Austin Psych Fest (May 2-4, 2014)

You've stalled long enough. It's review time.

Austin Psych Fest, you have won me over. Such an amazing festival, I have a feeling Psych Fest will be my start to festival season for a while now. Kicking myself for not going these past years.

Austin Psych Fest is now held at Carson Creek Ranch in Austin, TX. Before I looked at the map, I was under the impression that Carson Creek Ranch was in the outskirts of Austin. It is literally right next to the airport at 183 and 71. However, nestled along the Colorado River, your only reminders of the outside world are the airplanes flying overhead. They fly over fairly regularly and you are literally in the direct flight path, but they didn't distract me from the music. They're only loud when you're not close to the stage.

This festival definitely has a national, and even international draw. Nearly everyone I spoke to was not from Texas. San Francisco, LA, Denver, Miami, New Jersey, Nashville, New York. All parts of the country, and even met a guy who flew in from Australia! I later read a stat from the promoters that only 20% of attendees are from the Austin and surrounding areas.

Psych Fest is a relatively small festival, promoters put the number right under 5k for last year. Will be interesting to see some attendance numbers for this year. One major benefit to a smaller camping fest is you start to run into a bunch of the same people over the weekend. Obviously this happens at all festivals, but it was much more pronounced at a festival of this size.

The crowd was fantastic, everyone there was very friendly and beyond excited for the killer lineup Psych Fest had put together. I think the idea of a festival based around psychedelic music is fantastic. Not only because I'm a fan of the music, but because the umbrella of psychedelic music covers so many different genres. You have the cosmic freakout sounds of Acid Mothers Temple, juxtaposed against the underwater dreaminess of Panda Bear and everything in between.

Carson Creek Ranch seems like a perfect venue for a festival of this size. Carson Creek Ranch is currently home to Euphoria Fest, an EDM festival that took place the weekend before Psych Fest. It is outside many zoning restrictions in Austin, meaning music was able to go until 2 am. This is a welcome relief from many Austin festivals, when the sound has to be off by 11pm. The venue area itself is relatively small, you could walk between all 3 stages in just a minute or two. And since the ampitheatre was down the bank of the river, sound bleed never became an issue. Being able to bounce between stages so quickly was nice when you weren't familiar with the bands playing at the time. You could quickly listen and decide which suited your mood at the time.

There are three stages, the Reverberation Stage (mainstage), Levitation Tent, and the Elevation Ampitheatre. Thankfully, most of the acts I wanted to see were playing the tent or ampitheatre. During the day, there was no shade to be had at the mainstage. The ampitheatre is nestled right on the banks of the Colorado River. The hillside is terraced for people to sit. During the evening, they would project some psychedelic imagery onto the trees across the river.



View from the top of the ampitheatre




View looking along the Colorado River. You can see hammocks set up in the distance for people to enjoy.

The scheduling was nice as well, not too much complete overlap so you could catch a lot of partial sets if you wanted. Very few times were things scheduled at the exact same time.


Arrival/Camping:

Definitely a few things they could do differently for the campers that would improve things, but overall, a very positive experience. The main issue was how long it took to get into the campgrounds. Instead of searching your vehicle when you arrive, they search your bags as you enter the campground entrance. This means standing in a long line (over 1 hour at peak time), trying to shuffle all of your camping gear forward. Of course, there was no way I could carry all of my stuff, so I just brought my canopy and tent for the first round. Waited til later in the day when the line died down to bring the rest of my stuff in.

The campgrounds are surprisingly small, I'd estimate maybe a few Bonnaroo "streets". Definitely smaller then half of a pod. With that said though, there wasn't a shortage of room. It was pretty much filled up by the end, but people still could squeeze in places if they wanted.

One thing that really struck me was the lack of people that brought shade canopies. There were maybe a few dozen people total that brought them? After talking with many neighbors, I discovered it's because nearly everyone around me had flown in. Needless to say, I made friends quickly with my shade

The placement of the campgrounds was stellar though, it was literally right next to the Levitation Tent. I could walk from my tent, visit all 3 stages, and be back at my tent in probably 5 minutes. The walks at Bonnaroo really made me appreciate this!

There was also a small stage and tent set up in the campgrounds for special performances in the morning before the regular venue opened. Very cool idea, hopefully they expand upon it for next year.


Food/Vendors:

There was a nice selection of local foodtrucks, perhaps 10 total? Stand outs were the wood fired pizzas and Juice Land. I bought a refillable cup for the weekend at Juice Land, and I definitely got my money's worth! They had cherry limeade, lemonade, an excellent fruit punch with a hint of ginger, cucumber and kale, or you could mix and match.

The foodtrucks were open whenever the main venue was open, however Franks (hotdog place) was set up next to the campgrounds. That way they could serve the campgrounds when the venue wasn't open. They also sold ice and beer.

There were a few other vendors, but it was mainly clothes and other things that didn't interest me too much.


Alcohol:

This is probably my biggest complaint of the whole festival. I'm not a big drinker, so this didn't effect me too much, but it would be a major buzzkill for most. They did not allow you to bring alcohol into the campgrounds when you arrived. When they searched your bags, any beer/liquor was confiscated. They did give you warning as you were in line to give you a chance to go put it back in your car. Apparently alcohol was not allowed in the campgrounds.

However, you were allowed to buy 12 packs of Dos Equis from the general store set up at Franks. What the fuck? The only alcohol allowed in the campgrounds is beer you have to buy from the general store? I can't remember how much they were charging, but I want to say it was around $20 for the 12-pack. Obviously some people snuck outside alcohol in, but there was quite a bit that was confiscated.

I understand not allowing outside alcohol into the venue area from the campgrounds, just like at Bonnaroo, but this seemed ridiculous to me.



Friday

Gap Dream -> Quilt -> Roger Sellers -> Terakaft -> Graveyard -> White Hills -> Black Lips -> Kadavar -> Liars

After I got camp set up, I set out to investigate the grounds and go wherever my ear led me. It turns out that was to the beautiful Elevation Ampitheater. I found a spot in the shade, and relaxed to the peaceful sounds of Gap Dream and Quilt. I had never heard of either band before, but they were the perfect transition from real life to Psych Fest that I needed.

After that, I made my way over to Roger Sellers. Roger Sellers is a local artist I've seen open for Ghostland Observatory, he's definitely worth checking out if you get a chance. Solo artist on stage, playing live drums, looping his vocals/synths. Great energy, always look forward to seeing him.

After that, it was back to the ampitheater for Terakaft, a band from Mali. Reminded me of Bombino, but a little more groove oriented. The crowd was really getting into it as well, some people dancing up a storm by the stage. The band loved the energy and fed off it.

Graveyard was good, but didn't wow me too much. Ended up grabbing some dinner and passively listening while waiting for White Hills. Been a fan of White Hills, and knew their set would be a frantic squall of guitar and drums. They didn't disappoint, the energy was through the roof for the set.

Caught a bit of Black Lips, but they're just not really my thing. So moved back over to the tent for Kadaver. Really enjoyed that show, more of a heavy sound to them, sort of the retro metal ala The Sword. The crowd loved them, and they loved the crowd!

After Kadaver, I returned to my campsite to lay down for a bit. Relaxed, and set my alarm for Liars.

This is the part in the story where I hang my head in shame. My alarm goes off and I can barely open my eyes. Instead of getting up to go to Liar's set, I just stayed in the tent and listened to the show from there.

No excuses, I failed It was nice to hear the set from my tent, but I know that only paled in comparison to what was going on in the Levitation Tent. Definitely my one and only regret from the weekend. If I could go back, I'd be in there raging with everyone else! From what I heard, it was a great set. My neighbor said the crowd went crazy when they played “Mess on a Mission”. Definitely need to redeem myself and check them out next time I get a chance. I know I let monster and a few others down!

Earlier in the day, I saw a couple walking around with the multi-colored yarn hanging around their head in a similar fashion to the “Mess” album cover...just with their head instead of a fan!

It was a good first day, but I'm excited knowing what's in store for Saturday.


Saturday

Mind Over Mirrors -> Circuit Des Yeux -> Mark McGuire -> Yamantaka Sonic Titan -> Zombie Zombie -> Moon Duo -> Bombino -> Mono -> Unknown Mortal Orchestra -> Acid Mothers Temple -> Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks -> Of Montreal

The entire campground is awoken Saturday morning to the sounds of a band soundchecking. The campgrounds border a road with several houses on it. One of those houses and built an elevated stage in their front yard. The stage was probably 10'-15' off the ground, in order to see over a few trees. Fantastic idea...but the band was terrible!

After they soundchecked for what seemed like forever, they clumsily make their way through a song. Thankfully their entire set was that one song. The guitarist broke a string, and I guess took it as a sign to stop. While the music wasn't good, it provided some nice comic fodder for the morning. I applaud their effort, but perhaps more practice should be in order before you atempt to wake a crowd with your music at 8 am.

Spent the morning getting to know everyone around me, talking about shows we saw and shows we're excited to see today. Everyone was super friendly, just like you'd expect at such a great fest

On the campground stage that was set up, Mind Over Mirrors was playing a set. It was one guy sitting in front of some old school synths just twiddling knobs. Relaxing, drone/ambient music that was a nice way to start the day. Grabbed a breakfast taco from the food stand and listened.

Once the main venue opens, I grab my morning cherry limeade from Juice Land and make my way over to the ampitheatre. This turned out to be my routine every morning. They always seemed to schedule really chill bands to open the ampitheatre, which I enjoyed. Never listened to Circuit Des Yeux before, but they weren't too bad. I was really there waiting for Mark McGuire though. I've loved his work for a while, and it was definitely one of my more anticipated sets.

Just before the set started, some new friends I met from Miami showed up. They heard me excited for the show and wanted to check it out. Mark McGuire comes out, his setup is fairly simple. It's just him, his guitar, and some electronics and pedals in front of him. The music he made was otherworldly though. I LOVE the tone he gets out of his guitar, it's so distinctive. He thanks us for being with him, and then launches into his set. He plays continuously throughout his whole set, stopping only one time half way through to thank us again. And to let us know that we're the infinite, all together as one. I could have definitely drifted into the patterns with him that afternoon. One of my favorite sets of the whole weekend, I can't wait for the opportunity to see him again.



After Mark McGuire is done, I wonder over to the tent to catch a little bit of Yamantaka Sonic Titan. Only got to watch 15 minutes of them, they ended their set fairly early and abrubtly. Enjoyed what I saw, would have liked to have seen more. I head back to the campsite to sit down for a bit. Smoke a little bit with my neighbors, then we all head back into the venue when we hear the sounds of Zombie Zombie starting.

Thanks to shybox , I was familiar with Zombie Zombie before hand and quite excited for their set. They're a French trio, consisting of two live drummers, and one guy on keyboard/synths. Both drummers also fiddled with electronics from time to time. I'm a big fan of incorporating live drums into electronic shows, and two drummers is even better! They played a wonderfully rowdy set that had the whole tent dancing. I knew they'd be good, but they exceeded my expectations. Another one of my top sets of the weekend.

Moon Duo is up next on my schedule. They somewhat remind me of White Hills, except not at a pace as if they just snorted a couple of white hills. They get a groove and lock in on it. Very enjoyable set.

Bombino is next up for me. I saw Bombino once before at Bonnaroo, and his energy made me an instant fan. He gets the whole band rocking, then just takes off on some great guitar solos. He has an infectious smile. You can't help but smile back and bounce around. You can tell he loves every second of being on stage. He'll always be on my shortlist for a good time.



After grabbing some dinner, I'm treated to the sounds of Mono. They're one of the pinnacles of post rock in my mind, glad they were at the fest. I proceed to check out Unknown Mortal Orchestra for a bit, but it just didn't pull me in. I've never listened to them before, and I was pretty distracted thinking about the upcoming Acid Mothers Temple and Avey Tare set.

As I wander around, I suddenly see the unmistakable hair of Kawabata Makoto, the leader of Acid Mothers Temple. The whole band is lugging their merch across the festival grounds. When they reach the crest of the ampitheatre hill, they set up an impromptu merch stand. They don't speak much English, so I just give them a thumbs up and a smile.



Acid Mothers and Avey Tare are 2 of my 3 most anticipated sets, so I was a bit heartbroken to see that they overlapped. I had been debating all day how long I should stay at Acid Mothers before heading over to Avey Tare. I've seen Acid Mothers probably 4 times previously, so I know they always bring it, but I wouldn't be missing something I'd never seen before. I make the decision to watch 30 minutes of Kawabata and crew before making my way over to Avey Tare. I wanted to get there just before Medicine finished, in the hopes of snagging a primo spot.

I strategically position myself close enough for Acid Mothers to enjoy it, but near an exit for my speedy escape. Anticipation in the crowd begins to rise, people are packing in tighter and tighter. I kept hearing people excited for Acid Mothers during the weekend, but didn't expect quite so large of a crowd. They're not for the feignt of heart, that's for sure. They take the stage and a wall of feedback washes over the audience before they bust into their signature assault.

Kawabata is simply a guitar master. He channels something and just unleashes it through his guitar. Blisteringly loud guitars, pounding drums, throbbing and weaving basslines, and the squiggles and squelches of Higashi Hiroshi, the “dancing king”. I only caught about 20 minutes of the set, they were late taking the stage.

Typically, when I've seen Acid Mothers play, Kawabata usually ends the set by hanging his guitar from the ceiling somehow while still coaxing it to keep screaming. I was wondering how they'd end this set. They were closing down the ampitheatre that night, and it turns out they planned something special for the crowd.

Talking to my neighbors the next morning, they told me that Kawabata had set his guitar on fire Jimi Hendrix style, and then proceeded to set the cymbals on fire too. Flash forward to Sunday night, and I'm talking with a couple behind me waiting for Panda Bear. They told me about Acid Mothers too, and she said she got the whole thing on tape and uploaded it already. Here is that video:



Talking with the couple, he told me how it was weird to hear the sound change when the pickups on the guitar caught fire. It's hard to hear in the video since it's so loud, but he said it was quite a strange sound. Kawabata really goes at it with the lighter fluid. I can only imagine the stage crew starting to freak out a bit! I love that the drummer keeps playing while Kawabata engulfs his cymbals in flames. Later in the video, when he picks his guitar up, you can see it's too hot still. He drops it and then douses it with water before playing it one last time. Not a bad way to end a set!

For those who have never experienced Acid Mothers Temple live, you should. They truly are road warriors, and typically tour the US every spring in April/May. The couple who filmed that video, stayed and talked with Acid Mothers van driver/roadie. According to them, Kawabata doesn't travel with a spare guitar. And thinking back, that is definitely the same guitar I've always seen him play. It's been to hell and back, but keeps on kicking.

Once I make my way out of the Acid Mothers crowd, I high tail it to the tent to get ready for Avey Tare. I get there just as Medicine is playing their last song. When the stage manager said they were out of time, the crowd kept cheering, demanding one more song. Suprisingly, the stage manager relents and they come out for one more song. Once they're done, I deftly make my way up front. I end up one person behind the rail.

I hadn't seen any video of Slasher Flicks live, so was unsure which side of the stage Dave (Avey Tare) set up on. I knew he set up on stage right for Animal Collective, so I guessed the same for Slasher Flicks. Thankfully I was right and ended up directly in front of him. During the set change, I start talking with the people around me. Two girls in front of me were hardcore Of Montreal fans and were staking out the rail for their upcoming set. Next to me were two other hardcore Animal Collective fans. Shout out to Vincent and Kerry! Vincent was one of the few local people I met during the entire festival. We talked about our love of all things Animal Collective, shared a bowl, and just got psyched up for the show.

Soon Dave walks out in his trademark beanie to a round of applause, quickly followed by the rest of the band. Angel, formerly of the Dirty Projectors, did a lot of really cool live looping with her voice in between songs, really liked it. I don't remember the exact setlist, but I'm pretty sure it was: Catchy Was Contagious, Blind Babe, Little Fang, Your Card, and Strange Coloures with maybe one more song thrown in there.

Absolutely amazing set, it definitely lived up to my lofty expectations. What really stood out to me was the drummer. I enjoyed the drumming on the album, but seeing him live was fantastic. The energy he played with was astounding, it was hard to keep my eyes off of him. I definitely need to check out his former band, Ponytails.

Dave was on point as well. I'm usually one who doesn't focus on vocals as much as the rest of the music, but I'm absolutely in love with Dave's voice, especially his scream/yelp. He sounded as good as I remember from the last time I saw him, the Animal Collectives late night show at Bonnaroo last year.

In true Animal Collective fashion, Slasher Flicks wasn't afraid to let the songs breathe a bit. There was a great build up and climax during Your Card that made me think the drummer was going to pound his kit through the stage!

Truly a great set, probably my number one of the weekend.




After the set, I hang around for a bit to see if Dave was going to come out and talk to anyone. Saw him disappear back stage, so gave up. Stuck around for a bit of Of Montreal, but left before they finished their set. Was ready to sit down and reflect on the awesomeness I had just witnessed.


Sunday

Rishi Dhir -> Mind Over Mirrors -> Fantasmes -> Guardian Alien -> Kikagaku Moyo -> Mikal Cronin -> The War on Drugs -> Panda Bear -> Tobacco

After that spectacular Saturday, anything that happened on Sunday was just a bonus in my eyes. And what a bonus it turned out to be!

Rishi Dhir from Elephant Stone started the day out playing a free form sitar session at the campground stage. I've always enjoyed the sitar, and it was a super chill way to relax and reflect. They started soundchecking from the tent for a bit, and Rishi stopped playing since the sound was drowning out our stage. Thankfully they got on the walkie talkies quickly and delayed the soundcheck for a little while longer so Rishi could finish his set. Very intimate setting, maybe 50 of us sitting around him, entranced.

Once the venue opened, I picked up my juice and found a shady spot at the ampitheatre for Mind Over Mirrors. The drone of Mind Over Mirrors was a nice way to clear my head for the upcoming day. Fantasmes played next, they're a band from Puerto Rico. Decent, but nothing to write home about.

At the suggestion of , I make my way over to the tent to check out Guardian Alien. The band consists of a man and woman, the drummer and vocalist/electronics respectively. I had no idea what to expect going in, but I definitely enjoyed the show. The drummer was incredibly talented, and the vocals had an ethereal quality about them.

I head back to the campsite to rest for a bit. By this time in the weekend, the dust is nearing the worst I've experienced during a festival. Breathing is becoming a chore, and the things that came out of my nose...well...you don't want to know.

After a brief respite from the dust, I make my way back to the ampitheatre to catch Kikagaku Moyo, a Japanese band on their first venture to the US. I had never heard of them before, but once again, a neighbor's enthusiasm for their upcoming set got me there. Glad I saw them, hopefully they make a return to Psych Fest sometime in the near future. They're a five piece, with one of them on a sitar the whole time. They definitely got the crowd rocking.

After Kikagaku Moyo was done, I grabbed something to eat and wandered the venue for a bit catching bits of sets here and there. I made the decision that I wanted to get rail for Panda Bear, I was just deciding on when I should start to stake my claim. As Cosmonauts finish their set, I venture over to the mainstage to see what the crowd situation looked like. I walk by and see Vincent and Kerry from the Avey Tare set already waiting for their Panda Bear spot. I go ahead and join them. We talk for a bit before Mikal Cronin comes out. It turns out Kerry had stuck around for a bit after Avey Tare's set. She ended up sneaking backstage and met Dave and got a picture with him. I was super jealous.

Mikal Cronin was another suggestion from . Very enjoyable set, sort of garage-rocky. Not my usual MO, but a nice change of pace, enjoyed it quite a bit. After their set, I'm able to move up to the rail. We all sit down in between the set change for The War on Drugs, relaxing, talking about the festival.

I'm not really a fan of The War on Drugs, would have much rather seen Earthless at that same time slot. But my love for Panda Bear is strong, so on the rail I stayed. The War on Drugs played a good set, everyone around really enjoyed it. It just didn't really connect with me for whatever reason.

During the set change, had a good time smoking/talking with everyone around me. This is when I met the couple that filmed the Acid Mothers Temple video I linked earlier. Everyone around is wondering if Panda Bear will play any old songs, or if the set will strictly be from his upcoming album. It turns out it was all new material. Knowing Animal Collective's history, I expected that. I would have loved to hear something off of Person Pitch, but the new material is fantastic.

Panda Bear's set up is simple, just him in the middle of the stage in front of a riser full of electronics. For most bands, the visuals projected behind them were fairly standard psychedelic visuals provided by the in house team. Panda Bear had his own video guy, so there were visuals suited/synched up to his music. Very trippy stuff, not sure if it's from Danny Perez (the guy who did the visuals for Oddsac, Animal Collective's “visual” album) or not, but I definitely recognized a few images from Oddsac. Perfect visual counterpart to the music that was being played.

I immensely enjoyed the Panda Bear set, it was surpassed for me only by Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks...and just barely. Can't wait for the new album to come out.



After experiencing Panda Bear from the rail, I check my phone and see jigawig made it to Psych Fest and is waiting for Tobacco to go on. I make my way over to the Levitation Tent to see if I can find him. Bo Ningen had just wrapped up, so thankfully it was easy to spot him! I was orginally planning on catching some of Loop and then moving over to Tobacco. But we started talking and his enthusiasm for Tobacco had me interested. I decided to stay at Tobacco for the whole set, and thank goodness I did. Definitely one of my tops for the weekend.

GROTESQUE...completely and utterly grotesque, in the best way possible. That truly is the best word to describe Tobacco's set. I was familiar with Black Moth Super Rainbow, but never listened to Tobacco's solo output that much. His live show completely made me a believer.

The stage set up consisted of an LCD screen in front of Tobacco's gear. The screen came up nearly to his head, in order for him to semi-hide behind it. There was someone else behind the screen with him, assuming another member from BMSR. They were pretty much completely hidden the whole set though. There was also a live drummer, I believe the one from BMSR.

I found this description on Wikipedia, and I feel it is spot on:
"In an interview with Kotori Magazine in September 2008, Tobacco explained the difference between Black Moth Super Rainbow and Tobacco: "Mostly everything I've done with BMSR is made to be pop. And a lot of people say BMSR is bordering on hip-hop beats. So with Tobacco, I wanted to embrace my beats and get darker and sleeker with it all. I want to make you feel paranoid in a good way. There’s something seriously fucked about workout tapes from the mid 80s, and just about everything obscure on beta tape. They make me feel awful, but really good and curious at the same time. With this Tobacco stuff, I’m trying to translate that feeling."

If you've heard BMSR, you have a basic idea of what Tobacco might sound like. But like he said, it is definitely darker. Accompaning the music was a video projection of some very grotesque/disturbing videos. As described above, there's a mix of obscure videos, mostly from the 80's. There was definitely an alien sex theme. Numerous scenes of humans and aliens getting it on. Overall, just weird, creepy stuff. Some of the videos were just so strange, I truly wonder if they were made in the 80's or if Tobacco created them. I have a hard time believing some of those videos existed...but who knows, it was the 80's.

But it fit the music PERFECTLY. The music and videos pair and play off each so well.

Overall, a fantastic set. Instead of more traditional songs, it seemed to be more 1-3 minute soundscapes, each set to their own wonderful video accompanyment. Describing the music can be difficult, you really do need to hear it to understand it. It's almost like this sickeningly sweet, psychedelic menagerie, vomited up by someone deep in an acid trip in a rainbow of colors. That's the best I can do!




Top sets of the weekend:
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks
Panda Bear
Tobacco
Acid Mothers Temple
Zombie Zombie
Mark McGuire


Honorable Mentions:
Liars (only because I wasn't in the tent)
Bombino
Terakaft
Kadaver
Roger Sellers
Mikal Cronin
Kikagaku Moyo


In closing, if you have even a passing interest in the lineups Austin Psych Fest has put together these past years...go to this festival next year! Psych Fest has been building momentum for several years now, I can only imagine what next year has in store.

Wow! That review was fantastic, thorough, and worth the wait! You should definitely check out Ponytail. Ice Cream Spiritual is one of my favorites. Too bad you got too sleepy for Liars. It happens to the best of us. Acid Mothers Temple is playing my hometown soon. I need to try to make it happen.

Great write-up, Rothric! It was awesome running into you. Wish I could have caught more of the festival, but I had work, and my Spurs were playing. Glad I was able to catch Panda Bear, partial Bo Ningen (missed them at Coachella), and Tobacco! Would have easily paid for a day pass, but since I didn't get there until 9pm on Sunday, the box office was closed, and one of the ladies working the front just let me in! Great little fest, that I will have to experience next year, in it's entirety.

From the APF Facebook page this morning: Dates, lineup and details on the 2015 festival coming soon. We're excited to share the good news!  Bring on Round 8!!!!

Yes, I did.  I thought it was absolutely incredible!!!  I started going to APF in its 2nd year, and do whatever I can to make it back each year.  I met two of my closest and best friends because of this festival.  The size of it, the location, the folks in attendance, the volunteers, the staff, the bands, etc.....they all make it such a memorable and amazing weekend.  The review and photos you posted here were great.  Thanks for doing that.     

Thanks for the invite.  I live in North Carolina, but as things progress towards APF 2015, it will be cool to meet up with some folks on here in Austin.

In case you are interested and didn't know, Christian Bland and The Revelators will be at Hotel Vegas in Austin w/ Magic Castles this Friday (10/10).  If you are unfamiliar with MC, check them out.  They are from Minneapolis, and I hope they will be part of the APF8 line-up, along with other bands from that area as well.