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Yawning Man is an American experimental rock band from La Quinta, California. The band originally formed in 1986, although they released no studio recordings until 2005. They have been noted to be one of the first influential bands in the desert rock scene.

History

Yawning Man was formed in 1986, founded by members Gary Arce, Alfredo Hernández, Mario Lalli, and Larry Lalli. At this time, the band started to play marathon jams from the garage to the desert. The word spread of these "generator parties" and large crowds began to show up. Their music heavily influenced the likes of John Garcia, Josh Homme, and Brant Bjork (who would later form the legendary stoner rock band Kyuss) to name only a few. When Hernandez played in Kyuss on their last album ...And the Circus Leaves Town they recorded a cover of Yawning Man's song "Catamaran".

Yawning Man was the sickest desert band of all time. You’d just be up there in the desert, everybody’d just be hanging, partying. And they’d show up in their van and just, mellow, drag out their shit and set up right about the time the sun was goin’ down, set up the generators, sometimes they’d just go up there and drink beers and barbecue. Sometimes it would be a scene; sometimes it would be very intimate. It was very casual and loose and everybody would like, while they’re playing, everyone would just lounge around. They were kinda like a house band. It wasn’t militant like Black Flag. It was very drugged, very stone-y, it was very mystical. Everyone’s just tripping, and they’re just playing away, for hours. Oh, they’re the GREATEST band I’ve ever seen.

— Brant Bjork (2002)

From 1986 to 1987, 30 to 40 songs were recorded on 2 different demos but no official Yawning Man material was ever released until 2005. Yawning Man's music began to mutate into strange loops with an almost dark/free-form jazz punk sound, and the name of the band just didn't fit the music anymore. The band changed name to The Sort of Quartet and in the mid '90s released three albums with SST Records and one with German label Hot Wax Crippled Dick. During this time, the Lalli cousins also achieved recognition with their band Fatso Jetson, which briefly included Arce.

In 2005, Yawning Man's first LP Rock Formations was released on the Spanish label Alone Records. It is a collection of 10 tracks recorded in late 2004 and described as "a melancholic mix of acoustic space rock with elements of surf music, as well as middle eastern guitar style". Months later, Pot Head, a four-track EP, would be released. In 2006, Rock Formations was re-released with a limited edition bonus DVD recorded at W2 club in Den Bosch, Netherlands on June 17, 2005, during their European tour.

In 2007, Yawning Man was to release a collection of past material on a double CD known as The Birth of Sol Music. It was to be a collection of 30 older songs from the late '80s with an extensive booklet including information about the band and the whole Palm Desert connection. According to band member Gary Arce, this release has been postponed indefinitely. In 2009, The Birth of Sol Music (The Demo Tapes) was released on iTunes as a two-disc set containing 24 songs.

In 2007, an LP called Vista Point, a combination of the Rock Formations and Pot Head releases, was released. In 2009, members of Yawning Man collaborated with British band Sons of Alpha Centauri to release the album Ceremony to the Sunset under the band name Yawning Sons. The album was well received by music critics, with Echoes and Dust labelling it a "classic". In 2014, members of Sons of Alpha Centauri stated that a follow-up to the album would be considered once they released their own second album.

In 2010, Yawning Man released their second studio album Nomadic Pursuits under the imprint of Cobraside Records. Its cover art was composed and delivered by Hernández. Following the release of the album, the band embarked on a tour across Europe with Bill Stinson and Billy Cordell replacing Hernández and Mario Lalli as touring members respectively. The Nomadic Pursuits tour concluded with a headline show at the DesertFest in London and Berlin in April 2013 with Yawning Sons and Fatso Jetson. The band then self-released a dedicated tour vinyl with Fatso Jetson.

In August 2014, Yawning Man returned to Europe with Arce, Mario Lalli and Stinson for a tour that ran from August 29 to September 7, after which they undertook the Legends of the Desert Tour with Fatso Jetson from February 2 to 28, 2015.

In 2016, Yawning Man released their third studio album Historical Graffiti, which marked the first studio recordings to feature Stinson on drums. The album was recorded by Leonardo Checheccia at Ion Studios in Buenos Aires, Argentina while the band were on tour. The first vinyl pressings were released by Lay Bare Records and later re-released by Cobraside Records. In 2017, Yawning Man went on their first ever tour of the United States and Canada to support the album's release.

Members

Current members

• Gary Arce - guitar (1986–present)
• Mario Lalli - bass (1986–present)
• Bill Stinson - drums (2011,2013–present)
• Justine Ruiz - bass, guitar (2016–present)

Former members

• Alfredo Hernandez - Percussion
• Larry Lalli - guitar, bass
• Billy Cordell - bass (2005-2012)
• Greg Saenz - drums (2011-2012)
• Randy Reantaso - percussion (†)
• Jerrod Elliott - Percussion

Discography

Studio recordings

Rock Formations LP - 2005

1. "Rock Formations" (5:21)
2. "Perpetual Oyster" (5:22)
3. "Stoney Lonesome" (6:02)
4. "Split Tooth Thunder" (2:58)
5. "Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway" (3:52)
6. "Airport Boulevard" (5:22)
7. "Advanced Darkness" (2:33)
8. "She Scares Me" (4:09)
9. "Crater Lake" (3:37)
10. "Buffalo Chips" (4:27)

Pot Head EP - 2005

1. "Manolete" (6:47)
2. "Digital Smoke Signal" (7:09)
3. "Encounters With An Angry God" (5:01)
4. "Samba de Primavera" (5:03)

Vista Point LP - 2007

(Combines Rock Formations and Pot Head into one release)

1. "Rock Formations" (5:21)
2. "Perpetual Oyster" (5:22)
3. "Stoney Lonesome" (6:02)
4. "Split Tooth Thunder" (2:58)
5. "Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway" (3:52)
6. "Airport Boulevard" (5:22)
7. "Advanced Darkness" (2:33)
8. "She Scares Me" (4:09)
9. "Crater Lake" (3:37)
10. "Buffalo Chips" (4:27)
11. "Manolete" (6:47)
12. "Digital Smoke Signal" (7:09)
13. "Encounters With An Angry God" (5:01)
14. "Samba de Primavera" (5:03)

Yawning Sons - Ceremony to the Sunset - 2009

1. "Ghostship - Deadwater" (08:32)
2. "Tomahawk Watercress" (06:57)
3. "Wetlands" (06:40)
4. "Whales in Tar" (02:48)
5. "Meadows" (08:09)
6. "Garden Sessions III" (05:21)
7. "Japanese Garden" (04:47)

Nomadic Pursuits - 2010

1. "Camel Tow" (5:02)
2. "Sand Whip" (6:54)
3. "Far-off Adventure" (Eastern Interests) (8:28)
4. "Blue Foam" (Water Ways) (6:42)
5. "Ground Swell" (6:16)
6. "Camel Tow Too" (5:00)
7. "Laster Arte" (Nomadic Pursuits) (4:28)

Yawning Sons / WaterWays 7" Split - 2010

1. Yawning Sons - Garden Sessions I
2. WaterWays - Bows and Arrows / Memorial Patterns (6:03)

Hotel Wrecking City Traders & Gary Arce LP - 2011

1. Coventina's Cascade (10:19)
2. Traverse of the Oxen (10:21)

WaterWays / Sons of Alpha Centauri / Hotel Wrecking City Traders - 2012

1. WaterWays - Piece of You (4:21)
2. WaterWays - Queen (3:27)
3. WaterWays - The Blacksmith (4:51)
4. WaterWays - WaterWays (4:07)
5. Sons of Alpha Centauri - 27 (8:48)
6. Hotel Wrecking City Traders - Pulmo Victus (9:37)

Yawning Man & Fatso Jetson – Split (2013)

1. Yawning Man - "Dark Meet" (5:21)
2. Fatso Jetson - "Mono Decay" (4:08)
3. Fatso Jetson - "Trans World Sleep" (6:44)
4. Yawning Man - "Underwater Noise" (5:21)

Historical Graffiti (2016)

1. The Wind Cries Edalyn (08:31)
2. Her Phantom Finger Of Copenhagen (06:58)
3. Naomi Crayola (03:05)
4. The Secret Language Of Elephants (06:27)
5. Historical Graffiti (07:48)

The Revolt Against Tired Noises (2018)

1. The Black Kite (5:21)
2. The Revolt Against Tired Noises (5.26)
3. Skyline Pressure (7:40)
4. Grant’s Heart (3:17)
5. Violent Lights (6:32)
6. Catamaran (3:02)
7. Misfortune Cookies (3:31)
8. Ghost Beach (5:04)

Compilations

The Birth of Sol Music (The Demo Tapes)(1986 demos released in 2009)

DVD recordings

Live at W2 Den Bosch. Netherlands. DVD + rock formations. (CD + DVD release) W2 Concertzaal June 17, 2005

1. Perpetual Oyster
2. Digital Smoke Signal
3. Rock Formations
4. Stoney Lonesome
5. Split Tooth Thunder
6. Crack, Harden, Dry
7. Manolete
8. Fires of Papa's Chili
9. Advanced Darkness
10. Encounters With An Angry God
11. Buffalo Chips
12. Airport Boulevard

Sources

1. Babcock, Jay. "Larger Than Life: Fatso Jetson Finds a Place". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2002-06-12.
2. Levinson, Matthew (January 21, 2008). "Yawning Man – Vista Point (Lexicon Devil/Fuse)". Cyclic Defrost. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
3. "Ceremony to the Sunset reviewed". Echoes and Dust. March 27, 2015. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
4. "Interview with Sons Of Alpha Centauri". The Sludgelord. August 7, 2014. Archived from the original on September 2, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
5. "Review: Yawning Man - Nomadic Pursuits". Sputnikmusic. July 26, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
6. "Nomadic Pursuits - Yawning Man". Allmusic. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
7. "Yawning Man & Fatso Jetson - Split". Discogs. 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
8. http://www.soundofliberation.com/yawning-man.html
9. "REVIEW: Yawning Man, Historical Graffiti". The Obelisk. September 6, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
10. "Yawning Man Announce Fall Touring in US & Canada". The Obelisk. August 3, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.

External links

• Yawning Man
• Sound of Liberation:Yawning Man bookings
• Myspace
• Monolith Review
• Bro Fidelity Records Myspace

• Musical groups from Riverside County, California
• Stoner rock musical groups