Dead Meadow's coming through town tonight with Drainbow and Strangers Family Band, so expect the Rhythm Room to get a little frizzle-fried by the band's psychedelicized rockers. Three Kings, the band's most recent release, drags listeners through a bluesy, backwards-glancing psych-rock reminiscent of proto-metal bands like Blue Cheer.
While Dead Meadow veers towards the heavier end of the psych spectrum, the band certainly draws on some of the more mind-warping tunes that've come before. Wanna get yourself, uh, psyched for tonight's show? We've assembled a primer of tunes -- some accessible, some less so -- that'll get you in the mood. Substances not required. Get 'ya mind blowed by the following.
1. Amon Düül II, "Between the Eyes"
What is the collision between art, drugs, rock and roll, noise, and Germans? The template for some bluesy, hard-hitting and creative Krautrock.
2. Juaneco y su Combo, "Vacilando con Ayahuasca"
A Peruvian delight proclaiming the virtues of the mind-altering shamanic jungle medicine known as the vine of the soul.
3. Thunder & Roses, "Dear Dream Maker"
Killer bluesy guitar work characterizes the album King of the Black Sunrise, which may have found its way onto the record players of the Dead Meadow dudes.
4. Ofo the Black Company, "Allah Wäkbarr"
Formed in 1972 by Larry Ifediorama in Lagos, this Nigerian band had minor acclaim in the UK through its fusion of Arabic, West African and psychedelic traditions.
5. The Deep, "Trip #76"
A mind-expanding phenomenon from '66, "Trip #76" gets weird without losing its sense of tunefulness.
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6. Quiet Hooves, "Feelin' Down"
This trippy little pop band out of Georgia has a strong regional following. Did you catch that Prince Rama show recently? Quiet Hooves bandleader created the projected video effects and visual flair for that deep psych band.
7. The Chambers Brothers, "Time Has Come Today"
Oh, the days when something like this was a radio hit! To be fair, though, it was the radio edit that more often found the airwaves back in '68; this here's the original 11-minute version.
