WEEDEATER: GOLIATHS OF DOOM SOAR TO TOTAL FEST.

Weedeater.

We just (7/28/15) received the following bad news from Weedeater's booking agent, Erik Jarvis from Tone Deaf Touring:

"All of us in Weedeater camp sincerely regret that we cannot make it to Total Fest this year. The organizers were great and we were very much looking forward, however for reasons beyond our control  we had to postpone our whole western tour, including this show. We know it will be a fantastic time and we hope to see you there next year!"

Something about the south and the doom. It's like Birmingham in the late sixties or something. What is it? The zeitgeist? The water? Fried food? The air? Other elements? I, mean, it's the people, obviously, but you know what I'm saying. What else? I guess humidity, whiskey distilleries, good pot growing conditions, disaffection, and strong musical traditions and you've got some of the country's most fertile, err, topsoil for this stuff.

I think filthy Jim Anderson's responsible playing me my first Weedeater. It was their .... And Justice For Y'all record, which still kills me.

Weedeater basically are about slab after hefty slab of riff, pounded home with drums, bass and growled over by a man possessed. They're from Wilmington, NC. They've been at it solidly since 1998, have got through some lineup changes, but really it's steadily been the same, deeply satisfying stuff since they started, and they've just mined deeper and deeper into the riffs.

Lots of good interviews out there with "Dixie" Dave Collins, who also was in the weird and excellent 90's group Buzzov'en, who along with some other southern groups like Eyehategod and Acid Bath, etc. were some of the first to get called "sludge" metal. You know, if you're into the historical side of all this stuff. You can still get passes for Total Fest here. We'll see you in August, right?
 

THE HUM OF THE HEARTLAND: ASEETHE

Being a drone/doom band from Iowa sorta makes a whole lot of sense. The subtleties of the vast rural landscape, the hum of cattle feed yards, agricultural machinery and wind energy production, the long, harsh quiet winters and long humid summers (and the cicadas, too).

We're proud to announce that Iowa's Aseethe will be joining the line-up for this year's Total Fest. Forged in Iowa City, duo Brian Barr and Eric Diercks (sometimes joined by a third player) create a sprawling haze of drone, doom metal and ambiance doused with sparse, howling vocals, electronics, guitar buzz and occasional hints of melody. Drombiance. Sounds like a sleeping pill or something, right?

Those of you locals who didn't have a chance to witness Aseethe lay waste to Missoula when they stopped through last spring are in for an epic, head-bobbing experience of doomy indulgence (ear protection not included). Since they came through Missoula they've kept busy with the release of their single song Red Horizon EP (a reworked cover of a track from fellow drone folk Barn Owl) and are currently working on their next full length, which should be out by fest time. Their first album Reverent Burden is an excellent placeholder while you wait. This and their other recorded output can be streamed and/or downloaded on their Bandcamp page.