QUINCY, Calif. — If your idea of celebrating freedom is waltzing into a Drive-By Truckers concert wearing nothing but a cap and a grin, High Sierra is the ultimate place to spend the Fourth of July weekend.
Occasionally, things got a little freaky at the 17th annual High Sierra Music Festival on the Plumas-Sierra County Fairgrounds. But that's the way most fans prefer this unique event, which revived a bit of Woodstock's spirit while showcasing about 80 musical acts July 5-8.
Sweltering heat meant that many of the estimated 7,500 festivalgoers alternated daytime excitement with on-site camping relaxation. Many brought toy swimming pools to soak in. Others attended cooler, indoor workshops covering everything from Afrobeat history to how to promote your band.
Nights were musical feasts that required fans to choose between acts such as Leftover Salmon or the Disco Biscuits playing on different stages.
High Sierra deserves credit for widening the festival's vision from its Grateful Dead-oriented roots. With so many tie-dyed neo-hippies staring at them — not to mention the naked dude in the crowd — it's no wonder the Drive-By Truckers drank straight from a large bottle of Jack Daniel's on stage.
At its heart, High Sierra remains a jam-band jamboree. The sound of bluegrass instruments loomed around every corner, as did the scent of patchouli, sweat and, um, hemp. Phish tribute band Phix even performed.
The one thing missing at High Sierra? Obtrusive law enforcement that plagued a few previous years. Local authorities were almost nowhere to be found, leaving responsibility to festival security, which did an admirable job.
That was just one of the highlights of another magical High Sierra Music Festival — which, by the way, is less than nine hours from Boise:
Best band: Garaj Mahal. It's a mistake to feature this jazz fusion quartet on the first day of the festival. Once the bar is set this high, nobody has a chance. Not only is each member of Garaj Mahal a jaw-dropping virtuoso on his instrument — it's truly scary — but this band also is relentlessly funky. Garaj Mahal's biggest strength is its fearlessness. Not since Miles Davis' experimental jazz-rock bands has any group plunged into the musical unknown with such enthusiasm for risk and self-discovery.
Loudest group: Drive-By Truckers. With the recent departure of singer-guitarist Jason Isbell, many fans are wondering how the Truckers now sound. The answer? Awesomely loud. Mixing strong new songs with material from older CDs such as "Decoration Day," the hard-rocking Truckers showed off a new pedal steel guitarist and a keyboard player. Hippies who had danced to the prior, mysteriously super-popular act, Yonder Mountain String Band, fled for safety.
Craziest act: Les Claypool. The ex-Primus frontman has metamorphosed into a hybrid of P.T. Barnum, Stanley Clarke and Porky Pig. Claypool's Fancy Band — which includes quirky characters such as Skerik and Gabby La La — was the tightest bizarre group you've ever seen. Claypool often wore masks on stage; watching a hog creature slap bass is almost as unsettling as it is amazing.
Best dance band: The New Mastersounds. This group plays simple, guitar-laden, groove-based funk. They're like the British version of the Greyboy Allstars. The dance epidemic that spread while the New Mastersounds played Sunday was unavoidable. I normally loathe dancing, yet I boogied so hard that I hurt my foot.
Act most deserving a breakthrough: Kan' Nal. This "shamanic rock" group has everything going for it: A killer sound. A hunky lead singer and guitarist. Two hot, creative hippie-chick dancers. Crazy-cool video effects. But Kan' Nal is too gypsy-oriented to make a mainstream breakthrough. That's too bad, because Kan' Nal's tribal grooves are spectacular. Yo, North Enders: Kan' Nal would be the ultimate Hyde Park Street Fair headliner.
Most inspirational singer: Mavis Staples. Braving the blazing afternoon heat, Staples, 68, told joyful stories and linked her gospel and R&B singing to the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Staples connected her past with the present during "Respect Yourself" by dropping in nods to both Aretha Franklin's "Respect" and Amy Winehouse's "Rehab."
Best new instrumentalist: Jake Shimabukuro: Hawaiian-raised Shimabukuro ripped massively on the ... ukelele. At one point, the young Japanese-American played Led Zeppelin, Chick Corea and Franz Shubert back to back to back. His instrument's delicate tone was the thread that connected the songs. Shimabukuro's enthusiasm was infectious.
Best failed good idea: Josh Clark's Guitarmageddon. The concept each year is to have Tea Leaf Green frontman Josh Clark lead a roomful of guitar players on a 90-minute frenzy of fretboard wanking. But the sound in the Tulsa E. Scott building stinks, and the festival's hottest shredders don't always attend. After 10 minutes, it got boring. This gig needs Jake Cinninger of Umphrey's McGee back in a big way. Or, hell, Steve Vai.
Best daytime entertainment: Hoop It Up. On July 7, it was World Hoop Day. Seeing dozens of people twirling Hula Hoops in a shady park wasn't just relaxing and fun, it was strangely cool. Some of the hoopers were ridiculously talented.
Best late-night entertainment: Fire dancers. High Sierra was brutally hot and exhausting. What better way to cool off than hit the late-night area around midnight and watch sensual fire dancing? It's primitive. It's mesmerizing. And, much like High Sierra, the fire never truly dies.
Michael Deeds: 377-6407
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