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

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 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.

[SHOW AS SLIDESHOW]

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.

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:

The first tour dates have been announced for the Heathen Apostles September 2021 European Tour. This Southern Gothic music tour was booked to make up for the postponed tour of September 2020, with many of the same venues on board one year later. There are still four open dates, if you have a venue that would like to book the Heathen Apostles, or know of one, Kurt DeBont at Rootstown Bookings HERE.

Heathen Apostles September 2021 tour:
02/09/2021 Thursday Kulturrampe Germany Krefeld
03/09/2021 Friday Alter Open Air Stage Germany Mannheim
04/09/2021 Saturday City Club Germany Augsburg
05/09/2021 Sunday available
06/09/2021 Monday l’Usine Switzerland Genève
7/09/2021 Tuesday BlahBlah Italy Torino
08/09/2021 Wednesday available
09/09/2021 Thursday Willemeen The Netherlands Arnhem
10/09/2021 Friday available
11/09/2021 Saturday CC Muze Belgium Zolder
12/09/2021 Sunday The Grand Canyon Belgium Nazareth
13/09/2021 Monday available
14/09/2021 Tuesday Tortuga Germany Unna
15/09/2021 Wednesday Bei Chez Heinz Germany Hannover
16/09/2021 Thursday Monkeys Germany Hamburg
17/09/2021 Friday Wild At Heart Germany Berlin
18/09/2021 Saturday Sonic Ballroom Germany Köln
19/09/2021 Sunday BUSKERfestival Belgium Aarschot

To all women: I see you. I celebrate you. I thank you for all that you are, all that you have been, and all that you will be. ?? (photo of Mather taken at the 2019 SJOCK festival by Moomer Foto.)

Mather and The Heathen Apostles have cancelled their May/June 2021 European tour due to the continuing Covid 19 crisis. Here is their cancellation announcement:

Once again we are having to announce the cancellation of another tour, this one our May/June 2021 European tour. Due to the ongoing COVID 19 crisis, and the delay in getting vaccinations on both continents, our next appearance in Europe will be our September 2021 tour, and we are rescheduling the canceled tour to May/June 2022 (contact Kurt De Bont at Rootstown bookings for info). Beast wishes and wear your damn masks!

The Stray Pop when Mather and the Heathen Apostles performed live on February 20, 2015 is going to be rebroadcast this Fri (1/29/21) 11pm-3am PST on KXLU Los Angeles 88.9 FM and www.KXLU.com ! Tune in for Stella bringing you the Heathen Apostles and Southern Gothic radio for the evening!

Gothic Western EP Review by Luminous Dash zine – Featuring ex-members from Radio Noir (Mather Louth, vocals), The Cramps, Mau Maus and Nick Curran & The Lowlifes (Chopper Franklin on guitar, mandolin, banjo, keyboards, drums), Kings of Nuthin’ (Thomas Lorioux, bass) and top violinist Luis Mascaro, Heathen Apostles was formed in Los Angeles and born of the voices of past lives and baptized in the dust bowl dirt. They settle into a sound that merges the contrasts between goth and Americana in a darkly rooted bohemian country atmosphere.

The Heathen Apostles is band that never seems to rest on its laurels, as you can see from their many energetic live performances and a whole series of albums, EPs and singles in their discography. This year they had a string of canceled and postponed concerts, but it gave them the opportunity to record their new EP Prayers Before The Plague. They played, and filmed, a live set at the headquarters / home of the band ‘The Devil’s Doghouse’ in Echo Park (California), included the six tracks that ended up on Prayers Before The Plague. And although nothing can match playing in front of a live audience, on the EP we find the hard driven emotions of passionate musicians on every track. “It is the band’s gift to a world that has almost no live music for most of this year. It’s also a reminder of the importance of music itself, be it bad or good times. Music and art must continue and survive ”, they say.

“Without A Trace” is immediately a strong opener, showing the authentic sound of the foursome. Excitingly lively, the violin immediately takes us on a tour along southern dry roads, where the warm dark timbre of the dark diva Mather Louth works out for a devilish side, as well as for sweet playful indulgence.

“Death’s Head” sounds a lot darker. With a raw bass line and light grit on the microphone, this track sets the perfect soundtrack for a night in which you look death, the devil and your demons straight in the eye and continue to travel your own way with those country boots with determination.

“The song seems fitting for these troubled times, but it seems like there might be a light at the end of the tunnel,” the band explains about Drowned In Trouble . An up tempo track full of rhythm, where the vocals are loaded with melancholy while the strings keep flirting along.

“Two For The Road” sounds defiantly brutal , while “The Reckoning” sounds theatrically brutal, just because the instrumental is so rich and heavy and the roughness here brings a certain mystique to the song. “Paint The Stars” ends in a bluegrass atmosphere in embracing softness.

An EP that bathes in a country and gypsy atmosphere, but with a dark, almost bloody edge. Although we lack the experience, Prayers Before The Plague may look a bit like a night with Nick Cave and Johnny Cash. A musical threesome between overheated, dark sheets filled with melancholy and spunk, which may end in a murder ballad …

The EP Prayers Before The Plague has been released digitally on the Ratchet Blade Records label.