In this episode, Ghost Cult Keefy chatted with the guys from Sundrifter! Their new album “An Earlier Time” is out now via Small Stone Records! The band discussed the genesis of the new album, the concepts behind the album, cool psychedelic artwork, the current Boston music scene, and more!Continue reading
Cult psychedelic heavy rock trio, Iota have just unveiled their new video for “The Timekeeper.” The track comes off the band’s new full-length, Pentasomnia, due out March 22nd via Small Stone Recordings. It will be available on CD, LP, and limited-edition vinyl. Keep reading below for the new video and more from the band.
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Small Stone Recordings, which is famous for the renowned Acid King and Wo Fat listed in their roster, sure got their thing going by releasing An Earlier Time (Small Stone Records), the third studio album of none other than Sundrifter. Having been around since 2012, the Boston-based desert rock trio has left significant marks through their 2016 debut Not Coming Back, and their 2019 sophomore album Visitations. They have also shared stages with a wide range of fellow heavy psychedelic units, King Buffalo and Gozu. Continue reading
One of the most anticipated events of SXSW is announced as Gravitoyd Presents and The Bird Barn Austin present Spider Ball 2020 showcase by Ripple Music and Small Stone Records with a killer lineup of Stoner, Doom, and Psychedelic Rock bands! The full list of bands includes The Well, Life, Rainbows Are Free, Geezer, Void Vater, Shark Muffin, The Glasspack, Lowcaster, Pale Grey Lore, The Boleys, Dayeater, Holy Death Trio, Jason Kane & The Jive, Temptress, SecondHand Shag, Warlung, Marco And The Human, Smokey Mirror, WoodenEarth, The Bobby Lees, Bridge Farmers, Monte Luna, Yatra, Grave Next Door and many more listed below. We also have the running order too! Taking place at Spiderhouse on March 20th all day and night from 1PM to 2 AM. Continue reading
When your name is breathed in the same sentence as Soundgarden and Queens of the Stone Age, it can’t be a bad thing. The influences of Boston trio Sundrifter are clear, but are only a small chunk of their armoury.Continue reading
Italian stoner quartet Black Elephant don’t usually plough that expected furrow, instead burning with a desire that evokes a rock club night rather than the chilled vibe of the desert. Sophomore album Cosmic Blues (Small Stone), however, sets off down a spacier path, with opener ‘Cosmic Soul’ full of psychedelic swirls and wonderful lead histrionics, all underpinned by a riff reeking of engine oil. A thundering rhythm section creates a blues-boogie coda, which leads nicely into the dirty groove of ‘Helter Skelter’: Caravelli Alessio’s whiskey-soaked throat oscillating around a sultry riff which does things it shouldn’t to the ears, a sleazy solo finishing off the ecstasy.Continue reading
It’s Friday, you’re out of work, and everyone’s either at the bar or out on a date. What’s a girl to do? Make her way down to Cambridge, MA to catch a show at the Middle East Upstairs with her friends, obviously.
Homegrown trio Rozamov took the stage first. I was familiar with them in name, but not in sound. I’m sure fans of doom would have enjoyed them but things require a little more energy and variety to keep my short attention span engaged. It wasn’t until the final song in their set that I started to get into things. I don’t remember what it was called but I believed the band mentioned that it was going to be featured on an upcoming split so keep an eye out for that.
Gozu, Photo by Meg Loyal PhotographyAlso hailing from Boston, MA were my favorite surprise of the evening; Gozu. Again, I was familiar with their name but not their music. I can’t say enough great things about this band and I’m actually listening to their album Locust Season (Small Stone Records) as I write this. It’s some dirty, stoner rock that makes you want to knock back a few beers and maybe one of your friends. In my case, the evening involved a lot of shaking my friends due to my excitement and an inability to shut up about their bassist. So, business as usual, really.
Exault, Photo by Meg Loyal Photography
Exalt brought their brand of metalcore to the stage next. I have never been much of a metalcore fan and as such, there were bits and pieces of songs that I enjoyed but nothing that I could really get into overall. It may prove to be a different story for fans of the genre. They were interesting to watch if anything and I can appreciate the hard work put into their performance even if it wasn’t really my thing.
Cancer Bats, Photo by Meg Loyal Photography
Headlining this little shindig in the tiny show space were the one and only Cancer Bats. I had seen them three times before, as they have a habit of playing with bands I love, but this was my first time having the chance to see the boys headline their own tour in the US. Anyone who has had the chance to see the Bats live before knows that they always bring a lot of energy to their performances. Vocalist Liam Cormier is like a fire cracker in tight pants bouncing around the stage and it’s impossible to avoid getting swept along with him. The set list for the evening primarily revolved around songs in support of their latest release, Searching for Zero (Metal Blade Records). They play some of my favorites off of the album including ‘True Zero’, ‘Arsenic in the Year of the Snake’, ‘Beezlebub’, and ‘Buds’. I would have liked to have heard ‘Cursed with a Conscience’ as well, maybe next time. The set also included fan favorites such as ‘Bricks and Mortar’, ‘Hail Destroyer’, and everyone’s favorite Beastie Boys cover; ‘Sabotage’. I ran into a few bohabs during the course of the evening and even more made themselves known once the band’s tribute to Dave Brockie a.k.a. Oderus Urungus of GWAR, ‘All Hail’, began.
Cancer Bats, Photo by Meg Loyal Photography
Cancer Bats, Photo by Meg Loyal Photography
All in all, it was a great show. My main complaint was that Cancer Bats’ set seemed unusually short for a headlining band. I would have liked to have gotten at least another half hour out of them. The sound for the show in general was quieter than I would have expected as well but that may have been because there was another show going on downstairs at the same time. Apart from that, I’d say it was a job well done and now I get to go back to complaining about them needing to tour again until the next one!
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WORDS BY ALEIDA LA LLAVE
PHOTOS BY MEG LOYAL PHOTOGRAPHY
The Damned will be releasing Another Live Album From The Damned on March 10, 2015 via Four Worlds Media, a special live album recorded at Manchester Academy during their 2010 tour. It is part of their Graveyard Chronicles series that features 21 songs and explores their unreleased and rare recordings, which many rarely seen on their set lists.
February 19 celebrated the 38th anniversary of the release of The Damned’s debut album, Damned Damned Damned. Four Worlds Media with Let Them Eat Vinyl celebrates the UK punk stalwarts with a series of limited and special releases, including remastered reissues, multi-disc live cds, colored double vinyl pressings, and more.
So, Who’s Paranoid was the first new album from the band in seven years on its original release in 2008. Meticulously reworked, this cd reissue (colored double-vinyl released February 10), includes three bonus songs. Finally, Tiki Nightmare: Live In London captures the band at renowned Shepherds Bush Empire in 2002 while in support of their album Grave Disorder. The band burns through album standouts plus classics “New Rose” (covered by Orange Goblin on Small Stone Records Sucking The 70’s Pt. 2, released in 2006) and “Neat Neat Neat.” The colored double-vinyl set, released February 10, features nineteen songs.
In addition, The Chiswick Singles… And Another Thing is a 24-song vinyl collection that includes A- and B-sides from the band’s years with Chiswick Records. Completely restored and remastered, the colored, double-vinyl set includes career highlights “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today,” “The History Of The World Pt. 2,” “Disco Man,” “Love Song,” and “Smash It Up.” Machine Gun Etiquette is the third album from the band. Far more experimental than their previous recordings, the album blended punk, psychedelia, and pop. Both saw North American release on January 27 on limited-edition colored, 140-gram vinyl. And still to come is the June 30 North American release of the deluxe hard cover, triple-vinyl pressing of The Black Album.
With the longest stable line-up in their multi-decade history, The Damned remain vital, energized, and ready for continued years of anarchy, chaos, and destruction.
Apr 16: Sala Arena – Madrid (ES)
Apr 17: Razz 2 – Barcelona (ES)
Apr 18: Santana 27 – Bilbao (ES)
Apr 23: The Picturedrome – West Yorkshire (UK)
Apr 24: North Shore – Sunderland (UK)
Apr 25: O2 ABC – Glasgow (UK)
Apr 26: Whitby Goth Weekend – Whitby (UK)
May 16: North West Calling – Manchester (UK)
Jun 04: Phoenix – Exeter (UK)
Jun 05: Cheese and Grain – Frome (UK)
Jun 06: Roundhouse – London (UK)
Aug 08: Rebellion – Blackpool (UK)
Sep 19: Undercover Festival – Guildford (UK)
The Damned are: vocalist Dave Vanian, guitarist Captain Sensible, drummer Pinch (also of English Dogs), bassist Stu West, and keyboardist Monty Oxymoron.