On Saturday, July 9, the Marshfield Fairgrounds in Massachusetts had 10,000 people descend upon the venue for the third annual Levitate Music and Arts Festival, on an unseasonably cool summer day. With its roots firmly planted in the surf and skate scene, the sold out festival has grown by leaps and bounds over the course of its short time on the circuit.
The festival not only featured music, but had a variety of activities around the grounds for attendees to take in. Yoga painting was offered in the afternoon, in which poses were created on large canvases set up on the lawn. A drum tent was available for kids to bang away and create their own music. Skate boarders had a ramp to flip and twist away on. Food trucks galore ran the edge of the festival, ensuring no one would walk away hungry. Vendors of all kinds lined the interior area between stages, offering a reprieve from the dancing while taking in some shopping.
Three stages were on the grounds. Music would only be played on one stage at a time throughout the day, so attendees would not have to worry about missing their favorite band. Ron Gallo opened up the fest and performed under grey skies that teased at rain, but the clouds kept their hold on the weather. This band was a fusion of punk with rock and roll old school vibes that kicked up the heat and got the crowd moving. Next in line was The Movement, who opened up the fest at the second stage on the other side of the grounds. They brought heavy dosed reggae jams and kept the venue on their feet. Moon Taxi started off light and easy before blowing right into a massive jam. The heat from their instruments evaporated the light mist falling from the sky. At one point, Wes Bailey, on keys, took the performance on lift-off and successfully melted faces as he pounded at the ivories. When their set finished, fans were wide awake and crammed with energy.
Twiddle flowed right into their hour long set after Moon Taxi dropped their last note. They rolled along with tight jams throughout. Mihali Savoulidis lit up his guitar and blew the doors off with crushing improvisation. Midset they noodled around on stage, throwing out teases, before storming into “Syncopated Healing.” Piano cooled things off with a pretty flow during “Hattie’s Jam,” before bringing the heat higher and higher. Their set did not disappoint the crowd as people danced elbow to elbow.
Tribal, mystical tones brought Nahko and Medicine For The People to the stage. Words of wisdom and peace were spoken by singer, Nahko Bear, as their set opened before saying “now let’s rock the fuck out” and blazing into their performance. The sun heard his words and finally came out to light up the grounds, bringing a much needed reprieve from the chill in the air. Horns and violin added extra spice to the vibe. An extraordinarily moving intro for their song “Great Spirit” left the audience speechless, as a timely hawk soared in circles among the thermals above the stage. Their entire set kept the audience hypnotized and in awe.
Bringing the audience back down to earth, Stick Figure wasted no time as they busted out reggae tones. A chill, laid back peaceful vibe was thrown out while painting yoga was happening at the back of the crowd. One festival goer brought a gigantic cardboard cut out of an NFL player on a stick and had it bouncing around to the tunes, as a Scooby blow-up balloon was twirled around the crowd. Good times were clearly being had by all.
North Mississippi Allstars started off by slamming into a massive set full of high energy. The crowd was fueled by their intense tunes, crammed with jams that flowed from full on rocking to smoother blues.
Lettuce blasted into their set and dropped the funk like nobody’s business. Guest guitarist, Jeff Lockhart, filled in while Adam Smirnoff recuperated in the hospital. Their jams kept the audience on their feet, as it was impossible to sit still while they took the stage. Special guest, Alecia Chakour, showed up to perform as she belted out the vocals to “Do Your Thing.” Chakour was more of an artist at large, as she made appearances throughout the day with several of the acts.
Los Lobos rocked their asses off during their set. Deliciously wrapping authentic flavors into their tunes made for one hell of a great performance. The accordion switched up to a lively mood, only to compliment the rockin’ vibe they set off. Rebelution took fans on a chill trip through their melodies. The funkafied reggae beats had the crowd getting sore feet from all the dancing. Juicy jams were thrown back and forth with the horn section, featuring a playful “Count Me In.” The threatening rain continued to stay away as evening set in while the crowd retained a chill mood as funky beats poured out from the band.
Headliner Tedeschi Trucks Band ended off the day’s events with a smoking hot performance. Early on, Los Lobos guitarist, David Hidalgo, joined the group for a triple guitar sensation. Sizzling jams between Derek Trucks and Hidalgo brought goosebumps to fans, before cooling down with tender tones, only to once again, take the notes on blast off. Guitarist Luther Dickinson, of North Mississippi Allstars, then joined the group for a slamming sensation and just tore it up. Susan Tedeschi, who grew up in the local area, dedicated George Jones’ country tune, “Color of the Blues” to her grandfather. Their set finished off with a bass bomb heavy funk/jazz tune, filled with mysterious horns and psychedelic vibes, stepping away from their usual expected melodies, before encoring with The Beatles, “With A Little Help From My Friends.”
The day was filled with hula hoops, skateboards, music and colorful people, which created a menu of tastes for the eyes and ears. The continuous music on three stages, with bands starting as soon as another one stopped, delighted the grounds with non-stop tunes for everyone. Overall, Levitate Festival is not one to be missed and should be added to your list for next year’s must see’s.
Words by Sarah Bourque. Follow on Twitter
Photos courtesy of Taj Mulhall Photography, audio recordings all via taper Mark Van Blunk.
