Top 5 Trouble In Mind Bands at Austin Psych Fest
Yep…this week is the week. We’ve got just a few days before we spend our weekend with the folks over at Austin Psych Fest. I figured it’d be nice to do something a little different for previews this year, rather than just the traditional Top 5 Bands to See route. So today I decided I’d bring you a highlight of all the acts at the festival that are on Trouble In Mind Records, either past or present. I love the Chicago-based label, and while they definitely have a slew of psych bands, they’ve also got a reasonably diverse catalogue, all of which is pretty solid. So, check out below to see the Top 5 TIM bands at the festival. We’ll see you out there.
5) Mikal Cronin
Mikal was probably best known for his role in Ty Segall’s band, that is until Trouble In Mind released his self-titled album in 2011. That record had notable backing friends like John Dwyer and the previously mentioned Segall. Eventually Cronin moved to Merge to release MCII, which again, received a lot of great praise. But, for me, I first took notice of his solo career after picking up this well-received solo album. Be prepared for a show that’s less psych, and more rock; he destroyed when he played at Mohawk last year.
Mikal plays at 8:15 PM at the Reverberation Stage on Sunday, May 4th.
4) Morgan Delt
Surprisingly, this Morgan Delt LP was sold out in minutes, or months. It was received really well, even garnering a P4k review of 7.6. Yeah, that means little in the grand scheme of things, but they don’t just toss those things around. Personally, what sold me was when TIM mentioned that his music is like a ‘Frankenstien version of the Flaming Lips & Thee Oh Sees.’ I mean, can you really deny that just the explanation alone is worthy of blowing your mind? I haven’t caught Morgan yet, so his set his high on my list of acts to check out during the festival, and it should be on yours as well.
Morgan plays at 5:45 at the Reverberation Stage on Saturday, May 3rd.
This group is definitely one of my favorite acts, period. They’ve been highly productive, but they’ve also found themselves on various labels throughout their time together. One of those homes was Trouble in Mind, who released the “Laughter is Contagious/Horrible Door” 7 inch. The group’s got some prolific songwriters in Wymond Miles and Tim Cohen, who have countless other projects on the side. But, when they get together, these four dudes just blow the rest of the competition away. For me, however, they get the Number 3 spot for two reasons: 1) I’ve caught the band almost a dozen times already 2) They were only with the label for a 7″. Still, you’ll love their set, so plan on showing up.
The Fresh & Onlys play at 7:45 at the Elevation Ampitheatre on Friday, May 2nd.
Suffice it to say that Jacco Gardner is one of the most dependable acts on Trouble in Mind. He’s released several singles with the label, on top of releasing his remarkable Cabinet of Curiosities LP on the label. I don’t think I’ve seen a single poor review of his work anywhere, which illustrates just how much he’s revered by the psych community. He moves into the top of my list because I’ve yet to catch a set from the Dutch musician. Just hope he plays THIS JAM.
Jacco plays at 5:30 PM at the Elevation Ampitheatre on Saturday, May 3rd.
1) Greg Ashley
This is my Number One act, period. I’ve been listening to Another Generation of Slaves pretty much since the day it arrived in my inbox. The songwriter has been part of multiple acts, most notably his role in Gris Gris. But, on this latest release, which was put out this year by TIM, you’ll hear a songwriter who crafted some incredible songs, then touched them up by working with members of a jazz band. He even took the time out to answer some interview questions for us, leading up to the festival, so I’ll always appreciate his generosity with his time. I expect that he’ll be all over the place musically, so it should definitely be a set worthy of your time.
Greg plays at 5 PM at the Elevation Ampitheatre on Sunday, May 4th.