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<\/p>\nFounded more than 20 years ago in San Francisco, LSD and the Search for God have cultivated a following organically; almost by accident, in fact. They\u2019ve carefully curated their engaging psychedelic-meets-shoegaze sound through live performances and a remarkably slim volume of releases.<\/p>\n
When Andy Liszt launched LSD and the Search for God with fellow guitarist Chris Fifield, the band\u2019s vision was straightforward, he says: \u201cLet\u2019s put these songs together and do this.\u201d As quickly as their second gathering, things clicked.\u201dSomething special was happening,\u201d Liszt says. \u201cIt felt really magical, and it was really fun to play.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Inspired both by the swirling psychedelia of late \u201860s rock and by that style\u2019s distant relative of \u201890s shoegaze, the group developed a set of original material and began playing in and around the Bay Area. The band\u2019s lineup would remain fluid for many years, with members coming and going; some 17 musicians have counted themselves as members at one time or another.<\/p>\n
Some have even left and returned. \u201cThere was a short time when Chris was not doing shows,\u201d Liszt says, but at present both guitarists and ethereal vocalist Scarlet Levinson form the core of the group. \u201cWe\u2019ve had wonderful band members who are great musicians,\u201d he says, \u201cbut the band right now is as on-point as any [lineup] we\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shoegaze \u2013 the melodic yet droning, wall-of-sound rock style characterized by heavy distortion, extreme volume and vocals that melt into the mix \u2013 enjoyed its heyday in the first half of the 1990s, primarily in the UK with bands like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. The style fell out of favor as grunge became popular. Some of its leading lights broke up, lost their record deals or changed their musical approach to explore other horizons. But the story wasn\u2019t over.<\/p>\n
Liszt observes that shoegaze has once again taken hold with a younger set of fans over the last four or five years. \u201cI think Covid, TikTok and Reddit played a big role in that,\u201d he says. \u201cThink about it: being an 18-year-old, all you want to do is not be around your parents. You want to be with your friends, see new [live] music, try new things. And all of a sudden, the whole world is shut down, and where are you? At home with your parents. There\u2019s no music to go to. Your graduations are canceled. You can\u2019t go on dates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Faced with limited options, many turned to their computers and the Internet. \u201cThey found their own way of creating meaning in their lives,\u201d Liszt says. \u201cThey went deep, and [shoegaze] really seemed to speak to a lot of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the original wave of bands in the style had long since come and gone. Their back catalogs were certainly available for listening, but when it came to current shoegaze bands, LSD and the Search for God was one that stood out. By that point the group had been together for many years, and had already released both of its records, a self-titled 2007 EP and 2016\u2019s Heaven is a Place<\/i>.<\/p>\n
When it was safe to gather en masse<\/i> again, LSD and the Search for God \u2013 which had been forced to cancel a European tour twice because of the pandemic \u2013 returned to the live scene. \u201cBut even at the beginning,\u201d Liszt says, \u201cpeople were expressing how interested they were in the band, how much our music meant to them and how it spoke to them.\u201d He says that that level of intensity among fans hasn\u2019t changed over the years. \u201cWhat has<\/i> changed,\u201d he says, \u201cis its scale. And we\u2019re thrilled about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liszt marvels at resurgent appeal of shoegaze, emphasizing that it\u2019s a movement larger than his group\u2019s fanbase. He cites the example of Panchiko, a like-minded band from Nottingham, England that caught on via chatter on Reddit. \u201cThey had pressed up something like 20 CDs, got one song on a compilation, and that was it.,\u201d he explains. Fans online somehow discovered the album, and it blew up. \u201cSuddenly they were playing a 300 capacity venue, then a 500 cap.\u201d By the time Panchiko shared a bill with Liszt\u2019s band at the Warfield in 2023, they could fill a 2000-capacity venue.<\/p>\n
Andy Liszt concedes that the kind of music his band makes can be an acquired taste. \u201cWe\u2019re not trying to be McDonald\u2019s,\u201d he says. \u201cFor someone who hasn\u2019t been introduced to this style of music, it\u2019s new; it doesn\u2019t make sense in someone\u2019s schema right away. There are layers to it that unfold and become available [to the listener] over time.\u201d Liszt also believes there\u2019s plenty left to say within his chosen musical idiom. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting to see what other influences have been brought into a genre that\u2019s 50 years old,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd it will continue.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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