Wuhnurth: A "Wuhn"-derful weekend! In just it's second year the Wuhnurth festival delivered a fun line-up, scenic camping and a laid back vibe that still resonates inside me days later. One of the advantages of smaller festivals is the sense of camaraderie that is engendered by seeing the same faces all weekend long. Unlike the feeling of swimming the great oceans of humanity that make up fests like Bonnarooo and Coachella, Wuhnurth was the perfect size for people looking to enjoy their music without the hustle and bustle.

    Nestled just outside of Muncie Indiana, a popular local venue "The Waterbowl" featured two small lakes, one for swimming and one for water sports (Such as waterskiing!) The Waterbowl seems to have its main usage as an area residents to come and beat the hat and enjoy a little of the great outdoors. Acres of wooded camping and sweeping fields of soy  gave a picturesque feel to the weekend and set an earthy, natural backdrop for the festivities.

I first heard about this festival from some new friends I made earlier this summer at the Forecastle Festival (Another environmental gathering) from Dave and Lisa Cook, who were part of the  staff/organizers. I quickly grew fond of Dave's wit and Lisa's radiant love of life, a strong combination indeed. Along with their friends Megan and Zander (Sadly no Killface) it was nice to have such decent helpful people working to make our festie lives better. Dave and Zander headed up artist catering (Dave's new Business! Any fest of any size would do well to hire this gentleman.) ably feeding the dozens of musicians, giving them the strength to keep doing what they do, while Megan headed up vending liaisons with diplomacy and intellect. Lisa seemed to be responsible for most everything else as I saw her roaming the grounds all weekend long, when even a fierce allergy attack on Sunday did little to dampen her spirits. In particular I'd like to thank Dave, who let me "Sample" many of the dishes he created over the weekend.

   

   Arriving early on Friday I was able to grab a camping spot overlooking the swimming lake, providing me with glorious sunrises and the most relaxing camping conditions I have had so far this year. Continuing my luck with neighbors, I found myself surrounded with families and friendly faces, all of them looking out for each other, united by more than just proximity, but the simple, basic formation of a tribe, all together to have a good time and share the groove. A welcome feeling indeed. After setting up camp (In record time! I'm getting good at it!) I wandered the grounds getting a feel for the place. A bustling shakedown, located next to the Hill stage (an old mixed purpose overhanging shell structure that saw plenty of powerful music!) featured a wide variety of gifts and one-of-a-kind hand-crafted goods. There was even a woman who was hand making nak necklaces on the spot, weaving beads and colored glass into whatever style you wished. Such displays were plentiful, and helped knock down the walls of craftsperson and craft, as you were able to watch the effort put into the act of creation. I spoke with a few of the happy customers who felt that the show they got was while she deftly wove the necklaces was almost worth the price in and of it self. Thus having oriented myself it was time to get down to the nitty gritty. Now it was time to slow my roll and get some music in my soul.

    Kicking off the main stage activities for Friday was Shaggy Wonda, out of Bloomington, Indiana that I have somehow managed to miss at the couple of fests where I'd previously had a chance to catch them. Strong, funky song played with a go for broke energy that got the crowd boogying away. Their set was a great way to kickoff the fest, and set the tone of the weekend in surprising myself and all who hadn’t seen them with skill and passion. There were a couple of bands completely new to me and I felt a pain to come in my wallet from all the CD’s I’ll be buying over the next couple of weeks, Shaggy Wonda’s being the first.

   The Hill stage was primarily used to give us short glimpses into the music of a wide variety of artists while the crew switched out acts on the main stage. A short walk up the hill gave us tantalizing glimpses of bands like Third Floor Meeting, The Great Hook-up and the Shadyside All-Stars (www.shadysideallstars.com) a chance to make their music heard. Though the red-headed step child of the three stages appearance wise, the hill stage still served up a heady mix of tunes, from singer-songwriter acts to full on funk explosions.

   Next up, my seventh Cornmeal show of the year, and as usual, their playing was even tighter than it was the last time, just three weeks ago. There are  times at Cornmeal’s show I found myself forgetting my camera duties, my surroundings, hell, even sometimes to breathe I was so lost in what they’re doing on stage. One of these days they’ll put on a set so incredible I pass out from lack of oxygen, but at least I’ll go down smiling. The blending of their instruments brings a sort of jamband rock-n-bluegrass kinda feel that I have never heard anywhere else. So musically adept that they can go from fast picking Bluegrass to Psychedelic freakouts in moments, all with the confidence and surety of a band coming into a renaissance.

   My final surprises of the day were The Roots of Creation and The Fresh Hops. The Roots of Creation closed out the main stage with an electric set that mixed most every type of music from folk to ska at which got the crowd up and dancing.  Heading over to the field stage I discovered that they were having a problem with the generators and that some acts, such as MC Sparkplug, were moved to later in the evening on the main stage.  When the members of Fresh Hops arrived, they were informed that the power was fluctuating and there was a real danger of shorting out.  They talked it over for about twenty seconds and then started hauling their equipment on stage.  Already enamored by their Rock-n-Roll attitude I was amazed as they took the stage.  Fronted by a flamboyant gypsy style violinist and occasionally joined by a freestylist of Arabic decent, who whipped the crowd into a frenzy.  I mentioned his ethnicity for a contextual reason, as this performance took place on September 11th and I felt the healing power of time and music.  Eight years have passed since that horrible day, and here we were, united, locked in a celebration of life.  Besides the killer jams, the Fresh Hops were also generous with their stage space as by the end of their set they were sharing the stage with a dog, a couple of dancing girls, a guy in a penguin costume and a twelve year old displaying front man chops many full grown adults should envy.

 

    After the 4amset finish, I decided to enjoy the rest of the evenings music from my tent, and I drifted off to sleep to the sounds of MC Sparkplug. I awoke excited on Saturday morning, as I had a fun appointment to keep.  I had made plans to meet up with some of the members of festival family and another, more,… “Basic” site.  A good friend of mine, Milo, was driving up with a “special” treat for the group! His special small batch bacon infused vodka.  After the fun of putting faces with screen names and on- line personas, Bloody Mary’s were made, bacon vodka was sampled (and roundly enjoyed), cornhole was played, friendships strengthened. To Nate, Matt, Greg and all the rest I thank you for your welcoming natures and your sense of humor. Wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo, indeed.

    A new family formed we headed to the stages to enjoy the days entertainment.  It’s so easy to focus on the bands and crowd, I often (to my chagrin) forget to mention the hard working folks  running the sound and light boards.  Wuhnurth featured a particularly impressive set of lighting guys.  The band Covert Operations, who own a rather sizable set of audio and video equipment, which they used not just for themselves but for other band and fests.  Easily the hardest working band all weekend, as they helped setup, light, and audio engineer every band who played the main stage all weekend long, while the field stage featured the wizardry of Alex who goes by the nickname Herm. Back to Covert Operations a little later.

      When you shoot concert photography, you have a love/hate relationship with lighting techs.  They make plain shots amazing and can turn perfect shots to crap by simply doing their jobs, changing the lighting from second to second. Herm made visual magic, fusing his customized computer programs on his trusty laptop with his eyes and ears into one organ, bent on making the experience as visually appealing as possible. Lights rose and fell with tempo, dramatic bursts timed perfectly with the music. This gentleman’s skills were on a par with some of the names in the lighting biz, and I predict this young man’s star shines quite brightly in the future.

    Due to some travel issues, Papadosio and the Pnuma Trio witched set times.  Papadosio was yet another major surprise, a tripped out almost avante’ garde music collective that pumped out some highly danceable jam/trance/electronica/funk in sizable portions. The PnumaTrio was another act that impressed me with their “Do it for the fans” attitude. After missing their flight, driving straight thru, they arrived to find their gear hadn’t made it. Thanks to the generosity of the rest of the bands, the Trio was able to cobble together enough equipment to satisfy a beat hungry crowd. The jam-tronica movement has gained immensely in popularity and it amazes me that these guys aren’t at the forefront. Fat, pumping bass, swirling bleeps , bloops, and live drums and guitar make for a very happy crowd, and the Pnuma Trio had the dancers out and loving life.

   Finally, after a weekend of helping others look and sound their best, Covert Operations took the stage with their secret weapon, a 14 year old drummer  with the proudest grandfather in the world. He didn’t miss a beat and the wild response from the crowd, though in response to the incredible tunes they were hearing, doubled as an appropriate “Thank You” for all Covert Op’s hard work. I am excited to hear more from these guys, not just fine musicians but fine people as well. My thanks should be added to the grateful crowds for a difficult job well done.

   And at last I get to see Ultraviolet Hippopotamus, a band I’ve been into for a while now. I first downloaded one of their shows on name alone. I started playing the show as I was doing some house work, and quickly realized I had sat down without realizing it and was locked in rapt attention. A big, beefy sound, with soulful riffs and exemplary songwriting chops, this band is a beast. My friend Nate revealed a couple of pretty cool facts during the show as well: 1.It was his and his wife’s 1 year anniversary (Congratulations!) and 2. They had hired UV Hippo to play their wedding, and now they were seeing celebrating by seeing them again! Any band that inspires that kind of loyalty is one to watch! After the set I wandered Wuhnurth, getting spectacular shots of the night sky and the craziness run wild til I was reminded that I was at least part human and would have to get some sleep!

   I have had the most amazing luck with neighbors during this year’s festival journey’s and Wuhnurth held true to form. After waking up and stretching my legs my neighbors (with the psychedelic school bus) delivered me an extra order of biscuits and gravy they had picked up in town, so I laid back down and enjoyed breakfast in bed and gathered my strength for Spunday. Euforquestra started the day off right with gelling a wide range of world music and jam sensibilities into a cohesive whole that really lifted my spirits, and got me where I needed to be. They played a track from their forthcoming album “Soup”, which was fantastic, by the way.

   I was glad it was Sunday, because whenever I get to see the Chicago Farmer, it’s like going to church. In my perfect world, Chicago Farmer would live in my closet, and whenever I was feeling  blue I would just open the door and let his wry wit, snappy phrasings and home spun tales of life cheer me up. It’s not a perfect world however, and there are apparently laws against kidnapping and such, so I’ll just have to settle for seeing him whenever I can (and buying all his CD’s!). He writes words that speak to us all, plays his guitar with a disarming simplicity, and can make you laugh and cry with the turn of a phrase and the strum of a guitar. As someone who freely admits to being a fan of spectacle at concerts, I am always reminded of how simple and pure music can be, when I see folks like The Mighty Chicago Farmer and his friend and fellow Sunday Hill stage performer, Jaik Willis

   Where Chicago Farmer sings with a crooked smile in his voice most times, Jaik Willis sings with such emotion and passion that I almost worry for him, physically I mean. He seems to feel the words so deeply and truly in his soul that his voice at times to come from a place miles deep within him, roaring out with such ferocity and momentum that you can’t begin to ignore him.( And buy his CD’s!) He sings of simple truths, with lyrics that startle you with their complete honesty, distilling a complex world into a cry for hope and love. Those that hear him often get frozen, eyes closed as if seeing such passion would be too much, safer just to open your ears and listen, let it all sink in and charge you to your core.

   No stranger to blowing minds, Kyle Hollingsworth took the stage and opened the proceedings with a boogie organ version of Taxman and never looked back. His band was tight, and I never got the feeling I get from some “Fill in the Blank and the” Bands, as they were there as full partners, not side men. Joined briefly by Euforquestra horns and percussionist, the sound got very thick and dense. Through it all Hollingsworth wore his trademark grin, seen so many times on so many stages. And, I am happy to say that I finally got to get a good shot of him, not blocked by the keyboards and organs he plays so well, but from right over his shoulder. After snapping a few last close-ups, I went out to the hill packed away my cameras and did the only thing left to do, dance with the people. Such great music, fabulous people, and gorgeous scenery. And in these troubled economic times, the thirty dollar weekend ticket offered the best cost to jam ratio of the summer! See ya next year!

Pictures and Words by Rex Thomson