Take the Brown Acid
“Brown Acid'' is a term that was coined at 1969 Woodstock to describe a particular concoction of acid circulating the grounds that was said to induce “nightmarish trips''. While there’s still controversy surrounding whether brown acid was actually more potent than acid– its widely distributed counterpart– an announcement was made to deter festival-goers from taking the Brown Acid. Since then, Brown acid has been cemented in music culture’s encyclopedia as an illusive illicit nightmare that disrupted the start of America's Comedown Era.
The late 1960s to the early 70s were pivotal years for music in the United States. The end of the 1960s was a decade marked by social and political upheaval with music playing a central role in the counterculture movement. The most significant event of the late 60s was the Woodstock festival which drew more than 400,000 people to a small town outside of New York City. This three-day event in 1969 featured eminent names such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, and Santana. These artists' sounds provided the ambience as festival goers indulged in drugs and embraced the ‘hippie’ lifestyle. Through the emerging counterculture movement and the rejection of traditional American dream ideals, new cultural forms and dynamic subcultures surfaced. Musical experimentation, progressiveness, and creative expression began to grow alongside/in adjacence with hard rock, heavy metal and funk genres. The popularity of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple defined the sounds of the new popular hard rock and heavy metal genre. Hidden beneath the peace and love of Woodstock, the drug escapades and popular music of the era, presents a captivating story of what lurked in the shadows: the story of the music that was being made by independent bands, wannabe rock stars, and bedroom-taught musicians.
At the time, music was difficult and expensive to distribute, having only existed in physical forms. Artists had to be seen as palatable or having money-making potential for their music to be invested in and promoted. This left experimental and raw sounds to be produced independently or in limited supply. While these copies contained more mistakes and pushed extended guitar solos, they were usually made on 45s (7 inch vinyl records) as demos to give to record executives or venue owners. With no label funding their work, limited equipment and weak industry connections, ‘making it’ was near impossible, nevermind trying to do that while remaining authentic to the music you wanted to make.
So what happened to those bands from the late 60s early 70s that didn't make the cut? Where did the demos go that were rejected and lost in the sands of time? Most ended up in private collections and dusty record bins, until 2015,when they began to be unearthed in the pursuit of the “Brown Acid Archives''.
The Brown Acid Archives is a set of fifteen compilation albums that showcase extremely rare, long-lost songs from the late 60s early 70s, compiled in Southern California by Lance Barresi and Daniel Hall from RidingEasy Records and Permanent Records. The underground hard rock/psychedelic rock/proto-punk/proto-metal tracks from over 100 independent bands from the era were hunted down by record collectors, dealer friends, personal digging and online research. With each edition titled “First Trip”, “Second Trip”, “Third Trip” and so on, these compilation albums expose modern audiences to the deep cuts of the time and give these forgotten bands a second chance at success. The production on most tracks are rough around the edges, boasting distorted guitar solos, fuzzy vocals, and overall hard-rock aggression like no other. Although, I admit that I’m not one of heavy rock's biggest fans, the Brown Acid Archives to me is much more than its sonic qualities. I connect with the story that Brown Acid tells, serving as a historical artifact with the ability to capture the essence of the unseen musicians of the Woodstock era.
The most notable feat of the Brown Acid Archives is their strict rule to fully license every track included. Lance Barresi would feature these ‘unknown’ songs in his weekly DJ gig at the Black Boar Pub in L.A. After his set, people would regularly ask for his tapes, continually turning them down because they were bootlegs. Nevertheless, the interest in his tapes, inspired the release of “The First Trip '' compilation, which was a massive hit. This prompted further Trips to be publicly released.
Lance and Daniel said licensing was the most trying task, but finally getting the bands the recognition they deserve is critical in their eyes. If you thought finding the demos, which were usually 1 of 1s, was hard, contacting band members almost 50 years later seems near impossible. In an interview, Lance says that while most bands he contacted had unique stories accredited to their lack of success, their beginnings were almost identical. They had big aspirations, formed a band, practiced, and finally got into a studio to record, only for their music to be rejected by labels. Finally getting these bands the recognition they deserve after all these years remains the primary goal of each Trip’s release.
In the words of Lance himself, it's music that “tossed out like last night's half empties, only to later be discovered to be half-full, if not overflowing with greatness.”
Flash forward to our current music sphere, more experimental and raw sounds can be discovered with ease on streaming platforms. Especially with Soundcloud and Bandcamp, a 5-hour hyperfolk set might just see the light of day. While contemporary musicians might not get the exposure they need to ‘make it’, their music is usually still accessible in digital formats. Therefore, the Brown Acid Archives bring the old into the new, showcasing music that if not for Lance and Daniel, would have never reappeared.
Following “The First Trip’s” success, further editions have been released every six months with no plans for slowing down the schedule. As a never ending acid bender is on the horizon with no sign of light, I suggest you sit back, relax, and take the Brown Acid.
Header by: Sam Andersen
