by JJ Koczan

You may know JJ Koczan from his writing at The Aquarian, the now dormant Metal Maniacs, Theobelisk.net, or as frontman of his band Maegashira. This weekend, JJ will serve as our man-on-the-scene at Roadburn in Tilburg, Holland! Look for daily reports through the weekend as he prepares for the return of Saint Vitus, as well as performances from a veritable who's who of the underground heavy metal glitterati. We kick things off with his report from Day One, Thursday April 23, 2009...

The bleach blond party boy at the surreal tropical Scottish bar -- who may or may not have been wearing white pants at the time -- warned me against Tilburg. "Why would you want to go there?" Indeed, why would I or anyone else allegedly in their right mind want to expose themselves to four days of nonstop beer, doom, shitty hamburgers and sweltering Eurosweat?

This is my first Roadburn. I booked my hotel room once Saint Vitus was announced, and the Hotel Ibis, the uncomfortable bed of which I'm sitting on now, is a chain like a Comfort Inn with a really nice bar. A big part of me wishes I could have slept down there, and not just because they had candy.

If there could have been a more appropriate beginning for Roadburn 2009 than Italian psyche-droners Ufomammut, I'm at a loss for what it might have been. Their Green-amped, thick-riffed, mostly instrumental jams pushed so much air you could feel it from in front of the stage, and as they sloshed their way through most of last year's Idolum, the main space crowd had no choice but to approve heartily. This is why we're here, dudes. Hold those cups up high.

continued below...

Continue reading "Surviving Roadburn, Day One: To The Center Of The Universe"

by Black Bubblegum

Ghost LIVE in 2003

Before Michio Kurihara was involved in a little band named Boris, he played in another long lasting Japanese band named Ghost. Ghost have scheduled a North American tour in April and May. That includes a show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on May 9th. Tickets go on AM EX pre-sale beginning Wednesday, today, at noon and go on general sale on Friday.

A collective of psychedelic-minded Japanese musicians headed by guitarist Masaki Batoh, Ghost records commune-minded free-range psychedelia with equal debts to the Can/Amon Düül axis of Krautrock, as well as West Coast psych units like Blue Cheer and Jefferson Airplane. -[allmusic]

Ghost's last release was a live album CD/DVD for Drag City in 2007, Overture: Live in Nippon Yusen Soko 2006.

Also on May 9th, just across town, another great Japanese rock band will play as part of the Wordless Music Series... MONO have added a second night to their Hymn To The Immortal Wind engagement with a live orchestra. You can also catch them on May 8th.

Amon Düül are scheduled to play as part of Roadburn 2009, along with Saint Vitus. All Ghost dates below...

Continue reading "Ghost - 2009 Tour Dates (MHOW)"

By Black Bubblegum

The mighty Saint Vitus

Hello friends, welcome to the Roadburn Festival

This is a gathering of like minded bands and fans from around the world, joined together by a love of music. This is a celebration of tube-driven distortion and crackling electric guitars, a raising of musical consciousness and brotherly and sisterly love, a communion with THEE MIGHTY RIFF, a time and place to get high en mass and bask in the heaviness.

Since 1999 we at Roadburn have emphasized the cutting edge, honored the forefathers, and worshipped the riff. The 2009 Festival is a perfect reflection of what we have always been about

Every year, Roadburn is a clusterfuck of great heavy artists and thankfully, 2009 (April 23-26 to be exact) appears to be more of the same. We already knew that Neurosis will curate 'Beyond The Pale' at Roadburn (it's an event within an event). Now word comes today that a reunited Saint Vitus (!!!) will headline one night at the Tilburg, Holland festival! Look for Saint Vitus to appear in it's Born Too Late (and one-off 2003) lineup, aka with the following members:

Dave Chandler (Guitar)
Scott "Wino" Weinrich (Vocals & Guitar)
Mark Adams (Bass)
Armando Acosta (Drums)

David Chandler comments:

"We are extremely happy that were invited to Roadburn and we are excited to play. Those of you that saw us on the original reunion tour in 2003 are going to be extremely surprised at our set list. We are pulling stuff out of the hat that we haven't played in a long long time. So I suggest that you all get up front and prepare for your DOOM!"

In ADDITION, Roadburn have announced more of the jaw dropping line-up:

Continue reading "Saint Vitus & Amon Duul II (and Neurosis & friends) confirmed for the 2009 Roadburn Festival"