Washington
D.C. power trio Dead Meadow formed in the fall of 1998. From
inception the three members, guitar-vocalist Jason Simon, bassist Steve
Kille, and drummer Mark Laughlin set out to fuse their love of 70’s
hard rock ala Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Black Sabbath with their
own fantasy visions of strange lands as well as a good dose of punk
energy. What they actually created is something even more esoteric than
mere comparisons can conjure.
The
Dead Meadow sound is best compared to warm, runny honey...soft dewy
grass... vibrant cracking bonfires... or dark rumbling thunder. The
songs create a mood and a space for imagination to roam and drift. The
organic, analog 70's production brings out the best of Dead Meadow's
soulful playing and creates vast landscapes of their low-slung, glowing
guitar tones. Atmospheric, loping psychedelic rhythms are layered with
somnolent vocals and plenty of free noodling guitar splutter and grind.
Thorough all of the amped up soul-fuzz and multifolded acid shades,
this trio's innovative songwriting shines through and both stands them
out from the crowd, and proves that this is not just another retro soup
for the cannabis culture.
| Dead Meadow
are: Jason Simon - guitar, vocals Steve Kille - bass, sitar Mark Laughlin - drums, congas |
Recorded in a barn in Liberty Indiana and in Chantilly Virginia with
Shelby Cinca and his Mobile Mystic Gnome recording studio, Howls From
The Hills will not disappoint fans of the self-titled debut released
last year. The sound is fuller without being overcomplicated or losing
any of it's live, organic essence. The musical spectrum is larger, encompassing
ambient sustained guitar drones to surging, head-down psych-funk sludge,
sparse blues-folk ballads to distorted barbiturate space-rock, and with
a sprinkling of southern slow boogie thrown in for good measure.
Dead
Meadow are already forming an underground railroad of devotees, and
earlier this year were guests of John Peel for a BBC Radio One session
(which they were allowed to record at home - a rarity for R1 and indicative
of just how determined Mr Peel was!) and been invited to Italy for a
short tour. This Autumn they will return to Europe for more live dates.
Visit their own web site here: www.deadmeadow.com