The Soft Moon Live at Austin Psych Fest Presents Levitation at Hotel Vegas SXSW 2013

The Soft Moon played the main stage of the Levitation showcase. Frontman Luis Vasquez gave a quick shout out to Thee Oh Sees, commenting that both bands were from San Francisco. He then said that that they were the odd ones out for the night, but it was okay, because they liked it that way. In a way, he was right. Lots of psychedelic bands present for the night had elements of darkness included in their music, but the Soft Moon were all about the darkness. They sounded like your soul was being sucked in to a black hole on a very bad trip. They played in darkness as well, with only their minimalistic light projections going across them as they played. Luis often thrashed about in stark contrast to bassist Justin Anastasi, who mostly stood purposely, or so it seemed, mannequin still. The electric pick-ups on the drums made it feel as if you were at the goth club instead of a concert stage. Even though they were indeed the dark-headed stepchild for the night, The Soft Moon had a large crowd, and a great reaction from those watching.