Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Photo Gallery
Wakarusa, day 1
A photo gallery of the first day of The Wakarusa Festival.
» Jon Benedick
The student
Origin: Overland Park
Been around since: 1986
Times at Wakarusa: 3
Benedick started his Wakarusa festivities Wednesday night when he arrived at the campgrounds with his friends. Just a short drive from his apartment, he came prepared to camp out for the full four nights. With a night of drinking and fun under his belt, Benedick was ready for the music. Benedick said that he had been to many concerts and enjoyed music festivals, but he hadn’t found anything that is quite like Wakarusa. He said appreciated the uniqueness of the crowd and the excitement of the bands.
As a three-time Wakarusa attendee, Benedick knows the lay of the land. He walked around the festival with ease from the first day while others searched their maps to find the correct stage. To anyone who asks, Benedick offers advice on the best bands to watch. While most people were concerned with the headliners, his must-sees for the weekend included lesser-known bands that played after 2 a.m. He opted for the laser light show of Sound Tribe Sector 9 rather than attending the piano man, Ben Folds.
Benedick said he loved the live music and the laid-back nature of Wakarusa. He said Wakarusa was a growing festival and it incorporated new things every year. This year, he noticed hip-hop music infused into the festival with bands HipHopopotamus and Blackalicious. He said he loved the blending of genres with everything from hip-hop to the blue grass fusion of Calamity Cubes. By the end of the festival Benedick felt exhausted, but thought the experience was definitely worth it. He hopes to continue coming back to Wakarusa in years to come.
Photo Gallery
Wakarusa, day 2
A photo gallery of Friday, June 6, at the Wakarusa Festival.
» Backdoor Slam
The Foreign Up-and-Comer
Origin: Isle of Man, a small island near England.
Been around since: 2006
Times at Wakarusa: 1
Web site: www.backdoorslam.com
The trio, made up of Davy Knowles, Ross Doyle and Adam Jones, drove for two days to get to Wakarusa but couldn’t remember where they started from. Arriving on Thursday night, the band had a show canceled because of the weather.
“It was a little disappointing and sad,” Knowles said. “But I suppose it’s better than being in the middle of a tornado or hurricane. We don’t really get lightning back home. The extremes are quite exciting.”
The band played a set to a full crowd Thursday afternoon and was glad the tour schedule allowed them to spend time at the festival to see other shows. Doyle said he was looking forward to seeing Emmylou Harris and The Flaming Lips. All three band members said they felt overwhelmed by the number of bands they didn’t recognize. They said the bands at Wakarusa were much different than British bands.
The Seattle Times compared Knowles’ musical spirit to Jimi Hendrix, but Knowles tried to downplay the comparision to the legendary guitarist.
“It’s very nice to hear, but the thing is not to listen to that,” Knowles said. “You kind of do your own thing and try not to let it affect you or intimidate you.”
Backdoor Slam said it enjoyed the upbeat vibe of Wakarusa and hoped to come back next year.
Jones said he only had one problem with the festival.
“I haven’t seen enough hippies. I can’t smell the patchouli or the pot,” he said.
Jason Hammel, drummer of Mates of State
» Mates of State
The Married Couple
Origin: San Francisco
Been around since: 1997
Times at Wakarusa: 1
Web site: www.matesofstate.com
It’s hard to find a genre for this husband and wife duo of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel. It took Mates of State a 20-hour drive from Connecticut to arrive Thursday morning. The duo’s indie rock sound with pop elements took to the stage at this year’s festival Friday evening. Hammel said their marriage added something unique to their music.
“Most people think it’s abnormal we spend so much time together,” Hammel said. “We actually enjoy each other’s company and don’t really get sick of each other. That connection shows in our performance.”
After performing, the band stayed to watch other acts. Although they were there to enjoy the music, Hammel also had an agenda to accomplish Friday night.
“I want to see if I can get the bucket off of Buckethead’s head,” Hammel said. “After that, I want to see Cake go the distance and, of course, watch The Flaming Lips.”
Hammel said he loved the idea of sharing the limelight with other bands at a festival rather than having an individual concert. He said he liked the idea of it being a free-for-all where anything could happen and that he enjoyed the challenge of getting thrown on stage quickly after another band.
Hammel wouldn’t classify Wakarusa as simply a hippie festival. Well, at least not in public.
“I saw a lot of people dancing weird,” Hammel said. “But you can’t judge people for being hippies. Well you can, but only in the privacy of your own home.”
Wayne Coyne, lead singer of the Flaming Lips, strums his guitar during sound check on Sun Down Stage before the show.
» The Flaming Lips
The Headliner
Origin: Oklahoma City
Been around since: 1983
Times at Wakarusa: 2
Web site: www.flaminglips.com
The well-known alternative rock group, whose main members include Wayne Coyne, Michael Ivins and Steven Drozd, made Wakarusa a full Flaming Lips event. Arriving Thursday night, the Lips braved the storm in their hotel, but didn’t think the weather was all that alarming.
“We are from Oklahoma,” Coyne said, “and frankly that wasn’t that big of a storm last night. By our standards it was a little wimpy.”
The Flaming Lips were accompanied on the stage by confetti, videos, lights, naked women and teletubbies dancing on stage.
“The thing I love that we have is that we’re really available to the audience,” Coyne said. “We use the audience. We’ll set up stuff and hope it works. If the audience gets into this thing, it’s the greatest thing of our lives.”
The band also previewed their new movie, “Christmas on Mars,” both Friday and Saturday night. The Lips have worked on the movie for the past seven years and have only previewed it once before. Coyne said the meaning of the movie, like all art, was up to the viewer. To him, the movie is about how to live your life.
“In this life you need two things: magic and hard work,” Coyne said. “The movie is about the mixture of the two. People need to realize they only have this one life to live and need to live it to the fullest combing these two things.”
Coyne said that although he loved smaller festivals such as Wakarusa, the band probably wouldn’t be back next year. He said that the performance would lose its magic if the Lips returned every year.
Jenny Arnau
» Jennie Arnau
The Newcomer
Origin: New York City
Been around since: 1998
Times at Wakarusa: 1
Web site: www.jenniearnau.com
It may have taken Jennie Arnau and her band a three-hour flight from New York City and an hour drive to get to Wakarusa, but the singer said it was worth every minute of it. “I love it,” Arnau said. “I like the feeling of community and getting to know people I normally wouldn’t. It’s inspiring. I haven’t walked away from a festival and not wanted to write a new song.” Arnau and her band arrived Friday afternoon and spent the day checking out other bands.
For the first half of her time at the festival, Arnau remained in the crowd simply enjoying the music, especially Leftover Salmon. In spite of realizing that she had access to VIP tents backstage, she said she was grateful for what she had accomplished.
“I’ve gained a lot from this experience,” Arnau said. “I’ve heard a lot of bands I never would have if I hadn’t come here. Everyone influences in a positive way and it feels good. You have to take a little more of the positive and a little less of negative energy”
Arnau hopes to come back to Lawrence for Wakarusa next year.
“A year from now hopefully I’ll be doing the same thing with a little bigger crowd and a new CD behind it,” Arnau said. “It just takes stamina. It takes putting it out there and seeing what comes back to you.”
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