The Austin psych-rock tastemakers at Levitation answered the prayers of headbangers and shoegazers everywhere last week with the return of the Levitation Sessions. The concert film/live album series launched by the Reverberation Appreciation Society label during the pandemic went on ice following the return of live music, but now the Levitation Sessions are back with new performances by GOAT and Dumbo Gets Mad.
The first Levitation Sessions in nearly a year see a dutiful return to form as the record label places up-and-coming bands in stunning and intriguing locations. Enigmatic Swedish experimental heavy-psych outfit GOAT traveled to the near ends of the Earth for its session, recorded live at the “Eternal Temple of Time somewhere near the Arctic Circle in Sweden” per the label’s announcement. On the other end of the spectrum—and the other end of the European continent—Italian psych-pop group Dumbo Gets Mad provides a softer, catchier touch with a performance in a lush outdoor courtyard in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
“In the countryside of my hometown there is a forgotten Villa from the 1700s that is surrounded by peace and quiet,” bandleader Dumbo said. “It is a pastoral place that hosted my band and me for this special session. We got there on a hot summer day, hooked up a Studer mixing console, and started playing a bunch of Dumbo Gets Mad jams. When the sun came down, we realized that our session was over but it had been a very nice day indeed, one that I had the pleasure to spend with friends and music.”
A product of the pandemic, Levitation Sessions became a new way for bands to connect with audiences by way of engrossing fan-less performances disseminated with theatrical and studio-level production quality. The series has previously featured sets by OSEES, Fuzz, Babe Rainbow, Ty Segall & Freedom Band, Acid Dad, SLIFT, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, and others, many of whom are familiar faces at Levitation’s annual Halloween music festival in Austin.
Both Levitation Sessions from GOAT and Dumbo Gets Mad premiere via livestream on December 3rd, each with unique accompanying splatter vinyl, t-shirts, and posters. Visit the Levitation website to purchase and check out the previews below.
GOAT – “Behind The Plank”
GOAT – “Golden Dawn”
Dumbo Gets Mad – “Indian Food”
Dunbo Gets Mad – “Eclectic Prawn”