Marc Brownstein – Photos by Julia RickertThe Camp Barefoot 4 Music and Art Festival
Camp Hidden Meadows
Bartow, WV
August 19 –21, 2010

With the festival season rapidly coming to an end and with the announcement of fall tours, it is easy for end of the summer festivals to be overlooked. One such festival is Camp Barefoot, a 2,000 person mini festival nestled in the mountains of West Virginia. However, this year the festival has surely made its mark on the map as a hub of fun for all – the artists just as much as the festival-goers.

Headlined by two nights of RAQ and the Breakfast, along with Kyle Hollingsworth Band, EOTO, Particle and Conspirator, the festival saw a bunch of giddy, friendly musicians jumping from stage to stage for collaboration after collaboration and having a great time doing it.

“We should’ve called this whole festival Collaboration Fest 2010,” said Scott McLain, HeyBro founder and Camp Barefoot producer. “I have never been to a fest with this many sit-ins from each band. It just looked like all the artists backstage and onstage were having a blast.”
“The collaborations this weekend were a blast!” confirmed RAQ and Kung Fu keyboardist Todd Stoops. "Besides the two RAQ sets and a Kung Fu set, I played with Particle, Conspirator, and the Breakfast –all of the bands are friends and have known each other a while so the collaborations were pretty spontaneous. We pretty much just talked about sitting in right before the sets happened. "

Thursday evening started the festival off with a bang. RAQ and the Breakfast each had their first of two sets of the weekend, with Tim Palmieri and Adrian Tramontano sitting in with RAQ.

“It’s nice jamming with familiar faces like RAQ,” said Tim Palmieri, Breakfast/Kung Fu guitarist. “And that was the first time with two drums with Stukey and Adrian going at it, so that’s pretty fucking cool.”

The night rounded off with Toubab Krewe and Big Gigantic keeping the opening festival-goers riled up until 5 in the morning.

Friday brought a day of local funk. People were stirred from their campsites when Harrisonburg, Virginians, Pants For Bears threw down a party on the smaller, hidden Sku Stage. Then Richmonders Farm Vegas and DC’s The Funk Ark rocked the mainstage. While the crowds were smaller, they were filled with rowdy dancers.

DJ Williams Projekt started the night off on the main stage bringing the energy. Segway, an instrumental eletronic jamband from Baltimore continued the upbeat atmosphere until Kyle Hollingsworth Band took the stage. Hollingsworth brought the heat playing “The Way That It Goes” and several others off his new album and covering Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” Kung Fu’s Kris Jensen and The Breakfast keyboardist Jordan Giangrecco sat in with Hollingsworth for a cover of Billy Preston’s “Will It Go Round in Circles.”

Tim PalmieriNewly formed funky Kung Fu was next. The band is filled with musicians from other groups: Tim Palmieri and Adrian Tramontano of the Breakfast, Todd Stoops of RAQ along with Kris Jensen on sax and David Livolsi on bass. Although they are a baby band on the scene, the talent from playing with other bands shows through as they are climbing the jamband ladder. They continued with the collaborations bringing out RAQ drummer Greg Stukey and guitarist Chris Michetti for a rendition of Billy Cobham’s “Stratus.”

Surprise newbie of the night was COPE, a funk/reggae/electronic fusion band, that rocked the Sku stage despite the other raging acts on the main stages.

The last main stage act of the night was a funky dance party under Particle’s – and Kung Fu’s – control. Tim Palmieri sat in the entire set, joined at times by band mates Stoops and Jensen. “It was so much fun that my amp blew up,” Palmieri told me the next afternoon. “I need to get that fixed…”

The glowingly decked out crowd seemed to be at its largest of the day during the Particle set. After the set was over around 4, the still eager audience stumbled over to the Sku stage where Papadosio was having a funky get-down. People were standing on the speakers dancing and the crowd stretched out into the surrounding campsites.

Saturday afternoon brought in the bluegrass with the likes of Jackass Flats and the Hackensaw Boys. The evening festivities kicked off with a solid set from the RAQ guys, who were definitely having a good time; Stoops was passing around Patron while Michetti sipped on whisky on stage. Tramontano hopped onstage again to join the guys for “Trans-Continental” and “Beuoregard.” Shortly after Disco Biscuits side project Conspirator took the stage.

“We love some live electronic music late into the evening out in the woods,” explained McLain. “So why not have Brownstein and Magner come in and let them have fun? Guess who showed up? Allen [Aucoin], as well from the Biscuits, and next thing I know Michetti from RAQ is playing the whole set. I love sit-ins.”

Towards the end of Conspirator’s set, the rain began. What started as a sprinkle quickly turned into a torrential downpour that lasted through The Breakfast’s set. The crowds thinned and missed an awesome show with yet another sit-in. Michetti came on to play “Hard Luck Harry” and an ironic “Rain.” By the time EOTO took the stage the rain was slowing and stopped mid-way through their set. The crowd returned to help the band celebrate the closing of another Camp Barefoot. Brownstein and Michetti helped the celebrations by shooting off some fireworks side stage.

Overall the festival was a great success for those attending and those performing. “I am thankful,” Palmieri said about being able to play at Camp Barefoot. “It’s like a little musical playground.” What could be more fun than that?