John Condit is a Nashville-based guitarist and songwriter who has been in the thick of Music City’s psychedelic scene for a while. A California transplant to Nashville, Condit fronted the psych-rock band The Inscape for several years and also helped run the Nashville Psych Alliance, which put on excellent psychedelic rock shows throughout the city. John is now on the next chapter of his musical journey and has released a new single I want to tell you about.
Condit (or Cohn Jondit as he calls himself) released the single “Being” on May 26th, recorded at HiLo Sonics. Condit’s on vocals, guitars, drums, melodica, and percussion, and he got help from Robert Hudson (bass, mandolin, percussion), Ash Reiter (BGV’s), and Will Hasley (BGV’s).
As I could see from Condit’s Bandcamp profile, he’s released a scattering of music as a solo artist since 2020, including the singles “Lone Wolf Blues” and “Silver String” and a demo compilation. He also recorded the Syd Barrett song “Terrapin,” which he released in 2021. Half the proceeds for the Syd Barrett cover were donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
With the new single “Being,” Condit brings a rich psychedelic soundscape over four-plus minutes. Jingles and jangles echo as the track start, and Condit’s voice kicks in and hazily calls to us as he sings. “Tell me what you’re thinking,” he sings in the chorus, and I could feel the Sixties sound leaking through my speakers.
What was I thinking? Probably trying to discern where all the kaleidoscope of sounds were coming from and what they were. “Being” is a song that’s just as beautiful as it is trippy, a kind of sun-drenched psychedelic pop that will appeal to many. The track reminded me a bit of British psychedelia, with sounds that reminded of bands like the Beatles to even the trippier songs from Oasis.
Condit is a talented guitar player, having played lead guitar in Nashville roots rocker Lilly Hiatt’s band before. As “Being” demonstrates, as well as his work with his old band, The Inscape, he can write great songs, too.
Give Condit’s new single a listen and dig back into the archives to listen to The Inscape. I couldn’t find the new single on Bandcamp, but you can look it up on Spotify or other streaming services. He told me he and his mates ended the Nashville Psych Alliance after a few years of a successful run, but he’s still in Music City making psychedelic jams and part of the underground music scene. Nashville’s scene is better off for having him, and I hope to hear more Condit music in the future.
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