Review + Q&A: The Cyclist Conspiracy – Mashallah Plan (2023, Subsound Records)

Serbian avant-garde orchestra The Cyclist Conspiracy struck a nerve at the Weirdo Shrine headquarters from the second we laid eyes on them. The strange moniker was only the tip of the iceberg it appeared as the more we uncovered about this strange and interesting group, the more intriguing things got…

The further we wandered into the Mashallah Plan, the harder it became to find a grip on where we were. Was this ethno folk territory? Psychedelic kraut rock? Avant-garde sax pop? Nomadic Arabian desert blues? Or a little bit of everything all at once? Pretty soon we did not even mind anymore, as all we could be was mesmerised by the angelic voices of the The Cyclist Conspiracy choir…

Surely enough, in 60s style and reminiscent of musicals like Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar, The Cyclist Conspiracy has incorporated a choir of heavenly female voices into their folky fold. It creates an extra outlandish attraction within an already pretty varied melting pot of styles. Proper “world” music in its freest form. Meet The Cyclist Conspiracy!

In line with their enigmatic moniker and collective stage presentation, The Cyclist Conspiracy answered their questions as a group entity. Who are they? What are they on about? Where do all those worldly and otherworldly influences come from? We asked, and found the answers we were looking for…

Hi guys, how are you? Can you introduce the band to the Weirdo Shrine audience?

Fine, thank you. We are the Cyclist Conspiracy, the (anti) world orchestra. We were formed as an informal project in 2014 within the Society for the Development of Alchemical Studies “Vasko Popa” and nowadays we are a musical troupe consisting of seven male and female souls.

Where do you live, and how would you say it influences your music?

We live in the Balkans, on the fringes of the Empire, or more precisely in Serbia, a liminal space between the East and the West. Our country, as well as the whole region, has a very rich historical background and has witnessed numerous catastrophic and miraculous events – the Ottoman conquest, the vampiric plague, and the birth of Barbarogenius, to name a few. All these events tended to shape cultural and crosscultural dynamics in a unique way – so our culture was always a synthesis of various influences and a very primordial basis of our own. This, in general, goes for the rest of the Balkans as well. The Balkan is, in spite of the exotic picture most of the people outside it might have, a birthplace of tragedy. The tragedy that was born out of the spirit of music, of course. No wonder “the song” and “tragedy” sound almost the same in Greek.

What can you tell me about the creation of Mashallah Plan? Most of the songs were originally released on an EP, weren’t they?

Yes, they were. The EP was supposed to be a teaser but it took us more time than expected to do the proper album, obviously. Also, we recorded the EP in an improvised studio, with very modest equipment so it didn’t really sound the way we wanted. Three songs from the EP will re-appear on the album (“The Great Staurocycle”, “Virility”, and “The Blood of the Lamb”) simply because they were part of the story from the beginning and they make whole only with the rest of the songs on the album. It was a long process and sometimes I had a feeling that it was almost out of our control – that the album was this separate entity with its own schedule, regardless of what we wanted. Luckily, everything ended up well. Actually, even better than we expected, since we’ve been super lucky with the labels too – Davide and Subsound have been extremely nice and supportive.

In what way was the novel by Svetislav Basara responsible for the band name? And (why) should we all read it?

“The Cyclist Conspiracy” is actually an English translation by Randall A. Major. The original Serbian title, “Fama o biciklistima” is a pun that refers to Fama Fraternitatis, a Rosicrucian manifesto from the 17^th century. So, sometimes I like to describe it as Robert Anton Wilson’s/Robert Shea’s “Illuminatus!” trilogy from the Rosicrucian perspective 😊. Joking aside, the book is one of the Serbian (post)modern classics and it tells a Borgesque story about a secret brotherhood that recognizes the bicycle as the last invention in accordance with God’s will (because the man produces the labor in his own sweat) and thus renounces all the technology and the modern world. But it’s crazier than you think. This typical postmodern playfulness was brought to another level and there are all kinds of references and characters intermingling throughout the book, from Vladimir Solovyov, Kemal Ataturk, Stalin, Sherlock Holmes, and Freud to Faulkner, Situationists, Artaud, and Paul Virilio, creating this unexpected network of correspondences. The cyclists themselves do some pretty crazy things as well, like smashing clocks, waging an occult war against Nazis through their dreams, or enjoying mystical dinners with the “Nightmare Chicken” as the main dish. It’s funny, it’s witty, it’s deadly serious and tongue-in-cheek at the same time, and it just fills you with this wonderful fanaticism 😊. And fanaticism is a necessary thing if you want to create art, as Laibach pointed out years ago – so we named ourselves after the book and this concept gave us a brand new playground to pursue our musical, esoteric, philosophical, and other interests.

I love the way the album sounds super eclectic, like there is a strong folk vibe but you cannot really pinpoint which part of the world it originates from…can you help us out? Which parts of the world have influenced you musically?

Definitely a lot of North-West African and Middle Eastern music, as well as some Byzantine choral music. However, they were just “incorporated” into the rock form although some of the songs were written in a manner that distantly resembles modal music. Actually, we prefer the word “synthesis” instead of “syncretic” or “eclectic”, it gives a clearer picture of what we are trying to do. It is like an alchemical process, you must be aware of the nature of the elements you are experimenting with, their origin, the way they correspond with each other, and above all – the fact that your final goal is a synthesis of the given elements, not the experiment for the sake of experimenting. It’s not an easy process and it often results in failure and frustration but when everything falls in its place it becomes a true blessing. “Mashallah Plan” represents just one aspect of the band and the traditional/folk influences are actually much wider. We have this general curiosity about traditional music that spreads to different parts of the world. Also, we are deeply rooted in Balkan music and we already had a few releases in “Cyclomanges” series dedicated to rebetiko.

What about lyrically? What message does the album convey in general?

Music has been considered to be the highest form of art since Ancient Greece and we worship it as such. So we really wanted to put the emphasis on the music that creates the story in its own language without too much lyrical content blocking it. We also really hate to write the lyrics, it’s such a pain in the ass 😊. On the other hand, we tend to use certain symbols or certain signs on the map, to put it so, that can generate meaning. For example, “Mashallah Plan” refers to “Marshall’s Plan”, “master plan”, and Marshall guitar amps at the same time so there are definitely some anti-imperialist and crunchy overtones to it 😊. However, the album tells a very personal story about a spiritual journey. Originally, “Mashallah” is an expression in Arabic and it means something like “what God has willed has happened”. It’s obvious that we are going through a very difficult period of human history and “Mashallah Plan” was our search for hope. Everything starts with a man riding a bike (and thus crucifying himself from the bird’s perspective), away from civilization and towards the desert, and ends with Simorgh, the ultimate bird itself. The latter is a direct reference to “The Conference of the Birds”, a mystical Sufi poem from the 12th century by Farid ud-Din Attar . “Deneb” also carries this bird symbolism – it is a star in the constellation of Cygnus (The Swan) with a very long cultural history. So basically, it’s all about birds, as always 😊.

Which contemporary bands do you listen to on a regular basis?

I can never get tired of Secret Chiefs 3 and Killing Joke, for sure. I love Circle very much too, Diminished Men had a couple of really cool releases… I saw Poil/Ueda live a few months ago and have been obsessed with their latest record since then. There is this amazing Russian psychedelic prog-pop act I discovered a few years ago, Inna Pivaras and The Histriones, they are absolutely brilliant. USSSY are also awesome. I also listen to some local bands like Ab Re, Crno dete, Lenhart Tapes, Hotel Makedonija, Dunavski Buzukije  – there is a pretty interesting underground scene in Serbia and all of these bands have a very distinctive sound which is, in one way or another, influenced by traditional or urban folk music. 

What are your future plans? 

We are currently working on “Back to the Hermetics and Martial Arts Vol 1.”, a collection of songs that was shaped during the “Mashallah Plan” era but couldn’t fit the album musically and conceptually. Actually, it’s totally different compared to “Mashallah Plan”, the songs are shorter and more cinematic, they flirt with all kinds of genres, and have a certain “Faustian” quality – they are definitely less “solar” and darker than the “Mashallah Plan” stuff. So, we hope to enter the studio again in early 2024. We also plan to play live as much as possible. The first concert will be in Belgrade in early November and then probably more gigs in Serbia and the region.

What should the Weirdo Shrine readers do immediately after reading this interview?

I don’t know. Whatever they think is the right thing to do, I guess. Anyway, if they don’t have better things to do they can always check the first three volumes of “The Music of the Secret Society that Owns Belgrade” on Inverted Spectrum Records. There are some great bands and authentic weirdos there. The fourth volume will be out soon so keep an eye on that too! Thank you for the interview!

• https://thecyclistconspiracy.bandcamp.com
• https://www.facebook.com/TheCyclistConspiracy
• https://www.facebook.com/subsoundrecords
• https://linktr.ee/subsoundrecords

Review + Q&A: Los Acidos – Stereolalo (2023, self-released)

Have you ever been to Argentinian capital Buenos Aires? Would you like to? Don’t worry, we don’t even have to fly. Los Acidos will takes us there by means of acid trip. On Stereolalo they have forged the ultimate hazy journey to their city of Buenos Aires that we can take by putting on some nice comfy headphones and just cranking up this stellar psych rock record.

They take us by the hand and lead us through the colourful streets of their hometown, and of course sing to us in their native tongue. Now you don’t even have to speak or understand the Spanish language to understand the atmosphere Los Acidos have put on display here. Stereolalo is all about summer vibes, walking the beach, and diving into the bustling city at night looking for adventures and enriching experiences.

Sure, they know their way through the psychedelic 60s classics, and no you won’t find any radically new tunes on Stereolalo, but you will find a bonafide South American take on things, that will lighten up your day, and make you fly on a different trip than your usual dose of psych rock buzz.

My wish for the near future is that this Buenos Aires psych gem will be released on a good slab of vinyl, which is something that would Stereolalo would greatly deserve.

This spring I talked to Miguel Saturno, spokesperson, guitarist, and vocalist of Los Acidos. You know how time sometimes seems to pass you by and you don’t really know what happened? That is probably what appeared to both of us in the midst of our email conversation, and suddenly we find ourselves at the end of summer…Still, Stereolalo is very much worth your time, so let’s not waste any more of it and dive into the world of Los Acidos…

How are you? How has the pandemic period been for Los Acidos?

Pretty good, very busy with the new release and putting together the agenda for what’s to come. I am doing the interview alone for a matter of practicality… we have a lot to do between new videos, planning a tour, seeing the physical editions and the shows that we will do soon. As for the pandemic… it was a very hard period, for any band not being able to rehearse, or play live, or get together to rehearse is terrible. Luckily we were able to take advantage of the break to organize the vinyl reissue of our debut album, release a live album and put together the demos of the new album. But all with a quite unbearable feeling of anxiety and confinement.

Can you introduce the band, and how did you meet, etc?

Los Acidos is basically a psychedelic rock`n`roll quartet from Argentina. The band finished consolidating in 2010, always made up of musicians who were also friends. Until today, despite the fact that the members have, especially at the beginning, changed a lot, it is how it has been formed. Our first material was a single called “Exceso de psychedelia”, which consisted of an instrumental jam very much in the space rock/experimental style. After that we released an EP with three songs, in which we began to consolidate the band’s style, more songlike and with layers of keyboards and guitars, and lysergic lyrics. In 2014, already with a stable line-up, we recorded the first full-length, which was released in 2016 and was very well received by the public and was released in various specialized media.

What can you tell me about your musical backgrounds?

I play the guitar and sing in the band. In some other song I play maracas too, and I recorded the harmonica in one of the songs on the first album. I started playing the guitar in my early teens, and then my training was based on playing, listening to records and attending public education. After first being enthusiastic about the most skilled guitarists, I became interested in more psychedelic music by listening to the more experimental records of the Rolling Stones, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Invisible, Sumo, Los Redonditos de Ricota, Deviants, Fifty Foot Hoose , and I could go on for hours naming bands that I heard and were influenced by. My musical tastes, and in general of all the members of the group, are really very varied, from classical music to krautrock or drone, going through afterpunk, deformities like Morphine, or the projects of Sonic Boom, Red Krayola, July. I also really like blues and electroacoustic music, academic musical experiments too. I also like to play the drums and synthesizers are amazing to me.

What does a regular day in your lives look like?

It’s not something interesting. Knowing about the daily life or shit like that of an artists is something that, to my humble understanding, even seems quite unenriching and even distracting. I don’t think I’d be interested, for example, in knowing what he does if Leonard Cohen has a flat tire and has to change the tire on the road or anything like that. That postmodernity of finding out totally irrelevant things has a fun and in some cases informative side, but it humbly seems to me that it even takes away a bit of mystery and interest. It’s a long topic as well. Anyway, I’d better tell you that we all recorded the album together in the room of the studio in four ten-hour sessions four days in a row, and then we recorded some guitars, the lead vocals and backing vocals in the studio of Leandro Peirano, our recording technician and co-producer. The additional percussion and keyboards were recorded in a personal studio that I have set up at home. Then we mixed it with Leandro in his studio (Estudio Eleusis) for several months, slowly cooking the psychedelic cocktail. It took us about two years to make Stereolalo.

What is the best thing about Stereolalo?

I would think that the best thing about it is how diverse it is, and that there are quite a few details that listening carefully can be discovered. We were able to work on it very carefully since during the pandemic we were able to make demos of the songs, and then when working on the production and mixing, we had full control of everything since we were doing it with a friend with an incredible level of knowledge and patience, so we allow ourselves to model everything in detail. He also asked us for something very important and recommendable to do, which is to do a pre-production of the songs. We are very grateful to Leandro in all this, we still can’t believe the levels of patience he has haha.

Where do you live and what is the environment like for musicians like you?

We live in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires. In 2004 there was a tragedy in which an emblematic place of the under at that time caught fire. Which left the musicians in a very precarious situation to perform shows, there was great hostility from the clubs and pubs. For musicians within the neopsychedelic niche, there is an environment that has developed much more recently. The underground in the last decade had a boil with a lot of incredible bands of which unfortunately many today do not last. Garage bands, neopunk, noise, heavy psych, experimental, blues, psychedelia… many tremendous cases for those genres géneros (Olfa Meocorde, Cuzcos, Mujercitas Terror, Sombrero, Coso, Dios, Trash Colapso, Sarcofagos Blues Duo, Interzona, Sum Intro, Los Norteamericanos, Final Feliz, Da Capo, Fotofobia, Sugar Tampaxxx, Les Enfants, Virginia, Viajes, Di Giovannis, El Bien, Entidad Animada, El Mal, Dislexia Free, El Último Subsuelo, Lefunders, Automata 3000, Riphle, Los de Cuero, Vaginas, N-Eurologico, Souljunkies, Funerales, DHD, Objeto A, Chindogu, Bube, Cataratas, Ceresato, Los Pacientes, Drogadictos, DescomPosición, Esquizofrénicos, Méjico, Azucar de campo, Ostende, Lutos, Rosalux, PSOAS, Trópico de Cáncer, Katalepsia, Persona, Antropofónica, Flores de Sinaloa, Zorros Petardos Salvajes, Ayermaniana, Nomateo, Incendio, Orden, Los Caidos, Paso Viejo, Steve Jobs, Cuco, 451, Verano Perdido, Perú,  and many more that i`m probably forgeting about). The places to play, until a few months ago, were quite few, although now due to the huge number of show offers and a kind of, I would think, compensation effect with the pandemic years, there are many places where you can put together a venue. Likewise, the problems that the musician of an underground band finds here to put on a good show are several, although they are the same as those that emerging bands have practically in any other part of the world: organization, cachet, that they give you food and drink, the mobility, technical issues, all that is practically the same here as it seems abroad.

Who are some contemporary musical heroes of yours?

Well the musicians that are part of bands that I love would clearly be like my heroes, so there are a lot of them, I wouldn’t know where to start. Also being someone who occasionally writes I also have several writing idols, but let’s not go into lists of names again please. I can name you one who is the owner of the Captain Beefart YouTube channel, where I have discovered tons of incredible music that has influenced me forever, and who, a great gift of life, has been supporting Los Acidos by uploading our records to his channel , so it’s something very crazy for us. After our first record came up we got in touch and became friends, Paul is his name, a real genius. That is definitely a hero without a cape.

Can you tell me about how you go about composing and recording songs?

Usually our themes arise either because someone has a moderately assembled song, or working on recordings of moments in which we start to improvise and we like something, so we later work on it. Almost always those improvised moments are either irreproducible or it would take a long time to decipher them and get the part out of each one, so most of the time they are hybrids or half songs that some of us bring to develop them and half things that come out improvising. In general, I take care of the letters, and I finish shaping them and closing them at the end of everything, making various modifications and tests until I find what closes us completely. On this album there are a few exceptions, like the chorus of “Madre”, made by Santiago our bassist, and the lyrics of  “Ascensor”, wich we made between all the band.

What are your immediate and long term future plans?

We are working on carrying out the vinyl edition of the new album through a foreign label, and a cassette edition that will be carried out by a national label called Volante Discos. We will also be doing live presentations to spread the new album and the Stereolalo presentation show. Then we want to tour the country, Chile and later we would love to be able to play in Mexico and Europe, since in those places they have been asking us on the networks very often to play, it would be a dream. Of course in the long term, if we don’t go extinct, there are many more records to come as well.

What should the Weirdo Shrine reader do after reading this interview?

Since you’ve read all this, if you don’t know us, go and play one of our records, and if you liked it, I could also recommend listening to these other bands: Metadrón, Ayermaniana, Camionero, Familia de Lobos, Excursionistas, Bosques, Aguas Tónica, Las Luces Primeras, Compañero Asma, Juleah, The Kundalini Genie, Tibetan Miracle Seeds, and I could keep recommending bands for hours.

Thank you very much for the interview Jasper! cheers!

• https://losacidos.bandcamp.com/album/stereolalo
• https://www.facebook.com/losacidosfun/
• https://www.instagram.com/losacidos

Review + Q&A: School Disco – Denton Rock (2023, Copper Feast Records/Krautpop! Records)

In this fast paced rat raced social media highway traffic world, it is so easy to miss things. Especially if you are being bombarded with emails by labels, bands, and promotors that want something from you and you simply lack the octopus arms, extra set of ears, and the time to fulfil everyone’s need. Simply put, a LOT of those emails get deleted, and most of them by simply looking at the name. School Disco almost did not make the cut, because I loathe school discos, and I simply could not see anything good coming from them. Boy, was I wrong.

This Brighton based adventurous psych rock outfit is a party for your ears. It’s like they could not choose between all the lovely stuff that is going on in the psychedelic rock scene and decided that “hey actually” they did not HAVE to choose, and that sometimes it is ok to eat your cake and have it too. And so we are presented with longform Minami Deutsch inspired kraut jams, shorty and pointy Oh Sees garage jabs, King Gizzard weirdness allover the place, some heavy Californian fuzz rock, Doors-y organ wails, and even some saxophone madness, you know, because why not. In any other outfit this could qualify as unfocussed or messy, but School Disco somehow make it work.

Perhaps the fact that they are ace musicians helps, and that all of these tunes are brought with a certain youthful bravado that is just too infectious to dismiss. In any case, Denton Rock is a party for your ears, an actual school disco dance I would go to, acid tabs at the ready, and most definitely not to be missed.

We spoke with guitarist/vocalist Rory Lethbridge about his band, how they survived covid, their influences, and their expansive future plans to take over the world. Let’s meet School Disco:

How are you? How has the pandemic period been for School Disco?

Hello! Rory here! I am good thanks, Been a busy week here in Brighton, We’ve played a show supporting the amazing Mamalarkey and also attended 3 other shows! Great to be busy!

The pandemic seems almost like a distant memory for the band we were lucky as we were able to make our 2nd record (Heads Still Here) and it was a transitional time for the band which has led us to the line-up we have now and our new record Denton Rock – which I am incredibly proud of!

Can you introduce the band, how did you meet, etc?

So I’m Rory (Lethbridge-ed) – I play guitar and sing 

I am also Joined by Harry Hayes on Drums

Laur Underwood on Bass and Eliott Stanford on Guitar keys and Vocals

On the record, we were joined by Tim Girdler on bass who did a fantastic job for us but decided to step back from the band shortly after recording 

Me, Eliot and Laur are all from the same town – Plymouth in Devon – we all met playing in various bands in the scene and laur is actually the original drummer of the band who left and has now rejoined. 

We met Harry just from gigging around Brighton, he’s an incredible talent as are all members of the band I’m really love playing with them all and no one has an ego its fantastic to have a group of people who just wanna make music and play

What can you tell me about your musical backgrounds?

I think our music is deeply rooted in lots of different things, from Punk to 60s pop to fusion and jazz, stoner rock, power pop and more. We love all types of music. I think we throw a lot of things at the wall and see what sticks and it ends up as some sort of psychedelic mess (in a good way). Even if we aren’t inspired by the musical aesthetic I’m also inspired by the approach. For example, I love a lot of Jazz and I feel like you can really hear people listening to each other and playing together – that’s a big influence on the band. I’m a massive Big Star fan and I love their unconventional song structure – or the Grateful Dead‘s approach to jamming, we try to be influenced by everything. 

What does a regular day in your lives look like?

For me I wake up, try to be productive in the morning, go to work – come home and then cook dinner for me and my partner – then maybe try and attend a gig or hang out with friends! Its pretty boring but as is life when not doing bands stuff – Which we try and do as much as we can.

What is the best thing about Denton Rock?

My fave thing about Denton Rock is the drums – I think they sound epic, I also feel like there is a few sections of songs we really nailed. We did it all live and I love the feel of the record to

Where do you live and what is the environment like for musicians like you?

Brighton is where we are based – Its a fantastic environment for musicians. We have a scene with varied and fantastic bands like Trip Westerns, Plantoid, Holiday Ghosts, Skinny Milk, Outback + tonnes more! 

Who are some contemporary musical heroes of yours?

I’m a big fan of John Dwyer – Not just his oh sees output but all the fusion stuff he has been doing recently is fantastic. Every member of Plantoid – They are just incredible musicians.   I love the songwriting of the Lemon Twigs.

Can you tell me about how you go about composing and recording songs?

At the moment we have been jamming a lot in a rehearsal space, recording it and building on stuff from there – it’s a really great way to have everyone contribute. Recording wise – For Denton Rock we used our friend’s studio and recorded everything live.

What are your immediate and long-term future plans?

We have the record out in September with a UK tour then an EU tour in November. We are also writing a new record at the moment and working on a Live Ep! Lots on in the works!

What should the Weirdo Shrine reader do after reading this interview?

You should go and check out the music video for feelings coming, stream it and go and pre-order Denton Rock now!

• https://www.facebook.com/schooldiscoband
• https://schooldisco.bandcamp.com/album/denton-rock
• https://copperfeastrecords.bandcamp.com
• https://www.copperfeastrecords.com
• https://krautpop.bandcamp.com

Review + Q&A: Tō Yō – Stray Birds From The Far East (2023, King Volume Records)

The weather is opening up again after a dreadful spell of “Dutch summer” with lots of grey clouds, rain and dreariness. Glad that’s over for now, and there is no better soundtrack for sunny weather than this Japanese quartet called Tō Yō! On Stray Birds From The Far East the band mixes indigenous Japanese folk music with modern psych rock, and the result will turn any frown upside down 🙂

A short and varied bunch, these six songs in thirty minutes will obviously appeal to fans of Japanese psych like Kikagaku Moyo, but also to more danceable, frivolous modern psych like Yin Yin, and uptempo psychedelic rock like Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. Tō Yō shows all these sides, and adds a dash of character that is very distinguishably their own.

Perfect summer music, always uptempo, mostly hummable, guaranteed to bring you in a good mood. Here’s your post-summer soundtrack to cheer you up after a rainy spell.

I met up with Masami Makino (vocals, guitar) who gladly informed me about his wonderful band and what drives them. Let’s meet  Tō Yō!

How are you? How was the pandemic period for  Tō Yō?

We’re doing great!  Especially can’t wait for the release of the first LP. During the pandemic it was difficult to do live shows and everyone had a hard time, but already everyday life is back. That’s a good thing. Since there was no quarantine in Japan, we could have much time to spend thinking about our music.

Can you introduce yourselves, how did you start your careers, etc? 

We are Tō Yō. We are a Tokyo-based psychedelic quartet. Four members met when we were university students. We went through many musical transitions, but started our career as Tō Yō when we had some sense of direction.

What can you tell me about your musical backgrounds?

The interesting thing about us is that we all have different musical tastes: we all love 70’s progressive rock, but also have different tastes in ethnic music, metal music, ambient music, etc. from Japan and other countries, which influences our music.

What does a regular day in your lives look like?

We all work and do some sessions in the studio and write songs every week together.

What is the best thing about Stray Birds For The Far East?

We take our own indigenous music and use it as a jumping off point, extracting the tones, instruments, and scales etc. We don’t really just imitate existing formats, but rather incorporate the unique grooves and sound preferences developed in the culture into the rock, funk, and psychedelic music we play naturally.

What is the overall message of the album?

We are taking various kinds of roots music that we love, and giving it a rock form from an Asian point of view.

Where do you live and how does it affect your music?

With the exception of the drummer Hibiki, we we all born and raised in Tokyo. There were various record stores and many opportunities to experience different genres of music. While we were able to learn about wonderful foreign music, at the same time, no matter what we played, it was like an imitation of something else. It was rather difficult to be conscious of our own roots, and I think this album was created in such a situation. Of course, the many opportunities to listen to  great American and European music were mostly a positive influence.

Who are some contemporary musical heroes of yours?

Haruomi Hosono, Vinny Colaiuta (Jing Chi, Beegees), J.A.Seazer.

Can you tell me about how you went about composing and recording songs?

We always jam in the studio and write songs. We also get a lot of ideas when recording.
The recording studio we usually use has a variety of percussion instruments and vintage pedals, which always give us new inspiration.

What are your immediate and long term future plans?

We always want to make music that we feel is interesting. To achieve this, we would like to do something with people who have something interesting that we do not have. Also, we want to perform in beautiful nature and someday, hopefully we would like to play overseas

What should the Weirdo Shrine reader do after reading this interview?

The album is available on streaming services now, so check it out!

Thank you so much!

Masami

• https://www.instagram.com/toyo_toyo_band/
• https://toyotoyo.bandcamp.com/album/stray-birds-from-the-far-east
• https://kingvolumerecords.bandcamp.com

Review + Q&A: Hey Colossus – In Blood (2023, Wrong Speed Records)

It is 2023 and the global Covid-19 pandemic seems like an event from another era, long long ago. And yet it has been barely three years. I know because I started this blog in the midst of the first lockdown, and Hey Colossus was the very first band I reviewed. Their double album Dances/Curses was a feast to the senses; dense, diverse, danceable, psychedelic, heavy, and somehow as wide-eyed and open-minded as I was at that time. Who knew what the future would bring? We thought we were ready for it.

But we weren’t, and we almost buckled. Hey Colossus did make a follow up album, this wonderful collection of songs called In Blood, and on it you can hear and feel the social distance, the drab, and the growing weariness with the world. It is an album as dark and melancholy as its cover, but at the same time it is the most accessible record the band ever made.

Each song has at least one strong hook that will draw you in, after which the drums will pummel you to a pulp and the guitars will frizz your hair with their buzzsaw fuzz. It is perhaps the thing I like most about the whole band these days; this guitar tone that totally dethrones John Baizley’s set with Baroness as the juiciest guitar sound within the heavy sludge rock spectrum.

Yes Hey Colossus can still conure up the power to crush, but perhaps the band is even more poignant when they channel beauty, like on album closer Over Cedar Limb, with its breathtaking song arches and terrifically proggy guitar noodling. They are the living proof that we all went through darkness, but that we can extract beauty from it. Beauty and strength. Hey Colossus swam through a river of shit and came out clean at the end of it. In Blood is their testament to it.

After nearly three years and simultaneously starting up a blog and a label it is almost as if I have known Wrong Speed Records label men and Hey Colossus bandmates Chris Summerlin and Joe Thompson for quite some time. That is not true of course, and the fact that I haven’t even interviewed them once before is a clear example. I talked to them about the pandemic, starting up a label and of course the new album…

Hi guys! How have you been lately? 

Joe Thompson (bass): ‘FINE’.

I think I started the blog at around the same time you started Wrong Speed Records, and the reason was the same I guess: the pandemic. How do you look at that period in time in hindsight?

Joe: This answer may seem insensitive to the world and the situation millions found themselves in. So, with that in mind,  please understand I know it was a tough period and there was great suffering. I was furloughed from work due to my wife having had a liver transplant three before the first lockdown. I was off work using holiday up initially, then had to go unpaid, and then got furloughed and you cannot believe the amount of stress it relieved. I could stay home and look after her without financial worry. And during that period of not seeing people and not going out I, for some reason, decided to start a micro label – super ltd pressings of records I wanted to own. As Elisa got better the label accidentally grew. I did Youtube chats with people (Wrong Speed Record Chats), I started a weekly radio show on the local station (I recorded the show at home – and still do), and kept busy that way. So, on a personal level, with health being slowly restored and WSR growing it was positive. We live in a rural area and could walk in fields and keep away from folk, we were lucky. I do not wish to make light of anything but I wonder what positive things were born during that time. I hope a lot was. 

How has the experience been as a record label owner? What are the biggest pros and cons so far?

Joe: It’s forever a learning curve, and we probably feel one lesson behind all the time. It takes two of us to get it even close to being right. Chris and I are TRYING to be civilised about it all, from pricing to being totally transparent to bands – and way more. The pro’s are many, the cons are few. I hope our experience of being in bands can help to make the label be a positive environment for those willing to trust us. This is the main pro, dealing with good folk – plotting and scheming and, fingers crossed, getting it as right as we can for the bands.

What can you tell me about the creating process for In Blood? You took rather a different approach than before, right?

Paul Sykes (vocals):  We were never all in the same room together making it. That has it’s ups and downs, but taking more time to consider everything that was done was a blessing.

Joe: We had weekends in Nottingham, Bruton, and Wells getting the band oiled up, putting ideas together. We recorded live, as the group, like always. The sessions in Bruton in particular were immensely enjoyable, we had an excellent big room and my memory is of us sitting in our coats around a few candles due to the electricity being cut off for hours at a time. It was a bonding experience.

Aside from the band, who was involved? What are some of the highlights of that process?

Joe: We recorded with Ben Turner at Axe And Trap Studio in the city of Wells. The whole thing is a highlight for me. Its probably one of my most favourite things to do. There’s also a really splendid burger van parked just outside the studio.

The record feels very different from its predecessor, “the closes the band got to writing a pop record” can you explain this direction?

Paul: I don’t think the band has ever set out to make a particular sounding album. To be honest I would love to do that at some point. Demand of ourselves some limitations, I think that could be really interesting over a whole record. I think it’s a credit to this group currently playing that nothing musically would be off the table if it chimed well and there was a concensus. We’re lucky to have a broad experience and open minds.

Joe: One person’s definition of ‘pop’ is not necessarily anothers. Good luck breaking the charts with this.

Can you tell me something about the lyrics and their origin? 

Paul: The key seemed to be writing in another voice and letting that voice discover or build its own landscape visually. Once I was unchained from whoever I thought I was it became very easy to pass them through different fields both possible and impossible. I found it made a strange sense to take half a line or some phrases from poems from hundreds of years ago, in different dialects, from folk stories retold and mutated as they are passed through the years from mouth to page to mouth again. Or from bad local journalism writing about local ghost stories or horrible occurances, whatever. I’m really interested in language fed through each filter of a generation and how that can be twisted again and then applied to a basic demo of an instumental, and then beaten and punched or teased until it all comes together into a song. And then you have to thread a coherent whole together somehow! I think this hangs together in the end for this one.

I saw you first in 2008 at ZXZW festival in Tilburg! A lot has happened since then, for one thing you played a much heavier, more metallic style and Chris was not even in the band! What would you say is the biggest difference between the band back then and now?

Joe: That was a lot of fun. We took mushrooms with Dethscalator and watched The Arkestra. Nowadays we’d just watch The Arkestra. I don’t buy into any need to keep doing the same thing. A few years later the debauchery years ended and we got focussed. Some folk prefer the early stuff, some prefer where we’re at, the true heads dig it all.

Paul: I wasn’t even in the band if it was 2008. There’s been about a half dozen line up changes at least since then. Roo has played drums and guitar in different incarnations as well (what a guy by the way). There’s no escaping that the level of intoxicants the members take in these days is considerably lower nowadays and thank Christ. It’s more interesting to make music with more of our inner channels clearer to receive and redistribute. Though I have poorer hearing than a decade ago, certainly.

Maybe Paul can answer this question, but perhaps you know the answer as well; what was the point you completely abandoned the rough vocals and specialised on the melodic approach? Was this a conscious decision or a natural change?

Paul: When the music got prettier behind it. It’s pretty simple. You play to the song. If something is forced it’s obvious. It still feels really challenging as well though and at some point you have to up your own ante and keep it interesting to yourself. Melody and delivery, for this section of my life certainly, are really, really interesting.

What are the things you look forward to most this year and perhaps the next?

Joe: We have the basics recorded of eleven new songs. Time ain’t waiting for us, we ain’t waiting for time.

What should the Weirdo Shrine reader do immediately after reading this interview?Joe: Listen to Sing To God by Cardiacs, the best record to ever drip off this woeful island, and be amazed humans can create such majesty.

• https://heycolossus.bandcamp.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/heycolossus/
• https://heycolossusband.wordpress.com/
• https://wrongspeedrecords.bandcamp.com/

Review + Q&A: Sun Stags – S/T EP (2023, self-released)

Picking up a new and exciting band is always a pleasure. Sun Stags from Glasgow, Scotland only just shed their baby fat and have recently released their self-titled debut EP so we couldn’t possibly have found them any sooner or we would have broken in to their practice shed. And I’m glad we found them, because this 49 minute EP (LP?) is a perfect album for hot summers lying in your hammock doing nothing but drinking lukewarm Coronas and being lazy. Too bad it’s raining though…oh well.

Influences from bigger hazy psych rockers Tame Impala and Temples have definitely rubbed off on these Glaswegian youngsters, but in stead of the clean and perfectionist sounds of their peers Sun Stags in stead keeps it intentionally sloppy, from the psychedelic drool in the vocals to the stoned delay in the rhythm section. It all adds up to a very hazy, kaleidoscopic experience in which you cannot possibly tell if what you heard was perception or actual recording. Am I having a seizure? Possibly? Am I loving this vibe though? Definitely.

All things considered Sun Stags scores high points on the druggy downer scale, and while they may not get the high score for musical perfection, they do make a lasting impression. And that is definitely worth something in today’s world of overflowing psych releases. Welcome to the fold gentlemen!

In perfect harmony Sun Stags have opted to present themselves simultaneously. So without further ado, here’s Ossian Spencer-Lohr,  Barney Cameron-Sproull and Thomas Mooney laying it down for us.

How are you? What have you been up to lately?

Tom: “Just finished making honey sriracha chicken. I’ve been really into cooking lately. Used to be my girlfriend wouldn’t let me cook anything out of fear of being poisoned but she can’t get enough now”

Oss: “Finishing up too many emails and spreading out the EP to some folk. It’s great that it’s at the finish line and we have more to share with folk… We’re very slow to release music”

Barney: “Woken from the groggiest nap, think my belly imploded- unrelated to what Tom cooked for me of course.” 

Can you introduce Sun Stags, and how did you meet, etc?

Oss: “It’s been a journey already- Me and Barney met via a gumtree ad I posted looking to form a grunge band. That was just when Covid was becoming a thing and I had to move back home in the north. Couple years went by and we turned psychedelic and started anew- Tom came too via find-a-musician- ad.”

 Tom- “I was originally just going to do guitar but since the space of a drummer was needed- I just sat on the kit and gave it a go… with no experience! I’ve been learning ever since (about a year now)  though I’ll try get my guitar jams in when we practice”

Barney: “We have a mascot! this cute deer plush called “Buck Nasty” He’s at every gig layed on the amps.” 

What can you tell me about your musical backgrounds?

Barney: “Picked up bass from my uncle who insisted I get musical. Did double bass too for a while! Maybe that’ll be at the next gig if I can find one”

Oss: “I listened to a lot of Folk and World music originally- Picked up guitar first then with school exams I needed to do bass… Over time I did drums too and began recording and writing whatever I could”

What does a regular day in your lives look like?

Oss: “Tom’s an actual full time accountant! He’s definitely got it rough – but mature of him. It’ll keep us from going bankrupt. I just do usual cafe work part-time then hiding in my flat curating away making spacey noises till it sounds cool”

Barney: “Naturally outside of our time together is very unmusical- Every practice is always heading to Oss’ flat, setting up , jamming and remembering what my part is.. It’s great!” 

What can you tell me about the new EP?

Ossian: ” It’s a mixture of old and newer tracks of mine. Nebulae was just me fooling on ableton when I cracked it in 2020. The rest date from then to really recently. I wanted to capture a range of what I’ve made in the areas I’ve experimented in- They still fit all well I feel despite how older some of them may be. We’re slow to release new music but It’s on purpose because we really want it to be a treat and showcase who we are at the moment. It’s exciting already to be planning the next phase” 

Where do you live and what is the environment like for musicians like you?

Tom:” Glasgow has always had a great music scene. There’s so much variety and talented bands you can find on every corner- We’ve been really lucky to share the stage with some. The community itself supports each other so well and is welcome to new genres and styles. Already we’ve learned a lot from the characters we’ve met”

Oss: ” Coming from the Cairngorms, Glasgow was always like the land where music flowed in abundance. Nothing of this journey would be the same without the city and the people here”

Who are some contemporary musical heroes of yours?

Tom: “Black Sabbath. Paranoid and Master Of Reality is just perfect- They all came from psych bands before they formed and you can really hear it in their earlier stuff, especially Planet Caravan which is one of my all time  favourite songs”

Oss: “Half Moon Run will always be in a special place in my heart. They made me want to do music from the first listen I had from their first album: Dark Eyes. My influences change a lot but they will always be there. Their new album espeically is something not to miss out on. “Salt”…It’s perfect.

Barney: “100 gecs. trust me.”

Can you tell me about how you go about composing and recording songs?

Oss: “Often it comes from tinkering… either riffing on the guitar or messing with my pedal board to find new sounds I can incorporate. When there’s a riff or something that feels right I latch onto it and try to expand on it in every direction- What the bass could do, what drum fill could enhance this section. As natural as it can be is what gives the best results- that and we just band together and jam for half an hour till we find something we like.”

What are your immediate and long term future plans?

Oss: “We definitely will have a short rest as this EP is released. We’ve worked and micromanaged so much lately especially with last minute deadlines.. We’re in a good spot for sure  and I think we are set to do some cool new projects like Music videos, live sessions in weird places and perhaps a tour…..”

What should the Weirdo Shrine reader do after reading this interview?

Tom: “Grab a cuppa, put your feet up and stick the EP on with whatever snazzy sound system you have.”

Oss “There’s a few cool details and hidden sounds in some tunes but definitely this one to put some cool lights on and slip away from the chaotic rush of what our lives are.”

Barney “There’s a quiet bit you can hear Oss’ mess up a drum take and say something cheeky… won’t say which tune though!

• https://sunstags.bandcamp.com/album/sun-stags
• https://www.instagram.com/sunstags/
• https://www.facebook.com/sunstags

Review + Q&A: Mammatus – Expanding Majesty (2023, Silver Current Records)

What are mammatus clouds? “Mammatus clouds are some of the most unusual and distinctive clouds formations with a series of bulges or pouches emerging from the base of a cloud. The shape of mammatus formations can vary widely; from the classic protruding shape, to a more elongated tube hanging from the cloud above.”-Metoffice.uk

Here is what that may look like:

Now press play on the Bandcamp link underneath the artwork and listen to what it may actually SOUND like. Because even after all those years, Mammatus still sound perfectly like their strange moniker: high above, soaring in the air, and terrifically weird.

Expanding Majesty distilled for eight years like a good spirit would, and the result is everything a fan of these Californian jam masters could hope for. Presented are four tracks, each well over fifteen minutes. Duelling guitars are key, the vocals are rare but perfectly hazy and in service to the music that feels uplifting and filled with a positive life energy. Everything the band did this time seems to be aimed upwards, high towards the skies. Like the comic book dragon in the artwork, the band constantly spreads their wings and glides from riff to riff, and from synth packed action tune in and out into the next jam.

If you know Mammatus from their inception like me you might always yearn back for a second to the times of The Coast Explodes and their debut album where they were absolutely elusive in their fantastic weirdness and doomy quirks. Expanding Majesty in stead shows the band displaying grandeur and wide angled guitar heroism. Both are fantastic trips in their own right, and I for one have room in my heart for anything these Californian psych wizard come up with. Even if I have to wait another ten years to get it.

I shot the band a couple of questions and lo and behold I got a lot of cool answers back! Nicky Emmert (guitars vox) explained why Mammatus do the things they do and how they do them, and why they sometimes take a little longer. If anything the band seemed to have found a sustainable form for themselves, and that sounds just about right to me too.

How is Mammatus these days? How did you experience the pandemic period?

We are fantastic.  We are on the verge of releasing a double LP that we are very proud of.  Expanding Majesty is over 8 years in the making from riff discovery to record.  We are currently designing and making merchandise in preparation for playing some record release shows this summer. 

Our pandemic experience was similar to most.  We were mixing a large portion of our record at El Studio in San Francisco with Phil Manley when all the pandemic pandemonium in the news started coming out.  We used the years of the pandemic to write and record Foreveriff which is the third side of Expanding Majesty.  If anything it gave us time to focus on the writing process without feeling rushed.  

Can you explain the big gap between the previous album Sparkling Waters (2015) and Expanding Majesty?

The big gap is not as much intentional as it is natural. Out of necessity and operating style we allow the songs to ferment, incubate, evolve, and flower into existence over long periods of time.  Note by note, riff by riff, beat by beat, the songs slowly (subjectively speaking) take shape.  Each song goes through multiple stages of development and often changes drastically over years with alternate endings, meanderings, and side quests.  This is all part of the Mammatus experience.  What you hear when you listen to one of our records was not forced into existence as much as it was slowly realized over a long expanse of time.  This methodology serves two purposes: 1. It is the only way for us to function as a band because of the limits we place on ourselves to create a healthy dynamic between our musical lives and our family lives.  2. We also happen to like the sonic quality that 8 years of riff building has when you stuff it into a 20 minute jam.  

What kind of band are you? Are you friends? A democracy? A “job”?

We are more than friends, we are family.  We are two brothers and a third brother from another mother.  We try to do everything with 100% consensus.  We have three distinct and unique voices in the musical process.  That doesn’t always work smoothly.  We argue about stuff like brothers do. That is part of the artistic process for us.  We all respect each other and we have learned to appreciate each perspective.  We have learned over many years that if we listen to each other and communicate well, we can become more than the sum of our parts.  As the ancient Mammatus saying goes: 

Three mouths

One voice

Three hearts

One choice

Three brains

One mind

Three lives

One time 

Where did the urge to record Expanding Majesty come from this time?

From the great adventure of existing in this majestic and expanding universe. From the overwhelming sense of awe and wonderment you get when you look up at the big sky, marvel at the spectacle, and ponder the implications suggested.  From the energy of the brotherhood of our band and the love that we have for each other.  From some mystical spirit that seems to be singing inside of our souls and yearns to be set free into the form of a Mammatus song.  From countless miles of bicycle rides and the influence they have on the music.  From Phil Manley’s encouragement and willingness to help us find the sonic quality we seek.    

Can you describe where you live, and how it would affect you as musicians?

We are all blessed to have grown up and live in the greater Santa Cruz area of California.  The giant redwood trees, coastal mountain ranges, foggy summers, epic beaches, romantic sunsets, and overall natural wonders of this area, have undoubtedly made a significant impact on who we are as people and as a band.  There is no denying the mythos and magic of the west coast and the bleached haze that permeates your psyche if you live here long enough.  It can’t help but to exude into the music. If you listen closely to our song The Coast Explodes you can actually hear the sun setting into the pacific ocean around 8:55.  

What does an ordinary day in your life look like? How do you juggle life being a human being and being a musician?

We get up early, make coffee, kiss our families and go to work.  We work hard all day.  We come home after work and take care of our families.  We try to get together as a band once a week after work.  If we are busy with family or work stuff then we don’t.  On the weekends we hang out with our families, bbq, ride bikes and do chores.  We all take our family and professional lives very seriously and the band always comes after those.  When we were in our younger 20’s we toured a lot and played a lot of shows.  Then we all got married and took on more responsibilities which has shaped us to be much healthier than we would be otherwise.  We have found a band / personal life balance that works for us and evolves and changes based on our own needs.  We all love doing Mammatus but we realized a long time ago that it was never going to pay the bills so we made the decision to keep the band alive by making it exist within the limits of our own determined confines.  This is not a recipe for commercial success and is the reason why it takes us 10 years to make a record, but is that a bad thing?  

What can you tell me about your relationship with the Silver Current label? 

Ethan Miller runs Silver Current Records. He is an amazing musician and creative artist who is a prolific contributor to the modern indie rock world.  We came to know about him as the ringleader of the legendary Santa Cruz based blistering psych rock heroes Comets On Fire who heavily influenced our early sound and the scene that we entered into as a young band.  We become friends with Ethan through mutual friend Phil Manley (also legendary musician and Expanding Majesty engineer / producer extraordinaire).  Ethan heard a rough mix of some tracks from Expanding Majesty and offered to release our record on Silver Current.  We were stoked as we had a high amount of respect for Ethan and we were excited to work with him.  When we finished our final mixes with Phil, Ethan had legendary musical wizard Tim Green master the album and Tim hit it out of the park.  Ethan was heavily involved in the creative process of the artwork and layout and worked out all the logistics and details of getting the final album product put together.  We are grateful for Silver Current and Ethan’s help to get us back into the music world that we were out of for so long.  

What are your main inspirations when writing lyrics? 

Good vs evil, light vs dark, choosing good, choosing light, meditating on beauty, the sky, endless west coast sunsets, the Pacific Ocean, mountains, vast expanses, outer space, stars, bicycle rides, jumping in the river, being on the precipice of time etc.  We want lyrics that sound as large as the music and suggest a considerable sense of scale. We wanted to create the feeling that living is a divine gift to be celebrated and revered.  

What can we expect from Mammatus in the near and distant future?

Who can say where the road goes?  Only time.  Due to our limited capacity we can only do one mode at a time.  For the last 8 years we have been in creative mode and hyper focused on the creation of Expanding Majesty.  Our focus is now shifting to playing live shows and general promotion of the band.  We hope to do this cycle for the rest of our earthly lives.  Our lofty band dreams include making some trips across the pond but the right opportunity has not presented itself.  We will continue to chase the eternal riff into the cosmos as long as we are able, rest assured.  

What should the Weirdo Shrine reader do after reading this interview?  

Go ride bicycles somewhere beautiful and listen to our new album Expanding Majesty!  Thanks for reading this interview, we hope you enjoy the music!  

• https://mammatus.bandcamp.com/album/expanding-majesty
• https://www.facebook.com/mammatusband
• https://headymental.com/news
• https://silvercurrent.bandcamp.com
• http://www.silvercurrentrecords.com

Review + Q&A: Green Pajamas – This Floating World is a Dream (2023, Sound-Effect Records)

Okay, readers. I want to try something different with this review of The Green Pajamas’ new album, This Floating World is a Dream. Let’s be Alice in Wonderland, travel down the rabbit hole, and do free word associations like my trauma therapist suggested. He told me yesterday it would help me “clear my chakras” and normalize myself with the civilized world again.

Now, bear with me: I have certain trigger words that prompt harrowing flashbacks, and “green” is one of them. I don’t like the word “pajamas,” either. But my therapist, Dr. Howard Van Franklestein, Ph.D., is pushing me to get out of my comfort zone and try desensitization therapy, so here goes nothing, ladies and gentleman. I’m closing my eyes, listening to Green Pajamas’ new album, This Floating World is a Dream, and I’m writing whatever comes into my head, no matter what dark corners of the subconscious emerge.

First, before I delve too deeply into nonsense, let’s talk about The Green Pajamas and their new album. The Green Pajamas formed in the spring of ‘84 when Jeff Kelly and Joe Ross recorded their debut album, Summer of Lust. It was the original hot girl summer back then in the Eighties. The Green Pajamas pioneered Seattle’s answer to the Los Angeles Paisley Underground scene, and they’ve been around longer than the Grunge scene that would eventually take over Seattle.

This album is actually 2022’s Forever For a Little While reimagined as a vinyl LP for ‘23. It has all brand-spanking-new artwork and has been re-sequenced to fit closer to Jeff’s initial vision of melancholy Akira Kurosawa landscapes painted with Persian sitars, analog synthesizers, and backward electric guitars. Damn, dude, that’s far out.

So, let’s get to the experiment. I am starting my listening journey and wordplay game with the song “Six Minutes in Heaven.” It conjures images of Benjamin Franklin flying a kite in his underwear. Why? I’m not sure. Oh no – here comes James Madison with a butcher knife and George Washington riding a unicorn – stop! Make it stop! Okay … breathe. Let’s start over. 

I skip to the next track, “Constance Gray.” I hate the color gray almost as much as I hate green. I hate all colors, really, but gray reminds me of … clouds. Storm clouds and men in jumpsuits break-dancing in the rain. I like this image; it brings calm feelings. LL Cool J and Jam Master Bill Clinton. On to the next song …

“Wildly Polite.”  Melancholy, analog synthesizers, backward electric guitars. Green Pajamas and their polite lust pioneering Seattle’s answer to the hellscape of LA’s Paisley Underground scene. Polite and gray and lustful, all happening underground with an LA cowboy named Big Sexy Ron, who gently wraps his arms around you and steals your wallet.

Okay, this isn’t so bad. No flashbacks yet. I feel free! 

The melodic sounds of The Green Pajamas are so relaxing. Here comes “The Hidden Fortress.” I see King Arthur at the round table with Colonel Sanders and a man that looks like Merlin, but when he speaks, he sounds like Saddam Hussein. Not too bad. Wait … the door creaks open; there’s a woman with a robot face and a pack of wild hounds. She smells like Mr. Burns, and she’s yelling, “Repent!” 

The castle is coming down, collapsing, King Arthur is dead, and Colonel Sanders is crying! I’m nervous; I feel weird … have to stop … new song – “Under the Martian Sun/The Red Desert.” Starting to lose grip. Gentle piano. Mexican wrestlers starving in space. Elon Musk singing to me on a space colony. Joe Rogan is reading the encyclopedia. I need to sleep … George W. Bush dressed as Ronald McDonald. Exotic instrumentation. Pajamas everywhere.

Losing touch … new song, “Joy Ride/The Happy Ending.” Wah-wah guitar and Jimi Hendrix driving in a convertible. Slyvester Stallone eating an apple. Green Pajamas is from Seattle – home of the Space Needle and Courtney Love’s parents. Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder, and Chris Cornell playing chess together. Green Pajama Mamas, Jerry Garcia, and hippie vans driving into black holes. Black Sabbath is making a disco song, and Joe Ross is wearing blue pajamas. I like blue much better than green, except it reminds me of Robert Johnson as a used car dealer. The record’s almost over – I have realized enlightenment – This Floating World is a Dream, and I HAVE WOKEN UP. I AM WOKE. I AM ANIMAL. I AM OPTIMUS PRIME. I AM STONE FREE. I AM THAT WHICH IS NAMELESS-

I woke up in the middle of a country field several hours later and managed to write some questions for Jeff Kelly from Green Pajamas on the back of a napkin. I fired my trauma therapist and decided to let music be my primary source of nourishment. Let’s give a warm Weirdo Shrine welcome to Green Pajamas.

Can you introduce the band? How did y’all meet and start making music together back in 1984?

I met Joe Ross at a party in West Seattle. We started talking and found we had some mutual interests musically. I was getting over a relationship. Joe sort of pulled me up and out of that. He kept bugging me to come over to his parent’s house and jam, and I finally did and ended up having fun. I had always written songs and recorded, so it was natural for us to start doing that. We made a cassette called Summer Of Lust, and Joe took it out to the University district record stores on his scooter. That was our distribution! Tom Dyer from Green Monkey Records heard it and gave it a good review in Option magazine, then called us up. Called Joe, actually. He had his phone number listed on the original cassette. Tom signed us, and that was the start…

What keeps The Green Pajamas going and excites you to continue to release new music like This Floating World is a Dream?

The Green Pajamas live band has changed a lot over time. The thing that is consistent is that I keep writing and recording music. If it hadn’t happened as The Green Pajamas, it probably would have been something else. There have been ups and downs throughout the years. For instance, things cooled down in the early 1990s, but I kept recording music. Some of that came out under my own name. But when Tony Dale called me from Australia around 1996 and wanted to reissue a Green Pajamas record on his Camera Obscura label, I told him, why don’t we do a new Pajamas album? And he said, great! 

I had tons of recordings lying around, so Joe and I took those and some recent things we had done together and put together a new record. That’s how we made Strung Behind The Sun, which launched a new, more creative phase. And that gave us a reason to start playing gigs again. Eric Lichter and Laura Weller joined and started contributing songs, and throughout the 2000s, that was more or less the process: I’d record a bunch of stuff, and then we’d add some songs by Eric, Laura, and Joe into the mix and call it a new album. I got tired of playing shows, but I love writing and recording music and making records.  It’s just something I’ll always do!  

You’ve been making music together since the ‘80s, so I’m curious: What’s the biggest difference between being a musician in 1984 and 2023?

I couldn’t speak for everybody, but for me and some others, it must be freedom of expression.  When I was a kid in my 20s, you had to go to a recording studio to record. The first time I was in a studio with a band was a bit stressful. You were always aware of the time because, of course, you’re being charged by the hour, and the band I was in, as I imagine is true of a million others, didn’t have a lot of dough. So, you had to hurry and had to sometimes settle for something you might not have been entirely pleased with. 

You had to trust the engineer  — some guy you might not know that might have a different agenda or aesthetic. That first studio recording, which I still have on a reel somewhere, is okay, but there is nothing magical about it, you know? I wanted the instruments to sound like Joy Division, and it doesn’t sound like that.  And a part of me knows that one reason it doesn’t is that — whoever that guy recording us was — he had never heard Closer.   

In 2023 we have a whole different thing happening. Any kid who has a computer can buy a mic and keyboard and make their dream album right in their bedroom.  No clock ticking away as you’re trying to get the guitar bit by the third take. You can do 50 takes, which doesn’t cost you a cent. You can do 50 more and let the riff turn into something else if you want to, and there is no guy standing in a booth or the other people in the band going, ‘What the fuck are you doing??’ Even if it’s people you love working with, the old idea of going into the studio can stifle creativity. Of course, I am speaking from my perspective alone, not the Foo Fighters or Barbara Streisand …

And I have to say, my experiences recording with Tom Dyer while we were making Book Of Hours and Ghosts Of Love were a lot more pleasant!  But after Strung Behind The Sun, which came out in 1997, I made every record at home, with the exception of a couple of live recordings with the full band.

Another great thing we have now is Bandcamp!  A band can put out their own record on their own label if they choose. I guess it’s a little bit like Joe and I making that first cassette by ourselves. The trick is getting people to hear it…

What’s going on in Seattle? What’s the music scene like out there today? And how has it changed over the years? I imagine you’ve seen plenty of changes, and you may have had a front-row seat to the grunge era.

There is always a thriving music scene in Seattle, but as far as what’s happening right now, I’m not sure! I’ve just started going out after staying inside for three years or whatever it’s been. But even before Covid, my wife, Susanne, and I didn’t go to many shows. Most of the time, if we went to a bar, it was because I was playing! And I’m getting old now, and I have a constant ringing in my ears from being around loud music all of my life, so these days, if I go somewhere with Susanne, I’d probably prefer a quiet, romantic place with a great view or something like that. Fado music in Lisbon is more my speed these days.

I have lived through some big changes. I went out a lot more before the whole Grunge thing happened, maybe more in the post-punk era, and there was a lot of interesting music. And The Green Pajamas came out of that. Like any big city, there was a wide variety of music and musicians. Listen to Tom Dyer’s Monkey Business album or the one called Seattle Syndrome from the ’80s, and you’ll see what I mean. 

Danger Bunny, Fastbacks, The Queen Annes, Walkabouts, Room 9, Moving Parts. It was all over the place. When Grunge hit and put Seattle on the map, that was the first time, at least in my recollection, that there was a prevailing “soun”’ in this town. Though, I don’t think the bands really sounded all that similar, do you?  I mean, I really don’t know for sure because I never listened to it. My interests had turned to jazz, and I was obsessed with Leonard Cohen, and I missed it! 

I was just warming up to Nirvana when they put out In Utero. Then Kurt died. So I don’t have any grunge records, but that one and the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” CD single. I’ve never been able to warm up to Pearl Jam. I don’t get it at all.  

Other members of The Green Pajamas could tell you a whole different story.  I think Laura and her husband, Scott Vanderpool, were actively involved in that scene. Joe too. He was in 64 Spiders with James Burdyshaw and went on tour in a van with Skin Yard. I’ve spent some time with Jack Endino of that band.  He came for dinner one night, and my little girls did a little duet for him… 

What’s your songwriting process like for The Green Pajamas?

It varies a lot. In the beginning, Joe and I would jam a lot, and quite a few early Green Pajamas songs came out of that. Sometimes an idea or melody just comes out of the blue, and I grab an instrument and figure out some chords.  Sometimes I sit down to write specifically about something that has inspired me, while other times, I might just have a riff and record a song before I know the melody or lyric. “Rattlesnake Kiss” and “The Hidden Forest” happened that way. I think “Six Minutes in Heaven” as well. I had most of the music recorded before I wrote the words. Sometimes you have to wait for the right idea to come.   

This Floating World is a Dream seems to have many common thematic elements lyrically, though I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it. What was your vision for the album when you were making it?

Yes, for one thing, I was greatly inspired by an ongoing interest in the arts of Japan and Asia. Japanese film, for instance. The title of the record comes from a song, the Peasant, and later, Princess Yuki sings in Akira Kurosawa’s movie, The Hidden Fortress. The actress who portrayed Princess Yuki – Misa Uehara – turns up as the subject matter of another song (“Princess Misa”), and there are other, sometimes subtle, elements of Japanese music and art. I also wanted to make another modern psychedelic album along the lines of the previous record, Sunlight Might Weigh Even More. It was well received, and I wanted to continue that momentum. And the hope is always that it will be entertaining!

What was the strangest live show you’ve ever seen or performed at?

Well, there was one in the early days.  It was like a disco in Bellevue, which is just across Lake Washington from Seattle, and we opened for ourselves as Mother Funk and The Clap Test, which was fronted by our guitarist, Steven Lawrence’s sister, Julie. We had recorded some seriously goofy songs with her, just a couple of things, for laughs. Anyway, we ended up playing some of that shit live in a disco, of all places.  Don’t ask me how that happened, I have no idea!  But that has to be one of the more bizarre gigs I’ve played. There have been others…

I’m trying to think of a strange live show. I’ve seen a lot of different cool things, like Sharon Krauss playing at midnight by candlelight at Terrastock or Bow Wow Wow at the Showbox.  But I don’t think I ever saw Alice Cooper bite the head off a chicken or something like that…

Last question – What should the readers of Weirdo Shrine do immediately after reading this review and Q&A?

Go online and find the recent reissue of Meiko Kaji’s Hajiki Uta LP by We Want Sounds, and if they can afford to buy it, it’s great!  If they can’t afford that, my new album, Blue Is The Color Of My Heart, is available on Bandcamp for $9.00, and it’s pretty good!

This review and Q&A was written by Nick, the guy behind The Third Eye psychedelic rock blog. Nick’s all-time favorite song is “19th Nervous Breakdown” by The Rolling Stones because the lyrics speak to him on a primal level, although the sight of Mick Jagger’s face horrifies him because it reminds him of the Lizard Society of America cult where he was once a devoted member.

Links:

• https://greenpajamas.bandcamp.com/album/this-floating-world-is-a-dream
• https://thegreenpajamas1.bandcamp.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenPajamas
• https://www.instagram.com/jeffreyskelly/?hl=en
•  https://www.soundeffect-records.gr/this-floating-world-is-a-dream

Review + Q&A: The Howling Eye – List Do Borykan (2023, Interstellar Smoke Records/Galactic Smokehouse)

When you have been into this Weirdo Shrine of mine for a longer while, you know that we are all into this together. As the great and late Bill Hicks once said: “it is a choice between fear and love, if we choose love we can explore space together, both inner and outer, not a single individual excluded”. I sincerely believe in this statement, and I know The Howling Eye does too.

Just lay yourself down and put on List Do Borykan, first track Space Dwellers Episode 1 will do the rest. On the continuation of the album The Howling Eye will prove themselves to be a fun loving and versatile band, that loves to explore, rock out, space out, and have fun at the same time. The longer tracks like Brothers or the completely instrumental Caverns definitely open up new chapters of the galaxy to the listener, with its deeply spacey psych blues approach. The shorter tracks like Medival show a jumpier, shoutier side of the band, that you might even scream along on a festival field if only you knew how, because what language are they even singing?!

And there is of course the triptych called Space Dwellers, which returns for two more “episodes” to gradually turn your brain to mush by being weird and free (especially when shaking their bodies in the space disco of part 3!). In these moments of light heartedness and positivity the band nudges to contemporaries like King Gizzard and The Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, while at the same time never fully committing to any genre or style.

The Howling Eye explores space deeply, but keeps the journey light. It makes for a highly entertaining and versatile trip that interchanges the cerebral with the physical. If we ever colonise other planets together, I know a good soundtrack…

It is a good thing that I sought contact with The Howling Eye through the internet, because how on earth would a live interview take place when the members live all scattered over Europe? Poland is their home base though, from which they invent their plans to take over the world…I talked to Jan Chojnowski (guitars and synths) to find out more.

How are you? How was the pandemic period for you as a musician?

We’re fine! The pandemic fucked up our plans really bad, but we managed to get back on our feet. We were forced to take a semi hiatus of sorts because essentially we ended up living four different lifestyles in three different countries. Eventually, dealing with separation, grief and longing became one of the main themes of List Do Borykan.

Can you introduce yourself, how did you start your career, etc? 

It all started in 2016, when Cebula (drums, vox), Miłosz (bass) and Jan (guitar, keys), three high school friends, embarked on a quest to find their own musical style, starting from slow and heavy psychedelia. Fast forward three years and we had absorbed a number of exotic influences, ranging from jazz and funk to post rock and garage rock. We were also joined by Johnny on percussions. With three albums released and a fair share of gigs played, we felt we were ready to start something new. We were to move to the UK and start gigging and writing a new album there. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, some of us had to return to Poland and the production of List Do Borykan stretched into (then seemingly) infinity. The reality of making an album remotely and living in different places started slowly seeping into the lyrics themselves, and so the final concept was born. 

What can you tell me about your musical backgrounds?

Each of us comes from a different one. Jan was a blues player, Cebula was a punk and Miłosz was more of a grunge person. It took a bit of refinement and compromise, but ultimately we ended up playing heavy psych. This is how it was in the beginning, though. Nowadays each of us tries a number of different things. Miłosz, for example, plays bass in an indie pop band and Jan is working on some ambient stuff. We are always learning, so even theearly drafts and demos of List Do Borykan that we laid down in 2020 sound nothing like the final product. 

What does a regular day in your lives look like?

Recently it’s mostly work and studying, trying to carve out as much time for music and our passions as we can. Also, it’s the festival season, so it means more work, but also more fun. We all aim to make a living out of music or audio jobs, but we’re not quite there yet.  

What is the best thing about List Do Borykan?

The themes that make it relatable. We decided to make a concept album to tell a greater story that everyone can resonate with. Everyone has had these experiences, at least to some extent, whether is a miserable job for shitty pay with no perspectives for change (Medival), missing your friends and being unable to see them (Brothers), or struggling with self-expression in a world that kills genuine emotion and human interaction (Space Dwellers, Episode 2). We knew it’s all a bit preachy, so we decided to dial it up to 11 into a full-blown mystical cosmic saga. 

What does the title mean, what does it stand for?

It’s a play on words in Polish which is tricky to translate. ‘Borykanie’ is a noun that means ‘struggling [with something]’, but it also sounds similar to words describing nations or peoples (Rzymianie = Romans, Mohikanie = Mohicans, etc.). So ‘List Do Borykan’ could be translated as ‘Epistle to the Borykans’, as it is a message to everyone who is facing the same struggles as we are and have been. 

Where do you live and how does it affect your music?

Miłosz and Jan in Gdansk, Poland, Cebula in Hamburg, Germany, and Johnny in Spain. It makes touring a logistical nightmare. Moreover, by the time the recording started the songs from the album were still more like sketches, really. Some songs were just recently played for the first time since being recorded. We can only get so many rehearsals and it feels very different from playing stuff we wrote 6 years ago, but we manage. We have a lot of ideas to get the upcoming gigs as intense as possible, so buckle up! 

Who are some contemporary musical heroes of yours?

King Gizzard. Every album they make is just so vibrant, diverse and unpredictable, yet it’s all solid and doesn’t stray into the gimmicky territory. All Them Witches know the best way to tell a story and set the mood. And man, Elder is just pure energy. Weedpecker and Causa Sui are excellent at stacking layers of psychedelic goodness. Also, Dixie Dave.

Can you tell me about how you went about composing and recording songs?

We jam. Like, a lot. We never bring finished songs to rehearsals. It usually starts with a single idea, like a riff or melody, and then we try and improvise the rest. There isn’t any rule or method, really. Sometimes there is some greater meaning behind the composition and sometimes it is just how the music flows. Once we know the vibe we are going for, then we work on the lyrics and details. All of us have education in sound engineering, so theprocess of writing and recording sort of merges into one. We record a lot by ourselves lately, List Do Borykan is, like, 80% home recorded, or something like that. We had one main session in 2020 when we recorded most of therhythm tracks, but the rest was just overdubbed at home. Before that, we would usually go to a studio for a couple of days and the relentless flow of time would make us comply and finish the album no matter what. Now we had no deadline, so the recording process just kept going. In the end, though, it gave us time to think about what we really wanted that album to be, so it was to our benefit. 

What are your immediate and long term future plans?

Spreading our cosmic message across all channels and playing as many gigs as possible. We’re planning a tour by the end of 2023. Mostly Poland and neighboring countries (Germany, Czechia), but who knows, we’re open to anything. After that, publishing more stuff and touring more. 

What should the Weirdo Shrine reader do after reading this interview?

Listen to the album! (Also, listen to more stuff from Galactic Smokehouse and Interstellar Smoke Records. Recent releases highly recommended.) Drink some water. Go for a walk. Check up on Your friends. 

• https://thehowlingeye.bandcamp.com/album/list-do-borykan
• https://www.facebook.com/thehowlingeye
• https://linktr.ee/TheHowlingEye
• https://interstellarsmokerecords.bigcartel.com
• https://galacticsmokehouse.bigcartel.com

Epitaph review + Q&A: The Dead Ends – Live at Mammoth Fest (2023, Made Of Stone Recordings/Sound Effect Records)

The Dead Ends from Kavala, Greece have been my favorite Greek psych rock unit for a while. They made a brilliant debut album called Deeper the dark​,​the brighter we shine that is highly recommended, and a pretty good follow up in Distant Shores that should have been their breakthrough but somehow did not make it happen. The band played some shows and then the pandemic hit and ended it. Like so many bands before they found the well of inspiration had dried and they decided to hang it up.

All the better then that they brought some cameras and sound recordings for their final show, a show at the Mammoth Festival 2022 in their hometown of Kavala. A show in which they showed us a final spark of their sonic brilliance and that featured all of the highlights of their short but sweet career. The Greek label Made Of Stone Recordings decided to put it out on vinyl this year and I for one could not be happier with the result.

On one shiny blue vinyl record we hear the band going through their songs as passionately and driven as ever, tight like rope, but with enough touring miles on their back to add a little extras here and there. It is a fine document of an amazing band that never got big, but definitely got places, and now has three awesome documents out on vinyl to prove their existence on the world forever.

I talked to Drummer and vocalist Dimitris Apostolidis about his time in The Dead Ends and how he looks back on it. I was happy to find him quite satisfied with the way life turned out, and happily surprised to see him also look forward to new musical enterprises in the future. But for now, one last time: The Dead Ends:

Hi guys, how are you these days?

Hi Jasper, all three of us are great at the moment. These past couple of years were a bit difficult for everyone so were for us, without any activity.

What have you been up to since the band split up?

In 2022 we performed our last live show as The Dead Ends at the Mammothfest. I own a tattoo studio at the center of Kavala Greece, George (keyboardist) is also owner of a street food shop and Sirios (guitarist) is working on his solo project.

In front of me lies the new vinyl for the recorded live show at Mammoth Fest in 2021. What can you tell me about that show?

It was our first show after the 2020 pandemic and we were very excited to be a part of this festival. Many great bands performed on the stages of Mammothfest that weekend and it was an amazing experience to play music after 1 year since our last show. Everyone of us was excited and the crowd was vibing with us. At some point minutes before the show the promoter and owner of Made of Stone Recordings told us that he is going to record the show and release it on vinyl. Hope you like it.

How does it feel to release this live recording right now? What are your thoughts about it?

All three of us are very proud of the 2 LPs we released and there are no hard feelings between us. This live album seals our 7 years of active performing live and recording music and we see it as a sweet memorabilia of these past years.

Looking back at your career, can you mention a couple of highlights? Which things are you most proud of?

During these years we performed in amazing venues, met great people and played with serious fellow musicians. One of the best moments of the band I think was the show with The Black Angels in Thessaloniki which was a magic moment to play alongside with them as they are somekind of psychedelic pioneers of our time and we love their music.

What was the worst thing you did as a band? Were there any mistakes you wish you hadn’t made? Any regrets?

We all make mistakes as newbies and we all have regrets for things we did or didn’t do, but I think that in the end only the good memories prevail and there is no reason to look back in regret and remorse. The Dead Ends started as an amateur music project and it came out to be a colourful journey for all of us leaving behind two LPs and a live recording. We can’t ask for more.

What are your separate musical plans these days? Any bands or projects we should know about?

The times that we live in are strange and we all need to express our thoughts and feelings through arts, so the search won’t stop here. Sirios never stopped working on his solo project and still does, we are very proud of him and love his music. George and I are working on something, it’s too early to say but we hope that something comes out of it in the near future. The only think I can give as a hint is that it has to do with an ancient Greek tragedy that we will use as reference for this conceptual project.

What would you like to say to the fans that still lovingly play your albums and are happy with your new live album? 

We hope our music will play for many years to come and the people that hear it will get the same warm feeling that we experience when we play it to them. We feel blessed that we were able to leave these 2 LP albums as a legacy to the music world. The live recording is all the highlights of these 2 LPs combined and for someone that never had the chance to attend one of our shows is the least we could do.

Any famous last words? 

‘’The futility of life, makes happiness inevitable’’ so always make the best out of it Narri-e Narri-o. 

• https://thedeadends3.bandcamp.com/merch
• https://www.facebook.com/thedeadendskav/
• https://www.facebook.com/SoundEffectRecords
• https://www.soundeffect-records.gr