Some weeks, we go light and breezy. This is not that week. PICK26 is for the night owls, the heavy heads, and anyone who’s ever stood in front of a wall of amplifiers and felt completely at peace. We’re talking doom metal legends, a Mexico City dance party, junkyard psychedelia built from scrap metal, and desert noir cumbia that sounds like a mirage you can dance to. These are the artists we book when we want Pickathon to feel less like a festival and more like a ritual.
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Acid King
The Vibe: The Riff That Never Ends
Legends of the stoner/doom metal scene, Acid King plays music that feels like a slow-moving landslide. It’s heavy, psychedelic, and mesmerizingly loud. Frontwoman Lori S. crafts guitar tones that you don’t just hear; you feel them in your chest.
Why We Picked Them:
Pickathon has a secret love affair with heavy music. We booked Acid King because the festival needs to be shaken to its foundation. This is the set for the people who want to close their eyes and get lost in the sheer physical power of sound.
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Artist Bio
Mexican Institute of Sound
The Vibe: The Mexico City Dance Floor
Camilo Lara mixes vintage Mexican cumbia and mariachi samples with modern electronica and hip-hop beats. It’s a chaotic, joyful, high-energy collage of Mexico City’s past and future. Think LCD Soundsystem, but with accordions and political bite.
Why We Picked Them:
We need a party starter. We booked M.I.S. because they turn concerts into raves. It’s smart, subversive music that tricks you into dancing until you’re sweating.
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Artist Bio
El Khat
The Vibe: Junkyard Psychedelia
From Tel Aviv by way of Yemen, El Khat builds their own instruments out of trash and scrap metal to play traditional Yemeni folk melodies with a punk ethos. It sounds clanky, raw, and totally hypnotic.
Why We Picked Them:
This is the “Discovery” pick of the week. We love them because they sound like nothing else on earth. It’s a reminder that music can be made out of anything, as long as it has soul.
🎧 Listen on Spotify | Artist Bio
Terror/Cactus
The Vibe: Desert Noir
Born in Buenos Aires and based in Seattle, Terror/Cactus plays psychedelic cumbia that sounds like the soundtrack to a mystic western movie. It’s dubby, atmospheric, and full of reverb-drenched guitars.
Why We Picked Them:
We booked them for the vibe. They are the perfect late-night band—music that feels like a mirage shimmering in the heat.
