Zac's "Quik Drag": Sleestak

Sleestak: Book of Hours 

Sleestak is back! And I must say in a fresh and very experimental way. After dropping the phenomenal Fall of Altrusia in 2011, these Milwaukee natives released a lo-fi collection of space rock ditties, entitled Altrusian Moon in 2012, get yourself over to bandcamp to stream Altrusian Moon if you missed it. Further challenging themselves Sleestak have continued their yearly release with Book of Hours, earlier this year. Further challenging their listeners, Sleestak have taken one step away from their doom and stoner roots to quench the progressive fire blazing in their psyche. With that being said there are still loads distorted RIFF'ing and repetitive grooves. New to the Sleestak arsenal is a very operatic and Phantom of the Opera style ambiance, dark and authentic. Something that I, personally, am missing in Book of Hours is Matt Schmitz's tremendous gritty and vehement vocal delivery. Don't let that keep you away from Book of Hours though. Schmitz's cleans surface with a vibrant Jim Morrison vibe. Sleestak haven't only employed experimental song structures and timing in Book of Hours, they have also departed from their familar lengthy run times for a snappy and poppier form of psychedelic rock, this latest piece runs under the twenty-five minute mark. Be sure to spin my favorite track Lone Wolf, the regular version. This steady blues based track begins with a haunting spoken piece of poetry, which brings to my mind a deranged soul drenched in whiskey entertaining his thoughts of freedom. Lone Wolf takes a sudden turn to experimental region of the netherworld with a smooth transition from blues driven guitar RIFF'ing into an Jethro Tull and Opeth-ian inspired jazz measure. Don't miss it!

Members: 

Dan Bell - Bass 

Marcus Bartell - Drums 

Matt Schmitz - Guitar // Vocals // Keys

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Album Of The Day- King Hobo-"Self-Titled" (2008)

Featuring members from two of my favorite bands, Clutch and Opeth, I have decided to make King Hobo's self-titled debut the Album Of The Day.



Review:

"One wouldn't expect anyone but the girlfriends dragged along to the 2005 edition of the "Sounds Of The Underground" tour to be singing the blues, but apparently this was not the case. The trek inspired a series of parking lot jam sessions which saw members of Clutch, Opeth and more freely express their other musical vices. These sessions eventually evolved into King Hobo, a bluesy-funk based affair spearheaded by Opeth keyboardist Per Wiberg and Clutch drummer Jean-Paul Gaster.

Aided by members of Kamchatka, Five Horse Johnson and other like-minded compatriots, King Hobo has evolved into a group strong enough to stand on their own - though admittedly the possibility of that ever happening is highly unlikely. Instead one will have to settle for an albums worth of groovy, bluesy, funkified rock that recalls Deep Purple as much as it does Medeski, Martin & Wood and funk fixtures like The Meters.

Indeed, bottom-heavy ballsy rock n' roll mixed with musty funk created when vinyl was the de facto format is the order of the day here and a vanity project this is not. Rather, this is a gut-felt homage to music from a different era and surprisingly, it delivers. Raucous and yearning tracks flush with soulful slide guitars, in the pocket drumming and funky bass lines take King Hobo to places even Clutch and The Bakerton Group have yet to fully explore.

There is a bit of indulgence here and there as instrumental traffic jams can get a bit out of control, but generally the tracks are reigned in, making way for soul-searching moody ballads like "Rolling In From The Sea", which utterly captivate. Truthfully, the only potential hindrance is Wiberg's vocals, which while soulful enough, can suffer from the occasional odd enunciation. But what Wiberg mildly lacks in vocal prowess, he more than makes up for in his impressive talents behind the keys, which he routinely takes full advantage of.

From top to bottom King Hobo deliver a rollicking listen with masterful control and a surprising amount of emotional range. It's not just good ol' boys getting down and it's not just funky grooves getting up. Instead it's a fine mixture and balance between both as evidenced in the weighty covers of the funk/soul/jazz standards ("Running" as made famous by Baby Huey and Freddie Hubbard's take on "Mr. Clean".) If you can appreciate more than a blast beast, do yourself a favor and see what vagrancy has to offer." (wookubus, The PRP.com)

Track Listing:

01. Running
02. Leaving Letter Blues
03. Rolling Is From The Sea
04. Swede
05. Moonshine
06. Four Winds
07. From Me To You
08. Coffee Break
09. Best Of Times
10. Mr. Clean

Listen

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NACHTMYSTIUM Drops Off OPETH Tour

Chicago-area psychedelic black metal group NACHTMYSTIUM has dropped off the North American tour featuring OPETH and HIGH ON FIRE.

Commented NACHTMYSTIUM in a statement: "Due to some issues beyond our control, we've been forced to pull off the OPETH/HIGH ON FIRE tour. We're aggressively working to try to get things together for the second leg of our fall tour starting in Los Angeles on October 8th with WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM.

"We apologize to anyone who was hoping to see us on the OPETH leg of the tour.

"Thanks to all of those who came out in support at the shows that we did manage to play, it was great seeing you maniacs out!"

NACHTMYSTIUM's latest full-length album, "Assassins: Black Meddle Part I", was released on June 10 via Century Media Records in North America and June 23 through Candlelight Records in Europe.

"Worldfall", the new mini-CD from NACHTMYSTIUM, was released as a precursor to the band's upcoming full-length, and is only be available direct from Century Media as well as iTunes.

The "Assassins..." full-length was recorded in December at Sanford Parker's Volume Studios (RWAKE, MINSK, LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR, PELICAN) and showcases NACHTMYSTIUM's most prolific and expansive sounds to date. The record features Tony Laureano (ANGELCORPSE, NILE, DIMMU BORGIR) on drums, and guest appearances by members of PHARAOH and YAKUZA.

OPETH, HIGH ON FIRE: More North American Dates Revealed

Swedish metallers OPETH will team up with HIGH ON FIRE for a North American tour this fall. NACHTMYTSIUM will open the first half of the trek, while BARONESS will open the second half. The dates are as follows:

Sep. 16 - Buffalo, The Town Ballroom - NY
Sep. 17 - Philadelphia, Trocadero - PA
Sep. 18 - New York, Nokia Theatre - NY
Sep. 19 - Worcester, The Palladium - MA
Sep. 20 - Quebec City, Theatre Imperial - QC
Sep. 21 - London, Centennial Hall - ON
Sep. 23 - Cleveland, House of Blues - OH
Sep. 24 - Chicago, House of Blues - IL
Sep. 25 - Grand Rapids, The Orbit Room - MI
Sep. 26 - Milwaukee, The Rave - WI
Sep. 27 - St. Paul, Myth - MN
Sep. 29 - Winnipeg, The Garrick Centre - MB
Sep. 30 - Saskatoon, Odeon Events Centre – SK
Oct. 01 - Edmonton, Edmonton Events Centre - AB
Oct. 03 - Vancover, Commodore Ballroom - BC
Oct. 04 - Seattle, Showbox@The Market - WA
Oct. 06 - San Francisco, Regency Center @ The Grand Ballroom - CA
Oct. 07 - Los Angeles, Wiltern Theatre - CA
Oct. 08 - Las Vegas, House of Blues - NV
Oct. 09 - Tempe, Marquee Theatre - AZ
Oct. 10 - Albuquerque, Sunshine Theater - NM
Oct. 11 - Denver, Ogden Theatre, CO
Oct. 13 - St. Louis, The Pageant - MO
Oct. 14 - Kansas City, The Beaumont Club - MO
Oct. 15 - Dallas, House of Blues Dallas - TX
Oct. 16 - Austin, The Monarch - TX
Oct. 17 - Houston, Warehouse Live - TX
Oct. 18 - New Orleans, House of Blues - LA
Oct. 20 - Ft. Lauderdale, Revolution - FL
Oct. 21 - Lake Buena Vista, House of Blues - FL
Oct. 22 - Atlanta, Center Stage - GA
Oct. 23 - Cincinnati, Bogart´s - OH
Oct. 24 - Raleigh, Lincoln Theatre - NC
Oct. 25 - Norfolk, The Norva - VA
Oct. 26 - Baltimore, Rams Head Live! - MD

HIGH ON FIRE: all dates
NACHTMYSTIUM: Sep. 16 - Oct. 4
BARONESS: Oct. 6 - Oct. 26

King Hobo To Start Selling Album At US Clutch Shows

The new band King Hobo featuring Thomas Juneor Andersson (Kamchatka) on guitar and vocals, Ulf Rockis Ivarsson (Beat Under Control), Eric Oblander (Five Horse Johnson) harp on “Leaving Letter Blues”, Tomas Agnas sax on “Mr. Clean”, Jean-Paul Gaster (Clutch, The Bakerton Group) on drums, and Per Wiberg (Opeth) on vocals, keys, and guitar has recently started to sell it's debut album at US Clutch shows.

You can also purchase the CD online at this location.

Clutch Tour Dates w/Kamchatka:

Apr 14 The Majestic Theatre Madison, Wisconsin
Apr 15 The Vouge Indianapolis, Indiana
Apr 17 The Village Little Rock, Arkansas
Apr 18 Antone’s Beaumont, Texas
Apr 19 Meridian Houston, Texas
Apr 20 House of Blues Dallas, Texas
Apr 22 House of Blues New Orleans, Louisiana
Apr 23 Center Stage Atlanta, Georgia
Apr 24 State Theatre St Petersburg, Florida
Apr 25 Culture Room Ft Lauderdale, Florida
Apr 26 House of Blues Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Apr 28 The Sound Factory Charleston, West Virginia
Apr 29 City Hall Nashville, Tennessee
Apr 30 Valarium Knoxville, Tennessee
May 1 The Orange Peel Asheville, North Carolina
May 2 Hooligans Jacksonville, North Carolina
May 3 Jesters Pub Fayetteville, North Carolina

Check out the band's Myspace page for further details.

KING HOBO Featuring CLUTCH, OPETH Members: Debut Album To Be Sold On CLUTCH Tour

KING HOBO, the project featuring Jean-Paul Gaster (CLUTCH) and Per Wiberg (OPETH) alongside KAMCHATKA guitarist Thomas Juneor Andersson and Ulf Rockis Ivarsson (BEAT UNDER CONTROL), will have its self-titled debut album for sale on the CLUTCH U.S. tour with KAMCHATKA starting today, April 9.

A collection of "merciless blues, funk, and rock and roll," "King Hobo" includes two covers — "Running", written by CURTIS MAYFIELD, and a stellar Freddie Hubbard version of WELDON IRVINE's classic "Mr. Clean". The album documents one week in Sweden when a small gathering traveling musicians threw their ingredients into the collective cauldron, enjoyed the meal, and then departed as quickly as they had come.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/kinghobo.