The roots of the Milwaukee Psych Fest can be traced back to 2012, when Cactus Club owner Eric Uecke asked Andrew Shelp, a founding member of the experimental psychedelic rock band Moss Folk, to put together a psych rock show in tribute to the stoner holiday of 4/20. “It was a fun show, nothing extraordinary,” explains Shelp. “But it made me realize that there might actually be an audience in this city for the new psych resurgence that had been going on around the rest of the world for a handful of years.” The following year, Milwaukee Psych Fest was born.
Since 2013, the multi-day festival has quickly become a can’t-miss event in Milwaukee. Importantly, Shelp—who continues to serve as curator of the fest—is guided by a very inclusive understanding of what constitutes psych rock. To Shelp, that includes “sonically trippy” acts like Feck (playing a rare reunion show at this year’s fest), “acid punks” such as Drugs Dragons and such “technically sound musicians and songwriters” as Space Raft. And what binds such disparate acts together? “There is,” notes Shelp, “a level of transcendentalism within their music.”
Another characteristic that such bands share is that they are all from Milwaukee. The fest now books acts from such international locations as Santiago, Chile (The Holydrug Couple) and Mexico City (Has A Shadow), along with groups from across the United States. Yet, as Shelp stresses, “The local scene is always well represented.” Such representation is yet another sign of the vitality of Milwaukee’s underground music scene. Perhaps more importantly, the fest has become a way for such local acts to make connections with bands from around the world, allowing them to tap such resources when they go out on tour. It is, Shelp concludes, “DIY culture at its finest.”
And Shelp has done a wonderful job of bringing to Milwaukee the best this culture has to offer. When asked what bands he is most excited to see at this year’s fest, Shelp’s initial response is “The Feck reunion, for sure!” Shelp is also looking forward to the aforementioned The Holydrug Couple and Has A Shadow, along with such other acts as Jovontaes (from Kentucky), Holy Wave (Austin, Texas), L.A. WITCH (Los Angeles) and The Paperhead (Nashville, Tenn.). Other notable bands to check out include Retribution Gospel Choir (Deluth, Minn.) and Atlanta’s Naan Violence, the latter of which features an actual sitar player.
Looking towards the next incarnation of the fest, Shelp would love to stage the event outdoors and open up the festivities to all ages. Shelp would also like to increase the number of vendors at the festival, moving from the handful that will be present this year to what he hopes will be “a hundred of them next year, selling everything from jewelry to shirts to poster art to records to food and whatever! Local political kiosks! Sustainability kiosks!” Based upon his enthusiasm—and the ways that the festival has already grown during its short existence—there is little doubt that Shelp has the energy to make such a vision a reality.
“I started off just wanting to book bands that I liked because nobody else in town was bringing them through,” concludes Shelp. “And now it’s an international, recognized festival.” That is the power of DIY on full display. Yet such an evolution doesn’t just happen; in this case, the event’s astonishing growth rate is testament to the hard work that Shelp has put into organizing the fest. Here’s to many more years.
The Milwaukee Psych Fest runs May 14-17 at the Cactus Club, 2496 S. Wentworth Ave. For the complete lineup and advance tickets, visit facebook.com/milwaukeepsychfest.
