Blog — Page 37 of 277

It's prom night in Pomona. Teens scrolled through Downtown for their big night of dancing and debauchery as I made my way to The Glass House doors to relive a little bit of my own adolescence. Tonight, the Carousel Tour with Tim Kasher, Laura Jane Grace, and Anthony Green, is rolling through for a weekend of fun. Unfortunately, I missed the lo-fi stylings of the show-opener, Oceanator. I get in just as Tim Kasher is finishing up "Truly Freaking Out" from 2013's Adult Film. Kasher offers a bit of everything from his repertoire, sprinkling in a bit of Cursive tracks, his other side-project, The Good Life, and of course tracks from his solo career.

What made the show great was each of the three solo artists would all chime in from time to time to fill in on each other's songs, while joining as the backbone for the three all tour are Cursive's, Megan Siebe, and Lemuria's, Alex Kerns. Anthony Green stepped out to provide some synthy elements and vocals to the Cursive classic, "The Recluse." Laura Jane Grace came out to perform with Kasher on their track, "Forever of the Living Dead" from his new album, Middling Age.

The trio continued to rotate as each artist played their set. Laura Jane Grace ripped through a set of solo songs like "The Swimming Pool Song" and "So Long, Farewell..." and had Anthony Green come out to sing with her on her track, "Lola 13" from her latest EP, At War With the Silverfish. Of course, the crowd got amped up as Grace broke out Against Me! fan favorites, like "Pints of Guinness Make You Strong" and "Sink, Florida, Sink." She had a special guest, Juliet Terrill of Funk-R&B group The Suffers, join her on bass for "Two Coffins." Between the Against Me! songs, Laura Jane broke out some new songs as well. One about a "dysphoria" hoodie appropriately titled, "Dysphoria Hoodie" and a pent-up romper called "M*A*S*H" -- in the middle of which Green jumped in on drums for a verse before Kerns hopped back in to finish it out. Grace finished her set off blasting through "Black Me Out" with the added oomph of Tim Kasher.

I've seen Circa Survive a number of times over the years but have only seen Anthony Green do a solo set once before... right outside the doors of the same venue I was in now over a decade ago. His ability to make his performance feel intimate, whether it's outside to a dozen people or inside to hundreds, is unmatched. He spent the night expressing a lot of love and appreciation for the fans and being able to play music again after the rough past couple of years he'd spent canceling shows. He played through a number of newer tracks like "Keep Your Mouth Shut" from Would You Still Be In Love and "Don't Dance" from his upcoming new album, Boom. Done. He also pleased long-time fans with Avalon tracks, "Drug Dealer" and the bombastic, "Dear Child" which featured Kasher and Grace rotating through vocal duties with Green. At the encore, the trio along with Siebe and Kerns came back out to do a cover of The Lemonheads' "My Drug Buddy." Everyone on the tour seemed to be having a great time and it spread a lot of positivity. It's one of the better shows I've seen this year thus far, and I recommend checking out the Carousel Tour if it hasn't hit your town yet. There's just over a week left heading up the West Coast before ending in Denver.

The Formative Years - Celtic Frost

Having evolved from what is considered as one the trailblazer bands that created the foundation for what was to become black and other more extreme forms of metal, the influence Celtic Frost has exerted on underground music at large with their first two albums cannot be overstated.

Listening to Celtic Frost’s debut Morbid Tales in 2022 and how they skillfully merged thrash metal elements with pages off the books of bands like Discharge, Venom and GBH, accentuated by a distinct yet subtle new wavey vibe in the vein of Christian Death and Bauhaus only solidifies what a perfect first effort it was.

The punchy riffing, grim atmosphere, nods to d-beat drumming, guttural vocals and refreshingly immediate aggression emanating from the fluid chord progressions result in a cohesive sonic weapon that was to become a template generations of metal, punk and hardcore bands would draw upon, ranging from Darkthrone via Sheer Terror to Mayhem.

Same goes for To Mega Therion which saw Celtic Frost taking things to the next level in terms of consistency, expertly executed tempo variations and thought through conceptualisation of their vision, with the outcome being an expertly calibrated idiosyncratic dark atmosphere culminating at times in what is the sonic equivalent of a hellish mess, which visually could not be better presented than through the H.G. Giger artwork that adorns the cover.

“Are you morbid?”

Water of Life - Glendalough Distillery

Dedicated to reviving the heritage of craft distilling in Ireland and based in County Wicklow, Glendalough was founded eleven years ago by collective paying homage to their habitat not only via the name, i.e. referencing the local glacial valley, but also with the logo, which depicts local Saint Kevin, who in turn inspired the quintet to make “Stand apart” the motto of the brand.

While I have to admit that uisce beatha of the Irish variety is not necessarily my favourite as far as regions are concerned, it is nevertheles the territory that has proved to be one of the most consistent and reliable as far as quality is concerned. 

My first exposure to Glendalough was via its Double Barrel expression, which with its telling name indicates that it is based on an experiment in oak and thus has been aged twice in different barrel varieties, i.e. American oak and Spanish Oloroso barrels.

Upon approach, the translucent, deep golden coloured drop tickles the nostrils with its floral vanilla notes, which are accentuated by dark fruity, cherry and chocolatey highlights. 

What the nose promised transitions seamlessly via a velvety mouthfeel to the top of the mouth with honeyed vanilla courtest of the Bourbon barrels providing the foundation on which pear, dried fruits and burnt brown sugary nuances dance.

Things are rounded out with a full-bodied crescendo which culminates in a gingery-oak wood,-spicy reverberating finish, which is delicately counterpointed by a delicate musky earthiness.

Clocking in at an ABV of 42%, the Double Barrel proves to be a solid, hard to dislike, daily sipper.

Things are taken up a notch with Glendalough’s Pot Still expression, the defining feature of which is that is has been refined for up to twelve months in virgin Irish oak hogshead casks, with each bottle being traceable to not only the cask it emanated from but even the trees it was made from in a sustainable manner. 

Given that the base liquid is the most quintessentially Irish of whiskeys, i.e. pot still from a mash bill of malted and unmalted barley, this little number is an example par excellence for honouring both terroir and local ingredients while showcasing how secondary barrel finishing can enhance and elevate traditional whiskeys to new heights: Raw malty and charred oak aromas blend in with waves of cinnamon, red apples and spices, which on the palate give way to citrussy, florally green woody notes informed by a nice creamy mouthfeel.

Not unlike the Double Barrel, things get spicy with the finish with nutmeg, cinnamon and slights notes of astringency counterbalancing the red berry, vanilla and toasted oak flavours.

One can only hope that the Glendalough quintet ( https://www.glendaloughdistillery.com ) will try their hand and barrel experiments with a cask strength expression soon.

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image from company website

The Formative Years -  Sunn O))) 

I vividly remember the first time I heard about Stephen O’Malley’s new endeavour Sunn O))) and given how much I appreciated what he achieved with Burning Witch and Khanate, I could not wait to check it out.

Upon checking out Sunn O))) first recordings, I was instantaneously intrigued by not only their heavy, slow larva of sound that moved and threatened to swallow you at a glacial pace but also the obvious reference to both the Sunn amplifiers and the pioneers of drone metal, i.e. the band Earth.

Witnessing them channelling their distinct aesthetics dressed in druid robes and shrouded in fog and dry ice in a live environment and experiencing first-hand how they expertly and patiently built their monolithic dropped-A feedback fuelled, distorted low register ambient soundscapes was an occurrence that literally resonated with my inner core due to the high volume that turned the event into an overwhelming, tectonic plate shifting physical experience and confronting endurance testing of your limits, simultaneously depriving the sense while overloading them, resulting in a state reminiscent of a drug or anxiety induced attack.

Ever since, Sunn O))) evolved much more than the mere sum of drone metal, dissonance and noise, it became a genre on itself and a cathartic vibe that I have never felt in that intensity before. 

Dust off your battle vest and break out the studded bracelets, and prepare to go back in time to 1982. After having to postpone their 40th-anniversary celebration after front-man, Keith Morris, contracted Covid, the band is picking up their first tour in 15 years to a sold-out crowd at Pomona's, Glass House, before their big hometown show in Hollywood. Joining them on tour are Detroit's Hardcore-Punk pioneers, Negative Approach, and Reno's primitive Straight-Edge outfit, 7Seconds. The two So-Cal shows of the tour have the added bonus of Jersey's, Bouncing Souls. All the makings for a quintessential punk show. So how was the predominantly older audience going to fare this Tuesday night?

Negative Approach kicked off the show at 7 pm, and despite being a little early, the crowd didn't need any warm-up. Those already on the floor were cheering along while the pit got going. As aggressive as Negative Approach were, everyone in the pit was respectful to each other as they made their rounds, making sure not to push down the two in wheelchairs joining in on the fun. The highlight of the set was hearing Ron Sakowski's meaty bass tone as frontman, John Brannon, growled through tracks like "Tied Down" and "Lost Cause."

Following was 7 Seconds, and this set was a real highlight of the entire show. The band claimed when they broke up in 2018, that they wouldn't be doing any reunion shows, but here we are 5 years later. The audience was excited, and the band was excited. Kevin Seconds maintains his mantra of being young 'til he dies and he gives one of the most energetic performances of the night. The room was only maybe half full as it was relatively early, but everyone joined in the singalongs, especially when the band powered through their cover of Nena's "99 Balloons." The band oozed positive vibes and it was clear the crowd was giving it right back.

The "little brothers" of the show were the Bouncing Souls. The band definitely felt like the odd one out, but it was a nice bonus to have them join the show. You could tell the slight younger fans in the room were getting their moment. At one point, a crowd-surfer was fighting his way onto the stage. As the bouncers tried to pull him off, bassist Bryan Kienlen, fought to pull him on stage, eventually getting it through the bouncer's head to let him onto the stage. The fan took over mic duties during the band's "Manthem" chorus. While the set had its moments, overall it was starting to feel a little like the room was tired. However, the audience lit up during their cover of "Lean on Sheena" and of course the crowd-favorite, "True Believers" as they closed their set.

As the Circle Jerks started to set up and the 4-page setlist that probably took longer to write than most of their albums, was taped to the floors, the room began to fill. Without cutting the lights, no big walkout or hype song, the band took the stage. Keith took a moment to pour over their excitement to tour for Group Sex's 40th anniversary, but then Covid put that on hold. In that time, the band's second album, Wild in the Streets, reached its 40th anniversary, so now they're celebrating both albums. While many generations covered the floor, even 5 or 6-year-old kids more likely dragged to the show by their punk parents, the crowd was much older. Maybe it was the Tuesday night or maybe its because of the older demographic, It was clear that there was some fatigue in the room. It really showed when the Circle Jerks took a moment to thank the bands joining them on tour and asked the crowd to cheer, but they were met with a lukewarm response. Something that Keith even took note of as he asked "Have we really been that fucking boring?" Perhaps he couldn't see the huge circle pit that overtook most of the floor during the entire set though. Aside from the huge pit though, most of the crowd just stood and enjoyed the show.

All-in-all, the Circle Jerks were great and it's a shame the fans couldn't give the same energy back. Many of the fans left before the encore. It was hard to tell if they thought the show was really over or if they were ready to call it a night. All I know is I recommend not missing the tour if it's yet to hit your town. Everyone seemed in high spirits and there was a positive vibe in the venue. Go have a great time and appreciate some of punk's most legendary acts!