To be honest I didn’t really know what to expect from the 10th annual Topanga Earth Day Festival. I’ve had an affinity for Topanga Canyon ever since I first drove through the winding canyon roads; and while visiting an acquaintance’s guest house on a modest piece of property I was thoroughly impressed by the lack of an urban soundscape. It’s long been high in the running of places I’d like to settle down someday so needless to say I had lofty expectations and, after the festival, I can honestly say that Topanga Canyon is now situated firmly at the top of that list.
The festival is located on the grounds of the Topanga Community House, a local clubhouse that provides the venue for a host of activities and meetings. The majority of the festival takes place on the property’s baseball field, set in the rolling Topanga hillside. The field was lined with vendors peddling their wares ranging from organic, handmade clothing to environmentally friendly window fixtures. The field’s backstop played home to a smoothie shop in which paying customers can blend their own smoothie via their own energy output from an exercise bike.
At the end of the field is a log cabin-like pavilion which housed the main stage. Just past that is a hill at the top of which is the Community House, around which the smaller section of the festival was stationed, including the Mountain View Talk House stage. The energy supplied to this stage was generated by a large solar panel located just off to the side. This area is where most of the food and beverage vendors were located. The food was fantastic! Healthy and mostly vegan. Plus there was enough caffeine on hand to sustain me after my three-hour night sleep (I had attended Coachella the night before). Yerba Matte specialists Guayaki were giving away free samples of each of their flavors, however, I took advantage of their 2 for $5 special and downed both in quick succession.
There was a ubiquitous sense of community; the comradeship was palpable. The mornings began with group yoga in front of the main stage; and not your typical exercise-based yoga. It was the real deal including meditation. Very spiritual and beautiful. There were happy children playing about wherever you’d look. It was what society is supposed to feel like.
Jam band Quactus kicked off the music festivities on the Mountain View Talk House stage, sponsored by WeEarth, an online socially and environmentally responsible community that encourages coming together to work towards common goals to benefit the planet. It was a great way to start the day. The guitar player had chops for days and you could tell they’ve been playing together for quite some time, which is rare in an opening act. Word on the street is they got this slot because they were a last minute addition. Anyhow, it worked out well and got people moving.
Next up on the Talk House stage was TwoFish, a young-looking band of high-schoolers, who played all covers save for one original. Artists they covered included Led Zeppelin, the White Stripes, and even a rocking version of “99 Red Balloons” by Nena. For their young collective age they performed exceptionally well and had a large crowd of their friends for support.
Jon T. Howard then graced the main stage with his Americana Rock. Think Springsteen and Neil Young. He got the crowd going with his song “Dreaming of America” — not my cup of tea but you got the impression that he’s a veteran of the road.
Back on the Talk House stage River of Suns spread good vibes with their Jam/Hip-hop stylings. These Topanga natives were definitely a crowd pleaser. Their well-crafted songs combined cleverly versed rap with smooth, John Mayer-esque vocals.
Mr. Smolin, accompanied only by his keyboard, entertained the crowd at the main stage with his eccentric folk-rock. He opened with a bizarre, religiously themed song called “Scarecrow Jesus.” Very interesting…I wonder where they found this guy.
Midday on the main stage saw Mystic Journey, a world music ensemble featuring flautist Suzanne Teng. The music was incredibly beautiful and ethereal; so much so that I found myself in a trance-like state. For a finale they brought out the Melanie Kareem Belly Dancers, who ranged in age from 5 to 40+. Quite a spectacle, indeed, as they took turns undulating to the tribal rhythm.
While getting my fix at the Spirit Wind Cafe booth I was seated around back with 2 of their associates and was given a free dream interpretation. Then I had some raw taquitos and a superfood brownie from a Raw booth whose name escapes me. Too bad because it was phenomenal!
The last artist of the day on the Talk House stage was a band called Making Love To Life. They had a huge sound for just a 3-piece. A little Reggae, a little Rock, even touched on some Prog sounds.
After the sun set Lili Haydn took the main stage. Her sound was very unique due almost exclusively to her virtuosity on the violin, which she ran through effects including a wah pedal. Her short set ran the gamut of ambient and surreal to full on pop/rock with her own spin on it. The highlight for me was her incredibly catchy and danceable song “Strawberry Street.”
The Saturday headliner was The Big Organ Trio, who played a few songs before bringing out guitarist Mark Ford, who’s graced the stage with the likes of the Black Crowes and Ben Harper, and who proceeded to steal the show. He’s all pro but instead of just being technically proficient, which he is, he plays with tremendous passion and breathes a vibrant life into the instrument. I caught myself standing with my mouth agape during some of his solos (I’m a guitar player after all). Not that The Big Organ Trio are lesser musicians; they traded off solos quite effortlessly. They jammed out an amazing instrumental rendition of Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride” with organist Mike Mangan taking the lead. They had the crowd spellbound as they played on into the night.
Singer/songwriter Chris Shannon opened the Talk House stage on Sunday Morning with his upbeat acoustic pop. On the main stage folk rock band The Honey Bunch, fronted by the event’s producer Stephanie Lallouz, got the crowd moving with their version of “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane. Not only is Stephanie super friendly and generous but she’s got some great guitar chops too. They were joined on stage by the incredibly talented keyboardist Steve Molitz from the band Particle, who was also part of the next band.
Counter Clarkwise (yes, you read that right) was up next, fronted by Tea Leaf Green singer/songwriter Josh Clark and Steve Molitz on keys. Their Blues Rock had the audience dancing in no time.
Tea Leaf Green brought Sunday to a close, continuing the bluesy vibe but adding some great improvisational jamming into the mix. After their set was a beautiful closing ceremony featuring the flag of every single nation.
What a great way to spend a weekend! The setting was majestic, the weather was perfect, and the music was as stellar as it was eclectic. Count me in for next year.
