There is this great episode of South Park where the kids got in with a group of nouveau hippies and wanted to change the world. They were angry about all those issues that Fox News says don’t really exist and were hell bent on making a difference.
The hippies explained that they were going to create change by throwing a festival and that, somehow, was going to burn down the system. The festival kicked off and expectations were high. As the days passed the music kept playing and the kids kept waiting for it to happen…that something that was going force the leaders of the world to do…something… but nothing was actually happening. Nothing, that is, except the typical chemical induced sensations in the addled brains of the tie-dyed. Nobody seemed to remember the cause but the kids.
DAMN IT PARKER AND STONE, ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT RAGING ALL WEEKEND AND STARING AT BIKINI CLAD HULA HOOPING HOTTIES ISN’T MAKING A DIFFERENCE??? ARGHHH!!!!
Well that all depends what festival you decide to go to. Over Memorial Day Weekend Vega Productions lent a hand in throwing the Bella Madre Festival at Harmony Park in Geneva, Minnesota. The non-profit production company oversaw the charitable side of things and, as it has been doing since inception in 1995, gave all proceeds to the Minnesota public schools art programs in the form of musical instruments and financial contributions. Good Karma. Good Party.
In between sessions of dunking booths and face-on-pie smashing (also for charity) the likes of Heat Box, Del the Funky Homosapien,Tea Leaf Green and piles of others played inspirational rock, rap, and country that made a man about as happy as he could be.
The act that really stood out over the weekend had to be That 1 Guy. A classically trained upright bassist, That 1 Guy is a visually unique experience. His instrument, “the Magic Pipe” is a home made creation made of plumbing, bass strings, and foot pedals. The sound is what you would expect from Frank Zappa and INXS‘ illegitimate love child.
Also in the vein of odd mash ups, Heatbox performed his barbershop quartet meets Hip-hop stage show in a solid performance that had a cameo from the Nintendo Power Glove. Sheet, when is that thing going to turn up on Dancing With the Stars???
Bella Madre embodies everything that a festival is supposed to be. The smaller venue turned 3,000 people into a community where even the security guy was your buddy. The music was great and didn’t make me think wow- my parents would have really enjoyed seeing this act that was cool when they were in their 20s. The pretension and skin deep friendliness of all those huge "McFestivals" was gone. In its place were the stories about being a young kid at Harmony Park told over beers that were given to you, that random dude who was called over to the camp fire just for the hell of it. If the opportunity arises, don’t turn down the chance to slap a bag of wine and kick it in the midwest. These people know how to throw a party and make a person feel welcome.
