Metal Masters Sunn O))) Playing Special Show at Arcosanti

UPDATE (6/20/2019, 4:02 p.m.): A representative from Stateside Presents confirmed to New Times that shuttles to Arcosanti will leave from Crescent Ballroom, 308 North 2nd Avenue, at 5:30 p.m. on the day of the show.

Sunn O))) (pronounced "sun") are beyond the standard confines of metal, or any other genre for that matter. For years, the duo of Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson have donned their solemn robes and produced a crushingly loud, droning, feedback-heavy brand of metal that's not only utterly distinctive, but almost trance-inducing. Their work shares more in common with religious sounds — Gregorian chants, Sufi qawwali music, Tibetan throat singing — than with Slayer or Judas Priest. It's music that tries to move beyond earthly existence and into the realm of the unknown, just made with electric guitars and effect pedals.

You could call it drone metal. It's an accurate description of their music. Or you could go with the name they've given their latest album, a name that reflects their restorative, spiritual mission: Life Metal. Not death metal, not black metal, and certainly not doom metal — this is Life Metal.

So it makes perfect sense for Sunn O))) to play a show at a venue like Arcosanti, a place with its own strange power, where spiritual seekers gather to expand their minds and beings. On Saturday, September 7, Stateside Presents is bringing the band to the experimental community for a show that's sure to be unforgettable.

Arcosanti is, of course, the venue for the annual FORM festival; its last edition this past May brought Florence + The Machine, Japanese Breakfast, DJ Koze, and many more to the beautiful venue an hour north of Phoenix. According to a Facebook post from Stateside, shuttles to Arcosanti will be available from Phoenix. We've reached out for more information on the shuttles and will update when able.


Tickets for the Sunn O))) show go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 21, via Eventbrite. The show is a late addition to the band's recently announced Let There Be Drone: Multiple Gains Stages tour, and will feature Papa M. (David Pajo of Slint) and Big Brave as openers. Find all the tour dates below.

Oh, one more thing — bring earplugs. This show is going to be loud.

Sunn O)))
September 1 — Dallas TX — Granada
September 2 — Austin TX — Emo's
September 4 — Denver CO — The Gothic
September 7 — Mayer AZ — Arcosanti
September 8 — Los Angeles CA — The Mayan
September 9 — San Francisco CA — The Fillmore
September 11 — Seattle WA — The Showbox
September 12 — Portland OR — Revolution Hall

Sunn O))). With Papa M, Big Brave. Saturday, September 7, at Arcosanti, 13555 South Cross L Road, Mayer; arcosanti.org. Tickets on sale 10 a.m. Friday, June 21, via Eventbrite.