words by BBG, photos by Samantha Marble, BBG

Coffinworm (by BBG)

If there was a single SXSW show that intrigued from top to bottom, it'd have to be the Profound Lore/20 Buck Spin official showcase at minuscule Headhunters on 3/19 (we were proud to be a sponsor). With an estimated capacity of no more than 100 people (and probably considerably less), the show was packed from top to bottom with a wide palette of heavy music that dabbled in doom, noise, powerviolence, and everything in between. All my favorites were present and delivered predictably blistering sets (Salome, Dark Castle, White Mice, Liturgy, others), and there were other bands on the lineup that delivered to the fullest (Yakuza, Coffinworm).

By the time their set rolled around at Headhunters, I had already seen Coffinworm once (one day earlier) at the BV show at Hoeks Death Metal Pizza. Promises offered on their demo were delivered, and the band played a punishing set that realized all of the bite of their recorded output. The theme of focused and taught blackened doom continues on their new album, When All Became None, which is a contender for one of my favorite debuts of the year. Must.

Another band that I hadn't caught in the flesh, Yakuza, is a bit of a peculiar character. This Chicago band's progressive metal is punishing live, with seriously heavy and catchy riffage that, in itself, would be very distinctive.... and in comes the saxophone! Frontman Bruce Lamont's replaces guitar leads/solos with a saxophone that, despite what you are thinking, sounds nothing like a metal Dave Matthews Band. Though it was admittedly off-putting the first time I heard it, I have come to find the sax to be a crucial part of their sound, with all of the parts tailored around it compelling and awesome. Yakuza ripped it at Headhunters.

More pics from the show (except The Atlas Moth and Liturgy ones which are forthcoming) are below, as well as a few videos of Coffinworm, White Mice, Hatred Surge, and Salome...

Continue reading "Coffinworm, Yakuza, Dark Castle, Hatred Surge, Salome, Endless Blockade & White Mice @ Headhunters (SXSW) - pics"

words by BBG, Union Pool photos by Jesse Lindmar, Brooklyn Psych Fest photos by Samantha Marble

Naam @ Union Pool

Liturgy and Naam double teamed NYC at Union Pool on 3/6 with Tournament. Both bands are hitting the road in the near future for dates on the way to SXSW, where they will play multiple notable showcases. Liturgy will hit the BV-Sponsored Profound Lore/20 Buck Spin show and a WFMU show among many others, while Naam will play the Action PR Showcase on 3/17 (with an exclusive appearance from High On Fire) and Full Metal Texas on 3/18 among many others. Both Liturgy and Naam are on board to play Attitude Adjustment at Red7 on 3/20.

Naam also recently played the Brooklyn Psych Fest at Glasslands on 2/28 (pics of them and La Otracina below courtesy Samantha Marble), but are scheduled to take on Music Hall of Williamsburg on 3/13 with Priestess (tix) as well as Cake Shop on 4/14 with Radio Moscow as part of a greater tour for the pair. Full dates are below.

Meanwhile, Liturgy have Scion Rock Fest this weekend and will be back in NYC to team up with White Mice at Shea Stadium on April 16th as part of a larger tour for 'da Mice, who will also play the Profound Lore/20 Buck Spin showcase at SXSW. Liturgy are also scheduled to play the WBAR-B-Q at Columbia University on April 25th with Cold Cave, Jana Hunter, US Girls, and many others. Full White Mice dates and Scion Rock Fest set times are below with more pictures from the two Brooklyn shows...

Continue reading "Naam & Liturgy played Brooklyn shows (pics), playing SXSW & lots of other gigs (2010 dates, Scion set times, more)"

by BBG

The Atlas Moth @ Union Pool (more by Samantha Marble)

BrooklynVegan is proud to announce Salome, The Atlas Moth, and Dark Castle as on board for the BrooklynVegan Day Show on 3/17 at Emo's along side Torche, Fucked Up, and Javelina! Stay tuned for more announcements, it's gonna keep getting bigger, I assure you!

In addition, BrooklynVegan is also proud to announce sponsorship of one of the best official metal showcases at SXSW 2010, the 20 Buck Spin/Profound Lore showcase at Headhunters on 3/19! Featuring an absolutely jaw-dropping lineup of Yakuza, Liturgy, Coffinworm, White Mice, Salome, and The Endless Blockade, the show will be punched up by some of our favorite bands that currently don't reside on either label, The Atlas Moth, Dark Castle, and Hatred Surge! Set times and the show flyer is below, so get there and stay there... it's gonna be pretty amazing.

Both The Atlas Moth and Salome will be in NYC in the coming weeks, and both on unmissable shows. The Atlas Moth will open the night at LPR on 3/8 with Coalesce and Harvey Milk (tix), while Salome will play NYU on 3/11 with Shrinebuilder and Wolves In the Throne Room. Tickets for the NYU show are currently on sale for NYU students, while details for non-NYUers are forthcoming.

20 Buck Spin/Profound Lore flyer and some videos below...

Continue reading "Shrinebuilder NYU tickets on sale (sort of) ++ Atlas Moth, Salome & Dark Castle playing BV shows @ SXSW "

by BBG

Salome at BV-BBG at CMJ (more by Samantha Marble)

Wow just turned into OMFG. Wolves In The Throne Room and Salome have been announced as support for the previously discussed 3/11 Shrinebuilder show at NYU. Ticket Info is forthcoming, but NYU students can expect to pay $2 and non-NYU-ers pay a whopping $5.

And while we are on the topic of killer bands, we'd like to announce that Salome will play the two-stage BrooklynVegan Day Party on March 17th at Emo's in Austin, Texas! For those counting at home, that's Salome plus Torche and Fucked Up! More artist announcements are on the way.

Salome will also play the 20 Buck Spin / Profound Lore official SXSW showcase at Headhunters in Austin on 3/19. As expected, the labels have teamed up for a killer lineup of underground metal greats: Yakuza, Liturgy, The Endless Blockade, Coffinworm, White Mice, + two more bands TBA.

That same night (3/19) at Spiro's, just down the street from the 20 Buck Spin/Profound Lore Showcase will be the WFMU/Aquarius showcase which, much like last year, is brimming with great and forward thinking music of heavy/punk persuasion. Liturgy will also be featured at the two-stage show along with Speedwolf, Iron Man, Moon Duo, Shit and Shine, Pierced Arrows, Dengue Fever, Epileptinomicon, Drunkdriver, Home Blitz, Headdress, Sonny & the Sunsets, True Widow, and Todd. For more on the upcoming WFMU show, head to their site. Decisions!

Drunkdriver's other upcoming shows include other SXSW gigs and Cake Shop in NYC on 3/14 with Todd.

Pierced Arrows are scheduled for two NYC area shows with Lullabye Arkestra, March 5th at Mercury (tix) and March 6th at Maxwell's (tix).

words by BBG, photos by Jesse Lindmar

guess which band this is (hint: not Liturgy)...

Liturgy is absolutely devastating Death By Audio right now. See this band this year. Shouldn't be hard, they certainly play enough. -[100TimesYes]

NYC has had plenty of chances to catch Hunter and the boys of Liturgy, and their last occasion took place on 1/15/10 at Death By Audio when the band teamed up with fellow 20 Buck Spin labelmate White Mice. The show was the first date of an east coast tour for Liturgy that will conclude at Glasslands next Friday (1/29). The band will also hit Don Pedro's on 2/18 with Aa and Glasslands again on 3/6 with Naam before heading down to Texas for a string of dates with White Mice, ultimately leading to the 20 Buck Spin SXSW Showcase with The Endless Blockade.

Liturgy was also recently announced as one of the many bands on board for Scion Rock Fest 2010. Full tour dates and pics of both Liturgy and White Mice are below...

Continue reading "Liturgy played Death by Audio w/ White Mice - pics & updated 2010 tour dates"

by BBG

Liturgy (more by Greg Cristman)

Liturgy has scheduled a tour send-off show on 1/15 at Death By Audio with White Mice, Little Women, and Weasel Walter's Cellular Chaos. The band will be back in NYC action on 2/18 at Don Pedro's with Aa, and then again on 3/6 at Glasslands with Naam.

Liturgy's support at Death By Audio, Weasel Walter's Cellular Chaos, will be reincarnated into another earthly form, that of Marc Edwards/Weasel Walter Group 16 days later. It is that form that will support An Albatross when they play Knitting Factory on 1/31 with Wharton Tiers Ensemble. Tickets are on sale.

So what is Cellular Chaos exactly, and what else has Weasel Walter been up to?

I have left California for New York. I quit XBXRX and joined Behold...The Arctopus. On the docket are my Septet record "Invasion" featuring Kaiser, Golia, John Lindberg, William Winant, Liz Allbee and Damon Smith; studio recordings by the Walter/Halvorson/Evans trio and the Marc Edwards/Weasel Walter Group as well as the new Burmese studio effort. I have reincarnated my west coast guitar freakout band Cellular Chaos on the East Coast with new players. A lot of writing for jazz quintet and tentet took place this year and I'll probably make an attempt to get that music played out here in New York with new musicians. This spring I'm planning on tours with the Forbes/Young/Walter trio as well as some European dates with Sheik Anorak and Mario Rechtern. There's an all-new Toy Killers release slowly in the works . . . I am also preparing to work on a very strange project spearheaded by the legendary Nondor Nevai, featuring myself on bass and Kenny Millions (aka Keshavan Maslak) on reeds - a truly volatile mixture of weirdos, should be extremely interesting. There's some talk about me contributing drums to some new Controlled Bleeding material as well. There are a lot of possibilities and I'm trying to figure out how to juggle them all and still remain solvent. Wish me luck.

That sounds like alot. Good luck.

Full Liturgy and Weasel Walter dates, as well as a few videos are below...

Continue reading "Liturgy going on tour, Weasel Walter opening for An Albatross, both playing lots of NYC shows (dates)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: White Mice - "PasssTheFissst" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Liturgy - "Ecstatic Rite" (MP3)

If you like your noise rock caustic, filthy, and dressed up in a dead mouse costume, then clear your schedule on Monday night (8/10) and head down to Death By Audio.

Rodent obsessed, toilet-humored, ill-tongued masked wackos. Weed-fueled, grinding sludge, noise-damaged, broken oscillator junkyard trio. Demented cheese lovers with a beef against God. Yeah The White Mice from Providence are all those things and more. Too fucked up and noise fixated for the average metalhead, too stoned, sleazy and salacious for the hipster and punk set, The White Mice have for years existed on the fringes of every underground scene and belonged to none of em.

Musically speaking one might hear traces of Melvins, Brainbombs, Buzzoven and their Providence brethren in Landed, Drop Dead and Lightning Bolt. And yet the Mice, whose devastatingly loud (like Dino Jr. loud), crude and visually incredible live show leaves mouths agape and the uninitiated properly converted, easily stand apart from any proper comparison as a beast of their own making.

Cacaw, Liturgy, and White Suns also play the Brooklyn show on Monday. Expect White Mice to crank out some new material from their upcoming debut on 20 Buck Spin, Ganjahovahdose, due in October. One of those tracks, "PasssTheFissst", is available for download above (along with Liturgy's "Ecstatic Rite", which you first saw here).

After NYC, White Mice will scoot down the east coast eventually crash landing at the absolutely killer Filth City Fest II in Baltimore, MD with a massive lineup of Hammers of Misfortune, Ludicra (both are in NYC on 8/11, tickets here), Asshole Parade (who are coming to NYC), Defeatist (who played BV Show No Mercy), Pulling Teeth, Man Will Destroy Himself, Cough (who played Europa with Liturgy), Fight Amp (who are playing NYC in September), Infernal Stronghold, and soooooo many others. Tickets are still available. Set times and the full band list is below.

White Mice is currently featured on a new cassette-only comp on Damage Rituals entitled The Dead Hand: Human Machines along with a cast of out-there heavy luminaries like Ocrilim (aka Mick Barr), STATS (who also played BV / Show No Mercy), Vaz, Drunkdriver, Child Abuse, Dysrhythmia, Zs, and many many others. Pick that up here.

The next edition of Show No Mercy will feature Mick Barr, Gnaw, and Castevet and will take place on Sept 6th at Public Assembly.

White Mice tour dates, as well as video of White Mice, Liturgy, drunkdriver, and Child Abuse are below....

Continue reading "White Mice playing DBA, Filth City Fest (lineup), other places "