Last winter, I did something I always wanted to do. I taught a music appreciation course at our church. My goals were two-fold - to introduce new ways of thinking about the role of music in the worship experience, and to show the variety of ways music offers up praise, even when it is unintended. In the course of that class, I mentioned something about "contemporary psychedelic music", and a class member asked, "Who listens to acid rock anymore?" I responded, "I do."
First up on the bill is the Japanese band Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.. Imagine a Shinto priest and a member of Blue Cheer having a love child.
It is probably unfair to call this next band "psychedelic" because, in truth, they are unclassifiable. There are elements of heavy metal here. There are elements of prog. There is more than a little flavor of free jazz. Yes, indeed, The Mars Volta are sui generis. Run, do not walk, and get their CD Deloused at the Crematorium and their live CD Scabdates. I repeat. Run.
Finally, a band I have highlighted before, Ozric Tentacles. I really, really, REALLY like this band. If you can find Eternal Wheel (especially in the special hemp-paper sleeve), buy it, turn the lights off, and turn your stereo up as loud as it will go.
For those who might want to know, either to find me doing something naughty, or who are just nosy, I am not an imbiber of psychedelics of any kind (although I have no problem with marijuana, as I told my wife once, having a husband with a drug bust would not be good for her career as a minister). I appreciate this music for what it does to me without altering the chemical make-up of my brain. I suppose I am missing out on something, but we all draw our lines somewhere.
