13th Floor Elevators

The 13th Floor Elevators emerged from Austin, Texas in 1965 as psychedelic rock's first true believers, wielding the genre's name and aesthetic before most bands understood what it meant. Fronted by Roky Erickson's primal howl and anchored by Tommy Hall's electric jug, an instrument that produced an eerie, oscillating drone, they recorded The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators in 1966. The album contained "You're Gonna Miss Me," a garage-rock landmark that fused raw energy with lysergic intent.

Their sound married British Invasion aggression to Texas blues grit, all filtered through Hall's quasi-mystical theories about consciousness expansion through music and chemicals. The follow-up, Easter Everywhere (1967), refined their vision with tracks like "Slip Inside This House," showcasing more ambitious arrangements and Erickson's increasingly unhinged vocal delivery.

Legal troubles and institutional persecution scattered the band by 1969. Erickson's subsequent psychiatric incarceration became emblematic of the era's darker trajectories. Their influence rippled through punk, psych-rock revivalists, and any band convinced music could alter perception itself.