Wanderlust 2010 - the Recap!

Aaaaand . . . we're back!

What an amazing trip - beautiful scenery and super nice people. Plus great food and music!

View from High Camp

As I mentioned in our Wanderlust Festival preview post, this year the structure of events was very different. Instead of this being a music festival with yoga, it was the other way around.

I really think this has to do with ticket sales and schedule conflict. Last year, bands played all day long at High Camp (pictured left) while yoga classes went on in the Village simultaneously.

Yoga with a View (High Camp Class)

This year music was a celebratory affair. Yoga folks posed all day in a number of glorious and breathtaking settings, and then danced their well-toned butts off during the headlining performances on the Pulse Stage at night.

And for those who took a break in between classes a number of artists and groups performed in the middle of the Village on the Casbah Stage. Nick Brunner from Off Air on Capital Public Radio introduced two of these performers: Kelli Scarr and John Shannon.

Kelli Scarr | Friday July 30th

A few things struck me about the young vocalist. First off, she's from Folsom and so am I! Secondly, she has a great tone. She sounds like a bluesy, modern Karen Carpenter. Scarr has the ability to both really belt it out and to be quiet and moody. 

After a little research I was even more excited to hear that she's been featured on NPR a number of times:

• You can currently listen to her new album "Piece" in its entirety on NPR's First Listen.
• Watch Kelli write a song with Moby in two days on Project Song.
• In May she performed a Tiny Desk Concert with Moby in which they cover not only Johnny Cash, but Lou Reed and Neil Young.

John Shannon w/ his band | Sat. July 31st

Here's the thing, I completely admire and respect the mystical and spiritual aspect of Wanderlust, but I just don't get it. I'll take a few yoga classes, but I'm no fanatic (I certainly can't do a handstand). I may appreciate it, but I don't regularly listen to new age music.

So I have to admit, I was thoroughly surprised by John Shannon last weekend. His album American Mystic illustrates his personality and sound to a tea.

Think of him as Sting and Matthew McConaughey's love-child: he's super chill, at one with the earth, and has a strikingly memorable voice - oh and he plays a mean 12 string!

John Shannon Intro - Wanderlust 2010 from Paduta - Fresh Music Every Day on Vimeo.



Kelli Scarr Intro - Wanderlust 2010 from Paduta - Fresh Music Every Day on Vimeo.

I have to give BIG HUGE thanks to C3 Presents who made sure Nick and I not only had tickets to the festival, but an amazing room, and backstage/photo passes. These guys and gals put on not only Wanderlust, but Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza! Check them out!

Photos by Meg Sevier & Nick Brunner | Wanderlust 2010

Next Time . . . Wanderlust Recap: Backstage Edition!

Paduta Goes to Wanderlust!

I am so excited to go to the second annual Wanderlust Festival at Squaw Valley in North Lake Tahoe this weekend! Last year I was amazed by the beauty of the surroundings, the caliber of performances (Spoon, Amanda F. Palmer, Broken Social Scene and Girl Talk to name a few) and of course...

the funitel. 

This year it's a little different - instead of being a music festival with yoga, its the other way around. Perhaps due to lack of show attendance, the organizers of this year's festival are scaling back and centering the focus on what many attendees are there for to begin with: the yoga.

So no more trips up the funitel for all day back to back shows at the top of the mountain, that is unless you go up there for one of the dozens of yoga classes offered.


There are however a number of musical performances I am highly anticipating this weekend:

Moby (DJ Set)

That's right - the master of not just electro-house music but vegan cuisine will be spinning on the ones and twos on Friday @ 10:30 pm on the Pulse Stage PLUS an acoustic set @ 5:30 on Saturday!

Perhaps his tunes are not presently pushed with the same commercial veracity of the late 90s, but I was actually quite impressed with his 2009 release Wait for Me.

And let's be honest, I had his hit album Play on repeat throughout most of my adolescence and teenage-hood. "Run On" - that was the track for me.


Pretty Lights

Performing Friday @ 9PM on the Pulse Stage is producer Derek Vincent Smith and drummer Cory Eberhard a.k.a. Pretty Lights. Similar to Girl Talk, these guys mix and sample music from different artists of different genres live.

Mash-up artists however have come into a bit of controversy with copyright infringement. Smith has responded to these accusations by saying "one thing I've run into a lot, is people that immediately judge artists who sample as music thieves without enough creativity to make good music on their own. [...] But I strive to always use samples in a way that brings new life and feeling to them."

They've released three albums on the Pretty Lights label which are all available as free downloads off the official website.

Photo by Tobin Voggesser

Brazilian Girls

I first listened to this trio of New Yorkers while I volunteered for Off Air at Sacramento's Capital Public Radio.

I don't even know how to describe their music but I do know I will be snapping pics in the front row of their headlining show on Sunday @ 8:30PM on the Pulse Stage!

Here's why:

I will be tweeting live from the festival, as well as updating Paduta's Facebook and posting videos of the shows on our blog, so keep checking in for our Wanderlust coverage!

And take a look back at Off Air's coverage of the inaugural Wanderlust Festival: videos, photos, interviews and more.