Live music preview: Feel Good Music Festival by SIMS Foundation takes place May 27-28 at Far Out Lounge

On Friday, SIMS Foundation announced the first Feel Good Music Festival at Far Out Lounge and Stage, May 27-28 as part of a month-long Mental Health Awareness celebration. The two-day event (Saturday evening, daytime Sunday) features a Latin-heavy bill opening night with Money Chicha, Caramelo Haze, Clemente Castillo and Megafauna. Sunday’s programming will be presented by Graham’s Give Back dubbed, Bob vs Bob (as in Dylan and Marley). The “Grahams” are Graham Wilkinson and Weber who have been producing their Bob vs Bob event for three years as way to give directly back to local charities. This year, the pair partnered with SIMS Foundation to bring an all-star backing band and bevy of great local musicians to perform either Dylan or Marley covers. Tickets are already on sale.

With support from SIMS Foundation sponsors, Meanwhile Brewing, The Zebra and upscale Mexican restaurant, Suerte, festival organizers have assembled some of the best musicians in Austin to raise funds for music mental health org that provides mental health and recovery services to Austin music industry members and their dependent families. It is the only mental health NPO of its kind in the country. And the organization has big plans to expand to other music markets nationally. Simply put, Austin music industry workers and SIMS Foundation need your support.

Money Chicha which is comprised of members of Grupo Fantasma and Brownout who all have Grammys at home might be the best Latin band you’ve never heard of. In some ways, the success of their other projects has obscured the genius that is Money Chicha. The Cumbia, psych-rock fusion act has incredible players on stage in lead guitarist, Beto Martinez, bassist, Greg Gonzalez, drummer, John Spiece, Matthew “Sweet Lou” Holmes on percussion and Peter Stropchinski on keyboards. Martinez once told us this is his favorite project because of the freedom he gets to play his guitar like the badass he is. He is one of the best players in a town crowded with great guitarists. Spiece might be the best drummer in town and he’s adept at multiple styles. The same goes for Gonzalez, Holmes and Stropchinski who you can also see perform with several different bands in town. If you haven’t listened Money Chicha’s 2019 Vampisoul release, Echo en Mexico yet, for the sake of high-quality listening, it’s time you did.

Caramelo Haze includes two members of Money Chicha (Martinez and Spiece) along with Victor “El Guámbito” Cruz (Nemegata), former Austin artist now based in Chicago, Alex Chavez (Dos Santos) and Cruz’s bandmate César Valencia on bass. This band is a beast. We mean that in the best way possible. With all the members of the group versed in parallel Latin styles that compliment each other as well as soul and funk, the stew this group cooked in the studio last resulted in one of our favorite Latin records of the year, Noestaqui. Besides all those chill Latin-fusion vibes (it sounds like a laid-back summer) these guys can really cook when inspired to do so. The clip of Caramelo Haze demolishing Daft Punk’s Robot Rock is below for your viewing pleasure.

Many Americans may not know who Clemente Castillo is yet, but in Mexico, the gifted singer is a star in his home country. He is a Mexican singer-songwriter and music curator originally from Monterrey, currently based in Austin. He is a member and vocalist of the iconic band Jumbo of the Avanzada Regia movement of the late 90s. More recently he’s had some minor hits in Mexico as a solo artist before deciding to make the move to Austin where he’s honed the sound of his Taykab project and performed with Adrian Quesada at his Austin City Limits TV taping of his “Boleros Psicod​é​licos” record last year. His single “Regresa” was released in 2022.

If you’re a regular reader of The Cosmic Clash then you know we’re huge fans of Megafauna who are set to showcase their latest record, Olympico which was just released last month. Bandleader, vocalist and lead guitarist Dani Neff is a truly talented performer who has surrounded herself with gifted musicians (Zack Humphrey on drums, Will Krause on bass, and Winston Barrett on guitar and keys) and somehow managed to keep her band together for over ten years while putting out steadily better albums until 2019’s fantastic album, Ghost Coast which landed on our Best Albums of 2019 list. if anything, this year’s release improves on that incredible record which was produced by award-winning producer Charles Godfrey at his Scary American Studios.

Watch the official video for Megafauna’s latest single, “Bi-Postal.”

While that is a show unto itself, that’s not all for the inaugural SIMS Foundation Feel Good Music Festival. Day two promises to be a family friendly affair featuring Graham Weber and Wilkinson’s Bob vs Bob concert featuring an all-star band and a veritable who’s who of local singers and songwriters gathering to perform Dylan and Marley covers.

The all-star house band features the same players that present The Last Waltz each year around Thanksgiving; Willie Webster (guitar), Jeff Botta (drums), Joe Beckham (bass), Trevor Nealon of Band of Heathens (keys) and Graham Wilkinson (guitar, vox and bandleader). it’s truly a crack group of performers who will be playing with these artists: Cory Reinsch (Harvest Thieves), Ali Holder, Courtney Santana, Kelley Mickwee, Joe Fulhaber (Deadeye), Chris Baker (The Other Ones Foundation), Sarah Dorsey, Jordan Young, Even Charles, Jenny Reynolds, Scott Collins, Patrice Pike, Suzanna Choffel, Scott Strickland, The Reverent Few, Tony Kamel (Wood and Wire), Graham Weber. Whew!

A vintage vendor market hosted by Futuremoon Vintage will be open both Saturday and Sunday. The Far Out Lounge also features two food trucks on site and host of restaurants nearby. Try the smash burgers, pressed sandwiches and paninis from chef Joe Farmer at Press Kitchen or the incredible birria tacos from Los Diazantes. The taco truck was named one of the best in the entire state by Texas Montly.

Grab your tickets for SIMS Foundation’s Feel Good Music Festival here.If you are unable to attend but would like to support SIMS Foundation, donations are accepted via the org’s donation page.