Sleep Concert Review and News

Posted on April 27, 2022 by thesonicsofa

*Sleep live in Denver, April 18, 2022 – Photo credit: The Purlenaut*

Last October, Sleep announced a brief, weeklong 2022 tour for April, totaling three shows in Denver, Colorado Springs, and Albuquerque, culminating on 4/20. This evolved into five total shows, with an extra matinee show added in Colorado Springs and a quickly announced appearance at Meow Wolf’s House of Eternal Return in Santa Fe. Along with the tour, Sleep released a live recording from their concert in New York in 2018, as well as a remastered reissue of Dopesmoker on Third Man Records.

*Denver setlist – Photo Credit: Tim Bugbee*

I made it to their show at the Mission Ballroom in Denver. After openers Superwolves, Sleep took the stage and gave the tightest, most studio-quality performance that I’ve witnessed them perform. There were noticeably less amps on stage than previous shows, which, paired with the robust in-house system, seemed to result in a cleaner mix and more focused sound. The vocals especially were clearer and more distinct; less overshadowed in the mix than previous shows. The mini tour also featured the debut of Al’s 4420 custom double-neck Rickenbacker. The setlist included two classic tracks from their album, Holy Mountain (Holy Mountain, Dragonaut), both Adult Swim Singles (Leagues Beneath, The Clarity), and three tracks from The Sciences (Marijuanaut’s Theme, Sonic Titan, The Botanist).

Among the tables of merch was the limited release of 420 hand etched records from their concert in New York, 2018. It features some sick Escape From New York cover art complete with their signature Sabbath worship. The two green and white discs have a great live concert sound, as well as an amazing mix that really captures the full dynamic range of the band. The low end is especially bright and pronounced.

*New York 2018 – Photo Credit: The Purlenaut*

In other news, Sleep recently announced a reissue of their legendary Dopesmoker LP with Nashville’s Third Man Records. The album is remastered from the source tapes and features a rare studio recording of the previously unreleased track, Hot Lava Man, as well as studio notes and vintage photo prints of the band members. The album retains original artwork by longtime collaborator and album cover artist, Arik Roper. The album is available through Third Man’s Vault Subscription. The sign up deadline to receive the album is April 30th at midnight.

Tour Dates

Aug 27 This Ain’t No Picnic Festival – Pasadena, CA, US

Ancient Nug: New single by Telekinetic Yeti

Posted on April 14, 2022 by thesonicsofa

*Primordial is set for release on July 8, 2022*

Telekinetic Yeti is a two-piece stoner rock band from Dubuque, Iowa. Formed in 2015, the band was started by singer and guitarist, Alex Baumann. Abominable, the band’s first album, was released in March 2017. The heavy album is brilliantly arranged and packs a major punch that rewards repeat listens. After that release, the band began touring heavily, sharing stages with giants such as Weedeater, Truckfighters, 1000 Mods, Red Fang, and Clutch.

After a change of drummers and with five years since their first release, the duo will finally release their second album, Primordial, an album they’ve been sitting on since 2020. It’s their first album signed with Tee Pee Records. The new single, Ancient Nug, picks up where Abominable left off. It has chunky guitar riffs, complex drumbeats, melodic, guttural vocals, plenty of changeups, and don’t miss that heavy down-tempo outro.

It was released as a music video, featuring the duo rocking out onstage in an old church. Guitarist Baumann explained, “This song is about searching for meaning and purpose amidst the ubiquitous suffering we endure. It’s also about something long lost being rediscovered, and the resonating ripples of butterfly effects from the ancient past that affect all life today. We really liked filming in this location because it had such a meditative and surreal quality to it. We felt that it fit the themes of the song well.”

The album can be pre-ordered on black or purple vinyl for $25 or on CD for $13. Check out the music video and get hyped for the new album! Also, look for Telekinetic Yeti at a handful of shows in May, including Desertfest NYC.

MAY 12 Westside Bowl – Youngstown, OH

MAY 14 Middle East – Boston, MA

MAY 15 Desertfest NYC – New York, NY

A Frog in the Bog: The heavy split album by Froglord and Bog Wizard

Posted on April 7, 2022 by thesonicsofa

*A Frog in the Bog was released on April 1, 2022*

A Frog in the Bog is the concept record collaboratively produced by the UK’s Froglord and Michigan’s Bog Wizard. The two stoner doom bands, known for their D&D style narratives, came together from across the Atlantic expanse to document the meeting of the reclusive Bog Wizard and the god-like Frog Lord, resulting in magical and smoky adventures in the depths of the bog.

Bog Wizard starts the album with two tracks, Reptilian Death Squad and Frog Lord, whose doomy riffs and tortured, operatic vocals document the Frog Lord and and his followers’ invasion of the marsh, and of a magical interaction with the Wizard of the Bog, mostly from the Wizard’s perspective.

BOW DOWN TO THE POWER OF THE FROG LORD

Froglord provides the next two tracks, The Bog, and The Wizard. They tell the tale from the perspective of the Frog Lord, attempting to convert Bog Wizard to his cult, and then preparing to do battle. Don’t miss the gnarly blast beats on The Wizard, and keep an ear out for movie sound-bytes, including one from Labyrinth, during the two tracks.

The final track, The Bog Wizard, featuring both bands, tells the epic and surprising tale of the final encounter. Who will win the equally matched battle or will the slimy bog take them both? Listen to the album and experience the full smoky climax to find out what happens.

There’s a lot to like from these two bands and this album. First, the contributions by both bands as well as their song collaborations gives the album a fun mixtape kind of feel, yet with the benefit of having a cohesive narrative, and the retro, 16-bit album art by Benjamin Blåholtz is a great throwback. The digital album can be found on Bandcamp where it is also available on vinyl, CD, and cassette while supplies last. Also check out the merch page for all kinds of cool gear, including album art prints, stickers and patches.