Golden Dawn, and the MadCaPs

In the '60s, Golden Dawn was labelmate and stylistic soul mate to the 13th Floor Elevators -- in fact, Dawn leader George Kinney was Roky Erickson's classmate for many years. Both grew up in Austin and played together in a high school band called the Fugitives. When the International Artists...

By Jonathan Bond

May 13, 2004

Audio By Carbonatix

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In the '60s, Golden Dawn was labelmate and stylistic soul mate to the 13th Floor Elevators -- in fact, Dawn leader George Kinney was Roky Erickson's classmate for many years. Both grew up in Austin and played together in a high school band called the Fugitives. When the International Artists label signed 13th Floor, Erickson helped Golden Dawn get on the roster. Though musical (not personal) history has been kinder to Erickson and his music while Golden Dawn has been largely relegated to the dustbin of history, Golden Dawn's "A Power Plant" has been hailed by some fans of late '60s garage psychedelia as a masterpiece of the genre.

Long after both bands had disintegrated, Kinney and Erickson remained tied in more than musical ways. Kinney smuggled an Erickson-penned manuscript out of the hospital where Erickson was confined. The publication of the book Openers, financed by Kinney, helped get Erickson out of the loony bin.

Golden Dawn shares the bill with the MadCaPs, the mobile neo-garage funsters best known for playing guerrilla-style on First Fridays out of the back of a truck. For this show, they will forsake generator and truck bed for the stage at Emerald.

Jonathan Bond

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