Lotus, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it the flower? Or is it the 5 piece psychedelic jamtronica band whose sounds are so beautiful they leave you wondering why you haven’t already quit your job to tour with them? Yea that’s the one. Lotus is epic, simple and plain. The band formed in 1999 and hasn’t looked back since. Philedelphia based, Lotus has been getting groovy way before the formation of Wookie Post. In fact they are one of the reasons we wanted to get into this profession…but that’s a story for another day.
Only a couple days after the great Jecca Bohns had her birthday, 3 out of 4 Wookie Post members made the journey to the wild and wonderful Morgantown, WV to crash for a night before the two-night Lotus run. Mr. Smalls Fun House would be the gracious host for the weekend. It was their 10th anniversary since shutting down the church and opening their doors to rock the funk out.
Lotus would begin playing around 9:30. The show was sold out. As we we’re still filing in, they kicked off the weekend with Nematode…classic.
The crowd was tremendous. Everyone I ran into was more than polite and it felt like we were all there for the same reason (which we were), to enjoy a weekend with Lotus.
Lotus at Mr. Smalls 6-7-13
After we got our beers, we found a nice, comfy spot in the middle of the dance floor and proceeded to get down the rest of the night. The highlight of the first set would have to be the “Shimmer and Out” jam into “Bubonic Tonic” back into “Shimmer and Out.”
Although the venue can hold a lot more crazy lotus heads than the eye could believe, Mr. Smalls is still intimate and relatively small. The lights were nuts. So intense and vibrant, and they danced all over the walls as if they were trying to steal the show. Which they would of had it not been for the larger-than-life, Mike Rempel, laying down breath taking melodies that send you on a timeless journey through an amazing world… our world… our lives.
The second set came and went, but not without a bang. “Neon Tubes” jam from the new Build album, along with “Wooly Mammoth” and “It’s All Clear to me Now” into “Tip of the Tongue” jam and ending with “Kodiak”. Not much else to say here but “wow” and “should have been there.” The show was over and the crowd was itching for “ONE MORE SONG!”
Boy did we get an encore, a 3 song encore! We knew this weekend was going to be insane but I don’t think the light/sound guys were even ready for a 3 song encore. They just wouldn’t stop playing. IT WAS AWESOME! Every jam kept building and building and building on top of the last melody and the last guitar riff and when the drums were about to break it down, no, keep it up, keep building the tune. “Bellwether” into “Umbilical Moonset” back into “Bellwether”…and the night is over. Thank you everyone who came out tonight and we hope to see you again tomorrow night for the special Nomad Album performance.
Lotus at Mr. Smalls 6-7-13
Back to the hotel for the wooks, lotus comes back on in 20 hrs…
6-7-13 – Mr. Small’s Theatre – Pittsburgh, PA
I: Nematode, Bush Pilot, Shimmer and Out > Bubonic Tonic > Shimmer and Out, Nri, Expired Slang, Hammerstrike
II: We Are Now Connected, Neon Tubes > Sid > Neon Tubes, Wooly Mammoth, It’s All Clear to Me Now > Tip of the Tongue, Kodiak
After an incredibly crazy first night of Lotus at Mr. Smalls, our group of four was sadly set to be a group of two on the second night. This was not due to prior engagements which required half of us to head home, but because two of us did not have tickets. While both nights did sell out, the Saturday night show sold out much sooner, for a very obvious reason, soon to be discussed. All of our efforts the night before to acquire any spare tickets were unsuccessful, and thus my friend and I were resigned to the fact that we would all catch a cab down to the venue, but we all might not make it in the venue.
Lotus at Mr. Smalls
After some very early morning debauchery in the hotel, it became aware to us that one of our female friends had had an opportunistic encounter with another girl in the ladies room. There was at least one ticket to be had, guaranteed. After hearing this wonderful news, and knowing that our search was now cut in half, we decided to get the day going, ordering pizzas and enjoying some beverages. We didn’t know however that the day would soon be won entirely. This darling angel, savior of the weekend, soon let us know that there were in fact TWO tickets. Huzzah! Victory was ours!
This was very exciting because, while every Lotus show is a blissfully good time, this one was going to be a little different. The band was going to play their album ‘Nomad’ in its entirety as part of an ongoing celebration of the 10th anniversary of Mr. Smalls Theatre. It would be only the third time the band had done this, and it would be pretty fitting since they actually wrote the album nine years ago in Pittsburgh. While our group knew some of what the night had in store there were still a number of questions being pondered throughout the day. How many sets would there be? Is it one really long, super jammed out set? They couldn’t break the album up into two sets, right? So would they play it first or second?
Lotus at Mr. Smalls
We would soon find out once and for all, but not before getting down to local Pittsburgh producer Keeb$. We had seen Keeb$ before (Polish Ambassador – 5-1-13) and were excited to see him open for one of our favorite bands in a bigger venue. There were only a handful of people in the building when he started playing, but that obviously didn’t matter to him, as he more than succeeded in his role as the opening act. I’ve tried to write down what his music is before, but I don’t think it honestly does it justice. As people began to fill the venue, it was apparent that everybody was getting down, and after someone from backstage whispered in his ear he informed us that he would be playing an extra half hour. He told everyone he’d need another beer, and after a few minutes he got one and said, “Shoutout to my parents for getting me another beer!”
Keeb$ at Mr. Smalls Theatre
After Keeb$ got the crowd warmed up, everyone was itching for Lotus to come out. When they did, they were not messing around. They came right out and within minutes were jamming extra hard with “Break Build Burn” and “Middle Road”, both songs off their newest album, ‘Build’, released earlier this year, that features electronic uptempo tunes. They slowed things down a bit with “The Oaks” before kicking it back up with “Debris”, followed by “Ashcon” and “Intro to a Cell”, a favorite classic. However, the greatest moment of the first set would have to be the epic cover of Breakbot’s “Baby I’m Yours”. The song is already so funky, a band like Lotus covering it is incredible! It was truly a wonderful way to close out the first set in preparation for what would be an unforgettable second set.
The album ‘Nomad’ is, for myself and I’m sure most other fans of the band, the quintessential tune that everyone thinks of when they hear the name Lotus. It’s that ultra funky, soulful, groovy sound that I first heard years ago and was instantly drawn to. As mentioned earlier, it was written nine years ago, so this is classic Lotus. Every fan has heard these songs live, but hearing them ALL, live, in order, was truly a fantastic experience.
Lotus at Mr. Smalls
Starting with ‘Suitcases’, the guys were obviously excited to do this set, as they weren’t just playing them as you know, they were jamming the hell out of each song. They pretty much flowed the first five songs of the album into the next without stopping. I feel I’d almost be insulting the reader if I listed all the songs, as I’m sure you know them. One thing I liked especially though was the sequence of Spiritualize > Plant Your Root > Spiritualize, as Spiritualize is one of my favorites. If I had to put the entire set into one word I would say “rousing”. I had the time of my life, never having anything less than a Cheshire cat size grin on my face, dancing like a maniac. The last song on the album, “Colorado”, has a very personal meaning to me, and it was the only time I’ve had the opportunity to hear it live. It is such a beautiful song that I know everyone in attendance was full of emotion, thinking of those who truly mean the most to them, and I am certainly no different. After tapping into our hearts with the beauty of that song, the encore was once again, just like the previous night, both multiple songs and incredible. They came back out with “Cloud Nine”, a tune that demands a certain kind of funky groove. After that was one of my (and apparently my cohort’s) all time favorite Lotus songs, “Behind Midwest Storefront”, off the ‘Hammerstrike’ album. It is another beautiful, moving song, with guitar riffs that tug at your core.
Lotus at Mr. Smalls
It seemed like the night went by so fast. We were all having so much fun, the spirits flowing, enjoying the presence of those around us, that it seemed to last both an instant and a lifetime. It seems to happen every time I see Lotus play. Having not been to one of their shows since the one roughly eight months ago in Philadelphia at FDR Park, the two night run in Pittsburgh at Mr. Smalls was certainly well-needed. Luckily, I (or any of you!) won’t have to wait nearly that long to see them again. They will be playing at Electric Forest on June 27 and then at Camp Bisco July 11-13, as well as a number of festivals across the country (and Japan!) throughout the summer, so don’t wait to grab tickets!
MP
6-8-13 – Mr. Small’s Theatre – Pittsburgh, PA
I: Break Build Burn, Middle Road, The Oaks, Debris, Ashcon, Intro to a Cell, Baby I’m Yours*
II: Suitcases, Livingston Storm > Spiritualize > Plant Your Root > Spiritualize, Travel > Greet the Mind, Ball of Energy, Jump Off, Colorado
E: Cloud Nine, Behind Midwest Storefronts
*Baby I’m Yours: First time played, Breakbot
**Suitcases -> Colorado is the third full performance of the album Nomad
Music festivals have been around for quite some time now. From the first days of Woodstock back in ’69, to the now annual heavy-hitters such as Camp Bisco and Gathering of the Vibes, less has changed than you may think in those 40-some years. Sure, some of the music may be different, but the idea and the culture of these festivals still hold true, and that’s what gives people a reason to keep coming back for more.
Now, just like the festivals listed before, they all have to start from scratch and build a reputation, which is exactly what the good people of the Cosmic Campout Music Festival have been doing. Started back in 2011, they are now going on their third straight year of holding the festival, located in the quaint little town of Aldie, VA. A perfect location, as it could be viewed as the epi-center for all the like-minded people of the VA/MD/DC/WV area (and of course others who might be traveling a little more) to come together for a weekend of artistic exploration, conveniently located just 40 minutes from Washington, D.C. and 90 minutes from both Baltimore, MD and Richmond, VA.
Cosmic Campout 2012
This festival has a bunch of Wookie Post favorites on their stacked lineup, as well as some new names that we are super excited to see for the first time. Headliners such as, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Consider the Source, and The Mantras is already enough to have me all giddy with excitement, but then you say Moogatu, DELTAnine, Malphunktion, Segway, Galaxy Dynamite, Woodwork, and EVSTGHXST are going to be there too, PLUS about 25 more artists! Such a good selection of music covering a ton of different genres, that is what a good lineup is all about, and it looks like they nailed it.
Consider the Source is a band that I’m very excited to see for the first time. If you haven’t seen them or heard them before through their YouTube videos I highly suggest taking a listen. Gabriel Marin, who plays lead guitar with a double-neck guitar, stated that their music “combines influences from Turkish, Bulgarian, North and South Indian styles with jazz and fusion, and then we filter it through our own heavy, rock and psychedelic sounds and approaches.” Definitely a unique style that will be amazing to see under the stars this weekend.
After going through the lineup and seeing that it has almost all your favorite music, you might want to take a look at ticket prices now. Ticket prices are always a deciding factor when choosing which festivals to attend, so you will be very pleasantly surprised to find out that a ticket for the weekend will only cost you $35 if you buy it online here, or $45 if you buy it at the gate. Both are extremely reasonable prices, considering that you get the full music lineup, camping space, cool instructional workshops, use of the on-site lake, and memories to last a lifetime.
Another pretty cool thing that Cosmic is doing this year, is partnering with the non-profit organization, Hungry for Music. They are a grassroots, charity-driven organization, with a mission to bring musical instruments to under-privileged children with a “hunger for music”. Anyone willing to bring a lightly used or new instrument to the gate when they arrive, will recieve $10 off their ticket price, so if $35 isn’t cheap enough for you, bring that old middle school recorder that’s still laying around somewhere!
For a third year festival, Cosmic Campout is already on the road to being recognized as an established music festival, and it’s all due to the thoughtful and detail-oriented people behind the scenes, and of course the faithful fans that keep coming back. If you live within the D.C. Metropolitan area or even Pennsylvania, North Carolina, or any where in the continental United States, making your way to Aldie, VA this weekend would definitely be in your best interests.
2013 Full Lineup
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Check out the full ticket options here and also keep an eye out for some Wookie Post members at the official Grassroots California booth. We know that we’re super excited for this weekend, and can’t wait to see all of you guys out there! Bring your dancin’ shoes and come prepared to get down!
“Tonight’s show starts promptly at 8pm” the lady from 930 club told me over the phone. That means we have about 2-3 hours before we have to leave to battle traffic in order to catch the whole first set. I’ve always wondered though if the people who work at the events are told to tell attendees to come earlier in hopes they might spend more at the bar….hmmm, well it worked. The crew rolled up a right at 8pm, and with no will call line (first time ever) we got right in the venue, no questions asked. Thank goodness we left when we did though, because we hit major traffic on I-66 heading towards D.C. and with two GPS systems saying two, totally opposite directions, you can imagine the mass confusion taking place in the car. Luckily we are somewhat experienced D.C. navigators and had an idea of where we needed to be.
Moe. is at the top of the game right now when speaking of jam bands. Formed in Buffalo, NY (Shout out to all my family up there!) at The University of Buffalo in 1989, Rob (Bass, vocals), Al (guitar, vocals), Chuck (guitar, vocals). Vinnie (drums), and Jim (percussion) have been slaying together for longer than I’ve been alive. Since their first cassette release in the early 90’s…YES CASSETTE! moe. has come along way. Hosting two festivals annually in their name, moe.Down and Snow.Down, while also sharing Summer Camp fest with the likes of Umphrehy’s Mcgee. If festivals aren’t your thing (which how could they not??) moe. also started their own ‘jam cruise’ called…yep you guess it, moe.Cruise!
Upon entering the venue, I was unbearably parched while also in pain because I had to pee so badly. I emptied the bladder first before re-filling it with what I thought to be a tasty, cold, refreshingly smooth Rolling Rock. The first sip, however, was pitiful. Just plain bad. I couldn’t tell you the last time I was this turned off by draft beer…come to think of it this was the FIRST time it had ever happened. I love Rolling Rock too, but god damn that beer was gross. After that I felt my only choice was my beloved Guinness cans.
Anyways, moe. started playing around 8:30 and opened with “The Road”. The crowd was digging it. Most of the people there were older, which isn’t a bad thing, very relaxing. No candy kids running around for the first set then passed out on the stairs for the second set. Everyone had space and you could walk around to every corner of the venue, just how we like it.
The second song was “Awesome Gary” > “Timmy Tucker” one of my favorite sing alongs. (Full setlist featured at the bottom) Another great song that was new to our ears was, “Not Coming Down.” Unfortunately, like I said earlier, this was only my second moe. show so I can not truly speak to how they performed this night as opposed to any other night, but talking to the moe-rons amongst the crowd that evening, they seemed to be putting on a pretty amazing performance. Everyone, old and young, was grooving. Even the first timers couldn’t help but move to the music. It turned out to be a great Thursday night, and I think it’s safe to say The WookiePost is slowly but surely becoming moe-rons.
10 years is a pretty long time to be doing anything, let alone to be running a very successful music festival in a fairly secluded area of the country. Well, that’s exactly what the good people of Wakarusa Music Festival have been doing, and doing it well. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the festival, but only the 5th year of it being held at the breathtakingly beautiful setting of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. For the 10th anniversary, they decided to go for a sort of “best of” approach for the artist lineup, going through the catalogs and taking what they think will be the best combination of artists that have represented and threw down at Wakarusa in the years past. With over 130 acts pumping out about 160 sets over the 4 full days, we feel that they will cover every attendees wants and needs, and are leaving very little to be desired as far as the assortment of genres.
With all of the artists that Wakarusa has coming through this year, it only makes sense to have music starting the early afternoon of May 30th and going all the way through to the wee hours of the morning on June 3rd. I’m not trying to do the math right now, but thats like nearly 100 hours of music.
The first day kicks off with some huge bands, as well as some lucky up and comers that get to display their act on the big stage. In the months leading up to May, Wakarusa held a self promoted contest, to give some bands a chance to play on the Revival Tent Stage. Low and behold, an old-time friend of Wookie Post is doing big things out in the Colorado area, and his band, Papagoya, got their name out there and the people voted them in!
I got to chat with Taylor Shuck, Papagoya’s bass player and also a long-time friend, to see how excited the band was to get this opportunity and what they have in their plans for the near future. He said, “We were in awe and unbelievably stoked to be given the opportunity to play Waka, let alone being given the chance to play the Revival Stage. This will be the first time out of state for us so we’re beyond humbled to get to play in such a big event amongst some of our favorite bands. Our plans for this summer mainly include touring around Colorado for shows and festivals, along with recording a full length album. We definitely have big plans for the near future but in the mean time we’re just enjoying the ride and the love we get from all the people who come out and support us in our passion for music! Join the groovement!”. We most certainly will join the groovement, Taylor. Everybody go check out their website, www.papagoya.com, to hear some funkified jams, and be in the loop before these dudes blow up.
As stated earlier, this lineup is one of the more well-rounded lineups for the upcoming season, so be ready for Day Two to bring the heat as well. If you happened to miss The Motet’s set on the first day, they’ll be playing again on the Technaflora Outpost Tent on day two, so don’t screw it up and miss them twice. Get your reggae fix in with da Soljya’s of da Army (aka SOJA). always known for bringing the chill-out vibes to a festival, and then get the funk out with Yo Momma’s Big Fat Booty Band. By that time the sun’s gonna be headin’ to the west side, and that’s when the real fun starts. The night will host sets from Umphrey’s McGee, MUTEMATH, Zion I, Disptach, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Zed’s Dead, and Boombox. Round about 2:30 is when things start gettin’ really wierrrd, with late night sets from Shpongle with The Masquerade, Galactic, Figure, Minnesota, and then Bluetech will bringing the sun back round to the east side. Helluva day here, and you even got a few hours to rest up for the next day, cuz you’ll definitely need it.
On to Day Three, Los Amigos Invisibles, a Venezuelan disco/acid jazz/funk band, has an afternoon set that would definitely be worth checking out. They play a set on night two, unfortunately right during the Sound Tribe set, so if you saw Tribe that night, you still get a chance the next day to see Los Amigos. Although there are a ton of acts to check out, Saturday afternoon could be a good time to check out all the other features they have at Wakarusa this year. According to the festival organizers, they have increased the budget for “arts and ambiance” and say they have some amazing surprises for the attendees this year. Don’t miss out! Big names for the third night include festival headliners, Widespread Panic, with a three-hour set time (possibly 2 sets?), a second Umphrey’s set, Del the Funky Homosapien (see this guy!!!), The Polish Ambassador (a Wookie Post fav), Papadosio, and if you wanna see the closest thing to live Daft Punk, you can check out Daft Phunk, which is Earphunk preforming live Daft Punk songs.
After these three full days, it’s hard to imagine what else the last day can hold, but don’t start packing up just yet. Going down to just four stages now, you have a pretty good lineup of Cherub, Griz, Rebelution, and then Felix Cartel, or check out TPA’s second set and see what kinda crazy beats he channels from space this time. No matter what name he’s under, Snoop Lion, Snoop Dogg, Snoop-a-loop, this man knows how to bring a party to the stage and the crowd. He’ll get the night time started off, followed by Gramatik, Amon Tobin, and none other than EOTO closing out the festival.
All in all, if you don’t have a good time at this festival than there might be something wrong with you. There’s nearly everything you could ask for in a lineup, and promises of new surprises that you know are going to be delivered upon. This is the 10th year of the festival, so they’ve been able to tweak it each year to make it a better for all the good people who have been supporting it. After doing this preview, I’m highly questioning my decision-making skills on not making it out there this year, but luckily we’ll have some Wookie Post correspondants there to keep us all updated.
Memorial Day weekend is a time that should be spent with good friends, a plethora of food, cold drinks, and to top it all off, some sweet, sweet music to keep your feet moving. That’s exactly what was provided for the good people of Northern Virginia this past weekend, as our friends at Heady Entertainment put on one helluva dance party, as they have gained the reputation to do so every time.
Calm before the storm at Jammin’ Java
This was a show that we were all extra excited for, as it was the first time in nearly 4 years that we’ve had the whole Wookie Post crew together at the same show, and we also had the great opportunity to meet with one of the night’s headliners, Moogatu, for the second feature in our Artist Spotlight Series. Definitely keep an eye out for that, there is so much talent between all of those guys, and some pretty cool stories behind some of their most popular songs.
Although we were going to the show already knowing that Moogatu was going to bring the heat, we were caught off-guard by the talent from the other two bands on the bill that night.
First up was Threesound, a local band from Winchester, VA, composed of four young bucks looking to make a name for themselves in the live music scene. Coming to the stage in what I would call “business casual” attire, these guys definitely bring a certain presence to the stage, and can take over the room in an instant when they turn it on. Bringing full original songs, as well as a few very well-done covers, this band has range for days. I’ve got to say too, it’s a little refreshing seeing some younger guys take the stage and actually come prepared like they’ve been there before, seeing as they formed together back in 2009. I’d say these guys are definitely on the right path to success, if they keep at it, so keep an eye out for them. They have shows lined up all through the month of June, all over the state of VA. (see Threesound’s full setlist at the bottom of the article)
Threesound at Jammin’ Java
In a night with 3 bands playing full sets, transition from one band to the other happens quick, so next up taking the stage was Woodwork, hailing from the one and only 757, Hampton Roads, Seven Cities, VA Beach area!!! For those unfamiliar with these guys, Woodwork is a four-piece band, complete with guitar, bass, keys, and drums, mixing a variety of genres from island funk to psychedelic jams and 100% original lyrics thrown at you as well. Trying to find that perfect harmonizing sound, Woodwork has been through some lineup changes in the recent years, but they feel like they have it down now, and are super excited to play for all you fans out there, especially at Camp Barefoot 7, this year. They played a great all around set and definitely made me want to look into these guys more, so don’t be surprised if you see more about Woodwork on Wookie Post in the future. Check out our video of them here, to get a lil’ taste of what you could be seeing.
The first two bands absolutely killed it and set the stage for the last, and most certainly not least, band to play for the night, Moogatu. These guys are really starting to grow on me, and this being only my second time seeing them, I feel that they have that effect on a lot of people. It doesn’t take long to recognize that these guys love what they’re doing and want to put on the best show possible every night for the fans. I was even more pumped since a few people I was with hadn’t had the chance to see Moogatu live, so I knew they were in for a treat and would share my feelings the same. It pretty much goes without saying, that this night was no different.
Coming in hot with their dance starter specialty, “Mary”, right off the bat the floor was covered and people were gettin’ down to the blusey keys of Brian Dodds, and the shredtastic extraordinaires Chris Lee and Brian Raubacher. Let’s not forget the glue holding it all together, Brian Zupruk rocking the funk out on the bass, and Steve Jacyna keeping them all on beat with the drumkit. I was definitely pleaseantly surprised to hear some new songs (new to my ears) as well, during their set. “Bonafide Lovin'” might be up there for my new favorite song from these guys, it has the perfect mix of catchy lyrics and upbeat tempo to keep me movin’ and keep me wanting to come back for more. And really, what Moogatu song would be complete with out a shred fest from at least one, if not both, of the guitar heroes. Closing out their set with “Helium Pt. 2”, this song has just too much energy to leave the people hanging, so you know they’re coming back out for an encore, with their staple back-to-back songs, “Better Company” > “Try Again”. (see Moogatu’s full setlist at the bottom of the article)
Moogatu, full band
The night ended with nothing but smiles as people cheered for all the great preformances we had just witnessed. I’ve said it before, and this won’t be the last time I’m saying it, Heady Entertainment knows how to put on a ragin’ good time! I forsee some collaborations with Wookie Post and Heady Entertainment coming up in the near future, to try and bring the utmost amount of entertainment and awareness of all the fucking awesomemusic we have around us. Connecting the fans to the bands is what it’s all about.
Also, be on the lookout for our second exclusive Artist Spotlight Series with Moogatu, where we sit down with all five members of the band and see where they all came from, how they came together, and how they create the material that we all can’t wait to hear whenever we get the chance. Which, with a full festival lineup for the summer coming up, there should be no shortage of chances to see Moogatu. So get your asses up and start planning!
That’s it for now wooks. Go take a shower and get ready for the day. Much love!!!
Threesound – 5/24/2013 – Vienna, VA – Jammin’ Java
MFV, Clockwork, Eleanor Rigby*, Guilty by Association, The Psychologist, From Sunlight to Moonlight, Pick Up the Pieces*, Tolerance, Tantra
* = Beatles cover, Average White Band cover (respectively)
Woodwork – 5/24/2013 – Vienna, VA – Jammin’ Java
(setlist pending)
Moogatu – 5/24/2013 – Vienna, VA – Jammin’ Java
Mary, Diversity Thrift > Dance Party > Bonafide Lovin’, Nothing Too Fancy > Better Batter, Raptor, Appreciation, Try Again > Helium Pt. 2
Summer Camp Festival is one of the earlier music fests to kick start our favorite time of the year. Summer has officially started and I know everyone can’t wait to attend their beloved festival.
Summer Camp dates are May 24-26, 2013… Pre-Party May 23, 2013
The first Summer Camp was held in 2001 with only about 1,000 attendees…since then it has exploded to almost 15,000. Summer Camp hosts over 100 live acts on 7 stages over 3 days.
Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, IL has been a welcome home to all Summer Camp attendees in the past decade. Nearly tripling the population of town when Summer Camp begins. One fan described camp as “Coming to Summer Camp is like coming home.” and we believe the festival thrives off these good vibes.
Aerial photo of Summer Camp Festival 2011. Three Sisters Park in Chilicothe, IL
With 3 days of Moe. AND 3 days of Umphrey’s McGee it’s hard it ignore the scale of this festival. This year Summer Camp added big name acts like STS9, two FULL sets of Trey Anastasio Band, and many more other of your favorite artists. Check out this year’s full Artist Lineup.
After reading this year’s lineup many of us will probably question our decision making abilities but that’s alright, because there is always next season!
For those of you who love making spontaneous road trips (damn wooks) Summer Camp Tickets are still available as well as Single Day tickets too. If you have the opportunity to attend…THERES NO REASON TO MISS!!!
And since this is 2013 and all…Summer Camp Festival as an app to stay organized and to make sure you don’t miss your favorite artsts or forget about catching the smaller act on a side stage. Either way check it out.
Remember ALWAYS be responsible and stay SAFE! Drink plenty of water and…HAVE FUN!
I don’t know about you, but when I think of a perfect location for a festival, the beach is one of the first places that comes to my mind. Who doesn’t love “hanging out” on the sand and in the ocean with a huge group of friends? Add in some of the biggest acts going around the festival circuit, and you’ve got yourself a few days of fun in the sun and oceanfront grooves.
As we speak, at this exact moment in time, the fourth annual Hangout Music Festival is getting into full swing! This is a really unique festival, an experience unlike any other. Set on the beautiful, pristine beaches of the Gulf Shores in Alabama, this festival stock piled their artist lineup this year, even adding in a special Kick-Off Party on Thursday the 16th. Some may even say that the Thursday Night Kick-Off is the best lineup night of the whole festival, others may not, but when you’ve got Future Rock, Lotus, Conspirator (A wookie favorite), Railroad Earth, Dillon Francis, Benny Benassi, and Umphrey’s headlining the first night, jeeeeez, how do you beat that?
Other big acts at Hangout Fest this year include, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bassnectar, (seems to be a staple at most festivals, I ain’t complainin’), Trey Anastasio Band, Kings of Leon, Kendrick Lamar, Moe., Zion I, Big Gigantic…..wow, just listing all those names got me all tingly inside, and that’s not even half of them.
The good people in attendance at this year’s Hangout are definitely in for a treat, especially tonight. I think the only thing that could make this event better is if they allowed camping on the beaches, but still, it’s hard to ask for much more.
The year was 2000. Things were changing, things were happening fast, no one knew what the hell was going on.
For whatever reason you want to believe, Marc Brownstein just wasn’t getting along with the rest of The Disco Biscuits, so they needed a little break from each other. A little time apart never hurt anyone, and thankfully it did happen, otherwise we wouldn’t be writing this, and we wouldn’t have some CLASSIC songs to sing along to (i.e. CWB opera, House Dog Party Favor, Grass is Green, etc.).
Brownie almost did away with the music biz all together, but luckily, he had a spark of inspiration and decided to call up some friends to get something going.
Electron began as Brownie (bass), Tom Hamilton of Brother’s Past (guitar), Aron Magner (keys, they still stayed friends), Joe Russo of Further (drums), and DJ Stitch on the 1’s and 2’s. They had been writing music for a few months, however, when they were ready to play their first show, Brownie had already reconciled with The Disco Biscuits. Fortunate, yes…but unfortunate for Electron, which many might consider as a legendary group now.
Marc Brownstein, Bass, Electron
There was just too much good material to not go through with it. So Electron played their first show and played a handful of shows after that, but everyone kind of had their own things going on, so they never really got back together. Some people had coined Electron, “The best band that never was”.
Fast forward about a decade, and here we are today. First Electron show all over again.
Probably the most anticipated show that we’ve had in a long while. Ever since April 17th, when Marc Brownstein dropped the word on his Facebook, “Who else thinks it’s time for a couple Electron shows?”, every person with even a pinch of Disco Biscuit fandom knew something special was going down.
Although there were some minor tweaks from the original group members, they still did a fine job of putting the pieces together. Still with Brownie, Magner, and Tom Hamilton, but throw in Lotus’ drummer Mike Greenfield, and you’ve got the ingredients for a modern day super group.
The time for the show couldn’t come soon enough, and to make the night even better, we had learned a few days before that Baltimore locals, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, were going to be opening up for them. I personally had never been able to see these birds in flight, but I can honestly say I only ever hear great things about their shows. They proved that right once again. Coming out in all matching striped pajama pants, these guys brought an amazing energy to the stage and got the party groovin’ as the dance floor continued to fill up.
Aaron Magner, Keys, Electron
Pigeons played a full hour set, and were able to squeeze in some fan favorites, closing out their set with F.U. (definitely had me singing along), into an amazing Talking Heads cover of “Crosseyed and Painless”, and back into F.U.!!! We were able to chat with these guys a little after their set, and they just couldn’t have been more humbled to be playing. You’ll be seeing more of these guys for sure, as they announced their new residency at The 8×10 in Baltimore every Wednesday night this July, and look out for our first ever exclusive artist profile of them coming soon…
10pm was the cut off time for their set, which left about 30 minutes before the kick-off to the reunion party. One by one they took their places, Brownie welcoming the crowd and even saying how great he thought Pigeons had just played, he was blown away just as I was.
Leading up to the show, one could only guess at what songs would be played. Rumors had it that they were digging deep into their repertoire, and putting “everything on the table”, so we were truly excited in every sense of the word. We all had our predicitons, and I just so happened to nail the opening song, with “Home Again”. I know, I know pretty fuckin’ amazing, but really no other song seems more appropriate.
After that it really was just pure bliss for the rest of the first set. Home Again > Little Lai, it was apparent we weren’t going to get a full performance of the “Chemical Warfare Brigade” rock opera, written specifically for Electron, but that was far from a disappointment. Plan B came after Little Lai, and even threw in the classic Sound of Music, “These are a few of my favorite things”, teases. The contrast of those songs comes together amazingly well.
Tom Hamilton, Guitar, Electron (Brother’s Past)
Second set was a straight up dance party in a can. There really can’t be enough good things to say about the cohesiveness of these guys playing together. Even though Magner and Brownie have had a little more practice with these songs, Tommy and Greenie came in and didn’t even miss a beat. You could really tell both these guys were having so much fun playing all the old songs and jamming off of each other’s energy. Who knows, maybe this won’t be the last chance to see this epic coming together of the guys we know and love from their already successful projects.
Electron put on a hell of a Wednesday night party for the city of Baltimore, with the help of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and the hospitality of the Baltimore Soundstage. I can tell ya no one left that venue that night without a smile on their face.
As mentioned before, getting to catch up with our new friends from Pigeons was a highlight of the night, good people just all around, so BE SURE to check out our first exclusive artist profile that will be coming this week.
Also, Brownie did mention that none of these shows were being recorded for soundboards, so if anyone has recordings or videos from any of the shows, share with the world. They play their last show of the run tonight, May 11, at Toad’s Place in New Haven, CT, so if you haven’t been to a show yet and you got nothing to do tonight, I’d highly suggest doing what you can to make sure you can be there.
Peace and love to the world! Wook out!
PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG : BALTIMORE SOUNDSTAGE – MAY 8, 2013
Horizon, Drunk People, Pop Off, This is That,
Time to Ride>Jam>The Hop>F.U.>Crosseyed and Painless*>F.U.
* Talking Heads
ELECTRON : BALTIMORE SOUNDSTAGE – MAY 8,2013
Set I: Home Again, Little Lai, Plan B#,
Grass Is Green, Shelby Rose
Set II: Floodlights, Fearless*, Kameole Sands >
Ladies were the Rest of The Night > Kameole Sands, Confrontation
E: Brain Damage* > Eclipse*
# with “These are a Few of my Favorite Things” teases
* Pink Floyd
We’ve been big fans of The Polish Ambassador for quite some time here at Wookie Post. A few of us even attended the Festival of Gnarnia this past summer, very excited to see the Ambassador invoke a late night dance party on the mountain. Unfortunately, the stage/venue he was playing on was indoors and thus had a maximum occupancy, leaving us downtrodden and in the rain. While there is much to vent about that weekend, let’s just say that we thought it was pretty lame that we had paid for a festival ticket and couldn’t see all the acts listed on the lineup, especially one of our most anticipated performers.
After the summer mishap, our love for Polish only grew, especially fueled by the download of the entire TPA discography (over 12+ hours of FREE POLISH!) for free directly off of his website thepolishambassador.com. So naturally, we were very excited when Polish released his Spring tour dates and Pittsburgh was on the list.
I started inviting every friend I could think of, doing my very best to spread the word of Poland’s Ambassador to the Universe. About a week before the show, we had assembled a pretty full crew of beat freaks to make the voyage to the Burgh. The crew began to dissipate rapidly.
DJ Keeb$, Pittsburgh Native
Some blamed “dead week”, others had sudden work obligations. My brother, who was arguably more excited than I, had just started a new job and couldn’t get off during the week to make the trip up (fortunately for him, he got to see TPA perform in Richmond a few days prior). By Wednesday morning, the day of the show, the number was down to two. It would be myself and a fellow Wookie Post Morgantown correspondent making the pilgrimage to Pittsburgh, to blast into orbit aboard Polish’s spaceship, getting down in the interstellar dance party.
We arrived early enough to see the first opener, local DJ Keeb$, warm up the crowd with some trippy, psychedelic, electronic beats. It was almost a mix of Blutech, Tipper, and Ott, only a little more uptempo. While there were only a handful of people on the dance floor at this point, my friend and I agreed that Keeb$ was definitely killing it.
Everyone here at Wookie Post encourages you to check out some of Keeb$ stuff on SoundCloud Here. We look forward to getting him down to Morgantown to play at 123 Pleasant some time this Summer. He’s playing at the Brillobox in Pittsburgh this Saturday, May 10th, with fellow Pittsburgh producers Le Moti.
The second opener, whose name I couldn’t get anywhere, wasn’t really to my liking. He was playing a lot of mash ups and it was very fast paced. The crowd seemed to be enjoying it overall though, so he did the job of getting the crowd hyped. Forsaken by his height, and having the misfortune of playing on a short table, I felt bad for the guy because he had to lean over so far to play his set.
Once both openers finished, TPA’s stuff was set up by his crew. As he came out onto the stage, the now full dance floor erupted in cheer.
Second Act, unfortunately we did not catch his name.
The Polish Ambassador, whose real name is David Sulgaski, is known for wearing his super funky yellow and blue jumpsuit, and is accompanied on stage by Liminus, the lights/visuals guy. This is different from most shows that see the lights people off in the middle of the crowd. You can definitely see the benefit of this unusual set up, as it allows the visuals to feed off the music more directly. These guys not only put on a show of great music and dynamic visuals; they have more fun on stage than any act I can recall. Polish dances just as much as the concertgoers themselves. It’s a great atmosphere to be apart of, as stage presence is a huge part of being a talented performer.
The backdrop of the stage (what the visuals are displayed on) is hand crafted and known as “the Embassy”. It was constructed by Liminus and the merch guy, Joshua. I talked to Joshua for a few minutes about it and came to find that they used many tent poles as the frame and a spandex like material stretched between the poles. It’s somewhat sunken in, almost like the shape of the background of an amphitheater, which creates a neat optical illusion when visuals of space and stars are shot on it.
Polish started off the set with what he called some “slow and sexy” beats, and built up to upbeat tunes. It was a nice mix of some of his older stuff and tracks off his newest album “Ecozoic”.While the entire album has yet to be released, TPA has been releasing one song from it every Tuesday for the past few weeks.
I especially liked when he dropped “Portal Hopping”, a song off the album “I Found Him. Now I Must Kill Him.”, as well as his remix of Lupe Fiasco’s “I Gotcha” and his “Return of the Mack” remix.
There was never a moment during which the entire crowd wasn’t getting down to the funky space beats that were being dropped. I know that I, personally, was cutting a mean rug, breaking a good sweat, and keeping the cold beers flowing.
Time flew by, and before I knew it, TPA was telling the crowd that the set was over, giving all the party people props for coming out on a Wednesday night with so much energy. He then played a few more songs to finish out the night, one of which was a new release from “Ecozoic” which he had not released yet. I wish I could remember the name of the track as Pittsburgh was the first time he played it live.
After that he said he wanted to meet some of the fans, and jumped down into the crowd for photos and chit chat. David is a wonderfully nice fellow, giving everyone their turn, thanking all who came out.
We made our way to the front, mentioned Wookie Post, and got a photo. I told him about the debacle that was Gnarnia, to which he agreed and replied: “We should’ve been on a bigger stage!” Couldn’t agree more. I could see him being an awesome late-night festival closer, bringing one last cosmic dance party to the hardcore group of people that don’t want the party to end.
Something that I’ve come to find about The Polish Ambassador’s music is that it all just makes you want to get down, to dance, to just have fun. This is something that is so very primal about music. It digs down into your soul and makes you want to boogie.
A perfect example of this comes from my older brother, the huge Polish fan mentioned earlier. He has two young children, five and three years old. He’ll let his kids listen to all the music he enjoys, and they love all of it. They don’t know any of the stigmas that some people assign to electronic music, they just know it makes them dance and have a good time. There was a video that has been lost in the smart phone nethersphere in which his daughter was dancing like crazy and looks at the camera and says “POLISH AMBASSADOR!” We’re working hard to find it.
The Polish Ambassador is definitely a great time, and we recommend everyone check him out. As mentioned earlier, all of his music is available for free on his website. He’ll be bringing the space beats to festivals across the country this Summer; Electric Forest and Wakarusa to name a few. I’m especially excited to attend the intergalactic dance party in the Forest. Better brush up on your Polish before the Summer hits.