Live music preview: 13th Floor NYE party with Holy Wave, Christian Bland and Hidden Ritual
The 13th Floor Bar on Red River has put together a dream psych-rock lineup for New Year’s Eve featuring Holy Wave, Black Angels’ guitarist Christian Bland and Hidden Ritual for local music fans. The event is sponsored by Play to the Plants (PTTP), a local event producer who throws cannabis and plant-themed events in Austin and Boston where the company launched in 2020. PTTP partners with local nursery Tillery Street Plant Company who decorate the performance space with cool houseplants that are available for purchase by concert-goers. Advance tickets are available via Eventbrite.
Originally from El Paso, the members of Holy Wave made the move to Austin in 2008 and never looked back, cementing the band at the forefront of the Neo-psych scene led by The Black Angels. The group has played LEVITATION Festival, SXSW and several national and international tours. The Cosmic Clash chose their record Interloper as one of the best Austin albums to be released in 2020.
More on the album from the review: “Holy Wave’s fifth studio effort feels like a band coming into its own, shedding a more classic psych-rock bent for a newer, fresher direction. The group presents as capable, confident and unbowed on this record. While previous albums by the El Paso to Austin outfit tend to fit neatly into a more traditional idea of psych-rock, their latest disc leans toward the downbeat and experimental approach with occasional, delightful sonic outbursts. Sound effects, delays and reverb are used in a myriad of unorthodox ways. Snap up a copy of this album and get lost in a dreamy haze of delicious, aural ear candy.”
If that wasn’t enough, adding TBA guitarist, Christian Bland and the Revelators to this bill significantly sweetens the deal. The gifted guitarist plays psych-rock with this outfit but puts his own spin on Neo-psych rock by merging Sad Barrett-era Pink Floyd sounds with shoe-gaze and noise rock a la My Bloody Valentine. The resulting recordings and shows have been hugely popular among staff at The Cosmic Clash. The track, “CB160″ off Bland’s The Unseen Green Obscene” is one of our favorite CB songs.
Openers Hidden Ritual promise a great set too. Fronted by visual artist and guitarist, Jaime Zuvera, the four-piece made a huge impression on TCC founder Mike Cosmic who commented in a review from 2016, “One of my personal favorites, Hidden Ritual, never ceases to amaze me. The first time I heard of Hidden Ritual was off of a compilation on Bandcamp called Lo-Fi Compilation 2 from Valencia, Spain. I must have played that track for 3 days straight! Without knowing that they were from Austin, I met Jaime, and Ryan of Hidden Ritual at a backyard hangout at my friend Oliver’s (Horse Plus Donkey) house. Hidden Ritual’s psych rock totally bridges gaps to the experimental side of music.”
RSVP for this outstanding New Year’s Eve bill here and tell your psych-rock loving friends to join you for what promises to be a great evening of live music in the Red River District this Saturday. Doors open at 8 p.m.
