Live music – Page 37 – 7th Level Music

Pitchfork Music Festival’s 2019 lineup is here for your pleasure.

The Pitchfork Music Festival announces today the full 2019 lineup, including headlinersHAIM, The Isley Brothers, and Robyn. The 14th Annual Pitchfork Music Festival returns to Chicago’s Union ParkFriday, July 19 through Sunday, July 21.

The festival opens on Friday with one of HAIM’s only performances of 2019, Mavis Staples, Earl Sweatshirt, Jeremih, Sky Ferreira, Low, Soccer Mommy, Julia Holter, Grapetooth, Rico Nasty, Valee, Standing on the Corner, MIKE, and Great Black Music Ensemble.

On Saturday, the festival presents The Isley Brothers’ 60th Anniversary Celebration, Belle & Sebastian, Stereolab’s first North American show in a decade, Kurt Vile, Pusha T, Parquet Courts, Freddie Gibbs, Amber Mark, Jay Som, Cate Le Bon, Tirzah, CHAI, Ric Wilson, and Lala Lala.

Sunday, the final day of the festival, features Robyn, Charli XCX, Whitney, Khruangbin, Clairo, Snail Mail, Neneh Cherry, Ibeyi, Amen Dunes, JPEGMAFIA, Flasher, Black Midi, Dreezy, and Tasha.

The 2019 Pitchfork Music Festival lineup spans genres and generations, placing cutting-edge artists of today alongside some of the most revolutionary acts of our time. The balance between the treasured and the new makes this event stand out as one of the most celebrated weekends in music.

“This summer’s Festival will be my first as editor,” said Pitchfork editor-in-chief Puja Patel. “It’s exciting that it also features such an inclusive lineup. More than half the artists performing are women, including modern pioneers of indie rock and hip-hop, legends of soul and R&B, and a headlining set by the dance-pop icon Robyn. For a national festival that’s so important to a larger music community, the scope of this year’s booking feels especially meaningful.”

“There are some one-of-a-kind moments in our lineup this year,” said Pitchfork festival director Adam Krefman, “not just big celebratory moments, but also moments with artists who have collaborated recently or have had clear influences on each other over the years. It’s a sign of Pitchfork’s standing in the festival landscape that we’re able to pull together such a special event. And we’re fortunate to have an audience who’s ready to follow us down these curatorial rabbit holes, eager to be surprised year after year.”

Pitchfork Music Festival tickets are on sale now. Three-day passes are $175; single day passes are $75. The Pitchfork PLUS upgrade is $375 for a three-day pass and $160 for a single-day pass. It includes exclusive amenities such as: premium food vendors and private specialty bars, air conditioned bathrooms, shaded seating and dining areas, expedited entry to the festival and “come and go” re-entry privileges, a welcome bag with festival essentials, storage lockers, and more. More details are available here. Prices for all passes will increase after May 31.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

FRIDAY, JULY 19
HAIM
Mavis Staples
Earl Sweatshirt
Jeremih
Sky Ferreira
Low
Soccer Mommy
Julia Holter
Grapetooth
Rico Nasty
Valee
Standing on the Corner
MIKE
Great Black Music Ensemble

SATURDAY, JULY 20
The Isley Brothers – 60th Anniversary Celebration
Belle & Sebastian
Stereolab
Kurt Vile
Pusha T
Parquet Courts
Freddie Gibbs
Amber Mark
Jay Som
Cate Le Bon
Tirzah
CHAI
Ric Wilson
Lala Lala

SUNDAY, JULY 21
Robyn
Charli XCX
Whitney
Khruangbin
Clairo
Snail Mail
Neneh Cherry
Ibeyi
Amen Dunes
JPEGMAFIA
Flasher
Black Midi
Dreezy
Tasha

For more information, including lineups, event news, and the latest updates, please visit Pitchforkmusicfestival.com, facebook.com/pitchforkmusicfestival and follow Pitchfork Music Festival on Instagram and Twitter.

Keep your mind open.

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The Beths release new single, “Uptown Girl,” and lauch massive tour.

The Beths are back in North America for their largest headline tour in support of 2018’s breakout album, Future Me Hates Me (available now via Carpark Records). The band has already sold out shows in Toronto, New York City, Washington, DC, and Chicago. Today, they share the video for “Uptown Girl” compiled on their last North American tour in the fall. After this current run which includes a stop at SXSW, The Beths will continue onto Australia and Europe where they’ve started selling out shows and upgrading to bigger venues. Then, they’ll bookend the summer festival season at Primavera Sound, Pickathon and Pukkelpop. The band will also be releasing its debut EP, Warm Blood, on vinyl for the first time via Carpark Records. The official release date is April 26th with some copies being available to purchase on tour soon. Pre-order here.

Watch “Uptown Girl” Video – https://youtu.be/BmCZ-NxESOc

The Beths Tour Dates:

Sun. Mar. 10 – Tampa, FL @ Festival Gasparilla
Mon. Mar. 11-Fri. Mar. 15 – Austin, TX @ SXSW (w/ Bad Bad Hats)
Sat. Mar. 16 – Dallas, TX @ Not So Fun Wknd (w/ Bad Bad Hats)
Sun. Mar. 17 – Houston, TX @ Satellite Bar (w/ Bad Bad Hats)
Thu. Mar. 21 – Melbourne, AUS @ Forum
Fri. Mar. 22 – Melbourne, AUS @ Forum
Sun. Mar. 24 – Hobart, AUS @ Republic Bar & Café
Thu. Mar. 28 – Fortitude Valley, AUS @ The Foundry
Fri. Mar. 29 – Fortitude Valley @ The Tivoli
Sat. Mar. 30 – Newtown, AUS @ Enmore Theatre
Sun. Mar. 31 – Leichhardt, AUS @ Crowbar
Thu. Apr. 4 – Collingwood, AUS @ The Gasometer Hotel
Fri. Apr. 5 – Adelaide, AUS @ Thebarton Theatre
Sat. Apr. 6 – Adelaide, AUS @ Jive
Thu. Apr. 11 – Perth, AUS @ Badlands Bar
Sat. Apr. 13 – Perth, AUS @ Astor Theatre
Tue. May 7 – Birmingham, UK @ Hare & Hounds
Wed. May 8 – Oxford, UK @ The Wheatsheaf
Thu. May 9-Sat. May 11 @ Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape
Sun. May 12 – Leeds, UK @ Gold Sounds Festival
Mon. May 13 – Edinburgh, UK @ Sneaky Pete’s (SOLD OUT)
Tue. May 14 – Glasgow, UK @ G2 (MOVED DUE TO DEMAND)
Wed. May 15 – Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall (MOVED DUE TO DEMAND)
Thur. May. 16 – London, UK @ The Dome, Tufnell Park (SOLD OUT)
Fri. May 17 – Bristol, UK @ Fleece (MOVED DUE TO DEMAND)
Sat. May 18 – Wrexham, UK @ Ty Pawb Arts Hub (Focus Wales)
Sun. May 19 – Ramsgate, UK @ Ramsgate Music Hall
Tue. May 21 – Paris, FR @ Supersonic
Wed. May 22 – Colmar, FR @ Le Grillen
Thu. May 23 – Lyon, FR @ Sonic
Sat. May 25 – Madrid, ES @ Tomavistas
Tue. May 28 – Dornbirn, AT @ Spielboden
Wed. May 29 – Munster, DE @ Gleis 22
Thu. May 30 – Groningen, NL @ VERA
Fri. May 31 – Nijmegen, NL @ Merleyn
Sat. June 1 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival
Sun. June 2 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
Sat. Aug. 3 – Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
Thu. Aug. 15 – Trondheim, NO @ Pstereo
Sun. Aug. 18 – Haasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop
Wed. Aug. 28 – London, UK @ Heaven

Purchase Future Me Hates Me:
Carpark Shop – http://smarturl.it/fmhm_carpark
Streaming Services – http://smarturl.it/fmhm_dsps

The Beths online:
https://thebeths.com/
https://www.facebook.com/thebethsnz
https://thebethsnz.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/thebethsnz
https://twitter.com/lizstokedstokes
https://www.instagram.com/lizstokedstokes/

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Bob Mould and Airstream Futures – Metro – Chicago, IL – Feb. 22, 2019

I hadn’t seen the Bob Mould Band in concert since New Year’s Eve 2014 at the Metro in Chicago. That was a blast, and now one of my rock heroes was kicking off my year of live music in 2019. An added bonus was meeting Mr. Mould on Clark Street a few blocks south of the venue. I got to shake his hand and tell him thanks for everything, so the day was a win.

Opening for him were Chicago’s Airstream Futures. Unfortunately, none of the photographs I took of their set turned out well, but I can tell you that they played an energetic set of punk with pop riffs. Their drummer has impressive chops, and their lead singer had a lot of energy despite, as she mentioned, being fired from her full-time job earlier that day.

Mr. Mould and his pals, Jason Narducy on bass and Jon Wurster on drums, came out swinging with a triple threat of “The War,” “A Good Idea,” and “I Apologize.” There was barely time to catch your breath when they were tearing into “See a Little Light” and “Sunny Love Song” – a track of his new record, Sunshine Rock.

There were many moments when I thought a mosh pit would, and should, have broken out, but the crowd was mostly aging punks (like yours truly) who are afraid of twisting a knee or running out of breath in a pit (unlike yours truly). Such moments came with songs like the title track of the new album, “Hey Mr. Grey,” and “If I Can’t Change Your Mind.”

One thing Mr. Mould assured everyone of during the show was that he can still shred. He tore his guitar up during multiple songs and wowed many of us with the kinds of solos you rarely hear at punk rock shows anymore.

The encore of “Never Talking to You Again,” a cover of Sonny Curtis‘ “Love Is All Around,” and “Flip Your Wig” was another sonic assault that left everyone wanting more, as a good encore should. You can’t go wrong with a Bob Mould show. He’s still putting out great music and destroying stages. Don’t miss him.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Mavis Staples – Live in London

Soul / gospel superstar Mavis Staples once said that she thought London’s Union Chapel was the best place in the world to sing. I’m willing to believe her from the sound of this great, powerful album she recorded there over the course of two nights not long ago. Live in London is a strong statement about the political state of the U.S., a funky soul record, and a high contender for best live album of 2019.

Starting with the soulful “Love and Trust,” Staples rightly declares, “The simplest things can be the hardest to do.” as her killer band breaks in with a killer groove (The album is full of them, really.). The song is about how everyone, sinners and saints alike, are looking for the same thing – love. “Who Told You That” is a smoky, subtle, sexy jam. Her cover of Talking Heads‘ “Slippery People” is a standout that she’s been singing since at least the 1980’s. It’s such a downright jam that you can’t help but shake and shimmy when hearing it.

“What You Gonna Do” is a classic blues track about preparing for death. “Take Us Back” has Staples proclaiming, “I’ve got friends, and I’ve got family. I’ve got help from all the people who love me.” She’s been in the business for decades and admits that she wouldn’t be where she is without those who supported her all those years.

Staples starts getting political on “You Are Not Alone” as she sings to those isolated and afraid in places of hostility, war, and poverty. “Every tear on every face tastes the same,” she sings. That’s truth. “No Time for Cryin'” has Staples calling us to action (“I’m going to march right up to that big [White] house. We got work to do.”) and railing against gun violence and “taking babies away from their mothers” while her guitarist plays a sizzling solo.

“Can You Get to That” has a solid groove that will keep Jack White awake at night wishing he’d come up with it. Her cover of Curtis Mayfield‘s “Let’s Do It Again” is one of the best make-out songs you’ve heard in a while. “Dedicated” starts with a lovely guitar solo and drifts into a lovely song about perseverance and those who sacrificed in the civil rights struggle. “We’re Gonna Make It” is an uplifting song about overcoming financial struggles, but Staples adds an urgency to it that reflects keeping your hopes up for better times in America.

“There just ain’t no stopping me, is it?” Staples says before launching into the album’s closer, “Touch a Hand,” a song about reaching out to strangers and neighbors alike in these times of narcissism and anger.

Live in London makes you want to catch Staples live as soon as possible (like any good live album should). Do it if you can.

Keep your mind open.

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Ohmme releases rocking cover of B-52’s “Give Me Back My Man.”

“their harmonies – emerging both on and off kilter – run against the grain of the music in a way that ignites feelings all too familiar in a post 2016 world. Something insightful, something penetrating, and something leaving you feeling imbalanced. In this case, it’s a great thing.” — Aquarium Drunkard, 2018 Year In Review

“Ohmme play with the confidence and abandon of musicians who are scared of nothing and capable of almost anything.” — SPIN, The 51 Best Albums of 2018

“From vibrant art-pop and brooding, melodic rock to contorted, genre-less collages of lush pulses, guitar sketches and gleaming vocals, OHMME perfectly embody the city’s musical diversity and artistic spirit.” — Paste, 15 Chicago Bands You Need To Know in 2018

“one of the city’s best bands” — Chicago Reader

Ohmme, the Chicago duo of Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart, are releasing ‘At Night b/w Give Me Back My Man’ 7″ February 1st via Joyful Noise. The 7” features a new original, “At Night” and a cover of the B-52’s’ “Give Me Back My Man.” Choosing the B-52s because “their love of all things retro and kraut-rock created this amazing aesthetic that still feels so unique,” Ohmme puts their own spin on the track, roughing up the edges by using distorted, electric guitars and a vivacious spirit. “We love ‘Give Me Back My Man’ in particular because it is one of their only tunes to really feature Cindy Wilson at the center and she kills it. The dynamic changes between her level voice in the verses and the explosion of rage in the choruses give such a strong statement of emotion.”

‘At Night b/w Give Me Back My Man’ follows the release of their debut full-length, Parts, on Joyful Noise Recordings in August 2018. The release found them adding drummer Matt Carroll and headlining a 6-week North American tour alongside critical acclaim from Pitchfork, SPIN, Aquarium Drunkard, Paste and The Chicago Reader. Ohmme continues to tour North America and Europe in support of Parts. All tour dates are below.

Pre-order Ohmme ‘At Night b/w Give Me Back My Man’ 7″ – https://www.joyfulnoiserecordings.com/products/at-night-b-w-give-me-back-my-man

Ohmme tour dates: Tue. Jan. 22 – Fort Wayne, IN @ The Brass Rail * Wed. Jan. 23 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe * Thu. Jan. 24 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar * Fri. Jan. 25 – Nashville, TN @ Drkmttr * Sat. Jan. 26 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop * Fri. Feb. 8 – Besançon, FR @ Festival Génériq Tue. Feb. 12 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Witloofbar Wed. Feb. 13 – Amsterdam, NL @ CINETOL Fri. Feb. 15 – Leeds, UK @ Hyde Park Book Club Sat. Feb. 16 – Glasgow, UK @ The Hug and Pint Mon. Feb. 18 – Birmingham, UK @ The Hare and Hounds Tue. Feb. 19 – London, UK @ The Shacklewell Arms Wed. Feb. 20 – Bathurst Terrace, UK @ The Louisiana Sat. Feb. 23 – Brighton, UK @ Mutations Festival Fri. March 1 – West Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern # Sun. March 3 – Miami, FL @ Gramps # Mon. March 4 – Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub # Tue. March 5 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade Wed. March 6 – Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight # Sat. April 27 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village *= w/ The Ophelias #= w/ Speedy Ortiz

Keep your mind open.

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Black Belt Eagle Scout releases new video in celebration of U.S. tour this spring.

Black Belt Eagle Scout (aka Portland-based Katherine Paul) has shared a new video for the song “Soft Stud” off her debut album, Mother of My Children, which came out last year via Saddle Creek. In the coming months, Paul will embark on a North American tour with opening slots for Julia Jacklin, The Beths, and Bad Hats. Here’s what Paul had to say about the video:

“Demien DinéYazhí and I created this video on the traditional lands of the Chinook people along the Columbia River, where most indigenous people of the PNW travel to this day. We played with symbolism a lot within the work. Our relationship to water is prevalent in this video as well as the joy of being an indigenous woman. Release of feelings with birds flying away as well as connection to land play a part in the video.”

After Mother of My Children was released to glowing endorsements from outlets like Bandcamp, FADER, Paste, and NPR’s All Songs Considered, Paul and her debut album landed on multiple “Best Of The Year” lists, including Pitchfork’s “Best Rock Albums of 2018,” Stereogum’s “40 Best New Bands of 2018,” Under The Radar’s “Top 25 Debut Albums of 2018,” and more. All tour dates and their tribal territories are below.

Watch “Soft Stud” video https://youtu.be/di2rv4gmHlo

Watch/Listen/Share: Mothers of My Children stream – https://bbes.lnk.to/MOMC

“Indians Never Die” video – https://youtu.be/aInrLRdBJuU

“Just Lie Down” stream – https://youtu.be/MfWHZSS6ZLg

Black Belt Eagle Scout Tour Dates: Sat. Mar. 16 – Wichita (Dallas, TX) @ Not So Fun Wknd Thu. April 18 – Očeti Šakówin (Sioux Falls, SD) @ Total Drag Tue. April 23 – Osage (Pittsburgh, PA) @ Mr. Roboto Project Wed. April 24 – Lenape (New York, NY) @ Bowery Ballroom Thu. April 25 – Lenape (Philadelphia, PA) @ Johnny Brenda’s Fri. April 26 – Wampanoag/Massachusett (Allston, MA) @ Great Scott Sat. April 27 – Iroquois/Mohawk (Montreal, QC) @ Bar Le Ritz PDB Sun. April 28 – Anishinabewaki/Huron-Wendat (Toronto, ON) @ Horseshoe Tavern Tue. April 30 – Pamunkey/Piscataway (Washington, DC) @ DC9 Wed. May 1 – Powhatan Confederacy (Richmond, VA) @ The Camel Thu. May 2 – Catawba (Carrboro, NC) @ Cat’s Cradle – Back Room Sat. May 4 – Muscogee/ Creek (Atlanta, GA) @ 529 Club Mon. May 6 – Cherokee/ Shawnee (Nashville, TN) @ Third Man Records Tue. May 7 – Miami (Columbus, OH) @ Ace of Cups Wed. May 8 – Peoria/Potawatomi/Miami (Chicago, IL) @ Schuba’s Thu. May 9 – Anishinabewaki/Očeti Šakówin (Minneapolis, MN) @ 7th Street Entry Fri. May 10 – Omaha/Očeti Šakówin (Omaha, NE) @ Reverb Lounge Sat. May 11 – Osage/Kaw/Očeti Šakówin (Kansas City, MO) @ recordBar Mon. May 13 – arapaho/Cheyenne/Ute/Sioux (Denver, CO) @ Larimer Lounge Tue. May 14 – Eastern Shoshone/Goshute (Salt Lake City, UT) @ Urban Lounge Fri. May 17 – Tsleil-Waututh/Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw/ S’ohl Téméxw/Stziuminus (Vancouver, BC) @ The Fox Cabaret Sat. May 18 – Duwamish/Puget Sound Salish (Seattle, WA) @ Tractor Tavern Sun. May 19 – Cinook (Portland, OR) @ Mississippi Studios Tue. May 21 – Ramaytush/Ohlone (San Francisco, CA) @ Swedish American Hall Thu. May 23 -Tongva ( Los Angeles, CA) @ Teragram Ballroom Tue. June 4 – Tonkawa/Comanche (Austin, TX) @ Barracuda Wed. June 5 – Sana (Houston, TX) @ White Oak Music Hall Thu. June 6 – Chahta Yakni/Chitimacha (New Orleans, LA) @ Gasa Gasa

Keep your mind open.

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Burger Booglaoo announces its 10th anniversary lineup.

“Burger Boogaloo is the perfect cult gathering of young and old music rebels who hate everybody in the world except each other. Being asked to host this lunatic festival for the fifth year in a row makes me feel all warm and scuzzy inside” – John Waters

“Burger Boogaloo brings underground acts back to life” – The San Francisco Chronicle

But wait, there’s more! The Burger Boogaloo staff has committed themselves to helping those affected by Oakland’s ongoing housing crisis and will host a series of fundraisers both before and during the festival to raise money for those in need. Additionally, staffers will be volunteering with the organization Punks With Lunch, including a Benefit Show at The Uptown on Friday, January 18th with 100% of ticket sales going to the organization.

To that end, Burger Boogaloo is partnering with The Homeless Action Center in 2019; the only legal service program in the Bay Area that focuses exclusively on public benefits advocacy as a critical tool to reduce and end homeless. HAC provides legal advocacy that is no-cost, barrier-free, culturally sensitive, and non-judgmental. Attendees can join the cause by donating while purchasing tickets or in person at the festival.

Snag your tickets and learn more about how to help those in need!

PURCHASE TICKETS & DONATE TO HAC HERE

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HOMELESS ACTION CENTER

TICKET PRICES GA WEEKEND PASS – $129 VIP WEEKEND PASS – $199

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Top 30 Concerts of 2018: #’s 5 – 1

We’ve reached the top of the list. Let’s see who made it.

#5: Kelly Lee Owens at Pitchfork Music Festival – I had wanted to see Ms. Owens perform since her self-titled album was my favorite of 2017. She put on a dazzling set of electro that had the early afternoon crowd moving and inspired me to look into creating electro of my own.

#4: The Black Angels at Levitation Austin – The 2018 Levitation Austin festival was the first one since the 2016 festival had been shut down due to bad weather. The 2018 was a make-or-break year for the festival’s organizers, who include the Black Angels. Their set was powerful and almost a rallying cry for the festival goers, their fans, music fans, and the city.

#3: Oh Sees at Levitation Austin – I’ll just say this: Every story you’ve heard about how crazy an Oh Sees show is? They’re all true.

#2: Follakzoid at Levitation Austin – I had no idea what I was in for when I walked in to see Chilean space-psych rockers Follakzoid for the first time. What I got was a mind-altering performance of perhaps three songs that lasted nearly forty minutes. It was stunning. I couldn’t stop thinking about their set for almost the entire next day.

#1: Radiohead at Chicago’s United Center – It had been a few years since I’d seen Radiohead, and they’ve only improved in that time. It was a wonderful show that covered a lot of their material and turned the entire United Center into a disco ball.

Keep your mind open.

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Top 30 Concerts of 2018: #’s 10 – 6

We’ve arrived at the top 10 shows I saw in 2018! Let’s get to it!

#10: All Them Witches at Nashville’s Exit / In – I don’t have a full review of this show up because it happened so late in the year (December 29th – my birthday and the birthday of ATW‘s bassist / singer Michael Parks, Jr.). I also have no photographs from it because my phone was undergoing repairs at the time. I can assure you, however, that it was a loud, powerful show. Parks did a solo set of “sad stuff” to start off the show, and the rest of it was them burning off energy like they needed to sleep well that night.

#9: Public Image Ltd. at Chicago’s Thalia Hall – I had waited (though not by choice) for thirty years to see PiL. It was worth the wait and the short night of sleep before work afterwards. I got chills during “Rise” and was happy to finally see John Lydon live.

#8: My Bloody Valentine at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre – This was, without question, the loudest show I attended all year. It was like a crushing wave that almost never ceased. Friends of mine left early from the intensity of it. My arms were trembling by the end of their set. One guy behind me on the way out told his friend he thought he was going to die during one point of the show. It was a wild experience to say the least.

#7: Slowdive at Levitation Austin – I’d heard nothing but good things about these shoegaze legends and their live shows. They didn’t disappoint. It was a beautiful set with a psychedelic light show under a warm Texas sky. I saw fans in Slowdive shirts leaving early, however, which boggles my mind. It was one of the best sets of the festival.

#6: The Flaming Lips at Fort Wayne’s Clyde Theatre – Shame on you if you live within a couple hours driving time of Fort Wayne, Indiana and you missed this show. There was plenty of room in the theatre for you, but thanks for leaving the room for us and the Flaming Lips. They provided one of the happiest shows my wife and I saw all year in an intimate venue.

The top five are coming up tomorrow. Come back to see who topped the list!

Keep your mind open.

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Top 30 Concerts of 2018: #’s 15 – 11

We’e halfway through the list now. Who made it? Read on and find out, my friend.

#15: Public Practice at Chicago’s Hideout – This was probably the closest I’ll get to seeing WALL live, and it was well worth the trip and risking the snowstorm on the ride home. Public Practice played their entire debut EP, Distance Is a Mirror, and sounded like they’d been playing together for years.

#14: MIEN at Levitation Austin – This was the first live show of the psychedelic supergroup, and bass / sitar player Rishi Dhir told my wife and I earlier in the day that they were nervous about premiering the material from their debut record. He had nothing to worry about, because they nailed it. Their set was one of the highlights of the festival for us.

#13: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre – It was packed to the gills, humid outside (to the point of fog obscuring the tops of buildings) and inside, loud, and trippy. In other words, it was everything you’d want from a KGATLW show.

#12: Radar Men from the Moon at Levitation France – This was the last set we saw in Angers, and it was a solid set of psychedelic electro from a band that normally plays guitars and drums. We weren’t sure what to expect from them, and they about floored us.

#11: Flamingods at Levitation France – These guys swapped instruments so many times on stage that we lost track of what normally played what. They unloaded a fierce, funky set of Middle Eastern-twinged psychedelia that was top-notch.

Up next, the top 10!

Keep your mind open.

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