Sleep-Hempispheres; Third Man Records, 2026

 

Here's to hoping that the 2026 Surprise Lineup Change Of the Year was approved by all parties concerned within the Sleep organization. This is not to say that Disaster Amnesiac doesn't see Sleep as being a band first and foremost, and a very important, genre defining one at that. It must be acknowledged that the original trio were pretty much inventors of the type that's come to be known as Stoner/Doom. Those guys were laying that particular type of groove many years ago now and the entire Metal macro-genre is well aware of the fact. It would be so cool to find out that Matt Pike and whomever was last to hold the drum throne signed off with acceptance, if for no other reason than to hear what drum King Dale Crover and D.C. Hardcore guitar legend Bubba Dupree could cook up with the bass/vocal action of Al Cisneros. Pike seems like the type of person to take just about anything in stride: his career in High On Fire has been admirable and fascinating. So, yeah, trusting that it was all good in the 'hood with past and now current members of Sleep. 

As to the new LP, Hempispheres, the news of Sleep's new configuration documented therein was greeted within esta casa with some serious excitement mixed with perhaps a touch of bewilderment. Was this listener really going to able to hear new, easily accessible guitar work from Bubba? OH SHIT YEAH went the refrain. His first band Void has never not been in my listening rotation since first encountering them in November of 1985, when a guy that had been able to attend those essential early 1980's Hardcore Punk shows in D.C. hipped me to the wider Dischord catalog (I'd already discovered Minor Threat earlier that year in June). The possibilities of how Dupree would sound tantalized, and the first single and album opener, Have Spacesuit Will Travel did and does not disappoint. Definitely a more laid back approach for a bit, and then....impact. Bubba has harnessed a deeply imaginative, Sci-Fi guitar sound that blends so well with the Crover drumming flow and Cisneros's unique chanting and super fuzzed Rickenbacker low end grooving. The b-part of the tune has this excellent 1970's Library Record synth that hits with extreme precision. Trio action with Dale bell traction! Dupree's solo is wonderfully melodically expressive and he's so in control of the tones. Plus a very logical chord sequence to end. If memory serves correctly, the second single was The Morrisist and that tracks as it feels like a second movement vis a vis the opener. Is it an outright ode to T. Iommi in verse? Crover just drives the heavy earth moving six string riff and its Sabbath style hippie percussive jam takes it out with further sonic linkage to the masters of reality from Brum. It may be a purely subjective idiosyncrasy on Disaster Amnesiac's part that the title track makes me think of slightly slowed down New Wave of British Heavy Metal but after multiple hearings that's still the case. Bubba grabs some ultra fuzzy guitar sounds. Astute Moog interjections ride atop cymbal bell boogie and into a half-time slink on the b-part here. One can hear Crover making slight adjustments to Cisneros and Dupree as they tandem on the electric guitars. It's an evolving plot with wicked, creaking tones from Bubba that bring Paul Leary's heights to mind. Kind of an abrupt ending, huh? On Arrival of the Industry Ships Sleep take up a real desert groove. Al Cisneros sounds more upfront as his bass rumble comes this close to clipping. The emergent b-part climbs up to firmament within his imagined Science Fiction world and it's heavy! The group sits on another phat groove, lets the smoke fill the chamber until Bubba rips a bong load of heavy Rock action. His soloing takes off on multiple flights and each one balances perfectly with its predecessor. Stoner bliss is activated as this powerful trio grooves for a nice, extended duration. The sonic interstices are slid around with such dextrous finesse. Hempispheres concludes on Whole Wheat Mountain/Well Backed. The first half of this title cracks me up again and again. What does this mean? Insert Instagram laughing emoji here for sure. The coolest drum flow on the album resides here: tight cymbal bell work that glues all of the elements together. Bubba stabs at chords at goes into minimal, flatted progressions. It's a song that gives a heavy-assed goodbye wave as the newly reformed Sleep prepare to trudge on off down the road. 

Despite Sleep's new lineup being somewhat of a "shock" to many, it's no surprise at all that Hempispheres is another fantastic statement from the deep mind of Al Cisneros. Here's to hoping that their tour takes a stop in The Old Pueblo, as Disaster Amnesiac would be over the moon at a chance to occupy the same room as the one that Bubba's amp and hands are also in.

Many Hails To Mike Krukow!

 

It's a sad day for San Francisco Giants fans as we've now listened to our last game spent with Mike Krukow giving his unequaled color commentary. Like many others in The Bay, Disaster Amnesiac has spent countless hours listening to his analysis and personal recollections of the greatest sport ever. Hails, hails, hails!!!!!

Live shot(s) #247!

 

Shots taken at Che's Lounge Tucson, 9/26/26. Full moon.

Below: Bear Down Bear harmonizing about life. Children, friendship, traffic frustration, war, etc.

Above: Schlog Cart play primitivist Boogie. Great raw guitar tones!

Below: Wayne Norfleet out in Tucson from Los Angeles. Working out his tunes solo. 

Live shot(s) #246!

 

Shots taken at Sky Bar Tucson, 9/25/26.

Below: Raven And The Acolytes continue to play danceable and well written songs. Tight, well thought out music.

Above: The Disconcertions present uncluttered trio Garage Rock. Great drummer! 

Live shot #245!

 

Shot taken at Brick Box Brewery Tucson, 9/24/26.

August Minotaur deliver actual poetics through a blend of Glitter and Bedroom Psych. Very astute use of full band through PA mix, as it allows the vocals of lead singer Theo to come through without being pushed out. 

Live shot(s) #244!

 

Shots taken at Casino del Sol Tucson 9/19/26.

Below: Tower of Power, the legendary Soul/Funk band from Oakland. Probably one of the best horn sections to have ever been assembled. Their harmonic richness was served well by a fantastic sound mix. Tight rhythm section action and a tremendously charismatic lead singer. A show band with sixty eight years of playing and they're still kicking ass!

Above: War has rhythms and routines that are a bit deeper into the pocket. Their amalgam of Soul, Funk, Rhythm and Blues, Jazz, and Psychedelic Rock stands up to the test of time. The drummers lay it down with such torque! The rest of the group shines as they cruise along on tap of all that. Clearly a popular favorite, people were singing along to EVERY song. 

It was really interesting to compare the sounds and approaches of an East Los Angeles band and an East San Francisco Bay band. Either way, your soul's gonna be moved. 

Live shot(s) #243!

 

All shots taken at Hotel Congress Tucson, 9/18/26. 

Below: Zöld. Slow bluesy rollin'!

Above: Stone Levitation drove over to Tucson to play this show and their Baroque Heavy Blues Rock is really cool. So neat to see Wendy G. performing, good memories.

Below: The Obsessed. Need anyone say more? Wino's guitar playing and composing is on higher levels and it's always a killer set from him and those that play with him. Top notch!

Above: The Obsessed fixin' to put the hammer down. Absolute authenticity. 

Live shot(s) #242!

 

Shots taken at Holsclow Hall, University of Arizona Tucson 9/12/26. Composer John Muniz presented three of his musical works: Blender, Sonata for Violin and Piano, and Swagger Variations. These works were performed by Muniz (piano), Emily Chao (violin), Edward Goodman (tenor saxophone), and Rie Tanaka (piano). Crisp performances of the composer's intriguing, intricate works. 

Below: Edward Goodman adeptly playing Blender. It has a Grind part for sure. 

Above: Emily Chao and a partially obscured John Muniz prepare to present Sonata for Violin and Piano, in which the passages of a life span are explored through the form. 

Below: Rie Tanaka gives a physically charged up version of Swagger Variations, a piece heavily influenced by Hip Hop beats. Different forms definitely hit upon, too. 

Below: John Muniz had a successful event! Quite a pleasing way to spend a Saturday afternoon. 

Live shot(s) #241!

 

Shots taken at Che's Lounge Tucson, late Summer 2026. Above is Nathan Smith playing guitar in Trikochet. Next two are Marina with Working People and the guitar player for Alfred & the Breeders. 

Shows at Che's Lounge are unique, always. 

Live shot(s) #240!

 

All shots taken at The Rock Tucson, 9/6/26.

Below: DadadQh+The P.O.C. from Phoenix. Their music is tight Machine Tool Rock with really well considered guitar tones. Really skilled trio rhythm section sounds!

Above: Holy Nitemare play Punk Rock in the original style. 7" pending and a Banshees cover at set's end. Marshall amp rollin'! 

Below: Ghostly Vices, from Phoenix as well. Poly Rock styling with inventive guitar player, very skilled singer and tightness in the bass/drums dept. Danceable rankin'! 

Above: Gutter Town got the most amazing slap back sounds bouncing off of the ceilings rafters of The Rock! When they start cooking it's really great for listening or dancing, your choice. A fantastic set from this well-rooted band. Such a fine blend within their tunes. 

A really fun, guitar-centered Sunday matinee! 

Live shot(s) #239!

 

All shots taken at Che's Lounge Tucson, 9/5/26.

Below: Barefoot on Bumblebees have unique harmonies and a self-invented duo style. Vinyl out next month!

Above: Sooflay, out on tour from Indiana. One man band action that runs from Pop to Prog. Heavy double bass drum action at times!

Below: Alfred & the Breeders killin' it with their Art Punk guitar shred! Even with a key member out for the set it was slayin'!

Above: The Working People characteristically kicking ass! 

Labor Day weekend 2026 is off the chain! 

Polvo-Siberia; Merge Records, 2013

 

The first time that Disaster Amnesiac heard about Polvo was at some point in the latter 1990's. A guy who worked in a coffee shop near the flat that I lived in by the name of Kam. Really serious guy and from what I gathered a solid presence within some type of underground music scene in the Bay. It's not recalled at one hundred percent but I believe that he lent me some sort of recording from the band. Or perhaps a copy of one of their Merge Records albums made it into the rotation of SF Public Library? Whatever the means were, their music was heard by me and it was quickly clear that this band had a singular sound, were very unique, and were clearly an important voice within the underground Rock scene of the decade. At some point further down my subjective timeline an LP by Polvo was acquired. Still have that one. That said, and again despite the obviousness of this band being a great one, one worthy of obsessive listening and pondering, it took several more years for their impactful music to REALLY hit, which it did with Siberia, a 2013 album that I dug into about a decade later. If the back story of Siberia is understood correctly, Polvo had taken a long hiatus between its predecessor release and its production, and it was hailed as a fine return to form from a seminal band. From a purely subjective point of view, it's an album that I spun constantly during the Summer of 2023, to the point of the annoyance of Mrs. Amnesiac. It was played a LOT here, and for several weeks. Shuffling down to late Summer of 2026, Siberia has again been in near constant rotation within the auditory environment of Casa de Amnesiac. It's an album that, for this listener, inspires a kind of slavish devotion: it MUST be played again and again again, for its nuances are of such mediocrity slaying magnitude that to do otherwise would be unacceptable, at least for the next thirty eight minutes or so. As this post has been pondered there have been times within Disaster Amnesiac's internal dialogue that a certain amount of chastisement has been leveled. What right have I to even bother describing and enthusing about its greatness? Polvo were a band cut way above the average, and perhaps things should just be left like that and there. Surely, those who know know it very well. That being said it just can't be helped in the case of Siberia. I'd really like to describe and enthuse. 

Total Immersion, Siberia's first song presents a sweet fuzz riff and handclaps while delivering a lyric about some hippie chick malaise. When the harmony singers join in during the chorus it's as good as a mid-1960's Paul Revere and the Raiders jam, but one also gets Space Rock Bass and an equally space-ey jam out to conclude. 

A slamming drum part and twin guitar licks emerge from within Blues Is Loss. Those guitar tones wrap a garland around the listener's auditory mind during the nicely lengthy introductory instrumental section before the question is asked "how did my dreams get so clean?". I'm guessing it's the same reason why these Polvo guys produce such intelligent music. Some seriously bright gents within the band. A rollicking, sliding outro portion has these huge chords that one just can't help but be moved by. 

More sweet fuzz tones on the guitars and deeply interesting lyrics are featured upon Light, Raking. The chorus of this song has driven Disaster Amnesiac to tears, multiple times. Synthesizer magic! College town Blues blends with higher order Punk Rock of the Tom Verlaine sort here. This would be a fun song to hear while driving at the faster speeds. Its pacing would have most wanting to press down on that gas pedal, especially as that stabbing synth riff really gets pushed to the fore. 

Polvo double down on their singular twin guitar phrases on the initial stages of Changed before spinning out another one of their equally singular choruses. The drummer's arrangements during the song's parts are thoughtful and full of taste. Huge pockets and the coolest singer. The latter's style is crooned in an almost off hand manner which contrasts well with the lyrics and their conclusion that we all gotta change at some point. 

It's rather daunting to pick a high point on an album that is essentially one giant, stand alone high point, but that being said The Waterwheel is just that. The lyrics paint completely psychedelic visions. Such vivid mental pictures conjured. No surprise that the song's chorus is a killer. A slinky, sly drum beat and clever percussion overdubs nudge things along into a jam part that throws off swirling whirlpools of guitar band bliss. Polvo were one of the best jam bands, that's for sure. If you can't swing with this song you're probably a zombie anyway. This human hears it as a meditation upon the obsessive nature of creative endeavors, especially those of a touring Rock band. 

A perfect transition from the high level incendiary band action comes along on Old Maps. Mellower pacing and sweetly picked acoustic guitar, thumping bass and even a tambourine shake hit on the two's and four's. The singer pleads his case and hopes for a place. Juicy guitar interplay between the entire group ensues into a collective playin' situation before a tight ending. A rolling stone gather no moss, and if you're just passin' through, what can you do? It's hoped that whomever wrote the lyrics to the song found a cool spot in which to settle down and ground. 

The drama picks upon with Some Songs. It has a more early 1990's UK groove in the rhythm section to start before a morph into something more Southwest United States stride. It's got all of the features of an effective Summer jam and yes Polvo offer up yet another bonkers chorus within its frame. Its ending features a beautiful fade/rising portion, perfect for a penultimate album track. 

Last up on Siberia is Anchoress and it's a Summer rain song par excellence. It has a stomping Downer Rock and sullen vibes and these elements bring the album down to an earthy conclusion. It marches into the eye of a storm with so much sublime shades of light and shadow. 

Who are these Polvo guys? What do they do now, after having ended their incredibly cool career with a masterpiece? Are they college professors? Architects? Whatever they're collectively up to now, with Siberia they produced a Southern-inflected, masterfully performed, engineered, and sequenced album. It's a perfect album full of songs and atmospheres that never cease to please. It lends itself to obsessive listening and rewards that listening as many times as one will play it. I wonder if Kam the barista still digs on Polvo. God knows Disaster Amnesiac does, and especially this album. Summer 2026 is likely not the last time that a deep dive on it occurs over here.