10.23.24 – Racket NYC
This was a doozy of a weeknight show in Manhattan and we were gifted with over an hour of Boris and their amplified wall of sound. It’s crazy to think that it has been since 2001 since we haven’t gotten at least one yearly release from Boris in some form and this year’s Hello There collab (with Coaltar of the Deepers), live performance of Fade, and 2 years later, and Noise. All these releases dropping this year continue to prove how prolific of a band they are.
The fourth installment of Desert Fest NYC has now come and gone. I want to start by thanking the crew, they ran a three-day fest with everything starting on time and limited technical difficulties throughout the fest, they worked their backsides off and it showed.
8.24.24 Knockdown Center, Brooklyn, NY
A hot sweaty night in Queens at a former industrial manufacturing plant turned music complex known as the Knockdown Center was an ideal setting for a limited run of dates for the Power Trip reunion. I had been fortunate enough to have captured PT a handful of times when Riley Gale (RIP) was still kicking ass, so I was really looking forward to getting a chance to see this homage on the anniversary of his passing. It did not disappoint, bodies were flying over the rail left and right and I had to keep my head on a swivel. You can check out the talented @tinfoilbiter on instagram for a photo of me being courteous to a fan’s desire to sing along after coming over the barricade. It was a party and the homies came out from far and wide for this only east coast date.Continue reading
The Brainsqueeze Tour. Holy shit this is one of the best tour packages I’ve seen in a good number of years. Stacked from start to finish with veteran bands performing at a level I haven’t seen from them in some years. Dead Heat started things off, I was unaware of them beforehand but left me intrigued and wanting more, plus the crowd at the Brooklyn Monarch showed up early, excited, and ready to throw down for this mosh fest of an evening.Continue reading
Elsewhere 11.3.23, Brooklyn NY
This was a great eclectic night and while I am well versed and have seen both Dälek and Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs a handful of times the local opener Taraneh I was unfamiliar with and pleasantly surprised by. Their visual appearance didn’t necessarily fit the mellow shoegaze vibe that they were throwing down, but that’s just a learning curve for a band and nothing to fault them for. All in all I dug it. It was mellow and flowy and a nice different way to start the show.
Let’s get one thing out of the way, Roadburn is still the premier underground fest that it has always been. I know so many people who went into this year’s fest expecting it to be their last, saying the lineup wasn’t for them, or that they didn’t like this change or that change. But I can tell you, they have all already booked rooms and bought tickets for next year. Change isn’t bad.
1-5-23, St Vitus, Brooklyn, NY
This was a hell of a show from start to finish and the best way I could have started the 2023 year if you want to quantize it that way. Boozewa (ˈbooze-ˌwä), features members of Backwoods Payback, hailing from West Chester, PA started the night off. Good lord, riffmas stayed late this year and treated Brooklyn with a healthy heaping of head-banging, fun time signatures, thick bass, and caveman drums.
Rejoicing still in the simple fact we can have a physical Roadburn again, the final two days definitely wore on our pandemic shocked psyche and physique. Stumbling more and wearing down in a way I’m not used to, I mentioned to some friends during the weekend the Pandemic has made us all old, and 5 days on our feet now feel a lot longer. Saturday started with the feeling it felt like a Sunday, traditionally called the afterburner, because by that time you are fairly burnt out.
After three years of waiting and longing, finally there will be an in person Roadburn Festival again. While the 2021 online edition Roadburn Redux, was in itself, innovative and the best digital festival I’ve seen set up during the dark days of the pandemic, nothing beats being physically shaken by bass heavy music and hugging friends from all over the world you only see once a year.
Ghost Cult caught up with Mike Scheidt of YOB recently, while the band was on their mini-headline tour. Mike talked about the return to touring, his approach to playing live, the longevity of the band, the new deluxe re-issue of their classic album Atma (Relapse Records) – what Mike is reading these days, and the progress of the next YOB album! Also, check out this EXCLUSIVE photo set from YOB live in New York by Dante Torrieri of Useless Rebel Imaging! In addition to our recent live review of the current tour from the band, Ghost Cult scribe Michael Miller shared his thoughts upon seeing the band recently sharing the common awe we all feel experiencing the band, as well, which serve as a nice warm up to our chat with Mike.