*photo by John Keel

MOGO Fest wouldn't be a definitive Portland faction without a little bit of psychy garage. Veronica Booking is handing this arena for the festival, with one of her bills being one of our picks for today's festivities. 

On tonight's bill at Dante's, the self proclaimed dancey "trash jewel" output of '60s throwback band The Pynnacles headlines this night of psychedelic pleasantry. This is also somewhat of a "welcome back" show for progressive stoner rock group Cambrian Explosion, who have been on the road for much of February. Rounding out this nod of a classic night is some space rock from LiquidLight, who came out on top in our Best of 2015 readers' poll. 

Dante's is sure to transform into a land of trippy lights, so come prepared to be immersed in impressive soundscapes and colorful visuals. Music starts at 9pm, with tickets running $10.

Big news for all you paisley-wearing, ‘60s-loving, long-locked garage-psych fanatics: now you don’t have to travel all the way to Austin, Texas for the psych festival of your dreams. Introducing, A Beautiful Thing: Portland Happening and Psych Fest, including The Sellwoods, The Verner Pantons, The Mirrors, The Dandelyons, and The Pynnacles--the best plural noun pop acts this grand city has to offer. All right, so the Portland rendition of Psych Fest is technically not curated by The Black Angels and doesn’t feature an international spectrum of psychedelic rock bands, but the the festival that we know and drool over each year started from the same humble beginnings.

The magic is happening August 9, 9pm at The Analog Cafe & DRD Records Theater (720 SE Hawthorne). Starting the night off will be The Sellwoods, the distinctly more punk-inclined band of the lineup, who will drop fuzz bombs into your ear canals with their snotty garage rippers. Later on, The Dandelyons will melt away your woes with their beachy flower-pop. Each tune begs for your feet to do the Twist and your hands to clap to the beat. At the end of the night, The Pynnacles will induce a 13th Floor Elevators-laced trip with psychedelic keyboard textures, reverb-smothered guitar, and frontman Sean Croghan’s hoarse soulful vocals.

Come be a part of this Beautiful Thing and it may end up Happening again.

- Bryce Woodcock

Photo of The Pynnacles by John Keel

There isn’t a band in Portland as keen to the grooving psychedelia of the late ‘60s as The Pynnacles. The Pynnacles take influence from garage rock’s glory days and inject it with a modern energy as driving as any punk group, resulting in an explosive live show that can get any crowd on their feet. This explosive spirit is captured in dynamic clarity on their debut album, which is being released this Saturday night at the Tonic Lounge. From the first track the album pulls the listener in with it’s lively rhythms and contagious vocal hooks that set the stage for the electrifying sounds that follow. Guitars wail, organs pulse and drums fly as the album moves through it’s vintage styles and psychedelic tones, leaving the listener wanting more after the final note of “The Open Road” is struck. Be at the Tonic on Saturday night celebrate the release with The Pynnacles, The No Tomorrow Boys and The Verner Pantons and pick up a copy of the new album while you’re there. You don’t want to miss this one. - Benjamin Toledo