MR Fest 2017 Artist Profile: Astral Blue

By Cain Hernandez
Music Journalist

Based in San Marcos, Texas, Astral Blue is a band that embraces the sounds of late ’60s and early ’70s hard rock/psychedelia. Still a relatively new band – formed sometime in early 2016 – the group will head to San Marcos’ own Firehouse Studio in the coming weeks to begin recording material for their untitled debut EP. Despite still being in the early stages of their musical career, MR Fest will actually be the second festival the band has performed at. They had the opportunity to play at the inaugural End Hip End It (independent) Fest last October – a new psychedelic music festival held in Houston, Texas, that featured bands such as Ghostland Observatory, Radio Moscow and Night Beats.

Originally taken from a friend’s incorrect reference to a mid-’70s biker film, Astral Blue was a name that stuck out most to the band. Formed through a group of mutual friends, Astral Blue initially consisted of Oscar Fabian (vocals/bass), Rex Pape (guitar/vocals), and Chris Núñez (drums). The trio eventually found themselves discontent with the traditional guitar/bass/drums band trio, so they began exploring ways to round out their overall sound. Their musical issues were later solved with the recruitment of organ player Brittany Garza, who cemented the band’s current roster. As for the future of Astral Blue, the group aims to drop their upcoming EP on Bandcamp in mid to late May, with a possible physical release as well.

Don’t miss Astral Blue, along with dozens of other great acts, at this year’s 10th annual MR Fest. The four-piece will perform at Kiva’s Main Stage on Saturday, April 29 at 1:45pm, so be sure to check them out!

https://www.facebook.com/astralblueband/

Featured image by Nestor Vazquez.