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Lineup announced for Deep Heaven Now 8; Ambient/psych festival returns to Somerville

Back in April we weren’t sure if Deep Heaven Now was nearing its end. Organizer Jinsen Liu of 28 Degrees Taurus was non-committal about its future, and the two-day event in Somerville had a slight air of finality about it. Seven months later, Deep Heaven Now reverberates once more for it’s 8th event since August 2010, when Liu resurrected the ’90s ambient and psych festival that made him fall in love with Boston.

“the beacons are lit all across the country. we’re just doing our small part to have a place where our local bands can come to and have a sense of belonging somewhere,” Liu wrote on the DHN8 Facebook page. “and regardless… you belong.”

Deep Heaven Now 8 goes down October 19 and 20 at Precinct and PAs Lounge in Somerville’s Union Square, and features its usual mix of out-of-towners and Boston bands. On the home team are Guillermo Sexo (fresh off their intense Fuzzstival performance), Moontowers, Sleep Studies, Bedroom Eyes, and Vanya Records’ own Confessions; Ghost Modern and Underwater Bear Ballet, who just played matinée sets at the recent Fuzzstival, are also on the bill.

Liu says there’s more fresh blood on this year’s lineup than ever before, and he likes what’s happening among newer bands in the city’s psych scene.

“I took care to feature as many new kids coming up as I could,” Liu notes. “Doing our small part for a place where the like-minded can call a home and for the like-minded elsewhere to come to as well. There’s a good batch of new kids coming up and that’s a big aspect of it for me. I wouldn’t be doing this if it were continually all the same people. Boston is lucky in that it has a mega deep talent pool. It keeps some of the scene slightly less fractured.”

He adds: “At this point I am very comfortable with it being the scene that celebrates itself. We’re keeping our own flock together. And with as many different ideas and divisions in culture and music these days that’s the best one can hope for sometimes.”

Of course, DHN is also known for showcasing out-of-town bands of similar style and sound to the ones above. Joining us from places elsewhere are DHN favorites Is/Is (Minnesota), Brief Candles (Wisconsin), and a trio of New York acts, the Stargazer Lillies, Heaven, and Dead Leaf Echo.

$10 each day gets you into both venues. Here’s the lineup breakdown, with tunes from the visiting bands down below:


Day 1: Saturday October 19
stage 1: – Precinct__________________Stage 2 – PA’s Lounge

12am – 28 degrees taurus_____________11:30pm – Sleep Studies
11pm – Is/Is (MN)____________________10:30pm – The Stargazer Lilies (NY)
10pm – Bedroom Eyes__________________9:30pm – MOONTOWERS
9pm – Ghost Modern_ _________________8:30pm – Brief Candles(WI)
8pm – The Light Machine______________7:30pm – Future Days
7pm – Goodbye Space__________________6:30pm – Steep Leans
6pm – Concord Ballet Orchestra Players
5pm – This Scarlet Mourning

Day 1: Sunday October 20
stage 1: – Precinct__________________Stage 2 – PA’s Lounge

12pm – Confessions___________________11:30pm – Guillermo Sexo
11pm – Heaven (NY)___________________10:30pm – Dead Leaf Echo (NY)
10pm – The Modern Voice______________9:30pm – Bobb Trimble & the Flying Spiders
9pm – Beauchene Skulls_______________8:30pm – Underwater Bear Ballet
8pm – Loomere
7pm – Connector