I’m not saying I’m doing a countdown or anything, but definitely as we get down to the wire on the last few weeks of having Wino Wednesday as a regular feature, it’s made me think about what are some of my favorite tracks the man has produced in his 30-plus-year career. And yeah, there are some classics along the way, between his work in The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand, etc. More to the point, he’s been a part of shaping American doom as we know it today, in the part of the Maryland scene that still seems to be coming to grips with what The Obsessed accomplished during their run, and well beyond.

Over six years ago now, Wino joined forces with Clutch drummer Jean-Paul Gaster and Rezin bassist Jon Blank to form the Wino band and release Punctuated Equilibrium on Southern Lord. As a record, it seemed to draw together the various sides of Wino‘s songwriting that had emerged in Spirit Caravan, The Obsessed and The Hidden Hand, and while the band’s run would be cut short by the death of Blank following their 2009 European tour and Wino would proceed to use the moniker for his acoustic solo work — making his debut in that form with 2010’s Adrift while also fleshing out the Saint Vitus reunion — the record captured something of his work that none of the other bands had, and it retains a personality of its own listening back to it now.

I always dug “Secret Realm Devotion” and thought of it as what it felt like doing while standing around at an empty doom show waiting to watch something the world outside had no idea about. That’s not really what the song is speaking toward, as the lyrics show:

The patterns on the wall send messages to me
A piece unto the whole through blindness I can see
My heart’s like a bird in a cage, darkness obscures the display
Emotion caused reason to bend, devotions obsession transcends
Not a minute that goes by, without a presence in my brain
No limit just the sky, it’s beautiful and it’s strange
Secret realm inside heart beat turns the key
Deepest love inside unlocks the mystery
When I’m down inside a tear, wondering why I’m in this place
Your comfort is so dear, when the moon is full I see your face
Secret realm divine, ritual ecstasy,
Leave this world behind, becomes reality
You’re locked into my heart, I’m with you night and day
From the altar of your star, to the gleaming crown
Of the moonlight rays

But it was fun to think of it that way anyhow. Whatever it’s about, it’s a quality track that stands among my personal favorites from Wino‘s vast discography, and I hope you enjoy:

Wino, “Secret Realm Devotion”

I understand why the Wino trio only lasted as long as it did, what with drummer Jean-Paul Gaster‘s neverending tour commitments with Clutch and the death of bassist Jon Blank after the three-piece’s return from their successful European run, and as much as the solo acoustic material Wino has released since working under his own moniker has been a fascinating progression to witness and has resulted in no shortage of brilliant songwriting and performances, I still really dig the hell out of Punctuated Equilibrium. It’s not an all-the-time album, but it’s definitely a fit for summer, and as it’s started to warm up here in the desolate north, I’m finding it worth yet another return listen, the catchy, sunshiny opening of “Release Me” telling of some of the good-time vibes to follow.

Punctuated Equilibrium came out early in 2009 on Southern Lord Recordings, and aside from uniting Scott “Wino” Weinrich and Gaster at the top of the bill, it also tied together a lot of Wino‘s songwriting as demonstrated throughout the years in his various bands. “Smilin’ Road” had some of the upbeat vibes of Spirit Caravan, while the following “Eyes of the Flesh” tapped into the classic doom of The Obsessed and both “Gods, Frauds, Neo-Cons and Demagogues” and “Secret Realm Devotion” touched on themes and a more mystical take on heavy rock evocative of The Hidden Hand. Of course, the constant running through all of those bands is Wino‘s songwriting itself, and front-to-back, Punctuated Equilibrium demonstrated plainly that whatever the context, Wino‘s guitar and vocals were among the most distinctive in heavy.

The shame of it is that as Wino moved on to solo work, his collaboration with Conny Ochs and reunions with Saint Vitus, The Obsessed and Spirit Caravan, these songs were left behind. Maybe one of these days they’ll get picked back up for an acoustic reinterpretation or something. Till then, have a great Wino Wednesday.

Wino, Punctuated Equilibrium (2009)

The first thing you hear is that unmistakable wall of fuzz. I was fortunate enough to be standing on the balcony in the Green Room at the 013 in Tilburg when the Wino trio — Scott “Wino” Weinrich on vocals/guitar, Jon Blank on bass and Jean Paul Gaster on drums — played the set that’s captured on Live at Roadburn 2009, and though it’s a work that will probably always carry with it an element of tragedy — Blank would die of an overdose a few weeks after returning home to the States — there’s no denying the potency of the three-piece in this live setting. If anything, Live at Roadburn 2009 (review here) is only made sadder by how good it is and how much potential this partnership had, should it have been able to continue and flourish as its own unit.

Of course, Wino and Gaster (who was on loan from his main outfit, Clutch) were the headlining names, but to hear how well Blank stood up to both of these marquee players in filling out “Sunblood” — which originally appeared on The Hidden Hand‘s first full-length, Divine Propaganda, in 2003 — it’s obvious he was the right guy for the job. In addition to the setlist that spanned Weinrich‘s discography and included cuts from The Obsessed (“Neatz Brigade,” “Streetside” “Skybone” and “Streamline”), Spirit Caravan (“Lost Sun Dance”) and the aforementioned The Hidden Hand in addition to the Wino album, Punctuated Equilibrium, released on Southern Lord the same year they played in Tilburg, Live at Roadburn 2009 showed a nascent propensity to jam as Gaster and Blank took off in “Release Me/Wild Blue Yonder” that Weinrich would soon use as a founding principle in his subsequent four-piece, the shortlived Premonition 13.

Roadburn/Burning World Records, which released Live at Roadburn 2009 late in 2010, has the collection up for a pay-what-you-want download at their Bandcamp page, and to honor their generosity and celebrate this perhaps-baggage-laden-but-still-awesome live record, hosting the stream here for Wino Wednesday seemed like a no brainer. Hope you enjoy.

Happy Wino Wednesday: