Through psychedelic rock, burning sage, nostalgia, hippie clothing and danceable beats, the Saint Mary’s Strip was transported back to the 1960s as The Mystic Braves, The Dream Ride and Lake of Fire rocked the Limelight music venue on Sept. 30. The air of 60s nostalgia filled the room so much that you could almost smell it, with members of the audience wearing vintage styled clothing and jewelry, psychedelic visuals lighting the stage and vendors selling band merch with art that recalled back to the great psychedelic albums of yesteryear.
Austin-based psychedelic band Lake of Fire was the first band on the stage. The band set the tone for the evening with groovy instrumentals and spaced out vocals. While the band was on stage they had placed several glasses of burning sage, which emphasized the peaceful mood of the era that their fuzzy sound took influence from. Even their appearance harkened back to the 60s, with members of the band wearing long bell bottoms, loose shirts with flowery designs, peace symbolled jewelry and haircuts of the era.
The next band on stage shook up the evening by taking it to the modern age. The Dream Ride (an electronic dream disco band) uses a combination of synthesizers, vocal effects and drum beats to create almost hypnotizing danceable songs. The vocalist, Jeffertitti Moon, danced wildly to each song. The crowd couldn’t help themselves from dancing with Moon on stage. Erratic and eccentric, Moon moved across the stage singing zombie dance songs and telling stories about how the band was arrested for accidentally driving to Canada. The band was in full control of the crowd, moving them to dance fast and wild, or romantic and slow.
The crowd gathered en mass at the very front of the stage in anticipation of The Mystic Braves’ arrival on stage, and the band did not disappoint. Combining elements of 60s psychedelia and modern lo-fi garage rock, the band came in full force to make the crowd explode in dance. The band also styled themselves in vintage clothing, but took the look one step closer by having authentic instruments from the era. If Lake of Fire brought forth nostalgia for the 60s, then the Mystic Braves took the audience through time to Woodstock. At one point, the band took an audience member wearing full hippie regalia to dance all around the stage. The audience was in a daze as the band played their melodic, soft sounding grooves. They played long after their designated set time, and didn’t finish until the bar was ready to close at 2 a.m.
The Mystic Braves put on a show to remember, and one that everyone should see the next time they come to San Antonio.
