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Headstash's HIGH SIERRA 2012 Review Guide

: By Jesse Carano and Jackie Daoust; Published on July 11, 2012

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July 5-8 – Quincy, CA
22nd year – Estimated Attendance: 15,000

2012 Lineup: Ben Harper, STS9, Railroad Earth, Galactic, Built To Spill, Toots and the Maytals, Ryan Bingham, Matisyahu, Soulive, ALO, Lotus, Delta Spirit, Heartless Bastards, Big Gigantic, The Devil Makes Three, Deer Tick, Greensky Bluegrass, Garage A Trois, Paper Diamond, Lettuce, The Slip, Surprise Me Mr. Davis, Grupo Fantasma, MarchFourth Marching Band, Mocean Worker, The Motet: Funk Is Dead!, Skerik's Bandalabra, Red Baraat, The Trio feat. Johnny Vidacovich, Ike Stubblefield and Grant Green Jr., Stooges Brass Band, The New Orleans Suspects, Ben Sollee, Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers, Silent Frisco, Nathan Moore, The Lumineers, Marco Benevento, Elephant Revival, Papadosio , Split Lip Rayfield, Rubblebucket, Birds of Chicago, Brokedown in Bakersfield, Delicate Steve, Gardens and Villa, David Garza, Dead Winter Carpenters, Kids These Days, Y La Bamba, Mike Dillon Band, Steve Poltz, Matt The Electrician, Big Light, The Nibblers, Living Folklore, essence
Artists-At-Large: Skerik, Mike Dillon, "Delicate" Steve Marion, Sunny Jain (Red Baraat), Trevor Garrod, Josh Clark

Festival Website: http://www.highsierramusic.com/

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First Thoughts

It is incredibly evident – even after just one day and night – that High Sierra Music Festival is quite a magical and unique event. Crowds moseyed in the doors with hardly any lines, plenty of security assistance (as opposed to hassling) and impeccable shuttle service. It was a clear sign that these people have done this before. After all, this was the 22nd edition of the event.

Weather

High Sierra is notorious for glorious weather and this year it lived up to its billing once again with four days of seemingly infinite sun. Each successive day reached higher temperature. But we aren’t talking Bonnaroo heat and humidity – this dry heat was what everyone coming from all over the country was hoping for. By Sunday, festivalgoers faces were beautifully sun kissed and still smiling.

Music Highlights

Greensky Bluegrass. Day one reached a scorching, yet dry, 90 degrees, but winds that whipped through the Plumas Canyon kept everyone cool and comfortable. Things truly kicked off when Greensky Bluegrass hit one of the side stages.

Photo Credit: Jackie Daoust

People jumped around joyously as the glorious sun beat down for this pickin’ party. The highlight as an amazing cover of The Band’s “Atlantic City” that saw smiles on the faces of the band members on stage. It was certainly one of those, “this is why we do this” moments for everyone involved.

Matisyahu. The one-time bearded rapper graced the Grandstand with his larger-than-life presence with some well-crafted new songs and the usual “classics.”

Lotus. The crowd finally became fully engaged at the Big Meadow Stage for an evening Lotus set that featured some fan-favorites like “Spiritualize,” “It’s All Clear To Me Now” and “Behind Midwest Storefronts.” The late-night dance party was exactly what night one needed and the flowery yet fast-paced jams had people enthralled and connected.

STS9. For better or worse, the separately ticketed late-night shows kept ticket prices down and special shows intimate, even if not everyone is able to attend. STS9 played an incredible (and long) set that didn’t end until close to 5:00 a.m. Opening with “T.W.E.L.V.E.” and followed by the quintessential Sector 9 jam in “Ramone and Emiglio,” fans were in for an old-school treat.

Photo Credit: Jackie Daoust

A beautiful “. . . And Some Are Angels” was the highlight of the first set with percussionist Jeffree Lerner taking his rare time in the spotlight for the final build-up and peak. Dark and brooding STS9 songs like “Kaya” and “The Rabble” kept things weird in the wee hours of the morning. The reggae-inspired “King Pharaoh’s Tomb” was a perfect way to cap the night and ease people back to their accommodations.

Their second set featured their amped up LED visuals and a bigger crowd in the general festival area. They took it to the next level with images and videos perfectly synced to the music. Bassist David Murphy got on the mic to thank the crowd and festival itself proclaiming that High Sierra was their first, big-time show and is responsible for their popularity. With a gorgeous "Circus" and an encore of "Baraka," they backed up their talk.

Brokedown In Bakersfield. Without a cloud in the sky, BIB kicked things off on day two on the Grandstand Stage by giving everyone a little slice of honky-tonk heaven with “Sing Me Back Home,” “Walking After Midnight” and “Okie from Muskogee.”

Elephant Revival. This indie-acoustic quartet from Colorado rolled to the Vaudeville Stage and mystified the crowd. The women of the band - rare for the jam band scene - were as talented as they were beautiful. During the set, a butterfly flew around a band member's head and while most groups would have ignored it or not noticed at all, Elephant Revival took a moment to reflect on this serendipitous moment They ended with an a cappella Native American-sounding chant.

Non-Music Highlights

Sunrise kickball rage-fest. A silent disco mixed with everyone's favorite childhood game made for a debaucherous evening.

Doing it right. With short lines, compassionate security, small numbers, close stages, family-friendly events, clean bathrooms, hot showers and impromptu parties, High Sierra is one of the best run and most fun festivals in the West.

California cuisine. Bomb burritos, perfect paella and cosmic coffee kept all the dancers fueled and ready to get down.

Three Surprises

STS9's heightened LED display. Only performing "Great Cycle Spectacles" shows scattered around the counry, many people got their first taste of STS9 and LD Saxton Waller's epic creation. It was crystal clear and enhanced the experience nicely.

The Spanish Creek. This swimming hole was a great way to cool off when the sun was high in the sky. Directions traveled via word of mouth in old-school fashion.

Dr. Bronner's Bathtub. Ticketholders could pay $5.00 to get blasted by the good doctor's mint suds in a giant bathtub that could hold about 20 people. A clever idea and well worth it to clean up after a long weekend.

One Lowlight

Certainly we all head to festivals to check out of reality, leave our cell phones behind and ignore emails, but it was near impossible to find a spot to get wireless Internet or electricity to post information from the grounds.

Atmosphere

High Sierra Music Festival truly creates the atmosphere that all festival throwers hope to emulate. And to top it off, this vibe happens naturally. One could scarcely dream up a setting better suited for this type of event. Surrounded on all sides by steep and tall pine-covered canyon walls with the majestic Feather River running through it, this beautiful valley was as picturesque as it gets.

The people are also of a special breed. There was a healthy, hearty, clean vibe that seemed to emanate from every soul encountered. From the pickin’ parties to the late-nights, smiles were commonplace.

There are not many festivals that have been around as long as HSMF. This year, records were broken and the campgrounds were filled. But not many people knew that because the vibe still remained calm, happy and relaxed. This festival is truly be in a class all its own.