Don’t stare or it will blow your mind…
While we pride ourselves on the diversity of musical content we distribute here at The Orchard (as we do indeed do it all), there are some genres that continue to rear their heads and shoulders above the pack and span the demographics of our customer base. The one I’d like to cover today is Psych-Rock.
Your grandparents probably listened to the original bands and their hits (The Strawberry Alarm Clock’s “Incense And Peppermints” and The Electric Prunes “I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night”) and our friend Lenny Kaye (later to be Patti Smith’s guitarist) compiled the first Nuggets compilation records of this genre in the early ‘70’s (the third track on Nuggets Vol. 1 is “Night Time” by The Strangeloves (featuring The Orchard’s own Richard Gottehrer).
Since the late 70’s, Psych-Rock has come back again and again, and The Orchard really joined the fun when Richard and Seymour Stein revived their Blue Horizon imprint in 2010 and chose The Black Angels Phosphene Dream as its first release. This perfectly written, performed and produced album of Psych-Rock-Pop crossed over in a big way (#50 debut on the Billboard Top 200) and helped pave the way for other labels like Sonic Unyon and Tee Pee Records to flex their Psych-muscles. SU’s Ringo Deathstarr, for example, have released 4 titles in 2 years (including their latest, Mauve on special……….wait for it……….mauve vinyl); sales are brisk and steady and their vinyl always sells through quickly.
In December, look for releases from our newest Psych-leaning label, The Reverberation Appreciation Society, including the DVD/download of Austin Psych Fest 2012, the 5th annual event of it’s kind. While the content is not confirmed at press time, the performers at this year’s Fest included The Black Angels, The Black Lips, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and Dead Meadow (who are really more Stoner Rock, but that’s another story for another day…).
