Archive (28/10/13 -7/3/14)
Monday Morsel 7th April
So a month has gone by since the last Morsel and there has been plenty going on. Firstly Truckfighters rolled into town for another fuzz soaked, high energy, sold out show at their London home, The Underworld. Polished, powerful and punchy as always and nice to hear Desert Cruiser as a closer and some of the new tracks from Universe rolled out live.
Secondly, Steak played another good set at The Black Heart at the afterparty prior to their trip into the desert (literally) to record thier first full length (produced by Arthur Sey) and as reported by Napalm Records earlier this week and having had it confirmed from the band, none other than Mr John Garcia has dropped in for some guest vocals on the release. Looking forward to that one dropping later in the year.
So onto the music:
With Desertfest just around the corner I thought I would try to some up my top five for the weekend. No mean feat with around 50 performances taking place over the weekend. Now I have had to be a little selective with this list as I am not going to put anyone up here who will also be playing at Freak Valley. They will have their moment in a few weeks time.
So here goes.
In 5th position it is Saturday's headliners, Norway's own (undefinable) owl wearing fuzz lords, Kvelertak! Having seen then at Download last year I was blownaway. They will bring the Electric Ballroom to it knees with their unique brand on thrash, screamcore, folk infused fuzz and it will be a great launching pad into (another) Desertfest after party. What happens after this set may effect greatly my ability to catch Black Rainbows on Sunday morning. Last year I made it (just) for Glowsun on Sunday and it was one of my highlights so fingers crossed.
In 4th is a new band to me that simply came about from their signing on the Desertfest bill. Originally lined up with Midnight Ghost Train, Sasquatch and The Machine it was hard to not be intrigued. Hailing from Washington DC, I reviewed them earlier this year, but barring a few clash issues, explained later, Borracho are primed to set the early running at the Underworld with tracks like this. Concentric Circles.
In 3rd is prehaps a bit of a dark horse. Grandloom is a 3 piece instrumental band from Germany who specialise in, yep you guessed it, tripped out jams. (What is it ablout these German three piece bands. Love 'em.) Headlining at the Black Heart on Sunday, I see this as a great comedown and zone out band to bring my weekend to the end, or me to my knees, which ever comes first. Big clashes to be discussed with this selection but at as it stands (prior to 200 Hells/Red Stripes,) this is the plan.
Grandloom: Apollo Moon
2nd: Now when the first running order of Deserfest 14 was released, my Friday was sorted. Borracho into Midnight Ghost Train into Sasquatch into kebab into The Machine. Sorted! Well that has now changed meaning Borracho and Sasquatch are back to back but at different venues so a quick sprint between The Underworld and The Electric Ballroom will be required. Sasquatch, from the mighty SmallStone label) are one on my favourite finds of the last 12 months. Layers of fuzz, catchy riffs and "Cornell-esqe" vocals, these guys come in a close 2nd in my Desertfest top 5. I expect another Morsel reader by the intials CS to lose his proverbial shit if they bring this number to life on Friday.
Sasquatch: Chemical Lady
Now for those of you who know me, this will be less of a surprise than when Tom Daley stepped from the closet. The Machine are one of my favorite bands on the planet and when they were/weren't/were/weren't on last years bill it was a bit of a downer but having seen them with Sungrazer a few years back I have been champing at the bit to see them again live. What an outfit. Recently announcing a band break up (on April 1st, very good), I have been rarely rendered useless by a live band more so than at a Machine gig. This dutch 3 peice are for me the jewel in the Desertfest crown this year and will set up the festival perfectly for me on Friday, tucked nicely in behind Spirit Caravan. (Great scheduling) The Machine: Moons of Neptune
So their we have it. Desertfest Review of sorts. So many apologies to make but without writing a 10,000 word thesis, I had to draw the line somewhere. It is building nicely toward another truly epic weekend. I look forward to seeing you all there. Come up an say G'day!
Fuzz f'n Tastic
Monday 3rd March The Morsel
Welcome to another morsel of the Monday Morsel.
Now and then we have musical discoveries which just come along at the right time. Truckfighters have long been a favourite on the Morsel, and it is through them this next discovery was made. On tour through Europe at the moment (and London this Saturday at the Underworld), the Trucks have bought along their own support so it was with great interest I checked out the very "stoner" named Valley of the Sun.
With only two EP’s to be found with 2010 and 2011 release dates and a new “Electric Talons of the Thunderhawk” LP eminent, I had an explore. Now I might be the last person on the planet to have discovered this 3 piece from Ohio, so if this is old news I apologise but, I don't often make demands or promises on this page but if you are a regular here and share a similar musical taste to me then BUY THIS!
The Sayings of the Seers (2011) EP!! Wow! What a find. The Valley of the Sun prescribe to the classic sounds of Unida, Hermano and dare I say Australia's own Somewhere in Mexico with vocals set right back in the pocket and driving riff after riff, not to mention lazy cruise out solos like the one present on Mariners Tale and Riding the Dune, which just flow out and you hope may never end.
The opening track Hearts Aflame gets this monumental EP of the a stampeding start with a driving rhythm section and vocals reminiscent of Unida meets Alice in Chains.
I won't go into a full review as I seem like a bit of a fraud only discovering this band now and hope you go and make your own conclusions. For me, Fuzz f'n tastic.
I will leave you with the Book ends so to speak. The blazing opener Hearts Aflame the colossal closer Riding the Dune.
All that is left to say is if you live in London or are coming on Saturday to see TF’s then make the effort and get there early. I'll see you down the front.
ASG are a band that have drifted around my playlist for a while now after they were named on the Desertfest lineup. Hailing from North Carolina, this 4 piece drive out some cruise out, melodic, stoner, classic fuzz. Huge vocal sound (slightly reminiscent of Janes Addiction) and tight back end with amazing production, these guys sound great. With 4 albums in the can and a split EP with Black Tusk, ASG are somewhat veterans of the scene with their first EP released back in 2002. Light and dark moments in most songs and surging and interesting guitar work which ebbs and flows through the mood of each song, makes ASG a fantastic prospect for a live set at Desertfest. I have finally arrived at this band after not so much as a delay but rather a saturation of brilliant new music. Definitely a band to check out if you into the Freedom Hawk, Fu Manchu and the Sword’s of this world. One not to miss at Desertfest.
Taken from their most recent release, Blood Drive, this weeks track is Avalanche and is one hell of an opener. Enjoy
Finally this week, I will keep it short. The first taster from what promises to be one of the releases of the year has arrived. Wo Fat's next offering The Conjuring.
First streamed track courtesy of Smallstone coincides with the announcement that they will play London at The Underworld in late May. Reinforcements may be required to the pillars in that small band room when these guys get going. Great news is they bring the Mothership boys for the ride. One not to miss. So that's it as I am bound to write plenty more once this album is released. Enjoy
Wo Fat- Beggars Bargain.
Finally this week a gig announcement for London's own Strauss (reviewed on The Morsel)Twice a year they organise a gig at the George Tavern to try to promote and play with some bands that they like.
The next Event is on the 22nd of March. https://www.facebook.com/events/660733063986289/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming .
Get along, it's a free gig, and support some local fuzz.
That's it from me. See you at TFs
Fuzz fn tastic.
17th February Monday Morsel
Welcome to another morsel of The Morsel. In a week where Desertfest London seems to be finally revealing all its aces and when tickets to Freak Valley Festival have been locked away I am first drawn to make some comment on what I witnessed 2 weeks back.
So onto the music.
All bands from upcoming festivals this week and opening with a monster of a track from Texas 3 piece and Freak Valley attendees Mothership. Described on their Reverbnation site as: “a tasty combination of 60's and 70's blues infused style riffs, teamed with the blistering guitar solos of the late 70's and early 80's, a rare 3 piece smelt of super sonic intergalactic Heavy Rock and Blues” the band grabbed my attention a few weeks back when I was trawling through some of the bands I had not yet heard from the FVF lineup. There self titled LP (HERE) is well worth the price on bandcamp and I can not wait to hear these guys live. Roll on FVF! What a find!! Disclaimer: Prior to listening to this absolute gargantuan slab of fuzz I strongly advise headphones, outside (or dark) beer/wine/smoke of your choice and time to enjoy. Trust me, you have been warned!
Mothership: Halucination/Cosmic Rain
Onto track two this week and it comes from a band playing the Friday at Desertfest on a stage with The Machine, Sasquatch & The Midnight Ghost Train. As readers of the Morsel, my appreciation for these bands is well documented so it was with great interest I checked out Borracho! Hailing from Washington DC these guys arrived in 2011 with their debut Splitting Sky. A 7” and 10” later they released Oculus in 2013. This latest release is an absolute blinder. Bookended by two huge tracks, from the moment the opening bass riff of Empty resonated through my speakers followed by the chorus driven swirling guitar, haunting vocal and driving downtuned fuzz, I was hooked. Closing track, I’ve Come for it All is a classic fuzzed out rock n roll cruiser. Interestingly my route to this band is a great starting point to describe their sound. Take all the above mentioned bands, blend and we have Borracho. Heavy, melodic, tripped out jams, charging riffs, singable choruses, interesting song structures, it is all hear. Fans of Wo Fat and The Midnight Ghost Train will love this band. A stand out find for the year so far and another must see on what is starting to look like a very BIG Friday at DF.
Bandcamp HERE
Borracho: Stockpile
Finally this week is a band I have featured before on the Morsel but I have finally got around to listening to their latest release in full. Black Rainbows, Holy Moon. From my intro track to this band “The Hunter” this album has a lot more diverse and interesting moods and I really can’t wait to see this translated to a live setting on the Sunday at DF. Opening with the title track and overdubbed spoken word report on alien sound waves, this album is balls to the wall! Instrumental at times and more traditional rock out’s like The Hunter this band (with a substantial back catalogue) are a real find. The track I have chosen shows a more diverse sound for the band ,drawing on some Eastern influences, this instrumental collusus is one I got completely lost in one commute last week.
Fuzz f’n tastic
Black Rainbows : Chakra Temple
Just In: News out of Small Stone is that the new WoFat is an absolute beast. Better than The Balck Code.. Really? Exciting times.
Fu Manchu also back in the studio.
Have a great week.
See you at Truckfighters on the 8th March UK readers.
13th January Monday Morsel
Well a Happy "Fuzzin" New Year to you all and thankyou for helping celebrate the First Year of the Morsel. When I started this a year ago it was simple a way of sharing new music with a few buddies in OZ. With your help, it has grown to become a juganaut that consumes most of my spare time and a bloody great way of bringing new people into the stoner/doom/fuzz genre. In our first year we have had contributions and visits for 15 different countries. Not bad. Several bands have shared the link, including Lowrider, and plenty more have made contact with the site requesting gig announcements and song/album reviews. Overall I have been blown away by the success in the first year and can now only look onward and upward for Year 2.
Due to the huge amount of new Morslings discovering this genre for the first time this year, the annual readers poll made interesting reading, as this year it was all about discovered bands. It did not have to be a new band for 2013, but what was your best discovery. Thank you to all those who voted and here is what you told me:
1st Place: The MIGHTY Wo fat.
2nd Truckfighters
3rd Sasquatch
Honorable mentions, Freedom Hawk, Steak, Lowrider, Kadavar, The Machine, Sungrazer.
Favourite Gigs for the year, outside of Desertfest, for me goes to Kadavar @ Borderline or SBE @ Borderline,
Now although none of these are "new" bands, it is awesome that so many people discovered them through this site. (Insert a pat on the back for myself and any bands wanting to send me commissions, please dont be shy!!)
So to borrow a phrase from the movie Friday "Why you bringing up old shit?" Let look forward.
This year brings new albums, gigs, ANOTHER Desertfest and plenty of meeting new people of a few Camden Hells. This week I shall be taking in Stubb at the Black Heart, followed by Dozer Lowerider and Steak in Feb anf the Truckfighters in March. April, well thats all about Desertfest. So a fine start to the gigging year.
Onto the Music.
If there was a better way to bring in the New Year than seeing Earthless play in my home town, Melbourne, on NYE then I cant think of one. Unfortunately I was in the UK, fortunately one of our Morsel readers in OZ, EC, attended and was suitably blown away. Love your work Ed. So this week we are going to kick of the first of our 3 morsels with Earthless and Violence of the Red Sea. Their album From the Ages was one of my albums of the year in '13 and this being the first track of the LP sets the tone. Ridiculous noodling and well constructed and interesting instrumentals set this band apart. Great rumbling bass and tight drums complete the package so sit back, take some time and kick off 2014 with this epic offering.
Continuing with the theme of the tripped out and enlongated jams we move to another of my albums of '13. Also in my gigs of the year, Samsara Blues Experiment released Waiting for the Flood. These guys are phenomenal at building and releasing thoughout songs and the have some brilliant time changes an heavy riffs dropped in to ensure the listener is entertained right throughout their longer songs. The title track of the album is our second morsel of 2014 so I hope you enjoy.
Rounding out this week, is a surprise high vote getter in the readers poll. Monkey 3 are seasoned veterens on the Euro stoner scene and it seems they have struck a chord with some of our new readers. Their 2013 offering The 5th Sun was a great release and in keeping with the instumental-ish theme this week, they seemed the obvious choice. The third and final morsel this week is Monkey 3 : Once we were
Thats it this week. I will keep it brief and let the music do the talking.
PS If you haven't checkout out The Midnight Ghost Train, stop stalling. They have been my soundtrack of Christmas.
Next time: wait for it ...........BOOM "New Truckfighters album"
11th November Monday Morsel
Morning Morslings.
Lest we forget..........how GOOD Vista Chino was last week end. (No disrespect intended)
So I have now seen the latest incarnation of the might Kyuss and if you have not yet had the please, don't fret. Kyuss Lives. I wont go into details to much as their is a full report on the Gigs Page.
So onto this weeks music and it is with great pleasure to announce Samsara Blues Experiment. By no way is this a new band but they have somehow managed to not make thier way onto the Morsel until today. Strange.
So with this Germanic Super Groups imminent arrival on the UK shores it is really just a matter of which track to share. Having had both their studio and live albums on repeat all day today I have settled on "For the Lost Souls." Such is the power and originalaity of this 4 piece band, Friday's gig is up to be one of the surprises of the year for anyone who is lucky enough to be there. This band rides subtle changes, power riffs and even the odd sitar with expert leadership from Christian Peters who takes his strat to places unknown, (similar to colourhaze in that way.) For all their subtlies, when they drop the main riff at the 4m20sec mark, it is something to behold. Now is it just me or is there some old Maiden, Wrathchild thin going on here. love it. Samsara Blues Explosion, Friday Night, The Borderline, London. Get there!!
The second band this week are a band, up until last weekend, who are completly new to me.
Hailing from Ontario, Canada, Monster Truck!! Holding down the opening set for Vista Chino for their European tour is one hell of a tour and as mentioned in the review, Monster Truck delivered. A mix of southern rock, downtunnned fuzz and a touch of Jon Lord-esque Deep Purple, these guys looked completely at home on the large stage and delivered an "in ya face" lesson in rocking out. The are certainly going to win a lot of fans on this tour and I look forward to them returning again soon. Check out the link to their website under logo. Desertfest??? Track: The Lion
Finally to mark the purchasing of Truckfighter tix for next year I am going to leave you with a track which is not by Truckfighters...Huh? I have featured them quite enough so it is time to share the love. Small Stone records again.......Greenleaf!! Nest of Vipers is an album fans of the Truckfighters, Lowrider or Dozer, you simply must have. Why? Basically because the band is essentially made up (with a few exceptions) with members from those bands! I have had this album playing all week, (with Ode to io- rerelease on vinyl please!) and it just keeps getting better. I have already featured Case of Fidelity so this week it is Jack Staff. Great band, great album, bring on 2014. Lowrider, Dozer and Truckfighters before March!! Greenleaf reunion at Desertfest?
OK so thats it this week. Great to see Monkey 3 on the Desertfest bill. Listening to The 5th Sun as I write this so look out for some of that to be featured in the coming weeks as well as Scorpion Child and The Blue Pills.
Look out for a review of Samsara next week.
Til then, keep it downtunned and fuzzed out!
STOP PRESS: New Samsara Tracks released on their Bandcamp Site: Check it out
28th October Monday Morsel
Well here we are the morning after the morning after. Can I start by saying gigs on a Wednesday night should be banned. At the very least one should show a hell of a lot more self control than I did at the mighty Kadavar gig this last Wednesday passed. That is another story and can be found on the Gigs Page.
Kadavar started what is going to be a premier month for stoner fans in London with Vista Chino gracing the shores for the first time as Vista Chino this coming Sunday and then shortly followed by Samsara Blues Experiment and Karnivool in the following weeks.
Onto the music.
First up is a band I have been listening to for a little while now and am very much looking forward to the follow up to their self titled LP, they are the mighty Sandrider! The Seattle 3 peice have a new record entitled Godhead due for release in a few weeks and they have let out a one track taster courtesy of their Bandcamp site. Newcomers to this band will be hit with a wall of aggressive riffage, singable choruses and one hell of a noise. The production and overall polish of their first album was note perfect. Dripping in US punk and stoner grooves with vocals that could break walls let along glass, Sandrider look to be continuing exactly where they left off. I have included the new track Gorgon from the up coming release as well as the opening track, Children, off their debut offering for those new to the band. I am looking forward to hearing the rest of this one. Huge sound, huge potential and a band definitely to look out for in the future. (I have a really hard time pigeon holing this band and trying to pin other bands sounds to them so if you can help, let me know. Enjoy.)
Second up this week Grandloom, is a little less in your face and a lot more melt into you sofa with a beer and zone out to some serious germanic stoner grooves. Another three piece, seems to be the way forward at the moment, (ignore this my previous Somewhere in Mexico band mates.I AM coming back) these guys really extend into some brilliant jams and with songs regularly reaching beyond the 10 min mark they certainly have a Colourhaze quality to them. I came accross this band after they signed onto the London Desertfest for 2014. Glad they did as I have had them on VERY high repeat since. The diversity in blues, psych and stoner keep it interesting the whole time and they will be one not to miss at Desertfest. TD, I have a feeling these guys are going to get you up and about. The track chosen is Earthvalley from their 2011 Sunburst release. Cool thing about this band is you can download their entire live album free directly from their website. Click HERE
Finally this week I return to a band that was featured last week, such was the impact of finding this band. With Isaak, Black Rainbows have been one of my finds of the year. (courtesy of Desertscene) Having gone back through thier back catalogue I have found endless gems on all of their releases and the final one to bring the fuzz this week is Mind Revo from their debut offering Twilight in the Desert. Fuzz f'n Tastic.
See you at Vista!!
23rd December Monday Morsel
Well it's back.
The Morsel has taken some time to regroup, refresh and realign the universe to some downtuned fuzzed out frequencies......and here we are.
So much music flying around at the moment and 2014 festival signings and tours are starting to emerge. Desertfest, Hellfest and Freak Valley looking the best of the bunch so far. Download underwhelmingly average.
Also to celebrate our first year, is the inaugural "Fuzzies." The oscars of fuzz, the brownlow of downtuned brilliance. Just scroll back through The Morsel archive, choose your 3 best discovery bands of 2013 (does not have to be a 2013 release) and send in your entry via email with your postal address. Then I will compile a readers poll of top ten. Get on board.
On to the music.
Fans if Wo Fat, ok that is everyone. Now I know I promised I would not put any more Wo Fat on this site until their new album in 2014, but I have found a loop hole. Enter......The Midnight Ghost Train!!! Hailing from "Oz", that's Kansas USA, not down under, this three piece sledge hammer have been one of my finds of 2013. Their solo release "Buffalo" is a master class of heavy driving slabs of distortion with subtle cruise out excursions throughout. Gravel laced vocals set back at the "Garcia" level finish off a brilliant release. This album is so cleverly put together and brings so much diversity that listening through and finding yourself in the knee slapping southern acoustic number"Cotten Fields" before being pounded by "Southern Belle" just works! Can't wait to see these guys live at Desertfest. Morslings embrace ....The Midnight Ghost Train. (Bandcamp)
Track: Spacefaze
Mentioned back in the SBE review, Stubb are a band that have been on the Morsel before. Such was the impact if their performance on the night and the subsequent many listens of the vinyl since that evening I am compelled to once again feature this London 3 piece. Having signed for Freak Valley and having undergone a line up change (new drummer) these guys are fairly quickly becoming one of the front runners in the European Stoner Scene. Now I am aware the track I have picked this week is not their newest outing (check here for bandcamp downloads) it is a track that will hook you in keep you coming back. Live is where you really need to see this song performed so if you haven't yet, get on down. This is the opening track of their debut LP.
Track : Road
OK so finally for Christmas I give you the film clip of the year... (Ha ha 1985 called and want their award back.)
No seriously the boys from Red Fang have done it again. The guys that gave us the classic Prehistoric Dog clip have backe it ip with the first single and title track from their new full length Blood Like Cream.
This is a great album if you have not heard it and strongly encourage you to get it. Having seen these guys play Download last year and looking forward to seeing them next year in Angel, their beer drinking zombie clip is just what is needed for this yuletide season.
So that's it for this week. Tune in next week for the New Years Birthday edition of The Morsel. Thanks to everyone who has enjoyed the music this year and dont forget to send it your highlights from Year 1.
Merry fuzz'n Christmas
3rd February Monday Morsel
A new year dawns, OK it is February but some New Years hangovers last a bit longer. Also time has been spent putting a merch pack together for the lucky punters how took part in the inaugural Morsel Readers Poll. So a new year and new horizons and releases dawn. Some big ones this year for me include new Truckfighters (see below) Wo Fat, Lowrider, Steak, Stubb, The Machine and Mr Brant Bjork (apparently). Gig wise thing are looking very promising. Already booked (or tbc) in no particular order Dozer, Lowrider, Steak, Truckfighters, Desertfest(UK) Freak Valley Festival(GER), Karma to Burn to name but a few. So there we are, roll on 2014.
We can start at no other place than at the beginning. Truckfighters - Universe. Having waited nearly 5 years for the follow up release to Mania, Sweden's greatest export (sorry IKEA) are back and they have brought there fuzz laden groove train along for the ride. Upon first listen, Universe will drag you into its deep "Russian Muff", more complex song writing and greater developed and layered vocals, grab a hold of you and kick the shit out of you. Truckfighters for me have always managed to balance really heavy grooves with hugely catchy choruses which make some songs "anthem" like. This is perfectly illustrated on Dream Sale on Side 2. It is hard to find a weak song on this LP. Opening with "Mind Control" we are instantly reminded of what these guys are about. Bass + Guitar + Drums. + power + fuzz + a shit load of energy! The open set back riff draws you in and within 30 seconds you are hit with their customary wall of fuzz. We are then welcomed by the vocal led Chairman (already featured on the Morsel). Shorter track Convention is next which serves a link between two monsters. Get lifted is a bass line that builds and dips and flows then smashes (if one can) into a crescendo. This track may have been one that was for Mania. It would fit seemlessly. Onto the most catchy song on the album and one that is sure to feature live. (It even has a very MTV style music video) The Prophet. Shorter than most but one hell of an intro to what for me is the track of the album. Tipping in at an impressive 13 min 48 sec, the behemoth Mastodont! This is simply put, a monster of a track, and one of the favourite Truckfighters tracks to date. Outstanding release. Album of the year? Hmmmmm way to early to call but is going to take some beating. Accepting all challengers!!
Truckfighters: Mastodont.
Full Album Stream HERE
From one of the biggest bands in our genre to relative newcomer. It is with great pleasure I introduce Mindwarp. A three piece from Italy, these guys are on the verge of releasing their self titled 4 track EP. Sent to me by the good people at Acid Cosmonaut Records, this EP instantly grabbed me in a similar way to bands like The Machine, Monkey 3 and Sungrazer have in the past. Mixing together elements from fuzz, stoner, funk and some jazz beats, Mindwarp orchestrate some wonderfully tripped out space jams mixed with some rumbling rolling bass lines, tight rythmn sections and a driving fuzzed out downtuned six sting. Completely instrumental, there are moments on this EP which have a Karma to Burn like feel. Definitely a band to watch this year , Mindwarp definitely get my vote for first discovery band of the year. Download their EP HERE from their Bandcamp site.
Mindwarp : Haarko Haari
Finally this week is a band I have been listening to for a while, the majestically named Admiral Sir Cloudesly Shovell. These guys made a huge impact with their deput LP, Don't Hear it.....Fear it in 2012 and were a stand out band for me at last years Desertfest. Since then I have not heard a lot about them but the release of a new track and clip might suggest new material is just around the corner. If you are new to this band think 1970's, bell bottoms, sabbaths meets budgie meets status quo, downtune it and run the whole thing through a fuzz pedal. You with me? Enjoy
Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell : Elementary Man
So there we are Morslings, some old, some new some interesting. You can assign which description to which ever track best fits. For me, it's Dozer Lowrider and Steak next week then finalise arrangements for Freak Valley Festival in Germany. A big year of Fuzz indeed.
Fuzz f'n Tastic.
Monday Morsel 21st March
Well Desertfest is upon us and the excitement it building nicely to what is sure to be a hug weekend of slab, fuzz rock! (So much so that a Morsel reader MC, sent me a text last Thursday night informing me it was one more sleep. GOLD!)
So last up I gave you my top five for the DF weekend. This week I am going to preview some of the lesser known bands in the stoner genre that I plan to check out over the weekend amoung many others. Again this week, I will be missing out any band that will also be playing Freak Valley as they will have there moment in a few weeks.
First up this week it is with great excitement that I can announce a band from my home town, Melbourne will be gracing the hallowed Destertfest stage and no, its not Somewhere in Mexico, (still holding out for that one.)
Hotel Wrecking City Traders hail from Melbourne, Australia and have been delivering their brand of fuzzed out instrumental trips and improvised extended jam sessions since 2007. Having collaborated with th likes of Gary Arce (Yawning Man) amoungst others, these guys are set to make one hell of a noise. Packed into the intimate Black Heart, it will be a real treat to see these guys in London, having not seen them for many a year back in Melbourne. Fans of Karma to Burn, take note. These guys are up against some pretty hefty clashes but I for one will make the trip across on Saturday evening for a well earned Camen Hells and some good old dirty fuzzed out rock n roll. Welcome lads!
I have not chosen a track for you this week but instead a live jam from local (Melbourne) radio PBS. UK readers imagine Radio 1 Live Lounge on steriods! Rock out fellas!
Second this week I am going to take you to where it is all going to begin. So far I have talked a lot about headliners and final gigs of the night but I feel it is equally valid to let yu know where it is all going to begin. 3.30pm Friday afternoon infact! A local (well Brighton UK) band that have the honour of getting this whole shindig started
Death Ape Disco are sludge rockers from the highest oder. In the vein of The Midnight Ghost Train and Borracho, these guys are full steam ahead, in your face, powerhouse southern (England) Rawk! If this doesn't get you in the moood for the weekend then nothing will. These guys are opening up Desertfest but perhaps a better description would be ripping the top of Desertfest! There debut LP, Super Volcano is available at there Bandcamp site HERE and I thoroughly recomend giving these guys a listen if you like your stoner rock, loud, up front and in ya face! See you there!
Death Ape Disco: Kingdom of Others.
Taking it down or more sideways for our final band before the big dance. A band not unknown to readers of the Morsel, Monkey 3 is Switzerland's own psycadelic, rock royalty. Having played the first Desertfest (Berlin) and other big festivals including Roadburn and touring on the back of there latest release The 5th Sun, Monkey 3 grace UK shores for the first time. (I think?) Opening up the Electric Ballroom on Friday, I can't help think it might be better to see these guys LATE in a Swiss forest or on a sun setting beach somewhere like Duna Jam but hey, take what you can get right. Still really pumped to see these guys and hear their swirling phospherent mix of trip out jams and fuzzed out powerchords. This will be one not to miss.
So that's it from me, I guess I'll see you all on the other side. Pick up your free Morsel stickers at all venues over the weekend and better still, take two and give one to a stranger. If you see me over the weekend, come and say G'day. I'll be the beared guy, holding a pint, wearing a truckers cap with his eyes closed nodding away blissfully happy. (Can't miss me, right)
Stay tuned for the post Desertfest review and upcoming reviews of Alberta's own Chron Goblin latest release as well as the Sons of Alpha Centauri/Karma to Burn Split in the coming weeks.
Song of the Week: ASG : Blood Drive (They are going to rock)
Fuzz f'n Tastic.
