Tour of doom: Monolord stomps back to the United States & Canada

Monolord rules the night in Bellingham, WA, a few years ago. (Cat Rose photo)

By Andy

When asked what some of Monolord’s early practices were like for our blog a few years ago, guitarist/vocalist Thomas V Jäger replied:

“It was something in the air that night. We wrote the song ‘Empress Rising’ on our first rehearsal and two lights broke. So I guess something was going on.”

The men behind the pulverizing Swedish magic along with Jäger are Esben Willems (drums) and Mika Häkki (bass) and they’ll soon return to thump the US and Canada with the following gigs:

08/18 Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Hotel (Psycho Las Vegas)
08/22 Memphis, TN @ The Hi Tone
08/23 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
08/24 Asheville, NC @ Mothlight
08/25 Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie’s
08/26 Newport, KY @ Southgate House
08/27 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
08/28 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
08/29 Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary
08/30 Indianapolis, IN @ White Rabbit
08/31 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle (Scorched Tundra)
09/01 Millvale, PA @ Funhouse
09/02 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk
09/03 Toronto, ON, Canada @Garrison
09/04 Montreal, QC, Canada @La Vitrola
09/05 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
09/07 Raleigh, NC @ Raleigh (Hopscotch)
09/08 Richmond, VA @ Capital Ale House (w/ Red Fang)
09/09 Washington DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel (w/ Red Fang)
09/10 Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus Bar
09/11 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie

Here’s what I wrote following their epic show in Bellingham, WA, on their last US go-round:

When Monolord delivers, they decimate.

It feels like the venue will crumble. It feels like the listener will be shattered into pieces.

And we welcome this — we want to participate in the hefty barrage of dirge offerings from the Swedish trio. It’s good to have your brain rattled sometimes, clear out the cobwebs of whatever shit has been tossed your way during the day.

Monolord is like a doom therapist. Let the healing begin.

MF-ing rock and roll at Lucky Liquor in Seattle

The Sinister Six. (All Cat Rose photos)

By Andy

This is how it's properly done: Pack the people in tight on the bands, who are seemingly boxed in, chained to the small stage. Let 'em loose with their musical weapons to level the crowd, so heavily that their beers nearly take a digger on the floor.

Ian MacKaye once told me that the best gigs are unleashed in rooms of this sort. I totally agree.

At times, the band members transformed the floor into their stage. Get up close, give 'em some room to get rippin'. This was crucial in the case of The Sinister Six singer, who is so towering that he dipped his head to avoid a dome crash with the beam above.

As for The Sinister Six, The Knights of Trash and Machine Animal, well, they fucking played rock and roll.

Here's some of Cat Rose's photos from Lucky Liquor on Saturday night:


THE SINISTER SIX

THE KNIGHTS OF TRASH

MACHINE ANIMAL

Therapy? joins forces with Marshall Records, new single on the way

Therapy? and the Marshall Records crew. (Courtesy of Therapy?)

The Therapy? social media platforms tell all: these are "Exciting times!"

We here at TSHIT are stoked to announce that the sledgehammer artistes have inked a worldwide deal with Marshall Records, which will release the band's first single, "Callow," on May 25 from its upcoming 15th album, "CLEAVE."

According to guitarist/vocalist Andy Cairns in a recent interview with us, the album is slated for a September release.

Here's an excerpt from that chat regarding the new album:

We wanted to go for something really kind of exciting sounding and a bit more like the classic Therapy? sound. We got that, the tracks are all really good. It's got everything that's good about Therapy? It's got catchy choruses, really great guitar hooks and really interesting rhythms, all with a really growdy noise-rock base. We're really really happy with it, I personally think it's one of the best albums we've done in years.


*********

What we've done in the last few years, is we've always tended to take a concept of a theme, so the album kind of sits together. Some of our better-known albums have got themes through them. Whether it's "Infernal Love," which is about human desire, or whether it was "Troublegum," which is about alienation filtering your younger years. The last album, "Disquiet," was about wrestling with your consciousness as middle age approaches. So this new one, really, the theme in that is fracture and division. Fracture and division in politics, fracture and division in borders and also fracture and division in psyche. So it's almost like, I would say it's a bi-polar pop record. It's very melodic, but there's a song on it called "No Sunshine," for example, which has got the most catchiest Husker Du chorus, but the verses are like Portishead at their darkest, and the instrumental sections are pure black metal. That kind of sums up the lyrical issues of the songs as well, are about why people keep prying each other apart when they should be clinging to each other now that the world seems more at loss than ever.

In addition to new-music talk on social media, the band has been reminiscing about its classic US tour with Jesus Lizard and Helmet in 1993.

Cat attended the San Francisco gig and remembers it as being a rip-roaring affair.

Rest in Peace, Tony Kinman

Tony Kinman, left. (Iloki Records, Triple X Records; Flipside photos)

By Andy

Bass-player and low-end vocalist extraordinaire Tony Kinman passed away from cancer this morning at his home in Sylmar, California.

The member of The Dils, Rank and File, Blackbird and Cowboy Nation was 63 years old.

I recently spoke with his brother Chip about his band Ford Madox Ford. Tony produced the punk-rocked blues unit's new album and Chip enthusiastically discussed his big brother's involvement with the group.

Here's an excerpt from that article:

Although Tony is not a member of the band with his younger brother like was in the Kinmans' former groups, he contributed to the album in the producer's role.

"It's OK not having him on stage. I know he's there in spirit and I always kind of carry that around with me. I just can't discard the Chip-and-Tony thing, and plus I've still got a relative in the band, Dewey Peek is my son, so it's still a family affair," Chip said of the 21-year-old guitarist.

Tony was an invaluable wizard in helping the guys put the album together and he's even played a song or two with them at gigs.

"Tony's got great ears and he's really smart and he's got a really clear vision. He was able to get to the real performance. Tony's always been brutally honest with me: one of his most famous quotes is, at rehearsal once, we played a song, and he said, 'Well, Chip, that was pretty good, now make it sound like music.' Oh, my god," Chip said, laughing away again, and adding that after Peek laid down 15 guitar tracks, Tony would remember exactly where the top ones were on the tape that best connected with the song and implemented them into the Ford Madox Ford musical landscape.

From "I Hate the Rich" with The Dils to "Amanda Ruth" with Rank and File and beyond, the Kinmans have dug their hands into copious musical styles.

They've also maintained a tight relationship that would make most brother bandmates envious. Their musical and personal trek is far from perfect, but it's been, well, real and honest.

Chip said: "We had a vision and we really enjoy playing with each other, so our relationship's always been good. Nothing really weird, no weird Everly Brothers stuff or those guys in Oasis. We've always been close."

RIP, Tony.