Scott Kelly of Neurosis has just announced a new solo acoustic tour here in the States. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Acoustic
John Garcia – The Coyote Who Spoke In Tongues
When I spoke to former Kyuss frontman John Garcia in 2014, he said the follow-up to his debut solo record could easily be an album of covers. In truth, Garcia’s sophomore album, The Coyote Who Spoke In Tongues (Napalm), is instead an extension of his ‘An Evening With’ unplugged tour; nine tracks of stripped back acoustic music, featuring re-imaginings of Kyuss classics and some new material. Continue reading
Former Kyuss Singer John Garcia is Streaming His New Acoustic Album Online
Former Kyuss frontman John Garcia will be releasing his new acoustic record, The Coyote Who Spoke In Tongues, tomorrow via Napalm Records. Continue reading
Megadeth Performs At Thrashing Through The Snow Benefit Show
Megadeth teamed up with Music Drives Us for a very special holiday show last week in Boston. Continue reading
The Sword – Low Country
Today, we’re revisiting our friends in The Sword with their latest release Low Country (Razor & Tie), the acoustic counterpart to 2015’s High Country. Continue reading
Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine To Play Thrashing Through The Snow In Boston
Video: Anthrax Covers Comfortably Numb By Pink Floyd Live On Opie Radio
Anthrax will be performing a special benefit show for cancer support group Gilda’s Club on Friday at Saint Vitus Bar (details). Today the thrash legends stayed in New York City, and stopped by the SiriusXM studios to perform a rare acoustic set for their friends at Opie Radio.Continue reading
Nergal Reveals “Me And That Man” Solo Album Is Coming In 2017
Nergal has been teasing us about his upcoming solo project for many months, but the Behemoth front man has just revealed in his latest Instagram post that the Me And That Man record will finally be coming to the masses in early 2017.Continue reading
An Evening with John Garcia: Camden Underworld, London
Two acts, two guitars, no drum kits and three leather sofas. This might well be the most sedate gig London’s Camden Underworld has ever seen. Former Kyuss frontman John Garcia is back in the capital, but this time on a short unplugged tour billed as “An Evening With”. So instead of a full band we have leather sofas and War Drum’s Ehren Groban playing acoustic.
Despite the name suggesting otherwise, Bellhound Choir is a one guitar project from Denmark. The perfect kind of jam for a hot sunny beach around a campfire, and a fitting warm up for the night with Christian Hede Madsen’s smooth baritone and sparse guitar create a mellow combo of dark country and blues.
Where some metal musicians – for example Zakk Wylde – are known for their acoustic leanings, this is new territory for Garcia. Going unplugged allows the former Slo Burn/Hermano/Unida/Vista Chino frontman to show off a more sensitive side to his vocals in a way that’s only occasionally been hinted at on record. He’s always had a quality voice and a back catalogue filled with stoner classics and the stripped back sound allows Garcia to take centre stage from the comfort of his leather recliner and shine.
We get a few cuts from the new self-titled Garcia album; tracks like ‘The Bld’ and ‘Her Bullets Energy’ work well as mellow campfire numbers, but much like on record it’s the jumping riffs of the Danko Jones-penned ‘5,000 Miles’ that stand out as one of the best. The original numbers penned for this tour and potentially new album are a more straight ahead mellow acoustic numbers, but ‘Phototropic’ shows off Groban’s skill with an acoustic guitar; employing a series of loops to really build the layers of the song into something special, while his solo spot shows off some real Spanish classical flair.
Unsurprisingly it’s the Kyuss numbers that get the biggest cheers of the night, culminating in a one-two of ‘Green Machine’ and ‘Space Cadet’. Still sounding fresh even after 20 years, the old classics translate well to acoustic. Garcia still has a great set of pipes on him, but despite being a good show, the trouble with finishing on such a high note, however, is that it brings up that eternal question: when the hell are we going to get a proper Kyuss reunion?
WORDS BY DAN SWINHOE
Steve Von Til – A Life Unto Itself
Just like Wino, or fellow bandmate Scott Kelly, when taking time off from his day job, Neurosis vocalist/guitarist Steve Von Til likes to stray from metal and dabble in acoustic albums. A Life Unto Itself is Til’s fourth under his own name, following on from 2008’s A Grave is a Grim Horse [both Neurot Recordings]
Much like his previous solo outings, it’s an acoustic album of dark Americana; sometimes folky, sometimes straying into more country territory, but always fuelled by a slow burning melancholy. Accompanying Til’s gravelly baritone are slide and steel guitars, fiddles, piano, plus occasional synths, and the variety of styles and sounds on offer ensure that while the mood rarely lifts it remains a compelling listen throughout.
Whether it’s the haunting seven minutes of the title track, the eerie ‘Night of the Moon’ or the introspective ‘Birch Bark Box’, every track boats layers of subtlety, texture and emotion. Til’s poetic introspection moulds the best of latter day Johnny Cash and Nick Cave and feels very personal, and suit the leaden pace yet sombre atmosphere that Til’s music creates.
While musically Til’s solo material is worlds away from his work with Neurosis, it retains that same crushing feeling of oppression. A Life Unto Itself is a hard, tiring listen and not one for those wanting an acoustic experience to relax to [Wino’s outings with Conny Ochs are far more uplifting in comparison], but it’s a rewarding listen for those willing to revel in the misery.
7.5/10
DAN SWINHOE