Photos: Fourth Annual Chicago Psych Fest @ the Hideout/January 11th

On January, 11th, the fourth annual Chicago Psych Fest kicked off it’s annual weekend residence at The Hideout, and we have some very cool photos from that night for you to check out. With the mind-bending live music, DJ Alex Krener spinning amazing, sometimes obscure 60’s gems, and the kaleidoscopic, liquid light show, this bare bones bar was transported into the magical ethers of a 1960’s psychedelic happening. Actually, not so much a throw back to the 60’s, but something akin to what Rimbaud once said, “ a long, boundless, and systematized disorganization of all the senses.” There was definitely a palpable sense of trying to create an authentic, senses altering experience about the night!

[wzslider autoplay=”true” info=”true” lightbox=”true”]

The first night of the fest featured music from Energy Gown, Plastic Crimewave Syndicate, Dark Fog, Variety Lights, and Mako Sica. Our correspondent for the night sent us back these notes scribbled on a slightly used cocktail napkin…

Chicago’s Energy Gown kicked off the night playing groove heavy, 60’s psychedelia, flavored with moments of experimental noise. Looking forward to the band’s up-coming 7″, I Watch the Sun, due sometime in March, but out now digigtally, over at the Energy Gown Bandcamp page!

Next up, a newer incarnation of the long-standing Chicago band Plastic Crimewave Syndicate, led by the multi-talented Steve Krakow. Krakow is also the editor of Drag City-published magazine Galactic Zoo Dossier, writer and illustrater for the “Secret History of Chicago Music” comic in the Chicago Reader, as well as co-host of WGN-AM’s Secret History of Chicago Music series. On this night, Syndicate played fuzzed-out, space rock that hinted at their heavier, proto-punk roots.

Dark Fog, veterans from last year’s Psych Fest, played next. They are a two piece with a big, heavy sound that brings jamming, space rock atmospherics ala’ Hawkwind, with long, dirge-like moments of noise and feedback. The lead singer/guitarist, Ray Donato, was electric on stage. Whirling and posturing with true rock and roll strut and spontaneity.

The band I was most curious about was Variety Lights, ex-Mercury Rev lead singer David Baker’s newest incarnation, based out of Chicago. They are a hard band to pin down playing experimental, electronic/synth driven psych-pop, that is sprawling and swirling with idiosyncratic melodies and emotive vocals…

Headlining the night was Mako Sica, an otherworldly, progressive, space rock band. The guitar is full of murky, delay-effected spirals of sound, while the vocals are wordless, echoing moans. There were moments when the threesome would fall into an afro-pop type groove, only to shift away into odd drumming patterns and spacey guitar noodling.