When torrential rain at Carson Creek Ranch canceled Levitation Fest in 2016, it seemed like the festival’s nine-year run had come to an end. But after a one-year hiatus, the scrappy psychedelic gathering triumphantly returns to its roots on Red River Street, spanning five venues over four nights from April 26 to 29.
With iconic bands like Ministry and Brian Jonestown Massacre set to headline this year, it’s easy to forget that the idea for the festival was sparked inside the tour van of Austin psych heroes Black Angels. Known simply as Psych Fest when it launched in 2008, the first few iterations happened in early March to piggyback on acts already in Austin for SXSW, but soon bands like Dead Meadow, Wooden Shjips and A Place to Bury Strangers flew in specifically for the event, peaking with a performance from legendary ’70s trailblazers the 13th Floor Elevators in 2015.
“It was surreal to think that the first year of the festival, we had Acid Tomb—a 13th Floor Elevators cover band—playing, and seven years later we had the real thing!” says cofounder and Black Angels guitarist Christian Bland. “Without the 13th Floor, there would be no festival, so to have them play was very surreal and affirming of [the project’s power].”
A large part of that power comes from attendees. The festival has become an international beacon for music fans whose encyclopedic knowledge of guitar pedals and deep collection of reverb-drenched rock records make the crowd of jean-jacketed rockers feel like a tribe. The organizers consider them to be peers more than patrons.
“We rely on the attendees for new music, sources of information and cultural shifts as well,” says Alex Maas, who is also a Black Angels member and a festival cofounder. “It is constantly feeding back into itself and makes the community more vibrant. In many ways, Levitation is just an extension of these people’s interests. It’s as much their festival as it is ours.”
Undeniably, Levitation is by the psychedelic, for the psychedelic, but the crossover appeal of acts such as Panda Bear and Ty Segall helps bring younger listeners into the fold, even if they’re unfamiliar with bands whose discography spans back to the ’90s, like Dead Meadow or Electric Wizard. But that’s all part of the mission of psychedelia: exposing listeners’ minds not just to new sounds but also to new ideas.
“Freethinkers like to seek out information on their own,” says Maas, “and find solidarity in a world of chaos and misinformation.”
Individual tickets to Levitation shows start at $7 and can be purchased here.