Joe Hertler, The Accidentals, Vox Vidorra and Flint Eastwood are ready to join the wondrous party that is Electric Forest. With an un-Earthly vibe, it will unfurl over two weekends in West Michigan led by String Cheese Incident, My Morning Jacket and Bassnectar.
Incredible Creativity: Electric Forest has it musically and artistically. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Local Spins asked Michigan acts playing this year’s Electric Forest to create special playlists of favorite songs as a festival warm-up. Check out the first one, from Grand Rapids’ Vox Vidorra, online here, with others posting at Local Spins on Wednesday and Thursday. And scroll down for videos from these bands playing the Forest. Local Spins hosts an Electric Forest pre-party at 8 p.m. Wednesday with Desmond Jones performing at SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids.
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
Attending Electric Forest is a true journey, a voyage over the hills and through the greenery of West Michigan’s back roads.
Most arrive early, lining up in their vans, campers and sedans – stuffed to the brim with camping supplies, snacks and friends.
Forest Returnees: The Accidentals and Rick Chyme performing in 2015. (Photo/Anna Sink)
After passing through the rigid, airport-like security checkpoints, festival-goers follow the direction of parking officials wearing fluorescent vests and their waving batons further into a maze of makeshift parking spaces.
Finally, Forest frolickers filter through the last checkpoint – a towering castle-like structure – before they’re standing at the foot of Michigan’s most grandiose music festival, with a labyrinth of stages, trails and giant sculptures sprawled out before them.
“Most summer festivals we play feel like home away from home. Electric Forest feels like a planet away from earth,” said Savannah Buist, of The Accidentals who play three sets at the festival, which for the first time, has expanded to to two straight weekends at Double JJ Resort in Rothbury, 24 miles north of Muskegon.
“Between the elaborate stages, the laser shows, the sculptures and the artwork booths, the amount of creativity and technical prowess that goes into all of it is really incredible. Walking around the actual ‘Forest’ part for the first time in 2015 is one of my favorite memories.”
Mitten State Lineup at Electric Forest
The Accidentals help kick off the first weekend of Electric, playing at 8:45 p.m. Thursday on The Observatory stage, an unscheduled show on June 28th and at 3:15 p.m. July 1 again on The Observatory stage. The Traverse City group plans to share a handful of new songs and will welcome longtime collaborator, Grand Rapids hip hop artist Rick Chyme, for a portion of their set.
This year, Electric Forest sets up for two weekends of epic music festival bliss. Weekend 1 opens Thursday and runs through Sunday; tickets are sold out. General admission festival passes for the second weekend — June 29-July 2 — are currently on sale for $297. Gates open June 22nd and 29th respectively, at 12:01 a.m.
Seven official stages comprise the expansive forest this year: Ranch Arena, Sherwood Court, Tripolee, Jubilee, The Hangar, Forest Stage and The Observatory.
In addition to an extensive list of big names like The String Cheese Incident, My Morning Jacket, Bassnectar, The Revivalists and Nahko & Medicine for the People, the festival will showcase burgeoning regional talent. See the full schedule online at electricforestfestival.com.
Michigan-based acts this year include The Accidentals & Rick Chyme, mid-Michigan’s Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers, Grand Rapids’ Vox Vidorra and Detroit’s Flint Eastwood. Grand Rapids’ Flats Stanlie will rock the silent disco during the second weekend of Electric Forest, at midnight July 1.
‘FUN TO PERFORM AT’ AND ‘ALWAYS SOMETHING INTERESTING GOING ON’
All acts, both regional and national, seem to have an affinity for the festival and its welcoming, inclusive environment.
“There’s a juice machine in the artist hospitality area,” marveled Katie Larson of The Accidentals, who also take part in a July 1 panel titled “Her Forest” hosted by Kiki Federico. “Electric Forest is really fun to perform at. The crowds are really into the music, the stages are pieces of art, and the sound/production is awesome.”
‘Socially Liberating Place’: Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers return to Electric Forest this weekend. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
Added Buist: “Last year, I saw a booth specifically set up to give people steampunk haircuts and a giant ‘Giving’ tree that people leave objects at (beads, bracelets, necklaces, shoes) for other people to take away. There’s always something interesting going on there. It’s impossible to be bored.”
Grand Rapids’ own funk-soul entourage, Vox Vidorra will make its Electric Forest debut at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on The Observatory stage. (To help fans warm up for the big festival, the band created a special Local Spins playlist of favorite songs. Check that out at Local Spins here.)
Meanwhile, Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers — who already have toured the country this year behind their new album, “Pluto” — return to Electric Forest for the group’s second appearance at the event.
The Lansing-based indie-funk jam/pop band has a sound perfectly fitting for such a festival: Their colorful and vibrant stage presence, along with their summer festival prowess, will likely make for a cant-miss set.
“Honestly, one of my favorite parts is that you get to hang out and meet some of the other artists as well as your listeners and all your friends,” Hertler said. “We’re excited to be home and to spend some quality time with each other as a band, with our girlfriends and with our fans.”
The group plays two sets, one during Weekend 1 at 5:45 p.m. Sunday on The Observatory stage and another at 4:45 p.m. July 1 (right after The Accidentals), also on The Observatory stage. Members of the band will also make an appearance on opening day, Thursday, with the Everyone Orchestra, a mega-group of members from various bands at the festival. Additionally, Hertler will lead a DJ set on June 29th at 6 p.m. on the Forest Stage, a creative endeavor he’s been passionate about sine before starting the band.
MAKING CONNECTIONS, CHERISHING THE TIME IN THE FOREST
“There’s a vibe at Electric Forest that no one can deny. I think the main draw of the festival, even beyond the music is the overall spirit of the attendees,” Hertler said.
“It’s a big party of 30,000 to 40,000 people, and obviously they go there to listen to the music, but also to meet other people, and to connect with other people. You can really do whatever you want there. It’s a very socially liberating place.”
Electric Forest Debut: Grand Rapids’ Vox Vidorra plays Saturday night. (Photo/Kendra Kamp)
Traversing the state to play the festival is Flint Eastwood, slated for an unscheduled set on June 28th and a set at the Sherwood Court stage at 5 p.m. June 29. Led by dynamic singer Jax Anderson, the Detroit outfit is one of Michigan’s most buzz-worthy indie bands, and on the brink of graduating to much broader national notoriety.
In addition to near-endless performances by an staggering number of acts, Electric Forest is known for offering a plethora of extra-curricular activities. This year, those include silent disco, morning yoga, Bell’s Brewery Tasting Tent and of course, impromptu jams and pop-up sets throughout both weekends, adding to an already eventful and much-anticipated festival for both fans and artists alike.
And Sherwood Forest’s always-psychedelic art installation — with enticing nooks and crannies and bars — is different and impressive every year.
“We’ll have a chance to hang out and hopefully catch Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, Matisyahu or Eryn Allen Kane,” said Larson of The Accidentals, which releases its Sony Masterworks debut album in August.
“This summer is pretty crazy for us,” Buist added, noting that The Accidentals are playing two shows in Illinois on June 23rd and 24th, right after helping open Electric Forest. “So we are going to cherish the time we have at the Forest this year. … We can’t wait to ride around in golf carts and check out all the cool artwork with everyone.”
VIDEO: Electric Forest 2016: Day One
VIDEO: The Accidentals, “Ophelia”
VIDEO: Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, “Lonely”
VIDEO: Vox Vidorra, “We’re So Lonely”
VIDEO: Flint Eastwood, “Push” (featuring Tunde Olaniran)
Copyright 2017, Spins on Music LLC
