Hermano - Live At W2
by Matt Williams
published: 20 / 11 / 2005
Label:
Suburban Records
Format: CD
intro
Fantastic live album from hard rockers Hermano, who are fronted by ex-Kyuss frontman John Garcia
Creating a live album as an official release is a tricky business. It needs to stand head and shoulders above the bootleggers efforts and still capture the atmosphere and magic of a live performance. With the release of 'Live At W2' fans have the chance to experience the performance of an amazing band who tour infrequently. Described by some as a rock super-group side project, Hermano emerged partially from the ashes of Kyuss with John Garcia taking vocal duties. He has been joined in the studio by Steve Earle (Afghan Whigs), Mike Callahan (Disengage/Earshot), David Angstrom (Black Cat Bone/Supafuzz) and Steve Brown (Dock Ellis/Orquesta del Desierto) and together they have recorded two fantastic studio albums, 'Only a suggestion' (2002) and 'Dare I Say'. This third recording is taken from the ‘Dare I Say…’ tour and captures the very essence of the incredible Hermano live show. Whilst John Garcia has retained a relative cult status, in comparison to his ex-Kyuss band members and Queens Of The Stone Age compatriots, the Hermano show as a result retains that intimate quality. Complete with stage banter and crowd noise the first thing that really stands out is the excellent quality of this recording, testament to a great live sound engineer which makes me eager to witness the show first hand. A cover of AC/DC’s 'TNT' compliments tracks taken from their first two albums' to complete the set list for this show. Great songs such as The Bottle' and 'Senor Moreno’s Plan' come across as some of the strongest rock contenders of the last half century and sitting in your living room with the volume on 10 and your neighbour banging on the wall it becomes easy to visualise a packed venue with many a head moving away to the tunes being punched out. There is no doubt in my mind that Hermano have produced some of the heaviest riffs since Zeppelin and this live album is a welcome addition to my collection and as with the other Hermano titles will grace my decks on a regular basis.
Track Listing:-
1 Cowboys Suck2 5 To 5
3 Life
4 Alone Jeffe
5 Roll Over
6 Landetta
7 My Boy
8 Quite Fucked
9 TNT
10 The Bottle
11 Senor Moreno's Plan
12 Manager's Special
features |
Hermano (2007) |
At a show at the Underworld in London, Matt Williams takes photos of stoner rock supergroup Hermano at a rare British date |
reviews |
Only A Suggestion (2002) |
Slightly too short, but otherwise "quality" debut offering from Hermano, the new project of John Garcia, former Kyuss frontman and star of Stoner Rock |
most viewed articles
current edition
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #15- On Being Dignified and Old aka Ten Tips From Jah Wobble On How To Be Happy.Dennis Tufano - Copernicus Center, Chicago, 19/7/2024
Elliott Murphy - Interview
Wreckless Eric - Interview
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #16: Living in the Minds of Strangers
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #17: Tom Robinson
Adrian Gurvitz - Interview
Norman Rodger - Interview
Chris Spedding - Interview
Penumbra - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Groovy Uncle - Making ExcusesPhilip Parfitt - The Dark Light
Jules Winchester - The Journey
Hawkestrel - Chaos Rocks
Bill Wyman - Drive My Car
Ross Couper Band - The Homeroad
Deep Purple - =1
Popstar - Obscene
John Murry and Michael Timmins - A Little Bit of Grace and Decay
Splashgirl and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe - More Human
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart