The inimitable King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard announce their first 2024 North American tour dates, all 3-hour marathon sets. Following the release of PetroDragonic Apocalypse — their latest album and “end times thrash metal concept album” (The Needle Drop) — as well as this year’s recently-wrapped sold-out residency tour, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s newly announced dates will bring their acclaimed marathon sets back to North America, including stops in New York, Chicago, Austin, TX and Quincy, WA at the legendary Gorge Amphitheatre (which, at a capacity of 21,600 tickets, will be the band’s largest headline show to date). General on sale begins today Friday, September 15th at 12pm ET. A full list of dates is below. Tickets will be available at kinggizzardandthelizardwizard.com
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD TOUR DATES Sat. Aug. 17, 2024 – Forest Hills, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium Sun. Sept. 1, 2024 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island Sat. Sept. 14, 2024 – Quincy, WA @ The Gorge Amphitheatre Fri. Nov. 15, 2024 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater
I had been trying to see The Beths for a couple years, but either I was always working when they were playing or their tour dates were nowhere near where I live, but lo and behold, they scheduled a date in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a mere one-and-half-hour drive from my house, at Bell’s Eccentric Café.
It turned out not only to be my first time seeing The Beths, but also the first show I saw at Bell’s beer garden stage. I’d been to multiple shows at Bell’s, but had never been in the garden and had no idea it was so spacious. I also didn’t realize that the town’s Metro train tracks ran behind the stage area, and neither did the band and a lot of other people, until two trains went past during The Beths’ set.
Not only was the size of the garden a delightful surprise, but so was the age range of the crowd. It was an all-ages show, and I saw people ranging from a boy who was barely thirteen to a man in his seventies there. A lot of people were sporting Beths t-shirts from previous tours, and the crowd clearly loved them and were happy they’d come all the way from New Zealand.
First up, however were Disq from Madison, Wisconsin. They played an energetic mix of noise rock, post punk, and no-wave and were having a great time. I didn’t get to see their whole set, thanks to road construction delaying me a bit, but what I saw and heard was loud and frantic.
Disq
The Beths came out in the dark, complete with a giant inflatable fish, and opened with the title track of their debut album Future Me Hates Me, and the crowd was instantly happy. The Beths are a fun band. Their love of playing, and their camaraderie, is immediately apparent, and that energy races through the audience.
They played a fun set, including fun hits like “Whatever” and “Dying to Believe,” secretly sad songs like “Expert in a Dying Field” and “Best Left,” and lovely love songs like “Your Side” and “When You Know You Know.”
“Whatever, yeah, whatever.”
“We love you!” was a common shout from the crowd, and The Beths returned the love for the whole set, and did a lot of shredding. It’s easy to focus on Elizabeth Stokes‘ lyrics and miss how well the whole band plays. They could easily cut a shoegaze album if they wanted – and I hope they do.
It was a fun night with nice late summer weather and good vibes all around thanks to The Beths bringing the love.
Recorded during their “Kiss of Death” tour in 2007, Motörhead‘s previously unreleased Live at Montreux Jazz Festival ’07 is another powerful live recording of Phil Campbell (guitar and backing vocals), Mikkey Dee (drums), and Lemmy Kilmister (bass and lead vocals) firing on all cylinders.
The set list include lots of bangers and some cuts you didn’t hear often during some other sets. Opening with “Snaggletooth” for example, is a nice touch. It wasn’t a common opener for them, and they unload it with the subtlety of a flamethrower. “Stay Clean” doesn’t give you time to breathe, as you’re too busy holding onto your face to keep it from being blasted onto the wall behind you. “Be My Baby” is thick with sludge and reveals how much Motörhead influenced early Nirvana records.
“That was kind of jazzy, wasn’t it?” Kilmister jokes after “Killers.” “One Night Stand” swings and shreds. Speaking of shredding, Campbell does a lot of it on “I Got Mine” with a solo that might sear your ears. Kilmister dedicates “Sword of Glory” to soldiers “fighting in Iraq for no good reason.”
“Who likes Thin Lizzy?” Kilmister asks, and then talks about how Phil Lynott was one of his heroes, before they rip in to a cover of Thin Lizzy‘s “Rosalie.” He gives a warning before the epic version of “Sacrifice”: “If you dance to this, you won’t have children later in life.” It is brutal and unforgiving. The mosh pit during this version must’ve been like the Battle of Helm’s Gate, only stopped by everyone’s jaws hitting the floor during Dee’s drum solo. It’s hard to tell what’s moving faster, his hands on the snares, cymbals, and toms, or his feet on the double kick drums. “Just ‘Cos You Got the Power” isslower, “So Phil can show off his new guitar,” Kilmister says. He does. Quite well.
“Going to Brazil” blasts by you in a heartbeat, followed by the always-sinister, always-heavy “Killed By Death.” “Iron Fist,” appropriately, pummels you. Kilmister’s bass on it is as relentless as a belt-fed machine gun. The acoustic “Whorehouse Blues” is a refreshing bit of fun after it, and a moment to inhale, exhale, and then go nuts when they finally get to “Ace of Spades.” The closer, “Overkill,” is over eight minutes of raw power. Dee’s double-bass kick-drumming alone will make your jaw drop.
It’s another fine live album in an already impressive catalog. Don’t miss it.
L7 have announced two upcoming tours that will include shows in small venues.
Seeing L7 live is always a good choice, and seeing them in a small venue is a no-brainer. If you’re on the other side of the planet, check out this tour in December.
As you can see, the last two shows of that tour in Melbourne, Australia are already sold out. Bricks Are Heavy is a great album, and hearing all of it live would be a blast.
They’ve also announced a new single will be released soon, so keep your ears open for it.
I didn’t hesitate to buy my tickets when I found out that Love and Rockets were touring for the first time in about fifteen years. I’d wanted to see them since I was in high school. I almost got to see them as Bauhaus with Peter Murphy, but the pandemic cancelled that. The closest I’d come was seeing bassist and co-vocalist David J do a solo acoustic show at Levitation Austin.
Opening for Love and Rockets was Vinsantos, a friend of David J who played an interesting mix of torch songs and gothic synth-rock. I described him to a friend as “a drag queen scarecrow who sang piano ballads about death.” So, yes, really interesting.
Vinsantos (right) and a friend who played guitar and sang backing vocals for him.
Love and Rockets came out, looking like the rock stars they are, and proceeded to level the place. They were smart to start with the mellow “I Feel Speed” before launching into the heavy, sexy “No Big Deal.” They then stomped the gas for “The Kundalini Express” and had the place jumping.
All aboard!
They sounded great. Daniel Ash still shreds on guitar and Kevin Haskins did a great job of handling both percussion and synths (often played on drum pads on his kit while putting down beats).
The raw power of Ash’s guitar work was evident on “Judgement Day,” and things got psychedelic on “An American Dream” before they rolled into “No New Tale to Tell” and the audience went nuts.
Then, they played “So Alive” and the place really went crazy.
Hearing “The Light” live nearly caused me and others to transcend. It felt like being inside power lines stretched across the Mohave Desert. “Mirror People” crushed it, and my friend, Leimomi, and I headed into the pit for the first encore, which included their great cover of “Ball of Confusion,” which was as stunning as I’d hoped it would be.
Rap on, rap on, brother.
The second encore was “Sweet F.A.,” sending us out the way we came in – with a mellow track to float us to the ceiling.
It was a stunning show and worth the wait. Thanks for giving us this gift, Love and Rockets. We all missed you.
Stuck in the middle of a global pandemic shutdown with plenty of material and energy, and nowhere to go to promote it or expend it, All Them Witches decided to record and livestream a full concert during that weird time and bring fans together in their living rooms. The result was Live on the Internet, the title of which is a play on their song “Internet” (Opening lyric: “Guess I’ll go live on the internet.”) from their excellent album, Sleeping Through the War.
Having no time restraints set by a venue or local ordinances, ATW start their live set with “Blood and Sand / Milk and Endless Waters,” which is nearly ten minutes long…and all of it is amazing. “Dirt Preachers” is fuzzy and raw, like a bison shaking frost of its body before it prepares to charge across a meadow. Ben McLeod‘s guitar work on “Saturnine & Iron Jaw” ranges from metal shredding to Helmet-like chugging to psychedelic mind trips. “41” rumbles with the pent-up energy we all had during lockdown.
This energy is unloaded with all the subtlety of a cannon on their classic track “When God Comes Back,” and their equally classic “Alabaster” (all seven-plus minutes of it) rolls in afterward like charging cavalry. It has to be the most aggressive version of it I’ve heard. “Diamond” has a brooding menace to it that seeps under your skin. Robby Staebler‘s drums on “1×1” sound like the crushing feet of a mastodon.
“I am focused!” yells lead singer / bassist Michael Parks, Jr. on “3-5-7,” making you think he’s either lying to himself…or he is so damn focused that he’s terrifying. “The Marriage of Coyote Woman” highlights their love of Black Sabbath. “Charles William” grows like a wildfire until it threatens to consume everything in its path.
“Rats in Ruin,” often a closer of their shows, drips with mind-warping vocal effects and subtle bass that purrs like a large cat. Parks takes over on guitar for “Open Passage,” and for a moment it feels like the lights are dimming are we’re about to fall into REM sleep…
Then comes “Enemy of My Enemy” with Parks yelling, “Behold my power!” as McLeod plays like he’s trying to summon something at Stonehenge and Staebler unloads drum fill after drum fill. The brief instrumental “Everest” drifts into the always lovely (and heavy) “Bulls” to close out the session with powerful riffs, beats, and vocals that hit you like sporadic thunderstorms that break out on a hot summer day.
All Them Witches are one of the best live bands around, and their catalogue doesn’t have a weak spot. Live on the Internet continues that trend.
Both weekends of DEBAUCH-a-ReNO are set in stone and nearly sold out as of this announcement. Here’s a summary of expectations, and scroll down to see the official schedule.
The first weekend kicks off on the night of June 16th over at Cypress with four powerhouse local groups demonstrating there’s still a burgeoning DIY scene happening throughout the Biggest Little City In The World. The bands scheduled to grace the stage that evening include the contemporary post-punk neanderthal-ism of Clarko, the jangling garage beat-meets-jugular slash punk attack and sarcasm of The Juvinals, the trashcan glam n’ roll of Pussy Velour, and the urgent, mudslide sound of Rotary Club.
The following day’s event begins in the afternoon at Wingfield Park Amphitheatre. It culminates with a co-headlining bill with notorious Belgium punks, The Kids, playing their first US show in seven years alongside San Bruno’s anchormen of the trash rock netherworld, The Mummies, and Sacramento garage rock titans, The Troublemakers, who mark three decades together this year. Playing in support is Tucson’s own Farfisa a-go-go power quartet, The Okmoniks, making a return to DEBAUCH-a-ReNO, and local quartet Thee Saturday Knights opening the afternoon. However, the budget rock n’ roll onslaught doesn’t end upon the final chord ring out from Kids frontman Ludo Meriman’s guitar; the after-party returns to Cypress, where Holland blues-punk trio, Lo-Lite makes their long-awaited US return alongside the unhinged antagonism of Jamie Paul Lamb’s sardonic alter ego, Puppy and The Hand Jobs, and the Bay Area’s own Just Head, in addition to A SPECIAL SURPRISE GUEST!!!!
Closing out the weekend is another pair of co-headliners hailing from San Diego county as revered Chula Vista punks The Zeroes will make a return to Reno to headline June 18th’s performance at Wingfield Park alongside the twang guitar and power tools action of fellow San Diegans, Deadbolt. Support will be provided by a band that L7 helped push into the masses with their “American Society” cover on Smell The Magic as Eddie & The Subtitles will perform alongside Reno psych-punks, Spitting Image, and Los Angeles rockers, Tube Alloys.
The second weekend’s one-night stand soiree will occur south of Reno in the time-stamped silver mining town of Virginia City on July 14th and anchored by a man whose work crosses music, publishing, and painting AND whom Kurt Cobain, Jack White, Graham Coxon, and Kylie Minogue have paid tribute to in their own right with Wild Billy Childish & CTMF, making their exclusive US performance for 2023 at Piper’s Opera House (est. 1863) alongside Sacramento’s garage-mod screamers, Th’ Losin Streaks. A goodclosing lineup, right? Well, those two weren’t enough because we’ve got one of America’s more criminally underrated bands flying in from one sweatbox to another, with the gutter minimalist bump n’ grind of Subsonics making a rare and special appearance from Atlanta.
DEBAUCH-a-ReNo 2023 June Weekend Schedule *Headliners Non-Headliner schedule subject to change DJs include Jello Biafra, Vivi Martian, Tony The Tyger, Bazooka Joe, and Slovenly Pete Friday, June 16th (8:00 p.m. – 4:00 a,m.) – OPENING PARTY with bands / DJs** Venue: Cypress Reno (directions + info here). Lineup: The Juvinals, Clarko, Pussy Velour, Rotary Club
Saturday, June 17th (2:00 p.m. -10:00 p.m.) – MAIN EVENT with bands, DJs, and record fair Venue: Wingfield Park Amphitheater (directions + info here). Lineup: The Kids*, The Mummies*, The Troublemakers*, Okmoniks, Thee Saturday Knights
Saturday, June 17th (10:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.) – AFTERPARTY with bands / DJs Venue: Cypress Reno Lineup: Lo-Life, Puppy and The Hand Jobs, Just Head + SURPRISE SPECIAL GUEST!
Sunday, June 18th (2:00 p.m. -10:00 p.m.) – MAIN EVENT with bands & DJs** Venue: Wingfield Park Amphitheater Lineup: The Zeros*, Deadbolt*, Eddie & The Subtitles, Spitting Image, Tube Alloys
DEBAUCH-a-ReNO 2023 July One-Nighter Schedule Friday, July 14th (7:00 p.m – Midnight) – MAIN EVENT with bands & DJ Bazooka Joe Venue: Piper’s Opera House (directions + info here) Lineup: Wild Billy Childish & CTMF*, Subsonics, Th’ Losin Streaks
CLICK HERE TO HEAR THE DEBAUCH-a-ReNO MIXTAPE FOR KWNK RADIO!
Tickets Full passes (access to both Wingfield & Cypress shows), Park (Wingfield only), and Virginia City tickets are available through Eventsmart. That’s a good thing; they’re the kind of company who don’t blindside customers with the insane hidden fees the larger ticket companies are notorious for.
GET YOUR DEBAUCH-a-ReNO PASSES HERE Room Deals Hotel deals for DEBAUCH-a-ReNO are available through RENO SUITES in Downtown Reno (a 10-minute walk from Wingfield Park) for $109/nightly (that price includes taxes and fees). The reviews at this place are solid, and to get this rate, you’ll need to book through the link below.
My friend, Gavin and I were surprised at the entrance to Columbus, Ohio’s Kemba Live! venue that the Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade show wasn’t in the outdoor portion of their venue. After all, it was hot and humid (low 90s Fahrenheit) and it was the first time Mr. Claypool had taken a version of this particular side project of his (among the dozens of them by now, it seems) on the road in twenty years. The surprise came when the woman checking I.D.s said we couldn’t bring in our folding “lawn seat” chairs because it was an indoor show.
Which, of course, meant it was even hotter inside than outside once you packed in the bodies at the intimate indoor venue. We’re not sure air conditioning was ever used during the show, although there is a chance it was finally turned on just before the Frog Brigade’s encore set.
Up first, however, wasChicago’s Neal Francis and his stellar band, who play a neat style of 1970s funk and soul mixed with a bit of 1960s psychedelia. At times the set reminded me of BozScaggs, other times like T. Rex, and other times like Pablo Cruise. In other words, good stuff all-around. Mr. Francis even had an electric organ with what appeared to be a giant whammy bar attached to it, allowing him to bend notes at will.
Neal Francis on piano. The “whammy bar” can just be seen on the right side of the top keyboard.
The crowd appreciated Mr. Francis’ set, and were amped to next see and hear Mr. Claypool and his soldiers. By “amped,” I mean “many were drunk and / or high.” I haven’t been around that many drunk and high people since a good number of the crowd was tripping during Moon Duo‘s set at the end of Levitation Austin last year. Thankfully, no one near Gavin and I was an angry drunk or on a violent trip. Two big dudes to our right were loud drunks, but never rude. One other guy to my right was hitting his vape pen so much that I’m surprised he didn’t set off a fire alarm.
The Brigade, with Sean Lennon on lead guitar no less, came out and jumped straight into the quirky, jumpy “David Makalaster” and “Rumble of the Diesel.” Claypool’s backing band consisted of a keyboardist, drummer, and percussionist, and all of them were stellar musicians. The percussionist often riffed on xylophone solos and even brought out two tabla drums, which always makes me happy.
“David Makalaster, your ten o’clock newscaster.”
They played two tracks from The Claypool Lennon Delirium project – both parts of “Cricket and the Genie” before playing Pink Floyd‘s “Animals” in its entirety with no breaks before or during the long set. They pulled it off to perfection, and then followed that mammoth set with two songs they hadn’t played before, “Running the Gauntlet” and “Holy Mackerel.” “Gauntlet” is especially fun, as it gives each band member a chance to play a solo. It was during this that I learned that Sean Lennon can shred. I’d never seen him play before, and had only heard a few of his songs until this evening, and I left with a new appreciation for his skill.
“Pigs (Three Different Ones)”
A fun treat during the encore was the instrumental “Whamola” (also sometimes known as “Simon Says”), in which Claypool, clad in a disco ball helmet, played his electric “whammy bar-viola” (sort of a washtub bass) by beating on it with a stick and using a whammy bar handle at the top to change the pitch of the single string on it. The whole crowd was jumping.
It was a fun time, and everyone on stage in both bands was damn impressive. Don’t miss this tour. Claypool has so many side projects that he might not take it out again for another couple decades.
But I would love an Oysterhead tour, Mr. Claypool, if you’re looking for suggestions.
Keep your mind open.
[Hop over to the subscription box while you’re here!]
Thanks be to the Reverberation Appreciation Society for capturing Thee Oh Sees‘ first performance at the Levitation Music Festival back in 2012. As a result, we have Live At Levitation (2012). Thee Oh Sees / Oh Sees / OCS / OSees have since played Levitation many times, but this wild set featuring the band’s incarnation of Petey Dammit (bass), Brigid Dawson (keyboards, hand percussion, backing vocals), John Dwyer (lead guitar and vocals), Lars Finberg (drums), and Mike Shoun (drums) is a rare treat. They’d played in Austin, Texas (home of the Levitation festival) before, but not at the festival itself, so they were pumped.
It starts with one of their biggest fan-favorites, “The Dream,” and Dwyer’s guitar already sounds like it’s begging for mercy within the first few chords. Dammit’s bass on “Devil Again” (which is actually a guitar tuned to sound just like a bass) is relentless, and Dwyer sounds like he’s taking a belt sander to his guitar at one point.
The live version of “Tidal Wave” here is even faster than it normally sounds live, showing how amped the entire band was just three songs into their set. They take a moment or two to tune, and for everyone to take a couple deep breaths, before they stomp the gas pedal and launch into “Enemy Destruct,” sending the crowd into a wilder frenzy than just moments earlier.
You could almost call “Robber Barons” “Rubber Barons” because it has this slow bounce to it thanks to Dammit’s bass and Finberg and Shoun’s double-drumming that hits the heavy spots at just the right moments. The centerpiece is “Block of Ice,” which clocks in at over thirteen minutes in length and never relinquishes its groove. Dammit’s endurance on it is stunning, and every time you think the song has reached some kind of crescendo, Dwyer and his crew take it even further.
Dwyer assures the audience that he’s “mostly in tune” before they start the lively “Meat Step Lively,” which has this garage rock jangle to it that I love. The set ends with “Minotaur” and Dwyer singing about being stuck in the maze of a job that he hates but forces himself to wander through each day.
Then they’re off to “the Red Roof Inn” as they hand off the stage to Meat Puppets and The Brian Jonestown Massacre that year.
It’s a great addition to the “Live at Levitation” series and the Osees’ catalogue. Don’t miss it.
Keep your mind open.
[Levitate over to the subscription box while you’re here.]
Released in the early days of the pandemic, Acid Dad‘s Levitation Sessions caught the band in a weird moment that many other bands were experiencing: They had a new album and couldn’t tour to promote it. Thankfully, the folks at the Reverberation Appreciation Society brought them into a safe studio and let them play many tracks of Take It from the Dead and some new stuff they were whipping up during lockdown – because, like every other band out there, what else were they going to do?
Staring with cool synths, interesting vocal samples, and other stuff that sounds like the opening to some early 1990s VHS instructional video, “Contact” immediately lets you know that this is going to be a weird trip (I mean, just look at the album cover.). “BBQ,” a staple food of their hometown of Austin, Texas, is a shoegazey tale of well-made plans going wrong at the slightest opportunity. “Mess with us and you’ll die hard,” they sing on “Die Hard.” The song is fairly upbeat for such heavy lyrics. It’s like a happy warning.
“Dissin'” tells the tale of pushing away a potential lover who brings far too much drama and not enough respect to the table. It has this cool, slow, psychedelic sound to it that’s just a touch sludgy. “Living with a Creature” and “Bada Bing” get a little countrified. Do I detect some CCR influence? “Marine” carries this sound along as Acid Dad tells a tale of dropping out of military school to go back to old friends who tend to overdose on party drugs. The guitars chug along like the best intentions of the song’s lead character and then expands into a groovy solo.
The groove appropriately kicks up a notch on “RC Driver,” which has a great guitar jam in the middle of it and killer bass throughout it. The groove cruises along so well that it flows into “2Ci” without a bump. They barely give you time to breathe before they get into “Don’t Get Taken,” the pace of which is like jumping on a skateboard and going straight down the middle of South Congress Street toward the river in Austin at midnight on Friday. If you know, you know.
They get heavy on “Mistress,” both in terms of the heft of the drums and bass, and the lyrics about being dragged down by giant squids and how love can be crushing. “Mr. Major” blends psychedelic jams with punk lyrics, and “Djembe” (which clocks in at over seven minutes) has the band telling us how ashamed they are of not only some of their past sins, but also everything we, as a society, are doing wrong.
It’s a cool session from a cool band who are exploring a lot of different ways to approach the psychedelic genre.
