Interview: Victor van Ommen talks with Brant Bjork @ Deserfest Berlin April 2015

Brant Bjork is a cool dude. His demeanor captures the essence of stoner rock so whether he’s behind the kit or up at the front of the stage with a guitar wrapped around his neck, you know what you’re going to get. He’s been around for a long time and his name is scribbled on a lot of liner notes from albums that have been made in the Palm Desert. 2015 has brought him back as a solo artist and that means he’s touring again with the Bros – er - I mean The Low Desert Punk Band. Last April, when he came through Europe and headlined Desertfest Berlin, I got to interview the man himself. I took this as an opportunity to discuss his new album, how he feels about hitting the road as a solo artist again, and snuck in a question about pot. Check out the interview here:

Words and interview by: Victor van Ommen

Camera by: Martin Luyckx

Interview: Victor van Ommen talks with The Atomic Bitchwax @ Desertfest Berlin April 2015

What’s left to say about The Atomic Bitchwax? We know they’re a power trio from another dimension and they’ll take you on a zany trip through the outer limits of your mind. The latest addition to their discography, “Gravitron,” is getting praise left, right, and center and unsurprisingly made it onto The Sludgelord’s Sour 16 in April. Needless to say, it wasn’t so surprising that they had the crowd at Desertfest Berlin eating out of their hands last April as they stomped their way across the stage and through their set to a backdrop of sped up space-themed visualizations. After their show I got to sit down with singer and bass player Chris Kosnik for an amusing conversation about the band, the tour, and their new album. Check out the interview right now: 

Words and interview by: Victor van Ommen

Camera by: Martin Luyckx

Interview: Victor van Ommen talks with Cigale @ Desertfest Berlin April 2015

Cigale is a Dutch band featuring some familiar faces if you followed SunGrazer, but for the rest they’re pretty low profile. No tours are scheduled, just a loose show here and there, and the response they’re getting for their independently released debut album seems to be erratic but mostly positive. If you were to ask me what I thought about the album, you would hear some pretty positive things, too. The album opener drifts along with a meditative drone that’s due in part to the lush bass tone. “Feel the Heat,” as the title suggests, has a warm push that builds into a delicate onslaught of reverb filled slide guitar. Cigale’s first single, “Harvest Begun,” is the album’s centerpiece and for good reason, too. It’s a soundtrack for a passionate rough and tumble which swells organically to a breathtaking climax. Yes, it’s innocent music and not particularly exciting, but psychedelia’s slow roll doesn’t always need to be exciting, certainly not when it’s this welcoming.

Since you’ve read this far you’re probably interested in learning more about the band. If that’s the case then please check out the interview I did last April at Desertfest Berlin 2015 by means of the video below

Words and interview by: Victor van Ommen

Camera by: Martin Luyckx