Oh so many concerts so little time. Once the summer rolls around there are a plethora of out door activities one could participate in. But in the past several years the music festival has risen to be a popular destination for young and old. With so many to choose from how does one decide on which to attend. Some of them have all the artists you want to see, some have many you have never seen, others provide great locations, some are more geared to one genre of music, while others are more art oriented, and yet others are all about a cause. Well, you could make the sacrifice and just pick one or two to go to, unless you are well off financially and can just attend all of them. Or, you could attend the mother of all festivals, an exceptionally well executed mash up of all of the above. ROTHBURY!
The Rothbury Music Festival was set on the Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, Michigan. Surrounded by tall luscious green trees, lakes, and clean crisp blues skies. It was a resort for all kinds of music lovers. From the gorgeous trails, to the woods, beach fronts on lakes you could swim in or canoe across, a tavern, a water park, random hammocks placed through out the festival, and onsite cabins it was by far one of the most fun and relaxing 4th of July events going on this year. And that's just the location.
Over a hundred artists performed over the course of 4 days, such as the Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic, John Mayer, 311, Snoop Dogg, Modest Mouse, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Soul Stew Revival, Of Montreal, a Crystal Method DJ Set, Steel Pulse, Beth Orton, The Wailers, Jakob Dylan and the Gold Mountain Rebels, Sage Francis, and Bassnectar to name a few. An eclectic array of artists got together to do more than just make incredible music but participate and stand up for the changes they would like to see happen to ensure a better future for us all.
Art played a major part in the festival as well. Installations could be found all over the festival grounds. Fascinating creations were laced through the high branches of the trees of Sherwood Forest (a section of the venue located in the woods). They were hiding and flashing between beams of lasers, illuminated by colorful lights, and mysteriously looming through fog from the smoke machines. The art even spilled out on to the stage through elaborate stage ornamentations brought to us by the California originated Do Lab.
Michael Kang, formally of the String Cheese Incident, brought in last year's Burning Man's favorite. A large art installation in the form of a tree that had monkeys hanging from it. As people around the tree created energy by pounding on drums, a strobe light pulsated. The strobe light gave illusions of the monkeys swinging from vine to vine as a snake slithered up the tree after the monkeys. Much like the concept of a zoetrope, "a device that produces an illusion of action from a rapid succession of static pictures."
There was also the introduction to many festival goers to a more circus and theatrical element that is has been popularized on the west coast. This included flying trapeze artists, outrageous characters on stilts and bikes, and full on theatrical and burlesque performances.
All of this laid the perfect foundation for the event to allow fans, artists, and activists to come together and enjoy each other, our planet, and great music. A place where we could share and exchange our ideas on how to create a better place for all of us to live. Rothbury's main cause this year was Climate Change and Clean Energy Alternatives. Attendees of the festival were given the opportunity to participate in Think Tanks and an Energy Fair. The Think Tank offered attendees the chance to participate in seminars and roundtable discussions with writers, progressive politicians, activists, scientists, youth leaders, and entertainers who were performing at the festival. Discussing topics like global warming, solar and biodiesel resources, motivating the masses, implementing change in communities, demanding change from our political leaders and the media, and how to get involved with moving our society in a positive forward motion.
While strolling through the grounds of Rothbury one might stumble upon a farmer's market, whose vendors all came from the local community. So instead of your every day festival hot dog you had the choice of fresh grown organic strawberries and other good clean energy items. And for those festival goers who can't leave home without their cell phones, was a solar powered battery charging station brought to us by Bauer Power. Where they charged approximately 4-500 phones a day. All one need to do is simple drop it off, much like a coat check. While continuing on through out the journey of your day you may notice site ops going through the festival clipping roots so patrons don't fall and injure themselves or strictly just picking up cigarette butts. All this goodness began to spill over into positive intention by majority of the festival goers. Many could be witnessed discussing how their trash was separated with Green Team members placed throughout the festival to help direct people on how to properly dispose of their waste at recycling, composting, and trash stations. And the young lady you see carrying 50 or so cups to one of the stations, doesn't just drink a lot, she gathered other peoples trash. A shining example of how many began to effortlessly do their part in helping keep the grounds pristine for us all to continue enjoying.
So much attention to detail was put into creating Rothbury. From it's purpose, to the lay out of the land, to the great paramedics and peacekeepers hired to help make sure things ran smooth and that no one seriously injured, to the infusion of art, and the line up of music it is by far one of the greatest festivals this summer one could attend. Through out the weekend you could hear everyone saying it was the "One of the Greatest Festivals Ever!" From the artists who performed, the staff who worked for weeks to produce it, the volunteers who graciously volunteered their time, the attendees who traveled far and wide to be there, the media capturing the festival to share with the world, and the promoters, all sang Rothbury's praises. But have no fear for this is only the inaugural run of Rothbury. It is quite possible a new tradition in rock and roll has been started and you will have the chance to be a part it next year. Until then, take a moment to see what you can do through the music you love to help you community grow and thrive.
