Acid Mother’s Temple

Japanese psychedelic powerhouses Acid Mother’s Temple hit Plush once again on Sunday, March 21 for a set of roaring guitar shredding, spiritualist chants, spaced out synthesizer sounds and an all out explosively unique rock experience! If only it lasted a little longer.

Acid Mother’s Temple was formed in 1995 by the absolutely incendiary guitarist, Kawabata Makoto, who was known for his work in other Japanese psychedelic bands like Mainliner and Musica Transonic. His idea for Acid Mother’s was that they’d serve as “the ultimate trip music,” influenced by everything including Hawkwind, Karlheinz Stockhausen and German Krautrock.

The band, actually more a collective, has appeared under various names, musical styles and lineups. This night featured a lineup of four men giving the audience a selection of relatively standard rock fare. The band, Acid Mother’s Temple & the Melting Paraiso UFO, consisted of Kawabata on lead guitar, Tsuyama Atsushi on bass, vocals and occasional acoustic guitar, Higashi Hiroshi on synthesizer, guitar and chorus vocals, and Shimura Koji on drums.

The show got off to a mildly late start at about 9:55 pm with openers Over-Gain Optimal Death. The crowd was dead, but that didn’t stop the Pasadena, CA-bred psychedelic band from bringing their A-game to the table.

The set started with pounding low tuned riffs and high pitched screams reminiscent of bands like Burning Witch and Khanate, all coming into play with some absolutely crushingly rhythmic drumming. The few audience members who were there appeared to be into the sound. And just when I thought the band would continue on with this sort of Drone-metal sound for the rest of the set, they immediately kicked into their next track which proved an upbeat psychedelic-punk breakdown of sorts with freaky synthesized vocals and riffs played fast. There were definitely elements of Chrome and Hawkwind at play. Highly impressive were the very audible bass grooves that just blistered through your skull, all made more apparent by the fact the bass player was an absolutely gorgeous woman, hard to take your eyes off her. It was an inspired opening performance that certainly left me surprised and satisfied, and very excited for the headlining act.

Acid Mother’s came on at about 11 p.m., and I was disappointed to see that Plush’s crowd was still a bit thin. From the start, they were extremely loud, and I couldn’t help but notice some kids in the front pop in ear plugs like they were some kind of new fashion statement. Acid Mother’s Temple must be heard in all its volume and intensity to be truly appreciated, plus, ear plugs are a little lame.

The band started with a faster number, very rocking with Atsushi spewing indecipherable vocals in Japanese and Kawabata absolutely shredding his guitar. Instantly the sound pulled you in, even people on the street of 4th Avenue were noticeably turning their heads as they passed Plush on the left.

After the first ripping rock tune, Acid Mother’s erupted into a long and grooved out hallucinatory breakdown, complete with chanting and freaked out synth sounds; “Ultimate trip music,” indeed. They kicked into another more rocking track, with chants spewed through mountains of effects, sounding alien and familiar all at once. Atsushi then even broke out a trumpet, playing free jazz sounds that somehow meshed quite well with the music.

The show came to a tripped out end with a long and quiet space number that had my head so into the music I actually forgot to take notes losing myself in the sounds. There really is nothing like an Acid Mother’s show, the Japanese do psychedelic better than any group of people in the world, and this band is testament to that statement. The intensity built and built until all four members were roaring through their instruments, with the master of ceremonies Kawabata ripping through feedback induced guitar solos all while swinging his white axe through the air, playing it over his head and acting like some sort of gifted maniac. He is an inspiration to any serious player of the electric guitar, applying experimental and avant techniques to a rock sound. As the music came to its thunderous climax, it ended, and the band started packing up.

The band stopped playing at about 12:15 a.m., much shorter than they played at last year’s Plush show. Perhaps it had to do with the poor audience turn out. Nevertheless, I was hoping for an encore. In any case, Acid Mother’s are still one of my favorite bands to see live. They allow for so much improvisation and power that their most heard tracks still come off as unfamiliar and new. One of the most interesting and exciting bands I’ve had the chance to witness.