h33t - The Atomic Bitchwax - 1999 - The Atomic Bitchwax [rockbox]

THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX

Atomic Bitchwax I is the debut album by The Atomic Bitchwax, released on June 22, 1999.

Bluesy Stoner by members of Godspeed and Monster Magnet!!!

Ed Rivadavia from All Music Guide wrote:

The Atomic Bitchwax originated as a side project of Monster Magnet lead guitarist Ed Mundell, ex-Godspeed bassist/vocalist Chris Kosnik, and drummer Keith Ackerman. All three of them were by then veterans of the thriving New Jersey stoner rock scene, and, after almost seven years of jamming in their spare time, the trio finally found time to record and release their self-titled debut album in the summer of 1999. Specializing in high-octane, '70s-based hard rock infused with stabs of space rock and psychedelia, and characterized by Mundell's explosive, Tommy Bolin-inspired guitar heroics, Bitchwax's debut stunned retro-rock fans with its unexpected brilliance; but their independent label, MIA, suddenly went out of business barely a year later. Thankfully, the group was instantly snapped up by Tee Pee Records, but their 2000 sophomore effort, Atomic Bitchwax II, was clearly rushed, its songs underwhelmingly second-rate, and the media-shy Mundell struggled to come to terms with his more prominent status as star of the group. In early 2002, The Atomic Bitchwax issued their third album for a third label (Meteor City), the also disappointing Spit Blood, after which they seemed to lose focus as Mundell retreated to his more comfortable, hired-gun role with Monster Magnet. Workaholic Kosnik soon started a new band named Black NASA. But he and Ackerman also resurrected Bitchwax, this time out with Finn Ryan (ex of the space-stoner act Core) on guitar. III appeared through Meteor City in June 2005.

Quote:

Blistering chops and interstellar freakouts are the stock-in-trade of The Atomic Bitchwax. Their first two albums had hard rock fans buzzing, and yielded placements on Fox Sports Net and throughout MTV's programming. T.A.B.’s music also turned the heads of fellow musicians like Warren Haynes (Govt. Mule/Allman Bros), Nebula (who co-headlined the Riff-Rock Railroad tour with Bitchwax in 1999) . Unfortunately, the band were regularly prevented from taking their combustive live show on the road, due to guitarist Ed Mundell's obligations with Monster Magnet.

In mid-2003, The Atomic Bitchwax enlisted Finn Ryan, ex-singer/guitarist of Core, for a series of American and European tours. The band played over seventy shows with Ryan in 2004, determined to gel as a unit before entering Trax East (a second home to Jersey locals like Dillinger Escape Plan and God Forbid) to record “3”, their third full-length album (and first for MeteorCity).

Kosnik describes "3" as, "all the same craziness, but wrapped around actual tunes." Invigorating T.A.B.’s trademark frenetics and supporting Kosnik’s spoken-to-shouted delivery is the addition of Ryan's smooth vocal approach, rendering the new tunes infinitely singable. "We could've made a record that sounded like old Bitchwax," Kosnik says, "but Finn can actually sing, so why not utilize that?" "3" mixes the band’s classic flair with the angular jazziness of Core and a riff-infused accessibility pioneered by outfits like Cave-In and Queens of The Stone Age. It's a huge evolutionary shift for the band, but hasn’t affected T.A.B.’s explosive, stratosphere-scraping live energy, and at last, fans new and old are finally witnessing the band taking their show on the road.

Current and upcoming highlights for The Atomic Bitchwax are the completion of their combo EP/live release, “Boxriff,” due in mid-2006; the use of sixteen songs from throughout their catalog in MTV’s Jackass-spinoff show Homewrecker; and of course, plenty of touring, with T.A.B. returning to Europe in February 2006 and laying out plans for another North American run in Nov./Dec to support “Boxriff.”

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Current line-up

Chris Kosnik bass, vocals - (formerly of Godspeed and Black NASA)

Bob Pantella - drums, percussion - (formerly of Raging Slab, currently of Monster Magnet and (Riotgod))

Finn Ryan - guitar, vocals - (formerly of Core)

Albums

Atomic Bitchwax I - CD/LP (1999 MIA Records/Tee Pee Records)

Atomic Bitchwax II - CD/LP (2000 Tee Pee Records)

3 - CD (2005 MeteorCity)

4 - CD (2008 MeteorCity)

MySpace

Enjoy!