It doesn’t have the big-name headliners of Rothbury past – Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Snoop Dogg – but this weekend’s Electric Forest at Double JJ Resort some 24 miles north of Muskegon, certainly will continue that groovy, peace-love-and-happiness hippie vibe that’s distinguished the event, no matter the name.
And it still has Sherwood Forest, an art-laden, light-enhanced, hammock-filled, music-and-visuals retreat that’s unlike anything anywhere.
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But it also has some serious names in the electronic music and jam-band scene, names that will certainly draw upwards of 20,000 diehard fans from across the country and beyond to this out-of-the-way Michigan destination, with activities and performances on five different stages. A word to the wise: Drink plenty of water, yes, water, and be prepared to hoof long distances between stages.
The action begins at 6 p.m. Thursday and continues into the wee, wee hours Sunday night. Get a full schedule and ticket information here (passes start at $242.50 for the weekend or $149.50 for Saturday-Sunday).
For Electric Forest-goers, here’s a quick rundown of can’t-miss performances.
THURSDAY
The brightest bulb in the forest: Oh, there will be lots of attention (and fans) focused on those electronic String Cheese Incident and Thievery Corporation spinoffs such as EOTO (10:45 p.m., Sherwood Court Stage) and Rob Garza (12:50 a.m., Tripolee Stage), but how can you ignore Quixotic (11 p.m., Forest Stage) — Anthony Magliano’s Cirque-like ensemble combining aerial acrobatics, film, dance, lighting visuals, musicians and fashion “challenging traditional perceptions and creating a total sensory experience unlike any other.” They also share this experience at 10 p.m. Friday.
Under-the-radar, deep-woods picks: Check out Grammy-nominated house music honcho Wolfgang Gartner (10:15 p.m., Ranch Arena Stage), Kansas’ country-hued, folk-soul-with-the-unforgettable-funny-name DumpTruck ButterLips (8 p.m., Forest Stage, and again at 3:30 p.m. Saturday) or, heck, Afrolicious (6:30 p.m., Tripolee Stage), the 10-piece San Francisco collective of Afro-Disco-Funk-Dub-Electro-Soul-Latin-Brazilian musicians who follow Congo Sanchez in kicking off the whole Electric Forest shebang.
FRIDAY
The brightest bulb in the forest: Face it, Mouseketeers, Colorado’s The String Cheese Incident is the big cheese around these parts, sucking thousands of adoring, smiling cheddar-heads into its dance-happy, progressive jam-band trap, otherwise known as Electric Forest (aka, Rothbury Jr.) which just happens to be a production of Madison House (which manages the band).
Not only that, but TSCI’s first of three nights on stage is always THE event, which may explain why this talented outfit is scheduled to play for a jam-friendly 3 hours, 45 minutes, which is actually 15 minutes shorter than their scheduled 8 p.m. Saturday set and 15 minutes longer than their 6:45 p.m. Sunday show. (How they know just when to put the brakes on that final jam of the night, I have no clue.)
But there are other super-bright bulbs, aka giant names in electronic dance music, illuminating the Double JJ Resort with their psychedelically lighted, DJ-inspired madness: STS9 (midnight, Sherwood Court Stage), Steve Aoki (2:15 a.m., Tripolee Stage); Datsik (1 a.m., Tripolee Stage). And then, of course, there’s Washington D.C.’s Thievery Corporation (12:30 a.m., Ranch Arena Stage), electronica’s world music-inspired, loungey geniuses.
Under-the-radar deep-woods picks: Gary Clark Jr. (3:15 p.m. Ranch Arena Stage), Rolling Stone magazine’s one-time “hot young gun,” delivers raw, Texas-sized blues mixed with soul and hip-hop, making him the act-most-like-The-Black-Keys-at-2012-Electric Forest.
Then there’s The Infamous Stringdusters (6 p.m. Forest Stage), Nashville-based newgrass/bluegrass wizards who will head to Electric Forest after playing an Ann Arbor festival on Thursday (they also play the Ranch Arena Stage at 3:15 p.m. Saturday).
Also, hula-hoop wannabes may want to check out Hula Hoop Workshop with Luna Breeze (1:45 p.m., Tripolee Stage), so you can fit in with all those hoop girls and boys the rest of the weekend (though you probably won’t be ready for the Hoop Troupe Showcase at 1 p.m. Saturday on the Forest Stage).
SATURDAY
The brightest bulbs in the forest: What perfect timing this is, with one show simply following the other, provided you’re ready to make the long dash from stage to stage.
First, it’s acclaimed reggae/pop/hip-hop singer-songwriter Santigold (5:30 p.m., Ranch Arena Stage), followed by the gypsy/rock/punk/electronica strains of New York’s Balkan Beat Box (7 p.m., Sherwood Court Stage), followed by the alt hip-hop of New York’s Das Racist (8 p.m., Tripolee Stage). Cheeseheads, of course, are just waiting for TSCI’s 8 p.m. jam.
Under-the-radar, deep-woods picks: C’mon, embrace the Pure Michigan campaign and check out the “Movement Electric Music Festival Presents a Detroit Dance Party” (8 p.m., Wagon Wheel Stage), with Chuck Flask & Keith Kemp, Ataxia and Secrets; and if you stay up late enough (or get up early enough), there’s the mashups/sampling of Girl Talk (12:45 a.m., Ranch Arena Stage).
SUNDAY
The brightest bulbs in the forest: Why not? The Crane Wives (1:45 p.m., Tripolee Stage), West Michigan’s only musical act at Electric Forest deserves the national spotlight and members are truly geeked about uncorking their harmony-driven folk-rock at this hippie-fest-in-the-woods, especially with their new album on the way. Singer-guitarist Emilee Petersmark told me there’s a bit of pressure that comes with the limelight, but the five-member band that earned my Local Spin of the Year Award for 2011 is thrilled to make its Rothbury debut. “It’s absolutely unbelievable. We’re just blown away by what an amazing opportunity this is,” said Petermark, who planned to spend much of the weekend absorbing Electric Forest’s unique vibe. Though not in the electronica or jam-band vein, The Crane Wives are “super-excited to represent Michigan … The people who go to this festival are not just fans of one type of music and I think we’re pretty accessible. I don’t think it’s too much of a departure from some other bands that have been booked.”
Also lighting things up: the funk/jazz of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe (3 p.m., Ranch Arena Stage), and The Travelin’ McCourys featuring ever-popular Rothbury mainstay Keller Williams (5 p.m., Ranch Arena Stage). Williams, by the way, plays The Intersection in Grand Rapids on Oct. 26.
Under-the-radar, deep-woods pick: Funk it up New Orleans-like with Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk (5:45 p.m., Sherwood Court Stage).
Look, I’ve seen the Neville Brothers live and this funk-acized relation carries on the family tradition in grand, funky style.
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