Who: A wildly prolific Japanese psych-rock outfit dating back to the mid-1990s, with more than 120 albums to its credit (really). Guitarist/vocalist Kawabata “Speed Guru” Makoto has been the lone continuous member, though keyboardist/guitarist Higashi “Noodle God” Hiroshi has been a mainstay since 1998. Rounding out the current lineup: guitarist Jyonson “Midnight Whistler” Tsu, bassist “Space & Time” Wolf and drummer Satoshima “Another Dimension” Nani.
Sound: Gloriously trippy and heavy on hypnotic repetition, with setlist staples like “Pink Lady Lemonade” and “Cometary Orbital Drive” often extending past the 20-minute mark in concert. The band’s uncondensed name—Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O.—matches the music perfectly.
Where to start: La Nòvia (2000) ranks highest on listener-voting site rateyourmusic.com, and with good reason; the 40-minute title track provides a window into the group’s spacey, guitar-forward attack, which alternates between intense and intensely calming.
Vegas legacy: AMT has played here twice, neither time in a traditional venue. October 23, 2002 saw the band invade then-local indie hub (slash coffee shop) Cafe Espresso Roma for a show great at frightening folks at the nearby Kinko’s. Then, on May 3, 2006, Makoto and his mates went further D.I.Y. still, performing inside a house where members of Flaspar (an experimental Vegas band of the era) resided. Can’t wait to see what Acid Mothers Temple can do playing on a proper stage through an honest-to-goodness sound system.
ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE With Yoo Doo Right. May 6, 8 p.m., $13-$15. Bunkhouse Saloon, 702-982-1764.
