All Them Witches

All Them Witches is an American rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of drummer Robby Staebler, vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Charles Michael Parks Jr., and guitarist Ben McLeod.

All Them Witches
Photo: Alysse Gafkjen
Background information
OriginNashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres
Years active2012–present
Labels
Websitewww.allthemwitches.org
Members
  • Robby Staebler
  • Charles Michael Parks, Jr.
  • Ben McLeod
Past members
  • Jonathan Draper
  • Allan Van Cleave

History

Formation and early years (2012-2015)

All Them Witches first formed on January 6, 2012.[1] Drummer Robby Staebler had recently moved to Nashville from Portland, looking for musicians to start a band.[2] Staebler recruited guitarist Ben McLeod after meeting him at a bar, followed by front-man and bassist Charles Michael Parks Jr. while they were both working for "a corporate hippie store."[2][3] The band's name is taken from a book of witchcraft, All of Them Witches, featured in the 1968 film Rosemary's Baby.[4][5]

The band self-released their first, self-titled four track EP in the same year as their formation.[6] They then became the first American band to be signed to the German heavy psych record label, Elektrohasch Schallplatten.[7][3] Their debut album, Our Mother Electricity (which had previously been self-released by the band in summer 2012),[7] was released on Elektrohasch with new mastering and new artwork (by Mat Bethancourt) in February 2013.[7] Soon after came their second EP, Extra Pleasant, which was recorded with two microphones directly to a 4 track cassette tape recorder.[1]

In 2013, the band's second studio album, Lightning at the Door, was self-released via their own Bandcamp page;[8] however, it was later marketed by Tone Tree Music.[1] Their next self-released album was the official live album At The Garage in February 2015.[9]

New West Records (2015-present)

In summer 2015, the band signed to New West Records.[10] Later in the year, they released their third studio album (and their first with New West), Dying Surfer Meets His Maker, which was recorded in six days in a remote mountainside cabin, overlooking Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.[11][12][13] The album's name was originally used by McLeod for a song in his solo project, Woodsplitter, inspired by a real-life incident where he almost died when surfing.[14]

The band's previously self-released album, Lightning at the Door, was then re-released by New West in 2016.[15] This was followed first by Live In Brussels (recorded live in Brussels, Belgium in March 2016) in September 2016,[16] then by the band's fourth studio album, Sleeping Through the War in February 2017.[17] Sleeping Through the War was produced by Nashville's Dave Cobb, who had worked previously with artists such as Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton.[4] The album featured guest vocals from three Nashville-based female vocalists: Caitlin Rose, Erin Rae, and Tristen,[4] in addition to harmonica contributions from Mickey Raphael.[3][18]

In mid-2018 it was announced that Jonathan Draper was replacing Allan Van Cleave on keyboards. In an interview at Download Festival 2018, Parks and Staebler made clear that the change was permanent, and that Van Cleave had left the band.[19] Their next album, ATW, was released in September of that year;[20] however, the following month, Parks announced that the band would be continuing as a three piece, without Draper.[21] ATW was produced by the band's guitarist, Ben McLeod, and mixed by producer Rob Schnapf, featuring a more simplified, naturalistic sound than their previous albums.[22][23]

The band's first music as a three piece was the non-album single "1X1", released on Halloween 2019.[24] This was followed by their sixth studio album, Nothing as the Ideal, in September 2020. The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios (in Studio Two, as previously used by The Beatles and Pink Floyd)[25] and produced by Mikey Allred, who had also produced their earlier album, Dying Surfer Meets His Maker.[26][27] Shortly before the album's release, in mid-August, a video was released for the track "The Children of Coyote Woman". The video was directed by drummer, Robby Staebler, and starred Staebler alongside professional skateboarder Evan Smith.[28]

Musical style and influences

The band's musical style incorporates elements from multiple genres, such as hard rock,[29][30] stoner rock,[31][32][24] psychedelia,[32][24][33][34] neo-psychedelia,[30][31][35] blues,[24][33][30][34] folk,[13][35] and southern rock;[36] however, Julian Marszalek of The Quietus noted that:

"...this isn’t blues of the “woke-up-this-morning” variety but one of malaise, anxiety and fear brought on a by world seemingly dead set on destruction; nor is this an escapist variant of psychedelia wherein one form of reality is jettisoned in favour of another for reasons of cheap thrills."[34]

Nick Pipitone of Monster Riff described how the band are "influenced just as much by Dr. John and Mississippi bluesman Junior Kimbrough as they are by Black Sabbath and progressive metal" and that their music can "venture from bluesy riffs and folk tales to spacey neo-psychedelic to punishing doom rock."[31] Similarly, Rob Hughes of Classic Rock Magazine noted how "[All Them Witches are] as likely to create boiling riptides of bluesy psychedelia as they are pools of mystic folk and doomy ambience."[13]

Vocalist and bassist, Charles Michael Parks Jr., who is also the band's lyricist,[37] has described international folk music as one of his biggest influences, and cited Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, (early) Fleetwood Mac, and Roy Buchanan as artists of which all band members are fans.[38] Guitarist, Ben McLeod additionally cites Jerry Garcia and The Doors as significant influences, beginning in his childhood.[39]

All Them Witches are commonly compared with Black Sabbath;[31][38][40] however, Parks has described this as misleading, because none of the band members listen to Sabbath.[38] Other groups against which the band have been compared include Kyuss,[37][30][36][40] Blue Cheer,[41][42][43] Tool,[30][44] Queens of the Stone Age,[37][40] Pink Floyd,[41][44][18] and Led Zeppelin.[43][3][23]

Band members

Discography

Studio albums
  • Our Mother Electricity (2012)
  • Lightning at the Door (2013, re-released 2015)
  • Dying Surfer Meets His Maker (2015)
  • Sleeping Through the War (2017)
  • ATW (2018)
  • Nothing as the Ideal (2020)

Live albums
  • At The Garage (2015)
  • Live In Brussels (2016)

Extended plays
  • All Them Witches (2012)
  • Extra Pleasant (2013)
  • Effervescent (2014)
  • A Sweet Release (2015)
  • Lost And Found (2018)

Non-album singles

References
  1. Jurek, Thom. "All Them Witches | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
  2. Alleva, Dan (2019-03-20). "Having a Ball with All Them Witches". The Aquarian Weekly. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
  3. Dhillon, Achal (2017-07-27). "Nashville's All Them Witches are a dark blues force to be reckoned with". Metro. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  4. DeMain, Bill (2017-02-27). "Six things you need to know about All Them Witches". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  5. Guiley, Rosemary; Zaffis, John (2009). The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology. Infobase Publishing. p. 214. ISBN 0-8160-7314-7.
  6. "All Them Witches - All Them Witches EP". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  7. Goodman, Bill (2013-02-21). "REVIEW: All Them Witches, Our Mother Electricity". The Obelisk. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  8. "REVIEW: All Them Witches, Lightning at the Door". The Obelisk. 2014-09-25. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  9. "ALL THEM WITCHES to Release 'At the Garage' Feb. 10". The Obelisk. 2015-02-03. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
  10. "All Them Witches Sign to New West Records; New Album Due this Fall". The Obelisk. 2015-06-18. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  11. "All Them Witches: Dying Surfer Meets his Maker « American Songwriter". American Songwriter. 2015-11-06. Archived from the original on 2019-07-06. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
  12. Lewis, Richard (2015-10-30). "All Them Witches – Dying Surfer Meets His Maker (New West Records)". Bearded Magazine. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  13. Hughes, Rob (2016-02-19). "High Hopes: All Them Witches – Psychedelic jams and wizard tales". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  14. Lewis, Richard (2016-03-04). "Interview: All Them Witches". Bearded Magazine. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
  15. Koczan, JJ (2016-01-28). "All Them Witches Post Lost Jam "Surface to Air Whistle"; Reissuing Lightning at the Door". The Obelisk.
  16. "All Them Witches "Live In Brussels" als gratis Live-Album veröffentlicht". ROCK HARD (in German). 2016-09-21. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  17. Bill, DeMain (2017-02-27). "Six things you need to know about All Them Witches". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
  18. Horowitz, Hal (2017-02-23). "All Them Witches: Sleeping Through The War". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  19. Cook, Lottie (2018-07-05). "INTERVIEW: All Them Witches (10/06/2018)". Dead Press. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  20. "Here's the Bio I Wrote for ALL THEM WITCHES' New Album 'ATW'". The Obelisk. 2018-08-01. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  21. "ALL THEM WITCHES Announce Lineup Change; Band to Continue as Trio". The Obelisk. 2018-10-29. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  22. "ALBUM REVIEW: All Them Witches, ATW". The Obelisk. 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
  23. Carr, Paul (2018-10-10). "All Them Witches Go Back to Basics on 'ATW'". PopMatters. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
  24. Armstrong, Chuck (2019-10-31). "All Them Witches premiere heavy new song "1X1": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  25. "ALL THEM WITCHES RETURN WITH NOTHING AS THE IDEAL SEPTEMBER 4th, 2020 VIA NEW WEST RECORDS". Red Light Management. 2020-06-06. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  26. Lanham, Tom (2020-09-03). "All Them Witches on Crafting Psych-Rock at Abbey Road". Spin. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  27. "ALBUM REVIEW: All Them Witches, Nothing as the Ideal". The Obelisk. 2020-09-03. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  28. March, Kim (2020-08-12). "All Them Witches Revisit the Founding of Rome in "The Children of Coyote Woman" Video". FLOOD. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  29. "All Them Witches". NPR Music. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  30. Damara Kelly, Tyler (2020-09-02). "All Them Witches prove themselves inimitable and extraordinary on Nothing As The Ideal". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  31. Pipitone, Nick (2020-09-09). "All Them Witches: Nothing as the Ideal Album Review". Monster Riff. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  32. Wasylak, Victoria (2017-03-10). "Southern Sorcery: All Them Witches share their stoner-psych this weekend at The Sinclair - Vanyaland". Vanyaland. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  33. "Interview: The Powerful and Patient Psychedelia of All Them Witches in Less Than Ideal Times". New Noise Magazine. 2020-09-08. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  34. Marszalek, Julian (2017-03-09). "Reviews | All Them Witches: Sleeping Through the War". The Quietus. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  35. Grech, Aaron (2020-08-12). "All Them Witches Continue to Hone a Heavy Classic Rock Sound in New Video for "The Children of Coyote Woman" -". mxdwn Music. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  36. Nuttall, Luke (2018-09-26). "ALBUM REVIEW: 'ATW' by All Them Witches". The Soundboard. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  37. Damara Kelly, Tyler (2018-10-02). "Interview: All Them Witches talk about improvisation on their latest album 'ATW'". When The Horn Blows. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  38. Baker, Brian (2017-04-19). "All Them Witches: Gray Sabbath". Magnet Magazine. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  39. Von Bader, David (2016-03-16). "Spellbinders: Ben McLeod and Charles Michael Parks, Jr. of All Them Witches". Premier Guitar. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  40. Leach, Max (2018-09-29). "Review: All Them Witches encapsulates band's capabilities as a whole on 'ATW'". Sidelines. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  41. Welding, Alan D. (2019-11-21). "All Them Witches Premiere "1X1" Video Ft. Drea de Matteo Today – On Tour With Ghost – 2020 Dates". Pittsburgh Music Magazine. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  42. Moffitt, Casey (2015-02-10). "All Them Witches Bring Magical Brew To Empty Bottle". The Chicagoist. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  43. "16.10. ALL THEM WITCHES / THE GREAT MACHINE". Roadtrip to Outta Space. 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  44. Donohue, Shawn (2020-09-04). "All Them Witches Riff Up its Grimy Psych at Abbey Road Studio via 'Nothing as the Ideal' (Album Review)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  45. "All Them Witches Release Free Cover of "Born under a Bad Sign"". The Obelisk. 2013-09-04. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  46. "ELECTRIC LADYLAND REDUX Preorders Now Available". The Obelisk. 2015-02-16. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  47. Koczan, JJ (2016-01-13). "All Them Witches Post "Under Pressure" Cover; Tour Starts Tonight". The Obelisk. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  48. Sterling, Scott T. (2017-10-19). "Home Again: All Them Witches 'Go and Seek' the Heartbeat of Jack Daniel's". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  49. Sterling, Scott T. (2017-10-18). "The Jack Daniel's Experience: All Them Witches See the Light in Lynchburg". Spin. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.