This year’s Cypress Hill and Guerilla Union Smoke Out 2010 was a great success. Though we were a bit shorthanded, the day remained joyful, relaxed, and fun. My brother King and I, a tag team of last year’s smoke out, dished out the best of Good Humor’s fine offerings to the event staff, media, and artists friends alike. After landing a decent backstage parking spot for the beast known as Bessie, we found ourselves across from the trailers of Guerilla Union’s mastermind, Chang Weisenberg, and the DJ Reza people.
However, before things got too hectic, we took to the grounds slinging as much ice cream to hardworking crew as possible. We picked up some reasonably priced Rock The Bells bags from years prior to mobilize the frozen goods, packing everything in with dry ice. Off we went, hitting the merchandise booth, the Red Bull stops, food merchants, radio stations, marijuana education tables, the emergency response crew, security guards, and everyone else representing event staff gear. During this time King and I were able to catch the tunes of Atmosphere. Taking turns seeing acts, King was able to make it out to Slightly Stoopid and bits of Damian Marley and Paul Oakenfold.
Our footage this year was more – appropriately – guerilla. We went grassroots style for the first part of our day, capturing with a point and shoot camera. In search of our photographer to let him in, I ran into Cypress Hill. As a humble guest, I made sure to congratulate them on the success of the event. But as the journey continued and the maze to find our photographer led me through the movie screening room as Friday was on. Other movies featured in the screening area were Pulp Fiction, The Big Lebowski, and Dazed & Confused. Meeting at last, Branden Eastwood made it in from Arizona as night began to fall, wherein he disappeared with camera in hand and mission ahead.
Therafter King and I took the opportunity to check out “the rhythm, the tracks, the Basement Jaxx.” Playing standouts like “Raindrops” and “Rendezvous”, an electro-induced sing-a-long of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” was featured as well – both odd and enjoyable.
Following this, we caught the tail end of Cypress Hill, which hosted a Travis Barker drum solo and delivered “Insane In The Membrane”, still potent 17 years after the release of Black Sunday.
But an act that I was remiss to miss was the talented, soulful, and delightfully frank Erykah Badu. Whether it be as fresh as “Window Seat” or the lovely and languid tracks from her first album, Miss Badu is certainly worthy of having time carved for. As we slung our last creams, we could overhear the reminiscent sounds of Incubus, “Pardon Me”, “Are you In”, “Drive”, and “Nice To Know You”.
Sealing up the windows, pumping the gas, and letting the engine run, we finally shoved off, eventually returning to Long Beach from our Inland Empire Smoke Out Odyssey.
