The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

Predating most of the psychedelic rock bands to emerge from San Francisco in the mid ’60s, The 13th Floor Elevators were an acid-tinged garage rock from Austin, Texas led by singer Roky Erickson. Many consider them to be the first true psych rock band, considering the mind-expanding lyrics written by Tommy Hall, a chemical engineering and psychology student who claimed to have been a part of LSD experiments at the University of Texas. Hall also played the amplified jug, which sounded something like a strange, burbling synthesizer oscillator, giving the band a unique sound for their time. Sadly, the band’s story ends in tragedy as frontman Roky Erickson would eventually spend time in an insane asylum after getting arrested and charged with drug possession. The experience would leave him battling mental illness for the rest of his life.

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