SS-189 :: GIANT BRAIN – Grade A Gray Day
Track List
- Munich
- Terminator: (Where an astronaut dies in space)
- The Variac: (His consciousness reawakens)
- Fore: (Rage at the cruelty of forced transhumanism)
- Systems Failure: (Uprising, destruction, and the escape)
- Between Trains
Album Info
On January 11, 2019, guitarist Phil Dürr returned to the great Mothership up in the sky. Between his international familial bonds and his membership in such hard-touring bands as Big Chief and Five Horse Johnson, he was mourned by friends, fans, and family literally around the world. His loss was most keenly felt in Detroit, Michigan, his hometown since moving to the area from Mexico as a child, and where he was in the middle of recording the latest Giant Brain album.
After the pain and tears and toasts and reflection, bandmates Al Sutton, Andy Sutton and Eric Hoegemeyer endeavored to finish what they had started. Coming out four years after Phillip’s passing, Grade A Gray Day is Giant Brain’s last musical will and testament, serving as both a tribute to their departed bandmate and the final chapter in a collaboration that reaches back to the 1990s, when the band members laid the groundwork for the Detroit rock renaissance of the following century.
Long fixtures of the local scene, Giant Brain coalesced between sessions at Rustbelt Studios, Al Sutton’s recording facility in Royal Oak which has hosted regional and national rock royalty. One of the best guitarists in town, no small feat given the terrain, Dürr laid down 6-string ideas that rolled as much as rocked while the Sutton brothers supplied taut rhythmic support and technical expertise. Their mix of Krautrock grooves, Detroit attitude and ambient textures was first heard on 2007’s Plume. Producer and programmer Eric Hoegemeyer would join the band for 2009’s Thorn of Thrones, with both albums being released on Small Stone Records.
From its packaging to the songs therein, Grade A Gray Day is a family affair. Sue Lott and Scott Hamilton, who played with Dürr in fellow Small Stoners Luder, guest on different songs, Detroit music luminaries Kenny Tudrick, Billy Reedy, James Simonson, Bob Ebeling and Darrel Eubank sit in on others. UK transplant and Keeping The Blues Alive recording artist Joanne Shaw Taylor lays down searing guitar leads on two tracks and the album artwork was provided by underground art legend Mark Dancey, whose work has graced album covers by Soundgarden and who played guitar alongside Dürr in Big Chief.
Despite being a studio entity, Giant Brain have always sounded like a band. There’s no denying, however, much of their unique musical voice was centered around Phil Dürr’s guitar playing, his ability to change gears from gritty to dreamy in the course of a single verse, his love of blues rock gravity and post-punk atmospherics, always thinking in the back of his mind, “What would Eddie Hazel play here?” At times sad and at other points a celebration, Dürr’s presence pulses and reverberates throughout Grade A Gray Day, whether in his guitar interplay with Joanne Shaw Taylor on the opener “Munich,” or the plangent chords hovering underneath Sue Lott’s vocals on “Between Trains,” the album’s final track and a moving farewell.
• Benjamin H. Smith
For fans of: CAN, Queens of the Stone Age, All Them Witches, The Stooges, King Buffalo.
Credits
Giant Brain is:
Phil Durr: guitars, bass
Andy Sutton: bass, vocals
Eric Hoegemeyer: drums, keys, programming, synths
Al Sutton: percussion, programming, keys
Additional musicians:
Joanne Shaw Taylor: guitars on tracks 1 and 4.
Billy Reedy: guitar on tracks 2 and 5.
Jim Simonson: bass on track 2.
Bob Ebeling: wine glasses on track 3, drums on track 5.
Darrel Eubank: vocals on track 3.
Scott Hamilton: guitar on track 5.
Sue Lott: vocals on track 6.
Ken Tudrick: piano on track 6.
All songs written and produced by Giant Brain.
Recorded at Rustbelt Studio, Royal Oak, MI.
Engineered and mixed by Al Sutton and Eric Hoegemeyer.
Mastered by Chris Goosman at Baseline Audio Labs, Ann Arbor, MI.
Artwork by Mark Dancey.
“Between Trains” lyrics by Sue Lott.
Joanne Shaw Taylor appears courtesy of KTBA Records.
In Memoriam: Phil Durr, Billy Rivkin
For all our loved ones waiting for us.
Maximum volume only
BISON MACHINE Michigan Heavy Rockers Sign To Small Stone; New Album Coming Soon + Burnin’ Turf II Fest To Be Held June 3rd
Michigan heavy rockers BISON MACHINE have signed to American heavy rock institution Small Stone Records. The Hamtramck-based volume dealers have been on a this-time-it’s-personal quest to hand-deliver their riffs across the country since the 2015 release of their debut album, Hoarfrost, on Kozmik Artifactz, and with tours throughout the US under their belt, they’re ready to take their game to the proverbial next level.
BISON MACHINE is currently preparing a new album for release later this year as their Small Stone debut. They will enter Rustbelt Studios (Five Horse Johnson, Halfway to Gone, Novadriver) later this Summer to record.
“It’s amazing,” enthuses BISON MACHINE bassist Anthony Franchina about the signing. “Small Stone has released some of my favorite records, from Sasquatch to Greenleaf to Lo-Pan, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to work with Scott [Hamilton] on our next record, which is going to completely blow away everything we’ve done before. We’ll be hitting the road too, so keep an eye out!”
In addition to working on their next LP, the members of BISON MACHINE are involved in organizing the Burnin’ Turf festival, which is set for June 3rd at the Parisville Saloon in Ruth, Michigan with a lineup featuring BISON MACHINE, Wild Savages, Dead Feathers, BoneHawk, Red Stone Souls, Rip VanRipper, and Gear Jammer, as well as chopper games, raffle prizes, van and tank lettering by Zak Warmann of Detroit Sign Painters, camping, DJ Smoak (Loy Smoak Jr.) all the way from San Antonio, bonfires, and of course, plenty of beer. Ticket presales are available at THIS LOCATION.
“I can’t wait to hear what BISON MACHINE bring to this next record,” says Scott Hamilton of Small Stone Records. “They’ve been unstoppable on tour for the last couple years and I’m thrilled to welcome them into the Small Stone fold representing the next generation of great American heavy rock and roll.”
BISON MACHINE released their latest single, “Cloak And Bones,” last year. A video for the track is playing now at THIS LOCATION.
Stay tuned for more on BISON MACHINE, Burnin Turf II, and the new album in the months ahead. [Words by JJ Koczan/The Obelisk]
BISON MACHINE:
Casey O’Ryan – guitar
Breck Crandell – drums
Tom Stec – vocals
Anthony Franchina – bass
For BISON MACHINE coverage contact liz@earsplitcompound.com.
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SS-100 :: LUDER – Sonoluminescence
TRACKLIST:
1. Sing To Me 04:19
2. S-Words 07:22
3. Selfish and Dumb 05:44
4. Cold Hands, Warm Pants 07:28
5. Hot, Girl-On-Girl, Vampire Action 08:07
6. In Love With Love 07:26
7. The Pox 06:24
8. Points West 05:04
9. Sewn Together 06:40
10. Soledad y Onanismo 06:17
REVIEWS:
“Luder have certainly got grooves aplenty and manage to successfully connect the more alternative end of the Indie scale with guitar-heavy metal. So with such great riffs and grooves surely the deciding factor will be whether you like this particular dreamy vocal style. And for that I hand Luder over to you.” UBERROCK
“Luder’s 2009 debut album, Sonoluminescence, takes you back to the oh-so-long-ago of, what, 1994 or so? Yes, it’s difficult to believe that it’s been that long already. But the alternative metal and shoegaze sounds emanating from Sonoluminescence’s grooves evoke instant Technicolor flashbacks (well, tones of gray Technicolor, anyway) to that mid-‘90s sonic aesthetic — as dated, yet as comfortable, as that grungy old Cardigan sweater you wore against your mother’s protestations, until the very last string unraveled like some vision preordained in that damn Weezer song! But primarily, it’s the confluence of Sue Slot’s dreamy, haunting whispers and her bandmates’ droning, angst-ridden darkness that breeds this familiarity, epitomized by tracks like “Selfish and Dumb,” “The Pox,” and particularly “S-Words,” which sets progesterone-fueled Alice in Chains vocal harmonies against a circular riff backdrop direct from the Jane’s Addiction toolkit. Evident influences aside, though, the members of Luder unfurl just enough unorthodox elements from their separate prior musical paths to give those templates some distinction, including classic, psychedelic, and stoner rock elements, metallic riff worship, and even a discreet power pop undercurrent that alleviates the exquisite torment of it all right about when you’re reaching for the skip button (cue the gloriously depressing “Sewn Together”). For example, one of the more interesting songs, the amusingly named “Hot, Girl-on-Girl, Vampire Action,” drones on forebodingly for much of its lysergic eight minutes, but unexpectedly breaks out into a bouncy pop-punk midsection that feels as though it were painfully grafted on. “In Love with Love” also picks up the pace when you most needed it to, and the closing enigma of “Soledad y Onaismo” (err, “Solitude and Masturbation”?) travels a daunting road from its sparse acoustic beginnings to its Tool-like post-metal apocalypse (by way of a Sabians guitar solo — look that one up!). In sum, as exercises in nostalgia go, Luder’s Sonoluminescence feels pretty darn welcome when all is said and done, and it makes for a rather unrepresentative but memorable choice to serve as the Small Stone label’s celebratory 100th release (owner Scott Hamilton is also one of Luder’s two guitarists), which is no mean feat in today’s troubled music industry.” ALLMUSIC
ALBUM INFO:
Sonoluminescence – ‘luminescence excited in a substance by the passage of sound waves through it.’
The formation of Luder harkens back to 2006, when Small Stone Records undertook the task of issuing the lost recordings of a band called Slot after the untimely passing of its founding member and guitarist, Billy Rivkin. After the successful completion of this project, it was decided by the powers that be that some semblance of the band should play at SXSW the following spring. So it was that Sue Lott (Slot’s bassist) and Eddie Alterman (Slot’s drummer) were joined on guitars by Phil Dürr (Big Chief, Giant Brain, Five Horse Johnson) and Small Stone head-honcho Scott Hamilton to pull off such a thing. The thinking was that it would take two guitar players to competently do what Billy did on his own.
After a successful SXSW show in the spring of 2007, Followed by a hometown show at the Magic Stick, Sue, Phil and Scott decided it might be worthwhile and fun to continue playing and writing music, perhaps under a different moniker. Eddie being mostly unavailable due to laboral commitments, they humbly asked ex-Novadriver drummer (and, as with Phil, current Five Horse Johnson member) Eric Miller to join and soon started doing that thing that the kids call “jamming.” At first, the quartet got together mostly to keep their chops up, jamming on quasi-Krautrock riffs a few nights a week. Eventually, as everyone got comfortable with each others’ playing styles, they started writing songs for real, honing the ad-libbed riffs into songs, making music that none of them would be able to write in any other band. Luder set out to make obstinate music, or as Sue likes to say, “music I like.” A new idea was hatched, a new band was born, and a new name was chosen; ergo: Luder.
Luder seamlessly incorporates all the influences of the individual band members and their musical histories into a coherent whole. When Eric and Phil bring elements of Stoner Rock, Sue might counter them with an almost jazzy bass line. Scott might pitch a decidedly shoegazery melody line, Phil may react by channeling his inner metal-head. When Sue comes to the table with a decidedly ambient bass line, the other three might add any and all types of raucous, multi-genre-ic sounds. If Phil’s hispanophilia threatens to get out of hand, Eric may throw in an absolutely tribal drumbeat. Now, add a pinch of humor to the mix, and it all combines to give Luder’s music that certain out-of-left-field-je-ne-sais-quoi that adds up to a band that in the end sounds like no other. Then you bring Sue’s ethereal vocal stylings into the picture, and you makes for quite a spicy stew. Luder’s songs have been described as “disturbingly peaceful,” “peacefully disturbing,” and “in need of editing” (to which they gleefully and politely say “no, thank you” and “up yours” in unison).
As the a result of staying true to their musical passions and influences, not to mention running up a rather hefty electrical bill in Sue’s basement, the debut album from Luder, ‘Sonoluminescence’ was etched out in the dwelling that was once known to insiders as The Slot House. Recorded at Rustbelt Studios with Eric Hoegemeyer (Giant Brain, Deep See Sound System) on the dials over the course of six months whenever all parties could meet, Sonoluminescence is a very organic and dynamic, an orgasmic whirlwind of Rock Recording. Luder’s debut is sure to turn a few heads, cause a spit-take or two, and clean out a few eardrums in the process. Hell… you might even catch them live if the guarantee is right and there happen to be any baby- and dogsitters available to work that particular night…
For fans of: Slot, Giant Brain, The Birthday Party, Soundgarden, Queens Of The Stone Age, Tool, Clutch, Curve, Portishead, The Verve, Polar Bear, and an ass load of other like-minded bands from the 70s, 80s, and early 90s.
credits
Released 10 November 2009
Luder is:
Eric Miller: Drums & Percussion
Sue Lott: Bass & Vox
Phil Dürr: Guitars & Things
Scott Hamilton: Guitars & Too Many Effect Pedals
Additional Players:
Eric Hoegemeyer: Piano, Backing Vox, Percussion, Sounds
Vince Williams: Backing Vox, Screaming
Richard Watson: Backing Vox
Marshall Oliver: Backing Vox
Matthew Richards: Backing Vox
Recorded at Rustbelt Studios – Royal Oak, MI.
Recorded, Engineered, Mixed and Manipulated by Eric Hoegemeyer.
Produced by Eric Hoegemeyer and Luder.
Mastered by Chris Goosman at Baseline Audio – Ann Arbor, MI.
Artwork by Sue Lott & Matthew Richards at MOCHIMAD.
Textiles by The T-Shirt Guy – Roseville, MI.
All the tracks written by: Sue Lott, Eric Miller, Phil Dürr, Scott Hamilton, Eric Hoegemeyer.
SS-070 :: VARIOUS ARTISTS – Sucking The 70’s, Back In The Saddle Again
It’s time to dust off the vinyl and take your air guitar out of storage because Small Stone is proud to present “Sucking the 70’s, Back In The Saddle Again.” No expense was spared for this one kiddies. We scoured several continents to find the best and most ass kicking bands to pay homage to the greatest decade that rock and roll has ever known.
Let’s get this straight right up front, these aren’t covers. We sifted through a lot of bands simply covering their favorite jams and you won’t find any of them here. In the end we cut this baby off with 31 tracks and a waiting list a mile long to get in. What you will find on “Sucking the 70’s” are some of the best and most true to life rawk bands of the 21st century lovingly re-working, re-interpreting, and in some cases re-defining the music that first inspired them to make music in the first place.
From the ferocious opening blast of Sasquatch’s incredible revamping of Grand Funk Railroad’s classic “Are You Ready” through the final breaths of Valis’ psychedelic re-invention of Gary Wright’s �Dream Weaver�, �Sucking the 70�s� is a rollercoaster ride through the classics that defined a decade. It�s an aural trip down memory lane back to the good old days when Rock & Roll actually stood for something. These two discs feature Small Stone alumni both past and present as well as some of our favorite acts ever. And whatever you do don�t miss out on the incredible first ever recordings of Five Horse Johnson with Clutch. It is unbelieveable.
So, break out your lava lamps and lay some carpet down in the back of your SUV because the 70�s are back with a vengeance. This is an incredibly limited pressing and when it�s gone it�s gone, so you�d better get it while you can. Operators are standing by. Eight track version not available. Stairway not included. Void in Kansas, Chicago & where ever the hell the Bay City Roller’s are from.
SS-032 :: VARIOUS ARTISTS – Sucking The 70’s
Small Stone is proud to present “Sucking the 70’s.” An aural trip down memory lane… back to the good old days when Rock & Roll actually stood for something and you could get a groupie to give you head from Cleveland all the way to the New Jersey state line. No expense was spared for this one kids. We’ve gathered 35 bands, from 6 countries, across 4 continents to revisit the songs that were probably playing on your car radio when you first got laid (or some of you were conceived). From the first blast of guitar on Five Horse Johnson’s rendition of Mountain’s “Never in my life” to the last smoldering note of Gideon Smith’s take on Steppenwolf’s “The Pusher”, “Sucking the 70’s” is a rollercoaster ride through the classics that defined a decade. Of special note are Scott Reeder’s (Kyuss, Unida) solo debut, Broadsword featuring J. Yuenger’s first released material since leaving White Zombie, and Clutch’s smoking re-invention of Jethro Tull’s “Cross Eyed Mary” as well as Spirit Caravan’s final recorded effort.” From ballads to bong hit’s this collection has everything…except Stairway. So, strap on your roller skates and dig out your lava lamps: The 70’s are back with a vengeance. Sorry, no eight track version, this baby clocks in at 156+ minutes of ass kicking rock.
Side 1
Five Horse Johnson “Never In My Life”
Throttlerod “Black Betty”
Dixie Witch “On The Hunt”
Clutch “Cross Eyed Mary”
The Glasspack “T.V. Eye”
The Last Vegas “Free For All”
Halfway To Gone Can’t You See”
Suplecs “Working Man”
Puny Human “Travellin Band”
Raging Slab “We’re An American Band”
Los Natas “Brainstorm”
The Heads “For Madmen Only”
Lamont “Nasty Dogs & Funky Kings”
Backdraft “Child Of Babylon”
Black Nasa “I Dont Have To Hide”
Warped “Dog Eat Dog”
Hangnail “Bron-yr-stomp”
Side 2
Roadsaw “Vehicle”
Novadriver “20th Century Boy”
Alabama Thunderpussy “Hymn 43”
Disengage “Communication Breakdown”
Porn (The Men Of) “Out On The Weekend”
Milligram “Rumblin’ Man”
Tummler “Working For MCA”
Fireball Ministry “Doctor Doctor”
Spirit Caravan “Wicked World”
Lowrider “Freelance Fiend”
The Mushroom River Band “Walk Away”
Broadsword “Woman Tamer”
Doubleneck “Don’t Blow Your Mind”
Lord Sterling “Black To Comm”
The Brought Low “Till The Next Goodbye”
Scott Reeder “Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You”
Tectonic Break “How Can You Win”
Gideon Smith & The Dixie Damned “The Pusher”
Radio Track – Morsel “It’s Too Late” (Carole King)
