Rock – Page 204 – 7th Level Music

Levitation Chicago artist spotlight: Earthless

Earthless (Mike Eginton – bass, Isaiah Mitchell – guitar, Mario Rubalcaba – drums) are a powerhouse stoner / cosmic rock band. In my opinion, they call themselves Earthless because their rock is too big to be contained to this planet. If Jack Kirby’s New Gods comics came with a soundtrack, Earthless would score it.

I saw them at Levitation Austin in 2014 and was blown away by their set. They create epic tracks usually of double-digit length. My wife thought the first two songs of their Levitation Austin set were actually three. I look forward to having them melt my face again at Levitation Chicago on March 12th.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Chicago artist spotlight: Night Beats

Night Beats (Danny Lee Blackwell – guitar and lead vocals, James Traeger – drums, and Jakob Bowden – bass) are a fantastic psychedelic rock band hailing from Seattle, Washington. I first saw them at Levitation Austin in 2013 and was blown away by their mixture of psychedelia and blues. They put on another great performance the following year at the Levitation Austin pre-festival kick-off party. I got to meet Blackwell there, and he signed my copy of Sonic Bloom. He was a humble, nice chap.

I’ll see Night Beats any chance I can get and look forward to seeing them again and picking up their new record at Levitation Chicago on March 12th. I’ll have my Sharpie ready.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Chicago artist spotlight: Ryley Walker

Ryley Walker is a singer-songwriter who is also an excellent guitarist. I hadn’t heard of him until he was listed as a performer during Levitation Chicago, and now I’m keen on seeing him live. He has a simple, elegant style that reminds me of early Yes records. He’s playing the festival on March 11th.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Chicago artist spotlight: Nite Fields

Nite Fields are an Australian four-piece who make hypnotic shoe gaze psychedelia with guitars that sound like they were recorded in a box canyon and vocals that sound like old Love and Rockets or Jesus and Mary Chain records.

Their newest album, Depersonalisation, is full of dreamy stuff that I’m sure will be good live and put the audience into a trance. They are opening Levitation Chicago on March 11th.

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Levitation Chicago 2016 mixtape now available on Soundcloud.

The good folks at the Reverb Appreciation Society have hired psychedelic DJ Al Lover to put together one of his masterful mix tapes of the artists playing at Levitation Chicago next weekend.

You can stream it here on Soundcloud.

They’ve also announced they’re setting up a record store inside Thalia Hall during the festival. My wallet is already groaning in anticipated agony.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Chicago artist spotlight: Vadaat Charigim

This Israeli shoegaze trio hails from Tel Aviv and only sings in Hebrew. Don’t understand Hebrew? Neither do I, but like me you won’t care because good music is good in any language. Vadaat Charigim (“Exceptions Committee” – Yuval Haring – guitar and vocals, Yuval Guttman – drums, Dan Fabian Bloch – bass) play finely crafted shoegaze that borders on dream-rock. Their stuff reminds me of early albums from A Flock of Seagulls – lots of reverb on the vocals, spacey guitar, trippy synths, and drums that sometimes hit heavy and sometimes almost seem to disappear.

I missed them at Levitation Austin last year, but they’re playing Thursday March 10th at Levitation Chicago. I look forward to the set.

Keep your mind open.

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The Raveonettes now have a PledgeMusic campaign for their “anti-album.”

As I reported on February 20th, the Raveonettes are creating a new “anti-album” in which they’re releasing a new track every month this year. They’ve been asked if an album of the tracks will be released and they’ve announced a new PledgeMusic campaign to help fund a CD and vinyl cut of the as yet unnamed album.

The album will be $15 on CD through the campaign, but a singed copy of the CD is available for only ten dollars more. Only 300 of those are being made available and 75 of them are already claimed at press time. Get them while they’re hot.

In the meantime, enjoy the official lyric video for the newest track – “Run Mascara Run.”

Keep your mind open.

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La Basura Del Diablo – Necrophagus

La Basura Del Diablo (Whitey Mack – vocals, Chris Howler – bass, G.W. Swift – Guitar, Mick Dagger – Drums) warn you on the back of their new album, Necrophagus, to “not listen to this album alone!” This is because Necrophagus is not for the timid. It is a wickedly good slice of horror rock, so don’t say you

“Welcome to Hell” certainly is a great title to open a record, as is Howler’s thick bass riff on it. “Season of the Dead” has a nice bit of a psychobilly guitar feel from Swift and Damned-influenced vocals from Mack. “Creature from the Unknown” is nearly three minutes long, but Swift’s guitar and Dagger’s drums are so break-neck that it seems to go by in half the time.

“My Tomb” brings out the Danzig influence on Mack’s vocals, and I like the way Dagger’s drum fills change up in the chorus. “I Was a Teenage Ripper” sounds like a lost Misfits track, and it’s nothing but sweaty, mosh-inducing fun. Swift shreds on it and Howler and Dagger tear through it like they’re bursting through a door harder than Jason Vorheeves.

“Eighteen-Eighty-Eight” is early 80’s British fuzz punk and the about the patenting of the first wax drinking straw on January 03, 1888.

Just kidding, it’s about Jack the Ripper.

“Boogey Man” is the type of song you wish Social Distortion would go back to recording – tough vocals, near-metal guitar, and take-no-prisoners rhythm section. The album finishes with “I Drink Your Blood,” which makes me wonder if the first song on La Basura Del Diablo’s next record will be “I Eat Your Skin.”

You need to look up these guys if you’re a fan of horror rock and movies. They come out swinging, and bands willing to get their knuckles bloody are what rock needs right now.

Keep your mind open.

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White Denim now on tour promoting “Stiff.”

Austin, Texas’ White Denim, highly regarded as one of the best live acts out there, has started their spring tour to promote their upcoming album Stiff (due out March 25th). They just rocked the BBC 6 Music Festival, and now they’re back in the United States. You can find all the official tour dates here.

Here’s the new single, “Ha Ha Ha Ha (Yeah)” from Stiff. I look forward to hearing the whole record.

Elephant Stone announce March tour dates and release new single.

Psych rockers (and a favorite band of my wife) Elephant Stone have released a new single, “Where I’m Going,” from their upcoming album Ship of Fools. As my wife put it, “I was hooked in the first five seconds.” The band has mixed a bit of electro into their raga-influenced psych-rock, and it works very well.

They’ve also announced March tour dates. Catch them if you can.

03/10 – Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dees w/ Champion Lover and Bad Girls TICKETS
03/11 – Indianapolis, IN @ Joyful Noise w/ Vaadat Charigim TICKETS
03/12 – Little Rock, AR @ Vino’s Brew Pub TICKETS
03/14 to 03/17 – Austin, TX for SXSW TICKETS
03/18 – Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone w/ R. Ring TICKETS
03/19 – Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub TICKETS
03/20 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right w/ Las Rosas and Fascinator TICKETS
04/14 – Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa w/ The Mad Alcemy Liquid Light Show TICKETS

Keep your mind open.