Shiva's Headband (or Shiva's Head Band), was an American

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

band, formed in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, United States, in 1967. Original members included fiddler Spencer Perskin and his wife Susan, keyboardist Shawn Siegel, guitarists Kenny Parker and Bob Tom Reed and drummer Jerry Barnett. The group was the house band at the

Vulcan Gas Company The Vulcan Gas Company is a live music and entertainment venue in Austin, Texas. Located at 418 E 6th Street, it opened in 2014 and adopted the name of a previous venue that operated in the 1960s. The two are otherwise unrelated. The club featur ...

, a late 1960s Austin

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

. The band is credited with a significant role in the founding of the Armadillo World Headquarters. The band's first royalty check opened the club and hired Eddie Wilson as manager. Shiva's Headband was also the first band to perform there. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, the band played with touring acts such as Spirit, Steppenwolf,

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For almost 56 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard (musician), Frank Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill prior to his death in 2021. ZZ ...

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...

Canned Heat Canned Heat is an American blues rock band that was formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The group has been noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists. It was launched by two blues enthusiasts, Alan Wilson and ...

and Steve Miller. Austin psychedelic bands contemporary to Shiva's Headband included

The 13th Floor Elevators The 13th Floor Elevators was an American Rock music, rock band from Austin, Texas, United States, formed by guitarist and lead vocalist, vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug (instrument), jug player Tommy Hall (American musician), Tommy Hall, ...

and The Conqueroo. Shiva's Headband's

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

debut album, ''Take Me To The Mountains'', produced by bandleader Spencer Perskin with Fred Catero, became the first record released nationally by an Austin-based rock band. The album cover featured artwork by Jim Franklin. In 1973, the band had an onscreen performance in the film, '' The Thief Who Came to Dinner'', a

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

-based production that starred

Ryan O'Neal Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal (April 20, 1941 – December 8, 2023) was an American actor. Born in Los Angeles, he trained as an amateur boxer before beginning a career in acting in 1960. In 1964, he landed the role of Rodney Harrington on the ...

and

Jacqueline Bisset Winifred Jacqueline Fraser Bisset ( ; born 13 September 1944) is a British actress. She began her film career in 1965 and first came to prominence in 1968 with roles in ''The Detective (1968 film), The Detective'', ''Bullitt'', and ''The Sweet ...

. In 1999, long-time bandleader Spencer Perskin was voted " Austin's Old hippie” at

Eeyore's Birthday Party Eeyore's Birthday Party is a day-long festival taking place annually in Austin, Texas since 1963. It typically occurs on the last Saturday of April in Austin's Pease District Park. It includes live music, food and drink vending which benefit local ...

, an annual Austin rite of spring. In 2005, Perkins released the recording, ''Magic Feather'', again with artwork by Jim Franklin. The band still performs in Austin, using the name Shiva's Headband Experience.

Select discography

Singles

*"Kaleidoscoptic" / "There's No Tears",

Sonobeat Records Sonobeat Records was an independent record label owned by Bill Josey Sr. and Bill Josey Jr. The father and son team created an eclectic library of hundreds of recordings of singers, musicians, and bands in Austin, Texas between the years of 1967 a ...

, 1968 (unreleased test pressing) *"Kaleidescoptic" (sic) / "Song For Peace", Ignite Records, 1968 *"Take Me To The Mountains" / "Lose The Blues", Armadillo Records, 1970 *"Country Boy" / "Such A Joy", Armadillo Music, 1971 *"Don't Blame Me" / "Extension", Armadillo Records, 1976

Albums

*''Take Me to the Mountains'', Capitol Records, 1969 *''Coming to a Head'', Armadillo Records, 1971 *''Psychedelic Yesterday'', Ape Records, 1977 *''In the Primo of Life'', Moontower Sounds, 1983

Compilations

*''Shiva’s Headband Classics, Vol.1: Down In Texas'', Moontower Sounds, 1996 *''The Singles Collection'', Bluethroat Records, 2011 *''Shiva’s Headband Classics, Vol.2: The Temple Of Rock And Roll'', 2003

Filmography

*'' The Thief Who Came to Dinner'', directed by

Bud Yorkin Alan David "Bud" Yorkin (February 22, 1926 – August 18, 2015) was an American film and television producer, director, screenwriter, and actor. Biography Yorkin was born Alan David Yorkin on February 22, 1926, in Washington, Pennsylvania. At ...

, 1973

References

External links

Official Shiva's Headband website
by

Thorne Dreyer Thorne Webb Dreyer (born August 1, 1945) is an American writer, editor, publisher, and political activist who played a major role in the 1960s-1970s Counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture, New Left, and underground press movements. Dreyer no ...

, The Rag Blog, May 30, 2012. Includes podcast of Dreyer's May 5, 2012, Rag Radio interview with Spencer Perskin, Susan Perskin, and Shawn Siegel—with performance. (57:19) Psychedelic rock music groups from Texas {{US-rock-band-stub