Artwork Poll: The Mars Volta Vs. Khold

Posted in Polls with tags , , , on 07/06/2022 by Kurt Orzeck

In what was a refreshing gust of good news for a change, The Mars Volta — entrants on the top 10 list of the Bad Penny’s favorite albums of the 2000s — announced their reunion last month. Shortly thereafter, Norway’s unholy terrors, Khold, dropped one of the best metal records of the year so far.

What do those events have in common, you ask?

Terrifying bald men.

This is not a poll about whether The Mars Volta or Khold is a better band. That would be silly. Instead, this poll targets a far more fascinating question: Which of the two dudes depicted on the bands’ album art would make you pee your pants faster if you encountered him in person — or, even worse, were stuck with him in a confined space … forever?

The Mars Volta’s De-Loused in the Comatorium album cover

(By the way, ever notice the terrified kid standing in the doorway in the distance? Haha, this album cover rules.)

Khold’s Svartsyn album cover

Please vote! We really don’t care!

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Every Song by Tim Heidecker’s Dekkar, Ranked

Posted in Comedy, Lists with tags , , , , on 07/05/2022 by Kurt Orzeck

1. “Empty Bottle“: The hit song that broke the band like a broken lantern. That dared us to check out life on the dark side but then stuffed us with everything good and light. With this timeless and unparalleled gem, Tim, Axiom and Manuel drained us of everything — and filled us up again.

2. “Empty Bottle (Acoustic)“

3. “Empty Bottle (1.5 Remastered Edition)“

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Memento: A Spellbinding Set List From Bewitcher

Posted in Concert Reviews, Features, Mementos, Reviews with tags , , , , , on 07/04/2022 by Kurt Orzeck
Bewitcher’s frontman, Unholy Weaver of Shadows & Incantations

Bewitcher, Portland’s most scintillating speed-metal band since Toxic Holocaust, blew the garage doors off the Shredder in Boise once again on Friday night. It was an exhilarating set played by the band that played the same venue with Nile in mid-April, and with Exhumed and Creeping Death in November 2021.

The 50-or-so attendees danced and rubbed knocked elbows during each song, before and after which Bewitcher’s gracious frontman — who goes by the tough-to-memorize moniker Unholy Weaver of Shadows & Incantations — frequently expressed his appreciation for the crowd.

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Yakov Smirnoff Was Right

Posted in Comedy, Videos with tags on 07/03/2022 by Kurt Orzeck

Brain Tourniquet Turn Minds Into Mush at 1st PacWest Gig

Posted in Concert Reviews, Reviews with tags , on 07/01/2022 by Kurt Orzeck
Brain Tourniquet

The phrase “time is of the essence” originated during the construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad that connected rail networks in the eastern U.S. with the western half of the country. Time is also the essence of live performances by Brain Tourniquet, a D.C. band that is powerfully violent to the hardest of cores.

On Friday night, the trio played their first gig in the Pacific Northwest at Boise’s haven for hard and heavy music, the Shredder. In the spirit of Brain Tourniquet’s speedy set — during which they played about 20 songs in 20 minutes — what follows is a rapid-fire attempt to communicate what it’s like seeing them live.

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Exclusive: Cloak Finish Recording ‘Faster, Harder’ Third LP; Debut New Song Live

Posted in Exclusives, Interviews with tags , on 06/30/2022 by Kurt Orzeck
Cloak

Summer generally leads to an absence of black in Boise. Black clothes are stowed away in closets. Black cars stay parked in garages. Even the black of night lasts fewer than eight hours. But tonight, two of the most hottest heavy-metal bands currently on tour in the U.S. — Cloak and Bewitcher — will paint the city black. Their co-headlining gig at underground venue the Shredder on Friday night is poised to be the most potent metal concert in Boise for the next two months.

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Boise’s Summer Concert Lineup: Bad Penny’s List

Posted in Lists on 06/30/2022 by Kurt Orzeck
Ween

7.1: Cloak, Bewitcher, Brain Tourniquet, Hummingbird of Death at Shredder
7.2: Badflower, Royal Bliss at Expo Idaho Grandstands
7.5: Ween at Outlaw Field
7.6: Caleb Nichols, Strange Pilgrim at Neurolux
7.6: Suffers, McKenna Esteb at Grove Plaza (free)
7.9: Floater at Knitting Factory

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Spirit Mother, Lovers of Heavy Psych and Sardines, Canned Wait to Play Boise Tonight

Posted in Interviews with tags , , , , on 06/09/2022 by Kurt Orzeck
Spirit Mother

What’s that you smell? Whiffs of psychedelic rock and roll wafting through Boise after Patton Oswalt and “Weird” Al Yankovic unloaded their scatological, puerile, yet admittedly golden nuggets of humor at the Morrison Center last Saturday and Monday? Indeed, it’s true: This evening, the Neurolux Lounge is clearing the air with three of the finest heavy-psych posses that the Pacific Northwest has to offer: Blackwater Holylight and Spirit Mother, from our dear Oregonian neighbors to the West; along with Boise’s very own, beloved Ealdor Bealu.

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The 3 Best Podcasts on the Internet in 2022

Posted in Comedy, Lists on 06/04/2022 by Kurt Orzeck
“Mailin’ It!: The Official Podcast of the USPS“

1. “Mailin’ It!“: “A lighthearted look into the history, innovation, and inner workings of the United States Postal Service.” Recommended episode: “Stamps, an American Obsession“

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Exclusive: Monster Magnet Drop Off Psycho Fest 2022; Satyricon’s Status Unknown

Posted in Exclusives with tags , , , , , on 06/03/2022 by Kurt Orzeck
Monster Magnet

Since relocating from the City of Angels to Sin City in 2016, Psycho Las Vegas continues to be the premier crossover music festival in the U.S., attracting heavy-rock bands, indie-pop luminaries, punk legends, rap royalty and even a few DJs for good measure. Levitate and Oblivion Access (both held in Austin) are close behind Psycho but aren’t yet running the asylum, so to speak.

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