The Maple Forum

The Maple Forum is a short-run label created with the intent of helping release the music of artists I respect. The focus is not on sales or who can move the most units. This is an in-house operation, geared toward those who still believe in music enough to directly support the people making it. Releases will be limited and sold through The Obelisk page. Essentially, this is a new forum for supporting creativity in a way that writing reviews and posting interviews simply can’t accomplish.

The Maple Forum’s first release is Acts I-VI from Seattle’s Roareth, coming in May. The disc will be in a gatefold digisleeve, hand-numbered in a run of 100 copies. The band are set to record with Tad Doyle (Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, Tad) at the end of April.

There is something tectonic in the music of Roareth, something cerebrally metallic, but visceral, speaking to a passionate essential nature. The band, comprised of former members of Eshas, Hauler, Shit Gets Smashed, Himsa and Iamthethorn (and many others), have tapped into a line of communication that requires no speech to get its point across; their messages are felt rather than received and processed. They are doom at its bleakest and most rudimentary, but expanded into an encompassing aesthetic that is more than just riffs, crash cymbals and screams. The dynamic nature of the material — of the work — speaks for itself, and The Maple Forum is thrilled to have Acts I-VI as its first release.

Click the link below to download the first song by Roareth.
The Maple Forum

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INDIAN

Indian: I love this band. I have heard the new demo and it crushes. I believe INDIAN have set the new standard in doom metal. This video is not the new stuff. Just so you know.

London Calling

I met Pete and Catherine of the London, UK Doom Metal band Pombagira through my friends Lesbian who had toured in Europe together.
We spent two days together at Studio Witch Ape and captured some huge riffs of monumental size and girth as well as beauty that goes with sweet valleys of blues influenced lushness and simplicity. Pombagira are a couple of musicians who not only play intuitively together but are married and have made a deep commitment to what really matters to them in their lives. Pete tells me that he is very happy with the new recording and both he and Catherine agree that this was the funnest and most relaxed session they have had in a recording situation thus far. Pombagira also shared with me the intent of using this recording of "Dawn of the Black Sun" as their contribution to a split with Japan's Death Metal trio Coffins sometime in 2010.

What's next

We will be unveiling two new songs at our record release.
You can get one of them here.

Lot's of shows coming up here and there. We are also playing a private party soon at an undisclosed location.

BROTHERS OF THE SONIC CLOTH / MICO DE NOCHE 10” Split Hits the streets

VIOLENT HIPPY RECORDS presents…….

BROTHERS OF THE SONIC CLOTH / MICO DE NOCHE 10” Split

RELEASE DATE: October 13, 2009

Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, led by Seattle music legend Tad Doyle (TAD, Hog Molly), has joined with
fellow Pacific Northwest heavies Mico De Noche and Violent Hippy Records to bring you a very limited
(500 copies) debut vinyl release.

Available for preorder now click here

Select independent record stores will have copies for sale on 10/13.
Brothers of the Sonic Cloth fill Side A with over 12 minutes of epic riffage in the form of “Fires Burn Dim in the Shadows of the Mountain”. At turns bludgeoning, charging, and psychedelic- Doyle and bandmates Peggy Tully on bass (Inciting Riots) and Aaron DC Edge on drums (Himsa, I AM THE THORN) take the listener on a cinematically aural journey to Doomsville. Imagine a tribe of cro-magnon nomads inventing not the wheel, but giant loudass tube amps and finding alien blueprints for some pre-Bonham set of mammoth Ludwigs. Recorded by Tad at Studio Witch Ape, you could say it’s heavy- and you’d be right.

Mico De Noche drop two audio bombs on the B side- “Ganges” and “Misanthrope”. Ripping and throbbing through themes of death and hate (metal?!?!?!), the northwest’s best kept secret unleash chooglin’, galloping sludge like it was your goddamn birthday. Formed in 2001, the duo of Donovan Stewart and Mike Clam have expanded Mico De Noche in recent years to include Chad Baker (bass) and Reno Dave (drums). Reno Dave is actually from…..wait for it……RENO. Tony Dallas Reed (Stone Axe, Mos Generator) captured the band’s angst and joy at Temple Sound in Port Orchard WA- should you damage your plums while moshing around the kitchen to these tracks, let Tony know how it feels.

A record release show is set for 10/10/09 at Seattle’s Comet Tavern. BOTSC and MDN will be joined by
Madraso and Black Elk.

More info on all of the above can be found at the following:
Mico De Noche website
Brothers of the Sonic Cloth myspace
Mico De Noche myspace

VIOLENT HIPPY RECORDS is a small, independent label based in Bremerton,WA and dedicated to
bringing the world quality freakrock. Find us on the web at www.violenthippy.blogspot.com

And here’s where you can find some preview videos for the split 10”, should you be so inclined…..