Tour of the Valedores: John Garcia (formerly of Kyuss) Live at The Masquerade
John Garcia is a stoner rock/desert rock/heavy metal singer best known as the founding member and vocalist of several prominent bands in the desert/stoner rock genre: Kyuss, Slo Burn, Unida, and Hermano. Garcia has also performed with Vista Chino, formerly Kyuss Lives! (w/ former Kyuss bandmates Brant Bjork and Nick Oliveri), and John Garcia and the Band of Gold. One can say that Garcia has always kept himself busy within the music industry since starting his career with the legendary band Kyuss. Garcia’s discography is massive since he has participated in many bands over the years: Solo – three (3) LPs and one (1) split w/ Black Mastiff, Kyuss – five (5) LPs, Slo Burn – one (1) LP, Unida – two (2) LPs, Hermano – two (2) LPs, Hermano – three (3) LPs and one (1) Live record, Vista Chino – one (1) LP, and multiple guest appearances over his historic career.
Via his social media channels, Garcia announced on March 7th an ambitious tour that would feature Garcia playing songs from Kyuss, Hermano, and Slo Burn. The Tour of the Valedores would start in Madison on May 15th and conclude in Brooklyn at Elsewhere on May 29th. The Masquerade in Atlanta, GA. would host the Tour of the Valedores on May 19th and you know I would be there with camera in hand. For this tour, John Garcia’s band consists of John Garcia (vocals), John Bennet (guitars), Billy Cordell (bass), and Greg Saenz (drums). Garcia would call on some amazing artists to assist him with opening support on this tour; Jared James Nichols, Telekinetic Yeti, and Left Lane Cruiser.
Left Lane Cruiser is a blues rock/rockabilly/ punk blues band from Fort Wayne, Indiana formed in 2004. Left Lane Cruiser consists of Frederick “Joe” Evans IV (slide guitar/vocals) and Brenn Breck (drums/backing vocals) who are signed to Fat Possum Records. Left Lane Cruiser has released eleven (11) LPs since 2006 when they were previously signed to Hillgrass Bluebilly Records and Alive Records respectively. This would be my first time seeing Left Lane Cruiser live, and I was eager to see what they had to offer.
Starting the evening, Left Lane Cruiser kicked off with some bluesy rockabilly that got the crowd warmed up as they performed songs from their vast discography. This blues-rock hybrid duo knows how to get the crowd involved with their electrifying riffs and dynamic vocals. Left Lane Cruiser was the perfect band to kick off this celebration of John Garcia’s influential legacy.
Check out Left Lane Cruiser’s setlist from this evening’s performance:
· “Wash It”
· “Skinny Woman” (R.L. Burnside cover)
· “Claw Machine Wizard”
· “River Picker”
· “Backyard”
· “Turkey Vulture”
· “Hillgrass Bluebilly”
Follow this link to Left Lane Cruiser’s Official Bandcamp page today and check them out! Or head to their website and pick up some merchandise from their online shop.
Telekinetic Yeti is a stoner/doom metal band from Dubuque, Iowa that has made heads bang since 2015. Telekinetic Yeti consists of Alex Baumann (guitar/vocals) and Rockwell Heim (drums). They are signed to Sump Pump Records and have released two (2) LPs with Primordial (2022) being the latest release. You may recognize Telekinetic Yeti from my review a few weeks ago, Weedeater w/ Telekinetic Yeti, Restless Spirit, & Possum Rot Live at Grantski Records (ICYMI). I was excited to see Telekinetic Yeti again so soon based on their last performance at Grantski Records with Weedeater.
Adding to the list of powerful duos in the stoner/doom metal genre, Telekinetic Yeti commands the stage when they perform live at any venue. Tonight was textbook Yeti as they pulverized their way through each song on their setlist. You could see some Telekinetic Yeti fans in the crowd enjoying seeing one of their favorite bands rip up the stage in Hell at The Masquerade.
You can see Telekinetic Yeti’s setlist from The Masquerade below:
· “Ghost Train Haze”
· “Abominable”
· “Stoned and Feather”
· “Ancient Nug”
· “Toke Wizard”
· “Himalayan Hymn”
Show them love and check out Telekinetic Yeti’s Bandcamp page to stream some of their music.
Jared James Nichols is a blues rock/hard rock guitarist/singer from East Troy, Wisconsin who is most notable for his finger-picking technique on his electric guitar. Jared James Nichols has released three (3) LPs, two (2) EPs, and four (4) singles since 2015. Jared James Nichols is accompanied by Ryan Rice (drums) and Brian Weaver (bass) during his live performances. This would be my first time seeing Jared James Nichols perform live, but I did do some research before the show to see what Jared James Nichols was all about. Wow. The energy and vibe that you see on recordings does not do Jared James Nichols any justice, because his live performances are more captivating with his wild style of guitar picking mixed with his entire band’s energetic performance. And to top it off, Jared James Nichols ended their set with a crushing cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”.
You can support Jared James Nichols by following this link to his official merchandise store or by supporting him through the Listenable Records official Bandcamp page today!
During the 90’s, I was fascinated with a few West Coast desert rock bands: Fu Manchu and Kyuss. The sound was not common during the 90’s, so I was intrigued with how loud they played but kept an invigorated and chill vibe throughout their discography. Kyuss broke up in 1995 and before I had a chance to see them play live. So, tonight was a special moment getting to see John Garcia performing songs from Kyuss and his other bands, Slo Burn and Hermano. Witnessing a legend perform his legacy live in front of you at The Masquerade with his friends backing him up is the stuff you tell your friends about. Plus, I cannot tell you the last time John Garcia came through Atlanta to perform, let alone take on the massive responsibility of performing songs from three of his influential bands.
John Garcia and his band arrived on stage and the crowd told them they were ready to rock! The time had finally come, and you could tell that the crowd was exhilarated as John Garcia and his band started their set with one of my favorite Kyuss songs “Gardenia” and proceeded to perform five more Kyuss songs in a row. Garcia brought out the songs “Cowboys Suck” and “The Bottle” from Hermano and “July” from his band Slo Burn. For an extra special treat, Garcia treated the crowd to “Dragona Dragona” from his days with the band Vista Chino.
John Garcia was very thankful and acknowledged gratitude for the crowd who came to rock out with him on a Sunday night in Atlanta. The funny thing is that I know we all thought the same thing about John Garcia and this tour. John Garcia rarely tours the East Coast, let alone the South. I know that this tour will go down as one of the best tours in 2024 hands down.
What a setlist curated by John Garcia and his band! Check out all the classics from John Garcia’s setlist from this tour stop at The Masquerade:
· “Gardenia” - Kyuss
· “Conan Troutman” (Outro) - Kyuss
· “Hurricane” (Ending) - Kyuss
· “Thumb” - Kyuss
· “Odyssey” - Kyuss
· “Cowboys Suck” – Hermano
· “Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop” (Outro) - Kyuss
· “The Bottle” – Hermano
· “July” – Slo Burn
· “100” - Kyuss
· “Writhe” (Riff) - Kyuss
· “Whitewater” - Kyuss
· “Phototropic” - Kyuss
· “One Inch Man” - Kyuss
· “Dragona Dragona” – Vista Chino
· “El Rodeo” - Kyuss
Encore:
· “Green Machine” – Kyuss
You can still catch John Garcia with Jared James Nichols, Telekinetic Yeti, and Left Lane Cruiser on tour on the following dates:
05/22: Detroit, MI @ Crofoot Theatre
05/23: Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
05/25: Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
05/27: Hampton Beach, NH @ Wally's
05/28: Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
05/29: Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere
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