festgrrl: Bear Creek Music and Arts Festival: A Soul-Filling Dance Throwdown

Loved the West African Mande Jam! festgrrl photo

It’s a very old tradition: Humans gathering together, playing music, wearing regalia, and dancing in the forest. Maybe that’s why I always feel so renewed when I come back from Bear Creek Music & Arts Festival. It’s ancestry in our bones.

For the ninth year in a row, Bear Creekers showed up in force Nov. 13-16, in costume, freak flags flying, ready to rage it once those funky bass lines caught hold. Some of the best funk players on the planet threw down on the five stages, a banquet that can only be described as musical gluttony.

Luckily, you can stream many of this year’s Bear Creek shows here, thanks to our dedicated tapers. WE LOVE YOU, TAPERS! I've got links to video of many of the performances below, too.

Dani Jaye of Come Back Alice. festgrrl photo

There are a lot of reasons Bear Creek is so special; the love in the crowd, the smiles and hugs people share all day and all night, and watching musicians having improvisational conversations because Bear Creek has more sit-ins and collaborations than most any festival save New Orleans Jazzfest.

It's exciting and relaxing at the same time. Being in the fairy-land 800-plus acres of Live Oak, Florida's Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park helps, too. You can breathe, you can be, you can come as you are.

'Nuff said. festgrrl photo

Standout performances this year included headliners Umphrey's McGee, who delivered two nights of blazingly fast guitar work, deep pocket groove, killer light shows, and a high energy setlist that did not disappoint. (OK, I wasn't all about the Huey Lewis and the News "Power of Love" cover but whatever; I loved The Police "Driven to Tears" cover, so, as my friend says, "You like what you like,") The addition of the horn section from the hot Boston funk band, Lettuce -- a Bear Creek fave -- was especially welcome. You can watch the shows here Friday set 1, Friday Set 2, and Saturday set.

I have to shout out to Brooklyn-based band Turkuaz, one of the best funk bands working today.Check out video of two of the songs they did here and here.

David Brandwein of Turkuaz. festrggl photo.

Hellishly flat-out power funk with icy-cool hot girl singers, a killer horn section, great bass. They are a phenomenon on stage.

Zach Deputy. festgrrl photo

Zach Deputy brought his mad looper skills, stellar musicianship and big love to the party.You can see his set here. Locos Por Juana, infectious Latin groove, were also very impressive. Check out one of their song performances at Bear Creek here The 8-piece Washington, D.C. reggae-funk band See-I absolutely killed it on the ampitheater stage, watch it here. Special shoutout to SoberGoat, who filmed so many of the shows!

Carly Meyers of Yojimbo. festgrrl photo.

How many ways can you shake your booty over one weekend? Funk heavy-hitters Dumpstaphunk, The New Mastersounds, and Lettuce inspired all-out dance frenzies. You can watch The New Mastersounds Friday set here.

Funk and soul band Orgone, out of California, turned out two great performances. They have gone through a few different lead singers, and the current front woman, Adryon de León, is a powerhouse, Tina Turner-esque performer.Highly recommend this band. Watch their show here. Shout also to Jacksonville's own Herd of Watts, a boogie shaking band to watch.Watch their show here.

Arleigh Kincheloe,Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds
festgrrl photo.

I was told to check out Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds and I was not disappointed. Lead singer Arleigh Kincheloe has some sly star power and one hell of a voice. I see this band showing up on festival lineups all over the country so I'm psyched to see them again, probably this summer at Floydfest in Virginia.

African Mande Jam. festgrrl photo.

The Bear Creek West African Mande Jam was not well attended (maybe because it was an inside performance on a gorgeous afternoon), and that was a shame, because it was a fantastic spectacle of world musicians that I will never forget. It included members of Benyoro, Kreative Pandemonium,Toubab Krewe, and special guests Balla Kouyaté and Raja Kassis. At one point, I counted 23 people on the stage.

African Mande Jam. festgrrl photo.

Chris Robinson (Black Crowes, Chris Robinson Brotherhood) partnered up with New York's Soulive for a happy-hour set in the park's beautiful ampitheater. (Nice job covering the Grateful Dead's West L.A. Fadeaway,) You can see the set here.

Green Sunshine. festgrrl photo.

The Alecia Chakour Band brings the angels to Bear Creek. What a voice, what a presence! You may have heard her singing with Warren Haynes, Lettuce, and others.She is amazing.Listen to her set here.

Earphunk out of New Orleans delivered rock-funk fusion on the Forest Stage, pulling out an incredible Rage Against The Machine "Bullshit on Parade"cover which made the crowd go crazy. You can stream the band's excellent "Sweet Nasty" album here.

The Budos Band. festgrrl photo.

Sit-in stalwarts over the weekend were George Porter Jr,, Grant Green Jr,, Pee Wee Ellis, Jennifer Hartswick, and the original funky drummer, Bernard Purdie. We so appreciate these masters in our midst. Oh, and let's not forget the 11-year-old guitar phenomenon, Brandon Niederauer, also known as "Taz," the hardest working little man at the fest. Check out his playing on Manic Depression with Soulive here.

Jesus of lettuce, festgrrl photo

It's hard to get to all the music you want to see at Bear Creek, because there's just SO MUCH GOOD MUSIC and that's thanks to our funky curator Paul Levine. THANKS PAUL, for another great one! You are the best!