Fu Manchu are in the studio now and I think they said on Instagram they’re eyeing a May release for their next album, which would rule and would arrive in timely fashion as they celebrate their 30th anniversary all year on the road. They joined the Up in Smoke 2020 lineup at the end of last week along with Mars Red Sky, Pallbearer, The Heavy Eyes — still waiting for the full tour to be announced — Sons of Morpheus and Mother Engine.

It’s a pretty efficient bundle if what you’re looking for is ‘awesome,’ and I think probably it is. It seems early for the Fall fest season to start taking shape, but it always does when it happens around now, so points for consistency at very least, and Sound of Liberation, which is behind this fest as well as Keep it Low and has a hand in several others along the way — Desertfest in Berlin, Antwerp and New York, and so on — rarely leaves this kind of thing to chance. Pro-shop and all that.

The latest announcement is below. I’m late with it but I’m late with everything. I’m a pitiful old man, give me a break.

Have at it:

FU MANCHU + 5 MORE BANDS JOIN UP IN SMOKE LINE UP

Grab your tickets here: bit.ly/UpInSmoke_2020

Smokers, we’ve been eager to share some line up news with you and we could for sure do it slowly and patiently, announcing one band after another… but you know what? It’s Friday, so take them all!!

Californian legends Fu Manchu are celebrating their 30th anniversary and we’re super stoked they’ll celebrate it with us!

They’ll make your neck hurt alongside mighty US doomsters Pallbearer, French’s unique psych-doom wizards Mars Red Sky, groove masters The Heavy Eyes, also from the USA, German Instrumental wonder Mother Engine and beloved Swiss psychedelic trio Sons of Morpheus !

We’re super proud and excited to welcome those amazing acts on board! Can’t wait, see ya there!

??Up In Smoke takes place at Konzertfabrik Z7 – Pratteln in Pratteln on 2-3-4 October 2020.

https://www.sol-tickets.com/
http://www.z-7.ch/
https://www.facebook.com/UpInSmokeIndoorFestivalInZ7/
https://www.facebook.com/events/545324436300685/
https://www.upinsmoke.de

Fu Manchu, “Il Mostro Atomico” live at Stoned & Dusted 2019

You gotta watch out for these. They’re sneaky. Label samplers can be tricky in general — sometimes it’s nothing but rehashed tracks from years ago with one or two new songs from a band somebody’s trying to push, but with Heavy Psych Sounds, their annual sampler series has been a way of sneaking new tracks out for first public showcases. Last year, new Black Rainbows showed up, and sure enough they appear here as well, and there also seems to be some new stuff from The Freeks included, which as far as I’m concerned is reason enough on its own to chase the thing down. Also Tons will have a track on there ahead of their album release in April, and new Killer Boogie, so yeah, plenty to grab onto, and even the stuff that’s already out — Mother Engine, Fvzz Popvli, The Lords of Altamont, Nick Oliveri — is all still current, and righteous. That “Kyuss Dies” song is hilarious.

Full tracklisting follows here, courtesy of the PR wire:

As every Year, my little dear, what we have here is: HPS074 ***HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS SAMPLER VOL.3***

We’re so proud to announce the new Sampler, is the third year we are going to release this, and tracklist look awesome!

You will find it in your HPS boxes when you will purchase from the site, or at some good festival in Europe for free at the merch table, or on tour with HPS bands…

RELEASE DATE:
16th MARCH 2018

PRESALE:
8th FEBRUARY 2018

Enjoy the tracklist!

Avon – Red Barn
Black Rainbows – High To Hell
Deadsmoke – Emperor Of Shame
Fvzz Popvli – Lost In Time
High Reeper – Die Slow
House Of Broken Promises – Toranado
Killer Boogie – Atomic Race
Monsternaut – Landslide
Mother Engine – Tokamak
Nebula – Between Time
Nick Oliveri (Kyuss Lives) – Kyuss Dies
The Freeks – American Lighning
The Lords Of Altamont – Going Downtown
Tons – 99 Weed Balloons
Turn Me On Dead Man – Vimana
Wedge – Lucid

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

VA, Heavy Psych Sounds Records Sampler Vol. II

German instrumentalist trio Mother Engine will issue their third long-player, Hangar, this Fall via Heavy Psych Sounds. The Italian label and booking company continues its ascent as a major player in the European heavy underground, and after picking up a slew of acts from the American West Coast’s heavy psych boom, Mother Engine offer a different take in sound and overall approach. They’ve been a steady presence at fests from Desertfest Berlin to Freak Valley to last year’s Setalight Festival and others as you can see below, and with two records already under their belt(s) in 2015’s Absturz and 2013’s Muttermaschine, they seem primed to make even more of an impression as they head into their next offering.

No doubt the six-week tour that Heavy Psych Sounds hints at below will help in that effort as well. With the likely promise of more to come, here’s the announcement as posted by the label:

Mother Engine – Heavy Psych Sounds

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS Records & Booking is really proud to announce a new band in the roster!

***MOTHER ENGINE***

The German trio Mother Engine plays instrumental rock music influenced by Stoner and Postrock as well as the trippy Psychedelic Rock of the 60s and 70s and the indigenous German Krautrock. It’s no real surprise that that the journey of that spaceship actually began at the tent stage of a big German Stoner Rock festival in the year 2013. What we talk about is a spirit of DIY, uncompromising endurance and the strong will to play every single stage.

After two records (‘Muttermaschine’ 2013, ‘Absturz’ 2015) and appearances at many of the most important European scene festivals like Stoned from the Underground, Freak Valley Festival, SonicBlast Moledo, Into the Void or Rotormania, it seems like they got their landing permission at the European stages for heavy psychedelic music. In fall 2017 they will release their third studio album ‘Hangar’ and doing a 6-week-tour through whole Europe presenting the new material.

People who heard the new songs live talk about a kind of stoner prog and maybe this impression hits right on the spot.

MODERN ENGINE are:

Chris Trautenbach (guitar)
Cornelius Grünert (drums)
Christian Dressel (bass)

https://www.facebook.com/MotherEngineRock/
https://motherenginerock.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
www.heavypsychsounds.com

Mother Engine, Absturz (2015)

The fall festival season kicks off in Europe before fall even starts. It’s like car companies rolling out next year’s models before we’re halfway through this year (though we are that now as well; you get my point). It seems like between August and November there isn’t a week when one if not multiple nations is playing host to a swath of quality bands, and Setalight Festival 2016 throws itself into the heart of the fray on Oct. 21 and 22, hosting an already-packed two-day lineup at the these-are-German-words Zukunft am Ostkreuz venue in Berlin.

I’m not sure if this is the complete lineup or not. It could be, easily. As of now, jam-prone Dutch trio The Machine, and Germany’s own Mother Engine — veterans of Freak Valley and Desertfest Berlin, no doubt among others — will also take part, as well as East-meets-West groovers Samavayo (based in Berlin), French mostly-instrumentalists Glowsun, uptempo rockers Phiasco and a host of others, some familiar — looking at you, Motorowl — and some less so. A couple names to investigate below, since if Setalight Records — which of course is putting on the festival — knows anything it’s how to pick bands.

The particulars came down the PR wire:

The Berlin based music label SETALIGHT presents the 4th time bands out of Stonerrock, Heavy & Hard Rock, Doom, Noise and Psychedelic Rock. Beside known bands of the scene, we will also present new or unknown bands.

For the lineup, we picked some great bands out of the dust, such as:

THE MACHINE
MOTHER ENGINE
SAMAVAYO
NEUME
OUZO BAZOOKA
PHIASCO
GLOWSUN
THIEVES BY THE CODE
BALG
MOTHERBRAIN
SWEDENBORG RAUM
KALAMAHARA
MOTOROWL
and many more.

When / where:

The SETALIGHT FESTIVAL will take place from 21st to 22nd of October 2016 in Berlin, (Club: Zukunft am Ostkreuz). The pre-sale just started. Get more information at the links:

www.setalight-festival.com
https://www.facebook.com/events/1671298366486172/

The Machine, “Coda Sun” official video

German heavy psych mostly-instrumentalists Mother Engine are the latest band to join the lineup for Freak Valley 2016. They follow Windhand, who signed on at the end of last week, and will play supporting their 2015 album, Absturz, which was released last Spring. That record, which spanned about an hour in six long, flowing tracks, took some cues from My Sleeping Karma, Causa Sui and of course Colour Haze, but distinguished itself via its fluidity even as it traded out the overriding peaceful vibes of its early going for the later insistence of “Sonne,” one of the few tracks included to feature vocals.

Freak Valley 2016 announced them thusly:

Hey Freaks!! MOTHER ENGINE – one of the best Heavy Psych Jam band you’ll ever hear – will play FREAK VALLEY FESTIVAL 2016!!

One thing about instrumental bands is that they can be either really boring or simply amazing. When you think instrumental Stoner Rock the obvious comes to mind, Karma To Burn.

Well, Mother Engine sounds nothing like that. There is a trippy far-out vibe to this music that flows throughout without feeling forced. While there are your standard stoner rock riffing and groove, you are also rewarded with a mind-altering and climactic journey complimented by a suave and fantastic funkiness. This is chill-out music to the max, music that touches your soul, and makes you get lost in the music. Interesting and complex rhythms are added to keep you guessing where it will take you next.

Fantastic poster art by Jo Riou Graphic Designer

FREAK VALLEY FESTIVAL – 26th-27th-28th May 2016
www.freakvalley.de – www.rockfreaks.de

FVF 2016 is SOLD OUT!!

FREAK VALLEY FESTIVAL 2016: No Fillers – Just Killers
Line-up 2016:
GRAVEYARD [SW] – Vintage Rock
ORANGE GOBLIN [UK] – Heavy Metal
DEAD MEADOW [US] – Psychedelic Stonerrock
WINDHAND [US] – Soner/Doom Metal
SPIDERGAWD [NO] – Post-Boogie
WHITE HILLS [US] – Fuzzed Out Motorik Psychedelic
THE SHRINE [US] – Psychedelic Violence Rock and Roll
BABY WOODROSE [DK]- Psychedelic Garagerock
LONELY KAMEL [NO]- Heavy Blues, Hardrock & Stoner
ROTOR [D] – Instrumental StonerRock/Psychedelic
MONOLORD [SW] – Doom/Sludge
MANTAR [D] – Death Metal Doom Punk
TOUNDRA [SP] – Postrock
FARFLUNG [US] – Spacerock for 21st Century Heads
BLACK RAINBOWS [IT] – Heavy Psych
THE GOLDEN GRASS [US]- Heavy/Funk//Psych/Freakbeat
SPIDERS [SW] – Hard/Glam Rock
GIÖBIA [IT] – Acid Rock
THE DEVIL AND THE ALMIGHTY BLUES [NO] – HeavyBluesRock
THE SONIC DAWN [DK] – Psychedelic Rock
JEREMY IRONS & THE RATGANG MALIBUS [SW] – Space Rock/Stoner/Psychedelic
GOMER PYLE [NL] – Psychedelic/Rock/Stonerrock
MOTHER ENGINE [D] – Stoner/Rock/Psychedelic
BUSHFIRE [D] – Heavy Blues Rock
…more tba very soon

www.freakvalley.de
https://www.facebook.com/freakvalley
https://twitter.com/FreakValley
https://shop.ticketscript.com/channel/web2/start-order/rid/LYSQRABJ/language/en

Mother Engine, Absturz (2015)

German heavy psych trio Mother Engine are the latest confirmation for Desertfest Berlin 2015. They join the esteemed ranks of Orange Goblin, Red Fang, Black Pyramid and Karma to Burn in the lineup for the fest, which is set for the end of next April at the Astra Kulturhaus, where Desertfest has been held since its inception. I won’t pretend to know a lot about the three-piece, who got their start in 2011 and decided to press on as an instrumental act following the departure of their frontman, but if the jammy heavy rock they propagated on their 2012 Fuzzmatazz Records debut, Muttermaschine, is any indicator of where they’re at now, they should fit right in on the bill.

The album is rife with warm tones and a natural, jammed-out vibe in the post-Colour Haze vein, though a little rougher around the edges for Mother Engine being a new band. Since it will be about two and a half years after the release by the time they take the stage at Desertfest, I’d be interested to hear how they’ve changed in that time. Maybe the slot coincides with a new album? I guess we’ll find out sooner or later.

For now, the announcement:

Mother Engine confirmed for DesertFest Berlin 2015!!

Since their legendary campsite gig at the Stoned From The Underground 2013, everyone has either heard of their name or even their great debut record, “Muttermaschine”. Their music is chill-out music to the max, music that touches your soul, and they truly deserved to be part of the festival next year!

Get your limited HARD TICKET along with a free DESERTFEST 2015 T-Shirt (with Elvisdead design) on Woolheads!
http://woolheads.com/…/desertfest…/tickets-desertfestberlin/
Only 200 available (85€ + shipping)!

DESERTFEST BERLIN #4 – APRIL 23th, 24th, 25th 2015
ASTRA KULTURHAUS / F-HAIN/X-BERG BERLIN (GER)

Red Fang + Orange Goblin + My Sleeping Karma + Black Pyramid + Karma To Burn + Brutus + Dopethrone + The Atomic Bitchwax + Lo-pan + Mountain Witch + Mother Engine + many many more acts:)

www.desertfest.de
www.soundofliberation.com
http://motherenginerock.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MotherEngineRock

Mother Engine, Muttermaschine (2012)