Reflections of Austin Psych Fest 2013: Part One

Welcome to part one of HEAD MEDICINE's long overdue/months in the making Austin Psych Fest 2013 review.  In addition to our comprehensive overview of this years festivities, we have compiled testimonials from a number of bands who performed that weekend, provided links to the music of those on the bill, and have shared a collection of fantastic photos by Tom Gilmore at Foundwaves.

Part Two of Reflections of Austin Psych Fest 2013 includes exclusive interviews with three important APF figures:  Christian Bland, guitarist for the Black Angels and Psych Fest co-founder, discusses the past, present, and future of Austin Psych Fest... Oswald James, co-curator and head filmographer, gives his insight to the festival from behind the camera lens... and an intriguing interview with psychedelic San Francisco dj Al Lover, the man anonymously behind all of the utterly fucking amazing between band muzak that strung a thread throughout the weekend's festivities.

do not miss out.  follow HEAD MEDICINE on Fakebook for any further updates.  thank you for stopping by, i hope you enjoy it all.

~kojak

  

REFLECTIONS OF AUSTIN PSYCH FEST

Carson Creek Ranch, Austin, Texas 

April 26-28, 2013 

Since its inception in 2008, the Austin Psych Fest has earned its reputation as one of the most extraordinary music festivals in the world.  It was originally conceived by members of The Black Angels as a more specialized psychedelic counterpoint to the corporate behemoth South By Southwest and has grown into the premier destination for consciousness-expanding musical astronauts and fans alike. This past April was the festival's breakthrough year with nearly 70 bands from every corner of the globe producing an astonishing variety of sounds across three stages.  The festival found a new home in 2013 and for the foreseeable future at the Carson Creek Ranch, 58-acres of nature overlooking the Colorado River mere minutes from downtown Austin.  While not as well-known as other major music festivals in the United States, Austin Psych Fest is easily the most interesting and should be on every music lover's radar.

Organized and curated by The Reverberation Appreciation Society, a group consisting of The Black Angels' Christian Bland and Alex Maas with Rob Fitzpatrick and Oswald James, Psych Fest aims to bring in only the finest musicians in the broad world of psych music. There are bands delivering tranced out hypnotic rhythms, blistering garage rock, waves of dreamy psychedelic pop, heavy art-metal, and tripped out electronica to name just a few styles. The roster is filled with new emerging talent, established international acts, and towering legends. The Reverberation Appreciation Society casts a global net in their search for these innovative bands; in addition to finding the best American and European acts, groups from as far as Mali, Japan, Brazil, Australia, Sweden and Iceland among others are invited. As a result, the Austin Psych Fest has placed itself at the center point for a new global world music movement, where styles and genres are blurred and blended together, and creative, cultural, and geographic boundaries are wiped away.

One of the first things i noticed and felt about Psych Fest 2013, its sixth year and my first in attendance, was the aura around the place.  It was just beautiful,  like stepping into some fresh version of the utopian 60's. Everything in our society that causes heartache or anxiety or keeps us all divided and fighting was left outside the entrance gate. All of this was by design, courtesy of the Reverberation Appreciation Society.  Unlike most festivals, every detail of the Austin Psych Fest was planned to allow the attendees to have the very best experience possible rather than feeding some capitalistic cash grab.  The decisions to keep prices on admission, parking, merchandise, food, and drinks fair and reasonable obviously cut deep into the organizers' profits. I hope it was, for the most part, a worthy sacrifice.  I can guarantee everyone in attendance was appreciative.  Free water refilling stations were offered as a goodwill gesture where most concert organizers pilfer their audience of every last drop in their bank account by charging six bucks per bottle. When attempting to put on a great show, keeping the crowd hydrated goes a long way to achieve that goal.  Another thing worth mentioning:  the food and drinks.  Usually festival-goers have to grudgingly force down a depressing, withered corn dog or a pile of stale tortilla chips with a mound of Sam's Club nacho cheese sauce splattered on top while chugging down a plastic cup of flat beer water.  At Austin Psych Fest, it was nothing but top quality eats from Austin's finest local food trucks.  Frank's legendary hot dogs.  Gordough's decadent Big. Fat. Donuts. Authentic Spanish dishes from Tapas Bravas.  greek food.  vegan food.  Whole Foods.  You get the point.  All of it was lovingly made, and priced very reasonably, as were the refreshments provided by Dos Equis and Austin's own Tito's Handmade Vodka.  By the way, my mixed vodka drink was crazy stiff.  No watered down shit here, folks.  The Carson Creek site itself offered a perfect setting for the festivities.  There was plenty of room to wander with several areas set up for chilling and relaxing, and with the site so close to the Austin airport, the stream of airliners buzzing overhead never got old.  It was a perfect balance of man and nature.  And the people in the audience... everyone was just great.  Nothing but smiles all around, and everyone radiated from their own unique personality. There was also a notable international presence in the crowd, with a fascinating web of various languages buzzing in all directions. 

With all of those amenities in place, the Carson Creek Ranch location itself, and everyone in attendance ready to have a great time, the festival really couldn't fail. The music and the performances were the candy on top.  There were so many fantastic performances over those three days, it would be too difficult to recount them all, but there are a few that stand out amongst the others... The Lumerians on Friday evening in the Levitation Tent, playing what i can only describe as a massive tuning fork tone that i could physically feel passing through me, reverberating through the cells in my bone marrow.  With a bit of, um, chemical augmentation, from that moment on my psychic tether was stretched out to it's full length and i was ready to soak up every sight, sound, smell, and vibration  for the entire weekend...  Tinariwen, a legendary group of Malian Tuareg nomads, bringing their unique style of traditional African rhythms to the stage.  Moments after beginning their set, the grey, lifeless sky broke open and the sun shone down on the crowd.  The Nature Gods were certainly smiling...  An epic moonrise over the Colorado River, it's reflection shimmering on the river's surface during Om's performance.... Black Rebel Motorcycle Club turning in arguably the most kick ass performance of the festival... the cough medicine-soaked club beats of Young Magic to start Saturday afternoon off right... the beautiful, mystical rainfall during Black Mountain's set... eventually the rain turned into a torrential downpour, forcing everyone to seek refuge in the Levitation Tent just as Man or Astroman? began to tear through their full blast space surf rock performance, complete with a flaming theramin.  The crowd went absolutely fucking bananas... the jaw-dropping one-two punch of The Dead Skeletons and Goat to close out Sunday night at the Elevation Amphitheatre... and the Moving Sidewalks, elder statesmen of the historical Austin psychedelic scene from the mid-60's with Billy Gibbons in his pre-ZZ Top days, reformed after nearly 45 years...  It was an astonishing weekend, to say the very least.  My mind still reels thinking about it.

It will be interesting to see how the festival blooms to its full potential over the coming years. As damn near perfect as it was in 2013, it's almost crazy to think there is still room for the Psych Fest to grow and evolve.  i hope the Reverberation Appreciation Society is able to continue walking that fine line of finding capitalistic success while offering a fresh and non-intrusive environment where the attendees can enjoy themselves to the fullest.  It's a delicate balance.  Either way, I will be there, eagerly stretching out to the edge of consciousness, soaking in the sights, sounds, and vibrations with a bunch of like minded souls from around the world.  Sounds like fun.


note:  The date has been set for Austin Psych Fest 7:  May 2-4, 2014 at the Carson Creek Ranch and weekend passes are already for sale.  the first round of bands on the line up will be announced in the fall.  there is on site camping as well as discounts at area lodgings.  all the info you will need is HERE.  see ya there  

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HEAD MEDICINE'S top 12 APF recommendations





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HEAD MEDICINE asked the bands who played that weekend,

"What were your strongest memories about Austin Psych Fest 2013?"

"Years and years of waiting, i don't think there's a festival that we've all genuinely wanted to play at for so long, yet it was always impossible because we were always either in the studio recording or touring on the other side of the world somewhere. It was kind of nerve racking to keep missing the window like that, but then this year i guess we finally found the right key that fit in the lock. And now my memory of Psych Fest is simply that we finally fit, we had the right grooves for what was needed, and we opened the door for everyone else to join us on the other side. I'm afraid that Psych Fest is a necessary evil in times like these.

It's also the only festival that i would allow mother to take drugs at."

- Robert Levon Been of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club



--------------------

"i think we all were happy with the show and how it went.  we had a good sound, and we felt a good vibe from the audience.  it was a beautiful location, with the river to your back.  and it was beautiful to see the Dead Skeletons there before us.  it was great to play there, we had a very nice show."

- Goat

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"psych fest was the original , though much copied , and is STILL the most enjoyable festival to play , hang & watch bands in beautiful stage settings -including one on a river bank , eagles soaring overhead."
     
- SONIC BOOM  2011 & 2013


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"i was really glad to see Simeon of Silver Apples again.
i met him in LA on spring 2009 for recording of our collaboration.
in this time, i could see Silver Apples again @ Austin Psych Fest,
and he joined with us for our encore!
it was really great happening for me! also for the audience too."


- Makoto Kawabata of Acid Mothers Temple


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"Every year I attend/perform at APF I always come down with my wife and kids. I find the community/camaraderie of the festival a perfect way to introduce my kids to good music. While it's a great learning experience for them, having them there means I don't actually get to see that many bands... So, I guess my best memory of this year was seeing my daughter and son running around the whole festival freaking out over the mirror maze, swings and trippy projections."


- Rishi Dhir  of Elephant Stone


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"Strongest memory?

Waking up on an ant hill

In the rain

Wearing a dress

With a mystery tattoo"




-Tarek of the Night Beats


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"We were honored to have played the "Apocalypse Now" Stage at Austin Psych Fest 2013. We hope to be back for it every year, regardless if we play or not."


- Tjutjuna


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"Even though it's getting bigger by the year, you still see so many amazing musicians walking around the fest. Sonic Boom tried to buy a record from me last year!  I just gave it to him because he's fucking Sonic Boom!"



-Dustin of Holy Wave

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"Strongest memories from Austin Psych Fest...

Showing up a day early and building the Moon Block Party geodesic dome in the campgrounds until 6am and then meeting all the characters it would attract all weekend, like Joey Hot Sauce... and Clinic, who did a photo shoot in the dome. Playing in front of the river on Saturday afternoon was unforgettable - my friend Andrew, the drummer of JJUUJJUU had a last minute emergency and couldn't make the festival. Like a serious emergency. So, my friend Julian from the band, Mystic Braves, who doesn't even play drums for that band, filled in and killed it! That and camping out with the Moon Block crew at the ranch was fucking awesome. Oh, that and Clinic's set. They were my highlight."


- Phil Pirrone of JJUUJJUU

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"strongest memory from Austin Psych Fest?

answer: TINARIWEN."

- Wall of Death


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Amazing visuals, amazing bands, huge party vibe. It was one of the funnest, well organized festivals with an amazing lineup.

- Suuns

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"Wow! Where to start? Let me just start by saying Austin Psych- Fest was just an incredible and positive experience for us as a band. There is such a community spirit that flows through the festival. It was really amazing all round. We got to hangout with our friends and made a ton of new ones. I guess the high light for me was getting to hang with Pete Kember. I mean I almost had another fan-boy moment, but I think I kept my cool. I could barely contain myself when we got an email from him when he mastered our song for Sonic Cathedral’s - Psych For Sore Eyes 7” compilation. Well I guess the cat is out of the bag for that one. Spectrum was amazing and that is about as close as you get to actually seeing Spacemen 3. Huge highlight! We also got to meet the Acid Mother guys and got to see them jam with The Silver Apples! Where else you gonna see something of that caliber? I could go on and on, but those are the two that stick out in my head."


- Brian Miles of Ttotals

"A big moment for me was when this fan from England came up to our merch table. He bought one of our earlier releases, a "10 called Silver on Black, and wanted us to sign it. I asked him if he wanted to get the new Twin Lakes "7 and he said he'd already ordered it two days before flying to Austin. As he was walking away, I asked Michael(who runs Twin Lakes) if he'd gotten an order from England. He said, "yeah, like two days ago. I'm gonna ship it when I get home," so we grabbed a copy of the record and ran after him. As we gave him the record I realized I had just made a transcontinental delivery by running across a dusty Texas field. That's the magic of Psych Fest."

-Marty Linville of Ttotals

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My strongest memories from Austin Psych Fest are... The bands, they were so inspiring, and we learn't so much from watching them. That festival is by far the greatest in the world from my point of view. It isn't just a normal festival, it has feeling, soul and love entwined within it's creation. When leaving the festival to go on tour was sad because it's a moment you never want to end. Everybody comes together, everybody was enchanted by the music, that's a special thing man!
 
Stay well,

-Ant of Ride Into the Sun

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Austin Psych Fest 2013 photography courtesy of Tom Gilmore @ Foundwaves

please visit Foundwaves for even more of Tom's great APF photos

 BRMC

 BRMC

 BRMC

 BRMC

 TINARIWEN

 TINARIWEN

 WARPAINT

 ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE

 ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE

 LUMERIANS

 SOFT MOON

 OM

 BLACK MOUNTAIN

 BLACK MOUNTAIN

 THE NIGHT BEATS

 MAN... OR ASTROMAN?

 MAN... OR ASTROMAN?

 THE WARLOCKS

 KALEIDOSCOPE

 KALEIDOSCOPE

 CLINIC

 CLINIC

 CULT OF DOM KELLER

 THE CULT OF DOM KELLER

 ELEPHANT STONE

 MOVING SIDEWALKS

 DEAD SKELETONS

 DEAD SKELETONS

 DEAP VALLY

 DEAP VALLEY

 GOAT

 BLACK ANGELS

 BLACK ANGELS

 BLACK ANGELS

 ROKY ERICKSON

 ROKY ERICKSON

 BORIS

BORIS

SPECTRUM

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the bands

The Black Angels
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Deehunter
The Moving Sidewalks
Roky Erickson
Os Mutantes
Black Mountain
Ravonettes
Warpaint
Tinariwen
Boris
Spectrum
Clinic
Acid Mothers Temple
Silver Apples
The Warlocks
Man... Or Astroman?
The Growlers
The Soft Moon
Om
Goat
Dead Skeletons
Tamaryn
The Black Ryder
Kaleidoscope
The Night Beats
White Fence
King Kahn & BBQ Show
Elephant Stone
Bass Drum of Death
Golden Animals
Holydrug Couple
Deap Vally
Dreamtime
Young Magic
Lumerians
The Cult of Dom Keller
Indian Jewelry
No Joy
Holy Wave
Black Bananas
Quintron and Miss Pussycat
Besnard Lakes 
Suuns
Vietnam
Tjutjuna
Woodsman
Ttotals
The Shivas
Jackson Scott
St. James Society
JJUJJUU
Kay Leotard
Hollow Trees
Hearts in Space
Wall of Death
LSD and the Search For God
Ride into the Sun
Capsula
The Laurels
Gary War
The Wolf
Brain Pulse Music
Vinyl Williams

 
click here for Part Two of the Reflections of Austin Psych Fest!

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please feel free to share your Austin Psych Fest experiences and memories in the comments section below.  thanks! 

-management

free Hunter S. Thompson biography

read/download The Strange and Savage Life of Hunter S. Thompson by E. Jean Carroll for free.  why not?

click HERE

Discovering Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band: Part Two - "It Comes To You In a Plain Brown Wrapper"

(click HERE for part one of Discovering Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band )

Chapter Two:  "It Comes To You In a Plain Brown Wrapper" - 1967-68


after the recording and release of their first album, "Safe as Milk," Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band reconvened in the fall of 1967 to lay down a new batch of recordings for their follow up.  the project was intended to be a double album titled, "It Comes To You In a Plain Brown Wrapper," a title referencing the shipping of illegal contraband, but Buddah Records balked and the sessions were shelved.  several of the songs were rerecorded in the spring of '68 and  released that October as "Strictly Personal" on Blue Thumb Records, a new label from the album's producer, Bob Krasnow.  it is a controversial album as Krasnow added trendy psychedelic effects on top of the music allegedly without Captain Don Van Vliet's approval.  in my opinion, it's not much of a distraction, but Beefheart and his purist fans were outraged.  many of the original Brown Wrapper sessions would fortunately find their way into the light of day in the coming years.

left to right:  drummer John French, Don Van Vliet, guitarists Jeff Cotton and Alex St.Clair, bassist Jerry Handley

"Strictly Personal" finds the band evolving from their debut, still rooting down into the blues, but taking the sound into uncharted territory.  The album starts out with straight country Mississippi Delta blues on the not-so-subtly-titled "Ah Feel Like Ahcid."  over Jeff Cotton's slide guitar work, Van Vliet rants about ingesting an LSD-laced stamp and pushing the blues out of his head with the kaleidoscope of hallucinatory colors.  the proto-prog metal stomp of "Safe as Milk" is next and it is here that the arrangements begin to warp and stretch into odd undefined areas.  the verse/chorus/verse structure is taken apart bolt by bolt and abstraction is introduced.   "Trust Us" is still a breathtaking, groundbreaking piece.  pure acid rock with no firm structure at all to stand upon,  the track is completely unpredictable as it transmutes from one section to the next.  about halfway thru, the song's atmosphere turns heavy and foreboding, like a forerunner to Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused." as the song grinds to its finale, Van Vliet's barks, grunts, and growls sound positively demonic.   remember, this was written in 1967, the fall after the Summer of Love, and sounds nothing like the trends of the day.  this shit almost certainly initiated more than a few bad trips for peace and harmony loving hippies.  "Trust Us" ends with a brief snippet of the album's opener, bringing things back around once again and leads the listener into "Son of Mirror Man-Mere Man," a peerless piece of futuristic Delta Blues.  once again, halfway thru, things break apart and fragment around Van Vliet and his harmonica, who sounds like Sonny Boy Williamson in a bizarre time warp.  and so ends side one.

side two begins with "On Tomorrow" which changes the dark tone with  John French's swirling polyrhythmic drum patterns,  Jerry Handley's rubbery bassline, and Alex St. Clair and Jeff Cotton's guitars snaking in and out.  by this point it is obvious that the only rule Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band adhere to is that there are no rules.  Van Vliet officially makes his split from any musical constraints or limitations with "Beatle Bones and Smokin' Stones," a song that mocks the Beatles and Rolling Stones forays into psychedelic music with Sgt Pepper's... and Her Satanic Majesty's Request.  Beefheart throws down the gauntlet for freaky weirdness, and the song is still beautifully alien, sounding like an Alice in Wonderland hallucination.  next is "Gimme Dat Harp Boy," and all experimentation is thrown out the window as the band churns out one of the rawest gut bucket blues tunes of all time.  Van Vliet masterfully channels his blues heroes and manages to capture that unattainable, unadulterated power of the Baby Face Leroy Foster/Muddy Waters/Little Walter classic "Rollin' and Tumblin'."  his harmonica skills had become formidable by this point, and the Magic Band is just awesome here.  French lays down a spectacular stumbling drum groove and Cotton, St.Clair, and Handley are fuckin' rocking at full tilt as Van Vliet gives a powerhouse vocal performance.  there is a moment near the middle of the song where Van Vliet grunts and unleashes a hair-raising shout into his harmonica, reverberating off of the reeds... it's one of the most visceral moments i've ever heard captured on tape.  the album ends with "Kandy Korn."  starting off with Van Vliet's absurd, childlike lyrics, the song eventually morphs into a radiating wall of guitar noise, sounding like a precursor to My Bloody Valentine or Spacemen 3 which would come decades later.   the song ends with one last reference to the album's blues opener, concluding one of the most original and trailblazing rock albums of all time.  it was not as sharp and concise as Safe as Milk, but instead widened the scope of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band's full potential and ambition.  it still sounds like nothing else.

listen to the entire album here, as well as some key individual tracks:

some of the original "Plain Brown Wrapper" recordings resurfaced on the "Mirror Man" album, released by Buddah in 1971.  The album is made up entirely of extended exploratory blues jams, often with little vocalization, done in one take with no overdubs.  the result is a raw, primordial ooze, a mutant version of the blues that drunkenly staggers along aimlessly.  the songs rarely build to any grand finale, but rather meander until the band members call it quits.  the album starts off with the nineteen minute "Tarotplane," a twisted homage to all of the blues that had come before.  "25th Century Quaker" takes things a bit further as Van Vliet opens the track with some discordant skronk from a shenai, an Indian reed instrument supposedly given to him by the legendary jazzman Ornette Coleman, as French and Handley lay down a heavy, funky groove.  this composition sounds like a precursor to the trancey Krautrock that would later come out of Germany by bands like Can.  i gotta be honest, "25th Century Quaker" is one of the Beefheart gems i have found in these early album, i just can't get enough of it.  Handley and French are just fucking locked in on that knuckle dragging caveman groove.  i wish it went on forever.  16-minute "Mirror Man" and an extended "Kandy Korn" would both later be rerecorded and edited down to a more manageable size for "Strictly Personal," but here they are in their wild and untamed early days.  "Mirror Man" has several moments where it seems as if the band is going to hang it up, but things crank up again with French and Handley finding some new tight groove to jam on while Van Vliet continues with his harmonica blasts and abstract ramblings.  "Kandy Korn" is very much the same as the later version, but with an extended ending.

here is the full Mirror Man album


over the past few decades, most of the remaining Brown Wrapper Sessions have been released.  the "I May Be Hungry But I Sure Ain't Weird" bootleg release and the recent "It Comes To You In a Plain Brown Wrapper" 2 LP set by Sundazed records collects all of the alternate takes and unused instrumental rough drafts.  These would later be included on the extended rerelease of "Mirror Man" titled "The Mirror Man Sessions," released in 2008, with the remainder spread out as bonus tracks on the 1999 "Safe as Milk" reissue.

The entire Plain Brown Wrapper Sessions:


note this incredible performance of Gimme Dat Harp, Boy.

Guitarist Alex St.Clair would leave the band disillusioned later in 1968, replaced by Bill Harkelroad.  Mark Boston succeeded bassist Jerry Handley, who soon followed St. Clair out the door.  Van Vliet's childhood friend Frank Zappa, by now enjoying some critical and commercial success and running his own record label Straight, approached him about creating an album, promising complete artistic freedom.  it was a fantastic opportunity, so Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band retreated to a small communal house in the Woodland Hills suburb of Los Angeles to begin writing and recording.  the stage was set for the creation of an album that still stands up as one of the boldest, most difficult and savagely original albums of all time:  Trout Mask Replica


Next:  a Beefheart rookie takes on Trout Mask Replica

the Bernard Krigstein Illustration Archive: 1957 commercial work

part five of HEAD MEDICINE'S Bernard Krigstein Illustration Archive, a collection of over 50 rare illustrations from 1957-58, many never reprinted since their original publication, and scanned directly from tear sheets in the legendary artists' own collection.   for more info on Krigstein and to view the rest of the Archive, click HERE

here are three examples of Krigstein's commercial art work from 1957.

the first piece accompanied a New York Times article, dated September 29th, 1957.

the second is an ad for Purofied pillows

and the third is an illustration of an orchestra for an unknown client.  even when presented with a piece that required detailed rendering of dozens of players, Krigstein went above and beyond the call of duty,  rendering each band member with a unique physical personality in a loose, impressionistic drawing style.

 details:

Discovering Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band: Part One - "Safe as Milk"

"Once you've heard Beefheart, it's hard to wash him out of your clothes. It stains, like coffee or blood."             -tom waits

                                           

i'm actually embarrassed that it is only within the last month or so that i've discovered the music of Captain Beefheart.  of course i have heard his name for decades, and have been aware of his reputation, built upon his impossibly difficult avant garde masterpiece "Trout Mask Replica", as one of music's alltime great weirdos.  but other than a couple of aborted attempts at penetrating that album over the years, i was completely ignorant of his work.  my first exposure came in an unusual form;   San Francisco psychedelic dj Al Lover's "Safe as Milk Replica," which deconstructs Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band's 1967 debut album into badass trip hop instrumentals.  i loved it and was curious where these sounds came from so i looked up the source material.  i have not listened to or read about anything but Beefheart since.

noone ever told me that at the core of it all Captain Beefheart, aka Don Van Vliet, was a blues god.  i had no idea he possessed a voice that could supernaturally channel the spirits of blues masters Son House and Howlin' Wolf in their prime.  i had never known that his Magic Band was one of the finest bands ever assembled, built upon an innovative two-guitar sound and a fucking thunderous rhythm section.  Rock history fails to properly mention that, prior to the wacked out Trout Mask Replica experimentation Captain Beefheart is best known for, the group's recordings from 1965-69 were trailblazing heavy acid blues, pushing things out further than their English contemporaries and predating just about anyone else in the US.  the influence of these first recordings is shocking;  i can hear this band's tentacles wrapped around just about everything innovative in rock music that came in its wake.  i can hear the Beefheart in early Led Zeppelin.  i can hear it in Devo.  in Sonic Youth.  Morphine. Clutch.  Mike Patton and Faith No More.  it's an endless list.   Captain Beefheart broke just about every rock or blues rule, and his music still sounds fresh and innovative nearly 45 years later.


CHAPTER ONE:  IN THE BEGINNING... 1965-67

Captain Beefheart laid down one of the densest careers in music history, so it's a pretty daunting task to wade into his work.  but i decided the best way to explore this guy's titanic catalog was to start at the beginning and to retrace his footsteps as he evolved into rock music's greatest experimentalist. Van Vliet was an artistic child prodigy, obsessively sculpting and drawing from a very early age as he forged his own unique creative vision.  he went to high school with Frank Zappa, and the two friends would spend countless late nights absorbing the deep blues of Howlin' Wolf or Muddy Waters or Son House.  in the beginning, Van Vliet and the early Magic Band were one of the very best white blues bands around

the band's first single was for A&M records in 1965, a cover of the Willie Dixon tune "Diddy Wah Diddy."  Van Vliet gives a classic performance, and Jerry Handley's bass tone is still absolutely filthy.    





A&M saw great potential in Captain Beefheart, to mold him into a pop star, possibly an American Mick Jagger.  in 1966,  the label's executives heard the demos of the new, more experimental music Beefheart and his band were cooking up. These recordings were deemed "too negative" and the band was immediately dumped, their contract nullified.  Van Vliet and the Magic Band, at this point made up of drummer John French, Handley on bass, and guitars by Alex St. Clair and a young Ry Cooder, recorded their debut album "Safe as Milk" in 1967 for Buddah Records. 
 





for the opening track, "Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do," the band's trippy Delta Blues-inspired sound is deeper, heavier, and more gutteral than just about anyone from that era while "Zig Zag Wanderer" is a hard driving chunk of '60s California go-go psychedelia.  "Call on Me" is a great slice of Stax Soul and it is here that Van Vliet starts to really show off his vocal abilities.  but things get weird with track 4, "Dropout Boogie."  Van Vliet's straight bluesman voice morphs into a bizarre growl and the band lays down a brutal path of heavy, fuzzed out stoner rock, until the song's arrangement gets turned inside out.  pretty weird shit for 1966, folks.





but things get REALLY weird with the still-beautifully bizarre, LSD saturated "Electricity."  Van Vliet dramatically plants his freak flag with a jaw dropping Howlin' Wolf-on-acid sound as the band kicks the shit out their instruments behind him with a ghostly theramin quivering in the air.  no other group was anywhere even vaguely in the same galaxy as Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band at this time. 




 "Abba Zaba," is the album's other standout track.  heavy tribal drums... a ridiculously hot bass groove... strangly serpentine middle-eastern  guitar sounds... thick layers of heavy power chords... topped off with Van Vliet's surreal lyrics and vocal delivery. This was the first Captain Beefheart song i ever consciously heard, and i didn't listen to anything else for the next 10 days.  the early Magic Band is in full swing here with the soon to be legendary bluesman Taj Mahal helping out on percussion.  Ry Cooder's bass solo  and the ensuing jam are about as great as it gets. 




While most of the songs on Safe as Milk work within the classic perimeters of the blues and R&B, "Dropout Boogie,""Abba Zaba," and "Electricity" push the group off into unchartered territory and act as a signal for things to come.  Ry Cooder left the band shortly after Safe as Milk's completion, unable to deal with the increasingly demanding Van Vliet, and was replaced with an innovative slide guitarist named Jeff Cotton.  very soon the band would be taking blues further into outer space than anyone else, ever.





NEXT:  Part Two:  "It Comes To You In a Plain Brown Wrapper"