When attending a music festival, it’s important to do so much more than just see as much live music as physically possible, dance till it hurts to stand and stay up late seeing bands walk off stage as the sun is about to rise. Yes granted all of those things mentioned are strongly encouraged, but it’s also important to do some soul searching and explore the culture of the community within the campgrounds. Smile at strangers walking by, make new friends at each live set, be neighborly and leave nothing but footprints behind. There is an electrifyingly positive energy lingering in the air at the Spirit of the Suwanne and it seemed to be in full effect right from the start of this amazing festival.
The Spirit of the Suwannee music park, located in Live Oak, Fl, is the perfect environment for a music festival. Set in the midst of 800 acres of Spanish moss-draped oak and cypress tress along the Suwannee River, there is an abundance of aesthetically pleasing natural beauty to inspire outdoors activities and adventures. In between music fans have the option to swim, canoe, kayak, hike or play disc golf on a full course. The Spirit of the Suwannee music park is already a staple for north Florida, being home to the Wannee music and arts festival as well as The Bear Creek music and arts festival.
This was the first year the AURA Music and Arts festival found its home at the Spirit of Suwannee. This is easily the largest venue to date for this booming festival. The first AURA was held at the Sertoma Youth Ranch, in Brooksville, Florida, to about 850 people. Four years later, a lot of positive publicity and a growing fan base, this most recent AURA festival hosted about 3,500 fans that were in great spirits the entire weekend. Walking through the campgrounds the scent of patchouli and the aroma of burning premium Indian incense Nag Champa were carried through the air. The beauty of this festival is the crowd and the diversity that comes with it, as different cars scattered amongst the grounds could be found playing everything from Jimi Hendrix to Drum and Bass and everything in between. This year’s AURA line up was overflowing with talent, which ignited a lot of anticipation for the weekend’s festivities.
Friday: February 15
The grounds opened up and the bands were ready to get people moving. Consider the Source took the Porch Stage at 1:30 PM to an intimate yet excited crowd. Full of energy, it was apparent Consider the Source were ready to kick it off right. Formed in 2004, this New York City trio combines progressive rock and jazz inspired with Middle Eastern styles. Gabriel Marin’s piercingly swift guitar solos on his fretless double-neck guitar were perfectly complemented by John Ferrara’s thunder-like thumping base lines and Jeff Mann’s steady percussions. This was my first time being fortunate enough to catch this band and I would highly recommend anybody who loves Primus to go check them out.
Stokeswood christened the main stage amphitheater with their alternative rock sound fused with indie influences, around 3 PM and a prompt dance party welcomed them gracefully. Stokeswood is currently celebrating the success of their most recent single “Samurai,” which they didn’t leave out of their set. The band seemed to have full control over their audience especially as they closed out their set with a smooth rendition of the Talking Heads’ “Girlfriend is Better.”
The Main Squeeze left fans captivated as they laid down some gorgeous electro fusion rock and roll with a blend of jazz on the Porch Stage. Celebrating the recent release of their debut self titled album, which was released in June of 2012, the band seemed to be in complete control as they comfortably took risks and improvised nicely. While most of the band’s members are originally from different parts of the U.S. the band currently hails from Chicago. With an impressive resume to support their name it was clear why they were invited to play AURA. Having previously won an international battle of the bands, held in Macau, China, as well as opening up for The Roots and Jane’s Addiction at the official Super Bowl XLVI tailgate party, in Indianapolis, it’s clear that The Main Squeeze posses a certain level of musical maturity well beyond their years. The band is lead by Corey Frye on vocals. Frye has a rich and soulful voice that complements the rest of the band’s precision nicely. Frye even consistently integrated references to AURA and the Spirit of the Suwannee in his lyrics and continued to thank the crowd for their support, as this was their first time playing AURA. Frye continued the theme as he preached to the crowd reminding everyone to keep “spreading the love and joy” and to “love everybody” the band followed his lead and provided a soft, melodic groove as a foundation for Frye to address to crowd.
Cars had been funneling in consistently since about noon that day but the largest crowd of the day gathered at the main stage amphitheater to see RAQ come out of their hiatus for the first time since July of 2011. The last time they played together was at a festival in upstate New York, so this was a very special treat for fans of the Vermont based quartet that’s anchored by Conspirator’s Chris Michetti and Kung Fu’s Todd Stoops. First coming together in 2001, the band has played almost every major festival across the U.S. as well as collaborating with an extensive list of musician’s over their tenure on the jamband scene. The band even hunkered down at Trey Anastasio’s Barn Studio in Vermont to record their third album, Ton These. The crowd was locked in as the band delivered timeless classics from their repertoire. Die-hard RAQ fans will have a few select chances to see the band live, as they are scheduled to play at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston on March, 28th, The Gramercy Theater in New York on March 29th and The Blockley in Philadelphia on March 30th. This short but sweet Northeast run gives fans closer to their home state a reason to rejoice in them briefly stepping out of retirement.
Break Science shifted gears for the next hour over at the Porch Stage. This was the first electronic based act of the festival and it was clear that the fans of EDM. came out of the woodwork to get down. The crowd sizes had doubled, if not tripled by now, and cars were still flowing in consistently. This Brooklyn based electronic duo has developed a strong fan base through their consistent touring. Celebrating the release of their new EP, titled Twilight Frequency, which was a collaborative effort with Michael Menert, it was clear the band was full of fresh inspiration and energy.
Conspirator filled the Friday headline spot with two sets and they were quick to drop the heavy bass lines that their fans crave. Opening up with their new single “Pow Wow” the band was in all smiles as they dipped into their new catalog. The light show was absolutely stunning and the band’s impressive light rig could be seen from the other stage. The retina pleasing light show was perfectly synched to the band’s smooth transitions. Touring off the success of their new EP, titled Unleashed, which was released in January of this year, the band is proving to fans that they can still continue to evolve musically. One of their musical highlights came when they slammed into an instrumental cover of Daft Punk’s “One More Time” which initiated a huge dance party and a small sing along amongst select fans.
Kung Fu took the Porch Stage by storm laying down their fusion funk filled groove chops to a sea of appreciating fans. Kung Fu is a band that can flawlessly hold a groove while simultaneously taking chances, building layers upon layers of music that will all come together and erupt like a live volcano in the sense of a rapid halting breakdown. It appears that everyone in this band is a great listener and when they do chime in with their respected instrument, it fits perfectly. Composed of Tim Palmieri on guitar, Robert Somerville on tenor saxophone, Todd Stoops on keyboard, Chris DeAngelis on bass and Adrian Tramontano on drums, this band is stacked with talent. Their exquisite rhythms and exotic timings are sure to please the ears of any new listener.
Kung Fu released their debut self-titled album in 2011 after the band formed in late 2009. Since there inaugural year, the band has toured non-stop, building a loyal fan base along the way. Currently, they have just released a new track off their upcoming album called Do the Right Thing, which they opened their set with. It didn’t take but just a few measures before the band had the audience captivated with their precision and range. Somerville provided a nice lead on the tenor sax, displaying some impressive stamina as he comfortably kept up with the rapid pace of the rest of the band. The band laid down a great version of “Bopcorn,” where DeAngelis provided a nice and thick bass line that Palmeieri could improvise over with his guitar. The band closed their set with a nice version of “Gung Ho,” before coming out for an encore where they debuted a new track called “Loose.”
Todd Stoops later looked back and recalled, “One of the best nights of my life last night. The crowd was hot, the band was tight, it was one of the best sets I’ve ever played in my life and the RAQ set was killer too man, I was really lucky to have two really good sets.”
Perpetual Groove was the last band to play on Friday at the main amphitheater stage to a mesmerized crowd eager to soak up as much music as the band could deliver over the course of the weekend. On January 13 the band announced plans to go an indefinite hiatus after their “final show” at the Georgia Theater on April 5, stating that Albert, Adam and Matt will continue touring and recording under the new name Ghost Owl. Brock apologized to fans but was quick to state that a reunion is not out of the question. The Georgia natives formed in Savannah back in 1997 and since then have made a memorable mark in the jamband community. Their set was packed full of energy but the highlight came when they delivered a nice cover of “Ali Baba” > “Paul Revere” (Beastie Boys).
Saturday: February 16
Waking up to a overcast sky, the temperature was significantly cooler that the previous day. But Saturday had a lot to offer musically so I didn’t waste any time. Eager to see the music get under way I made my way down to the Porch Stage to catch Newton Crosby open things up. Hailing from New Jersey, Newton Crosby has earned a growing fan base in the Northeast by combining jazz and electronic. The band delivered a high energy set that literally brought the sun out from behind the clouds.
The McLovins opened up the main amphitheater for the day. This was another band that I was excited to see live for the first time and they more than exceeded my expectations. The band is currently composed of Connecticut college students; Jake Huffman on drums, Jason Ott on bass, Justin Berger on guitar and Atticus Kelly on guitar and keys. The road to AURA was not an easy one for the band. In order to fund their weekend round trip, the McLovins turned to their fans as they started a kick-starter campaign. After raising enough money the band was able to bounce down to Florida, share their music with the Spirit of the Suwannee and then turn right back around to make it to their classes back in Connecticut. This was a very impressive effort to prove that they are dedicated to sharing their music with as many fans as possible. The band was obviously very happy to be there and their energy radiated to the crowd. The highlight came when the band played a nice cover of The Band’s “The Weight” a timeless rock and roll classic; it was especially exciting to see such young and promising talent take their stab at this number.
Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band proved that they were festival veterans by playing some fun filled funk music over on the Porch Stage. The band took the stage and shared a prayer with the audience. This was a special moment for the band and the audience alike, sparking a strong sense of community between everyone who was lucky enough to be there. The band was full of positive energy as they kept the crowd moving throughout the entirety of their set.
Back over on the main stage amphitheater Kung Fu geared up for their Stevie Wonder tribute set featuring Nigel Hall, from Lettuce, and an impromptu sit in featuring Aly Paige Newitt (sister of Jaime Newitt, current drummer in The Heavy Pets), who sat in for the entirety of the set. Kung Fu provided the perfect musical foundation for Hall and Newitt to build off each other’s vocals. The band played signature Stevie Wonder numbers including “Higher Ground,” “Do I Do,” “Too High” and an absolute stunning version of “I Wish.” Hall was in great spirits as he took on impersonating Wonder to an extreme.
“When I was five years old, I used to sing Stevie Wonder songs in the mirror note for note. If you came to see Nigel Hall, he’s not here,” Hall said to a large crowd of fans.
DrFameus lit up the Porch Stage for just over an hour making a triumphant return to AURA. This electronic project created by Allen Aucoin (also a member of The Disco Biscuits) provided a high energy, heavy percussion based dance party. It seemed as if the crowd grew to a respectable size by the middle of the set and was well warmed up to dance the night away.
Philadelphia natives Dopapod kept the vigorous dance party theme rolling as they delivered a smoking set on the main amphitheater stage. This is another young and promising band that continues to push the envelope live. While successfully overlapping into the electronic market, the band has managed to stay pure to their musical roots by not using laptops on stage.
Greenhouse Lounge hit the Porch Stage playing some heavy bass influenced fusion of jam, jazz, funk and dubstep. Their new drummer, Scotty Zwang seemed to mesh well with the rest of the band and appeared to be very prepared to tour with the band. The energy of the band inspired a rowdy dance party.
There were a good number of fans dedicated to Perpetual Groove already lined up at the main stage amphitheater well before they were scheduled to start, happy to watch them sound check before they played one of their last festival sets before their hiatus. The group was introduced by Paul Levin (Bear Creek founder) and was welcomed by a screaming crowd. The band played a stacked set full of classic originals. The energy was brought to a peak when Adam Perry started the first couple of notes of “Naïve Melody” (Talking Heads) on his bass. This was well reciprocated by a full on sing -along with the crowd, as the crowd was belting the lyrics word for word they never missed a beat. It truly was memorizing watching everyone in the crowd sway and dance without a worry in the world. It was a refreshing reminder of the power of musical appreciation and why these senses of community are one of the purest bonds. The band delivered a stellar performance that appropriately ended with “It Starts Where It Ends.” When all was said and done, the band put down their instruments and thanked the crowd. Members of the group as well as fans alike could be seen tearing up, as this was truly an emotional crossroad for everyone. Perpetual Groove will surely be missed but in good time it’s more than likely that they will reunite triumphantly.
Quite possibly one of the most exciting, young, talented, humble and organic bands touring the circuit today is The Heavy Pets. This is a group that can do absolutely no wrong as they’re earning a die-hard following by playing music year round across the country. Originally from New York, but currently hailing from Delray Beach, in Florida, the band has a strong lock on both markets. Composed of Mike Garulli on guitar and vocals, Jim Wuest on keys and vocals, Tony D’Amato on bass, Jaimie Newitt on drums and Jeff Lloyd on guitar and vocals. The band’s three vocalists harmonize together effortlessly resulting in smooth, jazz inspired rock and roll with a twist of reggae. D’Amato has only been in the band since August of 2012, but the transition between bass players has been easy and D’Amato has impressively mastered the band’s extensive catalog. The Heacy Pets are no strangers to The Spirit of the Suwanne music park, having already played four Bear Creeks, two Purple Hatters Balls and the Suwanne River Flood Jam. The band has also played three out of the four AURAs so it seemed more than appropriate to see them on the bill, in a late night slot nonetheless.
The Heavy Pets took the Porch Stage and was ready to play their first set of the weekend. Highlights include a smoking version of “Help Me, Help You,” which surfaced early in their set whipping the crowd into a dancing frenzy. Wuest took the lead vocals and demonstrated some serious chops on the keys, swaying back and forth comfortably keeping the tempo to the rich bass line provided by D’Amato. Jaimie Newitt provided a heavy and consistent drumbeat through out the entirety of the set. Newitt strikes a remarkable resemblance to a young Levon Helm, especially the way he hunches over his snare drum with his shoulders shrugged and keeps the drum fills consistent to the rest of the band. Aly Paige Newitt joined her brother and company on stage for “Got to Know,” “Keep Me Running” and “The Day That The Sun Forgot To Rise.” This was a special set for serious fans of the band, as this was the first time D’Amato played “Earthchaser” live since he joined the group. It was a nice treat to see the brush off some of their older material and bust it out at a festival set.
Papadosio closed out the day with nothing but pure raw energy. The crowd was in full appreciation as the high-energy dance party went cruising past 1:30 in the morning. Enjoying the success of their most recent studio effort, To End the Illusion of Separation, a 20 track, double disc album that was released in October of 2012, the band was armed with a plethora of new tunes that had already been road tested and broken in nicely. The crowd stayed for the entirety of their set and soaked up the electronic fused grooves. The band was very happy to play the main amphitheater stage as they thanked the crowd repeatedly and reminded everyone to “take care of each other for the whole weekend.”
Sunday: February 17
Sunday opened up with a Brock Butler acoustic set billed brunch with Brock. He delivered a bunch of covers including, “If I Wanted Somebody,” by Dawes, “Come Talk to Me,” by Peter Gabriel and “Big Country,” by Bela Fleck. Emily Carrol sat in for the majority of Brock’s set adding her own flavor and life into these songs.
Lingo played the porch stage next delivering a tight and melodic set to a growing crowd as the late risers finally made their way to the stages. One of the musical highlights was when Butler sat in with Lingo for a beautiful rendition of “The Weight” by The Band. This resulted in a full-fledged sing along with the audience and the band.
The Lee Boys played an impressive set over at the main stage amphitheater-combining gospel with funk, all while staying true to their roots as a religious group. This family band is composed of three brothers, Alvin Lee on guitar, Derrick Lee and Keith Lee on vocals along side their three nephews: Roosevelt Collier on peddle steel guitar, Alvin Cordy on 7-string bass and Earl Walker on drums. Hailing from Miami, each member in the band has been making music since they were about seven or eight years old, often playing music at The House of God Church they attended in Perrine, Fl. The band brought their joyous sound to the stage featuring astonishing versions of “So Much To Live For,” “On My Way” and “Superstitious,” where Roosevelt Collier took an extended solo and really opened things up by showcasing his talent on the peddle steel guitar.
Rob Compa from Dopapod sat in with the Former Champions on the Porch Stage for their track “Funkapod.” The Former Champions are set to release a new album early this year so they came prepared with an army of new tunes blended with a special effects machine. It was evident that the band was excited and very pleased to be playing this year’s AURA.
The Heavy Pets played an afternoon set at the main stage amphitheater to a large crowd ready to see what they had in store after their amazing set from the previous night. The band seems to be extremely comfortable in such high profile situations as they’re either destined to reach superstardom one day, or they carefully plan their next move so intricately that it always seems to land in their favor. Either way, it’s abundantly clear that the band works very hard to put out the best sound they possibly can. That energy was directly reciprocated to the crowd and everyone seemed to be feeling really good. The momentum was shifted when the band went into “Slow Down,” a blissful feel good number with a sharp reggae tempo. Much like its cousin, “Help Me, Help You,” this song features Wuest singing the lead vocals that are perfectly harmonized by Lloyd and Garulli. The band then went into “When You Love Somebody,” a cover originally recorded by The Fruit Bats. Roosevelt Collier, long time friend of the band, sat in for “Pass it Down” and “Jackie Bones,” providing some strong and rich fills on his covenant peddle steel guitar. It seems that the sky is the limit for this band. Their fan base has multiplied in the past three years and they’re showing absolutely no sign of slowing down.
Robert McConnell from Papadosio sat in with Dopapod on the Porch Stage. Dopapod provided a high-energy dance party that went well into the night. The crowd was showing now sign of fatigue as the band was in full swing. Highlights included a nice version of “Barindead” and “Black and White.” Papadosio closed out the festivities on the main amphitheater and the band opend up with “The Plug,” which also featured Roosevelt Collier on peddle steel guitar. After it was all said and done, the band encored with “Stick Figures,” dedicated to Daryl Wolff, the founder and mastermind behind AURA and AURA Music Events. Wolff works hard with Brotherly Love Productions, a production and PR agency based in Florida. Brotherly Love Productions also manages The Heavy Pets and handle PR for Kung Fu and Jimkata. Matt Beck and Destiny Spang as well as Erica Bernal run the company. This quartet behind the scenes are one of the many reasons AURA has reached the level of success it has four years after its inauguration. Fans can expect AURA to return to The Spirit of the Suwannee music park next year, according to Wolff. Just remember your AURA is purple…it’s purple man.
