Posted in Whathaveyou on February 26th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
As just about the whole world sat down and took a break in 2020, Molassess were just getting going. The band’s debut album, Through the Hollow (featured here), marked a return for vocalist Farida Lemouchi of The Devil’s Blood, and alongside members of Iron Jinn/Death Alley, Astrosoniq, Rrrags and others, the band set out on a course that, well, didn’t see them bring that triumphant return to the stage because of the plague and then in the meantime, guitarist Oeds Beydals kind of got it going with Iron Jinn, and I think maybe just what might’ve otherwise become a real band fizzled out. It happens.
Lemouchi will appear with another project, Gott, as part of the lineups for Roadburn in Tilburg this April and, in September, Into the Void in Leeuwarden (info here). I don’t know if that band has other plans or songs or what, but the fest billed it as “the reincarnation of The Devil’s Blood,” and that for sure was enough to raise my eyebrows.
So, even as one band is put to rest, another proceeds out. There’s a cycle to that, but for sure I’m way too dumb to see it.
From Molassess on socials:
Dear friends, supporters, and fellow travelers,
With hearts full of gratitude, we share that the journey of **Molassess** has come to its close. This chapter, though brief, has been a profound one, woven with moments of creativity, resilience, and connection that we will forever cherish.
Fate allowed us only two fleeting moments on stage, and we never had the opportunity to evolve in the way a band does—through the alchemy of live performance and the crucible of the road. Still, the unwavering support, belief, and love you have shown us breathed life into what we created, even as it remained unfinished. For that, we are eternally grateful.
Yet, an ending is not a lament; it is a transformation. It clears the way for something new to emerge, for fresh dreams to take root. This is not a farewell cloaked in sorrow, but a hopeful pause—a reminder that the echoes of what was will always reverberate in the paths ahead.
We will meet again, in one form or another—perhaps onstage, perhaps in the audience, perhaps somewhere unseen but deeply felt. Until then, we carry your support with us, and we send you ours in return.
With love, gratitude, and endless possibility, **Molassess**
For those that are still in need: all remaining merchandise will be sold in the upcoming sale on www.thedevilsblood.com (not through our own webstore!) starting on the 4th of March! 📷 @ravenvandorst
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 21st, 2025 by JJ Koczan
I’ve never been a huge fan of HIM‘s records and I’ve never seen the band live, but I do know that Igor Sydorenko of Stoned Jesus is the kind of dude who just might dare to like different kinds of music, let alone different kinds of rock music, so I guess that’s the risk you run for being actually-open-minded (instead of pretend-open-minded, which is what I think most people want to be). Fair enough. Catchy is catchy, songwriting is songwriting, and of course Sydorenko, who’s among the more charismatic of heavy rock frontmen currently working the Euro circuit, can handle the melody.
I don’t know when they recorded it, but the impression I get from the below is it’s the first studio outing from the revamped incarnation of the band, with Andrew Rodin on bass and backing vocals and Yurii Ciel drumming. I was lucky enough to see this incarnation of Stoned Jesus last summer in Budapest (review here) and Europeans will have the chance to catch the band this Spring as they celebrate their 15th — or XVth — anniversary with festivals and club dates ahead of taking off for their first Australian stint this Fall. I could’ve sworn they’d been before. I’ve never been either.
So the cover, the tours, the anniversary, and word of a new album sometime later in 2025 is the deal here. I hope it all pans out without complication. Stoned Jesus are all paid up on dealing with bullshit beyond their control and then some:
STONED JESUS Cover HIM’s “Buried Alive By Love”
Ukrainian psychedelic prog rockers honor kindred spirits with faithful ode to love metal
New album coming in 2025 + return to Hellfest
Having celebrated their 15th anniversary with two reissues last year, Stoned Jesus are turning over a new leaf in 2025. The Ukrainian psychedelic prog rockers are rolling across the European summer festival circuit in heavy anticipation of their upcoming sixth album and first with the band’s new lineup.
To kick off the new year in high gear, Stoned Jesus are honoring their fellow trailblazers HIM with a faithfully heart-pounding ode to love metal.
Listen to Stoned Jesus cover “Buried Alive By Love” on the Season of Mist YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/OHmEGyXHjmM
Though they were already a known force on the international album charts, before “Buried Alive By Love”, HIM were at odds with how they were perceived by the music industry. Igor Sydorenko – the mastermind behind Stoned Jesus – understands the feeling all too well.
“We constantly struggle with the limitations of the genre, having been pigeonholed as a stoner rock band early in our career, so HIM are very relatable to us”, Igor says. “It’s absolutely unfair that such a diverse and interesting band are remembered as this moody, one-dimensional bunch by the general public. I truly consider Ville Vallo one of the most underappreciated rock and metal composers ever. His way of balancing the heavy and dark stuff with the catchiest melodies is very inspiring when I’m busy with my own songwriting”.
With the opening track on 2003’s Love Metal, HIM truly hit upon their signature style. “Buried Alive By Love” shot the album to the top of the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. Now, more than two decades later, the hit single is launching a new era for Stoned Jesus. The band’s new rhythm section add fresh sludge, while Igor’s razor-sharp riff and coolly impassioned pleas match the Finn’s gothic groove drop for bloody drop.
“This is just a phenomenal song”, Igor continues. “Bumping HIM in the van with the new boys on our first tour together sure helped to build and solidify the chemistry that we have now”.
Catch this new era of Stoned Jesus as they relive the band’s greatest hits on their ongoing 15-year anniversary tour. The band are playing shows across Europe with stops at several festivals, including a triumphant return to Hellfest. Later this year, Stoned Jesus are making their long-awaited debut down under with five special anniversary shows in Australia.
Stoned Jesus 2025 XV Anniversary European Tour March 30 – Lediden, NL @ Interstellar Solar Fest May 2-3 – Bologna & Venezia, IT @ Heavy Psych Sounds May 16 – London, UK @ Desert Fest May 17 – Dublin, IE @ Lost Lane May 18 – Belfast, UK @ Voodoo May 21 – Malmö, SE @ Plan B May 22 – Stockholm, SE @ Bar Brooklyn May 24 – Helsinki, FI @ Sonic Rites Festival May 25 – Tallinn, EE @ Kinomaja May 26 – Riga, LV @ Melna Piektdiena May 27 – Vilnius, LT @ Loftas May 28 – Gdansk, PL @ Drizzly Grizzly May 29 – Wroclaw, PL @ Transformator May 30 – Prague, CZ @ Rock Cafe May 31 – Ljubljana, SI @ Menza Pri Koritu June 1 – Zagreb, HR @ Vintage Industrial Bar June 21 – Clisson, FR @ Hellfest June 27 – Oberzenn, DE @ Wasted Openair June 28 – Passau, DE @ Blackdoor Music Fest August 3 – Gyongyos, HU @ Fekete Zaj Festival
Stoned Jesus 2025 XV & Debut Australian Tour September 28 – Perth @ The Rosemount October 1 – Canberra @ The Baso October 2 – Sydney @ The Underground October 3 – Brisbane @ Soapbox Beer October 4 – Melbourne @ The Leadbeater
Line-up: Igor Sydorenko – Lead-Vocals & Guitar Andrew Rodin – Bass & Backing Vocals Yurii Ciel – Drums & Percussion
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 12th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Look. I know there’s a lot of information below. And you might be on your phone or wherever you’re at and wondering if there’s really any reason you need all the details and album credits for who’s doing what on the songs on Crippled Black Phoenix‘s two anniversary LP releases, The Wolf Changes its Fur But Not its Nature and the covers collection Horrific Honorifics Number Two (2). Maybe not? Probably not.
In all likelihood, I won’t either. Even if I review the thing, the various comings and goings will be handy to have but I can’t imagine having space to write anything else if I was trying to include a list of personnel for each track throughout the 105 minutes or so of music included across both outings. So does it need to be there?
Here’s the thing. Maybe. Who the hell knows. Maybe 10 years from now when Crippled Black Phoenix are turning 30 as a band, I’ll want to go back and see who was involved in their 20th anniversary goings on. Maybe one of these names will come up in a search on the site’s back end for something else and clue me into some relevant information I could make use of at some point. It’s happened before. But the point is that now that it’s here, it’s here for as long as the site is, and while I know there’s no such thing as permanence — even less so on the internet — at some point in the future I might want to know this stuff. So if you see it and it looks sloppy and it’s a lot, at least know that I thought about it before I decided to put it all in.
No idea if that helps at all, but I do know for a fact that nobody gives a shit and it’s purely imaginary on my part that anyone might. Congrats to Crippled Black Phoenix on 20 years purveying heavy melancholy. Provided this site still exists, I’ll look forward to linking back to this post in a decade.
From the PR wire:
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX Announce New Double Album
The UK shape-shifters celebrate 20 years with compilation of re-recorded favorites and haunting covers
When the world drowns its sorrows in silence, Crippled Black Phoenix scream into the abyss. Since its inception in 2004, the UK band served as a voice for the voiceless, whether they be animals, the unequal or the different. This year, Justin Greaves (ex Iron Monkey and Electric Wizard), long-time vocalist Belinda Kordic and their many collaborators are celebrating 20 years of shedding light on our troubled existence by releasing a new, two-part compilation.
Horrific Honorifics Number Two (2) continues Crippled Black Phoenix’s tradition of haunting homages with covers that span from Fugazi and Laura Branigan to NoMeansNo, Deep Purple and Built to Spill. The Wolf Changes Its Fut But Not Its Nature offers something different. This disc collects reworked versions of CBP’s early signature songs, including “Goodnight, Europe”, which was the first song that Greaves ever wrote for the band.
The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature and Horrific Honorifics Number Two (2) come out November 29 on Season of Mist.
While originally posted to MySpace after watching Eurovision, “Goodnight, Europe” has become a staple of Cripple Black Phoenix’s live set. The reworked version on The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature reflects how the song has changed with each performance over the past 20 years. The darker, gloomier “Goodnight, Europe (Pt2)” swells like Europe’s fractured landscape. Kordic threads through the shadows with eerie melancholy, as if haunted by the nostalgia for what once was.
“It’s almost impossible to choose which songs to pay respect to”, Greaves says about this new compilation. “There’s still respect for the original version but ‘Goodnight Europe’ needed to be re-imagined in the studio because of what the song has become over time and what it’s now come to represent. Our close friends – both old and new – add more righteous power to these recordings”.
The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature 1. We Forgotten Who We Are (11:17) 2. You Put The Devil In Me (6:18) 3. 444 (7:23) 4. Goodnight, Europe (Pt2) (8:37) 5. (-) (4:39) 6. Song For The Unloved (14:22) 7. Whissendine (6:58) 8. Blizzard Of Horned Cats (4:43) Total runtime: 1:04:21
Horrific Honorifics Number Two (2) 1. Vengeance (4:16) 2. Self Control (5:23) 3. Blueprint (4:03) 4. And That’s Sad (6:52) 5. Hammer Song (4:52) 6. When A Blind Man Cries (3:22) 7. My Pal (3:51) 8. Goin’ Against Your Mind (8:53) Total runtime: 41:36
The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature & Horrific Honorifics Number Two(2) are a double album celebrating the 20 year existence of CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX.
Cast of Suspects: Justin Greaves, Belinda Kordic
with
Andy Taylor, Helen Stanley, Matt Crawford, Georg Paco Nitschke, Wesley J. Wasley Ryan Patterson, Justin Storms, Kostas Panagiotou, Robin Tow, Martin Hyde.
Album Credits: All songs on The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature are rerecorded songs from previous Crippled Black Phoenix releases.
We Forgotten Who We Are (Music – Greaves, Words – Volk) Justin Greaves – Drums, Guitars, Samples Belinda Kordic – Vocals Justin Storms – Vocals Matt Crawford – Bass Helen Stanley – Piano, Synth Andy Taylor – Guitar
You Put The Devil In Me (Music – Greaves, Words – Volk) Justin Greaves – Drums, Guitar, Saw Belinda Kordic – Vocals Kostas Panagiotou – Accordian, Piano, Hammond Matt Crawford – Bass Andy Taylor – Guitar
444 (Music – Greaves, Words – Storms/Volk) Justin Greaves – Drums, Guitars, Samples Justin Storms – Vocals Belinda Kordic – Backing Vocals Kostas Panagiotou – Piano Matt Crawford – Bass Robin Tow – Additional Drums Martin Hyde – Additional Drums
Goodnight, Europe (Pt2) (Music – Greaves, Words – Kordic) Justin Greaves – Drums, Guitar Belinda Kordic – Vocals Kostas Panagiotou – Piano, Accordian Matt Crawford – Bass
Song For The Unloved (Music – Greaves, Words – Patterson) Justin Greaves – Synth, Drums, Guitars, Samples, Bass Ryan Patterson – Vocals Belinda Kordic – Vocals Georg Paco Nitschke – Saxophone, Synth; vocoder Robin Tow – Additional Drums Helen Stanley – Piano, Synth Andy Taylor – Guitar
Whissendine (Music – Greaves, Words – Volk) Justin Greaves – Drums, Guitar, Ebow, Acoustic Guitar Belinda Kordic – Vocals Helen Stanley – Trumpet Kostas Panagiotou – Piano Wesley J. Wasley – Bass
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 17th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
As Stoned Jesus move forward with a new lineup and head toward their 15th anniversary tour of Europe this Fall, the Ukrainian heavy rock forerunners will this August revisit 2012’s Seven Thunders Roar (review here) and 2015’s The Harvest (review here), reissuing the two albums through Season of Mist, which also put out their 2023 long-player, Father Light (review here). That record, in being both post-plague and arriving in the context of Russia’s ongoing attempt to eat Ukraine with murder, was almost defiantly rocking, but encompassed a lot in terms of sound that Seven Thunders Roar and The Harvest put forth, nodding to the… uh… nod… of the former and the willfully progressive spirit that kept the latter from being more than a retread of riffy glories. Three extra minutes of “I’m the Mountain?” I think I’m not the only one who’s ready to sign up for such a thing.
Kind of kills me I’ve still never seen this band. With the trio revamped around founding guitarist/vocalist Igor Sydorenko, that would be interesting to catch playing new songs or old. My understanding is — which is to say, don’t quote me on this — they’ve dropped the intention to follow Father Light with the hopefully-they’ll-put-it-out-someday Mother Dark, instead focusing on touring and presumably a fresh start for a next record whenever they get there.
The PR wire brings news of the reissues:
STONED JESUS Re-Issue Two Classic Albums in Seven Thunders Roar and The Harvest
Strap in, magnificent souls, because we’re diving deep into the kaleidoscopic universe of STONED JESUS, trailblazers of the European psychedelic progressive rock scene. The ever-ambitious trio is re-issuing their groundbreaking albums, the monolithic Seven Thunders Roar (2012) and the revolutionary The Harvest (2015).
Forged in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2009 by singer-songwriter Igor Sydorenko, Stoned Jesus began as an audacious experiment. United by a shared passion for the almighty riff, seismic grooves, and boundless creativity, the band bulldozed their way through the barriers of the genre, crafting a legacy that has since become the stuff of modern mythology.
“After years of waiting we’re finally reissuing two of our most-beloved albums, the heavy prog stalwart The Harvest and the already-legendary psychedelic classic Seven Thunders Roar!” Sydorenko states. “It’s funny now to think how surprised people were hearing The Harvest for the first time – a lot of them possibly expected Seven Thunders Part Two, but as a songwriter I’d never been into repeating myself. And with Seven Thunders, what else could I say about this overlooked-then-and-praised-now record, its importance and influence for the genre?
“This was our first release with our then-manager, Vlad Lyashenko, the man who helped to shape the Ukrainian rock and metal underground into the force it is today. Both reissues are dedicated to his memory, since he passed away last year – hauntingly, on the very same day we’d released our fifth album, Father Light. So please enjoy both The Harvest and Seven Thunders Roar with extended bonus tracks and have one for the guy to whom we owe our career”
Season of Mist is reissuing Seven Thunders Roar and The Harvest on August 16, 2024.
Seven Thunders Roar Digital Download CD Digipack 2X12″ Vinyl Gatefold (Black) 2X12″ Vinyl Gatefold (Gold with Black Splatter)
Tracklist 1. Bright Like The Morning (7:47) 2. Electric Mistress (9:21) 3. Indian (5:00) 4. I’m The Mountain (13:01) 5. Stormy Monday (8:43) 6. Bright Like The Morning (Extended) (8:43) 7. Stormy Monday (Extended) (9:32) 8. I’m The Mountain (Extended) (16:02) Total runtime: 1:18:09
The Harvest Digital Download CD Digipack 12″ Vinyl Gatefold (Black) 12″ Vinyl Gatefold (Red with Black Splatter)
Tracklist 1. Here Come The Robots (3:18) 2. Wound (3:14) 3. Rituals Of The Sun (7:01) 4. YFS (5:10) 5. Silkworm Confessions (9:07) 6. Black Church (14:45) Total runtime: 42:37
STONED JESUS will be heading out celebrating their 15 year anniversary across mainland Europe. Expect a setlist full of Seven Thunders Roar and The Harvest classics, along with tracks from their latest album, Father Light.
Tagging alongside them will be San Francisco’s Mondo Drag, Polish doom-giants Dopelord as well as label mates The Abbey on 21 European dates.
STONED JESUS XV ANNIVERSARY TOUR: 10 October: Berlin, DE @ Frannz Club 11 October: Copenhagen, DK @ Lille Vega 12 October: Hamburg, DE @ Headcrash 13 October: Haarlem, NL @ Patronaat 14 October: Arnhem, NL @ Willemeen 16 October: Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club 17 October: Bristol, UK @ Fleece 18 October: London, UK @ Garage 19 October: Cologne, DE @ Club Volta 20 October: Antwerpen, BE @ Desertfest Belgium 22 October: Munich, DE @ Feierwerk 23 October: Milano, IT @ Legend 24 October: Bologna, IT @ Freakout 25 October: Aarau, CH @ Kiff 26 October: Schweinfurt, DE @ Stattbahnhof 27 October: Innsbruck, DE @ PMK 29 October: Brno, CZ @ Kabinet Muz 30 October: Warsaw, PL @ Hydrozagadka 31 October: Krakow, PL @ Kwadrat 1 November: Poznan, PL @ Klub 2progi 2 November: Leipzig, DE @ Werk 2
Line-up: Igor Sydorenko – Lead-Vocals & Guitar Andrew Rodin – Bass & Backing Vocals Yurii Ciel – Drums & Percussion
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 3rd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
One vividly recalls how it went when Stoned Jesus were set to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their landmark second LP, Seven Thunders Roar (review here), in March 2022. Emerging from a global pandemic didn’t get any easier for the Kyiv-based band fronted by guitarist/vocalist Igor Sydorenko as Russia went into active-war mode in invading their home country of Ukraine now over two years ago, but in early 2023, Stoned Jesus offered the engrossing Father Light (review here) as their first LP through Season of Mist, and they’ve continued to move forward with tours to support it, including heading out this very month with Mars Red Sky as they begin to mark 15 years of the band.
Their accompanying Fall 15th anniversary European run will see them touring with the rotating cast of prog-classicists Mondo Drag, blasphemous riff rollers Dopelord and progressive doom melancholymakers The Abbey for most of October (including a few dates early in the month in Bulgaria and Greece that have moved from this Spring; see below for more info), with a stop at Desertfest Belgium 2024 nestled between club shows throughout Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Poland, and so on. And if you look at the three openers who’ll swap out for each other during the tour, it’s indicative of how broad Stoned Jesus‘s sound has become that they all absolutely fit as complement.
The below comes from social media as posted by Sydorenko. It’s unclear as yet what the ‘big changes’ are that he’s referencing, but whatever the upheaval, nothing’s slowed Stoned Jesus down yet.
Doomstar Bookings is behind the tour:
STONED JESUS – XVth Anniversary Tour
Here it is – the final leg of our XVth Anniversary Tour for this year! So many places to play (familiar and new), so many bands to share the stage with (again, familiar and new) and so many people to share our music with – see you all there. This one will be really, really good! Love, StJ #StJxv
Doomstar Bookings presents: Stoned Jesus XV Anniversary Tour, with special guests: Mondo Drag (10/10 – 26/10) / Dopelord (29/10 – 02/11) / The Abbey (10/10 – 02/11)! Check out the dates below!
3.10 – Sofia (BG) – Mixtape 5 4.10 – Thessaloniki (GR) – Mylos Club 5.10 – Patra (GR) – Frida Live Stage 6.10 – Athens (GR) – Kyttaro Live 10/10 – Berlin (DE) – Frannz Club # * 11/10 – Copenhagen (DK) – Lille Vega # * 12/10 – Hamburg (DE) – Headcrash # * 13/10 – Haarlem (NL) – Patronaat # * 15/10 – Arnhem (NL) – Willemeen # * 16/10 – Leeds (UK) – Brudenell Social Club # * 17/10 – Bristol (UK) – Fleece # * 18/10 – London (UK) – Garage # * 19/10 – Cologne (DE) – Club Volta # * 20/10 – Antwerpen (BE) – Desertfest Belgium # * 22/10 – Munich (DE) – Feierwerk # * 23/10 – Milano (IT) – Legend # * 24/10 – Bologna (IT) – Freakout # * 25/10 – Aarau (CH) – KIFF # * 26/10 – Schweinfurt (DE) – Stattbahnhof # * 27/10 – Innsbruck (AT) – PMK * 29/10 – Brno (CZ) – Kabinet Muz x * 30/10 – Warsaw (PL) – Hydrozagadka x * 31/10 – Krakow (PL) – Kwadrat x * 01/11 – Poznan (PL) – 2Progi x * 02/11 – Leipzig (DE) – Werk 2 x * # w/ Mondo Drag x w/ Dopelord * w/ The Abbey
Dear fans in Bulgaria and Greece!
Some big changes are happening in the Stoned Jesus camp that we can’t wait to tell you about later – but for now this means we have no other option but to move the first four dates of our XVth Anniversary Tour from early April to early October (please note the new dates).
3.10 – Sofia (BG) – Mixtape 5 4.10 – Thessaloniki (GR) – Mylos Club 5.10 – Patra (GR) – Frida Live Stage 6.10 – Athens (GR) – Kyttaro Live
While we kindly ask everyone to respect our privacy while we’re dealing with these unforeseen challenges, we need to assure you that these are not the issues that made us cancel all our touring plans back in 2023.
Thanks a million for your patience, understanding and support! See you a bit later this year, StJ
ps: to everyone who’s expecting to see us in France, Spain, Germany and Portugal this April – no worries, the rest of the dates stay intact
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 28th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Highlighted their headlining spot at this year’s Grim Reefer Fest in Baltimore and the Rocks Off Concert Cruise boat show they’ll do in NYC — or at least on the river — the upcoming Weedeater East Coast US tour also sees the North Carolinian sludge stalwarts re-teaming with Midwestern riff-chargers Telekinetic Yeti and picking up Heavy Temple, Left Lane Cruiser and Restless Spirit each for a few dates along the way. The former two, Heavy Temple and Left Lane Cruiser, have new records en route to release and Restless Spirit just put out their third LP this past Fall, so if you go, expect to hit the merch table. Probably a good policy, anyhow.
With steady touring a couple times a year and a now nine-year stretch without a studio full-length, am I crazy for thinking maybe a Weedeater live album wouldn’t be the worst idea? Yeah, they’re raw live, but they’re raw on-record too, and at least they’d have something new for the aforementioned merch table. It’s not like they suck. If they sucked, I’d get it.
In any case, the tour precedes stops later in May at Mutants of the Monster (Mutants Fest), which is in Arkansas, and Modified Ghost Festival, which is in Vancouver two days later. That should be a fun bit of continent crossing during that day between. As ever, safe travels to Weedeater, and a special thanks to the PR wire for the weed puns and the sneaky Cathedral reference in the tour announcement below:
Roll up a fat one, because Weedeater are ready to ride another rip-roaring high. The sludge-stoned tar heels are chasing the dragon up and down the East Coast this spring. Along the way, they’ll be throwing wizard fights aboard the Rocks Off Concert Cruise and chunking $20 peanuts at Grim Reefer Fest.
Joining as main support on all 15 days of this excellent adventure are the Iowa stoners in Telekinetic Yeti. Purveyors of fifth dimensional riffs Heavy Temple will open the first leg. Next up are bonafide blues rockers Left Lane Cruiser, followed by badass doomsayers Restless Spirit.
Tour dates 04/16 Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor* 04/17 Richmond, VA @ Cobra Cabana* 04/18 York, PA @ Skid Row Garage* 04/19 Youngstown, OH @ West Side Bowl 04/20 Asheville, NC @ Eulogy 04/23 New York, NY @ Rocks Off Concert Cruise 04/24 Portland, ME @ Geno’s Rock Club# 04/25 Manchester, NH @ Jewel# 04/26 Newark, NJ @ QXT’s# 04/27 Baltimore, MD @ Otto Bar – Grim Reefer Fest# 04/29 Chesapeake, VA @ Riffhouse^ 05/01 Panama City Beach, FL @ Mosey’s^ 05/02 Cape Coral, FL @ Nice Guys’^ 05/03 Tampa, FL @ Crowbar^ 05/04 Augusta, GA @ Grantski Records^ * Heavy Temple # Left Lane Cruiser ^ Restless Spirit
Weedeater’s bong will stay locked and loaded long after this tour goes up in smoke. Later in May, the band will bring plenty of god luck and good speed to this year’s Mutants Fest, as well as the seventh coming of Modified Ghosts Festival. More dates coming soon!
Additional Dates May 17 Little Rock, AR @ Argenta Theater as part of Mutants Fest 2024 May 19 Vancouver, BC as part of Modified Ghost Festival VII
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 26th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Who wants to fly my grumpy, middle-aged ass to Paris in April to catch a show? No one? Maybe Bordeaux? Porto? Lisbon? Madrid? Barcelona? I’ll go pretty much anywhere that has an airport for this one. Stoned Jesus have had a particularly fucked couple of years, as their home in Kyiv, Ukraine, has been subject to invasion from neighboring Russia and the ensuing proxy war between Ukrainian forces with NATO backing and the monolith that is Russian imperialism. I’ve been saying for the last two years I don’t know how that war’s gonna end, and could go on and on about it, but it’s war. It would be a welcome change if humans stopped slaughtering each other, and at no point in the history of the species from voles hiding in the ground when the asteroid offed the dinosaurs to right this fucking moment has that not been true.
That’s not to make light of modern warfare’s particular horrors or the struggle undertaken by Ukrainians on behalf of their home/the Western liberal democratic ideology, mind you. Stoned Jesus in early 2023 nonetheless issued one of the year’s best albums in their Season of Mist debut, Father Light (review here), and were set to tour Europe this past Spring when Ukraine imposed travel restrictions, undercutting the band’s ability to promote their work as intended. I guess that’s ended or some special dispensation has been made — White Ward also seem to be getting out, so it seems less likely to be wishful booking — because in April 2024, Stoned Jesus are set to head west to France, Germany, Portugal and Spain.
They’ll be keeping company with Bordeaux’s Mars Red Sky — speaking of 2023’s best albums, they had one too — and I don’t know anything about anything about the paperwork involved, but for the sake of all involved, including the heads who’ll actually get to see these shows unlike my daydream-jetsetter self, I hope they happen.
From the PR wire:
Stoned Jesus are celebrating 15 years of doomy, heavy-hitting progressive rock this April with fellow stoners Mars Red Sky.
16 April: Strasbourg FR @ La Laiterie 17 April: Karlsruhe DE @ Alte Hackerei 18 April: Paris FR @ Le Trabendo 19 April: Bordeaux FR @ Le Royal 20 April: Hondarribia ES @ Psylocibenea* 21 April: Porto PT @ Hard Club* 22 April: Lisbon PT @ Lisboa ao Vivo* 23 April: Madrid ES @ Nazca* 24 April: Barcelona ES @ Razzmatazz 3* 25 April: Touluse FR @ Le Rex* 26 April: Toulon FR @ Omega Live* 27 April: Lyon FR @ Le Transbordeur *w/ Mars Red Sky
Stoned Jesus are: Igor Sydorenko – guitar, lead vocals Dmytro Zinchenko – drums and percussion, backing vocals Sergii Sliusar – bass, backing vocals
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 13th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
In honor of the fact that Weedeater tour like bastards, I mean, they just go and go and go, I decided I would take the last tour announcement I put up — it covered from February to May of this year — and copy the post to remake it here. Drop in the new text and see what happened. Did I save myself any time? Nah. The images still needed to be placed and then I decided to chase down the Instagram links for the band and the label because, well, relevance, but yeah, no time saved. I wasn’t being cheeky or anything, like I would somehow try to make fun of the band for CONTINUING to work hard. I was trying something out, and I learned a thing.
I also learned about the Slower and Harder Fest that Weedeater are playing on this upcoming East Coast/Midwest stint, alongside appearances at Burque Rock City, RPM Fest and Full Terror Assault Fest. I hadn’t heard about it, because I guess I don’t hear about everything because frankly I’ve never been that cool, but the lineup is right on, with Weedeater (duh), Bongripper, Portrayal of Guilt, Dorthia Cottrell and a bunch of others. All the ticket links below are active, I hope, and all come from the PR wire.
All glory to the PR wire:
WEEDEATER Rolling Through the Northeast and Midwest
The sludge-stoned cowboys are blazing the ol’ dusty trail later this summer with 10+ shows across the Northeast and Midwest. Along the way, they’re hitting a couple festivals, including headlining spots at Albuquerque’s Rock City Fest and Slower & Harder Fest in Atlanta.
Joining Weedeater is the grindin’, frashin’ punk rock wrecking machine King Parrot.
God Luck and Good Speed.
Tour dates 08/05 Albuquerque, NM @ Rock City Fest [TICKETS] 08/30 Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor [TICKETS] 08/31 Washington, DC @ Black Cat [TICKETS] 09/01 Brooklyn, NY @ Meadows [TICKETS] 09/02 Montague, MA @ RPM Fest [TICKETS] 09/03 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place [TICKETS] 09/04 Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary [TICKETS] 09/06 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme [TICKETS] 09/07 Cave In Rock, IL @ Full Terror Assault Fest [TICKETS] 09/08 Champaign, IL @ Loose Cobra (On Sale 07/15) 09/10 Atlanta, GA Atlanta Utility Works @ Slower & Harder Fest [TICKETS] 09/11 Greensboro, NC @ Hangar 1819 [TICKETS]
