SMALL STONE RECORDS ANNOUNCES A SLEW OF NEW ACTS TO IT’S ROSTER
via Press Release
For some of you this old news, as we have already let the cat out of the bag on Facebook for a few of these… But for those of you who prefer to get your information the old fashioned way, we have quite a few new acts that have just joined the Small Stone Family.
Desertfest 2012
Click the poster to the left to see an full size version with the lineup.
This fest has made me officially jealouse. Desertfest 2012 will be taking place in London on April 6th, 7th and 8th 2012. This will probably be THE fest to attend and how can it not with bands like Truckfighters, Black Pyramid, Gentlemans Pistols, Orange Goblin, Karma To Burn, Brain Police, Wight and many more.
Desertscene.co.uk proudly present Desertfest in London. 3 days of the best stoner, sludge,doom and underground rock from around the globe.If you like your riffs heavy and fuzzed out then we have 50 plus bands ripping through Camden over the easter weekend 6-8th April. Tickets are only £70 and you can reduce the booking fee by buying tickets from the paypal link below. Like Our Page and keep posted for more info and line up announcements (more…)
The Soda Shop Podcast This Saturday!
This Saturday on Grip of Delusion Radio betwee 3-5 EST make sure you check out The Soda Shop’s latest Podcast. We used to run a featured called Swedish Sunday where we would feature a different Swedish band. From time to time we would venture a little bit out of the country into neighboring countries and the feature would be called Scandinavian Sunday. This Saturday it returns. We once again pay tribute to some of the great bands in Podcast form. Make sure you tune in and listen! Fet!
01 Switch Opens – “Express Death” from Switch Opens (2009)
02 Noctum – “Mistress” from The Seance (2010)
03 Dozer – “Born A Legend” from Through The Eyes of Heathens (2005)
04 Blowback – “Dead Mans Blues” from Eight Hundred Miles (2009) (more…)
Asteroid: II [Album Review]
Asteroid: II [2010: Fuzzorama Records]
Sweden has a portal to the 70’s and Asteroid has been slung from the other generation with rock that is blues, psychedelic, and folk….with just enough from each to make it freshly familiar.
The second effort (aptly named II) from the trio kicks off with “Garden”. A track that thumps with slapping drums and folk-style vocals that echo a sing-a-long and prompts you to check the calendar to see what year it is. “Disappear” rides up next and is an album within itself with all of its flavors mixed tightly around the roots of rock and folk.
“Karma” has a nice long intro that blends chugging rock at the end to make for a killer stoner rock song. The “Edge” is laced with heavy bass and soaring vocals that seem to reverb into infinity. The groove on this track is booty shakin at its best.
The trilogy of “River”, “Lady”, and “Towers” are next on the track list. I say trilogy because these three songs don’t have a noticeable break between them…they all fit together as one long song. The first song of this 3 way trickles in like a soft flowing river then leads into “Lady” that adds pumping bass and guitar with hollow drumming. The trilogy ends with “Towers” and brings us back to folk sing-a-long and bad ass rock that informs us that “the circle completes so the line has to bend.”
The album ends (unfortunately) with a couple tracks that enforce the freshly familiar sound that Asteroid has created. So stop searching for plans to build a time machine and buy II. The music gods have already created one and put it in Sweden so Asteroid could emerge wearing bell bottoms, carrying a battle axe and holding an ounce of grass. This album is on my top for the year of 2010…even though it feels like 1970.
http://www.myspace.com/asteroidband
Review by MOOD:DOOM
The Soda Shop Needs Help
As Jake posted on Facebook a few days ago, we’re looking for help. Him and I focus a lot on the rock side of things and we tend to neglegt the doom and sludge portion. Because of that we’re looking for a contributor or two to help add give those two other genres a little bit more exposure. Here is what we’re looking for:
Some writing experience preferred but not required. Please submit a few samples of your work. Samples may be cut and paste into an email, a URL or any other form.
We’re looking for people passionate about the doom and sludge genres of music. If you don’t absolutley love doom and sludge then still feel free to submit but keep in mind that doom and sludge is out top priority.
Must have both a Facebook and WordPress account. Knowledge of both also required. No HTML experience required but it certainly doesn’t hurt.
Contributors will be required to review doom and sludge albums and post the reviews on The Soda Shop blog and post links on The Soda Shop Facebook page. Whenever possible, post about doom and sludge related news onto the blog and Facebook page. Keep in mind, this is more or less done in your spare time. You put in what time you can and contribute as much as you can. We aren’t looking for someone that’s going to post something once every few months, please don’t bother if you’re that type.
Now this doesn’t pay money. We’re all as broke as the next person. We can pay you by giving you our thanks and from time to time, free music. Look at it as more of a way to unleash some of your creative side. We’re not as big as Rolling Stone so we don’t see they type of traffic and submissions they do. Perhaps with your help though we can get there.
After all that your still interested, well send an email to bill.goodman@thesodashop.us with your name and samples.
Swedish Sunday – Asteroid
Our next Swedish Sunday goes to the highly liked and ultra cool band, Asteroid. A few weeks ago we ran Blowback as a band featured. On there we showed a split that Blowback put out with Asteroid. Well here today is that other half of the split.
Asteroid comes from Örebro, Örebro län Sweden. They formed in the winter of 2003. Together that have released 1 EP, one split album and 2 full length albums.
From Fuzzorama Records:
And the totally awesome band ASTEROID! Heavy, progressive and with a groove that will blow your mind! Swedish spaced out 70’s style fuzzrock at it’s best!!!
Robin Hirse – Lead Vocals, Guitar & Organs
Johannes Nilsson – Lead Vocals & Bass
Elvis Campbell – Drums
Asteroid EP (2005)
- 2029 A.D.
- Time-Space-Mind
- Electric Voodoo
- On The Planet
Asteroid (2007)
Fuzzorama Records
- The Great Unknown
- Speaking To The Sea
- Panoramic Telescope
- The Infinite Secrets Of Planet Megladon
- Silver Leaf
- Water
- Little Fly
- Strange Trip
- Flowers And Stones
- The 13th Witching Hour
- Dr. Smoke
Asteroid II (2010)
Fuzzorama Records
- Garden
- Disappear
- Karma
- Karma
- River
- Lady
- Towers
- Fire
- Time
Split EP with Blowback (2005)
- Supernova
- Anagram
- Electric Voodoo
- Hexagon
- Sim-Sala-Bim
- Walk Alone
What I’m quickly discovering about his band I’m going to call the “Asteroid process.” It happened with the Swedish band’s self-titled Fuzzorama debut, and the same seems to be holding true for the numerical follow-up, II, as well. It happens like this: you listen to an Asteroid album, and while you’re in it, the music relaxes you to a barely conscious state. You hear the laid back fuzz tones and feel as though you might melt in them. Maybe you do. And when it’s over, you say to yourself, “Golly, that was pretty good,” and you go about your day. If Asteroid set forth the band’s name as one of the brightest newcomers in 21st Century fuzz, then II confirms the potential. Like its predecessor, it is an album whose appeal will only grow with time, and I already have difficulty imagining it won’t be on my best of 2010 list. (The Obelisk)
A mini review from earlier in the year about the second album: The next release is II (2) by Asteroid. I was expecting this album to come out in the summer of 2009 after the band had announced that is was complete. I had no intention of buying the album right away. In fact I held off on buying it but eventually broke down and got it. I’m glad I did. It exceeded my expectations. They retain that signature sound that belongs to Asteroid. The album sounds like a fuzzed out jazz album minus any brass instruments. A lot of the album sounds like the last track, Dr Smoke, from their first album. The CD case is something to be seen too.
The Quarterly Report [Q1 2010]
Welcome to what I’m calling The Quarterly Report. It is a short list of new releases and mini reviews of albums that have been released the previous three months. I’ll be doing this four times a year, thus the quarterly part. Last year on my personal journal on Last.FM I wrote my personal album of the year review. It was pretty popular and got good responses. I’ve decided to do it four times a year to help assist me in my album of the year for 2010. First a few disclaimers. I’m a big fan of Small Stone Records and most of the bands that Mr Hamilton has signed to the label so there are going to be Small Stone artists in almost all my quarterly reviews. Second and the most important, all albums reviewed by me, unless stated, have been purchased by me. No promotional albums, physical or digital, have been given to us here at The Soda Shop. Third, this list is in no way complete. There are many more albums that have come out that I have either yet to listen to or didn’t like. Those albums will be considered at the end of the year. Now, with all that mumbo jumbo out of the way, on with the show.
The first big release for 2010 was “The Last Supper” by Swedish band Skånska Mord. Released through iTunes and presold in December 2009 on Small Stone Records, the physical album was released in early January. This album is a solid debut from a new band. The sound is a mid to late 70’s hard rock sound. I can hear a Ted Nugent sound in the instruments. I didn’t fall head over heels in love with this album like Jake did but it’s still a solid album and has gotten many repeat plays from me and continues to do so to this day.
The next three releases all have a few things in common. They’re Swedish, they’re all from the same label ( Fuzzarama Records) and they were released on the same day. The first one was “If Light Can’t Save Us I Know Darkness Will” by Dexter Jones Circus Orchestra. Out of the three, this was the one I was looking forward to the most. In between this release and 2007’s “Side by Side,” they added Mat Bethancourt (Vocalist for Josiah and Cherry Choke). Mat adds his vocals to the background and of course his guitar and you can notice it. This album isn’t a huge departure from their last and they retain a large portion of the sound but it’s a good thing. Even though it’s similar to Side by Side, it’s darker and different enough to set it apart.
The next release is II (2) by Asteroid. I was expecting this album to come out in the summer of 2009 after the band had announced that is was complete. I had no intention of buying the album right away. In fact I held off on buying it but eventually broke down and got it. I’m glad I did. It exceeded my expectations. They retain that signature sound that belongs to Asteroid. The album sounds like a fuzzed out jazz album minus any brass instruments. A lot of the album sounds like the last track, Dr Smoke, from their first album. The CD case is something to be seen too.
I’m not huge on female fronted bands however, these chicks (and dude) can really rock. Stake Off The Witch is a new band, to me anyways. They did release one album in 2008 called Palace Court, Flat 19. That album seemed more punk oriented while this seems to have mellowed out a bit from the punk and is more rock. Still, these gals (and guy) kick some serious ass on this album. Just like Asteroid, I wasn’t planning on picking this album up when I did but I’m sure glad I did.
The month of March was real good to us too. First up is “III” by the one and only Sasquatch and put out by Small Stone Records. The whole experience starts with the album cover. It seems to be some chalk drawing of a stick figure with some lights above it as if a UFO is above it. Strange but pretty cool. The album is a full hour with 12 tracks. The album is a natural evolution for the band. If you were of a fan of either previous album (you should be of both) then this one you will like just as much. It starts out rocking and continues all the way to the end. There’s not to many slow areas in the album but the few spots there are fits in nicely with it.
The last and certainly not least is one album I’ve been waiting for for a while now. It’s Stone Axe’s second release named Stone Axe II. When I got the CD two days after ordering it (Thank you Tony Reed!) I tore open the packaging. I looked at the back. One of the first things I noticed was that the studio tracks from the Extended Play EP were on the album as well as “On With The Show” from the split with Sun Gods In Exile. I was a little mad at first because I wanted a full disc of brand new, never heard before music. I will have to say one thing, it did make for a hell of a listen. The songs fit in nicely and you don’t really notice that they were on another album. My favorite song on the album has to be “We Know It’s Still Rock ‘N’ Roll” which, if I didn’t know any better, sounds a lot like Bon Scott on vocals. The song even sounds like the AC/DC song “Big Balls.” This disc by far has been my favorite purchase of the year. I’m looking forward to the LP release later this year.
Other notable albums that came out that I did not have a chance to listen to either at all or completely include High On Fire – Snakes For The Devine, Fireball Ministry – Self Titled, The Brew – A Million Dead Stars, Blowback – 800 Miles, Blind Stone – Rise Above, and Black Rainbows – Carmina Diablo.
Artists with new albums I’m looking forward to for the second Quarterly Report include Brant Bjork, Across Tundras, Dirty Sweet, and Sweet Apple.
Links:
The Soda Shop 