Bear Creek Music Festival: November 13th – 16th, 2014
“Back into the swamp we go!”
I’ll inevitably say something to this effect as we turn off highway 129 onto the grounds of the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park. I know it is not really a swamp, but since it resides in what equates to the middle of nowhere in northern Florida, it just feels appropriate.
This year, Bear Creek Music Festival comes back to us with another stellar lineup full of funk, soul, blues, hip-hop, or more readily explained “music that involuntarily makes you move.” Taking place November 13th – 16th, Bear Creek is one of the last on a long circuit of amazing festivals we’ve had the fortune to attend this year. The weather is the only possible concern for one of the most consistently marvelous festivals in the South, and that can be overcome with a coat; the music will keep your blood warm no matter how cold it gets. While it’s still a few weeks out, the weather is even ready this year as it is set for lows in the 50’s and highs in the 70’s. For those of you who think festivals are meant for hanging out in fields in the middle of July, this should turn your head.
Oh yeah, and the music! Headliners are regulars for those familiar with Bear Creek with Umphrey’s McGee and their organized wizardry of sounds and lights that always impress me more than I am expecting. Chris Robinson, of Black Crowes fame, is set to play with Soulive, and Talib Kweli is set to play with Break Science, which should set the tone of the eclectic brilliance that this lineup brings to the swamps. I fully expect dozens of other collaborations from the always stellar cast of musicians at large that seemingly fill in with every band that includes Pee Wee Ellis, George Porter Jr., Jennifer Hartswick, Roosevelt Collier, Oteil Burbridge and a dozen other masters of the music world. These cameos are always a treat and account for one of the many reasons this festival is always special; it’s the music, man.
Some of the regularly wonderful staples are returning with the likes of Lettuce, Dumpstaphunk, The New Mastersounds, and Budos Band set to bring the funking funk. Tour circuit favorites Orgone, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, and The Nth Power are set to make your hands go up, and feet move and forget there was ever a world without soul music. To round it out there’s the likes of Feddy’s Finest, Come Back Alice, Mingo Fishtrap, and one of my personal favorite up and coming musicians, Curtis Harding, set to act as the cherries on top of the already loaded lineup. I’ll stop here and direct you to www.bearcreekmusicfestival.com to buy your tickets and check out the rest of the lineup to avoid the temptation of expounding upon them all.
Tickets are currently just $215.00 for a general admission, 4-day pass. Of course, the VIP experience at Suwannee is unrivaled, so if you have the money opt for that.
See you in the Swamp!