Fuzz Fest 9 Dates Announced

Las Drogas at The Blind Pig, 4 July 2019

 

While we were poking around here, we thought to check on the local music news, so we did a search for it, and saw that on 8 March, Fuzz Fest posted that they're looking to get some bigger bands for their 2024 main event. In order for them to hire the bigger bands, they need sponsors. You can contact them on the Faceblech at https://www.facebook.com/fuzzfestmichigan/

Personally, we'd like to see Hällas at this, but will they be able to make it happen?

Below their solicitation, they announced the dates, which are as follows:

22, 23, and 24 August

That's a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

EDIT: For some reason, Blogger is showing typos where they don't exist. We keep trying to correct, "then," to "them," and it shows as, "them," on our side, and where we have it saved to our PC, but it keeps showing as, "then," when we sign out and view the published site. Weird. Obnoxious.

EDIT 2: Seems to be fixed, now. :)

EDIT 3: The correction isn't showing on all devices. That's a peculiar glitch for the site to have.

Wishlisting 2022

We're putting our wishlist out here. The Detroit Metro area is the best place in Michigan to have a rock show, so we know this can't be a long shot. It isn't Detroit Rock City for nothing.

Hällas

               Adventure rock pioneers Hällas have released a new album, Isle of Wisdom, following 2020's Conundrum, currently only available as a digital download. It's expected to be available on vinyl and CD on 8th April. They have two singles out already, Earl's Theme, and Stygian Depths, which you can find on Bandcamp, or The Tube Made of You. According to their FB page, they have a third single, Elusion's Gate, ready to drop on 2nd March. So far, their 2022 tour is limited to cities in Europe, but with a renewed mainstream interest in rock music here in the US, we expect it won't be long before they cross the ocean. You can bother them about it on their FaceBork page, or via aaron@heavytalent.com.

               If you'd like to pre-order Isle of Wisdom, you can do so here. We have already ordered ours.

Footnote: I wrote this draft in 2019 before everything went completely to shit, and Conundrum was not yet released. I would include a photo of their new album cover, but I can't find one that's accessible for posting here.

Magna Carta Cartel

               Dreamy and ethereal, the closest thing to live we've been able to see was their Full Moon Session 2019, which can really only ever be an appetizer. It's just over 21 minutes of magic, thrumming with a sound that 80s musicians only partially explored. There are elements of Peter Murphy's Cuts You Up, The Church's Under the Milky Way, and Chris Isaak's Wicked Game that seem to have been stirred together in a rich tea steeped with moody psychedelia and potent, secret herbs. 

Church of the Cosmic Skull

               With lyrics like, "Everybody's going to die, but we're feeling alright," you can't help but feel uplifted by their cheerful, gallows humor. It's a cult, in the best possible way. They sound like an updated version of ELO, born again for another round of psychedelia, fused with the fervor of sacrilegious fundamentalism.

Mr. Bungle

               These (evil) clowns have long been rumored to play the occasional secret show, and just this year, they snuck in just three dates- two in California, and one in New York. There are some 3,000 miles or so in between that they completely neglected. Their fanbase has been quietly growing for over 20 years, begging for them to tour again. This leaves little doubt that their psychotic brand of progressive, circus jazz has a much bigger audience than can be satisfied with only three shows. They know this. Surely.

Bauhaus
               
               One of the progenitors of the industrial and goth sounds that emerged late in the punk era needs no introduction from me. Suffice it to say that Peter Murphy has been to the area solo a few times, and he is still a charismatic frontman. There is no small fanbase in the area who have been waiting all of their adult lives to see Bauhaus in the whole flesh. 

Faun

               Not at all a rock band, medieval revivalist/pagan folk songcrafters Faun really haven't done the US justice with their tours so far. They play one festival each annually on opposite coasts, but have forsaken the heartland. How shall we convince them to grace the Great Lakes State? Should we lure them with our salt- and shark-free beaches, our many craft breweries, our diverse range of forests, or our renaissance festival, which remains one of the largest in the country? 

New Hӓllas Album for 2020: Conundrum

It's too early for us to offer a review, since we're chosen to wait for the hard copy, which won't be available on 20th March. However, we can tease you with this. It's proggier, more synth packed, and retains their retro-psychedelic, anthemic, adventure rock sound.

We recommend checking out the track, Fading Hero:

They have an official video for the song, Tear of a Traitor, also on Youtube:

News from Sweden

It looks like our Swedish friends have all released little tidbits of information or music recently. Coincidence? Or perhaps their label has something up their sleeve? We can only hope.

Priest

On 29th March, Priest released a 5 song EP, Obey (found here on Bandcamp).

Photo by Dietmar H. Grabs, live in Oberhausen, Germany

Hӓllas

Hällas announced that they've finished recording new music.

Quoting from their FB page:

          "After two weeks of recording at Riksmixningsverket/RMV Studio our upcoming album is almost                   done. The record will be released by RMV Grammofon sometime during the darker half of this                   year. Keep yourselves updated for further information!

           We are so grateful to Linn and Vilma. Thank you for everything!"

Photo by Malin Åsberg

MCC

Furthermore, Magna Carta Cartel, also on 29th March, released this excellent video of live performances recorded in their secretly located studio. Check it out.

If you're still reeling from their mood shift with the release of the Sun and the Rain, Martin gives a little reassurance in a September interview with Jorge Fretes from Goetia Media of Spain. He talks about tour plans, upcoming music, and more.

Oh, and apologies again to Simon Sӧderberg, since we have now learned how to add the umlaut but lack the motivation to correct the previous posts.