Preview by Arden Stanley
Hell yeah! Halloween is right around the corner! You know what that means? SUWANNEE HULAWEEN!
In a little over 2 weeks people from all over the country will gather in the beautiful Spirit of Suwannee Music Park, in Live Oak, FL for 3 unforgettable days and nights of music and then some.
Presented by Silver Wrapper and Purple Hat Productions and hosted by the one and only String Cheese Incident, this years lineup is ridiculously amazing, with over 20 bands and DJ’s, including three nights and seven sets of SCI.
Along with friendly art installations, crazy costumes, and of course hula-hoops, this years Hulaween is sure to be one of a kind, and here are a few reasons why:
The Music:
The lineup this year, like I said, is amazing. With headliners String Cheese Incident (3 nights), Big Gigantic, Thievery Corporation, Beats Antique, the NEWDEAL, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Shpongle, Greensky Bluegrass, The Dean Ween Group, Emancipator, EOTO, Conspirator, Furture Rock, and the Suwannee Bluegrass Surprise (*cough* Keller Williams *cough.*)
Here are 5 acts that you should definitely be checkout during the weekend:
SCI– Fresh off their first studio album in 9 years, Song In My Head, and the hosts of the festival, I’m sure they have nothing less than a kick-ass in store for the fans. Plus we got seven sets people, what’s not to be excited about?
Big Gigantic– Big Gigantic is one of my favorite bands to see live. The energy Dominic Lalli (saxophone/producer), and Jeremy Salken (Drums) bring to every live performance is unmatchable in the EDM scene. They are true musicians. I would describe their music as instrumental livetronica, with large influences of hip-hop and jazz. For those who have never seen them live and are new to the EDM scene, I highly suggest this performance. Big Gigantic will introduce you to something new and fun.
EOTO– Micheal Travis and Jason Hann, of SCI, formed this amazing side project in 2006 of creating a live electronic show without prerecorded loops. That’s right, everything is on spot with this dynamic duo. Travis and Jason really let go of their instruments on another level of jam with EOTO.
Thievery Coporation– Thievery is just something else. The DJ collective of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton was a match made in heaven. On top of that, you are given even more with supporting acts, that are constantly changing during the show, including a sitar, guitar, bass, vocals, and hip-hop rappers. Thievery has also used their music to take a strong political stance on various issues in the world. From world hunger to human rights issues to speaking out against the government. Hard to believe they have been at this for 20 years!
Beats Antique– If you’re into performance arts, this will probably top your list at the end of the weekend. Zoe Jakes constantly makes jaws drop with her one of a kind dance performances infused into Middle Eastern belly dancing music, hip-hop, French gypsy jazz, and many styles of electronic music. World fusion dance is what Beats Antique likes to call it. David Sator brings the strings to this trio with banjo and violin, Tommy “Sidecar” Cappel is the backbone rhythm drummer, and then Zoe isn’t dancing her booty off she will pick up the bass drum. With their recently announced tour, “Creature Carnival”, along with Shpongle, and new single “Beelzebub” featuring Les Claypool, this is sure to be one of the more mind boggling performance of the weekend.
Campgrounds:
The Spirit of Suwannee is unlike any other music park/campground I have ever been to. Every time I drive through the gates, I feel as though I am at a home away from home. There is plenty of room to camp and you can camp wherever you park your car, it’s far from lot camping, which means no crowded tents spaced inches apart from each other! There are also starry skies at night to look forward too, towering pines, Live Oaks dripping in spanish moss, The Suwannee River, and Spirit Lake, not to mention the flushing bathrooms inside the festival, and some of the best vender food. I fell in love with Suwannee in 2013, no festival grounds come close to the beauty that is The Spirit of Suwannee! Oh, and don’t forget to bring a bike to ride around on!
The Costumes:
The costumes at Hulaween last year were incredible, people have been planning their costumes for this year since the announcement, “The Afterlife.” Silver Wrapper, Purple Hat, and SCI have encouraged festival goers to portray their take on life after death. Which is a really cool theme if you ask me! What do you want to be in your next life? I personally can’t wait to see what the boys of SCI choose to be!
Hula-Hoops:
HOOPERS EVERYWHERE!!! If you know SCI, you know how much they love their hoola-hoopers, and how much hoopers love SCI. You can expect to see hula-hoopers wherever you turn your head at Hulaween. A beautiful tradition at any SCI show.
Joe Russo:
Joe Russo…do I have to say anything else other than he’s awesome and one of the sickest drummers to date? Playing with his band, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, we are in for a night of the Dead, and it’s gonna be something special. I’m sure Joe will also sit in with a majority of the bands over the weekend.
The String Cheese Incident, this band from Colorado, is everything and more, and they are the “hosts with the most” for the weekend. SCI does this all for the fans. Hulaween is sure to be a joyous experience with friends and family and SCI wants you to spend it with them, which is awfully sweet.
Don’t miss out on this festival. If you do, you’ll probably just hear about how you should’ve been there.
Tickets are available at http://suwanneehulaween.com/tickets/
Tier 1 tickets are on sale now for $209 but they are limited, ticket prices will raise to $269 once tier 1 tickets are sold out.
Tickets will also be available at the gate for $269
Saturday & Sunday tickets will also be available at the gate for $165, and single day tickets will be $90 at the gate but DO NOT include a camping pass.
I hope to see you all at Suwannee Hulaween!
You must be logged in to post a comment.