Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Slip N Slide Music Festival - Special Edition


A week ago I embarked upon a new experience and had the time of my life. It MUST have been the time of my life, because it took me 3 days to recover! In reality, this one experience created more than one checkmark in the “done” column of my life. And I might just have to do it again!

That’s right… I attended my first Slip N Slide Festival. Some of you reading this were there, and I would imagine have been there before. Others have been to festivals elsewhere… and you’re all thinking, “So what?” The fact is, this was more than one first for me. It was my first experience camping at a festival. Yes, I stayed the night. In a tent. Without an air mattress. (I have since bought an air mattress). I did NOT go down the slide. I was just really too busy working. You see, another first, this festival provided my first All-Access Media pass. I was, in a sense, the official festival photographer.


So what did I do for eighteen hours that day?



Ren Edstrand and Matt Fuller work on a tune in the Green Room
I photographed bands on stage and back stage. There were 6 bands over the course of 14 hours. This took up a good chunk of my time. There was even a green room for the bands. It was a great place to cool off. The Belshauses had cleaned up an old corn crib just enough (but not so much that we didn’t know what it was – that was neato!) and had straw bales with covers for seats and a table made of a painted pallet. The room was well-decorated and even had a mirror and a huge cooling fan. One of the cribs had a bathtub full of ice and bottles of water.


Prepping the slide
I arrived with the first two bands. My plan of action was to get my tent up quickly and spend the rest of the pre-music time snapping candid shots of bands loading in and setting up. However, the best laid plans… I had to run back to town to pick up a band member without a ride.  So I had a little less time than I counted on, but still managed to get my tent in place and catch some shots during the first sound check.
 
 
 


Ryan Harris
As the first batch of kids made their initial trip down the slide, The Harris Collection began the first set. Folks set up chairs and blankets in the shade of trees on the outskirts of the stage and slide areas and enjoyed the cool blues jams of the Harris Collection while watching the antics of others as they slipped and slid down the 300 foot slide.
 
 
 
 
 


Slipping and Sliding inflatables
The Mississippi Misfits were scheduled to provide music as other bands were tearing down and setting up, so they gave us a short set while Rude Punch set up their equipment. The “Front Porch Jam” is a seated set and fit well with the schedule.

As Rude Punch took the stage, I noticed the crowd was beginning to grow, and the slide was getting busier, so I took some time to catch a few more photos of some of the more adventurous sliders. I did this off and on throughout the afternoon so I could catch a variety of faces coming down the slide.
 
 
 
 
 
 


Rude Punch
Rude Punch brought the party from blues to reggae and funk… which seemed right in line with the beachwear and sun and water. The three piece band kept the mood light and the music flowing with the water.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chillin' in the Green Room with the Mississippi Misfits

The Harris Collection stowed their gear, donned their swimwear and hit the slide, while the Mississippi Misfits checked out the concessions at the top of the hill and then waited in the green room for their next set.
 
 
 
 
 

There was plenty of "hooping" it up




Hula hoopers joined the party, with their flying hoops and fluid dance moves. It was almost as if they had waited for the reggae music to come out.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Mississippi Misfits plus One


Next on stage, the Mississippi Misfits took a full set, and young guitarist Matt Fuller joined them. At just fourteen, this young man is an accomplished guitarist, and events like this allow him an opportunity to play with the older bands. Both the Mississippi Misfits and the Harris Collection gave him that opportunity this day.



The Slide was the place to be









Meanwhile, the slide now had a long line waiting for their turn. Did you know they use laundry soap to make the inner tubes and other floatation devices slippery so they will go down the slide faster? It also makes the water a little foamy – which really improves the splashy look of some of my photos!








 
Giving Tree crates - but this isn't even half!






Back stage the Giving Tree Band had arrived and were loading in. Their van is really big… as expected for a big band, but when I saw all the boxes of equipment laid out back stage, I had to wonder if it was like Mary Poppins’ bag. Where the heck did they fit it all?












 




Sunset over the campground
During the Giving Tree Band set, I made my way up the hill to the camping area. The sun was getting low on the horizon by this time and offered a beautiful view for those who were hanging out in the campground.





 

A lull gave these guys a chance to take a break







While at the top of the hill this time, I grabbed a bite to eat. Volunteers worked all day in the heat to provide food and beverage for the masses of people.




 

The Giving Tree Band
One thing that makes the Giving Tree Band interesting is the sheer number of instruments played by its members. Their sound is as diverse as their instrument choices.









 
View of the stage from the top of the slide




The Giving Tree Band played a long set – through sunset and into the dark. As interest in the slide waned, the crowd began to gather in front of the stage.











It became a bit hectic between sets as all hands were called upon to assist in moving GTB off and the Dirt Road Rockers onto the stage. Videos played on a screen next to the stage to entertain the audience during this time and while sound check took place.


What a huge party!
The Dirt Road Rockers wrapped up the night with two sets of rock and country covers. The party at the stage kicked into high gear, with a huge crowd dancing on the lawn. As time moved into the wee hours of the morning, I packed my gear in the trunk of my car and walked back up the hill (for the twentieth time…) and prepared for late night activities in the campground. Folks were up partying into the night, but no real jam session developed. Calling it a night, I crawled into my tent and let the voices wandering by lull me off to sleep. 

And that, my friends, was how I spent my day at the Slip N Slide Fest!

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