May is coming, and for psychedelic music fans that can mean only one thing: Austin Psych Fest is back. Returning to the beautiful Carson Creek Ranch for the second time, the festival is bigger and better than ever. The lineup continues to get more diverse as does the ever-expanding world of psych music. With 3 days of music, and two incredible Kick-Off parties, this is one of the biggest festivals around.
As the weekend comes to a close, so does the festival. Day 3 packs another amazing lineup, including the much-anticipated reunion of UK psych group LOOP, a set from our fellow Midwesterners, Secret Colours, and much more. Here’s a look at what we have planned for the final day of psych fest.
ThinkNoThink | Levitation Tent, 2:00PM
It all starts with a simple drum beat, a distorted guitar, and isolated vocals, when all at once, the band explodes into the chorus. ThinkNoThink’s recently released single oozes rock, not to mention their April 2013 split. The group began playing together locally in 2011 and are finally bringing their fuzzy psych rock to the stages of Austin Psych Fest.
Doug Tuttle | Elevation Amphitheatre, 3:45PM
Coming out of the breakup of his former drone rock band MMOSS, Doug Tuttle has made the transition into a solo career with ease. His self-titled debut solo album is pure psychedelic pop splendor. It’s fuzzy, trippy, and a little off the wall, but at its heart, it’s a masterfully crafted pop album. Here’s the opener “With Us Soon”:
Lorelle Meets The Obsolete | Levitation Tent, 5:15PM
Psychedelic hard rock straight from Guadalajara, Mexico, Lorelle Meets The Obsolete are extremely well suited for the APF stage. Airy female vocals are juxtaposed by a slew of screeching guitar solos and overdriven bass lines. Reminiscent of The Black Angels, BRMC, and other bands that fall into the “harder rock” side of psychedelic music. Their new album Chambers just came out this past February, here’s a bit of what you’re in for.
Secret Colours | Reverberation Stage, 5:45PM
It’s always great to see your hometown represented at a festival that has such an amazing gathering of artists from all over the world. Chicago’s Secret Colours have consistently impressed local fans and not-so-local fans alike with their ’60s infused psych rock. Last year’s album Peach numbered among many best of lists (mine included) and the band is back with a new album Positive Distractions released this past Tuesday. They recorded the new material in Austin after a slew of tour dates in support of Peach. It seems more than fitting for them to return to the Austin Psych Fest stages this year to show off the fruits of their recent efforts.
Joel Gion & The Primary Colours | Elevation Amphitheatre, 7:30PM
San Fransisco’s Joel Gion is probably best known for his tambourine work in The Brian Jonestown Massacre (as well as his part in the “documentary” film Dig) but the man with the famous chops is a talented songwriter in his own right. After releasing a demo cassette and a solo album simply titled EP, he formed a new group feature the likes of fellow SF local and psych guitarist Derek See and others. The Primary Colours got their start opening for The Asteroid #4 during a string of west coast tour dates and are currently working on a full length album. They’ll be nothing but good vibes down at the waterfront Elevation Amphitheatre come Sunday night.
Sleepy Sun | Elevation Amphitheatre, 8:45PM
Effortlessly jumping between the indie rock and psychedelic scenes, Sleepy Sun seem to effortlessly reinvent themselves with every album they release. Even with the ever-evolving stylistic changes over the years, the band as remained a power pop force to be reckoned with. Their latest LP Maui Tears, is a prime example of their catchy, often even a little folky, brand of psych rock. The video for the single “The Lane” is just as mind-expanding as the song itself.
Earthless | Levitation Tent, 10:15PM
Known for their lengthy live jams and 15-60 minute long studio recordings, Earthless is pure face-melting rock at its best. After dedicating a few hours of my day delving into their catalog, I’m now 99% sure this music was meant for space travel. You may not actually leave Earth during their set, but your mind surely will travel. Heavily influenced by Krautrock, Japanese blues rock, and bits of everything else under the sun, this instrumental 3 piece creates some truly mind-bending jams. If you’re starting to lose steam at this point in the fest, Earthless is bound to wake you up.
LOOP | Reverberation Stage, 12:30AM
The band that resurrected space rock back in the ’80s is back and better than ever. The UK band just began their US tour a week ago and are already garnering nothing but good reviews from fans new and old. Their dissonant, angular, fuzzed out style of psych rock drew upon everything from The Stooges to CAN and cut through the wave of sugary sweet British pop acts that were all over the late ’80s and ’90s mainstream. Having them in the states again after nearly 25 years since their last studio album A Gilded Eternity, is truly a treat that I cannot comprehend. Don’t even think about going home early Sunday night.
Tobacco | Levitation Tent, 12:45AM
If you stuck around for Loop then you may want to check out the all out dance party that is Tobacco. Black Moth Super Rainbow frontman Thomas Fec, began this solo project back in 2008 with the release of his debut album Fucked Up Friends. Thomas has gone on to collaborate with the likes of Beck, Aesop Rock, Serengeti and others to make some extremely danceable psychedelic hip-hop. Relying on analog synthesizers, tape machines, and guitars, he doesn’t use digital technology as a crutch like so many producers and electronic musicians do. For psych fans that want to dance, this is the where the party starts.
In case that wasn’t enough, the Sunday lineup also includes the likes of Christian Bland & The Revealators, Cosmonauts, The War on Drugs, TOY, and more. Hopefully by now you’re better prepared to take on this massive festival. We’ll be on-hand providing live coverage all weekend, stay tuned for interviews, photos and more from Carson Creek Ranch. Dig!