The Bands

Things kicked off on Friday, May 30 with true Southern Oregon Flavor. Opening the show was the Reggae/Rock of Monk, whose frontman Aaron Reed's bluesy vocals have encouraged many a young Southern Oregon girl to sway and swoon on the floor. Following up later in the evening, to rally the crowds and bring their Latin Funk flavor, The Frankie Hernandez Band. Frankie's soulful lyrics and emotional trumpet solos filled the surrounding forest with an upbeat rhythm that set the pace for the rest of the weekend.

Soon Organik Time Machine took the stage with the help of T Club guitarist, Nate York and electro beat percussion from Shawn Hail. Their hard rockin' set was followed by the Electro/Breakbeat/Hip-Hop collaboration of BLVD & Souleye. The crowd was at it's highest capacity of the day at the main stage and the energy was ferocious.   The party crowd lasted into the night as DJ James Christopher and Manny Vibes pumped out funky ragga jungle til somewhere around 3 in the morning. Just up the unbeaten path a few hundred yards, younger dancers filled "The Dome" for an all-night Trip-Hop, Drum/Bass party hosted by DJ Christafari.
[Watch Video [Summer Circus Highlights]]

On Saturday Morning, campers awoke to the sounds of The Dome still thumping away, and vendors began to brew coffee and prepare all the meatless breakfast burritos the festival-goers could stand. By 12:00, the main stage was alive again, opened up by Brookside Bodega, a Northern California Hip-Hop Group. The crowd may have been sparse, but the best part of this venue was how well the music travels throughout the campground, so by the time Brookside Bodega stepped down, everyone was feeling the groove and hyped for the upcoming extravaganza that Saturday promised.

As the evening creeped up, an interesting and colorful Parade of Rainbows made it's way from The Dome to the Main Stage as the Tahoe-based Electro-Jammers, Absynth, filled the air with their aggressive hip-hop/jamrock sounds. Those in attendance saw a vibrant dancing crowd, with rainbow umbrellas, colored hair, and funky ass outfits overtake the venue. "We're taking the Rainbow back from the Gays!" was heard from someone in the crowd, but fear not, as the gypsy-laden crowd was still happy to share the rainbow, especially with anyone and everyone who had a little zest for life in their limbs. In other words - no put-downs intended. The crowd was full-on in tune w/ the grooves from Absynth and the full-capacity rainbow dance craze lasted to the end of the set.
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The Hip-Hop flavor would make it's return later as a Northwest favorite Eastern Sunz took the crowd from dusk into the night. But before we get there, we got to enjoy a raucous party during the much-anticipated T Club set. A full stage with extra sax, a new trombone, and guest vocals from Michelle Bellamy and Amber Rose. It was one of the most ass-shaking sets that many T Club fans could remember. An additional appearance by MC Marko, representing RuffKuts, for a freestyle w/ backup from Bellamy was proof enough that this generation of musicians really can't be held to one genre. In fact, the whole weekend proved that music of all forms can be swallowed whole by an appreciative crowd if the message is right. Oh, and the melody, that was good too.
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But not to get distracted. As The T Club winded down from their much requested encore and the Eastern Sunz began to set the stage, the final Saturday Stragglers made their way to the stage. Crowd turnout by Saturday night was around 600. And by all accounts, they were there in full force when Eastern Sunz tore it up. Lead Guitarist of OTM, John Anderson, said, "Eastern Sunz fuckin' tore it up." Their set was emotive and powerful, and the Bass thundered through the surrounding woods. In fact, this author was supposed to be shooting video, and after returning to his campsite to retrieve new tapes, the sound was so good that he hung out for a beer or two, and by the time he made it back to the stage, the Eastern Sunz had wrapped up their set. Sorry guys. Really, I am.

And as the Sunz did set, and some campers wrestled with their morals concerning certain hallucinogenics, Organik Time Machine prepared to open minds up to a visually and emotionally dynamic universe - no drugs required. Just bring your eardrums and prepare for aural lubrication... or something. By all accounts, OTM ruled the night. Their set was electrifying, arousing, and close to abusive, it was so good. These guys get the crowds like no other. Cory 3.0 on Keys and Jesse Ostreicher on the drums and other percussion set the pace early on, and it was determined. Funky ass basslines, from "Nickles" D’Onofrio and kick-ass guitar licks from John Anderson meshed perfectly.

Midway through their set, OTM were joined by the SolaRay Firedancing Tribe for a tribal improvisation of music, fire, and dance (or trance). It was freakin' sweet!  The track lasted close to 20 minutes - with OTM outlasting the fire - and as the SolaRays took their show to the sidelines, OTM rocked the crowd for another hour before handing the stage over to the late-night headliners - Heavyweight Dub Champion. Heavy, heavy Dub Reggae pulsated through the grounds - it's easy to see why they picked their name. Stereo Lion added haunting vocals to "Move it Forward " with backup from the soulful cries of Jillian Ann.
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In a masterful style, Saturday Night was an outrageous fun climax to the wild weekend getaway that was Summer Circus 2008.

By Sunday, The Dome was finally winding down, vendors began to pack up tents, and bands sorted through their gear. Everyone around was wore out from the long nights previous, but spirits were soaring. As campers packed, the band members from these two days in the wild, were straggling - having much too good a time socializing and jamming with one another amongst the production tents. It was apparent to this author, that Summer Circus is more than just a shared stage. It's an opportunity for these touring bands to break away from their set lists, experimenting and evolving in musical equivalent of a social swinger's party. Fans and bands alike are already looking towards next year. If you missed it because of the weather (which was beautiful along the Illinois River the whole weekend, by the way), hopefully you will get a taste of the experience through the enclosed links to music, video, and photos of the event to persuade you to buy your tickets in advance for Summer Circus 2009.