Tag: King Buffalo

Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol announces new tour dates with King Buffalo.

Austin trio Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol today announce even more US tour dates to close out 2024, adding December shows with King Buffalo. The band continues domestic dates this Fall supporting their new album BIG DUMB RIFFS ahead of their performances at Austin City Limits‘ prestigious ACL Fest and Levitation 2024 with The Sword and Pentagram. See all dates below.

Ticket pre-sales start tomorrow, August 7th at 10am local time (password: MAMMOTH) All tickets on sale Friday, August 9th HERE.

The band has also recently joined the roster of Doomstar Bookings for EU & UK touring beginning in Spring 2025.

BIG DUMB RIFFS is available on digital, LP and cassette, released May 10th, 2024. Order/stream the album on all formats HERE.

The band-curated second annual Rickshaw Billie’s BIG DUMB FEST in Austin, TX on June 1st SOLD OUT at Mohawk Austin. This follows a string of sold out dates throughout Texas, Denver, Los Angeles, Brooklyn and more.

“Our catalog has never been short on big dumb riffs, but the idea on this record was to really turn the screw,” says RBBP bassist Aaron Metzdorf. On Big Dumb Riffs, that screw is cranked incredibly tight. 

“We just wanted ‘the part’: The opening of Pantera’s ‘Primal Concrete Sledge’, the breakdown in Primus‘ ‘Pudding Time’ — the shit that makes you move and lose your mind. Just that part the whole time.”

Across 11 concise, taut songs — most clocking in around 2 minutes or less — Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol demonstrates their skillful ability to blend the merciless low end of Leo Lydon’s 8-string guitar, Aaron Metzdorf’s masterful chordwork on the bass, and Sean St.Germain’s driving drumming. 

Hot on the heels of their breakout 5th studio release Doom Wop (2023), Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol returns with Big Dumb Riffs: A whole new variant of the fuzzed out, overdriven, melodic, groovy music they have been making since 2016. While Big Dumb Riffs is decidedly more aggressive and rhythmic, it still retains the overtly melodic feel of Doom Wop. But Leo Lydon’s vocals are considerably more angry and negative (song titles like “1-800-EAT-SHIT” and “Body Bag” should be a clue). 

“The whole writing process was, ‘what if we just played two notes the whole song’,” Metzdorf says. “‘What if we tuned down to almost unusable string tension?’, ‘what if we write a record that will make everyone say ‘wow that is dumb’? Leo and I really move around on stage a lot. Being a dingus is crucial to the groove. All these riffs were designed to allow us to act bigger and dumber on stage.”

Big Dumb Riffs is available on vinyl LP, cassette, download and streaming, released on May 10, 2024. Orders are available HERE.

RICKSHAW BILLIE’S BURGER PATROL LIVE 2024:

09/14 Martindale, TX – Duett’s

09/21 Denton, TX – Dan’s Silver Leaf – Burnouts Custom Motorcycle Show

09/25 Lafayette, LA – Freetown Boom Boom Room

09/26 New Orleans, LA – Siberia

09/27 Birmingham, AL – WorkPlay Canteen

09/28 Asheville, NC – Static Age

09/29 Raleigh, NC – Kings Barcade

10/01 Columbus, OH – The Summit

10/02 Cincinnati, OH – MOTR Pub

10/03 Indianapolis, IN – Black Circle

10/04 Davenport, IA – Raccoon Motel

10/05 Whitewater, WI – Strange LaGrange

10/06 Louisville, KY – Portal

10/07 Chattanooga, TN – JJ’s Bohemia

10/09 Little Rock, AR – Whitewater Tavern

10/13 Austin, TX – Austin City Limits’ ACL Fest

11/03 Austin, TX – Stubb’s – w/ The Sword, Pentagram

12/04 Omaha, NE – Slowdown Front Room *

12/06 Colorado Springs, CO – Black Sheep *

12/07 Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre *

12/08 Santa Fe, NM – Tumbleroot Brewery *

12/10 Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole *

12/11 Las Vegas, NV – Swan Dive *

12/12 San Diego, CA – The Casbah *

12/13 Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room *

12/14 Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s *

12/17 Fort Worth, TX – Tulips *

12/18 Oklahoma City, OK – Resonant Head *

12/19 Kansas City, MO – recordBar *

12/20 St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway *

* w/ King Buffalo

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]

Rewind Review: King Buffalo – Acheron (2021)

At first glance, you might think King Buffalo‘s Acheron is an EP. It only has four track on it, after all. Then you realize that the four tracks average about ten minutes each, making the album a full cosmic experience. Plus, the whole thing was recorded live in Howe Caverns in New York, giving the album a deeper feel of heaviness and heat.

The title track opens with blazing guitar work from Sean McVay that, as you can imagine, ignites the entire cavern system and probably awakened ancient mystics living in its deepest recesses. “Zephyr,” a song that seems to be about embracing a future that’s already here instead of dwelling on a past that was gone the moment it happened, soars about the cavern and your ears, like a bat gliding over a mountain stream.

“Shadows” is a gorgeous track elevated by Dan Reynolds synthesizer solo setting up McVay’s stalagmite-shaking guitar solo. It must’ve been deafening in that cavern when he played it. The closing track, “Cerberus,” is the crown jewel of the album, hitting hard in all the right spots and altering your mind-space in the others. Reynolds’ bass work is subtle yet stunning, and Scott Donaldson‘s drum work is so nimble that you can barely keep track of the number of fills he fits into one song.

It’s another fine piece in their excellent discography. King Buffalo doesn’t miss. Ever.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: King Buffalo – Live at Burning Man

Released, and still available, for free on their Bandcamp page, King Buffalo‘s Live at Burning Man is a great capture of them doing what they do best – melting minds and faces, and what better place to do it than the Burning Man Festival during their first trip there?

Starting with a scorching version of “Silverfish,” the trio immediately hook the crowd – many of whom might not have known who they were. It was the first time they’d played the festival, after all. The guitar solo on “Grifter” sounds like a test car racing across a salt flat. People are already shouting, “Love you guys!” by the third song (“Shadows”).

“Longing to Be the Mountain” is their ten-minute-plus psychedelic take on a classic Zen story. “Repeater” is probably on rotation in a Zen retreat on a mountaintop somewhere, as it seems to make you levitate. “Orion,” one of their best-known tracks, absolutely rips here. You can tell that King Buffalo and the Burning Man crowd were feeling it by this point, and everyone knew they were experiencing something special.

“Red Star 1 & 2” is a massive double dose of mind-altering sounds (nearly fifteen minutes in length). “Loam” is trippy and heavy at the same time. The set ends with the epic “Cerberus,” sending the Burning Man crowd back into the desert with visions of things on the horizon they hadn’t noticed before the show began.

King Buffalo are, despite their frequent touring, still a bit of a secret. This live album gives us all another reason to learn their secrets, the number of which seem to increase with each listen and performance.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to King Buffalo!]

Top 10 live shows of 2023: #’s 10 – 6

I didn’t get to see as many bands last year as I would’ve liked thanks to many work conflicts and other travel that kept me away from music festivals, but there were some gems. Here’s the first half of the top ten.

#10: Mac Sabbath – The Vogue, Indianapolis, IN – October 18th

I’d been meaning to see Mac Sabbath for a couple years, and they finally came close by (relatively speaking), so a buddy and I went to see them in Indianapolis. I knew there would be lots of Black Sabbath parody songs, but I didn’t know there was going to be so much performance art and comedy. It was a fun mix, not unlike a Harlem Globetrotters show.

#9: King Buffalo – Bell’s Eccentric Café, Kalamazoo, MI – April 22nd

I don’t know how King Buffalo have the time to make new records because they always seem to be touring – giving Reverend Horton Heat a run for their money. Seeing them in a small venue like this is becoming rarer and rarer a treat, because they’re playing more festivals in the U.S. and Europe each year. Don’t miss them.

#8: The Well – Reggie’s, Chicago, IL – April 05th

Speaking of bands you don’t want to miss, The Well are among them. They never disappoint and always put down a heavy doom set. They also are always smiling whenever I see them play, clearly having a good time while playing songs about creepy things in the shadows, weird cults, and groaning spirits.

#7: Playboy Manbaby – The Vogue, Indianapolis, IN – October 18th

No one at the Vogue knew what to make of these guys as they began their set. Were they an emo band? A punk band? A new wave band? I still don’t know. I just know they were a blast and had the whole crowd engaged within three songs, even holding a small election at one point.

#6: The Cybertronic Spree– The Vogue, Indianapolis, IN – October 18th

The middle band of this triple bill turned out to have the best set, as these robots-in-disguise rockers shredded the entire time, leaving a lot of us slack-jawed with amazement. The lead guitarist played most of the set with one broken string, and barely anyone noticed. You have to be good to pull off a gimmick like this, and The Cybertronic Spree are very good, indeed.

Who made the top five? Come back to tomorrow and see!

Keep your mind open.

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King Buffalo announces early winter U.S. tour.

Don’t miss your chance to see psych / desert rock giants King Buffalo this winter as they make one last tour through the east and midwest before they finally take a break to record another album. They never disappoint, and tickets are already on sale – not only for this tour, but also for the European tour they’re already running!

Keep your mind open.

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[[Thanks to King Buffalo!]

Live: King Buffalo and Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor – Bell’s Eccentric Café – Kalamazoo, MI – April 22, 2023

It was a cool night in Kalamazoo, and the music venue at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Bell’s Eccentric Café, was packed with fans of heavy psychedelic rock. Thankfully, both power trios performing that night were ready to blast out heavy sets of it.

First were Detroit’s Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor, three lads I’ve known for a while and who never disappoint with their sets. They played a combination of stuff from their last couple albums and some new material from an album they just finished recording and will soon be mastering for release. The new material has industrial influences that mix well with their “Doors meet early Pink Floyd” sound and bring a new powerful energy to their music. Bassist Eric Oppitz (playing in a chair due to having a leg brace thanks to a hockey accident) told me they plan to tour for a couple months once the new album is finished.

Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor

King Buffalo, all the way from Rochester, New York (and SOYSV) had just played the night before at a small venue in Whitestown, Indiana, and I overheard multiple people saying they’d followed both bands from there to Kalamazoo. King Buffalo were wrapping up their North American tour and didn’t skimp on anything just because it was their last show before heading to Europe. The crowd was enthusiastic for the entire set, with many singing along with every song they played.

The crowd was still buzzing after King Buffalo’s powerful set, feeling like they’d been levitating for the last hour. Venues in Europe are going to love their sets. Also, both bands don’t overprice their merchandise, so load up on their stuff whenever you see them.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: King Buffalo – The Burden of Restlessness (2021)

It’s a bit surprising that I didn’t own a copy of King Buffalo‘s The Burden of Restlessness until now, because they were touring with this album when I first saw them live (playing with Clutch and Stöner) in 2021. I was blown away by their performance and became an immediate fan. I instead bought their first album (and a shirt) at their merchandise table, and this album has somehow eluded me until now.

It’s a shame, because the opening track, “Burning,” alone is a massive slice of cosmic rock that hits as hard as any All Them Witches track but in more of a “Silver Surfer zipping past a collapsing dwarf star” feel than an occult-psychedelic feel. Dan Reynolds bass on “Hebetation” will pick you up, rattle you, and inspire Herculean strength in you for whatever task you’re doing at that moment. The breakdown around the two-minute mark is sublime. Sean McVay sings about contemplating his mortality, but he never sounds frightened by it. He’s too busy shredding his guitar to worry about what comes after death.

McVay’s guitar ripples across “Locusts” like the titular insects bouncing across a wheat field. “Silverfish” is a stand-out on the album with McVay’s guitar sounding like a space probe, Scott Donaldson‘s precision drumming mixed with thunderous fills now and then, and Reynolds bass moving like a cat around the room waiting to either curl up on your lap or attack your ankle. It chooses the latter.

McVay cranks the fuzz on “Grifter,” which might flatten you if you’re not prepared for it. McVay explores depression on “The Knocks” (“Every day I wake up on the floor. Another useless day like every one that’s come before.”). It’s a slow burn to a powerful explosion of sound, like McVay has finally decided to kick open his barricaded door from the inside and woe betide anyone who’s on the other side. “Loam” closes the album with over seven minutes of head-trip rock with McVay says he’s “shedding the burden of restlessness to rise from the loam of the nothingness.” You’ll always get a thumbs-up from me if you close your album with a Zen lesson.

Keep your mind open (This album will help.).

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Top 20 albums of 2022: #’s 10 – 6

We’ve reached the top ten albums that came my way last year. Who made the cut? Read on…

#10: The Bobby Lees – Bellevue

This album is full of raw punk vocals, squealing guitars, and enough raw power to supercharge the engine of a Trans Am. It’s a great debut from them.

#9: Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol – Doom-Wop

As soon as I heard “Shoo-In,” I knew this was going to be one of my favorite records of the year. These Austin, Texans play fuzzy garage rock that covers such subjects as drinking, sex, partying, break-ups, jerks, and weirdos. In other words, everything.

#8: King Buffalo – Regenerator

Cosmic rock keeps expanding, which is great news for people like me who love psychedelic sounds that are fit for exploring the desert or other planets. King Buffalo’s newest album fits the bill and sends you into orbit into the surprisingly warm void of space.

#7: Regressive Left – On the Wrong Side of History

This is the best dance-rock record I heard all year. It’s a groove-filled EP with scathing lyrics about politicians, consumerism, the internet, celebrity, toxic masculinity, and sex.

#6: The Chats – Get Fucked

And here’s the best punk record I heard all year. The Chats came back with a new guitarist and a renewed anger (and sense of humor) after the pandemic and gave us this wickedly sharp and funny album of barn-burners about the price of cigarettes, hot rods, and, of course, getting drunk.

Come back tomorrow for the top five!

Keep your mind open.

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Review: King Buffalo – Regenerator

Strange, beautiful, psychedelic, and mesmerizing – King Buffalo‘s newest album (and fifth in just the last two years), Regenerator, is another stunning work from them.

Starting with sunrise synths on the opening title track, the album lifts you off the ground much like the cover image astronaut being pulled up from an alien world. The song’s lyrics tell of embracing the sun and Sean McVay‘s guitars seem to reach escape velocity in order to do it. The drums on “Mercury” at first sound like they can’t decide which time signature they want, but you soon realize that Scott Donaldson is playing at such a high level that he’s weaving intricate patterns like a bee creating a hive.

Dan Reynolds cranks the bass fuzz on “Hours,” a song quite suitable for blasting while you’re dodging asteroids in your star fighter. “Interlude” keeps the cosmic vibes rolling as we emerge from the asteroid belt and cruise past a swirling nebula. “Mammoth” is about leaving the past behind so we, like a mammoth, don’t get frozen in it and stuck there forever. It’s a heavy-psych Zen lesson.

McVay’s guitars on “Avalon” have a lovely psych-shimmer to them throughout it as he sings about his hopes of finding paradise after death. “Firmament” brings us back to the ground for just a moment before another, final liftoff. “I have become one with the great eternal blue sky,” McKay sings, and you believe him – especially when the massive bass riffs and Donaldson’s hammering drums join him in orbit.

You’ll likely join them as well when you hear this record.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: King Buffalo – Live at Freak Valley (2020)

Recorded in 2019, Live at Freak Valley by King Buffalo is a well-mastered and engineered document of a powerful set at that year’s Freak Valley Festival. It’s a great introduction to King Buffalo’s live sound if you’ve never heard it before and will make you want to seek them out at the nearest venue as soon as possible.

“Sun Shivers” sets off the show by launching us away from Earth’s gravity and into the endless sea of stars leading to the sun and beyond. They waste no time and get right to the cosmic riffs. “Longing to Be the Mountain” is a reference to a Chinese story about a stonecutter working on a mountain who desires to become the grand mountain that seems to be above all people, things, and concerns. He’s granted his wish but soon feels a tapping at his base. He looks down to see another stonecutter there chipping away at him. The stonecutter was caught by his own ego and delusions The song is a powerful as the lesson.

“Every day is the same,” they sing on “Repeater,” a fourteen-minute mind-melting experience that covers both existential ennui and Zen presence. By the time you get to “Orion” (“Can you hear me through the smoke and the haze?”), it feels like you’re drifting past his belt of stars. It’s a stunning track that must’ve been quite an experience for the lucky Freak Valley attendees.

“Kerosene” twists and turns around itself like some kind of heavy metal Escher drawing. They mention that A Place to Bury Strangers is up after them (which you can see here) before they get to the closer, “Eye of the Storm.” It’s a great closer that bridges the gap between stoner rock and desert rock for over ten glorious minutes. They encourage us to embrace the void without fear, for the eye of the storm is often the safest place.

Keep your mind open.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyVFHDgKo8s

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