Crib Notes

Atlanta psych metal masters Zoroaster announced last week that they will will be heading out soon for their fall, 2009 “North America is Doomed” tour in support of Voice of Saturn, beginning Sat., Aug. 1.

Then on Mon., Sept. 21 they’ll begin a stint of live shows appearing as the hand-picked opening act for French metal band Gojira, for two weeks during their fall run in support of Metallica and Lamb of God.

When those shows are over Zoroaster and Gojira then head overseas to embark on a month-long European tour with experimental black metal bands Absu and Nachtmystium. This will mark Zoroaster’s first trip to Europe and the shows kick-off Fri., Oct.16 in Darmstadt, Germany.

In the meantime, Voice of Saturn is due out on vinyl via Kreation Records any day now…

“White Dwarf” (feat. Brent Hinds) mp3
“Spirit Molecule” mp3

Click below for tour dates

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The Creative Loafing team survived the brutal drive to and from Austin for this year’s South By Southwest festival, kept alive only by gallons of gas station coffee and truck stop tacos.

While we chased down every free meal and drink ticket we could find, we also managed to see a tiny fraction of the 1,900 bands that played this year. Sure, everyone is talking about it today, but we didn’t see Kanye or Metallica. We’re OK with that. Check out a rundown of our favorite moments from the festival after the jump.

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Dr. Dre, AC/DC, the Bee Gees, and the big, purple annoyance known as Barney are just some of the acts whose music is used by the Feds to torture terrorism suspects, according to a story in yesterday’s AJC.

Other acts include Drowning Pool, Eminem, Queen, Metallica, and Nine Inch Nails. Perhaps Metallica co-founder James Hetfield sums it up best:

“We’ve been punishing our parents, our wives, our loved ones with this music forever. Why should the Iraqis be any different?

Read “Music used as torture device.”

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Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher (pictured second from left) has been hospitalized in London as of Nov. 3. while embarking on the bands current European Unholy Alliance Chapter 3 tour. Doctors continue monitoring his condition which is said to be improving.

For the time being Mastodon is continuing on as a trio and are hopeful that Kelliher will rejoin the group in time for their headlining tour of Europe which begins Nov 30, in Utrecht, Holland.

Details as to why he was hospitalized are sketchy at best, though Spin.com reports that a spokesperson for the band says “At this point all we know is that Bill was not feeling well upon arrival to the UK and went to the hospital where doctors are running tests now.”

More details will be reported as they develop.

Photo courtesy of Mastodon

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Run DMC, Metallica, Bobby Womack, Jeff Beck, Chic, Wanda Jackson, Little Anthony and the Imperials, The Stooges and War are the nine potential nominees to be added to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. Only five of them will be selected.

The scuttlebutt about it on CNN this morning reminds me of Johnny Rotten’s love letter to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in response the Sex Pistols’ nomination in 2006…

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Overheard at Bonnaroo: “Next time I see Ben, I’m going to punch him in the face.” — A disgruntled camper whose tent mate had apparently committed a punch-worthy offense.

Friday at Bonnaroo was glorious! I saw the best set I’ve seen so far! But then it started raining and poop mud emerged from every portable toilet. I saw several bands yesterday — and there were so many I wanted to see that I didn’t catch many full sets — so here are some wee tiny reviews:

Drive-By Truckers: Patterson Hood and Co. started Friday off right — their sound was strong, the crowd was really into it, and the band’s fierceness totally filled the enormous stage they played on.

Jose Gonzalez: His set was super-chill — he sat in a chair onstage, and many in the audience took a similar laid-back, lay-back-on-a-blanket mentality. And luckily for me, he closed with his cover of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop.”

Tegan and Sara: Although their set was plagued by technical issues — like several bands on Friday, actually — the banter between twins Tegan and Sara Quin won the audience over.

The Fiery Furnaces: Part of the beauty of Bonnaroo is that there is a diversity of venues. Huge acts like Pearl Jam and Willie Nelson obviously play huge stages, but several smaller stages offer a more intimate experience. The Fiery Furnaces played one of these smaller stages (after playing a much larger tent earlier in the day), and I thought their sound made an interesting transition in live performance. Live songs sounded rawer than the album versions, but still had a distinct proggy, experimental sound. Here’s the music video for their song “Tropical Iceland.”
Eleaor of the Fiery Furnaces

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