| Spaghettifest 8 |
| Written by Eva Luton |
|
Woove staff writer Eva Luton reviews the September 24-26 music festival in West Virginia. Camping, hippies, and fantastic music provided by over forty homegrown musicians made a perfect combination the weekend of September 24-26 at Spaghettifest 8. Could you expect anything less from a festival hosted by a band named Midnight Spaghetti and the Chocolate G-Strings? This year, the popular event changed its location from Harrisonburg, Virginia to a campground in Capon Gap Bridge, West Virginia. Despite Spaghettifest new site, the festival still attracted hundreds of independent music lovers, as well as patrons who simply have felt the vibes for eight consecutive years; each time willing to support a different and important cause. 2010 Proceeds from Spaghettifest 8 were donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Murphy's Kids Richmond favorite, Murphy’s Kids, energetically started off three days of independent music in the woods on Friday evening, their crowd skanking and grooving to the kinetic progressive rock and reggae sound. Though Murphy's Kids did not co-headline like last year's festival, this year’s crowd clearly wanted more from them.
Saturday morning's entertainment began on the secondary-stage with The Walnut Grove Band, a retro-folk band with a slight Red Hot Chili Peppers sound and Sublime inspired beats and structure. The three-piece has performed for eleven years and passionately includes sociopolitical themes in their lyrics.
Pelicanesis Pelicanesis, a personal favorite, belted out epic lyrics about time and space travel later in the afternoon. This five-piece blends psychedelic and experimental rock, electronic, blues, and dub with heavy synthetic overtones. Most of the band members study at James Madison, but the whole band originated from Gloucester, Virginia.
The Loomis Fargo Gang At the "Lake Stage," a first aid structure with a porch large enough for one to perform, Virginia Beach folk rockers The Loomis Fargo Gang played to their crowd, satisfied once they found a place to cool off in a nearby mountain spring. Blissful swimmers swayed to mesmerizing tunes such as "I Sleep Till Noon" and "The Grass Is Greener." The band had certainly enchanted a new following of free-spirited listeners for their first out-of-state show. Saturday night’s major highlight amongst the many captivating shows, including Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root and Futures, was Shock-G or Digital Underground featuring Humpty Hump and DJ Fuze. Fans of old-school hip-hop would recognize Shock-G's alter-ego Humpty Hump, who with Tupac Shakur took "The Humpty Dance" to the number one spot on the Billboard Rap Singles chart in 1989. The naughty yet witty lyrics and enduring beats enticed the entire campground to jam with a true master of hip-hop. It is impossible to leave Spaghettifest without an insane story to take home with you. You will find heartfelt music performed by those just happy to play, countless hippies tripping on drugs you've never heard of; you’ll bond with fellow campers, and be gratified that the proceeds from your ticket support a great cause. |
