Levitation Recap: Sunday
We’re back on the ground in Socal after a riotous four-day residency at Austin’s Levitation fest, a trip made possible by the fine folks over at Drink Weird. While we’re busy nursing our eardrums back to health, enjoy these highlights from Sunday, arranged in accordance with the lineup’s hierarchy. — Jackson Todd
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Altin Gün
Admittedly, out of ignorance, seeing Altin Gün perform wasn’t on our agenda until our comrade and bunk buddy for the weekend, Evan Smith, declared them a “must-see.” Judging by the size of the crowd, he must’ve told half the entire population of Austin as well.
Forced to the back of the venue, contending with the dense cannabinoid fog, it was hard to make out much of what was happening on stage for most of the show. But the sheer amount of energy being reciprocated by the audience was proof enough that the band was doing something right.
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs
We heard Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs about a mile out from the venue - the only way I could describe the sound from that distance would be something along the lines of if you ran a foghorn through a fuzz pedal. Parking outside Hotel Vegas, our side view mirrors were rattling so hard they nearly liquified themselves.
The spectacle inside did not not disappoint, nor did the music: double-wide Orange stacks; dueling guitarists; frontman flexing in slo-mo; an overwhelming and impending sense of doom emanating from the speakers.
Jjuujjuu
No band is more representative of the festival’s entire vibe than Los Angeles’ Jjuujjuu, fronted by Phil Perrone, founder of the west coast’s equivalent of Levitation: Desert Daze. They cover all the bases: their music is psychedelic, dance-oriented, slugdey, and progressive, sometimes all at once. Also, shoutout to Phil for being one the nicest human beings in rock and roll.
Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band
For part of our interview with Nolan Potter (which involved a particularly emotive reading from his latest work, a Star Wars mad-lib sheet purchased from a midwestern antique store), we asked him to describe his music to us as if we were his Über driver. He told us he usually answers that question with a series of questions: Ever heard of Pink Floyd? The answer is usually yes. Jethro Tull? Not always, but usually yes. The Mothers of Invention? Rarely. King Crimson? Never.
