Psych Fest Day One: Photos and Thoughts

Day One at Psych Fest was pretty laid back, and I’m sort of grateful that the crowds haven’t completely caught on to this unique festival; you have to go though because the people watching alone is worth the price!  This was my first time to both venues, and I was rather impressed with both the sound and the set-up, so that bodes well for both venues as Austin’s musical landscape moves into the future.

Past the break, Brian and I will share some insight into bands that played and plenty of images from Day One…

Nathan: My highlights were definitely Disappears and Night Beats, two bands I’ve been following for some time.  Night Beats I felt were the most solid act of the whole weekend (I missed Sunday), and Disappears were one of the two bands that I don’t think completely fell into the realm of psych rock.  They banged out their set with bits of noise and rock that really made me feel at home; it was also a nice change from a genre that occasionally grows wearisome after prolonged exposure.

All in all, solid day one.  Good tunes and good company.

Brian: I will certainly echo Night Beats and Disappears. Both straddle genres and share an energy and intesity, they separated themselves. I want to add Cosmonauts out of Orange County. Solid rhythm section, they won some fans. Met these guys during SxSW, they had an equipment scare when festival volunteers moved gear they shouldn’t have. The theft of a few bases under the staff’s nose wasn’t entirely unplausible given the amount of gear hauled in and out. Eventually the gear was located and no one lost their hands. Sad note, Night Beats’ van did get broken into, so if you know anyone that works for a pawn shop, tell them to be on the look out. One more honorable mention goes to Moon Duo for being a change of pace while fitting in.

Full galleries featuring a lot more images will be available at the photo site here.

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