TARANTULA HEART - New Album announced for release April 19th, 2024

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Written by brian

Created: 06 February 2024

The Melvins latest opus, Tarantula Heart (April 19, Ipecac Recordings), is quite possibly the band’s most unconventional, catchiest and imaginative work yet, continuing a legacy celebrated for its eccentric and extraordinary output.

A preview of the five-song, 39-minute collection arrives with the release of “Working The Ditch,” and the accompanying Jesse Nieminen-created video. Nieminen previously directed the band’s short film, “A Walk With Love and Death.”

 “The way we approached Tarantula Heart was different than any other Melvins’ album,” explains Buzz Osborne. “I had Dale and Roy Mayorga come in and play along with Steven and I to some riffs, then I took those sessions and figured out what parts would work and wrote new music to fit. This isn’t a studio approach we’ve ever taken. Usually we have the songs written BEFORE we start recording!”

“The majority of Tarantula Heart has dual drum parts,” adds long-time Melvins drummer Dale Crover. “Roy is an amazing drummer. We would discuss what we would do pattern wise, then we’d just go for it. Improvising riffs and trading off on drum fills.”

In actuality nothing appeared out of thin air. Buzz spent hours and hours with the drum tracks by himself writing songs to what he was hearing drum wise. “When the rest of the band heard these songs I’d created from the sessions, they were blown away,” Buzz shares. “These were fully developed new songs that they’d never heard before that had seemingly appeared out of thin air. Presto!”

Recorded, mixed and co-produced by longtime Melvins’ collaborator Toshi Kasai, the album also features We Are The Asteroid guitar player Gary Chester. Gary and the Melvins’ history goes back to their days on Boner Records, with the guitar player formerly having been a part of the legendary band, Ed Hall.

Tarantula Heart pre-orders are available now, with the album available on a trio of vinyl variants (black, indie exclusive Silver Streak and Ipecac Recordings’ 25th Anniversary Puke Green), featuring a 12-page booklet, as well as on CD and digitally.

Next month sees the Melvins head overseas, playing in Japan for the first time since 2019 following a stint where they join current labelmates, Mr. Bungle, for a trek across Australia and New Zealand. Buzz and Bungle bass player Trevor Dunn team up later this year for the “King Dunn Tour,” a 45-date excursion that sees the pair play songs from the King Buzzo releases: This Machine Kills Artists and Gift of Sacrifice. The full list of dates can be found via Ipecac.com/tours.

Melvins tour dates:
March 3 Auckland, NZ Auckland Town Hall
March 6 Melbourne, AUS Festival Hall
March 7 Adelaide, AUS Hindley Street Music Hall
March 9 Sydney, AUS Hordern Pavilion
March 10 Brisbane, AUS Fortitude Music Hall
March 12 Perth, AUS Metro City
March 17 Osaka, JP Music Club Janus
March 19 Tokyo, JP Shibuya WWW X
March 20 Tokyo, JP Shibuya WWW X

King Buzzo and Trevor Dunn announce U.S. Summer tour

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Written by brian

Created: 22 January 2024

King Buzzo, the iconic founder and lead vocalist/guitar player for the Melvins, and Mr. Bungle bass player Trevor Dunn, join forces this Summer, teaming up for the “King Dunn Tour,” which kicks off on Aug. 1 at Pappy + Harriet’s in Pioneertown, Calif.

“I’ve been waiting a LONG time to do an acoustic tour with Trevor,” Buzz Osborne shares. “He’s a fantastic player, and has the ability to make his bass sound like an oil tanker crashing into a coral reef.”

Osborne and Dunn have collaborated several times over the years, including Dunn’s participation in King Buzzo’s 2020 album, Gift of Sacrifice, as well as both being members of Fantômas, and Dunn’s work as a part of Melvins Lite. On the “King Dunn Tour,” Dunn will will play a stand-up concert bass, while Osborne will sing and play acoustic guitar.

Tickets are on-sale this Friday, Jan. 26, at 10 am local time. J.D. Pinkus (Butthole Surfers/Melvins) opens on all dates. For additional information, and ticketing links, visit Ipecac.com/tours.

“King Dunn Tour” dates:
August 1 Pioneertown, CA Pappy + Harriet’s
August 2 San Diego, CA Casbah
August 3 Long Beach, CA Alex’s Bar
August 5 Los Angeles, CA Lodge Room
August 6 San Francisco, CA The Chapel
August 7 Sacramento, CA Harlow’s
August 9 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
August 10 Seattle, WA Neumos
August 11 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory Spokane
August 12 Bozeman, MT The ELM
August 14 Salt Lake CITY, UT Urban Lounge
August 16 Fort Collins, CO Aggie Theatre
August 17 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
August 19 Omaha, NE Slowdown
August 20 Saint Paul, MN Turf Club
August 21 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
August 22 Chicago, IL Subterranean
August 23 St. Louis, MO Old Rock House
August 24 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall
August 26 Grand Rapids, MI The Pyramid Scheme
August 27 Detroit, MI The Shelter
August 28 Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop
August 29 Columbus, OH The Basement
August 30 Bethlehem, PA Musikfest Café at the ArtsQuest Center
August 31 Pittsburgh, PA Thunderbird Music Hall
September 1 Jersey City, NJ White Eagle Hall
September 3 Cambridge, MA The Sinclair
September 4 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
September 5 Hamden, CT Space Ballroom
September 6 Baltimore, MD Ottobar
September 7 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
September 9 Charlottesville, VA The Southern Café & Music Hall
September 10 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle – Back Room
September 11 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre
September 12 Athens, GA 40 Watt Club
September 13 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade – Hell Stage
September 14 Nashville, TN Exit In
September 16 Birmingham, AL Saturn
September 17 New Orleans, LA Siberia
September 18 Baton Rouge, LA Varsity Theatre
September 20 Houston, TX House of Blues – Bronze Peacock
September 21 Austin, TX Antone’s
September 22 Dallas, TX House of Blues – Cambridge Room
September 25 Tucson, AZ 191 Toole
September 26 Phoenix, AZ The Rebel Lounge

King Buzzo, a.k.a. Buzz Osborne, is the singer, guitar player and founder of the enormously influential band, the Melvins. His innovative approach to songwriting, and guitar playing, has influenced countless musicians, and turned leagues of music lovers into ardent fans. Renowned for his pioneering use of down-tuned strings, Buzzo masterfully blended his punk and metal influences, and in turn, he created a groundbreaking new sound in heavy music. Over Osborne’s extensive career, which originated in the small hamlet of Montesano, Wash. in 1983, he has released over 30 albums under the Melvins’ moniker, two solo albums [Gift of Sacrifice (2020) and This Machine Kills Artists (2014)], as well as a number of collaborative projects including Fantômas and Crystal Fairy.

Trevor Dunn might be most widely known for his work with Mr. Bungle, the eclectic and unpredictable Northern California band he co-founded in 1985, but his career outside of Mr. Bungle has been just as notable. Also a member of Fantômas, Trevor Dunn’s Trio-Convulsant, Tomahawk and Melvins Lite, Dunn has also written music for various ensembles, performed extensively with John Zorn, and recently formed Riverworm Records, a label home for “discarded, forgotten, and misunderstood music.”

Matt Cameron announces Gory Scorch Cretins collaboration with Melvins

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Written by brian

Created: 20 November 2023

Matt Cameron (Pearl Jam/Soundgarden, etc) recorded a 5-song vinyl exclusive with Buzz, Dale, Steven and Toshi for Record Store Day – get it this Friday after Thanksgiving at your favorite local record store! More details at Revolver.

Matt says: "I have always been a massive Melvins fan. They are a huge influence on me as a musician and a big part of our early Seattle music scene. I reconnected with the Melvins in 2019 when they performed at the Chris Cornell tribute concert in LA. I emailed Buzz after and asked if he, Dale, Steven and Toshi could help record some songs I had written and they were totally up for it. I also collaborated with Nate Yaccino and Meagan Grandall on this project. I decided to pay tribute to the Melvins by reimagining the artwork/title for their seminal release Gluey Porch Treatments. Enjoy! "

1 - Our Time  2 - Right Thing To Do  3 - Down The Middle  4 - Better Life  5 - Top To Bottom

Throbbing Jazz Gristle Funk Hits - An homage to Throbbing Gristle

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Written by brian

Created: 22 June 2023

AmRep and the Melvins have announced Throbbing Jazz Gristle Funk Hits! An homage to Throbbing Gristle featuring Void Manes is available 6/25 via SHOXOP. 
The Vinyl Art edition, with absolutely stunning HAZEXXL art – sporting locked groove infinite loops on both sides of the black vinyl LP – also comes with a bonus Flexi disc with 2 tracks! Complimentary CD version included, and the head kicker… Off-axis drilled spare spindle hole – an act inspired by industrial forefathers (we advise against even thinking of using it!) Hand stamped art on the center label... just about every down and dirty trick from the industrial miscreants of yesteryears handbook.

Fom AmRep: What’s the obvious and predictable move for an insanely influential band like the Melvin’s to do on their 40th anniversary? An homage LP to another insanely influential band, Throbbing Gristle, of course!
THROBBING JAZZ GRISTLE FUNK HITS!
A hybrid of covers and inspired jams, joined by their good friend Void Manes and produced by Toshi Kasai, this project will likely for the first time challenge longtime Melvins fans, because the band isn’t known for doing that…ever.
Expect Industrial accidents, broken machines, modular synths, circuit-bent toys inspired by the dawning of the industrial music genre kicked off in no small part by Throbbing Gristle. The first all-electronic Melvins album!?!

Bifocal Media has a-side/b-side limited edition t-shirts featuring the HAZE XXL artwork for this release up for preorder now!

Check out the video for "Discipline 23" by Jesse Nieminen.

Melvins announce Twins of Evil Tour coheadlining the U.S. with BORIS

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Written by brian

Created: 05 June 2023

Today the Melvins announced the “Twins of Evil Tour,” a seven-week trek that sees them co-headlining with Japanese trio Boris, both performing classic albums in their entirety: Bullhead (Melvins) and Heavy Rocks (Boris).

“40 years as the Melvins!!! What better way to celebrate that unlikely milestone than by setting off on the ‘Twins of Evil Tour’ with our friends, Boris," says King Buzzo. "This will be a stone groove!”
Boris’ Takeshi adds: “Could anyone have predicted such an astonishing event, that Boris and the Melvins would tour the entire USA together? Since the mid-1980s, the Melvins have had an enormous influence on artists of all genres not only limited to heavy music, and have brought forth a surge of faithful followers over the years. Needless to say, Boris is just one of these many bands influenced by the mighty Melvins, and we took our name from a song title off of the 1991 album, Bullhead.”

Tickets are on-sale this Friday, June 9, at 10 am local time.
AmRep artists mr.phylzzz open on all dates.

August 24 Los Angeles, CA Belasco Theater
August 25 Pomona, CA The Glass House
August 26 Fresno, CA Strummer’s
August 27 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
August 28 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
August 29 Petaluma, CA Mystic Theatre
August 31 Portland, OR Roseland Theater
September 1 Seattle, WA The Showbox
September 2 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory Spokane
September 3 Bozeman, MT The ELM
September 5 Fargo, ND The Hall at Fargo Brewing Company
September 6 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
September 7 Milwaukee, WI The Rave II
September 8 Chicago, IL Metro
September 9 St. Louis, MO Red Flag
September 11 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue
September 12 Grand Rapids, MI The Pyramid Scheme
September 13 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
September 14 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
September 15 Pittsburgh, PA Roxian
September 16 Maspeth, NY Desertfest NYC
September 18 Albany, NY Empire Live
September 19 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
September 20 Bethlehem, PA MusicFest Café
September 21 Philadelphia, PA Brooklyn Bowl
September 22 Washington, DC The Howard Theatre
September 23 Virginia Beach, VA Elevation 27
September 24 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
September 26 Nashville, TN Brooklyn Bowl
September 27 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
September 28 Savannah, GA District Live
September 29 Birmingham, AL Saturn
September 30 New Orleans, LA Tipitina’s
October 2 Houston, TX Warehouse Live – Studio
October 3 Austin, TX Mohawk
October 4 Dallas, TX Granada Theater
October 5 Oklahoma City, OK Beer City Music Hall
October 6 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom
October 7 Lawrence, KS The Bottleneck
October 9 Denver, CO Summit
October 11 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater
October 13 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre
October 14 San Diego, CA House of Blues