Bear Creek has always been known for its incredible artist-at-large and special guest sit-ins during the various performances over the years, when the festival took place at Spirit of the Suwannee Park in Live Oak, FL. With the decision to take a break last year, many long-time attendees of the festival were devastated to hear about the demise of what most consider to be truly the best small gathering of musicians and fans on the festival circuit.
As producers of the festival announced its imminent return from September 30th – October 1st, but with a move to New Orleans, LA (get tickets here), the hopes of the Bear Creek faithful rose once again. The opportunity to relive the magic that the festival creates in one of the greatest musical cities is beyond exciting!
“One of the things Judy and Lyle have tried to have this event incorporate is that ‘Late-Night Sit-In’ anticipation that comes along with Jazz Fest,” said festival organizer Andrew Burnett. “All of the artists-at-large are there for that reason, and it is also the reason for ‘Soulive & Friends.’”
The lineup features sets from the Flaming Lips, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Lettuce (2x), Soulive & Friends, Foundations of Funk, The Floozies, Lotus, the Nth Power, Dumstaphunk, Tony Hall’s New Orleans Tribute to James Brown, and a great Bernard Purdie & Friends set with a lineup that includes Pete Shad (The New Mastersounds), Brian J (Pimps of Joytime) and Ivan Neville (Dumpstaphunk). With a whole lot of filthy funk for your soul on tap, expect a major comeback for Bear Creek this year down in NOLA.
There are also some great late night events to keep the party going after hours, in true New Orleans fashion. The first night will feature The Floozies with a full live band, including John Medeski (Medeski Martin & Wood), Skerik, Ryan Zoidis (Lettuce), and Jesus Coomes (Lettuce). Dubbed Funk Court, this show will do you justice for sure! Tickets are available here. Night two features an all-star tribute to the late great funk legend Bernie Worrell, with music from Ivan Neville (Dumpstaphunk), Ian Neville (Dumpstaphunk), Nick Daniels (Dumsptaphunk), Nigel Hall (Lettuce), Nikki Glaspie (The Nth Power), Ryan Zoidis (Lettuce), Eric “Benny” Bloom (Lettuce), Jen Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band), and TJ Norris. Tickets can be found here.
In honor of the upcoming Bear Creek return, we wanted to take a look at some of truly memorable moments from ‘Bear Creek Sit-In History.’ Without further ado…
Derek Trucks and Kofi Burbridge sitting in with Lettuce on “Move On Up”:
Dumpstaphunk’s DumpstaJam ft. sit-ins from Eric Krasno, Nigel Hall, Khris Royal, Louis Cato, Ryan Zoidis, Benny Bloom, Freakbass, Rashawn Ross, Jonathan Lloyd and more (Yup, that’s what we were thinking too!):
David Shaw sitting in with Galactic on Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Baby, I Got Your Money”:
Medeski Martin & Wood w/ Johnny Vidacovich and more:
Funky Meters w/ Pee-Wee Ellis “World Is A Little Bit Under The Weather”:
Umphrey’s McGee’s special guest-laden set w/ Bernie Worrell, Ivan Neville, Jennifer Hartswick and more:
[taped by Tim Wright]
How about the Bear Creek Secret Tree House After Party Jam Session with Robert Walter on keys, Eddie Roberts on guitar, Adam Deitch on drums, Topaz on sax, Jonathan Lloyd on trombone, Louis Cato on percussion?! There are some that would call that straight ridiculousness:
Many thanks to L4LM contributing writer Bee Getz for the history lesson on Bear Creek! Also, thanks to FunkIt Blog for the videos. Check out the full lineup below, and head here for tickets and more information.
