The Current
May, 2006
James Townsend of My-Tea Kind belts one out during The Current Music Showcase at The Dream Theatre in Tahlequah. - photo by Pete Henshaw
Tulsa International Mayfest honors art and music
The 34th Annual Tulsa International Mayfest will once again shut down the streets of Oklahoms's prettiest downtown MAy 18-21.
Hundreds of artists and entertainers from across the country will give their best to the expected crowd of 350,000. The family oriented festival was organized to help promote art and music to serious and casual art lovers. No matter what, Mayfest attendees will gain a broader appreciation and knowledge of the most expressive people on the planet.
Dance, music and visual art exhibits will be displayed all four days of the event and several articles of clay, photography, graphics, glass, painting, jewelry, drawings and mixed media will be available to take home for the right price.
Rising country star Keith Anderson is the headlining performer at this year's Mayfest. His latest single, "Pickin' Wildflowers," is a top 10 hit and Anderson was recently nominated for a Grammy Award. The accolades don't stop there: Anderson was selected as one of People Magazine's "50 Hottest Bachelors" and Men's Fitness called him the "Ultimate Country Star." Anderson will perform at 9 p.m. on Saturday, May 20 on the main stage.
Other acts scheduled to perform at Mayfest 2006 are My-Tea Kind, Brandon Jenkins, The Holistix, Harmounious Monk, Travis Kidd, Steve Liddell, Tony Romanello, The Tulsa Youth Ballet, Mary Cogan and more than 100 more great local and reagional acts representing every genre of music possible, along with some new hybrid sounds and crossbreeds.
Lawn chairs, blankets and umbrellas are allowed, while pets and coolers are strictly prohibited.
Sponsors for this year's festival are MidFirst Bank, Williams, OSU-Tulsa, Tulsa World, The Hille Foundation, Marriott, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, Tulsa Today.,com, Geek Rescue and First Baptist Church.
For more information and full artist line-up, logon to tulsamayfest.org.
Wakarusa will be rockin' yousa!
By Joe Mack
The Walkarusa Music and Camping Festival teleports music lovers to places they've never been before in the audio and visual world. This year June 8-11, get ready to enter the grounds on the verge of a new dimension of experience and enjoy the top-notch performing artists, helpful staff and wonderful amenities that only the premier music festival in the Mid-west can offer. Here's a few more reasons to get "ass-deep" in Kansas.
The Place
Clinton Lake State Park is located four miles west of Lawrence, Kans., home of the Jayhawks. Lawrence is one of the coolest towns in the middle of the country, and feels like it slid out of the Rocky Mountains. I often find Tahlequah sparkling with the same aura and feel, perhaps mostly coming from the closeness of the townspeople and the surrounding terrain. A bustling downtown, incomparable music scene, endless shopping and dining posibilities all hold the hand of the University of Kansas, and the students fill the community with fresh thought, alternative answers and needs for independent enterprise.
A quick drive on the Clinton Parkway to Clinton Lake State Park takes you away from the sprawling collegiate city and into the vastness of nature only a large body of water can provide. In the lake (which in some areas resembles Tenkiller), a variety of fish like walleye, crappie, bass, northern pike and catfish inhabit the deep waters. Around it trails perfectly suited for hiking and biking cover more than 25 miles of both rugged and relaxed terrain. Hunting, boating and fishing all have designated areas in the park throughout the year attracting anglers, hunters and watercraft enthusiasts.
According to wakarusa.com, the word Wakarusa is a Native American term meaning "ass-deep." The Wakarusa River is the primary source that feeds into Clinton Lake and also boasts a variety of fish and swimming opportunities. Fittingly, the river's average depth is roughyly "ass deep."
With nearly 500 campsites available, it's easy to see why music lovers flock to the musical Mecca. Two hundred and forty of the campsites have full RV hook-ups and some campsites have water and electric hook-ups to spoil yourself with. Primitive camping is also available, but for the festival, most folks will be camping by their cars. Bathrooms are clean and plentiful in the park and so are the park rangers. There are playgrounds for the kids too, in addition to all the fun stuff Wakarusa has already for the little ones.
The disc golf course is a Wakarusa custom project, built and designed by and for festival attendees. The course is ready for 2006, and according to the Web site, "new shots and challenges await you." Beware of trees, they're hungry for stray discs.
The People
In a community, the energy and effort lent to it will directly result in the actions and attitudes of those who reside within its limits. Perhaps the beauty of Wakarusa is that it knows no individual limit, all the while it understands the power of containment.
Brett Mosiman, founder and co-producer of Wakarusa explained, "We're a small company that makes changes as often as necessary to meet the needs of the people who want to spend four days of their lives with us." He continues, "We're not a big corporate machine that listens to record labels or popular, radio contrived things."
A similar filter was placed on the festival attendance, putting a cap on the ticket sales at 15,000. According to Eric Noble, Wakarusa's Volunteer Coordinator, "(Pipeline Productions) left the attendance cap at 15,000 to make sure they can accommodate to everyone's needs. The real goal of Wakarusa and Brett's vision is to be one of the best festivals, not the biggest."
One of the best it is. At Wakarusa you'll find friendly staff, volunteers and fellow festivarians. A community vibe, more so a family vibe, dominates the weekend. It's not uncommon to see staff haning out with fans playing Frisbee, volleyball or sharing a meal.
Waka doesn't fall short for the little people either. In additions to the playgruonds in the campgrounds, dozens of arts and crafts activities like face painting and finger painting are always a delight. For youngsters with lots of energy, morning yoga for kids is always a great way to start the day.
Hula-hoops and music taylormade for younger ears are plentiful in several tents throughout the grounds. Most kids would probably have fun watching the acts on the big-stage, as everybody knows and respects Wakarusa as a family friendly festival.
Maybe camping isn't your thing. Several hotel packages have been set up to bring you to and from the festival via shuttle at nearly all hours of the day. Though they land a bit high on the price line, the hotel packages are more popular this year than the previous years. Level 1 packages have already sold out, but plenty of Level 2 and 3 packages are available starting at $525 and include lodging, four day festival pawss and shuttle rides to and from the festival for two people.
All these amenities suiting all walks of live truly permeates the idea that Wakarusa is here for the fans. Your comfort and enjoyment are key to the experience of a lifetime and the volunteers, staff and family guarantee that Wakarusa will be the festival for the people, by the people.
The Music
Pipeline has catered to all taste buds with the 2006 artist line-up from rock and jazz to electronica and bluegrass.
Oklahoma's own Flaming Lips are headlining the festival this year. Being the closest show to their home state announced as of May 1, expect thousands to flock to the main stage on Saturday night. Their new album, At War With the Mystics, is a full fledged messages, intense sounds and uncanny production techniques that hvae become the Lips' trademark over the last decade. Half of their gigs in 2006 take place overseas, while the others take them out west, up north and up high to the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colo. Wakarusa will be one of the top venues to see the Flaming Lips this year, and though we hope to see them perform here in Oklahoma, catch them while you Kan-sas.
Other big names performing this year include Gov't Mule, featuring the hardest working guitar player in the business, Warren Haynes. With influences like Bill Monroe and John Coltrane, it's easy to understand why he's invited by everyone to join them onstage. Aside from the Mule, Haynes is a frequent member of the Allman Brothers Band, The Dead and Phil Lesh and Friends, and often finds himself sitting in with Dave Matthews Band, Trey Anastasio and Kid Rock. The raw facts make him the modern day guitar king, and his monstrous tone and knowledge of the instrument make him one of the premier musicians to see today. Surround him with the rest of the guys in Gov't Mule and pure excellence will resound in the state park on Saturday evening.
Reuniting for their first tour in five year, The Greyboy allstars are a super-funky quintet comprised of the top musicians in the business. The band broke it off due to drummer Zak Najor's calling to attend seminary school. Now a man of the cloth and ready to gig, the original lineup returns with saxophonist Karl Denson, guitarist Elgin Park, bassist Chris Stillwell and master ivory tickler Robert Walter on keys. Their unique blend of acid jazz, funk and sould takes listeners to new melodic heights and deepens the understanding of all things groove.
The rest of the line-up is exteneded and too diverse to mention in this particular story, though several of the bands have been featured in previous issues of The Current. Names like Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Sound Tribe Sector 9, My-Tea Kind, Yonder Mountain String Band, Les Claypool, Michael Franti, The Mutaytor, Buckethead, Cross CAnadian Ragweed, Railroad Earth, Tim Reynolds, Moonshine Still, Larry Keel, Keller Williams, Shanti Groove, Truckstop Honeymoon, Green Lemon Speakeasy, Mama's Cookin', Shooter Jennings and Tea Leaf Green are just a few (that's right) of the bands playing Wakarusa 2006 that have a history with readers here in Currentland. A complete list of artists and artist additions can be seen at Wakarusa.com.
"I think the things that are going to blow people away the most are the performance artists," commented Mosiman on not so typical acts The Mutaytor, Yard Dogs Road Show, Animal Liberation Orchestra and the asounding sounds of Norway's Hurra Torpedo.
Whether you like lyrics, grooves, jams, dynamics or just plain old Kansas-style throw down pickin', Wakarusa has the moment for you. For more information on the line-up, camping, amenities or just want to know what Waka is all about, logon to wakarusa.com, and we'll see you at Clinton Lake on June 8.