Words by Joel Wood
Brainquility Music And Arts Festival poured into the gorgeous and typically serene Safety Harbor Waterfront Park Saturday, bringing with it a tide of artist collectives, craft and food vendors, and musical acts popular in the established Florida festival scene.
The scope of the event — with activities ranging from “yoga” to “chainsaw sculpture” — went far beyond typical single-day concert fare, instead including the large numbers of vendors and side events typically associated with weekend long events. The significant live art and performance presence was due to Brainquility’s construction as a sort of “collective of collectives.” There was the aerialist collective, the food truck collective, and more. Many of the vendors seemed to from a group of people who shared their passion.
When the gates opened, a flood of creativity roared over the park, transforming the natural landscape. Massive, initially-white canvas panels lined the sides of the main concert area, and throughout the day artists could be seen creating their works, allowing a view into the creative process of a number of art motifs and styles. This provided for a stunning, evolving terrain that was made even better at night by the use of vibrant colored lighting.
Further back from the stage began the large lane of vendors, where attendees shopped the day away, purchasing everything ranging from healing crystals to fractal geometry Rick and Morty t-shirts, while taking part in classic festival activities like “body marbling” and signing petitions to legalize marijuana. A morning of great electronic and hip-hop influenced beats was delivered by MZG and Side Trakd before they made way for Voodoo Visionary, which dropped a sonic storm reminiscent of classic funk artists like The Ides of March on the crowd.
Around 4 p.m., the crowd, previously composed of VIP ticket holders at the open bar, began to expand. People appeared wearing costumes ranging from orange squid onesies to steampunk leather top hats, moving forward to prepare for Tauk to play. From the first note, it was on.
The band's brand of post-rock features incredible keys and improvisational jam-band style of play, and it was definitely what the crowd was after. People went wild, hula hoops swirled, and awkward exchanges were had between dance-ready women and awkward men. Every member of the band played a mind melting solo in turn on what seemed like nearly every song. A definite standout performance on the day.
Around 6:15 p.m., Lettuce was ready to take to the stage. The place had really filled out nicely. The art on the canvases had started to solidify, turning the daytime’s bright, clean-white sheets into graffiti made up of criminal kangaroos and temperas of wild geometric shapes. Also gone was the glaring sun of the early day, which was now replaced by a slight cloud cover. There was a lot of talk all day about Lettuce, a funk band and a steady attendee of events here in Florida. Known for its hip-hop edge and absolutely savage live sets, Lettuce is a stank-face inducing act and delivered a set that was more electronic and more dubfunk than its set at the most recent Hulaween. The band was excellent, and the new sound was working. The crowd rose to meet the challenge of the high energy set.
Unfortunately, about halfway into their set, the sky opted to turn up it’s own voltage. The weather had decided to turn suddenly and violently shitty, a Florida tradition. People scattered for the beer tents. A woman with two swords clattered by, hurrying to cover her props. Quickly it was clear that it would be a 20-minute rain that arrives not to replenish nature in anyway, but simply to ruin your good time outside. After the delay, Lettuce was unable to continue due to other obligations, and was sadly forced to bow out.
The array of available activities really served the festival well, allowing Brainquility to quickly adapt by having an artist collective put on a full-scale fire performance, spitting fire and twirling all manner of flaming objects. The shops were open. The artists were back to painting, and the silk aerialists were soaring high above. And then it was time for the big act: Beats Antique.
Famous for its blend of electronic backing with heavy world influences, Beats Antique bring a sound all its own. Equally famous is its live show — Beats Antique's set features belly dancers decked out in exotic, Eastern style outfits that perfectly match the sound that slithers from the speakers as the band play. It seemed as though the rains of the past had been forgiven, and the night would now move on to its big finish. The band arrived via an elaborate entrance ceremony. The music kicked into full swing and the audience roared. The outfits dazzled, both in the limelight and in the pit. Lights danced all over the stage . People who knew how to dance suddenly appeared. Back were the hoopers, this time with LEDs, and glow sticks and wigs whipped through the air. Everyone was either doing their best belly dancer or Egyptian robot dance. The party was back on.
Unfortunately, weather again intervened. After strong gusts shook the stage, the event abruptly ended. While the first stoppage had been accepted fairly easily by this crowd of seasoned Florida festival attendees, this second incident elicited a bit more of a groan. It was a disappointing end to the day, with both headliners having truncated sets. OnTapMusic expressed its apologies, and encouraged everyone to catch daytime acts MZG and Side Trakd at the official after party, just a block from the park.
In the end, Brainquility Music and Arts Festival was, in many ways, a success. The turnout was totally respectable, the number of activities on hand was such that you never had to be without something to occupy your senses, and the music that was played was top shelf. It would be unfortunate if the story of Brainquility was to be the music that didn't play.
