Levitation Chicago is March 10-12, 2016 and Levitation Austin, the largest of the Levitation festivals, is April 28 – March 01, 2016. All of them are excellent festivals and shouldn’t be missed.
Dark wave rocker Luis Vasquez, otherwise known as The Soft Moon, has started a GoFundMe campaign after his band’s van was broken into during a gig in Oakland on January 26th. The total loss was well over $10,000 and included not only instruments and Soft Moon merchandise but also luggage and personal effects.
Please consider donating to help them recoup the loss. Go see them on tour if you can’t make a donation, or at least spread the word about the campaign.
Tour dates as of today:
2/1/16 — Portland @ Holocene
2/2/16 — Vancouver @ Venue
2/3/16 — Seattle @ Barboza
2/6/16 – Denver @ Marquis
2/8/16 — Minneapolis @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall
2/9/16 — Chicago @ Thalia Hall
2/10/16 — Columbus @ Rumba Café
2/11/16 — Toronto @ Lee’s Palace
2/12/16 — Montreal @ La Sala Rosa
2/13/16 — Brooklyn @ Market Hotel
2/14/16 — Brooklyn @ Saint Vitus
2/16/16 — Philadelphia @ Boot & Saddle
2/17/16 — New Haven @ Bar
2/19/16 — Pittsburgh @ Cattivo
2/20/16 — Baltimore @ Ottobar
2/21/16 — Norfolk @ Work Release
2/22/16 — Chapel Hill @ Cat’s Cradle
Don’t miss them if you have the chance to see them. A Soft Moon show is a visceral experience.
British house / techno gods Underworld have released “I Exhale,” the first single from their upcoming album Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future. The track is an immediate club hit and brilliant in its simplicity of booming bass and synths, stream of consciousness lyrics, and dance beats. It’s an instant cure to seasonal affective disorder.
You can pre-order Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future (the band’s first album in six years) now. They’ll also be playing Coachella this year, so don’t miss them if you’re out west.
Young Irish rockers The Strypes have released their first live record, currently available on iTunes UK and Soundcloud, Live in Tokyo 2015. It has ten tracks of their great blues-laced, raucous pub rock that draws influences from early Rolling Stones all the way to Arctic Monkeys. These lads only get better with each record.
They’re kicking off the tour with a record release party at Barracuda in Austin, Texas February 26th and then it’s off to Europe. I’m hoping they’ll be back in the U.S. in time to play Levitation Austin at the end of April.
You can hear Holy Wave’s excellent new single, “California Took My Bobby Away,” right here on the Levitation Austin website.
Keep your mind open.
The campaign offers the live album as a digital download for about $12.00, but you can upgrade to a signed copy of the CD (recorded at London’s Islington Assembly Hall) and a DVD of their show at New York’s Irving Plaza from last year for only $26.00. That’s a good deal for a nice collectible, and I’ll probably jump on that.
Other fun offers include tickets to a future live show with a meet and greet, a signed set list, and even a microwave they tried to destroy on stage multiple times during their 2015 tour.
