Live music review: Eclectic musical gathering Wizard Rodeo marks third year at The Long Time

Wizard Rodeo isn’t a rodeo for spell-casting wizards.. There aren’t any wizards, horses, bulls, lassos, or anything like that there though. The Wizard Rodeo is a music festival featuring artists from around the Texas music scene along with touring, national acts. The festival takes place east of downtown Austin at baseball sandlot, The Long Time. The grounds feature four total stages of music. This allows for no dead air between sets except a “7th Hour Stretch” that allows for a break in the festivities before shifting back into full gear. 

For Wizard Rodeo’s third annual edition of the festival this year, audiences witnessed artists old and new, with many discoveries coming in the vast array of artists that made their way to the sandlot for last Saturday’s shindig. Wizard Rodeo was founded by Central Texas musicians,  Garrett T. Capps, Lindsey Verrill, and Jesse Ebaugh (The Long Time owner). The three have crafted an occasion showing their respective love of live music. It was a beautiful day in Central Texas this past weekend, and we’re sharing what stuck out to us during the event located just outside of Austin’s downtown. There was singing, dancing, and all sorts of artistic presentations that made for an imaginative gathering that spanned the cultivation of the art that makes the nearby music scenes a coveted phenomenon. 

Grocery Bag – The (relatively) new on the scene, Austin punks kicked the afternoon into high gear with boiled-over octane. Since releasing their debut album this year, the Austin psych-punk act, Grocery Bag brought searing psychedelic freak-outs and a fierce, top-down brand of no-BS tunes, which is making them worthy up-and-comers in the Austin scene. Grocery Bag is rounded out by members Dillion Aitala, Isabella Martinez, Logan Kerman, and Jimmy Mercado. Frontwoman Bella Martinez’s fierce vocal delivery makes for a headbanging good time akin to rising acts like Water From Your Eyes and Austin contemporaries Die Spitz. Drummer Jimmy Mercado gives the band the punch they need to drive through their short-and-to-the-point delivery, juggling introspective instrumental meltdowns to groovy punk prowess. Grocery Bag’s new album, Break You, is out wherever you stream music. 

Hemlock – Solo act Hemlock delivered a set that showcased their unending prolific nature. The Chicago singer/songwriter Carolina Chauffe presented a variety of beautiful tunes that chronicled her journey across the world, even letting audiences hear snippets of voicemails left to her during her travels. Hemlock recently released a 31-track record described as a “Song A Day” project that turned into a 90-minute, epic album exploring a snapshot of one’s vision quest of being a touring musician in the current age. Since making Austin her home base, at least temporarily, we’ll see more of her around the scene, including a show at University of Texas Campus venue Hole In The Wall with Little Mazarn happening this week. Self-declared as “Phone-Fi,” Chauffe took the stage with a high level of charm, telling pieces of a story that unfolded with every track. 

Little Mazarn – A dose of ethereal folk was presented with Wizard Rodeo mainstays, Little Mazarn. This set felt like a spiritual awakening as the show progressed into a beautiful sunset to transition from the day into the nighttime festivities. Little Mazarn’s live lineup was vast, including all sorts of auxiliary instrumentation that painted a sonic canvas that gave the audience the opportunity to watch each musician individually bask in periods of sonic solace. Frontwoman/banjo-picker/festival co-founder Lindsey Verrill has a beautifully haunting voice, sculpting feelings of longing and the trials of life. Verill took a moment at the end of the set to have the audience enjoy the sunset in a musical, ceremonious fashion; this felt akin to watching the Eclipse at Utopia Fest this Fall. Watching music in nature always hits right in a variety of incalculable ways. The previous act, Hemlock, was also featured for this set and will play another solo performance alongside Little Mazarn at Hole In The Wall this week. 

Garrett T. Capps & NASA Country– This guy doesn’t fuck around. As a co-founder of the annual Wizard Rodeo, San Antonio staple Garrett T. Capps and his backing band, NASA Country, bring an Americana party interwoven with Austin’s psychedelic sound. Capps doesn’t sell himself to one genre; sounds of country, Grateful Dead-esque jamming, and mind-bending psychedelic trips keep the audience guessing what will come next. With our first exposure to the Central Texas star, the show evolved into an explosive musical rager that showcased entrancing light patterns and the technical ability of Capps’ backing band that unleashed a sturdy rock n roll spectacle. Garrett T. Capps and NASA Country released their latest album People Are Beautiful this Fall and plan to pass through Austin again in early 2024. 

Pussy Gillette – When 9 p.m. hit, Austin punks Pussy Gillette woke the festival attendees up in a barking, vocalized fashion. After seeing Pussy Gillette open for The Hives during Levitation 2021, they’ve been on our radar as one of Austin’s most energetic acts. Each song came with an oddly specific introduction from frontwoman/bassist Masani Negloria, showing that the Austin heavy hitters’ brand of punk rock has something in store for everyone. The bass was thundering, the drums crashed, and Negloria’s vocals hit in such a way that it’s hard not to utter “Fuck yeah,” between every cleverly worded phrase by the singer. 

Deerhoof – The festival main stage packed in for the weirdo, experimental punk antics of San Francisco’s Deerhoof. After playing Downtown Austin’s The Parish the previous night, the Bay Area act’s wheels were greased and ready for the backwoods, Wizard Rodeo crowd. The stage setup was intimate, allowing audience members to be front and center to witness the mayhem. Since forming in 1994, Deerhoof has released 18 albums to date. With a trajectory that spans many lineup changes, record labels, and tours, Deerhoof has always been about drummer Greg Saunier and vocalist/bassist Satomi Matsuzaki. The pair have been a prolific duo over the years, releasing a frantic brand of art punk that boggles the mind every time you hit play on one of their recordings. Combining squealing guitars with panic-stricken vocals, Deerhoof has carved out a niche of their own, along with a dedicated fanbase. The 100-minute set raged through every note and eventually prompted audience members to mosh and be actively engaged in the action during the closing moments of Wizard Rodeo. 

The enormous span of talent that made its way to The Long Time last weekend was an incredible sight. The music never stopped, allowing various instrumentalists to jam through the set breaks on a side stage dubbed “The Drone Zone.” The performing artists kept the vibes going throughout the festivities, allowing the Rodeo’s luminous nature to interweave through the day into the end of the evening. Wizard Rodeo had a welcoming vibe that we can’t wait to see again in 2024. 

All photos by Oscar Moreno courtesy of Wizard Rodeo

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