Band Submission: Crisis At The Wax Museum-Heavy Rock From Maine, Buffalo & Baltimore USA

Band Name: Crisis At The Wax Museum
Genre: Heavy Rock, American Middle Aged Cheeseburger Rock,
Location: Maine, Buffalo & Baltimore USA
Brief Bio/Description: Five lifelong friends that travel across the country once a year to meet up, eat cheeseburgers and record kick ass heavy rock and roll.
Band Members:
Jody Velletta
Matthew Tasker
Michael Trabucco
Douglas Schauf
Kelly Schauf
Links: Facebook | YouTube | CDBaby

Concert Review - All Them Witches with King Buffalo and King Dead

The Sherman Theater, Living Room

Stroudsburg, PA

August 23, 2014

       I hadn't taken an over-night road trip for a show in a long time. But when I found out that All Them Witches and King Buffalo would be making a stop in Stroudsburg (about a four hour trip from Pittsburgh), I rallied some troops and we took to the weary path that these musicians are all too familiar with.  Being one of the lucky cats to get a King Buffalo tee with a promo earlier this year, I brandished it with pride, and began strolling Main Street Stroudsburg in search of our venue and a good dive bar.  Our destination was the Sherman Theater’sLiving Room.  With a quiet appearance, more common for art galleries and open mic poet nights, we were psyched to experience All Them Witches and King Buffalo in a tight fitting and intimate setting.  As we approached the Living Room we were waved down by King Buffalo’s drummer Scott, who noticed my shirt.  After the friendly introduction, we offered to give the guys a hand loading, but we were too late.  We chilled for a while, waiting for The Witches to arrive, and carried on with Scott anticipating the music to come.  Scott was a stand up dude with a killer Van Halen tee (thanks for letting us talk your ear off dude).  All Them Witches pulled up and we got them loaded into The Living Room and after friendly hello’s I was in much need of a drink.  Luckily there was a nice little joint called Kay’s Tavern with a pool table and old timers playing an ancient table top bowling game.  My buddies and I ordered up a round of Yuenglings and they proceeded to kick my butt at pool.        

This is where I found out there was another opening band, King Dead a bass heavy trio Heavy Planet covered earlier this year (see the exclusive here).  Some of the other musicians arrived at Kay’s and somehow All Them Witches lead man and bassist, who goes by the name Parks, and I ended up talking world music and the mystery that is Tuvan throat singing.  Losing more time than we realized King Dead had already hit the stage with a western inspired atmospheric doom sound.  I had made it back for their monstrous closer.  Noticing that the trio was all lows, two basses and a thunderous set of drums, I wasn't prepared for the rattling my rib cage experienced.  With a final crash of percussion King Dead laid waste to what was left of a battered crowd and tore down making way for the mighty King Buffalo.

                Oozing a very different vibe, King Buffalo courted the audience with a more reflective sort of groove leaving the crowd in a head nodding daze.  Front man Sean is of tremendous stature, proclaiming their message above the rhythmic crunch being laid down by Scott and Ben (bass) during their standout performance of Providence Eye.  Scott’s tenacity with his kit left my buddy, Paulrus, and I impressed at the trio, who set a solid foundation for All Them Witches to take the stage and finish the night big.  

                The $3.00 Sam Adam’s draughts kept the set up time occupied and the conversations soaring.  Before we realized it All Them Witches were rolling, checking their sound waves.  Sound check seamlessly moved into the set with Lightning At The Door’s album opening one-two punch Funeral For a Great Drunken Bird and When God Comes Back.  My initial reaction, of course after the rocking that surged through my body, was that these four have a spectacular chemistry together, truly something every music lover wishes to experience at a live show.  The Witches set ran through the majority of Lightning and just as I was awestruck at Rob’s percussion antics during my first listening of the album (you can check out my opinion here),  I was even more so impressed with his live performance.  The dude has some serious mo-jo that naturally makes the grooves groovier.  The four-some closed with emotion-builder Charles William and I would say that no group of musicians could have chosen a better way to end the evening.  Each instrument, paired with Parks genuine vocals, built an immense wave of desire of liberation and The Witches delivered just that.  When an evening of live music leaves you forgetting all of your other life concerns you know the music did exactly what it needed to do and that should leave the musicians themselves feeling resolute in their creation.  As much as this music and these musicians meant to me upon the first listen, they now mean even more.  If you’re interested in seeing more of the bands check the links below. If you’re a Pittsburgh native, you won’t want to miss King Buffalo, who will be playing at The Shop tonight (August 27th).  They will also be playing with Heavy Planet favorite The Midnight Ghost Train at Bar Matchless in Brooklyn, NY for an event by The Electric Beard of Doom. 

King Dead

bandcamp I facebook

King Buffalo

bandcamp I facebook I web

All Them Witches

bandcamp I facebook I web

#icantevenseemyself

Parks (All Them Witches), Scott (King Buffalo), & Paulrus

Album Review - Buffalo - "Los Dias Lentos"

Another quality stoner band has heretofore escaped my notice. Another superior purveyor of the stoner genre who has been around for a significant period of time and who has manufactured some sweetly sublime stoner sounds throughout, has simply not come to my laggard attention until quite recently. Just as with any rock band worth their salt, sooner or later they will be heard, their music will rise through the cracks and fissures of the ubiquitous swell of procurable music that is now ever present in all directions. Music such as this will always be found in due course by those ever vigilant souls that constantly scour the rock and roll and stoner universes for the best, the most interesting, and the new.

For many of you this band won’t be a new revelation, so kudos to you. You have been privy to some great stuff for nearly a decade. For me they are excitingly new, and with their May 2012 release of “Los Dias Lentos” (The Slow Days) I have found a great discovery point for what they have to offer. It has only 4 short tracks, but they are of the finest quality stoner music, so, for me, they are worthy of adding to that salty collection of worthwhile music.

Buffalo sounds a bit like Lot Natas for the oldest and most common of reasons. In 2002 Claudio Filadoro left Los Natas and struck out on his own, writing his own brand of stoner rock, and forming Buffalo as the vehicle in which to express his musical handiwork. From 2003 until now, Buffalo have recorded or have been involved in several albums, EPs, and compilations. Perhaps the most notable was the split album “Astroqueen vs Buffalo” in which they laid down five tracks to the Swedish stoner band’s six. This is notable because here you have two artists who have an enormous amount of potential, ability, talent, and quality, but who have not quite been given the recognition in mainstream rock that perhaps could have been tossed in their respective directions . . . just like a great many stoner rock bands.

Although this is part of the story, I digress. The focus today is “Los Dias Lentos”, four superb and sublime stoner tracks issued this month by the veteran band of the stoner rock genre, Buffalo, whose members are as follows:


Pastor: Vocals and Guitar
Xon: Bass and Vocals
Leandro: Drums and Percussion

As a whole “Los Dias Lentos” delivers a powerful and athletic sound, deftly rendered and skillfully conveyed, with large and loud guitars cranking away at the low riffs as well as the higher solos, a bass that is huge and booming, making itself heard and appreciated throughout, skillfull drums that punctuate and penetrate in superb fashion, and vocals that are adept and muscular, adding a flavor of Argentinian soul to superb sound of the music.

“sabia que iba a morir” (knew he was dying) kicks off the album with a bang, nary a whimper, rendering a toothsome sound that first utilizes twin acoustic, electric guitars and soulful, powerful, heartfelt vocals before the bombardment of bass and drums that lead the way into a classic stoner rock sound complete with head banging refrain and heart beating choruses of melodic bliss, intertwined by scintillating and scorching solos.

Fun, loud, and unique guitar work starts off the second track, “tropico”, where Pastor renders a unique and intriguing sound with the guitar work throughout. The beat is fierce and fast, with a head banging tempo of the highest caliber.

The Blood of the Wolf, or “sangre de lobos” defines the third track, another fine rendition of loud and insistent guitar work and a great stoner sound, flavored in places by unique and intriguing guitar work.


“el dia del peleador” (the day of the fighter) has a bit of a psychedelica feel to it in its beginning with trippy guitar work accentuating a sing song vocal telling of the tale that slowly grows and builds along with guitars, bass, and drums that gain in intensity along the way until the final cut away to silence and appreciation.

It’s short, but it’s more than sweet, more than delicious, it’s quite filling on its own because the songs contained therein are all superb, well rendered, well written, gems of stoner heaven. If, like me, this is your introduction to Buffalo then you are in for a treat as the rest of their music is out there just waiting to be played and enjoyed.


This is an update to the review of Buffalo’s “Los Dias Lentos”. The band had this month digitally released 4 songs on Bandcamp, but actually have 12 songs for the album, leaving my review quite incomplete. In fairness to this great band from Argentina I would like to complete the review by touching upon the remaining 8 songs.

The title track to the album, “los dias lentos”, or the slow days, plays like its title, with a slow, measured tempo that is steady, forceful, powerful, loud, and boiling over with heavy hitting guitars and heartfelt vocals, punctuated by a constant drum barrage and rumble of bass, with underlying guitar solos throughout.

“silencio neurotico” (neurotic silence), just as it predecessor, is another measured, down tempo onslaught of fuzz and fury, with drum hook punctuation through the opening third of the song. The song then moves into a changeup that is faster, more urgent, interesting and intriguing, adept in its formation of something sleek and powerful.

Buffalo are great at creating song structures that are fun, interesting, clever, and satisfying. A candidate for best song on the album could very well be “la ultima puerta” (the last door) with a terrific beat and tempo to open the song, sing along vocals, and catchy, fuzzy guitars that eventually make way for a unique and totally intriguing guitar solo to close out the song.

It is impossible to catch your breath when listening to this album. “unida” (unity) blasts off with more of the perfectly structured cadence and rhythms, guitars perfectly distorted and loud, drums punchy and perfect, and a rambunctious bass that drives the song along, all slowly building upon individual pieces that blend perfectly together, growing in intensity and pleasure until the solos deliver you to the end. Another candidate for best song of the album.

The tempo on “los ojos de dios” (the eyes of god) is faster, more upbeat than the previous tracks, with stringent strings accentuating the roll along attack of the opening stanza before moving into a ferocious downbeat of distortion and furor.

“los arboles” (the trees) opens clean and sweet before moving into the force and fuzz of the main verses. The vocals harmonize over the melodic tempo of huge, muscular guitars, moving along forcefully, full of interesting sound.

Acoustic guitar played with Buffalo’s characteristic heart and passion, along with a haunting, yearning vocal undercut by guitar that is itself harrowing and austere, striking deep into the soul, constitutes the passionate and powerful “mi despedida” (my goodbye).

“la ira” (the rage) closes out the album, with an all out onslaught and attack of up tempo, forceful, powerful, structured, and unyielding vocals and instrumentals. Nothing is held back here, as the energy served up is compelling and commanding, impelling the song along an offensive of pure distortion, fuzz, and relishment.

Buffalo have that unique blend of talent of melody, and talent of instrument, creating song after song that is memorable in structure and wonderful in execution. Any song on “los dias lentos” could replace the songs that play incessantly on your local ‘hard rock’ radio station. The album itself could easily replace any grammy winner from the past decade. This is a talented and dedicated group of musicians that thankfully enjoy creating, playing, and sharing their tremendous blend of stoner and rock.










||| facebook || bandcamp || site |||

Heavy Rotation: Bedemon, Cactus, Buffalo, Sir Lord Baltimore, Zior

I have been listening to a ton of early 70's Stoner/Doom/Heavy Rock as of late and decided what better way to feature it than on this week's edition of Heavy Rotation. Along with the song I will add a bit of commentary as well as a background on the band. Can you dig it?!



Create a MySpace Playlist at MixPod.com

01. Bedemon-"Child of Darkness". This track is my favorite song from this band. One of the earliest doom bands besides Black Sabbath and Pentagram. Dark, heavy and evil as hell!

Bedemon was an offshoot of Pentagram in the early 70s (circa 1973). The name was chosen as a portmanteau of two earlier suggested names, Demon and Behemoth. Prior to joining Pentagram, Randy Palmer and his friend Mike Matthews along with Bobby Liebling and Geof O'Keefe (then current members of Pentagram) got together to record some of Palmer's compositions. The first session resulted in three songs: "Child of Darkness," "Serpent Venom" and "Frozen Fear." After a short time the group got together again and recorded some more tracks. When Palmer officially joined Pentagram he brought two tracks with him, "Starlady," and "Touch the Sky." After Palmer's departure from Pentagram the Bedemon got together in 1979 to record three more songs: "Time Bomb," "Nighttime Killer" and an unnamed composition by O'Keefe. A slightly different line-up (featuring former Pentagram member Greg Mayne on bass) recorded "Night of the Demon" along with some older songs in 1986.

Many songs from the Bedemon sessions were released on various bootlegs throughout the years, but were never officially released until 2005, when Black Widow Records released Child of Darkness.

GET IT HERE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
02. Cactus-"Evil". I actually heard Monster Magnet's cover of this track before I heard Cactus' version which is also a cover of Howlin' Wolf. This is filthy, down and dirty heavy blues. Oh, and did I mention, Evil? For all the firepower in this band, they were sorely underated.

Cactus was initially conceived as early as late 1969 by the Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice with guitarist Jeff Beck and singer Rod Stewart (also from the already dissolved Jeff Beck Group). However, Beck had an automobile accident and was out of the music scene for over a year and Stewart joined Ronnie Wood in Faces.

Early 1970 Appice and Bogert brought in blues guitarist Jim McCarty from Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheels and The Buddy Miles Express, and singer Rusty Day (born Russell Edward Davidson) from Amboy Dukes.
This line-up managed three albums (Cactus, One Way...Or Another and Restrictions) before intraband troubles led to McCarty quitting at the end of 1971. Shortly afterwards Day was fired from the group. The fourth and last Cactus album ('Ot 'N' Sweaty) featured original rhythm section Bogert and Appice joined by Werner Fritzschings on guitar, Duane Hitchings on keyboards and Peter French (ex-Leaf Hound and Atomic Rooster) on vocals.

GET IT HERE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
03. Buffalo-"Freedom". One of my favorite tracks from this relatively unknown Australian band (at least in the US). I just love the slow driving bass line and the vocals are absolutely phenomenal. Very reminescent of Chris Cornell from Soundgarden. Awesome tune!

Buffalo was an early heavy metal band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1971. The band left a legacy with Australia's heavy metal, pub rock and alternative rock movements. The band had evolved from the Brisbane blues-rock outfit Head, which was originally formed in 1968 by Dave Tice and Peter Wells. A change of lineup and a shift in musical direction saw the new band emerge - the name Buffalo was chosen (according to legend, randomly off a map of Australia) as it was seen a more marketable name than the previous Head, which had been considered to be offensive due to its sexual and drug connotations.

The original lineup was unconventional for a rock band, featuring two lead vocalists (Dave Tice and Alan Milano) and filled out by John Baxter (guitar), Peter Wells (bass) and Paul Balbi (drums). Its best-known lineup (during its most successful years during 1973-1975) saw the exit of Milano, resulting in Tice as the sole vocalist, with Jimmy Economou replacing Paul Balbi on drums. Ex-Band of Light slide guitarist Norm Roue joined Buffalo in late 1974, but at the start of 1975 John Baxter was dismissed from the band - an event seen as the catalyst of Buffalo's decline. Baxter was replaced by Karl Taylor, who recorded on the Mother's Choice album. By 1976, both Roue and Taylor had departed the band and were replaced by Chris Turner and Colin Stead - although Stead's spell with the band was very brief. The final lineup change also occurred in 1976 with Ross Sims replacing Peter Wells.

GET IT HERE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
04. Sir Lord Baltimore-"Kingdom Come". Fuzzed out to the max. Amazing drumming combined with awesome guitar freak-outs with overly dramatic vocals. If you never heard Sir Lord Baltimore, I suggest you do so now.

Sir Lord Baltimore is a pioneering American heavy metal band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 1968 by lead vocalist/drummer John Garner, guitarist Louis Dambra, and bass player Gary Justin. They are notable for the fact that a 1971 review of their debut record, Kingdom Come, contained the first documented use of the term "heavy metal" to refer to a style of music.^[1] Additionally, Sir Lord Baltimore featured a drumming lead singer, traditionally a rarity in rock and metal music. The group have been called "the godfathers of stoner rock."

GET IT HERE
^{-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------}
05. Zior-"Angel of the Highway".  This song starts off with a slow wah-wah riff that cascades into a heavy blues boogie rocker  then transcends into a tribal psych-out. Cool tune!

Zior is a hard rock band with some progressive elements. The band obviously had a huge fascination with the occult and expressed this often in their songs (and mostly in their stage show). The Akarma label LP is the first eponymous album plus and additional nine bonus tracks which were to be on the band’s next(ultimately unreleased) album. Tracks like “Angel of the Highway”, “Your Life Will Burn”, and “Before My Eyes Go Blind” show the band in it’s rare form while the vocalist describes various occult imagery. Another LP single, “Every Inch A Man”, came out in 1973. At times they have a tribal-like rhythm to their sound, very pyschedelic and 70’s. “Zior” is a great lost album of hard rock from this time period. Later era ‘stoner rock’ fans will like this. The same goes for fans of NWOBHM.

The first LP included artwork by the same artist who did Black Sabbath’s first album.

GET IT HERE

New Band To Burn One To- Super Killer Robots

The "New Band to Burn One To" today is Super Killer Robots.

Bio:

"Formed in late summer 2010, Buffalo, NY based Super Killer Robots plays a twist of energized stoner riff worship to please a wide variety of tastes. In their efforts to bring "heavy" back, the focus isn't on the destination, rather the journey. Eclectic urban vocals that go from touching to tough-guy spooned over crunchy yet fuzzy tube driven guitar riffs. Backed by thunderous bass tones and wide open drumming that can only be described as zazzy."

Just as the bio states, this band shreds the scene with killer riffs and urban vocal stylings. Think  of perhaps Rage Against the Machine gone Stoner Rock. Heavy riffs, great melody and passionate live shows have made this band a force to be reckoned with in the Buffalo, NY area. Check out a few of their tracks on Reverb Nation.





MySpace|Facebook|ReverbNation

Album Of The Day-Buffalo-Volcanic Rock (1973)

The Album Of The Day goes back quite a bit. Aztec Music has recently re-issued all 5 albums by Australian heavy rock band Buffalo. But their finest work in my eyes is "Volcanic Rock" which is why I am making it The Album Of The Day. Enjoy!



Review:

"2006 reissue, remastered with two bonus trax and 20 page liner notes of classic1973 hard rock band from Australian band Buffalo. One of the great lost classic Australian LP`s from the 1970`s is Buffalo`s 2nd. " The second Buffalo album, Volcanic Rock, is now heralded as the first great stoner rock record. Listening to it now youre reminded immediately of contemporary artists like the occasionally maligned Wolfmother. At the time of its release Buffalo were compared favourably and unfavourably with Black Sabbath. The comparisons with Sabbath were and remain inevitable. Theres the same reliance on the meandering heavy rock aesthetic (songs routinely went for over five minutes), thumping drums and rich, kaleidoscopic guitar moments. And they just dont make guitar solos like this anymore." -FasterLouder.com

Product Description:

Volcanic Rock - one of the band`s greatest records and essentially the first stoner rock album ever issued in Australia. The importance of Volcanic Rock can never be underestimated. This is the album that established the band`s reputation for dispensing uncompromising heavy psych rock of monumental proportions; this is the album that continues to enthral aficionados of the genre the world over. It was this LP that established the classic line-up of: vocalist Dave Tice (who later joined UK R&B band The Count Bishops), guitarist John Baxter, bass player Pete Wells (who later switched to slide guitar in another legendary Aussie band: Rose Tattoo), and drummer Jimmy Economou. Aztec Music will be reissuing all 5 Buffalo titles in late 2005 / early 2006 - Dead Forever, Volcanic Rock, Only Want You For Your Body, Mother`s Choice and Average Rock N` Roller. Each release will be a deluxe version: newly remastered from the original master tapes with rare bonus tracks. They will be packaged in a 6-panel digi-pak with 24 page booklets - liner notes by Ian McFarlane, rare photos and recent interviews with key band members. Please note: there have been several unauthorised Buffalo CD`s released over the past 10 years - Aztec Music`s reissues will be the first ones that are both fully licensed, and done with the full co-operation of the band themselves - look for the AVSCD catalogue number & Aztec Music logo. Buffalo were the first band outside the UK to be signed direct to the prestigious progressive label Vertigo. The bonus tracks on Volcanic Rock are the mono single version of Sunrise (come my way), and a live version of Shylock.

Track Listing:

01. Sunrise (Come My Way)
02. Freedom
03. Till My Death
04. The Prophet
05. Intro: Pound Of Flesh
06. Shylock

Bonus Tracks:
07. Sunrise (Come My Way) (Single Version)
08. Shylock (Live at Hyde Park, Sydney 1973)

Download

Purchase "Volcanic Rock" here.

*All downloads are for preview purposes only and will only be available for a 24 hour period after which they will be removed from the site. Please be considerate and provide a thank you. If you like the band please purchase their merchandise.