Finding Utopia

"Utopia: An imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect"

There is nothing imagined about Utopia, TX, where once a year, artists and music lovers gather for a weekend that is as close to music perfection as anything can be. Utopia Fest is an oasis nestled among the rolling hills where one can camp and dance with friends and enjoy the euphoria of live music beneath the expansive Texas sky. 

Unique in the world of corporated music festivals that are so monstrous that they cannot even fit into a single weekend (ACL announced it will join the ranks of the two-weekend festivals in 2013), Utopia Fest only sells 1800 tickets but offers a lineup that rivals festivals ten times its size. There is never overlap of artists, so no difficult choices ever need to be made, except perhaps which sweet dance move to bust out. 

The festival is coming up at the end of the month and tickets are in short supply. Grab some friends, a tent, and a cooler full of beverages (it's BYO, because they are THAT kind of awesome) and I'll see you dancing beneath the stars! 

Here is a playlist of just a few of the amazing artists playing this year's fest. I'll embed it as soon as spotify stops being a jerk this morning. 

Utopia Fest 2012

Dawes makes the days of Utopa Fest move easy

There is a place called Utopia, TX and not too long ago it was descended upon by artists and music lovers to create an oasis as close to music perfection as one might find. It was away from the reaches of wireless and 3G (because apparently you can't have your Utopia and Google it too) and nestled among the hills where I often expected to glance up and see John Wayne riding by, waving his hat and proclaiming that he's not bad for a one-eyed fat man.

Utopia Fest 2011

It was quiet in the noises of life, rich in the soundtrack of musicians delighted to play beneath the Texas sky to a crowd so delighted to listen and dance. The clear musical highlight of the festival was Dawes, an independent rock group out of sunny Los Angeles. The combination of their talent and musicianship, Taylor Goldsmith’s poetic and poignant lyrics, and their genuine, energetic and soulful performance made for the kind of moments that had my friend shouting, “Why can’t all concerts be exactly like this one!” Hours later, back at our campsite, we sat around with our neighbors quoting lyrics and gushing about their performance. Dawes had certainly made our night move easy. 

Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes at Utopia Fest

I spoke with Taylor after his performance. Standing in the dark by some shrubbery behind the stage, I asked (in a not so subtle homage to Almost Famous), what it is that he loves about music. He reflected, “I like the environment that it creates. Even when we were on stage just now, I was looking at all these silly light up tents and thinking that I’m standing here with 1,000 or so like minded people out in the middle of the Texas mountains, so far away from anything. Here we are getting to know each other better and it’s all because people play music.” 

Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes at Utopia Fest

Those words stuck with me long after our conversation and I thought about these festival strangers who I camped with, shared morning coffee with, on whose shoulders I danced and who helped me change a flat tire at the end a long weekend, all because of our love of music. 

Dawes is breaking out in all kinds of major ways. Taylor Goldsmith has been called “the best songwriter in America,” by Esquire magazine, their video for Time Spent In Los Angeles is climbing the VH1 charts, and last week they played with Mumford and Son’s at the World Cafe 20th Anniversary Concert. And yet, despite all of these major accomplishments, he can still see the magic and joy in a small crowd gathered in Utopia, TX. It is this genuine nature and incredible talent that will take him far for years to come. 

Meeting Taylor last year at ACL along with Chris Chu of Morning Benders 

Blitzen Trapper at Utopia Fest

Standing on the Utopia Fest stage, face buried behind his harmonica, Eric Earley of Blitzen Trapper reminded me of the old Bob Dylan vinyl covers that used to litter my father's den. His sound isn't all that different either. It was easy to listen and imagine that I had stepped back in time. Perhaps this is what Dylan always wished his voice had sounded like. Hailing from Portland, OR, Blitzen Trapper rocked the Utopia Fest stage with hints of folk, southern rock and all kinds of awesome.

Blitzen Trapper at Utopia Fest 2011

With cigarettes dangling from their lips, Earley was backed by well worked vocal harmonies and instrumentals. They have a great way of taking their album and ramping it up for a live, festival setting. The crowd loved them, I loved them, and my heart skipped a view beats every time that soulful harmonica wailed out.

Blitzen Trapper at Utopia Fest

Earley's lyrics are the heavy kind that stick to the bones. They are stories, meanings, lyrics that entwine themselves in you. Then again, when I talked with Erik Menteer after the show he said, "We all have a little redneck in us, just a little bit more, too." Perhaps that blend of old sounds reminiscent of the 60's, poetic lyrics, southern rock and a side of redneck is what makes their sound so successful. Whatever it is, Blitzen Trapper is sure to take it far. 

Falling in love with The Wheeler Brothers

The Wheeler Brothers are a budding group out of Austin, TX, green in so many of the ways that a new band can be, feeling their way around the world of touring and working to grow their name. Yet, what they lack in establishment and a long list of LP’s, they make up for in an incredible sense of confidence and maturity in their debut album and performances that will get even the most skeptical dancing. 

I have spent a great deal of time sitting in front of my computer trying to decipher exactly what it is that has allowed The Wheeler Brothers to capture such a large part of my heart. Their album, Portraits, is much more than their folk-rock designation thanks to the use a variety of unique instruments and styles that they meticulously blend into a cohesive sound. Their voices are clear and their lyrics quotable. I find new ways to love each song with every listen.

I met with the boys of The Wheeler Brothers before their set at Utopia Fest. They are fun and energetic, pleased to be playing at their first festival and full of optimism for where this will lead them. The Wheeler Brothers were one of the clear highlights of Utopia Fest, immediately playing the crowd into a dancing frenzy and generating a lot of buzz long after their instruments were packed up. They played a mix of songs off of their album and great covers. I love any band who celebrates the works of others while putting their own spin on it. They closed the night with Louis Prima’s, I Wanna Be Like You. Disney never imagined it played as fun as it was by the Wheeler Brothers under the stars with a crowd of music lovers singing along to every word. 

Standing with the crowd, my loud singing voice lost in the cacophony of an enthusiastic crowd, I couldn’t help but think what a great fortune we all had to be experiencing this band in this small, intimate setting. I am excited to see where this genuine group of boys take their music, for it will certainly be to great places. 

Photos from Utopia Fest: Art vs Science

Photos from Utopia Fest: Keller Williams

Photos from Utopia Fest: The Wheeler Brothers

Photos from Utopia Fest: The Giving Tree Band

Packing for Utopia Fest: Dancing Shoes

Utopia Fest is less than 2 weeks away, and being the organized, planning, list maker that I am, I have already started packing. First thing on the list, before camping equipment, notebooks and my camera is an extra pair of shoes. Why? I received the following e-mail from my brother:

"At Utopia Fest you will see a band called Cornmeal. They ARE in fact the cat's pajamas.

Bring an extra pair of shoes, you may wear through a pair dancing to these guys(and girl)."

Cat's pajamas? Dancing?? In my head, I've already proposed to the fiddle player of this upbeat, rousing, dance-my-shoes-off band They are bluegrass, folk, Americana, and awesomeness.  They have been on the scene for the past 10 years, long enough to solidify their sound. They will be starting the fest off at Utopia Fest and no doubt setting the bar high.

Music Thoughts on a Monday Morning

My life is in no way changed now that R.E.M has called it quits.

I'm curious as to which drugs make writing and/or listening to a six hour long song seem like a good idea.

I am obsessively listening to Sara Bareilles after her kick ass ACL show. Seriously, she's the shit! Also, she has a new video and she's dressed as a T-Bird with a Snookie poof and dancing in a grocery store. It works for her. Or maybe it doesn't. I still love her.

Utopia Fest is super close!! I will be providing far more coverage than at ACL. Also, there will be exponentially fewer crowds and my brother has promised me that I will completely wear out my dancing shoes when I see Cornmeal.

Here's a song for your Monday morning. Also, if you don't have this album on your itunes under the category of "awesome," remedy that now. It's ALO, Roses and Clover.

A fall concert preview

I like buying printed tickets to concerts. I guess you could call it a weird quirk that I have and I keep all of them in an old box in my closet. They are the scrapbook that I am too lazy to ever craft. They tell my life's story in music, perhaps the best way to retell my life. Like a photo album I will often go through them and remember who I was with, favorite songs that were played, why that was the band I absolutely had to see at that moment in that concert.

Before there are memories made or set lists written, I keep my future tickets on my refrigerator, tucked safely behind a magnetic photo of my childhood. The stack is growing thick and I am filled with excitement every time I walk by or grab a snack.

Highlights this fall so far include:

ACL (obviously) (@aclfestival): I promise to write slightly drunken (or not so slightly) haiku's of all the acts that I see and as we get closer I will probably post the many drafts of the tentative schedule that I will probably only slightly follow because sometimes you just have to move with the spirit of a festival. That being said, I will not be seeing Kanye.

Adele (@officialadele): I once went to a concert with a friend who cried through the entire show in her excitement and love for the curly locks and sweet dance moves of Justin Timberlake. I didn't understand crying at a concert for love artist or love of music. JT is no Adele and thank goodness Adele is no JT, but after her recent performance at the VMA's, I can't help but think I will be a bit glossy eyed in the crowd. She is unreal amazing. I could be a concert cryer.

Friendly Fires: A favorite out of SXSW, I have enjoyed their new album, Pala, and will enjoy letting loose and dancing at their show.

Portugal. The Man (@portugaltheman): I don't have really strong opinions on this band. The one's I do have are generally positive, but I had a kick ass time seeing him at SX and when I saw he was coming through again I figured that was a concert I wanted to be at. Also, a friend recently compared them to Oasis. Maybe it wasn't Oasis but it was a random comparison and I liked it and it further confirmed that I'd like to see him in concert again.

Utopia Fest (@utopiafest): Camping? Intimate concert setting in a Texas town that is actually called, Utopia? I'm in! Also, I'm excited to find Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, who I met randomly last year at ACL. I had no idea who he was, but Chris Chu, of Morning Benders (who I also randomly met) introduced me and told me his band was pretty awesome. I got a picture with the both of them and when I got home I felt bad that I had no idea who this Dawes guy was, but was proudly bragging on facebook that I'd met him, so I looked up his music and you know what? Damn good! I plan on telling him that entire story. I am also excited for The Wheeler Brothers, among a number of other great acts that are listed.

Moe. (moeperiod): I love Moe. They are fun, upbeat, birkenstock music (which is what I call anything that reminds me of the northeast), that will be a perfect reprieve from Indie music. They'll jam, I'll dance (maybe while wearing birkenstocks), and it will be all kinds of fabulous. Get your tickets now. I promise you will love them.

There will be so many more as the fall progresses. What are you excited for?