Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
Portland, Oregon’s modern psych-rock sisterhood BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT are now buckled down and hard at work on the band’s next record release.
The as-yet-untitled album, the follow-up to the band’s acclaimed 2018 self-titled introduction, is expected to arrive this October, once again from RidingEasy Records. Before that happens, BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT reveals they shall embark upon a spring European Tour at the end of April, which includes stops at the Desertfests in London and Berlin. Preceding the run, they will hold a kickoff show in their hometown of Portland on April 16th, and perform at the highly-anticipated inaugural Psycho Smokeout Festival in Los Angeles on 4/20.
Upon their public arrival via last year’s aforementioned eponymous breakout, praise and accolades for BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT‘s musical meld of heavy, heady rock quickly exploded. It served to validate the band’s founder, vocalist, and bassist Allison “Sunny“ Faris‘ original plans of forming an all-female band, one that would experiment and explore more unconventional approaches to music crafting.
Faris elaborates:
“I wanted to experiment with my own version of what felt ‘heavy’ both sonically and emotionally. I also wanted a band in which vulnerability of any form could be celebrated. In my last band, I was the only female in a group of 6, so I wanted to see how my songwriting and vulnerability could glow taking the driver’s seat and working with women.”
With guitarist and vocalist Laura Hopkins, second guitarist Mikayla Mayhew, synth player Sarah Mckenna, and new drummer, Eliese Dorsay, Faris seems to have succeeded beyond her own expectations. Fans of BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT will soon be presented with opportunities to experience this for themselves when the band appears at the following events (listed below).
– BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT 2019 Live Dates –
Apr. 16 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge (w/ R.I.P.)
Apr. 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Psycho Smokeout Festival
– European Tour –
Apr. 26 – Linz, AT @ Stadtwerkstatt
May 01 – Bristol, UK @ The Lanes
May 02 – Newcastle, UK @ Trillans
May 03 – London, UK @ Desertfest London
May 04 – Liege, BE @ La Zone
May 05 – Berlin, DE @ Desertfest Berlin
May 08 – Malmo, SE @ Plan B
May 09 – Stockholm, SE @ Undergangen
May 10 – Gothenburg, SE @ W Truckstop Alaska
May 11 – Esbjerg, DK @ Esbjerg Fuzzfestival
May 13 – Oldenburg, DE @ MTS LP Store
May 14 – Berlin, DE @ Zukunft
May 15 – Vienna, AT @ Aerena Beisl
May 16 – Olten, CH @ Coq’D’or
May 17 – Innsbruck, AT @ PMK
