Year Two of Oblivion Access Festival Fills the Experimental Gap in Austin
How the music festival co-founders upkeep the mystique June 15-18
By Julian Towers, Fri., June 9, 2023
Oblivion Access is getting older, but the 15 years that separate fest founders and co-bookers Dusty Brooks, 37, and Dorian Domi, 22, stay the same.
"The gap works in our favor," Domi reflects over chips and dip at Pelons Tex-Mex. "Between us, the time we straddle, we have a sense for how scenes will grow and how they might recede. We're able to predict what things will get popular and whether they'll stay that way."
That's one explanation for the zeitgeist-popping success of last year's inaugural Oblivion Access, following three iterations under the name Austin Terror Fest. Despite Domi and Brooks' fears, the lineup they secured (and fought to hold on to) proved strong enough to stay fresh through two years of COVID-19 delays. Not only did the four-day extravaganza more than honor ticketholder expectations – it earned a national reputation for the duo. Trained on the art-damaged intersection between extreme metal, hushed ambient, and unclassifiable experimentalism, the festival had filled a gap of its own, one heretofore untapped.
Oblivion Access 2.0 runs June 15 through 18, spread across returning venues Empire Control Room & Garage, Mohawk, Elysium, Valhalla, and Central Presbyterian Church, as well as the new additions of Chess Club, the 13th Floor, and Club Eternal. Of the 23 shows that comprise the lineup, the duo highlights three showcases co-presented with record label the Flenser as especially simpatico with their aims.
"In terms of the crossover between what we're reaching for artistically while holding on to our heavy metal roots, the Flenser are absolutely our compatriots in blurring those genre lines," enthuses Brooks, who also partners with Death of Affect, Dais Records, and DEATHBYSHEEP.
Beyond Flenser's hotly hyped OKC sludge metallers Chat Pile – a band who Brooks says fits the 2023 bill's "mold" in "gaining traction during COVID and only now being ready to play shows" – the San Francisco label unites acts with a cult-friendly veil of obscurity. Be it bands who rarely tour, refuse to tour, or whose members are straight-up anonymous, each of the Flenser shows are rare, irreplaceable events. Chief in mystique are headliners: the gloom-ridden shoegazers Have a Nice Life, whose bandleader Dan Barrett will also be performing in the guise of his folk alter ego Giles Corey.
According to Domi, returning headliner Lil Ugly Mane had the idea to book Goth Boi Clique. The emo-rap collective serves alongside clipping. as the fest's significant hip-hop content.
Scanning past baby-soft headliners like slowcore group Duster and ambient godhead Tim Hecker, you might start to wonder where most of the traditional metal went. As an answer, Brooks sheepishly points to the dueling Hellfest's massive June lineup in Clisson, France.
"But it did give us an opportunity to really tap in and step back," Brooks says. "What's metal anyway?"
Though on the bleeding avant edge of the genre, industrial metal innovators Godflesh certainly qualify. Likewise formative drone metal icons Earth. Though the 30-year-old band now plays a less aggressive style of post-rock, at the special request of Domi and Brooks they'll be wielding a quadraphonic sound setup and three guitarists to re-create their 1993 infinite-riff opus Earth 2. Rumor has it Godflesh's Justin Broadrick might appear as a special guest.
"There are amazing headliners that kinda happen by accident, like Faust," Domi says, referring to the presence of the 50-year-strong krautrock legends. "And then there are artists we try for every year. Have a Nice Life was one of those bands, same with Godflesh. And it's finally happening."
"It never hurts to ask," Brooks adds, gesturing to his younger partner. "That's kind of another special thing between us. Like, what's the worst that could happen? You're gonna say no? OK."
With weekend passes sold out, tickets to individual showcases are available at oblivionaccessfestival.com/tickets. Prices range from around $25 to $85. Find our recommended showcases to see at Oblivion Access here.
* Editor's note Thursday, June 8, 1:42pm: A previous version of this story stated that Lil Ugly Mane’s performance at Oblivion Access had been cancelled due to recent changes to the artist’s tour schedule. This was incorrect. The festival has confirmed that Lil Ugly Mane will still perform in Austin as scheduled.
