UTOPiAfest – Name Says It All

After the Austin City Limits Festival this year, I had a discussion with my mom about the changing vibe of that weekend. I was happy that there were bigger artists coming through Austin to perform, and still had a blast, but from my first year in 2005, a lot felt different about the festival. My mom said that it seemed to her that the weekend was becoming less rock ‘n’ roll, and more corporate. This has been a commonplace complaint for ACL purists who remember its first year, but now I’m starting to agree. It felt as though there was a void for a truly family-friendly, laid back, welcoming and positive festival for Texans, not to mention a lack of camping festivals. Enter UTOPiAfest.

Out in the middle of a ranch in Utopia, Texas, this festival felt right from the word “Go.” When Zack and I drove up, we parked our chassis in a dirt-and-rock parking lot and walked up the dusty road toward what felt like an oasis. Beautiful green rolling hills surrounded a camp of teepees, tents and trailers as children ran around all over the place, and their parents relaxed in the shade.  Zack and I, as members of the press, were treated more kindly than I ever have been — we were fed and given an endless amount of water, coke and beer (pick your poison), and even if we hadn’t been, everyone was so friendly on the campgrounds that they probably would have taken care of us, anyway. Although we were very sad not to have been able to camp at the festival overnight (curse you, adulthood and jobs!) we decided we wanted to really make a day of it Saturday, and see as much as possible before the three hour drive back home so Zack could work at 6:00AM.

When you walk onto the festival grounds, you’ll find handmade artwork and goods to admire and purchase. There were clothes tents, merchandise tables, and even a “miracle berry,” billed as “safe & fun — you’ll see” (we unfortunately never got the chance to). We wandered around to get our bearings, and eventually ended up at the main stage to see Suzanna Choffel.

Choffel has a beautiful voice, soaring and sweet, and plays her own lead guitar. I’m always a sucker for a woman who can play an instrument, and it especially warmed my heart to watch a bevy of little girls dancing around in front of the stage and gazing up at Choffel, letting it sink in that, “Oh, I could do that, too, if I wanted!” She played songs that were laced with jazz, and songs that were a little more country, and songs with pep and pop. It was a wonderful performance to ease us into the festival.

We took it easy after Choffel, preparing for the onslaught of incredible punk-pop that was about to ensue. Many of my friends back during my KVRX college radio days had fallen in love with Peelander-Z, and would go on and on about how fantastic they were. It took me 6 years, but I finally had my chance to see the Japanese band in action, and I wasn’t going to miss it for anything. They were introduced as “Power Rangers meet the Ramones,” so I knew I was in for a treat. Because of all of the kids in the audience, I even sensed a bit of Yo Gabba Gabba! in the air. While the band was setting up, their colorful get-ups attracted a group of little girls to the very front of the stage. As Peelander Green was checking his drums, one particularly precocious and self-assured girl cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “I need your attention please! Turn down the volume! The drums are too loud! I need your attention please!” The band smiled at her, but the drums stayed rockin’.

When the band came out, they came out swinging with about a zillion costumes, props and tricks up their sleeves. During the first song, Peelander Red climbed up a rope and suspended himself upside-down by his feet while he played his guitar riffs. Peelander Pink screamed with all the fury of a good punk singer, and Peelander Yellow stole the show, with outrageous facial expressions and a demanding direction of the crowd. He led us in sing-alongs — and even if you’ve never heard the band before, you will know the words of their songs very quickly after they start playing — and made sure we were all joining in hand gestures and fist pumps.

They dressed up in costumes and bowled themselves down the middle of the crowd and onto the stage, they brought some kids onstage to dance with them, they brought some adults onstage to step in and play for the band, and they danced around in the crowd, creating the biggest limbo game I have ever seen or been a part of, and handed out little puppy dishes and drum sticks so everyone got a chance to play. They had cue cards for each new song they were about to play, and were generally so happy and thankful and energetic that they put the entire crowd in the best mood. It was one of the most fun shows I’ve been to in recent memory, and now I know — if they ever play Austin, they are a do-NOT-miss kind of band.

After Peelander-Z, we headed to the smaller stage to catch our pals Little Lo. After their set, lead singer Ryan said that he loved playing their songs in a setting like Utopia. It’s no surprise; their billowy, movie-worthy tunes seemed to echo out into the hills, as all of their instruments had room to expand in the space. Unfortunately, we were missing Stephanie on violin because she’d broken her arm just a month earlier, but she filled in on keyboards and the songs were reinterpreted to be that much sweeter in the gorgeous midday sun.

Bailey, from Little Lo, sounded incredible in the wide, open space.

We raced over to see the Black and White Years on the main stage right after Little Lo, and the band did not disappoint. They revved the energy of the day right back up, and even though I was sweating bullets from toasty 5:00PM heat, I didn’t stop moving once as the guys rocked out tune after tune of old and new material. “Power to Change” removed any question of whether fans should dance, and by the end, we were surrounded by happy, moving bodies — two of which were dressed in alligator and panda attire. Lead singer Scott Butler introduced many of the songs as “end of the world” songs, and they really do hit on an intellectually satisfying and politically frustrated level that makes them far more fulfilling than just a straight electronic-rock dance tune would. Especially singing these songs out in the middle of the Texas hill country, it was very liberating to let loose and embrace them.

Scott Butler - in color! - with the Black and White Years.

We decided to rest up after the Black and White Years, and listened to Avi Buffalo from afar on a couch. They did a cover of a Funkadelic song,which I remarked they were a bit too white and nerdy to pull off (and I stand by that),  but mostly they were decent enough music to pass the time to.

Finally, it was time for Danny Malone, another of my favorite Austin musicians. He sounded worn down by the hot day, and had to ask for a sip of an audience member’s water, but once he got that taken care of, he sounded as emotionally raw and awesome as ever. It was just Danny and his guitar for this show, and he didn’t dance around as I’m used to seeing him do. But he was the perfect nightcap for us, a soundtrack to the night sky and a welcome rest from hard rockin’.

Since Zack had to work Sunday morning, we only caught a song and a half of the Wheeler Brothers, but they sounded phenomenal and pulled in one of the biggest crowds I had seen that day. Even with the crowd as large as it was, it never felt overwhelming or “every man for himself,” as it sometimes does at these things. It was such a friendly atmosphere that you could quite freely wander around, move from place to place, get the best angle on a show and then retire further back.

A festival-goer, enjoying a hoola hoop.

As Zack and I headed out of the festival grounds, I really couldn’t think of one thing I would change about it. There were enough accommodations for everyone, people of all ages could enjoy themselves, and the friendliness was truly palpable. The music was fantastic and incredibly impressive, and although we couldn’t participate in morning yoga, hiking, disc gold, mountain biking or arts and crafts, the fact that all of this and more was available was astonishing. We’re totally hooked, and plan on going back to every festival as long as they’ll have us. As advertised, UTOPiAfest was a much needed break from our working adult lives into one beautiful day of nirvana.

Fans rocking it out during Peelander-Z.