Tag: psych rock
The Horrific Beauty of A Place To Bury Strangers: APTBS at the Regent
Grace Dunn
June 26, 2018
A Place To Bury Strangers grant you access into their dome of ear deafening delights. Oliver Ackermann, Dion Lunadon and Lia Simone are the gatekeepers seething with energetic enthusiasm like a rabid dog foaming at the mouth. Upon arriving to The Regent, the first thing one ought to check for at this gig is the merch table. Why you say? It’s not often you find custom made pedals from one of the band members. First comment I hear from some guy, “They’re cheaper to buy here than online.” He turns to the lady merch keeper and asks, “You guys take card?”. related content: The First Real Day Of Summer: Hinds At The Teragram On top of the usual merch from touring bands, you can buy ‘Death By Audio’ (DBA) effects pedals crafted by lead singer/guitarist wizard Oliver Ackermann. There is great inspiration that has been spurred from his DIY pedal company. The documentary ‘Goodnight Brooklyn’ directed by Matthew Conboy gives great insight into the glorious history that raised out of the beginnings of DBA. It builds up the expectation for each wild APTBS performance. I settle into the crowd 10 minutes before their set time. Random enough, I look around the arches of the
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Psych Rock Talk Radio: Wooden Shjips at the Bootleg Theater
Robert Cohen
June 12, 2018
Recently I was talking with a friend of mine who could not wrap his head around how anyone could listen to NPR for more than a few minutes. After a fair amount of prodding from others in the group, he was able to admit that it occasionally showcased relevant or otherwise interesting stories; however, its languorous, bordering on comatose, delivery of the material in his mind catapulted any idea of an extended listening session in the realm of the unthinkable. While there are many qualities separating Thursday’s Wooden Shjips show at The Bootleg from listening to talk radio, the further one goes down the rabbit hole with them, the more apparent the similarities become. related content: Between Coachellas, Brazilian Boogarins At The Echo For this reason, it’s almost poetic that the lead in to the main event of the night was named Terry Gross, in this instance being the San Francisco based rock outfit, not the eponymous radio host of NPR’s Fresh Air (although, I would’ve happily paid extra to see her shred for a couple bars). Though I’d never heard of them before and pondered over whether or not the bass player was a long lost cousin
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What’s Left To Ponders: Pond At Zebulon
Robert Cohen
May 29, 2018
One of the best things my Dad ever taught me was to learn the rules laid down by any system before deciding which ones deserve to be broken. After all, any rebellion set off without having done the necessary research can be painted at best as laziness and at worst as unbridled ignorance (i.e. the Occupy movement and/or the Tea Party). And Tuesday night at Zebulon, nothing was more evident than the fact that while Pond and their protégé Lord Fascinator have learned what it takes to make “successful” music, they’ve discarded any rules which have gotten in the way of their respective visions, much to the benefit of all who are willing to give them a chance. related content: Stayin’ Alive: Giorgio Moroder’s 78th Birthday At The Globe Theater Arriving at the beginning of the night was New York based DJ/performer Lord Fascinator. While I had never heard his music before, he managed to make an impression from the moment he and his band walked on stage; however, anyone who looks like dealer to a Heaven’s Gate offshoot out of the East Village likely would. Once the initial novelty of his appearance wore off though, he kicked off a
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Between Coachellas, Brazilian Boogarins At The Echo
Rob Shepyer
April 24, 2018
As I continue my education in psych rock, I start seeing these shows as lectures and the artists as professors in preparation for my “thesis” at this year’s Desert Daze. That said, it was refreshing to get an international take on the genre with Boogarins, a band that hails from Brazil and played the Echo as an off-shoot show between their Coachella sets. They were actually the best psych band of the few I’ve seen and drew me closer to understanding and liking the genre more than the other shows I’ve been to. related content: Desert Daze 2016: Quantifying The Physics Of A Good Time The first band was another non-American band, Señor Kino, from Sonora, Mexico. Their songs are in Spanish, though that doesn’t deter anyone from reading the feel and joy and changes in tone in their songs. Señor Kino are a surf rock band with a pinch of 90’s alternative and I mean that as a total compliment, like the best kind of 90’s rock. Although the band is rather young, they seem to be emotionally intelligent beyond their years and I sense this solely from seeing them live and never talking to them or understanding their lyrics.
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Video Premiere: Baronen & Satan “Why Does The Blood Never Stick To Your Teeth” Janky Smooth Exclusive
Janky Smooth Central Command
March 9, 2018
Calling all garage punks, psych rockers, and Luciferian Satanists, we have a band from you straight out of the gothic darkness of Gothenburg, Sweden. The Swedish have always given the world some of the most insane music, think Brainbombs and Bathroy, and Baronen & Satan are no exception. Melding psych rock and garage punk with ear-splitting distortion and reverb that harkens bands like Destruction Unit, this band’s latest video for the single “Why Does The Blood Never Stick To Your Teeth” is sure to make you sharpen your fangs. related content: Berserktown 3: The Craziest Festival On Earth This quartet led by Phillippe Sainz and Linda Rydellius is signed to Dirty Water Records and is ready to invade the divide consciousness of the United States. With music produced by Detroit Legend Jim Diamond, the buzz on this band is only beginning. Check out the video, if you Kenneth Anger films, liquid light, and altered states of mind you’re sure to like the visuals. If you like heavy rock with soul then you’re sure to like the music.
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Earthless Liquified My Face At The Teragram
Rob Shepyer
March 7, 2018
I had heard about Earthless forever ago but because of my natural skepticism, I didn’t really feel any need to see an instrumental band that wasn’t some kind of post rock outfit. Then after I heard Bill Burr raving about how incredible Earthless were live, I got about a guzzler’s gallon of fuel put in my engine to go see the band. Fast forward to last week when Dillon told me about the show, and I finally caved and decided to dive in, head-first. And boy was I ever glad to have caved and dived in. This was my first legitimate psych rock show, I know admitting that probably decimates any shred of credibility I had left but it’s true. I was always into the more extreme side of music and then also as a contrarian, seeing everyone in LA get so wrapped up in the whole Desert Daze scene probably made me want to avoid it. I’m not gonna be shopping for bellbottoms at vintage stores anytime soon, but maybe I’ll pop into more psych shows. I dressed in a “Canadian tuxedo” just to fit in at this show and I wasn’t the only one. All that said,
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Halloween At The Roxy w/ The Evil Ones: Roky Ericksen & Death Valley Girls
Rob Shepyer
November 2, 2017
Halloween shows at the Roxy have become a Janky Smooth tradition after last year’s showcase with Ho99o9 and The Shrine, Halloween 2017 Death Valley Girls support, a Roky Eriksen and Death Valley Girls collaborative evening was a mandatory spooking, especially with DVG lead guitarist Larry Schemel now playing guitar in Roky’s band. The last time I saw Roky Eriksen was also at the Roxy with him playing with his Hounds Of Baskerville band. Their set was filled with 13th Floor Elevators material but as a guy understanding Roky from a metalhead background, I wanted to hear his halloween staples off his solo album The Evil One. related content: House Of Ho99o9 Halloween At The Roxy Lots of artists claim to be evil but few actually live parallel to their projections. Roky, on the other hand, has been dabbling in the paranormal, the horrific, and the down right psychotic for a very long time. It’s a miracle he’s on stage playing psych rock and not chained to a rock in some psych ward. Roky hit so many bong loads and dropped so many tabs that he was thrown into institutions numerous times throughout his music career. Yet that never slowed him down once,
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Video Premiere: Thee MVPs “US Airways” Exclusively at Janky Smooth
Janky Smooth Central Command
October 9, 2017
Thee MVPs have toured coast to coast, stopping off at SXSW to play with Janky garage favorites like Meatbodies, Dead Meadow, and Night Beats. Director Max Horn, whose worked previously with Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes, was able to capture the kinetic intensity of Thee MVPs being their most vivid and wild selves in this video premiere of the track “US Airways” from the short film Receiver. Check it out… Recorded across the pond in a big room at Brighton Electric studios, Thee MVPs tear the house down with this jammer that they usually bust out to close sets with, sometimes taking the song to a frenzied 12 minute session live. For fans of King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard and Thee Oh Sees, Thee MVPs play garage and psych rock from an English lens that may resemble the same transformation of the blues through bands like the Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin. So give this groovy video a peep and make sure to keep your eyes open for Receiver which will be released October 13th on Greenway and as a tape through Burger Records. Cheers!
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Prettiest Eyes & Egrets On Ergot: The L.A. Sound Explodes Out Of Harvard & Stone
Aria Silva-Espinosa
August 17, 2017
Everything you need to know about rock based music coming out of Los Angeles can be summed up by the sounds that were coming out of Harvard and Stone one week ago, today. It’s not that L.A. has a very specific sound since the scenes surrounding the city range from hardcore to psychedelic rock but both Prettiest Eyes and Egrets on Ergo are bands that most high volume consumers of music seeing bands at places like the The Echo and The Hi Hat are inspired by on a regular basis.. Thursday night’s antics at Harvard & Stone began late in the evening with Los Angeles-based post-punk foursome Egrets on Ergot. As the band begins their set, vocalist Adam Brooks delivers a poetic monologue from atop the bass drum with his back to the audience. The recitation is followed immediately by Adam absolutely shredding on the saxophone. The use of saxophone sets Egrets on Ergot apart from other experimental post-punk groups by incorporating an experimental element often associated with jazz music in an entirely new way into the otherwise erratic and desperately disordered sound produced by the band. Generally, I wouldn’t enjoy the sound of a saxophone but somehow, Adam has
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The Transcendental Jams of Kikagaku Moyo at Austin’s Scottish Rite Theater
Lindsay Krause
June 5, 2017
A Masonic double-headed eagle emblem keeps a watchful eye on top of the glowing sign for Austin’s Historic Scottish Rite Theatre. Over the weekend, this former German opera house transformed into an enchanting lair to host rising experimental Japanese group Kikagaku Moyo. It’s not often that one gets to experience a touring act in a location outside of the typical bar scenario, and the spooky elegance of Austin’s oldest theatre (it was built in the late 1800s!) played a role in elevating the evening, thanks to event producers Perfect Life Presents. Austin acts Hidden Ritual and Soft Healer provided opening support at the theatre that evening. Hidden Ritual’s brand of post-punk exuded the eeriness of a western-noir film, complementing the ominous air in Scottish Rite. Local lighting crews Etherwave and ACID Light Show collaborated on a curious visual backdrop which intertwined black and white vintage 16mm film clips and vivid liquid lights. Overhead the theatre ceiling glowed softly in replicated patterns of celestial bodies in the night sky, prompting Soft Healer’s singer to remark “the sky looks great this evening”. Formed as a busking collective in Tokyo during 2012, Kikagaku Moyo have released 3 full length albums and are currently
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A Psych & Synth History w/ Silver Apples For The New Acid Test in SF
Janky Smooth Central Command
April 23, 2017
For all the hate and bad press that San Francisco gets about the infiltration of tech-bro-douchebags ruining its wacky culture and alternative nightlife, its still the only city in the world that can throw a “psychedelic freak-out party” as authentic and trippy as The Acid Test SF’s most recent party featuring the experimental electronic pioneer Simeon Coxe of Silver Apples at The Rickshaw Stop. The Acid Test SF has been organizing these crazy, consciousness-expanding parties around the city since 2015. Of course, its namesake is inspired by Ken Kesey and the Merry Prankser’s famous Acid Test parties in Haight-Ashbury during the summer of love era. The organizers book 1960s, LSD-inspired artists such as San Jose’s garage rock outfit Chocolate Watchband and the LA-born acid rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock. This particular event was at Rickshaw Stop, a quirky venue in the lower Haight with a cozy atmosphere marked by huge red velvet curtains and vintage rickshaws. As soon as I entered the venue, I felt like I’d time-travelled back to a time when the city was still overwhelmed by long-haired hippies with flowers in their hair. The groovy looking crowd had dressed the part so well that I couldn’t tell if
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Fear and Loathing With King Gizzard and Pond at The Hard Rock
Lindsay Krause
April 21, 2017
There’s not much about Las Vegas that ever really appealed to me. Even one with a deep appreciation for the book/film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas has to remember that Hunter S. Thompson himself acknowledged the city’s role in the abrupt shift during the spread of the 1960’s San Franciscan counterculture. In his famous “wave speech”, he recalled Sin City as “that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.” However, when the Hard Rock Las Vegas announced an Australian trifecta of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, POND, and ORB at their poolside stage, I determined the possible waves from an epic whirlpool/moshpit/portal would be more than enough to lure me from Austin out to the desert. Sandwiched between first time Coachella sets for both King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and POND, the Las Vegas double headliner event comes at a time when both acts are beginning to creep onto a wider world stage. Formed in 2010, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard reportedly chose their name “as a joke”, however, the work ethic of the 7-piece is anything but that. Since their inception, the Melbourne natives have released 9 full lengths, with reported intentions on
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