Austin gets psyched out when Levitation return to venues across the Live Music Capitol of the world, Thursday-Sunday, October 26th-29th:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26th
Stubb’s
5:40 PM – Annabelle Chairlegs
6:30 PM – Rose City Band
7:40 PM – Shannon & The Clams
9:20 PM – Ty Segall & Freedom Band
The vintage sound of Oakland’s Shannon & The Clams (QRO photos at a festival) comes to back to Levitation (QRO photos at Levitation ‘21).
California’s Ty Segall (QRO photos at a festival) has evolved from his ‘kick in the pants’ early work to a more effortless boot to the fanny these days (QRO photos at a 2021 festival), where he’s been quite prolific, a record about every year such as 2012’s Slaughterhouse (QRO review), 2017’s Ty Segall (QRO review), and many more, not to mention solo albums & team-ups. He returns to Levitation (QRO photos at Levitation ’18).
Far Out
5:55 PM – Chisel
6:50 PM – Codeine
7:55 PM – Karate
8:50 PM – Unwound
Mohawk
9:10 PM – LSD & The Search For God
10:30 PM – The Church
Sydney’s The Church (QRO spotlight on) emerged as part of the new wave of the eighties, but they always do things differently Down Under, and the band has since evolved into neo-psychedelic and even prog-rock. Fronted by Steve Kilbey (QRO interview), they’ve gone through line-up changes but never stopped (QRO live review), with their twenty-seventh album, The Hypnogogue (QRO review) out this year.
Empire Garage
7:40 PM – Font
9:00 PM – Water From Your Eyes
10:40 PM – Jockstrap
Empire Control Room
8:20 PM – Marion Raw
10:00 PM – Fcukers
11:50 PM – Jonathan Bree
Concourse
9:00 PM – SASAMI
10:00 PM – Yeule
11:30 PM – Oneohtrix Point Never
Sasami Ashworth (QRO photos) brings her intimate sound back to Levitation for the second time in three years (QRO photos at a ’22 festival), off of 2019’s self-titled debut (QRO review) and 2021’s Squeeze.
Another experimental musician from a city that has tons of them, New York, Daniel Lopatin is the electronic Oneohtrix Point Never (QRO photos at a festival).
Hotel Vegas
Heavy Psych Sounds
7:00 PM – 1000mods
8:10 PM – Ecstatic Vision
9:20 PM – Dead Meadow
Originally from Washington, D.C. (though singer/guitarist Jason Simon’s uncle is David Simon, creator of The Wire/famed Baltimore native), Dead Meadow (QRO photos at an Austin festival) have since moved to Los Angeles, but kept up their eldritch-inspired stoner rock, most recently with last year’s Force Form Free. They play Levitation for a fifth time.
Parish
10:40 PM – Babehoven
11:40 PM – Slow Pulp
Elysium
Substance
9:40 PM – Vosh
10:40 PM – Sacred Skin
11:40 PM – Nuovo Testamento
12:40 AM – Twin Tribes
13th Floor
11:00 PM – Skull Practitioners
12:10 AM – Flat Worms
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27th
Stubb’s
6:30 PM – The Well
7:40 PM – High On Fire
9:20 PM – Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats
Matt Pike, guitarist for the influential ‘Stoner doom metal’ band Sleep went on to form Oakland’s High On Fire (QRO photos at a festival), even winning the Grammy for ‘Best Metal Performance’ in 2019.
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats channel not the Summer of Love with their psychedelic sound but that darkening fall, Altamont & Manson.
Far Out
4:45 PM – Sam Burton
5:20 PM – Allah-Las
6:15 PM – Amulets
7:00 PM – Panda Bear + Sonic Boom
8:05 PM – Tanukichan
8:50 PM – Unknown Mortal Orchestra
A psychedelic band from L.A. channeling influences like The Byrds and Captain Beefheart, Allah-Las (QRO photos at a festival) have a laid-back sound (even if they once had to cancel a show due to a bomb threat, because of their name…). They return to Levitation.
One of the founding members of Baltimore’s ultra-relevant experimental electronic outfit Animal Collective (QRO live review), Noah Lennox – a.k.a. Panda Bear (QRO photos at a festival) – broke out of the zoo and is now on his own (QRO photos at a festival), with 2011’s Tomboy (QRO review), the follow-up to 2007’s Person Pitch (QRO review). He returns to Levitation with Sonic Boom.
From Portland (QRO photos in Portland), but also New Zealand, Unknown Mortal Orchestra (QRO live review) impressed a lot of ears with their self-titled debut (QRO review), both of which managed to be avant while also still rockin’ (QRO photos at a festival), and they’ve kept it going since then, most recently with this year’s fifth full-length, V.
Mohawk
9:00 PM – Blushing
10:00 PM – Angelica Garcia
11:10 PM – Blonde Redhead
New York’s no wave scene brought together Japan’s Kazu Makino (QRO interview) with Milan/Montreal twins Amedeo & Simone Pace as Blonde Redhead (QRO spotlight on). While the trio (QRO live review) began in distortion, they evolved to beauty with 2007’s 23 (QRO review) 2010’s Penny Sparkle (QRO review), and 2014’s Barragán (QRO review). While they wilt sometimes under the hot sun (QRO photos outdoors during the day), the evening is their magic hour (QRO live review at night). This year they released their first new album in almost a decade, Sit Down For Dinner (QRO review).
Empire Garage
8:40 PM – Ariel & The Culture
9:50 PM – Girl Ray
11:30 PM – Alan Palomo
The main man of Neon Indian (QRO live review) Alan Palomo comes solo to Levitation.
Empire Control Room
9:10 PM – Coco Maria
10:40 PM – Coco Maria
12:50 AM – Money Chicha
With members of Grupa Fantasma & Brownout!, the Latin-psych Money Chicha (QRO photos at a ’23 Texas festival) come to Levitation.
Concourse
9:00 PM – Salami Rose Joe Louis
10:00 PM – Teebs
11:00 PM – Eshu Tune
12:30 AM – Flying Lotus
While Hannibal Buress (QRO photos at a festival) will always be best known for the comedian who took down Bill Cosby, he’s recently tried out music as Eshu Tune (QRO ‘23 photos), including at festivals (QRO photos at a ’23 festival).
While Flying Lotus (QRO photos outdoors) might be best known for making the music in Adult Swim’s bumpers (that text right before a show on the cable channel), he’s also an accomplished producer, as well as making & playing music in his own right (QRO live review), such as 2021’s Yasuke – not to mention his alter ego, Sealab 2021-inspired Captain Murphy (there go my nipples again…).
Hotel Vegas
8:20 PM – Buck Biloxi
9:20 PM – Civic
10:30 PM – Warmduscher
Parish
8:20 PM – On Being an Angel
9:10 PM – Sub*t
10:15 PM – Bully
Nashville’s sad riot grrrls Bully (QRO photos at a festival) rock loudly and carry a big axe as they come to Levitation behind this year’s Lucky For You (QRO review).
Elysium
9:50 PM – Porcelain
10:40 PM – Fearing
11:40 PM – Ganser
12:40 AM – Crack Cloud
13th Floor
11:45 PM – Grivo
12:50 AM – Pallbearer
From just over in Arkansas comes the epic doom metal of Pallbearer (QRO photos at a festival).
Antone’s
10:10 PM – Queen Serene
11:10 PM – Holy Wave
12:30 AM – Ulrika Spacek
From El Paso, Holy Wave (QRO photos in Austin) come back to their umpteenth Levitation (QRO photos at Levitation ‘15).
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28th
Stubb’s
6:50 PM – Die Spitz
8:00 PM – Miltarie Gun
9:20 PM – Amyl & The Sniffers
In the actually-not-that-long ago world of 2019, Melbourne’s Amyl & The Sniffers won the ARIA for Best Rock Album for their self-titled debut, and now come to Shaky Knees behind 2021’s follow-up, Comfort to Me.
Far Out
4:25 PM – Daiistar
5:00 PM – The Dandy Warhols
6:00 PM – Lorelle Meets The Obsolete
6:50 PM – The Black Angels
7:55 PM – The Veldt
8:40 PM – The Brian Jonestown Massacre
The Dandy Warhols (QRO photos) broke out in 1997 behind major label debut …The Dandy Warhols Come Down and hit single “Bohemian Like You”. However, like much of nineties alternative music scene, things declined after that, with post-major records like …Earth to the Dandy Warhols (QRO review) and 2012’s This Machine (QRO review) being a little… passé. However, they revived with 2016’s Distortland (QRO review) and 2019’s Why You So Crazy (QRO review), and now return to Levitation (QRO photos at Austin Psych ’14).
They’re also known for their nineties rivalry with fellow Portlanders The Brian Jonestown Massacre in the celebrated music documentary, Dig! – and look who’s headlining the night at Levitation… (see just below)
Austin’s great music scene has many dimensions, but the band that opened up the psychedelic side of the Live Music Capitol of the World is The Black Angels (QRO spotlight on). The group (QRO photos), fronted by Alex Maas (QRO interview), bring the psych-rock of 2013’s Indigo Meadow (QRO review) and 2010’s Phosphene Dream (QRO review) and more back home to Austin (QRO photos at a festival), after having toured all over America (QRO live review) & Europe (QRO photos at a European festival), not to mention being the creators of (and regulars at) Levitation Festival itself (QRO photos at Levitation ’21). They come back to Levitation (QRO photos at a ’23 festival) behind this year’s Wilderness of Mirrors.
One of the best psychedelic bands of the last thirty years, The Brian Jonestown Massacre (QRO photos) emerged out of San Francisco (where else?) have endured a tumultuous history for a prolific and consistent output (QRO photos). They play their fifth Levitation on the same bill as their old nineties rivals The Dandy Warhols (see just above) in the celebrated music documentary Dig! – and now they’re the ones headlining…
Mohawk
8:00 PM – Chief Cleopatra
9:00 PM – Adrian Quesada (DJ set)
10:10 PM – Kalu & The Electric Join
12:30 PM – Durand Jones
The smooth, contemporary R&B/soul of Durand Jones (QRO photos at an Austin festival) comes to Levitation behind 2021’s Private Space.
Empire Garage
8:40 PM – Communion
10:00 PM – King Woman
11:40 PM – Pelican
Chicago’s stratospheric post-rock scene has even birthed post-metal in the instrumental Pelican.
Empire Control Room
9:30 PM – Glassing
10:50 PM – Skeleton
12:50 AM – Uniform
Antone’s
10:20 PM – Grandmaster
11:20 PM – Ghost Funk Orchestra
12:30 AM – Dumbo Gets Mad
Hotel Vegas
8:10 PM – El Combo Oscuro
9:20 PM – Gio Chamba
10:30 PM – Sonido Gallo Negro
Parish
9:30 PM – Alexalone
10:30 PM – Baths
11:30 PM – Palehound
12:50 AM – Speedy Ortiz
Young Will Wiesenfeld (QRO photos at a festival) was able to record & release debut Cerulean in only two months, after adopting the moniker of Baths (QRO photos), and now returns to Levitation.
There’s been a ton of buzz around Brooklyn’s Speedy Ortiz (QRO photos in outdoors in Brooklyn) for years now, so see if they’re worth it at Levitation (QRO photos at an Austin festival).
Elysium
10:00 PM – DJ John Mark
12:00 AM – Mercury Rev’s Clear Light Ensemble
Indie vets Mercury Rev (QRO photos at a festival) have been going from the neo-psychedelic to avant-pop for decades now, and bring their ‘Clear Light Ensemble’ to Levitation.
13th Floor
11:00 PM – TBA
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29th
Stubb’s
6:40 PM – Being Dead
7:40 PM – Turnover
9:10 PM – Beach Fossils
Dream pop meets emo punk as Virginia Beach’s Turnover come to Levitation (QRO photos at a festival) behind last year’s Myself In the Way.
Relax for the relaxed indie-rock of New York’s Beach Fossils (QRO live review). Even if their garage-rock (QRO photos) on 2013’s Clash the Truth (QRO review), 2017’s Somersault (QRO review), and this year’s Bunny (QRO review) doesn’t bowl you over, their live show (QRO live review) is more electric, and now the return to Levitation.
Far Out
5:20 PM – Magna Carda
6:05 PM – Fat Tony
6:50 PM – DJ Shadow
8:05 PM – Armand Hammer
8:50 PM – BADBADNOTGOOD
Mixologist Joshua Paul Davis, a.k.a. DJ Shadow (QRO photos) has been at the forefront of today’s sampling movement (QRO photos at a festival).
The Toronto trio BADBADNOTGOOD (QRO photos at a Toronto festival) are known for incorporating hip-hop into their music, and have collaborated with the likes of Tyler, the Creator and Kendrick Lamar, and even the one-and-only Ghostface Killah (QRO photos together at a festival). Now they come to Levitation behind 2021’s Talk Memory.
Mohawk
7:00 PM – Fuck Money
8:00 PM – Demob Happy
9:10 PM – Death From Above 1979
For an act that was only gone for five years, Death From Above 1979’s reunion was actually one of the most anticipated (QRO photos at a festival). It helped that the duo of Jesse F. Keeler (who’s been in MSTRKRFT since the break-up) and Sebastien Grainger (who had his own solo career after the break-up – QRO album review) basically invented the dance-punk/noise-rock scene. Their initial reunion gig at South-by-Southwest in Austin in 2011 (QRO recap) was so mobbed that policemen came in on horses and used mace – won’t be that nuts when they come to Life Is Beautiful (QRO photos at a festival), but expect a wild time (QRO photos at a festival) as the band tours (QRO live review) behind 2014’s The Physical World (QRO review), 2017’s Outrage! Is Now (QRO review), and 2020’s Is 4 Lovers (QRO review).
Oh, and they made peace with James Murphy’s Death From Above label and reverted to their old name (QRO photos at a festival without 1979), after having to add their birth year due to major label qualms. But then thought better of it, and the Gen Yers are back to 1979 again.
Empire Garage
6:30 PM – El Khat
7:50 PM – Say She She
9:10 PM – Altin Gün
Empire Control Room
7:10 PM – They/Live
8:30 PM – Pachyman
10:20 PM – JJUUJJUU
11:40 PM – Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band
Hotel Vegas
6:50 PM – Djunah
7:50 PM – Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol
9:00 PM – Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs
Parish
9:20 PM – Sitting On Stacy
10:20 PM – Video Age
11:30 PM – Mustard Service
13th Floor
10:30 PM – Nemegata
11:30 PM – Billy King & The Bad Bad Bad
12:30 AM – Big Bill
