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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM News WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2008
WAKARUSA FESTIVAL
Four bands,a fan and a bunch of hippies
BY REBEKAH SCAPERLANDA
rscaperlanda@kansan.com
JON BENEDICK
JON BENEDICK
The student
Origin: Overland Park
Been around since: 1986
Times at Wakarua: 3
Benedick started his Wakarusa festivities Wednesday night when he arrived at the campgrounds with his friends. Just a short drive from his apartment, he came prepared to camp out for the full four nights. With a night of drinking and fun under his belt, Benedick was ready for the music.
Benedick said that he had been to many concerts and enjoyed music festivals, but he hadn't found anything that is quite like Wakarusa. He said appreciated the uniqueness of the crowd and the excitement of the bands.
"Four days of letting loose, camping and meeting unbelievable people," he said.
As a three-time Wakarusa attendee, Benedick knows the lay of the land. He walked around the festival with ease from the first day while others searched their maps to find the correct stage. To anyone who asks, Benedick offers advice on the best bands to watch. While most people were concerned with the headliners, his must-sees for the weekend included lesser-known bands that played after 2 a.m. He opted for the laser light show of
Sound Tribe Sector 9 rather than attending the piano man, Ben Folds.
Benedick said he loved the live music and the laid-back nature of Wakarusa. He said Wakarusa was a growing festival and it incorporated new things every year. This year, he noticed hip-hop music infused into the festival with bands HipHopotamus and Blackalicious. He said he loved the blending of genres with everything from hip-hop to the blue grass fusion of Calamity Cubes.
By the end of the festival Benedick felt exhausted, but thought the experience was definitely worth it. He hopes to continue coming back to Wakarusa in years to come.
BACKDOOR SLAM
The Foreign Up-and-Comer
The Foreign Up-and-Comer Origin: Isle of Man, a small island near England.
Been around since: 2006
Times at Wakarusa: 1
Web site: www.backdoorslam.com
The trio, made up of Davy Knowles, Ross Doyle and Adam Jones, drove for two days to get to Wakarusa but couldn't remember where they started from. Arriving on Thursday night, the band had a show canceled because of the weather.
"It was a little disappointing and sad," Knowles said. "But I suppose it's better than being in the middle of a tornado or hurricane. We don't really get lightning back home. The
extremes are quite exciting."
The band played a set to a full crowd Thursday afternoon and was glad the tour schedule allowed them to spend time at the festival to see other shows. Doyle said he was looking forward to seeing Emmylou Harris and The Flaming Lips. All three band members said they felt overwhelmed by the number of bands they didn't recognize. They said the bands at Wakarusa were much different than British bands.
The Seattle Times compared Knowles' musical spirit to Jimi Hendrix, but Knowles tried to downplay the comparison to the legendary guitarist.
Mindy Ricketts/KANSAN
Ashley Zeigenbein, Lebanon, Mo., practices hoop dancing at the Wakarusa Festival. Zeigenbein makes her own hoops in proportion with the size of her body. She said she picked up a lot of moves from watching videos of hoop dancers on YouTube.
"It's very nice to hear, but the thing is not to listen to that," Knowles said. "You kind of do your own thing and try not to let it affect you or intimidate you."
Backdoor Slam said it enjoyed the upbeat vibe of Wakarusa and hoped to come back next year.
Jones said he only had one problem with the festival.
"I haven't seen enough hippies. I can't smell the patchouli or the pot," he said.
MATES OF STATE
The Married Couple Origin: San Francisco Been around since: 1997 Times at Wakarusa: 1
Web site: www.matesofstate.
com
It's hard to find a genre for this husband and wife duo of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel. It took Mates of State a 20-hour drive from Connecticut to arrive Thursday morning. The duo's indie rock sound with pop elements took to the stage at this year's festival Friday evening. Hammel said their marriage added something unique to their music.
"Most people think it's abnormal we spend so much time together," Hammel said. "We actually enjoy each other's company and don't really get sick of each other. That connection shows in our performance."
After performing, the band stayed to watch other acts. Although they were there to enjoy the music,