Author: neutron

The Way of the Neutron + Japan TourThe Way of the Neutron + Japan Tour

Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends – “The Way of the Neutron” is a record with Conan Neutron/Tony Ash and Dale Crover Mini-anthems for overwhelming and far too interesting times, defiant fight songs for those counted out or not counted at all. Still here. Still operating. – First song/pre-order and Japan.
http://neutronfriends.bandcamp.com
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The Way of the Neutron – Mini-anthems for overwhelming and far too interesting times, defiant fight songs for those counted out or not counted at all. Still here. Still operating.

Spangle, and sass, small scale arena rock for smart alecks and malcontents. Big riffs, critical thinking, and big smart rock for freaks, nerds and weirdos. The latest work of the mighty Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends, Way of the Neutron (2025) is a mission statement of the most compelling order. Blending heavy riffs, huge hooks and harmony with relentless abandon. Telling the story of an ethos, a life of uncompromising music and the perseverance of the creative good fight in spite of overwhelming content and stimuli. It is not only the bands most accessible record, it stands alone as a case study for endurance. The very characteristic attitude is a part of Conan Neutron’s DNA. Talking about the first single off the upcoming long-play, Neutron states:

Who Dares? Is a mission statement song. Most attributable to something a super villain would scream as a hero enters the room, this is a song about not just surviving but thriving often against insurmountable odds. One challenge at a time, one step at a time, one punch at time, one round at a time. Featuring a simple guitar hook and a relentless menacing main riff, it is a motivational soundtrack to dogged persistence. Who Dares? I’m the one who dares.”

The previous record is a split LP with the incredible LUNG called: Adult Prom  on Learning Curve Records in 2023, This follows up 2022’s Dangerous Nomenclature. A three song concept ep and 2020’s Dark Passengers: their last dedicated full length release and 3rd full length album. After a relentless and creative 10 year run so far, with love from college radio, press and crowds alike. Neutron Friends show no sign of slowing down at all. Some people may be more familiar with the podcast,  Conan Neutron’s Protonic Reversal , or the 4 Day Caterwaul music festival in Minneapolis but make no mistake about it. Neutron is a born rocker and very good at what he does and the Secret Friends in all iterations are a world class rock band. Available now to pre-order, and to stream in full in bandcamp by March 20th. You can now find your way… to the Way of the Neutron.


Conan Neutron is a guy, Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends is a band. It is a band with a revolving cast of live players. It is a band whose recordings featuring Dale Crover of the mighty Melvins on drums, Tony Ash of Coliseum on bass and the production skills of the iconoclastic and enigmatic Toshi Kasai. The Secret Friends bring forth a wiry and adventurous rock ‘n roll that is equal parts Cheap Trick, fugazi, Queens of the Stone Age, the Cars, and DEVO with perhaps Mean Streets era Van Halen mixed in. Big rock, big riffs, heavy, hooky, a little strange. You get it. This is big rock music that has all the bombast and energy of the classic arena rock bands, but with punk rock attitude.
With a bench deeper than a baseball team Conan Neutron, a rock ‘n roll lifer has spent the last 25 years making records and touring making uncompromising, sometimes challenging and daring rock music to anybody that is interested.UPCOMING TOUR-DATES:
March 7th – San Clemente, CA – No Joke Gallery
March 8th – Los Angeles, CA – Redwood Bar

March 27th – Chicago, IL – Liar’s Club – w/Mr Phylzzz, Ghost Forest
March 28th – Kenosha, WI – White Lilac – w/Mr Phylzzz,
March 29th – Madison, WI – Mickey’s – w/Mr Phylzzz
March 30th – WILD ANTICS –  X-Ray Arcade, Milwaukee, WI 

Japanese leg:
April 1 – Nakano City, Tokyo – Moon Step
April 2 – Shibuya, Tokyo – Cyclone
April 3 – Shibuya, Tokyo – Ruby Room
April 4 – Hachioji-shi, Tokyo – Hachioji RIPS
April 5 – Fukuyama City, Hiroshima – 5 Cent
April 6 – Nanamacho, Aoi Ward, Shizuoka City – Shizuoka live house Sogen
April 8 – Amagasaki, Hyogo – Tora
April 9 – Osaka – Hokage
April 10 – Tokushima City, Ginza – Crowbar
April 11 – Shibuya, Tokyo, Nishihara – Club Heavy Sick
April 12 – Kawasaki, Tokyo – Live House YYYs

All photos for Way of the Neutron by Ed Hunsinger
PROMO MATERIALS:

CONAN NEUTRON & THE SECRET FRIENDS – WAY OF NEUTRON – DOWNLOADABLE HQ COVER
CONAN NEUTRON & THE SECRET FRIENDS – WAY OF NEUTRON – DOWNLOADABLE AUDIO
CONAN NEUTRON & THE SECRET FRIENDS – WAY OF NEUTRON – DOWNLOADABLE PRESS-SHOTS



PUBLICITY:

Dan Volohov – NA, Japan  
dan@disciplinepr.com

Matt Sorokin – UK, Europe
contact@disciplinepr.com

Conan Neutron on the Crash Bang Boom Podcast
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Youtube

Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter, Podcast Host, and more-Conan Neutron stops by to talk his new record; Conan Neutron and the Secret Friends: “The Way of the Neutron”, the process of working with Dale Crover of the Melvins on drums for all the records thus far, demoing -vs- going into the studio, working with Australian band DEAD, some his favorite guitarists, some of Conan’s previous guests that Jody’s fascinated with: Guy Picciotto of Fugazi (and a couple of good Fugazi stories), Trey Spruance of Mr Bungle/Secret Chiefs 3, and Ralph Spight of Victims Family- plus much more!  Link for pre-order of “Way of the Neutron”:https://neutronfriends.bandcamp.com/album/the-way-of-the-neutronhttps://www.neutronfriends.com/ – Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends – Rock Band:

NEUTRON FRIENDS GO JAPAN!
April 1 – Nakano City, Tokyo – Moon Step
April 2 – Shibuya, Tokyo – Cyclone
April 3 – Shibuya, Tokyo – Ruby Room
April 4 – Hachioji-shi, Tokyo – Hachioji RIPS
April 5 – Fukuyama City, Hiroshima – 5 Cent
April 6 – Nanamacho, Aoi Ward, Shizuoka City – Shizuoka live house Sogen
April 8 – Amagasaki, Hyogo – Tora
April 9 – Osaka – Hokage
April 10 – Tokushima City, Ginza – Crowbar
April 11 – Shibuya, Tokyo, Nishihara – Club Heavy Sick
April 12 – Kawasaki, Tokyo – Live House YYYsRead the rest

Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends – Fall 2024Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends – Fall 2024

Thu, Sep 19th-Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA w/The Kingdom First, Antler Family

Fri, Sep 20th-The Sardine, San Pedro, CA w/Randy Randall Ensemble, Bixby und Basil

Sat, Sep 21st-Red Brontosaurus, San Diego, CA w/Scary Pierre, Randy Randall Ensemble

Sun, Sep 22nd-Yucca Tap Room, Tempe, AZ w/Hillbilly Devilspeak, Shovel

Then midwest:

Fri, Oct 11th-Small’s, Detroit, MN w/God Bullies, Salvation, Amino Acids

Sat, Nov 9th-Planet of the Tapes, Louisville, KY w/God Bullies

Tue, Nov 12th-Turf Club, St. Paul, MN w/Dead Bob, Lung

Wed, Nov 13th-Cobra Louge, Chicago, IL w/Dead Bob, Lung

Screenshot
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Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends – May 2024Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends – May 2024

May tour dates!

5/17 – Hardline Coffee Company, Sioux City, IA

5/18 – Crystal Corner Bar, Madison, Wisconsin #

5/19 – Cactus Club, Milwaukee, Wisconsin %+

5/21 – Northside Tavern, Cincinnati, OH >

5/22 – Planet of the Tapes, Louisville, KY*

5/23 – Liar’s Club, Chicago, Illinois*$

5/24-5/27 – Caterwaul, Minneapolis, MN

5/28 – High Noon Saloon, Madison, WI^

# w/ The Cult of Lip

% w/ Body Futures

+ w/ Hot Coffin

> w/ CNTS

* w Part Chimp

$ w/ Art Gray Noizz Quintet

^ w Brainiac Band

Hopefully that doesn’t read like the Zodiac Killer code. First midwest shows since last summer, wow, really? Yeah I guess so. Great poster by Plastic Flame PressRead the rest

Lung / Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends West Coast Adult Prom tour, October 2023! Lung / Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends West Coast Adult Prom tour, October 2023! 

10/06/2023 – Tempe/AZ – Time Out Lounge W/Bright Sunshine, Hot Probs
10/07/2023 – Los Angeles/CA – Redwood Bar and Grill w/The Freeks
10/08/2023 – San Francisco/CA – Bottom of the Hill (Afternoon BBQ Show) w/Cassette Prophet
10/09/2023 – Sacramento/CA – Old Ironsides
10/10/2023 – Reno/NV – The Loving Cup w/Elephant Rifle
10/11/2023 – Eugene/OR – Sam Bond’s Garage w/Silence Mill
10/12/2023 – Portland/OR – High Water Mark
10/13/2023 – Bellingham/WA – Make Shift Art Space (Bellingham Exit)
10/14/2023 – Seattle/WA – Southgate Roller Rink (Rat City Recon)

All dates with LUNG. We will have LP and CD of Adult Prom at all of these shows. Pre-orders still available.

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LUNG x CONAN NEUTRON & THE SECRET FRIENDS – Adult PromLUNG x CONAN NEUTRON & THE SECRET FRIENDS – Adult Prom

LUNG x CONAN NEUTRON & THE SECRET FRIENDS: cello-grunge powerhouse joins forces with Melvins-affiliated rockers on electrifying new split LP; West Coast tour announced

Learning Curve Records announces the October 6th release of Adult Prom, the new split LP by Lung and Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends.

Pre-order the album, here: 

https://learningcurverecords.bandcamp.com/album/adult-prom

Stream new Lung track, “Fucked Up Darling,” here: 

https://learningcurverecords.bandcamp.com/album/adult-prom

Stream new Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends track, “Wild Antics,” here: 

https://learningcurverecords.bandcamp.com/album/adult-prom

Adult Prom is an example of the magic that can happen when an unlikely pair of bands, bonded more by spirit than by sound, choose to join forces and make a thing together. Like a mouthful of sugar and salt, the contrast between the two reveals the power of each. 

Where Lung brings sheer intensity, executed with dark, neoclassical flair, Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends revel in an exuberant, noisy reimagining of classic rock. Despite the divergent energies, these bands are united by friendship and mutual respect and they give themselves, one hundred percent, to this project. On Adult Prom, not only do the two share space on a slab of vinyl; each also covers one song by the other, reinterpreting it in its own singular style, and members lend their talents to other tracks as guest vocalists and musicians.

Explaining how the collab came to be, Conan Neutron states, simply: “We are fans of each other’s music and enjoy each other’s company and it just seemed like a cool thing to do.”

From Cincinnati, Ohio, Lung consists of Kate Wakefield, a classically trained opera singer and cellist, and drummer Daisy Caplan, formerly of Foxy Shazam. Fierce, ethereal, and heavy as hell, Lung rocks with the intensity of early grunge, layered with sinister undertones. “Tony Iommi teaching a Nirvana class at Juilliard,” reads one review from Cincinnati paper CityBeat.

“PJ Harvey is absolutely brilliant,” states Wakefield. “I also am a huge fan of Tori Amos, Hole, Cibo Matto. I also love dramatic classical composers like Prokofiev, Sibelius and Barber – who are all pretty metal, in a way. Daisy has also introduced me to tons of bands that have influenced our style since we started playing, like Minutemen, Smart Went Crazy, and Death From Above. Our sound is intentionally genre-bending, but the consistent thread is that everything we do has an intensity to it. We mean every word and every note we play, and people can feel that.”


People can feel that, indeed, as Wakefield runs her cello through distortion pedals and big amps, and Caplan pounds out earthquaking beats on cartoonishly bell-shaped, vintage North drums. A relentless touring machine, the duo has played over 700 shows across North America and Europe, on bills with Brainiac, Screaming Females, Fucked Up, and so many more.

With roots in Oakland, California, transplanted to Milwaukee, Conan Neutron is a wildly prolific musician, podcaster, and impresario. As a co-founder and curator of Caterwaul Festival, and as the founder and host of the Protonic Reversal podcast, Neutron is a self-built pillar of what he has termed “independent-minded, iconoclastic, noisy music.” With Caterwaul, he has helped create an annual fest that has quickly become a major new axis for this “noisy music” scene, putting the likes of Flipper and Chat Pile on one stage and serving to strengthen a community of diverse, yet connected, bands and fans. With Protonic Reversal, he has chatted for hours with an absolutely legendary list of artists – members of The Stooges, Devo, The Birthday Party, Black Flag, and Fugazi, to name but a few – amassing a huge library of conversations that exists as a resource for the world to enjoy.

As a band leader, Neutron wields the same creative fire and the same knack for putting exceptional people under one roof. His rhythm section, The Secret Friends, consists of none other than Melvins drum-slayer Dale Crover and bassist Tony Ash, formerly of Coliseum. (When Neutron takes the show on the road, he and Ash are joined by a revolving cast of live players – “a bench deeper than a baseball team,” in Neutron’s words.)

Contrary to what one might expect from these guys, the sound hits like a burlier version of power pop – more Cheap Trick than AmRep. Honed over four full-length albums and shows with Big Business, Torche, and more, the songwriting and execution are world-class. Crover’s iconic drumming lays the foundation for rich tones, sweet hooks, and Neutron’s croon.

Given the underground cred of Neutron and his gang, their choice to rock unabashedly might come across like a subversive act. Neutron puts it like this: “What we do is BIG WEIRD ROCK MUSIC. I have to throw the WEIRD in, because when people think of rock music they tend to think of slavish imitators of bygone eras or a specific kind of very safe consonant guitar music for middle managers and wraparound shade dads.”

One press release from the recent past calls it: “small scale arena rock for smart alecks and malcontents.”

Lung’s tracks on Adult Prom were recorded and mixed by John Hoffman at The Lodge in Dayton, KY; Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends’ trackswere engineered and mixed by Toshi Kasai. The album was mastered by Shellac’s Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service.

Adult Prom’s album artwork, created by Aaron Cross, comprises paintings of the two bands’ vans – two 2006 Ford Econolines, coincidentally. On October 6th, the day of the LP’s release, Lung and Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends will get in said vans and kick off a West Coast tour together. (See those dates, along with Lung’s other upcoming touring, below.)


Adult Prom tracklist:

1) Lung – Fucked Up Darling
2) Lung – Kingpin
3) Lung – Cash Machine (Two Ton Boa cover)
4) Lung – The Impossible Task (Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends cover)
5) Lung – Pastor
6) Lung – Anyone Else (feat. Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends)
7) Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends – Wild Antics
8) Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends – Crybullies
9) Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends – Fridging (feat. Kate Wakefield of Lung)
10) Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends – I’m Nervous (Lung cover)
11) Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends – Criminal Hypnosis
12) Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends – We Were Wolves

Lung w/ Screaming Females:

Aug 16 – Morgantown, WV @ 123 Pleasant St
Aug 17 – Cincinnati, OH @ Legends
Aug 18 – Chattanooga, TN @ Songbirds
Aug 19 – Asheville, NC @ Static Age Records
Aug 20 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd

Lung:
Sep 1 – Michigan City, IN @ Oktoberfest
Sep 2 – Indianapolis, IN @ Romanus Fest
Sep 7 – Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light
Sep 8 – Athens, GA @ Flicker Theatre

Lung w/ Djunah:
Sep 9 – Savannah, GA @ It Takes Two fest
Sep 10 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Sep 11 – Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle

Lung w/ Thelma and the Sleaze:
Sep 19 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House Revival
Sep 20 – Louisville, KY @ Whirling Tiger
Sep 21 – Athens, OH @ Union
Sep 22 – Cincinnati OH @ Fountain Square
Sep 23 – Lafayette, IN @ North End Pub
Sep 24 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle

Lung:
Sep 26 – St. Louis, MO @ CBGB
Sep 28 – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
Sep 29 – Austin, TX @ The Electric Church
Sep 30 – San Angelo, TX @ The Deadhorse
Oct 1 – El Paso TX @ Mona
Oct 2 – Bisbee, AZ @ The Quarry

Lung w/ Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends:

Oct 6 – Tempe, AZ @ Time Out Lounge
Oct 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ Redwood Bar and Grill
Oct 8 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
Oct 9 – Sacramento, CA @ Old Ironsides
Oct 10 – Reno, NV @ The Loving Cup
Oct 11 – Eugene, OR @ Sam Bond’s Garage
Oct 12 – Portland, OR @ High Water Mark
Oct 13 – Bellingham, WA @ Make Shift Art Space
Oct 14 – Seattle, WA @ Southgate Roller Rink

Lung:

Oct 20 – Logansport, IN @ The Record Farm
Oct 21 – Dayton, OH @ Dayton Music Fest


Photo of Lung, by Rachelle Caplan
Photo of Conan Neutron, by Abbey Garside
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Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends:Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends:

Fall Tour: (some dates with mclusky)

Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends will be supporting the mighty mclusky for three shows on the west coast next month.
9/17/2022 Starline Social Club, Oakland, CA
9/20/2022 Revolution Hall, Portland, OR
9/21/2022 The Crocodile, Seattle, WA
This should be great. Tickets going fast!

Haven’t played on the west coast since 2019, very happy to be back.

Full dates:
9/15/2022 – Dive Bar, Las Vegas, NV w/The Swank Bastards and Little Kids
9/16/2022 – World Famous Doll Hut, Anaheim, CA
9/17/2022 – Starline Social Club Oakland CA w/mclusky – tickets
9/18/2022 – Mario’s Marina Bar, Shelter Cove, CA
9/19/2022 – John Henry’s, Eugene, OR w/Silence Mill, Kronk Men
9/20/2022 – Revolution Hall Portland OR w/mclusky – tickets
9/21/2022 – The Crocodile Seattle WA w/mclusky – tickets
9/22/2022 – Monk’s, Missoula, MT w/Jaag
9/23/2022 – The Bourgeois Pig, Casper, WY w/Animal Bite, Plague Pitted Moon
9/24/2022 – Goosetown Tavern, Denver Co w/Almanac Man, the Betterself

Other shows:

9/2/2022 – Mag Bar, Louisville, KY – PRF Lou w/Burned or Buried, Naw, Knife the Symphony, Mister Goblin, Deady, Lashes – tickets

10/1/2022 – Promises, Milwaukee, WI w/DeadFinger, Zelvis!

10/6/2022 – The Lexington, Detroit, MI -w/Burned or Buried, Tart
10/7/2022 – ????, Philadelphia, PA w/Burned or Buried
10/8/2022 – 12 Heart You, Peakskill, NY w/ Burned or Buried
10/8/2022 (later) – Cherry Street Station, New Haven, CT w/Grizzlor, VRSA
10/9/2022 – The Government Center, Pittsburgh, PA w/ Norm Westberg, Burned or Buried

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Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends and The Erratic Retaliator Strategy present: Dangerous Nomenclature Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends and The Erratic Retaliator Strategy present: Dangerous Nomenclature 

“What’s in a name? Would ‘Kiss From a Rose’ by any other name sound so sweet?”
Easy concept, kids. Two bands that are idiosyncratic and unique and are frequently related to the cultural dead end of “project” team up for a wild concept.

THE MISSION: pick 3 song titles
Each band writes a song to the song title, without hearing or knowing anything about the other band’s work.

The title inspires the music, the lyrics, the entire approach. Certainly things have a chance of getting interesting, yes?

Anyway, what transpires is the results of this collaboration/challenge. Feast your ears upon it… if you dare!
DANGEROUS NOMENCLATURE.


VINYL PRE-ORDER COMING SOON THROUGH LEARNING CURVE RECORDS, when we have a more realistic idea of the timeline when it might actually arrive. Thank all the Adele and Taylor Swift collector’s records for that.

credits

released February 4, 2022

The Erratic Retaliator Strategy
Mike – guitar, vocals
Ron – bass, vocals

Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends:
Conan Neutron – Vocals/Guitars
Tony Ash – Bass
Dale Crover – Drums
Toshi Kasai – Backup Vocals, Keys, Synth

Recorded and produced April 15th, 2021 and September 11th, 2021 by Toshi Kasai at Sound of Sirens

NeutronFriends Heavy Industries, Worldwide.
STILL ON TOP!


Artwork by Chris Williams – Plastic Flame Press (plasticflame.com)
Mastered by Bob Weston, Chicago Mastering Service, January 2022
Neutronfriends.com

LCR-080-1 / SW030

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