This coming weekend (Feb. 14th-16t) at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Like Oak Florida, AURA Music and Arts Festival will celebrate it’s fifth anniversary with a 3 act pre-party on Thursday night and a music packed weekend with 46 additional artists and 4 different stages.
Known for it’s funky jams and complimentary classes that have the power to refresh your whole outlook on life, AURA is back again this year with a schedule crafted too feed both body and soul. With Lotus, Papadosio and Conspirator headlining the festival, AURA will be host to imaginative and unique musical styles that defy genre limitations. Electronic elements mixed with live instrumentation will be a unifying theme for this year’s lineup and we couldn’t be more excited. Top acts to see on our list include Conspirator, Dopapod, Zoogma, Papadosio, a newly revamped Particle, and of course Lotus.
Disco Biscuits’ founder Marc Brownstein, Aron Magner, Chris Michetti and drummer Torch combine to form Conspirator, an “exploratory improvisation” of music dedicated to bass, shredding and live instrumentation. Each Conspirator performance is completely unique from any other and they never disappoint. Dopapod, a funky electronic group consisting of four members combines elements of jazz, trance, soul, and progressive rock. Also influenced by rick elements, albeit in a much more electronically oriented manner, Zoogma is perfect for music fans that just wanna get down on the dance floor. They’ve become a familiar name during their past 3 years of almost non stop touring and have graced festival lineups such as Camp Bisco, CounterPoint Music Festival, The Hangout Music Festival and Wakarusa.
For those who lean more towards the psychedelic, Papadosio comes highly recommended. An excellent blend of folk, progressive rock and jam band styles, the quartet has gained quite a following through songwriter Anthony Thogmartin’s thought invoking lyrics. Although not many jam band followings can compare to that of Lotus’s. After discussing the band’s popularity and their interaction with fans with front man Jesse Miller last summer at Camp Bisco, it became even clearer to me just how much Lotus is loved. One of the most impressive things about these musicians is their ability to defy genre limitations and fit in on almost any lineup. They’ve headlined all electronic music festivals one weekend and shredded their guitars at traditional rock festivals the next, yet they always remain true to their sound, and in a day of musical bandwagoning maintain a unique musical voice.
As always, the fifth annual AURA will also feature live artists, an interactive acts village, craft and food vendors, yoga and meditation classes, and eye opening workshops. Tickets are still available for purchase through AURA’s website. Hope to see all you funky people there.
Purchase Tickets to AURA here.
-Margaret Main