It’s that time of year again—the weather’s getting nicer, the flowers are starting to bloom, and all of the best psych bands are touring yet again. That’s right, it’s psych season, and our friends in Milwaukee have cooked up another amazing festival featuring some of the best psych acts in the Midwest, the US, and the whole damn world. Here’s a quick look at what you can expect at Milwaukee Psych Fest VII:
Day 1 – Friday, April 12th
The fest kicks off with a killer Friday lineup that includes heavy hitters like Acid Mothers Temple, Nest Egg, and even New Candys all the way from Venice, Italy. On top of those acts, we’re also excited for…
Brief Candles (Milwaukee, WI) | 4:30PM – Tent Stage
Local MPF alums Brief Candles return with a brand of reverb-laden pop that leans heavily into the shoegaze/post-punk realm.
Moss Folk (Milwaukee, WI) | 5:15PM- Main Stage
The ever-changing collective that is Moss Folk returns to the MPF Main Stage to bring their experimental jams to the fest yet again. Led by Andrew James Shelp, the band is a mix of improvisation and rehearsed songs that explore all sorts of sonic landscapes.
Plastic Crimewave Syndicate (Chicago, IL) | 6:00PM – Tent Stage
Chicago’s purveyors of pure, uncut, high-grade, heavy-psych are back to melt some faces this Friday on the Tent Stage.
Sunwatchers (Brooklyn, NYC) | 6:45PM – Main Stage
Chicago label Trouble In Mind Records brought us the latest album Illegal Moves from this New York Jazz-psych group. The band is adept at finding a groove and riding it into some unique places. Not to be missed.
Red Mass (Montreal, QC) | 7:30PM – Tent Stage
Garage-psych with a Quebecois spin. The on-going collective was started in 2008 by Roy “Choyce” Vucino and has since featured an evolving cast of over 100 musicians appearing on more than 20 releases thus far.
Psychic Ills (NYC) | 12:45AM – Main Stage
New York’s premiere psych duo since 2003. Their latest release Inner Journey Out is a modern psych-folk masterpiece. The lead single “I Don’t Mind” features vocals from Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval and has remained in our heavy rotation since it’s release in 2016. We can’t wait to catch Psychic Ills close out day 1 on the Main Stage.
Day 2 – Saturday, April 13th
Grab a coffee and get your ass back in gear for Day 2. Saturday ups the ante with some incredible touring acts like The Telescopes, Garcia Peoples, Dire Wolves, and Night Beats closing out the evening. Among the touring acts are a nice mix of locals and Midwesterners that we are pretty pumped for.
Limber Brain (Milwaukee, WI) | 1:30PM – Tent Stage
The ever-evolving project of self-taught multi-instrumentalist Riley Campos is an intimate and minimal experience but a supremely powerful one. Catch him early in the Tent Stage Saturday afternoon.
IE (Minneapolis, MN) | 2:15PM – Main Stage
This experimental drone collective kicks off the Main Stage on Saturday afternoon with a set of hypnotic and meditative sounds to set the mood.
David Nance Group (Omaha, NE) | 3:45PM – Main Stage
It’s hard to peg David Nance down to just one genre, but the energy this band brings is palpable. They can do country-tinged psych, laid-back blues grooves, and unadulterated rippers like the song below.
Flavor Crystals (Minneapolis, MN) | 5:15PM – Main Stage
Another staple of the Midwestern psych community—Flavor Crystals are one of our favorite returning MPF acts this year. Their spacey, melodic jams are easy to get lost in. Quintessential “psych” with plenty of kraut-rock and shoegaze influences peppered in.
The Official Pre-Party is Thursday, April 11th and features some of our favorites Chicagoan’s Dead Feathers alongside Wisconsin acts Cashfire Sunset and Kainalu. Get more info on this FREE show via Facebook, and get the weekend started right.
All three nights will include the mind-expanding liquid light visuals of Mad Alchemy. Lance Gordon and his projection team have become an integral part of the Milwaukee Psych Fest experience!
RSVP on Facebook and check out the full lineup and schedule while you’re there. Midwest Action is a proud sponsor of the fest so stay tuned for plenty more coverage as we count down the days until we’re Milwaukee bound! Get your tickets early via the links below:
Two Day Pass | Friday April 12, 2019 | Saturday April 13, 2019
Milwaukee Psych Fest Facebook