Investment in psychedelic medical treatments has been rising as liberalization of drug laws has expanded. Detroit became the latest city to decriminalize psychedelics, as voters approved the decriminalization of magic mushrooms and other entheogenic plants. As psychedelics become more accepted and the stigma recedes, research opportunities have increased and even though psychedelic therapy is still in its infancy, investors are putting money into companies focusing on psychedelic mental health treatments. Psychedelics are also being used to help people with end-of-life care. Rick Doblin, founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) was featured in GQ, and MAPS announced an upcoming event, Psychedelic Science 2023. Also, the Wonderland conference, the largest psychedelic medicine event of its kind, is currently taking place in Miami.
Despite all the optimism about psychedelic therapy, cautionary messages about psychedelics are also starting to appear in the popular media. An article in RealClearScience suggests, “Staunch Advocates of Therapeutic Psychedelics Need a History Lesson,” pointing out that excitement about psychedelics has reached this level before only to fade away. This was in part due to the “war on drugs” initiated by the Nixon administration, but also because the FDA imposed more rigid regulation on the pharmaceutical industry and tighter restrictions on research, as well. There have also been allegations of misconduct among psychedelic therapists, as detailed in the Forbes article “Psychedelic Therapy Is Hyped, But It’s Not Risk-Free: How Therapy Abuse Can Retraumatize Clients.” Also, an article in Vice, “The False Promise of Psychedelic Utopia,” cautions that the enthusiasm about psychedelics should be kept in perspective.
Recent TV shows and movies have demonstrated a psychedelic influence, such as Dune and Stranger Things. Far Out Magazine lists The 10 greatest psychedelic films of all time. The VW microbus, a symbol of counterculture. is making a comeback as an electric vehicle, and Volkswagen is previewing the new version with a “psychedelic wrap“. An ever-growing list of celebrities has taken ayahuasca. In the past few days, Will Smith and Lil Nas X have both made public statements about their experimentation with ayahuasca.
This episode of Turn Me On, Dead Man features a number of artists from Latin America. The opening set features The Slow Voyage from Los Angeles, Chile, Firefriend from São Paulo, Brazil, and El Universo from Mexico City, and this episode closes with Telephone Exchange, another artist from Mexico City. Other than Annunaki from Nanaimo, BC, Self-Immolation music from Leeds, UK and Shamaniacs from Berlin, the rest of the artists are from the US: The Sonic Splits and The Webbers from Oregon, The Mary Veils from Philadelphia, and the Poppy Seeds from Los Angeles. The breaks are from an episode of X Minus 1 called “No Contact”.
00:00 Turn Me On Dead Man – Intro
00:32 The Slow Voyage – Expansion
05:11 Firefriend – Poison Tree
10:29 El Universo – Monkeys & Apes
16:15 The Sonic Splits – Doors of Perception
20:00 The Sonic Splits – Like the Steady Flowing of a Stream
24:35 Self-Immolation Music – Remain Eternally Hateful
28:22 The Webbers – The Skinwalker
30:31 Shamaniacs – Dopamine – دوبامين
32:40 The Mary Veils – Home Video
35:41 The Poppy Seeds – Coming To Get You
38:40 Annunaki – The Cries of Hypatia
51:53 Telephone Exchange – Qué irresponsable
| The Slow Voyage – Expansion [from Soul’s Whisper, releases October 22, 2021] |
TMODM: How does where you live (your city, landscape, music scene) influence the music you make?
SV: It influences a lot, we live in a very quiet place, where winter is very hard and long, there is not much psychedelic music and I think we are the only band that makes this type of music in Los Angeles, Biobío, Chile.
TMODM: What album changed your life?
SV: Tough question, but I think one of the albums that prompted us to make music is Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side Of The Moon.”
TMODM: What’s next for you?
SV: Work on a third album. Go on tour to Chile, South America and Europe as soon as possible.
| Firefriend – Poison Tree [from Poison Tree single, releases October 19, 2021] |
TMODM: What album changed your life?
FF: THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO had a tremendous impact on my life, it showed that order could be subverted and that art and creation can go beyond the current aesthetic standard; I also learned from this record that exploring uncharted territories is incredibly exciting. These discoveries changed my life. I’m eternally grateful for that.
TMODM: What’s next for you?
FF: FIREFRIEND is currently working on several new songs and we’re probably going to release a new album next year. We also hope to get back to playing live shows as soon as possible — we definitely want to play in Europe and the US again next year. Let’s see what happens!
| El Universo – Monkeys & Apes [from El Universo, released September 03, 2021] |
| The Sonic Splits – Doors of Perception/Like the Steady Flowing of a Stream [from Ray of Decay, releases November 01, 2021] |
TMODM: How does the place you live – your city, landscape, music scene — feed into the music you make?
SS: We live in a suburb of Portland, Oregon, but I first started going to shows while attending university in Eugene, Oregon where I saw many great bands like the Critical Shakes who helped shape some of the music I started to write at the time. I was lucky to have an older brother, the drummer of The Sonic Splits, who introduced me to a lot of new and old music as I grew up.
TMODM: What record changed your life?
SS: A record that changed my life was another suggestion from my older brother when I was in middle school: In Rainbows by Radiohead. The song writing, performance and production on that album were incredible to me and I still listen to it on vinyl to this day.
TMODM: What’s next for you?
SS: What’s next for me is writing more music – I’m planning on doing shorter EP’s from now on… I love to explore new sounds and am eager to create new things. We will also continue playing shows around Portland, but I prefer low stress house shows as a married and working 27 year old…. Luckily my wife plays bass in the band!
| Self-Immolation Music – Remain Eternally Hateful [from Psychedelic Unknowns, released September 01, 2021] |
| The Webbers – The Skinwalker [from Helmet EP, released October 01, 2021] |
TMODM: How does the place you live — your city, landscape, music scene — feed into the music you make?
TW: I’m not influenced by my city much and Im not really active in my local music scene. Im to much of a recluse at the moment. Maybe one day ill get out of house but until then im really just motivated by the stuff i like and listen to atm.
TMODM: What record changed your life?
TW: I think its king gizzards first album 12 bar bruise. It was my first gizzard album. I remember hearing it for the first time while I was super depressed, Just laying on the floor and blasting the first 3 albums but especially 12 bar bruise. I heard some of it was recorded on their phones and that really spoke to me. Ive always been a huge lover of diy lofi production and this was that on steroids. So it Really inspired me. It also got me into alot of other great music.
TMODM: What’s next for you?
TW: I’ve got another EP planned for November or December. Just expect me to always be working on something until the day my ears fall off lol
| Shamaniacs – Dopamine – دوبامين [from The Birth, released September 09, 2021] |
TMODM: How does the place you live — your city, landscape, music scene — feed into the music you make?
SHAMANIACS: We as artists – or as humans that is – believe there is a constant feedback loop between internal, and external reality. We are as much product of our surroundings and life experiences, as we are the influence that for others is perceived as external reality – whether performing or in day to day encounters.
Berlin as such, is the place where our individuality can be lived and our thirst for life be stilled to a degree, that wouldn‘t be possible anywhere else. Every place offers its unique energy.
The cities moody climate, the people from all walks of life one encounters, endless adventures, streets that turn into works of art, and the constantly changing – at times very rough – face of Mother Berlin deeply touched and keeps working her magic on our souls.
TMODM: What record changed your life?
SHAMANIACS: Phew, that‘s a big one!
It’s obviously really difficult to pin this down to a single record, but here we go.
Led Zeppelin – I
System of a Down – Mesmerize
Pink Floyd – Atom Heart Mother
Pink Floyd – Shine On You Crazy Diamond
TMODM: What’s next for you?
SHAMANIACS: Having entered the dark and cold times of year, we‘ll hibernate in our studio to let out, what needs to be let out, so that we can start into next season with a great soundtrack and share it with as many people as possible!
| The Mary Veils – Home Video [from Somewhere Over The Rowhome, releases November 05, 2021] |
TMODM: How does the place you live — your city, landscape, music scene — feed into the music you make?
TMV: It’s everything. The EP’s name is based off of where we all grew up. Philly and surrounding suburbs are very unique. I’ve lived out West for a short time and traveled all over but something keeps me here. It build character. We all grew up in these working class blue collar environments and in some ways if you’re playing music people look at you like you’re living in a fantasy world. Like, you better pick up a hammer or a drill and get to work. The Philly Music scene is flourishing right now and it’s undeniable. The bands are all relatively different and it really makes you want to go for it all and be your best. I’m not even saying this in a competitive way but more so because you want to impress your peers. This EP “Somewhere over the Rowhome” is a good reflection of all of this.
TMODM: What record changed your life?
TMV: Too many records changed my life at different points but the very first record that really made me stop dead in my tracks and listen was The Rolling Stones Aftermath. I’m a 90’s kid but my brother is 10 years older than me and I must of been like 5 years old so he’d be 14 or 15 and he had “Under My Thumb” blaring out of his room. From that moment on I wanted to know everything about that band. I loved the Stones so much that it was the first show I ever went to when I was like 11. They were well into their career but they’re one of the greatest. They got me into a lot of other music that I may have never listened to. Aftermath, that’s the first time I can remember that I wanted to play music.
TMODM: What’s next for you?
TMV: We have an EP coming out November 5th and than an album out early 2022. The band is currently in the studio and writing new songs. We want to go out and play all over the world.
| The Poppy Seeds – Coming To Get You [from Pyramid/Coming To Get You, releases October 21, 2021] |
I corresponded with Alan Earwood.
TMODM: How does the place you live — your city, landscape, music scene — feed into the music you make?
AE: Living in Southern California is a huge inspiration for my sound — the desert and the forests really get me into a spiritual and psychedelic mindset. I used to do a lot of drugs too which you’ll surely find in and around LA. They certainly influenced the style of the music and the way I hear things. Luckily I got off all drugs and alcohol 5 years ago because heroin was destroying my life.
The music scene in LA is so vast and there are so many psych bands. I reach out to other bands on social media if I hear about them or happened to see them play a show and really liked them. I usually will book them to play a show with us and we end up becoming friends. My friends’ band The Violet Mindfield from Pomona have influenced me a lot. I love their sound.
TMODM: What record changed your life?
AE: The record that changed my life was Dark Side of the Moon for sure. That changed everything for me.
TMODM: What’s next for you?
AE: Next for us is putting our next album on vinyl. I am putting in the order this weekend and then the weekend after that we are playing an acoustic set at the Old Towne Pub in Pasadena.
| Annunaki – The Cries of Hypatia [from Martyr of Alexandria, released October 08, 2021] |
| Telephone Exchange – Qué irresponsable [from Telégrafos de México, released October 01, 2021] |
TMODM: How does the place you live — your city, landscape, music scene — feed into the music you make?
TE: actually, telephone exchange originally was meant to be a project where i could kind of portray myself in the various temporal, physical and virtual contexts i could be sitting on. The project eventually changed a bit but in a way still tries to do the same. For example, the first album “Maschinelles Lernen” was a result of a three year long field trip working for large corporate architecture offices. That experience fed the whole concept of the album, the humanization of machines, and also backguards, humans as a machine learning artifact. The second album also was strongly influenced by all the pandemics situacion, and other phenomena i was exposed to when i was living in mexico city. In a sense it’s a bit pretencious to say telephone exchange tries to represent different places and moments since I think as musicians and artists, thats what we do all the time.
TMODM: What record changed your life?
TE: there’s been so many special records for me. As a teenager i was obsessed with the beatles, specially the sgt peppers era, i was so interested basically on all the recording techniques used for that album, in a way that’s why i really got into recording and mixing in depth. During uni, i really loved television’s marquee moon, and also VU, specifically white light white heat, that album makes me shiver, i love the huge amounts noise and distortion on that album. But in the real long term, i could say forever changes and pet sounds have a very special spot in my brains.
telephonexchnge’s profile picture
TMODM: What’s next for you?
TE: don’t know really. I try to take it easy, not simply recording whatever comes to my mind. Maybe this is wrong, but i like thinking that every time I do a new record, must be better that the previous one. For now, some friends and I are trying to set up a band for Telephone Exchange and maybe do some touring next year, also maybe start doing music together as Telephone Exchange. We have worked previously on different projects and things usually work very good, so we’ll see.