“I think this was our first time at levitation but our millionth time in the amazing and tough as nails city of Austin, Texas. Brigid Dawson, Mike Shoun, Petey D and myself had already laid the live show out in front of crowds here, so it wasn’t our first rodeo and certainly not my last. Our love is obvious here as we bring forth a short but sweet set of hits and deep cuts. This is also the version of the band with Lars ‘Fingers’ Finberg of Intelligence fame as second banana drummer. So enjoy some primal and sensual double drumming and as a side note, no one died at this show. Thanks as always to Levitation for making shit happen.”
John Dwyer
A decade ago, the psych garage rock lover would be hard-pressed to find a live show as cutting and exhilarating as Thee Oh Sees. Before they moved to LA and got even more progged out, they were the champions of the Bay, having moved on from teeny tiny Eagle Tavern and Daly City bowling alley shows to tearing it up at Outside Lands, the Uptown (in the space that’s now Crybaby) in Oakland, and their soon-to-be-perennial home at the Chapel.
Perfectly encapsulating their sound and energy from that time, Live at LEVITATION (2012) is their latest live album release, recorded when they first performed at Levitation, the three-day music festival formerly known as Austin Psych Fest put on by the aptly named Reverberation Appreciation Society. The set is bursting with their hits at that time (“The Dream”, “Tidal Wave”, “Enemy Destruct”, “Block of Ice”, “Meat Step Lively”) plus a couple shiny new tracks, showing off the ever-evolving Dwyer sound. Of course, it fucking rocks.
