Posted in Whathaveyou on July 21st, 2017 by JJ Koczan
After playing the album in full earlier this year at Roadburn 2017 in the Netherlands and very nearly doing so again last month at Northwest Terror Fest in Seattle, UK doomers Warning will hit the US next month to perform 2006’s landmark Watching from a Distance in its entirety at Psycho Las Vegas and at a one-off show alongside Conan in San Diego. Not only that, but as previously announced, the three-piece will be back Stateside in Oct. to take part in the inaugural Days of Darkness Festival put on by the Maryland Deathfest crew in Baltimore, MD.
So what’s new? What’s new is the tour surrounding that latter performance, which will include support from the likes of The Body, Worm Ouroboros and Thou — nothing against the other two, but I’d love to see Warning and Worm Ouroboros together — and lead up and through the Baltimore festival gig. They’ll hit both coasts in short order on a major-market run that also includes Austin, Chicago and New York before wrapping on Halloween at the ONCE Ballroom in Somerville, Massachusetts. Not sure who’s opening that one, but it’s sure to be a drunken madhouse, as Boston always is on Halloween. Go Sox and whatnot.
Dates posted via the social medias follow here:
Warning – Watching from a Distance US Tour
We’re happy to at last be able to announce our October US Tour dates. We’ve done our best to find replacements for the cancelled shows from last month and we’re still hoping to bring you an LA date. Thanks for your patience and we hope to see you along the way.
Warning live: 08/20 Psycho Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 08/22 Brick by Brick, San Diego, CA
Warning with support from The Body, Thou and Worm Ouroboros: 10/15 Seattle: Highline^ 10/17 Portland: Tonic Lounge^ 10/18 San Francisco: DNA Lounge^ 10/20 Phoenix: Club Red^# 10/22 Austin: Barracuda# 10/26 Chicago: Reggies# 10/28 New York: Le Poisson Rouge# 10/29 Baltimore: Days Of Darkness Festival 10/31 Boston: ONCE Ballroom
^=support from The Body #=support from Thou 10/15-10/20 = support from Worm Ouroboros
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 18th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Hey, if you’re going to go broke, let’s face it: You’re not likely to run into many causes as worthy as the lineup culled together for Psycho Las Vegas. It ain’t cheap — any event that advertises a payment plan obviously knows it’s a considerable ask — but whether you’re going to see Slo Burn for their only US gig or King Diamond doing Abigailor Mulatu Astatke because going to see Mulatu Astatke is a life-event, the arguments in favor are plentiful and convincing. Whatever else you want to say, Psycho Las Vegas is the first annually-held American festival with a focus on heavy and underground rock to really establish itself as world class.
That in itself is a reason to support the cause, whether it’s through a day ticket or a pass for the entire weekend, but it doesn’t necessarily lesson the expense of making the trip or staying in one of the US’ most lucrative tourist traps, let alone things like band merchandise, meals and the occasional adult beverage if you’re inclined to have one. The thought of seeing Neurosis, Sleep and Carcass share a stage over the course of a weekend or watching Conan, the new trio-incarnation of Pentagram and Yawning Man poolside or from the balcony of a room in the Casino Tower is incredible, and after hearing stories from those who undertook the journey in 2016 or attended the prior Psycho California in 2015, the idea wants nothing for appeal. Fiscal issues can be a bummer. By the time August rolls around, I’ll have been out of paid work for two months. I know how it goes.
And I’m hardly the most responsible person when it comes to money, but the truth of the matter is there are ways to mitigate costs for travel, lodging and other concerns, and if the thing preventing you from picking up a ticket to the show has been the seeming impossibility of affording a stay at the Hard Rock or of finding a cheap-enough flight to get there, maybe it’s worth trying to shift finances around to make it happen. Music is important, and when debt collectors are spamming your phone it’s hard to think about the non-cash value of life experiences, but the fact is the bills you need to pay will still be there. The bill with Corrosion of Conformity in a lineup alongside Kylesa‘s Laura Pleasants, Domkraft, Swans, Elephant Tree and Heavy Temple? Much less so.
Here are a few pointers that hopefully can save you a couple bucks. Some of it’s day-one stuff, but things like hotel picks and transportation nuances are good to know either way.
Check it out:
Flying In • Buy tickets on a Tuesday for the cheapest rates. • Use a discount flight search. • If you can, fly in on Thursday and leave on Monday for better rates, search different days and times to come in and leave. • Book early. Rates go up in the summer.
Getting There • Ride apps cost less than cabs. • The Hard Rock is less than a mile from the airport. Cheap trip anyway. • There are free shuttles from most Vegas hotels to the strip and tourist attractions.
Staying There • This one is huge… don’t stay at the Hard Rock if you can’t afford it! Alexis Park, RUMOR, Red Roof Inn are all across the street and cheap. Scope out a position on a map if you need to; that’s what Street View is there for. • Partner up to share rooms. You’ve got social media and it’s not like you’re going to do more than sleep and (hopefully) shower there anyway. Might as well join forces and save expense where you can.
Drinks • BYO. Vegas has open-container laws. If you think hooch is too expensive at the Hard Rock, get loaded on the sidewalk before you go in. • One way or another, hydrate. You’re staying in the desert in August. Don’t be stupid.
Psycho Las Vegas 2017 Lineup Abbath, Ace Frehley, Black Anvil, Blood Ceremony, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Buzzov*en, Carcass, Celeste, Chelsea Wolfe, Cirith Ungol, Cloud Catcher, Code Orange, Conan, Corrosion of Conformity, Cough, Cult Leader, Cult Of Luna With Julie Christmas Diamond Head, Domkraft, Earthless, Elephant Tree, Eternal Tapestry, Fister, Floorian, Gatecreeper, GEQ, Gojira, Gost, Graf Orlock, Heavy Temple, Hollow Leg, Inter Arma, Khemmis, King Diamond, Laura Pleasants & Special Guests, Magma, Manilla Road, Merlin, Minsk, Morne, Mothership, Mouth of the Architect, Mulatu Astatke, Murder City Devils, Mustard Gas & Roses, Myrkur, Neurosis, North, Oathbreaker, Pelican, Pentagram, Psychic TV, The Rods, Ruby the Hatchet, Sasquatch, Saturndust, Sleep, Slo Burn, Slomatics, Snail, Sons of Otis, Sumac, Summoner, Swans, The Skull, Toke, Urchin, Usnea, Vhol, Weedeater, Windhand, Wizard Rifle, Wolves in the Throne Room, Yawning Man, Year of the Cobra, Youngblood Supercult, Zeal & Ardor.
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 4th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Mastodon have just been confirmed as the final headliner for the 2017 Psycho Las Vegas, set for Aug. 18-20 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. And really, who else?
For a lineup that already seems to include the entire universe, they join the ranks of King Diamond playing Abigail in full, and a cross-genre sprawl of acts from around the world that unites the groundbreaking art rock of Swans and Neurosis with the classic thrash of Diamond Head, with the essential riffs of Sleep, Magma‘s prog, C.O.C.‘s hooks, Slo Burn‘s desert sphere — my god this lineup is insane. It just goes on. All this and Heavy Temple too. I honestly have no fucking idea how they’re going to pack it all into three days.
Fresh off the PR wire:
PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2017 Confirms Mastodon As Final Headliners; Tickets Available NOW + Hotel Discounts Available
PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2017 – set to take place from August 18th through August 20th, 2017 with a pre-party August 17th at the Hard Rock Hotel And Casino Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada – confirms Mastodon as its final remaining headliner.
For over 15 years, Mastodon have set the course for an entire generation of metal that’s progressive and still unbridled in its heaviness. This August, they’ll take their rightful place among the headliners at PSYCHO LAS VEGAS.
The Atlanta-based giants arrive on the PSYCHO LAS VEGAS bill in the righteous company of the legendary King Diamond, who’ll perform the Abigail album in its entirety as a US-exclusive show for 2017, as well as post-metal forebears Neurosis, the resurgent Corrosion of Conformity, and countless others over the course of the three-day weekend. It is already – and rightly so – being hailed as one of the best heavy lineups ever put together for an American festival.
Adding Mastodon to that mix only makes it stronger. With genre landmarks like Remission, Leviathan, and Crack the Skye in their catalog, they stand among the most pivotal acts of their era. Their latest offering is the newly-issued Emperor Of Sand, and it reaffirms their commitment to the thoughtful, winding, and furious riffing that has made them a household name among fans and imitators the world over.
And this year, PSYCHO LAS VEGAS will only up the proverbial ante with exclusive 2017 US appearances by French progressive rock unit Magma, black metallers Abbath led by former Immortal guitarist/vocalist Abbath Doom Occulta, and cult stoner/desert rock unit Slo Burn, fronted by Kyuss’ John Garcia. Additionally, Mulatu Astatke, the father of Ethio-jazz, will be making his west of Chicago exclusive appearance while Manilla Road, who are celebrating their 40th anniversary, will perform their classic Crystal Logic in its entirety as a worldwide exclusive for PSYCHO LAS VEGAS. See the complete lineup below.
PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2017 tickets are selling fast! Don’t miss out. Secure yours today at THIS LOCATION.
Payment options for PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2017 are available through Affirm, with immediate delivery of tickets. More info at THIS LOCATION. Hotel discounts at the Hard Rock Hotel And Casino are also available using the code “psych17” (Note: You must use this special code at the time of booking; not when you arrive at the hotel). Book today at THIS LOCATION.
-CONFIRMED LINEUP-
PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2017 Lineup (alphabetical): Abbath Ace Frehley Black Anvil Blood Ceremony The Brian Jonestown Massacre Buzzov*en Carcass Celeste Chelsea Wolfe Cirith Ungol Cloud Catcher Code Orange Conan Corrosion Of Conformity Cough Cult Leader Cult Of Luna With Julie Christmas Diamond Head Domkraft Earthless Elephant Tree Eternal Tapestry Fister Floorian Gatecreeper GEQ Gojira Gost Graf Orlock Heavy Temple Hollow Leg Inter Arma Khemmis King Diamond Laura Pleasants & Special Guests Magma Manilla Road Merlin Minsk Morne Mothership Mouth Of The Architect Mulatu Astatke Murder City Devils Mustard Gas & Roses Myrkur Neurosis North Oathbreaker Pelican Pentagram Psychic TV The Rods Ruby The Hatchet Sasquatch Saturndust Sleep Slo Burn Slomatics Snail Sons Of Otis Sumac Summoner Swans The Skull Toke Urchin Usnea Vhol Weedeater Windhand Wizard Rifle Wolves In The Throne Room Yawning Man Year Of The Cobra Youngblood Supercult Zeal & Ardor
Psycho Las Vegas 2017 is set for Aug. 18-20 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Tickets are available athttps://www.vivapsycho.com
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 25th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Psycho Las Vegas 2017 announces its first headliner is King Diamond playing Abigail in its entirety. Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of what’s become one of the most essential heavy metal classics, and the band’s performance of it at Psycho will be a US exclusive show for 2017. If the fest has demonstrated a propensity for anything up to this point, it’s going big. One expects they’ll continue to do so as we move into 2017 and the next month brings two more headliners, more than 40 bands still to come, and the official poster art, which is sure to make an impression in its own right.
As the world settles into any number of holiday cliches this Xmas — for The Patient Mrs. and I, it was an annual Xmas Eve tradition of watching Die Hard; the ultimate holiday movie — Psycho Las Vegas 2017 offers one more reason to celebrate. The PR wire brought this just for you:
PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2017: King Diamond to Headline
Who said you got no presents for Christmas? Today, Psycho Las Vegas unveils King Diamond as the festival’s grand headliner. In coming to Psycho, King Diamond mark 30 years since the release of Abigail, and this will be King’s only USA performance of 2017!
With a career spanning more than 35 groundbreaking years, King Diamond’s namesake stands among the ultimate heavy metal icons. From landmark records with Mercyful Fate to establishing the band King Diamond in 1985 and unleashing the unholy trinity of Fatal Portrait (1986), Abigail (1987) and “Them” (1988) on the world, King Diamond’s vocals, atmosphere and songs have become the staple diet of multiple generations of headbangers.
Don’t miss your chance to see one of metal’s ultimate legends take the stage at the biggest underground fest the US has ever known when King Diamond plays Psycho Las Vegas 2017 in August at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino!
Additional headliners, full lineup & official festival artwork revealed Jan 2017.
– confirmed lineup – KING DIAMOND (Headliner / USA 2017 exclusive) MURDER CITY DEVILS NEUROSIS MULATU ASTATKE SWANS CARCASS WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM CRYSTAL FAIRY MAGMA CHELSEA WOLFE SLO BURN CULT OF LUNA WITH JULIE CHRISTMAS ABBATH SUMAC MYRKUR PELICAN WEEDEATER ZEAL & ARDOR SLOMATICS OATHBREAKER VHOL COUGH BLOOD CEREMONY INTER ARMA THE SKULL WINDHAND BUZZOVEN MINSK CODE ORANGE KHEMMIS GATECREEPER NORTH CULT LEADER SNAIL WIZARD RIFLE MERLIN FLOORIAN DOMKRAFT ELEPHANT TREE MORNE HOLLOW LEG SUMMONER
Psycho Las Vegas 2017 is set for Aug. 18-20 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Tickets are available athttps://www.vivapsycho.com
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 17th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Take a deep breath before you dive into the new lineup announcement from Psycho Las Vegas 2017. With 35-plus bands added, it officially qualifies as huge, and considering who those bands are — Slo Burn for a US-exclusive, plus bringing over the likes of Elephant Tree to play alongside Summoner, Hollow Leg, Gatecreeper and others — it can be a lot to take in. If you haven’t had a meal yet today, you might want to eat something. Make sure you’re hydrated. Basically I want to avoid anyone fainting as a result of reading the list of bands. If you’re sensitive to flashing lights… you’re probably okay. But otherwise, check to see you have something soft to land on nearby, should you need it.
I missed Psycho this year owing to a new job and a general lack of funds. I’m not sure I can do the same in 2017. This one might just be a gotta-go kind of scenario. Fuckin’ Slomatics are gonna be there.
There are still more than 40 bands to announce, including headliners, whose names will be out at random points over the next 30 days.
Jeebus.
To the PR wire:
Psycho Las Vegas 2017
August 18, 2017 – August 20, 2017 Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Las Vegas
Psycho Las Vegas today announces over 35 new additions to its massive 2017 lineup. The festival has quickly become the premier event in the US for underground heavy rock, psych, doom, alternative and beyond, and as the roster grows for this year’s edition, they’re clearly looking to push their boundaries even further.
Headliners remain TBA, but joining previously-announced generation-defining acts like Neurosis, Swans and French prog lords Magma, come UK grind legends Carcass, whose reunion continues to bring gruesome tales of dissections and unparalleled.
They’ll be in good company with Norwegian black metal legend Abbath, formerly of Immortal, who released a raging self-titled debut album under his own name this year, New York’s Myrkur, whose own debut, M, disrupted black metal genre convention on nearly every level, and USBM innovators Wolves in the Throne Room, who continue to refine a style they helped establish more than a decade ago.
Look for the Melvins to boggle brains with their brand of heavy rock – still unique unto itself after more than three decades – as well as for the new project Crystal Fairy with Buzzo and Dale from the Melvins, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (Mars Volta) and Teri Gender Bender (Le Butcherettes) to bring to life their debut album, which releases in February on Ipecac Recordings.
This latest announcement also brings sludge-laden chaos from the pair of Weedeater and Buzzov*en, and Chelsea Wolfe to emit a darkness that even Las Vegas in the summer won’t be able to hold at bay.
The reunited Slo Burn (vocalist John Garcia’s first project post-Kyuss) will play an exclusive US show at Psycho, and a special highlight performance from psych-jazz legend Mulatu Astatke is open eyes, ears and minds alike as he celebrates a career spanning more than 50 years.
Also added have been long-running mischief-makers Murder City Devils, alt-rock legends Echo and the Bunnymen, progressive thrashers Vhöl (members of YOB and Agalloch), Pelican, Cult of Luna, Psychic TV, and as it did with the landmark 2016 edition, the fest digs deep into the heavy rock underground once again to unearth the best of up-and-coming bands from the States and beyond. Along with the already confirmed riff-crushers Windhand, Blood Ceremony, Slomatics and Domkraft, Elephant Tree (UK) have signed on alongside fellow fest-newcomers Khemmis, Sumac, Gatecreeper, Snail, North, Cult Leader, Hollow Leg, Summoner, Floorian, Wizard Rifle, Merlin and Morne.
Further lineup announcements will follow in the New Year — including headliners — so stay tuned for more from the best and biggest heavy festival the US has ever seen.
Psycho Las Vegas 2017 Confirmed lineup: MURDER CITY DEVILS NEUROSIS MULATU ASTATKE SWANS CARCASS WOLVES IN THE THRONEROOM CRYSTAL FAIRY MAGMA CHELSEA WOLFE SLO BURN CULT OF LUNA ABBATH SUMAC MYRKUR PELICAN WEEDEATER ZEAL & ARDOR SLOMATICS OATHBREAKER VHOL COUGH BLOOD CEREMONY INTER ARMA THE SKULL WINDHAND BUZZOVEN MINSK CODE ORANGE KHEMMIS GATECREEPER NORTH CULT LEADER SNAIL WIZARD RIFLE MERLIN FLOORIAN DOMKRAFT ELEPHANT TREE MORNE HOLLOW LEG SUMMONER
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 18th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
And so it seems Psycho Las Vegas has found its home. What’s very quickly become a major presence in the US festival scene — certainly the biggest heavy underground fest happening in the country — will take place for the second year in 2017 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Since the inception of Psycho Fest as Psycho de Mayo (think “Cinco de Mayo”) in Southern California and certainly through the last two years of Psycho California and this summer’s first Psycho Las Vegas, probably the most glaring name missing from the lineup has been Neurosis. Where’s Neurosis? Every band on the planet but Neurosis. And so on.
Couldn’t be more fitting then that as Psycho Las Vegas 2017 makes its first lineup announcements, not only Neurosis should be found in the batch, but their progenitors and forebears in Swans as well, who should by then be wrapping their tenure or working with a different lineup. Also note the continued commitment to bringing in international acts with Slomatics, Domkraft and Abbath, and the continuing affinity for primo doom that shows itself with Windhand and Blood Ceremony.
Next lineup announcement is in December. I think by the time they’re done, Psycho Las Vegas will have outdone itself again with 2017.
From the ticket page:
Psycho Las Vegas 2017
August 18, 2017 – August 20, 2017 Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Las Vegas
** Full lineup + headliners, VIP passes and additional venue information announced in December. **
If you purchased a ticket today you will have access to the pre-party on Thursday at the Paradise Pool. Due to the capacity limit at the Paradise Pool, the pre-party on Thursday is limited to the first 2500 Psychos who purchase a 3 day pass. In order to relieve confusion, we have created a third tier for tickets. If you purchase a Psycho Special, Tier 1 or Tier 2 ticket, you will have guaranteed access to the pre-party on Thursday.
If you purchase a Tier 3 ticket (these are the same price as Tier 2 and will become available after the Tier 2 tickets are sold out) you will unfortunately not have access to the pre-party on Thursday. Bring your floaties.