Wednesday, April 30, 2025
The Cosmic Clash

Levitation

Austin Psych Fest 2025 Travis Trautt
April DawneLive MusicReview

Live music review: Friday at Austin Psych Fest with Explosions in the Sky, Octopus Project and Godspeed You Black Emperor

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Austin has no shortage of music festivals and while most of them are amazing in some way, my favorite is Austin Psych Fest. This year, I caught Texas act, Explosions in the Sky, Austin’s The Octopus Project and Godspeed You! Black Emperor as well as some other worthwhile bands. This gem of a festival melted into Levitation (close second fave) and then split back into two different but equal festivals in 2023. APF is held at The Far Out Lounge, one of my favorite venues in Austin since the apocalypse.

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Geordie Greep APF 2025 Troy Gonzales
Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Geordie Greep delivered memorable set at Austin Psych Fest

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Accompanied with an ensemble band of instrumentalists, London’s Geordie Greep delivered a memorable set orbiting his solo LP debut The New Sound —released in October 2024— at South Austin’s Far Out Lounge on April 26 as part of Levitation and Resound’s Austin Psych Fest 2025. 

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APF 2024 - photo by Sheva Kafai
Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Six bands to watch at Austin Psych Fest 2025

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Levitation’s Austin Psych Fest will return to Far Out Lounge and Stage in 2025, coming with a stacked lineup that features acts from all over the world to commemorate its third Spring edition since the return to an annual Springtime, one-location, two-stages, no-overlap festival experience. The three-day festival will feature legacy acts and underground picks that showcase yet another year of reverberation appreciation from the homegrown Austin festival. To help audiences prepare for the event, the team at The Cosmic Clash has curated six bands to watch for the festival during the last weekend of April (25-27), including the kickoff and late-night shows after each day of music

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Austin Psych Fest 2025 promo FOL 1
Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Austin Psych Fest announced masterfully curated lineup today

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Levitation’s Austin Psych Fest will return to The Far Out Lounge & Stage in South Austin on April 25 – April 27 for yet another year of a masterfully curated lineup by famed booker Rob Fitzpatrick and Resound Presents. Since returning to a Spring edition on top of the regular Levitation Fall Edition, Austin Psych Fest has both stayed in touch with the current world of independent music at large and the roots of what made the festival the coveted phenomenon it is in the present day.

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The Sword 1 Stubb's
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Day 3 and 4 of Levitation wrapped with standout performances by The Sword, Wine Lips and more

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Levitation Festival 2024 soared into the weekend with its expected triumphant intent. Every Halloween weekend, fest producers The Black Angels and show runner Rob Fitzpatrick never miss the mark in serving music fans both the hot up and comers and the legacy acts that paved the way for those new acts to take form. The Cosmic Clash team witnessed the annual extravaganza from its Thursday kickoff until the closing moments and picked out our favorite highlights that lit up the weekend to make up one of Levitation’s most landmark years yet. With a multi-venue format that requires fans to jump from show to show to get the most out of their experience, there isn’t a shortage of music to see, which makes a statement for both the robustness and openness of the Austin music sphere.

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Osees at Levitation
Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Levitation Halloween Kickoff at Hotel Vegas with Osees and Kairos Creature Club

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Halloween night 2024, marked the opening evening of Levitation Festival this year.  With artists from around the globe opening on stages at venues throughout Austin, Kairos Creature Club and Osees presented a Halloween kickoff at East Sixth’s Hotel Vegas. It was a show that would surely deliver. Each year, Osees make their way to Austin for a four-night residency at East Austin live music hub. And every year, they put on versatile sets that exceed the expectations of music fans. Halloween night last Thursday was no exception.

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Case CockrellInterviewsLive Music

Interview: Austin stoner metal act The Sword talk return, Austin scene, weed, to play Levitation this weekend

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Revered Austin metal act The Sword is back and locked in for a performance on Sunday at Levitation Festival in Austin, Texas. The doom act announced their breakup in 2022 after 19 years as a band and fans have been feigning for a reunion ever since. The local heavy act will close out the Black Angels-produced festival with a headlining set at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre in the Red River Cultural District in the downtown area and will be joined by local acts Gran Moreno, The Well, Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, and also famed proto metal act, Pentagram. Frontman/guitarist John D. Cronise, bassist Bryan Richie, drummer Jimmy Vela, and lead guitarist Kyle Shutt all showed up to deliver their insight on why it made sense to come back. To get a feel on how the band returned and what the quartet has been up to in the interim, we sat down with them after their rehearsal and discussed what the reunion means and how it all came together.

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Fuzz - Pooneh Ghana
Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Seven more bands to see at Levitation 2024

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The 2024 edition of Levitation is coming up fast this Halloween weekend. Each year, Austin’s The Black Angels and trusted booking powerhouse and Festival Director Rob Fitzpatrick continue to deliver star-studded lineups and cutting edge acts that never disappoint local and out-of-town music fans traveling to Austin for the annual multi-venue programming. The Cosmic Clash team is here to provide another list of bands you need to see over the four-day festival takeover at venues all over the Austin area. Fans have the option of purchasing access to the entire lineup or purchase individual shows. Set times and tickets can be found on the Levitation website for fans to plan their daily excursions to see all the music they can throughout the weekend. 

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THE BLACK ANGELS at Stubb's
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music preview: Six bands to see at LEVITATION 2024

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World-renowned psychedelic Austin musician Roky Erickson once said, “At one time, I had it notarised that I was from another planet. By a lawyer.” Regardless of whether that makes sense or not, Erickson’s legacy still holds true in the city of Austin, Texas. We’re decades removed from the 60s, but folks like Austin’s The Black Angels and their proxies have kept his legacy alive by delivering endless programming of neo-psych rock utopia.  Festival founders Rob Fitzpatrick and The Black Angels’ Levitation is back this Halloween weekend for yet another multi-venue installment, and the booked talent continues to deliver a factor of “Wow.” The Cosmic Clash team will join the festivities yet again and is here to prescribe another list of bands you need to see for the end-of-October festivities. All set times can be found on the Levitation website.

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The Black Angels at Stabile Hall
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: The Black Angels rocked the new Stable Hall in San Antonio last week

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The Black Angels headed to San Antonio to give their Central Texas fans a blueprint of what will come in their 20th year. The Black Angels have stayed plugged into the depths and hardliners of the indie scene, and their relevance and expertise in the underground music sphere have been an inspiring force due to their many years in the business. The Black Angels delivered a smoking set at Stabile Hall on Friday, June 28 in San Antonio for their Central Texas fans, which saw Austin and local SATX supporters alike flocking to the new(ish) Stable Hall venue to witness a masterclass in Texas Psychedelia. 

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BLACK ANGELS - ROGER HO 2 - LEV23
Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: LEVITATION 2024 music festival lineup and schedule is out

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Austin-based psychedelia collective Levitation has announced the 2024 edition lineup and schedule of their multi-venue festival to take place in downtown Austin over Halloween weekend. The festival will retain its four-day format, featuring venues in the Red River Cultural District and other parts of Austin. The event runs from October 31 – November 3.  Each day of programming will contain multiple shows at various locations throughout its duration, including; Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre, Mohawk, Empire Garage & Control Room, Elysium, The 13th Floor, and the new addition of downtown EDM favorite, Kingdom. 

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