A recent trip to New Orleans got me to watch Easy Rider again. One of the defining films of the 1960s, Easy Rider portrayed the counterculture of the 1960s, showing drug use, psychedelic and otherwise, and employing experimental cinematic techniques to convey those surreal experiences. The music featured in this episode of Turn Me On, Dead Man is a variety of current psychedelia, as artists continue to explore further the seemingly boundless range of psychedelic influences.
| time | artist | title |
|---|---|---|
| 00:34 | The Baudelaires | Gordon |
| 07:01 | Los Mundos | Las Venas del Cielo |
| 10:25 | The MK Ultras | Do You Enjoy Popular Music? |
| 14:27 | Black Helium | I Saw God |
| 22:03 | Psychic Paywalls | Amoeba |
| 24:52 | Morrison Graves | Crane Songs |
| 28:39 | Excellent Skeleton | Moving Away |
| 34:19 | The Eternal Page | Dada 441 |
| 39:34 | Missing Jack & The Kameleons | You Don't Have To Think |
| 44:40 | The Inner Sight | Find Yourself Again |
| 49:27 | Southsiders | Wake Up! |
| 54:06 | Helicon | Flume |
Turn Me On, Dead Man 2023 Podcasts
#AcidRock #Alternative #Doom #Drone #Experimental #GarageRock #HardRock #Heavy #HeavyBluesRock #HeavyPsych #IndieRock #Krautrock #Lo-Fi #Neopsychedelia #Psych #PsychRock #Psychedelic #PsychedelicRock #Shoegaze #Sitar #SpaceRock #Stoner #StonerRock #Surf
Easy Rider is interesting in that it drew on American mythology. The names of the characters played by Peter Fonda (Wyatt–Wyatt Earp) and Dennis Hopper (Billy–Billy the Kid) were both from the mythology of the Old West, but these characters go against the grain of American history. Rather than heading west, Easy Rider is a road movie starting in the west and traveling east. Their ultimate destination is to make it to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, which brings me to why I’ve been thinking about Easy Rider lately.
Last week I attended a conference in New Orleans, the annual meeting of the Population Association of America. And, as is becoming an annual tradition at that conference, a group of us get together to do an early morning 6-mile run before the sessions started. This year we ran on the Lafitte Greenway, which goes through an area of New Orleans that looks to be showing signs of gentrification. To enter the Lafitte Greenway we went right by St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, which is the cemetery where they filmed the acid trip scene from Easy Rider. They filmed there without permission of the church, of course, and the cemetery is no longer open to the public. Actually, all you see when you’re passing by it on Basin St. is a blank white wall that’s remarkably free of graffiti, but its presence was notable nonetheless.
Watching Easy Rider again also made me aware of how far psychedelic music has come sincce the 1960s. Easy Rider makes good use of Steppenwolf, Jimi Hendrix, and The Byrds, but in recent years psychedelia has gone well beyond the genre limitations of those years. Psychedelic music has become more globalized, with artists incorporting such things as Indian classical music, African percussion, and Latin American rhythms. Technology has allowed artists to explore more sounds and trippy effects, and psychedelic music continues to be experimental as it pushes beyond genre boundaries to challenge listener’s expectations.
⦾ The Baudelaires – Gordon (from TiLT, release date: September 2, 2022)
Melbourne-based psych outfit The Baudelaires released their sophomore album TiLT on September 2, 2022. Recorded in Venice, Italy and in their hometown of Melbourne, TiLT was released through Cheersquad in Australia/New Zealand, Kozmik Artifactz in Europe and Little Cloud Records in the US. Following on from their acclaimed debut album Musk Hill (which followed the EP “Be a Baudelaire”), the band, which takes its name from the decadent 19th century poet Charles Baudelaire, embarked on two European tours sharing the stage with psych rock heavyweights Dungen, Wand, Frankie and the Witch Fingers and The Zombies on festival bills such as GetMad! Festival in Madrid and Mayday Mumbo Festival in Barcelona. The Baudelaires hypnotic contact high psych-rock sounds combine rich analog fuzz and reverb drenched licks with an occasional single-minded motorik drive.
TMODM: What had the strongest influence on TiLT?
Grischa: The biggest influence on the record came from our touring together and doing lots of shows in Australian and Europe in 2017-2019 when it was written. The van playlist featured a lot of Flavour Crystals, Harry Nilsson, Mick Ronson, Moon Duo and Alexander ‘Skip’ Spence.
TMODM: What record changed your life?
Grischa: I’d say unanimously, the record that changed all our lives would have to be Captain Beefheart and his Magical Band’s ‘Safe as Milk’.
TMODM: What’s next for you?
Grischa: The next thing for us is to keep doing more shows, hopefully regional so we can get back in the van together. Also we are halfway through writing our next album so maybe a little band retreat weekend to finish that up soon.
⦾ Los Mundos – Las Venas del Cielo (from Eco del Universo, release date: March 3, 2023)
From Cardinal Fuzz: “Eco del Universo” is the eighth studio album by Los Mundos (Monterrey, NL). The album was composed in the middle of the pandemic, which is why it conveys mixed feelings on the subject. Eco del Universo is a progressive and melancholic album, with extensive themes and deep lyrics where nature is taken as inspiration. The band explores with modular systems, zithers, gongs, drones, acoustic guitars and uses unconventional song structures. EDU is the first album by Los Mundos composed as a band. On this occasion, the following participated: Luis Ángel Martinez, Alejandro Elizondo, Ricardo Antúnez and for the first time Raúl González on guitar. Thanks to this lineup, Los Mundos achieves a solid, experimental and more mature sound.”
Los Mundos son:
Luis Ángel Martínez / voz, bajo, teclado
Alejandro Elizondo / coros, guitarra, sintetizador, sistema modular, bajo, baby sitar
Raúl González / guitarra, teclado, baby sitar
Ricardo Antúnez / coros, batería
TMODM: What had the strongest influence on Eco del Universo?
Alejandro: Nature and Planet Earth.
TMODM: What record changed your life?
Alejandro: Difficult to mention only one, if I have to mention a few that would be: Beatles – Revolver / Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come / Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots / Hawkwind – In Search of Space / Nick Drake – Pink Moon & Bryter Layter / Aphex Twin – Richard D. James Album / Brian Eno – Music for Airports
TMODM: What’s next for you?
Alejandro: We’re recording a new album (we’re almost done) and we are planning to tour “Eco del Universo” . We have a couple of shows in Real de Catorce, México City, Queretaro and others.
⦾ The MK Ultras – Do You Enjoy Popular Music? (from “Cola King“, release date: March 29, 2023)
The MK Ultras is a collaborative psych music project consisting of Aaron Shover and friends
TMODM: What has had the strongest influence on your music?
Aaron: I’m always curious about seeing what I can do. It’s fun picking up new instruments or trying out different production techniques. Travel has been great for inspiring creativity.
TMODM: What record changed your life?
Aaron: When I was a teenager I spent all my money on records. Indianapolis has some amazing record stores. When my pockets were empty I would visit the public library and check out as much as they would let me. On one occasion they accidentally slipped me a copy of Freak Out! by The Mothers of Invention by putting it into the wrong case. It blew my mind and I thought it was new.
TMODM: What’s next for you?
Aaron: I plan to continue releasing music as Aaron Shover, The Mk Ultras, painting, and writing.
⦾ Black Helium – I Saw God (from UM, release date: March 3, 2023)
Black Helium are a three piece psychedelic rock band based in London. Never afraid to stray from the beaten path, Stuart Gray, Beck Harvey and Diogo Gomes fearlessly traverse aural hallucinatory soundscapes; from detuned Neanderthal rock to deep oceans of introspective blissed out psych.
TMODM: What had the strongest influence on UM?
Beck: The biggest influence on UM was us three getting back in a room together after lockdown. Although during the pandemic we were listing to loads of music; from Captain Beyond to Talk Talk. We wanted to make something a bit deeper and immersive.
TMODM: What record changed your life?
Beck: Listening to Pet Sounds in my late teens, when I was a dedicated metal freak had a positive effect. It made me buy a 4 track tape recorder and play around with sound. It also softened me a bit, in a good way.
TMODM: What’s next for you?
Beck: We’re gonna be playing as many gigs as we can to support the album. But new ideas for LP 4 are coming together so we’ll be writing again in the Autumn.
⦾ Psychic Paywalls – Amoeba (from Psychic Paywalls EP, release date: April 4, 2023)
Psychic Paywalls are from Wellington, New Zealand.
Thom Benny: guitar, vocals, percussion, piano
Scott Hakkaart: drums, percussion, piano
Kristen Paterson: bass
TMODM: What has had the strongest influence on your music?
SH: The bands King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Osees, and Allah-Las + our own musical instincts/limitations/idiosyncrasies.
TMODM: What record changed your life?
SH: The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s My Bloody Underground came out when our founding members were first playing in a band together. It pulled us into modern psych music and showed us originality is not necessary.
TMODM: What’s next for you?
SH: Short term: Writing and recording new material.
Medium term: Playing some shows in Europe.
Long term: Death.
⦾ Morrison Graves – Crane Songs (from Division Rising, release date: March 31, 2023)
Psych rock from PDX.
Morrison Graves is:
Gary Jimmerson
Ryan Brown
Rob Bartleson
Joey Prude
Aura Zorba
TMODM: What had the strongest influence on Division Rising?
MG: Subject matter played a huge part in the lyrical content for the album. Musically, I was trying to come up with something between the Black Angels, early King Gizzard, and The Velvet Underground. During recording it was a 1960’s Supro amp and the Analogman peppermint fuzz.
TMODM: What record changed your life?
MG: There have been many life changing records for me. Blonde Redhead “Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons”, Radiohead “Kid A”, Black Angels “Indigo Meadow” make my all time list. I’m constantly blown away by music.
TMODM: What’s next for you?
MG: We have been rehearsing to play live (July!). Once the live set is ready we will start working on album #2. We start filming a music video this week.
⦾ Excellent Skeleton – Moving Away (from On Mercury Sea, release date: March 10, 2023)
Excellent Skeleton are a 5 piece psyche / shoegaze band based in Cardiff, UK.
The sound draws upon a combination of psychedelic noise scapes, vocal harmonies and traditional rock & roll resulting in a wall of live sound.
Influenced by the likes of Spiritualized, Brian Jonestown Massacre, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, The Black Angels, Spacemen3, Beatles, Stones.
TMODM: What are you working on now?
ES: we are finishing off our second album : close to completion. All that’s left are the vocals to lay down and the mastering. We’re very happy with it and have fallen in love with the songs from On Mercury Sea all over again.
TMODM: What’s next for you?
ES: getting On Mercury Sea pressed on vinyl, creating an album launch event for it and then aiming to get a label to help with the second album down the line.
ES: Also we’re planning to play some shows in London, Bristol, Glasgow and other cities outside of our home town of Cardiff.
⦾ The Eternal Page – Dada 441 (from January Ballet, release date: February 23, 2023)
The Eternal Page are from Oslo, Norway.
TMODM: What had the strongest influence on January Ballet?
EP: We were playing Dada 441 and it just wasn’t sounding right. Then one of us suggested we do a drone throughout the whole thing and then the song came together almost intuitively. I believe that was the first song we made for the album, and it shaped a lot of the songs that would come after it.
TMODM: What record changed your life?
EP: I can’t speak for everyone in the band, but for me it has to be Velvet Underground & Nico. A lot of what we do is heavily inspired by VU.
TMODM: What’s next for you?
EP: Unfortunately our lead guitar player has left the band… However we recruited another keyboard player a couple of months ago and we are also looking for a new guitarist of course. These last couple of weeks we have started working on a couple of new songs, and they’re coming together nicely. The sounds are probably more inspired by Norwegian Traditional music than January Ballet was. Hopefully we can pull the vision off!
⦾ Missing Jack & The Kameleons – You Don’t Have To Think (from Human Cycle, release date: March 17, 2023)
Missing Jack & The Kameleons are from Toulouse, France.
TMODM: What had the strongest influence on Human Cycle?
MJ&TK: Musically, “Human Cycle” is driven by many influences, from the rock of the 60’s and 70´s to the current psych scene, making stops for some world music inspirations.
We tried to do our own stu with all these in mind, playing with genres, trying differents structures, progressions and lengths.
TMODM: What record changed your life?
MJ&TK: For Nicolas and Mathieu it’s gonna be “Dark side of the moon”.
Miky choose the 2nd album of Black Sabbath, “Paranoid” but would like to share his love for Radiohead, especially the album “ok, computer”.
The doors self-titled debut album (“The Doors”) will be Antony’s choice, songs like “Light my fire” or “The end” just to name a few, can’t leave anyone indifferent.
And for our most punk member, it will be “Bad brains”, the debut album of the Washington’s band, Bad Brains.
TMODM: What’s next for you?
MJ&TK: Play our music on scene is the most stimulating thing for us so we planned to do as many gigs as possible throughout the year and bringing the album to life in new places.
⦾ The Inner Sight – Find Yourself Again (from We Used To Be Men, release date: March 17, 2023)
From Bandcamp: “The Inner Sigth is psych rock, neopsychedelia music with some shades of English pop. This music is inspired by The Black Angels, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Holy Wave, The Myrrors, Spacemen III and many others from the sixties/seventies. The first album “We Used To Be Men” explores the feelings of a dying world in benefit of a new one we don’t know yet. But which one ?”
I corresponded with Guillaume Lamorille, who is also a member of Black Waves.
TMODM: What had the strongest influence on We Used To Be Men?
GL: The main influence for this solo project is the black Angels because I love their music. It’s for me, a synthesis of everything I love in the sixties and seventies rock and psychedelic music. But I’m a big Beatles fan of course, for life…
TMODM: What record changed your life?
GL: My parents didn’t listen to much music. But when I discovered The Beatles, I discovered a new side of reality, it was a strong feeling but without words on it. And That was the Rubber Soul album.
TMODM: What’s next for you?
GL: For me, the next is mixing and mastering the second album of the Black Waves, a french psych rock band in which I play. And then, I’ll prepare the second album of The Inner Sight, my own project.
⦾ Southsiders – Wake Up! (from Wake Up! EP, release date: March 1, 2023)
Southsiders are from Buenos Aires, Argentina
Jorge Alvarez : guitarra y voz
Esteban Iglesias: Bateria
Juan Pablo Llera: Bajo
Pichi Escudero: guitarra
TMODM: What had the strongest influence on Wake Up! EP?
Jorge: we were really influenced by late 60s/early 70s bands like Sabbath, Zeppelin and Pappo´s Blues. And also by modern bands like Orchid and Uncle Acid. We were also influenced by books and movies of that era. We use images of movies from late 60s on our videos and gigposters.
TMODM: What record changed your life?
Jorge: When I started listening to music the first one was KISS ALIVE. it sounds so raw, so energetic, that I instantly started loving that 70s sound. And then came sabbath and I completely fell in love, it was love at first sound!
TMODM: What’s next for you?
Jorge: we are playing more often presenting our EP and we are also releasing a cassette tape of our EP that will come out next month.
⦾ Helicon – Flume (from God Intentions, release date: April 28, 2023)
Experimental psychedelic rock band formed in 2009 in East Kilbride / Glasgow, Scotland. Check out the Turn Me On, Dead Man interview with Helicon from 2022.