Month: May 2017

Samothrace (Seattle, WA)
https://samothrace.bandcamp.com/

Samothrace formed in early 2006 with the intent of writing heavy, blues-based doom with an emphasis on forging their own sound in the community. Samothrace hit the scene with their debut LP Life’s Trade, released by 20 Buck Spin way back in 2008. Four years have passed since then, a lifetime in today’s fast-moving 24 hour PR blaaahgosphere. Life’s Trade received a great deal of critical acclaim upon its release, even landing in Decibel Magazine’s top albums of the year list for 2008. The band toured behind the LP and then, for a time, it seemed like they’d disappeared. In fact the members were occupied with the ups and downs of their daily lives which proved often to be tumultuous. Having left Samothrace shortly after recording Life’s Trade, guitarist Renata Castagna returned to the fold in 2010 and the band began to slowly re-emerge becoming an active band once more.

 

He Whose Ox is Gored (Seattle, WA)
https://hewhoseoxisgored.com/

“Their music is beautiful just as much as it’s brutal, and they wear nuance well. Were you to strictly measure the moments of distorted, pounding sludge against those of more exotic and meditative instrumentation, I wouldn’t be surprised if the ratio ended up dead even. It’s a dramatic approach but never an overbearing one, and genuinely innovative in a way that feels organic—synthesizers or not.” – Treble

 

Omotai (Houston, TX)
https://www.omotai.com/

Omotai is a rarity in the world of the heavy - a curious stylistic alloy, a band wielding the stoner metal truncheon with math rock deliberation. The apoplexy of each gnashing riff, conveyed live via a massive wall of amplification, is enough to bring flesh as well as the surrounding atmosphere to a target resonance, the audience appropriated as a biological component of the sonic transmission.
The Houston metal outfit was formed in December 2009 by Sam Waters (guitar, vocals) and Anthony Vallejo (drums, vocals). They recruited Melissa Lonchambon Ryan (bass guitar, vocals) a month later and hit the studio almost immediately to pump out their debut EP Peace Through Fear, taking cues from 80’s thrash, 90’s noise rock, grindcore and sludge. Their sophomore effort, Terrestrial Grief, distilled Peace’s strongest points, upping the math and whiplash quotients by several orders of magnitude.

Rapidly garnering a rep for punishingly loud live performances, with an emphasis on speed and aberrant rhythms, the trio toured the US between 2010 and 2012, sharpening their skills alongside Yob, the Sword, Big Business, Hammerhead and countless other bands. In 2013, after constant writing and the third release,Fresh Hell, looming, they took on guitarist/vocalist Jamie Ross. It’s proven a smart investment for the band, with Ross’s shred adding a new dimension to Ryan and Waters’ already pummeling wall of riffery.

 

 

 

Funeral Horse (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/FuneralHorse/

“If judged on the merit of riffs alone, Texan tarnation masters Funeral Horse would be a holy grail of hard-rock. The constant shifts from road-rage solos to dusty blues riffs to pavement cracking noise-rock/hardcore to vintage 70s hard rock backed by a walloping rhythm section will keep you guessing and ducking for cover as to which direction the bombardment is coming from next. With band members lovingly named Paul Bearer (vocals/guitars) and Jason Andy Argonauts (bass), the entire project has the recipe for sheer global conquest via tongue-in-cheek humor laced into a serious, non-nonsense rock foundation.” Jay S. - Teeth of the Divine.

“Anyone who wants more from their stoner rock than chewed repetitions of a sound we heard countless times before can advantageously turn to the upcoming album from Funeral Horse. Where many others in the constant flow of riff-based rock band for a life in the absence of their own creative initiatives, these Houston-based men refreshingly disrespectful of genre boundaries and preconceptions about how it “should” sound.” Maria van der Lee - Slave State Magazine (Sweden)
“Gifts of Opium and Myrrh” brings that end sooner than I imagine many listeners will want, as the album feels like just a quick tour of the wild animals and wide vistas available to be put on display by the band at just a handful of minutes past half an hour. Of course, that will keep those ears eager for the next release, and busy soaking up the fuzz and grit from this one in the mean-time, so it’s hard to feel too put-off by the brevity. A twisting feedback stretch to bridge the way (laid to rest with a burst of instrumentation that works best as a surprise) helps ease the journey’s end, leaving first-timers to sit back and reflect on what an unusual one it was. Gabriel - The Burning Beard
“The scintillating doom character hearty Divinity For The Wicked is successfully ornate dynamically stoner elements and tough heavy rock nuggets, which combined with weak punk and post-hardcore irregularities of emerging Funeral Horse gives us an extremely heavy sound that proto metal vagrancy and macho in every note. In short, we are dealing with both rich and balanced and robust heavy sound, which I suppose that will satisfy classic doom sound lovers and lovers of modern stoner music, since the explosive Divinity For The Wicked of Funeral Horse standing on the verge heavy rock future and past. Beautiful.” Lyk - Phantasmagoria (Greece)

Supergrave (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/Supergrave13

Supergrave was formed in 2014 and just recently in 2017 reformed with a solid lineup consisting of Allison Gibson - Vox (all female hard core band Manhole from Houston Texas, the Dolly Rockers, Baron Von Bomblast), Eev Rodriguez - Bass ( Manhole from Houston Texas, Sister Munch in NYC), Adrian Arrellano - Guitarist (Bang-Shifts ), and Andy Kaos Vehnekamp - Drums (Evil Incarnate, Jungle Rot, Doomstress Alexis, Texas Massacre). Bringing all of their influences together that include punk, hardcore, new metal that bring forth their own unique punk sub-genre best categorized as death punk.

Wild Tinderbox (Austin, TX)
https://www.wildtinderbox.com/

Wild Tinderbox is a three piece rock band hailing from Austin, Texas. Influences aplenty, the band base their sound on a collection of vast genres such as 70’s classic rock, 90’s alternative rock, Chicago and Texas blues, traditional punk rock and dashes of other modern day overtones.

 

Stonework (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/StoneworkHouston

Take a chunk of metal, a slab of rock, a splash of blues and put it in a blender. It will fuck up your blender. That’s what we sound like.

 

KonkeRüte (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/KonkeRute/

 

Cake Rangers (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/cakerangers

A modern day carpetbagger wandered south and discovered that three Texans, like him, were receiving messages from Kim Il-sung’s ghost calling for the formation of a noisey, sludgy, stoner rock band in Houston. Join us.

“I began receiving messages from Kim Il-sung at some point during the late 90s. He told me that I no longer needed to worry about making good music because, with his dying breath, he had set forth a series of events that would conclude with the formation of Cake Rangers. The Eternal Leader informed me that they would rock so hard that the global demand for rocking would be satisfied by them alone. That’s why most of the music I have released since then has kinda sucked.”-Billy Corgan

“Grumble? Grumble grumble grumble. Grumble grumble grumble GRUMBLE GRUMBLE CAKE RANGERS RULE!!!!!!!”-Phil Anselmo

“Not as good as the rumored concept album that will consist of Thom Yorke’s farts and the sounds Stephen Malkmus’ washing machine makes when its set to full.”-Pitchfork Media

“Cake Rangers? Never heard of them, they sound like a gay dance troupe. And who the hell are you? How did you get in my house?”-Willie Nelson

 

 

Cosmic Bug Loaf (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/cosmicbugloafmusic

Plummeted from the cosmos, a unique mixture of vibrations contained in a combination of skin wrapped bones has returned for the awakening. With a drive for diversity, Cosmic Bug Loaf produces music that will scatter your brain into a trance of bug filled mansions and machines scheduled to take travel toward the sun. The Loaf has just been placed in the heat and is still expanding to its full shape, keep up with the Bug and great fortune will come your way.

 

 

Saturday, May 27, 2017
Ron’s Birthday Bash
with Funeral Horse, Supergrave,
Wild Tinderbox, Stonework,
Konkerute, Cake Rangers, and Cosmic Bug Loaf
$10cover, 21+
6pm doors/7pm start

Dirty Seeds (Houston, TX)
https://thedirtyseeds.com/

The Dirty Seeds. No gimmicks, just four strangers gathered together by an ape-like stoner prophet from the future to save humanity with loud rock n roll.

After coming together in 2012, The Dirty Seeds honed their riff heavy brand of stoner rock around the greater Houston area before travelling to Dallas to record their debut EP, King Kush, at Crystal Clear Sound with Kent Stump of Wo Fat at the controls in 2014.

Described as, “No frills, no BS, just unabashed stoner rock that echoes driving ninety down a deserted road full of Lone Star while you run from the cops kind of vibe,” The Dirty Seeds continue to expand beyond their home base of Houston, TX to bring riff heavy rock to the masses. Along the way, they have had the privelage of sharing the stage with such bands as Wo Fat, Mothership, Karma To Burn, Black Pussy, Ape Machine, Duel, Monster Truck, White Light Cemetery, Choke, Destroyer of Light, Switcblade Jesus, Greenbeard, Joy, Mac Sabbath, and Project Armageddon.

 

Forming the Void (Lafayette, LA)
https://www.facebook.com/formingthevoid/

FORMING THE VOID is an American rock band from Lafayette, Louisiana. Formed in 2013, their unique blend of atmospheric, progressive rock with towering fuzzed out riffs places a heavy emphasis on dynamics and layers.

 

 

Pyreship (Houston, TX)
https://pyreship.com/

Pyreship blend post metal and doom with a raft of 90’s slowcore and noise rock influences. Their music is both heard and felt. Based in Houston Tx.