Smoldering guitar riffs, deep bass grooves and thunderous drum beats aside, Black Earth isn’t as fatalistic as their name implies. These veteran rockers keep a low profile and as always, let their music do the talking. With their debut release “That’s Right, We’re Goin’ Ballz Deep” the band is on task to bring back the audacity of rock n’ roll.
Black Earth has had a long history in the underground rock n’ roll scene. Starting out as Ving Ra and the Ultrasonic in the fall of 1997, they were San Diego regulars until Ving and founding drummer Shawn Alvear decided to move their act out to Austin Texas, the “Live Music Capital” of the world. Performing as a five piece and enduring several difficult lineup changes, it was decided that the band needed to be reshuffled. With Dave Rangel recruited into the ranks, the band was reborn as a three piece named Black Earth. As such, Black Earth has been a hard hitting rock n’ roll staple in Austin ever since.
Incorporating elements of the “desert sound”, biting guitar riffs and a bottom heavy sound, Black Earth’s music has won fans over many times both at home and in Europe. In fact, Ving Ra (Jason Calise) was both an important and founding member of the Palm Springs desert scene and the adrenaline fueled “generator parties” that spawned bands such as Kyuss, Yawning Man, Across The River, Fatso Jetsun and Unsound. With the departure of Shawn Alvear on drums, Black Earth have since teamed up with heavy hitter Jason Reece from …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead.
With successful tours of Europe and the United States and having shared the stage in the past with bands such as Throw Rag, Burning Brides, Early Man, Atomic Bitchwax, Gogol Bordello, Jimmy Chamberlain Complex, Peter Pan Speedrock, Young Heart Attack and Nashville Pussy ; Black Earth looks to get back on the road in 2008
Top 5s From Issue #44 Naked Rob (KSCU 103.3FM) 1. SIRHAN SIRHAN Blood (Violent Noise Rock) CD 2. BLACK EARTH That’s Right, We’re Going Ballz Deep (Texas Rock n’ Roll) CD 3. FEDERALE Federale (Brooklyn ROCKS!) CD 4. RACEBANNON Acid or Blood (Noise-core) CD 5. THE RESTARTS Outsider (U.K. Punk) CD
Thanks so much for your friendship, John
