ALBUM REVIEW: Hittin’ The Bitchin’ Switch – Stöner
For a man who so fully embodies the laid back, bong-hitting, desert hippy lifestyle, Brant Bjork sure is productive. Since forming KYUSS in the early 90s he’s gone on to put his name to well over 30 albums with various side and solo projects including FU MANCHU, VISTA CHINO, LOW DESERT PUNK, THE BRANT BJORK TRIO and the subject of this review, STÖNER.
This year alone he’s already put out a solo record and accompanying graphic novel under the BRANT BJORK TRIO moniker, the aptly titled Once Upon A Time In The Desert, and less than a month later it’s STÖNER’s turn with the release of a live album entitled Hittin’ The Bitchin’ Switch.
If ever there was a band with a name that does exactly what it says on the tin, it’s this trio, whose members include founders of stoner rock royalty KYUSS, namely Brant Bjork (vocals, guitar) and infamous wildchild, Nick Oliveri on bass, and drum duties being handled by Brant‘s solo band percussionist Ryan Gut. Their sound has everything you’d expect from a band so unashamedly and firmly planted within the stoner rock genre; low slung grooves, fuzzy riffs, drug induced jams and lyrics that deal mostly with getting high and having a good time.
Having only formed in 2020, one might wonder why they’re already releasing their second live album (their release Live In The Mojave Desert Vol 4 first introduced them to the world in 2021), but in Brant Bjork years that’s a lifetime. The songs on that initial live album would go on to make up the bulk of their debut studio record, Stoners Rule (2021), and since then they’ve put out another full length, Totally… in 2022 and an EP, Boogie To Baja in 2023, so now is as good a time as any to show how they do it live.
The opening gambit of a raucous rendition of A Million Beers and the feral stomp of Party March, both from Totally… makes it clear how much of a powerful force of nature STÖNER are in the live setting. The low end provided by both Oliveri’s bass and Bjork’s fuzz drenched guitars is enough to loosen even the most steadfast bowel, while Ryan Guts drums, although loose in groove, pack a satisfying punch and propel the songs along in exhilarating fashion.
Stoners Rule material gets an airing with head-down riffage of The Older Kids, fan favourite Rad Stays Rad and Nick Oliveri’s punk rock ode to Evel Knievel, Evel Never Dies. Live, STÖNER’s songs take on a life of their own as they throb with adrenaline and testosterone, with the majority of tracks being played a good few BPM faster than on the studio albums. So much so, in fact, that when you go back and compare, many of the original recordings sound veritably sterile in comparison to these new versions.
They do bring things down a notch at the midway point, with the funky jam session that is Night Tripper vs No Brainer from the recent Boogie To Baja EP and the 12 bar shuffle of Own Yer Blues.
Oliveri gets a chance to flex his love for 70s punk with the three chord blitzkrieg that is R.A.M.O.N.E.S. before Bjork once again relinquishes vocal duties with the psych-rock tribute to the stoner scene, Tribe – Fly Girl, which has a gloriously hazy extended jam at its centrepiece.
Throughout Hittin’ The Bitchin Switch, the sound engineer and producer have both done sterling jobs in capturing the essence of a live STÖNER show and translating that onto record. The instruments and vocals are well balanced and perfectly panned so that you can actually hear that Bjork is stood stage left and Oliveri is stage right, with the drums anchored dead centre. And while the performances may not be quite as polished as they might be in a studio session, there is a certain charm in the odd mishit note and improvised flourish.
The highlight of the album, as it would be if you were there in person, has to be the closing one-two punch of KYUSS classics Gardenia and Green Machine. Even though Brant Bjork played drums on the originals, he does an applaudable job of handling the guitars and vocals this time around, and the closer sounds especially vital, with its iconic driving riff and singalong chorus.
Given the amount of output this supergroup have put out since their formation less than half a decade ago and the prolific nature of its members, it probably won’t be that long until we hear new material from STÖNER. Until then this live album is a perfectly pungent nugget with which fans can pack their pipes.
Rating: 7/10
Hittin’ The Bitchin’ Switch is out now via Heavy Psych Sounds.
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