US / THEM Group

Riley Hawk fronted trio Warish premiere first track from forthcoming RidingEasy Records debut

"Sludgy garage punk with truly evil vocals that are coated in just the right amount of distortion and echo. Come for the rowdy punk, stay for the slowed-down Sabbathy bridge." -- Brooklyn Vegan

Southern California trio Warish premiere the first track from their forthcoming debut EP on

RidingEasy Records today via Brooklyn Vegan. Hear and share "Fight" HERE. (Direct YouTube.)

Imagine if Incesticide era Nirvana were crossed with Static Age era Misfits. You'd have sinister low budget horror rock with a visceral, twisted weirdness and bludgeoning riffs. Some might call it nightmarish, we call it Warish.

Warish is a very newly minted SoCal trio formed in early 2018 that has wasted no time making its presence known. The band formed when guitarist/vocalist Riley Hawk and drummer Bruce McDonnell decided they wanted to try their hand at something more distinct than they'd done previously.

"We wanted to do simpler riffs and a fun live show," Riley explains. "A little more punk, a little bit of grunge... a little evil-ish."

Their sound takes cues from a variety of cool underground sounds and twists it all into an energetic and exciting fist to the face of dark fury. Hawk's effect-laden vocals hearken to early Butthole Surfers and David Yow's tortured caterwaul in Scratch Acid. The guitars are heavy and powerful, though decidedly not straightforward cookie cutter punk; more like Cobain's and Buzz Osbourne's wiry contortions. The rhythms bash and pummel right through it all with aggressive force ensuring that nothing gets overly complicated and the horrors keep coming throughout the 5-track, 11-minute debut.

Warish will be available on 7" vinyl and download on February 1st, 2019 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

Artist: Warish

Album: Warish

Label: RidingEasy Records

Release Date: February 1st, 2019

01. Bones

02. Voices

03. Fight

04. Human

05. Shivers

On The Web:

instagram.com/warish.usa

facebook.com/Warishband

ridingeasyrecs.com

NOUS launch winter tour dates (members of SWANS, Ghost Against Ghost, tUnE-yArDs, MDC, Anthony Braxton)

Watch tour promo video HERE

"A half-airy, half-aggressive interdisciplinary happening organized by the young and enterprising composer Christopher Bono, who brought together a wise, postcategory, electric and acoustic 12-person crew." -- New York Times

"You couldn't pigeonhole it into one genre if you tried -- it goes from eerie David Lynchian soundscapes to Eastern melodies to avant-garde jazz drum freakouts to a million other places, all while remaining strangely accessible." -- Brooklyn Vegan

New York experimental music project NOUS, led by producer and composer Christopher Bono, launch December tour dates today with a special ensemble lineup in Albany, NY. Please see all dates below. Tickets and info at allnous.com.

Lineup for these shows is:

Christopher Bono (Ghost Against Ghost, Bardo), Christopher Pravdica (SWANS), Mike Pride (Millions of Dead Cops, Anthony Braxton), and Matt Nelson (tUnE-yArDs).

Brooklyn Vegan recently streamed their debut album NOUS I: A Musical Rite HERE. (Direct Bandcamp and Soundcloud.)

Nous is an experimental music project with a fluctuating group of artists exploring ritual and spontaneity within music. Woodstock, NY label Our Silent Canvas recently released the first of 3 albums culled from sessions the group recorded in an intensive 7-day immersion at legendary Dreamland Studios with producer Kevin McMahon (Swans, Titus Andronicus, Real Estate).

Each recording, and performance will center around a different focal concept, always seeking alternative ways of creating art. The name Nous was chosen for its double meaning. 'Nous' in the French language is the plural personal pronoun in the first person, meaning 'we' or 'us'. However, within the philosophical tradition it is a word, sometimes equated to intellect or intelligence, used to describe the faculty of the human mind which is described in classical philosophy as necessary for understanding what is true or real, similar in meaning to intuition.

In the eastern tradition, the sanskrit equivalent is Buddhi, which denotes an aspect of mind that is higher than the rational mind and that is attracted to Brahman (i.e., to "Truth" (sat) or "Reality"(dharma)). Discriminative in nature, Buddhi/Nous is that which is able to discern truth (satya) from

falsehood and thereby able to make wisdom possible. Inspired by this definition, the Nous project looks to build communal musical relationships that collectively work to find new ways of creating art

that bypasses the small, fearful, egotistical mind and encourages the connection of those involved to reach a higher level of consciousness, providing a creative field/space where intuitive, unexpected and unexplained results can occur.

Nous band members on the album recording:

~ Christopher Bono (Composer, Ghost Against Ghost) www.christopherbono.com

~ Greg Fox (Guardian Alien, Zs, Ben Frost, ex-Liturgy)

~ Shahzad Ismaily (Yoko Ono, Laurie Anderson, Bonnie Prince Billy)

~ Thor Harris (Swans, Angels of Light, Amanda Palmer, Shearwater)

~ Grey Mcmurray (itsnotyouitsme, So Percussion, Tyondai Braxton)

Special guests:

~ Clarice Jensen (Cello, ACME: American Contemporary Music Ensemble, yMusic, Ra Ra Riot

~ Caleb Burhans (Composer, itsnotyouitsme, ACME)

~ Laura Lutzke (Violin, ACME)

~ Alex Sopp (Flutes, ACME, yMusic)

~ Imago (Cello, Vocals, Múm)

~ Laraaji & Arji (Zither, Ambient Sounds)

~ Akil Davis and Loud Sol Productions

NOUS I: A Musical Rite is available on LP and download as of November 16th, 2018 via Our Silent Canvas. Orders are available HERE.

NOUS LIVE 2018:

12/12 Albany, NY @ The Linda

12/13 New Haven, CT @ The Lyric Hall

12/14 Brooklyn, NY @ Secret Robot Project

12/15 Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA

Artist: NOUS

Album: NOUS I: A Musical Rite

Record Label: Our Silent Canvas

Release Date: November 16, 2018

01. Ya Ma Toh: Tahd

02. Kabay

03. This Winter Can Not Last

04. Dancing Marvels Intro

05. Dancing Marvels

06. Not All Seeds Fail

07. Shumisah

08. Original Energy

09. The Un-Led

10. Beneath

11. Transitory Reality

On the Web:

allnous.com/nousiamusicalrite

oursilentcanvas.bandcamp.com

oursilentcanvasstore.org

MONOLORD announce North American headlining tour Spring 2019

"Universally beloved... Swedish doom royalty." -- Noisey

"A truly modern sound: recognizably doom, but with glistening production values and adventurous songcraft." -- Consequence of Sound

"Hugely accessible without having sacrificed their crushing heaviness." -- Metal Hammer

"Monolord's records have only gotten heavier, and now the band has taken a turn for the catchy (yet still crushing)." -- Metal Injection

"Rust is perfect; it’s as fuzzed out as any of the genre’s great records, but the mix is clean and even, allowing the drums and vocals to cut through. Most importantly, there are songs aplenty: you’ll be humming the riffs and vocal hooks immediately." -- Metal Sucks

Gothenburg, Sweden trio Monolord announce U.S. headlining tour dates in Spring 2019, including their performance at the inaugural Psycho Smokeout festival in Los Angeles on April 20th, 2019 and at Desert Fest NYC. Please see all dates below.

Monolord's recently released third album, Rust received universal praise in reviews, and landed atop multiple Album of The Year lists for 2017 -- including the #1 Album of 2017 on the Doom Charts collective of journalists, bloggers, radio and podcasters. Rust is available to hear & share on YouTube and Bandcamp.

Monolord is a rare breed: A band both encompassing and transcending genre; a vortex of heavy rock density that consumes all others. Their thunderous, tuneful heft has built a rabid international fanbase in short order since their 2014 debut. But Rust, the band's third full length, truly exemplifies why some refer to them as the Nirvana of doom.

Monolord's enveloping, syrupy sludge is a vibe, it's a state of mind. Not riffs for riffs sake, but a collective buzzing, rattling and rumbling that's more total environment than collection of songs. Together, guitarist/vocalist Thomas Jäger, drummer Esben Willems and bassist Mika Häkki create a massive, dynamic sound with ultra-low frequencies serving as its fourth member.

Rust is available on LP, CD and download, released September 29th, 2017 via RidingEasy Records.

MONOLORD U.S. TOUR 2018:

Apr 19 San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick

Apr 20 Los Angeles, CA @ Psycho Smokeout 420

Apr 21 Phoenix, AZ @ Club Red

Apr 22 Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar

Apr 24 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada

Apr 25 Austin, TX @ Barracuda

Apr 26 Houston, TX @ Secret Group

Apr 28 New York, NY @ Desert Fest NYC (w/ Windhand)

Apr 29 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle

Apr 30 St. Louis, MO @ Fubar or Blueberry Hill

May 01 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown

May 02 Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive

May 03 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court

May 04 Boise, ID @ Neurolux

May 05 Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey

May 06 Vancouver, BC @ Astoria

May 07 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios

May 09 Sacramento, CA @ Blue Lamp

May 10 Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone

May 11 Orange County, CA @ Marty’s

Artist: Monolord

Album: Rust

Label: RidingEasy Records

Release Date: September 29th, 2017

01. Where Death Meets The Sea

02. Dear Lucifer

03. Rust

04. Wormland

05.Forgotten Lands

06. At Niceae

On The Web:

ridingeasyrecords.com

monolord.com

monolord.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/MonolordSweden

Psych-punks Darwin's Finches (w/ Jandek) stream album early, reminiscent of Camper Van Beethoven, The Frogs, Pixies, etc.

"A kind of collision between Hawkwind at its most hyped, the Butthole Surfers at their most acidic with little doses of Krautrock thrown in for good measure." -- PopMatters

"With a burgeoning atmosphere as fraught as a coming storm and taut as stretched wire, 'Hosea!' relentlessly chugs along with sizzling, but heavy guitar grind, pushing drum beats, and burnished cymbals hits." -- Big Takeover

"A peculiar blend of garage rock, psychedelia, and the disorienting influence of fellow Texan pioneers such as the Butthole Surfers and Jandek.... Wiry, twitchy, abrasive rock." -- Treble

Houston trio Darwin's Finches are streaming their forthcoming album in full early starting today via New Noise. Hear and share Good Morning Creatures II HERE. (Direct Soundcloud.)

Big Takeover Magazine recently shared "Hosea!" HERE. PopMatters premiered "HWY 787" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp HERE.) Treble hosted "BEK" HERE. It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine shared "Yaupon Tea" HERE.

With a name making reference to obscure minutia of Charles Darwin's research regarding the adaptive evolution of birds' beaks, one might expect a certain esoteric character to a band. And Darwin's Finches is certainly an anomaly of its own. But that doesn't mean that they're not a brilliantly catchy band. In fact, Good Morning Creatures II, the trio's third album is a tart and twangy, hook-filled 10-song batch of great rock songs that sound as if they'd evolved completely out of contact with the rest of the rock world.

The Galveston, TX based band of pranksters, formed around a biology class, who got their start crashing biker bars and playing shows that provoked fisticuffs, Darwin's Finches aren't a normal band.

The album's music hearkens to late-80s weirdo indie-rock tinged with psychedelic Western vibes like Camper Van Beethoven, Butthole Surfers, Alice Donut, and the Pixies combined with the demented melodies of The Frogs. Guitarist/vocalist and bandleader Justin Clay sports a master crooner's wail; sounding something akin to a young Paul Westerberg.

Darwin's Finches was formed in 2006 by Justin as part band, part prank. Joined originally by friends in his Biology class, Clay and a rotating cast of players have played everything from pop-up shows at biker bars (to mixed reviews), art museums, random national parks, shows at clubs that ended with fruit fights and a culminating three-hour show at the legendary Balinese Room that ended with a guitar sacrificed to the Gulf of Mexico.

Justin took a break from music in 2012 for two years to enjoy his family and the birth of his son, Odin. When he returned to music in 2014, he joined long-time friend and fellow Texas folk psych master Jandek for shows in the UK. Upon his return home, Justin reformed Darwin's Finches with long-time music partners, Cody Honey on drums and Morgan Moody on bass. Reclusive outsider musician Jandek performs with the band on select tracks on the album.

Good Morning Creatures II will be available on LP and download on December 14th, 2018 via Artificial Head Record & Tapes (AHRT).

DARWIN'S FINCHES LIVE:

12/14 Houston, TX @ Donkey Paw Screen Printing (Album Release Party) w/ VERY special guest

12/21 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's (Cowpunk X-mas Party & Farewell to Fitzgerald's)

Artist: Darwin's Finches

Album: Good Morning Creatures II

Record Label: Artificial Head Records & Tapes

Release date; December 14, 2018

01. Good Morning Creatures (Big Stinky)

02. Yaupon Tea

03. Hosea!

04. Hwy 787

05. Tapir

06. BEK

07. Cowdog

08. Family Circus (ae)

09. Jonnobonnacca

10. Quixotic

On the Web:

artificialheadrecords.bandcamp.com/album/good-morning-creatures-ii

facebook.com/ArtificialHead

facebook.com/Darwinsfinchez

Greek rockers BUS premiere first track from forthcoming RidingEasy Records debut via Metal Injection

"A fantastic combination of crazy fun rock that also happens to be stupid catchy." -- Metal Injection

Athens, Greece quartet Bus The Unknown Secretary (aka BUS) premiere the first track from their forthcoming album on RidingEasy Records today via Metal Injection. Hear and share the stomping anthem "You Better Come In, You Better Calm Down" HERE. (Direct YouTube.)

From the opening notes of Never Decide, you'll know it's going to be a wild funhouse ride. It doesn't sound like just four people, it sounds like a mob of wild-eyed lunatics on the expressway to your skull. And, you're not gonna know what the band's name means, don't worry about it.

Heavy bands typically don't know how to make music fun. We're not talking about goofy, novelty rock, which BUS certainly is not. We're talking clever, spirited and anthemic rock that doesn't get bogged down in trying to sound menacing. Never Decide is a multifaceted album in the vein of classic hitters like The Hellacopters, Alice Cooper Band, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Orange Goblin.

"The story of the album expresses the psyche of a person in a dead end and his life is introduced into obsessive rhythms, more personal and random," explains vocalist/guitarist Bill Politis. "There is no happy end here, but the questions remain: Door A or Door B? Time to change or time to die, Never Decide!"

The album opens as if we're in the studio with the band listening to playback for the first time. There's a chirping test tone and someone starts counting in, "one, two, three..." before it suddenly grinds to a halt. Then suddenly the swirling guitar riff of the pummeling anthem "You Better Come In, You Better Calm Down" launches everything into the stratosphere. The guitars march in lockstep as swinging drums keep it all rolling at furious pace as the vocal chant of the song's title grows into a massive group chant in harmony. Think Uriah Heep's "Easy Livin'" meets Kiss' "Rock and Roll All Night" -- here's another big, blazing anthem for the ages. "I Buried Paul" is the sort of fun, theatrical album track no one makes anymore, not since the days of the Alice Cooper Band. "Lucifer" takes things several shades darker, turning in a dramatic ballad launched by haunting piano chords and led by sinister, sneering vocals sounding something like Ozzy meets Johnny Rotten slowly building to its epic conclusion in double time with rinigng harmony guitar leads. "Evil Eyes" and "Moonchild" return the proceedings to the anthemic, pop-laced vibe, replete with major-minor chord shifts and vocal/guitar harmonies galore.

Never Decide was recorded in just 5 days in February 2018 with multitalented engineer and band's beloved friend John Vulgaris at Electric Highway Studios in Athens, Greece. The entire band -- drummer Aris Fasoulis, bassist Spiros Papadatos, and guitarists Fotis Kolokithas and Politis --recorded the instrumental tracks live in 3 days, reserving the last 2 for vocals. Over the 2 months that followed Vulgaris and the band fine-tuned the mix into the subtle and clever masterwork you have before you.

BUS formed in Athens in 2011, releasing two EPs and a full length The Impious Tapes, followed by The Cross EP (2014), and The Unknown Secretary LP in 2016. During that time the band has toured extensively throughout Greece and in neighboring nations. The release of Never Decide will see them expanding that touring radius considerably.

Never Decide will be available on LP, CD and download on March 1st, 2019 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

Artist: BUS

Album: Never Decide

Label: RidingEasy Records

Release Date: March 1st, 2019

01. You Better Come In, You Better Calm Down

02. The Hunt

03. I Buried Paul

04. Lucifer

05. First Life Suicide

06. Moonchild

07. Into the Night

08. Evil Eyes

09. Dying

10. This King

On The Web:

facebook.com/bustheunknownsecretary

ridingeasyrecs.com

"Off-kilter" noise rockers Tunic premiere lead track from new album via CvltNation

"Off f**king kilter but totally on point!" -- CvltNation

Canadian noise rock trio Tunic share the first track from their forthcoming album today via CvltNation. Hear and share "Nothing Nothing" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp and Soundcloud.)

The band is currently on an extensive North American tour. Please see all dates below.

Tunic is born of spite. After years of touring someone else’s bass lines across the globe, David Schellenberg was told he wasn’t good enough. So he did the only logical thing: buy a guitar, quit your long-time band, and abandon everything you think you know about music. Armed with no skill and a blissfully ignorant embrace of discordant noise, Schellenberg started crafting songs, quickly enlisting childhood acquaintance Sam Neal on drums and roommate Rory Ellis on bass.

Over the past 4 years and half a dozen DIY releases, Tunic has managed to unleash and tame their unique blend of noise rock and hardcore. Relentless touring has taken them across Canada, Europe and the States, filling clubs, basements, and abandoned prisons with noise. The band released the single Teeth Showing on Toronto’s Buzz Records in 2018, which they toured with new drummer Dan Unger.

Tunic's debut album Complexion was recorded in six days in their hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba with Montreal-based engineer and producer Jace Lasek (Suuns, Land of Talk, Wolf Parade). Complexion picks up where previous releases left off; 11 songs of feedback-laden filth laid over churning blows of drum and bass. Harsh verses about hurting those you never meant to hurt; choruses that sever ties where you never thought you had to. This is unconventional hardcore. This is broken indie rock. This is naïve art.

Complexion will be available on LP, CD and download on February 8th, 2018 via Self Sabotage Records (Pre-order at Big Cartel-Self Sabotage).

TUNIC LIVE:

11/30 - Beerland, Austin, TX

12/01 - House Show, Houston, TX

12/04 - Lunchbox, Phoenix, AZ

12/05 - Continental Room, Fullerton, CA

12/06 - Rec Center, Los Angeles, CA

12/07 - 924 Gilman, Berkeley, CA

12/08 - Interzone, Corvallis, OR

12/09 - Cobra Lounge, Portland, OR

12/11 - Vera Project, Seattle, WA

12/12 - Black Lab, Vancouver, BC

12/13 - Carport Manor, Abbotsford, BC

12/14 - The Palomino, Calgary, AB

12/15 - Amigos, Saskatoon, SK

Artist: Tunic

Album: Complexion

Record Label: Self Sabotage Records / Super Secret Records

Release Date: February 8th, 2019

01. Nothing Nothing

02. Envious

03. Getting Sick

04. Evan

05. Sand

06. Dry Heave

07. Blessed

08. Empty Handed

09. Paper

10. Pores

11. Frontal Lobe

On the Web:

tunicband.com

facebook.com/tunicband

instagram.com/tunicband

www.supersecretrecords.com

Darwin's Finches share psych-punk track via Big Takeover reminiscent of Camper Van Beethoven, The Frogs, Pixies, etc.

"A kind of collision between Hawkwind at its most hyped, the Butthole Surfers at their most acidic with little doses of Krautrock thrown in for good measure." -- PopMatters

"With a burgeoning atmosphere as fraught as a coming storm and taut as stretched wire, 'Hosea!' relentlessly chugs along with sizzling, but heavy guitar grind, pushing drum beats, and burnished cymbals hits." -- Big Takeover

Houston trio Darwin's Finches share a new track from their forthcoming album today via Big Takeover Magazine. Hear and share "Hosea!" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud.)

PopMatters recently shared "HWY 787" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp HERE.)

With a name making reference to obscure minutia of Charles Darwin's research regarding the adaptive evolution of birds' beaks, one might expect a certain esoteric character to a band. And Darwin's Finches is certainly an anomaly of its own. But that doesn't mean that they're not a brilliantly catchy band. In fact, Good Morning Creatures II, the trio's third album is a tart and twangy, hook-filled 10-song batch of great rock songs that sound as if they'd evolved completely out of contact with the rest of the rock world.

The Galveston, TX based band of pranksters, formed around a biology class, who got their start crashing biker bars and playing shows that provoked fisticuffs, Darwin's Finches aren't a normal band.

The album's music hearkens to late-80s weirdo indie-rock tinged with psychedelic Western vibes like Camper Van Beethoven, Butthole Surfers, Alice Donut, and the Pixies combined with the demented melodies of The Frogs. Guitarist/vocalist and bandleader Justin Clay sports a master crooner's wail; sounding something akin to a young Paul Westerberg.

Darwin's Finches was formed in 2006 by Justin as part band, part prank. Joined originally by friends in his Biology class, Clay and a rotating cast of players have played everything from pop-up shows at biker bars (to mixed reviews), art museums, random national parks, shows at clubs that ended with fruit fights and a culminating three-hour show at the legendary Balinese Room that ended with a guitar sacrificed to the Gulf of Mexico.

Justin took a break from music in 2012 for two years to enjoy his family and the birth of his son, Odin. When he returned to music in 2014, he joined long-time friend and fellow Texas folk psych master Jandek for shows in the UK. Upon his return home, Justin reformed Darwin's Finches with long-time music partners, Cody Honey on drums and Morgan Moody on bass.

Good Morning Creatures II will be available on LP and download on December 14th, 2018 via Artificial Head Record & Tapes (AHRT).

DARWIN'S FINCHES LIVE:

12/21 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's (Cowpunk X-mas Party & Farewell to Fitzgerald's)

Artist: Darwin's Finches

Album: Good Morning Creatures II

Record Label: Artificial Head Records & Tapes

Release date; December 14, 2018

01. Good Morning Creatures (Big Stinky)

02. Yaupon Tea

03. Hosea!

04. Hwy 787

05. Tapir

06. BEK

07. Cowdog

08. Family Circus (ae)

09. Jonnobonnacca

10. Quixotic

On the Web:

artificialheadrecords.bandcamp.com/album/good-morning-creatures-ii

facebook.com/ArtificialHead

facebook.com/Darwinsfinchez

Shooting Guns share video for "French Safe"; Netflix hit 'WolfCop' composers & Juno Prize nominees' new album

"The instrumental psych-rock band knows how to choogle, burn and rip like Hawkwind thrown into the middle of a Mad Max set. That's why director Lowell Dean tapped Shooting Guns to score Wolfcop, a 2014 horror-comedy that's exactly as ridiculous/awesome as you think it is." -- NPR

"Heavy, droning, and trancelike, owing as much to Electric Wizard as it does early Pink Floyd, and their work in film is obvious once you listen to the cinematic nature of the song." -- Metal Insider

Canada's award-nominated psych 6-piece Shooting Guns share the official video for "French Safe" from their recently released album Flavour Country. Watch and share "French Safe" on YouTube HERE.

Exclaim! also recently launched the video for "Vampires of Industry," directed by Parker Thiessen HERE. (Direct YouTube.) The official video for album title track "Flavour Country" previously launched HERE. (Direct YouTube.) Hear & share the entire album via Bandcamp and YouTube (either link cleared for posting.)

Shooting Guns is known (and oft-nominated) for their film soundtrack work, but Flavour Country is more like a collection of anthems for your jettison from this universe into the multiverse.

While they're known for heavy and saturated sounds befitting crazed horror-comedy flicks like Netflix hit WolfCop, Flavour Country features some of the band's fastest, heaviest and most visceral material to date. Yet, it also features some of the band's most atmospheric sounds as well.

At times there are slight hints of Ennio Morricone's Spaghetti Western twang amidst the looping Meddle-era Pink Floyd heavy psych and driving drone reminiscent of Bobby Beausoleil's belladonna laced soundtrack to Kenneth Anger's Lucifer Rising. But for the most part here, Shooting Guns is out for blood, regardless of tempo.

Album opener "Ride Free" kicks off with a blistering wall of guitars blaring and rattling out of the gate like mutant progeny to fellow Canadian biker-rock heroes Steppenwolf having duly fired all of the guns, exploded into space and returned to hunt down every last one of us. It accelerates from there: "French Safe" sounds like an unhinged battalion of musicians driving full throttle like a scene from a George Miller Road Warrior movie. Biting, lengthier tracks like "Simian Shelf" and the title track occupy the heavy end of the psychedelic spectrum, haunting the foggy moor between early, bluesy Sabbath-styled doom riffery and heavy pulse-riding kraut-rock.

Flavour Country is the first album recorded by the band themselves at their own Pre-Rock Studios in Saskatoon, SK, located in the middle of the Canadian prairies. The album title's spelling is itself a nod to the band's Great White North homeland. The album was mastered by John McBain (ex-Monster Magnet, Carlton Melton), who also mastered the band's previous RidingEasy releases.

Shooting Guns have toured over 60,000 miles across Canada over the past 7 years but have yet to tour Internationally, which will be a big focus for them after this release. They are touring their live score to F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu across Canada throughout 2017 and also just finished scoring the soundtrack to Another WolfCop (sequel to WolfCop), which is slated for a US theatrical release in September 2017. Their sophomore LP, Brotherhood of the Ram, released in 2013 through RidingEasy Records was nominated for the 2015 JUNO Metal/Hard Album of the Year as well as the Polaris Music Prize. Their debut LP, Born To Deal in Magic: 1952-1976, was also nominated for the Polaris Music Prize in 2012.

Flavour Country is available on LP, CD and download as of August 11th, 2017 via RidingEasy Records.

Artist: Shooting Guns

Album: Flavour Country

Label: RidingEasy Records

Release Date: August 11, 2017

01. Ride Free

02. French Safe

03. Beltwhip Snakecharmer

04. Vampires of Industry

05. Flavour Country

06. Black Leather Jacket

On The Web:

shootingguns.ca

shootingguns.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/shootinggunsband

ridingeasyrecords.com

Darwin's Finches share psych-punk tune reminiscent of 80s garage punk a la Camper Van Beethoven, The Frogs, Pixies, etc.

"A kind of collision between Hawkwind at its most hyped, the Butthole Surfers at their most acidic with little doses of Krautrock thrown in for good measure." -- PopMatters

Houston trio Darwin's Finches share the first track from their forthcoming album today via PopMatters. Hear and share "HWY 787" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp HERE.)

With a name making reference to obscure minutia of Charles Darwin's research regarding the adaptive evolution of birds' beaks, one might expect a certain esoteric character to a band. And Darwin's Finches is certainly an anomaly of its own. But that doesn't mean that they're not a brilliantly catchy band. In fact, Good Morning Creatures II, the trio's third album is a tart and twangy, hook-filled 10-song batch of great rock songs that sound as if they'd evolved completely out of contact with the rest of the rock world.

The Galveston, TX based band of pranksters, formed around a biology class, who got their start crashing biker bars and playing shows that provoked fisticuffs, Darwin's Finches aren't a normal band.

The album's music hearkens to late-80s weirdo indie-rock tinged with psychedelic Western vibes like Camper Van Beethoven, Butthole Surfers, Alice Donut, and the Pixies combined with the demented melodies of The Frogs. Guitarist/vocalist and bandleader Justin Clay sports a master crooner's wail; sounding something akin to a young Paul Westerberg.

Darwin's Finches was formed in 2006 by Justin as part band, part prank. Joined originally by friends in his Biology class, Clay and a rotating cast of players have played everything from pop-up shows at biker bars (to mixed reviews), art museums, random national parks, shows at clubs that ended with fruit fights and a culminating three-hour show at the legendary Balinese Room that ended with a guitar sacrificed to the Gulf of Mexico.

Justin took a break from music in 2012 for two years to enjoy his family and the birth of his son, Odin. When he returned to music in 2014, he joined long-time friend and fellow Texas folk psych master Jandek for shows in the UK. Upon his return home, Justin reformed Darwin's Finches with long-time music partners, Cody Honey on drums and Morgan Moody on bass.

Good Morning Creatures II will be available on LP and download on December 14th, 2018 via Artificial Head Record & Tapes (AHRT).

DARWIN'S FINCHES LIVE:

11/17 Houston, TX @ Bohemeo's

12/21 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's (Cowpunk X-mas Party & Farewell to Fitzgerald's)

Artist: Darwin's Finches

Album: Good Morning Creatures II

Record Label: Artificial Head Records & Tapes

Release date; December 14, 2018

01. Good Morning Creatures (Big Stinky)

02. Yaupon Tea

03. Hosea!

04. Hwy 787

05. Tapir

06. BEK

07. Cowdog

08. Family Circus (ae)

09. Jonnobonnacca

10. Quixotic

On the Web:

artificialheadrecords.bandcamp.com/album/good-morning-creatures-ii

facebook.com/ArtificialHead

facebook.com/Darwinsfinchez

NOUS album streaming early: Christopher Bono, Greg Fox (ex-Liturgy), Thor Harris (Swans), ACME strings, Shahzad Ismaily (Yoko Ono)

"A half-airy, half-aggressive interdisciplinary happening organized by the young and enterprising composer Christopher Bono, who brought together a wise, postcategory, electric and acoustic 12-person crew." -- New York Times

"You couldn't pigeonhole it into one genre if you tried -- it goes from eerie David Lynchian soundscapes to Eastern melodies to avant-garde jazz drum freakouts to a million other places, all while remaining strangely accessible." -- Brooklyn Vegan

New York experimental music project NOUS, led by producer and composer Christopher Bono, is streaming their forthcoming debut album ahead of release starting today via Brooklyn Vegan. Hear and share NOUS I: A Musical Rite HERE. (Direct Bandcamp and Soundcloud.)

NOUS also plays two live shows -- with a different lineup from the album recording -- this weekend in New York State. This trio configuration is comprised of Christopher Bono (Ghost Against Ghost, Bardo) and Kato Hideki (John Zorn, Death Ambient, Green Zone), and Calvin Weston (Ornette Coleman, Vernon Reid, Billy Martin) for a night of multi media experimentation. See dates below.

Nous is an experimental music project with a fluctuating group of artists exploring ritual and spontaneity within music. The debut album features multi-instrumentalists Christopher Bono (keyboards/electronics/percussion/vocals), Greg Fox (drums/percussion/electronics), Thor Harris (drums/percussion), Shahzad Ismaily (electronics/guitar/bass) and Grey Mcmurray (guitar), with special guests.

Woodstock, NY label Our Silent Canvas is preparing to release the first of 3 albums culled from sessions the group recorded in an intensive 7-day immersion at legendary Dreamland Studios with

producer Kevin McMahon (Swans, Titus Andronicus, Real Estate).

Each recording, and performance will center around a different focal concept, always seeking alternative ways of creating art. The name Nous was chosen for its double meaning. 'Nous' in the French language is the plural personal pronoun in the first person, meaning 'we' or 'us'. However, within the philosophical tradition it is a word, sometimes equated to intellect or intelligence, used to describe the faculty of the human mind which is described in classical philosophy as necessary for understanding what is true or real, similar in meaning to intuition.

In the eastern tradition, the sanskrit equivalent is Buddhi, which denotes an aspect of mind that is higher than the rational mind and that is attracted to Brahman (i.e., to "Truth" (sat) or "Reality"(dharma)). Discriminative in nature, Buddhi/Nous is that which is able to discern truth (satya) from

falsehood and thereby able to make wisdom possible. Inspired by this definition, the Nous project looks to build communal musical relationships that collectively work to find new ways of creating art

that bypasses the small, fearful, egotistical mind and encourages the connection of those involved to reach a higher level of consciousness, providing a creative field/space where intuitive, unexpected and unexplained results can occur.

Nous band members on this recording:

~ Christopher Bono (Composer, Ghost Against Ghost) www.christopherbono.com

~ Greg Fox (Guardian Alien, Zs, Ben Frost, ex-Liturgy)

~ Shahzad Ismaily (Yoko Ono, Laurie Anderson, Bonnie Prince Billy)

~ Thor Harris (Swans, Angels of Light, Amanda Palmer, Shearwater)

~ Grey Mcmurray (itsnotyouitsme, So Percussion, Tyondai Braxton)

Special guests:

~ Clarice Jensen (Cello, ACME: American Contemporary Music Ensemble, yMusic, Ra Ra Riot

~ Caleb Burhans (Composer, itsnotyouitsme, ACME)

~ Laura Lutzke (Violin, ACME)

~ Alex Sopp (Flutes, ACME, yMusic)

~ Imago (Cello, Vocals, Múm)

~ Laraaji & Arji (Zither, Ambient Sounds)

~ Akil Davis and Loud Sol Productions

NOUS I: A Musical Rite will be available on LP and download on November 16th, 2018 via Our Silent Canvas. Pre-orders are available HERE.

NOUS LIVE 2018:

11/17 Kingston, NY @ BSP Lounge

11/18 Queens, NY @ The Footlight Bar

Artist: NOUS

Album: NOUS I: A Musical Rite

Record Label: Our Silent Canvas

Release Date: November 16, 2018

01. Ya Ma Toh: Tahd

02. Kabay

03. This Winter Can Not Last

04. Dancing Marvels Intro

05. Dancing Marvels

06. Not All Seeds Fail

07. Shumisah

08. Original Energy

09. The Un-Led

10. Beneath

11. Transitory Reality

On the Web:

allnous.com/nousiamusicalrite

oursilentcanvas.bandcamp.com

oursilentcanvasstore.org

Join our mailing list for the latest news