The Wake

Attending a summer music festivals is a tradition held by groups of families and friends nation wide. What is it about these events that prompts 100’s of thousands to empty their wallets and drive hours in the hot sun with little to no leg room? Is it to see an assembly of your favorite bands over the span of a couple short days? Is it the plethora of drugs and musical conversation shared? Maybe it’s just the trip in its entirety; the inevitable closeness with your fellow travelers annually achieved. In any case, they’re popular summer highlights and this summer will be no exception.

With Coachella, and the epic Rage Against the Machine reunion already gone past, we must turn our heads, and face full on an impending summer of musical bliss for the greater Midwest. The way I see it, we Minnesotans have it made in the shade. The two biggest American summer festivals aren’t on either coast; they’re as centrally located as farming and traditionally hard work ethics. The festivals I speak of are Manchester, Tennessee’s Bonnaroo and Chicago’s Lollapalooza. Heck, we’ve even got Summerfest in Milwaukee bringing in big names each year. Unfortunately, we must warn, this year is a bit of an exception. The line-up is a disappointment and if you want to see marquee acts like John Mayer or Roger Waters, it’s going to cost you a great deal on top of your price of admission.

Just across our northern border, the Winnipeg folk festival is an annual treat bringing in acts for Moms and Dads and their teens and tots alike. If you’re by chance an elementary student or younger, rest assured, the premier children’s musicians and magicians will be there. To the incoming college student, I have seen more alternative acts the likes of Mason Jennings and Tegan and Sarah in the past. For your MPR listening and Newsweek reading parents, they bring in a nice mix of old school folkies (like The Wailing Jenny’s and many “(insert pastoral reference here) folk bands”). The headliners, however, can be a treat for the whole family. They choose at least one big name each year; they’re often international and rarely disappoint (Taj Mahal held it down and the Buena Vista Social Club were as good as advertised). However, it is in Canada, you’ll probably get poison ivy, and with all the old hippies dancing, it’s hard to know whether to match a bowl or call an ambulance. Never to worry though, this years Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza are as stacked as ever.

Lollapalooza, a three day festival held in downtown’s Grant Park, is a dream. It runs like clockwork and the line-ups are wonderfully diverse. The only real problem of your weekend will be deciding which acts to go see. Last year, such decisions as Common vs. The Flaming Lips and My Morning Jacket vs. Raconteurs were enough to bring a man to tears. But in the end, regardless of weather you caught Jack White shredding to Gnarls Barkley’s, “Crazy,” or watched Jim James Karate kick across the stage as the sun fell behind the backdrop of skyline, you were happy. The year’s lineup includes European rarities like dance rockers LCD Soundsystem and Daft Punk, old school legends Pearl Jam and The Stooges, New York show stoppers Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and T.V. On The Radio, and many, many more. Act’s come here to make their names (who will be this year’s Wolfmother?) and to deliver end of the road, once in a life time performances (in ’06, Sleater-Kinney and Broken Social Scene). The ticket price may have risen to $195, but it’ll be worth the overtime at your summer job.

Bonnaroo, which started out as predominately Jam based, continues to evolve and as rapidly emerging to the forefront of the American festival scene. Held in the tiny town of Manchester, Tennessee, it continues to diversify, this year potentially being its best lineup ever. Even without juggernaut Radiohead, return appearances by Ben Harper, Umphrey’s McGee, and Widespread Panic will bring back the regulars. Headliners, The Police and Tool, will be major draws and new discs from critical darlings the White Stripes and Wilco will have die hard fans drooling in anticipation. Despite even all of this, it’s the genre sprawling mix of Kings of Leon, Brazilian Girls, Spoon, The Roots, and Girl Talk that will have many new comers counting down the days.

The Wake recently interviewed Bonnaroo main stay Ben Harper and new comer Colin Meloy of The Decemberists about their overall thoughts on this year’s lineup, Bonnaroo memories, and the festival concept in general.

The Wake: Hey, Colin. This is Carl Carpenter from The Wade Student Magazine at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. How are ya?

Colin Meloy: Hi, Good.

The Wake: What have you heard about this festival over the past five years? What made you want to play this festival? and are you preparing anything unique for the show as a lot of performers do?

Colin Meloy: Well – I mean, I guess it’s existed on my radar in that I, you know, know other people that have played there, and it seems like a real community, a community which I don’t think we’ve necessarily been a part of in the past, though I think more and more, those kind of boundaries are being erased, which I think is inevitably a good thing, you know. Creative (cross-culturalization) is a good way of, you know, creating more interesting ideas in music. As far as us having anything special planned, I think we’re just going to do our show. I imagine that playing this festival is going to potentially open us up to a new audience, to a certain degree, and we just want to kind of be ourselves really.

The Wake: I saw you earlier this school year at First Avenue. My question is, I know it’s a tendency at festivals for some bands to have a sound more suited for outdoor play. Say, like a My Morning Jacket seems to have that sound, or a Wilco, and other bands just don’t seem to have a sound that translates as well. Do you go into an outdoor show taking a different approach then when you play a smaller venue?

Colin Meloy: Well, it’s a little – it’s always a little different. I mean, you’re obviously trying to connect to a larger crowd. I guess, it depends when you’re playing, but for the most part, you know – a few more people than maybe you’re accustomed to playing to. But – and maybe there’s a sense that some of those people are kind of disinterested because they’re not really there to see you. They’re there just kind because they’re kind of curious.

So it’s just, really, a question of being in the right spirit and, kind of, being willing reach out to those people and, you know, hopefully (you) make and impact, I guess. Otherwise, I guess, I think the idea is just to kind of be ourselves and play our show and, you know, leave it up to the crowd to decider whether or not it translates into an outdoor arena.

The Wake: What are you most looking forward to in Tennessee, and how do you think it’ll be different that other festivals you played?

Colin Meloy: Well, I think seeing other bands will be – if we get an opportunity to do that, will be great. That’s always a treat. But mostly, I think it’s just – yes, to meet other people and meet other bands and, you know, get a sense of what other people are doing in our community.

The Wake: Hey, Ben. This is Carl Carpenter from The Wade Student Magazine at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. How’s it going?

Ben Harper: All right, man. How ‘bout you?

The Wake: Pretty good, after three years of (playing Bonnaroo), how do you expect your performance and Bonnaroo itself to differ from 2003?

Ben Harper: You know, I’m as curious about that as you. Honestly, not to answer the question not being clear, but I am. I’m curious to see how Bonnaroo’s shifted, evolved and changed. It’s always been really well-run and very exciting to play. The line-ups have always been some of the best worldwide, so I’m anxious to see that too.

The Wake: Of the changes you’ve seen at Bonnaroo over the years being a vet, what do you think this has meant to the music festival scene?

Ben Harper: It’s of the main festivals that brings the United States into creative balance with festivals throughout the rest of the world. In other words, Europe has been kicking America’s butt so long in having great music festivals, well-run music festivals and music festivals that really bring a wide variety of musicians together, that run smooth, have a good environment back stage and that manage the crowd. Europe’s been doing that for a long time and it’s a fact that Bonnaroo, it really put America on the map as being relevant in that arena.

The Wake: I know you’ve been to a lot of Bonnaroos. If you could just give me a favorite Bonnaroo memory or one of the best sets you’ve seen.

Ben Harper: Neil Young. Also, I remember Jack Johnson’s first Bonnaroo, and that was exciting to see people in that area see him for the first time.

The Wake: Well, my question is Bonnaroo’s been compared with Woodstock recently, and I was wondering what you want people to be saying about Bonnaroo, the festival and specifically your performances 20, 30 years from now?

Ben Harper: Well, you know, I hope that Bonnaroo stands alone as being different from Woodstock actually. That’s the problem with this generation, it’s too damn nostalgic. Look, man, there’s no bigger Bob Dylan fan or Woodstock fan for that matter than me. Jimmy at Woodstock, come on man. I mean, (of course) this doesn’t match. But enough – all right. Dylan is the shit, we get it. The Last Waltz was the shit, cool but enough. I want Bonnaroo to belong to this generations Woodstock and I want Bonnaroo to stand on its own as being something really hip and special for this time.

The Wake: Given the current state of affairs both globally and domestically and with positive aspects of festivals like Bonnaroo, do you think that these festivals should or could take on a greater social cause?

Ben Harper: The bottom line is we can all contribute to a – to a higher level in social consciousness especially environmental awareness. But here’s the problem, people want you to feed into that idea of well, you shouldn’t talk about this. Who are you to talk about environmental issues? Well, you know what, I like to. I want to leave behind something for my kids and their kids. Some people feel strongly about it so that’s fine. But then if you don’t feel strongly about it, (don’t listen) because I feel strongly to talk about it and I’m going to put it out there straight like that. There’s room everywhere whether it’s in music festivals or in our day-to-day lives to step up to the plate for the planet that gives us life. End of story.

The Wake: The White Stripes are one of the headliners this year, are you a fan, and do you think you could take Jack White in a guitar battle?

Ben Harper: Oh yeah, I’d jam in a heart beat…. Are you saying who would win between Jack and I in a guitar contest?

The Wake: Yes, do you think you could take him?

Ben Harper: I think Warren Haynes would come along and kick both of our asses.

The Wake: I don’t know. I’d like to see it that though.