Dead Heavens

“Dead Heavens came to me while watching a film called An American Hippie In Israel,” says frontman

and guitarist Walter Schreifels. “In the film the aforementioned American Hippie collects a group of like

minded flower children from around Tel Aviv. They cram into a convertible for a drive to the sea and

pick out an uninhabited island to begin a new “free” society. They lose their raft, the waters around the

island are shark infested, there’s no drinkable water or food save a single lamb which the hippies

ultimately fight to the death for--their heaven dead yet the lamb survives. Our band is like the lamb, a

lamb that grows into a goat, with horns.”

The early sparks of the Dead Heavens’ sound began on a Schreifels solo, with Thomas and Aguilar as the

backing band. They were obsessing over Cream’s first album Fresh Cream and MBV, My Bloody

Valentine’s both miasmic yet blissful follow up to Loveless. Aguilar also introduced them to the psych

beauty of White Fence on that tour, which resonated with Schreifels, who was in the mood for heavier

music, guitar solos, and a big rock feeling after a recent Quicksand tour.

Upon returning to NYC, Aguilar reacquainted Thomas and Schreifels with musician, painter, engineer

and dude who came up with the title Use Your Illusion, Paul Kostabi, who had previously played in White

Zombie and Psychotica.

“I knew Paul from his days with White Zombie, but hadn’t seen him in years and didn’t know he was

recording,” Schreifels said. “Turns out he was in possession of the same 16-track reel-to-reel I had

recorded Gorilla Biscuits’ Start Today on back in ’89, so it was a perfect fit.”

They began recording at Kostabi’s home studio in Piermont, New York with his massive collection of ‘70s

recording reels from The James Gang, Sabbath, and Hendrix, spinning in between takes.

“Those recordings really inspired our sound,” Schreifels said of Kostabi’s analog archive. “we began to

see ourselves in the context of the Vietnam War.”

Eventually Kostabi joined Dead Heavens, which had morphed mid-recording from a project into an

actual band, changing the sound dramatically. Heavier and dual guitar leads, more sonic possibilities.

Whether they’re connecting the sounds of the psychedelic ‘70s or channelling the now, Dead Heavens

are soundtracking their exploration and as drummer Drew Thomas mentions, “What the world needs

now is for more people to take psychedelic drugs.”

Dead Heavens will be releasing their first slab of vinyl, “36 Chambers” b/w “History In My Hands” on San

Diego’s Thrill Me record this TKK. With denim inspired artwork by San Diego’s own Dusty Dirtweed,

Dead Heavens is launched into the world to succeed where the hippies failed.