Virginian trio Druglord left the rehearsal space to record their second demo, and listening to Motherfucker Rising, the difference is palpable. The Richmond three-piece, who made their debut in 2010 with a self-titled three-songer, are cleaner-sounding but still raw, and though these songs probably weren’t recorded live, they’re roughly produced enough to still be considered of demo quality. Stuff like this is made by the underground for the underground, and as Druglord – guitarist/vocalist Tommy, bassist Greta and drummer Bobby – riff out on hard-drug grooves and an overarching sense of defeat at their hands, they also showcase a little melodic growth. Just a little though, so don’t be worried. Tommy’s vocals are blown-out but low in the mix enough not to be painful, and it’s still the guitar and the bass tones very much at the fore, but Bobby’s drums come through clearer. Pressed to CD in a thick-stock sleeve edition of 100, Motherfucker Rising is, as the title might indicate, the sound of a group of players beginning to become a cohesive unit. It’s rudimentary – still a step up from the self-titled – but it also presents Druglord at one of the most exciting stages one can find a band: as they’re beginning to find themselves.

Familiar elements abound, and fans of Weedeater, Saint Vitus, Black Sabbath and Electric Wizard will be able to pick out and trace parts from Motherfucker Rising to their influences. Greta’s bass, for example, follows a progression similar to that of “Long Gone” by Weedeater at the end of the opening title-track, and based on its central riff alone, “Cleansed,” which follows, might seem a nastier take on traditional doom. Tommy’s vocals are compressed, throaty and sub-melodic but still cleaner than outright screams, and they do the bulk of the work distinguishing Druglord from its points of inspiration. “Cleansed” dares to add a bit of melody in the guitar and vocal line after halfway through, but again, it’s all very raw, and the distortion in the guitar and the bass seems to swallow it as the biting solo takes hold. Bobby is consistent on drums, but not flashy as he moves smoothly into and through tempo changes like the slowdown at the end of “Cleansed” or the pick-up and drop-off of “Motherfucker Rising,” which starts loud and rebuilds from a quiet section to be one of the demo’s stronger tracks. Overall, though, it’s “Lick the Wound” that proves to be the highlight of Motherfucker Rising. The only inclusion also found on the self-titled, it balance of melody, slow groove and abrasiveness is the most accomplished to be found on the CD, and shows that even in an aesthetic as unforgiving as that of Druglord, a memorable song can be crafted out of strong performances.

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A bit of personal trivia: Alabama Thunderpussy‘s Constellation was the first Man’s Ruin Records album I ever bought. It was released in 2000 and I made my purchase directly from the band on their website — it might also have been the first time I did that — sometime after the release of 2001′s also-excellent Staring at the Divine, which was their Relapse debut. I didn’t know much about the label or the band at that point, other than (as per the poster above) they stomped ass and it was worth $10 of my money.

I’ve chronicled my Man’s Ruin buying adventures here pretty extensively, but Constellation has always had a soft spot in my heart, for being the first and for its fearless blend of sentimentality and burly heavy Southern rock. It’s not just any band that would put “Six Shooter” and “15 Minute Drive” on the same record. Still, I probably hadn’t listened to it in a few years even before ATP broke up after releasing the more metallic Open Fire in 2007 with Kyle Thomas from Exhorder on vocals, and as has happened a couple times by now (see here, here, here and here, for starters), finding the promo for sale on the relative cheap provided a good chance to reintroduce myself to the album.

The first thing that sticks out about it — especially in the context of what’s come since from Virginia and the surrounding area — is how forward thinking it is. A lot of the distinct guitar crunch from Erik Larson and Asechaih Bogdan and the sans-reverb vocals of Johnny Throckmorton you can hear in the sludge coming out of that area now from the likes of Lord and a few like-minded acts also not shy about bringing melody into the mix.

As much as cuts like “Ambition,” “Burden” and the organ-infused “Foul Play” rock as straightforwardly as possible, the acoustics of “Obsari” and the more airy feel of “1271-3106″ do more than just change things up. There’s a direct effect on mood and the overall tone of the album that lasts right into the intro of “Keepsake” and the extended weird-out jam of “Country Song.” I guess it’s not necessarily that I didn’t realize these things were happening on the record before, although I’d believe that too, but with the additional time since its release — it’ll be 12 years come March — there’s been a real chance for the record to ferment. Constellation goes down like fine aged moonshine, and proves no less blinding.

If you’re interested, click the picture on the left above to enlarge it and read the bio. Believe it.

Richmond blackened sludgers Inter Arma‘s Sundown (reviewed here) isn’t something I put on every day, but I have been known on nights no one else is left in the office to blast the holy hell out of it. The louder you go the better it gets. Pretty simple math.

I’d imagine it’s even meaner in-person, despite the friendly looks in the picture above, and I think maybe I’ll go find out when they come through town. Here’s the info off the PR wire:

After releasing their stunning debut, Sundown (via Forcefield Records in 2010), the band hit the road running and have seldom stopped, touring heavily with brother band Bastard Sapling and sharing stages with the likes of The Body, Nocturnal, Castevet, Woods of Ypres, hometown homies Cough, Battlemaster, Cannabis Corpse and tons more. Inter Arma go hard, and once you catch a glimpse of frontman Mike‘s wildman antics or get nailed by one of their piledriver riffs, you’ll be glad you got hit.

Inter Arma fall 2011 tour dates:
10/20 Baltimore Golden West Cafe w/ Balaclava
10/21 Philly The Station w/ Balaclava, Fucked Forever, Bubonic Bear
10/22 Easthampton, MA Flywheel Arts Collective  w/ Katahdin, Hackles
10/23 Boston W.P.T.A.W.T.T.A.P w/ Furnace, Barnburner, Elitist, Blood of the Gods
10/24 Providence TBA/Help
10/25 Connecticut TBA
10/26 Brooklyn The Acheron
10/27 Washington D.C. Asefu’s
10/28 Pittsburgh TBA
10/29 Athens Ohio Morguefest w/ Locusta, Artillery Breath and more
10/30 Indianapolis TBA/Help
10/31 Milwaukee TBA
11/01 Appleton WI Maritime Tavern w/ The Parish, Mellow Harsher
11/02 Chicago TBA
11/03 Ft. Wayne Harrison St. House
11/04 Columbus Carabar
11/05 Lexington KY House Show
11/06 Nashville TN The Little Hamilton
11/07 Knoxville TN The Poison Lawn
11/08 Asheville NC The Get Down w/ Mose Giganticus, Shadow of the Destroyer
11/09 Blacksburg VA TBA
11/10 Richmond VA Strange Matter w/ ABSU, Infernal Stronghold, Battlemaster, Earthling

Emitting molten, viscous, riffs and nod-worthy doom crashes, the Richmond, Virginia, collective Windhand make their debut on Forcefield Records with a five-track, self-titled album. The dual guitar five-piece formed in 2008 and I was lucky enough to catch their set in August at SHoD. It was my first time seeing the band, but when vocalist Dorothia Cottrell said they’d have a record out this fall, I took note.

Well, as previously reported, Windhand‘s Windhand is due Oct. 25. The album is a distinctly American answer back to the all-consuming distortion and bleary-eyed psychedelia of Electric Wizard‘s latter-day missives that strips away some of the cult mentality and puts in its place a woodsy sensibility — not forest-dwelling silliness, but something organic and un-postured. Guided by the slower-than-fuck guitar work of Asechiah Bogdan and Garrett Morris and skillfully underscored by bassist Nathan Hilbish and drummer Ryan Wolfe (also of The Might Could), tracks like “Libusen” and sprawling, screaming, feedback-caked closer “Winter Sun” offer vindication for those who’d let riffs steal the ground from underneath their feet.

In short (ha!), it’s heavy as hell and packed with slow low-end doomed groove. Forcefield Records and Catharsis PR were kind enough to let me stream Windhand in its entirety, so if you’d like to let it ruin your life — and I think you would — you’ll find it on the player below, followed by some light blue PR-wire type info:

Richmond, VA, may be known primarily for its wicked thrash and crust punk scenes, but there’s something evil lurking within that doomed old capital. Psyched-out, Electric Wizard-loving, ultra-Sabbathian amplifier worshippers Windhand, who boast ex-members of heavy riffters Facedowninshit and Alabama Thunderpussy within their ranks, have risen. On the heels of a recent Northeast tour and numerous triumphant local appearances, Windhand will be releasing their self-titled debut LP via Richmond‘s own Forcefield Records.

Slated for an Oct. 25 release, the record will be available in a limited gatefold pressing of violet wax, and was recorded/mixed by Garrett Morris (Parasytic, Bastard Sapling) at the Dark Room with Slipped Disc Audio‘s Bill McElroy (Pentagram, Avail, Alabama Thunderpussy) handling mastering duties.

After seeing their recent set at Krug’s Place as part of Stoner Hands of Doom XI in Frederick, Maryland, I’m psyched to hear what kinds of electric wizardry Windhand will bring to their Forcefield Records debut, set for release on Oct. 25. The PR wire sent along the following info, which you’ll find in the apparently Google Readerproof #ccffff blue below:

On the heels of a recent Northeast tour and numerous triumphant local appearances, psyched-out ultra-Sabbathian amplifier worshippers Windhand, who boast ex-members of heavy riffters Facedowninshit and Alabama Thunderpussy within their ranks, will be releasing their self-titled debut LP via Richmond‘s own Forcefield Records.

Slated for an Oct. 25 release, the record will be available in a limited gatefold pressing of violet wax, and was recorded/mixed by Garrett Morris (Parasytic, Bastard Sapling) at the Dark Room with Slipped Disc Audio‘s Bill McElroy (Pentagram, Avail, Alabama Thunderpussy) handling mastering duties.

Windhand was formed in 2008 in Richmond, and self-released their first demo in 2010. Original drummer, Jeff Loucks, parted ways with the band in early 2010, with current drummer Ryan Wolfe (ex-Facedowninshit) joining shortly thereafter. Their mammoth debut LP will be available for preorder on Sept. 27th — stay (down)tuned!

Windhand, Windhand track listing:
1. Black Candles
2. Libusen
3. Heap Wolves
4. Summon the Moon
5. Winter Sun

We end this week on a high note with the Earth interview and some Alabama Thunderpussy covering Jethro Tull off the first Sucking the ’70s compilation on Small Stone. I’ve always kind of thought Alabama Thunderpussy never got their due. They were excellent on Man’s Ruin, and then they were excellent on Relapse. Their more metal last album wasn’t really my thing, but they had some really killer songs and I don’t think Relapse at the time knew what to do with them. Pretty sure if the Johnny Weils or the Johnny Throckmorton-fronted lineups were putting out records now, they’d be gods to the new breed of Southern rockers. Who the hell knows.

The moral of the story is listen to The Might Could, and I think it might be time for Small Stone to do a third Sucking the ’70s. Would be cool to hear Gozu take on Blue Öyster Cult or some crazy harmonized arena rock, Iota, Lo-Pan, Backwoods Payback and the rest of the new crop chime in.

Bonus argument for the above clip: I’ve had “Hymn 43″ stuck in my head forever because the Aqualung cassette pretty much never leaves my car anymore. It’s become a permanent fixture, just one of my listening options. AM/FM radio, CD, Tull. Not a bad way to go.

Tomorrow is The Patient Mrs.‘s birthday. Out of courtesy to her, I won’t say which one, but it’s a biggie, and we’ll be celebrating tomorrow night out to dinner in NYC, then over to the Mercury Lounge to catch Wino, Scott Kelly and Man’s Gin. If you see us there, be sure to wish her a happy birthday. And if you don’t know what she looks like, she’ll be the one looking patient. Rock.

I’m on deadline next week to both do and transcribe a Clutch interview and also to transcribe a Weedeater interview that’s already in the can, so we might have a double-feature week rather than the average one-per. We’ll see how that goes and if I can muster the time to actually get it done. I’m backlogged on interviews at this point and they just keep coming. Wo Fat, Suplecs. The other night I had a brief but very pleasant conversation with Jeannie Saiz of Shroud Eater — just kind of getting an introduction to/general idea about the band — so that’ll be posted sooner than later as well. Lots to come.

But yeah, tomorrow, the patient birthday, Sunday, homework, Monday, back at it. Hope to see you on the forum over the weekend. It’s that big orange link in the sidebar. Can’t miss.

Go figure.

I was thinking of catching Richmond Southern specialists The Might Could at Acheron in Brooklyn on Saturday, where they’re playing with two bands I’ve never heard of and thus care very little about. Tooling around the internets today and what do I see but that the very next night, they’re sharing the stage in Allston, Massachusetts, with Black Thai, Gozu and Riff Cannon — which, if you need me to spell it out, is a fucking awesome lineup.

Because I’m jealous, here’s the flier. Dig its informative minimalism:

The presumably self-titled demo from Richmond, Virginia, stoner doomers Druglord – aptly named for the sonic haze they create – contains just about no info regarding its origins or those who made it. Literally on the inside of the cover, it has the band’s name, the list of the three tracks, and “Recorded in Room 13 September 2010.” What that recording entailed, who helmed it or where Room 13 might be (probably in Richmond, but you never know) is anyone’s best guess. This might seem like an annoyance, but screw it, in this age of instant connectivity with artists, via social networking, Twitter and the like, it’s kind of fun not knowing how Druglord’s demo was made. Until I searched out their Facebook page, I didn’t even know how many people were in the band or where they were from. I only had the music to go by, and every now and then, I think that’s refreshing.

To sum the 13-minute, self-released demo up in one word: Stoned. Guitarist/vocalist Tommy (Druglord is on a first name basis) has a dank level of distortion on his guitar, crudely captured on lumbering Druglord opener “Smell Your Disease” and thickened – as if such a thing was possible – by Greta’s earthquake, mix-engulfing bass. If you’ve ever listened to Bongzilla, you know the kind of bass I’m talking about. Tommy’s vocals are a drawl, not screamed or shouted, delivered clean, but with that ‘90s-style drugged-out fuck-all that so few can pull off at this point. “Smell Your Disease” handles its evil groove well, and though Bobby is credited on their site (again, nobody’s credited with anything on the disc itself), I’d have sworn Tommy and Greta were backed by a drum machine. It’s demo production, but I’ll be damned if the ultra-fuzz on Tommy’s drawn-out leads isn’t charm put to tape.

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Like their fellow Richmond-dwellers in Cough, the Richmond five-piece Inter Arma have managed to find a niche for themselves within the well-explored grounds of Southern sludge. Where Cough – and since Cough made their debut, as Inter Arma does now, on Forcefield Records, it doesn’t seem like an unfair comparison – brought an Electric Wizard-style ritualism to the Virginian tradition for abrasive riffing and screaming, Inter Arma’s first full-length, Sundown, finds them adopting some of the sonic temperament and aesthetics of blackened and other extreme metals, so that the double-guitar riff-based groove is only a portion of their attack, and by no means the sole focus stylistically. Inter Arma’s Sundown – available on vinyl or CD/download with different tracklistings – is consistent in its meanness of attitude and visceral anger, but also presents some sonic turns that followers of traditional sludge might not see coming.

And they don’t waste any time in doing so either. The short piano intro “Prolegomenon” leads into the seven-minute “All Time Low,” which starts with guitar feedback and punkish snare taps from drummer T.J. Childers (Lord by Fire). Inter Arma slam through tempo changes with aggression and ease, landing on a cowbell (yes, they broke out the cowbell on the first track) groove that accompanies a riff-fest from guitarists Steven Russell and Trey Dalton. Vocalist Mike Paparo’s throaty rasp is responsible for much of Sundown’s extremity; it’s entirely possible that with, for example, someone who did more clean singing, Inter Arma would be a totally different band. His approach works for the massive slowdown at the end of “All Time Low” however, the tortured screams only adding to the feedbacking atmosphere of viciousness. “2000 Years,” which follows, picks the pace back up and affirms the course “All Time Low” set, ranging in tempo and offering a more memorable chorus before a break brings in one of Sundown’s several standout solos. If nothing else, “2000 Years” acts as a bridge for the CD/download-only cut “Hallucinatorium,” which is shorter by almost half at 3:41 and almost purely black metal in style, Paparo giving a Fenriz-style gurgle over Childers’ blasting and the squibbling fury of Russell and Dalton. Bassist Tommy Brewer still has a ways to go before his standout performance on the closer, but he does well enough with the breakdown beat that closes “Hallucinatorium” as well.

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With the release of their second album, Ritual Abuse, through Relapse at the end of October, Virginian four-piece Cough made it known that they’re not here to fuck around. The band, who released their Sigillum Luciferi debut through Forcefield Records in 2008, have been touring hard ever since, and returning to their formidable recording partner in the form of Sanford Parker, Cough crafted one of the bleakest and most weighted sludge atmospheres to come from the American scene in a long time. If Eyehategod and Electric Wizard had a baby and left it down by the river…

But it’s the touring that always does it. It’s hard to grow in a practice space. You grow on stage. And that’s just what Cough has done. They’ve gotten out on the road — they’re currently on a month-long US tour and they’re headed to Europe next year around Roadburn time — and the maturation they’ve undertaken is evident on Ritual Abuse, when deformed psychedelia hits head first into sonic pummel and all you can do is embrace it because they’re taking you whether or not you want to go. The sounds on songs like “A Year in Suffering” and “Mind Collapse” (good for 24 of the album’s 53 minutes between them) are grotesque, and for a very specific kind of listener, essential.

I spoke to bassist/vocalist Parker Chandler as Cough was just beginning the tour in Florida, and aside from the weather, we discussed working with Relapse, the band’s sonic development, touring, more touring, recording, and just how he, guitarist/vocalist David Cisco and drummer Joseph Arcaro — second guitarist Brandon Marcey hadn’t yet joined the band — came up with the 19-minute track “The Gates of Madness” that serves as their half of the An Introduction to the Black Arts split with venerable UK doomers The Wounded Kings. That’s a pretty good story in itself.

Uncut Q&A is after the jump. Please enjoy.

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Formed at the behest of drummer Ryan Wolfe (formerly of Facedowninshit) upon his moving to Richmond, Virginia, the double-guitar riff specialists The Might Could – who seem to have added their “The” since last I looked – make their full-length debut with a self-titled album on Small Stone that seems to work solely on one ethic: No bullshit allowed. Driven by the guitar work of TJ Childers (Inter Arma) and Erik Larson (Parasytic, Hail!Hornet, ex-Alabama Thunderpussy, etc.), Wolfe’s drumming and the low end of bassist Rob Gouldman (Lord), The Might Could deliver 10 tracks of no-frills Southern metal, making no bones about their influences, their ethic, their love of solos or any of it. Both Childers and Larson handle vocals — the latter in the lead spot for most of the songs — and I’d have to blow into a tube to be sure, but I think I may have gotten drunk just listening to it.

The Might Could, as a debut, is somewhat rudimentary, but like Larson’s earliest work in Alabama Thunderpussy on albums like Rise Again and River City Revival, there’s a raw charm to the material here. The album opens strong and heavy with the six-minute “Stone Colossus” and keeps that vibe going to varying degrees across the next three tracks. I wouldn’t call The Might Could stoner metal, but some of that groove is undeniably there on “Stone Colossus.” “Wretched Wraith” is shorter, meaner and more punk, but still follows the riff, Wolfe’s snare about as far forward in the mix as it can get without poking an eye out. As one of the longest cuts, “The Night They Shoot Ol’ Dixie Down” at 7:13 brings back the mid-paced dueling guitar of the opener (killer solos abound), Larson and Childers meshing well together sonically and offering just enough range in tone to be distinguishable one to the next. I had to turn the bass up to hear more of Gouldman, but once I did, the balance seemed just right and I suspect it was more my stereo than the mix.

As the chorus of “I Don’t Even Like Pantera Anymore” is also the title line, the song was bound to be a highlight, even if The Might Could hadn’t filled it with whiskey chug and screams that I’m pretty sure are just there to make fun of Phil Anselmo. All in good spirit, I assume. Things slow and mellow with the ballad “When the Spirits Take Control,” which thankfully offers some payoff to its build in the by-now familiar form of a guitar solo and resurgence of distortion. It’s not one of The Might Could’s finer moments, but it needs to be there, and without it, the record would probably come off as one-dimensional or too single-minded. Plus, it sets a precedent, should the band decide to try more of this kind of thing on subsequent albums, and leads well into “Mad Dog Blues,” another burner of barns with one of the catchiest choruses The Might Could has to offer and a little more of the punk/hardcore edge that reared its head on “Wretched Wraith.” I’m not saying it’s Social Distortion gone metal, but if The Might Could wanted to start covering “Ring of Fire” too, that’d probably be alright.

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Culled together on the aptly titled Forcefield Records split release, An Introduction to the Black Arts, two of next-gen occult doom’s brightest (bleakest?) team up for more than 34 minutes of torturous musical sprawl. Dartmoor’s The Wounded Kings and Richmond, Virginia’s Cough reportedly got in touch with each other before any label got involved; drawn, no doubt, by their mutual predilection for riff-led worship and affection for the genre’s forebears. If the UK and US outfits have anything in common other than riffs, feedback and plod, it’s probably an affection for Electric Wizard, though that comes out more on Cough’s 18:36 “The Gates of Madness” than The Wounded Kings’ 15:03 “Curse of Chains,” which takes a less blatantly Oborn-ian approach and shares more in concept than strict execution with the band’s Dorset countrymen and adds more traditional doom to the mix.

“The Gates of Madness” was recorded by Sanford Parker at the same time Cough put to tape their recently-released Relapse Records debut, Ritual Abuse. They showed their love of Electric Wizard there, and follow suit on this extended cut, blending in screamed vocals as well to add notes of aggressive individuality, more in line with their 2008 Forcefield debut, Sigillum Luciferi. The difference, though, isn’t so great that anyone who heard and/or dug Ritual Abuse is going to be particularly surprised by “The Gates of Madness,” and rather, I’d argue that Cough’s Side A contribution to An Introduction to the Black Arts is an opportunity for those who couldn’t get enough of their sound on the sophomore outing to once more sample their heavier, more abrasive side. With droning, ultra-low tones and lumber sufficient enough to build a house, Cough easily justify the buzz they’ve been getting lately.

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It’s fitting, in a way. Electric Wizard more or less refuses to tour in the US, so the US gets its own Electric Wizard. That’ll show ‘em! Not that I seriously believe being a Stateside Electric Wizard was the goal or intent of Richmond, Virginia, outfit Cough when they formed in 2005 (though if it was, who could blame them for having such noble aims?), but with their second full-length album and Relapse Records debut, Ritual Abuse, it’s kind of where they’ve ended up. Opening with two massive 12-plus minute tracks — they also close with one — the record is a dirge-laden take on excessively drugged doom, in parts sounding like dark psychedelia that broke into the pharmacy after it was closed and at times so seethingly hateful it’s nearly black metal in its ambience.

In following their 2008 first offering, Sigillum Luciferi, Cough do much of the work growing into their sound through a riffing, crashing and wailing approach that will be welcome and familiar to experienced doomers. Again, Electric Wizard is the central point of reference for the four-piece, with the guitars of David Cisco offering similar plod. Cisco and bassist Parker Chandler split the vocal duties, and as much as the screams on “A Year in Suffering” set them apart, the cleaner approach that shows up throughout Ritual Abuse is so much in line with what Jus Oborn has done on the last couple Electric Wizard discs that it’s uncanny. And don’t for one second think that’s a complaint. Far from it, it sounds awesome to my ears, and the bass tone that comes out of “Crooked Spine” later in the record is so righteously doomed that I’m hard pressed to think of another American band better at this kind of musical lumbering, but original it ain’t.

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Dude. As someone who’s listened to Ritual Abuse, the Relapse debut from Richmond‘s Cough, believe me, this shit is heavy. It’s like the omega-doom. They’re the Electric Wizard of the Virginia Colony. Very heavy, very riffy, very doom. Visceral. And the best part? Relapse has allowed The Obelisk to exclusively premiere the new track, “Crippled Wizard,” and I don’t mean “exclusive” like you can also go find it on a bunch of other sites. Hoist a doom claw; this one’s all ours.

Use the player below to bear witness. Cough‘s Ritual Abuse is out Oct. 26 on Relapse.

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Ritual Abuse will be on CD and in 2LP gatefold vinyl in an edition of 556 ashen gray marble and 108 clear records which aren’t for public consumption. Artwork comes courtesy of Glyn Smyth. Here’s what the label has to say about it:

Richmond‘s Cough delivers thoroughly massive, psychedelic doom on their aptly-titled Relapse debut Ritual Abuse. The album’s five epic tracks are impenetrable walls of sludge; at points suffocating and claustrophobic, at others warped and hallucinogenic. Ritual Abuse is an impressive monolith of sound and volume, and one of the finest moments yet of 21st Century doom.

Tour Dates:
Sept. 24 Harrisonburg, VA Crayola House
Sept. 25 Wilmington, DE Barcode (w/Might Could, Pagan Wolf Ritual)
Sept. 26 Philadelphia, PA Mill Creek Tavern (w/Gholas)
Nov. 7 Gainesville, FL Common Grounds
Nov. 8 Orlando, FL Will’s Pub
Nov. 9 Jacksonville, FL The Warehouse
Nov. 10 Miami, FL Churchill’s
Nov. 14 Tallahassee, FL The Farside Collective
Nov. 16 Athens, GA Caledonia Lounge
Nov. 17 Nashville, TN Little Hamilton
Nov. 19 Little Rock, AR Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom
Nov. 20 Vicksburg, MS The Doom Room
Nov. 21 New Orleans, LA Siberia
Nov. 23 Dallas, TX Nightmare
Nov. 24 Oklahoma City, OK The Conservatory
Nov. 27 Las Vegas, NV Meathead’s Bar
Nov. 29 San Francisco, CA The Elbo Room
Nov. 30 Chico, CA Monstro’s Pizza
Dec. 2 Seattle, WA The Highline
Dec. 9 Columbus, OH Carabar

I’m in Connecticut for the weekend and wanted to wait until I got up here before I posted the ceremonial Frydee video. Ah my friends, what a week it has been. I could go into it, but frankly, I haven’t got the energy. Instead, I’ll just sludge out to the Axehandle clip above and enjoy the night beach-side, moon reflected on water and all that. Maybe find a beer. Can’t really lose.

A hearty congrats to our amigo Mike “ZodiacLung” Hanson, who is getting married this weekend. Our best to him and his bride on the nuptials, a lifetime of happiness and so forth. Marriage gets a bad reputation, but I’m a fan, more power to the happy couple.

Being back at work has proven more challenging than I could have imagined, but it’ll settle down. Just in time for school to start, I’m sure. What a mess. At several intervals this week I thought to myself, “You know, I used to sit in my underwear all day and review doom records.” I suppose the difference now is I wear pants and do six other things at the same time. Guess what, here’s life.

Wish you a safe and enjoyable weekend. Thanks for all the responses on the Italy Where to Start post. Any requests for others, let me know in the comments.