Another Bear Creek is in the books and while I believe there is no word in the English dictionary more overused than "epic," that is exactly what the fourth annual Bear Creek Music and Arts Festival was.

Festival creators Paul Levine, Lyle Williams and the wonderful camp over at the Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park pulled off another festival of monumental proportion November 10-14. Solidifying my notion that Bear Creek has become, hands down, the best festival in the nation. The music, the vibe, the spirit of the Suwanee; there is simply nothing else out there like it. With three Bear Creeks now under my belt I can confidently say that the "little festival that could" is all grown up and has become a major contender in the national festival scene.

This year's headliners moe and Umphreys Mcgee, as well as each of the 70 plus amazing acts that graced our ears over the weekend, have placed Bear Creek up there with major Midwest festivals like Wakarusa and All Good. What sets Bear Creek apart from the rest? Good old-fashioned Southern hospitality is what makes this festival, in my opinion, the best in all the land.

Southern hospitality lives in the Spirit of the Suwanee. If you're a frequenter to the SOSMP then you already know about the Spirit of the Suwanee. It's the feeling that engulfs you the second you enter the park, it's your neighbor who shares firewood with you in the bitter cold night. It's the musicians who rage beside you instead of backstage. It's the camaraderie of the entire festival which unites us into one big festival family. There is no other festival, or even scene for that matter, out there that can compete.

Over 7,000 were in attendance for this years event and the pre-party was extended to Wednesday night, giving music enthusiasts a whopping five days of live tunes. My dedication to this year's festival was tested when I found out that a dear friend would be getting married in my hometown of Tampa on the Friday of Bear Creek. My original thought was to just head up to the park on Saturday morning.

However, as the date approached I realized that only two days of my favorite festival of the year was simply not enough. So sure as shit I drove up Thursday morning, drove back to Tampa Friday afternoon, and then drove immediately back after the wedding. An extra 400 miles out of my way just so that I could get three full days of my beloved Bear Creek. I'd have driven 1,000 miles if I had to.

Thursday night's lineup set the bar pretty high for the rest of the weekend. Ft. Lauderdale's Heavy Pets played a tight nit, upbeat set in the Purple Hatters Tent and had bodies bouncing from one side of the tent to the other with their psychedelic jams. Joining them on stage was an army of hula-hoopers which made for a great backdrop in the high-energy music tent. In a market where everyone seems to be going electronic the Heavy Pets are a nice reminder of guitar-driven jam that runs deep with-in music festival roots. Those guys are on point.

After Heavy Pets,I anxiously awaited for headliner's Umphrey's McGee to start. I was curious what kind of set they would play, being that it was still the pre-party to the weekend. Would they keep it tame? Having been a couple of years since I've last seen Umphreys I didn't know what to expect. They guys didn't take long to start feeling that Spirit of the Suwanee, and the first set was anything but tame. They closed it out with "Bright Lights Big City" into a flawless rendition of Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond."

The massive light rig beaming into the crowd across the newly improved Purple Hatters tent made me dizzy to think about all the music still to come. Temperatures had dropped to the thirties by late Thursday night and it became apparent by then that the only way to survive the weekend was to dance for your life, and that's exactly what everyone did.

Thursday night's set alone was well worth the three hour drive it would take me to get back to Tampa the next afternoon. I left about noon on Friday to make my second trek back, and although nothing was more important then the nuptials of my dear friends, I was pretty bummed to be missing Friday night's lineup.

Friday night's schedule packed some serious heat with headliners Umphrey's Mcgee, Soul Live, Perpetual Groove, The New Mastersounds and one of my personal favorites, J-5's Chali-2-Na. Amongst all the great acts, I heard from my fellow Florida local friends that the campground stage was the place to be on Friday. The quaint campground stage played host to a who's who showcase of the most up and coming bands in the southern and Florida scene. Jacksonville's Green House Lounge, Greenville's The Malah and Ashville's Papadosio played back to back sets and the general consensus was that all the bands killed it.

With undying Bear Creek devotion I raced right back to the festival and arrived about two am Saturday morning. Just in time to enjoy a late night fire with friends, and get some feedback on the day's festivities before hitting the hay.

After the best night of sleep one can get camping in thirty degree weather I woke up Saturday refreshed and beside myself over the next two full days of music to come. Saturday was my day, from the second the festival schedule was announced I had been anxiously anticipating this day. So many amazing Suwanee first timers graced the stage on Saturday and trying to catch a bit of every set became a full on rat race. Mega headliners and Suwanee first timers, moe, played an exceptional set on the amphitheater stage, dressed to the nines in slick, black suits. They played just as sharp as they looked.

A sea of hula hoops, l.e.d lights and tie die reached as far as the eye could see in the packed out amphitheater. I only stuck around for the first few songs so was pleased when the guys busted into "Happy Hour Hero," one of my favorite jams. It ended up being a nice mix of new and old tunes. (The Pit>Don't F**k with Flo, Happy Hour Hero, Wind It Up, Spine of a Dog>Buster>Yodelittle>George, Brent Black: Encore: Seat of My Pants)

I left moe and sprinted to the Purple Hatters Tent where Bonobo was about to grace the stage. Backed by a full live band with multi-instrumentalists and the captivating vocals of Andreya Triana, the Bonobo set ended up being one of my top shows of the weekend. DJ/producer Simon Green along side his band took listeners on a aesthetic journey from start to end. It was completely and utterly beautiful.

After Bonobo, I walked over to the amphitheater stage to come back to earth for the always dance-worthy Ivan Neville's Dumpstajam. Joined on stage by a revolving door of musicians the Neville clan was as usual serving up the funk in full force. I stuck around long enough for the wonderful Sly Stone classic "Thank U Fa Lettin Me Be Mice Elf, Again." The entire crowd sang along in unison, singing to the stage, to each other, to friends and to strangers. It was a great moment underneath the mystical Suwanee Oak trees.

Just in time to take a break from the cold I left the Dumpstajam to go catch one of my favorite Tampa local acts, Cope. Having seen dozens upon dozens of Cope shows in my hometown it is nice to see these guys finally garnering the attention they deserve for their all genre encompassing live shows. I was delighted to see the music hall packed upon entering, full of devote local Cope fans and new faces alike. It wasn't long before Perpetual Groove's Broc Butler made a surprise appearance and joined them on stage.

Broc joined the guys for a rocking rendition of "Foxy Lady" and the crowd went bananas. Alongside brothers Dennis and Kenny Stadlemen shredding on guitar, all three musicians simultaneously reached their guitars up into the air and then behind their backs to finish out the classic Hendrix tune. I think Jimi himself would have been pleased. I left the music hall beyond satisfied with the performance of my fellow Tampanians, and warm as can be from all the dance worthy tunes they served up.

Next up was one of my very favorite bands and a Suwanee new comer, The New Deal. The New Deal has long been one of the fore fathers of the live electronic scene and have been doing it longer then most others in the game. I walked into the Purple Hatters Tent just as the band began to play and they busted into the first song of the first set with so much energy that I thought the walls may collapse.

The trio served up high energy, electro-house jams for nearly two hours and the Purple Hatters Tent turned into a full on rave. It was this writer's favorite show of the weekend, and unquestionably the best dance party. Psychedelic funk masters, Lettuce, closed out the night in the tent playing until nearly 4 am. Saturday night was by and large one of the best nights of live music I've ever witnessed.

By Sunday the freezing temperatures had started to break and the sun was blazing in all of its glory. Sunday at a festival, although bittersweet, is always one of my favorite days. Especially at Bear Creek, with all of the music being so strategically and perfectly planned out. Sunday's line-up provided festival goers with an eclectic array of music with the most emphasis on funk, the perfect way to end any festival.

After a nice breakfast and a few Mimosas I headed into the park, with bittersweet excitement, for the last shows of the weekend. Last but certainly not least, Sunday's line-up included one of the most anticipated shows of the festival. Lettuce featuring Maceo Parker, Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley (of the JB Horns.) Highlights of the funk filled set included "I Feel Good," "The Chicken," and "Superbad." The entire crowd sang along, and although my legs were by this point in fact wet noodles, I was still dancing as if it were the first day. I even impressed myself.

New Mastersounds played another set on Sunday. This time joined on stage by NOLA legend Nigel Hall as well as slide guitarist Roosevelt of the Lee Boys. When Florida favorite one-man jam band, Zach Deputy, joined everyone on stage it was quite a site to be seen. Closing out the weekend were sets by NOLA staples Dr. Klaw and Dumpstaphunk. Dr Klaw is a respectable array of musicians including Eric Krasno, Adam Deitch, Nick Daniels, Ivan Neville and Nigel Hall. A cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground," was my personal highlight of that show.

Ivan Neville kept the funk alive closing out the night and festival with his beloved Dumpstaphunk. The NOLA natives had a pretty heavy set list that included crowd favorites such as "Meanwhile" and "Put It Ina Dumpstah." As well as fantastic covers like "Unfunky UFO," by the Parliament and "You Can Make it if You Try," by Sly and the Family Stone. While there were so many incredible acts who graced our ears over the weekend, it wouldn't be a complete Bear Creek unless Dumpstaphunk ended it with a funky-ass bang.

I walked back to my camp site Sunday night pondering all the amazing acts I had just seen over four days. Funk, jam, electro, reggae, soul, dance, jazz, house, dubstep, the list goes on and on. It suddenly became totally clear why festival creators Paul Levine and Lyle Williams brand Bear Creek as a "dance" festival above all else. It can not be pinpointed into one corner of this all genre inclusive scene.

In fact it really can't be labeled at all. The "epicness" that is Bear Creek lies not strictly in the music, the music park, or the people. It's something bigger then all of that. The vibe as a whole is what makes Bear Creek the best festival in all of the country. If Justin Bieber were to grace next year's bill, chances are I would still be there. Once you've gone Bear Creek there's no going back, so see you next year fellow Bear Creekers. Until then may the Spirit of the Suwanee be with you.

Photo By: Clint Bliss
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