a new song by a member of Deafheaven who are touring with Slipknot who stood up (while Marilyn Manson was falling down) for LGBTQ rights

Deafheaven frontman George Clarke has released a 20-minute collaborative song with Dana Wachs of Vorhees called “RVIII: Invocation.” Pitchfork points out that it’s for the performance art piece Rural Violence III (Rebirth), which was written and directed by former Pitchfork editor Brandon Stosuy (who is launching a new site, The Creative Independent, this September). The piece will be performed at a TBA location in Wyoming this Saturday (8/6), and will feature Angel Deradoorian, Prurient, works by Matthew Barney, and more. Proceeds will benefit LGBT rights group The Matthew Shepard Foundation (the piece is based on the murder of Matthew). Listen to “RVIII: Invocation” below.

Deafheaven recently crossed paths with Slipknot at Chicago’s Open Air Fest, and even more recently those two bands announced some shows together. Some may initially be shocked that the critically acclaimed, Pitchfork-loved band would want to appear on a bill with a band indie snobs consider lame as hell, but why should Deafheaven be more high and mighty than universally acclaimed metal legends Slayer? (Who are playing Slipknot’s Knotfest this year). And hopefully this means Deafheaven will be able to bring their sound to a wider audience. If that bothers you, you probably already hate Deafheaven for being the hipster black metal band anyway.

Deafheaven are also one of the few “cool” bands on Sacramento’s Aftershock Fest (including Tool, Meshuggah, Primus, Baroness, Ghost, Face to Face, and more). All of their dates are listed below.

Speaking of, Slipknot are one of the latest musical groups to speak out against North Carolina’s anti-LGBT bill. They played NC two nights ago, and issued a statement slamming the bill:

When we started this tour, we had reservations about playing in North Carolina because of a law recently passed there called HB2. The law halts the rights of LGBTQ people, doesn’t allow for cities to pass a living wage for the working class. We believe that regardless of who you are, or what you believe in this country- and in our own metal community- that everyone should be given access to equal opportunities they need to succeed. This law flies in the face of those values.

We believe that regardless of who you are, or who you love, you shouldn’t have to face hatred at home or in your community. Our fans in North Carolina deserve better, so we decided not to cancel. We don’t care where you pee- just please flush. It’s pretty simple, really.

We’ve decided to partner with Equality NC, the LGBTQ advocacy group leading the fight against this hateful bill. You can talk to Equality NC at our show about how to get involved, and get registered to vote in NC. That way we won’t have to talk about this the next time we come back there. We’re coming to North Carolina to show our fans that they can make the difference needed to repeal this law and return their state to a place that welcomes everyone and values differences.

That NC show was on Slipknot’s tour with Marilyn Manson, who reportedly fell off the stage at his recent Bristol, VA show. A fan uploaded a video of the incident to YouTube and called him “obviously inebriated.” Gotta work on handling your liquor, Marilyn! That video can be watched below.

Marilyn also honored the late, great David Bowie by covering “Cat People” with help from Shooter Jennings. You can watch that below too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d–5oXNSg8

Deafheaven — 2016 Tour Dates
Aug 12 Eaux Claires Eau Claire, WI
Aug 13 Wrecking Ball Festival August 12-14 Atlanta, GA
Aug 13 Wrecking Ball Late Night Show at The Earl Atlanta, GA w/ Sumac, Nordra
Aug 20 PSTEREO Festival Trondheim, Norway
Aug 22 TAVASTIA Helsinki, Finland
Sep 24 Northwest Hesh Fest Portland, OR
Sep 27 Tucson Arena Tucson, AZ*
Sep 28 El Paso County Coliseum El Paso, TX*
Sep 30 Chesapeake Energy Center Oklahoma City, OK*
Oct 14 Desert Daze Joshua Tree, CA
Oct 15 Treasure Island Oct 15 & 16 San Francisco, CA
Oct 20 The Wiltern Los Angeles, CA^
Oct 21 Wiltern Los Angeles, CA^
Oct 22 Aftershock Festival Sacramento, CA
Oct 23 Kate Buchanan Hall Arcata, CA

* – w/ Slipknot
^ – w/ Ghost