Austin Psych Fest has a new name for its annual flagship musical gathering in Austin this year: Levitation. And let me tell you, I’ve been to the last three phenomenal outings, and this one in May is looking like their biggest doozy yet, especially with the recent announcement of the 50-year reunion of pysch forefathers, the 13th Floor Elevators.
APF has always done a fantastic job at curating a mind-blowing mix of psychedelic newcomers, tried-and-trues, and classic psych acts, and this year is no different—maybe other than the fact that APF has decided to drop the “psych” tag and simply call the fest Levitation, perhaps a way to shake the shackles of feeling confined to present everyone’s definition of “psychedelic.”
Over the last few years, as psychedelic music has become more popular via the successes of such acts as Tame Impala, Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, and The Black Angels, many music fans who have much more rigid ideas of what’s classified as “psychedelic” have been at odds with trying to pinpoint “true” psychedelic acts and write-off others who fall outside of their definition.
But APF has always remained aloof to those types and go out of their way to present the best and most diverse festival experience for the open-minded music fan. I think no matter where you stand, whether you’re more of a shoegazer, a pop-psycher, garage-rocker, or a far-out experimental music fan, you are gonna get what you need at APF’s Levitation. And you’ll certainly get turned on to something new.
Levitation takes place May 8-10, 2015, in Carson Creek Ranch in Austin, Texas. Camping passes, deluxe passes, and camping rentals are available today along with RV/vehicle camping information. Weekend passes are also out now at www.austinpsychfest.com.
“The lineup for the 8th annual festival includes popular cosmic rock group The Flaming Lips, who have built a reputation for elaborate live shows that are captivating and interactive. Also performing are Australian psych rockers Tame Impala, who rose to wide acclaim with their debut album, Innerspeaker, and 2012 follow-up, Lonerism. A highly anticipated third LP is in the works. The Jesus and Mary Chain will be performing the entirety of their 1985 debut studio album, Psychocandy, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the influential album. Also taking the stage during the festival are Spiritualized, Primal Scream, The Black Angels, Thee Oh Sees, Mac Demarco, and many more.”
“‘We couldn’t be more excited about 2015,” says The Reverberation Appreciation Society. The lineup is one of our best yet; and with our new partners, Transmission Events, we hope to bring Levitation to new audiences with an even better festival experience.'”
Weekend passes, which grant access to all three days of music, are on sale now for $165. Camping passes are only available for weekend pass holders and are $75 each. Potential campers are also encouraged to read the camping info page at austinpsychfest.com. Deluxe passes are $100. Single day tickets will be available in February 2015. Stay tuned for lineup additions along with the daily lineup and schedule.
You can find more information at www.austinpsychfest.com.
