Hey festie kids!
Well, it’s that time of year…festival season! I’m Kim and once again, I’ll be gallivanting around the Midwest following some of the best music in the country as part of my “InTents Promo” Tour. I am also making a point to check out some of the environmental causes and initiatives taking place at more and more festivals as well. This year I kicked-off my summer with the 10th Annual Summer Camp Festival at Three Sister’s Park in Chillicothe, IL last weekend. This was my first time hitting up Summer Camp, so I was pretty stoked to see if it lived up to the hype.
My weekend went like this:
I loaded up and headed for Illinois around noon on Thursday and arrived at Three Sister’s Park at 4pm. After bouncing from line to line at the “will call” desk for over an hour, I got my credentials and headed for the gate. I’d been warned the SC crew checks your belongings for outside alcohol, so I was prepared for the wait and tried to think cold thoughts (it was pretty hot in that line). After another hour, I finally entered the park and went in search of my campmates. I was fortunate enough to camp with the Shaggy Wonda crew out of Bloomington, IN. They’re an amazingly supportive “family” of beautiful people held together by their love of music (and each other). By the time camp was set up, it was time to hit up the Wonda set on the Camping Stage. Shaggy Wonda has a rock/blues/jazz mix all their own and know how to get a crowd going. Add lights by Brent Nixon of Herm Productions and live painting by Bloomington artist Jenna Crosbie and you have the recipe for a killer pre-party kick-off.
The Wonda Crew rocking the Camping Stage!
If you haven’t had a chance to hear Shaggy Wonda, check them out on Myspace and Facebook. Also, be on the look-out for some of their latest recordings from Stable Studios.
After the Shaggy Wonda set, I took a bit of a break before heading to the Red Barn for the late night jams.
The main show I was looking forward to in the barn was Future Rock. Based out of Chicago, Future Rock lives up to its name with super heady psychedelic riffs and mind-altering space jams . With that being said, my mind was actually on the kid behind the light board. If you’ve ever read an “Intents” blog or heard me talk about the Midwest music scene, then you know my love for Herm Productions. Headed up by Alex “Herm” Schneider, Herm Productions offers staging, production, and, most excellently, special effect lighting. Any show put on or involving HP is guaranteed to set your senses on fire and offer a light show so on point, you’d think it was pre-recorded. However, no automated show could ever bring the drama Herm brings to every show no matter the size or genre of music. Since he had been on tour with Future Rock for most of their shows in the past few months, I was interested to see how Herm ran this show. As usual, Herm hit every transition and was prepared for FR’s every move. Even though there were some technical difficulties in the middle (I doubt many people even noticed…the kid is good!), he started and ended strong and with his usual flair. It would have been great to see what he did without the snags, but seeing how he rocked it with them was pretty impressive. That night, and all weekend, I heard people talk about how great they thought that set was and how awesome the lights were. That show definitely set the bar for the rest of the shows that weekend and I couldn’t wait to see where it went from there.
I woke up and headed to the church early Friday morning for the daily “press meeting” and to charge my batteries (both literally and figuratively). Samantha Phelps was our press coordinator and did an amazing job keeping us informed of all of the behind-the-scenes events and happenings. As much as Summer Camp is about music, it is also about building a more sustainable festival that not only reduces its impact on its surroundings, but helps to give back to the community. Sam took us on a tour of the entire festival grounds and made sure to stop at the Soulshine Tent. At night, it was an all-out dance party with dueling dj’s and fire-spinners. By day, you could learn about recycling and the benefits of buying local as well as alternative fuel options and even all-natural dyes. Various bands such as Cornmeal, The Ragbirds, Family Groove Company, and Hot Buttered Rum played sets presented by non-profits and charitable causes.
Cornmeal rocking the Soulshine Tent!
There was also a “Make Difference” area near the tent with donation stations set up for canned foods, cell phones, and lightly-worn shoes. We even had the opportunity to speak with Summer Camp’s greening organizer and hear about some of the things they have been building upon to become a “greener” festival. Recycling centers were set up all over the festival grounds with a bin for garbage, one for compostable materials, and one for recyclables. Once the bags in the bins were collected by volunteers, they were taken to the “sorting” area to make sure trash wasn’t mixed in with the recyclable and compostable items. They even required vendors to order compostable supplies for the weekend in an effort to reduce waste. It was really nice to see such an influence put on making a positive change for the future.
The rest of my day was spent bouncing from show to show trying to take in as much music as possible. The Ragbirds had a good crowd for their 11am set and helped start the day off with positive energy. Papadosio out of Athens, OH kept spirits up in the heat with some crazy sweet electronica jams. Future Rock brought more amazing jams to the Starshine Stage, but didn’t have the same energy in the heat, and light, of day. One of my favorite sets of the weekend was Cornmeal. By the time I hit up their set on the Moonshine Stage, a cloud of dust had already been kicked-up by a huge crowd of adoring bluegrass fans. The dusty haze was pretty dense by the time they ended “Cornmeal in the Kitchen” and it took the crowd a moment to realize they were really done. 
Cornmeal...again!!!
After a short stint catching the STS9 set, I ended up back at the Camping Stage just as Midwest Hype was finishing up. With the same energy I always expect from the Hype, they brought good vibes to the woods with their blend of reggae and hip hop. Next up was Indianapolis’ face-melting funk machine, the Twin Cats. Herm was back on lights with Brent in the wings to make sure this show went off without a hitch. If you have never seen a Twin Cats show with Herm Productions lighting, then you should make a point to track one down. The Twin Cats can throw down some of the best funk in the Midwest and HP knows exactly how they get down! With four LED strips framing Adam Catron on drums and lights in every nook of the canopy covering the stage, the duo didn’t stop the party for even a moment of the allotted hour. The power the Twin Cats bring to every show kept my heart racing and my body moving non-stop. They have quickly become one of my favorite bands in the Midwest. Be sure to check them out; you will not be disappointed.
From there, I headed to Bassnectar to help keep my adrenaline going. Complete with flashing lights and flying glowsticks, Bassnectar had the crowd raging in sync for well over an hour. At the end of every build-up,
hundreds of glowsticks would go flying and the crowd would explode again. After the final mix, I floated with the crowd to the second Umphrey’s McGee set of the night. Although I am not a huge Umphrey’s fan, I do have to say their light show was one of the most beautiful shows I have ever seen. With tiers upon tiers of lights, the stage was constantly washed in brilliant shapes and colors that went in every direction. I made sure to watch it from a few different angles and each one seemed better than the one before. I thought that show was, by definition, awesome.
Umphrey's whoa.
Purple is my favorite.
Most of my day Saturday was spent avoiding the sun and trying to find shady spots to enjoy the music. One way I accomplished that was by heading to the church for a bass workshop with Victor Wooten, Janis Wallin of Family Groove Company, and Rob Derhak and Jim Loughlin of moe. It was interesting to hear the different takes on playing the bass guitar and with other musicians, especially from a few of my favorite bass player. I thought the workshop was a great way to add more intimacy to the festival and bring fans closer to the musicians as well.
Jim Loughlin & Rob Derhak of moe., Victor Wooten (SO close!), & Janis Wallin of FGC
From there, I took in the last of Steel Pulse’s jammin’ reggae set and a few moments of Victor Wooten. After that, I laid low until the sun backed off a bit. I headed to the Starshine Stage to catch Pretty Lights as the sun was starting to set. The biggest crowd I had seen at that stage was waiting alongside me and tore it down from the moment he started until he ended an hour later. Every beat ran seamlessly into the next and it was hard for anyone to stand still for more than a few seconds. Pretty Lights ended up being one of my favorite sets of the weekend as well. His raw energy was amazing and definitely left me wanting more.
I decided to opt out on the remaining Umphrey’s and moe. sets that night. I heard both were stellar with moe. producing a laser-ridden light show that stood up to, and possibly surpassed, Umphrey’s fireworks show. Since I wasn’t at either, I’ll stay neutral on the topic.
I made sure to hit up my Sunday press meeting and thank Sam for being such a great coordinator. With no set press plan from years past, I think she did a great job getting answers and trying to accommodating our needs.
our fearless press leader...thank you Sam!
I milled about my campsite for a while after that listening to some of the bands on the Campfire Stage. I had never heard Steez before, but they had a really upbeat jazz/funk sound. Brainchild is a band that I had heard locally before and enjoyed dancing to some of their jams while I packed up my stuff. I headed home that afternoon to get some work done and enjoy the rest of my holiday weekend with family, but was really grateful for the opportunity to experience the Summer Camp Festival. I’m not sure many of the 12,000+ crowd realized some of the great initiatives taking place around them while they enjoyed some truly amazing music, but I’m glad I was able to see it. Overall, I had a stellar weekend with talented people and amazing friends. I hope to go back next year and see how they intend to top this one; it’s going to be pretty tough if you ask me.
As for what’s next, I’m not exactly sure, but I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, stay positive and enjoy the sunshine!
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shining beams of love...Dallas from Covert Operations
UV Hippo w/Herm Productions on lights
