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Setting
Levels
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Edited
by Paul "Pro" Pearson,
Ph.D.
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Making It Happen Summer is festival season, and every jamband worth their weight in flyers is either headlining, hosting or playing a festival in the course of their summer tour. Festivals can take many shapes and forms-from small, friendly campouts/jam sessions to huge productions with dozens of bands on multiple stages and tens of thousands in the crowd. I guess I'm more familiar with the former... As you know, or don't know, I'm the 'manager' and sound engineer for Strange Pleasures-Nebraska's Kindest Jamband. We're not well known, we don't have a CD out yet, and, not surprisingly, we didn't attract a lot of festival attention this year. But, as the old saying goes, it's not quantity, but quality. The Hartman Family Festival was scheduled on the weekend of July 15th in a little out-of-the way place called Thousands Peak Ranch in South Park County, Colorado. (If you drive about 15 miles, you run into a little town called Fairplay, which I can only assume is the REAL South Park, as it is truly a 'podunk, pissant, white bread, redneck, mountain town') The plan for the second incarnation of this little gathering was to sell tickets to only 300 people, making it a truly intimate 'family' event. With New Jersey jamband Stir Fried headlining on the heels of their CD release tear through Colorado, and a number of popular Colorado bands on the bill, we had little doubt that the event would be sold out come game time. But, the best laid plans are often thwarted by things you cannot control. The summer's heavy tour and festival schedule (which admittedly reduced the number of people that would travel with us) outcompeted our little event. When we found out only a few days in advance that ticket sales hadn't gone well and plans were somewhat up in the air, we abandoned our plans to head the 'Awesum Possum' (our venerable '73 Travco) westward. After a night of Widespread Panic under the stars and a couple liters of vodka, we decided to call our friends Russ and Donna Hartman and see what was up. The word was that there was going to be a party in the mountains-Stir Fried and Chautaqua (another kind little jamband from Colorado) were going to play for whomever showed up. Damn the fact that gas was $1.80 a gallon and we drank up most of our party supplies, I made an executive decision to front the cash and make sure that we all got the vacation we deserved. Strange Pleasures was not about to get the rep as the band that wimped out on a good party. Chautaqua had picked up the slack we had made by backing out on bringing our PA-all they needed was a board and a few cables, which we could squeeze in. They were kind enough to offer their drums and bass amp-all we needed to do was get ourselves there, which proved to take quite a bit longer than expected. The new tranny in the Possum developed a lack of reverse prior to departure, forcing us to plan ahead wherever we drove. The Possum also decided to run a bit hotter in the hills than in the flatland, requiring that we stop a couple times to let it cool down on the way up. We pulled in to the familiar valley in the afternoon on Friday to find a small group assembling and readying the grounds. A big yellow party tent became our 'venue' for the next two days. The typical afternoon shower in the Rockies, that usually lasts an hour or less, decided to become a bit more persistent. Chautaqua was setting up to play in the evening, and the gear under the tent was seemingly safe, until a nice gust of wind decided to lift the tent and drop it down on top of everyone and everything-spilling large aluminum tent poles everywhere. Fortunately no one was hurt, nothing was damaged and we were able to batten everything down for the real meat of the storm. Nothing to do but puff, pass, and wait. As the rain got heavier, things got soggier, and the night wore on, it was clear that there would be music, but it wasn't going to be Stir Fried and it wasn't going to be for awhile. Sometime around 11:00 PM or so, the rain decided to let up, at least somewhat. People began to mill about and somebody got the idea that it was time to get rolling. Cautiously we got the tent back up, poured the water out of the odd box of cables, and began stringing our makeshift sound system together. Two mains, two monitors lined off the mains, one separate powered monitor mix, one amplifier, one sound board, two towers of lights, one generator, and enough cables to wire it all together. Nothing fancy, to be sure, but enough to make one damn big stereo at 9500 feet. When Chautaqua played their first notes, as big of cheer that could come from a soggy, tired, small, but definitely loyal group was offered to the mountains. Let's just say that the REAL party started at that point, and didn't let up for 24 hours. During their two sets, Chautaqua found a groove that got everybody involved and it got really thick when Johnny Markowski from Stir Fried got up to jam with them. Only the generator running out of gas slowed the momentum, and even then, only briefly. Everyone there (and I mean EVERYONE) was in the same mind set, and everyone was feeling strange. Sometime around 4:20, (no-one knows for sure), Strange Pleasures took the 'stage.' It was very cold, damp and everyone was FRYING. What will undoubtedly be known as the most psychedelic set of our five-year run as a band ensued. The 'launching pad' jam of "Lyin In the Sun" dissipated into oblivion rather than returning to the song's safe haven, "China Cat Sunflower" went cosmic...t.he members of Chautaqua were standing there captivated (later admitting that they couldn't fathom holding, let alone playing, a guitar at that point). At some point in the middle of "Third Stone From the Sun" Jan Leonard, guitarist from Stir Fried, joined in-creating a rather eccentric exploration. A cover of Panic's "Makes Sense to Me" ended the set (about an hour too early, in retrospect) as the sun began to threaten the horizon. If you have not experienced a sunrise at Thousands Peak Ranch, I can only tell you that your life is not yet complete. As the day wore on, more people kept showing up, and a nice little crowd was ready for the next show. Strange Pleasures played the afternoon set, but again the clouds threatened and forced us to batten down the hatches. This time, we had a lot more help. The wind and rain were enough to postpone the next set for several hours, but at this point Buddy Cage and the rest of Stir Fried had made the trek from the safety of their hotel rooms. Some additional tarps and modifications were made and we once again took our posts-myself at the board, and others at the poles. As Stir Fried played their first set to a full tent of appreciative partygoers, the toll of 36 hours without sleep began to hit me, but it could not dim the smile on my face. Hearing Cage's psychedelic steel mixed with Markowski's impeccable rhythm and Leonard's floating fingerings over the top of that thick groove was the culmination of a long (albeit wet) journey. As the rain kept pouring, Johnny and Joanne sang a special "Turn on Your Lovelight" and the band locked into a groove that built to a pinnacle of intensity, engrossing and enthralling everyone with its energy. This song, this defining moment, made every bit of hassle and struggle it took to get to that point disappear. This is the essence of why jambands exist and the hallmark of any festival worth the price of admission. This was the spirit of the Grateful Dead, the hippie/Woodstock ethos that people declared deceased after last year's corporate debacle, and the pure expression of the musical soul-a transcendent moment in time, transporting us out of our mortal existence and into the ethereal. Maybe it was at that point, or after that I realized what a REAL experience it was. This was pure love, pure art, pure poetry. This was a celebration of music, friendship and spiritual kinship. I also realized that if any of us had any sense, none of it would have happened. Think about it-driving/flying across Nebraska/the country to play a concert for less than 100 people in the middle of a mountain valley in the rain? Preposterous. Unforgettable. Johnny remarked that it should be called the "Make it Happen" Festival, as that was exactly what everyone involved had done. This was a festival that came together despite great odds-everyone did something to make it happen. As someone else remarked, there were no spectators-everyone was an active participant. Everyone pitched in and deserves a lot of thanks. In no particular order: the Hartman Family, Mike Thomas, Louie, and the other 'facilitators'; my wonderful sister June, who brought a bunch of groceries and a grill at EXACTLY the right time; my nephew Erik, James Dunnican and everyone else who brought a few friends; Stir Fried and Buddy Cage, who played for the people despite the rain and hassle; Johnny Markowski and Jan Leonard of Stir Fried-who truly held the spirit of the event in their hearts and minds; Chautaqua and Paul Cohen, who brought a kind vibe and enough equipment to make it happen; Strange Pleasures, Miss April, Randy Miller and Chrissy, who made the trip enjoyable; and everyone who held a tent pole or helped move gear when the rains came. This was an event that was shared by few, but will be remembered for a long time. We could have asked for a larger crowd, but we could not have had a better festival. Just wait 'til next year... Comments? Have a topic for 'Setting Levels'? Want to put in your $.02 on taping, trading or mixing live music? Send me an email... Stay tuned for an interview with Jiggle the Handle's expert soundman, Jack Comeau; and an interview with Johnny and Jan from Stir Fried in a future issue of Jambands.com... You can catch Stir Fried and Strange Pleasures at the Lazy Summer Daze Festival sponsored by Quixote's True Blue Café to be held on Labor Day Weekend, September 2nd in Strausburg Colorado. See www.quixotes.com for details...
Pro
Live from the Hartman Family Festival II-7/15/00
Chautaqua-four sets Send me an email with your request...Pro@jambands.com I will spin B&P's of the soundboards for anyone who was there, or anyone who wants them. I may also have access to the audience recordings of some of the sets...
Stir Fried
Strange Pleasures
Chautaqua
Pro finally got to leave the soundboard and sleep in the Possum the whole way back to Nebraska....check him out at www.strangepleasures.com.
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