As you and I sit comfortably in our reclining easychairs, gently clinking crystal highballs of actually-old-fashioned old fashioneds and toasting the ease of our lives, Iowa two-piece Telekinetic Yeti are once again out on the road, slogging away and carrying a silly-billy amount of amplifiers and playing louder than is recommended by medical professionals. The yeoman’s work of riffs. They’re out with JD Pinkus, who if you were going to put a bassist in the band would be a good one for the job, and will hit up the Southeast region and a little bit in their native Midwest as they put yet more miles between themselves and last year’s Tee Pee Records label debut, Primordial (review here).

And yes, that album was primordial. Willfully lunkheaded in how it clubbed your unassuming skull with riff after fuzz-coated riff. And I’m glad to have the excuse to revisit it that the video provides. Maybe this is Telekinetic Yeti saying goodbye to Primordial as they round out the tour cycle and begin to think about moving forward again — they don’t strike me as the ‘go home for two years’ types, but one never knows — with new material and, subsequent to that, probably a whole other round of touring. I’m very glad I got to see them play these songs.

If you haven’t, there’s still time. Dates and PR wire info follow the clip below.

Please enjoy:

Telekinetic Yeti, “Beast” official video

TELEKINETIC YETI RELEASE “BEAST” VIDEO

ANIMATED CLIP COMES FROM BAND’S ALBUM, PRIMORDIAL

U.S. TOUR UNDERWAY; J.D. PINKUS SUPPORTS

Directed by Brodie Rush. Featuring Alex Baumann (guitar and vocals) and Rockwel Heim (drums).

The duo share the larger theme behind the track: “’Beast’ is a reflection on societal disillusionment and the inherent desire to escape the cyclical trap of wage slavery. Acknowledging that these empires are built on sand as well as the human need to escape the tentacles that bind us through mindless, obligatory, financially-centered routines facilitated by hypnotic black magic.”

Telekinetic Yeti have spent the past year-plus on the road supporting the well-received, 11-song Primordial, including multiple headlining treks and a stint with Weedeater. The band is in the midst of their final 2023 tour dates, playing tomorrow at Maggie Meyers in Huntsville, Ala. J.D. Pinkus opens on all remaining shows.

Telekinetic Yeti is on tour now! Tickets available at http://tonedeaftouring.com/yeti

11/08/2023 Huntsville AL @ Maggie Meyers
11/09/2023 Little Rock AR @ Four Quarter
11/10/2023 Lafayette LA @ Freetown Boom Boom Room
11/11/2023 New Orleans LA @ Poor Boys
11/12/2023 Panama City Beach FL @ Moseys
11/15/2023 Cape Coral FL @ Nice Guys
11/16/2023 Tampa FL @ Brass Mug
11/17/2023 Jacksonville FL @ Kona Skatepark
11/18/2023 Savannah GA @ EL Rocko Lounge
11/19/2023 Charleston SC @ Trolley Pub
11/20/2023 Piedmont SC @ Tribbles
11/21/2023 Raleigh NC @ Pour House
11/22/2023 Atlanta GA @ Star Bar
11/24/2023 Wilmington NC @ Reggies
11/25/2023 Chesapeake Bay VA @ Riffhouse
11/26/2023 Bensalem PA @ Broken Goblet

New album, Primordial, out now via Tee Pee Records Limited-edition Vinyl and CDs available here: https://teepeerecords.com/collections/frontpage/products/telekinetic-yeti-primordial-cd-lp

Telekinetic Yeti Merch:
https://telekineticyeti.bigcartel.com/

Telekinetic Yeti is:
Alex Baumann – Guitar/Vocals
Rockwel Heim – Drums

Telekinetic Yeti, Primordial (2022)

Telekinetic Yeti on Facebook

Telekinetic Yeti on Instagram

Telekinetic Yeti on Bandcamp

Tee Pee Records website

Tee Pee Records on Facebook

Tee Pee Records on Bandcamp

Think we’ll get a new record from these guys in 2024? I wouldn’t mind one showing up. Based in Iowa but spending markedly little time there the past couple years, Telekinetic Yeti seem to treat hard-touring as a defining ethic. This past summer, they undertook their first headlining stint on the US West Coast with the backing of Tone Deaf Touring, with support from Stinking Lizaveta, Somnuri and Rifflord (at various points, though that’d be a mean package tour if those are still a thing) after going to the UK in Spring with Weedeater and Mars Red Sky. At least to-date in the tenure of the band, this is what they do.

And 2022’s Primordial (review here), as the ostensible cause they’re supporting, stands up to the volume and vitality they bring to it on stage. It hasn’t been so long that the record has lost its mud-tinted luster, whatever that might even mean — I guess just that it still sounds good listening to it as I put this together — but for an act with such an intense focus on forward momentum, it might not be unreasonable to think that would extend to recording. Or maybe the full-color shirts do well enough on the road that they can take their time and keep re-pressing sold out LPs. Good work if you can get it. Also hard work. Fair enough.

They’re out this time with JD Pinkus of Butthole Surfers, Melvins, etc., which will certainly not make any given gig less raucous. Telekinetic Yeti put up the poster with a quick blurb on social media, and wouldn’t you know it, here it is:

Get ready! We are joining forces with JD Pinkus this fall for a road trip! Highly excited about this one! Get your tickets now! Where will we see you?

ALL TICKET LINKS: http://tonedeaftouring.com/yeti

Telekinetic Yeti is:
Alex Baumann – Guitar/Vocals
Rockwel Heim – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/telekineticyetiband/
https://www.instagram.com/telekinetic_yeti/
https://telekineticyeti.bandcamp.com/releases
https://telekineticyeti.com/

teepeerecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/teepeerecords/
https://teepeerecords.bandcamp.com/

Telekinetic Yeti, Primordial (2022)

Iowa’s Telekinetic Yeti, slotting comfortably into position as headliners. Can’t say they didn’t earn it, no matter what angle you want to see the question from. Their 2022 album, Primordial (review here), was the stuff of stoner doom memes not made by the band, and live the two-piece lay waste, as I was fortunate enough to see them do at Desertfest New York last Spring (review here). Right now they’re out in the UK with Weedeater and Mars Red Sky headed to Desertfest London this weekend, and when they come back from that, they’ve now got this summer stint lined up with support from instrumental prog-heavy legends Stinking Lizaveta — whose new album, Anthems and Phantoms, will have just come out on June 23 — as well as alternate openers Somnuri for most of the shows and Rifflord for the last few.

Incidentally — or more likely, not — Telekinetic Yeti and Stinking Lizaveta both played that day at Desertfest New York — Somnuri the day before — and while I don’t know if they met there or not, they’re both Tone Deaf Touring clients, and the shows are gonna be bangers. It’s not my job to sell you on a thing, but really, even if it was, I feel like this one sells itself. Megafuzz meets ultrajazz with crush and/or nod as a preface. That’s a good night.

Dates follow:

TELEKINETIC YETI Announces U.S. Summer Headlining Tour

BUY TICKETS HERE: http://tonedeaftouring.com/yeti

Psychedelic doom duo Telekinetic Yeti will be embarking on a U.S. headlining tour this July with support from Stinking Lizaveta (all dates), Somnuri (July 5-26), and Rifflord (July 27-30). The extensive trek kicks off on July 5 in Des Moines, IA and will conclude on July 30 in Chicago, IL. The full itinerary and ticket links can be found below!

The band will be supporting its 2022 sophomore full-length, ‘Primordial,’ which was released on July 8, 2022 via Tee Pee Records. Stream/order/download HERE.

Telekinetic Yeti U.S. Tour Dates
(w/ Stinking Lizaveta (all dates), Somnuri (July 5-26), and Rifflord (5/27-30):
07/05: Des Moines, IA @ Leftys
07/06: Denver, CO @ Hi Dive
07/07: Salt Lake City, UT@ Aces High Saloon (On Sale Friday May 5 @ 10:00 A.M. EDT)
07/08: Boise, ID @ Shredder (On Sale Friday May 5 @ 10:00 A.M. EDT)
07/11: Vancouver, BC @ The Wise
07/12: Bellingham, WA @ Shakedown
07/13: Seattle, WA @ Funhouse @ El Corazon
07/14: Portland, OR @ Dantes
07/15: Eugene, OR @ John Henrys
07/18: San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
07/19: Pacifica, CA @ Winters Tavern
07/20: Palmdale, CA @ Transplants Brewery
07/21: Hollywood, CA @ Knitting Factory
07/22: Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theatre
07/25: Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th St
07/26: Tulsa, OK @ Mercury Lounge
07/27: Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck (On Sale Friday May 5 @ 10:00 A.M. EDT)
07/28: Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry
07/29: Lincoln, NE @ Cosmic Eye
07/30: Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club
ALL TICKET LINKS: http://tonedeaftouring.com/yeti

Telekinetic Yeti is:
Alex Baumann – Guitar/Vocals
Rockwel Heim – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/telekineticyetiband/
https://www.instagram.com/telekinetic_yeti/
https://telekineticyeti.bandcamp.com/releases
https://telekineticyeti.com/

teepeerecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/teepeerecords/
https://teepeerecords.bandcamp.com/

Telekinetic Yeti, Primordial (2022)

It’s a god damned riff bonanza, is what it is.

Guitarist/vocalist Alex Baumann and drummer Rockwel Heim comprise Dubuque, Iowa’s Telekinetic Yeti and Primordial is their debut on Tee Pee Records and second album overall. Recorded by Phillip Cope (formerly of Kylesa, producer of Black Tusk, Irata, the original Baroness EPs, etc.), Primordial follows the riff-worshiping Midwesterners’ 2017 debut, Abominable (review here), and years of obviously-interrupted-there-for-a-while touring, as well as a lineup change that brought an ugly split between Baumann and fellow founder Anthony Dreyer, who now plays in Twin Wizard. Restored to a duo, Telekinetic Yeti strike with maximum force and gravity on Primordial, laying claim to the beginnings of a generational shift and making their influences their own through their megatonality and absolute willingness to speak to the ‘stoner’ in stoner rock.

Those who dare the 11 songs and 43 minutes of Primordial will find a more fully realized version of Telekinetic Yeti for their efforts. Granted, Abominable had “Stoned and Feathered,” but with the second record, cuts like “Ancient Nug,” “Stoned Ape Theory,” and “Toke Wizard” outright don the trappings of weedianism, and that’s even more telling since “Stoned Ape Theory” — also the longest song at a still-ready-to-squeeze-into-the-live-set 5:25 — which hypnotizes even as it seems to pummel you further into the ground with each of its many thuds, is instrumental. Theoretically at least, they could’ve called that anything at all, and the title they chose is telling about both the audience they’re speaking to and the self-aware manner in which they’re doing it.

Influences show themselves like YOB in the opening title-track, High on Fire in the call-to-war drums on the closer “Cult of Yeti,” The Sword in the uptempo bouncing shove of “Toke Wizard,” earliest Mastodon in the barks from Baumann late in “Ghost Train,” or how the fuzzed-out guitar solo interlude “Light in a Dying World” speaks both to Earthless and Hendrix with a rumble of its own underneath, Floor in “Ancient Nug” and the melody and movement of centerpiece “Beast,” and maybe some Red Fang in “Tides of Change” a short while later, but that’s the point. Telekinetic Yeti have taken these elements, melted them down with the heat from burning tube amps lit by the central nodder riff in “Rogue Planet” into what I’ll assume is a very dense, very heavy black iron cauldron, and created a sound that can only be defined as their own from it. Sure, Conan put their guitar (and bass in their case) tone at the forefront of their immediate impression as well, but that’s the point. Telekinetic Yeti represent a new generation of heavy that’s learned from what’s come before.

There is not one song on Primordial that isn’t ready to be memed about — from the shut-up-and-take-my-money hook of “Ancient Nug” to the when-the-slowdown-hits slowdown of that song or “Invention of Fire” — and though that sounds like a joke, it’s actually crucial to comprehending how Telekinetic Yeti are engaging with their listeners. Think about meme culture at large. It is a generational advent, distilling elements of popular culture, news, life, anything into a concise, snappy, often impactful statement with an intention to be seen and appreciated even outside of an understanding of the joke if it is one. Telekinetic Yeti likewise have processed the heavy stylings of the aughts — now 20 years ago — and crafted Primordial as a distillation with its own purposes and its own expression. And like with meme culture at first, or like with the wave of bands noted above who were tagged “hipster metal” when they came out and broadly derided, there invariably will be those who call this album derivative instead of understanding that Telekinetic Yeti are a fresh representation of the tenets of genre, and they at very least sound like they know it.

In “Cult of Yeti,” the chorus issues both the challenge and the proclamation, “You will never scale these mountains,” and even the idea of the song, album, band as such a giant rock formation is in conversation with the genre itself, from Sleep to Stoned Jesus. But if you’ve hit those lofty peaks, it’s these mountains we’re talking about now. This tone, this delivery, this vitality that is Telekinetic Yeti‘s own. Even calling the album Primordial — let alone the maybe narrative of bombed-brain evolution between “Stoned Ape Theory” and “Tides of Change,” “Invention of Fire,” and so on — is emblematic of Baumann and Heim‘s deep-running vision of what they want the band to be and to do. This is stoner metal stripped, as Max Cavalera once put it, “back to the primitive.” There is no feigned attempt at sounding progressive or like they’re trying to push the genre forward. Telekinetic Yeti may eventually do that, but one suspects that even if they do it will be on their own terms given the strength of the statement here in the opposite direction.

This is a band willing to be big, lumbering, bringing their riffs down on you like an avalanche or a wrecking ball — take your pick — and while Primordial is atmospheric even at its most intense moments, its purpose is unwavering. If there’s pretense here, I’m not sure where, but at the same time, there’s a sense of stage presence to the music, the push of the duo in the headspinning middle of “Invention of Fire,” the lead notes and sticks-on-the-rim-of-the-drum that begin “Toke Wizard,” and in that nasty feedback and layered-over plod of “Ghost Train” — never mind the actual hooks in cuts like “Primordial,” “Ancient Nug,” “Cult of Yeti,” and so on — that feel purpose-crafted to tour with as much as circumstances might permit.

And maybe that’s where they’ll most shine, in a live setting, but the substance of Primordial is still more than just an advertisement for showing up to the gig and buying a shirt. The declarative aspects of Telekinetic Yeti‘s songs, the attention to detail in the mix, the depth of their sans-bass low end, the head-in-clouds largesse of the riffy monoliths they’re building; it all speaks to a band who are looking to position themselves at the forefront of riff-based heavy, and as they continue to put their work in on tour — perhaps more than ever, with live music “back” and their lineup concerns seemingly settled — it’s entirely possible they’ll get there.

In the spirit of Primordial, I’ll say it simply: This shit fucking crushes. Ace riffs. Killer delivery, killer sound, enough variety, knows what it is and how to do what it wants. Band with a plan. They nailed it. Stone on.

Now shut up and take my money.

Telekinetic Yeti, Primordial (2022)

Telekinetic Yeti on Facebook

Telekinetic Yeti on Instagram

Telekinetic Yeti on Bandcamp

Tee Pee Records website

Tee Pee Records on Facebook

Tee Pee Records on Bandcamp

I’ve listened to the new Telekinetic Yeti album, Primordial, and it seems to me like a wilful, meme-ready singer stoner metal answer to heavy rock’s progressive turn of these last few years. The Midwestern duo seem to build off earliest Monolord‘s heft-worship, and find their purpose in volume rather than self-indulgence, which results in a refreshingly regressive take. The riffs are big and they land on your head and it’s very heavy and you listen and go “wow that’s very heavy” and you have a good time and forget for a few minutes that the world is ending and/or has already ended.

Escapism through smashy-smashy? Maybe, or maybe I just spend too much time around a four year old. Either way, having recently seen Telekinetic Yeti playing on a stage surrounded by guitar cabs, I’d suggest you’ll likely not regret doing similar, and the chance will come this summer as the band embark on an extensive US tour put on by Tone Deaf. It should tell you something about their rising stature even ahead of Primordial‘s July release on Tee Pee Records that the long-running psych outfit White Hills will support.

Dates and info from the PR wire:

TELEKINETIC YETI ANNOUNCE NORTH AMERICAN SUMMER TOUR; JOIN WEEDEATER FOR SEVERAL DATES

PRIMORDIAL ARRIVES JULY 8 VIA TEE PEE RECORDS

PRE-ORDER HERE: https://teepeerecords.com/products/telekinetic-yeti-primordial-cd-lp

Telekinetic Yeti, the Iowa-based duo of Alex Baumann (guitar/vocals) and Rockwel Heim (drums), have announced an extensive, two month North American Summer tour, with the pair joining Weedeater for two weeks before kicking off their own headlining trek with openers White Hills.

The news arrives as the band prepares for the July 8 arrival of Primordial (Tee Pee Records), with a preview of the 11-song album coming via the band’s “Ancient Nug” video (https://youtu.be/dr3bQUAakq0).

Primordial was produced by Phillip Cope (Kylesa, Baroness). Album pre-orders are available now (https://teepeerecords.com/products/telekinetic-yeti-primordial-cd-lp), with the collection available on several limited-edition colored vinyl variants, CD and digitally.

Tour dates:

With Weedeater:
July 2 Piedmont, SC Tribbles
July 3 Atlanta, GA Sabbath Brewing
July 4 Memphis, TN Hi Tone
July 5 Lafayette, LA Freetown Boom Boom Room
July 6 Denton, TX Rubber Gloves
July 7 Austin, TX Lost Well
July 8 Houston, TX Last Concert Café
July 9 Tulsa, OK Mercury Lounge
July 12 Madison, WI High Noon
July 13 Grand Rapids Pyramid Scheme
July 14 Bloomington, IL Nightshop
July 15 Athens, OH The Union
July 16 Cleveland, OH No Class
July 17 Johnson City, TN The Hideaway

Headlining dates, White Hills support:
July 19 Charlotte, NC Snug Harbor
July 20 Charlottesville, VA Champion Brewing (free show)
July 21 Morgantown, WV 123 Pleasant St
July 23 Richmond, VA Richmond Music Hall
July 24 Philadelphia, PA Silk City
July 25 Brooklyn, NY Knitting Factory
July 26 Pittsburgh, PA Crafthouse
July 28 Detroit, MI Smalls
July 31 Newport, KY Southgate House
August 1 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
August 3 Green Bay, WI Lyric Room
August 4 Iowa City, IA Wildwood
August 7 Denver, CO Globe Hall
August 8 Salt Lake City, UT Aces High
August 10 Seattle, WA Substation
August 11 Bellingham, WA Shakedown
August 12 Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theatre
August 13 Portland, OR Bossanova Ballroom
August 14 Sacramento, CA Café Colonial
August 16 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
August 19 Tempe, AZ Yucca Taproom
August 20 Albuquerque, NM 606
August 21 Oklahoma City, OK 89th St
August 25 Kansas City, MO Record Bar
August 26 St. Louis, MO Red Flag
August 27 Rock Island, IL Skylark
August 29 Minneapolis, MN 7th St Entry

Tickets for all shows are on-sale now: https://telekineticyeti.com/ticket-links.

https://www.facebook.com/telekineticyetiband/
https://www.instagram.com/telekinetic_yeti/
https://telekineticyeti.bandcamp.com/releases

teepeerecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/teepeerecords/
https://teepeerecords.bandcamp.com/

Telekinetic Yeti, “Ancient Nug” official video

Okay, here’s what I know. Telekinetic Yeti were the shit circa the 2017 release of their debut album, Abominable (featured here). Dudes were losing their minds, like “RIFFS AAARRRGGH GOD THE RIFFS ARE SO GOOD!” on and on. Hyperbole enough to drown in. And fair enough. The Iowan two-piece delivered high-energy fuzz in brash style, hitting into an early mastery of their style and a penchant for memorable craft. Plus they toured. And had big beards.

Then drama happened. Now Telekinetic Yeti is one band and Twin Wizard is another. We got two good bands out of one. I don’t know what the deal was — it seemed ugly, as some do — but at the end of the day, the new Telekinetic Yeti song is heavier than those boxes of books you (I) had to carry yesterday and as far as I’m concerned if a band has to split, getting two bands out of the deal and having both be cool is the best case. Primordial, the second Telekinetic Yeti LP and first with the lineup of guitarist/vocalist Alex Baumann and drummer Rockwel Heim, will be released July 8 through the venerable Tee Pee Records. The band will tour their way to and through Desertfest New York next month, and there you have it.

Oh wait. Here you have it. Sorry:

TELEKINETIC YETI RELEASE PRIMORDIAL ON JULY 8 VIA TEE PEE RECORDS

PRE-ORDER HERE: https://teepeerecords.com/products/telekinetic-yeti-primordial-cd-lp

Telekinetic Yeti, the Iowa-based duo of Alex Baumann (guitar/vocals) and Rockwel Heim (drums) whose self-released debut album earned them accolades across the metal underground, have set a July 8 release date for their Tee Pee Records’ debut, Primordial.

“This song is about searching for meaning and purpose amidst the ubiquitous suffering we endure,” explains Baumann. “It’s also about something long lost being rediscovered, and the resonating ripples of butterfly effects from the ancient past that affect all life today. We really liked filming in this location because it had such a meditative and surreal quality to it. We felt that it fit the themes of the song well.”

A preview of the 11-song album arrives with the Joe Gibbs directed video for “Ancient Nug” video (https://metalinjection.net/video/telekinetic-yeti-sludges-their-way-through-new-single-ancient-nug).

Primordial was produced by Phillip Cope (Kylesa, Baroness). Album pre-orders are available now (https://teepeerecords.com/products/telekinetic-yeti-primordial-cd-lp), with the collection available on several limited-edition colored vinyl variants, CD and digitally.

Telekinetic Yeti’s debut album, Abominable, was one of the year’s most talked about debuts, as tours with Clutch, Red Fang and Weedeater followed. With Primordial, the band takes their game to a whole new level. The album explores themes as diverse as evolution, sorcery, black magic and the contradictions of the gloriously uplifting yet simultaneously melancholic human condition.

The band will spend the remainder of the year touring with a slot already on deck for Desertfest NYC.

Tour dates:
May 11 Canton, OH Buzzbin
May 12 Youngstown, OH Westside Bowl
May 14 Boston, MA Middle East
May 15 New York, NY Desertfest NYC
May 16 Buffalo, NY Mohawk Place
May 17 Columbus, OH Ace of Cups

Primordial track list:
1. Primordial
2. Ancient Nug
3. Ghost Train Haze
4. Stoned Ape Theory
5. Light In a Dying World
6. Beast
7. Toke Wizard
8. Rogue Planet
9. Tides of Change
10. Invention of Fire
11. Cult of Yeti

https://www.facebook.com/telekineticyetiband/
https://www.instagram.com/telekinetic_yeti/
https://telekineticyeti.bandcamp.com/releases

teepeerecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/teepeerecords/
https://teepeerecords.bandcamp.com/

Telekinetic Yeti, “Ancient Nug” official video