Austin – The sun has set on another Austin Psych Fest. I’ve had less than 24 hours to reflect but I wonder if the kid who was sitting there, watching the cars exit the festival through his Future Eyes glasses is still tripping. I had the opportunity to interview new bands both before and during the festival and in asking how each fit into the “psychedelic” genre, the overwhelming response was, “I don’t.”
If you asked artists at, say, Ultra Music Festival how they fit into the electronic genre, you would probably get a long-winded response explaining the climate of electro and how they have made their mark on the culture by using alien sounds that absolutely no one has used before. Here we have Psych Fest, titled for both the music and experience, yet artists shy away from calling themselves “psych.”
All seemed honored to be included in the line-up. Perhaps they were worried about sounding pretentious, or consider the confines of the genre to be limiting and specific. The official dictionary.com definition states, “psy·che·del·icˌsīkəˈdelik/ relating to or denoting a style of rock music originating in the mid 1960s, characterized by musical experimentation and drug-related lyrics.” The recent surge in popularity of “psych” music could be why bands are hesitant to define themselves as such, or perhaps they don’t wish to be confined by definitions at all.
The culture surrounding this festival and the word itself is clear, whether displayed in the fashion (fringe, lace, floppy hats), music, drugs, or 60’s and 70’s nostalgia. Where the feathered headdresses and Forever 21 crochet of Coachella can be laughable and the experience more akin to a see and be seen social event, Psych Fest creates an environment dictated by the music. Even the visuals move along to the music, enhancing the overall experience (and perhaps your high). Whatever the confines and level of psychedelia each band reached, incredible performances were witnessed.
Golden Dawn Arkestra provided an intense opening to my day, and mind. The Austin-based performance vehicle led by Topaz McGarrigle included a full brass band, a spirited keyboardist and chanteuse, as well as an impressive percussion section. They chanted world music and radiated energy, taking us out of Austin and placing us on a magical journey of their creation. There were dancers draped in gold with colorful face paint, twirlers with lit up hula-hoops, and magical entities draped in feathers roaming the audience, ensuring no one was left out of the experience. Even after the pulsing drums ceased, the Arkestra wandered on, including the rest of Psych Fest in their journey as they stood, dancing to Chris Catalena & The Native Americans who tinkered with old timey piano tunes that lay somewhere between Hank Williams and The Walkmen.
Christian Bland took the stage for the second time that weekend, with Christian Bland and The Revelators rather than The Black Angels, who were Friday’s headliner. His set of surf-infused psych reverberated across the festival grounds, drawing fans to the main stage. While the set mostly included tunes from “Pig Boat Blues,” he filled the set out nicely with Pink Floyd covers that he dressed in his signature distortions.
The Cosmonauts were one of the talked about new bands for Sunday. The four-piece out of Orange County, CA brought their off-kilter stoner garage pop to the main stage. The sun soaked tunes featured powerful and prominent guitar and “DGAF” attitude that demonstrated what all the talk was about. Burger Records has a knack for discovering talent and jumping at the chance to get that talent in to the world and they’ve done it once again with The Cosmonauts. Singer, Derek Cowart has a lazy drone to his voice and the same attitude in his stage presence, mildly thrashing around the stage, exuding rock n’ roll.
Mikal Cronin, another California native, followed the Cosmonauts. As it is Psych Fest, some artists tend to experiment a bit more. The crowd might not be well versed on a musician like Cronin, so they might not know what to expect. Instead of his typical fuzzed out California love songs that feature pepped up drums, Cronin began with, a guitar heavy jam session proving he can rock as hard as he can go soft. He for seasoned fans, he did not disappoint, playing favorites, “Weight” and “Shout it Out.” (Phew).
Sleepy Sun played an epic after dark set above the river as images were projected on to the trees behind them, reflected in the river below. Bret Constantino embodies the old-school front man, harkening to 70’s rock n’ roll. With a powerful voice that borders on bluesy and a vibrant take on rock n’ roll harmonica, he captivates the crowd. Leaning over the sea of people, you can watch as he goes in to his zone, feeding off the energy of his audience. The instrumentals escalated in to harmonious elevation. Mesmerized by the band and projections, it was the perfect set to get lost in.
The War on Drugs packed in the most fans of the day for a set filled with long, dreamy tunes from their aptly titled new record, “Lost in a Dream.” They were daring on their latest album, straying far from the quick and punchy pop tunes of 2008’s “Wagonwheel Blues.” It’s impressive when a band can make you love a song even more live than you do from the record and this was one of those sets from me. While the record’s opener, “Under the Pressure,” feels perfect for Austin summer heat, to hear it escalate the way it does live, as the instrumentals build is absolute perfection. I got that feeling in the pit of my stomach—the knowing feeling that you are witnessing something special—something magic.
Once again, the Psych Fest team put on a flawless festival. Maybe there’s no need to dissect what it all means and we can just be thankful it exists at all.
Ilyse Kaplan
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