Psychedelic Rock in San Francisco

The Summer of Love may be over, but the music lives on. Discover the best Psychedelic Rock bands in San Francisco.

The Birth of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock, also sometimes called acid rock, is a type of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s. The style is characterized by distorted guitars, mind-altering lyrics, and trippy sound effects. The sound of psychedelic rock was inspired by the use of psychedelic drugs, such as LSD, and often sought to replicate the experience of an acid trip. San Francisco was the epicenter of the psychedelic rock scene, with bands like the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and the Santana leading the charge.

The Fillmore

By 1965, something new was stirring in the musical melting pot of San Francisco. The British Invasion had sparked a revolution in pop music, and America was ready to fight back. A new generation of bands began to experiment with longer, more complex compositions and a heavier sound. For some, this new sound was the perfect accompaniment to another revolution that was taking place – the counterculture movement of the 1960s.

The Fillmore was at the center of this musical revolution. Originally opened as a dancehall in 1912, the Fillmore soon became one of San Francisco’s premier live music venues. In the 1960s, it became known as “The Rock Mecca” for its showcasing of innovative new bands like The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Big Brother and the Holding Company.

The Fillmore’s owner, Bill Graham, was a key player in the development of psychedelic rock. A former bouncer and promoter, Graham had a keen eye for talent. He also had a strict code of conduct for his shows: no drugs, no violence, no sleeping on the floor. This code helped to create an atmosphere of safety and experimentation that allowed audiences and musicians alike to push boundaries and explore new sounds.

The impact of the Fillmore can be heard in the music of today. Many of the bands that got their start there went on to influence generations of musicians. The Fillmore remains an important part of San Francisco’s musical history and continues to be a venue for emerging artists

The Avalon Ballroom

The Avalon Ballroom was a nightclub in San Francisco, California, that was one of the centers of the psychedelic rock music scene in the 1960s. It was opened in 1966 by Chet Helms and Bill Fuller. The Avalon was one of the first clubs to feature light shows, which were operated by Fullerton. The venue featured some of the biggest bands of the era, including The Grateful Dead, The Jefferson Airplane, and The Doors.

The San Francisco Sound

Psychedelic rock, also called acid rock, is a style of rock music that was popularized in the San Francisco Bay Area during the mid-1960s. The sound of psychedelic rock is typically characterized by distorted guitars, mind-altering lyrics, and trippy sound effects. San Francisco was the epicenter of the psychedelic rock scene, and many of the most famous bands of the genre, including the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, got their start in the city.

The Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band is known for its long-term touring and for its devoted fan base, known as “Deadheads.” They were ranked 57th in Rolling Stone’s greatest artists of all time. Their music blended elements of folk, country, bluegrass, blues, and jazz, and is considered eclectic and sometimes difficult to categorize. They are credited with helping to shape the sound of psychedelic rock.

The Grateful Dead began their career as the house band at Ken Kesey’s Acid Tests—an early experiment in the use of the psychedelic drug LSD. Their first album, The Grateful Dead (1967), was recorded during these Acid Tests. Although the band remained tight-knit over the years, they had a number of lineup changes; their last change occurred in 1974 when keyboardist Ned Lagin left and was replaced by Brent Mydland. The last album they released while Garcia was alive was Built to Last (1989). Jerry Garcia died on August 9, 1995 from a heart attack; he was 53 years old.

Jefferson Airplane

Jefferson Airplane was a rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to achieve commercial success with their 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow. They were headliners at the three most famous American rock festivals of their time: Monterey (1967), Woodstock (1969) and Altamont (1969). Their music benefited from extended exposure on radio station KMET-FM and later with album-oriented rock stations.

The band members were:
-Grace Slick (vocals, keyboards)
-Marty Balin (vocals, guitar)
-Paul Kantner (guitar, vocals)
-Jorma Kaukonen (guitar)
-Jack Casady (bass)
-Spencer Dryden (drums).

The Santana

The band Santana was formed in San Francisco in the late 1960s, and they quickly became one of the leading bands of the psychedelic rock scene in the city. Their music combined elements of Latin American music with rock, jazz, and blues, and their live performances were legendary. Santana’s self-titled debut album was released in 1969 and included the hit single “Evil Ways.” The band’s follow-up album, Abraxas, was even more successful, reaching #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and spawning the hits “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Como Va.” Santana would go on to release a number of other successful albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, cementing their status as one of the most popular bands in rock history.

The Summer of Love

It was the summer of 1967, and San Francisco was the epicenter of a countercultural revolution. Drugs, music, and free love were in the air, and the psychedelic rock scene was flourishing. The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Big Brother and the Holding Company were just a few of the bands playing in the city’s clubs and concert halls. Every day felt like a party, and the music was the soundtrack to it all.

The Monterey Pop Festival

The Monterey Pop Festival was held in Monterey, California, on June 16 to 18, 1967. It was the first major concert featuring rock music and pop artists on the West Coast of the United States. The festival is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the history of rock music, helping to spread the popularity of the genre beyond its traditional boundaries. Performers at the festival included some of the most influential artists of the time, such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Otis Redding.

The Human Be-In

The Human Be-In was a gathering of 20,000 people at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on January 14, 1967. The Counterculture of the 1960s had already been underway for some time, but the Be-In helped to publicize it to a larger audience. The event was organized by poet and hipster impresario Alan Ginsberg, who envisioned it as a kind of anti-Inaugural Ball for President Lyndon Johnson.

At the Be-In, attendees were treated to a cornucopia of mind-expanding experiences, including live music from psychedelic rock bands like the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, as well as performances by poets and dancers. There was also an abundance of drugs available, and many people took advantage of the opportunity to sample LSD, marijuana, and other substances.

The Be-In was significant not only because it popularized the Counterculture among a wider audience, but also because it marked the beginning of San Francisco’s status as a center for psychedelic rock. In the months and years that followed, the city would become known as the Haight-Ashbury district, where hippies and bohemians congregated to pursue sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll.

The Legacy of Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock, also sometimes called acid rock, is a music genre that emerged in the mid-1960s. The sound of psychedelic rock is often characterized by distorted guitars, heavy use of feedback, and echoed vocals. Psychedelic rock bands often used light shows and psychedelic artwork in their live performances.

The San Francisco Sound Today

Psychedelic rock defined the San Francisco Sound both musically and culturally in the 1960s. The sound was developed by artists like the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Santana, and it eventually spread across the country. Psychedelic rock is characterized by its use of feedback, distorted guitars, and extended solos. The genre is also known for its experimentation with drugs, particularly LSD.

The San Francisco Sound was greatly influential in the development of other genres of rock music, particularly hard rock and punk rock. Many of the bands that defined those genres were inspired by the sounds coming out of San Francisco in the 1960s. Today, the city is still home to a vibrant music scene that includes many psychedelic rock bands. This article will explore some of the most popular psychedelic rock bands in San Francisco today.