I remember very clearly being in my kitchen in Massachusetts when I got on the phone with Tyler Lenane, to talk about what was then called Gimme Radio. Dude had big plans. I am forever skeptical of dudes with big plans. Metal dudes with big plans more so. If your plan is to make money in metal, chances are that plan is going to fail. If your plan is to make money off metalheads spending theirs, it’s going to fail faster. As a culture, metal is resoundingly cheap. So much so that t-shirts are a sign of pride and support. A fucking t-shirt. Think about that for a minute. Not exactly paying somebody’s mortgage, is it?

In any case, to be wary is a lesson I’ve learned over and over again, so when I spoke with Lenane, my initial vibe was decidedly in the negative. Nope. Not interested. Not gonna lend my name or time to this thing that’s probably never gonna get off the ground in the first place and even if it does will almost certainly crash back down shortly thereafter. I’ve got enough on my plate in my little corner of the internet. I don’t need or particularly want to be involved in some startup shit.

What he said to turn me around on that, I’m not sure these years later, but I recall my position had softened by the time we hung up the phone, which as I understand it is how startups happen in the first place. I put together a sample playlist and sent it to Brian Turner (whom I might idolize forever on account of his having been PD at the rightly legendary WFMU in Jersey City), used what was then their weird software back end Zetta to record some shitty voice tracks, and that was the start of ‘The Obelisk Show’ on Gimme Radio, which would soon enough rebrand as Gimme Metal. It didn’t even occur to me to post the playlists here until I was on episode eight. I really didn’t think it was going to last.

Well, define “lasting” in that context, right? Five-plus years and more than 100 episodes later, I came to really enjoy ‘The Obelisk Show’ on Gimme Metal. And whether you’re in music or you’re in tech — and Gimme Metal was in both — surviving for half a decade isn’t nothing.

But I’ve been around long enough to have seen and felt that shoe drop plenty of times. Print mags going under. Sites going down for good. Shit, I got fired from my college radio station. Whatever ‘career’ I’ve had in the last 20-plus years has been little more than a succession of layoffs, in or out of the music industry, and the most consistent thing I’ve ever done in terms of ‘work’ is this site, which I pointedly don’t try to make money with because that seems like an awfully good way to kill it dead. So yeah. I said on most episodes of the show that I was surprised Gimme hadn’t shitcanned me yet. It became a running gag. But it was also true.

I am sorry to see Gimme go. Sorrier than I thought I’d be, honestly. Getting to work with Dean Rispler as the show’s engineer for the last year-plus was an absolute dream. I sent the playlist, I sent the VTs, and he put it together with the kind of obvious care that can only come from actual passion for it. Can’t get that with a podcast, or a Spotify playlist or whatever else. It was a professional situation. There was no money — I didn’t even have a ‘tip jar,’ which I know other DJs did — but it was run like a pro company, because it was one.

Thank you to Dean, to Brian, to Tyler. Thanks to Mark Kitchens for the platypus above. Thanks to everyone who hung out in the chat or just checked in and left. I’ll miss sharing music in that way. I’ve always liked radio, hosting a program, picking tracks and talking about music. Right now, I don’t know if I’ll ever get to do it again, and that 107-episode catalog of ‘The Obelisk Show’ I guess is going to just disappear on April 29 when Gimme Metal officially shuts down. I’ve got an ep airing tomorrow though. A repeat. I had a playlist in progress when the email came in, and yeah, while it’s satisfying to know that the last song I ever played on my final new show for Gimme was Vape Warlök, I wish I’d had the chance to do it twice.

Thanks for listening if you listened, thanks for reading if you’re reading. We roll on, but Fridays will just be Fridays I guess from here out. And yeah, I’ve still got my Gimme Radio t-shirt, if you’re wondering.

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So I kinda wanted to hear some old shit alongside all the new shit, which I guess I feel okay about. I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like every second of every show has to be super-recent as much as possible to get word out about new bands again as much as possible — and again again as much as possible to the extent of whatever the audience for this show is; I honestly have no idea — but that’s not even close to being true in reality. I could play Death, no one would give a shit.

I should play Death. Next show if I remember, which I’m saying up front is like 70/30 no.

Anyway, so old High on Fire into new Dozer and Altered States’ recent “The Crossing” crossing with The Hidden Hand’s “The Crossing” from their brilliant 2004 opus, and JAAW feeding into Celtic Frost feeding into Vape Warlök. Fucking a. This show’s pretty good. I hope I don’t ruin it by, you know, talking.

A few albums here I’m looking forward to knowing better. Swanmay for sure, JAAW absolutely, and I might even say that of Dozer, perhaps into perpetuity or at very least until long after I’ve reviewed it and hailed it as one of the best albums of the year — which I don’t even feel shy in saying because it’s a fucking given — and Bongzilla, because they’re Bongzilla and I’m glad they’re putting out records. They’re a needed reminder of how even the heaviest things can be made to float.

Thanks if you listen to this show. If not, it happens, but thanks for reading anyhow. If you stumbled here and have no idea what I’m talking about, you might still consider checking out a band or two from the playlist and find something to make your day better.

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

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 03.31.23 (VT = voice track)

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is April 14 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

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All of the music included in today’s episode of The Obelisk Show is new unless otherwise noted. There was some fresh-out stuff I knew I wanted to put in — REZN, Black Helium, Child, Edena Gardens, Santo Rostro, etc. — and then I kind of started digging back a little, and with the space of a year between went back to dig a few tracks out of 2021, the Thermic Boogie song from 2020, and so on, all with the semi-conscious aim of exploring the idea of what it means when one thinks of a band being ‘dug in.’

In the voice tracks, clever soul that I am, I call it “digging in to being dug in.” It’s not a special episode, really — apart from the odd deep-dive or memorial, getting to play new music someone might not’ve heard on a platform like Gimme Metal is pretty special already, as far as I’m concerned — but kind of an underlying semi-theme. At very least, something that was in my head when I put the playlist together.

So with the back and forth of new and old(er) material and longer songs generally, it’s a different episode for sure than the last one, but I wanted to see how this went and how it felt really picking tracks that unfold in their own way, letting them do that. I don’t know if it’ll work or not — if the chat is dead and nobody’s listening, I’ll have my answer — but it’s a little bit of an experiment on my end and I’m grateful for the opportunity to conduct it.

Thanks if you listen. Thanks for reading. Thanks in general. Your support is appreciated. I’m a real human being and it means something to me, genuinely.

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

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 03.17.23 (VT = voice track)

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is March 31 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

The Obelisk on Facebook

I feel like I’m doubling down on heavy shit, and that’s probably a good thing. This is a killer show. New Dozer, the riffy cut from the new Enslaved right after the Polymoon song where they sound like Enslaved. The most arrogant track from the Mathew’s Hidden Museum record (not a rag on it, the arrogance is what makes it), the closer from the Sandrider record where they do the big riff thing, fucking Stoned Jesus’ “Season of the Witch” that I’ve been dying to share since whenever the hell it was I got the record, god damn, and Black Sky Giant’s gorgeous post-prog immersion and Ruff Majik’s new single speaking of fucking arrogance, but like super-depressed-you’re-actually-kind-of-worried-about-them arrogance. Their new record is so fucking good. I’mma put it on right now, and mark your calendar because I’m streaming it April 27. That’s right. I book shit that early. Hell, I’ve got a stream slated for July 12. Who even knows if the planet will still be here?

Anyway, the list in progress: it’s got that Abanamat and Hail the Void that everyone’s all over, Cleõphüzz whose debut album came out after they already broke up — I love this genre — and new The Freak Folk of Mangrovia that I got like five minutes before making the playlist, and a fucking band called Bong Corleone! Bong Corleone! I don’t know how that alone wouldn’t make you listen to the show. Dread Witch are heavy as hell, and I played the longest Swarm track I could because they rule and I figured the more of the show they take up the better.

I know I always say thanks if you listen. And hey, thanks if you listen. But if you don’t catch this one, it ain’t my damn fault. Show is awesome.

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

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 03.03.23 (VT = voice track)

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is March 3 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

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I was sitting on the couch earlier this week, in the usual spot, putting this playlist together and, knowing that I wanted to start with the title-track of the new Mansion album — something about Alma crooning that second death is upon you felt just right — I was immediately stuck. How on earth do you follow that? I was glad that I remembered Samán and could use them to transition to a kind of riffier take, but yeah, in terms of vibe, the severity of that Mansion record is a tough one to answer immediately with something else. Where do you go from there beyond an actual dungeon?

This show kind of divides in half. The first hour is new music. The second hour is a look at some Polish heavy, which if you’ve been paying attention to the last few Friday Full-Lengths (including today’s, which isn’t posted yet), you know has been on my mind. Dopelord, Major Kong, Belzebong, Sunnata and Weedpecker represent Poland well, I thought — Spaceslug are the obvious name left out, but I’m keeping them in reserve for later — and after that I wanted to close with SubRosa just because “Black Majesty” is long, brilliant, not a jam, and something that was in my head. It’s been an up and down couple of weeks, I guess, as regards general well-being.

If you’re unfamiliar, keep an ear out for Moodoom early, plus the tracks from The Machine, Swan Valley Heights, Stoned Jesus and Troll Teeth. The 1782 track isn’t my favorite off their new record — anything about lady-demons is kind of a turnoff for me at this point — but the band is cool and that’s the single from the album, so I wasn’t about to be a jerk and pick something else. And if you didn’t hear the L’Ira del Baccano earlier this week when it premiered, that’s time well spent in instrumental immersion, and makes a great leadoff for that extended block of tunes, I think.

As always, I hope you enjoy the show if you listen. Thanks for reading.

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

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 02.17.23 (VT = voice track)

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is March 3 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

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Yeah, I realize that I say the same shit every time I post a Gimme Metal playlist, but this is a good god damn show. New Simple Forms to start, new Sandrider, Merlock, Acid King, Polymoon, REZN, some WyndRider and Strider — both reviewed in the last week or so — then on to Enslaved as a shift into meaner fare with Tribunal, These Beasts, They Grieve, Fuzzy Grapes and Mammoth Caravan touching on various points in gruff doom and sludge before I come on again to mouthfart or whatever it is I do around saying ‘thanks for listening’ and turn it over to an 18-minute finish from Clouds Taste Satanic, who’ll head to Europe this Spring to support the 2LP record they released today on Majestic Mountain. Good god damn show.

There’s a flow to it that I like, from the Pacific Northwestern takes of Simple Forms and Sandrider at the outset to the lumbering of Mammoth Caravan before that last voice track, it has a groove. Because it airs at 5PM on a Friday evening, I’m not always able to blast out the show while I try to keep up with the chat — that’s Sesame Street time, these days, and all volume conflicts are resolved by my being yelled at and turning down the music, putting my phone on the lowest volume and holding it to my left ear or stepping out to the back yard to get stoned and listening there for a bit — but Dean Rispler, who actually assembles the thing from the playlist I turn in, is a genius and I always know that he’s got it down when it comes to conveying the flow from one song to the next. I rely on that, and he nails it every time. It honestly makes me look forward to these Fridays more.

If you listen, I hope you dig it. Thanks for reading either way.

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

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 02.03.23 (VT = voice track)

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Feb. 17 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

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If you missed the entire Quarterly Review, first of all, that’s okay. You’re not obligated. I only bring it up because it’s from that glut of 100 records that this playlist (and part of the last one) derives. It’s a good show, with a couple decent twists. I almost played the 18-minute Smoke song. Thought about it, but it gets a little droney and I worry about stuff like that getting lost in people’s audio feeds. You know, if they’ve got the thing streaming in the background or some such. I’m not fooling myself into thinking that, however many people are listening, they’re all paying the strictest attention to every minute of every song.

So it’s the seven-minute Smoke song, and the 14-minute Carrier Wave one. It was pretty easy to go and pick through the QR for stuff, to be honest. And there was enough that, even having done some last time, I might still be able to get more from it that would work for the show. That’s pretty killer, because unless I’m giving myself an excuse to get to know it, I don’t play stuff on here if I don’t think it’s at least worth hearing. In the meantime, this playlist rules. I can’t wait to hear what engineer Dean Rispler (he’s also in Mighty High and 70 or 80 other bands) does with the transition from Gaupa to Onségen Ensemble.

Thanks for listening if you listen. Thanks for reading either way.

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

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 01.20.23 (VT = voice track)

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Feb. 3 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

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This gets pretty heavy, pretty nasty. Then it kind of gets pretty. What happened was I knew I wanted to start with Basalt Shrine because that’s just too killer a beginning to pass up. But I was barely two days into the Quarterly Review and I knew I didn’t want to do a whole show based on that, so I just kind of went from Basalt Shrine forward on a line of extreme sludge of varying kinds, and that was fun for a while. When I started stumbling coming up with inclusions off the top of my head, I decided to switch gears.

That’s where you see the second voice break. I was going to put it at the top of the second hour but figured screw it. I wanted to play Indian and Wren and KVLL, so I did. And then I jump on, announce the change happening, and jump off. I didn’t even really end the show, just “here’s something else” and done. That was a little liberating, if I’m honest. I feel like I have to say hi, thanks, thanks to Gimme, explain what The Obelisk is to anyone who doesn’t know (which I assume is everyone), then thanks again and see you in two weeks. Felt good to skip even a little of that formality/formula.

I don’t think I’ll be rewriting how I do the show entirely, but I apparently needed something different, and that’s what I got.

Thanks for listening if you make it. Thanks for reading if you see this.

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

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 01.06.23 (VT = voice track)

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Jan. 6 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

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