Once the pride of exclusively Austin, Texas, Levitation Festival (nee Psych Fest) will reach the rocky shores of Vancouver this weekend to make its maiden voyage. After teaming up with Vancouver-based Timbre Concerts, Levitation will reflect the sounds of the finest purveyors of psychedelic, garage, surf and beyond. The lineup promises mind-expanding diversity, including the halycon pop of Atlas Sound, wiry garage rock via Portland’s Dead Moon, and Vancouver’s own doom-psych legends Black Mountain, who will be celebrating the ten-year anniversary of their self-titled debut.
The shows will take place between Rickshaw Theatre, The Cobalt, Electric Owl and Malkin Bowl, which will serve as a daytime venue, and if you buy a weekend pass, well hey, you’ve passed the electric Kool-Aid acid test. Well done.
Listen. There is no way we could recommend all of the best bands of Levitation Festival. Nor can we point out every local band that will blow minds this weekend. The lineup is actuallythat good. What we can do is gently suggest some of our must-see local acts who will be unleashing their inner third dimension on stage and beyond.
So, in the words of Timothy Leary, remember: “Everyone carries a piece of the puzzle. Nobody comes into your life by mere coincidence. Trust your instincts. Do the unexpected. Find the others.”
Turn on, tune in and rock out.
BLACK MOUNTAIN
Vancouver’s psych legends have spent the last few months holed up in a studio somewhere in Seattle working on their follow up to 2010’s Wilderness Heart. Black Mountain need to introduction, but in case you’ve been living under a tiny seashell for the past decade, they are a raging storm of doom-psych and torrential rock and roll, lead by Stephen McBean and co-vocalist Amber Webber, whose voice could stop wars and summon ancient sorcerers all at once. They will also be reissuing their 2004 self-titled debut album this month, so expect lots of old faves and new craves.
June 6, Malkin Bowl, 7:45 pm
SUN RA’S STAR SYSTEM
This Vancouver-based jazz collective serves as a tribute to the late, great man from outer space, Sun Ra. Expect an intergalactic-quantum-dimension-solar-sonic experience and a deep meditation on whyspace is the place.
June 5, China Cloud, 8:15 pm
DEAD GHOSTS
They are a Vancouver garage rock mainstay and therefore a must-see. If you’re into sweet guitar pluck-and-jangle or just some really raunchy lo-fi rock and roll, this is the band for you. They recently reissued their long out-of-print 2010 debut album on Burger Records, so its only natural that they will be enriching the already-stacked Burger Records showcase at the Rickshaw Theatre.
June 7, Rickshaw Theatre, 11:30 pm
WHITE POPPY
While the ladies are relatively few and far between in this year’s lineup, there are many exquisite female-fronted acts right out of this fine city. White Poppy is the project of Crystal Dorval, a musician and visual artist who makes hazy, effervescent shoegaze. She will release her new album Natural Phenomena this July, so expect to hear lots of new shimmering, gorgeous music.
June 7, The Cobalt, 10:20 pm
DEAD QUIET
Combining Earthly elements with metal and psych, Dead Quiet are anything but. Featuring members of Barn Burner, Anciients, Bend Sinister, Percheron, and Cooked and Eaten, their music makes you feel like you are swimming in a pool of liquid mercury as they penetrate your brain with melodic doom.
June 7, Electric Owl, 10:30 pm
THE COURTNEYS
After spending the better part of 2014 on the road with Tegan and Sara and touring Australasia, this Flying Nun-inspired guitar pop trio are one to catch before they blow up. Why, you say? Because their music makes you want to quit your day job, start a band with your best friends and quash that pesky existential angst for another year or so. If that ain’t livin’ the dream, what is?
June 7, Rickshaw Theatre, 10 pm
THREE MOON WOLF
While googling “three moon wolf” may lead you to a College Humor satire of the movie Twilight featuring Aubrey Plaza, make sure you re-direct yourself to the excellent sounds of this Vancouver quartet. Their magnetic, gritty music has a tragic beauty to it, like the sound of getting your heart broken in the middle of an Arizona desert highway at sunset. Groovy.
June 6, Malkin Bowl, 2:50 pm
ANCIIENTS
Often described as a “rock juggernaut” of a band, Anciients make well-crafted progressive metal that evokes their contemporaries like Opeth or Enslaved, and the more seasoned sounds of the legendary High on Fire. A web-bio states that they combine "fuck-off-huge chords with mind-altering riffage that takes you on an unfamiliar trip.” Righteous.
June 7, Electric Owl, 12:15 am
WILLIE THRASHER AND LINDA SADDLEBACK
Inuk singer-songwriter Willie Thrasher may live in Nanaimo nowadays, but around these parts, he’s a local. Following the release and success of Native North America (Vol 1) earlier this year, the one-time Cordells member has been touring like crazy, including a performance in Austin for the original Levitation Festival this past May. Accompanied by his dazzling partner Linda Saddleback, Thrasher never has a problem showing us why he and his songs are so beloved. Do. Not. Miss.
June 7, Malkin Bowl, 12:15 pm
DADA PLAN
Dystopian, existential, environmental, whatever fancy adjective you choose to use to describe their music, Dada Plan are a solid choice. Bongos, funky bass, drum machines and anti-cellphone anthems, there is something for every generation in their eclectic blend of futuristic retro-rock.
June 6, Malkin Bowl, 1 pm
For the full schedule and more information on ticket/pass prices, visit www.levitation-vancouver.com
