Neurot Recordings is proud to unleash the latest full-length from psychedelic, high-volume blues rock ensemble U.S. CHRISTMAS. Entitled Run Thick In The Night, the band’s fifth long player was recorded by Sanford Parker at Fahrenheit Studio in Johnson City, Tennessee, mixed by Parker and USX members Nate Hall, Matt Johnson and Josh Holt at Semaphore Studios in Chicago, IL and mastered by Collin Jordan. Check out the cover art [by Hush: myspace.com/hushillustration] here:
Run Thick In The Night Track Listing:
1. In The Night
2. Wolf On Anareta
3. Fire Is Sleeping
4. Fonta Flora
5. Ephraim In The Stars
6. The Leonids
7. Suzerain
8. Maran
9. The Quena
10. Deep Green
11. Devil’s Flower In Mother Winter
12. Mirror Glass
13. The Moon In Flesh And Bone
Hailing from the Appalachian Mountains in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee, U.S. CHRISTMAS create a kaleidoscopic brand of sound that evades easy classification. Founded in Marion, North Carolina in the summer of 2002, the band played rough biker bars, art spaces, and house shows all over the southeast dirt circuit for years, self-releasing albums in rough CDR format. Scott Kelly of Neurosis heard the band’s third record, Salt The Wound (released in Russia by the label RAIG) through his show on Combat Music Radio/KMBT, which inevitably lead to the release of the band’s fourth album Eat The Low Dogs on Neurot Recordings.
USX now approaches a decade of playing, recording, and evolving, and continues to blur the boundaries of heavy music with earsplitting rock that is by turns jangly, crushing, dark and truly eclectic. The band has often been associated with space rock with Germany’s Rolling Stone including the band in an article/compilation CD on the history of that genre. However, USX are not simply continuing the space rock tradition (although the band, alongside Minsk and Harvestman, recorded a tribute to the British space-searchers Hawkwind earlier this year, also released via Neurot), but are rather a group of musicians who pay attention to a wide variety of music from all eras and origins. Close attention to the band’s lyrical content will show that USX is not at all concerned with outer space, but rather themes of earth, nature and terrestrial human history. In fact, the mountains and people of western North Carolina are a primary influence on the band’s sound. And though many have focused on their use of vintage synthesizers and theremin, the band does not rely on any one instrument to create its bizarre sounds – proof that brains and hands are a musician’s most important tools.
U.S. CHRISTMAS will kick off the weekend performing two special shows with Corrosion Of Conformity before heading out on a handful of one-off performances in September throughout North Carolina including at stop at the Hopscotch Music Fest in Raleigh [http://hopscotchmusicfest.com]. The fest features countless artists from all genres including Weedeater, Harvey Milk and Public Enemy. Confirmed dates below. Further dates TBA.
U.S. CHRISTMAS Live:
7/30/2010 Stella Blue – Asheville, NC w/ Corrosion Of Conformity (Animosity lineup), Zoroaster, Righteous Fool
7/31/2010 The Pour House Music Hall – Raleigh, NC w/ Corrosion Of Conformity (Animosity lineup) Black Tusk, Righteous Fool
9/05/2010 Static Age Records – Asheville, NC w/ Body and Enoch
9/11/2010 Hopscotch Music Fest – Raleigh NC
9/16/2010 Legitimate Business – Greensboro, NC w/ Caltrop
9/17/2010 The Milestone – Charlotte, NC w/ Caltrop
Run Thick In The Night will be released via Neurot Recordings on September 20, 2010.
U.S. CHRISTMAS:
Nate Hall – Guitars, Words, Vocals
Matt Johnson – Synthesizers, Guitars, Sounds
Chris Thomas – Guitars, Bass
BJ Graves – Drums
Justin Whitlow – Drums, Experimental Sounds
Josh Holt – Bass, Drones
Meghan Mulhearn – Violin
http://www.myspace.com/uschristmas
http://www.neurotrecordings.com