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Wakarusa

Highlights, Reviews, Surprises and Pictures From Wakarusa 2012

: By Ryan Boyle, Rogena Ensign, John Manion and Patrick McGettigan; Published on June 06, 2012

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May 31 - June 3 – Ozark, AR
9th year – Last year's attendance: 20,000

2012 Lineup: Primus, The Avett Brothers, Slightly Stoopid, Pretty Lights, Umphrey's McGee (2 sets), Weir, Robinson and Greene Acoustic Trio, Girl Talk, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, Fitz and The Tantrums, G. Love and Special Sauce, Big Gigantic, The Del McCoury Band, Matisyahu, Ghostland Observatory, Tinariwen (2 sets), Savoy, Perpetual Groove, EOTO, The Travelin' McCourys, Quixotic Fusion (2 sets), Tea Leaf Green, Gary Clark Jr., Iration, Blitzen Trapper, Emmitt-Nershi Band (2 sets). VibeSquaD (2 sets), LA Riots, Krafty Kuts and A. Skillz with Dynamite MC, Toubab Krewe, That 1 Guy, Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers, Heartless Bastards (2 sets), The Secret Sisters, Dirtfoot, Adventure Club, Rubblebucket (2 sets), R/D (2 sets), Lance Herbstrong (2 sets), Nathaniel Rateliff, Virtual Boy, Monophonics, Ugly Lion, March Fourth Marching Band (2 sets), The Devil Makes Three, Split Lip Rayfield, Tribal Seeds, Gaelic Storm, The Delta Saints (2 sets), Hearts of Darkness, Mouth, Clandenstine, Balkan Beat Box (2 sets), Beats Antique, Railroad Earth (2 sets), MiM0SA, SOJA (2 sets), ALO, Keller Williams, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, The Infamous Stringdusters (2 sets), Green Velvet, MartyParty, RJD2, 12th Planet, Paper Diamond, Orgone, Papadosio, Assembly of Dust, New Monsoon, Nit GriT, The Motet (2 sets), Hot Buttered Rum (2 sets), The Durty Guv'nahs, The Werks, Keys N Krates, Lyrics Born (2 sets), The Moondoggies (2 sets), Futurebirds, The Heavy Pets (2 sets), The Sheepdogs (2 sets), Opiuo, Phutureprimitive, Love and Light, Wick-it the Instigator, Govinda, Shannon McNally, Dangermuffin, Quiet Corral (2 sets), Head For The Hills, Dumptruck Butterlips, Nadis Warriors, Ben Miller Band, Kids These Days, Gramatik, Daedelus, Snarky Puppy, Michal Menert, Cordovas (2 sets), The Lumineers, Break Science, Mia Borders, The Floozies, Mountain Sprout, Nobody Beats The Drum, The Big Wu

Daily Coverage: Day 1 Recap, Day 2 Recap, Day 3 Recap

Festival Website: http://wakarusa.com/

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Staff Highlights

Umph, there it is. With two performances at Wakarusa, these guys set out to prove why they are one of the top acts in the country. Both nights the crowd anxiously chanted “Umph-rey’s” and “We want the Umph.” The energy was through the roof.

Friday night Umphrey’s kicked off the dance party in the Revival Tent with “Wappy Sprayberry” and never looked back. We were also treated with “Room to Breathe,” “#5” and an insane “Live and Let Die” cover.

Photo Credit: Patrick McGettigan

Saturday night we were graced with Jeff Waful’s light show on the massive Main Stage light rig and a glowing full moon, which definitely contributed to things getting weird. Busting out songs like “Conduit,” “Hajimemashite,” “1348” and The Talking Heads’ “Girlfriend Is Better” lit was another awesome performance by the sextet. – John Manion

Not-so-perpetual grooving. Perpetual Groove jamming their asses off during both of their sets after some long technical difficulties made it all worthwhile. – Rogena Ensign

Greater than Zero. The ragtag 12-piece of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros brought more high-energy positive vibes to the Main Stage than I thought was possible. With front man Alex Ebert freely jumping off stage to join the crowd to dance and sing, there was a real sense of community.

They played what the crowd requested including “Carries On,” “If You Wanna” and fan-favorite, “Home.” There were nothing but smiles all around. – John Manion

MCA reincarnate? Mastiyahu, disguised as a potential member of the Beastie Boys, trance-stepped his way on stage while releasing his signature humming into the mic to let you know this clean-cut city punk was indeed once the Hasidic Jew that rocked a beard that hipsters envied. Before Matisyahu landed the first mega punch in “Jerusalem,” he captured the crowd with his nonchalant dance moves. – Ryan Boyle

Clearing the Rubble. Rubblebucket bringing out a tunnel during their set for fans to dance through was a major high point. It showcased the band’s fun side and got the crowd moving hard. – Rogena Ensign

Swimming in the ‘pool. Les Claypool and Larry "Ler" LaLonde battling an LED-adorned octopus and jellyfish out in the crowd in the middle of a song. (Trust me, this happened, and it was a crazy time. sense, it was a crazy time.) – Rogena Ensign

One-man band. Those who bravely stuck it out through the delays from tornado warnings and the hailstorm on Sunday were rewarded with Keller Williams doing what he does best. Keller’s relaxed and fun-loving spirit meshed perfectly with his night slot on the final day.

Photo Credit: Patrick McGettigan

He hit us with a “Hey Wakarusa” jam as well as “Scarlet Begonias,” “Birds of a Feather” and Cage The Elephant’s “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked.”

The set climaxed and the crowd erupted as he broke out into “Best Feeling.” The barefoot Keller Williams has a glow to him that spreads like wildfire when he’s on stage. – John Manion

Backwoods bluegrass. The Emmitt-Nershi band performed a toned-down version of The String Cheese Incident classic "Jellyfish" in the intimate Backwoods Stage. – Rogena Ensign

Strangers no more. Wakarusa has a truly special feel. This four-day, self-sustaining pop-up city on Mulberry Mountain attracts amazing people from all over the world for the eclectic lineup. Once you’re on the grounds and hear the “Waka Waka’s,” a rare feeling of comfort with 20,000+ strangers comes over you that can only be felt at Wakarusa. – John Manion

In full bloom. Mountain Sprout finished off the weekend’s bluegrass with their homely AR goodness. Between jokes about playing a Slayer tune – “We’ll play a Slayer song as soon as they play one of our songs,” – and confessions of being a little drunk with how happy they were, Grayson VanSickle made it a point to relay they were enjoying closing out their state’s fest. – Ryan Boyle

Running the gamut. Whether it’s bluegrass or electronic, folk or reggae, rock or funk, there is always something to fancy your aural pleasures and get you dancing on one of the five stages at Waka. – John Manion

West siiiide. Westwoods camping is where it’s at. I chose to camp in the wooded area to shade myself from the harsh Arkansas sun and dwell with the common music lovin’ folks. The location made the rainstorms much less intense, and we became family from running into each other on that steep long path. Even after three days of hiking back and forth, there was little resentment toward the walk. When weather canceled the shows Saturday night we came back and started a vicious drum circle led by guitar, ukulele, random vocals, harmonica and sax. – Ryan Boyle

Waka waves. Cooling off in the Mulberry River amidst the Arkansas heat cannot be understated. – Rogena Ensign

Staff Lowlight

Mother Nature pulling the plug. A few show cancellations due to strong winds, downpours and hail put a bit of a damper on some evenings. Not many in attendance were prepared for the polar fluctuations in the weather. From 70s and moderate to heavy rains and everything in between, the weather was as diverse as the lineup itself. – Rogena Ensign and John Manion

Staff Surprises

Warm Waka? It was still mighty hot, but the temperatures were fairly temperate considering the locale. – Rogena Ensign

Spreading the Love. G.Love came out with Slightly Stoopid for the best segment of their Wakarusa 2012 tenure. – Rogena Ensign

Photo Credit: Patrick McGettigan

Adolescents abound. Despite the many well-established and old-school acts, Wakarusa brought in an exceptionally young crowd. I guess you have to be pretty vivacious to last to those sunrise sets. – Rogena Ensign

Observing ghosts. All I could think was, “Wow, is this real?” I’m pleased to have had my first Ghostland experience at Wakarusa. Between Thomas Turner’s very danceable beats, Aaron Behren’s high-energy stage presence and the phenomenal laser production, my mind was blown. – John Manion

Cirque de Waka. There was a lot of talk around the festival that Quixotic was one of the groups that you had to catch. This brainchild of Anthony Magliano is a “total sensory experience,” combining music, dance, acrobatics and visuals.

Quixotic’s rhythmic, drum-heavy beats kept everyone moving the entire show and their stunning performers and visuals kept all eyes fixated on the stage not wanting miss a single second of the action. – John Manion

Illuminate yourself. The Lumineers possess a little of that Mumford magic about them. The crowd couldn’t help but clap to most of their tunes, as they couldn’t stop dancing to their music as well. Plenty of good lovin’ folks were in the backwoods despite competing with Fitz and Tantrums, Gary Clark Jr. and Emmitt-Nershi Band and those who stuck it out got a thank you in Talking Heads cover, “This Must Be the Place.” – Ryan Boyle

Slowly stupid. Slightly Stoopid followed Sunday’s reggae theme by not only steering clear of any punk rock, but also with intermittent herbal celebrations shared with the crowd. When Stoopid slows it down, that means the horns come out to play with “Ocean” and “Round The World.” – Ryan Boyle

Transcending translation. Hailing from the Sahara Desert in Mali, Tinariwen is a group of Tuareg musicians who brought an experience that can only be felt through music. Singing and speaking in their native tongue, there was an obvious language barrier, but their connection to the audience seemed to transcend that.

Between songs, they would get on the mic and say a few unknown words and the crowd would erupt sending chills down your spine. – John Manion

Quick-Hit Band Reviews (in alphabetical order)

The 4onthefloor – Black Keys-ish, “Might Be Your Man” was a crowd-pleaser. – JM

ALO – Got everyone warmed up and dancing early on Friday at the main stage with some stellar upbeat jams. – JM

The Avett Brothers – High-energy showing on the Main Stage had the crowd at their fingertips. – JM

Balkan Beat Box – Gypsy punk funktronica world music . . . need I say more? – RB

Beats Antique – For only playing three songs (weather), belly dancer Zoe Jakes sure had the crowd zoned in and ready to dance the night away off the bat. – RE

Photo Credit: Patrick McGettigan

Big Gigantic – One of the highest energy performances at Waka with Dominic Lalli's sexy sax notes and new light set-up. – RE

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes – Front man Alex Ebert had women acting like girls at a Justin Bieber concert. – JM

Elfkowitz – Slight rain during the set added to his “slippery” tunes. – JM

Emmit-Nershi Band – After waiting for the power to come back on at the Backwoods Stage, this group of guys played some stompin' bluegrass and a few String Cheese Incident numbers. – RE

EOTO – The stage designer stayed up all night reconstructing the supports for the epic Lotus flower stage after the supports were lost through shipping. EOTO raged in his honor. – JM

Gary Clark Jr. – Shreds, period. – JM

Girl Talk – His encore looked like New Year’s all over again with glitter, confetti, toilet paper and some Busta Rhymes beats. – RE

Gramatik – The duo busted out a Led Zeppelin remix and had that Satellite Stage jumping. – RE

Govinda – Heavy metal thrasher electronic/dubstep act that gets wild anytime that bow hits the violin. – RB

Hot Buttered Rum – Bluegrass that makes you go wild enough to walk in clean and walk out dirt-footed and covered in body paint. – RB

Infamous Stringdusters – Traditional bluegrass at its finest. Look for when the band hears a member hit it hot and they all encircle him for a jam. – RB

Keller Williams – The one-man band pleased all in attendance with “Scarlet Begonias” and “Best Feeling.” – JM

Keys N Krates – These guys really know how to start up a dance party with some vinyl scratching and sick beats. – RE

Photo Credit: Patrick McGettigan

Love and Light – This duo had fans holding up their hand hearts while playing their aptly named song, "Heart." – RE

MarchFourth Marching Band – Such a fun band with side-acts and humor galore. – RE

Matisyahu – New look + newish sound = new love for this act. – RB

Michal Menert – This guy has got that hip-hop PLM label feel that keeps your head bopping. – RE

NiT GriT – Watching this guy makes you feel like you are in a laboratory of electronic waves and deep bass. – RE

Nobody Beats The Drum – Sick Swedish electro trio. Warning: “Jungle Book” dance parties tend to break out – rage at your own risk. – JM

Orgone – A funky "Soul Train" party of a show. This LA band captured my heart with a retro sound during "Give It Up," "Waiting" and "It's Time Tonight." – RB

Perpetual Groove – Not everyone can pull off a Johnny Cash song, but these guys sure can. – RE

Phutureprimitive – Had the day crowd in a trance and fostered a lot of crowd energy. – RE

Primus – Les Claypool has a voice that keeps you on your toes and a bass that sucks you in. – RE

Pretty Lights – Derek Vincent Smith always grabs the crowd when he plays "Finally Moving" and has everyone singing along. – RE

Quiet Corral – Soothing indie-folkish-rock with a unique sound. – JM

Quixotic – The circus inside of a dance recital inside of a concert inside of an illusion. – RE

Railroad Earth – Great people, great music, awesome acoustic and electric showings. – JM

Royal Family Ball featuring Soulive and Lettuce – Nothing but soul and a kicked-back atmosphere from all these guys. – RE Eric Krasno is one of the best and emotional guitar players to watch. – JM

Photo Credit: Patrick McGettigan

Rubblebucket – The crowd was eating up their classic hit "Silly Fathers" while dancing through a fabric tunnel. – RE

Snarky Puppy – Underrated act that brings a gospel side to funk and soul. – RB

SOJA – This reggae group made the fans feel loved and well connected with assurance of positive vibrations. – RE

Split Lip Rayfield – Great bluegrass group dedicated song to lost brother Kirk Rundstrom, former guitar player. – JM

SunSquabi – This Boulder group is going to blow up soon with their electro-funk beats. – RE

Tinariwen – Amazing experience to catch these guys from Mali. Their music was their translator. – JM

That 1 Guy – The one-man band that makes you think, "How in the hell did he come up with that crazy music instrument? Genius!" – RE

The Travelin’ McCourys feat. Keller Williams – A moonshine bluegrass dance party. “Cripple Creek” cover got everyone going. – JM

Umphrey’s McGee – What gets better than some Umph love under a full moon? Ryan Stasik showing off his rat-tail. – RE

VibeSquaD – Nothing like some crunchy beats for breakfast at 5:00 a.m. – RE

Weir, Robinson, and Greene Acoustic Trio – Amazing all-star trio played some classic songs. A great, relaxing predecessor for what was to come the rest of the weekend. – JM

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