Amid an East Coast jaunt, Los Angeles’ Levitation Room made a stop in Rochester on Sunday, September 14. Taking the stage at Bug Jar, famous not only for hosting some of the best eclectic rock shows in the area, but also for it’s unique decor, including a fully-furnished apartment hanging upside down from the ceiling.
LA’s Levitation Room playing Rochester’s original levitated room. As if the appropriate naming was enough, the bands grooving psychedelia also perfectly matched the signature colorful wavy walls. The venue the band was meant to play.
The show opened with the slinky instrumental “Pintura,” with singer and guitarist Julian Porte laying down an infections and repetitive lick. A wild “whoop” launched lead guitarist Gabriel Fernandez into a furious solo on his 12-string, and the night was afoot.
Kevin Perez was consistently driving the action with delicious bass playing. On “Cool It, Baby” he locked in with drummer Johnathan Martin before closing it out with some badass blasts. The two took control once again in “Pass It On” with glorious results, allowing Porte to coax soaring wails from his guitar.
Each song was a tight package. Little spaces were carved out for mini rock outs. Like a sampler platter, never lingering too much for a full meal, just enough to whet the appetite and then it was on to try something new.
Speaking of new, they worked some fresh tunes into their short set, including one that had only been played once before. The as-yet-named song impressively proved to be a set highlight. A little New Orleans funk influence laid the groundwork but eventually broke down to a quiet spoken word section. The band’s energy built back to full force behind Porte’s strengthening voice, A psychedelic watery guitar tone led another quick pocket jam.
They gave themselves a bit more space to stretch out in the set-closing “Revelations,” which teetered from spacey grooves to high energy rock. Martin’s drums took flight through a dense cloud of syncopated guitar and bass. Levitating the audience to that room up above one last time before finishing off Sunday night in style.
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