Wakarusa

Has it ever happened to you that you find a band that is the perfect fit for your taste in music and personality, but you go years before the realization hits you in the face and makes you wonder why you have never been to one of its concerts and don't have the full discography in your music library? I ask you, because I really hope I'm not alone in this. It's exactly what happened to me with State Radio at Wakarusa.

Continue reading and see the photos after the jump.

Words by B "Cafe con Leche" Gutierrez. Photos by Nicole Riley.

After coming back from Wakarusa I thought I'd be OK to go without live music for a while, but after I got an update from @georgesmajestic about a no-cover Wakarusa Post-Party featuring The Giving Tree Band, I was all over it! So I called a couple of friends and headed over to George's Majestic Lounge. I left my camera at home after being glued to it for four days straight at the festival, and keeping in mind with the 1500+ photos I had to look through and edit. So I decided to take it easy and just go for the music.

You see, that night I thought I was doing my soul a favor by not taking my camera. But I was so wrong. About two songs into their set, I knew I liked The Giving Tree Band. Two songs later, I realized I had to write a review. It all came together when I saw someone taking photos of the show, after talking to her, Nicole agreed to showcase her photos on BOT. So this is my shout-out to Nicole Riley! Read the rest of the review and see Nicole's photos after the jump.

The first time I heard Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad was earlier this year at the G. Love & Special Sauce concert in Fayetteville ('member that?). They were the opening act and I didn't know anything about them. So I asked what kind of music they played, and a guy came over and said "it's baby-making music." That was my introduction to Giant Panda G.D.S. That guy was right, to certain extent, but after seeing them for a second time I learned they're much more than just baby-making music. Read the rest of the review and see my favorite photos after the jump.

I will admit that Kinetix was not on my must-see list of Waka 2010 until James Searl of Giant Panda G.D.P. made a pretty good case to check them out. So I headed over a bit late from seeing State Radio, where people literally started running when they heard the sounds of Queen erupting from the Outpost Tent.

Queen wasn't the only cover, Kinetix also played a kick ass "Killin in the Name Of" from Rage that had the entire tent jumping. The energy they put out gets a huge A+ from me, and made them infinitely better. Eric Blumenfeld on the keyboard is a welcome addition that elevates the sound from solid rock to a rock borne from funk. Cafe Con Leche was instantly in love with the bass player, Josh Fairman, who could win a look-a-like contest with Slash if he threw on the hat. Towards the end of the set, Adam Lufkin [guitar/vocals] went into a very respectable rap with dance moves to match. Check out the full review after the jump.

Words by Nick "Toast" Roth. Photo by B "Cafe Con Leche" Gutierrez.

Our friends took a trip to the nearest Wal-Mart from Wakarusa on Friday. Gotta love Arkansas! Coming back, they appeared very refreshed. That's when they told the rest of us sweaty beasts about the nice and refreshing hour they spent wading in the Mulberry River. As the heat continued to beat us down severely, we knew where our Saturday was going to begin.

I woke up that morning to the Ketamine laughs next door, reassuring myself that I wasn't in the Mulberry already, but in a river of my own sweat. About an hour or so later we packed up the crew, some food and a grill, and headed down the mountain to our shady retreat for the afternoon. After a trip to the waterfall last year, and nearly going into heat stroke on the way back, the seven mile drive seemed like bliss compared to that hike. We were greeted at the river by several other festival goers, although the place had yet to become completely packed out. This was largely due to a lot of people being parked in for the weekend.

We spent the majority of the afternoon at the swimming hole, showering and taking in a scrumptious lunch with some new friends. The shower I took in the river beat the balls off of our solar shower, and I was rejuvenated and ready to take in another night of great music. With Widespread Panic headlining the night, I knew it was going to be a late night. Lots of Gatorade and water would be ingested through the day, hoping to make my night last just a little bit longer.
Read on for Saturday's musical feast after the jump.

Slightly Stoopid filled up the Revival Tent. I don't think another soul could fit in there, in fact, Hash Browns got a little overwhelmed and left me. I thought I had lost her, but no, she left me. I struggled going around the people when trying to get better angles for my shots, all the while soaking in the love from the fans (as well as some fumes and sweat, ya'll).

See the rest of the review and photos after the jump.

Words and photo by B "Café con Leche" Gutierrez.

I had been looking forward to this Friday for quite a while. One of my favorite bands was set to play that afternoon and BoT was given some time to interview them. HashBrowns was the one in charge of the interview, while I had to wait outside the building. Forty-five minutes later she came out with a story completely different to what I expected — their flight had been delayed, so they probably weren't going to make it in time for the interview. I was bummed, but we were also missing out on some good music, so we started walking. But just as we were headed downhill towards the stages, the guys of ALO got out of their van and we got to meet them. So far, that was the highlight of my day, until I got to hear their set.

But I know you want to hear more about the music. Friday at Wakarusa was a fun day. The type of music set for Friday was quite different from Thursday. The festival's atmosphere was still relaxed and easy, even though a new wave of Wakarusians arrived that day to stay for the weekend. Read on for Fridays's line-up after the jump.

Words by HashBrowns. Photos by Café con Leche.

"I know you like to dance, let's get into it — you only got one life to live." Cafe con Leche and I were about to depart the Revival Tent when Elijah Jones [lead vocals] tried to rouse the afternoon-napping sweat-drenched crowd. I remember being slowly drawn back to the stage like a bee to honey. Like Polyphonic Spree or Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Constellations were fully in love with entertaining. All 8 members - most notably Jones and Jamie Gordon [keys] - had more energy than any artist the entire weekend. It was unfortunate they were mid-day, because the fans had no love, despite Jones trying to implore them to "get the fuck up." Read the full review of my favorite Waka-surprise after the jump.

Music is good for the soul. And the ALO set at Wakarusa was just what my soul needed. There was a big crowd at the Revival Tent waiting for them, so when Dave Brogan's drums started "Man of The World" (the title track of their new album) it gave cue for what would be a big sing-along. The set was a great mix of old favorites and new material. Songs like "Walls of Jericho," "Wasting Time," and "Try" are some of the must-know ALO songs; the smiles all over the audience made that evident to those seeing ALO for the first time. The rest of the review and photos after the jump.

Words by Toast. Photo by Café con Leche.

Another year has come and gone for the Wakarusa Camping and Music Festival, and this year was sure to bring several changes. One of the main changes that was immediately noticeable was the volume of attendees this year. I heard rumors of anywhere from 15,000 to 60,000 people were there. If I had to guess based off experience, I would say there were around 20,000. Regardless, it proved to be yet another year that was run flawlessly thanks to staff and festival-goers alike. Read on for Thursday's line-up after the jump.