Bell Witch & Aerial Ruin: Stygian Bough w/ Vouna, Hazzards Cure, Dvvell
Starline Social Club Presents:Bell Witch & Aerial Ruin: Stygian BoughVounaHazzards CureDvvellSaturday April 23 2022 – Doors @ 8pm$16 adv // $20 dos18+—— Genuine collaborations between two sets of artists are rare. For their new album, Stygian Bough Volume I, the members—Dylan Desmond (bass/vocals) and Jesse Shreibman (drums/vocals)—of doom duo Bell Witch didn’t just team up (again) with dark folk elegist Erik Moggridge (guitars/vocals) of Aerial Ruin, they fully integrated the two outfits. While Moggridge has been a part of Bell Witch’s sonic fingerprint on all their prior records, perhaps most notably for his vocals on their previous full-length, Mirror Reaper, he’s now part of the very fabric that makes up the five hauntingly beautiful, strikingly heavy songs that comprise Stygian Bough Volume I. “We started working on collaboration material together sometime in 2019,” says Bell Witch’s Dylan Desmond. “But there was writing going on as far back as 2018. The original approach was going to be doing a split record in which we each covered specific songs from each other’s catalog.” “It started in early 2018, I think,” Aerial Ruin’s Erik Moggridge adds. “By late autumn 2018, we were all three jamming and going through the ideas and writing lots of new ones. We then had to shift gears to rehearse for the Mirror Reaper (in its entirety) European tour in December 2018, but soon picked back up with writing in early 2019, which continued off and on right up until we entered the studio.” Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin are officially a trio on Stygian Bough Volume I. The addition of guitar to the bass and drum-only dynamic came naturally as the threesome discussed potential models for their joint effort. Ulver’s unorthodox folk album Kveldssanger came up as did Candlemass’ milemarker Nightfall. But the real fuel to Stygian Bough Volume I was the Bell Witch track, “Rows (of Endless Waves),” which was not only Moggridge’s first appearance with Bell Witch but also a track that has deeply resonated with Desmond over the years. With the approach in place, Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin collectively wrote five desolate yet mystical songs that defy categorization. From the mournful “The Bastard Wind” and the crepuscular “Heaven Torn Low I: (the passage)” to the monstrous “Heaven Torn Low II: (the toll)” and the liturgical gloom of “The Unbodied Air,” Stygian Bough Volume I is an album of deep, dark undertows and careful respite.
Gatecreeper w/ Narrow Head, 200 Stab Wounds & Fearing
Starline Social Club PresentsGATECREEPERNARROW HEAD200 STAB WOUNDSFEARINGThurs May 13 2022 – Doors @ 6:30pm$20 adv // $25 dos18+—————Gatecreeper was formed in September of 2013 with members originating from both Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona. After a debut 4-song EP a series of splits, the band signed to Relapse Records which resulted in the release of their debut full-length Sonoran Depravation on October 7th 2016. The band has since toured with Nails, Pallbearer, Code Orange, Skeletonwitch and more. Gatecreeper play crusty, doom-soaked death metal at its most infectious and uncompromising, with a massive sound that calls to mind the classic Swedish buzz-saw attack of Dismember and Grave mixed with the impeccable groove of Obituary and Bolt Thrower.
Charger w/ Black Cobra and Iron Front
Starline Social Club and Powerhouse Productions Present:CHARGERBLACK COBRAIRON FRONTSaturday April 9 2022 – Doors @ 7pm$19 adv // $21 dosAll Ages——— Charger is the powerhouse trio that’s been making waves (and a lot of noise) since forming in the East Bay. Andrew McGee plays guitar, Matt Freeman (Rancid, Operation Ivy) sings and plays bass, and Jason Willer (UK Subs, Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine) drums and sings too. Those are names you might recognize if you’re the type of person who reads liner notes to genre-defining albums.Formed in 2018, Charger was a musical challenge between a few lifers in the punk scene who wanted to push each other to dig deep into their shared roots, influences, and musical passions, to create something truly exciting. As a result, Charger’s music feels indebted to the giants but not reliant on them. There is plenty of space for growth and innovation within this decades-old blueprint of how to make someone’s heart race and blood pump.Charger stormed out of the gate in 2019 with the release of their self-titled EP on Pirates Press Records, generating both critical and fan acclaim all the while touring with the likes of their labelmates The Old Firm Casuals and also supporting the follow-up single “Watch Your Back.” In 2020, that single was pressed on 12″ UV digitally printed vinyl-making it one of the first digitally printed records in history! To complement “Watch Your Back,” the band hit the studio and churned out another bombastic track, “Stay Down” and that was released as a 12” picture disc. During the pandemic, the band stayed active writing and recording their debut album, Warhorse, at the iconic Atomic Garden Studios with a 2022 release date in mind.Reinvigorated and reenergized after months and months of being locked in writing rooms and recording sessions, Charger are ready to take the stage once again and melt faces!
Steve von Till w/ Helen Money
Starline Social Club PresentsSteve von TillHelen MoneyTuesday August 9 2022 – Doors @ 7pm$20—————————– Steve Von Till has made a life’s work out of seeking the elemental. With a solo discography that stretches back more than two decades, he has toiled in a shadow realm, peeling back layers of reality in a never-ending search for true meaning and raw emotion. A Deep Voiceless Wilderness strips back the veil even further. An achingly beautiful ambient work with neo-classical leanings, the album is a hallucinatory and elegant rumination on our disconnect from the natural world, each other, and ultimately ourselves. For some listeners, the album may recall the work of modern composers like Jóhann Jóhannsson, Brian Eno or Gavin Bryars. For Von Till, it’s about surrendering to the spirit of place—and to the original intent behind his 2020 solo album, No Wilderness Deep Enough. That album marked a significant first for Von Till: It was his first solo record without a guitar in hand. Instead, Von Till intoned powerful and thought-provoking lyrics over piano, cello, mellotron and analog synthesizers. A Deep Voiceless Wilderness is that same album without Von Till’s words. “This is how I originally heard this piece of music,” he says. “Without the voice as an anchor or earthbound narrative, these pieces have a broader wingspan. They become something else entirely and unfold in a more expansive way. The depth of the synths, juxtaposed with the strings and French horn, have space to develop and allow the listener to imagine their own story.” Also a first for Von Till was Harvestman: 23 Untitled Poems and Collected Lyrics, his first book of poetry. Published by the University of South Dakota’s Astrophil Press, the book established Von Till as a formidable and thoughtful author of verse—a fact that Neurosis fans knew all along, but the wider world was only just becoming aware of. “There is a depth of hope, acceptance and loss that permeates these poems,” Joseph Haeger said in his review for The Inlander. “Like any great piece of art, Harvestman contains multitudes, and that’s exactly what I was hoping for when I cracked it open. Von Till has already established himself as a great musician, and he’s about to put his stake into the ground proving himself to be a damn good writer.”
Jeromes Dream w/ Floral, State Faults, Hawak
Starline Social Club and The Hard Times Shows Present:JEROMES DREAMFLORALSTATE FAULTSHAWAKThursday May 26 2022 – Doors 7pm$20 adv // $25 dos18+——– Jeromes Dream formed during the burgeoning post-hardcore and emo era of the mid-90s, when a surge of new genres and subgenres spread like wildfire and would become the foundation of an entirely new music scene. Created in the basements of Connecticut in 1997, Jeromes Dream began as a result of personal uncertainty, instability, loss, and rage. Jeff Smith (bass, vocals) Nick Antonopoulos (guitar), and Erik Ratensperger (drums) created an aural violence in their dynamic and unpredictable songs. At that time, bands like Orchid, Reversal of Man, and pageninetynine were making similarly polemic music. But Jeromes Dream carved its own path and helped to define the subgenre that would come to be known as emo-violence. In 2001, Jeromes Dream recorded and released their final record “Presents” before disbanding that same year. “Presents” was a deliberate departure from anything the band did previously, which included a more refined and technical sound and new vocal stylings from singer Jeff Smith. On “Presents” Jeromes Dream felt that they were creatively in uncharted territory, and embraced it throughout the writing process. It was a liberating time for the band, and they did not adhere to rules or preconceived notions as to how the album “should” sound. “Presents” was simultaneously cynical and personal, and yet still drew from the depths of their collective creative expression. Jeromes Dream development of “Presents” culminated in early 2001 when they worked with Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou at God City Studios, bringing the record to life before being released. “Presents” remains an important installation of Jeromes Dream, and a work that they remain proud of. In 2018, Jeromes Dream announced that they would reunite and begin writing a new record together as a band. The response was overwhelming, with fans from all over the world hailing the reunion. In March 2019 the band entered the studio and created a 12-song untitled LP, which they released on their own label, Microspy. Shortly after the LP release, Jeromes Dream became a fully active band again and spent the better part of the following year on tour with the likes of Loma Prieta, Gouge Away, Soul Glo, Touché Amoré, and Daughters. Before everything halted with the pandemic. Fast forward to 2022 and JD is finishing up a new record, and will be announcing more shows as the year progresses.
Windhand w/ Un
Starline Social Club PresentsWindhandUnMonday June 27 2022 – Doors 7 / Show 8$21 adv // $26 dos18+——– For a band who traffic in measured, unhurried riffage, Richmond’s WINDHAND have moved awfully quickly over the last few years. Founded in 2009, the VA quintet have been making waves since the release of their 2010 practice space demo, a two-track CD that garnered the band comparisons to artists like Electric Wizard, The Devil’s Blood, and Black Sabbath. That auspicious start was further realized in March 2012 when the band released their self-titled debut, which quickly became an underground hit and sold out of multiple vinyl presses in a matter of months. A year later, the band officially signed to Relapse Records. After a steady touring schedule, the band collaborated with Richmond brethren Cough on a split entitled Reflection of the Negative, which was released on Relapse in April 2013. Pitchfork deemed the split WINDHAND’s “best music to date,” and the record’s positive critical reception helped pave the way for WINDHAND to release the highly anticipated album Soma in September 2013. Stereogum, Spin, and the LA Weekly featured Soma prominently on their overall best-of lists. The album was heavily represented in countless metal publications including Revolver, Invisible Oranges, MetalSucks, and Metal Injection. Rolling Stone, NPR, and Pitchfork all took note of Soma as well; the former considered the album the third-best metal release of 2013. Soma was no flash-in-the-pan internet phenomenon. In 2013 and 2014, the band embarked on a series of support and headlining tours across North America, Europe, and Australia, sharing the stage with the likes of Sleep, High on Fire, Dead Meadow and Kvelertak. In addition, Windhand appeared at major festivals including Roadburn, SXSW, Scion Rock Fest, Day of the Shred and Maryland Deathfest. Windhand also took the time in October 2014 to follow up Soma with a brief two-track Halloween split alongside Swedish doomsters Salem’s Pot (released on Riding Easy Records). Noisey liked the record so much that they declared the band “must have definitely sold their souls for their new split.” WINDHAND returned in 2015 with their third full-length, Grief’s Infernal Flower, a multifaceted slab of thundering stoner doom that Noisey has called “doom metal’s most anticipated album of the year.” Produced by Jack Endino (Nirvana, High On Fire, Soundgarden, etc), Grief’s Infernal Flower is massive, heavy, and personal, a modern testament to the power of doom and stoner metal’s legacies. One sees the urgency the band have displayed over their career reflected in their music – long-canonized tropes are reimagined and reinvented, Windhand convey an irrepressible sense of motion even within the slowest of songs. Front woman Dorthia Cottrell firmly establishes herself as one of the best vocalists of the genre by perfectly balancing beauty with enormous power, and the twin-guitar attack of Garrett Morris and Asechiah Bogdan weaves together nine songs of perfect riffs and fuzzed-out bliss. That often-delicate splendor is all tempered by the colossal rhythmic mastery of bassist Parker Chandler and drummer Ryan Wolfe, whose lower-register expertise serves as the backbone of the new record. Though the first two WINDHAND albums were underground classics, Grief’s Infernal Flower stands to see WINDHAND cementing themselves as one of the premier metal bands of our time.