News: Soulsavers album release featuring Mark Lanegan, Mike Patton, Gibby Hayes etc.

The new Soulsavers album is called "Broken" and is set to be released August 17th. This should be really interesting and includes some very intriguing collaborations such as Mark Lanegan and Mike Patton!

"On the album Jason Pierce (Spiritualised) duets with former Screaming Trees man Lanegan on 'Pharaoh’s Chariot', while Richard Hawley (ex-Pulp) provides backing vocals on 'Shadows Fall'.

Mike Patton (Faith No More etc) appears on 'Unbalanced Pieces' and Gibby Haynes (Butthole Surfers) on 'Death Bells'.

Preceding the album release a seven-inch single, 'Sunrise', written by Lanegan and sung by Will Oldham, aka Bonnie Prince Billy, will be released.
The B-side will see Lanegan singing Oldham's song 'You Will Miss Me When I Burn'. A release date for the single has not be confirmed."
source: onewhiskey

There is also a Soulsavers/Mark Lanegan tour confirmed:

Sun, 9/6/09 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
Mon, 9/7/09 Seattle, WA Bumbershoot Festival
Wed, 9/9/09 San Francisco, CA The Independent
Thu, 9/10/09 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
Sat, 9/12/09 San Diego, CA Casbah
Tues, 9/15/09 Austin, TX Stubbs Bar-B-Q
Wed, 9/16/09 Dallas, TX House of Blues, Pontiac Garage
Fri, 9/18/09 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks
Sat, 9/19/09 Atlanta, GA The Loft at Center Stage ATL
Mon, 9/21/09 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel
Tues, 9/22/09 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
Wed, 9/23/09 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
Fri, 9/25/09 Toronto, ON Mod Club
Sat, 9/26/09 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
Sun, 9/27/09 Chicago, IL Double Door

Single: God Bullies Amrep collection

Here is a collection of rare Amphetamine Reptile singles from the great noise rock band, God Bullies! I've been listening to this non-stop lately so i thought i would share.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MQXP8P2R

1. Join Satan's Army
2. Preacher Man
3. You Sexy Thing
4. Which Way You Going Billy
5. Tie a Yellow Ribbon

Tour News: Saint Vitus east coast dates

Some Saint Vitus US tour dates were just announced for the east coast:

Oct. 16: Brooklyn, New York - Club Europa
Oct. 17: Worcester, MA – Palladium, with MISFITS, TYPE O NEGATIVE
Oct. 18: Baltimore, MD - Sonar

This is very cool news! Kudos to all the lucky motherfuckers that make it out to any of these.

source: stonerrock

Single: Sub Pop edition #1 Big Chief "Blowout Kit / Chrome Helmet"

I am a collector of Sub Pop singles, and will be uploading them for you every now and again. For my first edition of this here is the Blowout Kit / Chrome Helmet single from the unique heavy-funk sound that is... Big Chief!

Released 1990-03-01

1. Chrome Helmet

2. Blowout Kit
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JYSBEPLS

Interview: Kim Thayil, Rolling Stone 21/07/09

Despite his minimal efforts in the music world in the past decade or so, Kim Thayil remains to be one of my favorite musicians. He seemed to have dropped completely off the radar, which is why i was surprised and a little starstruck to see him in person last summer at the Sub Pop 20th anniversary festival watching Comets on Fire. There havent been any decent interviews with him in quite a while either, which is why I was pleasantly surprised to find this one in Rolling Stone magazine, which includes some interesting information about an upcoming Soundgarden boxset and B-Side releases. I also recommend you look up the fairly recent "Tadgarden" performance which occurred in Seattle, in which Soundgarden performed minus Chris Cornell and plus Tad. Definitly an interesting combination. Here is the interview with more information about all of this:



"What have you been up to since Soundgarden's split?

Mostly I've done session stuff with friends now and then.
Most of the time, I've declined opportunities to play live, record or form bands. Just keeping it a little bit "lower,"
so I have time to do other things besides be on the road [laughs]. I think the one I've enjoyed the most is sitting in on the Altar sessions with Sunn O))) and Boris. There's a sort of pop-grunge singer from Japan, a woman named Aya, that was being produced by Adam Kasper. Matt Cameron and Krist Novoselic also played on that record, and I played solos on five songs. The album [titled Senjou no Hana] was only released in Japan. Spent a long time mixing that No WTO Combo record [Live from the Battle in Seattle, with Novoselic and ex-Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra]. Also, the work I did with Steve Fisk — both with Pigeonhed and the last solo Steve Fisk record, 999 Levels of Undo, I wrote some parts and came up with some leads. Besides working with the guys from Sunn O))) and Boris, I really like the work I've done with Steve Fisk. Believe it or not, in the early '90s, I did some TV commercial soundtrack with Steve! It was a Christmas spot — lots of weird, chaotic noise — for a retail store.

How did the recent "3/4 Soundgarden reunion" performance come together?

Tom Morello was coming through with the Justice Tour, and he had asked Susan Silver [Soundgarden's manager] — Tom wanted to get some notorious rock locals. Ben Shepherd and I were asked separately — we were going to be on the bill separately. As things worked out, it was getting close to the gig date, and Ben had not put together any project, and the guys that I was jamming with, our ideas were not gelling. We were going to do some old punk rock covers, and have [Mudhoney's] Mark Arm sing. That fell through. And Tom called, and said, "Would Ben and Kim like to join me on stage to do 'Spoonman'?" And we said, "Sure. But we heard Matt is coming down to the show, and I'm not going to play it in front of Matt — I would play it with Matt." So I called Matt, and he said sure. Ben said, "Let's do the first single, 'Hunted Down'/'Nothing to Say,' and then we'll do 'Spoonman.'"
And then this left a problem with who we would get to sing with us. A lot of people that I asked were real hesitant — they didn't want to replicate Chris' performance. So it had to be Tad [Doyle], right? It had to be the guy with God's Balls to say, "Fuck yeah, I'll do it!" We went down to the Pearl Jam rehearsal space and had one practice on a Monday and rehearsed for an hour and a half. The next day, we went over them at soundcheck, and then we busted out those three songs [at the Crocodile Cafe].

How was it playing again with Ben and Matt?

It was a blast. Playing with Ben and Matt carried a lot of sentimental weight, but there was also the novelty of playing with another longtime friend, which is Tad. That kept it fresh and exciting, so it wasn't just some backwards step. The whole thing was pretty much a lark and for fun.
Looking back, what's your favorite Soundgarden album and why?I think I have three albums that stand out for different reasons. Screaming Life is distinctly different with Jack Endino's production and our original songs from that period that Hiro [Yamamoto, original bassist] played on. I just like those songs, and the sound of the production — the ambience and the feel. Just the way the room sounds. We recorded that at Reciprocal Studios, which a lot of early Sub Pop records were recorded at, including Nirvana, Mudhoney and Tad. And Superunknown. Once again, it's the ambience — the implied and created room. And I like the material and the performances very much. There's a dark feel to it that is powerful, and is great with headphones on. Badmotorfinger I love because it sounds great in a car. It's got a lot of weird quirks in it — as is typical with Soundgarden. We always added that element of crazy and weird. We had an ability to not take ourselves too seriously, while committing to the heaviness. Sort of like laughing while kicking your ass.

What exactly is the status of the much talked about Soundgarden box set of B sides and unreleased material?

It's a matter of just working with the record company. Y'know, a year or two after we disbanded, A&M Records disbanded — it got bought, and all of our friends there got fired. The record company dissolving and our management company dissolving put a big hit on Soundgarden's catalog and merchandise. I think our merchandising catalog suffered quite a bit due to neglect from the record company and management. Which wasn't intentional, it's just the record company was gone and the management company wound up being a P.O. Box and a voicemail.
Basically, a box set slowly and surely will happen. We need communication with the band, our record label and management. I really cannot emphasis my apologies to all our fans worldwide — it pisses me off to no end that you can't walk into a mall, go to the local head shop or record store, and find a Soundgarden T-shirt or poster. It bugs the hell out of me, and everyone in the band. Just be patient — nobody's more bugged about it than I am. It's all inertia, if it's a big giant stone wheel, it comes down a hill really fast. But it goes up a hill very slow. Right now, it's at the bottom of the hill, and we've got to push it back up.

What will be on the box set?

Stuff that was released only in Europe, Australia, and Japan, on movie soundtracks, sessions we did for John Peel in England, and then stuff that was never released — demo versions of things, alternate versions of songs, and songs that were recorded, but never released in any form, that we would simply have to mix and maybe re-edit, which would be like brand new Soundgarden songs. Songs that no one's heard, except for maybe a few people close to Soundgarden's circle.
What are some titles of these unreleased tracks?"Dirty Candy," "Ocean Fronts," "Open Up," "Summation" — that was a pretty heavy song, in 5/4 time. "Ocean Fronts" is a little bit more of a trippy, arpeggiated song. A song called "Beast," which is going to sound exactly like the title. "Beast" and "Summation" were really strong songs live — from the mid-late '80s. I cannot believe those two songs have never been released. "No Shame" is another title. There's enough stuff out there to fill up three or four albums. There's enough original stuff that's been released but hasn't been compiled — B sides — to make an album. There's enough covers to make an album. There's enough remixes that Moby, Steve Fisk and Bill Rieflin did, that could constitute a pretty interesting EP. There's enough unreleased stuff to make an album. It's just getting the business and creative machine on the same page.

What was your reaction to being one of Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists?

That was great — definitely a proud moment. Of course, like any fan, I had my criticism of the list — as I'm sure most people would have. There was an emphasis on singer-songwriters, who I think their strength really lies in their ability to sing, perform, or write songs, not so much in their ability to play guitar. With one exception: Jimi Hendrix. And there's some guys who definitely should be on that list that aren't. But I'm glad that I made it.
Ben told me he thinks that if Soundgarden were to get back together, you guys could pick up exactly where you left off.I think he's right. We all play enough and are acquainted with the material enough that I think it would take a few rehearsals. When Ben, Matt, and I got together with Tad, it was like falling off our bike and getting back on.

That said, could Soundgarden ever reunite?

People would have to want to. I think more importantly, tending to the merchandising catalog is something that would be satisfying for the band members and for the fans. I never say never ... but I'm not losing too much sleep over it, either. "

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/29218126/the_soundgarden_songs_you_havent_heard_kim_thayil_breaks_his_silence

Album: Surgery - Nationwide (1990)

SURGERY - NATIONWIDE

1990 Amphetamine Reptile

01. Mistake
02. Maliblues
03. Breeding
04. Bronto
05. Highway 109
06. Do It to It Dynamo
07. L7
08. Drive-In Fever
09. Caveman

I highly reccomend this Surgery LP - pure rough, primal, dirty, bluesy noise! If you don't love it immediately give it a good chance and it will grow on you. Surgery was one of the best bands to come out of Amrep in my opinion, not to mention this album is a hard one to find so enjoy.

Article: Grunge vs. Stoner Rock

Obviously there has been a lot of controversy between the validity of these 2 genres. Although i can't say i enjoy the label grunge or the label stoner rock, i can say that i enjoy music from both groupings. Even so i never really related the 2 until I found this article i found by Jack Endino (legendary producer and musician) and it really got me thinking more about the connection.

"A few months ago I got a call from a writer for GQ magazine (!). Mark from Mudhoney sent him to me, since I had once recorded a Blue Cheer album (an unsatisfactory experience, but that's another story). We had an animated conversation about obscure 70's heavy rock bands, about which I have some expertise, being one of the few people with a working memory who actually sought out much of said music during the seventies (pre-punk) when it was as underground as indy rock is today. (Fave: The Groundhogs, UK, '69-'74.) This gentleman told me he was doing an article on the new "STONER ROCK", by which he meant bands like Fu, Nebula, Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Sleep, Monster Magnet, etc. I ribbed him for doing the cliche press thing of pigeonholing a new genre under a CUTE NAME, but he was unrepentant. Guess it's his job. Now other people are using the term... witness Loosegroove in their press kit for Queens O.T.S.A., describing Josh Homme's previous band:
"...Hailing from Palm Desert, CA, Kyuss released four albums that continue to influence bands who have fallen under the categorization of 'stoner rock' (Fu Manchu, Sleep, Monster Magnet) before disbanding in 1995..."

So... behold the "birth" of a new genre.
Funny; what all these bands are, is "grunge" bands, in what was our original 1987 descriptive sense of the word, rather than the media's 1991 usage. (And no, Pearl Jam is no more a "grunge" band than Nirvana was a "punk" band... gimme a break!) One thing these bands all have in common is some degree of influence from late-sixties/early-seventies "heavy" bands, most obviously Black Sabbath and Blue Cheer, with maybe a touch of Zep. Most of them, of course, weren't born then and would probably deny it. Sleep is pretty obviously influenced by the Melvins, notably the drummer. I have heard Buzz from the Melvins deny being influenced by Black Sabbath... but at the Deep Six record release show in 1986, they played an amazing version of "Into the Void".

Why "stoner rock"? You'll know it when you hear it. We're talking massive, slow to mid-tempo riffs, huge guitars, long solos, antique effects pedals, and lots and lots of distortion; and no trace of 80's metal posing or formula (or overproduction). It's an earlier formula, perhaps. You might call it "proto-metal"... but I'm afraid we are all going to end up calling it "stoner rock", like it or not.

I was amused to note that at least one of the Nebula songs I just recorded appeared to be about pot. The Sleep record actually has a picture of a pot leaf nailed to a cross! Ponder the name "Queens of the Stone Age." So, OK, something's going on here, there's a little scene going, though it does not appear to be geographically localized. Rock music reinventing itself once again? "Grunge" was an idiotic media name for one brand of recycled 70's rock. "Stoner Rock" will be an idiotic media name for yet another, marginally different brand of recycled 70's rock.
What must not be forgotten here is that the best of these bands are not just rehashing; they are picking up threads that were DROPPED back then and EXTENDING them further with modern influences. They are taking up where others left off. I actually like this -- there are lots of branches of the rock tree that led nowhere in their time, and when someone comes along years later and extends these the results are often interesting. (Notwithstanding the Kraftwerk comment in my last newsletter.) Rock refuses to go away."

You can find the complete article here: http://endino.com/archive/arch3-4.html

Wishbone Cracky Good Luck Charm

Hi, my name is Cara. I spend lots of time and money on the music i love, which happens to be everything heavy, primal, noisy, wierd, sludgy, deliciously crushing and psychedelic. Does this interest you too? If so, here is my blog in which i'll share some different tidbits of music related news, album uploads, reviews etc. If it doesn't interest you, maybe you will change your mind. If not, maybe you're outta luck. Thanks for stopping by, this is a very new blog but i hope to update often - please share any suggestions you may have.



For now i will leave you with a song by one of the most dirty, gritty, great bands to come out of the 80s Seattle music scene.. the U-Men!


This song is called "Bad Little Woman" from the Amphetamine Reptile "Dope Guns & Fucking in the Streets" compilation Volume 1.


http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RT305XQX

Enjoy!