Bear Creek Music Festival 2010 Preview
I guess it’s a bit unfair to have waited this long to write the preview of the Bear Creek Music Festival. Not only was I certain to go from the get-go as I had such an incredible time my first visit, but also because their line-up has been out the longest. I ran into Paul and Lyle, promoters of Bear Creek on Jamcruise, and they proudly showed me the back ad on the cruise program, a full page promo shot of the Spirit of Suwanee main stage in full swing, the initial line up already in print. Not bad, especially when you consider Bear Creek is considered the last big festival dance of the year, actually ten months away!
They had their first lineup news out in January for their festival in November. That shows dedication, spirit, evidence of their love for what they do. There are a variety of schools of thought about how to put a festival together, from the schizophrenic chaos of dipartite acts chosen by the charts to the unity of a mountainside Bluegrass festival. The masterminds behind Bear Creek, Paul Levine and Lyle Williams, approach it from a more conceptual angle as they build a vibe, a feeling across the board. It is a very funky feeling indeed.
With the aesthetic of keeping a groove in a groove, the Bear Creek lineup is designed to keep toes tapping and arms waving about as if to signify an almost complete lack of care. Shocking, really. Anyway, a feature employed by Bear Creek, the booking of multiple sets by an artist, pays wonderful dividends in this department. By encouraging bands to stay longer and having artists at large like Skerik, Mike Dillon and Kofi Burbridge happily results in dozens of uber-talented musicians, roaming the festival, looking for some place to ply their skills. Sit-ins, guests and impromptu super jams the rule the day. And who will these geniuses be sitting in with, you ask? Why, a Who’s Who of returning funky all stars and a fresh crop of talent to fill out the roster. 
Funk and soul move my funky soul and Maceo Parker and Ivan Neville gloriously bring both. Eric Krasno means
Soulive which means
Lettuce and Lettuce means
Nigel Hall and
George Porter Jr. George Porter Jr. means business, funk business. The essential component of the
Everyone Orchestra and a quick look at the cast available to maestro Mark Butler means this set is not to be missed. As said however, this is not a unified sound and the driving force of the fest is movement, bouncing stage to stage or just the unstoppable movement of your feet in time to mad sounds all around. Reggae lovers will flow with
John Brown’s Body and
Dubconscious. Beat lovers have Elliot Lipp and
The New Deal to enjoy. How they think they’re going to limit
Zack Deputy to only 2 sets is beyond me! It takes a raging thunderstorm to make me miss the
Josh Phillips Folk Festival and I will finally get to see what The Legendary JC’s are famous for. I hope it’s something musical.
This looks to be the perfect cap to the festival season. Think of dancing in the warmth of the sunny Florida skies in the middle of November. Lost in the spacious grounds of the Spirit of Suwanee Park, Cyprus encircled, easily one of my favorite places to see a show. Imagine yourself being in the center of a funk maelstrom, a groove tornado swirling all around you and the only thing that makes any sense is to dance! That’s what’s going to be going on in Florida during the Bear Creek Music Festival. That’s where I’ll be and I sure to hope see you all there!
Words and pictures Rex Thomson
