Uh, it’s Wino jamming out at a vintage motorcycle show. Really, the only question I have is how this clip of Premonition 13 from the Summer 2011 Born-Free 3 chopper show hasn’t already been featured for Wino Wednesday. I mean seriously, what is this, amateur hour? Get your head in the game, me. Wino and motorcycles. They go together like… well… like Victor Griffin and motorcycles. You get the idea.

Credit where it’s due, the footage of Premonition 13 — the short-lived outfit featuring Wino and Jim Karow duking it out on guitar — was shot by Obleas Photography on what looks to have been a gorgeous day, June 25, 2011, in Silverado, California. The Born-Free Motorcycle Show is held every year, with this year’s set for June 27 and 28, in Southern CA, and I guess four years ago, Premonition 13 stopped through on their way supporting their lone full-length, 13 (review here), also released in 2011. That album was more than solid in its groove — maybe a Wino record for Wino fans, admittedly — and the band was done shortly thereafter, their final release being a 2012 Volcom split with Radio Moscow and Earthless (some good company to keep).

In some ways, though — and certainly this is a hindsight perspective — it seems like 13 was almost hurt by the level of songwriting on it. Not that cuts like “Hard to Say,” “La Hechicera de la Jeringa” (the video for which was the first Wino Wednesday), “Modern Man” and “Deranged Rock ‘n’ Roller” weren’t memorable, but that maybe they were a little too much so. In seeing the band live and even going back to their early live videos, their heart was clearly in jamming out as they do in the clip below. I’m not saying that they’d still be going if they put out an album of nothing but instrumental jams, but it seems likely they’d at least have wound up with something unique within the vast, ever-growing Wino discography. And who knows? Maybe another record or two as well.

I’d take an album of this.

Enjoy the jam:

Premonition 13, Live at Born-Free 3, Silverado, CA, June 25, 2011

Less than two months after playing this show at Mojo Main in Newark, Delaware, on Nov. 5, 2011, Premonition 13 played their last gig. I saw them close out this tour about two week after the Delaware gig, in Brooklyn with Kings Destroy and The Gates of Slumber (review here), and they were killer, but the next thing I knew, they had canceled dates on their subsequent European run, and that was the end of it. I don’t know what happened in the band, but it didn’t seem to have ended well, and Premonition 13 have been quickly forgotten in the timeline of Scott “Wino” Weinrich‘s projects, between reunions the last couple years with Saint Vitus, The Obsessed and now Spirit Caravan. Their debut (and, it would seem, final) album, 13 (review here), had a few killer  tracks, but has kind of been swallowed up by everything else Wino has had going on, between those bands and solo acoustic work, which was already also underway by the time Premonition 13 started playing out.

But though it was probably the shortest-lived of groups in which Wino has taken part, Premonition 13 had one thing to distinguish it even more than a second guitarist in Jim Karow — it had the jam. Even before they added the “13” to the end of their name, when they first started playing out, they were basically a heavy jam band. Songs emerged from those jams and that’s what you got on the album, but jamming was at the heart of their sound, and when I saw them in Brooklyn, they ended the set with a jam just to hold firm to that spirit. Thinking about it now, I can’t help but wonder if 13 might have been received differently if they had presented more longer-form material — even if they kept song structures and added jams in for a few songs — but it’s moot because the band is apparently done. So it goes. As much fun as they were to watch on stage, I doubt anyone’s going to argue against another chance to see The Obsessed or Spirit Caravan instead.

Still, this jam, filmed by John Verica in Delaware on Nov. 5, 2011, showcases what split Premonition 13 from all of Wino‘s other bands to date, and emphasizes the dynamic between Wino and Karow that worked so well on stage. Please enjoy and have a great Wino Wednesday:

Premonition 13, Live Jam in Newark, Delaware, Nov. 5, 2011

Their tenure was not long at all. Videos of Wino jamming in an instrumental two-guitar four-piece called Premonition began to surface around 2010. Early in 2011, a debut 7″ from Premonition 13 was released (review here) and that was followed soon enough by their first full-length, 13 (review here), on Volcom. They toured that fall with The Gates of Slumber and by the time they got around to releasing a song on a three-way split with Earthless and Radio Moscow (streamed here) last year, they weren’t a band anymore. Quick. A year together, maybe a little more, and then gone.

It’s still something of a mystery what happened on their last European tour in 2011 that led to them finishing that run as a trio, but that was the end of it. Guitarist/vocalist Jim Karow, who shared those duties with Wino, was out and I guess at that point, with Saint Vitus‘ reunion running concurrent, there was no reason to find someone else to fill that slot, since the Wino/Karow collaboration was the core of the group. They had some cool songs though, and it was interesting to hear another guitar alongside Wino‘s after his standing alone for so long in The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan and The Hidden Hand. The only other times I can think of when he was joined by another guitarist (in a non-guesting situation) was on the Heavy Kingdom album with Conny Ochs and on the similarly brief Shrinebuilder run, which paired Wino with his soon-to-be unplugged tourmate Scott Kelly of Neurosis. Both pretty recent examples.

But Premonition 13 was more a “Wino band” than either the supergroup Shrinebuilder or the acoustic Ochs collaboration, with his tone, songwriting and vocals as a major factor in the draw, so though it was brief, Premonition 13 remains something unique within Wino‘s canon. And with The Gates of Slumber having announced their breakup this week as well, that tour was on my mind, so it seemed even more appropriate to find this live Premonition 13 full set from Richmond, Virginia, from that stint.

Filmed Nov. 7, 2011, by TubeVisionDotCom, here’s Premonition 13‘s gig at Strange Matter in its entirety. Enjoy and have a great Wino Wednesday:

Premonition 13, Live in Richmond, VA, 11/07/11

There hasn’t been an update to Premonition 13‘s Thee Facebooks page since last July, and even that was about Wino doing the South of Mainstream festival with The Obsessed, so with their last release as a contribution to a Volcom split with Radio Moscow and Earthless (featured here), and the band having ended their European tour playing as a trio, I think it’s probably safe to assume they won’t be following up their 2011 debut LP, 13 (review here) anytime soon. So it goes.

Aside from having been the first Wino Wednesday post, Premonition 13 had something unique to offer from among Wino‘s many projects — namely, the jam. It didn’t really come across on 13, because after so many years of doing so I don’t think Wino can help but turn a jam into a song, but particularly seeing the double-guitar four-piece live, the character of the project revealed itself most of all in the spontaneous interplay between Wino and fellow guitarist Jim Karow. Wino‘s played with few enough other six-stringers over the course of his career, and whatever else the band may have done, they jammed the hell out of those riffs. That was, as they themselves stated, the foundation of the band.

But the album 13 was still very much an album in its construction; a collection of songs put together in such a way as to create an overall arc or full-length flow. Though it moved away from the basic jams that served as its starting point, there were still plenty of memorable moments on it, whether it was the single “La Hechicera de la Jeringa” or Karow taking on the frontman role for the classically hooky “Modern Man.” As always, groove and tonal warmth abounded, and though Premonition 13 will likely remain a short-lived experiment in the longer run of Wino‘s career, they did touch on something distinct within that vast catalog.

Here’s the album in full. Have a great Wino Wednesday:

This week we take a break from exploring the deep past like we’ve done the last couple Wino Wednesdays to focus on something brand new. The below jam, taken from the Volcom Entertainment page on SoundCloud, was recorded when Premonition 13 was in the studio making their debut (and possibly only; though one hopes not) full-length, 13. Dubbed “Noche Oscura,” it comes from a new Volcom split 12″ between Premonition 13, Radio Moscow and Earthless. Good company to keep.

Really, it’s kind of two smaller jams they put together to make one longer piece, but if it was played as it appears below (you can see the fadeout and return in the wave form) I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised, as watching Premonition 13 on stage last year in Brooklyn, it seemed their jamming dynamic was well honed, and actually the core of the band, however much those jams might have been distilled into the structured songs that appeared on the album. Nothing against that process, there’s a lot of killer music made that way — including that record — but what you get with “Noche Oscura” is the unrefined core of what Premonition 13 was/is, and it’s worth it alone for the wistful drama that plays out between Wino and fellow six-stringer Jim Karow‘s guitars in the second half of the song.

They also lock in a right-on heavy groove, and 30 weeks of Wino Wednesday later, I haven’t refused a heavy groove yet. Certainly don’t intend to start now. For more on the split, which is limited to 1,500 copies, check out Volcom‘s store, and in the meantime, here’s “Noche Oscura.”

Happy Wino Wednesday:

The crux of the idea behind Premonition 13 and what separates it from the slew of other Scott “Wino” Weinrich projects — especially on stage, as I myself saw at the Saint Vitus bar in Brooklyn not so long ago — is the interplay between Wino and fellow guitarist/vocalist Jim Karow. On the band’s debut full-length, 13, Karow‘s solos and vocals added much to the personality of the group and the record as a whole, however overshadowed he might have been by Weinrich‘s legacy and profile. More than that, on stage, those two jammed. I mean, they went for it, and thinking back on that show, that’s what I remember most.

This week’s Wino Wednesday clip, however, finds Premonition 13 at the abrupt end of their European tour as a three-piece with just Wino on guitar. Karow reportedly had to split back to the US on the double — and not knowing the situation there, I won’t speculate except to say I hope everything’s alright and that the group can get out again as a full band at some point if not sooner than later — and though a couple shows were canceled, they went through with Berlin, where they shared the stage with Fuzz Manta, Voodooshock and Burn Pilot at Cassiopeia on Dec. 6, 2011.

Some intrepid soul (presumably YouTube user jomawe74, whose account the clip was uploaded by) filmed the songs “Hard to Say” and “Deranged Rock ‘n’ Roller” with just Wino on guitar and vocals, and since the single guitar gives a rawer feel than those who saw Premonition 13 in its full incarnation on this tour might expect, I thought it might be cool to make a Wino Wednesday of it. Special thanks to Billy Brett who brought my attention to the following:

From what I understand, Brooklyn‘s Saint Vitus bar is significantly less convenient for those who actually live in the city, but for me it’s just great. It may not be built on top of a subway station, but I know how to get to Greenpoint with my eyes closed (though maybe I keep them open anyway when I’m in the Queens-Midtown Tunnel), and I’ve yet to see a show there that wasn’t worth the effort of driving in.

The place seems like a decent compromise between being completely inconvenient on one side or the other between those who live in the city and those who don’t, is what I’m saying. They need to invest in a grown-up lighting rig for the stage in back, but other than that, it seems to be developing into a cool spot and I hope it continues to do so. By the time I got over to Manhattan Ave. last night, I was champing at the bit to get to the venue. Somehow I’d gotten it in my head that it was an early show. It wasn’t.

I was there maybe 20 minutes ahead of the start of Mount Olympus‘ set, which wasn’t bad, considering the bar was already starting to fill up. This being just two days after watching Fu Manchu pack out Santos Party House in Manhattan, it was duly encouraging to see a crowd at Saint Vitus, but I guess I’m still not used to people being at these shows. It’s cool and all, and I’m glad more and more are coming out, but it catches me off guard every time. I always expect the place — wherever it might be — to be empty.

But as Mount Olympus got going, they had plenty of audience to high-five, and high-five they did. Guitarist/vocalist Michael Guggino, who helmed the band with a kind of Josh Homme-ian casualness, came down from the stage at several points to engage the crowd. The music varied from punkish tempos to stonerly riffs, and in their last song, Guggino and fellow six-stringer Dickie Spectacular hit up a classic metal solo duel that was a bit cheeky but still more on the side of charming than obnoxious. My inner 14 year old thought it was epic in the same way he wanted to go play Dragon Warrior. I can’t keep that kid interested in anything these days.

Among set regulars “Medusa,” “The Mountie” and “Old Yeller,” Kings Destroy also played three newer songs that apparently they also recently cut as a demo (which they’re in the process of finishing) for their next album. I’d heard “The Toe” a few times already, and it was starting to get familiar, which is always cool, but the set-opener “Dice” and the penultimate “He Who Hath No Name” — which also apparently has the working titles “Decrepit Old White Woman” and “Skullduggery of Tricks” — were totally new to me.

Obviously seeing them once in a live setting is no basis for an ultimate judgment one way or the other, but it seems like the band is starting to branch out, be a little more brazen in what they’re doing. Steve Murphy‘s vocals are more confident and farther-ranging, and particularly “He Who Hath No Name” (or whatever it winds up being called; hard to beat “Decrepit Old White Woman”) was more complex musically and in terms of mood. They’re growing and learning what works best for them and how they can development. It’s exciting to watch. As Murphy took his turn coming down from the stage, guitarist Chris Skowronski sang along to “Old Yeller” from the stage — and that seems like a small thing, but you’ll never see it among bands unless the players have a real appreciation for what each other are doing.

It was the last night of the tour for The Gates of Slumber and Premonition 13, and the former took the stage in workman-like fashion. Over the course of their last couple albums and as they’ve spent more time on the road, touring life seems to have lost some of its novelty for Karl Simon and company, but he, bassist Jason McCash and drummer J. Clyde Paradis still got plenty into what they were doing. The setlist was derived almost entirely from their latest album, The Wretch, which is nothing to complain about.

Songs like “To the Rack with Them” and “The Scovrge ov Drvnkenness” were high points, but the unabashed doom misery of “Day of Farewell” made the set. They may have become the road dogs of American trad doom — seeing them now as opposed to a couple years back is much more like watching a professional band play one in a series of shows — but there’s no denying the potency of the material. Compared even to when they rolled through earlier this year with Orange Goblin, the energy was down, but The Gates of Slumber impressed nonetheless. By the time they finished, the room was full, and it would only get more so for Premonition 13.

Having it on good authority that the hot sauces Premonition 13 were selling at their merch table were delicious, I tried to buy the plum one (there were plum, peach and habanero options), but they were out and I picked up a full copy of the CD instead to go with the promo I’d received to review back when the record came out. The songs from that disc were memorable at the time and proved all the more recognizable as the band got going, starting off with dual e-bow guitar introductions from Scott “Wino” Weinrich and Jim Karow.

In talking to The Gates of Slumber‘s McCash prior to his band’s set, he said that the two bands were sharing a van and that Wino and Karow just jammed all the time. He wasn’t criticizing. He was amazed. He said they had little battery-powered amps, and all they did was play guitar together. Well, watching Premonition 13 on stage, I believed it. Of all the players I’ve seen Wino work with in a live setting, he was the most comfortable and at ease with Karow by a mile. They were like two parallel lines standing on opposite sides of the stage. Of course, Wino has the legacy and pedigree behind him, but the simpatico there was palpable.

I don’t know who was playing bass (maybe someone can help me out on that?), but Karow, Wino and drummer Matthew Clark ran through a set of cuts from the 13 album and it wasn’t so much a surprise, but they killed. I snapped some pictures and then stood in back to watch them run through the start-stop stomp of “Clay Pigeons,” the classically moody “La Hechicera de la Jeringa” and the blistering “Hard to Say.” Seems redundant to make the point that it was awesome, but it was. Solos were tossed back and forth, and though it’s not the highest-profile project Wino has running currently — that would probably either be the supergroup Shrinebuilder or Saint Vitus, whose first album in 17 years is due in March — Premonition 13 proved that it has something unique to offer among the slew of other Weinrich-inclusive acts from over the years. Karow‘s lead vocal on the bluesy “Modern Man” made that abundantly clear.

The subdued “Senses” made for a surprising finish to the set, but sure enough, Premonition 13 weren’t really done. As the audience clamored for one more song, Wino explained from the stage that, since the band was born from jamming, they’d like to finish by just jamming out for a while. Karow started playing a riff and they did exactly that. People had begun to trickle out already, to the bar or beyond, but those who stayed were glad they did, and watching the wall of noise gradually build coming from Wino and Karow‘s Marshalls, I felt like I had a better sense of where the band was coming from than even from listening to their songs.

Premonition 13 begin a European tour this weekend, and if you’re in that part of the world (they’ll play with Trippy Wicked in London; not to be missed), consider the show recommended. With everything else Weinrich has coming up and the fact that the band seems to be driven more by his friendship with Karow than any real business concern, who knows when the chance to see them will come again? I don’t regret one bit taking advantage of the opportunity.

I wanted to stick around and talk to Wino, maybe nerd out a bit on the limited information I have as regards the Saint Vitus record and the Conny Ochs collaboration, but my well honed instincts on such matters told me that it was better to leave the poor man alone and keep my fanboy bullshit to myself, so I did that instead and drove back through Manhattan, waiting through about 45 minutes of Holland Tunnel traffic to get back to the valley and take out the recycling and the garbage — someone had conveniently placed a broken microwave on the kitchen floor in hopes that, one assumes, garbage fairies would come and remove it from there to outside in the trash can — at 2AM. Part of the sky was clear, but tiny flakes of snow were falling from what clouds there were, and I couldn’t help but wish for a blizzard, which as any meteorologist will tell you, is just doom dressed in white.

Extra pics after the jump. I know this was a long one, so thanks for reading.

Read more »

There isn’t much live footage of Premonition 13 out there, because, unlike every other project Scott “Wino” Weinrich has ever been involved in, he hasn’t had the chance to tour the hell out of it yet. As the PR wire informed yesterday, though, that’s about to change, and Premonition 13 — which released its debut, 13, on Volcom earlier this year (review here) — have announced their first two runs of North American shows with Witch Mountain and The Gates of Slumber. Right on.

What’s most interesting about Premonition 13 in comparison to the slew of Wino‘s projects is the inclusion of guitarist Jim Karow, a friend of Weinrich‘s going back to the days of The Obsessed, for whom Karow‘s wife served as the first manager. What Karow brings to Premonition 13, though, is a sense of being a co-headliner. Where in Shrinebuilder, there’s the formidable likes of Al Cisneros and Scott Kelly to play off of, in the realm of “Wino bands,” it’s always been Wino up front. Now he’s playing off of Karow. The elements of Wino‘s playing and songwriting are there as they’re always going to be, but it’s different.

To wit, the clip below for “Modern Man” from the 13 album with Karow on lead vocals. One of my favorite tunes from this record and I thought a great way to change it up this Wino Wednesday. Make sure to check out the tour dates under the player. Hope you dig:

Premonition 13 on tour:
10/04 Monterey, CA Jose’s Underground Lounge (w/Wino solo acoustic opening)
10/06 Seattle, WA El Corazon*
10/07 Bellingham, WA Shakedown*
10/08 Portland, OR Branx (Fall into Darkness Fest)*
10/09 Arcata, CA Alibi*
10/10 San Francisco, CA Elbo Room*
10/11 Los Angeles, CA Handbag Factory*
10/12 San Diego, CA The Shakedown Bar*
11/04 Providence, RI AS220=
11/05 Newark, DE Mojo Main=
11/06 Baltimore, MD Sonar=
11/07 Richmond, VA Strange Matter (w/Wino solo acoustic opening)=
11/09 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall=
11/10 Atlanta, GA Drunken Unicorn=
11/11 Nashville, TN The Muse=
11/12 Indianapolis, IN Melody Inn=
11/13 Chicago, IL Cobra Lounge=
11/15 Pittsburgh, PA 31st St Pub=
11/17 Brooklyn, NY St. Vitus=
* w/ Witch Mountain
= w/ The Gates of Slumber