“Hey Vince…”

“Yeah, Kip?”

“Remember when we saw Earthless open for Baroness and one nob in the whole place claimed to not like them for no apparent reason?”

“Yes I do, and I will never understand that…”

“Me neither.  Thanks for the fictional yet accurate quotes.”

“My pleasure.  You rule.”

After seeing the almighty California instrumental psychedelic trio Earthless open for Baroness last year, I was hooked on their spontaneous, jam-heavy sound. Their show at the Mercury Lounge in NYC this Wednesday continued my love of their vibe, and I’m psyched (pun intended) fo much MO.

Guitarist Isaiah Mitchell has such tasty licks and solos and uses his effect pedals so masterfully that you almost forget just how thumping and tight the rhythm section is.  Bassist Mike Eginton holds down grooves like there’s no tomorrow, and drummer Mario Rubalcaba (formerly of Rocket from the Crypt, Hot Snakes, and now punk supergroup Off! as well), slays straightforward pocket jams with as much ease and finesse as he does syncopated freakouts.

Sounds like all sorts of 1969.

But don’t take my word for it…..check out these video clips from last Summer, and then run don’t walk to see them play live as soon as humanly possible.

Visit Earthless on TheirSpace

Check out bassist Mike Eginton’s wicked San Diego record store The Thirsty Moon

-KW

We’re not huge punk-lovers here at Metalisbad but this certainly seems worthy of mention…

The (anti?) super group OFF! is made up of Keith Morris (Circle Jerks, Black Flag) with Steven McDonald (Redd Kross), Dmitri Coats (Burning Brides) and Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless, Rocket from the Crypt, Hot Snakes). Vice Records is putting out four EPs in a box as a debut in November, and the first 7″ came out last week.

OFF! will play a CMJ show TONIGHT at Club Europa in their first NYC appearance ever (with Cerebral Ballzy).

More vids after the hoo-hah…

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Last night at NYC’s Mercury Lounge, after Earthless tore my face open (psychedelically speaking) and I spent the entire duration of Iron Age’s set talking shit at the bar trying to wingman one of the dudes in Priestess with a kinda lame chick, Disembodied stepped up to the plate and took an enormously heavy and dissonant dump all over the crowd.  Musically speaking.  In a good way.

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Sandy Eigo’s EARTHLESS weave together a formidable blend of shredderiffic classic rock / psychedelic stoner metal, and while the at-home listening experience requires the full-stop, no talking zone-out attention many of us so rarely have in our daily routines, in a live setting this shit bops n bounces n totally slays through epically searching musical journeys in a supremely palatable and jaw-dropping way…

We saw these guys absolutely kill in November opening up for Baroness, and save for one poor shmuck who just couldn’t get into it, all the other heads in the room were completely blown.

EARTHLESS — “Sonic Prayer” from Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky (2007)

-KW

Baroness have grown leaps and bounds as a live band. It’s been a cool experience to watch this band mature over the past 2 years or so… from an adrenaline and sweat-filled room in a makeshift venue in the back of a Mexican restaurant, to a poised but still unsure-of-themselves band on a bigger stage a year later, to bonafide rockstars at the end of 2009. Baroness looked completely comfortable on the stage of the Bowery Ballroom, effortlessly commanding the attention of the sold out 550-capacity venue. They’ve now made the ascension from scrappy new band to the big leagues… of course there’s still a long way to go, but last Friday they proved that they’re fully capable.

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Anyone remember this from a couple of years back?

Well that Taco Bell isn’t too far from the Mansion, and I’m ashamed to admit, but sometimes, in moments of stoned weakness, I purchased food there. But ever since that little incident, I haven’t eaten at a Taco Bell; I can’t. I know that ALL fast food is crap, but come ON, a man has limits.

Still, I guess it’s nice of them to start this whole “Feed the Beat” program, in which they basically give touring bands $500 worth of diarrhea food for free. And now Metal Insider is reporting that a handful of metal bands – including Atreyu, Iwrestledabearonce, Whitechapel, Municipal Waste and Earthless – are rumored to have been selected for the offer.

And as Metal Insider says, “tour support is tour support” – so I don’t blame the bands for participating. And the dudes in The Waste are probably fucked up half the time anyways, so they won’t be able to tell the difference. Meanwhile, Atreyu have been spewing crap forth from their mouths for years, so they might as well put some back into their mouths for a change.

-AR

P.S. I wanna give extra credit to Metal Insider, not just for originally reporting on this story, but for coming up with a headline that is vastly superior to my own. Nice work, Bram!

MetalSucks is super-duper-uper psyched to be co-sponsoring the U.S. fall tour for Baroness, whose forthcoming Blue Album is so good that Axl will buy you a hooker if it’s not his favorite album of 2009. Baroness definitely bring the goods live, too. Some time shortly after the release of Red Album I saw the band in a shitty, hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in Bushwick that was so makeshift that the furious moshpit kept running up against the restaurant’s tables and chairs stacked against the walls. It was complete fucking mayhem, and though Baroness have now moved on to considerably bigger and better venues, their intensity and passion for their live shows is just the same. Support on the run comes from a rotating cast of characters consisting of Earthless, U.S. Christmas, MetalSucks faves Iron Age, and Dark Castle, all of whom are sure to sweeten up the deal just that much.

Full list of tour dates (with relevant support act info) after the jump.

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What better way to take a much-deserved break from the vapid Hollywood wasteland than to roll up a fat one and bro down with some of the best stoner/doom rock/metal bands in the world? Tee Pee Records is hosting the second annual “Manifest Destiny” this Sunday, September 7th, at The Echoplex on Glendale, and you shan’t be disappointed — notable acts on the bill include the almighty Witchcraft from Sweden, San Diego’s Earthless, and Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis’ band Witch (in which J plays drums).

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Those who complain we don’t dedicate enough space to left coast coverage, take heed — the Manifest Destiny festival is coming to The Echoplex in Los Angeles on September 7th. The festival, which is curated by Tee Pee Records, features bands from the label’s roster of stoned-out, psychadelic metal — Witchcraft, Earthless, Witch, The Warlocks, Graveyard, Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound, Ancestors, Night Horse, and T.K. Webb & the Visions. That is a fucking phenomenal lineup, and the day promises to be full of good times in additional to great music — so be sure to bring some shrooms with you, or at least some pot brownies… ya hear?

After the jump, check out the trippy tour poster artwork.

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