Fresh off of the release of their fantastic debut album Samsara (09/23/14, RidingEasy Records), Austin, TX Stoner/Doom trio The Well are preparing to head out for a three week tour of the western and midwestern U.S. at the end of the month. Guitarist/vocalist Ian Graham took some time to check in with his Ultimate Playlist on The Blog of Doom.
 Mountain – “Don't Look Around” (Nantucket Sleighride, 1971) “This song is off of Nantucket Sleighride and is full of some of the best guitar tone I've ever heard. Gritty, biting, beautiful and heavy as shit! We like to listen to this before rehearsal. Reminds us of what a killer band should sound like…Christ! The bass player produced Cream for God's sake!” |  Pentagram – “Be Forewarned” (First Daze Here, 2002) “This might be the single track that inspired us to start The Well. I got turned on to this album by a close friend. We put it on the turntable and I listened to this track over and over. Afterward, I smoked, grabbed my guitar, went into the garage and wrote the first of our songs in one sitting. I hadn't done that before and haven't since. It completely set my brain on fire! Getting the chance to perform with them was more than a dream come true. All hail Pentagram!” |
 Lord Vicar – “Down the Nails” (Fear No Pain, 2008) “The main riff, the killer vocals, slamming drums, super creepy subject matter and stripped down, no bullshit structure make this song a brutal fucking masterpiece. Can listen to this one over and over.” |  Black Sabbath – “Behind the Wall of Sleep” (Black Sabbath, 1970) “Favorite record hands down! My mother bought this album when it came out and it was and still is one of her favorites. I literally have listened to and enjoyed it my entire life because of that (hell, it was most likely playing during my conception). I chose this track because I rarely find anyone referencing it. It's heavy, jazzy, spacious and hypnotically weird as fuck!” |
 Om – “Unitive Knowledge of the Godhead” (Pilgrimage, 2007) “Okay, so you have two thirds of Sleep…that should be enough said right there, but I have to mention a few more things about this band. I've never heard something so repetitious be so incredibly compelling, engaging and wholly its own thing. This is what happens when doom/stoner icons subtly borrow tricks from 70's Jamaican dub…which sways us into our next track.” |  Lee Perry and The Upsetters – “Blackboard Jungle Dub” (14 Dub Black- board Jungle, 1973) “This is what strong weed would sound like if it were a band. Dark, rhythmically echoing, experimental mind fuckery! Don't be scared, this shit ain't just for hippies! For us, it's a must have on long road trips." |
 Saint Vitus – “Born Too Late” (Born Too Late, 1986) “Everything Saint Vitus does fucking kills! We're especially partial to the Wino stuff... well, because Wino is an awesome singer and not to mention every interaction we've had with him, he was cool as hell. I picked this song because when I was teenager we used to always go on about how we were born in the wrong era and how everything sucks now! Ha! This song is pretty much the musical embodiment of my teenage years.” |  Electric Wizard – “Dunwich” (Witchcult Today, 2007) “This H.P. Lovecraft inspired tune is like a fuzzed out, 60's Halloween cartoon song from Hell! I can picture sketchily drawn witches stirring cauldrons while skeletons dance in the shadows. And dare I say it… it's fucking poppy?! Electric Wizard=insane genius.” |
 Stoned Jesus – “Red Wine” (First Communion, 2010) “I really think that within our "genre", this is the most important band that's rarely talked about. Three dudes from the Ukraine making music that absolutely punishes. The place is getting turned over, politically, and they're producing this?! The tones are spot on, the vocals are sincere, and the song as a whole, is super compelling. I'd love to tour with these guys!” |  Dwarr – “Starting Over” (Starting Over, 1984) “This is obscure as fuck, but if you are reading this, and you can find any song of his, listen to it, and buy this album immediately. What this man did essentially on his own back in 1984 was make music that not only exists within, but transcends the genre of doom and stoner metal. This is some other level shit.” |
The Well Tour Dates:
10/31 Red 7; Austin, TX
11/01 TBA; El Paso, TX
11/04 Hemlock; San Francisco, CA
11/06 Cozmic; Eugene, OR
11/07 Bunk Bar; Portland, OR
11/08 Sunset Tavern; Seattle, WA
11/09 Crazy Horse; Boise, ID
11/11 The Shred Shed; Salt Lake City, UT
11/12 Lost Lake; Denver, CO
11/14 Czar Bar; Kansas City, MO
11/15 The Demo; St. Louis, MO
11/17 TBD; Texarkana, AR
11/18 TBD; Dallas, TX
11/22 TBD; Austin, TX
10/31 Red 7; Austin, TX
11/01 TBA; El Paso, TX
11/04 Hemlock; San Francisco, CA
11/06 Cozmic; Eugene, OR
11/07 Bunk Bar; Portland, OR
11/08 Sunset Tavern; Seattle, WA
11/09 Crazy Horse; Boise, ID
11/11 The Shred Shed; Salt Lake City, UT
11/12 Lost Lake; Denver, CO
11/14 Czar Bar; Kansas City, MO
11/15 The Demo; St. Louis, MO
11/17 TBD; Texarkana, AR
11/18 TBD; Dallas, TX
11/22 TBD; Austin, TX
RSS Feed
