"YAWNING MAN was the sickest desert band of all time. Oh, they’re the GREATEST band I’ve ever seen." So said Kyuss founder Brant Bjork, and as a key figure in the influential Palm Desert Scene, he knows what he is talking about.
It might be fair to say that, without Yawning Man, the Palm Desert Scene in southern California would be very different. Yawning Man, founded in 1986 by Gary Arce, Mario Lalli, Alfredo Hernandez and Larry Lalli, were vital in giving birth to the rock/metal underground and stoner rock sounds, not to mention the Desert Rock genre, that eventually gave rise to Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, and Eagles Of Death Metal.
Their sound features, not only heavy riffs and hardcore punk, but also reverb laced surf and psychedelic tones - factors which have given them a distinct style, while their free form jams during live shows have become near legendary. Little wonder The Obelisk has written: “Yawning Man has always been an 'in the know' band for the heavy rock underground, far more influential globally than commercially successful."
Yawning Man play Sally Longs, tomorrow, at 9pm. Support is from Connemara metallers Ten Ton Slug. The event is organised by Hexen Haus. Admission is free.
