In the heart of East L.A., an area renowned for its influential low-rider c… Read Full Bio ↴In the heart of East L.A., an area renowned for its influential low-rider culture, Chicano culture-based art, and Latino community the four young men who comprise emerging psych-rock band Levitation Room might seem out of place, yet they exist harmoniously with their surroundings and not in spite of them. Their decidedly hallucinogenic jams whisper and hum the same gentle refrains of their summer-of-love influences conjuring up the cognitive imagery of sunny beach days spent with friends in a marijuana haze along with lyrical and sonic meditations on life, love, and self-awareness. Originally coming together in 2012, guitarist/vocalist Julian Porte and guitarist Gabriel Fernandez bonded over a shared love of British Invasion groups and 1960’s psychedelic outfits like The Beatles, The Kinks, The Zombies and The Seeds and began drafting their earliest tunes before welcoming drummer Johnathan Martin to the fold. After a long search, the trio recruited their fourth member bassist Jonathan Martin (not to be confused with their drummer) and continued to flesh out their songs.

What sets Levitation Room apart from many of their neo-psych contemporaries in the midst of a nation-wide revival that has seen the likes of Tame Impala turning up on modern rock radio and former underdogs turned scene godfathers The Brian Jonestown Massacre consistently sell out 3000+ capacity shows is their 24/7 dedication to their craft. These dudes are not weekend warriors who, come Friday night, throw on their paisley shirts just in time to regurgitate a recycled and inferior product upon the alter of the counter-culture gods of yesteryear before cleaning up in time to re-join the rat race by Monday morning; they walk the walk and talk the talk. Julian Porte supports himself as a street musician, busking various spots around LA. Gabriel works as a free-lance graphic designer, Johnathan teaches drum lessons and to top it all off 2014 saw the guys acquire a home-base in the form of Everydaze Music, a retail store equal parts rehearsal space, vintage clothing shop, and musical instrument depot. Operating as a creativity-driven co-op, the four band mates form the central core of larger collective running day-to-day operations along with several of their friends. Located at the busy intersection of Whittier and Atlantic in East LA, the space has already played host to a number of shows and events and boasts an ever-expanding variety of services and goods.

Though they might have their work cut out for them, Levitation Room shows no signs of diverting from their path anytime soon. In the last few months alone they completed their first-ever west coast tour playing to packed audiences gaining loads of new fans and garnering critical acclaim at every tour stop. The coming months will see their very first self-produced recordings re-issued by Lollipop Records and they are currently hard at work on their first ever full-length album for famous California label Burger Records, also to be written, recorded, and produced by the band themselves. All members remain enthusiastic about the future and if their stalwart dedication to consciousness-expanding music continues to match their work ethic the future should be bright indeed, not only for the band members themselves, but for anyone lucky enough to be along for the ride with them.
-Christopher Diers

Reasons Why
Levitation Room Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's been so hard
Get some sleep
And now it's getting hard to breathe
There's confusion on the streets
And a war in the Middle East

But no one seems to ask the reasons why
Yes, no one seems to ask the reasons why

Everyday I play the game
I'm just a number not a name
Some have fortune, some have fame
Some seek shelter from the rain

But no one seems to ask the reasons why
Yes, no one seems to ask the reasons why

So how are we to know
Yes, how are we to know
What direction we came from
And where we are to go

Yes, no one seems to ask the reasons why

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Levitation Room's song Reasons Why convey a sense of frustration and disillusionment with the state of the world. The first verse describes the difficulty of sleeping and even breathing due to the turmoil and conflict that surrounds us, both in our personal lives and in the wider global context. Despite this, the second verse suggests that people are resigned to their fate and simply going through the motions of daily life, with some finding success and others struggling to survive. The repeated refrain "no one seems to ask the reasons why" highlights a sense of collective apathy and lack of engagement with the deeper issues affecting us all.

The final lines of the song express a sense of existential uncertainty, asking "how are we to know" where we come from and where we are going. This is a universal question that has been asked by artists and thinkers throughout history, and speaks to our fundamental human desire for understanding and meaning. In a world that seems increasingly chaotic and unpredictable, it is easy to feel lost and adrift, searching for some kind of anchor or guiding principle.

Overall, the lyrics to Reasons Why are a poignant reflection on the challenges and complexities of life in the modern world, and a call to action for greater compassion and understanding among all people.

Line by Line Meaning

It's been so hard
Life has been very difficult

Get some sleep
It's difficult to sleep despite being tired

And now it's getting hard to breathe
The world has become overwhelming and suffocating

There's confusion on the streets
There is a general sense of uncertainty and disorder in society

And a war in the Middle East
There is a war happening in the Middle East

But no one seems to ask the reasons why
People aren't questioning why these things are happening

Everyday I play the game
I am just going through the motions of life

I'm just a number not a name
I feel like I am not valued as an individual

Some have fortune, some have fame
There are people who are successful and privileged

Some seek shelter from the rain
Other people are struggling to get by

So how are we to know
It's difficult to find answers