A major coup for Levitation Austin this year is landing the legendary Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. He’ll be performing the landmark classic album Pet Sounds in its entirety for its 50th anniversary on April 30th. He’s only doing this in a few spots around the world, so this performance is a must-see.
Keep your mind open.
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It’s hard for me to express how much I love The Black Angels. I first heard them when I downloaded a music compilation that contained their song “Doves.” It was my gateway drug to the psychedelic music renaissance that was going on without my knowledge. I’ve seen them five times since (Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, twice at Levitation Austin) and will see them any chance I get.
They curate the Levitation festival, so they always play the main stage. I will stand in the thunderstorms that might come on April 30th in Austin if I must to see them again.
Keep your mind open.
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Another legend I’ll get to see at Levitation Austin is Thurston Moore, formerly of Sonic Youth. He’s playing April 30th with his new band and everything thing I’ve heard from them so far has this nice dangerous edge to it. His former bandmate Lee Ranaldo is playing the same day on a different stage after his set, so it’s a double whammy for Sonic Youth fans.
Keep your mind open.
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David J, former bass player of Bauhaus and co-founder of Love & Rockets, is bring his band, the Gentlemen Thieves, to Levitation Austin on April 30th. I’m a big fan of Love & Rockets, and this might be the closest I get to any kind of reunion. David J’s dub-style bass playing was an influence on my brief career as a bass player in high school, and he’s a harmonica player to boot (like yours truly). I’m stoked to see him live.
Keep your mind open.
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Psychedelic salsa? I’m in. La Mecanica Popular are playing Levitation Austin‘s Elevation Amphitheater on April 30th, and I’m sure it will be a lively, fun show down by the river. The band combines hot salsa music with wild, weird psychedelic and Euro/mondo flavors for something you can’t quite pin down but definitely can dance to without trouble.
Keep your mind open.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWqIXhs6X_8
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Austin’s own Roger Sellers, otherwise known as Bayonne, creates great electro dream pop all by himself. He’s the type of guy who makes me think I could create electro music if I made the time and bought even discounted gear at a pawn shop. He’s inspiring, and I’m sure his set on April 30th at Levitation Austin will be, too.
Keep your mind open.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvxaGn4W14c
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England’s Slowdive are shoegaze legends who should’ve been bigger over here in the U.S. than they were in their early 1990’s heyday. They’ve been reunited and touring for a couple years now, which is good news for all of us. I missed them at Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival a couple years ago, but I’m happy to see them at Levitation Austin when they close out the main stage on April 29th.
Keep your mind open.
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The Arcs are the psychedelic, two drummer-having side project of The Black Keys‘ Dan Auerbach. Their new album, Yours, Dreamily, will be freshly out by the time Levitation Austin gets here, so I’ll be hearing the material on April 29th while it’s still fresh and unknown to most. I like what I’ve heard so far and I’m happy that Auerbach is taking his blues guitar into the land of psychedelia.
Keep your mind open.
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You can call Federale a supergroup, really. Consisting of members of Spindrift, The Black Angels, and the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Federale makes spaghetti western psychedelic rock best suited for obscure European films of the late 1960’s. Seeing them under Levitation Austin’s Levitation Tent in the Austin, Texas sun on April 29th seems like a can’t-miss show. I love spaghetti westerns so I’m sure I’ll love their set.
Keep your mind open.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm-6WyHBQC8
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Masters of classical Indian music Indraji Banerjee (sitar) and Gourisankar (tabla) will open the Reverberation Stage at Levitation Austin on April 29th. I love traditional Indian ragas and music, and I’m excited to have the chance to hear these two masters of the craft. It will be a good spiritual way to start the festival.
Keep your mind open.
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