Review: Warish – Down in Flames

Warish‘s first full-length album, Down in Flames, is as fiery as its namesake.  Their self-titled debut EP hit so hard that it was like going four rounds with a professional boxer.  The image of a supersonic jet pilot on the cover of Down in Flames is not happenstance.  It’s a reflection of how this album makes you feel – strap in and hold on. 

The opening track, “Healter Skelter,” with its wild guitar licks and break-down-the-walls drumming is not unlike the angry Beatles track of the almost same name.  “You’ll Abide” brings in thrash punk elements as Riley Hawk sings, “I don’t wanna be like them.  I’ve got an evil mind.  It was made for sin.”  The drums somehow get bigger on “Big Time Spender” with Hawk dropping his vocal register and the bass dropping even more to turn the song into a Black Sabbath-like dirge.

“Bleed Me Free” pushes the speed back up to F-14 levels and has Hawk wailing like Kurt Cobain on rare Bleach-era cuts.  “In a Hole” blasts by so quick that it seems like it clocks in at under a minute instead of just over twice that length.

The next four tracks, “Bones,” “Voices,” “Fight,” and “Shivers” are the four tracks from their self-titled debut EP and are each full of burning jet fuel power.  They follow it with “Runnin’ Scared,” a fierce, wild track that layers distortion over Hawk’s vocals as well as the guitar and bass (which remind me of Motorhead arrangements).  The album ends with the almost-peppy “Their Disguise,” in which I can’t determine which instrument is leading and who is trying to keep up with whom.  I mean this in the best possible sense.  Each of the band members burns up the last of their fuel reserves on it.

Down in Flames is heavy, fuzzy, angry, fast, and one of the hottest metal records so far this year.  Their self-titled EP was just a warm-up.  This is a full-on brawl.

Keep your mind open.

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Dead Kennedys to officially release CD of rare 1978 studio sessions.

Straight out of San Francisco, the Dead Kennedys became punk legends with a slew of classic singles, such as “Holiday in Cambodia” and “California Über Alles.” Any punk fan worth their salt, knows and loves these songs, but may not have heard these early, alternate versions.

Due Sept. 27th on Los Angeles-based Manifesto Records, the rare Iguana Studios Rehearsal Tape — San Francisco 1978, captures the band bashing out these classics in their earliest-known incarnations. The take on “Holiday in Cambodia” is a bit slower in tempo, more melodic, but no less fierce. “California Über Alles” takes on a more ominous tone in this lo-fi rendition. This release is the latest in a series from Manifesto marking the iconic punk band’s 40th anniversary.

The 13-song collection, which also includes such notable tracks as “I Kill Children” and the DK’s infamous cover of “Rawhide,” features the band’s original lineup of singer Jello Biafra, guitarists East Bay Ray and 6025, bassist Klaus Flouride, and drummer Ted, in its first year of existence. This set was recorded two years prior to the release of the band’s 1980 debut album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables.

Previously available only as a bootleg and finally legitimately released on vinyl for Record Store Day in 2018, the Iguana Studios Rehearsal Tape – San Francisco 1978 makes its debut on CD for the first time due to overwhelming demand. As the title indicates, the recordings were captured on tape at the legendary Iguana Studios on Folsom Street, where such DK contemporaries as The Avengers also rehearsed.

Aside from the aforementioned songs, the Iguana Studios Rehearsal Tape features such rarities as the punky reggae “Dreadlocks of the Suburbs,” the aural assault known as “Cold Fish,” the captivating “Kidnap” and punk-prog rocker “Mutations of Today,” which make their first official release here. No DK’s collection is complete without this aural artifact. Take a journey back to Iguana Studios in 1978 and hear the band in their infancy, before they became the punk legends you know and love.

Iguana Studios Rehearsal Tape – San Francisco 1978 track listing: 1. Man With the Dogs 2. Kepone Kids 3. Forward to Death 4. Kill the Poor 5. Your Emotions 6. Dreadlocks of the Suburbs 7. I Kill Children 8. Cold Fish 9. Holiday in Cambodia 10. Kidnap 11. Mutations of Today 12. Rawhide 13. California Über Alles

Live shows: Oct 3 San Luis Obispo, CA Alex Madonna Expo Center Oct 4 Ventura, CA Majestic Ventura Theater Oct 5 San Pedro, CA So Cal Hoedown/Port of Los Angeles, Berth 46

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Ezra Furman – Twelve Nudes

Upon hearing Ezra Furman’s new album, Twelve Nudes, for the first time in its entirety, my first thought was, “That’s a scorcher.”

Furman himself has claimed this is his band’s “punk record” made in a time of furious anger at the current political landscape.  It’s also an embrace / exploration of his sexuality.  The album cover features someone peeling back their face / façade to reveal a mental image of a bevy of somewhat androgynous, nude figures having a languid moment on a rocky landscape.  Furman’s mind, it seems, can be a rough place, but he’s learning to be at peace with it and to find his inner beauty.

The opening track, “Calm Down AKA I Should Not Be Alone,” has Furman barely able to contain his rage at what’s happening in the world around him (“I should not be alone, the way things are going.”).  The bass line carries the whole tune while Furman shouts not just to the back of the recording studio, but also to the parking lot behind the building.  “Evening Prayer AKA Justice” is a rallying call for his fellow oddballs and outcasts (“I wasted my twenties in submission.  I thought I was outside the system.  I was rollin’ over for wealthy power, as if they really cared about me.  The kids are just getting started.  They’ve only just learned how to howl, and most of them have thrown in the towel before they have turned twenty-three.”).  Furman’s vocals throughout it are somehow fiercer than the previous track.  Furman has mentioned how he sometimes had a sore throat after recording the tracks on this record, and I believe him.

“Nobody cares if you’re dying until you’re dead,” he sings on “Transition from Nowhere,” which reminds me of Dan Bejar songs in its sound and Furman’s vocal style.  “Rated R Crusaders” is practically an early Devo cut with its rapid post-punk lyrics and wild, weird guitar riffs.  “Trauma” is a hard-hitting, Lou Reed-like rocker (Furman has spoken of Reed’s songwriting influencing his.) about rich white dudes literally getting away with rape and murder.

“Thermometer” has Furman proclaiming his love for rock and roll and how it changed him forever.  The 1950’s-flavored “I Want to Be Your Girlfriend” has Furman singing a love song to someone who isn’t interested in him (“Honey, I know I don’t have the body you want in a girlfriend.  What I’m working with is not ideal, but maybe, baby, it’s not about what you thought that you wanted, it’s about what I can make you feel.”).  It’s a pretty oasis in a middle of a sea of rage, which we’re right back at sea on with the loud, fuzzy, shredding “Blown” (which sounds like a lost Nirvana demo) and “My Teeth Hurt.”

“I’m alone in America,” Furman sings in “In America,” a song that both lambasts the country’s hatred and racism, but also praises what it can be if we’d put our differences aside and focus on our commonality.  The album ends with sage advice on what to do when The Man is bringing you down – “What Can You Do but Rock ‘n’ Roll.”  It’s a banger to send the album, and us, out on a high note.

Which is what Furman has been encouraging us to do all along – take the high road, even when that road leads to a rocky desert in your mind.  You will find the high notes there.  You will find beauty and love there.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Beehive – Depressed + Distressed

Hailing from northern California, Beehive is one of the most appropriately named bands I’ve heard so far this year.  Bassist Bud Amentia and vocalist / guitarist Jake Sprecher (and a drum machine, which they apparently don’t turn off between songs during their live sets) make music that buzzes with energy and danger.  Listening to their debut EP Depressed + Distressed is like standing near a beehive.  You’re on the edge of danger all the time.

The instrumental into of “Tick Tock” delivers this message right away.  It’s just over a minute of menace with poppy drum machine beats that belie something heavy about to land in your lap.  That heavy thing is the song “Get Off My Back,” which has Sprecher’s guitars howling like a chainsaw in a thunderstorm and Amentia’s bass coming at you like an unrelenting rain. 

“You’re So Fascinating” is a funny track about the fake images we create in hopes that people will like us.  Sprecher’s vocal delivery brings Glenn Danzig to mind, but with more post-punk attitude instead of goth rage.  The funniest track on the EP is “90’s Trash,” in which Sprecher talks about buying a CD of the songs that form the “graveyard of his youth” that make him both nostalgic and depressed.  He and Amentia play a riff that sounds exactly like every 1990’s rock song you’ve heard as Sprecher name checks the Smoking Popes, Spacehog, Soundgarden, third wave ska, Save Ferris, Flaming Lips, and (the one that most makes Sprecher ill) Ugly Kid Joe.

“When Can I See You Again?” is a punk rager expressing the panic, rush, and angst all of us have felt in a new relationship.  “Don’t Try” is almost a rallying cry to do just the opposite.  Beehive are pissed about everyone telling them (and all of us, if you watch enough news) not to bother, so they’re responding with a sonic boot stomp to the chest.  The EP closes with “Wasting Our Time.”  Beehive have no time for people who drain their energy with drama (“You’re wasting my time, I’m wasting my time with you.”).  Amentia’s bass on this track is particularly heavy and is a great mix with Sprecher’s Jon Spencer-like riffs.

The EP’s title sums up not only Beehive’s feelings about Millennial life, but also the lives of practically everyone else.  Everyone’s depressed or distressed about something – usually things that don’t matter (as evidenced in the last track of the EP).  If Beehive have to sting us to wake us up from our doldrums, they will.  You can’t escape a swarm, and you won’t be able to escape this record once you hear it.

Keep your mind open.

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“Don’t Try” to ignore Beehive or their latest single.

Northern California duo Beehive share a new track from their forthcoming debut EP Depressed + Distressed via Spill Magazine. Hear and share “Don’t Try” HERE.

The Big Takeover recently shared lead single “When Can I See You Again?” HERE.

It’s the simple things that matter, right? Beehive know this well. The Northern California duo writes short, deceptively simple rock songs in the vein of early Wire, Suicide, The Spits and Television Personalities. Each song seems laser focused on a desperately repeated vocal phrase and repeatedly hammered riff splayed out over the emotional indifference of a Hammond Auto-Vari 64 drum machine.

Vocalist/guitarist Jake Sprecher — who also played in Terry Malts (SF), Smokescreens (LA) and Business of Dreams (LA), all part of Slumberland Records family – urgently yelps and howls desperate and angry lyrics like a man with no time to waste. Bassist Bud Amenti (also of Shutups) fills in any gaps with subtle walks and fills while holding down the band’s monolithic sound. Beehive never stop the drum machine during their live set, there are no breaks, which adds to the intensity.

Beehive came into existence at the beginning of 2019, but in that short time has been hitting venues hard up and down the West Coast to set up their 7-song debut EP Depressed + Distressed for release in early Fall. The EP was recorded live in the studio in one take to 1/2″ tape. No messing around.

Depressed + Distressed opens with a short intro (“Tick Tock”) leading into the mantra-like wail of “Get Off My Back,” as the duo holds and pummels an A-major chord, as Sprecher chants over the top. Elsewhere, “90’s Trash” sarcastically rips up nostalgia for music of our youth and disposable culture. “When Can I See You Again?” seethes with desperation and obsession we’ve all experienced at some point, the guitars clattering and clawing, perhaps trying in vain to stop the incessant drum machine. “Wasting Our Time” wastes no time getting to the point: Our time, our lives, as a measure of existence, is only wasted by ourselves and each other. Kind of heady and deep, but utterly simple.

Depressed + Distressed will be available on 10″ EP and download on September 6th, 2019 via Jester Records.

BEEHIVE LIVE 2019: 09/14 San Francisco, CA @ Knockout 10/09 Portland, OR @ Valentine’s 10/10 Seattle, WA @ Cha Cha Lounge 10/11 Eugene, OR @ Spectrum 10/17 Oakland, CA @ Golden Bull

Keep your mind open.

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Beehive’s “When Can I See You Again?” is a manic punk rager to which all of us can relate.

Northern California duo Beehive share the first track from their forthcoming debut EP Depressed + Distressed via The Big Takeover. Hear and share “When Can I See You Again?” HERE. (Direct Bandcamp and Soundcloud.)

It’s the simple things that matter, right? Beehive know this well. The Northern California duo writes short, deceptively simple rock songs in the vein of early Wire, Suicide, The Spits and Television Personalities. Each song seems laser focused on a desperately repeated vocal phrase and repeatedly hammered riff splayed out over the emotional indifference of a Hammond Auto-Vari 64 drum machine.

Vocalist/guitarist Jake Sprecher — who also.played in Terry Malts (SF), Smokescreens (LA) and Business of Dreams (LA), all part of Slumberland Records family – urgently yelps and howls desperate and angry lyrics like a man with no time to waste. Bassist Bud Amenti (also of Shutups) fills in any gaps with subtle walks and fills while holding down the band’s monolithic sound. Beehive never stop the drum machine during their live set, there are no breaks, which adds to the intensity.

Beehive came into existence at the beginning of 2019, but in that short time has been hitting venues hard up and down the West Coast to set up their 7-song debut EP Depressed + Distressed for release in early Fall. The EP was recorded live in the studio in one take to 1/2″ tape. No messing around.

Depressed + Distressed opens with a short intro (“Tick Tock”) leading into the mantra-like wail of “Get Off My Back,” as the duo holds and pummels an A-major chord, as Sprecher chants over the top. Elsewhere, “90’s Trash” sarcastically rips up nostalgia for music of our youth and disposable culture. “When Can I See You Again?” seethes with desperation and obsession we’ve all experienced at some point, the guitars clattering and clawing, perhaps trying in vain to stop the incessant drum machine. “Wasting Our Time” wastes no time getting to the point: Our time, our lives, as a measure of existence, is only wasted by ourselves and each other. Kind of heady and deep, but utterly simple.

Depressed + Distressed will be available on 10″ EP and download on September 6th, 2019 via Jester Records.

BEEHIVE LIVE 2019: 09/14 San Francisco, CA @ Knockout 10/09 Portland, OR @ Valentine’s 10/10 Seattle, WA @ Cha Cha Lounge

On The Web: beehive1.bandcamp.com

instagram.com/beehive_trash

facebook.com/beehivetrash

Keep your mind open.

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One new single isn’t enough for Ezra Furman, so he’s released two ahead of “Twelve Nudes” due August 30th.

Photo by Jessica Lehrman

With his highly anticipated new album, Twelve Nudes, due August 30th via Bella UnionErza Furman has shared two new tracks from the LP.  For Furman, new single “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend “Is a romantic song of transgender longing. It’s another entry in my series of ‘I Wanna’ songs (in the tradition of the Ramones). I thought it was time we had an ‘Earth Angel’ for the queers. Of course because it’s an Ezra Furman tune, there’s a little bit of desperation, religion and body-talk.”.  It comes with a brilliant video directed by Alix Spence, who shared that; “Listening to the song and speaking with Ezra, I saw our two dancers, Brandon Mathis and and Jobel Medina, as physical manifestations of internal suffering. I wanted to literally have us wrestle with ourselves and the complexities of our personal struggles. 
 
Of the additional single “Evening Prayer”, Furman states: “It’s our rallying cry. We music fans go to shows for transcendence; it’s like being called to prayer. But as Abraham Heschel said, ‘Prayer is meaningless unless it is subversive, unless it seeks to overthrow and to ruin the pyramids of callousness, hatred, opportunism and falsehood.’ I want all our fans to become activists. We punk fans have so much energy to give to the fight against injustice, i.e. the abuse of the poor by the rich, i.e. climate change. So this is one to get you in the mood.” 
 
Last year was a championing year for Furman – since the release of the “layered, baroque pop melodrama” (BillboardTransangelic Exodus, Furman has garnered immense praise, both for Transangelic Exodus and the soundtrack he created for Netflix’s Sex Education (he and his band also appeared in an episode). Twelve Nudes, his new and “spiritually queer” punk record, continues this same wavelength, and is an incendiary and inspiring follow-up. Across the album, Furman channels pent-up energy, distinguished by sharp, lacerating observations, confessions and proclamations.
 
Twelve Nudes was recorded quickly in Oakland in Fall 2018 and was mixed by venerated producer John Congleton (Sharon Van Etten, St. Vincent). The result is an album that is less stereotypical punk than raw, raucous rock’n’roll. The album has two spiritual heroes –  the late great punk Jay Reatard and Canadian writer and philosopher Anne Carson. The title stems directly from Carson, who used the term “nudes” to describe the meditations she used to deal with intense pain in her life.
 
This is our punk record,” says Ezra Furman. “We made it in Oakland, quickly. We drank and smoked. Then we made the loud parts louder. I hurt my voice screaming. This was back in 2018, when things were bad in the world. The songs are naked with nothing to hide.”
 
One of my goals in making music is to make the world seem bigger, and life seem larger,” Furman concludes. “I want to be a force that tries to revive the human spirit rather than crush it, to open possibilities rather than close them down. Sometimes a passionate negativity is the best way to do that.”

 
Watch the video for “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend” –
https://youtu.be/8e1h31hVGSw
 
Listen to “Evening Prayer” –
https://youtu.be/nuUnAAUSgf0
 
Watch the Video for “Calm Down” – 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLecVxlnZG8
 
Pre-order Twelve Nudes – 
http://smarturl.it/ef_twelve
 
Ezra Furman Tour Dates:
Wed. July 24 – Dublin, IE @ Button Factory
Thu. July 25 – Galway, IE @ Galway Festival
Sun. July 28 – Topcliffe, UK @ Deer Shed Festival
Thu. Sept. 5 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Sat. Sept. 7 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall (TICKETS)
Sun. Sept. 8 – Detroit, MI @ El Club (TICKETS)
Mon. Sept. 9 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace (TICKETS)
Tue. Sept. 10 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz P.D.B. (TICKETS)
Wed. Sept. 11 – Cambridge, MA @ Sonia (TICKETS)
Thu. Sept. 12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw (TICKETS)
Sun. Sept. 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts (TICKETS)
Mon. Sept. 16 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage (TICKETS)

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Clutch, Killswitch Engage, and Cro-Mags “JM” – Clyde Theatre – Ft. Wayne, IN – July 16, 2019

The last show I saw at Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Clyde Theatre was the Flaming Lips with Le Bucherettes, which was a communal psychedelic experience and not the type of place in which a mosh pit breaks out while someone screams at you with rage and fury. Now, however, I was seeing three bands who brought plenty of rage and fury – Clutch, Killswitch Engage, and Cro-Mags “JM“.

My friend and I walked in as Cro-Mags “JM” were unleashing their rage with a furious hardcore punk rock set. The “JM,” by the way, stands for “John Mackie” – as in vocalist John Joseph and drummer Mackie Jayson. Joseph and Jayson are two of the longest-serving members in the legendary Cro-Mags band (which has gone through multiple lineup changes). Joseph talked about songs written in 1989, such as “Street Justice,” when there was no such thing as being an online troll (“You said what you needed to say face to face. You didn’t hide behind a keyboard. And if you had to put your fists up, you threw down.”). It was a fast, hard set, yet no mosh pits broke out, which I found baffling.

Cro-Mags “JM”

I’d heard of Cro-Mags from my high school punk rock days, but I’d never heard anything by Killswitch Engage despite the fact they’ve been together for two decades. My metal music collections leans toward stoner and doom, so metalcore is a mostly unexplored genre for me. They put on a heck of a show, bringing relentless energy and a packed house. A lot of people showed up for their set, and a few small mosh pits broke out during it. Crowd surfing was even more popular. A particular highlight was the live debut of their newest single, “I Am Broken, Too.” Lead singer Jessie Leach‘s vocal stylings reminded me of Ronnie James Dio, so I was delighted to hear them close their set with a cover of Dio’s “Holy Diver.”

Killswitch Engage

Clutch came out gunning with the always-invigorating “X-Ray Visions” and “Firebirds!” Bassist Dan Maines had some technical issues in the first two tracks that kept him from putting out as much sound as he wanted, but a couple swapped cables and batteries fixed the issue by the time they got to “Gimme the Keys.”

Psychic warfare is real, and Dan Maines’ bass apparently shoots lasers.

The crowd had thinned a bit, which is a shame, because a lot of the metalcore fans who left missed a great groove-rock show by Clutch that included a lot of tunes I’d never heard live before such as their version of the blues classic “Evil,” the rare cut “Willie Nelson,” “Smoke Banshee,” “Hot Bottom Feeder” (which my friend loved for both the groove and the fact that the entire song is a crab cake recipe), and “Rats.”

Clutch lets us know that Willie Nelson only smokes killer weed.

They ended the night with an encore of “H.B. Is in Control” and “How to Shake Hands,” two more songs I hadn’t heard live until now. I’ve always loved how Clutch changes up their setlist every night. They keep a core of a few tunes for each show but mix in whatever else they want to play. I wish more bands did this, but not every band is as confident as them. So, go see them. It will be a unique experience.

Keep your mind open.

Thanks to Doug Weber of New Ocean Media for getting me a press pass to the show.

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Review: Bad Sports – Constant Stimulation

Texas punks Bad Sports (Daniel Fried – bass and vocals, Orville Neeley – guitar and vocals, Gregory Rutherford – drums) have been blasting in the indie scene for over a decade, and their newest album, Constant Stimulation, brings fire, rage, wisdom, snark, and riffs. Plenty of riffs.

They’re off to a fast start off with “Giving In,” with its Social Distortion-like swagger. “If it feels like giving up, it’s giving in,” they sing, calling on all of us to keep fighting. “Don’t Deserve Love” and “All Revved Up to Kill” bring in a touch of pop-punk and 1960’s garage rock vocal stylings. “Comes Close,” like the two songs before it, are love songs, or rather songs about the sometimes frustrating / fun nature of love. “When one comes close, but you don’t get no answer…” they sing, deciding not to finish the sentence because we all know what they mean. Nelly’s guitar solo vents our and their frustrations.

“Gains and Losses” is a middle finger at the current U.S. economy, its inequality, and the emptiness that wealth can bring (“Doing nothing, saying nothing, paying someone after the fact.”). “Leave your conscience behind,” they sing on “Ode to Power” – a fitting lyric aimed at those who crawl over the weak to get where and what they want. The title track focuses on our addictions to technology and our fears of silence (“I need constant stimulation, in my ears and in my eyes. I need constant stimulation or I don’t sleep at night.”). It’s a post-punk gem with great drumming from Rutherford, who puts down a beat that sounds simple but is actually damn hard to play once you realize how good he’s keeping (fast) time through the whole track.

The groove on “Easy Truth” is as hard as the lyrics (“All the things I knew I could rely on, they’re not there anymore, to hold true. And I tried for so long to deny it, anyway, but nothing’s going to change for me or you…Nothing’s going to change unless you want it to. Something has to change soon. That’s the easy truth.”). It’s a bit of a Ghandi reference, encouraging us to be the change we want to see in the world. It seems to me that they dabble a lit bit in psychedelia with “Everything We Wanted” (the upped fuzz taking front stage from the low-volume vocals).

“Cardboard Suits” again encourages us to change our worlds, be they local or global, for the better (“Reading headlines won’t make being here get any better. You can’t just wait for things to be divine while falling face-first for egregious disguises.”). Fried’s bass groove on “Distant Life” brings Joy Division rhythm to a fist-raising anthem.

The song closes the digital download of the album, but the CD has seven additional tracks. Among the standouts are “Don’t Get Your Hopes Up” (a great punk title on a fun punk track about hypocrisy in religion.), the sizzling “Living with Secrets,” the heavy / fuzzy bass-driven “Anymore,” and the almost-goth “Pacify My Love.”

It’s a cool record that I’m glad I stumbled upon last month. You’ll dig it if you like indie punk.

Keep your mind open.

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Warish release new two-song single to shred your face.

Photo courtesy of RidingEasy Records

“Remember when indie rock sounded all grimy, corroded and metal-sludgy — the last thing you’d hear in a commercial or being played at an arena show? Warish do. It’s music to the ears of anyone who wants to damage their ears.” — Rolling Stone

“Warish totally rules… An awesome mixture of punk energy, biker rock fuzz, and grunge growl.” — Kerrang!

“Sludgy and punk-y at the same time, with an Iggy and the Stooges meets Misfits vibe, plus a bit of stoner rock and metal mixed in, as well.” — Consequence of Sound

Southern California trio Warish share the lead track from their forthcoming second EP on RidingEasy Records today. Hear and share “Runnin’ Scared” / “Their Demise” HERE

Rolling Stone recently featured the lead track “Fight” from the band’s self-titled debut EP HERE.    

Imagine if Incesticide era Nirvana were crossed with Static Age era garage-punk Misfits. You’d have sinister low budget horror rock with a visceral, twisted weirdness and bludgeoning riffs. Some might call it nightmarish, we call it Warish.

Warish is a very newly minted SoCal trio formed in early 2018 that has wasted no time making its presence known. The band formed when guitarist/vocalist and pro-skater Riley Hawk (son of skating legend Tony Hawk) and drummer Bruce McDonnell decided they wanted to try their hand at something more distinct than they’d done previously. “We wanted to do simpler riffs and a fun live show,” Riley explains. “A little more punk, a little bit of grunge… a little evil-ish.” Their sound takes cues from a variety of cool underground sounds and twists it all into an energetic and exciting fist to the face of dark fury. Hawk’s effect-laden vocals hearken to early Butthole Surfers and David Yow’s tortured caterwaul in Scratch Acid. The guitars are heavy and powerful, though decidedly not straightforward cookie cutter punk; more like Cobain’s and Buzz Osbourne’s wiry contortions. The rhythms bash and pummel right through it all with aggressive force ensuring that nothing gets overly complicated and the horrors keep coming throughout the band’s uh, warlike assault.

“Runnin’ Scared/Their Demise” is now available on 7″ vinyl and download via RidingEasy Records.

WARISH LIVE 2019:   06/21 Los Angeles, CA @ House of Machines L.A. 06/27 Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern 07/05 San Diego, CA @ Casbah 07/06 San Diego, CA @ Casbah + 09/20 Portland, OR @ Star Theater – Hesh Fest * 09/21 Seattle, WA @ Highline * 09/23 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater * 09/24 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown * 09/25 Chicago, IL @ Reggies * 09/26 Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle * 09/27 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop * 09/28 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place * 09/29 Boston, MA @ Sonia * 09/30 New York, NY @ Knitting Factory * 10/01 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s * 10/02 Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall * 10/03 Raleigh, NC @ Kings * 10/04 Asheville, NC @ Mothlight * 10/05 Atlanta, GA @ The 529 * 10/06 New Orleans, LA @ One Eye Jack’s * 10/07 Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey * 10/09 Albuquerque, NM @ Sister * 10/10 Mesa, AZ @ Club Red * 10/11 Los Angeles, CA @ Satellite * 10/12 San Francisco, CA @ Chapel * 11/09 Austin, TX @ Levitation Fest * w/ Acid King + w/ Earthless

Keep your mind open.

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