Written by Alejandro Beach
As festival season begins to draw to a close, and we start to pack our camping gear away until next summer, it can be easy to forget how much music and good times there are left to go around before summers end. Hopefully this is a good reminder to keep those dancing shoes on a while longer and get out to Laniakea Transformational Arts Festival on September 7th-10th, at Hannon’s Camp America, College Corner, Ohio.
1.) Ozrics Live PA set:
Members of the England-based progressive space rock quartet, Ozric Tentacles, are gracing Laniakea’s main stage on Friday, for a late 12:30-2:00 am Live PA set. With a blend of mesmerizing electronic ambience, deep bass grooves from bassist Brandi Wynne, and synth-heavy keyboards from Silas Neptune (also playing a solo set Thursday night), Ozrics is sure to melt some faces; and the best part? They’re playing a fully improvised set, which is something prior fans of the band, and newcomers alike will appreciate. If you’re a fan of live improvised instrumental music with a healthy dose of mind-bending electronica and heavy jams, I can think of nowhere else in Ohio you should be.
2.) It’s a Family Friendly Event!
There’s an endless list of positive impacts that family friendly events like Laniakea have on the jam scene, and festival culture as a whole. The promotion and cultivation of a safe and welcoming community for our generation, and future generations is so important in ensuring that events like these continue to grow. Allowing our children to explore the arts, whether it is visual, musical, or otherwise, is vital to the continuation of our awesome little communities. Kids, after all, are the future, aren’t they?
3.) EOTO
As if an Ozrics Live PA set wasn’t enough for all of us improvised livetronica fiends, the main course of the weekend is none other than EOTO. For the few of you who haven’t had the chance to see EOTO live yet, you’re in for a treat. The genre-bending (though largely electronic) two piece, consisting of Jason Hann and Michael Travis of renowned jam group, The String Cheese Incident, blend organic and synthetic methods of creating music with such mastery, that it almost won’t seem improvised. EOTO will be making the fourth stop of their fall tour at Laniakea, as headlining artists on Saturday night. Once again, if you have an appreciation for live improvised music, you’d be hard pressed to miss these guys in action.
4.) The Rest of the Lineup (Duh)
Festival circuit veterans like Mister F, Electric Love Machine, and Exmag are sure to bring the party, while Ohio-native acts such as Peridoni, Strange Mechanics, Wanyama, and Electric Orange Peel (just to name a few) will undoubtedly impress those not as familiar with the Ohio music scene. Among these and all of the other acts not listed here, you’ll be on the receiving end of a huge variety of stellar music from start to finish. Want progressive rock-influenced jam? Sure. Need to get that fix of funk? You got it. Electronic? Laniakea’s got that too. Funky electronic reggae hip-hop fusion? We can do this all day, or you can come to Laniakea and see for yourself.
5.) Performance/Visual artists
Let’s not forget the transformational nature of this festival. The killer music is only one part of Laniakea. Throughout the weekend, you’ll have the opportunity to attend a wide variety of workshops, ranging from mental & spiritual wellness, painting, yoga and meditation, tie dying, and much more. On top this, there’s going to be nearly twenty visual artists, exhibiting their crafts in galleries, installations, and live painting areas throughout the weekend. Finally, there’s going to be almost thirty performing artists in attendance. I’m not sure about you, but that many people attending a festival of this size for the sole purpose of showcasing their talents in the flow arts and beyond can only mean one thing: a weekend of jaw-dropping fire spectacles and LED fun to accompany top-notch music, art, and community.
