Pulling up to Skipper’s Smokehouse this past Sunday, August 30, I was bombarded with the sounds of the first annual WMNF GrooveFest, already in full swing at just after 3 p.m. Shak Nasti opened the nine hours of jammin' fun in the sun. The greeters and ticket sellers were in high spirits and there wasn’t a single patron sitting still, whether they were getting food or drinks, chatting, or swaying to the beat.
For a moment I actually forgot where I was. If it weren’t for the humidity and the menu of alligator bites and grouper sandwiches, I would have thought I was back on the West Coast at a reggae festival, or even the Oregon Country Fair. The dreadlocks, tie-dyes, friendly faces and a crowd ranging from ages 2 through maybe even 92, were straight out of Eugene or Portland, Oregon (where I lived before I moved here a few months ago). I felt silly for not sporting my handmade batik dress and Birkenstocks.
Shak Nasti rocked their reggae-funky sounds as people trickled into the venue during the partly cloudy gorgeous Tampa afternoon. The heavy basslines and melodic wanderings of the guitar made Shak Nasti’s music stand out, and they finished strong and loud. The crowd was relaxed but ready to rock out just as much as the musicians, the whole place buzzing and vibing from the afternoon into the evening.
By the time Soulshine meandered onto the stage, the crowd had nearly doubled. One man had a “Shak Nasti” tee-shirt; another man's read “Grateful Dad.”
Soulshine's set-up included congas, bongos, and chimes, flute, guitar and harmonica — lots of instruments for just two band members. Heavy beats eventually softened as the frontman repeatedly called out “Just trying to find my soul some satisfaction,” with a few audience members singing along. Soulshine’s music brought more people to the dance floor and left the audience wanting more.
Next up was Middle Rhythm Session, a five-piece that brought the jam rock grooves to a whole new level. With keyboards, bass, electric guitar, a full drum set, a cowbell and other various percussion instruments, they enticed ever more dancers to the floor. The lead singer’s animated stage presence drew your attention directly to him. They had a more of an alt rock sound than the other performers thus far but won the audience over, nonetheless, and even got the tiny tots on the dance floor to bop around.
Three down, three to go. The next, Earth Bombs Mars, had a sound reminiscent of classic jam bands, very Grateful Dead-esque and what every GrooveFest needs. At times, their transitions and long musical phrases were marked by folk or country flavors, and they had a more laid-back feel than MRS. Still, the simple basslines and soothing guitar riffs made you want to dance. The sun began to set as Earth Bombs Mars continued and their the jamming intensified as darkness fell, keeping listeners interested and dancers moving with hard rock melodies to spice things up until they slowed things down to close their set.
The Burnin’ Smyrnans were up next and while they set up their intruments (saxophone, two guitars, a bass and drums), WMNF representatives took over the stage to thank the crowd for coming and encourage people to enter the raffle and check out the various jewelry and craft vendors that were scattered around the Skipperdome. Burnin’ Smyrnans kicked off their set shortly after. At that point, I noticed that not a single performer had a female musician amongst them, but they certainly had plenty of female fans.
Beginning with an upbeat tune, with a very ska/reggae resonance, they really amped up the pace, the Burnin’ Smyrnans drummer rockin’ the skins. The dance floor was packed for the first time thus far, and the amazing melodies and the singers’ harmonies were solid and evoked the sounds of the Caribbean. It was hard for anyone to sit still, so I finally caved and got out on the dance floor to put my Eugene-grown moves into action, to which my husband commented, “You danced ridiculously in unison with the rest of them.”
The entire line-up of bands put their hearts and souls into every breath and every beat making each song better than the last and left each group raising the bar higher and higher. Burnin’ Smyrnans finished on a high note, loud and proud leaving the crowd ready for the headliner, Cope.
The composition of the vocals of Cope was amazing. The way each voice complimented another was soothing, but powerful. There was a hint of sounds like those of The Allman Brothers Band, another t-shirt found within the audience, and Cope possessed the most eloquent lyrics of the day. The synthesized keyboard sounds, dance beats and transitions mirrored so many different genres making Cope’s performance the epitome of the first annual GrooveFest.
An entire day of “Groove” in the heat had the possibility of being exhausting, but the crowd participation, epic people watching, overwhelming sense of community and the killer line up of bands made the day one of the best Sundays I’ve had in Tampa. At one point a young girl was dancing with a hula hoop doing things I never knew you could do with a hula hoop while keeping in perfect time with Cope’s rhythms. I was mesmerized by that, among many other things throughout the day but all, fell into the whole scene perfectly.
To end the evening Cope brought various members from the preceding bands onto the stage for one hell of a finale. There must have been nearly a dozen people on that stage for one last jam to close the mother of all GrooveFests. For the first one, it was absolutely wonderful and WMNF was well represented. If it’s going to be an annual event, 2010’s bill will have quite the act to follow.
This article appears in Aug 26 – Sep 1, 2009.