There's a potent psychedelic rock scene making its way through Toronto's musical underground, with an ever-growing community of bands making names for themselves throughout the city and beyond. Many of these bands will be making their way to rural Ontario later this month for the Crystal Lake Festival.
Taking place at the Frontier Ghost Town campgrounds in West Grey Township, ON from July 27 to 28, Crystal Lake promises to be an intimate and exciting entry to Canada's vast selection of music festivals, and its lineup only adds to the hype. Boasting headliners in twangy Canadian lifers the Sadies and L.A.-based psych rockers Spindrift, the undercard is a veritable who's who of emerging Canadian psych, scooping up a strong crop of young acts whose profiles are on the rise.
Here are five acts that definitely shouldn't be missed at Crystal Lake.
Bad Waitress
There's sure to be plenty of psychedelic bliss at Crystal Lake, but those looking for something a little more urgent need look no further than Bad Waitress. Powering through noisy and raucous punk rock, their high-octane tracks contain an undeniable furious edge, opting for sheer disruption over clean-cut statements. Get ready to mosh.
Brenda
Doused in reverb and falsetto, Brenda deliver a hazy take on garage rock with plenty of sludgy riffs. Channelling Ty Segall's freneticism with Black Sabbath's riffage, Brenda's sound is enormous, but their hooks peek ever so slightly through all the noise.
Kaleidoscope Horse
Kaleidoscope Horse's (not so) secret weapon is their dreamy harmonies, which help guide their lengthy tracks through winding song structures. Though firmly rooted in the realm of psych rock, there's a slight dream pop edge to their tracks.
Possum
Sure, Possum can rock out like the best of them, but they have a potent glam edge that keeps their music ever-shifting and engaging, and their live shows full of fun. Their music is just as theatrical, never hesitating to change on a dime through psych, glam, garage rock and more.
The Fuzzy Undertones
Coming in all the way from Montreal, the retro-rockin' Fuzzy Undertones bring Doors-esque keyboards, jangly riffs and good vibes to each and every song and set. The troupe also spread the good vibes off the stage: They run community-oriented label Fishbum Records, whose mixtapes feature plenty of songs from other Crystal Lake performers.
Check out a trailer for this year's festivities below.
Taking place at the Frontier Ghost Town campgrounds in West Grey Township, ON from July 27 to 28, Crystal Lake promises to be an intimate and exciting entry to Canada's vast selection of music festivals, and its lineup only adds to the hype. Boasting headliners in twangy Canadian lifers the Sadies and L.A.-based psych rockers Spindrift, the undercard is a veritable who's who of emerging Canadian psych, scooping up a strong crop of young acts whose profiles are on the rise.
Here are five acts that definitely shouldn't be missed at Crystal Lake.
Bad Waitress
There's sure to be plenty of psychedelic bliss at Crystal Lake, but those looking for something a little more urgent need look no further than Bad Waitress. Powering through noisy and raucous punk rock, their high-octane tracks contain an undeniable furious edge, opting for sheer disruption over clean-cut statements. Get ready to mosh.
Brenda
Doused in reverb and falsetto, Brenda deliver a hazy take on garage rock with plenty of sludgy riffs. Channelling Ty Segall's freneticism with Black Sabbath's riffage, Brenda's sound is enormous, but their hooks peek ever so slightly through all the noise.
Kaleidoscope Horse
Kaleidoscope Horse's (not so) secret weapon is their dreamy harmonies, which help guide their lengthy tracks through winding song structures. Though firmly rooted in the realm of psych rock, there's a slight dream pop edge to their tracks.
Possum
Sure, Possum can rock out like the best of them, but they have a potent glam edge that keeps their music ever-shifting and engaging, and their live shows full of fun. Their music is just as theatrical, never hesitating to change on a dime through psych, glam, garage rock and more.
The Fuzzy Undertones
Coming in all the way from Montreal, the retro-rockin' Fuzzy Undertones bring Doors-esque keyboards, jangly riffs and good vibes to each and every song and set. The troupe also spread the good vibes off the stage: They run community-oriented label Fishbum Records, whose mixtapes feature plenty of songs from other Crystal Lake performers.
Check out a trailer for this year's festivities below.