“Whenever there is some silence around you — listen to it.”
Silence at a music festival? An oxymoron of the most obvious kind. Let me take you back to the beginning….
The Bounce Festival
June 15-18 2012
Belden, Ca
Filmed by: John Foy, Austin Danforth, Jason Privett, Ben Arnst
Edited by: Austin Danforth and John Foy
Song used: “Bitcrush My Heart”, Signal Path.
As the road to Belden, Ca became more remote, and the last bars of cell phone service slipped away through my grasp, a wave of panic washed over me as I quickly processed frantic, neurotic thoughts. What if an email came through that needed an answer right away? What if a great shift came up at work that I desperately would need? What if I am completely broke after this weekend? What if there was anything, and everything, a mass of complications that would desperately require attention from me alone? As I watched that last remaining bar of service fade on my screen, I let out an exasperated sigh and exhaled my worries. Trying to convince myself that I would be “working” this festival weekend, I concentrated out the window on the beautiful scenery rapidly passing. Nothing left to do but to breath, embrace the necessary shift in consciousness, and take it all in.
Since most in our crew were Bounce virgins this year, excitement was at a maximum as we reached the Belden Bridge and caught the first glimpse of our home for the next few days. The beach stage below welcomed us with thumping bass as we crossed the bridge and made our way through Beldentown. We were fortunate enough to be led to a secret spot discovered the previous year by Brent and Ashley. Hidden from view of the main road, our secluded spot boasted a private riverbank with terrace-like tent spots and lush trees providing the perfect shade for our hammock set up. The mere sight of this haven helped coax every muscle in my body into a state of relaxation.
After hastily setting up camp and a long-awaited meal, we quickly headed to the stages to catch our good friends Zeb Early and Mr. Rooney who were playing simultaneously, one on each stage. Recognizing friendly faces in the crowds as well as on the stages gave the first night of the festival a very familiar, intimate feeling, like it was a long awaited family reunion where everyone was genuinely happy to see you. Bouncing in between Zeb and Rooney’s energetic and eclectic sets jump-started our experience, leaving the rest of the evening for mixing, mingling and locating friends. By the time The Polish Ambassador came on to blow us away with his futuristic, electro-funk breakbeats, we were ready to pop, drop, and shake everything we had.
Due to a sleepless Thursday night excitedly spent in Bounce preparation, we headed back to camp at a relatively early hour sometime after Love and Light. I crawled into my tent and immediately fell into a restful trance full of vivid lucid dreams and a peacefulness that can only come from sleeping outdoors, soaking in the lullaby of the faint beat echoing from the stages.
Saturday began with a refreshing morning swim in the Feather River that served as the back yard to our little camp. The water had an exhilarating coolness that was a perfect match for the balmy, pleasant, breeze that we woke up to. Fully acclimated to the festival life at this point, we excitedly checked the set times and mapped out a solid day with an agenda of beach lounging, relaxation, and of course, bass.
A Heckler favorite, PRSN, eased us into the mellow vibe as we settled into our spots on the vast raft island that had gathered on the riverbank. Reno locals Who Cares kept the groove going with their conscious hip-hop and beats that are reminiscent of something you have yet to experience; “a futuristic view of the past”. The rest of the afternoon was a whirlwind of smiles, high-fives and hugs, all of which were generously handed out. We rallied back to camp energized and excited for a night that promised little sleep and a lot of adventure.
After following the previous nights routine of dinner and hustle back to the stages, we reached the Hot Air Stage in time to catch Denver based Signal Path, who’s striking stage presence and unrelenting rhythms helped create a truly unique experience. By forging a solid nexus between electronic and live instruments, Signal Path shined as a refreshing highlight of the weekend and a new personal favorite for a lot of our crew.
The energy amassed during Signal Path kept us hyped for Marty Party, whose dazzling light show and thunderous beats kept every body in the crowd moving. He maintained the sensory assault and we remained enthralled by his story telling translated through melodious sagas and rolling bass. The end of another indulgent set left us beaming with thousand watt smiles as the crowd dissipated in excited chatter. After proclaiming that Sunday would be a “workday”, we split up to chase our own adventures and promised each other we would end the weekend with a solid effort. As vivid as this weekend was, the rest of the evening and early morning are a magnificent blur of prismatic hues, melodic fusion, and profound conversations. When we finally made it back to our camp, the tent felt like home as Heyoka’s downtempo beats rocked us to sleep.
Sunday morning, we woke up feeling like Bounce locals. We had a routine down, managed to break bread with our neighbors in the form of a keg of Modelo, and had passed a casual inspection by friendly authorities accompanied by canines. When asked to keep his water gun aimed to the ground, Austin fired a quick, stealthy, shot to the throat. The man in uniform reacted only with a smug, “you’re a good shot”. This place was home, and I felt like I had lived on this little riverbank parcel for many lifetimes before.
The sun radiated its warmth with the promise of another tranquil day as we set off to explore a rope swing that was on the other side of the Belden Bridge. A steep wall of boulders provided a natural arena for us to watch as Ashley, Brent, and Foy conquered what looked like about 40 feet of a gut-churning fall into the river below. After a significant double back-flip by Foy, the morning’s beach time ended with a mellow river float straight to our campsite.
The afternoon was spent catching up with our favorite DJs and old friends. Spending some time chatting with Hamm FM and Barisone proved to be enlightening as we were able to capture their raw reactions and answers to our questions. During their interviews one of our favorite collaborations, Large Humanz, helped us get into the evening groove. Hamm’s set later that day did not disappoint as he played some new tunes with all the enthusiasm and passion that he is locally known for. Barisone’s evening set also came through with his soulful fusions of crisp beats and depth of layers upon layers of brilliant composition.
For me, the culmination of The Bounce struck me that night. Dancing in front of the stage during Micah J, Austin and I smiled at those around us. Some I knew, and some I didn’t, yet all were familiar. These were people I work with, snowboard with, and pass everyday walking around town. The love of music and an understanding of the magic of intentional gatherings was just one thing we had in common. In a setting like that, ideas can be sparked, knowledge exchanged freely, and growth is encouraged.
The fragility of life requires a sense of symmetry and balance. I like to go to festivals not only see my favorite bands and DJs, but also to silence the agitation brought on by the daily grind and stressful situations. For a few days, I can abide in a state of consciousness where life’s focal point is music and tranquil simplicity. Through my experiences, I have learned to appreciate both worlds. One cannot thrive entirely on the euphoria of “festival life”, and our essence will dissolve if we don’t recognize the many different aspects of awareness and understand that multiple facets of life are equally important parts of the bigger picture. To reiterate an elementary admonition, “without the bitter, the sweet ain’t as sweet”.
When we packed up our camp Monday morning, I did not feel the sense of sadness that I usually feel when leaving festivals. The missing sense of dread that automatically creeps up on the last festival day was a welcome loss. I felt rejuvenated, filled with clarity and zeal for life, and was anxious to take my experience back to share with everyone we had left at home. I felt a true sense of relaxation, and had learned to hear silence. Without a doubt, this was the best festival I have ever been to.
*Family Photo: Privett, Cherise, Austin, Love, Foy, Maggie, Brent, Ashley
**PHOTO GALLERY AND ARTIST INTERVIEWS COMING SOON**
If you would like to know more, these websites are helpful:
Official Bounce Festival Website
**Many thanks to the town of Belden for being a gracious host, and especially to our Festival Security neighbor who vouched for us when security dogs were snooping around.
**Special thanks to Fresh Bakin’ and Steve Emmerich for granting Heckler access to The Bounce. This is one we will be sure to attend annually.
**Thank you to the very talented Ben Arnst for his contributions and some of the beautiful time lapses in our video.
**So much gratitude to our friends, old and new, who helped make this experience truly special. See you next year!