Levitation or AUSTIN SIKE FEST 2016 – Photo Recap

The cancellation of this year’s Levitation fest was a major bummer. Having missed last year’s epic lineup, the Cool-Tite Crew planned ahead, took off work, bought fest and plane tickets to make sure we were there for Levitation Austin 2016 (fka Austin Psych Fest). We were stoked to experience a festival outside of California and to see bands like The Brian Jonestown Massacre, SLEEP, Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, The Black Angels, Ty Segall and the Muggers, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Brian Wilson performing Pet Sounds, Flying Lotus, etc…

Flying in late from LAX to AUS on Wednesday night, the crew was ready to party! By Thursday, we were cruising down South Congress and taking in the cool city of Austin. We found out the bad news as were chillin in the patio of a bar that afternoon.

Due to safety concerns regarding dangerous weather, Levitation 2016 has been canceled. This decision is heartbreaking, but it’s a decision officials have made for the safety of festival attendees, and safety is our first priority.

We’ve been working with county officials trying to find a way to carry on, but at this point the decision has been made, and it is beyond our control. The cancellation is due to dangerous weather conditions in the forecast combined with weather complications to the grounds and the Colorado River.

We are completely devastated. We have been working for a year, looking forward to this weekend and seeing you all at the ranch. We know that many of you traveled from far away, and that this news is extremely disappointing for everyone.

….

sincerely,
– LEVITATION and The Reverberation Appreciation Society

 

Buzz   officially   killed. WELCOME TO BUMMER TOWN.

So you guys wanted to come to Austin for a cool time and a gnar psych fest?… SIKE!

It took us awhile to regain spirits, adjust to our newly opened schedule, and figure out what the hell to do next. Relief shows were starting to get scheduled around town, however, these sold out within minutes of being available online. SIKE #2! We were lost Levitation souls roaming around Austin, running into other lost Levitation souls who came from out of town, even out of the country. United in sorrow and the money we had lost getting there. The people who were planning on camping out had to scramble to figure out sleeping arrangements once the fest was cancelled. We were lucky to have the comfort of our Airbnb house.

So we took a shot, rallied, and did what anyone would do in our situation. Explore the shit out of Austin.

We rode bikes around town…

Checked out the capitol…

Watched The Coathangers and Death Valley Girls at Barracuda…

Went to a dope house show…

Passed out near a creek…

Managed to get into the SLEEP/ Sunn O))) / Boris show at Mohawk…

Chilled at Barton Springs…

Saw L.A. Witch at Hotel Vegas…

 

By the end of all that, it was Monday, and we were on a plane headed back to LA. Even though we were siked out a bunch, the city and people of Austin didn’t let us down. I feel bad for the Levitation dudes, who busted their ass trying to put on, what would have been, an amazing fest, only to have it killed by weather and politics. I can’t image having to write and hit submit on the official cancellation email, fb, Instagram, and Twitter posts. We hope they can bounce back from the devastation fest and keep putting on bad-ass shows and fests in the future.

Until next time Austin!!!

 

Photos by Crystal Lopez & Sergio Estrada on 35mm film