No lack of substance as Desertfest Berlin 2023 moves forward this morning (afternoon CET) with its second announcement for next May, adding the likes of Corrosion of Conformity, Bongzilla, Monolord, Slift, Minami Deutsch, Valley of the Sun, Dommengang, Kanaan, Mother Engine, and Gnome to what was already a packed bill. Accordingly, the European underground’s touring sphere — of which this fest is a significant part in the Spring season — is also starting to take shape, and if you’re paying attention, you can start to connect some of the dots for who will be on the road when and where, as well as speculate who will be out with whom, and so on. These are things I enjoy thinking about.

I’ve never been to this fest, would love to go. I imagine it’ll be a little different this year with a shift in venue, but my understanding is the vibe is where it’s at in Berlin, and after so many years, I have no trouble thinking Desertfest Berlin feels like home to many who will attend, no matter where it’s actually taking place. I mean, as long as it’s in Berlin. Would be weird if they decided to run Desertfest Berlin in Copenhagen one year or something (though an extension of the festival brand in that Danish city would likely be ace in its own right).

Here’s the latest, courtesy of the fest:

DESERTFEST BERLIN — NEW BANDS ADDED TO THE 2023 LINE-UP

Desertfest Berlin is happy to add to the line-up of the 2023 edition (May 19-21, 2023):

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY
MONOLORD
SLIFT
BONGZILLA
MINAMI DEUTSCH
MOTHER ENGINE
VALLEY OF THE SUN
DOMMENGANG
KANAAN
GNOME

Along with:
UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS
THE OBSESSED
KING BUFFALO
CHURCH OF MISERY
DOZER
BLOOD CEREMONY
L.A. WITCH
SOMALI YACHT CLUB
GNOD
ECSTATIC VISION
DAILY THOMPSON
GAUPA
PSYCHLONA
+ much more TBA

Weekend tickets for Desertfest Berlin 2023 are on sale NOW via the link in our bio or www.desertfest.de

The new venues for the 2023 edition will be Columbiahalle and Columbia Theater Berlin (with additional outdoor space & stage).
Address: Columbiadamm 13-21, 10965 Berlin.

Desertfest Berlin May 19th – 21st 2023 will take place at Columbiahalle and Columbia Theater (with additional outdoor space & stage) this year.

Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1324621551683513/

www.desertfest.de
www.facebook.com/DesertfestBerlin
www.instagram.com/desertfest_berlin

Slift, Live at Desert Daze Festival, 0ct. 1, 2022

Two weeks ago I was at Psycho Las Vegas, and so didn’t get to post the playlist for episode 91. For posterity’s sake and because I plainly love looking at lists of band names, it’s below along with the playlist for the episode airing today, which is #92. The march to 100 continues.

The esteemed Dean Rispler (who also plays in Mighty High and a bunch of other bands) is in charge of putting the shows together on a practical level from the lists I send, and to him I extend my deepest appreciation. I’m constantly late. I suck at this in general, and worse, I know it. So yeah. Dean does a bit of hand-holding and I am thankful. He emailed me this week and asked if I was thinking yet about episode 100 and would I be doing anything special?

Well… yes. I have been. And I’d like to make it a blowout or some such, but you know what the truth is? I’m more about the work. When it comes to something like that, the most honest thing I feel like I can do is keep my head down, do another episode and then do one after that two weeks later. I’d rather feel good about a thing in myself and move on. I’m not sure I can get away with that. So maybe I’ll hit up Tommi Dozer and see if he wants to chat sometime in the next few weeks.

Thanks if you listen and thanks for reading.

The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 09.02.22 (VT = voice track)

And #91, which was a pretty damn good show:

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Sept. 16 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gmme Metal website

The Obelisk on Facebook

Ostensibly, French uptempo heavy psych/space rockers Slift will be coming to the US to support 2020’s Ummon (review here), and fair enough. That record landed with an immediate impact crater and I’m already hearing bands working off their influence in trying to make the cosmos dance to their righteous interstellar punk.

Given these dates are in the Fall, and that Slift were playing new material live this Spring, it’s that much easier to wonder if a new album announcement is coming. Feasibly an LP could arrive in late September in time for the tour to start, and with momentum from pre-album hoopla on their side, they’d be that much better off, but they’re hardly short on hype as it is, so maybe the right move for them is hold the next record back until 2023 and give it its due. If past is prologue with things like this, they’ll announce the record, like, tomorrow and I’ll feel like a dope for having just posted about the tour.

But that will happen when it happens. Or doesn’t. Or whatever. Slift coming to the States feels like a big deal, in no small part because they don’t seem like the kind of band who are only going to do so on a one-and-done basis, and at very least it’s an occasion worth marking. Dear posterity: this was the first time Slift played in the US. Their coming was anticipated.

From social media, this:

Oï !

STOKED to announce that we’ll be playing in the US for the very first time this fall !!!

TICKETS at bit.ly/SLIFT-USTour

We never thought we would ever cross an ocean to play music when we started this band but hey, here we are !

Thank you very much to all the people involved in this tour, and to you all for your continuated support. It’s gonna be loud !

See you on the other side.

THU 23 JUNE – SUN 26 JUNE
Hellfest Extended 2022
Clisson, France

FRI 24 JUNE – SUN 26 JUNE
Rock In Bourlon 2022
Bourlon, France

THU 11 AUGUST – SAT 13 AUGUST
SonicBlast Fest 2022
Viana Do Castelo, Portugal

FRI 19 AUGUST – SAT 20 AUGUST
Check-In Party 2022
Saint-Laurent, France

FRI 19 AUGUST – SUN 21 AUGUST
Motocultor Festival 2022
Saint-Nolff, France

WED 28 SEPTEMBER
The Echo
Los Angeles (LA), CA, US

SAT 1 OCTOBER
Desert Daze Festival
Palm Springs, CA, US

SUN 2 OCTOBER
Brick & Mortar Music Hall
San Francisco, CA, US

FRI 7 OCTOBER
The Crocodile
Seattle, WA, US

SAT 8 OCTOBER
Doug Fir Lounge
Portland, OR, US

SUN 9 OCTOBER
The Shredder
Boise, ID, US

TUE 11 OCTOBER
The HQ
Denver, CO, US

WED 12 OCTOBER
The Bottleneck
Lawrence, KS, US

THU 13 OCTOBER
Reggie’s Rock Club
Chicago, IL, US

FRI 14 OCTOBER
Rumba Cafe
Columbus, OH, US

SAT 15 OCTOBER
The Bug Jar
Rochester, NY, US

MON 17 OCTOBER
Sonia
Cambridge, MA, US

TUE 18 OCTOBER
Elsewhere
Brooklyn, NY, US

WED 19 OCTOBER
Metro Gallery
Baltimore, MD, US

FRI 21 OCTOBER
Asheville Music Hall
Asheville, NC, US

SAT 22 OCTOBER
The Earl
East Atlanta, GA, US

SUN 23 OCTOBER
The Abbey
Orlando, FL, US

Poster art by CAZA.

SLIFT are:
Jean Fossat : guitar, vocals, synth
Rémi Fossat : bass
Canek Flores : drums

https://www.facebook.com/sliftrock/
http://slift.bandcamp.com/

http://stolenbodyrecords.co.uk/
http://www.viciouscircle.fr/

Slift, “Heavy Road” Levitation Session

Seems like everybody wants a piece of French space boogie overlords Slift. In addition to being previously announced for Desertfest in Berlin and London, Astral Festival in the UK, SonicBlast in Portugal, Hellfest in France Kristonfest in Spain, the three-piece were confirmed just yesterday as artist-in-residence to play three sets at Roadburn 2022, one of which will be their consciousness-igniting/already-influential 2020 album, Ummon (review here), in its entirety. In a couple years, when you start to see a bunch of cosmic-ass-shake groups formed circa now, Slift will have been a big part of the reason why.

More so as they take to the streets next year, in Europe and apparently the US as well. All this makes me wonder who’s putting out their next record, but I suppose that’s a question for another press release at another time. Likewise the US tour, which is still to be announced — smart, considering plague and all that — but the list of EU/UK dates is substantial and admirably ambitious. Get yourself freaked out in the universe.

List from social media:

Oï !
Thrilled to announce that we’ll be on tour in EU and US in 2022 !

We’ll play Ummon, as well as new material.

TICKETS : https://sliftrock.com/en/shows/

See ya’ll soon, thunder in the night !

Artwork by Caza x Kuba

Slift tour dates
WED 9 MARCH Krakatoa Mérignac, France
THU 10 MARCH Le Cargo Caen, France
FRI 11 MARCH HYDROPHONE – LORIENT Lorient, France
SAT 12 MARCH Le Ferrailleur Nantes, France
THU 14 APRIL Le Transbordeur Villeurbanne, France
FRI 15 APRIL LA CARTONNERIE Reims, France
WED 20 APRIL Rotondes Luxembourg, Luxembourg
SUN 24 APRIL Glocksee Hannover, Germany
MON 25 APRIL MUSIK LOPPEN Copenhagen, Denmark
WED 27 APRIL De Casino Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
THU 28 APRIL Studio 9294 London, UK
FRI 29 APRIL – SAT 30 APRIL Astral Festival 2022 Bristol, UK
FRI 29 APRIL – SUN 1 MAY Desertfest London 2022 London, UK
TUE 3 MAY Le Trabendo Paris, France
FRI 6 MAY Psilocybenea Hondarribia, Spain
SAT 7 MAY Kristonfest 2022 Madrid, Spain
SUN 22 MAY L’Amalgame Yverdon-Les-Bains, Switzerland
MON 23 MAY Cap 10100 Turin, Italy
TUE 24 MAY Locomotiv Club Bologna, Italy
WED 25 MAY Kino Šiška (Centre for Urban Culture) Ljubljana, Slovenia
THU 26 MAY Feierwerk Munich, Germany
THU 26 MAY – SUN 29 MAY Desert Fest 2022 Berlin, Germany
FRI 27 MAY Vienna Arena / Arena Wien Vienna, Austria
TUE 31 MAY Club Volta Cologne, Germany
WED 1 JUNE Le Noumatrouff Mulhouse, France
THU 2 JUNE Café Charbon Nevers, France
FRI 3 JUNE ATABAL Biarritz, France
THU 23 JUNE Arènes de Nîmes Nîmes, France
THU 23 JUNE – SUN 26 JUNE Hellfest Extended 2022 Clisson, France
THU 11 AUGUST – SAT 13 AUGUST SonicBlast Fest 2022 Viana Do Castelo, Portugal

LEVITATION SESSION UPDATE:
The records will arrive in January, according to the label. For any information on this subject, please contact them. Thank you very much for your continued support.

SLIFT are:
Jean Fossat : guitar, vocals, synth
Rémi Fossat : bass
Canek Flores : drums

https://www.facebook.com/sliftrock/
http://slift.bandcamp.com/
http://stolenbodyrecords.co.uk/
http://www.viciouscircle.fr/

Slift, Ummon (2020)

Slift, “Heavy Road” Levitation Session

Slift, “Thousand Helmets of Gold” official video

I guess we could go on and on about badass festival lineups — and in a way, it feels very, very good to even think that’s true — but you’ll pardon me if I sort of bow under the spectacle here and just say I’m glad Warhorse are getting another chance to go to Roadburn after 2020 falling apart, and that Tau and the Drones of Praise will play. The latter not the least because it gives me an excuse to revisit their set from earlier this year at Roadburn Redux in putting this post together. I hope they play right before the devastating LLNN, but either way, it’s great that along with the huger acts like Lingua Ignota, Emma Ruth Rundle, Russian Circles, and so on, Roadburn remains committed to forward-thinking artists of such various stripes. See also Oslo Tapes playing the Pelagic showcase with Årabrot headlining.

I don’t know if I’ll get to go to Roadburn next year. The fest would be well within its rights to nix the Weirdo Canyon Dispatch ‘zine after so long and adverse circumstances, and it’s not like they need my review or photos badly enough to warrant having me there, but whatever happens, I love this festival, support its growth and direction, and I always will for as long as it goes. No one knows at this point what April 2022 is going to look like. I’m happy to proceed into the fest’s last announcement of 2021 with some sense of optimism, even if I need to force that a bit.

From the PR wire:

New additions to Roadburn 2022 including second Artist In Residence and label showcase

Roadburn has today announced another 17 artists for the 2022 edition of the festival, which will take place between April 21-24 in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

Artistic Director, Walter Hoeijmakers, comments:

“With our last announcement before the end of 2021, we are super proud to have Pelagic involved again in Roadburn after their virtual Redux showcase earlier this year. And we know SLIFT will broaden our psychedelic horizons with three shows as artist-in-residence. Further, we offer this announcement in hope that 2022 will see a full return to international touring for festivals and club shows and we can all be together and celebrate in April. We wish you the happiest of seasons and hope you’re looking forward to Roadburn Festival 2022 as much as we are. Thank you for your continued support, faith and trust.”

French psych trio, SLIFT, have been announced as the second Artist in Residence for the 2022 edition (joining Full of Hell who were announced earlier this year). The band will perform three times over the course of the festival, including a collaborative performance with pioneering French musician, Etienne Jaumet (Zombie Zombie).

Pelagic Records will host a label showcase at the festival highlighting the diverse array of talent found on their roster. The showcase will climax with three interconnected performances courtesy of Lustmord, Lustmord and Karin Park performing cuts from their collaborative album, Alter, and finishing off with Årabrot. The showcase will also feature Year Of No Light, LLNN performing Unmaker, new signings Bruit≤, Oslo Tapes and a solo set from Karin Park.

Psych-heads rejoice – Die Wilde Jagd will perform at Roadburn, following two awe inspiring live performances at Roadburn Redux earlier this year. TAU & the Drones of Praise will also reprise their Redux appearance and make their way to Tilburg for an in-person performance.

Hangman’s Chair will complement their already-announced album set with a collaboration with Regarde Les Hommes Tomber. Originally commissioned by Red Bull and performed only once to date; the two bands have written additional material to extend the performance further into the reaches of their collective imaginations.

Originally scheduled to perform in 2020 Warhorse will finally perform at Roadburn 2022. Huntsmen will kick off their first trip to Europe with a special performance at Roadburn where they’ll play their 2018 album, American Scrap, in full.

London’s Five The Hierophant will make their Roadburn debut, as well as performing a collaborative piece with Wyatt E. and MC Slice titled Atonia.

These artists are added to a line up that already features Ulver, Lingua Ignota, Liturgy, Emma Ruth Rundle, Russian Circles, 40 Watt Sun, Backwash and many more. Click here to view the full line up and below to read more on these newly announced artists.

ÅRABROT
ATONIA: A COLLABORATION BETWEEN WYATT E., FIVE THE HIEROPHANT & MC SLICE
BRUIT ≤,
DIE WILDE JAGD
FIVE THE HIEROPHANT
HANGMAN’S CHAIR X REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER
HUNTSMEN
KARIN PARK
LLNN
LUSTMORD
OSLO TAPES
SLIFT (ARTIST IN RESIDENCE)
TAU & THE DRONES OF PRAISE
URAL UMBO
WARHORSE
YEAR OF NO LIGHT
ZETRA

Weekend tickets, and Friday and Saturday day tickets are sold out. Thursday and Sunday day tickets remain in limited numbers. Tickets and accommodation options are available to view via ticketmaster.nl

https://www.facebook.com/events/964112394348925
https://www.facebook.com/roadburnfestival/
http://www.instagram.com/roadburnfest
http://www.roadburn.com

Tau and the Drones of Praise, ‘Dream Awake’ live stream for Roadburn Redux

Slift, “Lions, Tigers & Bears” live video

I’ve been trying to do a best-of-2020-a-year-later episode since like June, but maybe it’s all the more appropriate since we’re coming up on that most wretched of years is actually nearly a full year buried. As much as it’s buried at all — don’t you kind of feel like 2020 lives on in our hearts, minds and residual traumas? I kind of do.

As I say in the voice breaks for this episode, I have very little conception of when 2020 ended and 2021 began as regards albums. I would’ve told you that the Grayceon record, the Enslaved record and Slift were 2021 releases. Yeah, I know Lowrider and Elephant Tree were last year, and Colour Haze and All Them Witches, but Polymoon? That could’ve been 2019.

So in addition to being a collection of what I think are killer tunes — always the goal, right? — this playlist is also a way for me to recall when things were ahead of digging into the best of 2021 over the course of the next month-plus. I’ve got a Black Friday episode, then two December episodes left this year. The December ones will both be best-of-the-year stuff. Let this be my precursor to that.

Thanks for listening if you do and/or reading. I hope you enjoy.

The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 11.12.21

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Nov. 26 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

The Obelisk on Facebook

Two shows on successive Saturdays in May will comprise Kristonfest 2022 in Madrid, Spain, and it’s a to-the-heart-of-it lineup that nods at the country’s own ultra-fertile underground in including progressive heavy psych forerunners Atavismo — new record not nearly soon enough — while also bringing on board heavy-hitting headliners like Witchcraft and Earthless, both of whom look set to make the rounds in a significant way next year. One can also expect to see much of Slift and Stöner and Slomosa, and while they’re due for an album, MaidaVale‘s classic take on heavy is nothing but welcome anytime that Swedish outfit happen to be in the neighborhood. Very much down to business. “All killer,” and so on.

Of course, there was no Kristonfest in 2020 — Masters of Reality, Brant Bjork (who’ll be at 2022 with Stöner), Swans and MaidaVale had been set for that, among others — and there was an edition scheduled for 2021 that doesn’t seem to have taken place either, but with the shape the universe seems to be taking, people seem just fed up enough to leave the house again. Can’t argue.

Tickets are on sale, and the festival’s announcement follows, including the buy link.

As per the social media:

First of all, we would like to thank you for the patience that you have shown during all these months, a time that has meant a before and after and that has especially punished our sector, leaving many friends and colleagues on the road with no option of return.

That is why we are especially proud to continue standing and to be able to launch a statement in which 7 artists that we are passionate about will form the line up for the next edition of Kristonfest 2022, which will take place in the Mon venue in Madrid on Saturdays 7 and May 14, 2022. Tickets are already on sale through the festival website: www.kristonfest.com

The first day will be headlined by the Swedish WITCHCRAFT, probably one of the most desired and longed-for bands to see right now. We already had them confirmed for the 2020 and 2021 editions but for reasons that we all know it was completely impossible to enjoy them … it is said that the third time is the charm and we hope so.

Stay with this name, SLIFT, a three-headed sonic whirlwind propelled by The Stooges, Hawkwind, MC5, Kyuss or Can and that looks more contemporary bands like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Wooden Shijps or Moon Duo in the face. They will come to present their huge “Ummon” that everyone is talking about.

To close the first day we will have ATAVISMO from Algeciras, national pride and band with which any lover of sound exploration, psychedelia and improvisation will enjoy an incomparable cosmic journey.

The second day will feature 4 artists who will offer diversity and enjoyment in equal parts. The legendary EARTHLESS will arrive from San Diego to lead the day and our pulse does not shake when confirming that it is one of the best psychedelic rock bands in the world. We already had them in a last edition in which they left everyone with their mouths open and wanting more. Now Isaiah also plays guitar in The Black Crowes but that didn’t complicate it when we asked them to go back to Kristonfest.

From Palm Springs (USA) another of the highlights will be to see the staging of STÖNER, commanded by two godfathers of desert rock such as Brant Bjork and Nick Oliveri, both founders of Kyuss, also Mondo Generator, Ché, Fu Manchu, Bloodcot, etc … and Ryan Gut (drums) from the band Brant Bjork & The Bros. You don’t call your band Stöner if you’ve never heard the word before and, as their track record attests, it’s not the first time these three musicians have embarked on a project of this caliber.

MAIDAVALE were confirmed in the edition that we had to cancel due to the health crisis, so we had a debt with them that we can finally pay off! This quartet from Sweden shines like few others in the psychedelic-rock and heavy-blues skies of the last decade. They drink from the influences that the 1960s left for history, contributing to their set list a more direct, atmospheric and forceful sound.

To complete the line-up, nothing better than new blood, the Norwegians SLOMOSA burst onto the scene with a most interesting and appetizing cover letter: Riffs that take you to the frozen dunes of the Scandinavian tundra, muscular and greasy rock on the path of classics like Fu Manchu and the early Queens Of The Stone Age. A good new generation onslaught that confirms the good health of the European desert-rock scene.

http://www.facebook.com/kristonfest
http://www.instagram.com/kristonfest/
https://www.kristonfest.com/

Stöner, “Own Yer Blues” from ‘Live in the Mojave Desert’

Tickets are on sale as of today for Desertfest Berlin 2022, which will be headlined by Electric Wizard, Kadavar playing a hometown show and Witchcraft. The rest of the lineup is a thrilling combination of mainstays — which somehow feels extra comforting — and upstarts, plus Stöner, who are kind of both, I guess, being a new band but with Brant Bjork and Nick Oliveri at the helm thereof. You’ll note Lowrider and Orange Goblin — the latter celebrating their 25th anniversary, delayed of course — and Elder and Ufomammut (debuting their new lineup), 1000mods and Truckfighters and My Sleeping Karma. Could hardly get more Desertfest than that. Like a reaffirmation of the festival’s core mission. Plus YOB, for extra life-giving vibes.

And with those, you get acts like Slomosa, Slift, Polymoon and Villagers of Ioannina City, underground celebrants like Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs and Samavayo and Dhidalah and MaidaVale and 24/7 Diva Heaven as well as Love Machine, Los Bitchos and Huntsmen. There’s reportedly more to come — and by that I mean that’s what it says on the poster below — but for real, if this was the four days, I can’t imagine wanting to see any less than all of it.

Announcement follows as per the PR wire:

Desertfest Berlin – 26-29 May 2022

www.desertfest.de

LINEUP:
Electric Wizard
Kadavar
Witchcraft
Orange Goblin
YOB
Truckfighters
Elder
1000mods
My Sleeping Karma
Ufomammut
Stöner
Lowrider
Villagers of Ioannina City
SLIFT
MaidaVale
24/7 Diva Heaven
Samavayo
Slomosa
Los Bitchos
PigsPigsPigsPigsPigsPigsPigs
Dhidalah
Polymoon
Enigma Experience
Huntsmen
Love Machine

+ more to be announced

After two years without our beloved Desertfest happening, we need you more than ever. We can’t wait to see you all again to party, have some drinks and enjoy the finest of stoner, psychedelic, doom and heavy rock music!

Thank you so much for your continuous support and for holding on to your tickets. We want to give a little something back to you…

Existing weekend passes (3-days tickets) from 2020 will remain valid for the full 4 days in 2022 automatically. Yes, you will be granted access to ONE MORE FESTIVAL DAY ON TOP, FOR FREE!

We hope you’ll understand that there are logistical changes to the original 2020 line-up. Due to these challenges, existing 2020 single day ticket holders will be refunded for their chosen day. More info about our ticket-policy: www.desertfest.de/information

https://www.facebook.com/events/520164272080736
www.desertfest.de
www.facebook.com/DesertfestBerlin
www.instagram.com/desertfest_berlin

Desertfest Berlin 2019 official aftermovie