliant 2004 opus, and JAAW feeding into Celtic Frost feeding into Vape Warlök. Fucking a. This show’s pretty good. I hope I don’t ruin it by, you know, talking.

A few albums here I’m looking forward to knowing better. Swanmay for sure, JAAW absolutely, and I might even say that of Dozer, perhaps into perpetuity or at very least until long after I’ve reviewed it and hailed it as one of the best albums of the year — which I don’t even feel shy in saying because it’s a fucking given — and Bongzilla, because they’re Bongzilla and I’m glad they’re putting out records. They’re a needed reminder of how even the heaviest things can be made to float.

Thanks if you listen to this show. If not, it happens, but thanks for reading anyhow. If you stumbled here and have no idea what I’m talking about, you might still consider checking out a band or two from the playlist and find something to make your day better.

The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 03.31.23 (VT = voice track)

High on Fire 10,000 Years The Art of Self-Defense (2001)
Dozer Dust for Blood Drifting in the Endless Void
Devoidov Stab Stab
MiR Altar of Liar Season Unknown
VT
Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow Maps of Inferno Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow
Black Rainbows Superhero Dopeproof Superskull
Lammping Better Know Better Better Know Better
Oceanlord 2340 Kingdom Cold
Arriver Azimuth Azimuth
Altered States The Crossing Survival
The Hidden Hand The Crossing Mother Teacher Destroyer (2004)
Iress Ricochet Solace
Grin Nothingness Black Nothingness
Bongzilla Hippie Stick Dab City
MWWB Logic Bomb The Harvest (2022)
Swanmay Stone Cold Frantic Feel
VT
JAAW Rot Supercluster
Celtic Frost A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh Monotheist (2005)
Vape Warlök Inhale Death Inhale Death (2022)

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is April 14 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

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Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow Post “Maps of Inferno” Video; Collaborative EP out April 28

Posted in Bootleg Theater, Reviews on March 30th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow

Bourdeaux, France, progressive heavy psychedelic rockers Mars Red Sky are drawing closer to the April 28 release of their new collaborative EP, Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow, set to issue through their own Mrs Red Sound imprint and Vicious Circle Records. The trio’s first work since 2019’s The Task Eternal (review here), it sees Helen Ferguson, aka folk solo artist Queen of the Meadow, step in on lead vocals for the tracks “Maps of Inferno” (7:17) and “Out at Large” (5:39), with an edit called “Maps of Inferno (Shortcut)” (4:44) rounding out as a reprise.

All told, they’re done in under 18 minutes, and that is the source of my only complaint about Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow — it’s not enough. Unless they’re planning a series of these releases as a four-piece with Ferguson up front alongside Mars Red Sky guitarist/vocalist Julien Pras, bassist/sometimes-vocalist Jimmy Kinast and drummer Mathew “Matgaz” Gazeau, two originals and the ‘shortcut’ just don’t cut it. From the wah-drenched solo in “Out at Large” and the density of the low end that feels so true to the band’s roller-fuzz beginnings to the Joni Mitchell-esque declarations delivered firmly by Ferguson in “Maps of Inferno” — long or short — and back again, the EP feels complete in its own terms with the focused-on-structure bookend they give it, but those terms leave one wanting more in a visceral way. There’s furtherMars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow they can go into that wash at the end of “Out at Large,” more to do with the bounce in “Maps of Inferno,” and certainly exploration to be done in the harmonies from Pras and Ferguson together.

EPs often precede LPs for Mars Red Sky — their discography is a big ol’ back and forth between long and short offerings — and this wouldn’t be the first time the band have expanded beyond their core lineup before going back to it for their next record, but the richness of “Maps of Inferno” begs to be fleshed out across at least one full-length, building as it does on an established partnership between Ferguson and Pras — on multiple levels; they may or may not be married — the latter of whom who has produced albums for the former and featured on guitar and vocals. Combining that spirit with the tonal weight of Mars Red Sky feels like a bolster to the band’s approach, influential as they’ve been in bringing together an abiding lushness in the sweetness of Pras‘ vocals and the heft of their increasingly complex grooves, which is something else “Maps of Inferno” demonstrates in its mellowed-out ambient break, peppered with sparse guitar as it moves fluidly through a swaying jam en route back to the central riff from whence it came, Matgaz‘s drums thudding the change.

There’s a lot of 2023 left, I understand, but Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow are the standard to which I’ll be comparing EPs for the rest of the year, and right now that feels like a pretty mammoth ask of, well, anybody. As of this writing, I haven’t seen the video yet for “Maps of Inferno,” and honestly I don’t even know if it’s the long or short version of the track yet, but what matters here is that the collaboration between Ferguson and Mars Red Sky has resulted in something special beyond what one might’ve expected of the elements involved, and it is a release that demands to be heard no less than it demands a follow-up. I hope it gets both.

Enjoy the clip and, most importantly, the song:

Mars Red Sky, “Maps of Inferno” official video

When the power of psychedelic heavy meets the depth of dark folk harmonies, it results in a complex and exhilarating flavor. The daring combination opens up the genres to a whole new dimension. MARS RED SKY’s new EP, soberly entitled “Mars Red Sky & Queen Of The Meadow”, exalts and enhances the trio’s magic formula: namely, the blend of a robust and determined rhythm section with jagged and ambitious vocals, all evolving within a unique soundscape. The two tracks of the record suggest a disturbing journey through an immense maze directly inspired by mad architect Piranesi and his towers with terrifying staircases. Real melodic narrative, Queen Of The Meadow’s vocals carve out an unexpected intensity. Mars Red Sky offers here an abyssal production, polished and unheard of.

Produced, recorded and mixed by Benjamin Mandeau at Cryogène Studio, Bègles (France).
Mastering: Ladislav Agabekov at Caduceus Studios, Gimel (Switzerland).
Band photography: Jessica Calvo (photography), Fluor_99 (artwork).
Cover: Machado Leão (artwork), Brett Kielick (photography).
Layout: Floriane Fontaine

All songs composed, written and arranged by Mars Red Sky and Queen Of The Meadow:
Helen Ferguson: lead vocals and melodies
Julien Pras: guitars, back-up vocals
Jimmy Kinast: bass
Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau: drums

Mars Red Sky on Facebook

Mars Red Sky on Instagram

Mars Red Sky on Bandcamp

Mars Red Sky merch store

Mars Red Sky website

Queen of the Meadow on Facebook

Queen of the Meadow on Instagram

Queen of the Meadow on Bandcamp

Queen of the Meadow on YouTube

Mrs Red Sound on Facebook

Mrs Red Sound on Twitter

Mrs Red Sound on Instagram

Mrs Red Sound website

Vicious Circle Records on Facebook

Vicious Circle Records on Instagram

Vicious Circle Records on Bandcamp

Vicious Circle Records website

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Friday Full-Length: Mars Red Sky, Stranded in Arcadia

Posted in Bootleg Theater on March 17th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

And so they were. The narrative behind Mars Red Sky‘s 2014 sophomore outing has always been important to the listening experience, and nine years later, the Bordeaux trio’s creative leaps feel no less resonant as the bassline underscoring the intro to “The Light Beyond” kicks in with its welcoming rumble while the atmospheric vocal melodies float overhead. Their first outing to be released through Listenable Records, the eight-song/44-minute Stranded in Arcadia (review here) had the unenviable task of following up Mars Red Sky‘s 2011 self-titled debut (review here, discussed here), and the band’s plans for it were about six years ahead of their time in completely evaporating.

Guitarist/vocalist Julien Pras, bassist/backing vocalist Jimmy Kinast and drummer Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau (who was still pretty new to the group at that point) were set to travel to the US, record at Thunder Underground in Palm Springs, California, between Oct. 1 and Oct. 8, 2013, and do a quick run of shows up the West Coast after. Who knows what might’ve been had that happened, but after having their visas blocked, they wound up in Brazil directly following a handful of dates there and in Argentina, working at Estúdio Superfuzz in Rio de Janeiro with Gabriel Zander at what would turn out to be a pivotal moment for them as a band.

True, their 2012 collaboration with countrymen Year of No Light (discussed here) and their 2013 Be My Guide EP (review here) put forth the notion that the playful bounce and blend of folkish melodies and weighted tones of the self-titled were the beginning point as opposed to the sum of all they had to offer, but when Stranded in Arcadia landed, it marked not only the next stage of an LP-then-EP-then-LP methodology that they’ve kept up ever since — their new EP, a collaboration with Queen of the Meadow, is out April 28 (info here) in time for a grand run of European festivals and more this May — but also a flourishing of sound and style on which their two subsequent full-lengths, 2016’s Apex III (Praise for the Burning Soul) (review here) and 2019’s The Task Eternal (review here), would continue to build.

From the grand unfolding of eight-minute opener and longest track (immediate points) “The Light Beyond” (premiered here) through “Join the Race” setting up a direct lineage for pieces on the next two records like “Under the Hood” and “Crazy Hearth,” to the double-kick surge late in the instrumental “Arcadia” and the drench of wah offsetting the languid march of the penultimate “Seen a Ghost” before “Beyond the Light” calls back to the leadoff with a blasted-out-there noisy reprise, Stranded in Arcadia used songwriting to overcome circumstance. Where it could have been haphazard or sloppy or rushed considering the improvised nature of the band finding and hitting a studio, it isn’t at all.

Even “Holy Mondays,” which arguably has theArt by Carlos Pop. I have four versions of this cover in the media backlog on this site. This is the only one that's square. Originally posted April 24, 2014. most shove behind its hook (Kinast taking over lead vocals from Pras for the moment), is laid back in its verses, and in following the memorable “Hovering Satellites” (video premiere here), it demonstrates the branching into sonic progressivism that was taking place across the larger span. Hypothetically speaking, had all gone according to plan, if that had been the end result, the album (presumably called something else) would be a triumph. That they overcame legitimate adversity — I don’t know if you’ve ever been told you can’t fly to where you’re supposed to fly, but it is a very particular helplessness — to do it takes that to another level entirely.

And ‘another level’ is kind of the running theme for Stranded in Arcadia anyway. The distance of years has done nothing to-date to dull the warmth of tonality in either Pras‘ guitar or Kinast‘s bass or the sheer largesse through which Gazeau‘s snare cuts so readily and yet so perfectly set in the mix such that even the twists in the later “Circles” find the needed round edges from out of the surrounding sharper angles. Likewise, the solidity of their purpose, the element of craft in the material structurally and in the layers of the production, is only enhanced by the fluid grooves and gentle melody in Pras‘ voice as Mars Red Sky reveal a more ambitious scope than the first album could have presented and yet couldn’t exist without that first album behind it.

Their combination of heft and float has proven a major point of influence across multiple niches within heavy rock, psychedelia and doom, but it’s the active nature of the progression across Stranded in Arcadia that’s most striking; the sense that, having gotten their feet under them, they were ready to begin their journey in earnest, and both Apex III (Praise for the Burning Soul) and The Task Eternal have felt like they have more in common with the second LP than its predecessor. They went from having their original idea for making the record bureaucratically pulled out from under them to giving themselves a model to work from on their third and fourth full-lengths. As regards turning lemons into lemonade, gambling and winning, that’s pretty god damned impressive.

If I say it doesn’t seem like it’s been so long since Stranded in Arcadia was released, take that as a sign of my enduring affection for it, which I’ll make no attempt to hide. I recall hearing “The Light Beyond” for the first time, not really knowing what to expect after Be My Guide and the self-titled, and being summarily blown away by the uptick in breadth. You won’t hear me say a bad word about the debut — at all. ever. ever. ever. — but the pivot in Stranded in Arcadia‘s material and the use it makes of what Mars Red Sky had already established as the tenets of their approach is still stunning. Yes, I’ve belabored the point, but it feels justified to say this would’ve been a brave record to make in the best of conditions. They turned it into a defining statement of intent and one of the best albums of the 2010s. It’s a great story and an even greater album. How and why would you not celebrate such a thing?

As always, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading.

The moral of this week, I suppose, is that everything is easier when The Patient Mrs. is around. Not new learning, necessarily, but reinforced by her Spring Break this week. We got more cabinets hung in the kitchen — one of the doors is too low; my fault of course — and moved the fridge to where we eventually want it to be, etc. Has not been a fast process, but we’ve done more in the last three weeks than probably in the six months prior, so not bad. At least there are cabinets now. I put plates in them. And so on.

A little scattershot this morning, I guess. It was a pretty effective work-week for me in terms of writing. A little extra time here and there as a result of the aforementioned Spring Break doing wonders generally for my state of being. I’ve still been getting up before the alarm — yesterday a little before 2:30AM, today just after 3AM — but I’m also asleep by 9PM barring disaster, so you know, you get by. But I’m all over the place today. It’s just after 4:20AM and I’ve been back and forth between email, FB messages, putting together a Questionnaire to go up on Monday — which I’ve managed to finish — listening to Les Nadie, looking up info on Dopelord (who are the next PostWax band I need to write about), reading about AI, downloading a bunch of records I need to check out, the myriad mental interludes of the internet, and so on. I need to get my second cup of coffee, so a sojourn to the kitchen is the thing that will hopefully renew my focus. Distraction, you say, between here and there? Possible. I might just end up emptying the dishwasher midsentence at the rate I’m going.

To wit, the point of the paragraph above was that I actually managed to write the piece above about Mars Red Sky yesterday (Thursday) after finishing the Dun Ringill video premiere, and I can’t remember the last time I actually did the writing for a Friday Full-Length before Friday morning. It was easier since Dun Ringill was just writing about one song, and I had most of the back end already set up to roll, but still. But I didn’t do shit yesterday afternoon, and I don’t really plan on doing shit this afternoon either, so yeah. If I’m in that position today it’s because it was a pretty smooth week leading up to it. There’ll probably be like six new album releases I want to put up today. The one my brain goes back to is ‘Electric Wizard Announce New Album‘ from 2016. That’s become my shorthand for some-shit-I-should-post-now. The numbers seem to have been erased, but that post is one of the most shared in the history of this site. It had over 10,000 likes on FB or something. I’ve only hit that mark once or twice. Shame to see it gone, actually, but these things are flimsy on the internet.

Part of the trouble of having a bunch of stuff I need to hear is that I can’t stop listening to the new Ruff Majik album. It’s one of those. Even when I’m not actually playing it, the songs are running through my mental jukebox. A good problem to have, to be sure, but a hard standard for other records to meet in terms of my mental priority. A couple times a year I get hit with records like that. Last year, Author & Punisher and Caustic Casanova were the two that most come readily to mind — records that just had to be heard over and over and over and over, like I’m watching my favorite videos as a kid, Spaceballs or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or whatever it was. Secret of the Ooze. My retro arcade has the original Turtles in Time on it. I’m very much looking to dive into that.

See? All over the fucking place. Started that paragraph talking about Ruff Majik, ended with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That’s about where my head is at. All this free time. I got to shower before the alarm would’ve gone off, which felt like a luxury, and I’ve now finished my coffee before the first post of the day is still up. That’ll be the aforementioned Dun Ringill. Then the Lazy Bones announcement that came out the other day on socials. Then maybe Høstsabbat or the Gimme wrap. The day proceeds.

Oh yeah, Gimme show today, 5PM Eastern: http://gimmemetal.com to listen.

I’m not sure if you can chat through the web interface, but it’s kind of cool on the app. Last time was really good. I have the feeling this one’s going to be dead. Longer songs. So it goes. Can’t all be radio hits all the time or there’s no point.

Next week, on Monday a new single from Ape Machine and the aforementioned Les Nadie, a full stream for their bonus-track-inclusive reissue on however many labels it was. I can double up because the Les Nadie was already reviewed so that won’t be a full writeup, but I wanted to feature the record anyway because it’s so good. Les Nadie and Moodoom have me wondering if there’s a new generation taking over in Argentina, which would be awesome. Something to keep an eye on over the next couple years, though South America’s pretty much a constant stream of quality heavy largely overlooked by the gringo world because it’s not in English. Whatever. I guess I care less about that than some.

So that’s Monday. Tuesday an interview with Keith Gibbs and Craig Riggs of Sasquatch. First non-Questionnaire interview I’ve done in months, and if it was a band I hadn’t been covering for the better part of 20 years it would probably have been a disaster, but, you know. They’re friendly guys. Wednesday a premiere for The Crooked Whispers. Thursday is Oreyeon, who are always fun and weird to write about. And Friday, on its release day, I’ll review the Acid King record. I had wanted to do that earlier but moved it due to other timely stuff. That’s how it goes. Things that don’t have to be on a specific day always end up getting moved, falling through the cracks, etc. I do my best, but soon enough my head is back to Turtles in Time, and that’s that.

Pretty sure I’m finishing with fewer emails than I started the week, though, which is a definite win.

But it’s 5:05AM now and The Patient Mrs. is up and The Pecan just came downstairs so I guess it’s time to get the party started. I hope you have a great and safe weekend. Have fun, watch your head, hydrate. You know the drill. Back here on Monday.

FRM.

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Mars Red Sky Announce Collaboration EP with Queen of the Meadow

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 9th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

This is the second time this week I’m posting news about Mars Red Sky. The Bordeaux trio are fresh off announcing a stretch of tour dates alongside Weedeater and Telekinetic Yeti that starts this month, and they’re following that with the unveiling of their new EP, made in collaboration with folk singer Queen of the Meadow. Born Helen Ferguson, she and Mars Red Sky‘s Julien Pras have worked together going back to his being her guitar teacher and they may or may not be married. In any case, I’ve heard the thing, and it’s a fit, which is what matters, and obviously it’s that basis in the prior relationship that makes that possible. Stumbling through Queen of the Meadow‘s Bandcamp, 2018’s A Room to Store Happiness hits a nerve nicely in “Royal Garden.” I’ve embedded it below. It’s not her latest album, that’s 2021’s Survival of the Unfittest, but you know how to get to Bandcamp from an embed.

Of course, Mars Red Sky have long had a pattern of releasing EPs as a way of leading into new full-lengths, so I’ll just say I hope that’s the case here. It’s also not the first collaboration the three-piece have done, as they worked together with Year of No Light on an EP (discussed here) in 2012. It’s a good one though. You won’t regret keeping an ear out.

For now:

mars red sky and queen of the meadow ep release

Hey there!

We are excited to officially announce the release of our new EP « Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow » this April 28th 2023 on long time friends record label Vicious Circle Records and our own one Mrs Red Sound !! We teamed up with dark folk artist Queen of the Meadow who sings on each track. We hope you’ll like this one made – as always – with love & fuzz. Details about the release and more surprises to be revealed in the next few days… Stay tuned!

Take care y’all and see you soon on tour!!

TICKETS : marsredsky.rocks/tour

18.02.2023 (#127465#)(#127466#) ERFURT Bandhaus Erfurt
29.02.2023 (#127462#)(#127481#) VIENNA Echoes of Erebos
30.02.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) BRISTOL Astral Festival
01.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) CARDIFF The Globe Cardiff *
02.05.2023 (#127470#)(#127466#) DUBLIN The Grand Social*
03.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) GLASGOW Cathouse Rock Club*
05.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) SHEFFIELD Corporation Sheffield*
05.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) MANCHESTER Factory Manchester*
06.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) DURHAM Dominion Festival
07.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) LONDON Desertfest London
27.05.2023 (#127466#)(#127480#) MADRID Kristonfest
26.08.2023 (#127463#)(#127466#) RILLAAR Down The Hill
* With Weedeater and Telekinetic Yeti.

MARS RED SKY are:
Julien Pras : guitar, vocals
Jimmy Kinast : bass, vocals
Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau: drums, vocals

Photo Jessica Calvo Photographe – artwork Fluor_99

http://www.facebook.com/marsredskyband/
https://marsredsky.bigcartel.com/
http://www.marsredsky.net
https://mrsredsound.com/

Queen of the Meadow, A Room to Store Happiness (2018)

Mars Red Sky, “Proving Grounds” official video

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Mars Red Sky to Tour UK & Ireland with Weedeater and Telekinetic Yeti

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 7th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

This is a cool mix. Weedeater and Telekinetic Yeti have been tourmates in the past in the US, so for them to take that show to the UK and Ireland for fests and more, adding Mars Red Sky to the mix gives it a totally different character, tying together tonal largesse and melody as is their wont while Telekinetic Yeti bludgeon with riffs and Weedeater bring their signature party scathe, which at this point I think I’m prepared to just call ‘the blues’ and leave it at that. There. Weedeater are a blues band. Feels good to say that. Via sludge, sure.

Mars Red Sky have new material in the works — perhaps the next announce from their label Mrs Red Sound will be that release?; one hopes — but either way, they have festivals booked throughout the Spring and Summer. They’ll be in Bristol this month for Astral Festival, and this tour takes them to Desertfest London ahead of appearances at Kristonfest in Madrid — presented in part by this site — and Down the Hill in Belgium. Gonna be a busy year for the Bordeaux trio, I think. “Sapphire vessel gaining speed,” and so on.

The aforementioned Mrs Red Sound sent the following:

Mars Red Sky Weedeater Telekinetic Yeti tour

France’s psychedelic doom stalwarts MARS RED SKY to announce new dates across the UK and Ireland with Weedeater and Telekinetic Yeti.

Doom progressive veterans MARS RED SKY are back on track with a full UK and Ireland tour announcement. They will be sharing the stage with North Carolina sludge/stoner legends Weedeater and US heavy psych heavyweights Telekitenic Yeti. Mars Red Sky will also be playing some nice festivals such as Astral, DesertFest London, Dominion or Kriston Fest. Let there be loud!

Impossible to miss French trio MARS RED SKY on the road this Spring. According to some posts and their social medias, the Bordeaux-based psych doom band are up to new audio material. This tour should be the best way to hear more about it. Stay tuned…

TICKETS : marsredsky.rocks/tour

18.02.2023 (#127465#)(#127466#) ERFURT Bandhaus Erfurt
29.02.2023 (#127462#)(#127481#) VIENNA Echoes of Erebos
30.02.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) BRISTOL Astral Festival
01.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) CARDIFF The Globe Cardiff *
02.05.2023 (#127470#)(#127466#) DUBLIN The Grand Social*
03.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) GLASGOW Cathouse Rock Club*
05.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) SHEFFIELD Corporation Sheffield*
05.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) MANCHESTER Factory Manchester*
06.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) DURHAM Dominion Festival
07.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) LONDON Desertfest London
27.05.2023 (#127466#)(#127480#) MADRID Kristonfest
26.08.2023 (#127463#)(#127466#) RILLAAR Down The Hill
* With Weedeater and Telekinetic Yeti.

MARS RED SKY are:
Julien Pras : guitar, vocals
Jimmy Kinast : bass, vocals
Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau: drums, vocals

http://www.facebook.com/marsredskyband/
https://marsredsky.bigcartel.com/
http://www.marsredsky.net
https://mrsredsound.com/

Mars Red Sky, “Proving Grounds” official video

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Hoflärm 2023 Makes First Lineup Announcement

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 6th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Based in Seelbach, Germany, the Hoflärm Festival will host its fifth edition this August, as seemingly every weekend of Europe’s Spring and Summer fest season seems to increasingly have something going on somewhere at sometime. A glut of cool events is nothing to complain about for anyone who remembers a couple years back when there was nothing — which, as much as one tries to repress those particular memories, I still do — and the lineup here is right on in terms of vibe with Acid King, Mars Red Sky, Messa and Elephant Tree so far at the top of the bill with RotorSwan Valley Heights, Mondo Generator, Grin, Black Lung, Eremit, Madmess, Old Horn Tooth and Kvinna rounding out and a few black boxes on the poster like the rest of the lineup has been redacted for the purposes of protecting classified information.

And I won’t argue with Hoflärm adding another six or seven bands, but, I mean, this is already pretty killer on first blush. You’ll note this takes place over three days, so spreading the 20 bands out over that long, it seems like a pretty laid back kind of deal — at least until Mondo Generator starts ripping into Kyuss tunes, but that’s fun too — and not necessarily as overwhelming as some multi-stage fests in Europe and elsewhere. This is the five-year anniversary of the fest, and to see Acid King and Mars Red Sky alone, it’s already got me daydreaming, so I take that as a win.

Details follow as per Hoflärm‘s socials:

Hoflärm – 5th Anniversary – GO FOR THE RIDE

Join us this year for the 5th stony ride to Hoflärm 2023! We are very happy to announce the first bands of the line-up today! We also announce the start of the presale for 05.02.2023 at 5 pm!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hoflarm-2023-tickets-532032201637

Started in 1993, we are more than proud to welcome Acid King! The band around Lori S. looks back on 30 years of band history and will bring their new Album to Marienthal in August.

Mars Red Sky and Elephant Tree will drive you into the sunset with their all time classics like Strong Reflection or Wither! We’re already feeling the vibe around the yard!

A very special highlight we are looking forward to is Messa. The Italian doom band combines the raw and rough sides of doom with the warm summer evenings of the Hoflärm.

Just last year, stoner legend Nick Oliveri visited us with his band Stöner. Nick liked it and had reason enough to come knocking on our door again in 2023. We are looking forward to Mondo Generator, Mr. Oliveri!

We also have visitors from Berlin again, on the one hand we are happy to welcome Rotor, our tractors are running at Vollast! But on the other hand also Grin! We can’t imagine a Hoflärm without Jan, Sabine and Andre! In 2021 the three played with Earth Ship, in 2022 with Slowshine. This year, however, only Sabine and Jan will be on stage, Andre will mingle with the audience while Grin plays their crushing riffs.

Black Lung and Madmess will bring you through our hot afternoons with their heavy psych rock!

Doom over Marienthal: Eremit and Old Horn Tooth will be blasting the darkest riffs into your ears! Live Slow Die Old!

Last but not least, we are happy to welcome 2 bands that have played at the Hof in the past! Swan Valley Heights and Kvinna! Kvinna was the band that opened the first Hoflärm, who of you was there and can remember?

Stay tuned for even more announcements! We have more Bands, as well another Headliner & Co Headliner to announce!

Event page: https://facebook.com/events/s/hoflarm-2023-5th-anniversary/583432620099196/

https://www.facebook.com/Hofcafe.Hoflaerm
https://instagram.com/hoflaerm/
https://www.hoflaerm.de/

Mars Red Sky, “Strong Reflection” official video

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Kristonfest 2023 Makes First Lineup Announcement

Posted in Whathaveyou on December 13th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

When asked if I wanted a logo for The Obelisk to appear on the poster for Kristonfest 2023 — to be held next May 27 in Madrid, Spain — I knew the answer was yes even before I was aware of who’d be playing. The festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary in the coming year, and with GraveyardThe ObsessedInter Arma and Mars Red Sky in the first lineup announcement, they’re wanting for nothing in terms of reach or scope. This does make me think maybe Inter Arma will be on tour with The Obsessed, but I don’t know that so don’t go spreading it or anything, but regardless, from the heavy blues and classic doom at the top of the bill through the sheer visceral extremity and ever-proggier melodic songcraft that follows here, they’re four-for-four in my mind. And now that I’ve seen the announcement, maybe instead of congratulating myself in “I called it” fashion, I’ll say that I’m humbled they asked about that silly logo in the first place.

Also, that’s the first I’m hearing of a new Graveyard album. So that’s a thing ot watch for.

Expect more to come probably in the New Year, but for now here’s the poster and what Kristonfest has to say about it:

Kristonfest 2023 with logos

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE COMPLETE POSTER FOR THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KRISTONFEST

This new edition will take place on Saturday, May 27, 2023 in the central La Paqui room (Former BUT room) in Madrid and tickets are now available at www.kristonfest.com

After many turbulent months and full of uncertainty, the Kristonfest is back with a bang and presents itself with a lineup full of quality, variety and that picks up the gauntlet thrown by the fans who, year after year, show their support and encouragement for a self-managed event and focused on rock in its most extensive color palette. Maintaining the philosophy of giving space to different styles and prominence to the participating bands, the 2023 line-up is made up of four bands that perfectly represent what Kristonfest is and wants to be:

The titanic GRAVEYARD will visit the festival for the first time, a double joy since they will be presenting their new studio album, the sixth in their career since their formation in 2005. Entangled in an amalgamation of blues-rock, psychedelia and mesmerizing compositions, accompanied by a voice and lyrics loaded with feeling, make this Swedish quartet a benchmark. They will be accompanied by the historic THE OBSESSED, formed at the end of the ’70s and led by the charismatic Scott “WINO” Weinrich, for many one of the fathers of doom-metal and who treasures an endless career (The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan , The Hidden Hand, Wino, Probot, etc…) and that has served as a reference for hundreds of bands that have emerged in recent decades! For this occasion, the band adds a second guitarist to its classic trio format, which will give more strength and power to the show of those from Maryland-USA!.

The INTER ARMA quintet has carved out a well-deserved reputation as a live band, largely due to such majestic songs that act as a facilitating element to offer a brutal and uncompromising set list in which they leave no puppet with a head. Richmond’s quintet outdoes itself on each album it publishes, mixing sludge with black and even post-metal with majestic and apparent ease. We don’t usually see such wild bands at Kristonfest, don’t miss them! To close this vicious circle, some old acquaintances from the underground circuit, the French MARS RED SKY, who have had hundreds of concerts around the world behind them and appearances as significant as those they offered at important festivals such as Hellfest, Motocultor or the homeland Resurrection Fest. Leaders of rock psychedelia in Europe together with contemporaries such as Colour Haze, Causa Sui or Siena Root, the Bordeaux trio is loaded with fuzz, groove and stoner-rock, pure dynamite to round off a night that seems special and worth remembering. THIS IS KRISTONFEST!

Poster by Raul Viana / @backtotheprimitive

http://www.facebook.com/kristonfest
http://www.instagram.com/kristonfest/
https://www.kristonfest.com/

Graveyard, Live on Rockpalast 2018

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