TELEKINETIC YETI, Bonginator

Tue Oct 1 2024

8:00 PM (Doors 7:00 PM)

Mr Smalls Theatre

400 Lincoln Ave Millvale, PA 15209

All Ages

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Opus One Presents
TELEKINETIC YETI with Special Guest Bonginator

  • Sorry, there are currently no tickets available through TicketWeb. Tickets are available at the door.
  • TELEKINETIC YETI

    TELEKINETIC YETI

    Psychedelic

    Based out of Iowa, Telekinetic Yeti is a two-man band that delivers sonic brutality melded with psychedelic doom wizardry, forged by the worship of the almighty riff and honed by relentless touring and dedication to their craft.

    Creating music as cryptically enchanting as it is heavy, you wouldn't guess that the impressive cacophony pouring out of the speakers like molten, metal syrup is being produced by only two people. Founder and guitarist Alex Baumann explains, “Originally I decided not to have a bass player purely for logistical reasons, it was just another schedule to work around, another person who’s boss could tell us we can’t tour, but then I started seeing it as a challenge, like let’s see how heavy we can make it with just two people.”

    That started grabbing peoples' attention. Relentless touring and playing pretty much any club that would have them, the band set sail on their epic voyage, selling their debut album Abominable out of their van and cutting their teeth in the underground playing hundreds of shows. All the while receiving rave reviews of their live performance as well as their first release, which landed at #2 on the doom charts and stayed right there for months. The Sludgelord called the eight-song album “a f***ing monster from start to finish,” and The Obelisk, including the album in their year-end, best of list, dubbed it the “debut of the year,” and said “it could have been another band’s second or third record for the level of cohesion on display.” The video for “Stoned and Feathered” quickly racked up a few hundred thousand views and counting. It was at this time that Telekinetic Yeti caught the attention of Ozzy Osbourne bass player, Blasko, who named Abominable on his “5 favorites” list. People were starting to catch on, and soon thereafter Telekinetic Yeti would be invited to tour extensively with some of the best heavy rock bands in the business, including Clutch, Black Label Society, Red Fang and
    Weedeater.

    Now the band finds itself in a much different, auspicious position, and with the help of famed producer Phillip Cope (Baroness, Kylesa, Damad, Black Tusk et al), Telekinetic Yeti returns with their eagerly-anticipated, second full-length album, Primordial.

    With this release, the band takes their game to a whole new level. Primordial explores themes as diverse as evolution, sorcery, black magic and the contradictions of the gloriously uplifting yet simultaneously melancholic human condition. "I wanted to write something that was an appropriate intro to the album, that brought to mind an early earth setting and featured atmospheric elements as well as some droning, sparse simplicity and lyrically, simple imagery regarding the dawn of humankind and creation of the first tools." explains Baumann of the title track.

    As it unfolds, the album evolves into a cathartic exploration turning themes into tangible sounds and haunting fugues. Says Baumann regarding the inspiration behind “Beast”: "This song is about wanting to escape the societal constraints that keep us on the wheel, toiling away, indefinitely. It's also about questioning authority figures, or really anyone that claims to have all the answers."

    Matured songwriting, creatively brutal riffs and an exercise in monstrous tones make this listen an immersive experience taking you back to explore and appreciate the primordial ooze that we all came from. Telekinetic Yeti has partnered with stalwart Indie label, Tee Pee Records.
  • Bonginator

    Bonginator

    Psychedelic

    In late 2021, guitarist and vocalist Erik Thorstenn started writing demos for a yet

    undetermined death metal project born from his passion for cheesy 80’s movies and growing weed. Fast forward just one year later, and the band now known as Bonginator has made a crushing impact on the death metal scene. Bonginator is a stoner death metal band based out of Boston, MA, but don’t let the name fool you. Bonginator isn’t your everyday stoner band, they pack a serious punch of hardcore death riffs and gut ripping breakdowns that come together to create an experience that can only be described as “hands-free” if you know what I mean. Bonginator totes the phrase “Two-Stepping Neon Weed Death” as a means to simplify their hardcore, energetic, 80’s inspired weed-infused death metal sound into a cool phrase on a t-shirt.

    Since the official launch of the band on January 1, 2022, Bonginator has toured the country multiple times and released their debut EP, “The 1986 Doink City Massacre” on April 20, 2022 through Barbaric Brutality. Bonginator anticipates growing even larger with the release of their debut LP, “The Intergalactic Gorebong of Deathpot” which releases April 20, 2023, keeping true to this bands dedication to the crop. Bonginator has already released two singles off the

    album, “CHOPPED 2 PIECES” and “Zombie Party Rockers”, and the anticipation has only grown since. Bonginator is confident their music will change the game.

    LINEUP:
    Erik Thorstenn - Guitar/Vox
    Ron Bernhaut - Bass
    Jake Thompson - Drums (former, on the album) Joseph McNamara - Drums (current, not on the album)

    Erik Thorstenn is the leader and main creative force behind Bonginator. The idea grew out of Erik’s love for cheesy 80’s movies and growing marijuana. Erik also really enjoys pinball and cooking. When he’s not on the road, Erik works as a sound and lighting guy at various venues in Boston.

    Ron Bernhaut is the piece of ass/bassist for Bonginator. He's worked with Erik for a number of years before the inception of the band. He's big into birds, philosophy, rhythm games, and anything Sonic. When he's not with Bonginator, he's either writing his own music, working with his other band Pistacia, performing with various solo artists in the Boston area, hanging out at an arcade, or working at Whole Foods. A fun fact about Ron is that he probably smokes more weed than you.

    Jake Thompson, the former drummer of Bonginator, was featured on their 2022 summer US tour and the upcoming album “Intergalactic Gorebong of Deathpot”. Jake was asked to join after meeting Erik through one of his former bands Mudfuck. When he’s not swamped in school work, Jake enjoys collecting nerdy stuff like Pokemon cards and figurines, but also really enjoys building Lego sets and playing video games. He is also actively involved in other Boston bands Nailed Shut and Survive The Sun.

Opus One Presents

TELEKINETIC YETI with Special Guest Bonginator

Tue Oct 1 2024 8:00 PM

(Doors 7:00 PM)

Mr Smalls Theatre Millvale PA
TELEKINETIC YETI, Bonginator
  • Sorry, there are currently no tickets available through TicketWeb. Tickets are available at the door.

All Ages

All Ages