The annual Levitation Festival, held by The Reverberation Appreciation Society, will host its 11th edition of the fest from November 7th to 10th this year. This year’s expansive line-up for the Austin, Texas fest will include Angel Olson, Deafheaven, Dinosaur Jr., Chelsea Wolfe, The Black Angels, Kurt Vile and The Violators along with Red Fang among many others.
The Reverberation Appreciation Society is an art collective consisting of Rob Fitzpatrick, Oswald James, and Christian Bland and Alex Maas of the Black Angels, who have hosted the Levitation Festival every year since 2008. This festival was partially inspired by the creative explosion of the 1960s, well known for its Summer of Love, along wityh major festivals such as Spain’s Primavera Sound.
This year the Levitation festival will be held in multiple venues across downtown’s Red River Cultural District and in East Austin, TX. They will also expand on 2018’s format which previously included more than 30 shows and brought over 60 acts and ten thousand fans from across the globe to Austin’s renowned music venues.
They will also be partnering with several independent music labels for the event including Sargent House who is presenting two special events with 8 of their artists, including Chelsea Wolfe and Deafheaven. Other record labels serving as co-presenters include Relapse Records, Death By Audio, RidingEasy Records, Margin Walker Presents, while other labels are expected to be part of the fray in the near future. Relapse Records’ official showcase will feature Red Fang, Torche and Monolord.
Levitation 2019 will also be partnering with the SIMS Foundation who provide mental health and substance use recovery services for musicians, music industry professionals, and their families to support the well-being of the Austin music community.
“It’s remarkable to have a festival elevate the need for affordable access to mental health and help reduce the stigma for seeking help. Building a community of acceptance and understanding is crucial to prevent people from suffering in silence and isolation. SIMS Foundation gives thanks to LEVITATION for making mental health a priority,” SIMS’ Executive Director Heather Alden stated in a press release.
In 2016, due to intense rain and poor weather, the festival was cancelled, affecting many in Austin’s Creative community which has blossomed in the past couple of decades.Despite this Golden Dawn Arkestra, and Night Beats hosted several shows downtown after the fest’s cancellation to help support the creative community.
“We were shocked to see the growth over 7 years,” Christian Bland stated in an interview with Fuzz Club. “We were so excited for 2016 because we thought there were going to be 15,000 people but because of the weather, we had to cancel it. It kind of took the wind out of our sails that year.”
Angel Olsen has had a busy 2018 with the release of her Phases EP, at the end of 2017, along with an appearance on Marissa Nadler’s album last year. She also joined Jim James for cover of Sonny and Cher at David Lynch’s NYC version of the Festival of Disruption.
Deafheaven, another major act for the upcoming festival, will be co-headlining tour with Baroness this year as well.
UPDATE (7/23): Levitation has added new artists to its already-exciting 2019 lineup. The biggest additions include indie psych-pop group The Flaming Lips, long-running indie veterans Mercury Rev, doom metal band Windhand, Bristol band Beak>, TR/ST, Black Moth Super Rainbow mastermind Tobacco, plus Flipper performing with David Yow and David J. performing Bauhaus and Love and Rockets songs. Also added to the lineup are Guerilla Toss, The Coathangers, Night Beats, Black Marble, Vagabond, Lala Lala, Devil Master, Ryley Walker and Habibi.
UPDATE (10/10): It’s just a few more weeks until Levitation in Austin and today the festival has added a small addition to its lineup. This addition includes a new band called Heart Bones, which features Har Mar Superstar and A Giant Dog singer Sabrina Ellis. Also performing will be Street Sects, Alex Maas of The Black Angels, Pinkish Black, Money Chisha, SRSQ, Shana Falana, Cryogeyser, Christelle Bofale, Sailor Poon, Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band, Annabelle Chairlegs and Mujeres Podridas. Check out the updated festival flyer below:
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