Lost In Space, Scheduled & Questioned

As mentioned a week or so ago, the Lost In Space Fest is set to explode (er, implode?) this coming Saturday (Dec. 5th, for the calendarless), so it seems like some updating is in order.

First off, the schedule — the show starts at 6PM at Khon’s Bar (2808 Milam), and it’ll start up on the roof of the bar, moving downstairs to warmer digs around 10PM. Here’s the lineup, last I’ve heard:

And hey, apparently there’ll be hot dogs provided, courtesy of Ray’s Franks, about which I’ve heard many glowingly cool things.

Added bonus time: had a bit of a conversation with Lost In Space organizers Marcus Gausepohl & Meghan Hendley, who were kind enough to answer some annoying/clueless questions. Here goes:

SCR: So, why did you decide to put on this festival?
Marcus: Well, when Golden Cities was on tour, we played the Death By Audio space in Brooklyn, which was hosting part of the Northside Festival. There were around 12 bands, tons of PBR, hundreds of people, good press, projections, etc. It was definitely one of the better shows we played while on the road.

I basically wanted to do something like that here. Houston is so spread out that bands that have a lot in common have a hard time getting to know one another. I wanted to bring bands together and cross-pollinate their friends and fans, and have a good time in the process. Just through putting this together, I have met tons of great people wanting to either play or contribute in some way.

Why now?
Marcus: Because I hate hot weather; I cannot get inspired to do anything when it’s super hot outside.

Meghan: This is very true! We won’t have to worry about people getting heatstroke or something terrible like that. Also, December is historically slow, show-wise, and lacking in good entertainment, so why not have a festival?

What led to the idea to make it a psych/spacerock festival? Actually, is that the general idea, or is it broader than that?
Marcus: Well, it getting called a “psychedelic festival” was kind of an accident. I mean, the bands that are playing are all really different from each other. The idea was to have a day fest with psych/experimental artists from the area that were more band-oriented. Houston has a very rich noise/experimental sound/modern music scene, with organizations like Nameless Sound and Resonant Interval. So I wanted Lost In Space to kind of have its own vibe to it. It was a really broad idea that kind of took on a life of its own as it came together.

Meghan: We’ve created a monster! (laughs) No, really, I think that all the bands, although they may not be of the psychedelic genre specifically, have elements of that vibe. These bands have experimental tendencies, whether it be with colors, textures, sounds, or instrumentation. Many of these bands are doing special things here in town but are not as well-known by audiences.

I think the festival is really going to open the ears of the Houston community to sounds that they don’t hear week in and week out at the same venues. Many are hungry for new music, and organizations such as Nameless Sound and Resonant Interval, who offer weekly concerts, are pushing the boundaries of what an audience has grown to expect. Nameless Sound usually has concerts at Avant Garden Sunday nights, and now Resonant Interval is doing the same at Khon’s during Sound’s off season…and doing an awesome job! With this festival, we’re just throwing an audience into the swirling deep end of bands, let them tread those waters, and let them enjoy the wall of sounds.

How did you folks pick the acts for the fest? My Education, Weird Weeds, B L A C K I E — they’re all fairly different variants of the psych thing.
Marcus: Most of everyone I know from either playing/organizing shows or just being a fan of what they are doing. A few of them were bands I randomly discovered while putting the fest together, like Chairs — totally rad — or Defending the Kingdom — ex-Tana’ri! There are still a few people I am bummed about not playing, like Eat Grapes, but there’s always next festival.

How did the rooftop idea come into it? I definitely like the idea of spacerock under the stars…
Marcus: I recently started working at Khon’s, and they have been doing all kind of things on the roof and the space next door, theatre, shows, film, etc. So after getting to know everyone, it seemed kind of natural that it will take place on the roof.

Meghan: We kicked around different ideas for venues and were kind of getting frustrated with finding one location that could handle that amount of bands. We also wanted this festival to be unique in a way. Khon’s had been throwing some shows up on the roof, and they had been a success. We’re letting the stars illuminate the bands and keeping our promise of highlighting spacerock for the Space City.

In the interest of self-preservation, is there a backup location in case of bad weather? Or maybe space heaters? I hear it’s going to be cold this weekend, and I don’t want to freeze my ass off.
Marcus: Well, I don’t think the weather will be unbearable, but we are telling people to overdress to be safe. Late ’80s-era winter dress is totally acceptable for the evening. I myself am trying to dig up my Houston Oilers blue beanie to “keep it real.”

Meghan: Hey, it ain’t as cold as up north, right? We loathe the heat all year and always hope for a real winter. Well, Houston, we’ve got it now! At least, for a week or so before it goes back up to 102 degrees or something horrid like that. Speaking of ’80s, I may just have to pull out the electric blue tights for this one. I suggest people wear leg warmers, hand warmers, ear warmers, knee-high toe socks with flip flops, etc. We’ll have heated shelter for those who need to toasty themselves…

Marcus: Yeah, the fest is split into two areas, the roof and the bar. Downstairs we have DJs — Psychedelic Sex Panther and friends, Ray’s Franks hot dogs, hot tea, hot chocolate, beer specials, and wine. After 10 O’clock, the festival will be moving downstairs into the space next door. So we can warm up and keep it going.

Do you see the fest happening again? What’s the pre-reaction been like?
Meghan: We’ve had nothing but positive reactions to the event. Even when I passed out fliers for the event, say like at Block Party, people got really excited! I think the name alone and the concept hook people in…then when they take a closer look at the diversity of bands, they have a hunch that it will be something truly musically awesome.

Marcus: I defiantly would like to make it a yearly event. Everyone has been super-supportive. We will just have to see how things roll out. But everyone involved so far would like to make it happen again.

Where did the “Lost In Space” name come in? Aren’t you afraid Bill Mumy will show up and threaten to sue the crap out of everybody?
Marcus: I was sitting around with a few friends coming up with really bad names, and some one suggested we call it “Lost In Space.” We agreed it was the most ridiculous name we had come up with, and it would do just fine. Bill Mumy has more important things to do than worry about the name of my fest, but if he says anything, just let him know next year we will change it to “Stuck In Space” just for him.

On a different note, how’s Golden Cities going? Any plans for a second full-length?
Marcus: Golden Cities is going great, besides the fact that like every year we have holiday overload and can’t get in the practice space for a month. Other than that, we are 70% done with writing the new record. SXSW will be the next crazy.

Meghan, you’ve gone full-time with something new called Solanae, right? And Lost In Space will be your first gig in town?
Meghan: Yes, and what a better way to introduce the band! As far as my transition into Solanae, I owe a lot to Marcus and Golden Cities. I really learned a lot from playing with them, such as how I contribute to an ensemble in unique ways with my voice and my instrument.

Working with Jeff Price and Mike Blackshear from Tambersauro, along with James Diederich, has been great. We all have such diverse backgrounds, from Jeff and Mike with crazy math-rock to my background, which includes a classical music degree, but everything just clicks. Also, I think that Solanae has a lot of unusual colors and textures that are borrowed from psych/experimental music that we’ve incorporated into a more traditional verse/chorus/verse form. We enjoy the fact that we can jam out instrumentally, as well. Right now we’ve got three demos out, and our first album will be released early next year.