Live music review: The Black Angels opened new 13th Floor location with album release show

The Black Angels latest recording, Wilderness Of Mirrors (released Friday), was celebrated by the band with an intimate gathering at the new The 13th Floor Bar location, now on Red River near 8th in the Red River District. Announcement of the show and available tickets happened only a week ago.  Within a short amount of time the sub-200 capacity venue was sold out.

As expected from this longtime Austin act and psych rock leaders,  the gathering felt more of a family reunion than your traditional rock fare, adding validation to their years of cultivating a community of fans not only through their music but with sustained, continuing growth of their successful LEVITATION Festival as well as the swelling success with the LEVITATION brand. A 5-year wait for new material ended on this, 16th day of September 2022 and to celebrate, The Black Angels did exactly what close friends expected they would. They hosted a house party (of sorts).

 

Alex Maas, Christian Bland, Stephanie Bailey, Jake Garcia, and most recent lineup addition Ramiro Verdooren took to the small stage, cramped with instruments for a (mostly) seated set that felt as much a show as it may have been rehearsal for their upcoming lengthy stretch of tour dates taking them well into 2023.

“The Prodigal Son” from their 2006 debut album Passover set the stage for the next hour and half set, reminding us that the path and message of the band that resonates with their community has been there since the beginning. While the lyrical content has continued to explore Maas’ interpretation of humanity’s historical missteps, a dystopian future, and our responsibility to be the best humans possible despite the undeniable weight of the darkness that exists throughout history and our current landscape.

The music that The Black Angels are making continues to mature as the band  incorporated their experiences in the global music community. Their curiosity to explore worldly sounds expands on the early foundations of their sound, cemented in our souls from the first time we experienced The Black Angels. 

The band quickly moved from their humble beginnings to the matter at hand, Wilderness Of Mirrors with the nod to ‘60s French pop track, “Firefly”. Shifting gears seamlessly, the inevitable impact of parenthood makes an appearance in the dystopian, global environmental crisis dilemma, “El Jardin”. While the lives of our global population were impacted by a pandemic that spurred a myriad of unfamiliar and uncomfortable situations, it also impacted the songwriting of The Black Angels.

Maas declared that this was a time for the band to work out some of the tracks as their immediate future is bright with a tour and the upcoming Austin edition of the LEVITATION. A festival invented by, curated, and perfected by the band’s Reverberation Appreciation Society and now LEVITATION brand headed by Rob Fitzpatrick. It’s a brand psych rock fans have learned to trust as Fitzpatrick’s booking prowess knows no bounds.

As the set progressed, composed mostly of  new material from Wilderness Of Mirrors already recognized by many in attendance, the swell of emotion that comes with familiarity and connected community grew with each passing song. The Black Angels aren’t just a rock band.

Dropping the ‘60s retrospective “Choose To Choose” from Phosphene Dream reminded us once again of their ability to create modern music steeped in the history and influence of classic sounds from decades past. TBA then launched into familiar fuzzed out territory with “Empires Falling” before settling into what Mass has declared the most “Black Angels” track that they have recorded, “Manipulation”.

A duet for the modern age with both Bland and Maas providing vocals to the early recording. “Entrance Song” and “Bad Vibrations” from previously released Phosphene Dream closed out the event, providing a historical reminder of why this act has been embraced so tightly by the very community that it has curated over the years.

Despite what some listeners may interpret as constant dwelling on unsavory historical lessons, giving the dark side of humanity more attention than it deserves, the underlying message from the band is that we, as humans, have the capacity to overcome these diversities if we invest our interest in understanding the why and how. The Black Angels provide fans of thoughtful music and the sense of belonging to something that is greater than ourselves, while striving to be better humans. 

LISTEN TO THE BLACK ANGELS

The Black Angels Wilderness Of Mirrors tour begins later this month.The group will be back on home turf hosting and performing at LEVITATION Halloween weekend. Tickets are selling out quick so…whacha waiting for?

All photos by Michael Maly