Monks of Doom, Victor Krummenacher & His Flying Circus

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First surfacing as a recording project by most of the members of ‘80s college rock heroes Camper Van Beethoven, Monks of Doom released four albums of weird and wonderful music before disbanding in the early ’90s. Thankfully, the Monks returned in the new century, first with a covers project and in 2019 with The Brontë Pin, a new album of spacy, sprawling rock and folk. As a bonus, on this tour Monks/Camper bassist Victor Krummenacher and His Flying Circus will also play an opening set.

$10 ($13 ages 18-20).

press release: Just before the dust settles from a run of sold-out dates that stretched from coast-to-coast with his co-founding band Camper Van Beethoven, Victor Krummenacher will be hitting the road again. Only this time he'll be doing double-duty as both the opening and headlining acts. In support of his solo album, Blue Pacific (out March 1), Victor Krummenacher & His Flying Circus will open these shows, followed by his other revered art/psych/prog band, Monks of Doom, who just recently released The Bronte Pin, their first album of new studio material in 25 years. Music critic Nick Spacek writing for the music site Modern Vinyl, called it “a welcome return for the band” and that it “sees them exploring folk-inflected progressive rock that manages to be serene and pastoral one moment, and thunderous the next. It makes The Bronte Pin quite an involving listen, and one you’re likely to dissect for weeks after first listening.”

Blue Pacific marks Victor's ninth solo effort. The inception of this emotionally-charged project started nearly a year after his divorce, and, as it turns out, it’s one-part exorcism and one-part an effort to heal and put it all behind him.

"It was a really difficult album to make, some of the basics were recorded three times," Krummenacher admits. "I went through two other drummers before settling on Michael Urbano. There was a lot of tension this time, and [co-producer] Bruce Kaphan seriously went all out to help make the best album we think we could do."

Despite the fact this record was a direct result of so much pain, heartache and hurdles, musically it turns out to be one of Krummenacher's most rewarding efforts of his lengthy career - be it solo, or with his other bands. "There was a LOT of time put into this one," the musician reveals, "and I don’t know if I can really do much better in as far as writing or recording. Between the emotional context and the difficulty in getting all the aspects of the recording taken care of, it was one of the hardest projects I’ve worked on."

From beautifully reflective numbers such as "No One Left To Remember, No One Left To Tell," "Skin & Bones" and "Nowhere Out There On The Line" to the sturdier, high-energy tracks like "The Prettiest Train," "Some Time Ago," "Lawrence in the Desert" and the infectious title track, this is an album that satisfies on so many levels. Throughout this sprawling effort, Krummenacher channels a number of the musicians and bands that have influenced him over the years, such as The Stones, The Dead, The E Street Band, Elvis Costello, The Flying Burrito Brothers and, perhaps more than any other, Pete Townshend. In fact, he admits, "There’s actually a lot of reference to Townshend on this album. He was the big hero when I was very young and first getting into music, and I think his expository writing affected me a lot more than I realized growing up."

"These songs are more autobiographical and directly honest than anything I’ve done. I tried to leave enough ambiguity in them to keep them from being memoir specific, but most of the detail in here come from my experiences directly. It seemed like the more direct I was, the more resonant the songs became. My perspective is pretty odd at this point, when you do something this raw it’s hard to maintain one. But I know also it’s as good and focused as I can do, and that I got a lot of good musicians to help elevate these songs to a place I wasn’t sure they could reach."

Victor Krummenacher's Blue Pacific is out now on 2-LP vinyl on three sides (limited to 200 copies), CD, digital and streaming formats via Veritas Recordings.

HERE'S WHAT CRITICS HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT VICTOR'S BLUE PACIFIC:

“’The Prettiest Train’ an appropriately raucous but tuneful number from the veteran musician and a loving tribute to the tradition of American train songs. Krummenacher's impeccable sense of musical and lyrical tension shine throughout on a blazing song of escape that feels like complete victory when the final notes ring out.” – Jedd Beaudoin, POPMATTERS

“One of the most anticipated albums of 2019.” – Lee Zimmerman, PASTE MAGAZINE

“With tasty acoustic and steel guitars making way for a climactic bridge, the track ‘Skin & Bones‘ nearly spoken vocals suggest a Dylan influence. It’s the kind of self-reflection that happens at the start of the year and certainly whets the appetite for the rest of the album come March.” - Roger Catlin, THE VINYL DISTRICT

“…this is an album that satisfies on so many levels…. brings to mind the West Coast country rock style of groups like the Byrds and Poco as the chorus lingers and beckons the listener to soak up some sunshine and sing along.” – Neil Ferguson, GLIDE MAGAZINE

“Camper Van Beethoven alum improves with age. Victor Krummenacher has yet again raised his own personal bar of excellence. Honestly, I would think anyone, anywhere could find the beauty and value of the soulful track ‘Skin & Bones,’ but to those of us of a certain age, it resonates in a way few tunes ever do.” - Marc Michael, THE PULSE

“… pivots between singer-songwriter material, roots/ Americana ambiance and a classic rock-influenced zone. Highly accomplished.” - Joseph Neff, THE VINYL DISTRICT

“An honest album of roots-rock Americana… a rich diversity of songs that are reflective, driving, upbeat.” - Russell Murphy, AMERICANA UK

“Scenes of expansive, wistful folk balladry and languid Americana, as well as cathartic roots-rock uprisings, are staged with care on Blue Pacific, as Krummenacher and his co-conspirators paint them with electric and acoustic guitars and a range of instrumentation. Everything from dulcimer to dobro and pedal and lap steel, as well as a variety of organs and even synthesizer, are artfully blended into tasteful fabrics of Americana, as ‘Skin & Bones’ becomes an immersive aurora borealis and the bittersweet, country-tinged ‘No Safe Place to Fall,’ with its sad accordion swells, assumes beaten-down, Dylan-like poignancy. Even with its rocky coastline, Blue Pacific is accessible and a natural wonder.” - Peter Lindblad, ELMORE MAGAZINE