Tickets for all shows are on sale now.
The Swami John Reis Band - consisting of Reis (Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes, Drive Like Jehu, PLOSIVS, Sultans, Night Marchers) on vocals and guitar, Tommy Kitsos (Night Marchers, CPC Gangbangs) on bass and vocals, Joe Guevara (Jejune, Lee Rocker and Lady Dottie and the Diamonds) on keyboards and vocals, Mark Murino (Radio Wendy and Dirty Sweet) on lead guitar, and Richard "T-Bone" Larson (Bartender's Bible, Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects) on drums and vocals - will be making their first-ever appearances on select California dates this August.
Touring in support of Ride The Wild Night, Reis' recently released debut solo album on Swami Records, the run will begin on Friday, August 5 in Sacramento, CA and culminate in an appearance at The Casbah in San Diego, CA on Tuesday, August 9. Tickets for all shows are on sale now, and a full listing of dates and supports can be found below.
Out now, Ride The Wild Night, the solo debut album from Swami John Reis, is neither completely similar nor dissimilar to Reis' previous bands, yet the sound is immediately familiar and assuring - like an old friend you lost touch with that comes back into your life only to ask to borrow money.
The music is an amalgam of Sixties folk-punk, Seventies punk-punk and pre-Vietnam War rock 'n' roll, filtered through Reis' unregistered, trademark sensibilities. "I wanted to celebrate some of my favorite rock 'n' roll in its transitional periods," Reis said. "Flaming Groovies, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Kinks, The Saints and others created some of the most exciting recordings while also connecting the musical past to its future. That really appeals to me."
Recorded by Reis at City Of Refuge (Night Marchers, Black Lips, The Spits) and mixed by Ben Moore (Hot Snakes, Diamanda Galas) at Singing Serpent, Ride The Wild Night is built on stentorian bedrock of savage drumming by J. Sinclair K. of Hot Snakes and the pounding acoustic piano of Joe Guevara.
Also adding their expertise to the mix is Chris Prescott (Pinback), Gar Wood (Hot Snakes), Glen Galloway (Truman's Water), Jacob Turnbloom (Mrs. Magician) and Jordan Clark (PLOSIVS). With this backing, Swami John Reis finalizes it with his throaty basso and weaponizes the files with roaring electric guitars, rapid acoustic guitar strum and bass.
"All of these stories are real - they just might not be completely true," Reis adds. "The words come from what I overhear through my fence, what I see across the street, pictures I see in my head, experiences that I can't forget or am grateful to remember." If there is a loose theme throughout the record, he offers, "Musically and lyrically, there is a motivation to surrender to a restless and impulsive spirit that can only be satisfied by breaking things. Creating rubble for better or worse."
Critics and fans alike have long referred to Reis' signature voice as "The Velvet Yawn," and never has that description been more apt on Ride The Wild Night. Hear his defiant, croak-howl on these 11 tracks in what might be his most autobiographical work yet.
The Swami John Reis Band will be making the following CA appearances during August. Dates below.
05 - Sacramento, CA - Goldfield Trading Post (w/ Stella Crest)
06 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill (w/ Thank You For Coming, Atom Age)
07 - Long Beach, CA - Alex's Bar (w/ Golden Grease, Clown Sounds)
08 - Los Angeles, CA - The Moroccan Lounge (w/ Kate Clover)
09 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah (w/ The Nephews)
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