Wet hot American Summer Camp Festival

On his 21st birthday, IU senior A.J. Dezelan saw Umphrey’s McGee for the 21st time.
“It was the best set I’ve ever seen them play,” he said.

Dezelan, along with thousands of other music fans, took over Three Sisters Park this past weekend in Chillicothe, Ill., for the eighth annual Summer Camp Festival.

In its eighth run, the event expanded to more than just a venue for 21st-century hippies and jam bands. Artists ranged from hip-hop to afrobeat to bluegrass, while an undertone of political and environmental awareness filled the park.

The Flaming Lips’ frontman Wayne Coyne said the band doesn’t play shows or festivals often, but that Summer Camp is one of the best festivals in America.

He also spoke of the gravity of the Iraq War in between several songs, and urged that Republicans should depart the White House. At the festival, three hundred new voters registered by Sunday afternoon, which was made possible by the efforts of the nonprofit, non-partisan organization HeadCount.

Musical artists sponsor this mobilization, whose goal is to reach the generally apathetic 18- to 23-year-old demographic.

Chicago Afrobeat Project’s baritone saxophonist, Garrick Smith, said that his band is subtler when it comes
to commentary.

“We dedicate a song to Obama ’08 from time to time,” he said.

Smith jokingly noted that the biggest difference between playing WIUX’s Culture Shock this past April and Summer Camp is the amount of dreadlocks.

Indeed — dreadlocks, hemp and accessories with marijuana leaves dominated the park’s catwalk of muddy roads and camping grounds.

Clothes vendor Lori Stucker said that the main factor in festival fashion is drugs.
“It’s about whatever looks trippy; you put the brightest, gaudiest thing up there and it will get taken,” she said.

Illegal substances were not permitted on the campground, though. By Saturday afternoon, 14 arrests were made, whose causes ranged from counterfeit wristbands to cocaine possession, Chillicothe Police Sergeant Daniel Adcock said.

The main reason that individuals came to the festival’s Trauma Center on Saturday was not drugs, but heat exhaustion. Manager of trauma Sue Behrens said that this was due to dehydration and lacerations of the feet.

Bare feet contributed to many festivalgoers’ desires to be one with nature. Although trash still invaded the fest, a group of recyclers known as The Green Team and volunteers were constantly there to pick up after folks.

In keeping with the environmentally conscious atmosphere, many merchants also stressed their products’ organic quality. Husband and wife vendors Jim and Janet Phelps, collectively known as The Phoenix Traders, are strict importers of fair-trade items. This means they investigate items they are acquiring, and often pay above market prices, Jim Phelps said.

Vendors like Howard Schwartz of Malt Shop Toys were more about bringing the fun to the fest.

“I made a list of all the things I want in a job — and they were toys, music, camping out and friendly folk,” he said in deciding his profession.

Schwartz specializes in everything from kites to Yo-Yo’s.

Only a few feet away from the main vendor and stage area, IU senior Ryan Hobley and his crew of alumni pitched an Indiana-imprinted tent.

“We made sure the Hoosiers did it right,” he said.

Hobley came to Summer Camp for artists like Sound Tribe Sector 9, George Clinton and the festival’s co-founders, moe.

Even artists — such as Gregg Gillis aka Girl Talk — were excited to see other acts performing. Gillis played just before The Flaming Lips, and told the crowd he hadn’t seen the band perform since he was in eighth grade. The laptop aficionado dedicated his set solely to “classics” and material off his new album, Feed the Animals, which he said will be available on his label's —Illegal Art — Web site, by June.

On performing at IU again, Gillis said he’d “love to make it happen.” The artist said he feels obliged to the Bloomington crowd to make up for his March 2007 show at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, in which he faced several technical difficulties and various conflicts. The artist closed his set with his traditional cover of Nirvana’s “Scentless Apprentice.”

Gillis wasn’t the only artist that covered his peers. Summer Camp’s hip-hop representatives, The Roots, are known for their medley of covers. From Biz Markie to Bob Dylan — the instrumentation and vocals drew from several genres.

Umphrey’s McGee superfan Dezelan said the band also ranged from blues to rock to jazz throughout their set, and that it also covered The Beatles and Nine Inch Nails.
Although Dezelan was uncertain whether he would have attended Summer Camp without Umphrey’s presence, he praised the festival for its diversity.

“You can see anything from funk to bluegrass here,” he said.

So whether you came for the pot, the politics or even the music -- there was something for everyone at this year’s Summer Camp.