The Bear Creek Music and Arts Festival returns this weekend, bringing plenty of funk and fun times to the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL. While much of the country takes a break from festivals when the summer ends, Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park keeps the festival season going throughout the year. The beautiful 500+ acre campground—which sits on the banks of Florida’s Suwannee River—plays host to a variety of musical events, including Magnolia Festival, the String Cheese Incident’s Suwannee Hulaween, Springfest, the Wanee Festival, Aura Fest, Purple Hatter’s Ball and, of course, Bear Creek.
One of the things that Bear Creek has become known over the years for is its use of “Artists-at-Large,” or musicians that have been booked to sit in with the other acts. While the festival always has a solid lineup of performers that play the event in the traditional sense, the artists-at-large are curveballs that can show up unannounced at any time to add a little something extra to the show. It’s a great way to keep things interesting and create unique musical moments that fans and musicians alike will remember down the road. We spoke with Bear Creek mastermind Paul Levine about the thinking behind the concept, as well as some of this year’s most anticipated artists at large. He even gave us a quick recap of the first-ever Suwannee Hulaween festival, which went down at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park over Halloween weekend.
Can you say a few things about Bear Creek?
We have the seventh Bear Creek coming up next week. We consider Bear Creek to be the premier funk and groove festival in the country. At Bear Creek, we’ve taken a lot from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival over the years. Not taken from them, but transplanted the vibe of Jazz Fest and that time in New Orleans into the woods at the Spirit of the Suwannee.
We’ve created a sanctuary for this type of music. Each year hundreds of funk and dance musicians come together at Bear Creek. It’s become something very special; a family affair.
One of things that Bear Creek has pioneered is the artist at large concept. Can you talk a little bit about the program and what goes into choosing the different artists at large?
I don’t think artists at large is unique to Bear Creek and I don’t think we started it, but I think we do it more than any other festival in the country that I’m aware of. There have been artists at large at other events over the years; they just didn’t call them “artists at large.” That comes out of going to other festivals. Going to Jazz Fest and not necessarily the festival proper, but hanging out at the clubs in New Orleans late night when all the bands play sets until seven, eight o’clock in the morning. There are shows all night.
What you can expect to see there is different musicians sitting in with each other. A lot of musicians run from show to show to sit in with their friends. It’s a huge celebration of music and of each other. The genre of music is very friendly and family-oriented. People support each other and give each other the opportunity to shine.
What you learn from going to those types of shows and concerts is that, at least for me, the best music is something that’s unique; something you wouldn’t expect; something you may never see again anywhere. That happens when you have a sit-in, or guest artist with a band. Those types of things you can practice, but things happen in the moment that are spontaneous that can lead to incredible music moments.
We wanted to recreate that. We wanted to bring some attention and notoriety to some fabulous musicians. We try hard each year to bring on some well-known musicians at large like Karl Denson, Pee Wee Ellis or Fred Wesley, or Zach Deputy or Robert Walter. We like to feature some great players from the more local and regional scenes that aren’t as well-known but still have incredible chops.
We give them the opportunity to get on stage to help them with their notoriety and career. Like I said, we feel like a family and with those artists at large sitting in with those bands we have created some unique and unforgettable moments. I’m pretty sure we have more sit-ins per show at Bear Creek than anywhere else in the country.
You have a lot of bands who play two different shows at the festival. It’s kind of part of the same vibe.
It plays a very big role in the family vibe at Bear Creek. At most events – not all – some other events have bands that play twice, but not as many as us. Bands normally just show up, play a show and leave. When I talk to musicians, they say, “I see these guys a million times, but I never get to spend five minutes with them because they spend time in the tour bus and then leave.”
They don’t get to see those friends in a festival environment. By having groups twice, it allows some of the musicians to really settle in, relax. Being there for two days with their musical peers leads to more sit-ins, bands, records and collaborations. The guys like to roam the ground and hang out with the fans. It brings everyone closer together that way. If you see a band twice instead of once, you can develop a more intimate relationship with the band and I think that comes through clearly at Bear Creek.
The String Cheese Incident’s just hosted their first Hulaween at Suwannee. Can you say a bit about that event and what its future might be
It was a very successful Hulaween. It’s SCI’s franchise Halloween event. They don’t do it every year, but they’ve done it a number of times. This year, after many years of trying to make something happen at the Spirit of the Suwannee with String Cheese, the timing was right and we were able to do this show.
Because of the type of venue it is, and people were coming to camp, we decided to make a little mini-festival. We added a nice lineup around three nights of String Cheese and borrowed some of the ethos of Burning Man and Electric Forest Festival and created Spirit Lake up at the Spirit of the Suwannee. That was an art and light creative installation that people could wander around and enjoy. There was a stage up there and a silent disco and all sorts of painters, burlesque dancers and fire jugglers. It was a very exciting place to be late at night.
With Bear Creek right around the corner, can you tell us about some of this year’s artists at large?
The Shady Horns
The Shady Horns started out as artists at large at Bear Creek before we even labeled them artists at large. As the horn section of Lettuce, these guys have been at the core of the Bear Creek family since 2008. The first time Lettuce played Bear Creek, I was blown away by the band and then noticed that their horn section—that year Ryan Zoidis, Sam Kininger & Rashawn Ross—was sitting in with bands all over the place. Along with Skerik, these guys have become Dumpstaphunk’s semi -regular Bear Creek horn section. Or at least it seems that way. Over the years, they have played with Maceo, Pee Wee Ellis & Fred Wesley, New Mastersounds, Moe. and so many others.
George Porter Jr.
It’s a serious honor to have this future Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (please don’t forget to vote this year) as a regular part of the Bear Creek family. I believe that George has played all seven Bear Creek’s with Runnin’ Pardners, The Funky Meters, The Trio and as an artist at large. He has sat in with Lettuce, Soulive, Dumpstaphunk, Medeski Martin & Wood, Anders Osborne and on and on. George’s smile and funky basslines make him a fan favorite and he always takes time to stroll the grounds and see what’s happening. I have a ton of great George memories but his sit-in with Anders Osborne on Sugaree a few years ago was pretty darned spectacular.
Skerik
Our good friend Skerik is the only musician that has been artist at large at all 7 Bear Creeks. I think what makes Skerik so good in this format is his familiarity and excellence in so many different genres of music and he can really adapt to whatever is going on on stage skillfully. I remember, and forget, so many insane Skerik sit ins over the years. Dumsptaphunk, Billy Martin and Will Blades, New Mastersounds, Will Bernard, Lettuce and a ton more come to mind.
Roosevelt Collier
The good Doctor, also a member of The Lee Boys, is the reigning Bear Creek sit-ins champion. I think he’s racked up something like 19 sit-ins with different bands in a single year. Roosevelt loves playing with seemingly anyone at the festival that asks him. He really doesn’t care about genre. I think in a single night, Rooevelt once played with Moe., Bonobo, Dumpstaphunk, Umphrey’s McGee and a few more. The Bonobo sit in was insane. What makes Rosie special is his fearlessness. He’ll dive into anything. Roosevelt has played six Bear Creeks.
Jennifer Hartswick
It’s been so much fun having Jennifer Hartswick as a part of four Bear Creeks. I am pretty sure that Jennifer was instrumental in nudging Trey Anastasio to bring his band to Suwannee for 2011, after playing the festival with her own band in 2010. Jennifer kicks so much butt that she was handpicked to join George Porter Jr. and Johnny Vidacovich for a set with The Trio in 2011. Jennifer has sat in with a ton of BC bands like Dumpstaphunk, Lettuce and The New Mastersounds. A particularly amazing moment was her wailing vocals during “Crazy On You” with Umphrey’s McGee a few years ago.
