New GIANT SQUID available for pre-order!

The new Giant Squid record, Cenotes, can now be pre-ordered! Release date is October 25th. Order HERE.

FIGHT AMP tour with WEEDEATER!

I am very pleased to announce that FIGHT AMP will be touring for 5 weeks this Fall with WEEDEATER, SAVIOURS and BISON BC!! A trail of destruction will be left.

Here are dates so far:

6-Sept :: Raleigh, NC @ Kings Barcade
7-Sept :: Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
8-Sept :: Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
9-Sept :: Philadelphia, PA @ North Star Bar
10-Sept :: Brooklyn, NY @ Europa (no Saviours on this date, but OXBOW has been added)
11-Sept :: Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
12-Sept :: Montreal, QC @ il Motore
13-Sept :: Toronto, ONT @ Lee's Palace
14-Sept :: Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall
15-Sept :: Columbus, OH @ Outland Live
16-Sept :: Grand Rapids, MI @ The Pyramid Scheme
17-Sept :: Chicago, IL @ Reggie's Rock Club
18-Sept :: Marquette, MI @ Upfront & Company
19-Sept :: Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
20-Sept :: Rock Island, IL @ Rock Island Brewing Company
23-Sept :: Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
24-Sept :: Salt Lake City, UT @ Burt's Tiki Lounge
26-Sept :: Seattle, WA @ The Highline
27-Sept :: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
28-Sept :: Portland, OR @ Branx
29-Sept :: San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
1-Oct :: San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
2-Oct :: Los Angeles, CA @ Key Club
3-Oct :: Scottsdale, AZ @ Chasers
4-Oct :: Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
6-Oct :: Austin, TX @ Emo's
7-Oct :: Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's
8-Oct :: New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
9-Oct :: Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10-Oct :: Athens, GA @ New Earth Music Hall
11-Oct :: Tallahassee, FL @ Engine Room
12-Oct :: Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
14-Oct :: Savannah, GA @ The Jinx
15-Oct :: Charlotte, NC @ Casbah

Links to advance tickets are HERE.

BROTHERS OF THE SONIC CLOTH TOUR!

I am honored to be working with BROTHERS OF THE SONIC CLOTH on their West coast tour this coming September! Wait 'til you witness this aural assault!

http://brothersofthesoniccloth.bandcamp.com/

2-Sept :: Portland, OR
3-Sept :: Chico, CA
4-Sept :: Oakland, CA
5-Sept :: Santa Cruz, CA
6-Sept :: LA/Long Beach/San Diego, CA
7-Sept :: LA/Long Beach/San Diego, CA
8-Sept :: LA/Long Beach/San Diego, CA
9-Sept :: San Francisco, CA
10-Sept :: Arcata, CA
11-Sept :: Eugene, OR

Midway through 2007, after casting off many of the destructive forces inherent to the human condition, Tad Doyle (TAD, Hog Molly) decided it was time to pick up his guitar and once again play live music. Together with his fiancé, Peg Tully on bass form the core unit of Brothers of the Sonic Cloth.

BOTSC established an alternating smoldering and roaring doom metal sound in their early recordings and in 2009, the first official BOTSC demo containing the tracks “La Mano Poderosa” and “I Am” were made into a limited edition CD that sold all 50 copies almost overnight. The over twenty-minute-long two song demo reveals the Brothers’ supernatural ability to defy universal laws by showing that the question of time is irrelevant. The effect for the listener is one of physical time being suspended as the auditory experience appears to occur simultaneously in both a single moment and over several hours.

A split 10 inch on vinyl with Mico De Noche released on Violent Hippy Records has been made available with the latest BOTSC outing entitled, “Fires Burn Dim in the Shadows of the Mountain”. This epic twelve minute work finds the Bros. bellowing forth enormous sound waves that move with all the intent and might of lava engulfing all in its path before drifting gently into a vast still ocean of powerful beauty. Beauty that pays homage to classic Floyd and Sabbath as well as echoing their contemporaries YOB, Neurosis and the Christpunchers, but with a signature sound all their own.

MORE Starbird love....

More kind words courtesy of one Ms. Abbey Simmons of Sound on the Sound. She really knows how to make a girl feel loved.

An excerpt:

"I’ve had the pleasure of working with Carly over the years and while her roster is not to my usual listening, she has never once led me astray. I may not love metal, but when Carly sends a band my way, I am always eager to listen and more often than not she gets a reply email saying “Holy Hell Carly! (Insert whatever band name she just sent) is great.” Despite a general focus on heavier and metal bands, there’s a little something different and special about each band Carly chooses to work with whether it’s the theatric ghost-stories of Black Eyes & Neckties, the female fronted and cello shredding of Grayceon, or the break-neck guitar Olympics on display with Dog Shredder’s brutal progressive opuses. The one thing they all have in common is slaying live and Carly has turned me from skeptical listener with delicate ears to full on front-row fan on more than one occasion."

Read the full article HERE.

Starbird love

It is rare that I post anything about me or my booking agency. Mostly because I don't like to toot my own horn but I also like to focus on my bands. But this deserves a post because Nik wrote some pretty kind words here and I need to share.

An excerpt:

"Having spent time in both Bellingham and Seattle before moving to Portland, Carly has built many strong relationships around the NW as well as a very favorable reputation as an honest and reliable booking agent; someone you want to work with. I am very pleased to have met Carly in 2010. In my opinion she is the single most important catalyst and lifeline between the Seattle and Portland heavy music communities at this time, and I'm happy to call her a friend as well as a confidant in my own show booking endeavours."

The rest of the article is HERE.

Giant Squid working on new recording!!

Straight from the Squids' mouth:

This June, GIANT SQUID will travel to Seattle, WA to record the highly anticipated next release entitled, Cenotes. This EP will be their forth official studio album, and second release under Translation Loss Records. Prestigious heavy music producer, Matt Bayles (Mastodon, ISIS, The Sword) returns to helm the knobs and hone the band's eclectic vision. Cenotes will be released in late October/early November. Exact date to be announced soon.

Though only four songs long, each lengthy track is quintessential GIANT SQUID, and takes the kinetic energy of their older, bludgeoning fan favorites like "Neonate" and "Sutter's Fort", and drenches it in all the exoticness of their 2009 critically acclaimed masterpiece, The Ichthyologist, continuing the elaborate mythos of that album's protagonist. The middle eastern esthetic that GIANT SQUID has embraced throughout its entire cannon, consumes this new material to its core, and further enhances the band's trademark, otherworldly musical storytelling.

Many bands are quoted about how their impending release is as heavy as their iconic older material. But, with the return of "Sutter's Fort" bombastic drummer, Scotty Sutton, secure and in place, coupled with founding member Aaron Gregory writing entirely in a bizarre, lower than ever, seven-string guitar tuning, and renown cellist Jackie Perez Gratz fresh of touring with her band, Grayceon, behind their landmark release earlier this year, All We Destroy, as well as recording with underground legends, Agalloch and Om, the band has been with out a doubt affected, and poised to write the deepest, fastest, sludgiest material of their career. On Cenotes, they deliver just that. Riff worship meets gypsy jangle, progressive groove, Arabesque vocal harmonies, and adventurous song crafting.

Those eager to hear the new material can do so in early July, as GIANT SQUID will play Cenotes in its entirety at three Northern California shows, two of which are all ages. Dates are listed below, and are not to be missed, as they are the only gigs the band will be playing for the rest of the year, as Jackie and Aaron are expecting their first child in September, and will be busy with all the wonderful commitments of such!

GIANT SQUID shows in JULY 2011

Friday, July 1st, ALL AGES at Thee Parkside, San Francisco, CA w/ JUDGEMENT DAY, RAJAS
Friday, July 8th, 21+ at The Blue Lamp, Sacramento, CA w/ LA FIN DU MONDE, (WANING)
Saturday, July 9th, ALL AGES venue TBA, Chico, CA w/ LA FIN DU MONDE, ÆQUOREA

FIGHT AMP goes national

FIGHT AMP is hitting the road once again, after their successful run with titans Kylesa. This time, they're going national. Four weeks will be spent traversing the US starting with a hometown kickoff supporting Floor.

http://www.fightamp.com ||| http://fightamp.bandcamp.com

14-Apr : Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church w/ FLOOR!, Magrudergrind and Hawks

15-Apr : Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone w/ Hawks

16-Apr : Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn w/ Sunglasses and American Heritage

17-Apr : Birmingham, AL @ Spring Street Firehouse w/ D.O.C. and Legion

18-Apr : New Orleans, LA @ Siberia w/ Megaton Leviathan

19-Apr : Baton Rouge, LA @ Here Today Gone Tomorrow w/ Thou, Megaton Leviathan and Bhang Khang

20-Apr : Dallas, TX @ Club Dada w/ Titus Andronicus

21-Apr : Austin, TX @ Emo's

22-Apr : Odessa, TX @ The Pinebox

23-Apr : Albuquerque, NM @ tba

24-Apr : Phoenix, AZ @ The Rogue w/ Via Vengeance

25-Apr : Flagstaff, AZ @ tba

26-Apr : Tucson, AZ @ tba

27-Apr : San Diego, CA @ Tower Bar w/ Secret Fun Club

28-Apr : Los Angeles, CA @ Mountain Bar w/ Brothers Collateral, Pigeonwing and Panties

29-Apr : San Francisco, CA @ Thee Parkside w/ Kowloon Walled City and Tigon

30-Apr : Arcata, CA @ The Alibi w/ They Came At Dawn

1-May : Chico, CA @ tba

2-May : Portland, OR @ Tube w/ Wizard Rifle

5-May : Bellingham, WA @ JINX - STARBIRD SHOWCASE with Lesbian, Grayceon, Dog Shredder

6-May : Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey - STARBIRD SHOWCASE with Lesbian, Grayceon, Dog Shredder

7-May : Missoula, MT @ Zoo City Apparel

10-May : Fargo, ND @ The New Direction

11-May : Minneapolis, MN @ tba

12-May : Chicago, IL @ tba

13-May : Columbus, OH @ Ravari Room w/ Lo-Pan, Before the Eyewall

14-May : Pittsburgh, PA @ 31st Street Pub w/ True Widow

GRAYCEON returns to the Northwest!!

Fresh off the release of their new album All We Destroy on Profound Lore, Grayceon is set to head to the Northwest for 3 days of aural assault. Welcome them with open arms!

Here are the dates:

5-May : Bellingham, WA @ Jinx w/ Lesbian, Dog Shredder & Fight Amp (A Starbird showcase!)

6-May : Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey w/ Lesbian, Fight Amp & Dog Shredder (A Starbird showase!)

7-May : Portland, OR @ Plan B w/ Diesto, Lesbian & Burials

In the meantime, get familiar with their new album here: http://grayceon.bandcamp.com

Let the Night Roar tour

Myself and Doomed To Suffer Promotions are teaming up to book a national tour for Atlanta's own LET THE NIGHT ROAR (ex-Malevolent Creation). Here are the dates:

31-Mar Birmingham, AL
1-Apr New Orleans, LA
2-Apr Baton Rouge, LA
3-Apr Austin, TX @ Emo's w/ Pack of Wolves, Lions of Tsavo
4-Apr Midland, TX @ The Pinebox
5-Apr Santa Fe/ABQ, NM
6-Apr Flagstaff, AZ
7-Apr Tucson, AZ
8-Apr San Diego, CA
9-Apr Los Angeles, CA
10-Apr San Francisco, CA
11-Apr Arcata, CA @ The Alibi
12-Apr Chico, CA @ Monstros
13-Apr Portland, OR
14-Apr Seattle, WA
15-Apr Spokane, WA
16-Apr Missoula, MT
17-Apr Billings/Bozeman, MT
18-Apr drive day
19-Apr off/open
20-Apr Fargo, ND
21-Apr Minneapolis, MN
22-Apr Milwaukee, WI
23-Apr Chicago, IL
24-Apr Bloomington, IN
25-Apr off/open
26-Apr Indianapolis, IN
27-Apr Columbus, OH
28-Apr Pittsburgh, PA
29-Apr Boston, MA
30-Apr Providence, RI
1-May Brooklyn, NY
2-May New York, NY
3-May Philadelphia, PA
4-May Baltimore/DC, MD
5-May Richmond, VA
6-May Raleigh, NC

BLACK MATH HORSEMAN TAKE EUROPE!

Last year that damn volcano in Iceland prevented Black Math Horseman from playing Roadburn and the European tour they had planned. This year, nothing will stop them.

Check out their upcoming Euro tour dates:

1-April : Berlin, GER @ Comet
2-April : Furth, GER @ MUZ
3-April : Luzern, SUI @ Sedel
4-April : Munich, GER @ Feierwerk
5-April : Linz, AUT @ Kapu
6-April : CZ Brno, CZ @ tba
8-April : Chemnitz, GER @ Weltecho
9-April : Leipzig, GER @ UT Connewitz *
10-April : Dresden, GER @ Beatpol *
11-April : Jena, GER @ Rosenkeller*
13-April : Hamburg, GER @ Molotow*
14-April : Duisburg, GER @ Steinbruch*
15-April : Brussels, BEL @ Magasin 4
16-April : Tilburg, NL @ 013 [ROADBURN FESTIVAL]
* with Mamiffer

New Grayceon album!!!

This has been one long-awaited album! It is my pleasure to share the announcement of Grayceon's new album, All We Destroy.

STRAIGHT FROM PROFOUND LORE'S MOUTH:

Bay Area atypical progressive rock/metal three-piece GRAYCEON have completed their new and strongest release to date, their third full-length album entitled “All We Destroy”. The band have also announced their record release show on Feb 11th (at Bottom Of The Hill, San Francisco) to coincide with the release. And it will be at this event where the band will be giving away free copies of the new album for all those who attend (more news on this following said album announcement).

Since their formation in the mid-part of the last decade, GRAYCEON would immediately be recognized as one of the most creative and unique forces within the Bay Area underground metal scene, parallel to such contemporaries as LUDICRA, HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE, SLOUGH FEG, AMBER ASYLUM, ASUNDER, and WORM OUROBOROS, these bands representing a movement in a scene which many have claimed as America’s best and most artistically potent.

Always hard to classify, the eclectic nature of GRAYCEON has always worked to the band’s advantage when trying to pinpoint the unique and epic nature of their music. Featuring members of the VOIVOD-esque Bay Area forward-thinking thrash/punk metal band WALKEN and cellist/vocalist Jackie Perez Gratz (of GIANT SQUID, and who also has served as the recording cellist for bands like AGALLOCH, OM, ASUNDER, CATTLE DECAPITATION, AMBER ASYLUM, and NEUROSIS), GRAYCEON is solely comprised of cello, guitars, drums, and vocals (male and female respectively). By combining elements of progressive rock/metal, sludge/doom metal, neo-classical chamber music, and neo-folk, “All We Destroy” follows the band’s previous two releases (namely their self-titled debut and their sophomore release “This Grand Show”) and builds upon the sound they formulated into something heavier, and more moving, while at the same time, something much more frantic and devastating.

Overall, “All We Destroy” is an album that deploys a punishing seductive power. One of ferocity, beauty, and modern-day tragedy.

The album will be released officially March 1st and an MP3 of the track “Shellmounds” can be heard HERE.

Also on the live front, look for GRAYCEON to make their rounds at this year’s SXSW in March.