Although they look like total fruitcakes on their flyer, they really do know what rock n' roll is all about...maybe you'll recognize Laurent from Pelican on the left...at the risk of inflating his already inflated ego any further, his rock knowledge runs deeper than a mofo...the other guy, Ben, is a journalist by trade so we can't sign off on his knowledge just yet but since Laurent has a pretty good taste is choosing boys to rock hard with we figure he's 'aight too.

They do Rock Gauntlet monthly at a local hang in Chicago called Sonotheque. This time around Hydra Head is the theme so we've loaded 'em up with a pile of HHR stuff including a bunch of new music from upcoming releases including Torche and Pyramids...they'll have shit to give away AND to make the whole thing that much sweeter, the kickass Chicago record store known as Reckless is doing an across the board discount on our releases this month....so, in a nutshell, see you there. Make sure you bother Laurent. Alot. The way to his heart is through the shot glass.

CLICK HERE to preorder

One night some months ago we had a dream. Not like a Martin Luther King-type dream, with little kids of all races and nationalities holding hands and shit like that. No, we had a more realistic dream—okay, okay, it was the middle of the day and we were high and maybe jerking off, so technically it was more of a fantasy—but the dream we had was that one of our favorite bands would be on our label and together we would release one of the most satisfying records in the history of forever. And the heavens would part, the Billboard charts would collapse under the sheer sonic awesomeness, and the world would become a better place—a place where everyone had free health care and a money tree in their backyard and a hot trophy wife or strapping young houseboy or whatever.

And that band, ladies and gentlemen, was Torche. And wouldn’t you know it, that shit totally came true (we’re waiting on the health care, the money tree, the houseboy and the Billboard thing, but still). And that record—in case you’re having trouble keeping up here—is Meanderthal. Call it the band’s second official full-length (after their 2005 self-titled debut via our good friends at Robotic Empire) and follow-up to last year’s six-song mini-epic In Return, released exclusively on hallucinogenic vinyl. Call it the latest and greatest bomb-string stoner pop/thunder rock/doom pop classic from Torche mastermind Steve Brooks and his fellow hook heroes. Call it the sweetest, catchiest, hugest riff colossus since Sky Valley. Shit, call it Album Of The Year if you want. That’s what we’re going with, anyway.

Until April 1st, you can pre-order the new Torche album with a SUPER CHEAP (for the pre-order only) Torche t-shirt. These shirts will become permanent features of ye olde Hydra Head Records Shoppe after the pre-order is over, but wouldn't you rather get yours first (and for a little less$$$)?!? Order quickly - after April 1st you can still get the CD, but you'll have to wait for the shirt.

Track Listing:

1. Triumph of Venus (1:44)
2. Grenades (2:53)
3. Piraña (1:32)
4. Sandstorm (2:20)
5. Speed of the Nail (1:40)
6. Healer (2:07)
7. Across the Shields (3:03)
8. Sundown (3:17)
9. Little Champion (0:34)
10. Without A Sound (2:06)
11. Fat Waves (4:34)
12. Amnesian (6:24)
13. Meanderthal (3:54)

*Orders are expected to begin shipping during the week of April 8th, 2008.

PELICAN
4/11 Iowa City, IA @ The Picador
4/14 Albuquerque, NM @ Rallis 4th St Pub And Grill
4/15 Tucson, AZ @ Plush
4/16 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
4/17 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
4/18 Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
4/19 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee
4/21 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
4/22 Dallas, TX @ Palladium
4/23 Austin, TX @ Stubbs
4/25 Nashville, TN @ Rocketown
4/26 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
4/27 Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
4/29 Ft Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
4/30 St Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Landing
5/1 Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
5/2 Charlotte, NC @ Amos Southend
5/3 Richmond, VA @ The National
5/4 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg
5/6 Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
5/7 Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
5/8 Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock Café
5/9 Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
5/10 Worcester, MA @ Palladium
5/12 Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights
5/13 Buffalo, NY @ Club Infinity
5/14 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Zoo
5/15 Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargo’s
5/16 Chicago, IL @ Metro
5/17 Chicago, IL @ Metro
5/18 Milwaukee, WI @ Rave
5/20 Denver, CO @ Ogden
5/21 Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
5/23 Seattle, WA @ Showbox Sodo
5/24 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
5/25 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
5/27 Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
5/28 Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
5/29 Hollywood, CA @ Avalon
5/30 Hollywood, CA @ Avalon

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JESU
4/19 Tillburg, Holland @ Roadburn Festival

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HELMS ALEE
4/12 Seattle, WA @ The Comet

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EUGENE ROBINSON
4/17 Atlanta, GA @ A Capella Books
4/17 Atlanta, GA @ Lenny’s Bar
4/18 Charlotte, NC @ Park Road Books
4/18 Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone
5/9 Boston, MA @ Church
5/10 Portland, ME @ Aqui
5/11 Hamilton, Ontario @ Underground

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THE AUSTERITY PROGRAM
4/17 Bielefeld, Germany @ Forum
4/20 Karlsruhe, Germany @ Substage
4/22 Vienna, Austria @ Arena
4/23 Munich, Germany @ Feierwerk
4/25 Zurich, Switzerland @ Mascotte
4/26 Lyon, France @ L’Epicerie Moderne
4/27 Nancy, France @ L’Autre Canal

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CLOUDS
3/25 Allston, MA @ Great Scott’s
3/28 Wallingford, CT @ Wallingford American Legion
3/29 Brooklyn, NY @ Matchless
4/4 Boston, MA @ ICC
4/10 Allston, MA @ Harper’s Ferry
4/25 Florence, MA @ Florence VFW Hall
5/17 Boston, MA @ the Church
5/25 Allston, MA @ Great Scott

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DALEK
4/01 Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
4/02 Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
4/04 Austin, TX @ Emo’s
4/05 Dallas, TX @ Palladium Loft
4/07 Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse
4/08 San Diego, CA @ Casbah
4/09 Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theater
4/10 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
4/12 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
4/14 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
4/15 Denver, CO @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
4/16 Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
4/24 Paris, France @ Glaz’art
4/25 Mâcon, France @ La Cave
4/26 Bourgoin-Jallieu, France @ Electrochoc Festival
4/28 Tourcoing, France @ Le Grand Mix
4/29 Nancy, France @ L’Autre Canal
4/30 Belfort, France @ La Poudrière
5/02 Amiens, France @ La Lune des Pirates
5/03 Le Havre, France @ Le Cabaret Electrique
5/05 Nantes, France @ L’Olympic
5/06 Annecy, France @ Le Brise Glace
5/07 Poligny, France @ Le Moulin de Brainans
5/08 Lyon, France @ Nuits Sonores Festival
5/10 Marseilles, France @ Cabaret Aléatoire (Noise Festival)
5/11 Moers, Germany @ Moers Festival

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KNUT
4/12 4/12 Lausanne, Waadt @ Romandie
4/22 Saint-Jean de Vedas (Languedoc-Roussillon) @ Secret place
4/23 St-Lys / Toulouse, Midi-Pyrénées @ Terre Blanque
4/24 Bilbao/Barakaldo, Vizcaya @ Edaska
4/25 Barroselas, Viana do Castelo @ Open Air
4/26 Madrid, Madrid @ Pub Lullaby

Tom Neely + Ron Bradford = Big Beautiful Branches (said in Esther's asian accent...)

We'll have a limited number of these prints available at the show as well as on our webstore (if we've got any left).

Henry Owings reminded us that Harvey Milk is from Athens, not Atlanta, so please make note of that. He seemed pissed about it.

Oops, we did it again...we just can't stop...really, its becoming a problem. This SXSW thing is a real bitch, but we just can't say no...but check it, we managed to pretty much KILL it on our line up. Again. This is Vol. 4, for those counting, and as you've come to expect from your friendly neighborhood Hydra Head, the line up represents precisely why 2008 has turned out to be a motherfucker of year for us...

Limited edition silkscreen prints of this years official poster will be available at the shows. The poster marks the first collaborative work between our very own Ron Bradford and newest best friend Tom Neely. Prints courtesy of Wez at Burlesque.

Shout out to Heatseeker, OMG and Boris who were all scheduled at one point and then couldn't make it for various reasons...ya'll are ALWAYS welcome...but you know that already.

Shout out to Craig from SXSW who's got to have the most stressful job we can imagine. Your patience and assistance is mucho appreciated.

Shout out to Jared Cannon and Red 7 for hosting us for the first time. Jared's an old family member, so we're happy to be working with him and his new club.

HHR vs SXSW 2008
date: Friday, March 14th 2008
time: 7pm-2am
venue: Red 7, 611 E 7th St, Austin, TX 78701 (512) 476-8100
line up:
Helms Alee (Seattle WA) 8pm
Everlovely Lightningheart (Los Angeles CA) 8:45pm
Stove Bredsky (Boston MA) 9:30pm
Clouds (Boston MA) 10:15pm
Dalek (New York NY) 11:00pm
Kayo Dot (New York NY) 11:45pm
Harvey Milk (Athens GA) 12:30am
Torche (Miami FL) 1:15am

Set times, Poster image, and more news to follow...