Well hello there! Another two weeks have passed since the last Couchlock and Rock, and here we are, deeper into 2021. And to borrow what someone on the internet said: 2020 was Hell, and 2021 is Hell Freezes Over. My ranch and businesses in Texas are now in FEMA disaster areas, but you know, we just keep putting on a happy face, things are bound to get better, RIGHT?!
Spirit Mother were from Long Beach- in fact, everyone thought they were still from Long Beach when they were invited as a last minute replacement for a band that dropped out of this event as their website still says as much. But, as Covid has caused great migratory changed for many of us, Spirit Mother are now in Eastern Oregon on a farm taking care of many animals, including wild horses (!)- so they essentially jumped in a vehicle and came down for filming on a moment’s notice.
Spirit Mother are younger, and their version of psych is quite dynamic, namely because they incorporate a violin into their repertoire. The violin added a different element of droning, wistfulness, and longing. Their youthful energy rang through from the way their set was introduced through to the end. The liquid light show even seemed a bit more brilliant for this one.
Complementing this livestream was an interview with one of the band members, as well as the sound engineer for the show in the van/trailer used on set. The liquid light artist was also interviewed, who goes back to San Francisco psychedelic days and had a good Roky Erickson story. Somewhere amongst this I was reminded of the first Austin Psych Fest I went to at the former Austin Power Plant– an epic art deco building in downtown Austin which is now a hipster shopping center, ugh. It was a fantastic weekend. The festival went downhill after that. I will never forget hanging out in that abandoned building all weekend listening to music, and then everyone looking at their phones at once learning that Osama Bin Laden had just been killed while Roky Erickson was playing. It was very surreal.
Anyway, see you in 2 weeks!