HEAVY MÖTHER II – s/t

Description

The birth of HEAVY MOTHER came post-‘Vid via Mr. Mom EDDIE FLOWERS, the legendary underground rocker whose roots and righteousness date back to THE GIZMOS and run through CRAWLSPACE. A smattering of newborn heads from THE COWBOYS, CIRCUIT DES YEUX, ABC GUM, and CHUD soon flanked Flowers and launched a Real-Rock campaign through the basements and barrooms of Hoosierville. Brews were crushed, bongs were ripped, tapes and records trickled out, most notably 2022’s wonderful This Time Around LP on Feel It Records. The world’s been the better for all of this, not that it deserves any of it.

What now is this HEAVY MÖTHER II thang? Only the beefiest, most drool-inducing sequel / mutation imaginable. Spurred by mutual admiration and a well-timed business trip, The Core Mommies find themselves joined by JOE CHAMANDY of THE RETAIL SIMPS and CRAIG BELL of ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS. The punky pedigree on display here is enough to choke any fanzine editor, but the fruit of this union is the absolute stickiest. Ante upped!

One weekend, ten songs, one show — That’s Heavy Möther II. Loose sketches and wild ideas shaped by masters of the craft and there’s not a stinker to be found. “Window In The Door” is psych-punk in the truest form, recalling THE 13TH FLOORS ELEVATORS at their sickest. “Couchlock!” is hereby crowned punkdom’s finest ode to stoner paralysis, giving THREE STONED MEN’s “Too Lazy To Pee” some much needed (additional) rest. There’s new life spat into oldies from RANDY NEWMAN and THE TROGGS and an urgent, bootleg-true rendition of THE VELVET UNDERGROUND’S “Foggy Notion” that serves as the album’s spiritual anchor. It all amounts to quite the soirée and we’re lucky as hell to have a ticket.

As Heff’s brilliant liners attest, each of these Mothers bring an unshakeable cross-generational love of subterranean Rock’n’Roll to the proceedings — a gut-rooted know-how that allows each of them to “live by and understand the depths of the art from itself.” HEAVY MÖTHER II pumps in tradition of one-off wonders like BAD TIMES and EGO SUMMIT, capturing those rare, fleeting moments when all-star forces converge under prime unrestricted conditions, shoot wildly from-the-hip, and bring the racket of their dreams into reality. It’s pure, unchained, burnt-end, woolly mammoth Rock’n’Roll and of course it’s 100% TOTAL PUNK! – Mitch Cardwell