UNNATURAL WAYS - The Paranoia Party

UNNATURAL WAYS: GUITAR HEROINE AVA MENDOZA BRINGS VOCALS TO THE FOREFRONT ON BROOKLYN TRIO'S THIRD, XENOPHOBIA-THEMED ALBUM; NEW TRACK STREAMING

Brooklyn label Sleeping Giant Glossolalia announces the March 22nd release of Unnatural Ways' third album, The Paranoia Party.

Stream the album's first track, "Go Back to Space," here:
https://www.revolvermag.com/music/hear-noise-rock-trio-unnatural-ways-evoke-siouxsie-sioux-raucous-new-song

With a background in classical guitar, Unnatural Ways founder Ava Mendoza has wowed listeners across genres, channeling her blazing technique toward the outer edges of jazz, noise-rock, and metal. Inspired equally by Sonny Sharrock, The Butthole Surfers, and Morbid Angel, Mendoza's musical prowess has led to collaborations with a long list of living legends in the avant-music sphere and beyond: John Zorn, Nels Cline, Carla Bozulich, Fred Frith, Violent Femmes, and more.

Mendoza formed Unnatural Ways in Oakland, California in 2012. Largely instrumental, the band's first two albums were released on New Atlantis Records and John Zorn's Tzadik label, respectively. Like Keiji Haino, or the most experimental moments of Black Flag, chewed up and spit into deep space, the sound was bluesy and epic, whilst complex. Mendoza relocated to Brooklyn in 2015 and Noisey reported this shortly after her arrival:

"As guitarists like Mick Barr and Brandon Seabrook lead the charge as purveyors of melting jazz and metal into fret-spinning wizardry, it’s Brooklyn-via-Oakland six-stringer Ava Mendoza deconstructing of blues and punk into brutal shredfests that’s causing a ruckus in NYC’s DIY hubs."

Unnatural Ways' upcoming third album, The Paranoia Party, heralds a new chapter in Mendoza's story: it is the first album to feature her vocals as a central element in every song. A guitarist for 27 years, Mendoza has finally brought her vocals to the forefront, singing with a sweetly commanding wail that evokes Siouxsie Sioux. Perhaps it is no coincidence that she chose this point in time to do so – The Paranoia Party's lyrics tell a sci-fi tale that is relevant and crucial to the news of today. In Mendoza's words, it is about "aliens and being alien; political paranoia, inclusion, exclusion, migration, immigration, border crossing, alter egos and alternate realities."

The Paranoia Party was recorded by Jason Lafarge (Swans, Devendra Banhart) at Seizures Palace in Brooklyn, and mixed by Colin Marston (Gorguts, Kelly Moran). Playing alongside Mendoza on the album are bassist Tim Dahl (Child Abuse, Lydia Lunch's Retrovirus) and drummer Sam Ospovat (Enablers).

Track 1, "Go Back to Space," premiered today via Revolver, sets the tone: surf punk descends into metallic prog freakouts, carried along by the warmth of Mendoza's vocals. It is a bewitching balance of dread and euphoria, which is precisely the vibe Mendoza illustrates when explaining the album title: "The title, The Paranoia Party, refers to finding celebration within the state of tension and fear we are living in."

Tracklist:
1) Go Back to Space
2) The Runaway Song
3) Most of All We Love to Spy
4) Trying to Pass
5) Draw That Line
6) Soft Electric Rays
7) Cosmic Border Cop

Lineup:
Ava Mendoza - guitar, vocals, electronics
Tim Dahl - bass
Sam Ospovat - drums, percussion, electronics

Production:
Recorded by Jason Lafarge at Seizures Palace, Brooklyn, NY
Mixed by Colin Marston at The Thousand Caves, Queens, NY
Mastered by Alex Theoret at Turtletone Studio, New York, NY

Discography:
The Paranoia Party (Sleeping Giant Glossolalia, 2019)
We Aliens (Tzadik, 2016)
Unnatural Ways (New Atlantis, 2015)

Cover art, by Patrick Grzelewski/Orogenesis Press

Band photo, by Anna Hochhalter

MORE PAIN + Rolling Stone

"Blurring by in under 30 seconds, the track makes Head Wound City sound long-winded in comparison. It begins with a scribble of guitar noise, leading into a fast, primitive riff; Pearson lets out a scream, and bass and drums, both also played by Zinner, come rushing in. The meat of the track alternates between white-knuckle grind, with Zinner smashing out an impressive blast beat, and a classic hardcore feel."

-Rolling Stone

Learn more about new thrash project MORE PAIN and read a brief interview from Justin Pearson, via Rolling Stone, here.

MORE PAIN is thrash turned rotten, riding a vile wave of scum all the way in from sea. Hints of Head Wound City creep its way into the chaos, as two long time comrades, Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Justin Pearson (Dead Cross, The Locust, Retox), create a scathing score meant for surfing witches and black magick in the sand.

The tracks will be available on limited edition X-RAY flexi disc as well as digitally through Three One G Records. Preorder, here.

Video for "Hammering Tenderness" is directed by Joana Lopes.

MORE PAIN + BrooklynVegan

"Justin Pearson’s coarse scream is as perfect for this kinda thing as you’d expect, and it’s always extra exciting to hear Nick Zinner flaunt the heavier side that he only hints at in YYYs. The song rips, and it’s getting us excited to hear even more More Pain."

-BrooklynVegan

Read more about Nick Zinner and Justin Pearson's newest project, MORE PAIN, as well as watch the accompanying video for "Hammering Tenderness," via BrooklynVegan, here.

MORE PAIN is thrash turned rotten, riding a vile wave of scum all the way in from sea. Hints of Head Wound City creep its way into the chaos, as two long time comrades, Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Justin Pearson (Dead Cross, The Locust, Retox), create a scathing score meant for surfing witches and black magick in the sand.

The tracks will be available on limited edition X-RAY flexi disc as well as digitally through Three One G Records. Preorder, here.

Video directed by Joana Lopes (who recently created the music video for Planet B track "Come Bogeyman" (feat. Martin Atkins).

ALL THEM WITCHES - North American Tour

ALL THEM WITCHES: Nashville rockers open up about upcoming North American tour

Nashville rockers All Them Witches will embark on a headlining tour of the Eastern US and Canada, kicking off March 1st in Atlanta. Epitaph Records punks Plague Vendor will support on all dates. 

All Them Witches w/ Plague Vendor:
Mar 1 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Mar 2 - Charlotte, NC @ Visulite Theatre
Mar 5 - Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Mar 6 - Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi
Mar 7 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Mar 8 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Back Room at Colectivo Coffee
Mar 9 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
Mar 10 - Madison, WI @ High Noon
Mar 12 - Grand Rapids, MI @ The Stache
Mar 13 - Ferndale, MI @ Magic Bag
Mar 14 - Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop
Mar 15 - Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
Mar 16 - Toronto, ON @ Opera House
Mar 17 - Montreal, QC @ L'Astral
Mar 19 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
Mar 20 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Mar 21 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Mar 22 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
Mar 23 - Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
Mar 24 - Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall

In less than a decade, All Them Witches have released five studio albums, four EPs, and two live albums, and have toured the world with the likes of Mastodon, Primus, and The Sword. The band's bluesy psych-rock sound is always evolving – any combination of the following adjectives might apply, depending on the song: moody, driving, raw, loose, jubilant, blazing, explosive. Comparisons to Pink Floyd and The Allman Brothers have been thrown around, but All Them Witches have ascended far beyond the shadows of their influences.

The fifth and latest studio album, ATW, was released in the fall of 2018 on New West Records. ATW is widely regarded as the band's rawest, most stripped-down work, recorded at a remote cabin in Tennessee by Witches guitarist Ben McLeod and mixed by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Kurt Vile). A review in Nashville Scene states, "['ATW'] draws more heavily from the Nashville-bred band's roots, eschewing the big, complex arrangements of [previous album] 'Sleeping Through the War' in favor of intimate songwriting and raw rock 'n' roll."

After the release of ATW, the quartet reinvented itself as a power trio, saying farewell to its keyboardist and continuing on with the core lineup of McLeod, frontman Charles Michael Parks, Jr., and drummer Robby Staebler. It is this lineup that will tour North America in March. In Staebler's words: 

"Now that it's just us, we can go as mental as we want. We know each other's moves very well and the trio is by far our best live performance. The feeling is intense and explosive. We are super stoked to show the East Coast what we can do like this. The last time we played the East Coast we were supporting Mastodon and Primus. This time we play for 90 minutes instead of 30."

With all three core members having recently relocated to their hometown of Nashville after living elsewhere, a new chapter in All Them Witches' story is underway. Staebler enthuses:

"We all got new places and we are all back in town together. We have lived states apart for five years. Just moved back in October. We each have a studio in Nashville now and will be deep in music from here on."

With the tour just days away now, Staebler offers this statement on behalf of himself and his two bandmates:

"We are always excited to hit the road and play shows as hard as we can every single night. This is our life and we all have worked for this opportunity since we were little cubs in the den. It’s our calling and our passion so to be at it again means the world. We have a ton of merch the East Coast has never seen, or the world for that matter. Got some exclusive limited stuff for the walls and the bodies. We can’t wait to see you full of joy and good spirits. See you out there!"

Lineup:

Charles Michael Parks, Jr. - vocals, bass
Ben McLeod - guitar
Robby Staebler - drums

Studio albums:
ATW (2018, New West Records)
Sleeping Through the War (2017, New West Records)
Dying Surfer Meets His Maker (2015, New West Records)
Lightning at the Door (2013, self-released)
Our Mother Electricity (2012, self-released)

Stream the ATW album, here:
https://allthemwitches.bandcamp.com/album/atw

Stream the "Diamond" music video, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh1Jd8xU42U

"They are the real deal – psychedelic blues-rock warriors."
–SPIN

"All Them Witches dabble in Moody Blues-esque psychedelic pop, Zeppelin-tinged blues and riffy hard rock, all while still somehow managing to sound fresh and original."
–Revolver

"All Them Witches: easily one of the trippiest, coolest things going on Nashville at the moment."
–Louder

Band photo by James Stone

SOMETHING IS WAITING - Songs for the Sally Beauty Pavilion

From Chicago, Illinois, comes the earth-shaking, lightning-strike rock n' roll of Something Is Waiting's sophomore album, Songs for the Sally Beauty Pavilion.

The album is scheduled for a March 29th release on Learning Curve Records.

Stream first single "Lost In Space," here:
https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2019/02/13/track-premiere-something-is-waiting-lost-in-space/

Pre-order (vinyl, CD, digital), here:
https://learningcurverecords.myshopify.com/products/something-is-waiting-songs-for-the-sallybeauty-pavilion-lp-pre-order

On Songs for the Sally Beauty Pavilion (the follow-up to 2017 debut The Something Is Waiting Band), the quintet comes out, guns blazing – like Unsane covering Too Fast for Love, or a juiced-up reincarnation of the early, pre-major label phase of White Zombie, this is urban scum-rock grasping toward a fantasy of LA sleaze.

Like frontman Eddie Gobbo's previous band, Jar'd Loose, Something Is Waiting stands way out from its peers. Most "extreme" bands actually play it quite safe, adhering to strains of extremity that are already deemed to be cool and acceptable. Something Is Waiting waves ten middle fingers at all such safety, opting instead to make the weirdest, most hard-rocking album of 2019. 

Massive, pounding backbeats propel sinister, bluesy riffage, while one of the baddest voices in all of music snarls like Axl at its most pissed, spitting out lyrics that dismantle his various targets, viciously yet poetically. Music scene foibles and other cultural trash fires are the focus of many songs – soulless retro fashions, delusional cover bands, and more. Gobbo is a wordsmith but, make no mistake, he is singing literally and directly about the issues on his mind. When he sings about "Nikki Lane's Neo Nashville Airbnb," he is singing about the time he stayed at Nikki Lane's Airbnb in Nashville.

Songs for the Sally Beauty Pavilion was recorded and mixed by Something Is Waiting guitarist Pete Grossmann at his own Bricktop Recording (Weekend Nachos, Like Rats) in Chicago, and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (Faith No More, Today Is The Day).

Tracklist:
1) Your Vintage Nu Rock Band
2) Lost in Space
3) Fuck in Peace
4) Nikki Lane's Neo Nashville Airbnb
5) Fresh Squeezed
6) Work Husband
7) (We're in a) Tribute Band
8) I Collect Stamps

Lineup:
Eddie Gobbo - vocals
Pete Grossmann - guitar
William Thomas Fay - guitar
Eddie Limperis - bass, vocals
Idin Alexzander - drums

Discography:
Songs for the Sally Beauty Pavilion (2019, Learning Curve Records)
The Something Is Waiting Band (2017, The Path Less Traveled Records)

Cover art, by Eddie Limperis

Band photo, by John Mourlas

MOON TOOTH - "Trust" video

MOON TOOTH DEBUTS "TRUST" MUSIC VIDEO, ADDS NEW DATES TO SPRING TOUR

Moon Tooth has debuted the music video for new single "Trust" today via Kerrang!.

Watch the video, here:
https://www.kerrang.com/the-news/exclusive-moon-tooth-destroy-all-in-new-video/

"Trust" is the first track off the band's upcoming sophomore full-length, Crux, set for a March 29th release on Modern Static Records. The song gives a glimpse at what is in store: soaring vocals, fleet-fingered axe-slaying, and muscular rhythms (and polyrhythms) combine into a glorious, hard-rocking hymn.

As Kerrang! puts it: "The Long Island, NY, quartet have all the grind and groan that one wants from a heavy metal track, but their use of clean vocals, uplifting riffs, and humongous choruses save them from the acrobatic and esoteric sides of the genre. As such, they land smack dab on the tectonic fault line that divides the rabid underground from the fist-pumping masses, so that fans of both Strapping Young Lad and Deftones will find parts of their music to get down to."

Pre-order Crux, here:
https://moontoothny.bandcamp.com/album/crux

Crux was created with the help of Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton and producer extraordinaire Machine (King Crimson, Every Time I Die), who teamed up on pre-production for the album. Moon Tooth will join up with Morton again in March to support him on a quick coast-to-coast US tour, after which the band will play a leg of headlining dates.

Mark Morton, Light The Torch, Moon Tooth:
Mar 13 - Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
Mar 14 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Mar 15 - Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
Mar 16 - Montreal, QC @ L’Astral
Mar 18 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Mar 19 - New York, NY @ The Gramercy Theatre
Mar 21 - Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
Mar 23 - Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
Mar 25 - Hollywood, CA @ The Roxy Theatre
Mar 26 - Phoenix, AZ @ Club Red

Moon Tooth only:
Mar 29 - Lawrence KS @ Bottleneck
Mar 30 - St. Louis, MO @ Sinkhole
Mar 31 - Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle Brewery
Apr 1 - Murfreesboro, TN @ Media Rerun
Apr 2 - Atlanta, GA @ 529
Apr 3 - West Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
Apr 4 - Raleigh, NC @ The Pour House Music Hall

Photo by Anthony Barone

Out today: ANEURYSM - Awareness

Aneurysm's debut full-length, Awareness, is out today.

"Ten tracks of high-energy, punked-out noise-rock recorded at GodCity by Deafheaven bassist Chris Johnson, 'Awareness' will certainly put Aneurysm on the map."
–Decibel

"Boston rock combo pummels with chaos and melody..."
–No Echo

"Raw and rampaging debut album 'Awareness'... sludgy, yet emotionally spiked."
–The Big Takeover

"Enormous power chords, thunderous drumming and howled vocals... will bring Nirvana, METZ and others to mind."
–Joy of Violent Movement

"An almost infectious, relentless brand of noise rock that just never lets up and yet still proves intriguing. Music that’s so relentlessly loud and pushes structural boundaries doesn’t often end up so damn catchy — yet here we are..."
–Captured Howls

Listen, here:
https://aneurysm666.bandcamp.com/

Buy exclusive "crown yellow" color vinyl:
https://bit.ly/2GmHxML

Buy exclusive "creamsicle" color vinyl and CD:
http://constantdisappointment.com

Recorded at GodCity Studio in Salem, MA, by Chris Johnson of Deafheaven and Doomriders; mastered by Will Killingsworth (The Body, Magrudergrind). Artwork and layout by Mark McCoy, whose work has graced the covers of albums by Pig Destroyer and Full of Hell. 

Full album details, here:
http://thechainworld.blogspot.com/2018/12/aneurysm-awareness.html

The band kicks off a US tour TONIGHT.

Feb 1 - Florence, MA @ 13th Floor Lounge
Feb 2 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bazaar
Feb 3 - Richmond, VA @ VSC
Feb 4 - Asheville, NC @ Static Age
Feb 5 - Nashville, TN @ Drkmttr
Feb 7 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Mid City Ballroom
Feb 8 - Austin, TX @ Beerland
Feb 9 - Houston, TX @ house show 
Feb 10 - Arlington, TX @ Division Brewery
Feb 11 - Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone
Feb 12 - Atlanta, GA @ 529
Feb 13 - Raleigh, NC @ Slim's
Feb 16 - Waterbury, CT @ Brooklyn Cafe
Feb 17 - Providence, RI @ Dusk

PLANET B - "ABC" video

PLANET B: "ABC" MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERES VIA BROOKLYNVEGAN

BrooklynVegan has premiered Planet B's newest music video, for the track "[A] Not At All [B] Somewhat [C] Very Much."

Watch, here:
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/watch-planet-bs-new-abc-video/

The video, created by Displaced/Replaced (with footage shot by Becky DiGiglio and Stomp The Holy Bones), captures the ominous, overtly political tension of Planet B's music, opening with a Cornel West quote and cycling through scenes of civil unrest.

Planet B is the collaboration between Justin Pearson (The Locust, Retox, Dead Cross) and producer Luke Henshaw (First Power Crew, Sonida de la Frontera). Pearson's electrifying, hardcore punk vocals combine with Henshaw's hip-hop, industrial, and film score influences – the result is a wildly new and successful example of unusual collabs, transcending genres.

The "ABC" track appears on Planet B's self-titled debut album, out now on Ipecac Recordings and Three One G. Guests on the album include hip-hop pioneer Kool Keith, Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Martin Atkins (ex-PiL, Killing Joke, Ministry, Pigface), Gabe Serbian (The Locust), Sonny Kay (The VSS, Angel Hair), and more.

Buy, here:
http://smarturl.it/PlanetB

"Planet B... puts punk, industrial, hip hop, and more into a very aggressive, very confrontational blender."
–BrooklynVegan

"Justin Pearson has made his name with spazzy, noisy weirdo-rock outfits like the Locust, Retox and Dead Cross, but his project Planet B — a collaboration with hip-hop producer Luke Henshaw — might be his most left-field yet. The duo smashes together strains of hardcore, hip-hop, industrial and old-school horror-movie scores into the unique, genre-defying sound."
–Revolver

"Planet B, the collaboration of forward-thinking hardcore lifer Justin Pearson and sonic hip-hop alchemist Luke Henshaw... Henshaw’s beat science and ear for sound are a perfect match to accompany Pearson’s incessant need to bulldoze the accepted boundaries of whatever genre he chooses to work in."
–Alternative Press