Mush Is Good Music

Nobody & the Mystic Chords of Memory (who wrangled their name from a fragment of Abe Lincoln’s inaugural address) have played a handful of shows in Southern California and Japan, but will revisit their L.A. stomping grounds later this month to play a five-day festival curated by Devendra Banhart. Warning: If you are in any way too lazy to commit long strings of words to memory, I suggest you carry a notepad or devise a nickname for the fest. Ready for the title? No, you’re not. Go get a pen. Okay, now you’re ready: It’s called “Hypnorituals and Mesmemusical Miracles Hanging in the Sky: 5 Nights of Soleros and Bandoleros at the El Cid!!!!!!!” Exclamation marks: 7.

Taking place nightly July 18 through 22 at Silver Lake’s El Cid, the festival with the breathtakingly lengthy and highly punctuated name features standouts from a folk-driven, neopyschedelic genre sometimes called the “New Weird America” movement. Legends like Michael Hurley, Ruthann Freidman and Sir Richard Bishop, plus the delicately voiced and much-lauded Jana Hunter, all make appearances, and it’s a rare opportunity to witness these artists, some of whom rarely play L.A. Mr. Banhart himself is not scheduled to perform, but whispers of possible onstage cameos have bounced between those gossiping in anticipation.

DJ Nobody (right), with Mystic Chords of Memory: Making beautiful music (and long-ass titles)

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• Robert Curcio
• Christopher Gunst
• Elvin Estella
• Cindy Roche
• Hip-Hop and Rap

Gunst — speaking like a true transplant to Northern California — simply muses that he hopes for “good audience-performer energy reciprocation.” With seven exclamation points, the chances of that seem pretty solid.

For full festival lineup, see foldsilverlake.com or next week’s “Go” picks.