Rancho De La Luna Month

Rancho De La Luna Month

As I dug doing the Dutch Courage Month in February; I thought I’d do something for May as well. In this case I will delve into the fabulous catalog coming from the magical Rancho De La Luna studios in Palm Desert. Albums recorded there will be featured as long as some stuff affiliated with the studios that might have been recorded somewhere else but I reckon to still be part of the family. And since I collect everything even remotely affiliated with the studio and its people, there might actually be a few gems among them that some of you might not have heard. And ofcourse when next month rolls around the first post will be about the legendary studios themselves…

Rancho De La Luna

New Keepers of The Water Towers – The Calydonian Hunt

New Keepers of The Water Towers – The Calydonian Hunt
MeteorCity
Metal/Stoner
Waardering: ****

Two years later and the Swedish formation New Keepers of The Water Towers delivers their second full-sized album The Calydonian Hunt. Founded in 2006 the four young dogs provided us with the masterly album Chronicles in 2009. Which was comprised of the in 2007 released EP Chronicles of The Massive Boar and the follow up EP The Chronicles of Iceman released in 2008. A truly massive record. And still the guys warrant sluggish heavy guitars, beastly riffage and trampling drumwork. The bombastic new album shift effortlessly between fierce almost psychedelic passages and intense dark blues to powerful metal madness. It gives that epic feeling and drags the listener along on yet another quest. As if the entire metal family is on a magical search for fire, the wheel or a piece of paper to wipe our ass with. So in short: another sublime piece of music by these four Swedish freaks!

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Blues Brother Castro – Out On The Beach

Blues Brother Castro – Out On The Beach
Excelsior – 2011
Rock
Waardering: ****

The Dutch four-piece Blues Brother Castro already have two wonderful records to their name; but now add to that a much better one. Their third album Out On The Beach is on all fronts better layered and better done then their previous album Fun from 2006. Thanks to a gig on a festival somewhere in Russia the band rediscovered the holy fire and dove back into the studio. With references towards David Bowie, Gun Club, Giant Sand, Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, R.E.M. and The Pixies you are treated to thirteen songs which are pregnant with threat, agitation, fun and all of which are incredibly catchy. The pop-song comes first and between those lines they color with everything the alternative rock-sound has to offer. Sordid, gritty rock’n roll, pounding drums, burnt out bass and screaming vocals to slow lingering guitar and bass-lines combined with whining voices. But always equally obsessed and sincere. Hear! Hear! To brother Castro!

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Stoney Curtis Band – Cosmic Conn3ction

Stoney Curtis Band – Cosmic Conn3ction
Mascot/Provogue – 2011
Rock/Blues/Psychedelica
Waardering: ***

The American guitarplayer/singer Stoney Curtis and his two compadre’s of the Stoney Curtis Band have once again managed to squeeze almost seventy minutes of electric blues onto their new record Cosmic Conn3ction. As if the guys who have been playing together since 1994 but released their debutalbum Acid Blues Experience in 2005 just walked into the studio, pushed the round red button and started playing. They let the good times roll and play full throttle untill they pull back and catch their breath while playing a lovely slow blues ditty. Typical bluesrock which loves to look back to the sixties and the time of the classic powertrio’s that paved the way. Very lovely record to float on and hide behind a wall of smoke. It might not be too surprising at times, but it has been executed like a mad bluesy whirlwind.

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Roadburn - 2011

Roadburn - 2011

Every year Roadburn manages to improve the atmosphere or at least be just as fun as the former edition. And with the amount beards and beer the four days of 2011 were no exception. Luckily no volcanoes or other earthly violence disrupted the pleasure. Except maybe the moving of Earth from Main Stage to the Midi Theater. Which caused an enormous queue and therefor had to be missed. But thanks to many other legends the festival once again almost achieved perfection.

On day one we saw David Eugene Edwards and his Wovenhand provoke and disconcert the audience, his presumed spawn of Satan were in awe of the mimicry and act he put on. And was Atomic Bitchwax by far the best that the first day offered. And of course we could laugh our asses of by the awful parody that is Ghost; nothing more then a damn ugly Pope. Second day brought us the Vampyr soundtrack wonderfully performed by Year Of No Light but without the teeth everyone was waiting for. Or was that a different movie? The much anticipated reunion of Beaver was kinda messy and therefor disappointed. Circle With The Pharaoh Overlord could of course by made up out of two bands; as they had a massive amount of guitars on stage. Or was that the LSD talkin? C.O.C. fun, Jesse Sykes lovely, Menace Ruine would be better of playing to a couple of dustbins, a dead cat and some weird passed out guy and last but not least Voivod in Midi was exhilarating!

Third day started off with free vinyl and a very good show by Gingerpig in Cul De Sac. Woe those who were not there! And continued with the amazing Black Math Horseman and its absurd good drummer. Ofcourse one then remains where they are to see White Hills and the red hot pants before wandering towards Main Stage where you will have tons of fun with Weedeater. Will the bass-player still have a headache after being used as part of the drum kit?

Ufomammut was also very amazing and enthralling in the Midi Theater, and we had perfect timing to get into the theater. As long as one does not go stand in line with the rest of the family and just passes the queue to slide in somewhere in front. Hey, the bouncer with the clicker said it would be the only way to see the show and he gave the nod. Otherwise we would never have done that. Honestly. Really.

No Afterburner, no glory. So we start off slowly with Spindrift and get blown away by Dragontears. Black Mountain gets the entire venue singing along. (With Happy Birthday, not one of their own songs. Sniff.) With an amazing set for a not sold out afterburner they surely cemented their position as top of the whole shebang. And Samsara Blues Experiment turns out to be the perfect ending to yet another successful Roadburn. And of course you see a few more bands along the way; and all of them were doing pretty great. Except of course the two mentioned before. Oh and who cares right; its one big family. And everyone can fuck up now and again. Naam? Ghost? Ich nicht weisse? Jamais! The countdown till Roadburn 2012 has commenced…

Gingerpig – Demo

Gingerpig – Demo
Unreleased – 2009
Rock/Psychedelica/Blues/Stoner
Waardering: ****

Founded by former Gorefest guitarplayer Boudewijn Bonebakker and with drummer Ries Doms audible on this unreleased demo. Gingerpig is a band without boundaries or lines within which the sound needs to be colored and with a massive love for vinyl and analog. The band has a record-deal with Suburban and their debut-album The Ways Of The Gingerpig will be released at the end of April. And even though the sound quality of this unreleased demo is very poor the amount of freedom and musicality displayed by the band is already pretty incredible. Hopefully there will already be a record available during the Roadburn Introduces gig on Saturday at 13:30 in Cul De Sac. Cause personally I can’t wait to hear these freaks live and on vinyl!

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Roadburn

Roadburn

One more day left, thirty hours and counting till Roadburn… The blood is boiling and the skin is itching… Sold out in 15 minutes once again and it will surely also be one gigantic awesome trip once more; as it is every year. With so many great bands in the line-up it will be impossible to catch them all. And should the choice become too difficult; then we can always just sit in the sun with a beer or two and relax for a moment. Be sure to catch the Gingerpig gig in Cul De Sac though on Saturday at 13:30… It will be testament to pure free rock!

Roadburn

Gingerpig

Kyuss Lives – Live at Garage, Saarbrucken

Kyuss Lives – Live at Garage, Saarbrucken
Bootleg – 2011-03-07
Stoner
Waardering: ***

Much has been said and written already about the fact that the three members of stonerlegend Kyuss are back together on the stage again under the name Kyuss Lives. The idea arose last year after singer John Garcia had already been touring under the name Garcia Plays Kyuss and was joined on stage during the Hellfest festival in France by bassplayer Nick Oliveri and drummer Brant Bjork. Which prompted an impressive tour and started the idea about a new album. With as a replacement for Josh Homme the Belgian Bruno Fevery. Also a damn fine guitarplayer but one that can never fill Homme’s shoes; who wishes all the best for the guys; and Bruno will only color between the lines already carved out. Maybe he’ll be able to show his stuff more on the new album. But for now we have the liveshows to enjoy. All of which are a feast of recognition and thanks to an over enthousiastic and hungry crowd impressive everywhere.

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AliennatioN – Demo

AliennatioN – Demo
Self released – 2010
Rock/Stoner/Grunge/Metal
Waardering: ***

For around ten years now the four gentlemen of the from the Drenthe province of Holland hailing AliennatioN have been making a name for themselves. In those years they delivered quite a few ep’s and albums in very different styles; probably due to the many line-up changes. A four song ep in 2002, the record Dead One in 2003, an album called Naked In The Filthy River in 2005 and The Outside Deceit in 2008. Last year they added another four song ep to this list. Which leads us to conclude that the group that started out as a funkmetalband made quite some development and reinvented the hell out of themselves. Cause the nameless ep is filled with metal and hardrock which is highly in dept to stoner and uses quite some grunge and southern influences. Think of a mixture of Black Label Society, Alice In Chains and Alabama Thunderpussy with dry air feel to it. Good music, for good beer and a summer barbecue…

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Ponamero Sundown – Rodeo Electrica

Ponamero Sundown – Rodeo Electrica
Recordheaven – 2011
Rock/Stoner/Hard/Seventies
Waardering: *****

With their new album Rodeo Electrica, Swedish born Ponamero Sundown have delivered a righteous successor to their debut album Stonerized. And even though that album was already one that could easily measure up to the best records emerging from the desert scene. Rodeo Electrica is better on all fronts. They still sound like a mixture of Firebird, Dozer, Truckfighters and now also Queens of The Stone Age; but often with a sound that is more in debt to that of the seventies. However; on this album they are also able to make a sublime division between hard driving and smooth sliding songs. De dosage of mighty riffs, gravel fuzz and mellow groove is finger licking good. Add to this that the hooks are grade A, the odd stuff they add on occasion exquisite, that they sound superb acoustically and that the vocals of singer Nicke Engwall are more powerful and diverse; and the outcome is a non other then a grand album. One of the first truly great ones of 2011!

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True Widow – As High…

True Widow – As High…
Kemado – 2011
Rock/Shoegaze/Slowcore/Sludge/Doom
Waardering: ****

With the impossible title As High as the Highest Heavens and from the Center to the Circumference of the Earth the Texas trio called True Widow released their second album onto the world. Their moody mix of psychedelic grunge, shoegaze, sludge, doom and slowcore has been blotted together under their preferred moniker: stonegaze. With guitargravel, dreamy vocals and heavy basslines they paint a cold and desolate landscape which is still inviting enough to get lost in. With hypnotic precision they confuse and enchant. It is not so much an ode to the almighty riff but an ode to the tone and the note. And where their first record True Widow from 2008 was leaning a bit too much on the element of surprise and discovery; is As High… in every way conceivable performed with downright more sensibility, cleverness, heaviness and with epic fingerspitzengefühl. A truly wonderful record for the turtle genre…

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Night Ranger – Somewhere in California

Night Ranger – Somewhere in California
Rough Trade / Frontiers – 2011
Hardrock
Waardering: ***

The American born Night Ranger has never really been able to get a decent amount of followers in Europe and in their homeland it never got as big as bands like Bon Jovi. Even though they have had a few big hits. But when it comes to quality songwriting the band has little equals when looked at the category the band comes out in: melodic hardrock. After five records in the eighties a few members tried their luck in different bands and Night Ranger continued as a trio. Fortunately for us founding member, singer and bassplayer Jack Blades reconsidered in 1996 and only a little while later the band was complete again and together they battled through the late nineties. But eventually only the three founding members remained and with two new hired guns they entered the studio to record their tenth studio album in thirty years called Somewhere in California. With not much news under the sun we are treated to all the trusted Night Ranger ingredients. Snappy melodies, crispy riffs, sun-bleached choruses and spiraling solo’s. A pleasant return to the tried and true Night Ranger sound. And now; get in yer car and head out together with the sun and drive off, into the past…

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