In the before times, as they are now called, I would dream of going to New Orleans. A fabled land of endless celebratory spirit, cafes brimming with jazz and blues, alcoholic slushies flowing from antique soda fountains. Costumes standing in for everyday attire because what the hell what was better than a costume anyway? When we landed the night was thick with humidity and anticipation as we drove into the city I couldn’t believe how warm it felt at 8pm…

Over four days of music I got to twerk with Big Freedia, stomp and clap to Shovels & Rope and boogie down with Trombone Shorty. It was truly a phenomenal line up of artists, and in the end it was basically impossible to enjoy all my favorites. But enjoy it I did if I had to pick, my new artist standouts were Cinafunk (of Cuba) – afrofunk dance , Seratones – soul rock, Ranky Tanky – Charleston quintet, Rory Block – blues, and Helen Gillet- cello pop.

Cimafunk (of Cuba)

Cimafunk is an Afro-Cuban rockstar we should all be blasting from our speakers to properly wind up #hotvaxsummah. Performing with his 9 person band from Havana, Cimafunk and his sunny island grooves had us salsing and shiming across polo fields. Cimafunk has worked alongside rapper Lupe Fiasco and funk master George Clinton, and other greats to develop the hypnotically rhythmic cuban pop dance paired with African beats that are insanely catchy and uplifting. If you put this on at the pool party your DJ friend might even say “This slaps” with a gleeful smile.

Cimafunk – “La Noche”

Seratones 

My crust for the fest was Seratones, the power soul pop diva group I had discovered in the Spring and couldn’t wait to fangirl over. The Louisiana band describes themselves as a “synthesis of astral Soul, R&B, and Sci-fi funk” and their performance left us starry-eyed. Their retro sound of driving femal vocals, drums and dreamy sync inspired and excited us to no end. The lead singer AJ Haynes was particularly captivating and I low key fell in love with her when she paused dramatically before the finale

Excus my Gemini moon, I’m going to read a poem

Oh yes, we’ll excuse the moon my dear, Shante You Stay!

Seratones – “Power” [Official Video]

Rory Block 

By day of 3 jazz fest the heat and humidity had torpedoed my energy and I knew better than to spend another 7 hours in the hot southern sun. Lucky for me, legendary guitarist Rory Block was playing the Blues tent. This shady, mist filled oasis was brimming with Block’s twanging voice and fingerpicking sound. She serenaded me as I savored a creole lunch of tippy trout with grilled shrimp and crawfish sauce. One of the true joys of this trip was not only the new artists found but the incredible cultural and music touchstones abound. It was a delight to be surrounded by the soulful sounds of America diverse community. 

Rory Block – “Lovin’ Whiskey”

Ranky Tanky

Ranky Tanky played at the Fasi Do Do stage that I kept calling “ Fasi do re mi stage” to help me remember. Ranky Tanky was a feel good South Carolina sensation. Their whole set they had the audience in the palm of their hand, dancing and swaying with funky delight. The peak of their performance was leading a call and response rendition of “Green Sally ” with a choreographed dance that the we gleefully followed in unison. 

Ranky Tanky – “Green Sally“

Ranky Tanky – “Shoo Lie Loo”

On Day 4 it was less of a race and more a crawl, we had made it and just were trying to enjoy all the music we could without collapsing. That day I gave my liver a break and went herbal only to wander into a small idyllic and gloriously shaded courtyard. On stage was Hellen Gillet, a Belgian pop cellist with assertive Fiona Apple indie vibes backed up by a drummer in the grandstand courtyard. Her sound was reminiscent of Andrew Bird’s haunting melodies but before long the tempo would pick up into an upbeat classical number perfect for a Bridgerton ball. I chowed down a delicious mufalatto sandwich entranced by her impassioned hair flips. I’d been feasting on music for four long days (often instead of food) so my body was grateful for the seated respite.

Helen Gillet – “I have a date with you”

As sun set (thank goddess) on the last night of the festival, we weaved our way out of the festival grounds, departing a bit early from Trombone Shorty’s high energy set. We were exhausted, delirious, and couldn’t stop smiling. After dreaming of this weekend for so long I was incredulous that it was ending, that we had danced, that we had dreamed, that we had survived. On the ride home our taxi driver regaled us with a tale of how her friends tricked her into eating alligator after years of refusal and she had become a convert on the spot. Laughing along we promised her that we’d have some before flying home.

Trombone Shorty – “When the Saints Go Marching In”

We back!  It’s been 3 years since I published a Music on My Mind (M.O.M.) post, and while a lot has changed since 2019, my love of sharing new music has not (what I’d argue is the “6th love language”). For M.O.M v2 I’m going to play around with the format and cadence but stick with my original intention to use this project as an opportunity to connect with my community around music – sharing recs, going to shows, dancing thru it all. So lemme know what y’all think of this passion project reboot. Compliments welcome, critiques accepted at elon@musk.net. Welcome back to Music on Mind friends, pop in those headphones and let’s get weird.  

Playlists: I don’t wanna talk, I just wanna dance. 💃

Lightning in a Bottle Faves 2022 

Artist Spotlights: 

• Dancy, beat twerkin’, summah: Glassy Goodies 
• Sultry, sexy, down under dreamin’: Chet Ain’t Fakin’
• Kewl pool party: Wet & Wild 
• Melotronic mood board: Elder Island
• Funk yourself up: Griz

Starting with Part 2 

When the world shut down in 2020, I couldn’t have guessed it’d be 18 months till I’d feel the vibration of live bass guitar reverberate in my chest again. And I definitely wouldn’t have predicted a May 2022 that included two fantastic new musical festivals sandwiched between a case of covid; but alas the world works in mysterious ways and Music fest May was born. Starting with Jazz Fest in New Orleans and ending with Lightning in a Bottle (LiB) in Southern California. Two regions known for their dynamic entertainment scene, hot ass summers, spiked slushies, and a distinctly “less is more” approach to clothing. Starting with part 2 of this series might seem odd, but having just gotten back from the dusty, costumed, camping love fest that was LiB it’s what comes first. She comes first after all, and sometimes that means starting the series with part 2.

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Thursday – Arrival Under the Cover of Night

Like many of the best adventures, this one began with a whim – signing up for a music festival I’d never heard of while sipping beers in a ski lodge. A crew of mutual friends from Monterey were going and “…would I want to camp with them and enjoy 4 days of epic music – oh and there is a lake!” Flushed with IPA and altitude-induced confidence I bought my ticket on the spot, excited to boogie to new beats alongside fresh friends and reclaim my festivus glow.

Five months later when we pulled up to the dusty Bakersfield campground with spotty cell reception and I realized why so many Burners came to this festival – for the immersive art, but also familiar surroundings. Our friends had staked out a sweet spot in the radish patch a mere 7 min walk from the festival surrounded by extended community hailing from Davis to San Diego. The energy was electric, like a pack of feral rabbits high on rainbow carrots for the first time in 2 years. During our first brief loop of the grounds that night we happened upon the hilariously talented Fungineers, an LA-based elf troupe of music, art, and puppet masters performing on top of an ice cream truck. It would turn out to be a funky freaky omen for the weekend if we ever did see one.

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Friday – Oldies but Goodies 

True to it’s Burning Man comparisons, LiB is a non-stop arts festival with an abundance of woo woo workshops, intellectual glory holes, too many vegan food options and art in all its best forms (music, painting, face jewels). I waded into this cornucopia of delights on Friday morning with a dope Afrobeats Yoga Class. It was just the sassy stretch sesh we needed to start the day and when she instructed us all to twerk in downward dog during a Beyonce + Teko song I felt truly seen. 

Back at the radish patch my campmates were furiously blowing up animal floaties for a much anticipated lake swim to beat the heat and our hangovers. Only 12 hours into LiB I was beginning to understand that bathing suits were now a viable clothing option for the entire weekend and for once I didn’t mind all the beautiful vapid LA folks. We hid beers in our towels, doned rainbow Tevas, were ready for our first #swamprave.

After lakeside revelry it was back to the set list for the night  –  above and beyond my favorite lineup for the weekend (!). As someone who grew up going to Rolling Stones concerts, I tend towards bands, with a capital B, those who play actual instruments and whose musicality tends towards uplifting and dancey.  

We started out the night with a VNSSA evening set at Woogie stage (pictured at top) with a light show that drew us into the dance floor. Thankfully though I escaped long enough to see the sun slip behind the southern Sierras as sparkle ponies twirled around in the amber glow. Next up was the bodacious Big Wild, a band whose hypnotic earworm 6s to 9s had secured their spot on all indie dance playlists in perpetuity. Their set delivered all the euphoric larger than life sounds my soul had been craving. Adding to the revelry, and grassy knoll dance party all around us, was a series of canvases with spotlights where painters were groovin’ and painting in sync with the music – truly a gorgeous creative fusion. 

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Saturday – Wompapoolza 

Saturday started with a strong desire to rehydrate like a boss and get out of our hot dusty camp. It began with napping in shade during A Psychedelic State of the Union and continued to channeling tranquil transcendence through a Inner Space Exploration Meditation workshop. But the real highlight was wandering into the Witch’s Hut, a mystical potionarium hailing from Nevada City whose healing tinctures served in a cozy calming oasis were truly transformative to my overwhelmed nervous system.

The glory of the festivals lies, I believe, is in the pure saturation of it all – so many stages brimming with so much music, you can’t keep up with it all and so you simply don’t try. Coming into LiB I didn’t know 90% of the music (DJs + Electronic + House) so it was the perfect opportunity to get my horizons expanded through the guidance of friends who I’d characterize as womp forward, to my self affirmed womp adjacent musical sensibilities. These leprechaun finds would color the rainbow of musical delights I’d end up enjoying for the next two days.

Saturday’s evening of music started with my sole pick for the night – Elder Island. The adorable British trio fuses together genres as broad as electronica, indie pop, and neo-soul, which was always a perfect pairing for a night of craft beer brewing. Their electric cello was also a fun surprise to see live! After Elder Island we headed to Womp HQ (aka Woogie stage) for another UK artist, the dark emotive dance rhythms of Eli & Fur. Next we heard part of Max Cooper’s set which was both an audio-visual art party as well as a fun electronic music show. Our interests then drifted from the Woogie womp land to bigger stages with bigger womps. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting from an artist called LSDream, but a splendid trap remix of both Mr. Sandman, and then Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was quite the delight. These throw back tunes really helped me rally deep into the night. Closing us out was the femme fatal herself, ClooZe, a badass french DJ whose lucid sounds ended our second full day on an atmospheric high note.

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Sunday – Running on Empty

By day four of a festival you’ve often transitioned from vacation mode –> survival mode, finding that unique balance of enjoyment and rest to preserve just enough strength to pack up your tent with some semblance of dignity. As this festival was Memorial day weekend our mantra was “We’ll sleep in June” and it felt like a fleeting, if not worthwhile, promise to our future selves.

Sunday began with a “History of Witches” workshop where my new tincture goddess implored “…we’ve been kept down by the penises and priests for centuries, and it’s time to get back to our human connection to the earth, her cycles, and collective healing. “ Afterwards we wandered by the General Store, where steampunk decor flourished in a barter-only shop while, munching on beetroot sauce fries and kimchi pirogies. By the afternoon I was overheated and cranky so I after threw myself into the lake to float on my parrot along the lakeshore catching notes of various concerts and workshops waft across the water.

Case in point, I wasn’t originally jazzed by the idea of going to the Woogie stage for a 3 hour DJ set by Hernan Cattaneo, a major Argentinian DJ who regularly plays Ibiza. But thanks to new friends who were TURNT at this opportunity, I was able to enjoy 30 min of the set after floating down to the stage. Turns out house music is a great frequency for both drying off AND dancing.  

As night fell, we doned our last set of costumed attire and headed out for the Thunder stage where Mr. Carmack, an artist whose music hinges seamlessly between dance and hip hop, was playing a groovy set. Next was SG Lewis at the Lightning stage. His disco pop sound paired with falsetto singing voice felt like a remix of Robyn and Rhye, and it was exactly the uplift we needed to finish the night strong. Finally it was Griz,(!!) the capstone performance to close the festival whom everyone had been hyping up all weekend. His self described genre of “future funk” includes electronic music with live sax, energetic funk, and sweeping electro-soul. On stage with him were also a crew of fire dancers – it was lit AF.

On that last night, you will get to that last stage and feel dog tired, like your legs could literally fall off. But you will sit on your fur coat, sip some gatorade, munch on a bacon grilled cheese and when the sax solo dives in above the electronic trap beats your heart overrides all bodily functions. Those dancing feet pop you back up into the crowd, swaying in sync with your friends. They’re not feeling any pain because the music moves through you like a goddam rocket ship. You trust that you will sleep in June. #wherelightningstrikes