Michelle Arthur    www.emceeart.com                                                                                      click here to return to photos

Langerado is an anomaly to a northeastern festival-goer. While the outdoor music festival experience is always influenced by mother nature, I can think of no other festival that is so strongly characterized by its environment. It is hard to think of another "jamband" festival located in a tourist destination, somewhere you might visit for spring break. Few people are able to comment on this festival without praising its gorgeous setting. The grassy concert grounds featured more than ample open space for this year's 12,000 attendees, and the wet areas and palm trees were a subtle reminder that you were at the edge of the everglades. The glorious blue and white skies, temperatures hovering around 80 degrees, and Florida artist Dave "LeBo" LeBatard's vibrant, joyful artwork are an integral part of the Langerado experience.

Upgrading from three to five stages this year, including a "Florida Native Stage," Langerado was packed with more music than its attendees could take in. Many acts played overlapping sets, and some of the main acts were scheduled simultaneously, like The Meters and The Flaming Lips. It was a weekend that required some planning, if you were at all concerned with what you got out of it. On-site camping was limited, and not included in the festival ticket. After 9:00 PM, late night performances required travel to one of four clubs around Ft. Lauderdale, and separate ticket purchase. (Many chose to stay at their campsite, and some of those campers made their own music for the night.) Rules like no re-entry each day (even for campers) and no coolers or outside food had to be anticipated as well.

Being fortunate enough to experience Langerado as a regular attendee last year, before being on the media side of things, I would say that the trick of it is to manage the details so that you can get beyond them, then have yourself a real good time. And there was much fun to be had. Many of the performers offered up incredible energy and enthusiasm, and felt it returned by the crowd.

"I think that in particular this festival, Langerado, signifies not only the beginning of spring, but also the beginning of the festival season," said Michael Franti during a press conference on Saturday. "When we come out to the festivals we unite on this common theme that we all love music, we all love self-expression, and we all love the freedom to be in one place together at one time. And we connect with people that we haven't seen throughout the year. That's why this Langerado festival has become one of my favorites, because it's my time when I come out here and I see familiar faces that I hope I'll see throughout the rest of the summer."

Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips suggested that festivals also take some pressure off of the artists. "Obviously we all want to be as good and as professional and as trancendental or whatever as we can," but of the audience he said "they're almost going to enjoy themselves regardless of what the bands do. They're here with their friends, it's their weekend, it's an experience in their life." Citing details like travel, hotels, food, he added "all that I hope is almost more important than the songs we play....I know you have to put bands' names on a poster...but what that really is doing is saying is 'hey, you're going to be with a lot of other people who like this same sort of music,' which in one way is saying 'you're going to be with a lot of people who are like you. And they're going to be young, they're going to be full of energy, they're going to be doing stuff, they're going to be taking drugs and having fun, and you're gonna want to be there.'

"I think these things are a lot bigger than all of us," added John Ginty, founding member of Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Grammy nominee, and now leader of his own band, which won the Sonic Bids contest for a slot on the main stage. " To come down to Florida, on a beautiful day, in this beautiful setting, how could you not? Whatever it takes, you know? I was lucky enough to win this gig today and they said 'do you want to do it,' and I said, 'whatever it takes.' I did. I said, 'whatever it takes, please take me there, because I know how beautiful these things are.'"

"That's right," Art Neville of the Meters chimed in. "All over again, going down to Yasgur's farm, gonna put on a song and a celebration. That's what it's all about y'all."

Asked to somehow define jamband culture, Wayne Coyne contrasted it with the growing comercialism of some popular music festivals. "I think these things, the more that they're successful and the more that they work, the more that people do it, and everybody walks away from it saying, 'I just had a great time. I got to listen to music, I got to hang out with my friends, and it wasn't this typical high stress, high money, buying t-shirts for $50 sort of atmosphere.' Now it's seemed to take on the moniker jamband, which i think to some people is a bad term, but i think little by little it's really just become the new alternative festival. And hopefully what we mean by that is it will always be put on by people who care about music and care about the experience of the audience more than they care about the idea of making money and promoting records."

"I think people in general can sense honesty," said JJ Grey of Florida band Mofro. "At most of the festivals I've been to and seen, and specifically Langerado, people appreciate honesty. And as long as there's a core of musicians or bands that's somewhat honest about themselves and about what they do onstage, people are gonna come, and they can call it whatever they want."

"I embrace the term jamband. I love it. My band is a jamband," declared John Ginty. "We're just gonna put one in the air. We're gonna give you as much energy as we can, and we're gonna improvise, and we're gonna let let things develop. And the people who come to these festivals can appreciate that. And if you give it to them, they will give it back to you, and the circle happens, and look out!"

The panelists were also asked to comment on the influence of the internet on the music industry. The topic seemed especially poignant for Coyne, whose forthcoming Flaming Lips album, At War with the Mystics, was leaked online months before its release. His outlook was extremely positive. "If we're the artists, and we're truly imaginitive, we'll think of some ways to put this out there," he said, refusing to whine about the situation. "I think the internet is wonderful, and I think again it should be up to the artist to find ways to make their money....That's our job. That's the responsibility of being creative."

"I like that you can go to myspace and download my song, and then put up something like 'you know I really felt that song - thank you.'" added Ginty "That breaks it down to just the basics."

"I'm incredibly grateful for the internet, because this whole festival atmosphere that's come up in this country would never have happened without the internet," Michael Franti noted. "Art is conceived when we're in the moment, and we're not concerned about the past, not worried about the future, but just in that time and space. And that's what we do here, try to create experiences where people can just be in the moment. And so as an artist you have to also view technology in the same way....I look at it like this is another opportunity for me to be in this flow of abundance of music."

As a photographer at an event like this, my photo time was mostly limited to the first two songs of each set, which made for quite a bit of running around. Consequently the time I had for relaxing and listening to music was also more limited. Still, I was able to see Michael Franti make the crowd jump, I watched Wayne Coyne roll over the audience in a giant bubble, I smiled as Kid Koala blushingly ended his set with a recording of a woman likening her man to a koala, adorable and cuddly. I giggled as Sabina of Brazilian Girls led the audience in singing "pussy pussy pussy marijuana," I got my ear drums assaulted, then assuaged, by Buckethead. I got to groove to the legendary Meters, and mellow out the vibe of Burning Spear. I saw Wilco live for the first time and was impressed, while Keller Williams' mouth-trumpet carried over to my ears from the adjacent stage. I felt the power of the Disco Biscuits, and the indie appeal of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, with their Gordon Gano-esque vocals. I got to sample some great local music in the company of their Floridian fans, including the delightfully eclectic Spam Allstars, and upstate NY transplants The Heavy Pets. I took in as much as I could of new favorites Umphrey's McGee, and blissed out a bit to Lotus. I felt the soul of Ben Harper, reveled in the southern sunshine with the Drive By Truckers, and relaxed to the comfort of The Black Crowes classic rock at the end of a blissfully exhausting weekend. Of course I missed some music I would have liked to have heard, but more importantly I found some music I would like to hear more of. On Saturday, Kinky, a Mexican band, caught my attention with their jumping-off-the-monitor, running-across-the-stage energy, and a mix of electronica and mariachi that I couldn't help but move to. And Los Amigos Invisibles totally kicked off the fiesta on Sunday, with an enthusiasm that was irresistable.

If you are prone to using the term "custy fest," or need a festival to include frequent trips to your campsite, or raging late night to a performance and then crawling into a tent, Langerado might not be for you. But if you can plan ahead to kick off your festival season in the Florida sunshine, I highly doubt you will regret it, as long as you can accept that you won't be able to experience everything there is to offer. Or, as the Spam Allstars so succinctly put it, "pase lo que pase, la vida continua" (roughly, "what happens happens, life goes on").