Monthly Archives: September 2011

EARLY ONLINE LOVE FOR RADIO MOSCOW!

LISTEN, DAMNIT (online music blog)
Radio Moscow rocks your face off with ‘Little Eyes’ mp3
Oh, Friday: so perfect for dirty, caveman garage-rock thrashing. In other words, perfect for Radio Moscow.
The California trio returns Oct. 11 with its third album for Alive, “The Great Escape of Leslie Magnafuzz,” and to allow you time to come to terms with that reality, the band is giving away a free song, “Little Eyes.” It’s a grime-caked tune full of guitar squalls and howling vocals, anchored to bedrock with rumbling rhythm that clanks and crashes like some infernal machine. Just try not to dude-nod along with this greasy jam — we dare you.
We know we haven’t answered the question that’s obviously on your mind: Who (or what) is Leslie Magnafuzz? Frankly, we don’t have a clue, but we figure listening to “Little Eyes” a few dozen more times might help us figure it out.
Photo by Kyle Aaron Lacy
LISTEN
Little Eyes mp3
http://listendammit.com/2011/09/30/radio-moscow-little-eyes-mp3/

BACKBEAT SEATTLE (Seattle music blog)
Radio Moscow
“Little Eyes,” a track from Radio Moscow, is the last mp3 in this installment. Radio Moscow will be in Seattle for a headlining gig at the Comet on October 24th.
http://backbeatseattle.com/wordpress/2011/09/29/mp3-downloads-the-features-built-like-alaska-radio-moscow/

ALAN CROSS: A JOURNAL OF MUSIC THINGS (online music blog)
Radio Moscow: “Little Eyes”
Album: The Great Escape of Leslie Magnafuzz
Intense, ’70s style psychedelic rock stemming from the cornfields of Iowa under the guise of a shrouded Soviet era transmission. Wolfmother fans especially should dig the first offering from Radio Moscow’s third studio production.
Sounds like: The perfect musical accompaniment to recreational-type activities in a wood panelled, shag carpeted suburban basement.
http://www.alancross.ca/a-journal-of-musical-things/2011/9/27/music-from-the-inbox-some-recommendations.html

PAX AMERICANA (online music blog)
Craving something raucous and loud
These psychedelic blues rockers continually put out underrated records that are awe-inspiring and thunderous. Their third studio album The Great Escape of Leslie Magnafuzz (what a ridiculously fantastic title) is out October 11 on Alive Records.
http://paxamericana1979.wordpress.com/2011/09/20/craving-something-raucous-and-loud/

HEARTBREAK TRAIL (Ontario-based online music blog)
First Listen: Radio Moscow “Little Eyes”
These guys have come far from their 2007 Dan Auerbach-produced debut, when it was basically singer/guitarist Parker Griggs running the whole show.
Now a full-fledged power trio, “Little Eyes” proves conclusively that they’ve attained the honour of being lauded as the spawn of Cream and Blue Cheer.
Retrogressive? Possibly, but there’s plenty of honest frustration in these riffs.
From The Great Escape Of Leslie Magnafuzz (Alive Records 10/11/11) www.radiomoscow.net
http://heartbreaktrail.wordpress.com/2011/09/21/first-listen-radio-moscow-little-eyes/

MUSIC + MOXIE (Los Angeles online music blog) – Positive posting (from press announcement) with Little Eyes mp3, tour dates, album art and band photo.
http://www.musicandmoxie.com/2011/09/radio-moscow-leslie-magnafuzzs-great-escape/

CURVE WIRE (Los Angeles online blog)
http://curvewire.com/posts/blog/radio-moscow-leslie-magnafuzzs-great-escape

MUSIC SAVAGE (Boston-based music blog) – Positive posting Little Eyes mp3,tour dates,band photo and related links.
New Music | Radio Moscow – Little Eyes
I don’t normally post this kind of brash, in your face type of music but when it comes to Radio Moscow, I’m a fan.  This heavy trio breathes the essence of drugged out hard thumping rock and roll music.  If the initial screech of Parker Griggs’ guitar doesn’t tell you that in the first 10 seconds, you aren’t listening.  Radio Moscow is prepping their third release titled The Great Escape of Leslie Magnafuzz.  A title so befitting of their soundscape.  Its fuzzy, screeching, 60’s hard rock and roll.  Griggs’ musicianship should be heralded in this fashion, he puts together some of the most ridiculous acid laced guitar soloing.  He’s remarkable.  These guys set the bar for retro psych hard rock; and its really exciting to get to hear more from them.
The Great Escape of Leslie Magnafuzz will be released October 11th through Alive Records.
If you haven’t heard of them, I would recommend grabbing their last release Brain Cycles.
http://www.musicsavage.com/2011/09/new-music-radio-moscow-little-eyes/
LARGEHEARTED BOY (online music blog) – Little Eyes mp3 featured on their Sep. 15th “Daily Downloads”  with related links.
http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2011/09/daily_downloads_2772.html

FARONHEIT (Chicago online music blog) – Little Eyes mp3 featured on their “Pick Your Poison” mp3 feature on 09.16.
http://faronheit.com/2011/09/pick-your-poison-friday-9-16-11/

KICK AXE MUSIC (online music blog) – Link to Little Eyes mp3 posted 9.19
http://kikaxemusic.com/news/rock-music/item/4454-the-random-rock-updates-on-32-bands-and-artists-for-monday-9/19/2011

DESERET NEWS (Salt Lake City, UT daily) – Brief SLC show preview with related link.
Radio Moscow, Max Pain & The Groovies, The Flying Eyes
Radio Moscow is a three-piece psychedelic rock band from Story City, Iowa. Guitar prodigy Parker Griggs formed the band in 2003, while he was a teenager. He gave a demo to Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys at a show, which impressed him enough to want to produce their studio debut. The band is praised by critics and fans for their explosive live performances.
Oct. 22, 2011
Saturday
Where
Urban Lounge
241 S. 500 E.
Salt Lake City, UT
801-746-0557
Web site
Tickets
$10
http://www.deseretnews.com/entertainment/calendar/view/3864783/Radio-Moscow-Max-Pain–The-Groovies-The-Flying-Eyes.html

EAST VILLAGE RADIO “BEYOND BEYOND IS BEYOND” (NYC radio station)
You Must Crank Up This New Radio Moscow Tune Now!
Talk about power-trio! Fuckin’ A, Radio Moscow is the shit. THE GREAT ESCAPE OF LESLIE MAGNAFUZZ is the Californian-based band’s third album for the highly-regarded Alive Naturalsound Records. It’s out October 11th, but you must taste you some now…and do yourself the favor of CRANKING IT!
http://beyondbeyondisbeyond.com/archives/3490

THE SODA SHOP (online music site) – News posting [from press release] with “Little Eyes” mp3 download, band photo, album art and related links.
http://thesodashop.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/radio-moscows-new-lp-the-great-escape-of-leslie-magnafuzz-out-oct-11th/#more-8491

CW’S PLACE (online music blog) – News posting [from press release] with album art, tour dates and related links.
http://cwsplace.wordpress.com/2011/09/21/radio-moscow-to-release-their-third-lp-the-great-escape-of-leslie-magnafuzz-on-october-11th-through-alive-records/

EXPLODING IN SOUND (online music site) – News posting [from press release] with “Little Eyes” mp3 download, album art and related link.
http://www.explodinginsound.com/2011/09/radio-moscow-set-october-release-for.html

ZOIKS! (online music site) – News posting [from press release] with “Little Eyes” mp3 download.
http://www.zoiksonline.com/2011/09/radio-moscow-to-release-their-third-lp.html

MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS (online music industry site) – News piece with Little eyes mp3, band photo and related links.
http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=146634

ALL MUSIC LOVES THE BLOODY HOLLIES!

Yours Until the Bitter End
The Bloody Hollies
by Mark Deming
Four years on from 2007’s Who to Trust, Who to Kill, Who to Love, the Bloody Hollies have gone through some stylistic changes; where their first few albums were raw and reckless garage punk, the band has found several new ways to kick your butt and make you thank them for it on their fourth full-length, Yours Until the Bitter End. This time out, the Bloody Hollies are more of a straight-ahead hard rock band than a bunch of punk miscreants, and the songs show a greater melodic sophistication, with touches of blues, metal, and glam shining through, as well as keyboards, xylophone, and fiddle adding new colors to the arrangements. However, if they gave the car a new paint job and a fresh coat of wax, they didn’t change the big block engine that drives the whole thing, and Yours Until the Bitter End still hits with the impact of a cannon; guitarists Wesley Doyle and Joey Horgen’s guitars lock in and lay out fire with precision and fury, and bassist Erik Norgaard and drummer Matt Bennett explode like a handful of M-80s but still hit all the right spots along the way. The production is a shade more glossy on Yours Until the Bitter End than the band’s previous records (Horgen produced the sessions while Jim Diamond mixed the tracks), which suits the more evolved approach of these tunes, but all this just means that the details are clearer while they roar loud and proud through your sound system, and that works just fine with this music. A lot of punk bands lose the plot or sap their strength when they decide to add some extra bells and whistles to their sound, but the Bloody Hollies have managed to add a fair amount without losing a thing, and Yours Until the Bitter End is a dial-it-up-to-ten triumph.
http://www.allmusic.com/album/yours-until-the-bitter-end-r2260255/review

CAMPOUT 2011 FESTIVAL PRESS!

DESERT POST WEEKLY (Palm Springs, CA weekly) – Feature with Johnny Hickman interview
Camp out with Cracker and pals
A week before the 7th annual Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven Campout, guitarist Johnny Hickman was getting ready to leave his home in Colorado and get out on the road.

Cracker was scheduled to play the Popcorn Festival in Valparaiso, Ind., last weekend. “Popping” into the Midwest fest would serve as the band’s warm-up gig before this weekend’s three-day minifest in Pioneertown.

“There’s always been some kind of conflict for our fans by having the campout the weekend after Labor Day,” Hickman said. “One of them was the popcorn festival. But now we get to play it, and for the Midwest fans who can’t make the campout, they can catch us there.”

This year’s campout will feature “the friends and family lineup,” Hickman said. “The groups that are appearing with us are either side projects or they’re friends of ours.”

One band, the Hickmen, is a Johnny Hickman cover band. They’re from the Inland Empire, where Hickman grew up, and are obviously big fans of Hickman’s music.

“I have to say I was really flattered by that,” he said. “We’ve become friends over the years and now they started doing new music, and I’ve written songs for them. I may get up on stage with them for a bit.”

Hickman will also join Cracker bandmate David Lowery for an acoustic set tonight at 10 p.m.

One side project that won’t be at the campout is the Hickman-Dalton Gang, an alt-country collaboration with Jim Dalton.

“It’s our tribute to the music of guys like Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash,” he said. “Unfortunately, Jim’s got other commitments this year and can’t make it out to California. But we’re planning on doing a set next year.”

Early sets for all three days will be held on the outside stage, with music moving inside around 8.

The best part of each night? “Porchstock,” he said. “After the music ends inside Pappy and Harriet’s, there’s a bunch of us that get together out behind the motel and sit around the fire pit to do a little drinking and jamming. It lasts until we run out beer or it gets too cold to play.”

At this point, Hickman said, the campout has become a smooth operation. “We’ve pretty much got it down to a science,” he said. “We’re already working on next year’s event.”

7th Annual Cracker Camper Van Beethoven Campout
When: 8 to midnight p.m. today; 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday; 6:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday
Where: Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, Pioneertown
Tickets: Three-day pass, $62; single day, $27; under 12, free.
Information: (760) 365-5956; pitchatent.com
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011109140347

PRESS-ENTERPRISE (Riverside, CA daily) – Feature with Johnny interview scheduled (per Vanessa Franko)
PIONEERTOWN: Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven Campout returns
By
Vanessa Franko
It’s that time of the year again–when two bands get together and throw a big party out at Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace in Pioneertown.

From Sept. 15-17, it’s the seventh annual Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven Campout.
Obviously Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven are playing. Both bands have ties to the Inland area (specifically Redlands and Riverside).

But wait, there’s more. Band members’ other projects and longtime friends also fill out the bill. For example, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, He’s My Brother She’s My Sister, Jonathan Segel, Heavy Cream, Johnny Hickman, Victor Krummenacher, Cracker Duo Acoustic,The Hickmen, David Lowery, The Dangers, Chris LeRoy, The Country (Gram Rabbit’s alt-country alter ego), The Calamity and others are on the schedule.

You never know who will show up, but be sure to check out Redlands’ own LeRoy and whatever Dangers’ lineup might be in store.

Sept. 15-17, Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown, $60 for a three-day pass, $25 for a one-day pass, kids 12 and under get in for free.

Visit www.crackersoul.com for more information.
http://blogs.inlandsocal.com/music/2011/09/pioneertown-crackercamper-van.html

THE ROCK & ROLL GURU (online music blog) –Campout show preview.
Want To Go To An Indie Music Campout?
Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven will be rolling into the Joshua Tree region of California next month to co-host their 7th annual CAMPOUT music festival. CAMPOUT will take place September 15th, 16th and 17th at Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace in the High Desert of Southern California. The locale of this fest ties in perfectly with Cracker’s own history as their signature album Kerosene Hat was recorded there back in 1993 in the now-closed movie soundstage next to the Palace. This year’s edition of CAMPOUT looks to be one of the best ever. Tickets are available now.
http://rockandrollguru.blogspot.com/2011/08/fridays-rockin-roundup-natural-disaster.html

HEARTBREAK TRAIL (online music blog) – News posting on Campout 2011 with David photo, Cages mp3 and related links.
First Listen: David Lowery “Cages”
This track is actually an outtake from Lowery’s first solo album, The Palace Guards, released in February, 2011.

Its appearance now coincides with the 7th annual Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven Campout taking place Sept. 15-17 near California’s Joshua Tree Park where Lowery and his cohorts will be running through vast swathes of each band’s respective catalogs.

Having been to Joshua Tree and seen Cracker in their prime, I can only imagine what a blast that will be if anyone out there has the urge to go.

As for “Cages,” it’s vintage Lowery in terms of delivering the skewed vision of an artist who could never make up his mind as to whether he was a punk or a hippie. At this stage of his career, that obviously no longer matters, and like Paul Westerberg, Lowery’s work seems to take on more nuances with age.
CAMPOUT info / www.davidlowerymusic.com
http://heartbreaktrail.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/first-listen-david-lowery-cages/

WHEN YOU MOTOR AWAY (online music blog) – News posting on Campout 2011 with band photo, DL Cages mp3 and related links.
David Lowery Extravaganza and free MP3 of Unreleased Track!
If you like David Lowery and his CVB and Cracker CV, and you happen to live out West, well, I’ve got great news for you.

Lowery and his bandmates from both groups will be rolling into the Joshua Tree region of California next month to co-host their 7th annual Campout music festival.

Campout will take place September 15th, 16th and 17th at Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace in the High Desert of Southern California. The locale of this fest ties in perfectly with Cracker’s own history as their signature album Kerosene Hat was recorded here back in 1993 in the now-closed movie soundstage next to the Palace.

And not to overwhelm you with good news, but here’s a free MP3 from David: “Cages”, an outtake from his solo release The Palace Guards, released in February of this year.

It’s great to see one of my all-time favorite artists engaging in all this activity. Key Lime Pie in its entirety! There are other tour dates leading up to the Campout, check out the Cracker Website for dates and locations.

And I can’t resist sharing this snippet from Cracker’s website, under Latest News:
“Cracker in Vail Colorado. Trophy Wife Contest!

Cracker Full Band with special guest Michael Urbano on drums. The “official” story is Frank Funaro is playing a festival with his old band The Del Lords in Spain that week. But unofficially it’s because Frank hates Gerald Ford. Sad but true. See we are playing in the Gerald Ford ampitheatre. Frank refuses to set foot in the place. Most people remember Gerald Ford as our 38th president but few people remember that Gerald Ford had a really great garage rock band back in the early 80’s. Gerald Ford opened for The Del Lords once at CBGBs in New York and totally upstaged them. Ford closed his CBGBs set by attacking the Cambodian island of Koh Tang and repeatedly banged his head on the door of Marine 2. The Del Lords had to follow that. Tough crowd!”
http://whenyoumotoraway.blogspot.com/2011/08/david-lowery-extravaganza-and-free-mp3.html

JAMBANDS (online music site) – News posting on Campout 2011 with band photo and related links.
Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven at the Campout
Musically intertwined bands Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven will host their 7th annual Campout music festival from September 15-17 at Pioneertown, CA’s Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace. Both Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven will perform extended sets featuring songs culled from throughout their careers. Additional performers include: Jonathan Segel, The Hickmen, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Johnny Hickman’s pre-Cracker band The Dangers and a special David Lowery/Johnny Hickman semi-acoustic duo set. CVB frontman David Lowery is also offering fans a free unreleased track from his recent solo debut The Palace Guards, which you can stream here .
http://www.jambands.com/news/2011/08/24/cracker-and-camper-van-beethoven-at-the-campout

MXDWN (online music site) – News posting on Campout 2011 (from press announcement) with band photo and related links.
http://www.mxdwn.com/2011/08/29/news/cracker-and-camper-van-beethoven-to-co-host-seventh-annual-campout-festival/

LA CANVAS (Los Angeles music site) – News posting on Campout 2011 (from press announcement) with band photo and related links.
http://www.lacanvas.com/los-angeles-music

INNOCENT WORDS (online music site) – News posting on Campout 2011 (from press announcement) with band photo, link to “Cages” mp3 and related links.
http://www.innocentwords.com/Magazine/ItemDisplay/tabid/807/itemId/2717/catpageid/2/Default.aspx

EXPLODING IN SOUND (online music site) – News posting on Campout 2011 (from press announcement) with band photo, link to “Cages” mp3 and related links.
http://www.explodinginsound.com/2011/08/cracker-camper-van-beethoven-announce.html

ADDICTED TO VINYL (online music site) – News posting on Campout 2011 with link to “Cages” mp3 and related links.
Free MP3 from David Lowery + Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven Full Album Performances
Written by: Matt Wardlaw

Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven have announced the 7th annual Campout Music Festival happening September 15th-17th in Pioneertown, California.

As if you needed any added incentive to make the trip, they’ll both be highlighting key moments from their catalog, with CVB performing ‘Key Lime Pie’ in its entirety while Cracker will revisit the whole ‘Kerosene Hat’ album. It’s not exactly a new event for either band, but when you add camping into the whole experience, it does add a new dimension to things…because who doesn’t love to camp?

The fest is located at Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace in the High Desert of Southern California. The location ties in perfectly with Cracker’s own history as their signature album ‘Kerosene Hat’ was recorded here back in 1993 in the now-closed movie soundstage next to the Palace.

If camping isn’t your bag, there are additional opportunities to get in on the full album performance fun at upcoming Cracker/CVB dates in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona.

To celebrate all of the above goodness, Cracker’s David Lowery shared an outtake from his recent solo disc ‘The Palace Guards.’ The tune is called ‘Cages’ and you can download it for free here.
http://addictedtovinyl.com/blog/tag/camper-van-beethoven/

ANTI-MUSIC (online music site) – News posting on Campout 2011 with related links.
http://www.antimusic.com/news/11/aug/23Cracker_and_Camper_Van_Beethovens_7th_Annual_Campout_Music_Festival.shtml

WRITER CWROSS (online music blog) – News posting on Campout 2011 with band photos and  related links.
http://writercwross.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/cracker-camper-van-beethoven-to-kick-off-7th-annual-campout-music-festival/

MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS (online music industry news site) – News posting on Campout 2011 with band photos, press quotes and related links.
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=145303

TOP-40 CHARTS (online music news site) – News posting on Campout 2011 with band photos, press quotes and related links.
http://top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=70028

THE BLOODY HOLLIES WEST COAST PRESS!

SF WEEKLY (San Fran  weekly) – Positive SF show preview with band photo with I Dream of Bees and Satanic Satellite videos and related link.
The Bloody Hollies, Hot Lunch, WInter Teeth
Sat., September 24
The Knockout
Price: $7
Them Ol’ Bloody Blues Are Back
By John Graham

Has it really been four years since the Bloody Hollies’ last visit to San Francisco (a December ’07 stop-off at Annie’s Social Club [R.I.P.], if memory serves correctly)? Should that be true, at least they’ve finally revealed what made them take their sweet-ass time: Yours Until the Bitter End, the San Diego garage/blues/rock band’s long-awaited followup to its te-riff-ic previous LP, Who to Trust, Who to Kill, Who to Love.

The new disc should satiate old fans’ cravings for more of the same demon-haunted, blues-oozing rock ‘n’ roll, but it expands just a tad beyond the basic taters-and-brews backyard slop that keeps many similar bands mired in formulaic rehashes. Album opener “So Grey, So Green,” for example, serves up some lurching organ that echoes the Murder City Devils. “Good Night, Sleep Tight” has singer Wesley Doyle dreaming and screaming about creatures from hell — imagine a White Stripes rewrite of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” if you will — and even throws in some hoedown fiddle as if nodding to Charlie Daniels’ famous showdown with the devil in Georgia. “Dirty Sex,” with its acoustic slide guitar interlude and unironic (albeit necrophiliac) horniness, could either be a Led Zeppelin II outtake or a fan favorite stolen from some obscure Southern Rock band’s concert encore setlists. And album closer “John Wayne Brown” leans even more heavily on twangy acoustic blues tropes, complete with handclaps and lyrics about sin, salvation, and corrupting serpents.

Yet these new additions don’t represent a major change in the Bloody Hollies’ songwriting style — they’re more like upgrading beloved old photographs with slightly fancier frames. At their core, the Bloody Hollies remain the same. And when your founding concept is as bedrock-solid as the Bloody Hollies’ — as heard in swarming buzzrock songs like “I Dream of Bees” — the same is a pretty good thing to be.
http://www.sfweekly.com/events/the-bloody-hollies-hot-lunch-winter-teeth-2796846/

OC WEEKLY – Long Beach show preview with band photo.
The Bloody Hollies
Alexs Bar
Brandon Ferguson
When it comes to slide guitar infused punk, the Bloody Hollies are second to none. Hailing from New York by way of San Diego this band is equal parts Dead Kennedy’s combined with the White Stripes. With four albums under their belt, the band just released its latest Yours Until the Bitter End.
Sun., September 25, 8:00pm
Alex’s Bar
Price: $5
http://www.ocweekly.com/events/bloody-hollies-1129056/

THE DELI MAGAZINE (LA  weekly) – Positive Long Beach show preview with band photo.
The Bloody Hollies stick to their guns on new release
A band like The Bloody Hollies has never sugarcoated their image. The San Diego four-piece chugs a raw, unpolished garage sound that may take cues from the formative years of rock n’ roll, but their tightly wound musicianship ravenously speaks with a genuine tone. In essence, what you see is what you get – fronted by Wesley Doyle’s demanding vocal presence, their bar-band rock styling blazes straight-faced power chords, Chuck Berry-like solos, and an ill-mannered charm that would even impress a Stooge. Their loud, impetuous vigor may instantly scream revivalism, but bearing in mind that hybridization in pursuit of originality mostly backfires, it’s a pleasure to still see bands sticking to an agenda that is classic in design and off bounds from any pop sensibilities. On September 25th, they’ll be playing at Alex’s Bar on Long Beach in support of just-released new album, Yours Until the Bitter End, via Alive Records.
http://la.thedelimagazine.com/7152/bloody-hollies-stick-their-guns-on-new-release

NORTH COUNTY TIMES (Escondido, CA daily) – Feature/interview to preview SD record release show.
Buzz depleted, band looks to kick-start career
By JIM TRAGESER
The Bloody Hollies’ new release, “Yours Until the Bitter End,” is the band’s first LP since 2007’s “Who to Trust, Who to Kill, Who to Love.” (Courtesy photo)

Four and a half years ago, the Bloody Hollies were one of the up-and-coming bands on the local rock scene, one of those acts that seemed to be on the verge of breaking through nationally —- the next Switchfoot or P.O.D.

Their third CD, “Who to Trust, Who to Kill, Who to Love,” was garnering good press not only locally, but nationally. It won the “Best Alternative Album” award in 2007 at the San Diego Music Awards (their previous album, “If Footmen Tire You,” had taken “Best Rock Album” the year before).

They were touring the country, building the kind of buzz local bands work years to generate, and then —- and then, here we are in 2011 and their fourth CD is only now coming out. (The band is playing a CD release show Saturday at the Casbah in San Diego.)

Founder, lead singer and guitarist Wesley Doyle said that inadvertently, the relative success of “Who to Trust” threw the band off a little bit and led to the long gap between releases.

“We didn’t see any real stardom (from the CD), but we thought it was a pretty damn good record,” Doyle said by phone recently from his San Diego home. “It put the pressure on us to do something just as good, if not better. The pressure to write another ‘Sad and Lonely’ weighed on us a little bit. Whenever we had a song idea, if it wasn’t an immediate something-going-off-in-our-heads, we had a habit of just throwing it off to the side. It took a while to write the songs.

“I think we wanted to do something really good; not just repeat the last few records before it.”

Bad luck and miscalculations also contributed to the delay.

“We thought it would be a good idea to record the record ourselves, and that ended up being a disaster,” Doyle said. “Finally we got it to Jim Diamond in Detroit.”

With “Yours Until the Bitter End” finally ready to release, Doyle said he and his bandmates (guitarist Joseph Horgen, bassist Erik Noorgard and drummer Matthew Bennett) recognize the challenges ahead.

“A lot of people who were our biggest fans a few years ago have completely different lives now. We have to build the fan base back up a little bit. I’ve always heard that bands that tour a lot make it.”

With that in mind, the band is heading out on a West Coast swing before winging to Australia for a minitour.

While the band’s members are now in their early 30s, and some have started families, Doyle said the opportunity to tour is still good because the band retains some of the name recognition they built up with “Who to Trust.”

“Touring is what really lends credibility to a band,” Doyle said. “Agencies like to get behind bands that are road warriors. We’ve done seven-, eight-week-long U.S. tours before. When we go to Europe, we’re usually over there for a month. We’ve done it a lot, but when you compare it to bands that really tour a lot, it doesn’t seem like a lot.

“One of my main motivations to want to tour is that there are people on the other side of the country who have never seen the band, but are fans.

“That will always be my thing —- I just want to play. It’s one of the few things in life I think I do well, and not doing it bugs me. We’ve spent the last three years being a theoretical band. I care if people show up, but I just want to get out and play. It’s the only way I can prove I’m actually in a band.”

The Bloody Hollies
When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., San Diego
Admission: $8
Info: 619-232-4355
casbahmusic.com
http://www.nctimes.com/entertainment/music/article_8cdc5e88-1feb-5310-aed7-34e07d95f901.html

SAN DIEGO READER (weekly) – Positive show preview with with Dirty Sex mp3, band photo, album art and related links.
Bloody Hollies Bitter End Sept. 17 at the Casbah
By Jay Allen Sanford
The Bloody Hollies’ new full-length Yours Until the Bitter End drops Saturday, September 17, with a release party at the Casbah that will also feature Low Volts, Hocus, and the Old In Out. The latter band will also have a new release to hawk, their new Brittle Bones EP (available on BandCamp), which features new drummer Marco Piro (Vinyl Film).

The Bloody Hollies release will be available on CD Digipack, as well as a digital download, and a red vinyl edition limited to 700 copies. A new video for “I Dream of Bees” is streaming online.

Here’s a free preview the new track, “Dirty Sex”:

      1. https://pavementpr.com/1.mp3s/BloodyHolliesDirtySex.mp3

The Bloody Hollies’ were founded by singer/guitarist Wesley Doyle while still living in Buffalo, N.Y., in Summer 1999, with a rotating roster of support players. After the former Marine moved to San Diego, the lineup solidified with guitarist Joey Horgen and drummer Matt Bennett.

They did a 32-city tour of the U.S. in early 2007, which included a stop at SXSW in March, with a European tour beginning June 1. At the 2007 San Diego Music Awards in September, the band took home the award for Best Alternative Album for Who to Trust, Who to Kill, Who to Love, their follow-up release to If Footmen Tire You, which won a 2006 San Diego Music Award for Rock Album of the Year.

In 2008, the band played on John Peel’s BBC radio show and were featured on NBC’s Knight Rider, which used their song “The Rain” as the background to an action scene.

Yours Until the Bitter End features the band’s trademark murder-themed blues/rock anthems reminiscent of ’60s and ’70s FM radio rock. The new album still embraces the dark side of raw garage rock, but comes armed with a more eclectic and punk-driven array of songwriting and musicianship.

Don’t let the touches of organ, violin and xylophone fool you, tho: the band’s hybrid mix of blues, rock, and golden age pop continues to shine. Wesley Doyle’s voice is in excellent hard rockin’ form, as is Joseph Horgen’s unique slide-blues guitar style. The rhythm section of Matthew Bennett (drums) and Erik Noorgard (bass guitar) are as solid as ever.

Saturday, September 17: The Bloody Hollies, The Old In Out, Hocus, Stephen Rey & The Slicks, and Low Volts at the Casbah, 2501 Kettner Boulevard, (619) 232-4355, $8
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/jam-session/2011/sep/12/bloody-hollies-bitter-end-sept-17-at-the-casbah/

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