The first weekend of October, I had the chance to travel a half hour north of my home to experience an oft overlooked event in Galena, Ohio. Midwest Psych Fest is a celebration of all things psychedelic art (though many music genres were represented).

The festival is on the Ahlteen family farm, also known as Troubadour Farm. It’s been a passion project of Benjamin Ahlteen, someone I initially got to know over a decade ago as a member of the psychedelic three piece DOMES. Attending Midwest Psych Fest was as much a homage to my early days of being a music blogger as it was an exploration of a “vibes for days” immersive event.

I’ve never been one to engage in substances. I’ve never liked the way being intoxicated makes me feel, and I value control over my own body. But transcendent intangible feelings are something I chase. It’s why I’m so drawn to music. Since my hearing is impaired, those intangibles are heightened for me. So, when I find a novel intangible feeling, it’s quite a high. I’m ever seeking that next novelty.

Midwest Psych Fest had both novel and nostalgia factors at play for me. Walking in, I was welcomed at the ticket counter by Julie Palmer, perhaps better known as her experimental music alter-ego Zillakito. She won a T-Shirt for our affiliate music blog Tuned Up at the 2023 edition of Steadfast Fest. After a friendly chat, I took some time to explore the grounds and promptly ran into Zeppelin Schindorf of Hightop Hangover – coincidentally another friendly face from Steadfast Fest 2023 (he was a performer). I mention this to make note of the sense of community that transcended the art present at the event.

The layout of the festival was compact and yet there was a lot to digest. The first thing you encountered was the vendor area. Sometimes, I think vendors can be an afterthought to the music; things to take up space. Not so, here. Zeppelin’s partner Indy sold me a lovely orange beanie that I gifted to my wife for her birthday (she’s pretty cute in it, if I say so myself).

The main performance area had two stages side by side, each with their own whimsical decor. The stages themselves felt like art exhibits. They had the air of being in someone’s living room. A very odd, sometimes unpolished, fever dream sort of living room. But the homey vibes were there indeed. As the night would go on, an old school overhead projector would be used to project light effects from dyed oils in a glass bowl onto the landscape. Do I need to mention that the atmosphere was laidback? It almost seems as if that should go without saying.

My favorite area was the basement of a barn that hosted more electronic leaning artists. A drone/ambient music duo, whose music you can find at this link (https://ashochious1.bandcamp.com/), was performing by manipulating cassette tapes and violin. The walls and ceiling were lined with programmed LED lights. The basement had clearly been used as a combination workshop and hangout space. I noticed things like the cluttered counter and microwave behind a bar/kitchen space haphazardly separated from the main spectator area. It gave a surreal feeling. Listening to these two gentlemen do their thing was like being in the Upside Down of Stranger Things. I was content to sit on one of the barstools and just space out for a bit.

Just outside the barn was another surreal area. A tent with two inflatable eyeballs. A tree with TVs seemingly growing out of it. And people manipulating the light to both. I could have sat in the bushes nearby off to myself and completely zoned out and no one would have questioned it. And, as if to bring the festival patron back to earth, there was a little bonfire running in the space where all of these aforementioned areas seemed to come together.

As I left to go home I noticed one last detail. The parking lot was illuminated by long fluorescent light bulbs strategically placed in the bushes separating the festival grounds from the cars. I could enjoy some surreal art AND find my car! Thanks, Midwest Psych Fest!

I hope you consider coming to the 2025 edition of the event. I look forward to its growth. Follow the festival on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwestpsychfest/