24
Apr 13

Festival Bands, Man!: Night Beats


Austin Psych Fest, put on by the Reverberation Appreciation Society, is this weekend! This week's Festival Bands, Man! band from the amazing lineup is Night Beats of Seattle, WA. The name Night Beats is a tribute to Sam Cook, and their music is in part, too. Bluesy, groping, and psychedelic, it’s one the best contemporary incarnations of the old stuff there is. 

The Growlers (also performing at Psych Fest) of Orange County, CA, do it well. I’m a huge fan of The Entrance Band (Guy Blakeslee). And there are many other great bands influenced by psych, garage rock, and soul music. The White Stripes, for example. But something about the old fashioned push of Night Beats sets them apart. It’s grungy without excluding jazz listeners, it’s personal, not trite, and it’s sexy. Psychedelic acts usually tip their glasses onto a little nakedness, but the steam dissipates with the immediacy of the voyage. Night Beats doesn’t let the blues bring them down, but swirls it around like a pat of butter on a hot pan. Sizzling, steaming, fattening, it’s delicious in a way new bands that sound like old bands usually aren’t. Like a gourmet dish, you appreciate its history, but the slippery taste of originality surprises you each bite. 

DETAILS

Band: Night Beats

Festival: Austin Psych Fest, Texas

Venue/Stage: Reverberation Stage

Date & Time: Saturday, April 27 5:45PM  



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