Tours: NIK TURNER’S HAWKWIND Announce North American Tour with WITCH MOUNTAIN and HEDESLEBEN, Play St. Paul September 21

Witch Mountain performing at the Turf Club in St. Paul on October 19, 2012. Click on the photo to see additional pictures from this show (35).

Long-running cult space rock band Nik Turner’s Hawkwind will be out on the road in August and September with support from Portland doom band Witch Mountain and Hedersleben. The tour starts in Oakland on August 26, and circles North America before arriving at the Turf Club in St. Paul on Sunday, September 21. Tickets for the St. Paul show go on sale Friday, June 20 at 12:00 noon through etix. The complete itinerary is below.

August 26 – Oakland, CA, Uptown

August 27 – Los Angeles, CA, Viper Room

August 28 – San Diego, CA, Casbah

August 29 – Tucson, AZ, Hotel Congress

August 30 – Albuquerque, NM, Launch Pad

September 1 – Austin, TX, Red 7

September 2 – New Orleans, LA, Siberia

September 3 – Birmingham, AL, Bottletree

September 4 – Memphis, TN, Hi-Tone Café

September 5 – Lafayette, GA, Meltasia Fest

September 6 – Raleigh, NC, Hopscotch Fest*

September 7 – Richmond, VA, Strange Matter

September 8 – Baltimore, MD, Metro Gallery

September 9 – Philadelphia, PA, Boot and Saddle

September 10 – Sellersville, PA, Sellersville Theater

September 11 – New York, NY, Webster Hall

September 12 – Boston, MA, Middle East

September 14 – Montreal, QC, Il Motore

September 15 – Toronto, ON, The Garrison

September 16 – Rochester, NY, Bug Jar

September 17 – Cleveland, OH, Beachland Ballroom

September 18 – Chicago, IL, Beat Kitchen

September 19 – Rock Island, IL, RIBCO

September 20 – Milwaukee, WI, Cactus Club*

September 21 – St. Paul, MN, Turf Club

September 22 – Winnipeg, MB, Pyramid Cabaret*

September 23 – Saskatoon, SK, Vangelis Tavern

September 24 – Calgary, AB, Palomino

September 26 – Vancouver, BC, Venue

September 27 – Seattle, WA, Chop Suey

September 28 – Portland, OR, Star Theater

*No Hedersleben

Tonight - REFLECTIONS Album Release Show and Tour Kick-Off in Burnsville, NIK TURNER'S HAWKWIND in St. Paul

I recently had a post with updates on the activities of Reflections, the Twin Cities-based technical metalcore band that is set to explore with the release of their new album Exi(s)t, which is being released through eOne/Good Fight this Tuesday, October 22. The start of their co-headling tour with Erra happens right here in Burnsville tonight, October 19 at The Garage with local support from Don't Worry I'm A Doctor. This is the official album release show, so copies of Exi(s)t should be available tonight for purchase. It's an early (5:00 doors) all ages show, and tickets are $12 at the door.

Also tonight, Nik Turner of Hawkwind and Space Ritual fame, will be playing at the Turf Club in St. Paul. There's a strong argument to be made that Nik is one of the most influential pioneers of psychedelic space rock. Now over 70 years old, Nik is out promoting a new solo album called Space Gypsy. I've seen this show billed as Nik Turner's Hawkwind and Nik Turner's Space Ritual, but regardless of what it's called, I'm sure you can expect to hear a mix of material from those two bands alongside other selections from Nik's vast recorded catalog. This is a 21+ show that starts at 9:00 with support from Thunderbolt Pagoda and Hedersleben; tickets are $12 at the door. Interesting trivia: cult doom/stoner band Sleep supported Nik Turner's Hawkwind way back on the Holy Mountain tour!

Lastly, Soul Asylum plays First Avenue in Minneapolis tonight with Fountains Of Wayne and Evan Dando. This is an 18+ show that starts at 8:00; tickets are $30 at the door. Yeah, Soul Asylum is a far cry from metal, but they were instrumental in the early 80s hardcore scene in the Twin Cities and deserve respect for that.

CHURCH OF MISERY's North American Tour Canceled

The recently announced North American tour by Japan's doom lords Church Of Misery has been canceled, a victim of the partial government shutdown here in the U.S. Church of Misery was due to play St. Paul at the Turf Club on Halloween, Thursday, October 31 with Wizard Rifle and Vulgaari. Nothing official has been released yet by the band to the best of my knowledge, but a post on Vulgaari's Facebook page reads:

"Due to our government being a bunch of whiney children who can't get along and would rather just take their ball and go home... Our Halloween show with Church of Misery is not happening. Being from Japan, they're having work visa issues due to the government shutdown. Huge bummer. This will hopefully be rescheduled. We'll keep you posted."

A post by the Turf Club on the event's Facebook page confirms this: "This show is going to be rescheduled. COM had visa issues due to the government shutdown."

The tour was slated to start October 18 in Oakland, and wrap up in Los Angeles on November 23. Shouldn't processing and approving work visas for metal bands be an essential government function??

Tonight - ST. VITUS and PALLBEARER in Minneapolis

If you missed them last year at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis (like I did), you can redeem yourself by catching cult doom legends St. Vitus at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis with support from fellow doomsters Pallbearer and Louisville punk band Hookers. This is an 18+ show that starts at 8:00, and tickets are available at the door for $25.

St. Vitus's Wino performing acoustically with Conny Ochs on August 16, 2012 at the Turf Club in St. Paul.

For fun, here's an old St. Vitus flyer from their infamous 1987 tour with the Mentors that friend picked up for me that I've previously posted.

CHURCH OF MISERY to Embark on North American Tour, Invade St. Paul on Halloween

Japanese doom band Church Of Misery have lined up an extensive North American headlining tour starting in mid-October to promote the release of their firth album, Thy Kingdom Scum (Rise Above/Metal Blade). The band circles the U.S. and Canada beginning October 18 in Oakland, and makes a stop in St. Paul at the Turf Club on Halloween, Thursday, October 31 with Portland's two-piece noise crew Wizard Rifle and locals Vulgaari. Support on the tour comes from Saviours (October 18-23), Wizard Rifle (October 18-31), Bloody Hammers (November 1-19), and Against The Grain (November 1-23). The complete itinerary is below.

October 18 - Oakland, CA, Opera House, w/Saviours, Wizard Rifle
October 19 - San Francisco, CA, Thee Parkside, w/Saviours, Wizard Rifle
October 20 - Portland, OR, Rotture, w/Saviours, Wizard Rifle
October 21 - Seattle, WA, The Crocodile, w/Saviours, Wizard Rifle
October 22 - Bellingham, WA, The Shakedown, w/Saviours, Wizard Rifle
October 23 - Vancouver, BC, Rickshaw Theater, w/Saviours, Wizard Rifle
October 24 - Edmonton, AB, The Pawn Shop, w/Wizard Rifle
October 25 - Calgary, AB, Palomino, w/Wizard Rifle
October 27 - Saskatoon, SK, Amigos, w/Wizard Rifle
October 29 - Winnipeg, MB, The Zoo, w/Wizard Rifle
October 30 - Fargo, ND, The Aquarium, w/Wizard Rifle
October 31 - St. Paul, MN, Turf Club, w/Wizard Rifle
November 1 - Chicago, IL, Ultra Lounge, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 2 - Rock Island, IL, Rock Island Brewing Company, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 3 - Grand Rapids, MI, Pyramid Scheme, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 4 - Indianapolis, IN, Beale Street Live, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 6 - Pittsburgh, PA, 31st Street Pub, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 7 - Syracuse, NY, Lost Horizon, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 8 - Toronto, ON, Hard Luck, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 9 - Ottawa, ON, Mavericks, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 10 - Montreal, QC, Il Motore, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 11 - Providence, RI, AS220, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 12 - New York, NY, Saint Vitus, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 13 - Richmond, VA, Kingdom, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 14 - Baltimore, MD, Ottobar, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 16 - Atlanta, GA, The Earl, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 17 - New Orleans, LA, One Eyed Jacks, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 18 - Austin, TX, Mohawk, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 19 - Dallas, TX, Club Dada, w/Bloody Hammers, Against The Grain
November 21 - Albuquerque, NM, Sister Bar, w/Against The Grain
November 22 - Tempe, AZ, Yucca Tap Room, w/Against The Grain
November 23 - Los Angeles, CA, The Satellite, w/Against The Grain

WINO & CONNY OCHS - August 16, 2012

You can read my review of this show here, but this was quite different from what you'd expect from one of the godfathers of doom metal, guitarist Scott "Wino" Weinrich. He's not letting up on his recent delve into acoustic music, and he and singer/songwriter Conny Ochs teamed up for this tour in support of their Heavy Kingdom album. This is quality stuff, so if your mind's in the right place this is pure, mellow enjoyment.

The download link is here. As always, please share, but share the link to this post rather than the direct Mediafire link. Enjoy!

Wino & Conny Ochs

Guitars & Voices

August 16, 2012

St. Paul, MN, Turf Club

mp3@192 kbps, 93 MB zip file (artwork included)

1. Somewhere Nowhere (5:00)

2. Labour Of Love (4:56)

3. Dust (4:06)

4. Dark Ravine (3:44)

5. Adrift (4:53)

6. Heavy Kingdom (2:32)

7. Hellbound Train (5:19)

8. Angels And Demons (5:20)

9. Old And Alone (7:00)

10. Crystal Madonna (5:29)

11. Here Comes The Siren (3:48)

12. Manifesto (2:44)

13. Vultures By The Vines (4:27)

14. Hotel Vast Horizon (3:37)

15. Isolation (4:36)

16. Find The Cost Of Freedom (1:36)

Total time: 69:07

Concert Review - WINO & CONNY OCHS

I'm close to having all older, backlogged posts out, so here's another concert review from a little while ago...

Wino & Conny Ochs and Paul Metzger

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Turf Club, St. Paul, MN

Click on any of the pictures to see more photos of Wino & Conny Ochs (7).

Doom metal legend Scott “Wino” Weinrich (St Vitus, The Obsessed, others) surprised many when he began unveiling acoustic records, a career turn that brought out about an interesting collaboration with singer/songwriter Conny Ochs. This acoustic tour for the duo was in support of their second album together, Heavy Kingdom. Local guitarist Paul Metzger opened with a solo acoustic show that appropriately set the stage for what was to come.

Click on the photo to see more pictures of Paul Metzger (4).

This was an acoustic show in the truest sense of the word, not simply a band playing acoustic-type songs – just Wino and Conny with their acoustic guitars. Wino was hanging around the bar talking with fans before the show, but things were all business once on stage with Conny. The pair opened with “Somewhere Nowhere”, a slow somber tune that seemed an odd choice to start the show. “Labour Of Love” kicked up the energy level a bit, and “Dust” had Conny adding some bass drum kicks over the CCR-like melody. A couple of songs from Wino’s Adrift album were brought out, including the folk-inspired “Adrift” and “Old And Alone”, as well as the jangly “Manifesto”. Vocal duties were shared throughout, with Wino and Conny each taking turns singing lead and singing in harmony. Wino’s deep, gravely bass voice was complimented well by Conny’s higher, more melodic style. The high point of the show came with “Angels And Demons”, which had Wino using some electronic effects on his guitar and Conny thumping furiously on the bass drum to bring the song to a climactic conclusion. There were a few surprises thrown in, one being a new, unreleased song “Crystal Madonna”, a depressing love song. A number of covers were played such as “Hellbound Train” by Savoy Brown. By the time “Vultures By The Vine” wrapped up the set, the respectful crowd had been fully converted to Wino’s new style and loudly demanded more. The encore consisted entirely of covers, leading with “Hotel Vast Horizon” by Chris Whitley, then Joy Division’s “Isolation”. This bled into “Find The Cost Of Freedom” by CSN&Y for the finale.

While acoustic material isn’t the favorite of most metal fans, you have to respect Wino for not pulling any punches and delivering a solid, convincing show. The collaboration with Conny makes this style more interesting, and it should be fun to see where their work together leads.

WITCH MOUNTAIN - October 19, 2012

If you haven't discovered this great doom metal outfit it's well worth checking Witch Mountain. No gimmicks or neat tricks, just pure doom. My review of this show (with pictures) can be found here. Coming straight from Station 4 where Septicflesh was playing, Witch Mountain was in the middle of opener "The Ballad Of Lanky Rae" when I arrived, so this recording cuts in while "Beekeeper" was being performed. What you get is most of their latest album, Cauldron Of The Wild.

The download link is here. As always, please share, but share the link to this post rather than the direct Mediafire link. Enjoy!

Witch Mountain

Night On Witch Mountain

October 19, 2012

St. Paul, MN, Turf Club

mp3@192 kbps, 55 MB zip file (artwork included)

1. Beekeeper (2:08)

2. Shelter (7:56)

3. Bloodhound (5:35)

4. Veil Of The Forgotten (6:00)

5. Wing Of The Lord (8:14)

6. Never Know (10:24)

Total time: 40:17