When’s the last time you raged along to the sounds of a massive 9-piece psychedelic soul explosion? The extravaganza known as King Khan and The Shrines will be leaving a wake of broken hearts and shattered minds across North America this summer. Originally from Montreal, King Khan (also known for his Little Richardesque performances as one half of outrageous garage outfit The King Khan & BBQ Show) mixes voodoo rituals, tantric divination and death cult antics with the sounds of James Brown, Sun Ra and good ol’ fashion rock ‘n’ roll. The Shrines line-up includes Simon Wojan (the talent behind Cloudland Canyon on Kranky Records), Ron Streeter (live-percussionist for Curtis Mayfield and Stevie Wonder) and an amazingly talented Franco-German alliance. The first US release aptly named “The Supreme Genius of King Khan and the Shrines” is a collection of greatest hits gathered from European releases over the last few years.—noir_profund

Jared Swiley of Black Lips describes the show as “one of the best shows I have ever witnessed. The scene inside was nothing short of insanity. Horns were blaring that could have taken down the walls of Jericho, the drums pounding a rhythm deep into my heart, guitars, bass and organ wailing and King Khan at the epicenter of it all commanding the stage like a soul-soaked shaman.” No shit. On tour starting tomorrow!

Song: Torture (click to listen)
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kingkhantheshrines