Dusted Features Every Friday, Dusted Magazine publishes a series of music-related lists determined by our favorite artists. This week: A lengthy testimonial from John Moloney of the shamanistic ensemble Sunburned Hand of the Man. Tweet

Listed: Sunburned Hand of the Man

The Massachusetts “social sound” outfit Sunburned Hand of the Man is on the lips of audio fashionistas from New England to Northern California. The 11 member group share affinities with the No Neck Blues Band, tying together folk, classic rock, free jazz, improv and even some Krautrock to knit tight accessible packets of soul food. The Man incorporates guitar, flutes, drums, keyboards, congas, djembe, trumpet and whatever else the crowd throws on stage to meld their addictive amalgam and are taking their act on the road for the next few weeks. Check out the tour dates below. If you can’t make it to a live show, there might be a few copies left of their heady Headdress on Records. Contact ron@spiritoforr.com for more info.

Sunburned Hand of the Man U.S. Tour 2003

June 13 - Sacramento at Capitol Garage w/ Klondike & York
June 14 - Eugene at Samurai Duck
June 15 - Seattle at Sunset Tavern w/ Herzog,Messenger Girls, Corsano / Shoup
June 16 - Olympia or Portland TBA w/ Corsano / Shoup
June 17 - Seattle w/ Kinski, Kawabata
June 21 - Wasilla, Alaska Paul & Val from Astral Blessing's wedding
June 22 - Fairbanks, Alaska at the Loon w/ Astral Blessing
July 6 - Boston at the Berwick Institute w/ Comets on Fire, Plastic Crimewave, Flaherty Corsano
July 10 - Brooklyn at Northsix w/ Comets on Fire, Major Stars
July 11 - Manhattan at Pianos w/ Comets on Fire, Six Organs of Admittance

List of 10 or What's On My Mind These Days

1. Magnetic Drugs – We put together this CD joint in an hour the other day and its one of the best Sunburned pieces I’ve ever heard. Good ol’ Heather Leigh Murray’s got one coming, the rest of you can only pick it up on our tour. YAAA!! (ed. – shameless!).

2. No Neck Blues Band – Say no more. For all of your half-cooked outfits doin’ it these days, these folks are the REAL DEAL. Original Gangsters. Don’t be fooled by their looks because these guys don’t go around huggin’ trees or soapboxin’ politics on the streets – these guys are human crack living, super addictive and dangerous. A NNCK show is an instant rush that will leave you shiverin’ for more. And they do it EVERY time. They are the pure drugs, Living Bibles, a true inspiration for me. Go and hunt down anything and everything you can find by these guys and do it quick or we’ll kill you.

3. 10 Bands I’d Drum For:

1. Bob Dylan’s band – Anytime, anywhere.
2. Sonic Youth or the follow up to Psychic Hearts by Thurston Moore (where is it by the way?) - Whatever, I’ll do it.
3. Dr. John when he gets the Gris-Gris band back together – I got this De Niro in ‘Angel Heart’ get up that would look good behind the kit, if not, I could just stand around with a .38 snub-nose tucked into my jock.
4. Snoop Dogg – Anyone seen that recent video on BET of the live house party track off his recent album? That’s what I’m talkin’ about Bitch!
5. Foo Fighters – I love that drum style, so tight.
6. The Melvins – Who doesn’t want to drum for those guys?
7. Motorhead – Nasty booze juice music.
8. Taj Mahal – Seriously underrated, check him out.
9. Suntanama – Yo guys Hart & Kruetzmann, Trucks & Jaimoe, Ali & Jones, Corsano & Franklin., Yo! Moose & Moloney doublin’ up on the skins, the bar tab, and any fools that get wise!
10. High Rise – Does a stroke last an hour? The last time I saw these guys their drummer looked like he was having one.

4. Rap – Fuck off if you aren’t into it. RUN DMC, Biz Markie, Wu-Tang, NWA, Ice Mothafuckin’ T, B-Boys – Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head, Nas – Illmatic, Dr. Octagon, EPMD, Snoop Dogg, Genius, Raekwon, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, House of Pain, Dr. Dre, Urban Dance Squad. Ice Cube, the D.O.C. Funkmaster Flex, Gang Starr ... stuff’s on my mind every time I play.

5. Phil Franklin – Phil never practices or plays drums more than 5 minutes a month so when he hits the stage look out. And Yo! Check it out, we got Franklin & Corsano goin’ head to head on tour. I’ve been rockin’ out to some drum magic Phil laid out in April at a Sunburned studio session. When it rains look out because Franklin walks between the raindrops. He’s also a self trained liquor acrobat who can dangle from a ceiling and thread a nuclear needle at the same time. Keep your eyes open for the next round of Franklin’s Mint.

6. Scorces / Flaherty Corsano live in Brattleboro, Vt. Sat. May 3rd, 2003 – I’ve seen a load of shows in my life and the only other one that made me cry tears of beauty was Jane’s Addiction at the first Lollapalooza during the song ‘Three Days’ where at the song’ climax they had this video screen drop down and show this film of missle and bomb explosions while the band kept time. I was on acid and couldn’t believe the show they put on. I’m still a fan.
Well, this show with Scorces, Paul and Chris was just as mind-blowing for me. Just before the set I was talking with Paul and he had no idea how it was going to go because they’ve never tried this before. I’d seen Scorces and I’ve seen Paul and Chris many times so I had no idea what to expect either. I was skeptical, until they flipped me and the room right on its skullcase. Heather and Christina attacked their instruments while Paul and Chris laid down some grazing fire. Once the LZ was clear, Heather took her Demon pills and let the possession smoke take over her body and everyone’s minds in the room. It was an all out attack with Chris punching his drums and Paul playing like I’d imagine a cornered autistic hermit to sound like when you took away his spider. This was a truly eye opening set and what made me cry was when, at the set’s climax, I saw Corsano, the Drum-Killer, launch himself off the top of his bass drum 5 feet horizontally Superfly Snuka style and drop the elbow on his ride cymbal which then crumbled under the violence. I’ll never forget that sound the cymbal made for the rest of my life and I thank the Stars that the set was on my video camera. The set ended with some blood and broken glass and a lot of genuine smiles from the players. I saw some people take it to their next level and it was a beauty to watch. I’m lucky to know these folks.

7. Van Halen – If you don’t own Fair Warning, get it You’d probably spend $2. Eddie’s so-called ‘Brown Sound’ guitar, the ‘what the fuck is he talking about!?’ lyric stylings of my man, Roth. Alex, the weirdest looking drummer around. Also big props to the production team of Ted Templeman and Don Landee. I laid the last two tracks on some of the Sunburneds last week and they thought it was the new Mindflayer.

8. Comets on Fire / Six Organs of Admittance – Now I haven’t seen Comets live yet – that day is upon us soon when we’ll be playing together – but their records make me want to outfit my car with a dashboard LP deck so I can cruise the streets in my Voodoo Suit on a drughunt. These guys are the most freshest sounding heavy hitting band for the new molonium and you can take that to the bank! Chasny is the Magic Man, I suggest you all get in line behind the leader.

9. Vibracathedral Orchestra – I walked into the Loft last week and Mike had this on the box. I said, “When the hell did we do this!? This is the fuckin’ nut!” and Mike said ‘No, this is Vibracathedral.” I was amazed. Really nice shit. Neil Campbell had contacted me the day before I heard this music about trading some stuff and now I have a load of Vibracathedral to get loose with. Looking forward to playing with these guys later this year.

10. The Shape I’m In – ‘Life is good, isn’t it?’ Well, this is it for me. Guys like Dredd Foole and Joshua Burkett always playin’ it from the heart. It's an honor to know and play with these guys and I can’t wait to get my hands on their new records. Astral Blessing laying down some of the heaviest heavy I’ve seen in years. Waiting around for the Mountains of Matallama to put somethin’ out, I’m a patient man. Most of you folks reading this are waiting on them too, you don’t even know it. Tom Greenwood and Jackie-O doin’ it! It’s great to see good people in the spotlight. The Miighty Flashlight got me hooked . Brother JT’s another guy I can’t get enough of, can’t wait to check it live. Everybody making it happen out in Amherst, Son of Earth, the Believers, Willie Lane. MV/EE’s new blues up in Vermont. Ron and Dave at Surefire puttin’ their money where their mouth is. Eloe Omoe ready to rock their record, Lightning Bolt / Mindflayer, the Twisted Village posse, Angela Alden’s Phenomenological Boys, Yeah! Time Lag Records puttin’ out the goods up in Maine, Ed Hardy with his Eclipse Records, Sonic Youth, Sun City Girls, Suntanama, hittin’ the road, etc etc etc....

11. Van Morrison – “T.B. Sheets” – Now, when this song light's up my late-night fireside, my head goes to that zone where Sunburned goes when Robo takes the bass handles and steers that Craft right into that familiar fancy sweet smellin’ fog. That’s where the words come from, my antenna gets the best reception and the clarity may as well be prophecy ’cause Van the Man is Old Testament, and I believe.

Well, that’s about all. Thanks and good day.
John Moloney
Sunburned Hand of the Man

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