Heavy Psych Sounds Fest was a two-day music festival locally here in San Francisco at the venue Thee Parkside. I only caught the second day of the fest and walked into a furnace of raw energy rock ‘n’ roll psychedelia. What you expected was met and exceeded.
For clarity, here is the lineup of the eight=hour fest: Psychic Hit (Oakland), HTSOB (Oakland), DeathChant (LA), Kadabra (Spokane), Duel (Austin), Atomic Bitchwax (New Jersey), Nebula (LA), and Weedeater (North Carolina).
Before the crowd starts developing at Thee Parkside, Psychic Hit takes the stage and changes the dynamic from an audience casually milling around, to headbanging. Fronted by Ariana Jade, Psychic Hit starts evolving the setting into the ’70’s-laden psych and classic rock sound with powerful vocal anthems. Vocals with resemblance to Heart, and riffs like Sabbath, you could mistake yourself for being in a biker bar in ’70s Detroit.
HTSOB follow, and the first impression I have is: How did they cram seven members on such a small stage? It feels like a rock ‘n’ roll gang exploding with riffs and ferocity. To have so many members in unison, with such power, and precision takes a lot of practice and shared passion to execute as strongly as they did. Some of these songs lasted close to eight minutes with not a slow or boring moment.
Death Chant, I gotta admit, was my favorite act of the whole Sunday fest. Everything hit just right; I was properly warmed up at this point, and the insane amount of guitar fretboard technicalities was far exceeding my expectations. The echo-y reverb-y vocals, the energy, and the passionate musicianship between the four were truly a blessing to witness. Chunky riffs, memorable hooks, and vocal chants… I’ve still got “Holy Roller” stuck in my head. This band is a template for excellence in my humble view, and if the idea of riding your Harley through the desert, stoned, listening to crunchy garage rock Thin Lizzy-esque tunes is something that speaks to you, you might wanna check these guys out.
Spokane, Washington has never been more proud. Or so I like to think. Kadabra, a diamond in the rough, came from a geographically less common area for good music. However, their existence can hopefully spurn more creativity and culture in Eastern Washington. Three-piece bands always hold a special place in music for me. Kadabra is strong in all three parts: incredible drumming, bass, and guitar. Every member seems to be on their own individual journey on stage, but at the same time in operating unison theatrical and passionate stage presence drawing you into their own world with lengthy, mesmerizing, songs building from a slow boil into full crescendos.
Duel has the bell bottoms situation on lock. And what a treat that was to see. Solos were galore, and musicianship was aplenty. Passion and energy was the defining theme of this set. Sounds similar to Misfits and Sabbath. My only issue is, I wish the set was a bit longer.
At this point, we are a good six hours into the day. The last quarter of things starts melding into one giant psych and stoner conglomerate. Atomic Bitchwax takes the stage and brings on a haze of riffs and straight-up rock ‘n’ roll spirit. A multi-faceted sound of classic rock, psych, and alternative. Was interesting to read that the guitarist and singer of Atomic Bitchwax is also a main member of Monster Magnet.
Nebula and Weedeater are the last two remaining bands. Nebula took us deep into a fuzzy wonderland, while Weedeater snapped us right out. Two bands having very different sounds pleasantly created a contrast to one another. Nebula has a distant warped sound with a bit of Smashing Pumpkins, Brian Jonestown Massacre, and some assorted shoegaze elements sprinkled within a wall of distorted feedback.
Weedeater was more akin to sludge riffs meant to whip the crowd out of a slumber. A fully engaged trio, Weedeater created both a performance and an experience all in one. Charismatic frontman Dave Collins not only destroys all sense of peace with his bludgeoning bass riffs but also makes you laugh in the process. As the evening winded down to a finish, it seemed the mosh pit could easily last another hour or so. Until next time.
