Friday, March 6, 2026
The Cosmic Clash

psych-rock

The Groanies 2 PLC 2025 Ryan Odom
Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Psych Lake City rocked with The Groanies, Seeking the Sun and Musor

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One of the aspects of the Salt Lake City music scene that can be appreciated is the strong foundation provided for cutting edge local acts provided by venue operators like annual Urban Lounge event Psych Lake City which took place August 15-16 at the popular downtown spot. Eleven years in, this mini-fest has consistently showcased up and coming psych-rock acts along with psych-adjacent artists. This year’s edition was a perfect example. The Cosmic Clash was on hand for the second evening of performances, as The Groanies, Seeking the Sun and headliners, Musor rocked Urban. The showcase put a spotlight on the quality of young acts SLC has to offer.

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Levitation-Daniel-Cavazos
Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: The Levitation 2025 schedule dropped with lots more artists

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Last Friday, the original psych-rock focused music festival, Levitation dropped their 2025 daily schedule along with a couple of additions to the bill in for the main fest programming at Palmer Events Center and 14 acts were added to the Night Show bills. Austin bands, Daiistar, Skloss, Good Looks and Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol joined the party as did Cosmic Clash show veterans Laveda (NYC).  The humble Austin music fest that began as Austin Psych Fest in 2008, rebranded in 2016 as Levitation eventually expanding to four days of cutting-edge programing at venues throughout Austin.

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Grandmaster Gala 2025 Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Grandmaster Gala Two at Paramount with Nolan Potter and Urban Heat

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The second annual Grandmaster Gala took place at the Paramount Theatre in Austin last Saturday, July 26 bringing the best of the local music scene, band curated visual art, and a sendoff of one of Austin’s most adored acts. The event came as the first time local mega ensemble Grandmaster took the stage at the world-famous venue, bringing a destination event for the band and their peers that have been a part of their meteoric rise in the local scene since their inception in 2023. The event was hosted by Austin show promoter Jake Ames, a task that was not taken lightly to mark a new chapter of Grandmaster and their already loyal local following. 

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MMJ ACLTV HOF 2025 announcement
April RiggsLive MusicReview

Live music review: My Morning Jacket got inducted into ACL TV Hall of Fame and I missed it

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I sent The Cosmic Clash crew a text about the upcoming Austin City Limits taping of My Morning Jacket, when I realized the band was being inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame on Friday, August 1, by Cameron Crowe. Our editor responded to say it was all mine since I was the first to mention it. I had previous plans to see Dead cover band Deadeye play for Jerry Garcia’s birthday as well as catching the live streams for King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and the 60th Anniversary of the Grateful Dead Money Grab happening at the same time, but I’m flexible and enjoy seeing MMJ and their bandleader Jim James anytime I can

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Semihelix HSN 2025 13th Floor Troy Gonzales
Greg AckermanLive MusicPhotos

Live music photos: Hot Summer Nights featured Andrew Cashen, Semihelix, Portrayal of Guilt and more

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The Red River Cultural District’s cover-free Hot Summer Nights event took place last weekend in venues all over the downtown neighborhood July 24-26. Nearly 150 primarily Austin-area artists took to the stage at Mohawk, 13th Floor, Elysium, Chess Club and a dozen other RRCD venues. This is the eighth year the neighborhood organization has organized the event which spawned from its original sister event, Free Week which takes place the first week of January each year. Resound Presents founder, Graham Williams is credited with originating that event while he was working as a talent booker at the original Emo’s on Red River and Sixth Street. featured in this photo story is Andrew Cashen and Disciples of Creation, shoegaze/psych rockers, Queen Serene, Pearl Z, Sexpop, Mujeres Podridas, Stop Motion Orchestra, Portrayal of Guilt, Semihelix and lots more.

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Hawt Dawg Fest 3 2025 contestants Troy Gonzales
Greg AckermanLive MusicPhotos

Live music photos: Hawk Dawg 3 with Tear Dungeon, Queen Serene and Dregs

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An ignominious event, Hawk Dawg 3 took place on a rainy July 4 at Red River Cultural District favorite Mohawk with a hot dog eating contest that left no wiener untouched. The Cosmic Clash even had staff photographer and writer Drew Doggett joining the fun with our man trying to stuff as many dogs into his face as possible (evidence below) but the main event of the day party which got going at 4 p.m. was headliners, Tear Dungeon, fronted by Andrew Cashen (A Giant Dog, Andrew Cashen and the Disciples of Creation) with a bevy of well-known local players did their best ATX approximation of shock rock acts like Gwar complete with masks, spewing blood, mosh pits and stage dives. Fellow local acts, Queen Serene and Dregs joined the party.

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Tropical Fuck Storm 29th Street Ballroom Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Aussies Tropical Fuck Storm sold-out 29th Street Ballroom

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Melbourne’s Tropical Fuck Storm soared into Austin for a sold-out gig at the under-new-management 29th St. Ballroom in the University of Texas Campus area on a week ago Sunday night, a fitting conclusion to an action-packed concert weekend in the live music capital. The release of their latest LP, Fairyland Codex, has garnered an extensive array of praise from critics, some calling it their best to date, and has spawned a planned worldwide tour for the Aussies to promote yet another entry in the ever-growing discography

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TBLSH Fest Mohawk Mike Cosmic
Amanda QuraishiLive MusicReview

Live music review: A joyous solstice fest by The Bright Light Social Hour

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The summer solstice is upon us, and that can mean only one thing: a hometown performance by Austin’s The Bright Light Social Hour.  This year, the band was joined for their one-night Endless Light Festival at Mohawk by four other outstanding Austin bands; Megafauna, Bruce, LLuvii, and Grandmaster on June 21 at the longtime downtown Red River Cultural District venue. 

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Greg AckermanLive MusicPhotos

Live music photos: Third annual Big Dumb Fest by Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol at Mohawk

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Austin hard rock band, Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol hosted their third annual Big Dumb Fest June 14 at legendary Red River Cultural District venue, Mohawk. The self-styled Doom Wop band curates the lineup themselves, hand-picking each local act invited. This year’s roster included Bat Lips, Gus Baldwin and the Sketch, Glime, The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, Subpar Snatch and Gran Moreno for an all night affair. BDF included food pop-ups from Bad Larry’s Burgers, Grandpa’s Glizzy’s and Sucio Boy Burgers to feed the hungry hard rock fans attending.

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Hooveriii 2 13th Floor Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: L.A. psych punk act Hooveriii at 13th Floor

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Los Angeles psychedelic rock collective Hooveriii made a not-so-rare Austin appearance at The 13th Floor in the Red River Cultural District on Monday, June 2, bringing an intimate experience ahead of their planned 2025 Levitation Festival appearance. The cross-country tour comes in support of 2025 LP Manhunter, a ripper packed with supercharged tracks that shows the Bert Hoover-led outfit staying the course as one of the indie rock underground’s most exciting acts

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LEV23SamanthaTellez
Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Levitation drops 2025 genre spanning lineup today with new location

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evitation Festival returns on September 25-28 this Fall, bringing another masterfully curated lineup by famed booker Rob Fitzpatrick and co-producers Resound Presents. This year’s setup will change from its regular format, featuring a new central home of the Palmer Events Center in downtown Austin while retaining late-night programming in the Red River Cultural District. The 2025 festival lineup is an eclectic, genre-spanning showcase of psych rock, metal, punk, electronica, indie rock, and everything in between – a celebration of independent music in the live music capital.

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