The Third Mind Announce First U.S. Tour

The Third Mind, the improvisational music collective dedicated to experimenting with new, unorthodox, and unrehearsed sounds while paying tribute to groundbreaking artists like Michael Bloomfield and Fred Neil, announce their first U.S. tour in support of their recently released critically acclaimed sophomore album, The Third Mind 2.  

The “Californian Psychedelic Rockers” (Doom Charts) will kick off the 10-date West Coast run January 11 in Portland, OR, at Mississippi Studios with the first leg of their first U.S. tour culminating at the Ventura Music Hall in Ventura, CA on February 3. Rain Parade, one of the foundational bands in LA's Paisley Underground scene, will open the West Coast run. A complete list of dates is below.    

Featured in festival previews as a must-see from the San Francisco Chronicle to CBS News, The Third Mind made their live debut performance at the 2023 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in San Francisco's legendary Golden Gate Park. Combining folk-rock, blues, jazz, post-punk, and freeform psychedelia with dark, moody yet hopeful and beautiful sonic landscapes, the “neo-psychedelic” (Press Democrat) band used their decades of experience as bandleaders and side-persons, playing both traditional and non-traditional music to mesmerize a crowd estimated at 4,000.   

Created, produced, and directed by Victor Krummenacher, today, the band shared the official video for “Sally Go Round The Roses,” which incorporates footage from the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass live performance debut. Of the video, Dave Alvin notes, “I love how Jesse's vocal captures the plaintive, heart wrenching warnings of the lyrics while the band's performance captures the collage of wild emotions hidden in those simple yet powerful lyrics.” Added Mark Karan (Rat Dog), "When we hit the stage live at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, I felt like I'd come home.  I'm excited to be playing in The Third Mind's live/touring line-up.”   

The brainchild of GRAMMY award-winning guitarist Dave Alvin and veteran alternative music bassist Victor Krummenacher (Camper Van Beethoven, Monks of Doom, Eyelids), The Third Mind's recordings also feature guitarist David Immerglück (Counting Crows, Monks of Doom, Camper Van Beethoven), drummer Michael Jerome (Richard Thompson, Better Than Ezra, John Cale) and vocalist Jesse Sykes from her critically acclaimed group, Jesse Sykes and The Sweeter Hereafter. The Third Mind will present their live psychedelic improv debut performances with the addition of guest guitarist Mark Karan (Bob Weir's Ratdog, Phil Lesh, Delaney Bramlett).   

The six-song set, which runs the length of three LP sides, features an original composition, “Tall Grass,” written by Jesse Sykes and Dave Alvin for the album, along with other material that reflects the band members varied musical histories from a storied time, including, "Groovin' is Easy," "Why Not Your Baby,” "Sally Go Round The Roses," among others.

With a “no safety parachute” recording approach, the band used free-form studio techniques inspired by Miles Davis and showcased on their debut with no rehearsals, preconceived arrangements, and recording spontaneous group improvisations live in the studio.    Glide Magazine, which premiered its second single, “Groovin Is Easy” video, hailed “The Third Mind's take on this classic song is a mind-altering onslaught of psychedelic-tinged guitars with sweeping vocals that add an extra layer of beauty to this example of poetry in motion.”

Prior to release, the band shared “Sally Go Round The Roses” and “Tall Grass,” the first single and video. Of the “Tall Grass,” Jesse Sykes says, “‘Tall Grass' sets out to celebrate the spirit or psyche of place, where the external and internal worlds meet. It's a midnight serenade, a love song, and a bit of a eulogy to the land itself.”  

The album was produced by The Third Mind and recorded by Will Golden at Sir Tiger Studio in Los Angeles, CA, mixed by Craig Parker Adams at Winslow Court Studios in Los Angeles, and mastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering. The fourth LP side features The Third Mind Mandala etching by Tony Fitzpatrick with artwork by Lou Beach.

The Third Mind: On Tour

January 11 – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR*
January 12 – The Crocodile Showroom – Seattle, WA*
January 13 – WOW Hall – Eugene, OR*
January 18 – Mystic Theatre – Petaluma, CA*
January 19 – Moe's Alley – Santa Cruz, CA*
January 20 – The Chapel – San Francisco, CA*
January 31 – Belly Up Tavern – Solana Beach, CA
February 1 – Pappy & Harriet's – Pioneertown, CA*
February 2 – Troubadour – West Hollywood, CA*
February 3 – Ventura Music Hall – Ventura, CA*   *w/Rain Parade  

photo credit: Leslie Campbell Photography

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