Mr. Elevator & The Brain Hotel

From their beginnings as Mr. Elevator and the Brain Hotel (a <a href="spotify:artist:6vLlQYujOujIrm7zAKzEdG">Donovan</a> reference), the guitar-less California band later known by just Mr. Elevator delved deeply into the sounds of psychedelia, from the strutting punk of <a href="spotify:artist:22WZ7M8sxp5THdruNY3gXt">the Doors</a> to the dreamy haze of <a href="spotify:artist:0k17h0D3J5VfsdmQ1iZtE9">Pink Floyd</a> to the sunny trippiness of a thousand paisley-clad unknowns. Led by the vision of keyboardist Tomas Dolas, their first two records explored the light and breezy side of psychedelia, while 2020's Goodbye, Blue Sky traded stoned smiles for dreamy melancholia and featured more synths than before.

The group was formed in 2012 by keyboardist/vocalist Tomas Dolas and drummer Justin Martinez when the two skateboarders bonded over a love for psychedelic sounds of all kinds. They teamed with bassist <a href="spotify:artist:5YS9VHvuYVRmFhC3T5wZxN">Wyatt Blair</a> and formed a guitar-free band, with Dolas conjuring up noise from a variety of organs and vintage synths. Their first recorded output was heavily influenced by breezy '60s psych-pop; <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Burger+Records%22">Burger Records</a> released Nico and Her Psychedelic Subconscious in 2013. The band's next album, 2017's When the Morning Greets You, featured the core duo of Dolas and <a href="spotify:artist:5YS9VHvuYVRmFhC3T5wZxN">Blair</a> with help from Julian Ducantenzeiler on vocals and synth along with Ignacio Gonzales on bass. The record was issued by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rad+Cat+Records%22">Rad Cat Records</a>

<a href="spotify:artist:5YS9VHvuYVRmFhC3T5wZxN">Blair</a> left the group afterwards for a solo career, and Mr. Elevator carried on with a shifting membership helmed by Dolas, who was also busy playing with <a href="spotify:artist:3qYfqdVwX0fil71onLpLkh">Oh Sees</a> and appearing on records by <a href="spotify:artist:0CUpzKPDfIVzYqMn47jiV3">Curtis Harding</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1KtOqfwCbclwg7bgvsUJ5U">Froth</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4pdoRs7yHNXakMobf8M9Oz">SASAMI</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3BUpv2goO0OTzcj7yYkRZJ">JJUUJJUU</a>. Dolas' ties with <a href="spotify:artist:3qYfqdVwX0fil71onLpLkh">Oh Sees</a> helped Mr. Elevator partner with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Castle+Face+Records%22">Castle Face Records</a> for their next album, 2020's Goodbye, Blue Sky. The record was synth heavy and less '60s inspired than previous work, with Dolas joined by bassist Johnny Kosmo and drummer Jesse Conlee. The live band Dolas put together to tour behind the album featured bassist Jon Tattlemen and synth player Justin Ruiz alongside Conlee. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi