Earthless

Last updated

Earthless
Earthless.jpg
From left to right: Mike Eginton, Mario Rubalcaba, Isaiah Mitchell
Background information
Origin San Diego, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active2001–present
Labels
MembersIsaiah Mitchell
Mike Eginton
Mario Rubalcaba

Earthless is a mostly instrumental psychedelic rock band from San Diego, California, consisting of guitarist Isaiah Mitchell, bassist Mike Eginton and drummer Mario Rubalcaba.

Contents

The band formed in 2001 and released their first album, Sonic Prayer , through Gravity Records in 2005. Their second album, Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky , was released in 2007 through Tee Pee Records.

Mitchell sings occasionally, but the band's music is mostly instrumental and features long semi-improvised songs drawing on classic rock, psychedelic rock, metal, blues rock, jazz, and krautrock.

History

Formation and early years

Drummer Mario Rubalcaba moved back to his native San Diego to join Rocket from the Crypt, and eventually encountered future Earthless bassist Mike Eginton. [4] Guitarist Isaiah Mitchell had been playing with a band called Lions of Judah when he met Eginton. [5] Mitchell, Eginton and Rubalcaba discovered they all enjoyed Japanese psychedelic rock and German krautrock. [5]

Eginton suggested the name Earthless, [5] inspired by a song titled likewise by a 1960s American rock group called the Druids of Stonehenge. The trio accepted the name for its "psychedelic ring" and ambiguity, [6] but by then they had already been together for at least three months (five rehearsal sessions and one live show) without one. [5] At the group's earliest rehearsal, they played songs from Led Zeppelin [7] and Black Sabbath [5] interspersed between lengthy improvisations; [7] at their second session the band only played their own material. They played their first live show together at the Casbah, a venue in their native San Diego, but in general they found it difficult to come together for rehearsals or shows owing to Rubalcaba also playing drums for Rocket from the Crypt at the time. [5] He also played in Hot Snakes for a time, but after both groups disbanded, Rubalcaba and his Earthless bandmates had more free time to devote to their new project. [4]

Earthless' debut album, Sonic Prayer , was released in 2005 and won the 2007 Best Hard Rock Album award at the San Diego Music Awards, [8] where their second album, Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky , was also nominated for the same award and the band themselves were nominated for Best Hard Rock Artist. [9]

Live at Roadburn and hiatus (2008–2011)

Earthless performed at the thirteenth Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands on April 18, 2008. [10] They were originally only scheduled to play to 250 people in the smallest room of the event as the main act, but were invited at the last minute to perform as the last act on the main stage to 2000 concertgoers instead, [4] as the scheduled band Isis had only performed for half of their two-hour slot. [11] Earthless performed for about an hour and a half, [12] [13] and were not aware the performance had been recorded, [11] but did not object when Tee Pee Records requested they release an album based on the performance, [6] liking the recordings themselves. [4] [14] The result was released on October 7, 2008, as Live at Roadburn , which Rubalcaba described as "the most honest representation of [Earthless] that you're gonna get on a record". [14] He said that if listeners did not like the album they would not like to see the band perform live. [4]

In February 2009, Earthless toured with Witch in North America. [15] The band toured in Europe and the UK with Russian Circles in April 2010, [16] in the US in support of Baroness from November to early December, [17] and in Australia for the first time from December 2010 to January 2011. [18]

As the band members continued with their rigorous touring schedule, they became increasingly involved with side projects (Rubalcaba with Off! and Mitchell with Howlin' Rain) [6] and Mitchell moved to Northern California, [19] which reduced the available time to rehearse as Earthless, much less record another studio album (even though some of the material on Live at Roadburn was intended for the next album). As an act, Earthless eventually entered into a period of inactivity by default, but not by intention. [6]

Touring and From the Ages (2012–present)

After two years of not touring, Earthless came to Australia for a series of concerts in December 2012, and released a limited edition vinyl single to coincide with the tour. [20] Earthless were again nominated for Best Hard Rock Artist at the 2013 San Diego Music Awards, [21] and From the Ages won their second Best Hard Rock Album award the following year. [22]

Earthless toured in support of From the Ages along the western coast of the United States in October 2013, [23] and with the Shrine in Australia from December 2013 to January 2014, [24] and the east coast of the US in August 2014. [25] [26] They are embarking on a tour of Europe in October 2014, [26] and have rescheduled a tour of Japan with Eternal Elysium that Earthless had to cancel to tend to ill family members; the tour will take place in January 2015. [27]

In 2016 Earthless, together with Harsh Toke, released a split-record each with a single track on it.

On March 16, 2018, the band released their album 'Black Heaven'.

Musical style

Earthless consider themselves most strongly influenced by krautrock [7] and psychedelic bands from Japan. [6] Eginton has identified such Japanese groups as Blues Creation, Flower Travellin' Band, High Rise and White Heaven as being inspirational for Earthless, [6] and for krautrock, Rubalcaba has named Guru Guru and Amon Düül II. [7] Classic rock has also influenced the group, as they also share an interest in Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. [7] Eginton has also said the earlier work of Miles Davis has impacted the band, along with other modal jazz players, as the band often choose a key or mode and almost never play outside it even regardless of what the guitar solo becomes. [6]

Although typically labeled a stoner rock group, they reject the term, [28] and the band have stated they do not use marijuana; [19] [29] rather, they drink coffee [7] or iced tea. [19]

The band alternate between writing their songs out and improvising them on the spot, repeatedly playing the improvised parts in their live set to the point that the parts become features of the song. [6] Rubalcaba has noted the distinction between improvisation and jamming; he argues that improvisation differs from jamming in that improvisation is more focused and has a purpose, while jamming does not. [7]

As Earthless are primarily an instrumental band, their music has no vocals by default, although Mitchell has sung vocals for the group on the few songs that need them (such as "Cherry Red" and "Woman with the Devil Eye"). Other than that, the group do not intend to hire a full-time vocalist, despite all the offers they have received over the years. [19]

Personnel

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can (band)</span> German experimental rock band

Can were a German experimental rock band formed in Cologne in 1968 by Holger Czukay, Irmin Schmidt (keyboards), Michael Karoli (guitar), and Jaki Liebezeit (drums). The group featured several vocalists, including the American Malcolm Mooney (1968–70) and the Japanese Damo Suzuki (1970–73). They have been widely hailed as pioneers of the German krautrock scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocket from the Crypt</span> American punk rock band

Rocket from the Crypt is an American punk rock band from San Diego, California, originally active from 1990 to 2005, then active during 2011 and again from 2013 to the present.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot Snakes</span> American rock band

Hot Snakes were an American rock band led by Rick Froberg and John Reis, formed in 1999 in San Diego, California. Reis and Froberg had previously performed together in Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu, after which Reis found international success with Rocket from the Crypt. Hot Snakes disbanded in 2005, but reunited in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Meadow</span> American psychedelic rock band

Dead Meadow is an American psychedelic rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1998 and currently composed of vocalist and guitarist Jason Simon, bassist Steve Kille, and drummer Mark Laughlin. The band have released seven studio albums, two live albums, and a Peel Session.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultans (band)</span> American rock and roll band

The Sultans were an American rock and roll band led by John Reis, formed in 2000 in San Diego, California. Over the course of the band's lifespan they released two full-length albums on Reis' Swami Records label. The band took pride in their "stripped down" rock and roll approach, using a simple guitar/bass/drum structure and recording quickly using pre-used equipment and borrowed instruments in order to maintain a loose, spontaneous feel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Rubalcaba</span> American musician

Mario Rubalcaba is an American drummer from San Diego, notable as a member of numerous rock bands including Clikatat Ikatowi, Thingy, Rocket from the Crypt, Hot Snakes, Earthless, the Sultans, and Off! He has also played on albums by The Black Heart Procession and Pinback and was formerly a professional skateboarder.

Witch is an American stoner metal band formed in 2005 whose members are from Vermont and Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danava (band)</span>

Danava is an American hard rock band from Portland, Oregon. Its music fits into the categories of, and is influenced by, hard rock, progressive rock and psychedelic rock.

Arik Moonhawk Roper is an illustrator and painter based in New York City. Roper grew up in Richmond, Virginia. His parents both being artists, his creativity was encouraged and he spent a great deal of time during childhood drawing. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts in 1995 specializing in cartooning, illustration, and silk-screening, he began working as a freelance illustrator and storyboard artist for advertising agencies in New York City. In 1998 he was hired as a storyboard revisionist at MTV Animation for the series Downtown. Later he directed his creativity toward more personal interests while shifting into the world of music-related visual art and packaging. After creating album art in the 1990s for bands such as Buzzoven, Weedeater, and Nebula, and working often for Tee Pee Records, his reputation grew within the underground rock and metal scene. In the early 2000s he reconnected with Matt Pike of Sleep and created several album covers for the band High on Fire. He later went on to become closely associated with the band Sleep, having created several album covers for them, including the "bootleg" version of Jerusalem and two versions of the legendary Dopesmoker.

Lumerians is a San Francisco Bay Area-based quartet which has a psychedelic "mindbender" space rock sound. The group is notable for performances characterized by "transcendent live video projections" and having "incredible visuals", according to one music critic. One critic described the band as "Oakland's prize pony in the Bay Area gloom-folk horse race". The sound has been compared to Krautrock with overtones of 1960s music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purson (band)</span> English psychedelic rock band

Purson was an English psychedelic rock band from London, England, founded by Rosalie Cunningham. Purson formed after Cunningham disbanded her previous project Ipso Facto. They were signed with Spinefarm. Cunningham described their sound as "vaudeville carny psych".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Hills (band)</span>

White Hills is an American psychedelic rock band that was formed in 2003 in New York City. Founding members Dave W. and Ego Sensation have been the only constant members.

<i>From the Ages</i> 2013 studio album by Earthless

From the Ages is the third full-length studio album by American rock band Earthless. It was released on October 8, 2013 by Tee Pee Records. It had been six years since the band’s last full-length studio album, Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky, as all three members of Earthless were pre-occupied with other matters, including other bands.

The discography of American psychedelic rock band Earthless consists of three studio albums, two live albums, and various miscellaneous releases, including a number of split albums.

Cloudland Canyon is an experimental rock/psychedelic rock band originally from New York, USA.

Parker Griggs is an American psychedelic rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist and founder of the rock band Radio Moscow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death Hawks (band)</span> Finnish psychedelic rock band

Death Hawks is a Finnish psychedelic rock band formed in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kadavar</span> German rock band

Kadavar is a German rock band from Berlin, founded in 2010. It currently consists of guitarist/lead vocalist Christoph "Lupus" Lindemann, drummer Christoph "Tiger" Bartelt, bassist Simon "Dragon" Bouteloup, and guitarist and keyboardist Jascha Kreft. Their retro style, incorporating psychedelic rock and stoner rock, has been compared to bands of the 1970s hard rock/heavy metal era such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Bartelt and Lindemann formed Kadavar as a trio with bassist Philipp "Mammut" Lippitz. When Lippitz left the band in July 2013, he was replaced by Bouteloup. After releasing six studio albums, Kadavar became a quartet in March 2023 with the addition of Kreft.

Blaak Heat is a French-American musical group whose recordings blend psychedelic rock with a number of outside sources, such as traditional Middle Eastern music, progressive rock, surf rock, spaghetti western, and metal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Peter Hayden</span> Finnish band

Mr. Peter Hayden is a Finnish alternative metal band often filed under post-metal, space rock or psychedelic doom. The band was formed in Kankaanpää, Finland in 2000. On their fourth album, Eternal Hayden, the band began to refer to themselves just by their logo, the PH-monogram, leading to confusion what the band should be called. Since then all variations from Mr. Peter Hayden to PH have been used, including ENPHIN after release of their sixth album End Cut in 2022. The group is also part of the Wastement collective.

References

  1. ↑ Paliwal, Vidur. "REVIEWSREVIEW: Earthless – "Black Heaven"". Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Earthless". Heavy Psych Sounds. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Giant Rock Records". Bandcamp. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Leitko, Aaron (February 25, 2009). "Q&A: Earthless". Washington City Paper . Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Solis, Eddie (May 6, 2009). "Earthless". Thrasher . Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Tucceri, Daniel (December 22, 2013). "AMH Network Interview with Earthless » AMH Network". AMH Network. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Marchese, David (October 9, 2013). "Journey to the Center of Earthless: A Heavy Chat With the Psych-Rock Gurus". Spin . Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  8. ↑ "San Diego Music Awards – 2007 Winners". San Diego Music Awards.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Cattle Decapitation Nominated In Two Categories At San Diego Music Awards". Blabbermouth.net . August 12, 2007. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  10. ↑ Live at Roadburn (inside sleeve). Earthless. New York City: Tee Pee Records. 2008. TPE-089.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. 1 2 Sanford, Jay Allen (October 22, 2008). "Road Luck". San Diego Reader . Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  12. ↑ Treppel, Jeff (March 2009). "Live at Roadburn – Review". Outburn #47. p. 78.
  13. ↑ "Ep170: Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless, OFF!, Hot Snakes, Rocket From the Crypt, Clikitat Ikatowi)". Conan Neutron's Protonic Reversal. May 16, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  14. 1 2 Guyre, Jen (February 23, 2009). "Interview with Earthless: Cosmic Nodding". The Aquarian Weekly . Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  15. ↑ Hughes, Josiah (January 8, 2009). "Witch Announce North American Tour". Exclaim! . Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  16. ↑ Sciarretto, Amy (April 5, 2010). "Earthless European Tour Dates With Russian Circles". Noisecreep . Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Baroness announces headlining tour". Lambgoat. September 4, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  18. ↑ Lee, Samantha (December 12, 2010). "Earthless Australian Tour". Faster Louder. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Weiderhorn, Jon (September 26, 2013). "Earthless's "Equus October" Is Just Another Example of Why They're the Best Sober Stoner Band on Earth". Noisey . Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  20. ↑ Giffin, Brian (December 16, 2012). "Earthless: Out of This World". Loud Online Magazine. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  21. ↑ King, Anthony (August 2, 2013). "San Diego Music Awards nominees released". San Diego Uptown News. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  22. ↑ "San Diego Music Awards – 2014 Winners". San Diego Music Awards.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Earthless Streaming New Album "From The Ages"". Theprp.com. October 1, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Earthless Confirm Australian Dates". theMusic.com.au. October 28, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Earthless And The Shrine Plan August East Coast US Tour". The PRP. June 20, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  26. 1 2 "Earthless Tour!". Tee Pee Records.com. July 2, 2014. Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  27. ↑ "ヘヴィ・サイケデリックの新世代支配者アースレス、初来日公演が実現". Yahoo! Japan . Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  28. ↑ Hamlin, Andrew (October 16, 2013). "Rub my sticks". San Diego Reader . Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  29. ↑ Lothspeich, Dustin (January 13, 2016). "Earthless: Homecoming Kings". NBC San Diego. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.