Live music preview: LEVITATION expands for 2023 with stellar lineup

While Austin City Limits Music Festival carries the name of the iconic PBS television show, perhaps the most “Austin” festival over the past decade and a half has been LEVITATION which began as Austin Psych Fest, eventually rebranding to allow expansion into other markets like Angers, France and Vancouver, Canada. The festival gets it’s inspiration from the original psych rock acts of the late 60s such as The 13th Floor Elevators (Roxy Erickson), Moving Sidewalks (Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top) and  the Velvet Unground (member Sterling Morrison lived in Austin). More importantly, unlike ACL Fest, The LEVITATION lineup 2023 has stayed true to it’s roots, curating an exciting bill each year that is both reflective of past greats while spotlighting some of the best new bands of the Neo-psych-rock era and beyond. Besides festival founders, The Black Angels, the 2023 edition features cutting edge acts, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Neo-jazz outfit, BADBADNOTGOOD along with 80s new wave / Neo psych-rockers The Church and festival veterans The Dandy Warhols.

The festival expands this year with the addition of venues, Far Out Lounge and Stage and The Concourse Project. Far Out will predictably host psych-rock, post-punk and rock acts (UMO will play FOL) while Concourse Project will host electronic and some DJ performers over the four days of events which is slated to run October 26-29. Other venues hosting LEVITATION include Stubb’s BBQ, Mohawk, Empire Control Room and Garage, Hotel Vegas, Elysium, Parish, Antone’s and ground zero HQ, 13th Floor. Multi-day and single venue tickets are currently on sale, allowing festival-goers the option to “choose your own adventure” as organizers put it. Like most multi-stage festivals, much of how ticket buyers experience LEVITATION will depend on each music fan’s choices. Naturally, we encourage fans to see bands they’ve never seen play before, allowing for some music discovery alongside seeing your favorite acts, like Austin’s beloved The Black Angels.

Per official festival communications, many of the shows are mini-festivals in their own right. Highlights include: a 15-year anniversary celebration of Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder label, featuring Fly Lo, Hannibal Buress’s Eshu Tune, Salami Rose Joe Louis and more. A 20-year celebration of revered indie label Numero Groupfeatures 90s greats Unwound, Codeine, Karate and Chisel. A psych-rock fever dream featuring The Brian Jonestown Massacre, fest founders The Black Angels, Dandy Warhols, and more across two stages at Far Out. Friday at Far Out brings Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Panda Bear + Sonic Boom, Allah-Las, Tanukichan and more. An epic heavy metal Halloween nightmare topped off with Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats and High On Fire celebrating their 25th anniversary as a band. If you’re not planning out your costume already for this 4 day Halloween music feast – how about a stacked punk bill with Amyl & The Sniffers, Militarie Gun and Die Spitz (Don’t sleep on this upstart ATX act who are currently on tour with Amyl)? Also on the menu: a West Coast psych/garage dream bill with Ty Segall & Freedom Band, Shannon & The Clams, and Ripley Johnson’s twangy trip Rose City Band. More you ask? International stoner metal collective Heavy Psych Sounds presents Dead Meadow, Ecstatic Vision, 1000mods and more. Desert Daze presents Altin Gün, Say She She, Pachyman and more on Sunday evening. LA darkwave destination Substance presents their own showcase with Twin Tribes, Nuovo Testamento, Sacred Skin and Vosh. Basically there is something for most fans to enjoy.

Full daily lineup below. Set times coming soon:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26

UNWOUND • ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER

TY SEGALL & FREEDOM BAND • SHANNON AND THE CLAMS

THE CHURCH • CODEINE • JOCKSTRAP • YEULE

DEAD MEADOW • KARATE • CHISEL • SLOW PULP • TWIN TRIBES
ROSE CITY BAND • JONATHAN BREE • WATER FROM YOUR EYES
LSD AND THE SEARCH FOR GOD • NUOVO TESTAMENTO • ECSTATIC VISION
FLAT WORMS • 1000MODS • SACRED SKIN • VOSH • SKULL PRACTITIONERS
ANNABELLE CHAIRLEGS • FCUKERS • MARION RAW • FONT

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27

UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA • FLYING LOTUS

PANDA BEAR + SONIC BOOM • UNCLE ACID AND THE DEADBEATS

HIGH ON FIRE • BLONDE REDHEAD • ALLAH-LAS
ALAN PALOMO (NEON INDIAN) • ESHU TUNE (HANNIBAL BURESS)
BULLY • CRACK CLOUD • WARMDUSCHER • CIVIC • TANUKICHAN
ULRIKA SPACEK • SALAMI ROSE JOE LOUIS • GANSER
MONEY CHICHA • FAT DOG • BLUSHING • THE WELL
HOLY WAVE • SAM BURTON • AMULETS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28

THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE • THE BLACK ANGELS

AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS • DURAND JONES

THE DANDY WARHOLS • MERCURY REV’S CLEAR LIGHT ENSEMBLE
SPEEDY ORTIZ • DUMBO GETS MAD • SONIDO GALLO NEGRO
PALEHOUND • MILITARIE GUN • LORELLE MEETS THE OBSOLETE
DIE SPITZ • GIO CHAMBA • GHOST FUNK ORCHESTRA • EL COMBO OSCURO

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29

BADBADNOTGOOD • BEACH FOSSILS
ALTIN GÜN • TURNOVER • DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979
ARMAND HAMMER • PIGS X7 • SAY SHE SHE • PACHYMAN
JJUUJJUU • MUSTARD SERVICE • PAUL CHERRY • DJUNAH
RICKSHAW BILLIE’S BURGER PATROL • NOLAN POTTER’S NIGHTMARE BAND