Tag: black mountain
Cal Jam Blooms in 2018
Rob Shepyer
October 10, 2018
The duality of Dave Grohl is something to ponder. Simultaneously Rock God and fan, perhaps the latter is a prerequisite to the former. After 30 years of piloting the Foo Fighters, not to mention a stint in a little band called Nirvana, his place in the annals of rock history are upon a throne similar to the one he once sat upon while touring with a broken leg. His festival, Cal Jam, is merely one example in hundreds as to how he’s still in love with music just like you and I. To revive a festival, one that is part of California’s rock and roll history, is very different than creating an original one. He wants to pay homage and not just push a brand. So, the festival that once hosted the likes of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Emerson, Lake, and Lake, and Ted Nugent, was revived for the second year to host Foo Fighters, Iggy Pop, and Greta Van Fleet. related content: Food For The Soul: Music Tastes Good 2018 My day at Cal Jam began with Greta Van Fleet, a band soaked in hype and wrought with criticism. This makes them a must-see just to judge for yourself.
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New Album Review: Black Mountain- IV
Danny Baraz
April 1, 2016
Black Mountain and their body of work could be the soundtrack to both an acid party and a mass suicide for some death cult. There is majick in their music. Track listings are components to epic incantations. Songs weave together to solve some kind of ancient mystery and their forthcoming release of “IV” is the latest transmission of some alien language that has been attempting to communicate with intelligence on our planet for a decade. Fat guitar tones and throwback analog synthesizers communicate to listeners in a familiar language about the future of their lives on this planet. All hyperbole aside, Black Mountain’s “IV” album released today (April 1st) on the JAGJAGUWAR label is a rock and roll masterpiece that summons a classic sound as it simultaneously scales new peaks. Wait, was that more hyperbole? It’s just difficult to downplay that this album contains, by far, the best riffs of the year, definitely of the decade and maybe the best riffs of this young century. The first single and song one off of IV, “Mothers of the Sun” eclipses 8 minutes of playtime and encapsulates the entire album perfectly. It flips from a sparsity of notes to masterful riffery with ease as it
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