The Blood, Tears and Thunder DUB song is the second single from Chopper Franklin’s “Spaghetti Western Dub No.1”, the upcoming album out 1/26/24 on Ratchet Blade Records. The lyric video uses clips from the spaghetti westerns “If You Meet Sartana Pray For Your Death” (1968) and “Death Rides a Horse” (1967, both in the public domain.) It also features news clips displaying the violence between the PNP (whose leader was Michael Manley) and the JLP (led by Reagan-stooge Edward Seaga, who had ordered the 1976 assassination attempt on Bob Marley) both during, and after, the contentious 1980 Jamaican elections.
“This is well worth a look if you have any interest in Spaghetti Music and or Dub. Chopper Franklin’s latest project is a combination of the two so as far as I’m concerned it can’t go far wrong. The single is great and the production is top notch, I can’t wait for the rest of it …Brilliant.” Spaghetti Western Daily
In the spirit of The Clash, Bad Brains’ and Public Image Limited’s brews of reggae and punk, Franklin takes his original Spaghetti Western compositions and remixes them with the deep, bass-heavy rhythms and echo-drenched soundscapes of Dub. The album features vocals by Mather Louth and the Phantom of the Black Hills.
December 8, 2023 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Mather featured on Chopper Franklin’s New Spaghetti Western Dub Song
The Heathen Apostles will be appearing at Bar Sinister, Southern California’s premiere Gothic club, this Friday, December 8th. Also on the bill at the show at Bar Sinister will be Jason Charles Miller and Carrellee, and it will feature DJ Purgatory.
December 4, 2023 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Heathen Apostles performing at Bar Sinister
The Heathen Apostles’ Chopper Franklin’s “The Scorpion Says DUB” is the first single from the album “Spaghetti Western Dub No. 1” (out January 26, 2024 on Ratchet Blade Records). It’s groundbreaking Spaghetti Western Dub music that fuses the vast, arid landscapes of Spaghetti Western music and the heavy rhythms of Dub Reggae, and features Mather on vocals. You can listen and download HERE, and watch the lyric video HERE.
In the spirit of The Clash, Bad Brains’ and Public Image Limited’s brews of reggae and punk, Franklin takes his original Spaghetti Western compositions and remixes them with the deep, bass-heavy, echo-drenched soundscapes of Dub.
In a world where music can often feel predictable, Chopper Franklin’s upcoming album offers a refreshing departure from the ordinary. Known for his relentless energy and innovation, Chopper has played with legendary bands and artists (The Cramps, Wanda Jackson, Nick Curran), as well as creating his own projects, often pushing the boundaries of musical genres. “Spaghetti Western Dub No. 1” also features the epic vocals of Chopper’s bandmate Mather Louth (Heathen Apostles) and Ratchet Blade Records labelmate the Phantom of the Black Hills (hillbilly/thrash outlaws). They’ve sang on genre-bending songs like “The Scorpion Says Dub” (the album’s first single), “Blood, Tears and Thunder Dub” (a tale of a good man forced into an outlaw gang) and “The Ghost of a Believer Dub” (a story of a good romance gone bad) that transcend boundaries and invites listeners on an unforgettable journey.
The “Spaghetti Western Dub No. 1” album will be released on Ratchet Blade Records, a label known for its dedication to unique and innovative music. With an impressive roster of artists who push boundaries and challenge expectations, Ratchet Blade Records is the perfect platform for this innovative musical experiment.
November 17, 2023 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Mather to appear on new Chopper Franklin single “The Scorpion Says DUB”
From the Heathen Apostles Instagram: Heathen Apostles are proud to announce their new partnership with Rocky Road Touring (@rockyroadtouring), a bespoke agency with offices in both the United States as well as the United Kingdom.
The band is excited for this new chapter, as the agency is already home to a large selection of icons spanning across the many sects of gothic music (such as Peter Murphy, Sisters of Mercy, Killing Joke, Fields of the Nephilim, and Diamanda Galas). Henceforth, the band will be represented abroad by agent Dana McDonald, and any booking inquiries should be directed to her via dana@rockyroadtouring.com. Offers are already starting to come in for 2024, so if y’all want us in your neck of the woods, be sure to reach out.
In the 1990’s Dana was invited to move to NYC to take the position as Exclusive Talent Buyer for the legendary, Coney Island High. The list of artists whom she booked and promoted at this point is an innovative, exciting, and very diverse roster including The Damned, Modest Mouse, John Cale, Incubus, Alan Vega, 311, Queens of the Stone Age, The Ramones ( last NYC show ) and the list goes on. Around the year 2000, Coney Island High closed and lots of her beloved artists came to her directly asking her to book them a NYC show. She ended up booking them tours rather, and also separately, managing artists, and her agency, DNA Artists was born. She also continued her career as an independent promoter in NYC cultivating weekly and annual events such as Small Beast and The Official ,Annual, Lou Reed Birthday celebration which she continues to co-produce and curate.
From 2017 and up until March 2020 Dana was Head Talent Buyer for renowned NYC venues, The Bowery Electric and Berlin ( NYC) where she booked and promoted 50 local, national, and international shows per month. Most recently she has been specializing in Artist development and booking International Tours.
November 2, 2023 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Heathen Apostles Partnering With Rocky Road Touring
Recently Nashville DJ Eric Clark posted a “REACTS” video of the Heathen Apostles song (and Gothic Americana video for) “Death’s Head”. For the band, it’s always interesting to hear mainstream media’s take (he reviews Ryan Bingham and Oliver Anthony in the same batch) on what they do. While Eric definitely gets it, some don’t; it’s absolutely not for everybody. And that’s just the way they want it.
Death’s Head is the first of the Heathen Apostles videos from the Fire to the Fuse album, to preview and purchase it click HERE, on iTunes click HERE, for Amazon click HERE.
Directed by the Heathen Apostles
Director of Photography, Still Photography: Lawrence Drayton
Makeup by Alexi Petre
Wardrobe: Cheri Wilson Chagollan, Mather Louth
Snake Handler: Peggy Rivera
As if plucked from a surreal spaghetti western, Mather Louth and Chopper Franklin made quite the spectacle, striding down London’s Pentonville Road in full regalia. That enigmatic sight not only awakened that mysterious voice in one’s head, that in moments of aging self-doubt makes us slip back into our leather trousers and cut-off cowboy shirts, but also sparked a throwback to Lux Interior’s pre-show red wine chase at Sainsbury’s before a barnstormer at the Town and Country in Kentish Town, many, many moons ago.
The crowd erupted in jubilant cheers as the Heathen Apostles, giants of Gothic Americana, took the stage. Under the sonic leadership of the completely mesmerizing Mather Louth, with her stirring vocals and rhythmic guitar, they came alive. They dominated the stage as if they were vampire outlaws in a confrontation that could only end one way. Their performance, laced with elements of the surreal and the mysterious, unraveled like a vividly illustrated Nathaniel Hawthorne poem, with each musician playing a key part. Chopper Franklin’s fiendishly intricate guitar work, Thomas Lorioux‘s firm upright bass, and Luis Mascaro’s evocative violin added a rich depth to their sound.
With the first haunting notes of Paint the Stars, we were swept away on a spiritual journey deep into the heart of Gothic Americana. The set was a gripping ride through spectral ballads and propulsive rock anthems that navigated through shadowy and mystifying terrains. Mather Louth’s resonant vocals, laced with an eerie undercurrent, twined with Mascaro’s assertive fiddle, piercing the creeping fog of dry ice, and stirring images of phantom prairies and forsaken souls. Her voice flowed seamlessly with Chopper Franklin’s guitar, which spun complex webs of sound, vibrating with the soul of Gothic storytelling.
The crowd was held captive by Mather’s powerful voice during songs like Lily of the West. Simultaneously, Chopper’s feverish guitar work in Gravedigger’s Song and Long Gone Lonesome Blues created a seamless blend of Americana with Gothic allure. The musicians’ harmonious interplay, bolstered by Lorioux’s rhythmic prowess and Mascaro’s poignant violin, further captivated the audience during Two for the Road and Without a Trace.
The atmosphere was dense as Get Outta Dodge and The Reckoning reverberated through the venue, making its very foundations tremble. The spectral melodies, captivating visuals, and the dark allure crafted by Heathen Apostles surrounded the audience in a world between reality and the supernatural, evoking a sense of adventure and mystery.
As the twilight fell over Islington, the echoes of the soul-stirring fusion of Gothic Americana and Country and Western continued to reverberate through The Lexington. Even as the embers died down, we were left yearning for more. The Heathen Apostles had etched themselves into our dark hearts, ensuring their spectral melodies and mystical storytelling would stay with us long after the last note had faded into the night.
August 5, 2023 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Heathen Apostles in London – A Surreal Spaghetti Western
It was the night Bloodgrass came to the dark environs of the Six Six Bar in sleepy university city, an unusually large flock of jet-black crows seen above the ever-reaching spires of Cambridge. The portents were heavy and the anticipation was high. Cutting a swathe across the country on their first U.K. tour, Los Angeles outfit Heathen Apostles were bringing their Gothic grace to the many, whispers of good times and dark murder ballads an irresistible draw.
Heathen Apostles have been casting their own particular spell for a decade now, their own brand of blackened Americana bringing a stark and much needed contrast to the saccharine filled confection that Nashville has made its billions from. They’re an incredibly tight and powerful outfit, the only thing bloated being the rotting corpses in their songs. There’s an authenticity here that keys into the reality of the Old West, grit sprinkled with the Gothic as if Tim Burton directed TV show ‘Deadwood’ but toned down his more archly camp sensibilities. Certainly, the musicianship is dazzling and the songs themselves reveling with an intoxicating atmosphere.
Whilst the lighting in the Six Six is always frustratingly mainly from the back with little to shine onto the performers except light from the bar itself, the darkness and backlit effect worked well in this instance, the band bathed in red and somewhat shadowy. With the glorious voice of Mather Louth, tinted with a Southern burr, the Apostles have the perfect singer to tell tales of things that should be left in the twilight world between Heaven and Hell, her delivery bringing it all to life. Next to her, the foreboding tall, thin figure of Chopper Franklin exudes rock ‘n’ roll from his every move, his guitar and mandolin used with dexterous and deadly intent. Completing the quartet, the driving upright bass of Thomas Lorioux is a thunderous and relentless force, breathless in its drive and the violin playing of Luis Mascaro is the lightning to Lorioux’s thunder as it darts in and out, sometimes dancing but equally capable of bringing a deftly unsettling air.
Capable of doing elegiac as well as the frantic, there’s a great dynamic at play as the heavy ‘Death’s Head’ and a galloping ‘Fools Gold’ stand shoulder to shoulder with the frisky ‘Shady Grove’ and the folk of ‘Roots Run Deep’. New material hits the spot too as ‘Black Hawk’ illustrates just what a rich seam of material they’re digging and with ‘Gravediggers’ touchingly dedicated to the late, great Mark Lanegan and the grandeur of their cover of Hank Williams ‘Ramblin’ Man’, the outfit show they’ve certainly got the style and talent to continue to work this fertile land.
Closing with the buoyant drinking song ‘Two More for the Road’ and a tremendous ‘Without a Trace’, this black-clad gang rode out of town with smiles on their faces, their job here done and their willing victims slain by glorious murder ballads. Magnificent.
Review by Paul Monkhouse
July 27, 2023 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Heathen Apostles Live – Good Times and Dark Murder Ballads
Gothic Americana supergroup The Heathen Apostles at The Edge of The Wedge, Southsea: ‘Dark and delicious fun’ | Review If you’re familiar with the gritty western TV show Deadwood, you could imagine The Heathen Apostles as the ideal inhouse band for Al Swearengen’s Gem Saloon. By Chris Broom
If not (and why not?) picture a dusty, wild west town where talk is cheap and life is cheaper still – but with a great soundtrack.
Hailing from Los Angeles, the four-piece play a gothic take on Americana and bluegrass – which they have aptly dubbed ‘bloodgrass’. And the band walk it like they talk it – no casual jeans and T-shirts here – the men are dressed in funeral-black suits while frontwoman Mather Louth cuts a striking pose with her waist-length red hair. They look as if they could have stepped off the high plains circa 1890.
Over the course of five albums and various EPs the band have carved themselves a distinctive niche.
Louth’s voice veers from the beguilingly sweet to a snarl that suggests you’d better not cross her.
The set draws on their own material as well as several well-picked covers, including a brace from the ‘hillbilly Shakespeare’, Hank Williams, Sr – Ramblin’ Man and Long Gone Lonesome Blues, the latter getting as close to pure country as this band allow. Another welcome cover is the haunting, natural fit of Mark Lanegan’s Gravedigger’s Song – another artist who was more than a little in touch with his dark side.
Guitarist/mandolin player Chopper Franklin is a veteran of the late-’70s punk scene, and at times attacks his instruments like he’s still in one of those bands. He is an imposing, impressive figure, towering over Louth.
Meanwhile the fingers of Thomas Lorioux on standup bass are frequently a blur as he anchors the others with his furious basslines.
Along the way there are murder ballads, a hefty heap of heaven’n’hell, and plenty of booze – the main set finishes with their own song, Two For The Road.
The final encore, a thundering The Reckoning, is preceded by violinist Luis Mascaro’s blistering version of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor – a piece more typically associated with the organ. I can comfortably say I’ve never heard anything like it. If the devil came down to Southsea instead of Georgia, he would have surely lost his bet again.
This has been the band’s first, long overdue UK tour. Devil willing, they’ll be back soon for more dark and delicious fun.
July 21, 2023 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Heathen Apostles Review – Gritty Western Music
It’s been seven years to the day since the Heathen Apostles blew fans of Gothic Americana music away with their unique cover of Merle Haggard’s classic song “Misery and Gin.” Their haunting, Gothic Western-style rendition of the classic track expertly uses haunting strings and the ethereal vocals of Mather Louth to create a brooding, melancholic soundscape. It’s a style that the band has become revered for, and it’s on full display in this unforgettable rendition. Louth’s voice, in particular, is a standout in the track- it’s powerful and emotive, yet restrained, perfectly capturing the raw emotions of the lyrics.
Seven years on from the release of the “Misery and Gin” cover, the Heathen Apostles remain at the forefront of Gothic Americana music. Their unique blend of genres and exceptional musicianship has garnered them a passionate fanbase around the world. And, of course, their talent for reimagining classic tracks like “Misery and Gin” ensures that their Gothic Western-style version will continue to captivate listeners for years to come.
Directed by the Heathen Apostles
Mather Louth as The Dead-Eye Gal Chopper Franklin as The Howlin Gun
Mister Luz as Black Bart/Buffalo Bill Cody
Natasha Paulson as The Country Girl
Stevyn Grey as The Peacemaker
Timbo Gruse as The Bartender
Ayriel Hartman as The Flirt
Lauren Foulk and Damian Stellabott as The Couple
Special FX aging makeup: Jennifer Corona
Beauty makeup: Alexia Petre
Wardrobe: Cheri Wilson Chagollan, Chopper Franklin, Mather Louth
Shot at Wonderland Studios (Anaheim, Ca., thanks to Cheri Wilson Chagollan www.wonderlandstudiosoc.com) and Johnny’s Bar (Highland Park, Ca., thanks to Zak Crandell and Romina Corilla).
Post Production at the Devil’s Doghouse, Echo Park, Ca.
Gothic Americana supergroup The Heathen Apostles make their Portsmouth live debut: ‘We’re lean and mean and ready to do it!’ | Portsmouth News Interview If you take a pinch of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, a touch of Bauhaus, plus the blues of Howlin’ Wolf, Loretta Lynn and Bessie Smith, as well as a hefty dose of the dark sound of the Appalachians, then you’re getting close to the dark sound of the Heathen Apostles. But perhaps the band hit upon the best epithet for their gothic Americana with the atmospherically titled Bloodgrass EPs, currently numbering four volumes in total. This is roots music that revels in the dark side.
The band was created in 2013 by vocalist Mather Louth, formerly of ‘swamp jazz’ band Radio Noir, and guitarist Chopper Franklin, a multi-instrumentalist known for his past with garage-rock legends The Cramps and cult punks the Mau Maus among others. They recruited upright bassist Thomas Lorioux, from the group The Kings of Nuthin’, and violinist Luis Mascaro. Based in Los Angeles, they are making their long-awaited UK debut this month, including a date at The Wedgewood Rooms in Southsea.
Heathen Apostles. Picture by Rebecca Van Der Schaft
As we discuss their roots, Chopper says: ‘For me it goes way back. Almost every band I’ve been in has been roots-music based, even the punk band the Maus Maus I was in back in the early ’80s, we were very heavily based in R&B and The Stones and The [New York] Dolls, and still had that aggressiveness, and there was a little bit of that goth – early-’80s goth-rock is just the best – and it kind of evolved from that.
‘I’ve been in gothabilly bands and cowpunk, and it’s always had that roots base, which I loved. It was right there in my first band, everyone listened to blues and R&B and reggae and being exposed to that as a teenager, I saw this as an evolution of that. We definitely lean more towards the gothic-Americana in that we are doing the country and the bluegrass, and there’s some of that blues and R&B, a little gypsy jazz here and there – you throw it in a big stew and mix it all up and hopefully it’s palatable.
The two met through mutual acquaintances. ‘I’d see her see at some of the local clubs around here,’ recalls Chopper. ‘We ran into each other at a party – it’s just two blocks from where we now live, ironically, and I mentioned that I wanted to do this project, something along these lines. It had always been a dream of mine to have a project with all of these influences. I mentioned it to her, it was just an idea at that time, and I had to finish up another project. I gave her two songs, she came over and sang on one of them, in the studio here and it was just magic. I knew she was going to be the singer. It was Dark Was The Night, which was our first real single we put out. ‘Everything else fell into place. We did things a bit backwards – we recorded our album and shot our video before we even played a show, so we were able to put this whole thing together and present it to musicians and collaborators and show promoters as: “This is what it is”.
And as you can see from the pictures, the band has a strong visual aspect. ‘I’m self-taught in that regard and I’ve had amazing mentors over the years. It’s always been an interest of mine, so the band has been a good platform for me to experiment with that sort of thing. In certain videos we just come up with these crazy visual concepts, like I’m a resurrected moth woman and Chopper is resuscitating from a bone circle – just go with it…!
‘The videos are really where we have fun and over the years we’ve been blessed to work with friends of ours who are very talented directors or digital artists. We did this one video that was inspired by German expressionism, and it’s all black and white – it’s awesome. It offers more of the realm that our music exists in and the way that we see it.
The band’s most recent release is the single Gothic Western Haunts single for ‘weird west’ animated series The Goodbye Family, which Chopper also writes the score for. ‘Lorin (Morgan-Richards, the show’s creator) reached out to us during the pandemic,’ explains Chopper. ‘He’s been making that comic for quite a while and it’s his take on gothic western, and he’s heavily influenced by the original Addams Family as well. He decided he was going to do an animated series and he reached out to us to do the music. It’s worked really well.
While much of their material is original, the band is no stranger to a well-chosen cover song too. ‘That’s always fun,’ says Chopper, ‘especially once you’ve determined with your band what your sound is and what you want to put out there, to grab a song that’s not quite the genre, but is a great song… We did Echo and The Bunnymen, but we’ve also done old Irish and English murder ballads and everything in between.’
On 2019’s Dust to Dust they also tackled the haunting folk song In The Pines, perhaps more familiar to modern audiences as Where Did You Sleep Last Night? by Nirvana on their Unplugged album. And that’s not to mention Gershwin’s classic Summertime on Bloodgrass, Vol.1. ‘Especially with a song like that, it’s a challenge because it’s been done so many times and it’s been interpreted so many times – how do you make it fresh?’ says Mather of the latter song. ‘For me, filter it through your own lens. I’ve had people come up to me and say: “That was really ballsy that you guys covered that, because everyone’s covered it, but yours is unique somehow”. As long as you put yourself into it and put what you love into it, it’s what’s unique to you. When you’re trying to flat-out recreate a song, that’s where you have that magic opportunity.’
Edited for space, for more on the Heathen Apostles’ dark sound of the Appalachians by Chris Broom, read the full interviewHERE.
July 11, 2023 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Heathen Apostles – Dark Sound of the Appalachians
Today marks the eighth anniversary of the Heathen Apostles’ Gothic Americana style music video for their song “Fool’s Gold.” Released in 2015, this dark and cinematic video transports us back to the Depression era, where bank robbers are seeking refuge in a fortune teller’s lair after a heist. “Fool’s Gold” is undoubtedly one of their most popular songs, and the music video took it to another level. The video was directed by the band and the song was produced by Chopper Franklin. The video follows a gang of bank robbers as they seek refuge in a mysterious and otherworldly lair. The fate of these robbers is determined by Mather Louth’s fortune teller character, who has a magical connection to the spirits of the underworld.
The use of shadows, light, and symbolism further adds to the video’s atmospheric and eerie ambiance. The video shows us the consequences of greed and violence, as the robbers who seek to escape with their loot end up trapped in a cycle of fear. Louth’s fortune teller character represents a higher power that has the power to judge and punish, much like the spirits of the afterlife.
It’s a testament to the talent and creativity of the Heathen Apostles and their collaborators who brought it to life. The band continues to release new and exciting music that pushes the boundaries with their Gothic Americana style, so hold tight to see what they have in store in the future.
Directed by The Heathen Apostles.
Director of Photography, Still Photography: Lawrence Drayton
Band footage shot by Daniel DeLeon
Makeup: Alexia Petre
Wardrobe: Nicole Loretta of Paper Moon Vintage
Henna: Kelly Jurado
Locations: Marsak Manor (thanks Nathan & Nicole) and South Bay Customs
Fool’s Gold written by Louth/Franklin, produced & mixed by Chopper Franklin at the Devil’s Doghouse, Echo Park, Ca.
The dates have been finalized for the Heathen Apostles UK tour. The first show is on 13 July, 2023, it will be their first one of the United Kingdom. There are 18 dates and will be built around their appearance at the Rustic Stomp Festival in Dorset, Poole on 15 July. The band will be shooting a southern gothic music video for their next single from their current release Bloodgrass Vol. 3 & 4. You can get tour promotion information from Hawkeye Houlihan at hawkeyesbanjo (at) hotmail.com.
Heathen Apostles UK tour:
Thurs 13th July – Cobblestones, Bridgewater, UK
Fri 14th July – The Treehouse, Frome, UK
Sat 15th July – Rustic Stomp, Dorset, UK
Sun 16th July – Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth, UK
Mon 17th July – video shoot
Tues 18th July – The Cellar Bar, Bournemouth, UK
Wed 19th July – Lexington, London, UK
Thurs 20th July – The Reindeer, Norwich, UK
Fri 21st July – Facebar, Reading, UK
Sat 22nd July – Endorset Festival, UK 2023 (afternoon set)
Sat 22nd July – Tap & Grape, Poole, UK (evening set)
Sun 23rd July – Christchurch Festival, Christchurch, UK
Mon 24th July – The Six Six Bar, Cambridge, UK
Tue 25th July – The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham, UK
Wed 26th July – The Anchor Inn Wingham, Canterbury, UK
Thurs 27th July – Prince Albert, Brighton, UK
Fri 28th July – The Plough, Torrington, UK
Sat 29th July – The Cavern, Exeter, UK
Sun 30th July – The Pig, Hastings, UK
Born of the voices of past lives and baptized in the dust bowl dirt, the Gothic Americana music of the Heathen Apostles harkens back to a bygone chapter of American history. Using contrasting influences such as Bauhaus, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and The Pogues along with Howlin’ Wolf, Loretta Lynn (the band covers her classic Fist City) and Bessie Smith, the Heathen Apostles have created a style of music that at once conjurs both angels and demons, and will enlighten a darkened soul.
June 7, 2023 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Heathen Apostles Tour and Southern Gothic Music Video
The Gothic Western gallery show “Dead End Trail” is opening June 3rd 6-10 PM at Copro Nason Gallery in Santa Monica, California. It will contain new paintings by Sean Cheetham, Kate Zambrano, Sonya Palencia and Jeff Nentrup. The Gothic Western gallery will feature two extraordinary oil paintings of Mather Louth and Chopper Franklin of the Gothic Western band the Heathen Apostles that was painted by Sean Cheetham. The title of the Mather painting is “There in the Ground, My Buried Heart”, and the title of the Chopper painting is “All of our Vows, in Death Did Part”, both lines from the Heathen Apostle’s song “Deadly Nightshade”.
Mather Louth and Chopper Franklin
Sean Cheetham’s paintings have been included in numerous significant exhibitions internationally including the National Portrait Gallery in London. He has a devoted following of collectors and art students that are inspired by his work and distinctive technique. Cheetham’s selection of subjects typically in familiar urban scenes contributes a truthful and often raw spirit that makes his work distinctive and a contemporary testimony of our time.
Kate Zambrano is a self-taught artist living in California. She was born in Texas, but decided to leave at age seventeen to begin a semi-nomadic lifestyle. She enrolled in college to study psychology, but after a while, she realized that she was more into the subject than pursuing an actual career in the field.
Sonya Palencia, is a painter, illustrator, sculptor and woodcarver, whose work celebrates nature and the mystical with the romantic aesthetics of the old world. As a child, Sonya began creating art and studying the nearby wilderness, historical landmarks, and the extraordinary past of her native California.
As a Southern California native, Jeffrey Nentrup developed a love for art and nature at a young age. After years of painting digitally in the high-octane commercial art ranks and working on marquee projects for A-list clients (Dreamworks, Warner Bros., Universal, Sony, Disney, Paramount, NASA) and a top cover artist who’s artwork has been featured on dozens of novels worldwide, Jeff has returned to the immediacy of his first love, oil painting.
May 13, 2023 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Heathen Apostles in Gothic Western Gallery Show
The Rustic Stomp, Dorset’s finest Roots Festival is bringing together a plethora of local, national and international artists to give you the finest bluegrass, gothic western hoedown, blues, swamp stomp, country-based festival, with tractors, that money can buy. Three days of music and merriment are all wrapped within the Rustic aesthetic. This year’s Rustic Stomp will also include historic vehicles and a Well Bean hub within the festival arena.This year’s festival brings together three of the Crawdaddy festival brands under one roof, as it were. The Wonky Donk stage will feature the best of hoedown, country and hillbilly music. The Dark Holler stage takes a slightly, well, darker comedic look at life and the Organford stage is a more accessible, easy listening venue.
The event opens up on a ticketed event headlined by local foot-stompers The Jimmy Hillbillies throwing down their Dorset Hoedown for the masses. Friday night features the mighty Frank from Blue Velvet from Hastings and taking the Roots scene by storm, local skiffle kings Quinn’s Quinney, as well as Burg and the Vagabond Choir and festival favourites The Curst Sons. Saturday has a real heavy weight feel to it with international superstars the Heathen Apostles featuring ex-Cramps member Chopper Franklin, headlining the event. Texas Swing outfit the Bootheel Playboys, Dead Horse Bay, a plethora of local artists on the Dungaville Stage and London’s finest banjo player and builder Flatfoot Johnny. Sunday takes a stronger turn towards the genre of Country with the amazing Sarah Vista headlining.
The history of the Rustic Stomp goes back over 10 years, when Hawkeye Houlihan and some friends put on a little festival at the Donkey Sanctuary at Home Farm, Lytchet. The aim then was to help rescue donkeys by putting on some great rustic music that people would love. Well, the donkeys are rescued now and the festival is growing, its aim to put the Dorset ‘roots’ scene on the map. The festival is also looking to grow and has moved to a new, more accessible site at Pike’s Farm, Organford. “Each year we are aiming to increase the accessibility of this type of music to a wider audience and promote the local artists that provide the backbone to the scene, as well as bring in some top-ranking national and international stars” says Hawkeye.
The Rustic Stomp is on from the evening of Thursday 13th July until Sunday 16th July and takes place at Pikes Farm, Organford, Dorset. Weekend tickets are £86.40, day tickets from £27.50.
April 2, 2023 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on The Rustic Stomp Festival – Gothic Western Hoedown
10 years ago today the Heathen Apostles put out their first music video, The Reckoning. The band filmed the Western Goth music video before they played their first show, when the Heathen Apostles were just the OG trio of Mather Louth, Chopper Franklin and Thomas Lorioux. It’s the first thing they put out so this is pretty much the 10th anniversary of the band, they’ve really been hard at it non-stop. Violinist Luis Mascaro joined just after this, they’ve put out 6 albums, several EPs and singles, toured Europe several times and are heading to the UK in July. While Corporate Music has been conglomerating (and cannibalizing) itself, they’ve managed to fly under the radar, doin’ their thing (which the band admits ain’t for everybody). Thanks to all past band members, and all that have supported us; whether it’s one download, or buying every release and piece of merch the Heathen Apostles have had for sale. Click HERE to watch The Reckoning video.
Click HERE to purchase the CD, to purchase it on iTunes click HERE, for Amazon click HERE.
Directed by the Heathen Apostles
Featuring Edward Colver as the Demonic Preacher.
Production assistance by Monica Blair and Thai Knight. Special thanks to Karin Swinney.
The Heathen Apostles UK tour will begin in July of 2023, it will be their first one of the United Kingdom. The 18 date swing will be built around their appearance at the Rustic Stomp Festival in Dorset, Poole on 15 July and will also feature a video shoot for their next single from their current release Bloodgrass Vol. 3 & 4. There are some dates that are still open or unconfirmed, you can get booking information from Hawkeye Houlihan at hawkeyesbanjo (at) hotmail.com.
Heathen Apostles UK tour:
Thurs 13th July – Cobblestones, Bridgewater, UK
Fri 14th July – The Treehouse, Frome, UK
Sat 15th July – Rustic Stomp, Dorset, UK
Sun 16th July – Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth, UK
Mon 17th July – video shoot
Tues 18th July – The Cellar Bar, Bournemouth, UK
Wed 19th July – Lexington, London, UK
Thurs 20th July – The Reindeer, Norwich, UK
Fri 21st July – Facebar, Reading, UK
Sat 22nd July – Endorset Festival, UK 2023 (afternoon set)
Sat 22nd July – Tap & Grape, Poole, UK (evening set)
Sun 23rd July – Christchurch Festival, Christchurch, UK
Mon 24th July – The Six Six Bar, Cambridge, UK
Tue 25th July – The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham, UK
Wed 26th July – The Anchor Inn Wingham, Canterbury, UK
Thurs 27th July – Prince Albert, Brighton, UK
Fri 28th July – The Plough, Torrington, UK
Sat 29th July – The Cavern, Exeter, UK
Sun 30th July – The Pig, Hastings, UK
“If there is such a thing in the current fringe roots genre as a supergroup, it would certainly be the Los Angeles-based dark roots and gothic country band Heathen Apostles, who includes ex-members of Radio Noir (Mather Louth), The Cramps (Chopper Franklin), Kings of Nuthin’ (Thomas Lorioux), and Christian Death (Stevyn Grey) in its ranks. That is one hell of a lineup.” – No Depression Magazine
January 31, 2023 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Heathen Apostles UK Tour in July 2023
The Goodbye Family has made the Vulture Magazine Top Ten list of the best animated series of 2022. The Gothic Western series was created by Lorin Morgan-Richards and features a theme song, as well as other music, from the Heathen Apostles. Heathen member Chopper Franklin also does the score and SFX, and he and vocalist Mather Louth are part of the show’s cast.
Willing to squash and stretch the television and streaming mediums to their limits, the best animated television of 2022 relishes in anticipation and payoff. Returning series such as Harley Quinn and The Owl House cater to their respective loyal fan bases by emphasizing strong character writing and earned emotional heft — even when it’s nestled in humor. A handful of new shows, including The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder and The Boys Presents: Diabolical, leverage the goodwill that came from titles that preceded them to craft stories and art that look radically different from what came before but still feel natural in context. A few debuts break new animated ground entirely, delivering to us the digital worlds of Pantheon and the fantasy realms of The Legend of Vox Machina for our eyeballs to feast on. Now that we’ve presented the year’s top animated films and (specifically, separately) its top anime series, here are the animated TV shows we couldn’t stop watching this year.
10. The Goodbye Family
The Goodbye Family is pretty different from every other show on this list. It’s a webtoon that looks as if it was made with MS Paint and centers a family of undertakers trying to eke out a living in a pen-scratched, gothic take on the Old West that’s fleshed out by rootsy Americana music and offbeat humor. Aside from the voices and music, it’s almost entirely made by creator Lorin Morgan-Richards, who based it off his “Weird West” comic of the same name. The Goodbye Family is extremely lo-fi but also unnervingly fun thanks to how it leans into the characters’ peculiarities and morbid humor. In one scene from the episode “The Seedy Snare,” matriarch Pyridine rattles off the Goodbyes’ list of payment options — “We take Gravepal, Renmo, and Coffin Bell wires, although crypt currency … I’m not sure about that one” — as another member of the family cheerily mops blood off the floor. The Goodbye Family is not for everyone, but it just might be for you, if you let it.
December 18, 2022 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on “The Goodbye Family” Makes Best Animated Series List
It’s almost Halloween and it’s time to announce the Heathen Apostles’ annual Gothic Western Halloween “Play a Goth Themed Show One Night, a Honky Tonk Themed Show the Next”. We’ll be at Bar Sinister in Hollywood on Saturday Oct. 29th (with God Module), and then the Echoplex in Echo Park on Devil’s Night Sunday Oct. 30th (w/ Blue Drivers and Sie Sie Bernhoff, doors at 6pm). We’ll have guest musicians Aubrey Richmond on violin and Patrick Muzingo on drums. So pick your poison, we got your Goth and we got your Western, we hope to see all of you in So Cal at one or both of the shows!
Get Bar Sinister tickets HERE.
Get Echoplex tickets HERE.
The Gothic Western Halloween shows are also the first Heathen Apostles US shows since the release of their latest album Bloodgrass Vol. 3 & 4, out now on Ratchet Blade Records. You can check out the album HERE.
Bloodgrass Vol. 3 & 4 tracklist
1. Bad Patch
2. Careful What You Pray For
3. Black Hawk
4. Demi Monde
5. Tall Rider
6. Roots Run Deep
7. Into The Wild
8. No Peace
9. Solitary
10. Shadow of the Crows
From the Heathen Apostles’ Bloodgrass Vol. 3 & 4 press release: 2020 was a year of loss, reflection, and reevaluation. Trying as the times were to have a trio of tour cancellations both stateside and abroad as the live music industry seemingly evaporated overnight, the Heathen Apostles did not let the unexpected gift of time go to waste. To the contrary, the band channeled the turbulent year’s events and its complex emotions into their music, and the result- BLOODGRASS VOL. 3&4- is a dark country album of a collection of songs at once timely as they are timeless.
October 7, 2022 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Gothic Western Halloween 2022
The Heathen Apostles have released a new Western Gothic music video; Roots Run Deep is the first single from their new album Bloodgrass Vol. 3 & 4 (produced by Chopper Franklin), out now on Ratchet Blade Records. The video was directed by noted Belgian filmmaker Caroline Poisson and filmed at Moulin Castral during the recent Heathen Apostles European tour in Spring of 2022 to promote the new album. You can check it out HERE.
Singer Mather Louth recently posted how important the song (and the Western Gothic music video) and the lyrics are to her: I wish I could take credit for these words. However, the truth of it is that the chorus of “Roots run deep” was channeled.
The words came to me in January as I had finished reading out on my sun porch, watching the movement of the wind through the trees. Simple words, but far too true to come from one person: “Branches may sway, but the roots run deep”. I had no idea what to do with them, but I wrote them down and carried on with my day.
Months later, when Chopper presented me with a batch of new song ideas that would become the second half of BLOODGRASS VOL. 3 & 4, it became clear: those words were meant for the chorus of one of the most personal and unfiltered songs I’ve written to date. I’ll admit- it’s been scary to strip away so much pretense and use honest, simple language. But in a way, it was freeing, and it allowed me to set the constant weight on my shoulders down, if just for a bit.
Those words are a reminder. Those words are a spell. Every time I sing them, it instantly grounds me and reminds me to stay present, to not be shaken by the day to day. Bad things happen. Sometimes, very bad things. But remember your roots. Ground down. Breathe. Carry on. You are an oak.
How lovely that we were able to pair the song with such a beautifully simple, elegant video thanks to the lovely @carolinepoisson. True, I may have been filming this on 3 hours of sleep and several weeks of living the fast pace of tour life, but that seems to be all the more appropriate for the honesty in the song. No more pretense. No more pressure to look perfect.
I hope you’ll take the time to go check out the video. The fact that the song is 3:33 minutes long only seems to offer more proof that its genesis came from the beyond. This song grounds me.
August 8, 2022 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on “Roots Run Deep” – The New Western Gothic Music Video
The Heathen Apostles will be returning to Bar Sinister for a Halloween show on Saturday October 29th. Bar Sinister is the premiere goth club is Los Angeles, located at 652 N. Cherokee Ave, Hollywood, just south of Hollywood Blvd.
The band will feature Pat Muzingo on drums, as well as other special guests that night. It is also the first Heathen Apostles US show since the release of their latest album Bloodgrass Vol. 3 & 4, out now on Ratchet Blade Records. You can check out the album HERE.
Bloodgrass Vol. 3 & 4 tracklist
1. Bad Patch
2. Careful What You Pray For
3. Black Hawk
4. Demi Monde
5. Tall Rider
6. Roots Run Deep
7. Into The Wild
8. No Peace
9. Solitary
10. Shadow of the Crows
July 21, 2022 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Heathen Apostles Return to Goth Club Bar Sinister
The Los Angeles-based dark roots and gothic country band Heathen Apostles continue their (very dark) interpretation of Bluegrass, Country and Blues. They have just compiled Volumes 3 and 4 of their collection of songs together under the title Bloodgrass.
Occasionally I’ll start a review along the lines of “not technically not a Celtic-Punk band” which usually means that that the band that I go on to review are not a Celtic-Punk band but are utterly brilliant and have a fiddle /accordion / banjo in them. Well welcome to the Heathen Apostles. A dark (very dark) gothic country band with their very own genre’s – ‘Doombilly’ and ‘Bloodgrass’. Heathen Apostles do to Country / Bluegrass music what the bands we all love here do to Celtic music but they also add on a dash of Goth as well. They may be based in LA but they sound like they’re from the Appalachian’s harkening back to a bygone chapter of American history while firmly keeping one foot planted in the present-day. The band features ex-members of Radio Noir (Mather Louth), The Cramps (Chopper Franklin), Kings of Nuthin’ (Thomas Lorioux), and Christian Death (Stevyn Grey) in their ranks. In fact it’s amazing the sound that only four folks can wring out. They have already started their biggest (yet!) European tour (mainly Germany) so be sure to check out the tour dates squeezed in here somewhere and move heaven and earth to get to one of their shows and then let me know how it was!
We have already reviewed Bloodgrass Volume 3 last September but here it comes with an extra five songs labelled as Volume 4 and in an attempt to tie in with the Euro tour we are more than happy to re-visit the whole album. The album begins with ‘Bad Patch’ and fiddle, banjo and mandolin accompany Mather’s beautiful voice as she sings of the tragedy of the 1930s Dust Bowl. Severe dust storms wreaked havoc on the mid-west prairies during the 1930’s causing untold misery to those poor unfortunates. Trying to survive through those times “by the skin of their teeth”. Great lyrics and one hell of a catchy tune with the bands dark side kept at arms length.. at least musically anyway.
The next song is much more Apostles at heart. ‘Careful What You Pray For’ tells of the danger of religious dogma and while not dissimilar to the opening track it has that much darker feel to it. Mather’s amazing voice is put to great use here. What we must beware is that people don’t replace the dogmatism and fanaticism of some religions with divisive ideologies. These days notions such as original sin, atonement, ritual and excommunication are as likely to come from secular groups as they are from religious institutions. ‘Black Hawk’ was the lead single for the EP and I’ll not pretend to have any idea what the lyrics are about except the band say it tells “of transformation by shedding the darkness in order to welcome in the light” so there.
One band we always sneak a mention in when we review the Heathen Apostles is the fantastic The Phantom Of the Black Hills. Along with sharing many similarities music wise, they also share a record label (Ratchet Blade Records), a producer, the Apostles, Chopper Franklin and a love for telling entire stories in their intricate videos. So if you like what you hear go back settle down and check on their older videos. ‘Demi Monde’ is a slow song shrouded in occult imagery paying homage to the fires of Beltane while ‘Tall Rider’ brings down the curtain down on what was Volume 3. Catchy as hell and a reminder of the possibility of healing through love. With their roots in the ‘Folk tradition’ the music mangles up several genres while all the time adding much to the final sound.
What follows are the five songs that make up Volume 4 that begins with the catchy ‘Roots Run Deep’ and not unexpectedly continues in the same vein. The best of this side of the album is ‘Into The Wild’ where moments of Mather’s primal snarl and swagger run parallel along some of her most beautiful singing on the whole album. A beast of a song that sees them at their thigh slapping foot stomping best. ‘No Peace’ was written in response to recent cases of police brutality. Despite the subject matter the song bounces along rather nicely. ‘Solitary’ speaks of following one’s own path in life, no matter how lonely the road it may seem at times. Meaningful words given even more meaning through Mather. The album closes with the amazing ‘Shadow Of The Crows’ with it’s hybrid of several genres, mixing Middle Eastern and borderline psychedelic sounds with the band’s distinctly gloomy bloodgrass. The CD which comes out at any time contains an extra song I’ve not heard yet. A cover of the late Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan’s song ‘The Gravedigger’s Song’.
If anyone knows of any promoters or venues able to help get this gothic country band over to the UK please get in touch. PLEASE!
The music here is exemplary throughout. Catchy as hell and heading there very happily! The various elements are once again handled expertly through the excellent production of master producer Chopper Franklin. With their roots in the ‘Folk tradition’ they mangle up several genres while adding much to the final sound and as you can imagine a band with their own genre it is virtually impossible to compare them to anyone else! The excellent artwork was done by their good friend Stephanie Inagaki, who also did the cover art for the previous Bloodgrass Vol. 1 & 2 album and EPs.
July 7, 2022 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Album Review of Gothic Country Band Heathen Apostles
The first batch of photos from the Heathen Apostles’ 2022 European tour are out, they feature pics from Ghent, Belgium, Dranouter, Belgium and Kempten, Germany. You can check them out in the gallery below, the tour lasted five weeks and was to promote their new dark country album Bloodgrass Vol. 3 & 4, out now on Ratchet Blade Records.
26/05/2022 Thursday – De Cactus, Henglo, NL
27/05/2022 Friday – De Pit, Terneuzen, NL
28/05/2022 Saturday – Paradox, Tilburg, NL
29/05/2022 Sunday – De Klinker Club, Aarschot, BE
30/05/2022 Monday – De Floeren Aap, Mechelen, BE
31/05/2022 Tuesday – day off
01/06/2022 Wednesday – Franzis, Wetzlar, DE
02/06/2022 Thursday – Unordnungsamt, Kalbe, DE
03/06/2022 Friday – Extra Blues Bar, Bielefeld, DE
04/06/2022 Saturday – Alte Schlosserei, Wuppertal, DE
05/06/2022 Sunday – Wild at Heart, Berlin, DE
06/06/2022 Monday – Buchholz Saloon, Altlandsberg, DE
07/06/2022 Tuesday – day off
08/06/2022 Wednesday – Oberstübchen, Regen, DE
09/06/2022 Thursday – City club, Augsburg, DE
10/06/2022 Friday – Alter, Mannheim, DE
11/06/2022 Saturday – Muziekcentrum Dranouter, Dranouter, BE
12/06/2022 Sunday – Deux Ours, Modave, BE
13/06/2022 Monday – day off
14/06/2022 Tuesday – Missy Sippy, Ghent, BE
15/06/2022 Wednesday – Die Heile Welt, Munster, DE
16/06/2022 Thursday – Monkeys, Hamburg, DE
17/06/2022 Friday – Schule 2, Bremen, DE
18/06/2022 Saturday – Kufa Löseke, Hildesheim, DE
19/06/2022 Sunday – Lokaal 42, Helmond, NL
20/06/2022 Monday – day off
21/06/2022 Tuesday – Teatro Munganga, Amsterdam, NL
22/06/2022 Wednesday – Pferdestall, Bremerhaven, DE
23/06/2022 Thursday – Mout – The Netherlands – Nijmegen, NL
24/06/2022 Friday – Rakete, Stuttgardt, DE
25/06/2022 Saturday – mySkylounge / 13th floor Kulturetage, Kempten, DE
26/06/2022 Sunday – Hafen 2, Offenbach A.M., DE
From the Heathen Apostles’ Bloodgrass Vol. 3 & 4 press release: 2020 was a year of loss, reflection, and reevaluation. Trying as the times were to have a trio of tour cancellations both stateside and abroad as the live music industry seemingly evaporated overnight, the Heathen Apostles did not let the unexpected gift of time go to waste. To the contrary, the band channeled the turbulent year’s events and its complex emotions into their music, and the result- BLOODGRASS VOL. 3&4- is a dark country album of a collection of songs at once timely as they are timeless.
June 27, 2022 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Tour Photos and New Dark Country Album
2020 was a year of loss, reflection, and reevaluation. Trying as the times were to have a trio of tour cancellations both stateside and abroad as the live music industry seemingly evaporated overnight, the Heathen Apostles did not let the unexpected gift of time go to waste. To the contrary, the band channeled the turbulent year’s events and its complex emotions into their music, and the result- BLOODGRASS VOL. 3 & 4– is a Gothic Western collection of songs at once timely as they are timeless.
The album opener “Bad Patch” uses the lyrical analogy of the 1930s Dust Bowl to express the collective desperation brought about by feeling at the mercy of the sort of devastation best described as an “act of God”. “Careful What You Pray For” touches upon the hypocrisy of self-righteous religious dogma and the damage it inevitably brings in its wake. “Black Hawk” moves the album in an introspective direction as Louth sings a tale of transformation by shedding the darkness in order to welcome in the light. As the title suggests, “Demi Monde” offers a return to the occult imagery the band has incorporated since its inception, while subtly paying homage to the fires of Beltane. “Tall Rider” closes the EP on a cathartically optimistic note, plaintively serving as a reminder of the possibility to heal through love.
The foot stomping single “Roots Run Deep” casts a lyrical spell in its own right, reminding the listener of the divine within. “Into The Wild” is a primal, incendiary runaway train filled with plenty of snarl and swagger. “Solitary” is an embrace of following one’s own path in life, no matter how lonely the road may seem at times. “No Peace” was written in response to the victims of countless cases of police brutality in recent history that have yet to receive justice for the crimes committed against them. “Shadow Of The Crows” offers an intriguing hybrid of several genres, mixing Middle Eastern and borderline psychedelic sounds with the band’s distinctly gloomy bloodgrass. You can check out this Gothic Western collection HERE.
May 13, 2022 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Bloodgrass Vol. 3 & 4 – New Gothic Western Collection Out Today
The Heathen Apostles have teamed up with gothic western writer and illustrator Lorin Morgan-Richards on his forthcoming animated series for The Goodbye Family (which originated as a comic series back in 2017.) Mather offered up vocals for the theme song, with Chopper Franklin composing the music.
Richards describes the Goodbye Family as such: It follows the lives of Weird West undertakers Otis, Pyridine, and their daughter Orphie. Pyridine is a witch and matriarch mortician, Otis is a brainless but bold hearse driver, and Orphie is appointed grave digger for her strength of twenty men. Through bumbling Otis discovers his neighbors are turning into zombies, a mystery that is directly affecting their burial business. In their backyard cemetery they travel to the underworld for answers and uncover a plot to surface the evil entities, that would otherwise burn in the Lake of Fire, have risen again through oil pumps that are being bottled as a tonic medicine for the ground above. The tonic is consumed and the host fully takes over the body when the body perishes. Can the Goodbyes hilarious gaffes and revelations plug up the works?
Chopper is currently scoring music for the rest of the animated Gothic Western series, which is slated for a Summer 2021 release.
Listen to the theme song here:
April 1, 2021 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Heathen Apostles x Goodbye Family
