News: PRP Visits Texas For LEVITATION 2022

Over the Halloween weekend, three of our team members headed down to Austin, TX for LEVITATION 2022. Having watched over 15 sets across four evenings, they chronicle their experience at this year’s event.

As an official sponsor of LEVITATION 2022, three members of our team felt it was their duty to take a trip down to sunny Austin and soak up the music for four days. It’s a tough assignment, but somebody’s gotta do it! Having evolved in 2015 from the long running Austin Psych Fest, the event takes place across a handful of venues in Downtown Austin which are all within walking distance of each other. There’s no shortage of events happening in Austin in any given month, as well as numerous world famous food spots to hunt down and get in line for. Whether you’re more mosh pit than singer-songwriter, or choose Community Vegan over Franklin Barbecue, the event had something for all members of our team and here’s what they reported back.

Stubb’s Bar-B-Q

801 Red River St, Austin, TX 78701 | stubbsaustin.com

The Jesus and Mary Chain (Thursday)

Our first stop of the evening was at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q for legendary Scottish band The Jesus and Mary Chain. A unique outdoor venue, Stubb’s has a sloped amphitheater nestled behind the legendary restaurant which is lined with food and drink stalls that together with the music generate an electric atmosphere within the venue. It was barely 9pm as the band hit the stage, but that didn’t stop them putting on a lightshow as they pumped out the hits, including the timeless Just Like Honey. The crowd, having already seen three acts that evening, were well warmed up and the end of each song was met with rapturous cheers and applause… we never quite hit the madness of the nights to follow, but more on that shortly.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (Friday & Saturday)

King Gizz headlined two nights at Stubb’s and we managed to catch a bit of both events. The first night of their tenure was fresh off the release of their fifth album released this year alone (out of a sprawling twenty-three full length album discography). Dressed for the occasion in their cowboy hats, the Australian charmers played a face melting set of riff-heavy tracks that kept fans hootin and hollerin throughout the hour. Given their extensive discography, they didn’t need to repeat any tracks for the second night which really rewarded any repeat audience members for coming out. It didn’t seem like they played anything off the album Changes released the night before, but both sets pulled heavily from their most recent releases, plus some additional fan favorites. Both evenings electrified the crowd with people jumping and crowd surfing right to the end.

Frankie and the Witch Fingers (Sunday)

Precision Record Pressing was proud to be the main sponsor of the Sunday Stubb’s lineup at LEVITATION 2022. We arrived just in time to catch Greenway Records four piece Frankie & The Witch Fingers taking to the stage, who are rapidly making a name for themselves as one of the most exciting live bands around. Not long after their thundering drums and booming guitars began reverberating around the venue did the crowd surfing begin and the hype didn’t stop until the end of their set. The band later played a second secret late-night set down the road at The 13th Floor, where things got equally messy among the intimate crowd. New fans should check out Dracula Drug and Electricide from the 2020 album Monsters Eating People Eating Monsters…

La Femme (Sunday)

Spooky French psych-punk rockers La Femme were the perfect choice for this Halloweekend festival. Although no theremin present for this set, they set the mood with their mysterious and hypnotic melodies, pulling heavily from their earlier releases Psycho Tropical Berlin and Mystere. Given most of the band’s lyrics are in French, audiences were a little shy to sing along when the members called out lyrics to the crowd, but their most recent release Teatro Lúcido marks a new period of experimentation for the band as it’s sung in entirely in Spanish which received a bit more of a response in that regard.

The Black Angels (Sunday)

Having had a preview of sorts during Alex Maas’ Saturday set at Empire Garage & Control Room, Austin natives The Black Angels took to the stage to headline a stacked Sunday night lineup at Stubb’s. It was quite a stylistic shift from La Femme who had left the stage just 20 minutes earlier, but the sold out crowd stayed put and even swelled in their ranks. Performing their particular brand of psychedelic rock, with acoustic and electric guitars, orchestral drums and keys all drenched in numerous effects, the five piece got the crowd moving to the rhythm of their seven studio albums.

Food Recommendations

Our team enjoyed tasting the vegan offerings of Arlo’s food truck at Cheer Up Charlies, as well as the less-vegan menu of Taqueria La Provincia at Red River Cultural District Food Court. Regardless of the style of food that you’re looking for, downtown Austin has something for everyone. We also enjoyed a team meal at the wonderful pan-Asian restaurant, Koriente… just make sure you arrive at the right time to score a seat on the minuscule patio!

Empire Control Room & Garage

606 E 7th St, Austin, TX 78701 | empireatx.com

W.I.T.C.H (Thursday)

Originating from Zambia and joined by an international cast of bandmates, Zamrock icons W.I.T.C.H. revved up the crowd with their funky beats (and funky moves) that blend African rhythms, psychedelic rock and a little disco flavor. Frontman Emmanual “Jagari” Chanda charmed the audience with his infectious energy and dance moves, even jumping into the crowd to get everyone moving. They showed us how even 50 years since their heyday in the 70s, they can still bring the house down.

Os Mutantes (Thursday)

Prolific Brazilian psych rockers Os Mutantes wowed the crowd with their spirited set including song selections across their eleven studio album catalog. The six-piece band felt like a big family which can only come through after five decades of playing together. With sweeping melodies and rockin’ breakdowns, they kept the crowd jumping and dancing into the night.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Friday)

While some of our team were over at Mohawk for Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, the rest hotfooted it around the corner to Empire to catch Canadian post-rockers Godspeed You! Black Emperor. To simply call their performance “cinematic” would be an understatement! If the warm strings of violinist Sophie Trudeau and double bassist Thierry Amar weren’t enough already… we even saw one of the guitarists pull out a miniature bow and start playing his guitar with it! Things got satisfyingly heavy after that and the band quickly found their groove, as did the audience. Keeping a room’s attention for an hour long instrumental performance without vocals can be tricky for some bands, but GSYBE showed their enduring class with a captivating performance that left us counting down the days until we can see them again.

Nemegata (Saturday)

After a morning spent exploring downtown Austin, we headed to Empire for Saturday afternoon’s lineup. With the sun shining and the venue at around 60% capacity and rising, Austin natives Nemegata took to the stage with their popular blend of synths, guitars, Colombian drums and Spanish vocals. Their set contained a mixture of original songs, as well as covers from respected Colombian artists. The multi-instrumentalists took turns on various instruments, with the performance culminating in both front men playing drums that left the room shaking, even after they’d finished playing. We’ve been loving their latest single Quiero Llegar since hearing it performed live. It’s the perfect soundtrack for a sunny afternoon with a cool beer in hand, alongside 200 other music fans dancing and appreciating good music.

Alex Maas (Saturday)

We took up a rare chance to see The Black Angels member’s solo project in an intimate setting, as Alex Maas took to the stage at Empire Garage & Control Room on Saturday afternoon. The band consisted of a four piece setup, with Maas stage right, alternating between guitar and keys. Using heavy effects on his vocals and guitar throughout, the sound boomed from the dimly lit stage to the enthusiastic crowd and the result was a set that swelled with emotion and atmosphere right until its conclusion.

Antone’s Nightclub

305 E 5th St., Austin, TX 78701 | antonesnightclub.com

Sugar Candy Mountain (Thursday)

Hailing from Oakland, California Sugar Candy Mountain brought the sunshine vibes and warmed up the Antone’s crowd ahead of headliners Babe Rainbow. The band describe their style as a “psychedelic pop Wall-of Sound and beach balladry”, which after watching their set we’d have to agree with! The dueling lead singers (Ash Reiter and Will Halsey) are supported by backup vocals and instrumentation from their touring band, who all come together to create an ethereal and warm atmosphere that will leave a lasting impression long after you’ve exited the venue.

Babe Rainbow (Thursday)

The Australian four-piece played to a sold out audience at Antone’s on Thursday night, which included members of various other bands such is the appeal of the psychedelic rockers. The headline set consisted of a mixture of songs from their latest release The Organic Band as well as established fan favorites from albums past. The infectious energy emanating from the stage was reflected right back, as the audience were moving and singing along throughout. Dappled in psychedelic projections (as is standard at LEVITATION) the band, mostly sporting sunglasses as well as a lone cowboy hat for lead singer Angus Dowling, regularly switched up the pace with some slower songs interspersed with their usual feet-moving standards. Repeated roars from the crowd were a solid indicator that a great time was had by all. The next day we ran into the band at an Austin Whole Foods Market, as they prepared for a 12 hour drive to their final show on tour. The life of a live musician isn’t for the faint hearted!

Mohawk Austin

912 Red River St, Austin, TX 78701 | mohawkaustin.com

Acid Dad (Friday)

Located on the corner of Red River St & E 10th Street, Mohawk is a unique indoor/outdoor venue with a multi-level outdoor terrace that provides a plethora of viewing angles for music fans. We arrived just after Acid Dad began their energetic set, which pulled from their two studio albums released by our friends at Greenway Records. As droves arrived on foot with us from Stubb’s and other venues, the lower levels were full with fans and the atmosphere began to warm up… while sadly the cool evening temperature began to plummet! Getting your feet moving was key to keeping warm and the band’s upbeat catalog enabled us to showcase our finest dance moves. A personal highlight of the set being the song BBQ (aptly titled for Austin), which had the audience vociferously singing and dancing along.

HOTEL VEGAS

1502 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702 | texashotelvegas.com

Hooveriii (Saturday)

Pronounced Hoo-ver-three (who knew??), Hooveriii were one of the bands that we were most looking forward to seeing over the course of the weekend. Playing in the sprawling-yet-intimate setting of Hotel Vegas, the band warmed up the crowd perfectly with their own blend of Rock and Psychedelia. After wrapping up a performance of the sunshine-kissed single See, the songs started to get heavier and faster and the crowd’s energy also heated up and attempts at crowd surfing began (more on that after Osees took the stage). Hooveriii are a fantastic live act and with six studio albums of songs under their belts, they played one of the best curated sets of the event.

Osees (Saturday & Sunday)

Of course we had to cap off our LEVITATION experience by catching two out of four sets by Osees, as part of their four night residency at Hotel Vegas. Their high energy performance came through in full force for the final evening, and the crowd definitely matched their enthusiasm. Hotel Vegas isn’t a huge venue by any means, but the crowd was packed in tight to keep people stage diving and crowd surfing throughout the hour. With only a couple repeated tracks throughout their four show tenure, they had more than enough material to pull from to keep the sets fresh and exciting. If the venue wasn’t outdoors, they would have blown the roof off that joint!

Food Recommendation

If you’re east of the I35 and near Hotel Vegas during the day, we highly recommend Granny’s Tacos for Burritos, Tortas, Tacos and more. Don’t leave it too late though, they’re only open until 3pm. We were also lucky enough to be staying in an apartment down the street from the world famous Franklin Barbeque. We advise showing up early since there’s always a line wrapping around the exterior of the building, but the wait was well worth it. With a succulent selection of different meats to choose from, the brisket is their most famous offering and definitely a must-have!