05.06.15
Words by:

Austin’s Levitation 2015 has been the last stop of a wild trip through the Four State, scorched deserts and plunging valleys.

Through Fleetwood Mac and Mac DeMarco, gun ­armed and sniffer dog flanked police checkpoints, turquoise sunsets and electric thunderstorms…

…Google-mapped desert appointments, wind towers and hitchhikers, scorpions feeding on vodka-­drunken flies for breakfast and snakes pretending to be dead to escape ruthless humans, days spent without a shower and swimming into the Colorado river…

…military bombing testing mountains and Joshua tree dotted hills, Indian tents to escape dust storms and VIP air conditioned toilet to escape from the heat, tripping trees lit with colourful visuals and dark brown sticky mud.

And finally the music started and never ended… Les Big Birds, Golden Dawn Arkestra, The Myrrors, Earth, Mac DeMarco, Chelsea Wolfe, Diiv, Ringo Deathstar, White Fence, The Soft Moon, Gourisankar & Indrajit Banarjee, Mystic Braves, Heaters, but most and especially: The Black Angels and Jesus and Mary Chain.

I have never felt so euphoric at a festival as much as during the last two aforementioned bands. Jesus and Mary Chain’s guitars sound and intensity lifted my soul and waved my body cells for days to come; The Black Angels were supported by the most electrifying visuals I have ever witnessed (and produced by The Mustachio Light Show.) They produced Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia’s visuals last year.

Words can’t fully explain the extraordinary experience I had during those days and I can only suggest to everybody who loves psychedelic rock music that they must go there next year. My short, shot in Super 8, will be ready soon and will feature those people I met during those days, soundtracked with music from Demian Castellanos’ released album The Kyvu Tapes vol. 1, released on Cardinal Fuzz and Hands in The Dark Records.

For more of Antonio’s work check out his website and his portraits in our feature on The Horrors