"If you were going to be jogging in a few hours, what's the last thing on this menu you'd want to eat?"
"That would be a very difficult question, sir. But I would have to say the chicken masala."
"Great, give me that, a nan, and a Kingfisher."
"Very good, sir."

I'm at a curry house in Akihabara, Tokyo. Just downstairs is Club Goodman, a live house where very soon I will be seeing a concert featuring four different line-ups of Acid Mothers Temple, Japan's premier psychedelic noise freakout collective. I jogged here from my apartment about five or six kilometers away. After it is finished, I will jog home. I've now added jogging as a mode of transportation, and why not? It's faster than walking, great exercise, and running through the streets of Tokyo never fails to make me love this city more than I already do.

And the run here tonight was great. Unseasonably cool for May, weaving in and out of salarymen, school uniforms, and sidewalk cyclists to end up in Akihabara, where I added otaku and maids to the role call of Tokyoites I had to juke my way through to get here. And I look forward to doing it again on the way home.

But first, Acid Mothers Temple. When I get to the club, the chick in front of me is wearing nothing but a black leather bikini. This can only be a good sign.

By the way, I've come here alone (Not that I'm foreshadowing me hitting on the bikini chick, because I'm not, OK? OK?). My girlfriend isn't into Acid Mothers Temple, and I didn't put the hard sell on her or any of my friends because--how do I say this without sounding like a dick?--they're not for everyone. They're loud, like jackhammer having angry make-up sex with your ear loud. And they're hard and they're dark, and their music is churning and out there and sludgy and coarse and demonic. And they're almost impossibly prolific, having released more than 40 albums in the last 10 years. And they rock.

Tonight's show is billed as four separate acts--Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Cosmic Blues Band, Acid Mothers Temple and the Cosmic Inferno, Acid Mothers Temple SWR, and Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso UFO--but it's really one group. Throughout the night, different members of the AMT collective--a jumbled Manson family-esque hodge podge of outlaws and freaks--rotate on and off the stage, and the music never stops. Muddy psychedelic blooze segues into droning kraut rock that builds to a deafening assault of white noise before giving way to a single, dreamy, beatific acoustic guitar solo that gradually leads into a searing noise rock odyssey to the outer reaches of the stratosphere. It goes on like this for three and a half hours straight.

And when it's over, after head Mother Kawabata Makoto has destroyed his guitar and the rest of the group have left the stage and guitarist Tsuyama Atsushi has come back on to sing auld lang sayne in Japanese before saying goodnight, after all that, the applause is kind of muted, but it's not because the audience is disappointed. I've been to a lot of shows. And the audience dug this one. They're light on applause because they're exhausted. It's been a monster of a show.

I go back upstairs and out onto the streets and run home. I hope the chicken masala doesn't turn out to have been a bad decision.  -Andy Hockersmith

"THE BATTLE OF ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE"

- ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & THE MELTING PARAISO U.F.O. :
Tsuyama Atsushi : monster bass, vocal, acoustic guitar, cosmic joker
Higashi Hiroshi : synthesizer, guitar, chorus, dancin'king
Shimura Koji : drums, latino cool
Kawabata Makoto : guitar, chorus, speed guru
with 
Ichiraku Yoshimitsu : drums, doravideo

- ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & THE COSMIC INFERNO :
Pika : drums, vocal, cosmic shaman
Tabata Mitsuru : bass, vocal, maratab
Higashi Hiroshi : synthesizer, guitar, chorus, dancin'king
Shimura Koji : drums, latino cool
Kawabata Makoto : guitar, chorus, speed guru

- ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE SWR :
Yoshida Tatsuya : drums, vocal, etc
Tsuyama Atsushi : bass, vocal, guitar, etc
Kawabata Makoto : guitar, etc

- ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & MELTING COSMIC BLUES BAND :
Suzuki Junzo : vocal
Tsuyama Atsushi : guitar
Tabata Mitsuru : bass
Higashi Hiroshi : harp
Shimura Koji : drums
Kawabata Makoto : electronics

OHPIA : liquid psychedelic light show

This show was absolutely gorgeous!  It was a sit down show at the always wonderful Great American Music Hall.  Most seats were taken but I found one, relaxed my body after a nice bike ride, and got ready for a show that I have been waiting weeks for.

The evening opened up with local electronic musician and artist, Christopher Willits, who performed a few hypnotic electronic grooves to get the night started.  I got totally lost in his compositions that washed over me and got my mind ready for the night ahead of me.

Once Jóhann Jóhannsson and the other musicians got on stage the entire place applauded and then went completely silent waiting for the performance.  AND what a performance it was!  It was an extremely delicate and beautiful event.  Jóhann Jóhannsson and the other musicians: including long-time Icelandic collaborator Matthías Hemstock, and Clarice Jensen, Keats Diefenbach, Yuki Numata, and Ben Russell of the amazing ACME ensemble on strings.  They created such beauty and emotion throughout each song I felt like I could happily cry.  I was completely lost in every song letting these highly talented musicians take me on a wonderful musical journey.

The strings were absolutely fabulous and each artist weaved a chilling tapestry of music.  These superb textures were then surrounded by delicate piano interludes or dual electronic grooves, pulsating, and throbbing.  There was just so much going on in each song.  What a joy it was to listen to these remarkable compositions.  Film style music, classical, minimalism, and drones all swirled hauntingly together to create a majestic and magical evening of music.  While all this beauty was created there was also a screen of images that fit perfectly with the music right above the musicians.

All in all it was special night of music, with songs performed from different albums in Jóhann Jóhannsson’s discography.  The crowd showed how much they enjoyed the evening with a ton of applause to get the musicians out for an encore after the last song. 

I was fully drugged up on music from this hypnotic journey and I slowly walked out of the club with a giant smile on my face and a happiness in my chest.   By Veena Ladoo

Remaining tour dates:

12 May Seattle, WA - Triple Door Theater
13 May Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
14 May San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
15 May Los Angeles, CA – Silent Movie Theater

UK dates in May:

The American tour will be followed by a short tour of the UK in May where Jóhann will be performing with the distinguished Iskra String Quartet:

26 May 2010 Prince Albert, Brighton, England
27 May 2010 St Giles in the Fields, London, England
28 May 2010 Church of St. John the Baptist, Coventry, England
29 May 2010 Opera North – Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, England

About Jóhann Jóhannsson from his Myspace:

Johann interviewed on the BBC February 16th. Listen here.

Jóhann Jóhannsson videos:

The night started off with the east coast quartet A Storm of Light at the always exciting Independent over on Divisadero Street.  They performed doomey, atmospheric, and metal soundscapes with background female gothic style vocals and a mauling rhythm section.  Behind them on the Independents movie screen they had visuals playing throughout.  Harvestman, also know as Steve Von Till from Neurosis, followed with his one man show melding together vocals, electronics, and his guitar.  He created ambient-metal-rock textures and folk like tunes that incorporated layered guitar groves that he manipulated and at other times had his deep talking style of singing.  It was hauntingly gentle and spacey at one moment, soulful and almost bluesy another, and then loud and heavy for brief moments. 

Up next was the super group SHRINEBUILDER featuring: Wino (Saint Vitus, Hidden Hand, The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan on guitar and vocals), Scott Kelly (Neurosis on guitar and vocals), Al Cisneros (Om, Sleep on bass and vocals), and Dale Crover (Melvins on drums and vocals).  Now this is a MASSIVE line-up of some heeeeeavy mutherfuckers!  Since I heard about this band awhile back I could not wait to see them live.  I mean, come on, look at this line-up!  You just new this music would be mean and bad as hell. 

Scott "Wino" WeinrichI have caught the legendary Scott "Wino" Weinrich in Spirit Caravan, Dale Crover a couple of times in the Melvins, and Al Cisneros in the original Om line-up as well as with their new drummer from the Grails, another great live band (check here for their tour dates).  Though, I have never had the privilege of seeing Neurosis so this was my first time witnessing Scott Kelly and the before mentioned Steve Von Till.

The Independent was packed but comfortable and full of fans ready for a musical pummeling.  That is exactly what they got.  From the moment this powerful, massive doom super group got on stage they crushed the crowd with heavy riffage, sizzling guitar licks, crushing bass craziness, and NON-STOP POUNDING drum insanity….WOOOOHOOO!!!  Hell yeah!  On top of all that heavy madness there was four totally different vocal stylings.  It was completely insane.  LOUD and extremely heavy, psychedelic and hallucinogenic, and just plain MEAN!

Al CisnerosSick jam after sick jam just kept viscously pounding my senses and at times put me into a wonderful trance.  Throughout the gig I could feel the vibrations shake my rib cage and rattle my skull.  The legendary Wino injected stinging guitar madness into the air or filled my senses with a trippy psychedelic groove and then all of a sudden I would get my head bashed in by thunderous almost jazzy style bass playing from Al.  Scott growled away on vocals and filled the club with atmospheric guitar craziness while the entire time Dale mangled his drum kit, just pounding, and pounding and POUNDING away!  It was like a thunderous jet plane smacking into a bullet train!

They performed songs from their self-titled album, Shrinebuilder, and even through in a Joy Division tune which was quite nutty because on my way over to the show I was thinking about incorporating my resent over playing of my Joy Division vinyl into this story.  Doom and gloom, must be the times we are living in?  I thought it was pretty wacky.  What were the chances of them playing a Joy Division tune on the same night I was thinking about writing them into this story?!?

The last song was completely whacked and I knew we would not get an encore after such ferocity.  I mean come on, all three of them were facing Dale just relentlessly mauling the crowd with a juggernaut of massiveness.  I was waiting for them to suddenly take off and drive this unit over the crowd, crash through a wall, and rocket down Divisidero!!!  Seeing all three of them raging away while worshipping Dale's craziness was a beautiful sight that I will never forget!  By Elektra Pastiche

"Shrinebuilder" track listing:

01. Solar Benediction
02. Pyramid Of The Moon
03. Blind For All To See
04. The Architect
05. Science Of Anger

SHRINEBUILDERDale Crover third from left with MelvinsScott Kelly third from left with NeurosisSHRINEBUILDER TOUR DATES:

2010 North American Tour Poster by David V. D'Andrea

I absolutely love listening to Austin, TX singer/songwriter James McMurtry slowly talk/sing his vocals.  Years ago when I was writing an underground music publication two James McMurtry titles were sent to me from the amazing Sugar Hill Records label back in the late 90s.  I never of heard of him, but was writing up a lot of Sugar Hill’s titles, and popped the CDs into my player.  I was instantly hypnotized and ever since I have loved his music.  He is a phenomenal songwriter and his somber singing and Americana, folk, swampy-roots rock grooves are intoxicating.

The crowd was totally into the night at the always amazing Great American Music Hall.  AND why not?  Austin, TX boy Jonny Burke and his band got the night heated up with his roots rock grooves.  There seemed to be quite a few Jonny fans (and plenty of new fans) in the crowd as everyone hooted and hollered in between and during songs.

Once James and his band stepped on stage it was pure magic.  He started out as a trio (guitar, bass and drums), performed solo, and then added another guitarist.  He played acoustic guitar as well as electric and in between a few cuts he talked to the crowd and promoted his latest live album “Live in Europe” on Lighting Rod Records (see below for more information).

It was a sensational two hour performance as the band weaved in and out of songs.  He played some old classics as well as new tunes and every song just felt great to listen and groove too.  When the band heated up with a dirty, swamped out roots groove the crowd loved it and there was plenty of dancing feet.  Seriously, some of the grooves they created could have gone on forever they were so breathtaking and body tingling.  Though, James doesn’t have to always rock it out and when he picked up the acoustic guitar and played solo he had the crowd in the palm of his hand.  There is just something about the way he sings and tells a story that just envelopes the listener.

That is how he ended the evening, solo style, after the crowd stomped their feet and cheered for an encore.  The man came out and gave us one last tune solo style.  I can’t say enough good things about this artist and his band.  It was a wonderful night.  By Veena Ladoo

James McMurtry "Live In Europe" with Bonus DVD - AVAILABLE NOW!

"James McMurtry’s recent studio albums, 2005’s Childish Things and 2008’s Just Us Kids, earned him formidable accolades. The Village Voice called him “a poet of the people.” Stephen King, writing in Entertainment Weekly, pronounced him “the truest, fiercest songwriter of his generation.” Yet a lot of current McMurtry converts were introduced through the 2004 release Live in Aught-Three. Live albums aren’t typically greeted with rave reviews, but McMurtry’s rockin’ treatments of songs like “Choctaw Bingo” and “Out Here in the Middle” in concert made an uncanny translation to record. The Austin Chronicle proclaimed, “This is no-frills, freak-flag rock. Turn it up!” PopMatters called it “a snapshot of where McMurtry is now, [marking him] as a legitimate inheritor of the Texas songwriting tradition.”

Now, on October 13, 2009, Lightning Rod Records will release Live in Europe, a document of McMurtry’s first European tour, on which he was joined by keyboardist Ian McLagan and fellow Texas songwriting legend Jon Dee Graham. The set will be available as a CD with a bonus DVD, or as a deluxe vinyl LP package with a CD and DVD insert.

In early 2009, James McMurtry and his trio traveled overseas to play their first European tour. The guys played for enthusiastic crowds in Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, The Netherlands, Scotland and Belgium. Joining the band on keyboards for the tour was the legendary Ian McLagan (who also played on McMurtry’s latest studio album, Just Us Kids).

The best recordings from the Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Geislingen, Germany concerts were combined to create Live in Europe. The album includes a bonus DVD featuring performances from the Amsterdam show. This marks the first time fans will be able to purchase video footage of McMurtry live in concert. The deluxe vinyl version includes inserted copies of the CD and DVD. Fellow Austin-based songwriter Jon Dee Graham opened the shows and joins the band on a version of his tune “Laredo” on the bonus DVD.

The son of acclaimed author Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove, Terms of Endearment), James grew up on a steady diet of Johnny Cash and Roy Acuff records. His first album, released in 1989, was produced by John Mellencamp and marked the beginning of a series of acclaimed projects for Columbia and Sugar Hill. In 2004, McMurtry released the universally lauded Live in Aught-Three on Compadre Records. 2005’s Childish Things garnered some of the highest critical praise of McMurtry’s career and spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Americana Music Radio Chart in 2005 and 2006. In September 2006, Childish Things and "We Can't Make It Here" won the Americana Music Awards for album and song of the year, respectively. McMurtry received more Americana Music Award nominations for 2008’s Just Us Kids. The album marked his highest Billboard 200 chart position in more than 19 years.

The Washington Post noted McMurtry’s live prowess: "Much attention is paid to James McMurtry's lyrics, and rightfully so: He creates a novel's worth of emotion and experience in four minutes of blisteringly stark couplets. What gets overlooked, however, is that he's an accomplished rock guitar player. At a sold-out Birchmere, the Austin-based artist was joined by drummer Daren Hess and bassist Ronnie Johnson in a set that demonstrated the raw power of wince-inducing imagery propelled by electric guitar. It was serious stuff, imparted by a singularly serious band."" -Source: conqueroo / Cary Baker

Track List:
Bayou Tortue
Just Us Kids
Hurricane Party
You’d a’ Thought (Leonard Cohen Must Die)
Fräulein O.
Ruby and Carlos
Freeway View
Restless

Bonus DVD:
Choctaw Bingo
You’d a’ Thought (Leonard Cohen Must Die)
Freeway View
We Can’t Make It Here
Laredo (with Jon Dee Graham)
Too Long In The Wasteland

He has a lot of other terrific albums so click HERE to see his discography and check out his website.

TOUR DATES:

Sat Feb 20, 2010

8:30 pm

Eugene, OR

WOW Hall

Sun Feb 21, 2010

8:00 pm

Seattle, WA

Tractor Tavern

Tue Feb 23, 2010

8:00 pm

Boise, ID

Neurolux

Wed Feb 24, 2010

8:00 pm

Salt Lake City, UT

The State Room

Thu Feb 25, 2010

9:00 pm

Paonia, CO

Paradise Theatre

Fri Feb 26, 2010

9:00 pm

Fort Collins, CO

Aggie Theatre

Sat Feb 27, 2010

9:00 pm

Boulder, CO

Fox Theatre

Tue Mar 2, 2010

8:00 pm

Kansas City, MO

Knuckleheads

Wed Mar 3, 2010

8:00 pm

Columbia, MO

Mojo's

Fri Mar 5, 2010

10:00 pm

Oklahoma City, OK

Wormy Dog Saloon

Sun Apr 25, 2010

12:00 pm

Norman, OK

Norman Music Festival

August 10, 2009 James McMurtry "Live In Europe" with Bonus DVD Due October 13 Press release Source: conqueroo / Cary Baker James McMurtry: Live In Europe James McMurtry’s recent studio albums, 2005’s Childish Things and 2008’s Just Us Kids, earned him formidable accolades. The Village Voice called him “a poet of the people.” Stephen King, writing in Entertainment Weekly, pronounced him “the truest, fiercest songwriter of his generation.” Yet a lot of current McMurtry converts were introduced through the 2004 release Live in Aught-Three. Live albums aren’t typically greeted with rave reviews, but McMurtry’s rockin’ treatments of songs like “Choctaw Bingo” and “Out Here in the Middle” in concert made an uncanny translation to record. The Austin Chronicle proclaimed, “This is no-frills, freak-flag rock. Turn it up!” PopMatters called it “a snapshot of where McMurtry is now, [marking him] as a legitimate inheritor of the Texas songwriting tradition.” Now, on October 13, 2009, Lightning Rod Records will release Live in Europe, a document of McMurtry’s first European tour, on which he was joined by keyboardist Ian McLagan and fellow Texas songwriting legend Jon Dee Graham. The set will be available as a CD with a bonus DVD, or as a deluxe vinyl LP package with a CD and DVD insert. In early 2009, James McMurtry and his trio traveled overseas to play their first European tour. The guys played for enthusiastic crowds in Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, The Netherlands, Scotland and Belgium. Joining the band on keyboards for the tour was the legendary Ian McLagan (who also played on McMurtry’s latest studio album, Just Us Kids). The best recordings from the Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Geislingen, Germany concerts were combined to create Live in Europe. The album includes a bonus DVD featuring performances from the Amsterdam show. This marks the first time fans will be able to purchase video footage of McMurtry live in concert. The deluxe vinyl version includes inserted copies of the CD and DVD. Fellow Austin-based songwriter Jon Dee Graham opened the shows and joins the band on a version of his tune “Laredo” on the bonus DVD. The son of acclaimed author Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove, Terms of Endearment), James grew up on a steady diet of Johnny Cash and Roy Acuff records. His first album, released in 1989, was produced by John Mellencamp and marked the beginning of a series of acclaimed projects for Columbia and Sugar Hill. In 2004, McMurtry released the universally lauded Live in Aught-Three on Compadre Records. 2005’s Childish Things garnered some of the highest critical praise of McMurtry’s career and spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Americana Music Radio Chart in 2005 and 2006. In September 2006, Childish Things and "We Can't Make It Here" won the Americana Music Awards for album and song of the year, respectively. McMurtry received more Americana Music Award nominations for 2008’s Just Us Kids. The album marked his highest Billboard 200 chart position in more than 19 years. The Washington Post noted McMurtry’s live prowess: "Much attention is paid to James McMurtry's lyrics, and rightfully so: He creates a novel's worth of emotion and experience in four minutes of blisteringly stark couplets. What gets overlooked, however, is that he's an accomplished rock guitar player. At a sold-out Birchmere, the Austin-based artist was joined by drummer Daren Hess and bassist Ronnie Johnson in a set that demonstrated the raw power of wince-inducing imagery propelled by electric guitar. It was serious stuff, imparted by a singularly serious band." Track List: Bayou Tortue Just Us Kids Hurricane Party You’d a’ Thought (Leonard Cohen Must Die) Fräulein O. Ruby and Carlos Freeway View Restless Bonus DVD: Choctaw Bingo You’d a’ Thought (Leonard Cohen Must Die) Freeway View We Can’t Make It Here Laredo (with Jon Dee Graham) Too Long In The Wasteland [Back to top] Add this article to... Digg it del.icio.us Google Yahoo MyWeb StumbleUpon Furl Spurl Simpy Earthlink Newsvine reddit Netscape

WOOOHOOOO!!!  Man oh man, what a fabulous and super fun night this was!  The Grascals from Nashville, TN took on the Great American Music Hall and dished out a gorgeous and enthusiastic groove of bluegrass and country music.  They mixed originals with covers from Hank Williams Jr, Waylon Jennings and others and even played songs off their up coming new album.  They are: Terry Eldredge on lead vocals and guitar,  Jeremy Abshire on fiddle, Kristin Scott Benson on banjo, Jamie Johnson on guitar and vocals, Danny Roberts on mandolin and Terry Smith on Bass and Vocals.

There was non-stop furious picking from this extremely talented band and beautiful harmonies throughout the evening.  Lighting fast fingers tackled the mandolin and the beautiful banjo plucking kept my feet tapping.  There was lots of killer violin and bass slapping mixed in with guitar strumming and sensational vocals.  Seriously, all the vocals were out of this world.  The crowd was having such a wonderful time and cheered, whistled, and shouted for more.

Some songs were all out foot stompers with sizzling, mind blowing picking virtuosity while others were just so soothing, soulful and gorgeous.  It did not matter what they played because I just wanted MORE!!!  It was a wonderful mix of songs performed by a truly top notch band. 

They are still on the road so be sure to check ou their TOUR DATES and catch them when they come through your area.  By Coke Armstrong

Biography:

"Already among the most beloved and acclaimed of contemporary bluegrass groups, The Grascals are the 2007 International Bluegrass Music Association’s Entertainers of the Year, first earning the top honor in 2006, only one year after being named Emerging Artist of the Year and winning Song of the Year for “Me and John and Paul.” Their trademark blend of traditional bluegrass and classic country with more modern elements, delivered with vocal and instrumental intensity and virtuosity, earned them Grammy nominations for their first two critically-acclaimed releases—The Grascals and Long List of Heartaches. Timely and timeless, The Grascals’ music is entirely relevant to the here and now, yet based on a deeply-seeded knowledge of and admiration for the music’s founding fathers. 

The Grascals began their career in 2004, when they recorded their debut album and were invited by Dolly Parton to open her fall tour. They opened additional dates for her in 2005, including her sold-out concert at Radio City Music Hall, and they have also shared the stage with Brooks & Dunn, Dierks Bentley, Patty Loveless, Mac Wiseman, J. D. Crowe, Charlie Daniels, Kenny Rogers, Steve Wariner, Vince Gill, the Jordanaires and many others. They are proud to make regular guest appearances on the Grand Ole Opry and have also appeared on Opry Live, The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson and the TV Guide Channel. 

In addition to the IBMA awards, The Grascals won the 2008 SPBGMA Bluegrass Awards for Instrumental Group of the Year (for the third consecutive year), Bluegrass Band of the Year (for the second consecutive year) and Mandolin Player of the Year (Danny Roberts’ second win in three years). In 2006 the group also took home Album of the Year for their self-titled debut and Song of the Year for “Me and John and Paul.” The group earned a Dove Award nomination in 2007 for Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year for “Did You Forget God Today,” featuring the Jordanaires, which is included on Long List of Heartaches. 

The Grascals reach new levels of power and confidence with their third Rounder release, Keep On Walkin’, in stores on July 15. Their distinctive sound and is showcased on an impeccable selection of songs highlighting both their freewheeling, infectious side and a deeper, more thoughtful perspective. The album includes the duet “Sad Wind Sighs,” featuring special guest Vince Gill."  -The Grascals website

American FangsAaaaaah, the mini music festival is always a blast. This one was a sweet little festival put on by Afro-Punk and it included four fun and different bands. Here is a brief history on the Afro-Punk scene:

“When Matthew Morgan and James Spooner joined forces in 2002, their focus was giving a voice to thousands of multi-cultural kids fiercely identifying with a lifestyle path-less-traveled. Morgan, a visionary with 15 years in the music industry, instinctively understood that the indie rock/punk/hardcore scene had powerful appeal beyond the predictable Caucasian audience; the passion evident in writer-director Spooners hours of riveting hand-shot footage was the indisputable proof. The result: 2003s Afro-Punk, the seminal cult classic film spotlighting Black Punks in America.

Afro-Punk became a touchstone of a cultural movement strongly reminiscent of the early days of Hip-Hop. Alternative urban kids across the nation (and across the globe) who felt like outsiders discovered they were actually the core of a boldly innovative, fast-growing community. The online members have been the driving force behind the exploding Afro-Punk (AP) culture, creating an authentic virtual home in www.afropunk.com, and nurturing the music’s best and brightest via expansion of the Liberation Sessions, a live performance series hosted by Spooner.

As the AP movement continued to gain momentum and influence, everyone began to notice. The Liberation Sessions went front-and-center at CMJ and SXSW, press coverage ranged from Pitchfork, URB, Vibe, and Nylon to The New York Times, Variety, Entertainment Weekly, and The Los Angeles Times.

In 2005, the very first annual Afro-Punk Festival debuted to wildly enthusiastic crowds at the iconic Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). Co-curated by Morgan and Spooner, the festival celebrated and unified the cultural cornerstones of Afro-Punk: music, film, skate, and most importantly, the fiercely independent and influential individuals that are the lifeblood of the AP community.” -www.afropunk.com

The first band to perform was a rock-punk quintet from Houston, TX named American Fangs. They were: Gus on vocals, Kirkland on guitar, kow on the bass and Mitch on drums. They didn’t bring anything new to the table for this style of music but they had plenty of energy and were sure as hell happy to be playing. They injected the crowd with a lot of sweat, pounding drums, vein popping vocals and guitar rocking.

Earl GreyhoundUp next was the 1970s styled, hard rocking and soulful trio, Earl Greyhound, from Brooklyn, NY. They are: Matt Whyte on guitar & vocals, Kamara Thomas on bass & voice and Big Ricc Sheridan on drums. They rocked the crowd with some sizzling guitar, a mad barrage of drums, tasty feedback and a wickedly grooving bass. Seriously, Kamara on the bass was so slinky, sexy and feeling it. Damn, the whole band came out playing hard and each song just kept building. The last two cuts were serious ragers. They also performed a new cut from an upcoming new album. The crowd really dug these cats and they showed it. I would of loved to of seen them for another hour or more to see what they could do. It seemed like they were just heating up, but there was more music to come.

Before Saul Williams took the stage, his right hand man, CX KiDTRONiK and the evenings MC took the stage and blasted the crowd with high energized, punked out beats, screams, and a wave of noisy electronics. It was totally in your face.

After the mayhem settled down (and about to begin again) Saul Williams and crew (Tchaka Diallo, Activator, Rough Francis and CX KiDTRONiK) got on stage for the final act of the evening: “The Niggy Tardust Experience.” Saul immediately starting spewing forth abstract poetry and then he and his band kicked into a wicked juxtaposed groove.

CX KiDTRONiKSaul’s unique cosmic mix of poetry, MAD, MAD high octane scattered electronics, by CX KiDTRONiK, painted a wild image of music for the enthusiastic crowd. Acid punk, rock, poetry, rap, psychedelic injections were all layered with nutty breakbeats and Saul’s vocals. The music was raw, intense, sweaty and dynamic. Song after song energized the listener and filled the brain with a montage of melt your mind lyrics. When the band left the stage the crowd raged to bring them back and once they did come back we got a whole bunch of extra tunes.

All in all it was a wonderful night of grooves that started at 8:30 and ended at around 12:30. There was plenty of music and a tasty assortment of bands. The Afro-Punk Festival should be around for a long time. I’m looking forward to more. Check out the few shows that are left on this tour.  By Elektra Pastiche

Saul Williams biography:

Welcome to SaulWilliams.com, the digital component of me,

Saul Williams.

Who I am and what I do seems to vary by mod, mood, and mode of expression. I write. I act. I perform. Most of the labels that are projected onto  me are seldom how I would choose to refer to myself. Yet, regardless of how much I might dodge classification, the one label that I tote freely is that of being an artist. And it is the art of self expression that has heightened my experience on this planet and fueled my understanding of love, compassion, and humanity.

Poet.

I write poetry because it is the clearest and most direct expression of how I think. I take pride in being called a poet mostly because it feels like an ordination. I did not grow up thinking of myself as a poet, so it is an honor to be considered one.  So far, I've wriiten four books that fall under the category of poetry. For me, they chronicle my growth as an artist, friend, lover, father, son, and individual.  My goal has never truly been to become an amazing poet, rather I have worked at becoming more expressive, thoughtful, and harmoniously balanced, and courageous enough to live my life as a poem. My writings simply chronicle my journey and vision. They are the residue of the work that I'm doing on myself.

Music.

I write music because I have found that I cannot relie on other artists, or the music industry to provide the release that I need from a days work, a night out, to inspire a mood, a movement, or simply explore the unsaid in ways that are important to me. I've sought to become self sufficient. In music I think of myself as an explorer participating in the construction of the soundscape of the new world that is being hatched out of our dreams, hope and visions of peace and harmony... that don't necesarily mean my shit is soft though...

Performance.Saul Williams

Performance.

Acting, my first love as an artist, has allowed me insight into the nature of humanity. The many roles I have played, especially in theatre, exposed me to aspects of my own character before I even lived through enough experience to discover traits within myself. Through acting, I found an excuse to study everything from my own breathing habits, to the beats within a passage or poem, to the unexplored regions of my imagination. It taught me how to observe the distinction between someone who walks and leads with their head or chin versus someone who leads with their gut or groin. It grounded me in my voice and on stage and has helped me develop as a thinker and person

Through it all I would say that performance is my favorite medium as an artist. Yet, I have become very particular about the material I perform, thus, I create. Most of my training as an artist is in the field of acting which makes sense considering that all the other stuff often just feels like a role I'm playing.

Here are some credentials and schools I've attended:

HB Studios, NYC

The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, NYC

Morehouse College, ATL, GA. BA in Philosophy and Drama

NYU/Tisch School of the Arts, NYC. MFA Acting

These are some awards I've won:

Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival (Slam)

Camera D'Or at Cannes Film Festival (Slam)

Nuyorican Grand Slam Champion

 Blah. Blah. Blah...

Anyway, thanks for being here."

-Saul

This was a wonderful night of psychedelic, experimental, space rock drone MADNESS!  I love the Hemlock Tavern and tonight there were three performers each of them creating a mind-blowing set of mind altering freak out music.

Up first were the local grooves of 3 Leafs.  This four piece, psychedelic, space rock unit combined trippy ambient guitar hallucinations with a grooving bass, a swirl of electronics and a pulsating percussion rhythm.  Along with all that were some vocals that occasionally oozed into the mix.  They took the crowd through a musical journey that was danceable at times but always far out and exciting.  They performed three pulsating grooves that really satisfied the crowd. They are: Diego Gonzalez on bass. Josh Pollock on sampler & guitar, Warren Huegel drums and a vocalist.

Up next was ?Alos, also known as Stafania Pedretti, from the awesomely wacky experimental band OVO.  Her set was a fascinating mix of demonic vocals and shamanistic musical rituals.  It was extremely unique and stimulating to witness. How such a petite woman could growl like that I will never know. 

She started out with abrasive guitar licks over electronics while she beautifully abused her vocal chords.  It was dark, sludgy and messed with my brain.  She then put bells on different parts of her body and stepped into the crowd and chanted while swaying her long dreads, which also had bells in them.  She let he electronics swirl as she continued to chant and majestically move along the floor.  It was a very enjoyable set.  She also has a new album available.

The final artist was the always amazing and mind-altering musician, Kawabta Makoto, from the psychedelic-acid rock-freak out Japan based Acid Mothers Temple.  I absolutely love this band as well as all the collective groups that are a part of this unit.

Kawabta Makoto is a complete mad man when it comes to creating music.  He performs in a plethora of unique and stimulating bands, puts out tons and tons of music each year (which are always stretching the boundaries of psychedelic music) and even records and performs solo, like tonight's event.  He played with a small little electric guitar, which he played with a bow like a cello on his lap, with a large assortment of pedals in front of him.

His sensational, mind-expanding set was a gorgeous, breathtaking 30 minute improvised psychedelic drone.  It started out slow and mesmerizing and slowly built into a massive, chaotic, noise crazed FREAK OUT!  It was beyond amazing.  Just watching his hands shred the guitar was a joy to watch.  I was completely absorbed and lost in the many layers of cosmic music that he created.  It was so wild watching one person create something so stunning and interesting to listen too. 

The music was so intricate and Kawabata was completely absorbed in his creation. When he finally put the bow down and tackled his guitar with two hands he completely freak out all over it and kicked into overdrive.  He was a vicious blur of musical colors as he volcanically exploded and ended his set.  My entire mind, body and ears were ringing!!!  SENSATIONAL!  Kawbata Makoto and ?Alos are still on tour right now, with plenty of NEW merchandise, so definitely check them out while you can for a truly unique and stunning performance.  By Coke Armstrong

WOW!!!  What an insane show!  Melt Banana, an experimental-hardcore-rock-noise quartet from Japan, started off the night as a trio in complete darkness on stage with a flashlight attached to their heads. They immediately started blasting the crowd with a barrage of furious electronic noise.  It was completely nuts.  

Screeches and screams exploded in my head as swirls of the flashlights confused my mind.  The band continued to electronically rage with ear piercing insanity.  Then the bassist came on stage, the lights came on and Melt Banana tore the crowd’s heads off with a monstrous explosive injection of music. This included sizzling, chaotic and mind-blowing guitar scratching by Agata, which ignited the club.  A slide was used periodically to intensify the guitar chaos, which was played viscously fast.  The new drummer for the tour barraged the senses with non-stop drum madness while the bass fury punched out my senses.  On top of all this were beautiful screaming vocals by Yako who also injected us with abstract electronic crackles and pops.

The music was all over the place.  It stopped and started quickly and insanely.  It was so amazing to listen to because there was just so much going on all at once.  Blood curdling noise bursts mixed with grooving bass nuttiness to eventually crash into kaleidoscopic guitar mayhem only to be thrown into a swirling electronic tornado of hardcore sound.

The crowd loved it and the band just kept on pounding on them with cyclonic musical rapid-fire madness. Before I knew it the band left the stage with my ears ringing like mad (and I had ear plugs in!?!) and my body tingling from all the nuttiness.  The crowd exploded begging for more.  The band came back out and blasted us for two more songs including a one of a kind version of The Specials "Monkey Man."

The band has toured the US like 8 or 9 times and this time around is on a crazed 40 show tour.  So if you want a little noise and wackiness in your life then check these cats out....SWEET!!!  

Check out the Melt Banana website for discographies, Q&A's, new releases, and a lot more.  By Pungal Durian

"Melt Banana Lite Live: ver.0.0" Available in November!

I love it when I can walk down the street to a club and catch a band all the way from Russia!?!  That is what I love about this city.  Great bands from far off places come here to play. 

On this particular night, Mumiy Troll, came to the Independent promoted by Another Planet Entertainment.  They are a quirky pop rock band, that is HUGE in Russia, and they have been performing for over twenty five years!  They are: Ilya Lagutenko on vocals and guitar, Eugene "Sdwig" Zvidionny on bass, Oleg Pungin on drums and Yuri Tsaler on guitars.

They ignited the enthusiastic crowd for about 80 minutes mixing it up with classic pop nuggets and high energy rockers.  The crowd shouted Russian back and forth with the band and sang along to their songs.  That was my particular favorite thing about this show.  It was entirely in Russian, the singing AND talking to the crowd.  The only English was a lyric here and there in a song.  I loved that.  I don’t know any Russian but I enjoy music from around the world and this was a huge highlight for me.

This band has an expansive discography and their lead singer has a quirky stage presence.  He seemd to be having the time of his life.  He bounced all around the stage licking his lips consistently with his eyes open wide and singing with enthusiasm.  At one point the bassist and drummer left the stage and just the singer and guitarist performed two slow Russian styled ballads.

The band had a playful 1980s feel to me and had quite a few people pogoing around the floor.  They laid it down with smooth bass grooves, atmospheric guitar licks and some drum pounding.  The last cut kicked it up a notch.  It went form a psychedelic style ambient groove and then exploded into a massive all out rocker.  It was an explosive ending and the band left the stage and did not come back.

They are still on tour throughout November so if you are interested in a different cultures approach on pop-rock or if you are a fan then go see them live!  By Hank VonKasket

This particular night was part of the Treasure Ialnd Festival Late-Night Shows put on by Another Planet Entertainment.  It started off with All The Saints, a indie-psychedelic-rock trio that had the drummer pounding it out as hard as he could while the bassist smoothly laid down a groove.  The guitarist fuzzed it out and incorporated some space rock madness into the mix while singing in undecipherable vocals.  They were a fun opener.

These Are Powers by Michael FlackUp next was These Are Powers, a dark pop, no wave, punk, electronic-dance-rock trio via NYC/Chicago. They are Anna Barie on vocals and electronics,  Pat  Noecker on bass and  Bill Salas on drums and electronics.  I really dug their groove and could have easily listened to them for another 45 minutes or more.  It was way to short of a set for them.  I felt like they were just starting to heat up.  I got lost in their grooves and their danceable beats were hypnotic, tribal and trashy.  At times they had this sick old school Cabaret Voltaire groove going that was so sweet.   They will be back in SF this Friday at the Knockout with Mi Ami and Gowns.  Great place to see all these cats throw it down at a wonderful dive bar.

A Place To Bury Strangers by Andrew Weiss. Up next was A Place To Bury Strangers.  They were a massive onslaught of psychedelic and hard shoegazing rock.  It was a mauling atmospheric wall of sound that just crushed the crowd.  They had this dark, moody 1980s sound that escalated into deep danceable grooves and pure sonic madness.  Lots of smoke was pumped out on stage and the band beautifully knocked out our senses with blinking lights and a musical pummeling.  They are: Oliver Ackermann on gutars and vocals, JSpace on drums and electronics and Jono Mofo on bass.   Together these cats acted as one solid unit and just viciously raged upon us with mad psychedelic guitar and a barrage of drums, bass and electronic insanity!

Tons of killer grooves injected my body throughout the night and I did not want it to end.  I seriously could have grooved to some of these songs for like twenty minutes or more.  Once they started they did not let up and the evening just kept building to this beautiful insanity that just erupted and then massively ended with my body tingling.  It was a gorgeous and heavy musical beating that I will be happy to experience again.

A Place To Bury Strangers is on a mad tour from now until the middle of December so if you dig this style of groove then do not miss them when they blaze through your area.  By Elektra Pastiche

This night felt like an ArthurFest event to me.  It just had that vibe and similar style bands.  It actually was put on by an excellent promoter here, on the west coast, called (((folk yeah))).  It was at the always cozy and comfortable Cafe Du Nord right next door to the Swedish American Music Hall.

The night started off with Matt Bladwin on solo guitar, loops, vocals and electronics.  He created a dreamy landscape of sounds and krautrock style vibes.  It was very pleasant and hypnotic.  Next was local boys, Bronze, who are a trio creating new wavey, electronic rock songs.  Their electronic nuttiness was created on a really unique hand held instrument and the pulsating drum rhythms were soothing.  The vocals went up and down for me.  I actually enjoyed the voice more when it was fuzzed out or used like an instrument instead of the straight up singing.

In between this set I went to the merchandise table which was jammed packed with Expo '70 vinyl, cassettes, CDs and CDRs.  It was awesome.  Also, MV & EE (Matt Valentine & Erika Elder) had a ton of CDRs, CDs, vinyl, 45s, and their most recent outing "Road Trips" live shows 2002-2009 a box set of 12 cassettes!!!  Both of these bands have a huge amount of material available so check out their websites when you can: Expo '70 and MV & EE.

I was really excited for Expo '70.  I totally dig their massive, psychedelic, and drone rock music.  They performed tonight as a duo.  Justin Wright on guitar and electronics along with bassist Matt Hill who also played electronics.  They had a smoke machine and a twirling color light to add to the ambience of their music.  They performed one wicked drone monster that sent me to the outer limits.  It was far out cosmic stuff.  My only complaint was...I wanted MORE!  I could of drifted with these cats for like five hours, no shit, this music is killer.  Luckily more music was just ahead of me.  Check out Expo '70s tour dates.

Matt Valentine (guitar/banjo/harmonica/vocals) and Erika Elder (guitars/vocals) create some beautiful, hypnotic, bluesy, folky, psychedelic grooves and jams that are so intoxicating, magical and gorgeous. When I listen to them play I get so lost in the interwoven layers of their music that I have no idea where I am.  They just take me to these wonderful unknown musical places.  Their dual vocals and body tingling grooves are fascinating. They performed for an hour and the crowd loved them whooping for more music, which we got.  

I could of stayed their all night listening to MV & EE but this mini festival was over and Tuesday was all ready beginning for me.  They have a few more dates on their tour schedule so check them out if this style of music turns you on. By Penelope DaVinyl

Matt Valentine & Erika Elder (MV & EE):

In fact still orbiting the earth in vermont is matt 'mv' valentine, once the brawn of the tower recordings, and erika 'ee' elder, the CEO of Heroine Celestial Agriculture/The MV & EE Medicine Show, together with their dog zuma they run the child of microtones terran library of exploratory music and sing songs with fellow avatars 'the golden road'. sometimes their own lunar blues, sometimes fingerstyle noise/space, sometimes lonesome frontier volk...always environments. you will find many are one and they like to jam together within many guitar dimensions/amp realms...respectfully and yours hanging loose.

OUT NOW:

MV & EE with The Golden Road - DRONE TRAILER LP/CD
(Dicristina Stair Builders)

MV & EE * "Road Trips" live shows 2002-2009 12 CASSETTE BOX!!!
(Blackest Rainbow)

MV & EE with The Golden Road - Limits b/w Jacked Up 7 inch (Golden Lab Records)

MV + EE with The Golden Road

Barn Nova Out October 13!

1. Feelin' Fine
2. Get Right Church
3. Snapperhead
4. Summer Magic
5. Wandering Nomad
6. Bedroom Eyes
7. Fully Tanked
8. You Feel

Matt Valentine: guitars, harmonica, vocal
Erika Elder: electric firebird mandolin, lap steel, vocal

Doc Dunn: pedal steel, rhythm guitar, vocal, drums
Mike Smith: Rickenbacker 4001, vocal
J Mascis: drums, guitar, plate reverb
Jeremy Earl: vocal, drums
Justin Pizzoferrato: percussion, space echo, bank

Produced By Matt Valentine
Recorded, Engineered, Mixed by Justin at Bank Row & Bisquiteen
Additional Recording, Mixing, Engineering by MV at Maximum Arousal Farm

Justin Wright & Matt Hill - live at Night Worlds (jeff evrard photography)Expo ’70 biography:

“Expo '70 is the main driving improvisational essence of Justin Wright. Having started the project in Los Angeles in 2003, Wright has pushed his project to new levels, releasing a number of albums as cdr's and 2 full-length albums. Expo '70's first album "Animism", which debuted in 2007 on Kill Shaman, is an eclectic mix of krautrock, ambient drone, space exploration and minimal compositions. Comparisons range from Brian Eno, Ash Ra Tempel, A.R. & Machines, SunnO))) and Earth, but not directly sounding like any of those artists in their entirety.

Wright's recent release "Black Ohms" on Beta-lactam Ring Records brings new life to the term drone. A world of sounds that catches the listeners subconscious and drifts them to alien lands and foreign terrain while maintaining a dreamlike quality with shifting melodies and moods. Mostly comprised of single guitar improvisations, Wright manifests rich textures and brooding low end passages full of energy that tend to sound like long synth compositions akin to early Tangerine Dream and early minimalist composers like Terry Riley.

Expo '70 recently completed a West Coast tour, playing a sold out show in San Francisco with Wooden Shjips and ARP. Accompanying Wright was Matt Hill, a local Kansas City musician who studied at Berkeley College of music in Boston. Hill contributed bass and analog drum patterns underlying Wright's ability to work up these long rich drones into what some might reflect a classic rock band. The live shows consisted of the two sitting indian style in front of their amps, forcing audiences to sit along with them while they build soundscapes. With a blast of smoke from a fog machine, the canvas was layed for them to rise up and get into so Pink Floyd and Hawkwind-like sonic psychedelic playing with Hill looping bass lines and Wright catching waves of melodic of guitar soloing.

Wright played Bordeaux, France late 2008 as part of a festival revolved around the celebration of French Psychedelic music which started back in 1968. The 3 day festival included acts from France and all over the world. Some act include Ame Son, Endless Boogie, Steve Gunn, Psychic Ills, The Telescopes, The Skaters, Stellar Om Source and many more. Wright was proud to have Expo '70 included in this event.

Wright designs and packages most Expo '70 releases himself building an aesthetic around the project as a long lost relic from the 1970's underground music scene.”

MV & EE Photo Shoot by Andrew Kesin

Man, this show was RIDICULOUS, and I mean that in such a good way.  Seriously, the show went on at 9:45 and was over at 1:30!!!  Two MASSIVE sets of mind-boggling JAMS! 

Every Gov't Mule show I have seen since back in the early days at The Wetlands in NYC, with the legendary and extremely missed Allen Woody, have always been marvelous.  In my mind, and all Mule fans, ever live music outing by the Mule is a great time.  These cats always put on an astonishing show with plenty of music.  I have never left a Mule show musically unsatisfied.  NEVER!

There was plenty of massive jams, guitar chills, bass thumping, and maniacal drum soloing and keyboard ecstasy.  If you dig that southern rock groove with huge helpings of soul and blues madness all incorporated into one monster jam well then, The Mule is for you.  I love this band, always have and always will, so there you have it.

This particular night the boys: Warren Hanyes on guitar and vocals, Matt Abts on drums, Danny Louis on keyboards, vocals and guitar and Jorgen Carlsson on bass opened up the show with three Pink Floyd songs before they got down and dirty.  The crowd went crazy and the excitement in the air stayed until the last song.  This was just another fabulous show promoted by Goldenvoice.  

We got two mammoth sets of music and a sizzling double encore.  On top of that we got three special guests Jackie Greene, Grace Potter and Steve Winwoods' guitarist, Jose Neto.  Plus we got a ton of killer cover songs (see below), old Mule tunes and MONSTER new tunes.  Man, the new tunes just tore the place up.  They were sick.

I am a huge Warren fan and his soulful vocals and body tingling slide guitar beauty had me floating on a cloud all night.  Matt Abts is a wild man and he just kept this unit truckin' not to mention blazing through a mind blowing drum solo!  Danny Louis is a wizard on the keys and he created all kinds of cool textures while their latest bassist, Jorgen Carlsson, laid down some thick, heeeevy grooves.  When they ignited together it was pure bliss! This was anotehr stunning and happy occasion at The Warfield.  

Everyone in the crowd was smiling, grooving and having a wonderful time.  How can you not....it's a Gov't Mule show!  You are always going to have a great time and every night you see them it is going to be a different show.  These cats know how to rip it up live and tour like mad men.  They have a few more shows on this tour in October and then they are off on a European tour for November.  After that they play in that wonderful city, NYC, at the legendary Beacon Theatre for their two night New Years Eve run.  Thanks boys for another sensational outing.  Check out their superb discography too.  By Pungal Durian

Set List

Set 1
One Of These Days
Fearless
Wish You Were Here
Thorazine Shuffle
Kind Of Bird
Frozen Fear
Brighter Days
Like Flies
Don't Let It Bring You Down with Jackie Greene>
Loser with Jackie Greene

Set 2
Lola Leave Your Light On
Broke Down On The Brazos
Inside Outside Woman Blues
Any Open Window
Drums
Empty Pages with Jose Neto
Wild Horses with Grace Potter
Take Me To The River with Grace Potter
Mule->
Who Do You Love->
Whole Lotta Love->
Mule

Encore with Jackie Greene
Morning Dew
Southern Man with Grace Potter

Gov't Mule biography:

"Balancing evocative songs and expressive improvisation, Gov’t Mule is a band rooted in both the personal and musical chemistry between its members. “It’s not one of those groups that can make a change overnight,” explains founding guitarist/vocalist Warren Haynes. It is only after six months of rehearsing, jamming, and hanging out with bassist Jorgen Carlsson that he has been added to the band as their new permanent bass player, replacing Andy Hess, who joined in 2003.

When founding bassist Allen Woody passed away in 2000, Haynes explains, “We were faced with the daunting task of replacing a one-of-a-kind musician, which I'm sure was intimidating for Andy, who did a wonderful job and brought his own personality into the music. Jorgen’s style is somewhere between Woody's and Andy's. He brings some of Woody's aggressive spirit back although he is very much his own man.” Carlsson was born in Sweden and has been active as a session musician and studio owner since arriving in the US in 1991.

Founded by Haynes, Woody, and drummer Matt Abts in 1994 as a power-trio, Gov’t Mule has, over the course of eight studio albums, several more live projects, and over 1300 concert performances, built both an extensive, evolving body of work and a devoted fan base. In addition, the band has sold 1.5 million downloads on its website mule.net, sold over one million albums, and received a Grammy nomination. Keyboardist Danny Louis joined as a full-time member in 2003. With Hess leaving to pursue other opportunities, Haynes sees the addition of Jorgen as connecting the past and future of Gov’t Mule: “Having worked with Jorgen over the last several months, we are very excited to explore some new directions while at the same time going back a little closer to our roots.”"

"Gov't Mule "By A Thread" CD is now available for pre-order and will be released on October 27, 2009. Your credit card will be charged the day you place your order, and your order will ship on or around October 23. If you order non-pre-order items with "By A Thread", your entire order will be held and shipped with the pre-order. To receive non-pre-order items sooner, please place a separate order. If you select the Express shipping option, Musictoday guarantees that your order will be delivered to you on the release date (U.S. addresses only).

1. Broke Down On The Brazos 6:19
2. Steppin’ Lightly 7:10
3. Railroad Boy 5:03
4. Monday Mourning Meltdown 8:08
5. Gordon James 3:48
6. Any Open Window 4:45
7. Frozen Fear 5:48
8. Forever More 4:17
9. Inside Outside Woman Blues #3 9:04
10. Scenes From A Troubled Mind 7:23
11. World Wake Up 5:54

Everyone who pre-orders "By A Thread" will receive an exclusive digital download of live Gov't Mule recordings. These recordings, "Mule Tracks Presents: The Soundchecks", will be made during rehearsals and the first few soundchecks from the Summer 2009 Tour. The bonus download will be available on the album's release date in October 2009."

WOW, WOW, WOOW!!!!  This show blew me away and had me dancing super hard.  Seriously, this show was so MASSIVE!  Words can not describe how amazing this show was but I will try my best.  It was an exceptional, hard jamming, and stupendous night of music!!!!  Thank you Ninja Tune, Another Planet Entertainment, Kid Koala & THE SLEW and The Independent!

The mind-boggling and extremely happy turntablist, Kid Koala (a Ninja Tune recording artist), brought together another turntablist, P-Love, bassist & keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett from the original Wolfmother and created THE SLEW.  Read below:

Six turntables meets the ex-Wolfmother rhythm section:

"A couple of years back Eric San (aka Kid Koala) and Dylan J. Frombach (aka Dynomite D) were approached to soundtrack a new documentary feature film that was in production. Koala was already well known for his uncanny turntable manipulation, whilst Dylan had remixed Money Mark and collaborated with the Beastie Boys, amongst others. The duo worked for a long time on the psych rock-influenced score, only for the filming to collapse and any release to be canned. Although the film may never see the light of day, its music is about to be brought to life on stage.

Recently Koala & Dylan met the former rhythm section of Grammy Award-winning Australian rock band Wolfmother and began telling them all about the film and its lost music. Chris Ross and Myles Heskett loved the clips and urged that the material had to be heard; subsequently Kid Koala and the guys decided to put a show on the road.

After intensive rehearsals the show is now ready to go. Featuring drums, bass/keys and the DJs working across a truly excessive six turntables, the set is seventy minutes of raw guitar cuts and heavy beats. We can guarantee that you will never have heard anything quite like this and also that you are unlikely to again. It’s a one-off tour, so when it stops in your town you’ll either be there or will have missed it forever.

Anyone who has seen previous Kid Koala events will not be disappointed – from Kid Koala’s incendiary solo turntable spectaculars to the Nufonia book launch, Deltron 3030 live to the Short Attention Span Theater.

Brash, loud and defiantly turned up to eleven. The Slew Tour is coming to your town. Don’t miss it."

The Slew got on stage and from the first song until the last barraged my senses with maniacal musical mayhem! Kid Koala was all over three turntables (he is a madman!) as was P-Love.  The whole time these two crazy cats cut it up and created a collage of musical masterpieces the rhythm section laid it down and laid it down HARD!  It was a beautiful mix of bad-ass 70s style rock and roll and master turntablism of the highest order.  Combined together it was a sensational, fusionistic and mad, mad JAM!

Kid Koala has got to be one of the happiest turntablists around.  He was laughing and smiling the entire show and when he injected killer grooves into the mix he would just crack up.  Just looking at him made me happier then I all ready was.  Watching him and the rest of the band create this onslaught was beyond insane.  There was bass thumping heaviness, keyboard insanity and a pounding drum groove all swirled up into dual turntable MADNESS......WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!  It was nuts I tell you, fucking NUTS!!!!

Seriously, they have a few more dates on their tour schedule and I highly recommend checking them out.  I have seen quite a few shows this year and this was definitely a highlight!  My only complaint was....I WANTED MORE!  Yeah, it was only an hour show (but a KILLER one) and well, I was just having so much fun I could of easily tore it up for another hour set.  I wish I could say, "I can not wait to they come back into town," but this was my only chance because this is a one-shot deal.  So catch them while you can or if you miss them go and find a copy of their new album: The Slew "100%."  All in all, a marvelous and unforgettable night of music.  By Veena Ladoo