Desert Storm + Mother Corona - 'Omniscient Euro Tour' Part One

By:  Aaron Pickford

Oxford based riff hounds Desert Storm have been making a name for themselves since they formed in 2007. From the beginning the band have worked hard...with 3 albums and a demo and relentless touring of the UK & Europe with the likes of Karma To Burn, Nashville Pussy, Peter Pan Speedrock, Honky (ft members of Down/Melvins/Butthole Surfers) as well as support slots to the likes of Orange Goblin, Red Fang, American Head Charge and festival appearances at The Bulldog Bash, The Desertfest, Brisfest & Roadkill (BEL).

January 26^th  2015 saw  the worldwide release date for the new record 'Omniscient' (Blindsight records- distro by Code 7 via PHD) which we called  ’..a must have album.'

Since their inception 2015 is arguably their most successful to date and the band have just embarked on a mammoth Euro tour with their buds from Mother Corona.  As sponsors for the tour, we asked the dudes from Desert Storm if they’d be down for putting together a tour diary.  So here it is, part one. Be sure to check out this tour if it hits your town.    

Band info: Official | Facebook | BandCamp

‘To Austin and Beyond’ Godhunter – vs – Destroyer of Light ‘Endsville’ Tour Diary: Leg three: Day 19 – 25

 By: Jake Brazelton & Keegan Kjeldsen

Day 19 - Philadelphia, PA) (Jake from Godhunter): We drove the long way around New York City to try and avoid the traffic which meant we drove around two and a half hours through New Jersey. During that entire time in Jersey we didn't pass by a single god damn rest stop. We didn't have the appropriate bottles to pee in so we waited all the way to Pennsylvania before we were finally able to stop. With empty bladders we drove down to South Philly for Oppressive Fest at Kung Fu Necktie. After unloading the gear, we went and got some cheesesteaks for dinner because that is what you do when visiting Philadelphia. They were delicious and had a pickle bar. A fucking pickle bar. How cool is that? After my vegan cheesesteak with grilled onions and cheese whiz, we got back down to the venue just as Dirtbag started the fest with their brand of Kentucky doom. The Endsville crew closed out the 7 band fest which held some highlights like the death-doom of Fin'amor and the grindcore brutality of Total Fucking Destruction. I'm glad no one broke into our van tonight.

Day 20 – Baltimore) (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): After another all-nighter, we crashed at a friend's house, then woke up at an amazingly late hour and hustled over to the Pratt Street Ale House to try Oliver Brewing Co.'s new, dark ale: Destroyer of Light. This is something of a milestone for me, since beer and heavy metal are two things of supreme importance in my life and at this point I've somehow combined them. The beer was heavy and delicious, and afterwards we headed down to The Depot for that night's show. Some very sexy artwork was up on the walls, and At The Graves put on a one-man show that absolutely crushed - very few artists can pull off the one-man band, and this performance was solid. After a very loud couple of sets in a very small bar, we loaded out in one of the smelliest alleys of tour. The smells of each city seem to be competing for 'worst thing a nose can experience'. Nevertheless, Baltimore treated us very well, and the next day's drive prompted an early night.

Day 21 - Greenville, SC) (Jake from Godhunter): Well, the inevitable happened. As much as I tried to prevent it, I got sick. Being on the road for three weeks has punched my immune system right in the balls. But that didn't stop Greenville from being fucking awesome. We rolled up to the Thomas Creek Brewery and we instantly knew this shit was going to be awesome. We didn't set up in some bar section of this place, fuck no. The spot where the bands were playing was in the actual BREWERY, right in from of some actual equipment. After drinking some high quality beer (yes I was drinking while sick, wanna fight about it?) I got myself a good spot to catch Wvrm bring the sludge grind to the good folks of Greenville. Endville played next and I tried my best to make sure my voice didn't go out while playing. Waft came up and closed the night and those dudes played probably one of my all time favorite sets I have seen so far on this tour. I'm not sure how to describe these dudes other than bad ass. While talking with the Waft drummer Zach I found out that we both share a love for the Dragonlance books. Who knew there were so many nerds who like metal?

Day 22 – Atlanta) (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): We're always glad to return to Atlanta, the home of our good friend Dwayne of Order of the Owl. It's always a rager, and this time we played in The Basement, which is literally the basement of the bar and grill upstairs. There were weird vibes however.. a 'prison transport' police vehicle, with its blue lights flashing, pulled up and just sat in the parking lot of the venue for about a half hour. Weird, and totally a buzz-kill. Finally, they left... only to return about twenty minutes later to do the same thing. If you're carrying a prisoner, maybe you wouldn't want to, you know, stop for long periods of time? I don't know. What I do know is that it freaked us out, but local duo, Day Old Man, got our heart-rates back to normal with their glittery shirts and stylish doom. After a doomed show in the underworld from Endsville, Canopy closed things out with their instrumental sludge. Also, Buffalo Bleu Cheese Nachos? Who know that was a thing.

Day 23 - Little Rock, AR) (Jake from Godhunter): I love pizza just like every other real American so tonight was very special to me. We got to play a pizza joint in Little Rock that provided the bands with free pizzas. Each band got two pizzas apiece and since I don't eat meat, I essentially got an entire pizza to myself. Since we are getting close to the end of this adventure, I am pretty fucking broke at this point which made the free pizza taste that much better. We got some free beer too which made everything extra sweet. We were treated to the prog doom of Construction of Light before Apothecary came on stage. Those dudes sounded like Pallbearer except the singer had a better voice. We wrapped up this show with full stomachs and high spirits, nights like this near the end of a long run are much appreciated.

Day 24 - New Orleans) (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): The penultimate date of tour felt like it came way too quick. Tour feels like it flies by - and yet at the same time, when you think about some of the first dates of tour when you start to get to the end, they feel like they could have been months ago. You're more often in the present moment on tour, since you're constantly moving, changing scenery, and don't really know what you're getting into from one day to the next. This fucks with your perception of time, since we're so used to dwelling the past or in the future all the time. In any case, it was a strange feeling to know that reality was right around the corner, a night's drive away, back in Austin - home. We met up with Old & Ill and Thunderkief, the outstanding guys behind Worshiper cabs, who were just beginning their tour. It was great to see our homies (though some bastard had robbed them the night before, in Austin of all places), but we didn't let that get us down, and a band of friends and comrades pretty much doomed the Saturn Bar into oblivion. Our friends from NOLA, Solid Giant, finished the night off with their nasty, transgressive sludge - unfortunately, locals in Space Cadavre had a run-in with the cops before the show and couldn't make it, reminding us that we were in New Orleans. Once upon a time, you could smoke inside and drink outside in New Orleans, but apparently a new law has banned smoking in bars. The times are a'changin', even here. Ah well. At least you can still drink outside.

Day 25 - Austin, TX) (Jake from Godhunter): This is it. The final night of the Endville assault on the U.S. The worst part about tonight was that both of our end-of-tour-pranks ended up falling through. Destroyer of Light ended up parking on the street corner so we couldn't mummify their van with toilet paper AND all the crickets we bought died before we could dump them in their merch boxes. The night was started out by Ass who play an old school sounding style of thrash punk that set the tone for the night. One of the coolest things about these dudes is their bass player Matt makes pedals for his company Idiotbox, which David and I have been using for years now. It was cool as fuck to finally meet this dude. Destroyer of Light played a memorable final set for this tour and then we came up and gave it everything we had left. Mala Suerte closed out the night and the party wound down to a close. We had an absolute blast hanging with the DoL dudes for these past few weeks and I can't fucking wait to hit the road again.

(Keegan from Destroyer of Light): Tour's been good to us, as it always has, but only because of the community of friends, fans, bookers, fellow musicians and really everyone else who is willing to help us out while we're out and about. So long for now, 'Murica. We'll be hittin' the highway again, don't you worry.

Band info: Godhunter Facebook| DOL Facebook



'The Road to Death to False Metal': GodHunter –vs – Destroyer of Light ‘Endsville’ Tour Diary - Leg Two: Day 10-18

 By: Jake Brazelton & Keegan Kjeldsen

Day 10 - Indianapolis (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): On our very first tour, we played a place called Indy's Jukebox, which got bought out and is now called the 5th Quarter - our stop in Indianapolis for Endsville. Returning there was surreal. The last time, we played with Apostle of Solitude (who showed up this time and were nice enough to give us a place to stay) and the great Black Tusk (RIP Athon). Needless to say, it was a 'full circle' kind of moment, although the murderous stairs have been improved under new management. Conjurer slayed it hard - I was admittedly blazed out of my mind and managed to stand long enough to watch them, albeit through my shades. Yes, I wore my sunglasses at night and I didn't even bash the hell out of my shins. Indy treated both us and Godhunter very well this time. The bathrooms did not. I don't know if it's because there's literally a gym on the top floor and all the body odour just accumulates or if the innards of the bar patrons are just downright wretched (we probably contributed on that front). But all that was forgotten by the great support from a host of old and new friends and fans. The only scent that stuck with us at the end of the night was the sweet smell of love. And weed.

Day 11 - Louisville Kentucky (Jake from Godhunter): Sometimes a town has ways of surprising you. Louisville was definitely one of these kinds of towns. We rolled into town a little early so we could stop by the Lousville Deathfest to check out our buds in Immortal Bird. They were playing in what looked like a warehouse kind of building next to an abandoned silo. Immortal Bird ripped apart a sea of dudes in black shirts and their girlfriends. We then drove down to the Mag Bar which is a rad little dive in a weird part of town. Tonight was just us and Destroyer of Light so we weren't in any kind of rush to get set up. We played our set to Destroyer of Light and like one other dude but that dude bought a shirt. So we were 1 for 1 on fans in Kentucky. The owner of Mag Bar was one of the coolest dudes we met on tour. He kind of looks like a shorter hipster version of Abe Lincoln and told us approximately a million dad jokes while smoking a blunt with us.

Day 12 - Raleigh (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): It was a doomed night at The Pour House after a looong all-night and all-morning drive straight from Louisville. With multiple drivers and room enough for two to sleep, it can be done - but we don't recommend it unless you absolutely know what you're doing. If everyone's tired, pull off at a rest stop and sleep for a few hours. You don't even need to set an alarm when you tour in summer: the sun will helpfully commence with burning you to a crisp as soon as it comes up, a friendly nudge that it's time to wake up and drive. Needless to say, we spent most of our time after coming into Raleigh sleeping, dreaming of Lone Star, nachos, cowgirls and all the other things we miss about Texas. At the bar, The Hag woke us the fuck up with their punishing style of sludge-grunge, as well as Bitter Resolve, whose name fit their sound perfectly. They were aggressive and thunderous, and got the blood flowing before Endsville descended on Raleigh. For future reference: no drinking alcohol in the parks of Raleigh... Unless you have a permit.

Day 13 - Charleston, WV (Jake from Godhunter): #picklemouth 

Day 14 - Pittsburgh (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): We've been known to wax poetic about Pittsburgh, especially about the striking view of the city you get when coming in. Tunnel after tunnel through hills and mountains... then, bam. You come out onto a bridge and see the full majesty of the city: the river, the bridges, the hills, and the unique skyline. We seriously can't say enough good things about it. The weather was close to perfect and the wind was refreshing when up in the hills. But, oh yeah, there's hills everywhere, and that makes loading gear a special kind of pain in the nuts. Still, I'm always happy to return to Gooski's for more pierogies, sausage, kraut and wings: playing on Polish Hill has its benefits. After watching Slaves BC and Outlander blast the smallish room in the back of the bar, we were ready for a tight show, and Jeff and Dick jammed bass on the floor. After load-out (my favorite part of tour), Max from Dendritic Arbor was kind enough to put us up for the night, and we got cuddly with some big, fuzzy cats (my actual favorite part of tour).

Day 15 - Buffalo, NY (Jake from Godhunter):  I need to tell you guys something. Western New York is beautiful. We tried to leave early so we could hang out at Niagara Falls for a few hours but we woke up way too late so we only got to stop for fifteen minutes or so. The Falls are insane though. Mist in the air, tourists everywhere, and crazy ass ducks chilling in the water right before the falls. Crazy shit. David's cousin who live in Buffalo showed us and DoL a ton of love by cooking us up some burgers and letting us hang out before the show. We get down to Mohawk Bar where we got to watch a drunk guy get thrown out of the bar, call the cops on the bar for refusing service to him and when the cops showed up they told him "Get your shit, take your head out of your ass and get out of here." After all of this, Bastard Lord brought the hammer of doom down on the crowd before it was time for Endsville. Buffalo is an interesting place. I'd definitely play here again.

Day 16 - Brooklyn (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): Driving into NYC during rush hour is an Odyssey of torture that filled me with enough suffering to write three funeral doom records. Pro tip: iPhones can't handle New York. They can't figure out where the hell they are and you end up getting re-routed through Times fucking Square. Yeah, that happened. After our souls and bladders were crushed for several hours, we reached St. Vitus Bar and remembered why we come to New York. It felt like a metal mecca of sorts, and it was awesome to meet up with Immortal Bird again, this time to play a show. While we were unloading in a bus zone, a city bus pulled up right behind us and the driver got out. We were sure it was to tell us to move our asses, but a lady on the bus, the only passenger shouted that it wasn't her stop. The driver shrugged and said, "I'm gonna eat a sandwich at this deli. Sorry", then walked right past us. Got to meet the mighty Frank Huang of Pit Full of Shit. Immortal Bird's performance was brutal and technical, but without crossing into prog territory. After some very loud sets from the Endsville tour, we drank, partied and mourned the toll money we'd parted with earlier that day. We parted ways with tour buddies Immortal Bird, but not for the last time: Death to False Metal Fest awaits in two days!

Day 17 - Salem, MA (Jake from Godhunter): Salem might have been one of the best on this tour. We got into the witchy world of Salem early so we could check out some of the sights before the party started. We got a taste of what the witch trials were like by seeing the re-enactment and dungeon tour at the Witch Dungeon Museum before checking out some of the cemeteries. After we got done with all of our touristy bullshit, we got to one of the most strangest venues we have ever played, Koto Sushi Restaurant. I've never played an actual sit down restaurant before so I had no idea what to expect but fuck Salem, you dudes know how to party. We had people who came out to the show from Boston and some from as far as Maine to see this show. After letting the close the sit down aspect of the restaurant, the bands set up on the floor across from the bar. After the venue filled up, Led to the Grave thrashed and shredded the energetic crowd and set everything up perfectly for Endsville to lay waste to Koto. During our set, an extremely inebriated dude was rocking out a bit too hard and almost knocked over Dick before his buddy took him off somewhere to sleep it off for the night. After wrapping up the music we shared some booze and stories with all of our new friends, it was time to hit the road again. Salem fucking rules and Koto fucking rules.

Day 18 - Hamden, Death to False Metal Fest (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): We've been calling this the 'traffic tour', because we've managed to hit awful traffic almost every drive so far, and the road to Death to False Metal was no different. Jeff walked side-by-side with the van for a bit as we inched along, because sometimes you gotta smoke and we weren't going faster than walking distance. We rolled into the parking lot with little time to spare before loading in gear for Godhunter's set. The Outer Space stage where we both played was agonizingly small - and given the size of the room and the loudness of the bands there, I'm guessing it was incredibly loud. I'm guessing because my hearing has been systematically destroyed already, so who knows. Needless to say, I approve of that: Godhunter, Destroyer of Light and Secret Cutter all shared gear and blasted the audience in what could only be called a 'heavy metal lounge party'. Just outside, metalheads strummed away at acoustic guitars, and finally Archaic Decapitator finished the night on the small stage with their technical death assault. Meanwhile, at the ballroom, Grizzlor's raw, reckless abandon was followed up by the power doom of Demon Eye and Nasty Disaster's nasty brand of heavy metal. Immortal Bird kicked up the harshness and freakout level in preparation for Krieg's black metal blitz. Good people run this fest, and I can only hope that the discovery of another fest with the same name will only be a minor hurdle: while the fest may not be keeping the name, every band performed their asses off. Hats off to everyone involved.

Band info: Godhunter Facebook| DOL Facebook

‘The Road to Fat Guy Fest’: GodHunter –vs – Destroyer of Light ‘Endsville’ Tour Diary - Leg One:

 By: Jake Brazelton & Keegan Kjeldsen

Day 1 - Tucson (Jake from Godhunter): We had been practicing without David for around 6 months or so. A week before the tour David drives the van all by himself down to Tucson from Washington so we can get a few days of practice in before we start the tour. The dudes from Destroyer of Light did the massive drive from Austin to Tucson the day before so we met up with them at our jam room to hang a bit. Keegan and I nerded out about ‘Magic the Gathering’ (I brought my deck along) and we smoked a bit of weed before heading down to Club Congress to get this tour started out right. Zachary Reid started us off with his neoclassical electro-drone solo work. Next up was Lockdown, Tucson's best Autopsy worship band. They were playing their very first show that night. Following that was Tucson punk veterans Pop Gestapo. Destroyer of Light proceeded to blow the roof off of Congress and we proceeded to blow up one of our Orange amps on the first night of tour. Because we're Godhunter and we do stupid shit.

Day 2 - Tempe (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): After two nights in Tucson, it was good to hit the road again and get the tour started right. Tempe is only two hours north of Tucson, but these two Arizona cities have a very different feel. I'm always vaguely aware whenever we're there that we've stepped into the domain of a megalomaniacal sheriff who tyrannizes over Phoenix; nevertheless, the local bands are not disheartened and Lago proceeded to blacken the Yucca Tap Room into oblivion before Pocket Leaf pumped out the hard rockin jams. Some bathroom poetry extolled the virtues of titties, further proving that the artistic spirit is strong in Tempe. The Yucca Tap Room will always have a special place in our hearts that I should also mention - it was a year ago here that we saw, sitting behind the bar, a 'Big Hug Mug', shortly after binge watching True Detective. We bought it from the bar for five dollars, eager to ash into McConaughey's cigarette receptacle of choice, and, on the second night of the Endsville tour, our beloved mug got to visit home

Day 3 - El Paso (Jake from Godhunter): We drove all the way through New Mexico to El Paso. We played this rad little DIY skate punk warehouse. They had built a skate park in by the stage so that shit was pretty awesome. This was a doom/trash fest that had 6 bands playing. Starting off was The Pyne playing some really fucking good Torche meets Pelican style tracks. Another highlight was The Stalk who sounded like this kind of noisey sludged out Godflesh. Torture Victim came down from Albuquerque and got the circle pit going with their blackened trash. Those El Paso dudes partied until around 3 in the morning. A chick threw up next to our van and someone tried to sell Keegan crack. Just another night in El Paso. Always keeping it classy.

Day 4 - Albuquerque (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): When you're on the road, there's a certain extent to which you're living on the charity of others. It's a humbling experience like that. Local heavy metalheads Skulldron were among those charitable enough to invite us into their home for burgers, dogs and beans... a fuckin godsend! They slayed the Launchpad that night as well, along with Black Maria: some very loud stoners with some powerful riffs. It was a small but dedicated crowd that night, and the camaraderie was strong. Dave Rodgers committed an alien massacre at the arcade. Some former Texans bought me a Shiner Bock and we talked kolaches, making me hungry again, goddamnit (alas, the chances of finding kolaches outside Texas are slim). All night, the walking dead shambled listlessly into a bro-bar next door, dressed to the nines. The DJ looked ready to blow his brains out from boredom. 

Day 5 - Denver (Jake from Godhunter): We got stuck in the biggest traffic jam in the middle of nowhere on our way to Denver. It was the god damn worst. It was that irritating kind of traffic jam that never slows down enough for you to grab the weed but keeps dragging on for hours and hours. We drive right to Seventh Circle and start enjoying all of the benefits that being in Colorado allows. Earthen Tongue started off the night with some Incantation style death metal. Up next was a post rock band from Philly called By Us, Universe. We got to hang out with a bunch of our friends too. Sara from Heavy Friends Records, Abbey and Tommy from Oryx, and Grant and Joe from In The Company of Serpents were all there. We all smoked HELLA weed. I love Colorado.

Day 6 - Omaha (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): Occasionally the unthinkable happens and you miss part of the show. The few times this has happened, it tears us up because we'd consider ourselves fairly zealous about watching the other bands. But after a car flipped in a construction zone in Nebraska, which was already down to just one lane of traffic, we were trapped. It took about an hour for that shit to move, and Godhunter informed us of all we missed out on in Rift, a rock solid act whose members are cool as all hell to hang with. Super Moon was next, specializing in stoner jams with a hard edge, hitting an almost Slayer-esque vibe at times. Loading in as soon as we pulled up, our Omaha experience was a whirlwind. Still, having never spent any time in Nebraska, the area of town we partied in seemed pretty chill, defying my expectations. Everything you hear about driving through there is pretty much true though. Bring a book. Or a magazine. Or get in a few games of Risk. Any troops that vibrate off the cooler are considered killed in an earthquake.

Day 7 - Minneapolis (Jake from Godhunter): We listened to the first eight Black Sabbath records on the way up to Minneapolis so when we get to the Triple Rock and ‘Paranoid’ is playing on the juke box, I knew then that it was gonna be a chill place. Half of the menu was vegetarian/vegan food which, being the only vegetarian in the group, I finally had more than two options for dinner. I ended up getting a sandwich with some mock duck on it. Who knew that was even a thing? Book ending the show was Ambassador Gun and The Funeral and The Twilight. Ambassador Gun ripped through some crusty ass sludge/grind tracks and even swapped places halfway through their set. The Funeral and The Twilight are an impossible to describe trio that mix a variety of genres such as punk, psych, western, and doom into one of the most original sounding bands I've ever heard. One of my favorite parts of tour is playing with bands you met on the other side of the country so getting to see The Funeral and The Twilight was extra special for me. I also love it when I can nerd out with some dudes about shit like D&D.

Day 8 - Chicago (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): I don't think I could live in Chicago. Don't get me wrong, I like to let the good times roll, but good times in the Windy City tend to roll off the goddamn rails and I'm pretty sure I would die of too much fun. Case in point: when we pulled up to the Livewire Lounge, things seemed tame, and I thought we might actually have a low key night. How wrong I was. Fueled by Sin and Crosshammer provided the local support, proving that retro is not limited to Sabbath by bringing us all back to the 90s. Following the doom/sludge assault that ‘Endsville’ wreaked on the patrons, karaoke was the fuel that set things off. Suddenly, Penny is buying Steve a shot so I can pick a song for him to sing, and Jake is being coerced by Dave into stripping into his pizza underwear while performing ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ - a song which I am convinced he never listened to before that night, owing to his interpretation of the verse as monotone rapping. Got to hang with The Atlas Moth, and Immortal Bird was nice enough to put us up for the night, but not before Rae and Dave sang a moving duet version of the classic: ‘Cowboys From Hell’. If the party ever stops in Chicago, I have seen no evidence that this is the case. (There is, however, plenty of evidence of our karaoke debauchery, online.)

Day 9 - Kalamazoo (Jake from Godhunter): One of the best things about this part of the country is the shorter drives between cities so after a few days of long drives, the drive to Kalamazoo was a welcome change. Steve from Destroyer of Light's parents live in Kalamazoo and were gracious enough to invite over for some food and beer. Steve's dad spent ten fucking hours cooking everyone an incredible smelling brisket and some vegetarian stuff for me. The hospitality that the Colca's showed us was truly heartwarming and with full bellies and a few beers under our belts, we headed down to the Fat Guy Fest. Let me tell you, these dudes know how to put together a show. With a local brewery bringing in beer just for the bands, free pizza, hula hoops on the stage, and of course some killer bands all with an extremely welcoming crowd, these guys were hitting all their marks. Drink Their Blood switched between brutal and ambient and brought out a fucking saxophone twice during their set while making full use of the hula hoops on stage to play a game of human ring toss. Beast in the Field closed down the night by loading up the stage with guitar cabs and then the two piece crushed with Bongripper style riffs and punishing drums. All too early this night wound down and we headed out. Kalamazoo kicks so much ass, we definitely will be coming back to party with you dudes again.

 'Endsville' is streaming in full here



Tour Dates Remaining:  

15/8/2015 The Outer Space & Ballroom – Hamden, CT @ Death To False Metal Fest
16/8/2015 Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA
17/8/2015 TBA – Baltimore, MD
18/8/2015 Thomas Creek Brewery – Greenville, SC
19/8/2015 The Basement – Atlanta, GA
20/8/2015 Vino’s – Little Rock, AR
21/8/2015 Saturn Bar – New Orleans, LA
22/8/2015 Holy Mountain – Austin, TX



Band info: Godhunter Facebook| DOL Facebook

Tour Diary - Gozu Euro Tour 12th - 25th April 2014

First week of Gozu Tour

First off, I will try to remember as much as I possibly can. If I forget a name or an instance, then I probably was not into it. Keep in mind, if I forgot and remembered when somebody told me, now that is a fucking great night.

The thing is, if you have met us, we are all very different characters and that is why we get along so well. Each member has a uniqueness about them that lends it way to doing shit that the others plain do not feel like doing and it works well as moments seems to fall into place for us.  So, do yourselves a favor, put on some nice music, keep an open mind and join us for a few of the places we were able to grace. There is no behind the music bullshit or any turmoil. This was truly 16 days of 4 guys having an incredible fucking time. I mean this with all of my heart as the shit we did and saw together was amazing.

Here we go, Roadburn.  Saturday, and it was beautiful day for a show. We get there and this place is hopping like nothing I have ever witnessed. The band checks in and we are shown where we will be playing and the gear is all set for us to use. I mean, we did not have to move a muscle.  They set up all the gear and let us do our thing before we even got there. It was like being in a guitar shop and just pointing to stuff and telling them to put it on the Underhills tab.

They take us to our dressing room where there is a fridge stocked with beers and waters. We grab a few beers and take a walk around. Now understand, these shows run like a clock, pure professionalism at its finest and nice as can be. Any question, bam answered, wanna know where something is, it’s right there, need to know whom to ask for something, he is right in front of you. We are talking making shit happen and they were all incredibly willing to make the event the shiznit.

Back to the dressing room and in walks Ben Ward from Orange Goblin. It was great to meet Ben as I have spoken to him via email and he has great ties to Boston via the ass kickers themselves, Roadsaw. Now I am 6’4 270, Ben is the size of a small condo in Charlestown, MA. He is perhaps one of the nicest gents you could ever meet. He was the tour manager for the Texas band, Scorpion Child.

It is time for us to hop on the stage and let the rock fucking roll. We perform our ritual shot of whiskey, crush a few cold ones and proceed to fucking destroy the green room. A special thing about the gig was JJ from the Obelisk was there, right in the front row. If you know JJ, he can certainly bring a smile to your face as he is one of the true rock ambassadors of the musical genre we play. Seeing JJ brought the bands performance to a new level, so Thank you JJ for everything you do and continue to do for us, we are humbled. It was a packed house and we certainly aimed to please and from the applause I would say we did.

The energy in that room was infectious. Heads bopping, asses shaking and a wonderful aroma making its way through the building. The sound was impeccable. Now that is where the man with a plan comes in, Saso Kotnick, our tour manager. This guy is the real deal, a true motherfucking badass in every way possible.  He had the sound so dialed in that it was a pleasure to play. We finished the set and then came on and did an encore that was met with tremendous applause. From there, the band set out to enjoy ourselves fueled by a river of whiskey and pure delightfulness. One of the highlights of the show for me was watching Doug rip the fuck out the tunes. For me, there is not a more soulful motherfucker in the world than he. He laid down the thickest riffs during the set and danced like a thicker Travolta from Staying Alive. Yeah the one where he is an actual performer on a wonderful dance set, Travolta, but Doug also. Each night, he has the energy of a 20 year old kid and has fun every time we play. He is a catalyst if there ever was one.

Joseph and Hubbs were so tight that the rhythm made me feel like I could do this all night long like Lionel Ritchie if I needed too. The interplay between the two was so right on. Every thump, upbeat, crash, the two executed with flawlessness.  I am pretty blessed to look over my shoulder and to the side and know that I have 3 pretty much insane fuckos that are gonna put the hammer down every night. That night, they had a fucking air gun, shabang bitches.

There was a kind area where merch was being sold and the band decided to hang as it was such a nice day. Here we met people from all over the world that dug the band. Therefore, that brought on shots, beers and chatting with people that had a fondness for Graham Nash. The interesting fact is how sincere people were. They go to these shows because simply put, they love music. They get off on it and we in turn get to turn them on with what we do, play music we love to make and perform. When you can truly turn someone on with any type of art, it is a magical feeling. Abracadabra.

We meet one of the production cats that could not be nicer and he was a fan of the music and certainly made our stay a better time, if you dig. He did not miss a beat either while helping us. Taking care of business and making the world a better place. He looked like a young Lowell George and was our Rock n Roll Doctor.  We went back to the dressing room to grab a few more beers and we were able to speak with Ben, which for me was a true highlight of the day as he is such a revered figure and after you meet and converse with him, it is so evident why. Thank you very much Ben for your kindness and words of wisdom.  Hubbs and I spent some time chatting with guys from other bands in this crazy glass room they have at Roadburn. It is a treat and if you are there, pop in and enjoy the serenity of it.

While strolling back to the merch area, we met a great guy from Italy that was a true character, this motherfucker lived life to the fullest and loved music. We saw him at Desertfest and he was again great to hang with. So upbeat about the whole scene and just putting a smile on the faces of all of us. Thank you sir.

As the show boiled down, it was early and there was a lot of life left to be lived. We had heard about a place called the little devil and decided to make our way over to see what the happs was. It was pure heaven. People are chatting with us about the show, certain music and there were a few Fathers and Sons that were at their first Roadburn together and were thanking us for making it a memorable time. That was pretty heavy. I can probably equate that to the time my dad told my mom we were going to see some bullshit movie and he took me to see Lone Wolf McQuade, starring Chuck Norris.

Within 2 mins, after chatting, it was on. This place had a dollar beers and 2 dollar shots. I decided to order 8 shots just to see if it was true, 16 dollars please, I said you gotta be shitting me and it was true. Bang bang, you’re it. This wonderful room quickly became known as the Hesher Prom. I can still see the grin on Hubbs face; I am laughing thinking about it. Guys were literally passing out on the bar. A few of them would be chatting with us and all of sudden be slipping into darkness. What the fuck. A few kids threw up right at the bar. Then, without missing a beat ask us if we wanted another shot. Well, when in Rome, or the Netherlands.

To our delight they had a backroom that opened up, 'A-fucking-men.' The room was straight out of a Krokus video, bullet belts, studs; spandex pants and let me tell you, the night was going to get even better. It was packed and looked like a video was just shot and the extras were able to take over the bar.

By the time we rolled in, a DJ was spinning tunes of every genre available. I look up after ordering a few drinks and Doug is on the stage. What happened next was pure brilliance, that motherfucker got up there and sang along with Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing and the crowd went ape shit. Saso, Hubbs and I almost pissed our pants. He made Steve Perry an afterthought.  Hey Steve, fuck you, go back and sing for Journey and stop being a beeyatch.

Anything you could think of was going on in that club. Broken bottles just laying there, people dancing up a storm to anything from Dolly Parton’s Jolene to Lay it Down by Ratt. Smoke filled that place like someone had been asking if Dave was there if you get my drift. If not, go look it up.  I went to secure a few more beers and looking into the crowd I could not help but smile so goddam wide. I was beaming from ear to ear. Upon looking up all of us in the band were getting funky with patrons of the bar and it was pure Valhalla. Joe was holding court and he has such a way about him that people love chatting with him. The reason, he actually listens people and while crushing his 16^th beer of the night, does not miss a beat.

The DJ took requests and on came Steelers Wheels, Stuck in the Middle with you. This song has always had a special place in my heart as during lacrosse games in High School my buddy and I would be on the field singing away while kicking the shit out of the other team. Steelers Wheel also made a wonderful appearance at the E2O club in Italy, hey now.  Simply put, we were wholeheartedly drizzed, had a superb day of music, hanging, meeting people and were on our way to such a wonderful and crazy fucking week. We hopped in the van, made it back and slept like newborns.

So now it is Sunday and we make our way to Hamburg. In the back of your mind you are probably thinking, it is a Sunday night, probs just chilled and took it easy. Well, you are fucking wrong.  We arrive in Hamburg and our met by our boy Alex. The reason this is a big deal as Alex is the artist behind the Locust and Fury Albums. What a super nice guy and fun to get to finally meet and hang with him. Great to talk about music and to get to personally thank him for the superb work he has done for the band.  Since it is a Sunday the opening band went on around 830. However, beers and drinks started flowing around 630. People started coming in and for a Sunday night, it was a nice crowd. What we did not know was that the people at the show knew our shit. There was one kid dancing like he was trying out for Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, starring Helen Hunt and the woman from Sex in the city. I can’t remember her name right now and really who fucking cares, lets’ get back to the kid.

He knew all the words to ‘Bald Bull’ and I was floored. Holy Shit, this kid was singing along with me, Take Me Away, like he was on Star Search and it was fucking good. While the two of us were speaking after he was telling me how he digs a lot of the Smallstone bands and was so thankful he got a chance to see us play and hang with us. To be honest, I probably dug hanging with him more than he did with us. That is the thing, when you get to meet such a genuine nice kid, and he is into what you are into, it takes things to such a nice hang. 

Thanks brophus.

The whole crowd was dancing and it was a hell of a show for a Sunday night. You can feel it onstage when people are into it. The last thing you want on a Sunday night is for people to be bored and looking like they would rather be passing a kidney stone. By the way that fucking blows. Nothing like a piece of shale ripping through your cock to see the light of day, check please.

We ended and the crowd wanted another tune, I broke into ‘Alone’ and Joe decided we were thirsty so he graciously went to the bar and got us shots and beers and when we kicked in, a beat was not missed.  From there we hit Brown Sugar and the place was fully into it. Dancing, swigging drinks, clapping, it was probs one of the best Sundays I have had in a while. Hubbs broke into a nice swing that Joe and I followed and Doug took a solo that was pure ice cream bang bang. Simply put, it was sexy and you could get your fuck on, if you were so inclined to that sort of thing.  We finish the set and the people could not have been nicer. One of the people went to Desertfest and introduced herself to us as we were walking in. If you read this, drop us a line so we can personally say Thanks.

So, we hang with the crowd, exchange a ton of laughs followed by the mantra of the week for Joseph and I, the common saying, “Gaff,  shot.”  The people in the bar were so gracious and really enjoyed the hang and treated us as nice as one could be treated. You all made us feel incredibly comfortable and for that we were able to have a fun show and an even better hang.

So, it is time for the crowd to leave but the bartender and a few of the workers at the bar decide that we should all have drinks together and let us know what and where we should go for the night.  The Bartender wanted a shirt and I asked if 8 shots would be ok, he chuckled and no shit lined them up like he was Tom Cruise in Cocktail. From that point on, it was pure nonsense. This guy kept pouring shots like he was on a mission to get us fucked up. Guess what, you served your mission well sir, we were speaking in tongues when we left.

They allowed us to leave our gear in the bar and told us we could load out in the am. How nice was this to hear, as hauling gear would not have been top of my list at that date and time, I and the band would have rather been monkey punched in the dick.  So, Hubbs, Joe, Dug, Saso and myself hop in the van and make our way to downtown Hamburg. If you have never been there, read up on it, it is funky up in the piece and I mean funky like ouch ouch you’re on my hair funky.

Saso takes us to a great bar called Lunacy with a nice crowd, great bartender and nice music filling the air.  Now 99 percent of the patrons were great, however, there was one guy that was a fucking assclown. If you need to look like Ben Foster from 30 Days of Night and foaming at the mouth, take a break and take your yayo sniffing ass the fuck home. When Robert Plant so eloquently stated, “Don’t you want cokay, cokay, cocaine.” He was addressing this tiny little guy.  One word, Sanka.

This stunod thankfully would be loud and then go away. That is all the ink I am gonna waste, so fuck him.  Now one thing I will say about my boy Hubbs is that you will not meet a nicer motherfucker in your life. He got talking to the people and they loved him. He has a sweet demeanor and when you get a chance to have chill time with Mikey, you will understand why we all love that fucking guy.

So, they have these drinks called pizza shots that might be the tastiest things we had in a while. They were practically giving them away and we were gladly indulging in their kindness. The bartender, god bless her was incredibly nice to us. Doug and Saso were looking on at points and would just smile and laugh like little kids. That as I would learn can be a great thing to witness as you know the wheels are turning, at a hyper speed rate.

While we are hanging and enjoying ourselves I decide that I should help out the bartender and decide to go behind the bar and help serve a few drinks. What I did not know was that this is not allowed in Hamburg. The look on her face as well as the manager was pure ‘what in the fuck is this guy doing’.  I let them know I had done this before so they could rest easy, they however said that I did not need to show my thankfulness, she was just fine pouring cocktails. Fuck it; do not say I did not try to be a nice patron.

We took a ton of pics and had a great night. It was late, actually 5 in the morning, and decided we should reign it in so we went back, hung up our soaking wet clothes and let the dreams of the night carefully rock us into a babe like sleep. Hamburg Thank you so much for a great night. They also now use the term click it or ticket when ordering.

Now, we had a show in Slovenia which killed, but the thing about being in Slovenia was that every 10 feet, Saso knew someone. He was greeted with such enjoyment on the people’s faces. For me, and I think I can speak for the rest of us, we could not have had a better Tour Manager if we tried to dream one up.  Saso is one of those rare people you meet that from the first hello, you know he is a wonderful person and you are in for a great hang. He took care of so much for us that Thank you does not even do him proper justice. You are truly loved by us all and we all have a great friend that hopefully we will be seeing soon.

It is Good Friday and we are in Milan, on our way to Montecchio, to the E20 Club.

Before we hop in the van our friend Claudio takes us out for a lunch which was off the fucking hook.  A wonderful meal that elates out taste buds as well as our souls, amen.

Now, I have not had a sip of wine in 8 years.  That is a whole other novel. If we are in the same room and have some time, I will tell you about it. Joseph decides to order a jug of red, which in turn turned into 6. It was so good Doug polished 2 by himself and then started discussing something called the 5 pound hand, which lead Hubbs and I to almost piss our pants. Joe was at the Adult table.

We finish up and are on our way. At this point none of us are dragging from the night before. We are well fed and could feel that tonight was going to be something special.  As musicians, we definitely vibe on things. If you are in a bad mood or do not feel well, you have to try and get yourself up or the gig. Well, we were all up for this motherfucker.

Doug, in a brilliant move, throws on D’Angelo live from Sweden. All of a sudden our ears are romantically filled with Pino Palladino’s bass line from Devils Pie. As I looked around, each member of the band was feeling it. Hubbs was grinning like he just found out he won a special prize, Joe gets his shoulders going, Doug is getting funky like only he can and he has put us in a melodic and soulful trance.

We ride it out and the last hour is usually time for headphones, getting your mind and body together as one. Hubbs is getting his Stones on and I am listening to the Allman Brothers.

For me, when I am at the height of feeling good, the Brothers can elevate me to a spiritual existence, in which only music can do, and it is a Divine Intervention. At this point, Duane and his baybrah Gregg have me in tune with ‘Hittin the Note’. It is as if I am getting a shot of adrenaline and all my senses are started to boogie in the utmost sphere of my being. When ‘Don’t Keep Me Wondering’ comes on, forget about it.

We pull into Montecchio and the vibe in the van is one we have not felt in a few days. At the Club we are greeted by a young woman with a wonderful infectious smile, Giulia. She shows us around and informs us that since it is a Holiday people will most likely be partying until the morning and this is music to our ears. Her excitement has made its way to us and we are completely amped for what is going to become of the night.  As a musician that is what you want to hear as you know people will be present in great spirits, you do not want to hear, tonight is gonna fucking blow, if we are lucky a few people will turn out, time for sound check.

We unload the gear have a few beers and sound check.  Saso is so fucking good that even in sound check it sounds magical and this ripples through all of us. From there we are taken upstairs to where people are already hanging out. Each person we meet truly makes the band feel welcome. Besides Joe, the rest of us are in our 40’s, but age is whatevs, if you soak in the communal vibe, you feel like you are in your 20’s, and that night we were in our teens.

Each of us is chatting with people discussing music, beers, NY, many different things, including a fondness for Graham Nash.  After great discussion and beers it is time for us to enjoy a wonderful sit down meal with our new friends, and we could not have asked for a better banquet.

It is at the meal that we meet now a truly beloved friend of us all, the promoter and my main man Jack. Jack booked the gig, and is the promoter at E20. He is a super nice guy and incredibly knowledgeable about the scene and music. He and Joe strike up a great conversation about beer and Joe is grinning as he is now in Heaven.

During the meal we are treated to more wine which in turn gives us a kick into a place that will later reveal its beautiful head.

When dinner is over, Jack takes us down to the club and there is already a nice amount of people digging the whole vibe of the night. I go to the bar and here is where all of us meet a friend I hope to stay in touch with for a very long time, Andrea. He serves Joseph and I our first shot of whiskey which is then shortly followed by another. This would later lead to a story Hubbs would fill me in on just yesterday.

So I go back to the dressing room and grab a beer and start talking to the guitarist of the first band up, Enrico. He was probably in his mind asking himself who the fuck are these bearded wack jobs and what the fuck is going to become of this night? He tells me it is the first gig for his band. I ask if they would like me to introduce them and he gladly replies ‘that would be great’.

I make my way back to the bar where the others are crushing drinks and Doug has a grin on his face that I have witnessed many times, and it makes you feel like you are in for the utmost treat. Hubbs is enjoying himself and chatting it up as if he was running for mayor. I think if there was a vote, that sumbitch might have won. Now we come to the part of the story where for me personally, I meet my favorite bartender of all time, Hugo. This motherfucker poured me and the boys so many goddamm shots that all of us were utterly and completely drizzed.

While at the bar, a younger gentleman asked me if we usually drink before we play, as we all just polished off a cocktail. I kindly asked him a question in which you can email me about later.  The other guys and I are truly amazed by the kinetic energy and how welcoming everyone is. This is a huge plus when performing, because you want to play your best show as to not let anyone down.  I slip to the back as Enrico and his mates are getting ready to hit the stage. I did not inform the others that I would be introducing his band, so the look on their faces when I walked up to the mic was priceless, especially Hubbs.  The band killed it and ended with a Kyuss tune. Which I was quite happy about.

We all go back and chat with them and let them know we dug it the most.  A lot of high fives and hugs were thrown down. Smiles were from ear to ear and we all enjoyed a fresh beverage together. Digging the other bands is an overlooked thing. If you can vibe off the other bands, you are mos def going to have a better show than if you think they suck dick.

Next up a Forest Mighty, guitarist Meo and I have a great chat before and after the gig. They also slay it and were having so much fun that we all truly got off on it. All the while Hugo is treating us to a Keith Richards extravaganza.

They finish and Hubbs, Joe, D and I have our communal drink together. Joe and I meet for two more as Doug and Hubbs get their shit squared away. From the first note of ‘Ghost Whipe’, we all know that we are in for a good one. Saso has the sound so fucking dialed in, we are grinning from ear to ear. We can hear everything so clear, so vivacious; it is time to let the rock roll. Hubbs at the end of the tune gives me a smile and says, “You ready Hoss,” and ‘Bald Bull’ truly takes us away.

The rest of the set is fired up by the wonderful audience that we were so privileged too play in front of. We finish the set and then go on for the first encore which is then followed by a next encore. Remember how I said Hubbs was nice enough to share a story with me yesterday, well he explained to me that I had come through the door with an empty bottle of whiskey and we ripped into another. Then I went out on the stage by myself and kicked into ‘Brown Sugar’. In my mind I assumed that we had all walked onstage together, whoops.  I remember Doug ripping into a solo that was so fucking good. His leg was going like a fucking mule kicks. He absolutely tore the fuck out that tune. That is the thing, we are a band, but really dig it when we can hang back and watch the others fucking kill it.

So we come offstage and for some reason I feel the need to get my dance on while the others were getting their cocktail on. It was as if I was Kevin Bacon in Footloose, I truly needed to dance at that moment in time. If I would have had a ruffled tux, I would have made that thing look like a million euros.

So, I made my way out to the dance floor and the look I got from Saso was pure fucking entertainment. He told me in the morning that he laughed and knew that it was going to be a long night once the dancing started and he was right.

Now I am not going lie, when I am in the mood, I can cut a rug, even at 6’4 270, I am very light on my feet.  The Gods were clearly looking out for me as I was able to have a dance partner, Francesca, whom was truly the nicest person I met on tour and hopefully will be able to have as a great friend. I cannot thank her enough for taking the time and dancing with my old ass. It is truly a moment I will cherish.

After dancing, I went back to the bar, where Hugo and I enjoyed more cocktails, watched the boy’s pound drinks with the ease of drinking water and had a wonderful discussion about writing for The Sludgelord. I discussed how I was able to chat with bands I am a huge fan of. I talked about speaking with Bob Balch, Both Reeders, Brant Bjork and of course, Mr Creepyfingers, Brad Davis.

It was great to discuss music that you love and why it is so dear to you. If I did not dig those dudes, I would have never been on tour and would have never met the great people that I did that week.

We had to get up early the next morning and drive to France so we all gathered ourselves and made our way to the hotel. I threw on my ipod and the warmth of the Spilt Milk CD by Jellyfish eased my way into a wonderful sleep.

Now, to hop a week forward, we are in Desertfest Berlin, and who do we see but Jack and Andrea. All of us in Gozu were like little kids seeing our buddies that we met in summer camp all over again. That is how you know you have a wonderful bond with someone, by the smile that you wear when you are around people. We shared stories of the night and again discussed Graham Nash.

We walked away from a place that we had never been and left with friends and stories that we will discuss for a long time. Gozu is truly amazed by your hospitality, warmth and true kindness. E20, you will always have a very special place in all of our hearts.

Love,

Gaff.