photos by Justin Tyler, words by BBG

Torche (and wig) @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Torche headlined a triple threat of massive riffery with Big Business and Helms Alee at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Wednesday (7/20) as part of their larger tour together. For Helms Alee, the show was one of two that night with the band signing on for a late night show with The Austerity Program at The Charleston. The HydraHead trio of bands are currently in upstate New York and tour their way back to the West Coast by early August before splitting with Helms Alee and linking up with Thrones for more dates.

Big Business are currently touring in support of their new Quadruple Single EP out July 26th via their own Gold Metal Records imprint. Look for a full EP stream on Monday at BrooklynVegan.

Stream audio from part of Torche's set alongside more pictures of the band, Big Business, and Helms Alee below....

Continue reading "Torche, Big Business & Helms Alee played MHOW (pics)"

photos by Markus Shaffer

Helms Alee @ the Charleston

Helms Alee have started a Kickstarter to raise dough for a video for "8/16" the track off of their new LP Weatherhead (stream it in full). The band is halfway to their goal, so help them get there if you can. Check out a promo video for the video below.

Helms Alee played TWO shows on Wednesday night (7/20), starting with a support slot at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Torche/Big Business and concluding with an unannounced appearance at The Charleston with NYC faves The Austerity Program. The show, which was advertised as "Special Hydra Head Guest" (the band's label, Hydra HEad Records), was announced after their Music Hall of Williamsburg appearance via Twitter.

Pictures from MHOW are forthcoming, but until then, check out pictures from The Charleston, that Kickstarter video, and all tour dates below.

Continue reading "Helms Alee played a secret show @ the Charleston w/ the Austerity Program (pics), raising money for a video"

by BBG

Helms Alee at Cake Shop (more by Markus Shaffer)

Similar to their labelmates Torche and Big Business, Helms Alee mixes the sweet with the blistering on their latest LP, Weatherhead. The Seattle band, which contains Ben Verellen of the much revered Harkonen, doles out booming riffs and catchy melodies in their hardcore inflected confections that will have you raising your clenched fist in celebration while you sing along. Weatherhead is currently on sale via Hydrahead with its official release date set for Tuesday, but you can exclusively stream it in its entirety here and now, below.

After a record release celebration with Akimbo, Brothers of The Sonic Cloth, and Norska on June 29th at Neumos in Seattle, Helms Alee will pick up a show in Austin at Red 7 on 7/6 before joining Torche and Big Business on tour in July. The trio will tag Music Hall of Williamsburg on 7/20 and tickets are still available. OR, if you're feeling lucky you can try your hand at winning a pair AND a 2LP copy of Weatherhead at our Facebook!

All tour dates and that album stream is below.

Continue reading "Helms Alee releasing Weatherhead (stream it here), touring with Big Business & Torche (dates & a contest)"

photos & videos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Melvins @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Melvins completed their NYC run last night (6/7), covering the classic releases Bullhead and Stoner Witch in their entirety over the course of the Tuesday night show. Check out a picture of the setlist from last night, as well as some video from the show below.

On Monday night (6/6), the Melvins focus was on three other classics, Lysol, Egg Nog, and Houdini. We already posted the setlist and pictures from that show, but a second set of pictures from that one are in this post too (we don't have a full set from Tuesday). More of them below.

Melvins also did the same in Austin, and will next give Minneapolis a taste. Their two shows there are on June 13th & 14th. Hopefully they're on their way in a car, and not a plane.

Though Melvins won't be back to Music Hall of Williamsburg in the forseeable future, Jared and Coady of the band will... with their band Big Business who joins Torche and Helms Alee for a tour and a show at the Brooklyn venue on July 20th. Tickets are still available.

Speaking of Helms Alee, the band will release their new LP Weatherhead via Hydrahead on June 21st. Stream a new Helms Alee song at the Hydrahead Records Soundcloud page. Still no word on more Harkonen shows (Ben Verellen of Helms Alee is a member), but we'll keep you up to date.

Torche didn't play Maryland Deathfest 2011, but 2/3 of them, I'm sorry... half of them, did as Shitstorm.

Melvins pics, videos and setlist below....

Continue reading "Melvins completed their 2-night, 5-album run @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (more pics, night 2 setlist & videos)"

by BBG

Steve Brooks of Torche at The Charleston (more by Samantha Marble)

Torche will hit the road with Big Business and Helms Alee for a US tour that kicks off in Texas in July and swings into Music Hall of Williamsburg on July 20th. Ticket info is forthcoming. All dates are listed below.

The NYC date is a shade more than three months after Steve Brooks (Torche) will hit the same venue with his other outfit, Floor. They play MHOW on 4/13 with Magrudergrind & Hawks. Tickets are still available.

Torche recently announced that they are a trio no more!

Tilts vocalist/guitarist Andrew Elstner is joining the well-regarded stoner-metal band Torche. The latter group, which has members in Atlanta, Gainesville and Miami, has known Elstner since he was the vocalist/guitarist for Riddle of Steel. When that band ended a few years ago, it coincided with Torche splitting with guitarist Juan Montoya.

"[Torche] singer/guitarrer Steve Brooks found out I was a free agent, and we've been in touch ever since," Elstner says. "He's also a big fan of Tilts too, so we'd been trying to coordinate a jam/hang session for a long time and scheduling has been tough."

That session finally happened this week in Gainesville, Florida -- and by all accounts, it went well.

"It's been sleep, eat, jam since I got here," Elstner says. "Surreal and awesome."- [River Front Times]

In also related news, Melvins (which features all members of Big Business) are playing some classic LPs over two nights at Music Hall of Williamsburg, and tickets are still available for June 6th featuring Lysol, Eggnog, and Houdini in its entrety, and June 7th featuring Bullhead & Stoner Witch (tickets).

Right next door to Floor on the same night, you can catch The Ocean at Public Assembly with East of The Wall & Flourishing.

All Torche dates and some video is below.

Continue reading "Torche have four members again, announce tour w/ Big Business & Helms Alee (2011 dates)"

photos by Markus Shaffer, words by BBG

Ben of Helms Alee, gettin' rowdy-rowdy

Sleep? Who's that? While some band was filling the Brooklyn Masonic Temple with riffs and indo smoke on Monday (9/6), Young Widows, Helms Alee, and Marching Teeth were playing at a packed Cake Shop and earning beaucoup raves. Although NYCers are no strangers to Young Widows and they surely earned their own accolades from the night, Helms Alee featuring Ben Verellen of ex-(current?) Harkonen seemed to be the clear winner of the "OMG-I-didn't-know-they-ruled-so-hard" award. Cake Shop marked their debut performance in NYC and first East Coast tour since the release of Night Terror via Hydra Head in 2008.

The Young Widows/Helms Alee train has come to an end, with the Louisville boys currently at home and Helms Alee working a few dates in the Northwest on the way back out to their native Seattle. Current Helms Alee dates are below with more pictures from the Cake Shop show...

Continue reading "Young Widows & Helms Alee played Cake Shop (pics) "

by BBG

Young Widows at Europa (more by Justina Villanueva)

Young Widows will hit the road in September with Helms Alee that will include a BV/1000Knives production on September 6th at Cake Shop with Marching Teeth! Tickets are on sale.

The show is part of a longer string of dates for Helms Alee, who will make their first trek out east since inception, and since the release of their 2008 LP Night Terror on Hydrahead. You might recognize Ben Verellen from his time in the late These Arms are Snakes or his other (awesome) and semi-active project Harkonen.

Full tour dates, show flyer and some videos are below...

Continue reading "Young Widows & Helms Alee - 2010 tour dates (NYC w/ Marching Teeth)"