| The Mystick Krewe of Clearlight | |
|---|---|
 Clearlight in the late 1990s. | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Clearlight |
| Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Genres | Psychedelic Rock, Blues Rock, Southern Rock |
| Years active | 1996 - 2001, 2012 |
| Labels | Tee Pee Records, Man's Ruin Records, Southern Lord Records |
| Associated acts | Eyehategod, Down, Mountain of Wizard |
The Mystick Krewe of Clearlight (Also known simply as Clearlight) was an instrumental rock band, formed as a side-project of multiple members of the NOLA music scene. Their sound meshed with blues, southern rock and psychedelic. The band released one album and two other releases in their initial tenure.
History[]
The Mystick Krewe of Clearlight came together in 1996 as an instrumental side project led by guitarist Jimmy Bower and drummer Joe Lacaze of the New Orleans sludge metal group Eyehategod, along with members of Crowbar and Down.
Bower and Lacaze's inspiration from the start was to get away from the pummeling nihilistic dirge metal of Eyehategod and use their new project as an outlet for the improvisational music that they had absorbed growing up in New Orleans, whether it be jazz, soul, funk, or rock. The group's influences range from the Southern blues-rock of the Allman Brothers, native soul and funk legends the Meters, the Neville Brothers, and Dr. John, and, on the heavier side of things, the groove-heavy riffs of classic Deep Purple. The idea of no barriers frees up these metal heads by trade and has given them the chance to show off their musicians' chops and indulge themselves in lengthy guitar solos and extended jams that have more in common with the festive spirit of Mardi Gras than a headbanging doom rock concert.
After several years of playing out live in their native New Orleans, as well as the occasional out-of-town gig, the group and their enigmatic moniker started to slowly but surely create a huge buzz within the underground metal and hard rock community. Then in 2000, the group released their self-titled LP on Tee Pee Records. The spring and summer of 2001 saw the band touring and sharing the stage with Corrosion of Conformity, Spirit Caravan, Down, and Clutch. Unfortunately for the band, it came to an abrupt halt in Dallas when the group's musical equipment was stolen out of the back of their U-Haul trailer. The band was forced to disband as a result.[1]
The band would reunite for a one-off gig at The Hangar in New Orleans on 17 February 2012.[2]
Discography[]
- The Mystick Krewe of Clearlight (Studio Album) (2000, Tee Pee Records)
- Free... / The Father, The Son and the Holy Smoke (Split with Acid King) (2001, Man's Ruin Records)
- The Obsessed / The Mystick Krewe of Clearlight (Split with The Obsessed) (2001, Southern Lord Records)
Members[]
- Jimmy Bower - Drums, Guitars
- Joe LaCaze - Drums (Died 2013)
- Andy Shepherd - Bass
- Kevin Bond - Guitars
- Paul Webb - Guitars
- Ross Karpelman - Keyboards
- Scott Weinrich - Vocals, E-Bowed Guitar (Guest)
- Pepper Keenan - Vocals (Guest)
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ Clearlight MySpaceAccessed 16 January 2017
- ↑ YouTubeAccessed 16 January 2017