US / THEM: Mondo Drag stream entire forthcoming album a week ahead of release, announce U.S. tour dates with Electric Citizen & Slow Season

Bay Area heavy-Krautrock-psych band Mondo Drag are streaming their entire forthcoming self-titled album a week ahead of release starting today via PopMatters. Hear and share the full album HERE. (Direct Soundcloud HERE.)

Along with the album stream the band also announces U.S. tour dates in July with RidingEasy Records labelmates Electric Citizen and Slow Season. Please see current dates below. Additional details and admat here.

Brooklyn Vegan recently premiered album track "The Dawn" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud HERE.)

The creatures known as Mondo Drag originally hailed from deep along the banks of the wild Mississippi River where they created ominous, spiritual, savage psychedelic revival sounds. Under the spiritual guidance of the forefathers of heavy psych, prog, and proto-metal, Mondo Drag has created an amalgamation of sounds the likes of which have not been heard for decades. The band’s unique sound, and rare cohesion probably stems from the fact that core members John Gamino (keyboards, vocals), Nolan Girard, (guitar, synth) and Jake Sheley (guitar) grew up together and have been playing music with each other for 15 years.

Now settled in Oakland, CA the ensemble continues to create cosmically proportioned, churning jams evocative of a rainbow of inspirations such as Blue Cheer, Black Sabbath, Can, Atomic Rooster, Hawkwind, Budgie, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Italian prog, Krautrock in general, and heavy space-outs.

Their debut, New Rituals was released by Alive Records in 2010 and for the next fourteen months the band hit the road hard, headlining a half a dozen tours in the US and appearing at numerous psych fests along the way. The band’s stellar live performances soon became a thing of wonder and saw them share stages with contemporary artists such as Sleepy Sun, Dead Meadow, Witchcraft, Pentagram, Black Mountain, Wooden Shjips, and Naam to name a few.

In the Winter of 2011-2012, the band returned to the studio with new rhythm section, Zack Anderson and Cory Berry, also intermittently involved with popular Swedish band Blues Pills. Shortly after the album's completion, the pair left to pursue Blues Pills, which was taking off in Europe. Mondo Drag soon replaced them with current drummer Ventura Garcia and bassist Andrew O'Neil upon relocating to Oakland.

Mondo Drag will be available on LP, CD and download via RidingEasy Records on May 12th, 2015.

MONDO DRAG LIVE:

07/04 San Francisco, CA @ Amnesia
07/05 Long Beach, CA @ Alex’s Bar
07/07 Denver, CO @ The Moon Room
07/08 Kansas, MO @ Riot Room
07/09 Rock Island, IL @ RIBCO
08/01 Tempe, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room
08/02 San Diego, CA @ Tower Bar
08/03 Fullerton, CA @ Continental Room

08/07 Oakland, CA @ Leo’s Music Club

ELECTRIC CITIZEN / MONDO DRAG / SLOW SEASON TOUR:

07/10 Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Side Room
07/11 Detroit, MI @ Loving Touch
07/12 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
07/13 Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar
07/14 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe
07/15 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
07/17 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts Black Box
07/18 Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus
07/19 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
07/20 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
07/22 Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle
07/23 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Purgatory
07/24 Orlando, FL @ Back Booth
07/26 New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
07/28 Houston, TX @ Rudyards
07/29 Austin, TX @ Red 7
07/30 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada