Envision yourself in a community completely constructed of bamboo and earth. The lush, green trees offer your only shade and a single hose into the ground is your only source of water. The ground is your friend, offering you a place to rest your bones to sleep. The sky provides your light, holding the sun during the day and the moon and stars at night to guide you. Everyone here is your family, everyone here is your friend. As you breathe in, you feel the warm air pass through your nostrils, filling your lungs and heart with joy and light. Exhale. You are here. In the beautiful jungle of Costa Rica, you can’t help but spontaneously combust into smiles and laughter because you have made it. You are both the student and the teacher as you embrace the daytime workshops, bouncing off of a surrounding community with similar goals.
Envision waking up to the sounds of birds in the trees and the bustling sounds of vendors opening up shop for the day. You can start your day off with some yoga in the bamboo temple, or with a walk on the sunny whale’s tail beach. Maybe you’ll head over to the waterfall in Uvita to escape the hot sun during high noon, or sit on a shaded swing in the big beautiful tree of the Root Down Earth Altar. With so many opportunities and workshops, timing becomes precious in order to fit everything you want to do into the daily schedule. In this place, your days are marked by the sun’s position in the sky as numbers and hours melt away into the sand. Every day at sunset you head over the beach for a daily sunset ritual, followed by what can only be described as a deeply spiritual experience underneath the Earth Harp, an instrument whose long luxurious strings stretch from the top of the Sol Stage, over your head to a raised platform played skillfully by the beautiful Andrea Brook. As the sun goes down, the stage lights come up and the night rushes in with sounds of crickets, cicadas… And bass. Technology meets culture and nature as bands such as Beats Antique, Opiuo, Random Rab, Russ Liquid and so many more play their culturally infused music alongside the chorus of insects and waves. Bands from all over the world reinforce the cultural exchange that this ground was made for, drawing both old time fans and newly interested passers-by. My favorite band to stumble across was… Well, there are a few of them. It is so hard to choose one! Here are some highlights of my experience at Envision. A snippet of what I experienced and learned on my solo journey to the jungle. Enjoy some of the local Costa Rican bands that I was lucky to stumble across were Calavera y Canalla, Santos y Zurdo, and Ojo de Buey. Working the ticket booth during Sonambulo allowed me to practice my shaky Spanish language skills, as tons of local Ticos poured in to see their favorite band, which I heard played phenomenally.
I chose to volunteer at Envision. Well, actually, getting accepted as a volunteer was the deciding factor in my choice to travel to the festival, so I guess I should say Envision chose me and I am so thankful that I got to be a part of the driving force of this festival. Volunteering was not an easy task, but was a very rewarding and inspiring opportunity.
As a volunteer working at the ticket booth, I was able to meet many different people who had traveled a long way to come to Envision, from Norway, Lithuania, Portugal, Australia, Canada to England. I got a nice taste of the cultural diversity of the festival, ages and attitudes of people walking in. A surprising amount of ticket buyers were actually locals, or local transplants who had never heard of any of the bands, but wanted to see what all the commotion was about! These few made me the happiest, as I pointed out my favorite tents on the map, guiding them into a life-changing experience.
Working at the front gate I was also exposed to a lot of attitudes, which were kindly met by Festival producers Jessica McStravick and Justin Brothers with open arms, warm heart, and a helping attitude. Jessica was never phased and kept her kind composure even at the hottest, busiest times of day, greeting everyone with a smile through the heat and the confusion of tired travelers finally arriving at their final destination. She earned the love and respect of all of the volunteers on her ticket angel team, and fostered the close relationships that grew within it. The volunteer team really looked out for one another, and I am so thankful to have met them.
Envision Travel
As I was traveling alone and tent rentals were sold out by the time I hopped on board of Envision, I opted to take advantage of their travel planning option, and emailed travel@envisionfestival.com. I never met Alana Morris, the woman who helped make my arrangements at the cute and funky Tucan Hotel, but I would like to thank her for the stellar job she did placing me at a place that was perfectly suited for my needs. For $12 a night I stayed in a bunk bed dorm-style room with 3 other people, all of whom were attending the festival and became great friends. The staff at the Tucan were phenomenal, and as I am told, may have spoiled my expectations for future hostels because they were so sweet and down to earth. I had no problem hitch-hiking down the road to the venue, and kept my yoga mat in a friend’s tent for whenever I wanted to nap on the grounds. I was even lucky enough to catch a practice session of Lunar Fire band at the Tucan late one night, which was so awesome because I was volunteering during their set!! You guys rock and I look forward to seeing your whole show one day!
This was only the second year of the festival, and although I did not attend the first year in 2011, I am of the belief that throwing an event as big and diverse as this is a learning process and that it is harder to predict what bumps may be in the road then it is to go back and fix the bumps you came across in the coming years. Every festival will have its glitches, and as it gets hotter in the jungle things always get more intense. I think that the biggest problem I had at Envision was at the water pump, which had to be shut down multiple times a day to conserve water. The way I see it, in a place as remote as Whales Tail National Park, resources such as fresh water and shade must be conserved; however a water truck might be a consideration for next year. Announcements were made before certain music sets to ensure that concertgoers remained conscious of their water preservation, and recycling efforts. The bathrooms were also a source of complaint as they filled up very fast, but I have definitely seen worse. After awhile I joined the troupe of people who realized it was much more sanitary to pee in the tall grasses and woods surrounding the stages, and all was good.
The bamboo bridge between the camping site and the beach was taken down by park rangers, which also was voiced as an inconvenience amongst the crowd. More adventurous guests, however, tossed their cares and fears of crocodiles aside and got down and dirty, trekking through the swampy shallow body of water that separated them from the sandy shore. For those traveling with small children (which made up a good percentage of the crowd) I can see how this would be difficult. Another option was to exit the venue and take a short walk to a different entrance of the beach, where a small fee was paid toward maintenance of the National Park. I did not mind taking this approach, and made it to the beach for a beautiful sunset over the sparkling pacific. This might have also been because I was staying at the Tucan and had to leave the venue anyway. Though a few got quite angry that beach access was not as easily available as they might like, many people chalked it up to the jungle life and simply appreciated their surroundings and just made the best of the situation at hand.
The MOOP Squad helped keep things clean, clad in orange as they cleared trash from the site. MOOP stands for “Matter Out Of Place” and they ensure that festie-goers leave no trace as they dance around in bright orange outfits, yelling “MOOP ALERT” while collecting litter with their MOOPwands and a kickass can-do attitude.
So who was my favorite unexpected act of the festival? Gaudi. Gaudi, Gaudi, Gaudi, and WOW, what a show he put on. I had heard his name but not his music and what a mistake that was. A gripping stage presence combined with tantalizing beats made me want to put down my camera and just lose myself in motion. He brought together people of all backgrounds and just sucked us into a swirling vortex of diverse tribal sounds, infused with reggae and world beats matched into dub and experimental electronica sounds.
To top off the electrifying storm he generated, Gaudi brought our minds and hearts back to one another when he pulled out a Bob Marley flag and blasted the song “Buffalo Soldier”, making the already high energy of the crowd surge toward the infinite stars. Everyone came together, arms around one another, swaying to the comforting song that we all know so well. Gaudi came out from behind his equipment and pulled up a few dreadlocked friends to hug and sing and sway with in a blessed moment of unity. I saw on his website that he is playing in NYC on May 17th, but the venue is TBA. Anywhere he plays, I would definitely go back to see him and recommend everyone in the area to do the same.
After Italian-born Gaudi tore up the Luna stage Saturday night, Octopus Nebula of Colorado melted the Sol stage with their smooth and flowing downtempo ambient sounds, which wrapped around my body like tentacles pushing and pulling me to the beat under the brightly lit Pacific sky. This band really knows how to build up the tension, as their slower beats would perpetually gain momentum and all of a sudden come crashing into the crowd like a wave transferring its energy from the stage to the ground, especially with higher pitched synth sounds that I can only describe as alien-like beeps and boops that make up a spinning web of groovy electricical patterns. The name “Octopus Nebula” is really spot-on for their style of music, and I was quite impressed with their performance.
Lespecial was a band that I had been looking forward to seeing live, as I had unfortunately been out of town during their New York show a few weeks earlier that ended their Brothership Connection Tour with a bang. My friends in the NY jam EDM scene had talked them up big time, and fellow L4LM writer and music producer Harrison Waxenberg of Horizon Wireless had interviewed them after that show (read the interview HERE), giving me a glimpse of what to expect. Although they ran into a few sound difficulties in the beginning of the show, I attributed it to “Tico Time” and that just built up the anticipation for what they had in store. The boys blew me away, and their spicy female dancers in gorilla masks and feather headdresses really added a tribal element that fit perfectly for the jungle setting we were in. Their glitchy beats mixed with experimental voiceovers and jazzy rhythms filled with groove drew a crowd of wide dancers, throwing their limbs and bodies around to the heavy whompage that ensued. For some reason, their music makes me feel like an Egyptian goddess looking down over an oasis of light when I dance to it. Unfortunately I had to leave their set early to fill a volunteer shift, but I am really looking forward to seeing them play at Rock and Roll Resort the last weekend in March, and reuniting with their beautiful and loving crew!
Lucent Dossier Experience lived up to their reputation, delivering a tight performance what were not the best of conditions. They are an internationally acclaimed Vaudeville-esque interactive electronic band and performance group, who have years of performances at festivals such as Coachella, Lightning in a Bottle, and Burning Man under their belt as well as performing live on MTV with Panic! at the Disco and at the official Grammy Awards party. The crowd peacefully sat down in front of the stage for their set, and just took it all in. I was very upset, as were a lot of people around me, that the microphone did not work throughout the show. Sound troubles didn’t hold them back thought, and when that mic turned on and her powerful voice belted out the most beautiful of notes, there was a thunderous and well-deserved applause, as we were finally able to confirm what our eyes were telling us our ears should be enjoying. Even with the sound issues, this world-renowned troupe brought us through a range of emotions with their snarls and maniacal grins, spinning fire poi, fire parasols, hanging off of the Spanish web, dancing inside of a half moon hanging from a bamboo aerial rig, stomping to the beat and so much more.
Of the bands I expected to see, Beats Antique was definitely the one I had the most live experience with. I have seen every Beats Antique show in NYC in the past two years, and was slightly skeptical to see what a DJ set without Zoe Jakes would be like, especially after her raft-surfing stunt at Irving Plaza back in September 2011 (who could forget that?!). However, the boys really brought the heat and won my respect as musicians. This show felt way more intimate than other shows I have seen them play and not just because of the venue. Having just “Sidecar” Tommy Cappel and David Satori on stage together brought the focus back to the music, and enabled me to shut my eyes and just move to the groove. Sexy as always, their music is the ultimate embodiment of the cultural fusion that Envision is all about, combining middle eastern, electronic, country and bluegrass sounds all together in a truly unique blend. They started out a little slow, building up the song “Alto” off of their new album Elektrafone (featuring David Satori playing his banjo with a viola bow) but brought the energy up throughout the rest of the show with dub beats, glitchy tones and some occasional hip-hop thrown into the mix. I enjoyed watching them communicate with their eyes to each other across the stage, and get up and play musical instruments, like they were participating in some mad tea party. They brought their traditional animal heads out as usual during the encore, in a wilder and longer-lasting frenzy than I had ever seen.
Workshops:
Marcus Thompson: Urban Permaculture, Bringing Nature’s Bounty to the City
Marcus Thompson is such a delight, and a wonderful public speaker with a secret… He also raps for his cause!! I stumbled upon his workshop in the Root Down Earth Altar, and discussed ways to bring the beauty of sustainable nature into our cities. Do you know where your water comes from?
Awakening the Chakras with Juanpa Barahona
-I only got to catch the tail end of this workshop, but am so glad that I did! I came at the right moment, as Juanpa had everyone get up and divided the group into different sections. He had everyone sing a different note over and over while moving in different positions. He then had everyone move out of the area they were standing, so the group converged into multiple sounds, multiple motions all at once, as Juanpa conducted the volume up and down with his body and hands. At the end of the group harmony he taught us all a Hopi song, that went like this; “Dhuat’e, Ken’o Ken’o Mah-oh-tey, Mah-oh-tey, Hyano, Hyano, Hyano! (clap clap)” Juanpa, if you’re out there reading this please correct my spelling of this song if it is wrong! We sang and danced and clapped and laughed as my heart chakra opened wide.
Vibrational Healing, Tai Chi Chuan & Creative Development — Marcelo Mansour
I met Marcelo Mansour on Thursday, the first offical day of the festival, when I was sporadically doing morning yoga with some fellow volunteers and he quietly sat down next to us and started playing his didgeridoo, healing my body with its vibrational sounds. He is a beautiful spirit, and always seemed to pop up at the festival when I needed him most. His vibrations brought us to such a calm, that he had to remind his students; “Do not lose your feet while you are flying, my friends.” as our knees buckled in bliss during his morning Tai Chi Chuan sessions. Check out his site here www.marcelomansour.com.ar
I caught the 10 AM Envision Shuttle back to San Jose airport directly from Tai Chi Chuan on Sunday morning, sad to have to part with new friends and family after a long night (and long weekend in general) of magical moments but happy and thankful to have made it on this journey. I could write for days about the experience I had at Envision, but you will never be able to experience it the same way unless you check it out for yourself. We will keep you posted on updates about Envision 2013 here on liveforlivemusic.com! To my Envision family- I love you so much and hope to see you all again next year! Please add any of your own experiences to this article in the comments section because there was so much at this festival, I’m bound to be missing something. Pura Vida!
Written by Nina Wanerman