WEDNESDAY- “I realized that some medical attention was needed and it best to seek it sooner than later.”
Summer Camp Music Festival had quite the unusual start for me in 2016. Aside from the routine packing, planning and occasional stressing for my eventual arrival at Three Sisters Park, I would once again be showing up a day early again to SCamp. Sometime around noon the Manolo’s crew and myself arrived in Chillicothe prepared to unload and setup for the incredible task of serving thousands of hungry campers with empanadas and pizza slices. One obligation for the Camp Counselors at SCamp includes a Wednesday night meet and greet slash potluck, so I figured that I would arrive extra early with my Manolo’s friends to help them prepare before the remaining Counselors made their way inside the park. After spending some time pitching my tent in the employee camping area and aiding Manolo’s, the day got interesting for me. While walking across the empty field that the following day would transform into electric RV parking I rapidly began to suffer the symptoms of heat exhaustion. One minute I was laughing and working, the next I was fatigued, blinded, throwing up my Gatorade from the day and so weak in my legs I had to take a knee along the fence line. TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODIES PEOPLE!! After trying to cool down in my tent for a few minutes, I realized that some medical attention was needed and it best to seek it sooner than later. I walked to the area where the medical stations are located, but to no avail as there were no medics available until the next day, so I continued my fatigued journey to the brown security trailer where I found some assistance. After initially being repeatedly asked, “What did you take?” (please, ALWAYS be honest about everything when receiving medical help) to which my answer was “nothing,” a Canopy Club security guard on site quickly recognized me and what was happening. He ushered me inside the air conditioned trailer where the personnel found me a seat and a drink to sip in the darker back room. Within a matter of minutes, I began to feel the life force reenter my body. Rather than rush back out into the heat, I waited it out for nearly an hour more, taking full advantage of the a/c. Eventually, I made my way back out into the park and informed Manolo’s that I wouldn’t be helping anymore that day and began to slowly finish unpacking my car from the lot. So, after possibly being the first Summer Camp Camp Counselor to arrive at Three Sisters Park, as a result of exhaustion and excursion to the medical and security trailers, I was the last of our group to arrive at the potluck. We had introductions and made some small conversation, but after the day I had endured, I wasn’t exactly myself and didn’t stay with the group very long in favor of some much needed rest.
THURSDAY- “My own, unofficial, start to Summer Camp Music Festival.”
After spending the morning transferring camp from employee camping to the main grounds as the gates officially opened Thursday, I decided to try and take it easy mostly with the knowledge that in the evening I would partake in my first projects as a SCamp Counselor by recording the Fahrenheit & Celsius and Sun Stereo pre-party sets. Fahrenheit & Celsius is a DJ duo consisting of It’s fiDlin and DJ Mischief (hailing from Australia) that I became familiar with in the Champaign music scene. They shined on their biggest stage to date in the Vibe Tent at 7 PM. As the tent steadily filled with heads and energy the combo provided all the drops needed with a cameo appearance from fellow SCamp artist, Truth AKA Trouble. You can catch my video recap of their set here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYCjVLT7_sY
Sun Stereo’s Thursday night set has become a personal tradition for me. My own, unofficial, start to Summer Camp Music Festival. A collection of some of the nicest people you could ever meet in the music industry, led by front man Kelly McMorris, the Summer Camp veterans bring the party for multiple sets each year. Also based out of Champaign, I have been privy to numerous Sun Stereo shows at a bevy of venues over the years and feel fortunate to have seen them become a Summer Camp staple. An exceedingly fun live show, you can check out my recap video from their pre party set here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk1WaYrSYPk
The rest of Thursday night was spread between wandering, one of my favorite pastimes at SCamp, and hanging out with some friends who had arrived later in the day that I hadn’t got to visit with before the F&C set. At this point, I was feeling drained and made it to a few minutes into the late night Lettuce set before I made the walk back across Three Sisters towards my camp to retire.
FRIDAY- “Are you going to sunrise kickball?”
Friday is when Summer Camp Music Festival really gets going. Another 10k plus campers through the gate and the luxurious space for activities found in the woods soon evaporates as endless amounts of tents rain down in its place. While those who didn’t garner a Pre-Party Pass for Thursday were waiting in line outside the gate, I was up preparing for an 11 AM hip-hop set featuring Chase Baby and Truth AKA Trouble. Two solo 217 rappers that decided to collaborate their talents into a special project after being awarded SCamp ’16 slots for their performances at the Canopy Club during the Summer Camp Wednesdays promotion a few weeks prior as TroubleChasin’. You can watch the recap video as well as their song, ‘The Gang Goes to SCamp” here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M8_GJb-tmU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhDVFMKEdy0
The rest of Friday afternoon was spent hopping from pit to pit shooting until the sun started to set and the choice was made to put up my equipment for the night. It was time for some “me time.” At some point between the two Umphrey’s McGee sets I found myself completely alone with my companions all elsewhere in the mix or glued at camp listening to the sounds of the Thievery Corporation, so what other choice did I have? Rage Umphrey’s second set solo… As if there was ever a doubt! Then it was back to camp and Excision on the Moonshine Stage, where I ended up running into a handful of friends to do some quick head banging and take in what I suspect to be the biggest staged light show that has ever been to SCamp. It was then a quick hop back over to Sunshine where several friends got to enjoy the groove supplied by Sound Tribe Sector 9 and visuals from Saxon Waller. Afterwards, I strolled over to the Red Barn just in time to barely miss the guitar smashing exploits of Tauking McGee. I spent roughly 30 minutes with the flock over at Pigeons Playing Ping Pong on the Campfire Stage before heading back inside the Red Barn to enjoy the special late night collab between, who I would pen, the number 3 and 4 acts at SCamp (behind moe. and UM), Keller Williams and Eoto. After the barn closed, Camp Counselor Sean and myself were walking back across the grounds towards Moonshine when he poised the question, “Are you going to sunrise kickball?” This was my 8th SCamp and had yet to attend the famed sunrise kickball game that is put on by Umphrey’s bassist, Ryan Stasik. Another easy choice. After experiencing the antics of sunrise kickball I made my way back to camp, the last man standing, for a quick sit and then to my cot for slumber.
SATURDAY- “I’m not proud of it, but I am far from ashamed either.
As the sun moves higher and higher into the sky over Chillicothe the SCampers began to scurry and things are back into full swing by noon. I have never really been the one to sleep in and attending Summer Camp Music Festival is no exception. When the food vendors start cooking, when the chatter and music begin to rev up, so do I. Sleeping in at this place isn’t much of an option for me. After waking up to find that I had lost about 90% of my voice overnight I spent some time cleaning up camp (KEEP IT CLEAN!!) and recharging all of the batteries for my equipment at our campsite’s power supply before traveling back off into the pits to shoot some of the early minutes of bands I’ve always wanted to see in my lifetime such as The Wailers and The Roots. I got some great views of what may have been one of the last Turbo Suit (Cosby Sweater) sets along with more face time with Umphrey’s McGee and moe.. Maybe it was the heat or medical issue that took place, perhaps it was just a lack of sleep during the week leading up to SCamp, but at some point around 1 AM I fell asleep listening to moe. in my tent. Of course there are worse ways to fall asleep, but my crash resulted in me missing out on presumably killer sets with Lotus, Sunsquabi and the Turbo Suit w/ Stasik tribute to Nirvana’s “Nevermind” album in the Soulshine Tent. It inevitably happens to us all at some point, we crash or sleep in or nap through a set that we wanted to see and I’m not proud of it, but I am far from ashamed either. At some point our bodies will require sleep and my body apparently very much needed some time off from the excitement.
SUNDAY- “There is one other time slot that I will tell campers is a ‘must’, the Sunday night sendoff with moe..”
After awakening to the sad realization that I missed some great music the previous night it was clear to me that Sunday deserved my full attention. Another round of morning cleanup at camp and it was back out with my camera with the intention to capture every bit of SCamp ’16 my last day there. More wandering, camera in hand talking with people at every step, making new Summer Camp friends at every turn until just after lunch time when the Phreaks begin their annual migration to the Sunshine Stage for one final round of Umphrey’s. This Phreak then bounced between SOAP and The Funk Hunters, found my way to Brainchild and then over to Yonder back at the Sunshine Stage. Another legend was waiting for me back at the Moonshine Stage and that legends name is George Clinton of Parliament and Funkadellic fame. I hustled into the pit to get some video of the gang getting extra funky, hands raised to the sky before snagging some grub and then back to Moonshine for what was one of the best Lotus sets I have ever witnessed while my clan all went to indulge in the amazing show which is Here Come the Mummies. Having seen HCTM just a few weeks beforehand along with me already missing out on the Red Barn Saturday night, the choice to stay back solo for the Lotus flower was simple. With all of my equipment’s power supply either dead or dying by 9 PM, a quick pit stop back at camp to put away all my gear before rushing over to the Sunshine Stage to experience another larger than life figure in music, Tom Petty performing with MudCrutch. Although I hung towards the back for most of the set where the sound had been chopped up at that distance, I very much enjoyed the living legend’s performance at SCamp ’16 and am thankful the festival has yet again provided me the pencil to cross another name off of my musical bucket list. A bit more wandering and then back to the campsite for a little more moe., then following the swarms of people making their ways to the Big Grizmatik set. Having seen the three parties of GRiZ, Big Gigantic and Gramatik all individually along with a Grizmatik performance in Milwaukee, I was particularly intrigued to see what this special collaborative project had in store for SCamp and I was not disappointed. Outside of some early sound issues, the shows energy and performance grew every few minutes until George Clinton graced the staged and then culminated with bouncing lasers over the ecstatic crowd. As I was picking up some of the litter left on the ground after the set I noticed that everybody’s face was genuinely oozing with happiness during they exited. Besides the Thursday night with Sun Stereo and multiple UM sets there is one other time slot that I will tell campers is a “must”, the Sunday night sendoff with moe.. This marks the unofficial ending of Summer Camp Music Festival for myself. With only a few hours left of music, the reality of the hardships our future selves will face starts to surface. That for many of, it will be months, if not another year before we are able to see some of our favorite musicians melt our faces again. I rounded out the night with a mix of Crosseyed & Phishless and Dopapod before spending the last hours walking the woods with my friends, strolling through the cosmic forest one last time and avoiding the troll tolls. You can watch my complete SCamp ’16 recap covering Thursday-Sunday here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24Lo8cLR4KU
It has been many years since my first Summer Camp and this opportunity to be a Camp Counselor gives me a bit of a full-circle feeling. It has been absolutely incredible to watch the growth and development of SCamp over the seasons. Not only are there the benefits of paid tickets and media access for being a Counselor, but I truly believe that this is my chance to give back to the fest that has facilitated so many incredible memories and experiences for me through the years.]]>
