Italian heavy psych rock stalwarts MR.BISON reveal the second single taken from their new album “Echoes From The Universe”, to be issued on February 16th through Heavy Psych Sounds. Enter the stratosphere with “Collision” exclusively on It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine!
Their upcoming fifth album ‘Echoes From The Universe’ invites the listener to a prismatic voyage that explores the notion of freedom and destiny through Norse mythology and weaves together a vivid and majestic sonic tapestry that brims with liquid riffs, graceful psychedelia, progressive grandeur and vibrant vocals. A modern and fulfilling space trip that should please fans of the likes of Elder, King Buffalo, Howling Giant.
About the album, the band says: “The theme of “Echoes from the Universe” is the attempt, as human and temporal beings, to escape the idea of an alleged destiny predetermination by managing to build one’s life path through willpower. Its concept is based on the Norse Norns myth, who weave the threads of universal destiny on a tapestry, in which all existence, in a continuous mix of past, present, and future, intersect and influence each other, thereby generating a kaleidoscopic vortex of infinite and unpredictable possibilities. For this reason, we have used them as a symbol of freedom of choice, which never excludes but indeed implies, the element of chance.”
It was produced by guitarist Matteo Barsacchi, mixed by Nicola Giorgetti at the Indipendente Recording Studio and mastered by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering in Chicago.
MR.BISON masters the art of melding heavy psychedelia with progressive elements and evocative soundscapes. Formed in a small coastal town in Tuscany (Italy) in 2009, the band has reinvented their sound through four albums from stoner psych to heavy progressive rock, firmly establishing themselves in 2018 with the acclaimed “Holy Oak” and their 2020 concept album “Seaward”. The band has toured Europe and North America several times and played various festivals such as Desertfest Berlin, London and Antwerp, Krach am Back, Duna Jam.
Mr BISON introduced their brand of Heavy Blues influenced by groups like Captain Beyond, Nektar, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix and the more.
LUCID SINS will release their third album next month. The song is very reminiscent of that more haunting, laid-back Blue Oyster Cult sound of the 70s. Dig more into this band and the BOC influence comes up more, as does that organ style psych rock of The Doors. Great songs, playing, vocals and harmonies. Check out the new single. Awesome album art by David V. D’Andrea as well! Read the press info below, as well as check out the band’s links at the bottom!
Scotland’s 70s occult rock goldsmiths LUCID SINS return with their third full-length “Dancing In the Dark” this October 27th on Totem Cat Records with a first single premiering exclusively on It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine. The band also just announced a string of UK fall dates including shows with Nebula and Hey Colossus.
From the moment Glasgow’s own 70s rock masters LUCID SINS catch your ear, you know you are in for a long-haul adventure: driven by their own wizardry and prodigious mastery of all instruments, the duo of Ruaraidh Sanachan and Andreas Johnsson bewitches you from the get-go. While their 2021 sophomore album “Cursed” presented an intoxicating and unwaveringly prog-oriented brew of proto-rock that sat firmly between Blue Öyster Cult and The Doors, their third album flips a brand new page of their sonic grimoire.
A collaborative effort of interconnected souls, “Dancing In The Dark” summons the talents of various guest musicians to form a fluid and melody-driven story where occult rock meets folk and proto-doom in a hypnotic swirl of riffs and keys carried by Jonsson’s compelling poetry. Firmly rooted in the 60s and 70s sound, LUCID SINS manages to uplift spirits while dragging you once again in the occult, meeting the boundary-free creativity of their contemporaries Witchcraft, Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats to the more seamless lightheartedness of Fairport Convention.
The story goes as follows… You stumble through the forest. Alone and far from home. All paths have returned you to this place. Lost in a world of green. Hidden in the dark. As the light fades you glimpse flickering flame and catch the scent of smoke. In a tiny clearing, shadows cast by a dying fire take human-esque forms. Leaning in for warmth, they share ten tales of hope and betrayal, magic and madness, love and death. Whispered words mingle with distant memories, and as the fire grows higher, your sense of self is scorched and burned. One by one now, the figures begin to dance and spin as occult psychedelic sounds drift through the trees. Caught in the maelstrom, suspended high in a swirling mesh of leaves and perception, you release your grip on space and time… On the forest floor, stirred by dawn, you try to make sense of the mist within your mind. To recall where you have been. To know who you once were. Around a glowing fire, deep in the woods, LUCID SINS are Dancing In The Dark… Will you dance with them?
LUCID SINS on tour: October 14th – Aberdeen, The Rusty Nail October 15th – Glasgow, Ivory Blacks (w/ Nebula) October 18th – Leeds, Fox and Newt October 19th – London, Helgi’s October 20th – Sheffield, Lughole (w/ Heavy Sentence, Parish) October 21st – Newcastle, Lubber Fiend (w/ Hey Colossus)
LUCID SINS : Andreas Jonsson – Vocals, guitars, bass, organ, synthesizer Ruaraidh Sanachan – Drums, bass, percussion, organ, mellotron, recorder, backing vocals + Album guests: Espen Andersen, Stuart Coleman, Hanna Tuulikki, Alex Ward
GODS OF SOMETIMES have released their debut album. The duo is Brad Davis (Fu Manchu) and Andrew Giacumakis (Moab), who are accompanied by a number of friends and guests on this 9 track collection of somewhat laid back, almost folky, psychedelic, pop, and melodic album. Below Brad and Andrew answer questions pertaining to the making of the album, their influences, and other projects on the go. For more on Gods Of Sometimes and/or to order the album- check out the links below!
Can you guys tell me a bit about how this project came together, and your connections in previous bands?
Andrew:Brad and I had worked together on multiple Fu Manchu related projects over the last decade or so, me as an engineer/producer. We developed a friendship based on shared musical influences, love of records, love of movies, and vans (the shoes). Haha. We were both itching to do something outside of the heavy music genre we were associated with, just as a change of pace. We started writing songs together and it slowly morphed into a real project.
Where did the band name come from? (other than the song)
Andrew: Lyrics to a song. I think I was improvising lyrics and it came out and I thought “that’s an odd thing to say”. It’s got layers to it, which I like. So it stuck.
Gods Of Sometimes isn’t the ‘heavy doom’ rock that previous bands were labelled, but a very more laid back, melodic album, I get vibes of the Beatles, Neil Young, etc .. Can you detail what influenced everything overall (songs, production and sound) and how it differs from previous things you’ve done?
Andrew: The sound/vibe of the album was definitely influenced by our shared tastes and a desire to try something different. I’d also lost my Dad and wasn’t much in the mood for writing heavy music at the time. The mellower direction of the record was sort of a cathartic thing for me in that way. I mean, I don’t think we were specifically trying to NOT be heavy, but more along the lines of trying to create an album that’s more about mood and vibe, and melody. Or at least strive for that. It took a while to sort out exactly what that was, but we got there, eventually.
Can you give me a few antidotes/stories on some of the songs (musically, lyrically) – “In The End”, “Gods of Sometimes” (dig the guitar riff, reminds me of a Genesis song…), “Hand On the Hide” (a very quiet psych feel to this), “Watching For Satellites” … any that stand out for you guys(?)
Andrew:
“In The End” came about really fast. We knew it was a pretty catchy song from the get go. Then Brad put bass on the song and it was like, another level up. Then we luckily got J Mascis to add a guitar solo at the end of the song, and it was exactly what the song needed.
“Stilted Low” seems to be Brad and my favorite song on the album. It’s a slow burner but gets to these really nice moments. We were graced with Joel Robinow’s (Once and Future Band) piano and bkg vocals on this one, which was a total treat. Check out this band if you don’t know them!
“Watching For Satellites” features another guest that we were extremely stoked to have. Steven Drozd from The Flaming Lips blessed us with all the keyboards we could ask for. We sent him a rough sketch of the song and he sent back a zillion keyboard options to pick from. Really cool of him. We were extremely stoked.
Did you have much input in the album cover art, as far as ideas, and can you tell me a bit about it?
Andrew: Our input was that we saw this really cool piece of art by Chad Yenney and bought it! It lended itself perfectly to a cover. Chad’s a really talented artist who does these layered photo pieces that are just really cool visually. He also did the video for Gods Of Sometimes and the rest of the layout for the album art. Brad liked the moon theme so he did direct Chad on the back cover concept and Chad did the rest. So no, we didn’t have much to do with the art other than recognizing Chad’s gnarly work and getting him involved.
You’re basically a duo, but the album includes a lot of guests. How did many of those guests involvement come about, and might you enlist many of them (or others) for live shows?
Brad: A number of the guests I crossed paths with playing in my band Fu Manchu. Bob, the guitarist in Fu Manchu interviewed J Mascis for his playthisriff website and I in turn had contacted him about my guitar pedal company many years ago. Like the other guests on the album, they were lured in by promises of free fuzz pedals haha. I’ve known Steven Drozd since the 90’s. Mostly from me being a huge Flaming Lips fan and having friends in the music business in common with him. We were able to work with Joel Robinow because of our friend Eli who also plays in “Once And Future Band”. Eli also plays in a band named Drunkhorse with whom Fu Manchu has shared the stage with back in the day. We were blown away by the opportunity to collaborate with all of them. We’re still figuring out how we can play out live. Hopefully at some point the stars will align and we’ll be able to have one of them join us onstage!
What else do you guys have going on at this time (w/ other bands), and is there any songwriting or plans for a follow-up to the Gods of Sometimes album?
Brad: Right now, Fu Manchu is wrapping up the writing part of our new record. Recording very soon. Me and Andrew have already gotten together and started laying the groundwork for a new Gods Of Sometimes full length.
Can you each drop us a few of your main musical influences, as well as a ‘top 10’ list of fave albums from your youth?
Andrew: Pretty standard stuff for me, in no particular order:
– Artists – Beatles, Bread, Floyd, Neil Young, Bowie, Zeppelin, Sabbath, Lips, War, Carpenters, Zombies, ELO, Supertramp, Beethoven.
– Albums – Sgt Peppers, Revolver, Meddle, Harvest, Soft Bulletin, Physical Graffiti, Paranoid, Breakfast in America, Odessey and Oracle
Brad: As far as influences that make their way into Gods Of Sometimes I would say: Beatles, Pink Floyd, Flaming Lips, Neil Young, Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan, Crosby Stills Nash, Jimi Hendrix
Albums that made a big impact on me…
Zaireeka (Flaming Lips), Electric Ladyland (Hendrix), Vol 4 (Sabbath), Abbey Road (Beatles), After The Goldrush (Neil Young), Desperado (Eagles), Gluey Porch Treatments (The Melvins)
Psychedelic Montreal four-piece rock and roll band, The Damn Truth, have released their new single and accompanying music video, “Lonely.”
“The song Lonely started taking shape in our touring van as we began a cross Canada tour,” says TDT’s lead singer, Lee-La Baum. “Three days into that journey, our van went up in flames with our acoustic instruments, personal belongings and our hopes to continue our long-awaited tour.”
Continues Lee-la, “We put together a GoFundMe campaign so that we could rent wheels that would take us and our trailer of stage gear home. 24 hours later there was an incredible amount of money in our account. It was enough to buy a new van, clothes, and rent the gear to continue our tour. It was the beginning of our love affair with the incredible hearts and souls that make up our rock n roll community.”
“After the tour, we started recording demos for the songs that would later become Now or Nowhere. ‘Lonely’ was one of the first songs we sent to Bob Rock, but it was originally called ‘Needs Help.’ It was just an acapella vocal line because, after the van fire, which was the way we were playing it on tour. It was an ode to our fans that saved us from being lonely and stranded on the highway.”
“Bob fell in love with the song right away and told us not worry; that Tom should just try to play a guitar lick along with the vocal melody and the rest would all fall into place in the studio. That’s exactly what happened. Bob walked into the live room and said, ‘The whole song is there, just play it.’ With his masterful, skillful ear and delicate direction, within two hours the song was recorded. Done.”
“Lonely” dovetails The Damn Truth’s summer concerts in the UK throughout July. The band will play a series of headline concerts and will also play Steelhouse Festival on Saturday July 29th. Tickets for the band’s July headline concerts are available from TheGigcartel.com
The Cold Stares will support The Damn Truth at London O2 Islington Academy 2 on July 21st. Empyre will support the band on all other dates, except Sheffield Greystones on June 30th, where support will come from Zac and the New Men and Tessio.
The Damn Truth are Lee-La Baum (vocals, guitar), Tom Shemer (guitar), PY Letellier (bass) and Dave Traina (drums).
They play London, O2 Islington Academy (July 21), Shoreham Ropetackle (July 22), Blackpool, Waterloo (July 23), Leicester Musician (July 25), Buckley Tivoli (July 27), Leek Foxlowe Arts (July 28), Steelhouse Festival (July 29), Sheffield Greystones (July 30), and Milton Keynes, The Stables (August 1).
SUMMER 2023 UK TOUR WITH SPECIAL GUESTS: *THE COLD STARES AND **EMPYRE ***ZAC AND THE NEW MEN & TESSIO
In 2021, The Damn Truth released their critically acclaimed album Now or Nowhere. Produced by the legendary Grammy Award-winning Bob Rock, the album is available from www.thedamntruth.com.
No stranger to UK radio, The Damn Truth have had three singles from the Now Or Nowhere album playlisted on Planet Rock. These include – “This Is Who We Are Now,” “Tomorrow,” and “Only Love.” “This Is Who We Are Now” was played on BBC Radio 2’s Rock Show with Johnnie Walker. On several occasions, the band won Tracks of the Week on Classic Rock’s Louder Sound.
“The Damn Truth are a fresh revivalism of the psyche music scene from the mid-60s,” says Jeff Laufer, editor Rock Bands of LA. “Critics and fans praise their regeneration of the hard rock sound and values.” Continues Jeff, “Bob Rock found a spirit within the band that he hadn’t experienced for many years. “He saw something special… an artist with burning talent that needed the right direction to break wide open… like lightning in a bottle.”
Six tracks on the new album Now or Nowhere were produced by legendary Grammy Award winning Bob Rock (Metallica, Kingdom Come, Bryan Adams, The Cult, …) at Bryan Adams’ recording studio “The Warehouse” in Vancouver.
They sold out the legendary Whisky a Go-Go in Los Angeles and the Corona Theatre in their hometown of Montreal. One of their music videos was featured on the official Janis Joplin Facebook page. It’s a culmination of a lot of hard work, blood, sweat and tears.
California band Birth is set to release their debut album “Born” in July. You can check out the band’s 9 minute + psych-epic “For Yesterday”, and order their album on CD, vinyl, or digitally here – https://birthprog.bandcamp.com/album/born
Fans of heavy psych-rock will love “For Yesterday” with it’s heavy guitar, and various keyboards, making it sound like it’s from a different era. Love the album’s artwork, and looking forward to hearing the full album!
[from press release] On ‘Born’, Birth musically and creatively constructs a science-fiction-inspired sound-world in which bleak tumult and skybound rapture co-exist. The result is an intoxicating album haunted by earthly concerns while its sonics aim simultaneously for the stars. “I’m a scientist by trade and I read a lot of dystopian sci-fi, which I believe is relevant to many of the events that have been occurring lately,” notes Riley. “These views feed a dark, spiritual and mystical relationship that I have with scientific thought”.
Birth features members of San Diego retro-rockers Astra along with current or former members of Joy, Radio Moscow, and Sacri Monti.
Conor Riley (vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar), Brian Ellis (lead guitar, keyboards), Trevor Mast (bass), and Thomas DiBenedetto (drums). Drums on ‘Born’ performed by Paul Marrone.
Album Track listing: 01. Born 02. Descending Us 03. For Yesterday 04. Cosmic Tears 05. Another Time 06. Long Way Down
Outsider Rock 