There lined a parade of thugs heading north from Bonnaroo in Tennessee to EForest in Michigan pursuing all manner of hustles from Dippin’ Dots to Ali Babba’s Pizza. BroccAleeya, the professional cuddler’s “Cop Magnet” 2000 got pulled over thrice and The Savage also managed to find himself on the wrong end of a billy club. The road between festivals is a chance to showcase adult caution. In the words of Hafiz, “Overstuffed clown cars should not travel dirty.” Lucy waited until she got to Montague before stopping at the dispensary, where she would acquire the scores of prerolled joints to be used for gifts and trade. Festival lubrication. Greasing the wheels of the machine.

They were headed to Electric Forest, a different kind of festival, due to its size and insane production value. A little bit of everything. All hope to get lost at the show, but the kind of lost that happens here is reserved for special confusions. My time is your pleasure. You’re welcome. Sorry, not sorry.

Kamp Happiness was splintered into three camps with Lucienda in the Cherry Orchard, Sheriff Pedro and Bfly in the murky depths of GA and BroccAleeya somewhere in the Afghani village known as staff A and B. Spaceman Sketch would be thrilled to know the cherries were blooming again, a perk when camping in Lot G. Nothing says summer in Michigan like fresh cherries and EForest and it doesn’t matter where one camps, adventure is ripe. The scope of this festival is so great that one can’t hope to see it all. It’s an explosion of color in every direction and the hope is to merely scratch the surface.

Lucy was driving VIPness golf cart shuttles in one of her favorite hustles of the year. She loved any job where she didn’t have to stand on her wet cardboard ankles for twelve hours. After recent dumpster fires behind the soybean curtain she was still rolling small dog. She’d made it through Bonnaroo safely and as of Friday, she hadn’t yet been fired or for that matter, reprimanded. After all, what nine year old wouldn’t want to drive a golf cart through the mud? We are now channeling our inner child. Join the fray.

They all managed to spend quality time in the Back 4o, a shaded tent/RV area off 80th with some of the headiest campers anywhere. Tone and his crowd certainly made an impression with a promise for future adventures. Look for their continuing escapades at the Hobo Kamp at Hulaween. It’s nice to work with professionals. This is a higher science for certain and a communication usually reserved for otherly dimensions.

Electric Forest is about side adventures. Even with a discernible plan, these are the unexpected, unpredictable journeys one ends up tangled in. During the second Code Red, which lasted a while, Lucy ended up in Torre’s RV with Jacob and the Chef. Things were getting decidedly colourful when, at some point they turned off the lights, cranked up G Jones and gave Lucy an impromptu rave glove show. How serendipitous. Unplanned silliness. Thank you Electric Forest, you never disappoint.

It was early in the day when Fabian got lost walking back from Pretty Lights. He could still manage to turn letters into words but they no longer made any sense. They were just words, vacant and useless when it came to directions. For that matter he didn’t know what section he was in. All of the guidepost animals in GA looked the same to him and all the statues in Sherwood Forest were made of LEDs and kept changing, making it impossible to create any kind of useful grid mapping system. At one point he became hopeless, sure he was going to be lost forever. C’est la vie. When he eventually arrived home he would chastise his mother for doing such a piss poor job of raising him.

A “professional” with the Detroit drywall taint brush, Sheriff Pedro knew her way around a tube of spackle paste and even that wasn’t going to save her now. Choices were made. The camp had already morphed into the standard version of her typical Sanford and Son trash heap but with the rain and mud things were spiraling into a new low. Welcome to the trash portal. Recently she’d been seen blowing her nose goblins on BKs dirty sock. Her and Bfly’s “possessions” had been shoved under the vehicle and Pedro slept under the neighbor’s dripping canopy. The reek of sepsis and regretamine at the The Danger Swamp flea market trash garden was palpable. Closed by the Health Department until further notice.

Lucy worked the 4pm-4am shift because “that’s where the action was” and the fields were ripe with colorful examples of the human spirit. When she got off at 4am she accepted the reality she had to walk from their compound on 80th St. all the way to section F in GA, literally up against 31 and about as far away as one could be and still be on the property. What’s to be done in this case? Lucy laced up her boots and put one foot in front of the other, past the Back 40, Tripoli and the feral animal pen that is General Admission at Electric Forest. It stretches forever in every direction in an uncharted zoo of delicious festival craziness. This became her daily schedule and in preparation of her 4pm shift she would again make the trek all the way back to her patch in the Cherry Orchard.

A little after sunrise they decided to go cross country to staff camping and find The Savage, who at that point was lucky to not be in handcuffs. They found him hanging out with the Red Witch not far from where they’d met two years earlier. She suggested they go to the beach which Lucy expected to be some mud hole with a hand pump, while it turned out to actually be Lake Michigan. For all her times in the area, she’d never seen the water. The fog rolled in from all sides as Lucy and Pedro took their only bath of the week. The Savage even managed to come away with their first Jolly Roger. It was a VIPness beach party with guitars, IPAs and rampant exfoliation. Call Ka’aoli for free legal advice. 888-8888.

Happy Rain Forest. Stand by for an all call. We are now in a Code Red. Saturday’s overcast sky was perfect for hippies catching up on sleep. Thinking it was 11am, Lucy woke up around 3pm late for work. Time for the “late walk” with a beeline to work, over a mile away. The rains didn’t come till later but the ground was ready to get soft under the feet of the herd. Ever stalwart. I smell a hit.

Princesses deserve to wear pretty things. Lucy was draped in all manner of kandi and she looked as if a spray can of flat primer had exploded in her face. She was proud to be in Michigan. This was, after all the home of the first wranglers. It’s understood, the Michigan wooks are the source, the acorn that becomes the oak. They were there at the convergence in Live Oak and it was then everything changed. There is a difference in knowing the path and walking the path.

Date Night. As they walked from Main Street through the venue, they caught the best of each set. The tabs were just taking hold as they got to John Summit at Tripoli, which would eventually give  way to Subtronics and then LSZEE at the Ranch Stage. Date night found Lucy and Bfly lurking through Sherwood Forest, exploring as many crevices as they could. “Let’s check out a little bass”. Famous last words from Lucienda as they ended up on the rail getting pounded by Sara Landry. By the time she noticed pieces of “Twilight” by Electric Light Orchestra woven into the song, her brain had melted beyond all repair.

“Moons out, spoons out.”

Pedro’s Ghetto Swamp Market. They’d always heard that EForest GA was for professionals but in this case, the Hobo Kamp was the sloppy camp, albeit the one with the hot air balloons and skydivers. At some point Paul the Jello Shot guy came around with this year’s Danny Devito shirt and some Jello shot snacks. Pedro’s daily special, Calvin Kleins of course.

The scum line had reached a new low. The dumpster fire thought they knew low-bar, but this was something else altogether. This was the kind of filth that could only be measured in kelvin. All the way down.

River Pirates Ninja Coaster. It almost seemed unfair. Once Lucy figured out how to strategically use her golf cart to acquire Jolly Rogers, the game was afoot. She would scour the horizon for booty as she made her laps and as soon as the guards went into the show, she struck like a chicken snake. No one was safe. Like a silent fog creeping under the door. Remember to fly other flags. Including the Savage’s hoist from the beach, the final number was eight Jolly Rogers from Electric Forest. Sorry, not sorry.

Fortunately they were making a little money because Lucy was excited to buy another 26$ pack of Camel blues from Steve and Sarah, said no one ever. By this time she had “wet brain” and was making questionable choices.

This gas is gas.

The Hobo Kamp still had a cooler of cool Busch Light Peach brews. Somebody who smelled like a yeast infection had lost one of their space braids in the mud. Lucy lost track of time zipping around the grounds in her golf cart swamp coaster. 80th St. was sloppy and at one time her cart died in the middle of the road, only to be pushed out of the swamp slush by lighting girls. Why was the sun still up at 10pm? She was still having trouble keeping up with the time.

By Sunday, Lucy’s feet were covered in blisters and everything she owned was wet. She had just about begun to dry out when the rains came again at midnight. After that, the renegade stages in GA hosted the rest of the party. In an effort to escape the rain and cold, Lucy ended back in Torre’s RV where she found a warm spot under the breakfast table. She was covered up in Jacob’s pashmina and used Evileen’s stuffed chicken as a pillow. It would only be a few hours until sunrise and then there would be the egress.

They were almost out of Modelo when the first car got stuck in the mud. The driver was crying uncontrollably, even after she got unstuck. She wouldn’t be the last time. There were still plenty of questions. Choices were made and they would live with the consequences. Electric Forest was behind them and everyone who’d traversed the gauntlet was somehow better for it. It was at times a painful transcendence. It was time to head to Detroit for pina coladas with Emma Jay and naturally on the way they would hit another dispensary. See you next year.

Visit the Electric Forest website and like their social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok. Thanks to Alive Coverage for the festival photographs. Thanks to the media team and to On Location for keeping the night shift spunky. Keep up with the wranglers as we head to Secret Dreams right before the triumphant return of FloydFest.                           Namaste y’all.

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Electric Forest’s new lineup additions include melodic bass maestro Seven Lions, experimental bass veteran G Jones, high priestess of hard techno Sara Landry, and Grammy-nominated band Hiatus Kaiyote. The billing expands with techno new school selector Layton Giordani, post-punk revivalists Emo Nite, Nashville’s Brandi Cyrus, Kiwi brother-duo Chaos in the CBD, multi-instrumentalist live legend Boogie T,  Chicago’s rising electronic trio Levity, and the new collaborative project of tech house sensations ODD MOB & OMNOM present HYPERBEAM.

Electric Forest’s latest additions join a stacked roster of headliners including Forest favorite Pretty Lights, the bone-rattling sounds of Excision, and Cyclops Recordings founder Subtronics. A variety of rare collaborative artist sets are also on deck, including EVERYTHING ALWAYS (Dom Dolla + John Summit), LSZEE (CloZee + LSDREAM), and Big Gigantic and NGHTMRE teaming up for their Gigantic NGHTMRE project.

Jam fans can rejoice as The String Cheese Incident returns to perform two Incidents, plus sets from fellow torchbearers of the genre The Disco Biscuits and Umphrey’s McGee. Some of the more unexpected names on the lineup include Grammy-winning singer Nelly Furtado and famed Atlanta hip-hop artist Ludacris, each bringing their iconic sounds to the forest. The list of headliners is rounded out by Belgian techno queen Charlotte de Witte, a solo set from John Summit, and performances by Black Tiger Sex Machine, Ben Böhmer, and Knock2.

This year, Electric Forest will continue its offering of elevated culinary experience add-ons. Highlights include breakfast with a side of sass at the Drag Brunch, a four course meal inspired by the Forest, seasonal produce, and mystical creatures at Forest Feast, Buena Vida, an Agave spirits interactive cocktail tasting experience, and Wig Out Pig Out, a wig wearing authentic BBQ. Additional offerings include Brie Our Guest, Champagne French Fry, The Gouda Life, Forest Food Tour, and Good Life Brunch with Chef Sarah.

Fans will also be able to purchase exclusive guided tour experiences, allowing them to explore Sherwood Forest or experience the Dream Emporium before festival gates officially open. The exclusive tours will give fans an exclusive sneak peek at the new art, installations, and surprises the Forest has to offer while learning about the artists, history, and production process of the festival directly from the Electric Forest team. Sherwood Forest tours will conclude at The Woodlands Bar for happy hour and are extremely limited capacity.

Electric Forest also recently announced the full programming for its beloved Plug In Programs, offering fans the unique opportunity to contribute and collaborate directly with the festival’s production teams. Highlights include the Art Installation Sponsorship Program, allowing artists to bring their creations to life in the forest, The Brainery which offers educational workshops and classes, The Wish Machine which grants a wish in exchange for inspirational and charitable deeds done in the community, and the Electric Forest Radio On Air ExtraordinAIRE Program for aspiring radio personalities, show hosts, behind-the-scenes technicians, fan interviewers, and more.

Since 2011, Electric Forest has remained committed to the constant reimagination of what a festival experience can be. It’s this thoughtful and innovative approach to production and programming that has helped foster one of the world’s most dedicated festival communities. It’s a place where acceptance, safety, and self-expression are the most valuable currency, surprise and wonder hide around every corner, and no two journeys are the same.

Wristbands for Electric Forest 2024 are currently sold-out, but limited wristbands will go back on sale this Friday, March 29 at 12pm EST. More information can be found at ElectricForest.com.  Add-Ons, Vehicle Passes, Early Arrival, Group Camping, Shuttles, Lockers, and more can be found here.

To stay up to date on all Electric Forest news, please visit www.electricforest.com and the official Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube pages. Science is real.

Keep up with the wranglers as we celebrate a #girlpower Kamp Happiness at Suwannee Resonate. Pedro “24. It appears as if this festival season could quickly get out of hand. Close your eyes.

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Electric Forest has announced the initial music lineup for its 2024 edition, taking place June 20-23 in Rothbury, Michigan. Electric Forest remains one of the world’s most unique festivals, an interactive wonderland cultivated by the collective energy of its participants and producers. The experience is defined by a feeling of total immersion, guiding attendees through a multi-faceted journey defined by the pillars of community, creation, and inclusion.

With the 2024 lineup, Electric Forest once again provides something for fans of all styles of electronic music and beyond. Headliners for next year will include Forest legend Pretty Lights, the bone-rattling sounds of Excision, and Cyclops Recordings founder Subtronics. A variety of rare collaborative artist sets are also on deck, including EVERYTHING ALWAYS (Dom Dolla + John Summit), PSYREN (CloZee + LSDREAM), and Big Gigantic and NGHTMRE teaming up for their Gigantic NGHTMRE project.

Jam fans can rejoice as The String Cheese Incident returns to perform two Incidents, plus sets from
fellow torchbearers of the genre The Disco Biscuits and Umphrey’s McGee. Some of the more
unexpected names on the lineup include Grammy-winning singer Nelly Furtado and famed Atlanta hiphop artist Ludacris, each bringing their iconic sounds to Electric Forest next year. The list of headliners is rounded out by Belgian techno queen Charlotte de Witte, a solo set from John Summit, and performances by Black Tiger Sex Machine, Ben Böhmer, and Knock2.

Additional house and techno favorites on the lineup include Mau P, LP Giobbi, DJ Tennis, Sultan +
Shepard, TSHA, and Coco & Breezy, while heavier sounds will come courtesy of Chase & Status, Barclay Crenshaw, ATLiens, Wooli, and Alison Wonderland’s new project Whyte Fang. The 2024 lineup also showcases a variety of live acts with their own electronic influences, featuring performances by Cannons, NEIL FRANCES, and DRAMA. More artists will continue to be announced leading up to the festival.
Over the weekend, Electric Forest began teasing the lineup by sending text messages to fans with emojis hinting at artists on the lineup. These hints then made their way to the Electric Forest Reddit, where fans reveled in uncovering the clues in anticipation of the lineup. Additionally, in a beloved tradition, Electric Forest Radio played artists from the lineup on the morning of the launch.

Applications are now open for The Wish Machine, which remains one of the ultimate personifications of the festival’s community-driven ethos. The program calls on Forest Family to dream up their ultimate Electric Forest fantasy prize to submit alongside an act of good they will commit to doing in their community if selected. The program has generated over 7,500 inspiring commitments through the years, resulting in donations to humanitarian efforts, the creation of a mental health support group, various community clean-up and improvement projects, and more while granting wishes ranging from a slot on the lineup to private artist performances.

Since 2011, Electric Forest has remained committed to the constant reimagination of what a festival
experience can be. It’s this thoughtful and innovative approach to production and programming that has helped foster one of the world’s most dedicated festival communities. It’s a place where acceptance, safety, and self-expression are the most valuable currency, surprise and wonder hide around every corner, and no two journeys are the same.

Electric Forest 2024 Lineup (A-Z): ACRAZE, ALLEYCVT, ATLiens, AYYBO, Barclay Crenshaw, Ben Böhmer, Black Tiger Sex Machine, Calussa Cannons, Caspa, Cassian, Charlotte De Witte, Chase & Status, Coco & Breezy, Cuco (DJ Set), Dimension, Dirtwire, Dixon’s Violin, DJ Tennis, DRAMA, Dumpstaphunk, Eggy, EVERYTHING ALWAYS (Dom Dolla + John Summit), Excision, Gigantic NGHTMRE, Green Velvet, Hamdi, INZO, it’s murph, John Summit, Juelz, Kenny Beats, Knock2, Le Youth, Lettuce, LEVEL UP, Libianca, LP Giobbi, Luci, Ludacris, LYNY, Maddy O’Neal, Major League Djz, Mascolo, Matroda, Mau P, Michaël Brun, NEIL FRANCES, Nelly Furtado, ODEN & Fatzo, PAPERWATER, Peach Tree Rascals, Pretty Lights, PSYREN (CloZee + LSDREAM), Ranger Trucco, Rawayana, Sammy Virji, Slayyyter, Subtronics, Sultan + Shepard, The Disco Biscuits, The String Cheese Incident, TSHA, Umphrey’s McGee, venbee, Vini Vici, VNSSA B2B Nala, Westend, Whyte Fang, Will Clarke, Wooli and more…

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Loyalty Wristband On Sales Begin December 5, 2022
General Admission Wristband On Sale Begins December 9, 2022 at 12 PM EST

Figure it all out at www.electricforest.com

Electric Forest announces the much anticipated 2023 Initial Lineup for the adored music, camping, and arts festival in Rothbury, MI from June 22 – 25, 2023. After the reunion of a lifetime in 2022, Electric Forest returns with an impressive lineup of Electric Forest favorites, acclaimed headliners, and innovative emerging artists, promising to be an unforgettable weekend in the enchanted Sherwood Forest.

Also joining the Electric Forest 2023 lineup is 070 Shake, BLOND:ISH, Channel Tres, bass house breakout Chris Lorenzo, basketball-legend-turned-powerhouse-DIESEL, R&B duo Emotional Oranges, GASHI, Gorgon City, Hayden James, Kai Wachi, techno marching band MEUTE, dubstep producer PEEKABOO, San Holo, singer-songwriter sensation SG Lewis, SVDDEN DEATH PRESENTS: VOYD, Virtual Riot, and many more. A complete list of announced artists is below and can be found here.

Known for engaging the Forest Family with creative lineup reveals, Electric Forest continued the tradition today by teasing the lineup over the airwaves of EF Radio. EF Radio is a community-driven radio platform dedicated to broadcasting frequencies from The Forest, and today intrepid fans who tuned in heard EF Radio spinning a curated mix featuring different artists from the 2023 lineup. As the playlist continued and EF Radio listeners identified the artists featured, fans shared their lineup discoveries including Odesza, Gryffin, Chris Lake, and more.

Ticket Info: For information on all Wristband and Lodging packages, including 2023 Good Life options, the new Lucky Lake campground, and additional new lodging options, please click here.

Loyalty On Sales begin on Monday, December 5, and continue throughout the week. For more information on the EF Loyalty Program – including 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, and 4 in The Forest, plus Good Life and GA Loyalty – please click here.

General On Sale begins at 12 PM EST on Friday, December 9, 2022.

Information on Layaway Payment Plans for all Wristband and Lodging Packages can be found here.

For information regarding the official Electric Forest Wristband Exchange, please click here.

The complete list of artists on Electric Forest’s 2023 Initial Lineup include:

070 Shake, Above & Beyond, Aluna, Apashe (Live Brass Ensemble), Austin Millz, Azzecca, Barry Can’t Swim Black Carl!, BLOND:ISH, Champagne Drip, Channel Tres, Chris Lake, Chris Lorenzo, Chromeo, CID, Cimafunk, Daily Bread, Danielle Ponder, DIESEL, Disco Lines, Dixon’s Violin, dj topgun, Dogs in a Pile, Emotional Oranges flipturn, Freddy Todd, Ganja White Night, Gashi, GHEIST, Golden, Features, Goose, Gorgon City, Gryffin, Hayden James, HUGEL, Illenium, ISOxo, J. Worra, Jamie xx, Jantsen, Jellybean Benitez, Jupiter & Okwess, Kai Wachi, Lane 8, Madeon, MEUTE, Mobley, Neighbor, Noizu, ODESZA, Opiuo, Peekaboo, RaeCola, REZZ, Rohaan, ROSSY, Saka, San Holo, Satin Jackets, SG Lewis, Snakes and Stars, SOFI TUKKER, Space Wizard, SVDDEN DEATH, PRESENTS: VOYD, The String Cheese Incident, Thumpasaurus, Virtual Riot, Zeds Dead, Zingara

Plus the Silent Disco, Curated Events, Daily Yoga, and more

To stay up to date on all Electric Forest news, please visit www.electricforest.com and the official Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube pages. Science is real.

Visit the wranglers’ wrap-up from last year and Lost Prevention at Electric Forest. Don’t forget to use your jigger. Also take a gander at some of our more recent debaucheries with Hulaween “22: Dance of the Monkey Kings. Believe what you want. Just let it happen.

Electric Forest is produced by Madison House Presents and Insomniac.

See you fools there.

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Stardate June 23-26, 2020: Rothbury, Michigan. For her first trip to Electric Forest Lucy found the festival to be overstuffed with a fantastic lineup of jam bands, house music, trance, dubstep, electro and more. With mind-blowing production, vendors, artists and stages such as Ranch Arena, Sherwood Court, Tripolee, Jubilee and The Observatory, there was something for everyone and hardly enough hours in the day to see it all. Or rather, another way to look at it was there literally was no time to sleep. The String Cheese Incident’s Saturday night explosion to GriZ’s massive Ranch Arena performance proved the trip to Rothbury was worth the wait.

They’d just left the dirty heat of Bonarroo where Lucienda forgot her computer, plugged into a power source in the stagehand tent #3. It was a serious oversight and cruel defeat for an interweb magazine trying to stay on the road through a thick haze of limited capital, pitiless companions and irresponsible behavior. She hoped this festival run would raise the funds for a new van, but instead it was funneling money straight into the coffers of the Michigan drywall guys.

They arrived onsite Wednesday afternoon and pulled into staff parking B to survey the general condition of things. Once again they were camped on another dusty, hot hill, pinned between the thugs from Mi Kulture, Slumberjack and some sketchy bartender stocked with LPGA  booze. They’d planned on moving to general admission once things elevated but the party surrounding these Virginia degenerates was too good to pass up. A rare treat indeed. And staff camping is where the professionals lurk. These are the hard-core trained experts that keep every facet of the party moving in the right direction. Every night when Lucy got home around 4:30am she’d find the same circle of filthy, wizened sages sitting around recapping the mysteries and adventures of the day.

Mikey Sterno got his name from his propensity to cook supper over the leftover sterno cans from the ladies golf event he’d been recently bartending. Keep an eye out for his new e book, “The Sterno Kitchen Almanac”. He also had a full hatchback of leftover booze and was eager to share all hours of the day or night. Bloody Marys in the morning, rum drinks at sunset and Jaimos at sunrise. It was an ongoing spectacle, to be sure. El Caballero Blanco discovered a previously unused painting medium as he used his urine to skillfully create beautiful, original pieces on the dirty passenger door of Lucy’s Oldsmowagon. Art is pain.

Sherwood Forest and Beyond.  The Michigan Hulaween wooks had long spoken of the high level of professional production at Forest but until she laid eyes on it she couldn’t really wrap her brain hole around the thing. The lights, the people and the interactive art installations seemed to go on forever in every direction. Somewhere near the madcap Zoe and the Dima Yastronaut tent, Lucy found Emma and got her first taste of general admission camping which appeared to stretch to the horizon. It was going to take years to get to all of this tomfoolery but she reckoned this would be her first of many trips to this part of the forest. The truth shall set you free.

Lost Prevention. After losing the Summer Camp groundscored octopus tapestry at the Cornucopia Fallout Shelter the wrangler management team (the guys on the eleventh floor) decided to intervene with an implementation of loss prevention strategies. These refer to the steps taken to reduce profit loss and involve theft, fraud, and human errors. Along with schitzophrenia, vertigo and poverty, they can all be problems for online festival magazines.

While searching for Cheyenne and Uncle Lumpy, Baitbucket had become completely lost and was eventually forced into the sanctuary of a portal john. It smelled like DMT and ozone and while he couldn’t be sure he thought the walls might be covered in blood. What type of blood, man or beast, he couldn’t assertain but he managed to avoid contact with it. He hadn’t slept much during the first two days and was already running on vapor, occasionally catching glimpses of spirit walkers. So far, the red haired gypsy woman had been right about everything. This was turning into one delicous hell of a party.

Stolen Souls? The White Knight came up with the plan late Friday while shoving ground glitter into his face. The broad strokes of it was to steal the briefcase full of souls, behind the card table at the Frick Frack Blackjack tent. It had been determined that the briefcase of souls was simply too much power and responsibility for one entity. They had fallen victim to hubris and needed to be checked by Loss Prevention. Lucy wasn’t worried about getting her birthday back. It was already over and had likely been won by some wook at Backwoods. She was still interested in getting a soul for her own but had little faith in winning it back against Phoenix and his bag of twenties and blackjacks. Theft was the only real option. Everything was in place but sometime a little after Clozee the bath salts kicked in and team organization began to deteriorate. Baitbucket ended up lost in the back forty, stumbling most of the night back to camp only to find it perched directly under Venus. Shit, birds. The White Knight found himself in a hammock on third base and stealing for home and Lucy purposely lost everyone and climbed into someone else’s vehicle to escape the dust for a little while. All in all, the operation had been a complete failure but the dye had been cast and there would be other opportunities down the road. Beware the keeper of the souls.

A Red Headed Witch. Tarot Cards at Gunpoint. A Fools Lament? Somewhere around Saturday before String Cheese the Red Witch arrived wearing a blue velvet coat. Somewhere near the Cherry Blossom stop she began throwing tarot cards in people’s faces and demanding to read their future. “It would be a mistake to say no,” she would cackle. Deep in the back forty the game had run its course and all of them were invited to exit the bus. They eventually found another shuttle but the driver refused to stop as they sped by staff parking B. Lucy tried unsuccessfully to get the driver’s attention. “Are you talking to me?” he muttered. “I’m screaming at you! Let me off this fucking bus or I’m going to shoot!” The driver glanced into the rearview mirror and looked down the barrel of a groundscored bubble gun. Lucy silenty prayed he wouldn’t notice that it was out of ammunition.

Zane, the world’s worst dishwasher, was covered in dust as he found his way into the kamp happiness think tank around sunrise Sunday morning. He was subsequently accosted and forced to continue on to Scranton for Billy Strings the following weekend at Peach. At some point Zach, the sergeant at arms forcibly removed a rambling wook from Big Betty after he tried unsuccessfully to break the strings off of every working instrument. “The word is given. Wookie go sleepy time.” Read the room bro. Who gets kicked out of the festival on his way out. Question mark? Lucy heard this and thought it to be the silliest thing ever. “So they cut your bracelet off as you were leaving?” Curious indeed. Some mysteries are best left unsolved.

Then came the sunrise tranquilizer tea party that knocked Lucy somewhere back into a primordial soup hole. Between the dust, face syrup and the nearly constant screaming and singing, recent days had begun taking their toll. Her breathing had become labored and she could feel a light wook flu coming on, but with Peach and 4848 in the wings, there was little time for that. This was the long road and they were out to get their absolute money’s worth. It wasn’t always easy but it wasn’t supposed to be. There would surely be a season for the road and a time to rest. It was just their turn at the wheel.

Lucienda and El Caballero Blanco had been traveling together since Mountain Music Festival and getting to know each other on the road. They worked different shifts at Bonarroo which seriously got in the way of their budding relationship. Lucy was missing out on the “us” time and was planning on bringing it up in counseling. El Caballero had picked up the habit of “pretending” to be gay and from where Lucy sat, she figured he deserved an Academy Award.

Lucy had been slated to bartend at the festival but by the time she was done waiting in the sun all day, there were no more spots left. This was all fine and dandy with her because she’d been waiting for exactly this party and she knew she didn’t need to be hustlin’ drinks. Seeing just what the helliconia was blossoming around her, she opted out of her bartending gig and committed herself fully to the media team. This allowed her all the time she needed to slowly visit everyone she knew and take in the entire slanted spectacle. Occasionally she would find herself walking a little too quickly down some dusty trail and have to remind herself that this was exactly where she wanted to be. She’d been waiting for this festival since the beginning and there was no reason to rush through anything. She had found her way back into what Thatcher Owen Mullens would call “the pocket”.

Das Boom. Sometime during The War on Drugs set, Loss Prevention brought the hammer down on Frito for drinking on the job. The boys with the scissors did their duty and were poised to give her a free golf cart ride to the highway before they noticed she was also wearing a media bracelet and had the backup she needed to remain in the funnel of the fun. Always good to have a plan A. She considered how helpful that would have been at LOCKN’ before they attempted to incarcerate their entire fan base. It’s all fun and games till you’re surrounded by fat guys in Nelson County golf shirts.

Sunday morning brought Slumberjack aka the Swamp Monster and his acoustic stylings to the kamp happiness family jam. After days of electrified music, his Grateful Dead pickin’ was just what all the doctors ordered. Even The Operator was relaxed enough to muse the day he tried to operate a forklift while full tilt on serious animal tranquilizers. Maybe you don’t look like every other hippy.

T.H.C (The Tiny Hand Club). At some point Baitbucket got separated from the group on his way to the hot air balloons and ended up professing his eternal love to the lady at A Baazare Universe. He eventually found his way into the pit for Big Gigantic and ended up trading his red wig for a tiny plastic hand. Where he came from this kind of thing served as legitimate currency.

Mattt with three Ts came around the Hobo Kamp a few times before finding a pillow case full of drugs in the middle of the living room. They all shelved the idea of the Scotty Smiles exit strategy and Monday ended up wrapped in a ridiculous afternoon burrito of blessed savagery. Welcome to the slow exit strategy.

Serotonin Monday? The sexy lesbians next door had been practicing with the kangaroo whip all day and were getting the hand of it. Once they heard the nearby altercation and witnesses the tiny hippy tossing his girlfriend’s speaker and clothes everywhere, they grabbed the White Knight and went in for the assist. Over the crack of the whip you cook barely hear the White Knight ask was if it was too soon to grab the speaker groundscore out of the dirt. Absolutely not. Read the room bro.

(Ed. note: Please remember gentle reader, when we use words like thug or freak, it’s a compliment.) 

Before it was all said and done the team had seen a vast array of curious and spectacular wonders and came out the other side generally unscathed. They were psychologically ravaged but also invigorated with a spiritual transcendence that comes with exceptional festivals. A feeling of growth and change with big fun that would not be soon forgotten. Thanks to Electric Forest and Madison House Presents for letting the wranglers slip through the gate and rage with the animals. Visit their website and like their social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok. Science is real.

Keep up with the wranglers as they head back up the mountain for FloydFest and the rest of the Virginia mountain summer. Listen for Big Betty singing in the wook nook down by the VIPness. Stay tuned for wrap-ups from the rest of the summer tour. Scamp, Bonarroo, Peach, and 4848 are still headed your way. Thanks for tuning in.

All wooks welcome.

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It’s been a busy year with the winter tour in Florida and the east coast turnaround with Rockville and Summer Camp. Mountain Music Festival kicked off the Appalachian tour last week and now begins the big June loop. The kamp happiness road crew will head east to Manchester, Tennessee for Bonnaroo, then it’s up to Rothbury and Electric Forest, over to Scranton, Pennsylvania for Peach and back down to Snowshoe, West Virginia for 4848. After that it’s a couple weeks of rest before the beast that will be FloydFest and everything that comes with it. It promises to be a colorful couple of months and a slew of first time festivals. But I digress. This is about to get real. Welcome to Wrangling Electric Forest. The Iceman commeth and he is nervous about being overexposed.

Each summer, just as anticipation for the sold-out Electric Forest reaches fever pitch, tens of thousands of fans – traveling from all parts of the country, and the world, gather at the Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, Michigan for the music & camping adventure of a lifetime. With its astonishing and unparalleled integration of music, art and community, Electric Forest delivers “The ultimate festival experience.”  From the carefully curated musical lineup, to the jaw-dropping Sherwood Forest, to the festival’s unprecedented participatory spirit, to the site’s incomparable features and amenities – Electric Forest creates a vibe so thick with “camaraderie and freedom…it must be experienced to be appreciated.”

The wranglers are proud to be involved with this esteemed music, camping, and arts festival in Rothbury, MI from June 23-26, 2022. Electric Forest 2022 promises to be the reunion of a lifetime after two years away from The Forest, featuring an impressive and eclectic lineup of powerhouse headliners,Forest Family favorites, and breakthrough new artists.

Topping the 2022 lineup is The String Cheese Incident (performing their traditional 3 Incidents), GRiZ, Porter Robinson, Louis The Child, Disclosure, The Disco Biscuits, Big Gigantic, SLANDER, Fisher, and Sylvan Esso.

Additionally announced today are performances from: CloZee, Duke Dumont, Subtronics,TOKiMONSTA, Yves Tumor, Grammy-Award winning artist Cory Henry, the mysterious production project Deathpact, globally-acclaimed artist Femi Kuti, indie sensation Toro Y Moi,hip-hop duo EARTHGANG, 17-year old breakout Moore Kismet, rapper Duckwrth, local favorites Michigander and Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, and many more.

Electric Forest’s GOOD LIFE VIP experience offers unrivaled amenities and perks – from camping and RV spots, to log cabins and homes, to resort hotel-style suites – all located directly on the festival grounds. In addition, patrons can take advantage of the property’s many amenities including a 60,000 square foot indoor water park, an 18-hole championship golf course, swimming pools, horseback riding, and more.

At the heart of Electric Forest is the beloved Sherwood Forest. By day, fans collect among hundreds of hammocks that drape between the clustered trees. Intricate and earthy artful touches pop from the Forest’s myriad of installations and gathering spaces. At night, Sherwood Forest turns electric, showered with state-of-the-art, jaw-dropping light displays, impromptu “secret” parties, other-worldly characters, and surprises around every turn. “With no exaggeration at all, [Sherwood Forest is] the most well-produced and artistically inspired area…ever seen at a music festival.”

Honoring a decade of Electric Forest, EF HQ recently released, “A Million Shining Lights – 10 Years of Electric Forest,” a short documentary acknowledging the roots of Electric Forest and the Forest Family. Watch and listen to Electric Forest producers discuss the vision and community ethos behind the festival, as artists Big Gigantic, CloZee, GRiZ, Louis the Child, The String Cheese Incident, and The Disco Biscuits reflect on their EF experiences over the past decade. Electric Forest attendees recount personal moments and stories of EF magic, all while looking ahead to the upcoming EF2022 reunion. “It’s always blocked off in the calendar,” Louis the Child share, “whether we’re playing or not – the gang goes to Forest.” Watch the documentary here.

Known for fully embracing the possibilities of an engaged festival community, Electric Forest’s Plug In Program deliberately blurs the line between event organizers and attendees.  With this truly unique “open source” fan engagement platform, Electric Forest harnesses the creativity and passion of its community members, offering real and tangible ways for fans to participate in and ultimately help shape the Electric Forest experience. This is a big deal, since for Electric Forest – experience trumps all.

The Curated Events series is back with Forest Family favorite Louis the Child bringing an eclectic lineup (and an LTC Sunset Playground Set) to their Playground Stage – and Bassrush returns to shake Tripolee once again.

Hailed as “an amazing example of how music and festivals can change one’s outlook on life,” it’s widely understood that “one of the most important lessons [to be] learned in the Forest is that we are all together,” and this sense of community is truly “cherished [within the community] like the incredibly rare find it is.” 

Visit their website and like their social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube.

Be on the lookout for the new wranglers correspondent at Electric Forest. The Iceman will be taking photographs and interviews and bringing his own blurry version of the truth to the party.

Follow the wranglers to Craig’s Creek and Bonnaroo and the way to Rothbury. Visit our recent additions with Suwannee Rising 22 and FloydFest Heartbeat Preview and Diet Plan. See you in Sherwood Forest yo. Be wary of the parasite.

#EF2022 #ElectricForest #ForestFamily #PlugInToEF (referring to Plug In Programs)

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