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Radio Moscow is a psychedelic blues rock power trio from Ames, Iowa. The band consists of Parker Griggs (lead guitar, vocals), Zach Anderson (bass), and Paul Marrone (drums). They are currently on a U.S. tour with Naam. I’ve been digging their two albums a lot since I first listened to them, saw them two weeks ago in L.A. and they were amazing, completely rocked my face off. Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys got them a record deal with the record label the Black Keys are on. Another great thing is that these guys are in they're early 20's. If you like Blue Cheer, Cream, Groundhogs or Jimi Hendrix then there is a good chance you will like Radio Moscow. Take a listen on their myspace and these two youtube clips.

http://www.myspace.com/radiomoscow

Edited by Rock N' Rollin' Man
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  • 5 months later...

Going to see them on the 15th in Ventura.

Psychedelic hard rock band RADIO MOSCOW has announced fall U.S. tour dates in support of its critically acclaimed new album Brain Cycles (Alive Records). The electrifying California-based band – featuring 23 year old guitar prodigy Parker Griggs -- will kick off the trek on September 13 in San Francisco, CA.

Originally hailing from Story City, IA, RADIO MOSCOW is the brain child of Parker Griggs who formed the band in 2003. Soon after, Griggs attended a Black Keys show and handed a RADIO MOSCOW demo to Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach who loved what he heard and subsequently produced the band’s eponymous debut. Named for the pre-Cold War precursor to the propaganda outlet ‘Voice of Russia’, RADIO MOSCOW’s amped up, captivating sound harkens back to the glory days of the power trio (when Cream and Blue Cheer ruled the earth and the power of the Marshall stack was unquestioned).

Live, Griggs` unbelievable blues-driven, wah-wah heavy riffs and smoking guitar solos have drawn oft-comparison to the great Jimi Hendrix; the compliment gaining conviction with each and every RADIO MOSCOW performance. The Onion recently said “Radio Moscow plants its flag firmly in the territory where psychedelic rock, cranked-up blues, and metal meet,” with “powerful, crunching Sabbath-style chords and fiery solos that earn the right to be called Hendrixian.” And that ain’t no lie!

As Griggs’ guitar prowess and live legend continues to grow, so does the buzz on RADIO MOSCOW. The power trio is a true blues-driven rock band in every sense of the phrase and has boiled its lineup down to the essentials: bass, guitar and drums, encouraging extroverted playing from the band members, often at very high volumes. RADIO MOSCOW’s mind-blowing live performances and self-proclaimed “Guitar Music” have been called “throwback rock blues as a wall of sound,” and “at times a romp, trying to uncover that secret to the brilliance of Led Zeppelin II.”

“With a powerful, crunching Sabbath-style chords and fiery solos that earn the right to be called Hendrixian, Iowa power trio RADIO MOSCOW plants its flag firmly in the territory where psychedelic rock, cranked-up blues, and metal meet. The sound is unabashedly retro (specifically, FM radio from around 1973), so it’s easy to see how it caught the ear of The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach” – THE ONION

“RADIO MOSCOW does for Blue Cheer what the Black Keys do for 21st century blues: stomps it. Sophomore disc Brain Cycles pulses with Parker Griggs’ best Hendrix, while bassist Zach Anderson’s monolithic fuzz mashes beats with drummer Cory Berry. Live is where the touring trio melts brains, bicycles, you name it.” – THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE

RADIO MOSCOW tour dates:

September 13 San Francisco, CA Elbo Room

September 14 Long Beach, CA Prospector (w/ Night Horse)

September 15 Ventura, CA ZanZilla (w/ Night Horse, The Fucking Wrath)

September 16 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland (w/ Night Horse)

September 17 Scottsdale, AZ Rogue

September 18 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad

September 20 Austin, TX Emo`s

September 21 Dallas, TX Nightmare (w/ Black Tusk)

September 22 Tulsa, OK The Colony

September 23 Kansas City, MO Czar Bar

September 24 Iowa City, IA Yacht Club

October 1 Ames, IA DG`s Taphouse

October 3 Lawrence, KS Replay Lounge

October 4 Denver, CO 3 Kings Tavern (w/ Valient Thorr)

October 5 Salt Lake City, UT Burt`s Tiki Lounge (w/ Valient Thorr)

October 6 Boise, ID Neurolux (w/ Valient Thorr)

October 7 Seattle, WA Comet Tavern

October 8 Portland, OR East End (w/ Night Horse)

October 9 Arcata, CA The Alibi (w/ Wah Wah Exit Wound)

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They sound great ! Even if they're not coming to Vancouver at this point in time, I'll try to catch them in Seattle Oct 7

Cool they tour quite frequently so if you miss them this time it won't be long before they tour the U.S. (hopefully a date in Vancouver, CA) and Europe again. They're also working on a new album. :)

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Cool they tour quite frequently so if you miss them this time it won't be long before they tour the U.S. (hopefully a date in Vancouver, CA) and Europe again. They're also working on a new album. :)

No doubt they'll find a way across the border but I must say, they've got my attention hook, line and sinker. Thanks for posting this :):beer:

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Last night night I went to a local venue for a good dose of heavy blues rock, to put it bluntly Radio Moscow tore it up. Wednesday night, not a very popular date to go to a concert as there was a very light crowd of around 25-35 but Radio Moscow owned that stage (floor) and made the few of us in attendance very happy. Sound was pure, unadulterated, unpretentious heavy blues.

They played just about an equal amount of songs from both their albums and a new song. Got a nice spot up front and took some good pictures I'll share them here later. Also for a yoga studio the sound was excellent.

These guys are phenomenal live and they seem like really cool guys as well. If they come around, don't pass up seeing them live.

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I love those songs too. I've only read a few Moscow interviews here's one of them from 2009. I also read from somewhere that they're doing a split with Earthless can't confirm it though.

Recently, this past Friday the 13th to be exact, writer Andy Keil had the chance to sit down with Parker Griggs, vocalist, guitarist and fellow Iowan of Radio Moscow. If youre out of the loop, the Iowa trio is a psychedelic blues rock band thats broken the confines of a wet basement and taken on the nation with only two releases, their self titled 2007 debut and this years Brain Cycles. With only one member that can legally drink (Griggs), and basically coming from, well, Iowa, the band runs on a little more than alcohol if you catch my drift. So, if that at all whets your appetite, then read on to find out how they got their start and find out about their new record, too.

CoS: Alright, Im going to go out on a limb and say that most of our readers have never heard of Radio Moscow before. Tell us a little about your background and how you ended up on one of the best independent record labels in the country [Alive Naturalsound Records.]

Parker Griggs (PG): It all kinda started by giving a demo to the lead singer of the Black Keys which ended up getting us signed to Alive Naturalsound Records. He recorded and produced our first album to get us going. Radio Moscow actually started out as a solo project called Garbage Composal but that only lasted a little while before I changed it to Radio Moscow.

You can listen to the older stuff here: http://www.myspace.com/radiomoscowtheearlydays

CoS: Radio Moscow seems like an underground radio station from the cold war era; whats the story behind the name?

PG: Uh, its not such a cool story but theres an old song called Go Go Radio Moscow. It sounded alright.

CoS: How would you explain your sound to our readers and those who have never listened to Radio Moscow?

PG: Uh, well were influenced by a lot of old stuff so kind of an old school blues rock psychedelic sound, I dont know. Guitar music.

CoS: Coming from Story City, IA, population approximately 3,200 people, how did you go about getting your demo to the lead singer of the Black Keys?

PG: We moved out to Colorado to find a new music scene and we went to a Black Keys show where we gave him [Dan Auerbach] a demo. We actually heard back from him that night and he said he might be able to help us out. Then we didnt hear back from him for like another year when he said he wanted to record our music.

CoS: Tell me about the recording process with Dan Auerbach.

PG: Uh, it was good, it was real quick. We did it in like four days I think it was. The bass and drums were all live and recorded together and then the guitar and vocals were overdubbed on a reel-to-reel.

CoS: I know you have one track, Hold On Me, off Brain Cycles up on your MySpace page. Its obvious after just one listen that the vocals are more pronounced, the guitar work is more intricate, and the overall the production feels a lot cleaner. How was the recording of this album different from your debut record?

PG: We recorded this one at Sound Farm in Jamaica, IA instead of Ohio this time. We put a lot more time into it and really focused on the mix to give it a kind of classic psychedelic feel. Its still real bluesy but we tried to make it more psychedelic than the last one.

CoS: Is Hold On Me going to be the first single?

PG: It might be, but it could be Breakdown too; theyre both going to be singles.

CoS: You guys have some great artwork, from concert posters to album covers, its the epitome of psychedelic. Whos the artist?

PG: Anthony Yankovic, hes from Ohio. Hes a hookup through Dan from the Black Keys.

CoS: Last year you were able to tour through Europe, how was that?

PG: We toured around by ourselves with lots of other European bands. Europe is really sweet.

CoS: What was your favorite part of Europe?

PG: Um, Holland. Pretty much any place with coffee shops.

CoS: Where was your biggest crowd?

PG: We played a pretty big festival in Spain where we played right before Marky Ramone.

CoS: So far, PG has been the only steadfast member of the band and the lineup has changed often. Is this the final lineup for the band?

PG: I damn sure hope so!

CoS: Do you guys each have a favorite song to play live?

PG: The last song we did tonight [No Good].

CoS: What are your plans for after the Brain Cycles drops?

PG: Yeah, were doing Europe again, April-May, two months. Then well do the west coast for about a month.

CoS: Will you be coming back here [Chicago]?

PG: I hope so, well probably be playing the Beat Kitchen though; I think its a better size for us.

CoS: I hope so too.

CoS: Did you get a chance to talk to him?

PG: We walked by him a bunch but he was so out of it, I was afraid to talk to him.

CoS: Last summer you guys had the chance to play the first annual 80/35 festival in downtown Des Moines, IA. What did you think about the festival?

PG: It was pretty sweet; Iowa needs a festival or something going on.

CoS: Do you have any friends or know any bands from back in Iowa waiting to blow up?

PG: Well we got this band, Mondo Drag, signed to Alive Records too. Theyre pretty cool, slightly similar, old school, early seventies, late sixties influenced stuff. Theyre from Davenport, IA.

CoS: Alive Naturalsound Records has a bunch of artist with a similar retro sound, are you guys close with any of the other artists on the label?

PG: Uh there are some bands we keep in touch with a lot. Black Diamond Heavies, those guys are awesome. Left Lane Cruiser, really nice guys, were gonna play with them in a couple weeks at Fort Wayne, IN, their hometown.

CoS: Parker, with all the talent you have and the wide range of genres out there, what made you decide to play psychedelic blues-rock?

PG: Kinda my dad, he got me into the stuff. He showed me Peter Green and after I heard him, I wanted to play guitar. I was a drummer first.

Edited by Rock N' Rollin' Man
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Very nice interview there Rock 'n' Rolling Man! I enjoyed reading it! :D The fact that they are essentially old skool blues and psychedelic rock is what I find really fascinating! And they recorded "Brain Cycles" in just 4 days??! :o Wow! Just wow! :D

BTW, do you own both the albums by Radio Moscow?

My mom has agreed to buy both albums for me for my birthday! I told her that I don't want cards, a cake or any other stuff like that! I was like : "Just buy both the albums by Radio Moscow for me and I'll be the happiest girl on earth!". ;)

EDIT TO ADD : I find it absolutely strange that awesome stuff such as this costs a mere $11 (both albums together are just $22) while Gaga's album (the fame or something) goes for over $20! :blink:

Edited by Kiwi_Zep_Fan87
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Very nice interview there Rock 'n' Rolling Man! I enjoyed reading it! :D The fact that they are essentially old skool blues and psychedelic rock is what I find really fascinating! And they recorded "Brain Cycles" in just 4 days??! :o Wow! Just wow! :D

BTW, do you own both the albums by Radio Moscow?

My mom has agreed to buy both albums for me for my birthday! I told her that I don't want cards, a cake or any other stuff like that! I was like : "Just buy both the albums by Radio Moscow for me and I'll be the happiest girl on earth!". ;)

EDIT TO ADD : I find it absolutely strange that awesome stuff such as this costs a mere $11 (both albums together are just $22) while Gaga's album (the fame or something) goes for over $20! :blink:

Well, I couldn't STAND waiting for 2 and a half months so my mom was sweet enough to give me her blessing and I bought both the albums today! :yay: :yay:

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Very nice interview there Rock 'n' Rolling Man! I enjoyed reading it! :D The fact that they are essentially old skool blues and psychedelic rock is what I find really fascinating! And they recorded "Brain Cycles" in just 4 days??! :o Wow! Just wow! :D

BTW, do you own both the albums by Radio Moscow?

My mom has agreed to buy both albums for me for my birthday! I told her that I don't want cards, a cake or any other stuff like that! I was like : "Just buy both the albums by Radio Moscow for me and I'll be the happiest girl on earth!". ;)

EDIT TO ADD : I find it absolutely strange that awesome stuff such as this costs a mere $11 (both albums together are just $22) while Gaga's album (the fame or something) goes for over $20! :blink:

No it was the s/t that took 4 days and the newer one Brain Cycles Parker mentioned it took longer. Yeah, LOL hope you get your RM birthday gift. Love the artwork that is associated with these guys like the album cover more on the first album. And check this and this out!

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No it was the s/t that took 4 days and the newer one Brain Cycles Parker mentioned it took longer. Yeah, LOL hope you get your RM birthday gift. Love the artwork that is associated with these guys like the album cover more on the first album. And check this and this out!

You're right about their artwork and I do like the one for the first album better than the second one but even the second one is well strange in a really good way! The artwork for the first album reminds me of psychedelic, sort of graffiti type art! Very cool! I also really admire that concert poster you posted in this thread :D

I'm referring to this one : So cool! B)

50215_149115285103902_7358_n.jpg

Edited by Kiwi_Zep_Fan87
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You're right about their artwork and I do like the one for the first album better than the second one but even the second one is well strange in a really good way! The artwork for the first album reminds me of psychedelic, sort of graffiti type art! Very cool! I also really admire that concert poster you posted in this thread :D

I'm referring to this one : So cool! B)

I guess that one was just a flyer no one hand made it. Like when I saw Graveyard someone was hired from the record label to make posters for their west coast tour dates. This is the one Alan Hynes made and that I bought.

TN_120525.JPG

Wish I could trade for this one by Alan Forbes.

TN_116326.JPG

Jesus Christ would you look at this lineup and artwork also made by Alan Forbes!

TN_101898.JPG

Had I been into these bands I would have so made this not to mention the entrance cost for such a great music event was only 15 bucks.

Edited by Rock N' Rollin' Man
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You're right about their artwork and I do like the one for the first album better than the second one but even the second one is well strange in a really good way! The artwork for the first album reminds me of psychedelic, sort of graffiti type art! Very cool! I also really admire that concert poster you posted in this thread :D

I'm referring to this one : So cool! B)

50215_149115285103902_7358_n.jpg

That looks like something Bob Masse did or would do

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Just came across this new article.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100924/ENT04/9240332/Radio-Moscow-makes-music-full-time-on-coast

It's been a busy year for blues-rock band Radio Moscow, which got its start in Story City. The three-member group has toured Europe, had its music featured in the film "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard," and a Radio Shack commercial starring Lance Armstrong. The band also moved its home base to Eureka, Calif., which is why there haven't been many performances by them locally. That changes this week, with concerts Saturday and Oct. 1 in central Iowa.

The band has been doing well enough that music is now a full-time profession for the three musicians. They've played more than 200 dates in the last year, including stops in France, Spain and Greece and opening for Brooklyn band Naam and metal pioneers Pentagram.

Frontman Parker Griggs reflected on why the band's energy has been focused on Europe.

"It seems like over in Europe rock is striving more," Griggs said in a phone call during a stop in Dallas. "People there are going back to the roots of old rock and roll where it all began. Especially France and Spain are really getting back into that stuff."

Radio Moscow has a psychedelic sound that feels closer to '60s acts like Peter Green or Free than contemporary bands. Ohio blues rockers The Black Keys have been an easy comparison, likely because that band's singer/guitarist, Dan Auerbach, produced Radio Moscow's self-titled debut.

The band is currently working on demos for a third album, which Griggs hopes to have out in early 2011. The band is also planning to hit Europe again next year, but Griggs is hoping to make it back to Iowa for three or four shows.

Playing in central Iowa gives Radio Moscow the advantage of having opening acts they know or have played with before, like History on Repeat for Friday's show and Mondo Drag in Ames. Griggs said their local openers in other countries can be a mixed bag.

"They all sing in English, which they don't really understand, so the vocals are always really weird. And there aren't a lot of psychedelic or blues bands. It's more of a garage or surf scene for the local bands we played with."

Griggs said the band moved to California to try a new scene and because Iowa winters "are really cold." But he also misses the fact that in Story City the band could jam as late as it wanted without drawing too much attention. Neighbors in Eureka have complained when things get too loud.

While they're back in central Iowa, the band will be attending the wedding of former drummer Keith Rich. Other than that, Radio Moscow's week won't be too structured.

"I don't know, I think I'll hit up some local record stores again," Griggs said.

Edited by Rock N' Rollin' Man
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