Resonate Suwannee: The Woods Are Alive with the Sound of Music… and Magic!

Resonate Suwannee: The Woods Are Alive with the Sound of Music… and Magic!

Resonate Suwannee made its fourth appearance at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park April 4-6, and it was spectacular. All of the elements were in alignment: weather, music, vibes, staff, security, volunteers, artists, vendors, and several thousand wonderful people coming together as one big happy family. Was everything absolute perfect? Of course not, but this was just about as close as you can get.

Hosts STS9, Paul Levine & Purple Hat Productions, Essential Productions, and Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park put together an incredible program of music and arts of all sorts to create joy, and what an amazing job they did!

Here, then, was Resonate Suwannee through my eyes, ears, and heart. Always an important reminder: Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV).

As always, I am thankful for the photographers of Resonate whose work appears in this article and in numerous posts and groups, including Jay Strausser, Zach Smith, Donnie Dagley, Bryan Edward, Echo RaNell McNeill, Joel Shover, and others.

We rolled into the park Wednesday afternoon to a remarkably easy check-in and equally easy setup after easily locating a campsite.

THURSDAY, APRIL 4

I decided to jinx it. I was on a roll, enjoying what I considered the best sets from the first four bands on the schedule Thursday at Resonate Suwannee. Now if only Papadosio would come through. And I mentioned it to Sauce Pocket members Taylor Ivie and Riley O’Brien. They said, of course they will. But I was concerned I might have jinxed it by talking about it.

No chance. After a 40-minute warm-up ambient-style groove from Papadosio, they shot through the roof of the Amphitheater at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and kept right on going. Far and away my favorite set of theirs.

They opened with “We are Water” from their classic 2012 album T.E.T.I.O.S. and hit music from four of their other albums and a cover of Boards of Canada song “Dayvan Cowboy.” There were two from Microdosio (“Versicolor” and “Lion’s Mane”). The Brouse brothers — Sam & Billy — soared on their bank of keyboards. As the set neared its end, the band offered new single “Who You Are” and two tracks from last year’s album To Live a Making: “The End of the World” and “Everyone Is Cool.”

How did it begin? Sauce Pocket (Jacksonville) had the coveted opening slot, and they took complete advantage with a stunning set of jazzy rock (not fusion). The ebb and flow in the music is remarkable. Also, Jessica Jones had joined the instrumental quintet for some vocal flourish (and facilitated the marriage proposal of drummer Riley O’Brien to Cass Andra!). And this was, by far, the largest opening crowd I’ve ever encountered at a Paul Levine event (Bear Creek, Purple Hatter’s, Suwannee Rising, and now his involvement with Resonate Suwannee).

sub-ID had the first set on Uncle Charles’ Porch Stage, entertaining the growing crowd with DJ Brad Brown (FOH STS9) and bass player Alana Rocklin of STS9.

Sneezy from Chicago were back for a return engagement; they played Resonate last year, followed by Hulaween. I thought their set last year was just OK; clearly I was not paying attention. This was a soul / R&B / funk romp full of lyrics ranging from amusing to downright riotous. The band is incredible, and the lead vocalist is a stunning soul shouter.

Their totally bonkers setlist included such gems as “(She wants to drink, do drugs, and have sex tonight, but I’ve got) Church in the Morning,” “Who Put the Fun in Funky,” and “Eat Some Cheese with Your Fat Girlfriend.”

Mark Farina had DJ sets on the EDM stage. This one was interesting, but I enjoyed his Friday set much more.

lespecial were up next. Last year’s set here was amazing. By comparison, their set two weeks ago in St. Petersburg was a complete disaster — entirely on the sound engineers. Vocals were completely unintelligible, instruments muddled together.

So this is a good place to note that, at EVERY set Thursday (and for the remainder of the weekend), this was the very best sound I have heard at a Live Oak festival (50 of ’em). Kudos to the crews on both stages. THIS IS THE WAY.

lespecial threw down a monstrous prog metal set (metal prog?); they call themselves a “Progtronic Power Trio.” They were absolutely on fire. They offered up a song for Papadosio guitarist Anthony Thogmartin and blew out a stunning “The Vessel,” followed by a solid “Enter the Homieverse.” Songs from last year’s Odd Times included “Lungs of the Planet” for the rain forests and a heavy “They Live” (and a shout-out to John Carpenter’s movie of the same name.). Best lespecial set for me? YOU BET!

SunSquabi always knows how to conduct a dance party. It’s what they do. This one band set was on Uncle Charles’ Porch Stage (mostly EDM). The engineers crushed this one, too. I had seen SunSquabi last December at North Beach Music Festival, a great set. This one was even better. They hooked into the groove from the start and never, ever let go.

And then Papadosio. FIVE FOR FIVE.

Make that SIX FOR SIX! Rumors of a Sauce Pocket set at the Bird Sanctuary circulated. I had no idea where that was, but fortunately I found it right away, Sauce Pocket finishing their sound check of sorts. From 12:10 to 1:35, they matched their earlier effort with great enthusiasm. I was just thinking of splitting when a couple more golf carts rolled up (there were already about 150 people there). And who rolled out but at least five members of Sneezy! These two bands have a show together Wednesday in Jacksonville.

I don’t think they had ever met before, but it looked like a family reunion as trumpet, alto sax, bass, and drums slid into place and their singer began trading vocals with Jessica Jones. WOW! They paused (stopped?) at 2:25, and I left while I still had enough energy.

WHAT A SPECTACULAR OPENING DAY AT RESONATE!

FRIDAY, APRIL 5

Music Friday at Resonate Suwannee was a perfect match for Thursday’s brilliant opening, with wonderful music on the Amphitheater stage, up at Uncle Charles’ Porch Stage, and in the Music Hall. The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park was again filled with the great vibes of past events such as Bear Creek, AURA, and Purple Hatter’s Ball. It was another awesome walk through the park!

The park was swarming with pint-sized music fans: children of all shapes, sizes, and descriptions. Resonate was the perfect venue for them. If you were worried about the future of the jam scene, I’d suggest it will be in very, very good hands.

Ben Clonch and Friends had a nice Suwannee debut with a set of rock, Americana, and more. They mixed original tunes with covers such as “Feels Like a Stranger.” It was a great way to start the day, and they would be a fine fit at a Roots festival.

Afrobeta was a pure delight. He handles the production while she dances as her voice soars. Miami visits Live Oak. They’ve been at this for 18 years! The buzz for their set was huge, their biggest show outside of the South Florida environs. The easy money says you will be seeing this delightful duo often.

LPT is a full-on Afrocuban salsa orchestra, ten men strong, and no kick drums, “just” three great percussionists. They spice things up every time they play. Their music is non-stop rhythm, a continuous dance party on and off the stage. LPT are “the real deal.” They completely captivated the crowd for the hour.

K+Lab had a truly great set. He handles the production, but even without that he is a superb keyboard player, especially on piano. He is from New Zealand, but there is no way we should give him back! More dance party!

Robert “Sput” Searight, Nate Werth, and their Ghost-Note troops knocked us out with their magical mix of jazz, James Brown, R&B, P-Funk and whatever else they bring along. It’s worth noting that this set started precisely on time (IYKYK). Start to finish, this was, as usual, The Spot Show (and we wouldn’t have it any other way). Funk on top of jazz on top of R&B was the order of the day, with that incredibly timed stop-start stuff, all on Sput’s voice commands. James Brown is smiling down. 

Many of the usual suspects were there, including Peter Knudsen, Dominique Xavier Taplin, and Jonathan Mones. This band functions perfectly with interchangeable parts; it was nice seeing tenor player Mike Lelani Brooks back. Songs were featured from the brand new album Mustard n’Onions, and there was a great cover of The Isleys’ “Work to Do.”

Mark Farina had his second set, this one a lively dance party with lots of familiar songs woven into the setlist. The Porch Stage crowd was in full swing; the dance party rolled on.

“It’s so good to be back!” So said Eddie Roberts of The New Mastersounds, playing on the AMP stage they’ve graced so many times. Simon Allen had this usual riotous banter (approximate): “We’ve played other fests here. Who hasn’t seen us before?” LOTS of hands raised. “Great! We’re going to become friends for life. Because the old ones are dying off!” 

The great show featured songs from across their vast discography. Nobody locks it in like Pete Shand on bass and Allen on drums. Joe Tatton has been brilliant since this tour began in February, and Eddie Roberts continues to be the best-dressed boogaloo jazz player stretching out for some deep funk and roll. They closed the set with “Nervous” from their debut album with the fine chorus (there is only a chorus): “BAH PAH-DAH PAH-DAH!”

Ott. kept the bassheads very happy on the EDM stage.

What a joy hearing STS9 again! This is their fest, and they make the most of it. Although they are no longer based in Atlanta, the South and STS9 still have a deep love affair. Drummer Zach Velmer and keyboard wizard David Phipps had already spun DJ sets in the Music Hall on Thursday, and bass player Alana Rocklin and FOH engineer Brad Brown teamed up early Friday for their sub-ID project.

Their opening set was a great first movement, shimmering and rocking in the lights, befitting their status as hosts of Resonate. There was more to come. 

Chromeo was brilliant! This was a huge dance party. The music was less or unfamiliar but superb, and the bass drops and pulse were mesmerizing. I would echo the remarks of many other Resonators: best set of the weekend (OK, a tie with MoonTricks).

STS9 came back for their Chromalight set, truly vision splendor. The project debuted last summer at Red Rocks. This version, though only an hour, still displayed the integration of sound and light for the mesmerized crowd.

I had not made it to the Music Hall, so I wandered that way to check out Dimond Saints. Along with several hundred others with the exact same idea. Maybe tonight!

SATURDAY SPECTACULAR, APRIL 6

Resonate Suwannee closed the books Saturday evening (well, early Sunday) with a landmark set by hosts STS9, who earlier in the day had also delivered a magnificent Axe the Cables set. (Koan Sound had one final set in the Music Hall as well.)

Almost without exception, the security and LEOs on site were truly chill. We would nominate Garrett Strawder, who manned the exit gate at the top of the AMP and art area (his photo is the article’s feature image), and Officer Berry Raulerson for going above and beyond the call of duty!

The day started with a deluxe one-two punch from two of the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park’s favorite musical ambassadors: Vlad the Inhaler and Booty Boo (married with a wonderful 11-month-old!). They both led off with fine dance sets. Vlad restrained himself from a heavy throwdown, offering instead a superb dance mix for the early arrivals. Booty Boo kept the dance party going with a fine dance mix as well.

Dumpstaphunk returned to the Amphitheater stage they have played many times before. The band was minus bass player Nick Daniels III (in New Orleans and on the mend) but plus Ms. Nikki Glaspie on drums(!!) and singer Viveca Hawkins. There is funk, and then there’s NOLA funk! Great varied setlist, too! And so great to see Ian Neville shred!

Glaspie kicked it off with a drum intro before the Link Wray tune “Fire and Brimstone.” Ivan Neville sent “Let’s Get At It” out for positive vibes for Daniels. The band bounced through great songs such as “Sexy Ida,” “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” and “No More Okey Doke.” NOLA represent!

Humandala was entertaining the fans on the EDM stage.

The Axe the Cables set by hosts STS9 was pure magic. Alana Rocklin played both upright bass and hollow body bass guitar. David Phipps relied primarily on his piano, and Hunter Brown sported a hollow-body guitar. There were a few cables still involved, but it was a deluxe experience hearing everyone in this stripped-down format.

Unfortunately, I missed too much of the set more people will be talking about than any other: Moontricks. Nathan Gurley and Sean Rodman play electro-folk or techno-bluegrass or something. Whatever you call it, there was magic to their set. They’ve just released their first album. Do your research!

I have mentioned before — and will mention it repeatedly — that the superstars of the weekend were the sound engineers on all three stages. Best sound I can remember at a festival: start to finish. Case in point: Cimafunk. They just had three sets on Jam Cruise. Their Pool Deck set was OK, sound-wise. The one that should have been magical, in the theater, was instead a sonic disaster. The Cimafunk set at Resonate was PERFECTION (well, his mic was too low at the beginning). You could hear everybody and everything. The Resonate crews ROCKED.

The Cimafunk experience is a non-stop Cuban James Brown extravaganza, absolutely spellbinding. In particular, the ladies: Ilarivis García Despaigne on trombone and Katerine Ferrer Llerena on tenor saxophone; both sing AND dance! And of course Cimafunk managed to get 30 or 40 dancers on stage for “Me Voy”!

Maddy O’Neal kept the dance party going on the Porch Stage with a huge crowd dancing and weaving.

The Tycho set was a true mixed bag. This was a set with his band. There was a technical issue at the beginning, and it seemed like there were others. There was no flow to the set: song, 30-45 seconds of silence, song. After the first 20 minutes, they played some great material, especially a new single and debut music from an album to come out in the fall. (I have seen him before with the band, my point of reference.)

Ott. was back for round two on the EDM stage. I made my only (successful) trip to the Music Hall. There is no reason to delay FUTURE JOY when you can have it now! Emily Cooper and Zachary David Simms  were their usual delightful selves, bouncing, dancing, singing, saxophoning, and choir-directing. Also Emily crowd-surfing in a huge blow-up unicorn pool float! And Eric Kaufman absolutely nailed the sound in the hall!

That left it to hosts STS9 to follow up on their amazing Axe the Cables set with one of the greatest jamtronica sets I’ve ever heard! This was pure magic, the perfect frosting on the Resonate cake.

Next year? DAMN SKIPPY!

Jake Funkmayor of FunkCity.net was on hand videoing some of the sets. Search YouTube for FunkCity.net Resonate videos of Sauce Pocket, Afrobeta, The New Mastersounds, Ghost-Note, and Cimafunk, with more in the works.

Thanks to STS9, Paul Levine & Purple Hat Productions, Essential Productions, Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, and all of the vendors, volunteers, staff, LEOs, fire and rescue workers, and anyone I’ve missed.

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