Howlin Rain's 'Watermelon' Revives Obscure '70s Gems With Chris Robinson and Ty Segall | Oakland, California

Oakland, California rock band Howlin Rain is marking 20 years with a crate-digger's victory lap. Watermelon, a covers album of obscure 1970s deep cuts, arrives Friday, Nov. 13, on frontman Ethan Miller's Silver Current Records, with guests including The Black Crowes' Chris Robinson and Ty Segall, according to JamBase.

A memory in the desert

The first preview was Mountain's "Silver Paper," from the band's debut Climbing!, featuring Robinson. Miller says the cover is a tribute to a "crystalized memory of Chris and me standing over a record player in the desert," blasting Climbing! late at night.

Robinson also appears on Todd Rundgren's "Black Maria." Ty Segall joins on "30th Century Man," and David Nance sits in on "Possibly Parsons Green." The rest of the set includes "Jesus Was A Cross Maker," "I Am Not Willing," "If I Were A Carpenter" and closer "Rosali."

Miller told JamBase he wanted "more esoteric songs and sometimes obscure artists that were meaningful to us." The nine tracks draw from Judee Sill, Sugluk, Moby Grape, Fairport Convention, Rundgren, Scott Walker, Tim Hardin and Mountain Bus.

Turning up Sugluk

Second single "Fall Away" digs even deeper. The original came from Sugluk, a pioneering Inuit rock band, and Miller found it on Light in the Attic's compilation Native North America (Vol. 1), BroadwayWorld reports.

"Sugluk's recording is such a pure expression of youth and raw musicality," Miller said. Howlin Rain swaps the original's groove for Crazy Horse-style chug and fuzz. "We thought it would be fun to dial up the volume on the amps," he added.

A new Howlin Rain

Miller formed the Oakland-based Howlin Rain in 2004 while still in Comets on Fire, drawing on life in Northern California's Lost Coast, per Wikipedia. The band signed with Rick Rubin's American Recordings in 2007, and Miller's own Silver Current label released The Alligator Bride in 2018. The catalog also includes Magnificent Fiend (2008), The Russian Wilds (2012), Mansion Songs (2015) and The Dharma Wheel (2021).

Watermelon also introduces a mostly new lineup. Drummer Justin Smith is the only holdover, joined by Jonny Niemann on keys, Jason Soda on guitar and vocals, and Kyre Wilcox on bass and vocals.

The album arrives on vinyl, CD and digital, with pre-orders open on Bandcamp, per BroadwayWorld. For a band built on '70s heavy rock, a record of other people's forgotten songs might be the most personal thing it has made.

Where to listen and follow

Pre-order Watermelon on Howlin Rain's Bandcamp.

Sources

JamBase — "Howlin Rain Previews New Album 'Watermelon' With Mountain Cover Featuring Chris Robinson"
BroadwayWorld — "Howlin Rain Shares Cover of Sugluk's "Fall Away""
Wikipedia — "Howlin Rain"