Psych Fest has been at a different location every year. From Mohawk to Seaholm to its new location at Beauty Ballroom/Emo’s East, the surreal atmosphere and excellent lineup has made for some legit party times, and this year looks to be no different. The shindig kicks off tonight and lasts through Sunday, so you can bet all that homework I need to do probably will have to wait. Here are some of my picks for must-see bands this weekend. You can find the full schedule here.
This is the first of many times for both these artists on the list. Here the Weeknd provides his eerie tortured-party R&B before the beat drops and Drake laments.
The first verse of this track more or less describes my life right now – realizing we are not unique snowflakes but small cogs in a machine we don’t know about yet. Simple, yet poignant.
From the maniacal laughter to the thumping stomp of that chorus to those wailing guitars, Joy Formidable claim the throne as the loudest new band of 2011.
A play on an old R-rated cheerleader chant becomes a boogie-worthy ode to the end of the world. In typical Yacht fashion, it makes you wanna dance around the flames.
A friend of mine and I were discussing the awesome awesome lineup for Fun Fun Fun Fest this year, and recently, they announced their schedule for our viewing pleasure.  My friend was excited, but admitted he knew only a few bands.  Where, he wondered aloud, could he find a comprehensive rundown of each band, a sampling of their musical chops, so he could further educate himself before the finest weekend of his year?  I assume the Fun Fun Fun website has such a playlist, and they do, and it’s cool, but I wanted to make my own.  So every Friday, from now until the fest (that’s nine weeks), I will be posting a playlist for your educational purposes for each stage and day, excluding the Yellow stage, which is mostly comedy.
This week’s playlist covers the bands playing on the Black (Metal/Punk) stage on Friday – Defeater, Mind Spiders, Bane, Doomriders, Ty Segall, From Ashes Rise, D Generation, Thee Oh Sees, Russian Circles, Murder City Devils, and Danzig Legacy (Danzig playing Misfits tunes.)
Missing From Playlist (not on Spotify yet): Total Control
My Stage Pick: Thee Oh Sees
John Dwyer’s experimental left-field home recording project has taken on a life of its own, with a fan base possibly more devoted than his previous outings, including the Coachwhips. Â If you’ve never seen Thee Oh Sees, prepare to have your mind blown. Â There’s no other way to describe it; Dwyer never fails to amaze.
Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!
Playlist:
Lil Wayne feat. Cory Gunz – Six Foot Seven Foot
Daniel Markham – Across the Water
The Go! Team – Apollo Throwdown (Star Slinger Remix)
Mind Spiders – Don’t Let Her Go
Sleigh Bells – Tell ‘Em (Diplo Remix)
