Stellar Review

I just wanted to take a moment to share this really nice review of the Sagas LP by Lee Jackson from his Womblife blog:

"Sagas is the most recent solo incarnation of Matt McDowell (Dire Wolves, Arco Flute Foundation, etc), and Between Worlds is his debut foray into the vinyl format. So far I've heard a couple of McDowell's tapes under the Sagas name, and everything I've heard by Dire Wolves delivered the goods via lumbering smokestacks risen up from the most zoned cosmic depths. Between Worlds is an old school acid rock freakout -- vintage to its core, trancedelic one minute, head charging into the Dead C void the next -- with a few oud-inistic ethnic detours along the way.

The first side features three fresh-from-the-primordial-aether jams. "The Hidden Variable" is a levitated organ/acid guitar soaked chant that wastes no time invoking a sense of otherness and sacred devotion, while "Scrapyard" offers collapsing free jazz deconstruction. The real standout though is "Bad Karma Blues" with melting Blue Cheer acid leads and a rampaging space punk climax. Fans of the most destroyed Komische rawk (Amon Düül II/Ash Ra Tempel included) and PSF Records will eat it up. On the flip, off kilter banjo raga is dispersed with subtle percussion and effects on "Hope Springs Vernal" and "In The Hall of Mandos". The harsh distorted oblivion of "Better Times" invokes the spirit of McDowell's earlier solo guitar rippers (such as the Headlong Into The Fire EP on Mike Tamburo's New American Folk Hero imprint). It's surely a good thing McDowell hasn't abandoned this more abrasive side of his sonic persona, as the resulting contrast only further heightens the drama of what's happening here. This makes plaintive closer "Soon A-Comin" that much more of a sweet come down with solo acoustic in the country blues vein, though the whole record's primitive and homespun every second with McDowell playing all instruments in his home studio. The under water sonar-infused cover art is by Brad Rose of Digitalis Records/The North Sea fame. Between Worlds is the real deal, out of space/time holy psych for those who like to dig deeper and roam off the beaten paths."

Thanks, Lee!

Summer Salutations

Sun-filled greetings, friends and readers! We're enjoying very sweet summer weather over here in the foothills, and we hope you are, too. July has been good to us; we kicked off the month with a live performance for an event called Sync'd, which is an evening of local experimental short films accompanied by live music. Check out Michael Maraden's film EcoPome below, with live music by Imperial Earth (Ian Bonnet on keyboard, Matt McDowell on lap steel, & Jackie McDowell on tapes/electronics/percussion):

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Other news from the BR front includes some upcoming releases in the works, including Nature Songs CS by Inez Lightfoot and Permutations on the Infinite CS by Sagas, both scheduled for release right here on August 1!

::: Enjoy the good summer vibes; thanks for visiting! :::

Freshly Picked: New Sagas Vid!

Please enjoy our first foray into the world of video editing with this little homemade pearl for the mega-jammer "Bad Karma Boogie" off of the Sagas LP Between Worlds that just dropped this spring.

You can jam "Bad Karma Boogie" on vinyl any time you like by getting a copy straight from the very kind folks at Greenup Industries!

Thanks for visiting.

:::Biological Radio Loves You:::

This Just In...

The fine folks at Deep Water Acres have just made the first release from Psychic Frost available and they look fantastic! Here's what they have to say about it:

"Psychic Frost is the new duo project from Pittsburgh-based sonic insurrectionists Mike Tamburo and Matt McDowell; while both are better known for their solo work, they’ve also played together in various forms for over a decade. This is their first recorded outing under the PF banner, and it’s a doozy – a pair of lengthy (side-long, they used to call ‘em) pieces of form-extension and –destruction, the first an epic composition for two guitars and effects, with modular sections shifting from dual fingerpicking to walls of looping noise and beyond; the second a live recording for amplified hammered dulcimer and what sounds like an electric oud, exorcising the demons via intense improvisational interplay on a modal theme of indeterminate Eastness. Best experienced via full-body immersion, so check your short attention span at the door and get ready to, as they say, “Taste the Frost”."

Sold out through BR.

Recent Live Sounds

Summer is surely coming! The garage door was wide open between sets at The Shop in Pittsburgh last night at the Yellow Crystal Star/Pregnant Spore/Burnout Warcry/WaterFinder show. Here's a recording of our WaterFinder set for those who'd like to have a listen...

WaterFinder - Live at The Shop 6.1.11 by WaterFinder