Live music preview: Recommended bands to see at LEVITATION this week

Since 2008, Levitation has been a mainstay each year in Austin. Inspired by the creative psychedelic explosion in the 1960s in Austin, Levitation, formerly known as Austin Psych Fest, has sought to bring acts of various genres in the vein of neo-psych rock, shoegaze, experimental hip-hop, and more. Since hosting destination festivals at Austin’s Carson Creek Ranch, Austin Psych Fest has rebranded the festival as Levitation, a collection of showcases at various Austin venues during Halloween weekend. For 2023’s fest edition, the Levitation map has expanded outside the downtown area, including South Congress’ Far Out Lounge and new EDM staple, The Concourse Project. Presented in partnership with Texas-wide concert promoter Resound Presents, Levitation Festival is bringing the goods for 2023. Here are the shows we’ve recommended this week, including tonight’s kickoff at Austin’s psych rock themed,  Red River haunt, The 13th Floor.

Limited tickets remain available for most shows. Grab tickets to LEVITATION before they sell out.

BALTHVS  – Wednesday – The 13th Floor

After tearing through multiple South by Southwest appearances, Columbian psych-jam act BALTHVS is back to kick off the Levitation festivities. Self-described as “World Psychedelic Funk,” BALTHVS is an act that plays into submission. An instance of this came when the Columbian group played Austin’s The 13th Floor on the final day of SXSW. The band played the last set of the night until the power was cut off at 2 am. The trio’s technical chops show with every extended jam, singing in their native Spanish and casting graciousness and awesomeness on every stage they take.

Ty Segall & The Freedom Band, Shannon and the Clams, Rose City Band, Annabelle Chairlegs – Thursday – Stubb’s 

This stacked bill will kick things off officially for Levitation weekend. Local heavy hitters, Annabelle Chairlegs will kick off the spectacle, with frontwoman Lindsay Mackin taking the reins. Mackin opened Segall’s acoustic performance at Austin’s Hotel Vegas in 2022 and performed an acoustic set. The raw and spunky emotion of Mackin is unmatched, bringing attitude and singalong ability to every gig. Portland natives Rose City Band takes the second opening slot, bringing their jangly folk psych vibes to the forefront. Having only heard of the Oregon act after finding out about frontman Ripley Johnson of Moon Duo and Wooden Shjips fame, Johnson takes a more crisp angle with Rose City Band, an ideal counterpart for the singer/songwriter vibes of Segall’s recent output on recent studio release Hello, Hi. Levitation alumni Shannon and the Clams take the last opening slot, but the assignment will not be taken lightly. Since headlining a day show at the 2021 edition of Levitation, Shannon and the Clams have proven to be a crowd favorite. Based in the west coast city of Oakland, the California band is no stranger to the Levitation vibe. Combining sounds of neo-psych and hints of rockabilly, Shannon Shaw and the band bring unchecked rock and roll spirit to every stage. 

And then there’s The Freedom Band situation.

Billed as the last show of Ty Segall’s Freedom Band era, Segall, Charles Moothart, Emmett Kelly, and Mikal Cronin are making Austin their last outing under the Ty Segall & The Freedom Band moniker. Due to the upcoming departure of drummer Charles Moothart, Segall has opted to retire the touring band’s name. Whether this will end Ty’s FUZZ project with Moothart is unknown, but the Friday night Stubb’s gig will send things off for The Freedom Band with a bang.

Flatworms – The 13th Floor

California-based Flatworms features Osees bassist Tim Hellman. Booked for a late-night set at Black Angels owned The 13th Floor on Red River, Flatworms offers a straightforward, post-punk attack. Since seeing bands like OFF! and Frankie And The Witch Fingers play the small-cap venue; we know a rager will indeed be had by fans who make it to this set. Coming off new release Witness Marks, Hellman has stayed prolific with a band that shows undeniable dynamic explosivity with cut and dry, catchy sensibilities. The bass guitar is rightfully the focal point of the mix on this record, which makes us expect a teeth-rattling set to cap off the first official night of the festival. 

Friday

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, High on Fire, The Well – Stubb’s

 A triple-barrelled blast of stoner metal is billed for Stubb’s on Friday night of the Levitation showcases. The Well is a local Austin band that has influences from bands like Electric Wizard, Sleep, and Monolord. Since The Well is opening for Sleep’s Matt Pike in High on Fire, the bill is sure to bring the heavy. High On Fire is derived from doom metal icons Sleep, responsible for the doom metal one-hour-one song long epic Dopesmoker. Guitarist Matt Pike brings shredding speed metal leads while his other two bandmates back him with a Motorhead-esque, high-octane rhythm section. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats is a Cambridge band that brings massive theatrics with classic doom metal, fuzzed-out mayhem. Coming off a three-night residency at Estes Park’s Stanley Hotel in Colorado, the English band is no stranger to horror movie imagery that makes Uncle Acid a force to be reckoned with.

Flying Lotus – Concourse Project

After the showcase at Stubb’s concludes, it will be a race to the outer reaches of Austin to get to EDM venue Concourse Project for electronic music titan, Flying Lotus. Known for stage antics and visuals that craft a spectacle that has attracted a laundry list of collaborators for the Los Angeles artist, the electronic act will be a welcome detour from Levitation’s psych rock focus, building up to a late-nite dance party. 

Saturday

The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Black Angels, The Dandy Warhols, The Veldt, Lorelle Meets The Obsolete, and Daiistar – Far Out 

This all-day bill at Far Out Lounge in South Austin is a stacked one. Fusing tours from festival founders,  The Black Angels withThe Dandy Warhols, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, this massive lineup will not only feature a reunion from cult classic rockumentary DIG but will feature bands that have blazed the neo-psych rock trail in its footsteps. Hot-as-hell Austin band Daiistar will open the show, fresh off their newly released album Good Time. The triple-headlining bill at the South Austin joint will feature two stages, allowing three bands to show their stuff alongside psych rock royalty.

Sunday

Death From Above 1979, Demob Happy, Fuck Money – Mohawk

Canadian hard rock duo Death From Above 1979 is a welcome Sunday special at Red River District’s Mohawk as one of Levitation Festival’s closing acts. Joined by larger-than-life Austin punk band Fuck Money, this bill is quintessentially a punk and roll rager. When we last law Fuck Money at Parish in Austin’s East Side, the Austin band set up their equipment on the venue’s floor, allowing for a mosh pit up close and personal with the band during their performance. We’re anticipating a mosh-ready heavy hitter for this one. Sundays are for circle pits.

Levitation Festival is packed this year. Since starting in The Red River Cultural District with the current iteration of the festival, the Levitation invasion has expanded outside Downtown Austin, making the Austin takeover a big one, with talent and festival devotees coming from all over the world to attend this one-of-a-kind musical event. We can’t wait for the weekend. As Roky Erickson once said, We’ve got Levitation!