Pearls And Brass: Indian Tower

Unless you live on the East Coast, or have seen Om preform in the Bay Area during the first two albums OR haven't seen the Stoner Rock documentary 'Such Hawks, Such Hounds', Pearls and Brass might not come up on the radar. Forgive me for taking that assumption.

Like mentioned before, this band's name came to me while viewing fliers for early Om shows. The name seemed really cool, but still appeared unassuming. I finally saw them open for Om at Slim's shortly after 'Conference of the Birds' came out. For some reason, I thought Pearls and Brass was from the West Coast, but they are not. I thought, why the hell would a band come across the country to play 1 show, as an opening slot? Because Om said so? Sure, why not? Regardless, their set blew me away. Shortly after that Om show, I picked up this doozy of an album 'Indian Tower'.

The first thing you notice while traveling through the album is the structure of the songs. To me seem circular, by which I mean that the riffs and rhythms roll from one to the next, almost nonstop. I feel like that each doesn't give you a break until it's done, and I mean that in a great way. Randy Huth's guitar work flows like a stoned river that's got the blues. His work is chunky and heavy while still remaining in the blues-rock realm, not metal. The rhythm section of Joel Winter and Josh Martin provide the perfect back up for Huth's song writing. Huth's vocals also have this soulful swing that match the music well. This album has a heavy southern stoner swagger that can only be matched by Clutch, without sounding anything like them. Amidst the heaviness, Huth breaks up the album with two acoustic tracks: 'I Learn the Hardway' comes right in the middle and provides a tense yet diverse offering for the album, and 'Away The Mirrors' closes out the album as if watching a beast disappear back into the woods.

This album came right around the time stoner/heavy music really band to take it's stride in the masses, which seems fitting, because most of the bands were coming from a more metal approach (although not entirely). I just feel like bands aren't making this kind of music. It kind of beckons a 90s/Wino/Orange Goblin influence. Whatever it is, this album rules.

Dig in!

God's Favorite Dogs

This Touch And Go Records compilation was given to me by a friend a few years back. I features all the bands I love that have been on the label and a few other gems as well. For those of you who haven't heard of these bands, this is a great glimpse in to a label that, along with SST, made the 80s and 90s great.

Here's the track listing (for whatever reason there's a 13th track with no title)
"Eindhoven Chicken Masque" by Butthole Surfers
"Sweet Home Alabama" by Killdozer
"The Final Kiss" by Scratch Acid
"Down By the River" by Hose
"Colors in the Rain" by Happy Flowers
"Every Man for Himself" by Big Black
"Crack Up" by Big Black
"All I Got Were Clothes for Christmas" by Happy Flowers
"How Many More Times" by Hose
"Holes" by Scratch Acid
"Sonnet" by Killdozer
"The Legless Eye" by Butthole Surfers

Come an' git it

Clutch: Pure Rock Fury

Clutch don't exactly get a bad rep in my circle, but I constantly find myself defending their honor. Let's get it straight: Clutch rules, and you know it. I got into the band right after Elephant Riders came out. It was unlike anything I'd listen to at that point. I was 14 and my untinged ears liked what they heard. Shortly after, I picked up their next album, Pure Rock Fury, which had just been released.

Let this album be a lesson to you all on how a modern day album becomes great. Clutch thrives in a live setting. This album attempts to bring their live shows into a studio setting. The combined live recordings and mixed it with studio work. It's not cheating, but collaging together the best of both worlds. What came out at the end is probably one of the rawest hardrock albums in the last 15 years. This the album where I learned what it mean when the amps peaked. (For whatever reason, I hadn't fully got into the Melvins at this point and the lesson was relearned shortly after)

I feel as if the sounds created on this album have not been recreated by anyone, not even the band. I remember reading and interview regarding this album and Niel Fallon referenced Black Flag, Bad Brains and the Cro-Mags as influences on this album. It took me a while to realize what he meant. It was the approach taken by 80s hardcore bands, the attitude, not so much the actual music. Clutch hadn't released a live album by the point, although they would shortly. This was the next best thing, possibly better.

The album captures a rare moment in the band's career. They had slowly moved away from the noise and grooved filled post metal and into a grooved filled heavy blue rock band, and then they made this album. It's heavy, but different. (Two steps forward, one step back) The songs present a more cacophonous atmosphere, and not just due to the recording process. Tim Sult's guitar work seemed slightly agressive, no matter what style he played, and the rest of the band followed.

Dare I say this was the band in their prime? In a sense, yes. The albums that followed slowly took a different direction, certainly not for the worst. This album seems to culminate their beginnings up until the release of this album. It's harsh, it's fast, it's stock full of their classic grove jams and Fallons prolific lyrics. Definite check out 'Pure Rock Fury', 'Brazenhead' and 'Drink to the Dead'. These three tracks really do the trick.

Cheech & Chong: Los Cochinos

I bought 'Los Cochinos' when I was 14 years old. This was my Marijunalog. They were too busy getting stoned to talk about smoking weed. Cheech and Chong are funny no matter what age you are, but it was rather fitting that I bought this album when I was a kid. These guys had a great career making comedy albums as well as movies. You don't get comedy like this anymore.

Here You Go

Saturday Crackhouse Mix Jam: Vol. 5

It's raining. I'm feeling kinda wild, but not. Here's a mix. It's a bit random. A bit spastic. Hey, deal with it.

A lot of these songs I've wanted to put on mixtapes throughout the span of time, but they've never made it to the stage, so to speak. So it's their time to shine

Vol. 5:
1. The Mack- Bakerton Group
2. No Head No Backstage Pass- Funkadelic
3. Monsters- Scratch Acid
4. I can't Wait- Ol' Dirty Bastard
5. Hewzermondi- Yoshida Tatsuya
6. Letter To ZZ Top- U.S. Maple
7. Young Savage- Thrones
8. Art Start- Thing
9. I Put A Spell On You- Screamin' Jay Hawkins
10. Life Stinks- Pere Ubu

Do IT

Lost Goat: Trapped on Earth

Of all the albums I own, me and this album go way back, the most.

At some point in the 90s Emily, who used to work for my dad, gave me a cassette tap. On the spine it said: "Lost Goat/Blessing of the Hogs." She said it was two albums of some local bands she thought I'd like. This was the start of a long love affair with Lost Goat. No offense to Bless of the Hogs, you guys are good, but Lost Goat struck a chord with my ears. The Lost Goat album was called "Trapped on Earth." It blew me away.

The opening notes to 'Pillar of Salt' were loud, heavy and for my budding teenage ears, really dark. I thought this was the sound of buildings crumbling. The chords boisterous and dissonent chords played behind Erica's vocals were distraught, like someone trying to sing but is more focused on the energy. I must have been 13 at the time I got this tape and I'd been exposed to Black Sabbath and Metallica at this point, but this was a different kind of heavy. What also took me by surprise was that two-thirds of the band were girls. In hindsight that's not such a big deal, but I was young and dumb, so what are you gonna do? This was a sound wholly new to me, and it was made right in my back yard! The whole experience, even to this day, is still mind boggling. The band managed to combined heavy rock, 70s garage-punk swagger and some really haunted melodic parts. I still think that to this day their sound has yet to be recreated, as it should.

I remember having the chance to see them play at Gilman shorty after their last album came out, but I blew it. This band was a treasure. This album was a city treasure. If you ever want a glimpse or an introduction in the the San Francisco underground scene or sound, "Trapped on Earth" is a great place to start.

Since being handed this tap I've acquired a much sought after CD, cause getting into Vinyl is one more hobby I cannot afford. While the CD has come in handy, the tape given to me has been played over and over. I'm surprised it hasn't worn out yet.