Posted in Whathaveyou on June 29th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Rochester heavy psych rockers King Buffalo will return to Europe for the second time in 2023 this Fall. They were last there, oh, earlier this month for a stint that wrapped on June 17 at Hellfest in France, but they state in the quick announcement below that their October tour will be their last time in Europe until 2025. That’s kind of surprising considering we’re only halfway through 2023 and King Buffalo has been going hard before and after the pandemic, but no doubt they’ve got plans, whether that’s touring in other places — Australia/New Zealand comes to mind — or recording, or both, or neither. We’ll see.
The band recently put their 2013 Demo (review here) up for a 10th anniversary edition vinyl preorder (info here), and they’ll be supported for most of this tour by Bergen, Norway-based labelmate upstarts Slomosa. Their announcement of the tour draws together prior confirmations for Keep it Low, Desertfest Belgium and Lazy Bones Festival, each weekend but one of the tour anchored by a fest date, which is not a thing to be taken for granted. We live in a golden age. King Buffalo are a part of what makes it so very shiny.
Also, anyone notice how King Buffalo, Slomosa, Elder and Iron Jinn have all had announcements this week? It’s like the entire Stickman Records roster all decided it was time to get out. Good fun.
Thee dates:
KING BUFFALO – OCTOBER EUROPEAN TOUR ANNOUNCE!
These will be our last European Tour Dates until 2025. If you want to see us, this is your last chance!
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 30th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
I was on social media the other day, scrolling for band news which is pretty much what I do on there at this point, when I saw something or other about King Buffalo — they’ve been on tour in Europe ahead of returning to Freak Valley next week, it might’ve been that, it might not — but I was skimming the comments and there were people ragging on the band.
It was a little surprising, but it’s actually a sign that all the work they’ve put in, whether it’s on tour, or the pandemic trilogy, or even just their own online presence, is starting to pay off. People who don’t even like them know them and feel strongly enough about their work to have an opinion either way, and to express that opinion. That doesn’t happen for bands who don’t matter. Most bands nobody talks about at all. So I took it as a positive, even though it was someone basically being like, “grr here’s a thing on the internet I don’t like so I’m saying I don’t like it.” So it goes.
The Rochester trio have Copenhell and Hellfest to look forward to in addition to Freak Valley in June, more UK/EU shows this Fall, and US festival stops between as they continue to support last year’s Regenerator (review here). They’ve just sent word along the PR wire that their 2013 Demo (review here) will see a one-time limited vinyl pressing and that preorders go up on Friday. I remember when that came out, they were a four-piece and I was stoked because I’d been into Velvet Elvis, in which drummer Scott Donaldson and then-guitarist/vocalist Randall Coon had featured, while guitarist/vocalist Sean McVay and bassist Dan Reynolds had played in Abandoned Buildings Club.
I knew at the time they were a cool band. I’m not sure I knew they’d put themselves at the forefront of American heavy psych rock, or be the kind of act people feel compelled to express opinions about on socials, but when I think (or listen) back to that demo, you can definitely hear the roots of what they would and have become in the decade since it came out. Maybe a fan-piece or a curio, but I’m a fan. I guess I felt like saying so on the internet.
From the band:
KING BUFFALO – Demo LP
DEMO Preorders start THIS FRIDAY 6/2/23 at 12pm EST.
For the first time available on vinyl, our “Demo”! These were the first 3 songs we ever wrote and finally decided to give it a proper pressing on the 10 year anniversary.
THIS IS A ONE TIME PRESSING! After the Test Presses, Deluxe and Standard Editions are sold out, that will be it. THESE SONGS WILL NEVER BE PRESSED ON VINYL AGAIN… EVER!
These songs have been remastered for vinyl with new artwork by Ryan T. Hancock.
Tracklisting: 1. Pocket Full Of Knife 05:22 2. In Dim Light 06:08 3. Providence Eye 11:15
October 17.10. (UK) London @ The Dome 18.10. (UK) Leeds @ Brudenell Social 19.10. (UK) Nottingham @ Bodega 20.10. (UK) Brighton @ The Arch 21.10. (BE) Antwerp @ Desertfest 28.10. (DE) Hamburg @ Lazy Bones Festival
North America Tour
6/28 Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s 6/29 Quincy, CA @ High Sierra Festival 8/25 Cleveland, OH @ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 8/26 Lexington, KY @ Expansion Fest 9/23 Austin, TX @ Ripplefest Texas
King Buffalo is: Sean McVay – Guitar, Vocals, & Synth Dan Reynolds – Bass & Synth Scott Donaldson – Drums
The story behind the advent of this cover is a reminder never to underestimate the power of coincidence or the small-world nature of the underground. A quarter century after letting a poli-sci punk band sleep on his floor, Glenn Szymanski of Tines reconnects with drummer Andy Patterson, who went on from that band State of the Nation to play in Iota, SubRosa, Insect Ark, now The Otolith, on and on, while emerging as an in-demand producer/engineer at his Boar’s Nest Studio in Salt Lake City, and ends up filling out drum tracks recorded but unused for a Deep Purple tribute, the song “Bloodsucker” from 1970’s mega-landmark In Rock LP. Certainly the road from A to B on that narrative is
Tines to release cover of Deep Purple’s “Bloodsucker” on April 7, 2023
Buffalo, NY doomy-prog outfit Tines will release a ripping cover of Deep Purple’s “Bloodsucker,” (available for pre-order now) featuring guest drummer Andy Patterson (ex Subrosa) on April 7, 2023. The cover is their first post Covid release since their debut 7″ single (Thin Blue Line b/w Rock and Roll Witness Protection Program) in Spring 2020.
Tines’ take on the 1970 hard rock album cut was almost 30 years in the making. In 1994, Tines’ guitarist and flag-bearer Glenn Szymanski was at a basement show featuring Revelation Records artist Sensefield, with a band called State of the Nation as the opening act. Impressed by their political message and pro Native American activism, he offered them his apartment floor to crash on that night.
More than 25 years go by, Tines submits their 7″ to the Blynd Submyshynz podcast. In January of 2021, that episode airs with special guest…wait for it…Andy Patterson, former drummer for State of the Nation, who had since achieved prominence with bands such as Subrosa, Insect Ark and as producer/engineer at his own Boar’s Nest recording studio. Glenn recognized Andy and the two reconnected on Facebook. Andy had recorded a drum track that didn’t end up getting used for Bow to Your Masters Volume 2, a Glory or Death Records tribute album. Patterson and Szymanski arranged to use the drum track with Tines completing the other parts of the song with bassist Mike Hermann, keyboardist Arrow Fitzgibbon, and vocalist Kelly Murphy.
This is something of a time warped version of “Bloodsucker,” given that Tines have made heavy use of analog synthesizers and a touch of clavinet that weren’t used by Jon Lord until the more funky Mark III era of Deep Purple.
Tines are currently writing new music for a full length and plan to release a video that has been stuck in editing limbo for the last year in May 2023. They’ve played Maryland Doomfest and Descendants of Crom Festival in Pittsburgh and look forward to getting back on the live circuit in the near future.
Tines: Kelly Murphy – vocals Glenn Szymanski – guitar/backing vocals Mike Hermann – bass Arrow Fitzgibbon – keyboards/guitar
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 3rd, 2023 by JJ Koczan
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
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 28th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Cheers to Long Island’s Indus Valley Kings on signing with Black Doomba Records to release their third long-player at some point in the unknowable future. The band, whose sophomore outing was 2022’s done-thick-and-hooky Origin (review here), don’t have a release date set or anything, and I don’t know if they’ve even recorded or started writing or what for the next record, but if it’s on the strength of Origin and the preceding 2021 self-titled that they got picked up, you won’t hear me argue. Melodic, unpretentious heavy rock is nearly always welcome in my earbuds, and only more so with that bassline tucked into the midsection of “…And the Dead Shall Rise,” never mind the boogie and/or roll that ensue from there.
Album news will come when it comes — what’re you, in a hurry? — but in the meantime, the trio have live dates set throughout Spring and Summer. They hit Maryland Doom Fest in 2022 and they’ll play the Long Island Doom, Sludge & Metal Festival on April 29, as well as dates around the Eastern Seaboard and an Ohio weekender in May, keeping company with Sons of Ghidorah.
Those dates, the text signing announcement, and the video signing announcement follow here in blue, as culled from social media:
Black Doomba Records is proud to announce signing the amazing Indus Valley Kings !
Please check out their first two albums. We’ll be thrilled and honored to released their 3rd full album when they’re ready.
Says the band: “We are elated to announce we’ve signed with Black Doomba Records! Tommy Stewart has been in our corner since he first heard our band and we are looking forward to releasing a killer 3rd album on his prosperous and ever-evolving label!”
More about:
From Long Island, New York, Indus Valley Kings offer their heavy, down-tuned music to rock the souls of a modern civilization. They’re often compared to Kyuss, Corrosion of Conformity, and 70’s era Black Sabbath.
Upcoming shows 2023!
April 1 – The Kennel at West York Inn – York, PA w/ Weed Coughin, Almost Honest, Wrath of Typhon April 21 – The Depot – Baltimore, MD w/ /High Leaf, Mangog, The Crows Eye April 29 – Long Island Doom, Sludge & Metal Festival 2023 – Bethpage, NY May 5 – Westside Bowl – Youngstown, OH w/ Sons of Ghidorah May 6 – Buzzbin – Canton, OH w/ Sons of Ghidorah July 15 – 3rd Annual River Jam – Falling Waters, WV
More shows TBA!
Indus Valley Kings are: Billy Fridrich – lead and rhythm guitars, lead vocals Jonathan Lesley Habers – bass, vocals Dan Lofaro – drums
New York’s End of Hope release their sophomore full-length, Pushback is Strong, on March 14. And, uh, it’s kind of a burner. I recognize hardcore punk might not be everyone’s thing, but as the four-piece with members of Netherlands, Eternal Black, Reign ofZaius, Clothesline and Kraut make clear from the very first hook of opener and longest track (immediate points) “Behavioral Modification,” there’s as much Melvins in what they do — at least at times — as early Agnostic Front or whatever other original-era NYHC outfit you want to namedrop. So you might break an arm at the show, but it’d probably be because you slipped and fell. You really should be more careful. Also you could get hit by a bus crossing the street. Do I need to go on?
The 11-song outing sprints through 29 minutes and is the follow-up to 2019’s Cease and Destroy (discussed here), with “Fastball” and the title-track picking up from “Behavioral Modification” with a genuinely down-to-business mentality. Vocalist Davey Gunner leads the charge with some tongue-in-cheek awareness in the more swinging “Nobody Cares About Your Band” and the later “Freedom Denied” — which, though I haven’t seen a lyric sheet, I think might be about leaving action figures in their original packaging? — while raw punk numbers like “Nothing to See Here” and the minute-long “The Iron,” which starts with a sample of James Cagney from White Heat saying he’s on top of the world, speed by and leave it to the listener to try and keep up, bruises and all.
“Curtain Call” follows “Fill the Void,” and both of those as well as the penultimate “Cover Your Eyes” a short time later find a place for themselves between sludge rock and gang-shout hardcore, which seems to be where End of Hope are heading or, if you don’t want to predict the future, is where this material leans toward. Fair enough. Guitarist Ken Wohlrob, bassist Davis Schlachter and drummer Dave Richman have all played in ‘heavier’ bands (listed above, also below), so that some of that influence would sneak in even as they pointedly direct themselves elsewhere — you might say they’re pushing back on it — isn’t necessarily shocking, and while my head immediately goes to Animosity-era C.O.C. when I hear the elbow-chucking riff of “Freedom Denied,” slower but still duly aggro, I’ll allow that’s probably more my own ignorance of the style than actual sonic likeness.
Following “Cover Your Eyes,” on which Richman hits the snare like he wants it to stay hit — I know that doesn’t make sense but it’s still true — and End of Hope work their way into a lurching groove at the end, the closer “Seed Indecision” caps with more angles to its twisting riff and a layered vocal that completes a vibe that feels complementary to “Behavioral Modification” back at the outset. One of just three inclusions over three minutes long (though it doesn’t actually use all of its 3:12), it evens out to a more straight-ahead push before Gunner‘s last held-out line is stretched across what in context here feels like a long fade.
Though one is tempted, as you might be able to tell, to liken its more hardcore-derived aspects to physicality, violence, the proverbial kick in the pants, etc., the truth is Pushback is Strong fluidly brings together its most intense and less-throttled moments. With a clear production sound, End of Hope give no ground in terms of live energy, and their no-bullshit attitude is suitable to their own songs as well as the style in which they reside. I was never cool enough for hardcore, never had enough friends for songs about how they’re like family to really make sense, but it’s not hard to appreciate the niche End of Hope are finding for themselves, and wherever they end up, the going is a good time.
“Seed Indecision” premieres on the player below, followed by more info courtesy of the band.
Enjoy:
End of Hope on “Seed Indecision”:
“‘Seed Indecision’ was destined to be the final summary statement for Pushback is Strong. It is a perfect encapsulation of our goals for this new album: wanting to shove as hard as we can against the boundaries of what can be considered heavy rock or hardcore punk, finding our own ground somewhere outside the genres. Like all the songs on the new album, the dynamics are amped. We’re trying to keep the listener on their toes and give them something they’ve never heard before. We want it to be anthemic. We want it to pack a wallop. We want you, the person hearing it, to say, “Fuck! What was that?” and hit the play button again and again. We hope you dig it and sing along.”
End of Hope — featuring members of Kraut, Netherlands, Clothesline, and Eternal Black — release second album, Pushback Is Strong, on March 14, 2023
End of Hope — comprised of members from several well-known New York City acts including Kraut, Netherlands, Clothesline, and Eternal Black — will release their second album, Pushback Is Strong, on March 14th, 2023. The album will be for sale in both digital and CD formats via their Bandcamp page (endofhope.bandcamp.com) and available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, and other services. Pushback Is Strong features eleven songs that push the boundaries of what hardcore punk and heavy rock n’ roll can be — a potent cocktail of high-volume speed rock, heavy riffs, and anthemic punk rock choruses.
The band consists of Davey Gunner of New York Hardcore legends Kraut on vocals, Dave Richman of Netherlands, Witch Taint, and St. Bastard on drums, Davis Schlachter of Brooklyn’s heavy blues purveyors Clothesline on bass, and Ken Wohlrob of Brooklyn doom heavyweights Eternal Black on guitar. End of Hope formed in 2018 and released a two-song EP, titled D E M O, in March of that year. They followed that with their debut full-length album, Cease & Destroy, in November 2019.
According to the band, “Our goal for this second album was to push everything out to the furthest extreme,” adding, “We wanted a much more dynamic and diverse album that would keep surprising the listener. The punk songs are more hardcore, the sludgy songs are even heavier, and from track to track to track, there is no letup. We wanted the listener to feel pummeled from the first guitar riff to the final scream.”
Pushback Is Strong was recorded at Suburban Elvis Studios in New York with production, mixing, and mastering duties being handled by Joe Kelly and Kol Marshall (Ministry, King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Eternal Black, Begotten), the same production team that created the thick wall of sound for Cease & Destroy.
Pushback is Strong track listing: 1. Behavioral Modification 2. Fastball 3. Pushback is Strong 4. Nobody Cares About Your Band 5. Nothing to See Here 6. The Iron 7. Fill the Void 8. Curtain Call 9. Freedom Denied 10. Cover Your Eyes 11. Seed Indecision
Produced, Mixed, and Mastered by Joe Kelly & Kol Marshall Recorded at Suburban Elvis Studios, Fall 2021 / Spring 2022 All Songs by End of Hope Arc of Movement Records
End of Hope: Davey Gunner: vocals Ken Wohlrob: guitar Davis Schlachter: bass Dave Richman: drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 22nd, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Rochester’s King Buffalo would be well within their rights to spend the entirety of 2023 on the road continuing to support this year’s Regenerator (review here), but I wouldn’t necessarily put it past the three-piece to have something new at least announced if not out by the time they embark on this European tour in Spring, even with previously announced US dates preceding this winter. Is that me being greedy? Yeah, at least a bit, but with a string of EPs and LPs behind them at this point, King Buffalo have never been ones to let momentum slip. I don’t know anything, I’m just speculating, but they’ve shown already in the last few years that they’re not screwing around in terms of productivity. Or progression, for that matter.
Note the festival appearances amid the Euro days, Sonic Whip, Desertfest London, Soulstone Gathering, Desertfest Berlin, Freak Valley, Copenhell and Hellfest. One does not expect these will be the only festival dates the band play in 2023. A Fall return to Europe or another stint in North America? Australia and New Zealand? Have to figure these dudes are welcome just about everywhere at this point.
From the PR wire:
KING BUFFALO – JUST ANNOUNCED 2023 EUROPEAN TOUR DATES!
More dates will be coming soon…
04.5. (DE) Aschaffenburg @ Colos Saal 05.5. (NL) Nijmegen @ Sonic Whip 06.5. (BE) Izegem @ Headbanger’s Ball 07.5. (UK) London @ Desertfest 09.5. (FR) Wasquehal @ The Black Lab 10.5. (FR) TBA 11.5. (FR) Paris @ Glazart 12.5. (CH) Aaarau @ Kiff 13.5. (DE) Ludwigsburg @ Scala 15.5. (IT) Milano @ Legend Club 16.5. (AT) Innsbruck @ p.m.k. 17.5. (AT) Vienna @ Arena 18.5. (PL) Krakow @ Soulstone Gathering 19.5. (DE) Berlin @ Desertfest 20.5. (DE) Hannover @ Faust 22.5. (SE) Malmö @ Plan B 23.5. (SE) TBA 24.5. (SE) Gothenburg @ The Abyss 25.5. (NO) Oslo @ Parkteatret 26.5. (NO) TBA 27.5. (NO) TBA 09.6. (DE) Netphen @ Freak Valley 15.6. (DK) Copenhagen @ Copenhell 17.6. (FR) Clisson @ Hellfest
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES ON SALE NOW!
1/13 Cleveland @ Grog Shop 1/14 Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi 1/15 St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway 1/17 Iowa City, IA @ Gabe’s 1/18 Milwaukee, WI @ Colectivo 1/19 Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig 1/20 Pittsburgh, PA @ Cafe Club 1/21 Pittsburgh, PA @ Cafe Club 2/16 Brattleboro, VT @ Stone Church 2/17 Albany, NY @ Empire Live 2/18 Lancaster, PA @ Tellus 360 2/19 Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall 2/21 Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor 2/23 Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub 2/24 Miami, FL @ Gramps 2/25 Tampa, FL @ Crowbar 2/26 St. Augustine, FL @ Cafe 11 2/28 Athens, GA @ Hendershots 3/1 Asheville, NC @ Asheville Music Hall 3/2 Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light 3/3 Huntington, WV @ The Loud
We’re so excited to finally release the 3rd record of the “plague trilogy”. It’s some of the coolest stuff we’ve ever done and we’re stoked to be playing these songs live for the first time!
Please come out and support if we are in your area and spread the word. We look forward to seeing you all soon!
King Buffalo is: Sean McVay – Guitar, Vocals, & Synth Dan Reynolds – Bass & Synth Scott Donaldson – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 8th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
If you’ve been paying attention to Sun Voyager‘s steady flux of social media whatnot around the recent release of their self-titled album (review here) through Ripple Music, you’ve probably seen them mention in passing that they’ve been working with “local shredder” Christian Lopez (seen below at their Halloween gig) for shows over the last couple months. Savvy as they are, it seems likely this was intended to focus the conversation not on what is actually a pretty significant shift in their lineup, replacing now-former frontman Carlos Francisco, with someone who hasn’t, you know, been in the band for the past decade with bassist/sometimes-vocalist Stefan Mersch and drummer Kyle Beach, but on the release of their finest work to-date, even if the personnel shift means it’s also the end of an era for them and whatever they do next will invariably be affected by the change.
It should be noted that’s not necessarily a bad thing, and given their work up to this point in the studio and on stage, I have no trouble trusting Sun Voyager on picking a new guitarist and singer. They’re not a band who does things haphazardly — see also: their waiting to get distance from the album release before making this change official — and if the end result here is they can do more shows, explore different approaches and styles and ultimately come out of it a stronger group, well, that’s the whole idea, I guess.
I’m not going to take away from what the band accomplished with Francisco at all, and neither should anyone else. I don’t know the full situation here, but sometimes these things happen and all you can do is wish everyone the best going forward. Sun Voyager might want to film a live video or something like that in the next month or so, just to let their audience have some idea of where they’re at as a unit when it comes to live performances (at least I know I’m curious), but there’s time for these things yet.
For now, here’s them marking the occasion:
Sun Voyager welcomes bona fide shredlord Christian Lopez into its ranks. He’s been ripping with us for a couple months, nailing the sound, and has our infinite gratitude for embarking on this voyage. He does great work with guitars as @calivibescustom too. Help us give him a warm welcome.
