LORDS OF FALCONRY TO BRING PSYCHELIC SONICS
If you’ve been a Missoulian and fan of music whose time in town began or, covered somewhat the 90s, then you know the name Sammy James Adams. Sammy was one of the wild crop of North Dakota transplants who rolled into town after John Fleming, Ear Candy Music (Missoula’s awesome independent record store) proprietor, bassist for the Helltones, Everyday Sinners, Hellgate Stranglers, Oblio Joes, Secret Powers etc. Yeah, so these NoDakkers were a wild bunch. Fast talking, hard partying, and fun as bag of fireworks. Sammy was the drummer for Honky Sausage, who at some point in time decided to become the Fireballs of Freedom. The Balls should need no introduction, but to cover our bases, they were a raucous psychedelic, punk, garage band whose live shows filled Jay’s Upstairs with loud, high speed prairie rock, and spilled into all-night blowout afterparties. Sammy James was the Fireballs’ drummer, and for a band filled with talented dudes, Sammy James’ drum style was hard to top. The guy hits hard, plays fast, and sits more upright on his stool than anyone I’ve ever witnessed. When the Fireballs were on, they were really, really on. And that was about 98.9 percent of the time.

So, now it’s around ten years later and Sammy’s got a new band, interestingly called Lords of Falconry. If you’re familiar with Sammy, that’s not a surprising name. The guy’s a scholar of Masonic cults, numerology, conspiracy and err, the ancient ways. The other half of Lords of Falconry is Steven Wray Lobdell whose past work includes guitaring with Faust(!), Sufi Mind Game and dozens of other wild psych folks. He’s recorded for the Klangbad, Holy Mountain, Ektro and Holy Mountain labels and lays down some of the bent-est psych this side of Gong. His discography is a who's who of the wildest and best from underground Americans, kraut pioneers and all things in between.

Holy jeez. Lords of Falconry.

LESBIAN: TOTALED. IN. ENTOTALED.

I can’t remember where I first heard about Lesbian (capital L), the spacey doom band from Seattle, and I kind of like it that way. Foggy. Hazy. Unclear. “Huhhh?” Lesbian’s music’s been released by the excellent Holy Mountain label, known for telling the world about bands like Om, Six Organs of Admittance, Wooden Shjips, Lords of Falconry, Country Teasers, Blues Control and a ton more of the grey area masters. Bands seemingly living in a different, parallel time, unconcerned with what sort of currency their sounds hold with any kind of commercial audience, but so focused on those sounds that it’s hard not to be completely enveloped by the stuff. It’s murky, evokes the feeling of being somewhere like a rainforest on the slopes of Mt. Rainier, and isn’t in a hurry to do much of anything. Speaking of hurrying, Lesbian are in no rush to dump out releases. According to their Encyclopedia Metallum entry, they’ve just got 3 official releases. A night with Lesbian is a smoky, riffy, loud deal. A bludgeoning deal, with equal parts space and wonder.

Here’s what Aquarius Records has to say: "Definitely another 'heavy' winner from the eccentric Holy Mountain label, fresh from their successes with the likes of Om and Mammatus, two other question-mark-metal bands with heady, hypnotic abilities. Their thoat-torn vocals and the weighty riffage argue for Lesbian's status as metallers, while the many passages of quiet blissfulness reveal a surprisingly sensitive side, just as emotionally effective, each opposed aspect of their music enhancing the power and beauty of the other via Lesbian's devastating dynamics and psychedelic synergy. Recommended!"