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We’re in the dog days of not only summer but the music-festival season. Biggies like Lollapalooza in Chicago and San Francisco’s Outside Lands wrapped up earlier this month, as did, in my neck of the woods, the more niche (but no less pricey), single-day blowout Just Like Heaven. And this year’s Coachella weekends occurred so many news cycles ago that it’s best not to think about it.
Almost by necessity, a lot of big-tent, weekend-spanning festivals can feel a bit samey after a while, with predictably high costs, huge fields leading to stages headlined by huge names, a hell of a lot of people baking in the sun and a decent chance the Strokes or Geese are playing. (The former was booked for nine fests this year, and the latter took on even more.)
But there is no American music festival quite like Levitation. From September 10 to 13, a smattering of venues throughout Austin will host shows that’ve been carefully curated by people who clearly love music (in this case, the Reverberation Appreciation Society, who also puts on Austin Psych Fest, which went down in May and was headlined by the Flaming Lips, Thee Sacred Souls and RAS members/local staples the Black Angels). If you’re looking for something with a “this could only happen here” vibe, this is it. (Where else can you see Croz Boyce, the new project from Animal Collective’s Avey Tare and Geologist, perform in a church?)
Levitation is named after the 13th Floor Elevators, the often wild ’60s Austin garage-rock band led by the late, singular Roky Erickson. And the fest treats them as a guiding light, booking acts that may not neatly fit in with the Elevators’ sound (the breadth of genres expands far beyond psych or garage here) but certainly share their outsider spirit.
I was lucky enough to attend the 2021 edition, in which I got to catch a live-wire set from A Place to Bury Strangers, Silver Synthetic laying down a killer cover of “Something in the Air’ in the early afternoon, the now-defunct Japanese psych band Kikagaku Moyo, the Hives (who went nuts, with frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist climbing above a crowd at Mohawk that included Spoon’s Britt Daniel) and Andy Shauf (whose soft singing perfectly complemented the setting sun at that very same venue). Toss in trippy liquid-light shows, DJs, decently-priced beers and a late-night market at Hotel Vegas—and the fact that most shows were in the $25-to-$35-range—and it was all exactly what I (and, I’m guessing, everyone there) needed post-lockdown.
Which is all to say: I really wish I could make it down this year. Here are five acts to check out, in chronological order, if you’re looking for…
Stereolab vibes: Spacemoth
Speaking of the fest’s eponyms (and affordable tickets), Maryam Qudus’s propulsive, synth-heavy project takes over the fantastic small venue the 13th Floor for a late-night show on Thursday. (The band’s “Internet Fantasy,”off this year’s Inward Eye, may very well become your next go-to workout song.) Louisville’s DOOM GONG, self-described “masters of denim psych music,” open.
Sept 10 10pm–2am at the 13th Floor. Tickets $25.
Something of an Austin homecoming: Gibby Haynes—Butthole Surfers Mania
Before riot-grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill and local hard-rockers Die Spitz grace Radio/East’s alfresco stage, the one and only Gibby Haynes, of Butthole Surfers fame, does his thing, performing songs from the weird and wonderful outfit that once called Austin home. (The frontman is in the midst of a residency in Brooklyn this month to warm up for this slot.) Sweeping Promises, Melt-Banana and Powerplant also play.
Sept 11 3:30–11pm at Radio/East. Tickets $75.
Dark wave from Minsk: Molchat Doma
I was lucky enough to catch the compelling Belarusian outfit Molchat Doma last year at Mexico City’s Hipnosis Festival, and the trio managed to hold their own against stalwarts like Pavement and Spiritualized. This is a stacked and smartly curated bill, boasting industrial innovators Cabaret Voltaire, Peter Hook & the Light and newer outfits such as L.A.’s Automatic.
Sept 12 3:30–11pm at Radio/East. Tickets $65.
Breakbeats and trumpet solos: Takuya Nakamura
If you’re looking to dance, the multihyphenate Takuya Nakamura, who mashes up frenetic beats with live improvised trumpet samples, has your number at this genre-hopping show at the 400-person-capacity 29th Street Ballroom. Arrive on time to catch nimble-fingered local flobama setting the sweaty, Saturday-night mood.
Sept 12 11pm–1am at 29th Street Ballroom. Tickets $27.
Heavy riffs: Sleep
San Jose stoner-rock royalty Sleep help bid adieu to this year’s festivities with a serving of the distorted, deep, dark and heavy stuff. Before the power trio takes the stage, check out England’s Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, Australia’s Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Elder and Messa, among other like-minded bands.
Sept 13 3pm–midnight at Radio/East. Tickets $75.