Metal Riot

This exhibition brings Yseult full-circle, having lived in New York City from 1982 – 1991, during which time she co-founded White Zombie while attending Parsons The New School for Design in Manhattan’s West Village, before moving to New Orleans in 1996 with nothing more than a single suitcase, a guitar, a banjo, and a Polaroid Land Camera.

More BELOW.

Hard rockers Life Of Agony always put their best foot forward live and the footage from Grasspop 2015 is a great example of how they still bring it hard. Mina and the boys rage through classics to a huge crowd. This band still deserves all the love in the world. Hope they make a new album. Meanwhile, watch the electric concert footage BELOW.

Currently listening to DRCARLSONALBION’s Gold as I write this, stretched out notes rounding the curve of my mind to carry some desert light to the backmost reaches of persona. Hot day crawling to a close and reading a Jack Reacher book from a pile of stuff my dad gave me before he died.Thinking about how anything Dylan Carlson is involved in seems to really resonate on the same frequency as the rugged, underground American spirit of freedom.

Carlson’s band EARTH are a favorite and I’m pleased to announce they have a slew of good events coming up, including Project Pabst Presents in Portland, Oregon on July 18th, a show in Olympia, Washington on the 19th, and a hometown Seattle performance on July 22nd. According to their PR:

EARTH has also confirmed their return to the East Coast, based around their participation in Necronomicon Convention in Providence, Rhode Island on August 22nd, at the upcoming city-wide tribute to H.P. Lovecraft in the famed writer’s hometown. September will see EARTH taking part in this year’s installment of the massive Ellnora Guitar Festival in Urbana, Illinois. Additional live performances will be announced in the weeks ahead.

 Dates below and links to get Primitive and Deadly.

I don’t know if anyone was medicating but nobody appears to have been that isolated at the Seether recent May stop in Clifton Park supporting Isolate and Medicate. The hard rock vets have an undeniably strong fan base and pull for those who want some chunky riffs and at times morose but striving, gruff vocals in their rock n roll  Summer. Hey not every band can have a riff like “Same Damn Life” that sounds a lot like a Little Peggy March “I Will Follow Him” vocal melody and somehow make it a radio grunge thing. Catharina Christiana supplied photos BELOW.

Swans have always seemed really tribal in some way to me, even when they have been more about casting out spirits or deep isolation. Not exactly always the most “social” music, in my opinion. It’s a quality of fearless expression you can find today in Swans themselves, of course, but also younger acts like Tearist , Palms or Ides Of Gemini who also kind of straddle this lonely line between beauty, stark poetry or powerful melody/humanity versus (or rather in conjunction with) discomfort, shamanistic ritual and the fearless self discovery of not caring if people are ready to be initiated where you need to travel on your own path to full blossoming.

Photographer Miss Magpi  documented elder statesman M. Gira’s act for us at their recent Union Transfer stop, a stunning venue to witness this act who still remain, in their way, more extreme than most “heavy” bands. Sometimes it’s all about the vibe, baby.

Magpi describes the show as:

“.collosal. & .meticulous.” 

Photos BELOW.

My doom boys Geezer opened for High On Fire, the most fiery band in hard rock/metal who will stone you like Sisyphus just got punished for chronic lies told. I got to the show at the venerable Poughkeepsie, NY venue, which has housed legendary performances from the likes of The Rollins Band to Trapt to Incubus to Blindside to Fear Factory (to name just a few of countless shows), a bit late. Geezer’s set was missed alas but they rule and I’ve heard crushed through the large stage P.A., while New Orlean’s Mountain Of Wizard caused a boogie heavy rock thrill to enrapture the crowd. High On Fire eventually shook the hall with sonic fury, a gravel throated  Matt Pike not wearing a shirt even though the freezing fucking cold winter chill still was creeping in through the opening doors. Cometh down Hessian, in-fucking-deed. Droppin the frost hammer like street rhyme knowledge for these punks in need of a riff education.

Photos by missmagpi.

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