You never know where or when you’re gonna discover something mind-blowing. But get on a few Twitter feeds (while it lasts), get into some Facebook groups: I recommend Stoner Rock Army and Ripple’s Waverider Unite for a good start. You will find something interesting. What I never expected was a rich vein of heavy gold […]
Read More Late to the Party 3: Doomsday ProfitI’ve spent the past week writing my almost-annual Doomsgiving post. I put a lot of work into it, had a bunch of media and cool references. It was 1500 words of a lot of chest-beating and celebration of how Cleanandsoberstoner has done this year. It has been amazing, and I’m so, so fucking grateful for […]
Read More Doomsgiving 2022When Italian heavy-psych band Desert Wave contacted me to review their recent album, ‘Deafening Silence,’ I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. This was the first time a band contacted me and followed through on the details. Being a small, independent site, this doesn’t happen every day. I had nagging questions: What if I […]
Read More 11 Reasons to Get to Know Desert Wave: An InterviewWhen the Italian band Desert Wave reached out and asked me to review their latest release, Deafening Silence, I was feeling a bit skeptical. They had the balls to write about their love for King Buffalo, but they were so damn nice (and somewhat flattering) that I broke Cardinal Rule #12 and responded with “yes.” I […]
Read More Desert Wave: Deafening SilenceChapter 4 Friday, August 22, 1992 5:30 came right on time. It felt horribly, sarcastically early. I thought about calling in, but remembered Craig’s speech about no more chances. I still had a couple of days on the books, but using them this soon was unwise. Besides, there’d be coffee at work. I didn’t drink […]
Read More 30 Years of Heavy Recovery, Chapter 4: Consequences/Davis/Unexpected callSo, yeah. Thanks so much for dropping the best debut since Messa dropped Belfry or Spaceslug gave us Lemanis in 2016, take your pick. If you’re not careful, you’re gonna wind up on a successful tour with Frayle and the aforementioned Messa that makes so much money you’re gonna need an accountant. …
Read More An Open Letter to Faetooth*he only other bands that have caught my attention like this in terms of story-telling and execution are Spaceslug, Howling Giant and Sergeant Thunderhoof. This is an instant classic that resets expectations for horror/fantasy in heavy music. Wow. Just…wow!
Read More Vitskar Suden: the Faceless KingIntro No excuses. I totally forgot to publish this back in June. My bad. On the other hand, this is worth bringing up this late in the year because it’s pretty darn good. Expectations are a double-edged sword. Most spiritual and religious guidance I’ve ever received is to ignore them, lest discontent be the result. […]
Read More Sergeant Thunderhoof: This Sceptered VeilThis is a genuinely stadium-worthy band. Ruby the Hatchet has enough pop hooks to dominate the radio, enough authenticity to develop a loyal following, and enough musical prowess to keep this going for a dozen or more albums. They should be performing at 10,000+ venues…
Let’s fucking make that happen. Buy the album, stream the hell out of it and go see ’em live. It’s the least we owe to a band this good.
Read More Ruby the Hatchet: Fear is a Cruel MasterKinda like Mothers Acid Temple, but with melody, rhythm and taste.
Read More Mid-Week Quickie: Sisteria- Dark MatterThe real message I get from King Buffalo, the reality of our culture is reveal is that no, we suck. We abandon what’s great in search of what stinks, and then blame the stinker.
Read More Happy King Buffalo Day!There’s an album dropping from Ripple Music that completely blows my mind. When I read the name of the band, I was like- “meh.” I mean, the name is pretty generic and just blends in with a hundred other bands, at least to me. Maybe it reminds me too much of The Mentors…I dunno, maybe. […]
Read More Upcoming Release: The Necromancers- Where the Void RoseDang, I’ve had this site for a while. My original goal was to write a bunch of recovery related stuff and Stoner/Doom reviews. Kinda… I don’t consider myself a reviewer and I don’t mean to be. I mean, listening to x-amount of music to write z-amount of posts: there’s a ton of that out there. […]
Read More Another Quick Update…and thank-you!!!!!!Here’s a quick glimpse behind the scenes and Cleanandsoberstoner Headquarters: it’s been busy. Not only did I leave my job in May, I kinda jettisoned my career for a bit and started my own business. Actually, two businesses. In addition, I moved. It’s taken a while to get the HQ set-up, get back on track […]
Read More Late to the Party: Righteous FoolI think this album is going to win Abrams a lot fans, and a few might put In the Dark on their best of the year lists. I won’t argue a bit.
Read More Abrams: In the Dark (review)Godless Suns is very much a throwback to an era I still doubt actually existed, and by that I mean before mastering guru’s and executives fucked up the party. This release is very much of this era, not some romanticized 70’s nostalgia. They fit in with a bunch of other bands that have made waves over the past few years, especially Scorched Oak and Saint Karloff. Even more impressive is that they have the narrative ambitions of Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, Sergeant Thunderhoof and Vitskar Suden. No pressure guys, but that’s some fairly lofty company.
Read More Godless SunsWe talk a lot about the pioneers of the Stoner Rock sound, and generator parties, and fuzz pedals, and Orange amps, but there’s one thing that … The Silent Heroes of Stoner Rock — Part 1 This isn’t mine, but it’s awesome. Great read !
Read More The Silent Heroes of Stoner Rock — Part 1