Credit: Naam Facebook page

By Gerrit Carstensen

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I entered Double Happiness bar for the first time last Friday (July 12). A loosely oriental-themed bar did not seem like the environment I would have expected to see a group of powerful and moody psychedelic rock bands. However, the bar was inviting and well-designed, a small but functional stage and floor held down one end of the structure; the bar and kitchen at the opposite end. The first band to play that night was the vintage blues trip-rock trio, Main Street Gospel. The band played at this year’s SXSW (South by Southwest) festival. The group played dusty, fuzzy grooves; bass covers the low end with grace and poise, the guitar added to the rhythm or whined over-top the groove. The drummer kept a steady and diverse beat, driving the changes in song dynamics. Main Street Gospel is a solid and practiced act out of Columbus and are a must-see for fans of classic rock, with a psychedelic influence or not.

Next up was one of my favorite local bands and Columbus psychedelic rock mainstays, Brujas Del Sol. The group writes droning, and swirling ambient songs, sometimes quiet and melodic, or heavy and distorted. The group writes dynamic songs that have the capacity to swallow you in the jagged and sundry soundscapes they create. The group describes their sound as “cosmic rock” and that description couldn’t be more fitting. Closing your eyes during a performance of theirs can send you far from the earth, no drugs needed. I highly recommend this band to everyone.

The last group of the night; a heavy psych-rock outfit from Brooklyn, New York City, named NAAM filled Double Happiness with its moody and syncopated music. NAAM is signed to Tee Pee records and has spent much time touring in the U.S. and abroad. They have two full length albums, a LP of Nirvana covers and an EP under their belt. The sound is loud and rowdy, or atmospheric and epic. The band possessed the ability to shift moods quickly making for a dynamic and energetic performance. The members of the band surely know how to put on a show, even on such a confining stage, they jumped about wring noise out of the guitars and keys while the drums and bass played as loud and hard as they could; shaking the entire bar. NAAM is a modern marvel of the psychedelic circuit, grinding soundscapes and driving riffs combined into an explosive experience.