This past weekend I had the great pleasure of attending the first annual Rootwire Music and Arts Festival in Logan, OH. The festival, which was put on by the fine young champs in PAPADOSIO, was an absolute blast! I have been to festivals of all sorts and sizes and let me tell you this baby was extremely well organized! From the moment we arrived to the moment we departed there was not a single thing that did not run smoothly. The guys did not spare any expenses when it came to production either. When you think small music festival, you think small stage, limited light show, and minimal PA system. Rootwire could not have steered any further from those pitfalls. With a set up much like that of ALL GOOD music festival, Rootwires main stage and side stage were both situated side by side, allowing the music to be continuous with no overlapping sets and no down time in between acts. The main stage had a light rig and sound system that were stunning! No joke, everything about the main stage screamed major music festival in the making. It was done up big which made it really special to see these up and coming acts on such a large scale. The property was also pretty much damn near perfect. The camping was great, hiking, amazing main/side stage area with a natural bowl shaped hill, and the weather was so refreshing at night, but I failed to bring a coat which was a bad call
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Now lets talk music , I can honestly say this line up already had my knees buckling before I even arrived, but I had a whole new appreciation for this truly diverse selection when I left. The festival boasted a spectacular line up of only up and coming acts through out the region. In particular there was a cool array of “livetronica” acts such as Zoogma, The Malah, EP3, and of course our friends in Papadosio! The nights were carried on by a variety of DJs in the late night tent which would keep the party going into the wee hours of the morning. On top of all the electronic tones there was a strong group of funk rock bands. My favorite acts with were unquestionably the more funk rock oriented acts such as STRANGE ARRANGEMENT, MACPODZ, and UV HIPPOS. While these acts were less on the “untz untz untz” side of things they still used their impressive jazz/funk chops to bring a absolute raging dance party that changed it up for a bit.
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As always Papadosio brought the heat, but this time it was on a whole new level! This being their festival the guys really ramped up the DB on the sound system and pretty much shell shocked the crowd for 2 hours. I saw for the first time where this band will be in just a short few years, playing huge stages on a thunderous PA with an outer space light show! Make no mistake these guys are going to be the next big band that dominates the scene. They are growing so big and really doing it right.
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The Macpodz took the crowd on a tripped out journey through a creepy cosmic atmosphere in a different galaxy! Pretty much an acid jazz odyssey, that was not only wacky but extremely funky! I have been a big fan of these guys for the past year, and they always crack me up with their stage presence, in particular the bassist Brennan Andes, who makes jokes, voices, and faces at the crowd for the entirety of the show. These guys put on a very interesting performance fueled by crazy instrumental skillz executed in their own way. Trust me if you like a lil bit of humor in your music and love dancing, then these guys will treat you well.
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I had never seen or heard UV Hippos until Rootwire and it blew my mind. This band was just freaking awesome. They had great song writing, amazing musicianship, spectacular build ups, solos, pretty much the whole package. They also had the great opportunity of having Alex Herm (one of the best Light Designers around) run and design the lights during their performance! Needles to say they killed it and I would keep a close eye on these guys, because they put on a truly remarkable show
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When all was said and done my hands down favorite performance of the weekend was Strange Arrangement! These guys have been on my radar since last summer and let me say they are getting better every time I get to see them. This weekend was no exception. The guys were armed with a group of new tunes and have started expanding a lot of their material live. With only about 2 years under their belt, I truly believe it is only a matter of time before these guys are playing sold out shows and travel with a massive production. They are incredible song writers, and absolutely insane musicians who create super sophisticated pieces of music with multiple layers / sections that revolve around some extremely catchy hooks. The band has such a diverse and refreshing sound that really works well in the scene. If it was not obvious by me singing every song during the bands performance, I am a huge fun of everything they are doing right now Do not pass these guys up when they come near your area!
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What a weekend it was! The best of the best in unsigned / regional small acts, put on the large stage with a massive sound system and light rig as they all truly deserved. I hope this festival continues for many more years to come. Thank you to Papadoiso, and all the friends we met over the weekend.
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John “The Grizz” Grisanti