Sunday, September 13, 2026
The Cosmic Clash

psych-rock

ALC Festival 2023 Greg Ackerman
Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Six buzz bands to see at ACL Festival 2024 Weekend One

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Each year when the lineup for Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Festival) drops, reactions to the headliners listed often dominate the online discussion that follows but logically with nearly 80 acts on the bill each weekend, there are bound to be buzz bands to see. Weekend One has quite a few artists that made our list of acts to watch perform. We narrowed that list down further to two recommendations per day. Also included are the remaining bands that we took note of when examining the exhaustive roster which includes newbie pop sensation, Chappell Roan whose set got moved from Saturday to Sunday in order to move her performance to the largest stage at the festival, Amex.

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SIMS Sat Sept 7 banner
Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: SIMS Saturdays rolls on September 7 with Forever Changes, The Living Pins and The John-Pauls

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The quarterly live music series that benefits The SIMS Foundation, SIMS Saturdays rolls on September 7 at Love Wheel Records with performances by Forever Changes (Love tribute) along with The Living Pins and The John-Pauls presented by The Cosmic Clash. The rotating act show which matches store sales for the day by an anonymous donor, raises funds for the Austin-area music industry mental health and recovery organization that puts those services in reach of industry members who cannot afford a therapist on their own. This Saturday the store is open at 11 a.m. with music running from 4-7 p.m. RSVP here. 

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Matador Sphere band photo
Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

New Music: Matador Sphere drops new single August 23, announced Ulrika Spacek, Queen Serene show at 13th Floor

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Florida to Austin outfit, Matador Sphere (fka Fading Yellow) have made a big splash in Austin in a relatively short time. The band formed in Tallahassee but actually got their start in Austin, moving to the city before ever playing a gig or recording a song to make their push as a group in the Live Music Capital. On Friday, August 16 the group announced a new single, “Water Bug” which is coming soon to music listeners on all streaming platforms. For now, fans can hear this track as well as listen to their previous EP, Stereo Assessment which The Cosmic Clash wrote about last year.

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Buzz Electro PR photo
AlbumReviewRobert Dean

Album review: Spare Parts by Austin act Buzz Electro features loud guitars and nasty riffs

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Guitars should be loud, and riffs should be nasty. The drums should sound like they hold the keys to the entryway to hell. Luckily, Buzz Electro got the memo. On their newest record, “Spare Parts,” the band gives it their all as one of the acts in Austin doing their best to be the loudest, horns up, drinks spilled version of rock and roll out there.

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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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The Cuckoos hi how are you
Case CockrellReviewSong

Song Review: The Cuckoos reveal eclectic new track Dirty Pictures

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Kenneth Frost has proven to be a hometown prolific mastermind. Since performing as a part of Grandmaster, Sexpop, and his brainchild band, The Cuckoos, it’s mind-boggling to wonder how the Austin musician manages his time. On new track “Dirty Pictures,” Frost shows that his musical staying power is here to stay in the Austin scene. The band’s sound takes an eclectic route, showing touches of funk, soul, psychedelic rock, and the roots of classic rock. 

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Mikaela Davis at Austin Psych Fest 2024
April RiggsLive MusicReview

Live music review: Mikaela Davis was angelic at Austin Psych Fest at Far Out Lounge

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My first time seeing Mikaela Davis was on the BMI stage at the Austin City Limits Festival in 2015, and I expected her sound to be folkie, singer-songwriter music that I’m not typically into. When she took the stage with her harp, I heard an angelic, neo-psychedelic country sound that pleased my ears and I have followed her career via social media since. 

Fast forward nine years to Day Three at Austin Psych Fest (2024), when festival-goers almost lost a mellow day of music due to the weather. The rain moved on and Van Mary eased us into a swampy day at the Janice Stage with a super-chill set. The afternoon continued to heat up as Mikaela Davis & Southern Star took to the Willie Stage for the final day of APF.

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Chicano Batman APF 2024
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Eclectic Austin Psych Fest returned to Far Out Lounge last weekend

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The Spring installment of Austin Psych Fest returned last weekend to the Far Out Lounge & Stage for a three-day, two-stage, no-overlap experience that brought over 30 acts to Texas for an eclectic weekend of music from all across the trippy psychedelic spectrum. Event organizers, Levitation was, in part founded by local psych rock revivalists, The Black Angels, but the local organization has become much more over the years.

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Austin Psych Fest Mad Alchemy lights Emi
Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Seven more acts to see at Austin Psych Fest this weekend

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The second edition of the revived Austin Psych Fest is coming up fast. With an all-star lineup from all over the psychedelic and indie rock spectrum, different acts from all over the world will make their way to South Austin at Far Out Lounge & Stage’s massive backyard for a two-stage, no-overlap, three-day rock and roll shindig. With more than 25 artists performing over the weekend of April 26-l28, there will be no shortage of music to discover while including Levitation mainstays such as festival founders, The Black Angels, West Coast psych punk berserkers Frankie & The Witch Fingers, Aussie shredders Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, and more. Here are seven more acts The Cosmic Clash team has handpicked as must-sees for the end-of-April festivities. Tickets and set times can be found via the Levitation website here. 

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Nolan Potter's Nightmare Band
Case CockrellPremiere

Video premiere: Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band released great new single and clip Dig Me As I Am

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Since restructuring his live ensemble in 2022, Potter and his trusted associates have been performing at a frantic pace, but no signs of new material with the second version of his band have appeared until the release of their new single and self-produced video “Dig Me As I Am.” The single comes as the first offering from the band’s forthcoming new record, The Perils Of Being Trapped Inside A Head, due out April 26.

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