It’s hard to put the experience I had at ECHO Fest V into words. It was a gathering of some of the Midwest’s (and Montreal’s) best bands that fit into the broad spectrum of music that we’ve come to define as “Psych”. It was a truly mind-altering evening, regardless of what substances you were or weren’t on. The beginning of Psych Fest season is officially here.
I made the 4-hour drive from Chicago to Detroit, grabbed a pair of diffraction glasses at the door and made it just in time to see the opening band. The Loving Touch was a perfect setting for a psychedelic rock show. Liquid light shows spilled off of projectors onto 12 bands and filled the room with a plethora of good vibes.
Some of my personal highlights were catching Brooklyn’s Dead Leaf Echo live, the trippy drone rock of Milwaukee’s MOSS FOLK, the psych-pop styling of Fort Wayne’s Heaven’s Gateway Drugs, Elephant Stone‘s groovy ambient sitar jam, and so much more.
The evening also included incredible sets by Detroit locals Sister Of Your Sunshine Vapor, Siamese, Rogue Satellites and Matthew Smith (of Outrageous Cherry). There wasn’t a bad act on the bill and the night only got better as it went on. The combination of Fender Jazzmaster’s on stage and the diffraction glasses made most of the night look like a My Bloody Valentine album cover. The photos pretty much sum up the rest of the night.
Click any image to view the entire set as a slideshow.
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