This is Suwannee Resonate. Famously one of the best get-downs of 2023. Ask anyone. And the Suwannee faithful were back and geared up for the needle drop. It’s the return of Pedro la Destructora and her front yard, dumpster fire. It’s a hot biscuit of a mess. Get in line. Take the money. He doesn’t bite, the check’s in the mail and I don’t do this with every guy. Refrain  from chasing after buses or women, you’ll get left behind every time.¹ Welcome to Suwannee Resonate “24: Pedro’s Lost Journal.

The following exerts from Pedro’s Lost journal. Recovered, at great loss of life, from the Garifuna jungles of coastal Honduras, all entries have been recounted verbatim. Believe what you want but some things cannot be unread.

From The the Lost Journal of Pedro la Destructora, “The Book of Forgotten Tomorrows” 2024.

Wait, there’s music at this party?

Clock was erected and chimed correctly each hour. Renegades aplenty. Emma crushed lot. A cute kid even though her parents were first cousins. The KH security team used radios to police the thugs from Jacksonville and keep the flags safe. Honorable mention: Andy Davenport of the Tiny Show.

Once again, the Mississppi blue-ribbon goes to Future Joy for bringing the ultimate A game. Emily and Zack for the win.

Thanks to Karla for including the wranglers and Paul for hosting some of the most ferocious parties in the Orion Cluster. The Spirit of Suwannee Music Park is home to Kamp Happiness and we are proud to be its stewards. Keep up with the wrangler elite as we head to Chillicothe for Solshine Reverie and then to Mountain Music Festival in West Virginia. The festival season is upon us in a most brutal and beautiful way.

Beware the morality police. Do not abide their flimsy whims. And beware the expectation monster. Visit last years gibberish with Resonate “23: A Truly Beautiful Picture and like the wranglers social media sites on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube. Thanks for believing in science.

References

¹ Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, directed by Simon Wincer (1991; Los Angeles, CA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

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Set in the midst of 800 acres of Spanish moss-draped oak and cypress trees along the Suwannee River, the venue is a playground and the festival celebrates community based fun, growing friendships, laughing families, and that feel-good feeling you get from hanging out in such a beautiful natural setting. This is the place to make new memories with friends old and new while gathering in a picturesque setting breathing in the songs that fill the air… as they say at SOSMP: “Music Lives Here.”

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Things are heating up in the south as the Florida Spring Festival Season continues. The Suwannee Spring Reunion takes place Thursday through Sunday, March 21-24 at The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP). Set in the midst of 800 acres of majestic Spanish moss-draped oak and cypress trees along the Suwannee River, this family-friendly festival boasts four days and nights of music rooted in Americana, newgrass, bluegrass, folk, blues, and more. Featuring music on multiple stages, with many repeat performers throughout the weekend, “24 Suwannee Spring Reunion Schedule Announced! “Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida, would seem the most unlikely of bluegrass epicenters, but legends and new stars alike flock there every spring for an in-the-know festival,” wrote Rolling Stone.

This stellar lineup promises an exciting start to the long weekend’s festivities with Keller Williams’ PettyGrass ft. The HillBenders headlining Thursday night—bringing bluegrass versions of Tom Petty Hits; get ready to sing along at SOSMP’s gorgeous Amphitheater Stage. Prior to PettyGrass the Amphitheater Stage are The Steels Wheels, who are rolling into Florida with a brand new album, Sideways, in hand— they also perform in the Music Hall later that night. Alt-country honky-tonk rebels Town Mountain (also bringing a fresh new release: Dance Me Down Easy: The Woodstock Sessions EP), will close out the night on the Amp Stage with their first set of the weekend (Thu/Fri). Over on the Porch Stage on Thursday we see the first sets of the weekend from Country-soul rocker Leon Timbo & The Family Band (Thu/Fri), the soul-folk of Hattie & Joe Craven Trio (Thur/Fri/Sat), and the first set from The Grass is Dead (Thu/Sun). Sloppy Joe opens the festival at 4pm on the Amphitheater stage and can also be heard throughout the weekend on various stages and in the campground at their own, open call, pickin’ party site—Slopryland. Before the legendary Sam Bush takes center stage on Friday night, Americana blues icon Bettye Lavette makes her stage debut at the Park on the Amphitheater Stage. With their first set of the weekend, Railroad Earth (Fri/Sat) closes up the late night on the Amp Stage. In the midst of all that goodness on Friday—and in between the aforementioned sets—over on The Porch Stage will be Darrell Scott (also playing Sat), Town Mountain, and the first of a few sets from roots rockin’ troubadours Donna the Buffalo (Fri/Sat/Sun). Saturday night is a double dose with Railroad Earth returning The Amp Stage, preceded by what is sure to be a soul-stirring set of mountain music by Steep Canyon Rangers. Donna the Buffalo is sure to keep everybody dancing to the wee hours, closing the stage late-night. Saturday on the Porch Stage we see the first sets of the weekend by Peter Rowan & The Walls of Time Band (Peter Rowan, Chris Henry, David Mansfield III, David Grier, Mike Bub, Larry Atamanuik); and The Mosier Brothers Band (featuring Jeff Mosier’s Scruggs’-style banjo prowess and Johnny Mosier’s rockin guitar chops, founders of Blueground Undergrass—a former Suwannee staple act (Fri/Sat/Sun)). Also on the Porch on Saturday is rising bluegrass star Colby T Helms & The Virginia Creepers. Currently on tour with a new album: Tales of Misfortune, Helms makes his Suwannee debut Friday in the Dance Tent. Sunday, dubbed “Vassar Sunday” by regular attendees and staff, is a musical day of gathering, celebration, and rememberance of those who came and played before (Vassar Clements, Sue Cunninham, Guy Clark, Col. Bruce Hampton, just to name a few) and those who carry on the traditions of what started at the park way back in 1997. Fueled with anticipation, Donna the Buffalo will close out the evening with a special set—bringing up to the stage just about every artist who is left at the fest. Other performances that day leading into the finale include Jim Lauderdale, Verlon Thompson, The Mosier Brothers, and Peter Rowan & The Walls of Time Band. The weekend is jam-packed with multiple sets by many at all of the festival stages (Amphitheater Stage, Porch Stage, Dance Tent Stage, Music Hall, & Music Farmers Stage) Along with some of those mentioned above, there will be multiple sets by Jim Lauderdale (Sat/Sun), Verlon Thompson (Fri/Sat/Sun), Roy Book Binder (Fri/Sat), Shawn Camp (Fri/Sat), Seth Walker (Fri/Sat), Jon Stickley Trio (Fri/Sat),  Fireside Collective (Fri/Sat), David Grier (Fri), Nikki Talley Band (Thu, Sun), Free Range Strange (Sat), Habanero Honeys (Sat), Quartermoon (Fri/Sat and throughout the weekend hosting campground pickin’ at the Bill Monroe Shrine), John Mailander: Artist-at-Large through the weekend, and Magic Moon Traveling Circus. Something special to note about the lineup is that it includes artists with storied histories of epic Suwannee performances over the years. Matching the history on the stage, longtime park hosts, Randy and Beth Judy, are partnered with the Spirit of the Suwannee to make sure that every piece needed to make an epic weekend. It is home to generations of families who have gathered year after year to experience that shared connection to the music and the commitment to the notion of something bigger than ourselves. Festival Director Beth Judy says “From the very beginning, in 1997, with our first festival at SOSMP (SpringFest), we set an intention of a community of love and healing and music and positive impact on the lives of the people who were there. And we attracted those people who needed that in their lives, and many of them are still coming. The Suwannee Spring Reunion is a new version of the events we began so long ago when music festivals were just starting to pop up again after Jerry’s passing. SpringFest and MagFest had changed and evolved over the years and now we are gathering everyone together for the  big reunion and revival of what commenced during those early years.” “There’s this unique, communal spirit here, where it’s homelike for us,” says Sam Bush in an interview with Rolling Stone’s Garret Woodward. “And you find yourself thinking about some of our brethren that aren’t here anymore, but especially Vassar [Clements] — he ruled this place.” “‘It was probably around 2004 [when we first played the park],” Steep Canyon Rangers singer-banjoist Graham Sharp tells Woodward, ‘We’ve been able to trace our band and its evolution through this festival, from being a traditional bluegrass band to being whatever the hell we are now — this place is a natural home for that.’” They say the stars come out at night. And at Suwannee that is not only true in seeing the clear nighttime skies, but also throughout the park. Many of the festival musicians convene in the campgrounds when things light up at night. There are literally dozens of theme camps, many of them with clever fun names, that have their own style and vibe. There will also be daily Umalumina Yoga with Rhonda Bell. The Suwannee Spring Reunion community has something going on around the clock. That said, if sleep is important to you, there are plenty of camping areas where it’s low key, so sleep is a possibility. No recorded or amplified music is permitted in the campground during this festival, so any music happening is live and acoustic. A couple of workshops in the Music Hall to watch out for are The Devil’s Box – A Fiddle Workshop with Joe Craven, John Mailander & Lyndsay Pruett (Fri) and Colby T Helms is leading a workshop on guitar influences and styles (Sat). Stay tuned for further news about a wide range of hand-on workshops on the Music Farmers Stage, sponsored by the festival’s nonprofit arm, Live Oak Music and Arts Foundation (LOMAF). There will be a raffle to raise money for LOMAF, which is earmarked for music and arts programs locally in North Florida schools and includes the Suwannee Spirit Kids Music Camp. Multi-day Weekend Tickets include primitive camping. Prices go to the next tier on March 1. Children 12 and under are free if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Military/Student discounts available as well as RV upgrades, golf carts, and other amenities. For complete ticket information, visit www.suwanneespringreunion.com/Tickets. Suwannee Spring Reunion 2024 Lineup & Days Performing: Sam Bush (Fri), Railroad Earth (Fri/Sat), Steep Canyon Rangers (Sat), Peter Rowan Walls of Time Band (Sat/Sun), Donna the Buffalo (Fri/Sat/Sun), Keller Williams’ PettyGrass ft. The HillBenders (Thu), Bettye LaVette (Fri), The Steel Wheels (Thu x 2), Darrell Scott (Fri/Sat), Town Mountain (Thu/Fri), Seth Walker (Fri/Sat), Jon Stickley Trio (Fri/Sat), Fireside Collective (Fri/Sat), Jim Lauderdale (Sat/Sun), Donna the Buffalo with Jim Lauderdale (Sat), Verlon Thomson with Jim Lauderdale (Sat), Verlon Thompson  (Fri/Sat/Sun), Shawn Camp (Fri/Sat), Shawn Camp & Verlon Thompson (Sat), Shawn Camp & Verlon Thompson doing the songs of Guy Clark (Fri), The Mosier Brothers Band (Fri/Sat/Sun), The Grass Is Dead (Thu/Sun), Roy Book Binder (Thu/Fri/Sat), Hattie & Joe Craven Trio (Thu/Fri/Sat), David Grier (Fri), Leon Timbo & The Family Band (Thu/Fri), Colby T Helms & The Virginia Creepers (Fri/Sat), Nikki Talley Band (Thu/Sun), Free Range Strange (Sat x2), Sloppy Joe (all), Quartermoon (all), Habanero Honeys (Sat), John Mailander: Artist At Large (all), Magic Moon Traveling Circus For more information, please visit the Spring Reunion website. Like their Facebook page and be on the look out for the Suwannee Roots Revival lineup announcement. Music Lives Here.

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Resonate Suwannee Music & Arts Festival is set to make its highly anticipated return to the illustrious Spirit of Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP) in Live Oak, FL, for a three-day celebration from April 4th to 6th, 2024. Building upon the success of its previous three editions, Resonate Suwannee promises an extraordinary musical journey with an exceptional lineup curated in collaboration with instrumental jamtronica trailblazers STS9. Thank goodness for Florida in the spring. Resonate Suwannee “24 drops the lineup. Welcome home.

This year’s headliners represent a convergence of musical genres, featuring an eclectic fusion of electronic, funk, and jam artists. Attendees will enjoy four sets by STS9, the atmospheric sounds of Tycho, the progressive stylings of Papadosio, and a special DJ set by the dynamic funk duo Chromeo. The lineup further showcases the visionary sounds of Dimond Saints, the funky rhythms of Dumpstaphunk, and the unparalleled energy of Ghost-Note.

Attendees can look forward to three days of musical bliss across three stages: the Amphitheater the Porch, and the Music Hall. Primitive camping is included with ticket purchases, and upgraded sites and cabins will be available for those seeking enhanced accommodations. As Resonate Suwannee continues to evolve, the festival is presented by Essential Productions, a prominent Midwest-based music event production team, and Paul Levine of Purple Hat Productions.

Resonate Suwannee Artist Lineup: STS9 x 4, Tycho, Papadosio, Chromeo (DJ Set), Dimond Saints, Dumpstaphunk, Ghost-Note, KR3TUR, K + Lab x 2, Late Night Radio, lespecial, Maddy O’Neal, Mark Farina x 2, Megan Hamilton, Mindex, Moontricks, The New Mastersounds, Ott. x 2, Sneezy, Sunsquabi, Afrobeta, Austin Van Der Bleek, Ben Clonch & Friends, Booty Boo, Future Joy, LPT, Sauce Pocket, Side Trakd, Vlad the Inhaler, Thought Process, Humandala, STS9 Side Projects: sub-ID, Zach Velmer and more.

Visit the Resonate Suwannee website and like their social media sites on Facebook, Instagram and X/Twitter. The future is nigh. Tickets on sail now.

About Essential Productions: Essential Productions is a music event production company based in the Cincinnati, OH, and Northern Kentucky area. Partners Casey Schneider, Kevin Harris, and Zack Szabo began
booking shows independently and combined forces in 2013. Most recently, EP has shifted its focus to Resonate Music and Arts Festival located at SOSMP.

About Purple Hat Productions: Paul Levine, the mastermind behind Purple Hat Productions, has founded several beloved events held at the SOSMP, including Bear Creek Music Festival, Purple Hatters Ball, and Hulaween, among several others. Other national events include Fool’s Paradise in St. Augustine and Daze Between in New Orleans.

About Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park: Set amid 800 acres of Spanish moss-draped oak and cypress along the black Suwannee River and complete with the largest bat house in the southeast U.S., SOSMP is one of the most beautiful live music venues in the country. The park also offers guest comforts, including a general store, a full-service restaurant, free showers, indoor bathrooms, and water stations.

Be sure to visit last year’s contribution with Resonate 23: A Truly Beautiful Picture and visit our wook wranglers social media platforms. Be sure to visit last year’s contribution with Resonate 23: A Truly Beautiful Picture and visit our wook wranglers social media platforms. Keep up as we plow straight into the Florida spring festival season. This is what’s happening. Prepare to be harvested.

Vote Pedro.

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The ten year anniversary the of Full Moon Family Reunion brought everything to the hagglin’ table and produced one of the slickest music festivals of all time. Improving on an already crystalline formula, Hula continues to get better each year and everyone, from the professional cuddlers to the river pirates raised the ante and doubled on the bet. The Spirit of Suwannee Music Park fam reached new heights with this addition of the annual Halloween festival and, once again the forests and fields served as a perfect backdrop for the countless adventures and experiences that would materialize under the magical beauty of the cypress trees. The weather was perfect all week in Live Oak reminding us why it’s perfect time for the annual shift to the tropics. For many of the Hulaween faithful, the Spirit of the Suwwannee Music Park is home and in the words of Shanaenae of Free Range Strange, at their Friday set on the Campground Stage, “It’s good to be home.” Let go. Bats aren’t real. Wade in the water. This is Immersion Therapy at Suwannee Hulaween “23. We are not human traffic cones. This is our time. This is our place. This is our story.

Immersion/Exposure Therapy? A phobia is an anxiety disorder involving excessive and persistent fear of a situation or object. Exposure to the source of the fear can trigger an immediate anxiety response. Immersion therapy is a psychological technique which allows a patient to overcome fears and can be used for anxiety and panic disorders. How many people at the show can get uncomfortable in large crowds? Get ready to face all of your phobias. Dirt? Loud noises? Ground glitter? Hulaween is bubbling, frothing ready to address all of your psychoanalytic needs and show you how really silly the whole thing can be. Just lie back and let it happen. The doctor is in.

C’mon now. The yoke was never supposed to be that heavy. What would be the point in something like that? Call it creative design but let’s assume the universe was written with more elaborate purpose. Mixed in with the call to arms, there is surely a time for celebration, frivolity and fun. Get out of the head. Do the work. Breath. Stay up all night. Sing. Dance. Let go. Serve. Embrace the ego death. Dip your balls in it. Suwannee Hulaween celebrated its ten year anniversary with a Full Moon Family Reunion that took everything Hula has learned in a decade and rolled it all into one overstuffed burrito of high-science, sharp fun. It was a heaping spoonful of high exposure and data overload, yes and thank you. Your pleasure is my time. The lineup was filled with four straight days of eclectic, gender-bending music, artists, vending, food, friends and loose side adventures.The String Cheese Incident and Pretty Lights anchored a list that included Trey Anastasio Band, Goose, Free Range Strange, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, JRAD, Lespecial, John Summit, Dispatch and a metric ton of more. For goodness sake and criminy peat, what else could you need?

Prologue. Lucy and Baitbucket stopped in Rome, Georgia for a few days of stagehand work and were going to be dangerously tardy for homesteading property in the Farm Field. They had somewhere around thirty people coming to camp near the shade of the Poncho Tree so there was definitely work to be done. The Pine and Farm Field is covedeth land and fortunately the greasiest Mexican came Sunday early and worked with Lil d Big Arel from Cheese. Love. Sauce. to rope off some plantation land, near the Titty Kitties (always) and across the street from Mateo and the River Pirates in the Pine Field. Location, location, location. One can just see this place turning into Asheville. Sure to sellout the first chance they get. They come early and like hummingbirds and salmon, return to the same spots every year so they can mate and die. It’s important the Shady Witch of the Panhandle can find Kamp Happiness within the flashing mural of pounding madness. Hippies use front door. You should check it out. It’s pretty inviting. All are welcome.

Hobo Kamp homesteaded a sliver of land at the Poncho Tree and set up shop in original Kamp Happiness settlement. The Hurt Locker landed near the bat house crossroads and homesteaded a sizable patch right on main street. Somewhere between Major Malfunktion and Live Oak, there came a tear in her in her inflatable rainbow. Somehow Baitbucket was going to have to shift the blame to Boston and Sam. It would be easy. They were a known pair of degenerates and admitted criminals. Richmond trash book ended the strip with Kiera and Q the Roanoke Mafia at the other end. Thanks to Pedro and Lil d for saving space in the Pine Field which filled up quickly. Thanks to the unpaid, unsung minions who helped people find places to park without upsetting each other or the natural balance. Wednesday is easy when level heads prevail and isn’t it in the best interest of the park that we take an ownership role and become stewards of our own forest? You already know. The math checks out.

Wednesday. Data Overload. Encroachment Issues and More…

He was afraid to open the antique suitcase. He could only dare to imagine what was inside? A raping ball of black mambas? Roasted monkey nuts? It was stenciled with their emblem y Mateo. It would prove to be a Linda piano accordion from Italy mixed with a dense black mold that would later and forever imprint his mother’s guest room. It was as wide as a Plymouth and twice as heavy. It was providence that it was always going to end up with Mateo, who ended up with his lightning bolt jacket from Rum 132.

World’s worst ambassador “puts the lotion on the pig.”

Ryan Mason coined the look of the high vis vest. Where did the radios even come from? Who was he actually speaking to? It was connected to someone at Cheese. Love. Sauce. Maybe? Who were they? “It puts the lotion on the pig?” and other hideous, whispering sounds. What did it mean? Audio hallucination had begun to seep into the fold.

Golly. Don’t worry there old chap. It’s not just you. Everyone is having a psychotic episode. It’s all happening at the same time and it’s your turn to push through. Moonspittle approached Pedro’s garbage patch asking for an escort back to Hippy Trail. One of the pleasures of any busy festival is the chance to have one-on-one walks with friends and a little time to visit. The sunrise conversations over gateway specialty cocktails like potato salad coladas and Bloody Marys iced with dirt and ash. Hulaween fancy.

Baitbucket had made a gentleman’s agreement with the neighbors on what would constitute the property line between the two camps. EJ pulled in with hashtag vanlife and ripped back into her usual spot with veracious impunity. Reports that she’d been lost to the loop had been thankfully exaggerated. She was back in the woods with her people. Shortly after, several long recreation vehicles sat blinking in the middle of the fire lane, waiting for someone to move the van, to which EJ and her keys were nowhere to be found. Baitbucket opted to remove himself from the scene and hide at the Hurt Locker on the other side of the field. At precisely the same time, the chicken bus trying to back into a sliver of space behind the Oldsmowagon smashed the pile of Pedro’s possessions with its quarter panel, sending the rest of her junk into the antique grotto and trash emporium. They appeared to be losing control of the area. As so far it had been kept organized and calm but chaos was slowly creeping in. Like Bedouin traders living in a gypsy paradise. Never miss a Wednesday show.

When the shadow people come calling,  through one over your shoulder and help someone find a place to park. There’s room for everyone who uses their inside voice, otherwise your campsite could be the site of a sunrise megaphone meditation of bull whip clinic. Live Oak tribe grew up here. They are the workers, the pirates, the camp musicians. Professional tweakers of the spunion tribe.

Ingress

The White Ninja was hiding in plain sight. They’d camped next to he and the Roberto at Elements and accepted the invite to Hulaween. Good idea Francisco. It boggles the mind how KH could miss Tristan and Cat completely but the White Ninja could run into his ex girlfriend seven times a day. Just lucky I guess. Likely he got tossed and ended up at the Billy Strings/Sierra squared WrestleMania.

7:50

Seat’s Taken. Did you witness the various iterations of Forrest Gump running around the venue with runner, table tennis, Vietnam, Bubba Gump… all zipping alone through the campsites and coming together in the venue.

At some point he believed the Iceman was trying to smuggle himself in or was lurking about and using the megaphone he put a bounty on his head hoping to influence some kind of man-hunt. It was all for moot. No one was actually listening and subsequently the megaphone was taken away and returned to its rightful owners. Sad face emoji. Tough titty said the kitty but the milk tastes good.

In the gathering of lovers,

there is no high, no low,

no smart, no ignorant, no special assembly,

no grand discourse, no proper schooling required.

There is no master, no disciple.

This gathering is more like a drunken party,

full of tricksters, fools, mad men and mad women.

This is a gathering of lovers.

– Rumi

El Scorpio was working the Circle K? Trading Post when a young wookling came up and began dancing barefoot on his inventory. He broke a couple of masks before spitting on the pile and and suggesting his spit was worth some intrinsic value. When asked if he could trade a hug for a product, El Scoripio starred at him disgusted and screamed, “Don’t touch me”. Beat it hippie. Hugs don’t pay the bills.

El Scorpio the Consigliere and Hippies Dressed as Cops…

He was so proud of his new shower and why not? Fancy people deserve VIPness treatment. One second it’s a private place to wash that stink off, the next minute Blanco is standing outside of the shower tent hunkered over as her long curls are caught in the zipper. Naked and screaming as she slowly is being devoured by fire ants. Welcome to the portal.

The Consigliere and Blanco raided the Frick Frack table late night. EJ had already fleeced them but they ended up with his glowing scorpion belt buckle. “They took everything from me.” By the time he walked into camp he was wearing nothing but a barrel with old leather straps over the shoulders. He still had his scorpion bola tie but it was obvious the cards hadn’t fallen his way. Probably Sheriff Phoenix, he’s a sly one and has to be watched. Keeper of lost souls indeed. Blanco was dressed as a cop and along with the flashlight she had hippies walking the straight line all night. Gambling is an addiction but the Consigliere knew when to stop. He’d been trying to win the antique bingo spinner for Pedro’s bingo extravaganza that would never actually happen in a million-trillion years. Everyone was still on the lookout for the scorpion belt buckle, but the Frack thugs were keeping it close to the proverbial vest.

Something was wrong with the Consigliere and Lucy knew it. He looked at her with his Katy Perry lizard eye, its sideways blinking lens.  Good luck finding a Japanese woman to suck out your Wal Mart contacts when it gets logged behind your troglodyte skull. Around five am security scooted in to shut down the El Scorpio request happy hour. Quiet time? Methinks a hard no. This is Hulaween and we are camped in the dirt with the forest people. This shop is open 24 hours a day.

The Art of the Disco Nap

He slept on the outdoor rug with two squishmallows, Kierra’s inflatable couch in Ka’aoli’s kitchen. Friday night it was a lawn chair at Mateo’s house and the passenger side of someone’s unlocked vehicle. He woke up and the sky was changing color. The phone read 7:30 but he didn’t know if it was am or pm. Which way were the bats heading? He wasn’t sure what day it was and for that matter he didn’t care. He was lost in the nebula and it felt good. All was well in the world.

George and Blancito led the way with nightly homegrown camp music. As per usual, Big Betty would shake her curves and invite other men to slap her. If they had only known the dumpster fire that would come with the pleasure. Something that could be felt down to the bone of the bone. Someone from Cheese. Love. noted how everyone shared at Hulaween and she had never seen a festival with such a collaborative spirit.

Beware the Expectation Monster. It was the warmest time of the day when the Consigiliere offered him the honey. Lord knows he needed it. His voice had been gone since Thursday and it felt like he’d guzzled an ashtray colada. The honey, which unknowingly had been sitting in the sun all day, squirted down his gullet with surprising force and ease. Bucket realized only a few seconds later that it was some kind of spicy pepper honey and he was the victim of a premeditated and cowardly attack by a pathetic man-child. Others would suggest the fake hundreds were the worst joke of the week, but the honey was worser.

Spunderella claimed she was a “professional cuddler” but a nube, shocked even to hear Werewolves of London and coming to understand that no drug is ever as potent at lack of sleep. Mikey won at wook bingo when he unzipped his tent only to find Baitbucket rolled up in his bed and sleeping soundly.

Kudos to the Soup Kitchen for winning the Mississippi blue ribbon first place award for best top knot. Second place went to some Lil d with his, “samurai fun house gremlin” and for the passing by hipster who wouldn’t consent to enter the contest. For his efforts, or lack thereof, he shall receive a single lump of dried dog poop and a lifetime of anguish. Congratulations to all our winners.

 A Hulaween tradition, all the hippies found their way to Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and a Terrapin closer that left a lingering tingle that would remain all weekend. Terrapin Thursday? The Friday lineup was one of the best days of music ever. Bucket spent the whole afternoon and night wandering from camp to camp visiting friends and making new ones. His lineup included Free Range Strange, Roosevelt Collier Band, String Cheese, String Cheese, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, Trey Anastasio Band, Goose and Lespecial closing it out. Damn son, that’s a full menu.

Alley Cat was reported cutting off people’s hair without permission. She’d found her way back to Hobo Kamp after last year’s sunrise megaphone meditation and was apparently saving the hair for some kind of putrid shrine. Red flag. Bandera roja. She even managed to pull a little from security which, once again did a spectacular job of moving people along safely and without hassle. The lines were short and the attitudes were gracious. Saving lives, one hippy at a time.

Brocoliah and Justin owned the east side of the street where her leave on/take one produced the occasional airplane bottle of Rumplemintz. She and George joined for primordial groundscore Monday and there is nothing in the world more fun. Lucy’s legs were bloated, her feet tingling and scarred, and she had strawberries on her hips from wiping out the electric bike in the sugar sand. Her fingernails contained all manner of filth and her feet? You already know, hooves black as pitch. They were misplacing things as fast as they were finding them. Short term memory had definitely taken a backseat to free roaming brown outs. The weatherman called for a high chance of scattered gravity storms.

Randy Savagery and The Strange. The Florida Fam showed up en masse for the Free Range Strange set on Friday at the Campground Stage. That’s right big boy, it’s the savagery that makes us randy. And don’t get us started about the beast on bluegrass cajon. The prisons in Florida must have revolving doors. The whole show was filled with fierce music, dancing and family fun. One of the best shows of the weekend to be sure. They may have missed their late night Strange set at Kamp Happiness due to the fact they were already eating fried hamsters in Cuzco. There is no more joyous sound than Sunnie Rae’s voice lifting through the Suwannee forest till the wee hours of the morning. Boom. Mop wig drop.

“I thank the Lord for the people I have found.”

                                                                                                                     Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, E. John.

In memorandum for Clayopheus I the original Roanoke Mafia (Shawsvegas Annex) and premier Hulaween creature. His ghost and many others danced alongside the living through the weekend.

Obviously, there was something wrong with him. He couldn’t seem to get out of the ants. He continued to scream the scream of a man who was mired in a helpless maze of deeply personal confusion. Ross starred at the vivid scene with sadness.. There was really nothing he could do for the fool. After he’d calmed down a bit, he was asked to move his vehicle backwards a few feet for Jenn and Ross. It shouldn’t have been such a chore but he was having some kind of fit and his brain had atrophied to that of an infant. The car was backing up much faster than he’d expected it should. There was little room for error as he, unable to find the brake pedal, rolled backwards toward the open door of the school bus. Where was the damned brake pedal? The car continued to steam backwards and as he finally leaned hard onto the emergency brake the vehicle slowly came to rest just a few inches from the bus. Take these keys. Get the behind me Satan.

River Pirates

Gandalf the Greasy and the Suwanee River Pirates raised the bar at this year’s celebration coming away with thirteen Jolly Rogers at last count. Planning combined with practiced execution makes this crew one of the most formidable anywhere. Their twenty-four hour security team patrols the square where the booty is displayed and in tandem with the outer ring of buried Alaskan badger traps, it’s a rare bird that wins back her freedom. What lesson did the River Pirates teach everyone this year? Don’t bring your Jolly Roger to Live Oak if you care about it. Keep it at home under your bed. Mail it to your grandmother up north. Fold it up and hide it in a time capsule for a thousand years, just don’t bring it to Suwannee. There are pirates in these woods and they follow their own code of conduct. Production will always get the worst of it. Crew One, James Thomas? Yes all day. Pangea? Yes more. You will always get the worst of it and for you, no quarter will be given. Sorry, not sorry. Go have a Four Loco. There are no cherry pickers in hell.

Amigos of Pedro, Serious Homesteading and A Mexican Cheese Wedding

Her jacket was made from the upholstery of a 1982 sofa bed from Sarasota. All she was missing was the grotesquely over sized partical board entertainment shelf and a linty pocket of old, hard candy. The Captain’s hat was only for aesthetics as she’d lost her captain’s licence running generic viagara and Mayan artifacts through the Bay of Honduras. The pocket watch was still on Chillicothe time. Summer Camp executive. Still, through all the missteps of life found the uncommon streetwalker laying in the pile of discarded trash she called her front yard. Mike had to learn the hard way, when you move next door to someone, you can’t know that they’re going to leave all of their kid’s plastic toys outside forever. Just go ahead and leave the Christmas lights up, it’s already trashy. There was no method to the madness and it got worse as the weekend progressed. And then the Mexican finds a perfect pair of Birkinstocks in the garbage? Likely left in the ball pit by some fraternity boy during late night, tag-team “cougar hour”.

It was the best of times. There was the unsanctioned wedding during the String Cheese set and afternoon dips in the moldy ball pit. Used whipits and warm beer lay around the campsite alsongside other items she brought for the Trading Post. An old tire? Brown flowers? It had a complete Sanford and Son vibe about it and that’s how it would stay.

It wasn’t all a dusty Mexican flea market. There was the pornography section in the prison library, the leave 0ne, take one Mr. Clinkies and they’d brought over a cabana to put near the ball pit. Across the street it was late night road flares creating bubble sand hippy art? And salvation for all the beach goers in the form of the Eucharist? No. This does not compute. It only happens at Hulaween and only by people to the extreme of the deflated rainbow spectrum. Saving souls, one hippy at a time.

Show me what you got!

Circle K? Trading Post. The happy couple did disappear on one of the busiest days of the year. Probably in Costa Rica lounging on a hanging bed in their honeymoon chickee. Luckily the Consigliere was there to pick up the slack and work doubles Saturday and Sunday. The cream always rises to the top. The Sunday night Circle K? proved to be as active as ever and hot trades were the order of the day. Odesza drumsticks and set list from Bonnaroo? VIP shower coupons for Peach? Undersized Green Team vest for Electric Forest? It just goes on. Find the hagglin’ post at your next festival. Okeechobee rag for Pac Man game? Hmmm. Who is watchin’ the store?

2:37

Mateo’s drums and Benjamin’s guitar could be heard across the Pine Field as live music filled the honeypot all weekend. In a festival with a history of late night renegades and sunrise dj, the last few years have shown a real growth in homemade campfire music.Who was that vanilla savage playing the reed accordion like an Ecuadorian street musician? He still owed $40 for the apple pie moonshine and those cracker hoodlums took the little red rooster as collateral. And just after he’d paid the ransom to get it back from those Axton bitches and the Blue Ridge dumpster fire. Lil d tried to come in hard with a leg drop and about blew off the rooster’s entire head and neck. Luckily he only weighed 56 pounds and harmlessly bounced away into the dust and brambles. Luckily he ran with a chicken doctor. He really needed to find a better class of friends.

Phobias are one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States. Typical symptoms of phobias can include nausea, trembling, rapid heartbeat, feelings of unreality, and being preoccupied with the fear object. Exposure therapy is a type of therapy in which you’re gradually exposed to the things, situations and activities you fear. Hulaween is an open floodgate of serious medicine.

10 Phobias that can be impacted by Hulaween immersion/exposure therapy

• Ataxophobia: Fear of disorder or untidiness (Visit Pedro’s trash grotto and lukewarm ball pit)
• Dendrophobia: Fear of trees (It’s Outerroo for you. Or eat a heroic dose, sit next to a turkey oak and see what happens)
• Erotophobia: Fear of sex (Not a problem since you have ablutophobia. Or is this one of those weekends when you’re “not really looking”. Please. You be playin’ hard to want.)
• Insectophobia: Fear of insects (Cuddling with pet ticks and Squishmallows on the outdoor rug is pure gold.)
• Thughophobia: Fear of unknowingly trying to use a fake $100 in Cracker Barrel with your family.
• Nyctophobia: Fear of the dark (Second grade called and said “pull it together”.)
• Catagelophobia: Fear of being ridiculed (Do not leave your tent)
• Samhainophobia: Fear of Halloween (Welcome to the portal.)
• Trypophobia: Fear of holes (Reality will be waiting when you finally emerge)
• Ablutophobia: Fear of bathing (Try the 4:30 am boy shower for lukewarm water.)

The Quinn’s Wedding. Impassable Palisades and Morning Waves. The Kitty Titties were having a wedding. The Quinns had found each other and he’d learned when to be quiet. Lucy, Bfly and the Ninja headed to the chapel for the ceremony only to find it had been taken over by the Mural Maze and there was no wedding present. There were three weddings happening simultaneously and hopes of finding the Quinns was slim. Hopeless and deflated, some informed stranger pointed them toward the ceremony inside. They poorly attempted to climb onto the ramparts but the Alamo was easier to get into than this place. The front door was locked, they couldn’t dig under and they couldn’t scale the palisades. Through the gaps in the wood they could see inside and what appeared to be a young boy/man dressed like a short, golden troll. A few moments later the happy couple and court would emerge ready to embark on a life of marriage bliss.

For the second year KH has done their business next to the Titty Kitties. The Kitties show up for Sunrise Reflection and adult meditations in G. In a world of spikes and troughs on the cardiograph of life, the goal is the short wave. Thank you to the original Monkey King for the sunrise sessions. You can’t always choose your neighbors in the forest, sometimes they choose you. Don’t worry, Monroe trash of the seventeenth order, you can eat crackers in my bed anytime, baby.

Keep up with the Hulaween website and check out their social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Thanks to Bfly for her wildlife photographs and contributing writers Lil d and the Consigliere. The stolen megaphone has a wook wranglers sticker on it so keep a keen eye out. Photo of Sunnie Ray by @onnamaya.
Ed. note: No part of the Farm Field is quiet camping. No sir. Go anywhere else.

Of course this is merely one version of the story. One point of view in a endless plane of points of view. In some ways it changes a little each year and in many ways, it remains the change. Believe what you want. Who could, in good faith, trust these blistered visions from the minds and bodies of people removing sleep, food and water from their diet. Under no circumstances would any of the aforementioned be considered a credible witness. For now, the Hobo Kamp continues to live in the shade of the Farm Field, right next to the Pine Field and not far from the bat house. C’mon Magellan, it’s one of the largest bat houses in the southeast United States. Follow the guano.

Epilogue: They were sharing saline snot with him against his will. He contracted the wook flu. This party is not for the faint of heart. It’s outrageous abuse framed in equal parts savage love and perfect practice. You thought you were the host and you were actually the host. As a vector, mosquitoes don’t get tapeworms. It’s not your fault just because you never wash your hands. It’s all about the weakest link in the most primordial sense. Don’t let the party pound you into sugar sand. You’re stronger than you know. For Christmas he would be asking for a stomach pump, iron lung, blood transfusion and Flor de Caña iv drip. It was time to head to the Villages and dry out for a few days. His mother would beat him in golf and then cut out his dreadlocks in between deep, coma-like sleeps. You are healed. Thanks Hula for providing a safe place for folks to let their hair down and howl at the moon.

Visit some of our Hulaween articles from the vault. Ten Years of Suwannee Hulaween. Dance of the Monkey Kings. Cheese. Love. Sauce. The Kamp Ha Penis Dumpster Fire. and visit our spots on the etherweb at Facebook, Instagram and X/Twitter. Thanks. Science is real.

Thanks for keeping the wook wranglers near and dear to your festival heart. We love different festivals for different reasons but it always comes back to family. Hulaween is a family festival and the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park is our home park. Thanks to everyone who contributed to what was an unforgettable party. It takes a village of idiots. It was a family reunion and a complete get all the way down. Stay close. Don’t get lost. There’s plenty to unpack here.

Look for the Hobo Kamp at Suwannee Resonate.                                                         wranglers y Mateo

The post Immersion Therapy at Suwannee Hulaween “23 appeared first on wook wranglers.

Suwannee Hulaween will celebrate its tenth-year anniversary from Thursday, October 26 – Sunday, October 29, 2023, returning home to the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida. As one of the last truly independent, large-scale music festivals thriving amongst today’s corporatized concert landscape and selling out its last five events, Hulaween will commemorate a decade of success with one of the most exciting editions yet. Headliners for the 2023 edition include six sets from festival founders The String Cheese Incident, Trey Anastasio Band, Goose, John Summit, Elderbrook, Big Wild, Channel Tres, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Smino, Dispatch, and an exclusive East Coast festival appearance from Pretty Lights with 2 sets.

Hulaween’s coveted Spirit Lake is heralded as one of the leading immersive art experiences across American festivals, brimming with talented sculptors, fire/metal workers, painters, thespians, and lighting designers. Attendees can revel in lakefront projection mapping, hypnotizing light shows, interactive installations with both visual and performance art, and catch performances at Spirit Lake’s four stages.

To celebrate the decade milestone, Spirit Lake has unveiled a comprehensive list of art programming for the first time in Hulaween’s history. While the festival would typically keep all art programming a secret for attendees until they arrived on-site, this year each artist and art collective will be credited across the festival app, website, onsite signage, and more. There are a number of Spirit Lake classics that will be returning for Hulaween’s 2023 edition including the highly-anticipated daily projection mapping from professionals Jasper & Shelby Mosher.

Hulaween fan-favorite and highly recognized art stage concept Incendia from Cory Glenn will return to once again ignite the dance floor. Serving as one of the stages of Spirit Lake, Incendia’s unique design utilizes a proprietary fire-capturing technique to create an illuminating glow that provides an unparalleled ambiance for the crowd.

The infamous Frick Frack Black Jack led by Marvelous Marv will once again return to Hulaween as the no cash, no limit blackjack game. The Frick Frack brand has grown to land across various festivals across the United States and continues to provide an enthralling and quirky experience for attendees.

The Mural Maze collection originated at the debut edition of Hulaween and has continued to grow in size over the past decade. Sprawling across 15,000 square feet, this installation provides an immersive experience for attendees and exposure and growth for visual artists. This year’s Mural Maze will be led by Ania Amador. This year The Mural Maze is expanding to include lounge and workshop space Deliberate Creation Station, The Gallery displaying artwork, and the Hydration Station.

Paul Kuhn aka Twelve Limbs Art Studio will bring back the highly-captured large-scale sculptural pieces including the Witch, Ogres, The Ferryman, and more.

Duende Builds will bring back the sustainability-built Birdhouses to Hulaween which are crafted from locally harvested natural materials to create something organically beautiful for the festival’s vast art installation display.

Additional returning installations include Thomas Dambo’s The Spider, Efren Rebugio Jr & Chris Robertson’s Haunted House, Ashley Spero’s Spero Totems, Lost Creations’ House of Lost, and Spirit Lake deco design by RÜTS.

This year will feature a selection of 10 brand-new art installations and concepts that will contribute to making this the largest Spirit Lake ever.

Tyler Schrader will debut a double-sided, interactive, wooden LED sculpture known as The Cosmic Portal which will feature 5,000 LEDs with the other side projection-mapped. It is equipped with a device that detects electrical variations of plants, translating them into vibrations, audio, and visual experiences that encourage attendees to reconnect with nature through the use of technology.

Considered ambassadors of Mexico abroad, the monumental Alebrijes are created by mixing pictorial and sculptural elements of contemporary art by the artist Emanuel Zarate Ortiz. These breathtaking installations are meant to honor tales of traditional Mexican storytelling, and inspire spiritually expansive messages to the Hulaween attendees.

Essi Rhodes’ installation titled Chatterpillars will consist of two human-size caterpillars meant to inspire a change in perspective. Fans can interact with the installation by talking into the caterpillar’s mouth so that a friend or stranger on the other side can hear their thoughts, creating a sort of childhood playground nostalgia.

In an effort to recycle those old style tube televisions, Save the TV’s Irregular Scheduled Programming will utilize these electronics to breathe life into a new display that strives to make people think twice before discarding junk and old electronics.

Subloominal & Voxeleyes will showcase interactive bioluminescent mushrooms in their Bioshroom display which are created by growing and foraging real mushrooms that are 3D scanned and digitally sculpted to be 3D printed. The artists then add LEDs and proximity sensors that will lend a unique visual component to Spirit Lake for Hulaween patrons.

Fans can look forward to more installations such as Daniel Shields’ UV reactive Portal Prism, Charlie BlackCat Smith’s flame-infused interactive steel sculpture, The Fleeble Flobbler, Tyson Ayers’ The Sound Cave, Gnome Village Minis from John Grillo, a unique Campground Stage Design from Hannah Miller and Justin Bolognino, and brand design + illustration from Young & Sick.
At the helm of this new era for Spirit Lake is the new Creative Director, Justin Bolognino who is the CEO and co-founder of META. The company creates live, multi-sensory experiences that use technology, design, and storytelling to ignite the human senses and spirit. Bolognino’s previous work consists of designing immersive artistic experiences in collaboration with artists such as Skrillex, Phish, Questlove, Porter Robinson, Tiësto, and many more. In addition to working with musical acts, META also has various brand clients such as Google, Spotify, Samsung, Vimeo, and more. Gearing up for his first Hulaween edition as Spirit Lake’s Creative Director, Bolognino has fortified the classic installations that fans have come to know and love as well as curating 10 additional installations and experiences.

Spirit Lake has become such a vital part of Hulaween’s identity with its staggering list of art installations and activities that keep fans mesmerized year after year.

The post Spirit Lake Announcements for Hulaween “23 appeared first on wook wranglers.

When people agree that Hula is their favorite music and camping festival, they say it with a conviction reserved for the few, crystalline certainties. And with pride as lifelong Floridians and Southerners, calling this our home festival and contributing to the ultimate spectacle. Your welcome. Your time is our pleasure.

A thousand apologies dear reader if the records of these events appear out of sequence. The anachronism can be attributed to ego death and the collateral ilk. Late nights, chemical toilets and sunrise sets. As with all things, time and the Hulaweens coalesce into one long happy, party memory. You’re welcome. Bet.

In no uncertain terms, the wook wranglers were born under the shade of the turkey oaks at Hulaween. It was Lil D-Big Arrel from Cheese. Love. Sauce. who first coined the phrase as the hippies passed out in groundscored beach chairs failed to respond to the cracking of the kangaroo whip. Cypher, Quinton, Emma Jay, The Captain, Cheyenne, Clayopheus the Sacred, Fooboo, Thatcher Owen Mullins and all the rest. These are ten years worth of memories and an inkling to the portent of this year’s potential.

Git on wooks!

Anybody that’s been to the Sprit of Suwanne Music Park on the last weekend of October can tell you, it only gets better ever year. Suwannee Hulaween is ready to celebrate the festival’s tenth anniversary with historic, genre-bending lineup. Following a five-year hiatus, electro-soul pioneer Pretty Lights will headline Hulaween as his only East Coast festival performance on his Soundship Spacesystem Tour. Goose, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, John Summit, Trey Annastasio Band along with the Cheese set the mark high for this year’s music. It’s more music than one can get to. Check out the rest of the insane lineup here.

Trinketz VIP Dance Party. We didn’t build the fire. No wait. We sure did. Keep your eyes peeled for Asheville’s favorite sister, Trinket and her amazing dance party. Sorry fellas, you must have the proper lanyard to enter and if you get the green light, please take off your shoes. Look for feathers in her dreadlocks and bones in her nose.

The Triforce. Cheese. Love. Sauce., The Titty Kitties. Hobo Kamp. It all comes together this year in one delicious burrito. Michigan wooks. Adam’s Breath balloons, no deals. This is the ant bed you made. Sleep in it. This was where Emma Jay came into the fold, noob that she was, now an expert festivarian. Look for her renegade vending somewhere deep in the woods with the forest people. These are professional rocket hippies to be sure. “Experienced” campers that know how to skate the fine line between classy and thugish behavior. Let them pave the way and learn from their experience. (Ed. pro tip- Early entry on Wednesday (which is a must) costs $40 with the purchase of a four-day ticket. Every day before that is only ten dollars a day. For $70 Join Kamp Happiness Sunday prior for a few extra days of set up and helping to lay the groundwork for the adventure to come.)

Tickets on sale now right here.

The Roanoke Mafia. Since its inception, the wook wranglers have celebrated their continued membership in the Roanoke Mafioso. Riding mules and hauling their wagons, half of them would come down for MagnoliaFest and the other half would arrive two weeks later for Hula. Octobers are pretty special in Live Oak. They come because it represents a place where dreams come true. Where every fantasy can become real in just a few seconds. Don’t ask how it happens. There is no lost and found for the ego.

Visit some of the other Hulaween contributions from the wrangler archives like Dance of the Monkey Kings, Cheese. Love. Sauce. and The Kamp Ha Penis Dumpster Fire. Explore the interweb and check out our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. We will stay in the eye wall of the Hulaween virtual fun as we focus on the artists and other contributors as we gear up for the event. Stay focused grasshopper.

The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and Campground is an 800-acre campground located on the historic banks of the Suwannee River. Boat launch on site, bring your canoe or kayak and take a stroll along this beautiful cypress tree lined piece of North Florida. Bring the family and enjoy great fresh water fishing, wildlife habitat, or play our disc golf course through the pines and oaks. With miles of trails, hiking, bicycling, and golf cart rides are one of the many great ways to see the outdoors.

Something for every hippy. Hulaween doesn’t know you and she doesn’t care what kind of music you like. She’s going to make a warm poridge steeped with jam band, bluegrass, bass, house, deep house, dubstep, techno, electric, progressive house, electro house, trap, trance, progressive trance, psychidelic trance, yacht rock and divorce core and she’s going to pour it over your face. Get ready. The man thinks he’s going for that Saturday night Cheese show but he doesn’t yet understand the Pretty Lights bass thumping that’s going to leave the decks traveling across the field, up his leg and right into his tan starfish. Your welcome.

Call me Swiss cause I be Cheesin’.

Do not mess around and miss out on the world famous Kamp Happiness Circle K? Trading Post and Hagglin’ Table. That’s right. Five square feet of some of the silliest and most extra-special collectibles this side of a Spanish flea market. When leave one-take one blankets aren’t enough, come to the hagglin’ table where every transaction is supervised by one of our trained staff of professionals. Treasures await you.

Stop what you’re doing. Hulaween is proud to host the Spirit of Suwannee favorites, Free Range Strange. Sunny Rae, the Savage and the rest of the bunch will bring their high-energy twist on folk, bluegrass and jam-rock to the party. What does the lumberjack say? Wait for his lighting shreddage and the late-night, campfire jams. Don’t sleep on this one. Always a strange time.

Get lost. Don’t be afraid to get lost at Suwannee. That’s part of the fun to get completely turned around in the forest and happen upon all matter of unexpected surprises. Renegade stages, hidden passages and secret rooms. Find your way to The Loop and visit with the beautiful people. Check out the VIPness and make your way down to the river. Monday is a big river day at Hulaween. Don’t be afraid to stay one more night and play groundscore bingo. It’s all out there, you just have to poke around.

Hulaween, one can make anything happen. All you have to do is pretend it and it becomes real. Molly Tuttle talked about it after their secret set in 2022. Few places so easily invite this unusual behaviro where the concept of reality becomes relative and subject to interpretation. Join the collective ego-death over the course of the week and remember what the best version of yourself looks like. It looks good on you.

(Ed pro tip. Take a trip inside the SOS Cafe and Music hall for the breakfast buffet, live music or just a cool place to sit and enjoy a cocktail or a draft brew. It also hosts one of the nicest water closets in the park. It’s right next door to the laundry so you can relax at the bar whilst your clothes get warshed.)

Spirit Lake. By day the ladies of the Complimentary Bar are flashing their pearly whites and by night, the Frick Frack table draws in the suckers ready to part with their treasures. Gambling is an addiction. Sit a spell with the swamp monster or venture through one of the many art installations that are just ready to blow your mind. Make your way to the Spirit Lake stage for intimate jams and be on the look out for silent disco. It’s an endless parade of fun in every direction and serious adventure awaits.

Location. Location. Location. The park has so many different great places to camp and they all offer something different. Whether it’s with Tristan and Cat in the Renaissance, Moonshine Gary in the cottages, Zach and Emily in the Bird Sanctuary, Tim and Sunny at 80 acres, Billy in The Loop, Matt near the Bat House, Lucy on Hippy Trail, Luke Sidewalker at Spirit Lake, Thatch at the horse stables or Bonnie in the VIPness, nowhere is safe. It depends on what style of camping you’re looking for. Some folks like to get back in the woods, away from the party, giving you the option to join the fray and then retreat back into your sanctuary. Some people like to be in the mix. Kamp Happiness likes to be in the eye wall of the storm and the original settlement around the Poncho Tree near the intersection of the Pine Field and the Farm Field remains. It’s in the shade, not too far from the Bill Monroe Pavilion, where it remains today. Come early and join the fun at 101 Happy St. Anyone that wants to leave can just step over the line.

Thanks again for making the wranglers the Orion Arm’s number one media source for all things wookishly groovy and stupid fun. Join Big Betty at the Hobo Kamp for a heaping spoonful of all the most ridiculous pulp you will find. Join us for our Thursday night house band, “The Tranquilizers” as they struggle to tune their instruments for two straight hours.

Felicia,

Ten Years of Hulaween. Has it really been that long? Golly. I remember what we were doing in 2013?  We made love in the phosphorescence at Blind Pass and drank rum drinks at Mermaids before it became a Margaritaville and disappeared with the rest of Fort Myers Beach into Gulf of Mexico. Lance Armstrong joined the ranks of the admitted “users” and President Obama was inaugurated for his second term. Silver Wrapper and Purple Hat Productions brought Hulaween to the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park and for the festivarians of the southeast, things would never be the same. This year we party for all those who loved the festival and have gone home to their final reward. Clayopheus, Corporal Turner, Fooboo and so many more. If they could speak from the other side we might hear them singing with the wind and asking us to join in their beautiful song.

Bye Felicia-

The post Ten Years of Suwannee Hulaween appeared first on wook wranglers.

Wednesday Turnaround: They had only been gone from the park a few days since the hoedown that was Suwannee Spring Reunion the weekend prior. Several of the camps had left their tapestries up and decided to roll on through to Resonate and why not, aces back to back. Holly saved the spot by the Bill Monroe Pavilion and Kamp Happiness rolled right up to the street with the kind of central address that attracts attention, wanted and unwanted. Peanut butter-banana smoothie? They were joined by Mikey, Regina the crazy Argentinian, Pedro the Mexican thief and Spider Master Kush. The Atlanta crowd had taken over the pavilion so the wooks were pushed back out into the night where they belonged. They’d been saving firewood for days so they were set for the week and the forecast called for perfect weather and entirely sideways fun.

Lizard Bumps?

Mexican Thursday: Her name was Pedro and the reflection in her eyes showed little fear. Her greasy mustache curled in a sinister way under her lip and it was apparent she was not to be trifled with. She had the dirt “in” her and it wasn’t washing off. She and Lucy went to catch the Tamayo set before running into Trinket at the corn dog booth.  Corn dogs with Ramen numerals? The streets were loose with Birmingham belly dancers and Chihuahuas and by Side Trakd everyone was getting their wiggle on. Someone was definitely getting lost in a poral-let before the sun came up. Night time would arrive with two sets of STS9 and a head full of the fluff. On her way back to camp she briefly stopped to check her face in someone’s side mirror and almost got run over by Ted as he tore his golf cart around the corner. Remember kids, the speed limit throughout the park is five miles per hour.

Friday Street Fire: Friday hosted the celebration of life drum circle as a tribute for Chuck and Charlie Morris. Support for Jenny Thompson and family can be offered at this link. Purple was the flavor with reminders of the family support of Purple Hatter’s Ball, which celebrates the life of Rachel Morningstar Hoffman.

Pedro built a fire by the street without the use of Doritos (ed. note-eat it K’aoli) and the party spilled forth from the dark of the woods. Black cyanide smoke billowed from the plastic melting over the coals. Lucy was worried it would upset the moonshine fairies that lived in the Spanish moss high in the oak trees. Each night the jar would be nearly empty but after their visit, by morning the lightning would be full again. Do you believe in forest magik?

Frick Frack: Opuio was blasting nearby as Emma and Baitbucket arrived at the blackjack table. He split sixes against the dealers four, not really in the book but one has to play outside the rhombus when dealing with these kinds of madcaps. Pedro showed up with incendiaries smuggled in her bosom and Krissy came out on top betting some heavy silverware. Emma managed to fleece the table and walked away with treasures galore. Shifty crooks, all of them. They won’t think twice to take a soul but they’re afraid of losing them from the briefcase. If soul gambling has become an addiction for you, get help.

photo credit

Guyton Bass                                Jess Southwell                             Ariel Fernandez                       Heather Bennett

Jason Nail                                    Tilly Trull                                     Jason Nail                                 Heather Bennett

Matt Burkey                                Victoria Tranchese                    Rhyan Reinertsen                     Rhyan Reinertsen

Guavetron on my mind

The Atlanta crowd invited everyone to Hive Mind where Martha Firewalker got into a scuffle with a hammock with a powerful tractor beam. She could be heard screaming, “It’s trying to eat me!” over the STS9 set. Lucy found her way to the Mi Kulture tent, perfectly situated in front of the Amphitheater Stage. She’d begun to enjoy shows from the back fence next to the road. The second rail. The rail for the old people where one can enjoy the music and catch traffic along the road. She caught a reflection of herself and realized she’d forgotten about the raccoon face tattoo she’d suffered earlier. The one on JBfly’s chest looked professional but Lucy’s resembled an unfortunate case of frostbite and yet another way for the authorities to identify her. Once you join the mapaches, es for life ese.

The stranger walked up to MJ during the Emancipator set and began dancing with her in a somewhat provocative yet sloppily way. She wanted to dance alone so she donned her pashmina and horn rimmed sunglasses and morphed into an Argentinian woman named Regina. She didn’t speak English but would occasionally mumble, “No puedo manejarlo.” before slinking off through the crowd toward the rail.

Friday night the trap house hosted the family jam and managed to keep the music going most of the night, long after more electrical stages were being shut down like bad daycares. Only the cajon got the axe just before sunrise. The guitars and fire were left unbothered and invited to continue unabashed. All glory to the  rangers and welcome to Mitch’s quiet bluegrass party.

Saturday, Ego Death Block Party: Lucy woke up in a strange tent and made what she considered the walk of pride. She’d worked the fraternity boy like a rented mule and purposely left a flip flop in the tent just so she’d have to go back later. Get thee behind me Satan. Endorphins, serotonin and dopamine all get released when dancing and the Floozies meant date night at the porch stage. We are encouraged to remember, there is absolutely no shame in the get down.

They stopped to see Jade and Daedra, (no, Delia) at A Bazaar Universe on their way to see the Polish Ambassador. Bfly purchased a vest of coatimundi fur which had a perfect place for her to smuggle her White Claws. Lizard Bumps and his camp mates were participating in the Anesthetic Olympics whereby the five team members got sideways before completing a detailed task. Team building can be an important tool for interpersonal growth within the office setting. All aboard. This train is leaving the disassociation station. He managed to find his way into the showers, barely clutching the last strands of reality when audio hallucinations began vibrating his entire head. As they became louder and more sustained he began to slide to the floor, doubting his own mind and preparing for the fetal position. As he peered out of the shower curtain he realized the sound was emanating from a didgeridoo being played directly next to him, within the fantastic acoustics of the restroom. Curiouser and curiouser…But maybe he wasn’t going mad…just yet. Lifetime ban? There is no such thing as a death penalty.

-Hot Guy Alert-

Lettuce closed things out on the Amphitheater Stage and opened into the portal of a Saturday night not witnessed since the rule of the ancients. Live electric jams, clown parties and roving saxophone shows shut down traffic in front of the Hobo Kamp and pushed the button on the family jam block party. Thanks to Mateo for bringing all the noise and keeping the fun in funk. Cruise control took over the collective at some point and the forest became alive with the right kind of energy. The source. The switch had been thrown and there would be no coming back. The audience and the performers had ultimately become one and the celebration dance was on. Mission accomplished.

When it’s right, it’s right and on a night like this, the clock slows down almost to a stop and the inner rhythm emerges. There were those who pointed further down into the abyss, where the ego is forbidden, only to be rescued by the jedi flip later in the night. Renegade sets from Future Joy to Tamayo and beyond provided more spots than could be visited in the wee hours of the morning.

Lil d-Big AREL showed up just to stir the pot and exchange schematics for Hulaween. Naturally he would park right on the the dance floor (Boston style), hoping to break something or at least piss someone off. Orlando and Mario slid in at some point and things continued to tilt toward the edge of the flat earth. Did you hear that? It sounded like the scream of someone with a bat trapped in their bus.

Heavy Handed Savages? Sometime around four Tyler showed back up with Blanco’s guitar. Bucket had let him borrow it ever since Mateo and the electric saxophone showed up around one. He couldn’t believe his vibrating eyes. The guitar was speckled with blood, which they’d witnessed at Merlefest, but this time it only had three working strings left on it. Brutal and crusty savagery of the third order. Earlier he’d been called out for banging a little hard, but three strings? Great gravy said the lady, that is one biscuit of a hot mess. Is it possible to follow some rules of decorum while being ravaged within the vortex of the party? It certainly takes a special breed.

Sunday Vibe, April Fool’s and the Grit and Slide? No matter what kind of party it is, when at their best the wranglers are around a campfire making homemade music. The Sunday morning family jam lasted most of the day and celebrated the extra day of fun offered as a gift by the park. Never miss that show which was supposed to include a slip and slide. April Fool’s? Nades said Pedro. With the help of Quinn and the gang she mused, “If you build it, they will come.” The grit and slide gets five stars on the Yoast review.

Deep Bleating and the Slumberjack: Welcome to white girl White Claw drunk.  Do you hear the deep bleating of a goat from back in the woods? They have a special scent to be sure and it’s standard operating procedure to put tennis balls on their horns. Damnable. Methinks this will not end well.

He’d hustled so well the week before he’d worked himself out of job. Now he was loose and left to his own devices. He’d heard too much, knew too much. He would have to be kept under surveillance, for a while at least. The kind of man who could sleep folded like an origami lawn chair, he admittedly “could not” play a guitar. Honest to the point of recklessness.

Sunday beach day? The weather is here, I wish you were beautiful. From the grit and slide to the fire spinners on the sandy shores of the Suwannee River, for many this would be the first wash of the weekend.  Come wash that stink off and get saved.

“Take me to the hospital. I’m having a seizure.”

photo credit

Memorandum Media                 Martha Jane Miller                 Martha Jane Miller                   Martha Jane Miller

MattBurkey                                   Jay Strausser Visuals            Shannon Wegznek                     Martha Jane Miller

Sharona Hughes                          Jessica Ricksgers                    Jessica Ricksgers                        Tristan Walsh

Baitbucket was sent to the store with twenty bucks to purchase vaginal disks and 305s. They were out of bear spray but he knew something similar would be needed. Emma had been getting sassy and it would be necessary for her black sheep druncle to take her down a peg. Glass blowers are sexy. Facts.

When did Pedro take over the hagglin’ table? It happened so fast it was seamless. Definitely a shrewd wheeler-dealer, a great career as a horse trader lay in her future.

Visit our site at Merch Booth for official wook wranglers gear.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the White Claw trap house block party. Keep up with the Hobo Kamp, Circle K? Trading Post and new cast net contest at Summer Camp and Mountain Music Festival. It’s all about muscle memory.

photo credit

Jessica Ricksgers                        Jason Thomas                          Tristan Walsh                        Tristan Walsh

Krissy Stiver                                Matthew O’Brien                     Heather Bennett                    Jaime Anne

Holly Nicole                                 Jaime Anne                              Jeremy Greenwood               Megan Ruth

He said, “You can’t wrangle a wook.”                                                              She said, “we wranglin’ each other.”

Surrounded by family, many of the highlights of the weekend revolved around the family jam at camp. Sitting around the fire playing guitars reminded her of Grandpa Smith and the years spent doing that very thing at church picnics and family gatherings. But now it was Kamp Happiness with all the hippies stopping by to sing and play. Same songs as grandpa played. Best case scenario, we lock it down and create a safe, greasy place for the herd to coalesce. Music, lights and hippies. I love you in an all the way way.

Essential Productions, a Midwest-based music event production team, and producers of Resonate Suwannee teamed up with friend and park ambassador Paul Levine of Purple Hat Productions. This newly formed partnership, exceptional lineup, and the beauty of Suwannee has inspired one of the best festival experiences around. Our thanks to Paul Levine for letting the wranglers be involved from Purple Hatter’s to Rising, Hulaween to Resonate. The influence and family vibe from those festivals all the way back to Bear Creek could be felt throughout the weekend. When it works so well at the top, the glitter trickles down to every aspect of the festival.

Visit the Resonate website and like their social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Science is real, escape the firmament.

Of course Lucy got yelled at a couple times by park personnel. Was she driving a little over five miles an hour? Yes. But shutting down the Circle K? Trading Post seemed a little harsh. Sadly no wheeling and dealing until dark? As much as she’d dealt with the park over the years, she realized that when it came down to it, they had the same goals and were all working toward the same end. They all wanted folks to come to the park, have fun and be safe. And of course the wranglers like to arrive there through the middle of the Lego chrysanthemum.

Monday Exit Strategy: As always, the slow breakdown with Tenderfoot followed the Suwannee exit strategy. Just helping finish the tanks. They picked up the butts, dumped the food and scored two new canopies. Not too shabby. Four in the afternoon was the hard line for the sheriff so they were out just before that. From there the road led to Mexican Monday and a hot shower in a cheap motel.

“How do you get a wook out of your car?”

“Well, lemme see. Hmmm. How do you?”

“It’s not a joke. I mean really, how do you get a wook out of your car?”

This group of engineers gathered together like some kind of think tank and began planning the block party at Hulaween. This was the core of that family. They would be back in a few months with a vengeance. This festival came off without a hitch and friends and family came together to frolic in the womb of the Spirit of Suwannee. Sitting on the blanket, around the fire with a celebration of timeless joy. It’s a kind of magic that reveals itself when all the pieces come together and practice makes perfect.

Follow the wranglers as we head to Ozark, AR and Backwoods at Mulberry Mountain. We hope to find Spider Master Kush and Penny Lane with Kamp Happiness for more frabjous exaltations. It is a treasure you seek, just not of silver and gold.                                                                                                       namaste y’all.

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Hulaween is one of the last truly-independent, large-scale music festivals thriving amongst today’s corporatized concert landscape, and after selling out its last five editions (and already almost 80% sold out for this year’s event), the festival is commemorating a decade of success with its most impressive lineup yet.

For the wook wranglers and Kamp Happiness, this is truly one of the cornerstones of the festival year. Ghosts of Fooboo and the Roanoke mafioso still walk the hallowed forest of Live Oak waiting for the base to shake the leaves off the trees. Join the Hobo Kamp trap house for a week-long full schedule of music, activities and greasy fun. This year they will be teaming up with Lil D Big Arel and Cheese. Love. Sauce. with the Titty Kitties for a block party not witnessed since the days of the pharisees. Follow your dreams and join the ruckus in the shade of the Suwannee farm field.

Tickets on sale now right here.

“The festival and concert industry landscape continues to be bought up and homogenized by the majors, so staying the course as true independents and surviving through all of the highs and lows we’ve endured to this milestone 10 year anniversary, is incredible. We think back fondly of all the people who have been part of the Hula journey with us, and how the team continues to learn and grow to elevate the experience and lineup every year. We’ve proudly stayed true to this community and culture we are servicing and hope to keep doing that for at least another 10!” – Michael Berg, Co-Founder, Brand Manager, & Talent Buyer for Hulaween
Suwannee Hulaween has unveiled its historic, genre-crossing lineup to celebrate the festival’s tenth anniversary celebration edition, returning home to the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida from Thursday, October 26 – Sunday, October 29, 2023.

Hulaween is one of the last truly-independent, large-scale music festivals thriving amongst today’s corporatized concert landscape, and after selling out its last five editions, the festival is commemorating a decade of success with its most impressive lineup yet.

Following a five-year hiatus, electro-soul pioneer Pretty Lights will headline Hulaween as his only East Coast festival performance on his Soundship Spacesystem Tour. It’s been nearly two decades since Pretty Lights started originating his signature, sample-heavy sounds that redefined America’s electronic music scene, and his exclusive East Coast festival set at Hulaween promises to showcase vibrant, bass-fueled sounds to the festival’s feverish audience.

Known globally for his playful demeanor and rip-roaring sets, tech-house maestro John Summit marks another Hulaween headliner. The Beatport chart-shredder will host Hulaween’s first-ever takeover by Off The Grid, Summit’s party-starting imprint, which will offer up sets by label favorites famed for igniting dance floors.

Other electronic music heavyweights headlining Hulaween include Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist/producer Elderbrook, producer polymath Big Wild, and revered house producer/vocalist Channel Tres.

On the jam side of the lineup, Hulaween founders The String Cheese Incident will serve up three nights of headlining performances. Phish-offshoot Trey Anastasio Band and critically-acclaimed indie-jam five piece Goose will play consecutive sets on the same night, following their joint tour across the North East last fall. Other headlining bands include Hulaween staple Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (2 sets), the Hulaween debut of Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, and legendary roots-rock outfit Dispatch.

Hulaween will also welcome neo-soul rapper Smino as the festival’s sole hip-hop headliner, as well as a headlining set by five-piece indie rock band Mt. Joy. One additional band headliner remains yet to be announced, coming later in April.

The festival will present a bevy of in-demand, electronic music support acts, including Montreal producer BLOND:ISH, underground bass purveyor Eprom, multi-faceted Italian DJ/producer duo Gioli & Assia, ascendent bass producer ISOxo, genre-bending producer Manic Focus, ascendent trailblazer Moore Kismet, bass-focused producer supergroup Lab Group, and future-funk maestro Yung Bae.

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A post shared by Suwannee Hulaween (@hulaweenfl)

Staying true to its band-focused roots, Hulaween will boast a medley of celebrated acts including funk-fusion ensemble Lettuce, funk-jam group Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and critically-acclaimed, Anatolian rock/Turkish psychedelic folk outfit Altin Gün.

The Hulaween 2023 lineup is brimming with more than 90 acts that cover all corners of the dance floor. Over the course of the past decade, Hulaween has hosted a plethora of genre-crossing artists the Spirit of the Suwannee’s idyllic grounds, which serves as perfect setting for attendees to fully immerse themselves in Florida’s lush, enchanting nature.

Hulaween’s Spirit Lake is heralded as one of the leading immersive art experiences across American festivals, brimming with talented sculptors, fire/metal workers, painters, thespians, and lighting designers. Attendees can revel in lakefront projection mapping, hypnotizing light shows, interactive installations, and both visual and performance art, catch performances at Spirit Lake’s two stages, and groove into sunrise at the Silent Disco.

SUWANNEE HULAWEEN 2023 LINEUP

HEADLINERS

The String Cheese Incident, Pretty Lights, Trey Anastasio Band, Goose, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, John Summit, Mt. Joy, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Big Wild, Smino, Elderbrook, Channel Tres (DJ set), Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog, Brigade, Dispatch,

SUPPORT

Altin Gun, Apashe (Live w/ith Brass Ensemble), Blond:ish, Blu DeTiger, Boogie T, Champagne Drip, DOMI & JD Beck, Eprom, Giolì & Assia, Inzo, ISOxo, Lab Group, Lettuce, Manic Focus, Memba, Moore Kismet, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, SoDown, The Dip, Yung Bae

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

Couch, Eddie Roberts and the Lucky Strokes, Ghost Note, Jennifer Hartswick Band, Joshwa, Khiva, Kitchen Dwellers, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, lespecial, Lucati, Marvel Years, Melt, MZG, Bill & Jillian Nershi ft. Jason Hann, NotLö, Roosevelt Collier Band, The Nth Power presents JeNth Power, Trousdale, QRTR, Veil

FINAL SUPPORT

AK Renny, Austen Van Der Bleek, Austeria, Bad Snacks, Cadillac Jones, Canvas, Chachuba, CHYL, Cope, Cosmic Collective, Electric Kif, Empire Strikes Brass, Erez, Erin & The Wildfire, Fernando Rosa, Free Range Strange, Funk You, GoldenEra, Jason Leech, Stick & Ditty, Jon Stickley Trio, Kendall Street Company, Maria También, Matcha, MiniM, Orange Constant, Ramona & the RIOT, Rohan Solo, Sailor Jane & The Apricators, Snakes & Stars, Sneezy, Steeln’ Peaches, Tand, The Jauntee, Tru Phonic, Universal Funk Orchestra, Underground Springhouse, Vicky B, Yam Yam.

Visit the Hulaween website and like their social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Just be careful when complaining online. This party is going to be high science of the transcendent order. Heady bro.

Visit some of the other Hulaween contributions from the wrangler archives like Dance of the Monkey Kings, Cheese. Love. Sauce. and The Kamp Ha Penis Dumpster Fire. Explore the interweb and check out our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. We will stay in the eye wall of the Hulaween virtual fun as we focus on the artists and other contributors throughout the year. Stay focused.

We are super excited to announce that the Florida-based Free Range Strange will be playing their first Hulaween this year. Find your way to Kamp Happiness and witness some of their behind-the-scene antics. Also, join the Cheese. Love. Sauce. block party and bring some of your own weirdness. Prelaunch setup will begin as early as Sunday before so join the team and help turn the forest into something not of this earth. We can’t do it without you.                                                                                       namaste y’all.

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