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Levitation Fest Recap Day 2

levitation fest,

Nov 12, 2021

Posted By Tracy Fuller

I am a music enthusiast with a deep love for the energy of crowded venues, loud music, & passionate fans. I have a diverse background that includes private security, talent buying, festival security planning, & media relations. I've also worked as a camera operator for various projects, including music videos featuring notable artists like Bernz, Tech N9ne, & Krizz Kaliko. Additionally, I am a camera operator for Full Moon Features, where I contribute to the production of horror movies.

The Reverberation Appreciation Society revamped Austin Psych Fest to Levitation Fest in 2015, honoring the city’s former psych-rock pioneers, The 13 Floor Elevators. The new name also signified a change in programming to draw on adjacent music genres that didn’t fit Psych-Rock. Since the festival spread beyond the main venues of those original venues, its atmosphere has evolved into an Austin subculture vibe. With attendees spiking between their temporary residence closest to the Stubb s and Mohawk venues and the control center had never had, the event was almost a mini South by Southwest. Crumb provided Stubbs with a Mild High liftoff on Thursday night. As the keyboardist hypnotizes the audience to evoke a hazy trip-hop melancholy, they call to mind Melody’s Echo Chamber, a guest performance by fellow Levitation artist Dungen that Crumb had canceled at the last minute. Crumb’s composed pieces frequently incorporate a sense of movement, and their live performance often declines from lounge-y coziness to propulsive psychedelia and back, often at the same time.

For many kids, the comforting sounds of Crumb were their preferred; many packed Mohawk down the street for a deeper dose. Austin’s heavy metal band The Well rocked before a gathering of headbanging fans at Mohawk with their Sabbath-inspired chunky psych metal. At times the vocalizations of Ian Graham and Lisa Alley, in dual roles, seemed to emanate from the depths of a well far underground (pun unintended) that provided their sludgy blues with a haunted vibe. The outstanding scene arranged by Mohawk’s outdoor stage appeared in its iconic series with enveloping psychedelic light which was cast in sharp contrast to the outside-the-box melody of the band.

At the Mohawk, Levitation alum closed out the night with vocalist Fuzz, Ty Segall on drums, guitarist Charlie Moothart, and bassist Chad Ubovich. Fuzz pummeled its audience through a set of heavy acid rock, delighting listeners by executing every detail with the utmost precision. The Moothart Man’s vibrant, red-band shredding recalls the roaring power of Jimi’s psychedelic trio. The crowd stomped along to the dark throng of music mixing punk, rock, blues, and Psychedelic, proving once again why Fuzz is not to be missed.

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