For 15 of the last Memorial Day weekends Summer Camp Music Festival has taken over Three Sisters Park outside of Chillicothe, Illinois. The festival is annually headlined by moe. and Umphrey’s McGee and backed by a slew of talent featuring jam, rock, classic, electronic, funk, and bluegrass artists. It also features a one of a kind camping experience, field day events, and the collective consciousness oriented Soulshine Tent. For many attendees Summer Camp is a reunion of friends that they only see at that special time of the year. The 15th anniversary provided the setting for a lively reunion. Campsite relaxing, sunrise kickball, and various workshops gave everyone a wide array of chances to reconnect, laugh, and learn. As always though it was music that brought people together and allowed them to truly savor the moment. Here are our top ten sets that brought the Summer Camp family together.
The crowd came storming out of the gates ready to take on Summer Camp at the Thursday night pr-party. Everybody looking for a set to break in their dancing shoes found themselves moving to the sounds of New Orleans soul supergroup The Nth Power. The band recently lost founding member Nigel Hall, but that has not slowed them down. Led by the drumming prowess of Nikki Gillespie and engaging frontman Nick Cassarino the band’s songs such as “Only You” and “Feel” coupled with incredible solos to deliver just what the early arrivers were looking for.
Van Ghost
Chicago group Van Ghost is known for the blend of rock, funk, and Americana. All were on display at their Friday afternoon Campfire Stage set, one of their first since holing up in the studio to record their forthcoming album The Ghost Unit. Although the alt-country style the band originally became known for is still present the new songs definitely tilt more towards an uplifting funk sound. Frontman Michael Harrison Berg’s attitude fit the sound perfectly as he encouraged the crowd with the zeal of a gospel minister. Led by the ecstatic Berg and backed by the powerful vocals of Jennifer Hartswick and Natalie Cressman, tracks from The Ghost Unit such as “Strength and Pain” highlighted the funkiness of the new material.
Klingande
Young French producer Klingande has played few enough shows in the states that a little mystery still surrounds his performances. Many were unsure if he mixed solo or featured a live saxophone to fill out his sax-heavy tunes. Luckily for sax fans an incredibly talented and lively saxophonist was on hand to flesh out the smooth mixes. The set began with a slowly building mix of Florence & The Machine’s “You’ve Got the Love” and set the tone for a continuous hour of feel good tracks and winding sax lines.
Trampled By Turtles
Some might say that Trampled By Turtles have mellowed based on the sound of their recent albums. While their softer melodies were also on display the band had no shortage of foot stompers, including older favorite “It’s a War.” A couple mainstays of TBT’s setlist played over well with both old fans and those who had never seen the band before. Their soulful take on Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” hit home for several. During closer “Wait So Long” a large section of the crowd circled around their discarded shoes to dance and sing along with barefoot abandon.
Claude VonStroke
It had been a long day for many by the late hours of Friday night. Those that mustered up the l energy for Claude VonStroke were well rewarded. The Dirtybird executive treated the late night crowd to a continuous blend of his own tracks from last year’s Urban Animal alongside his labelmates and other deep house. His casual demeanor and colorful visuals featuring cats were the icing on the cake.
Destructo
While it seemed like some struggled to stay up for Claude VonStroke those that made it to Destructo’s 6 AM Sermon Set in the Soulshine Tent looked like it was all part of their plan. Whether they had wandered over from sunrise kickball or simply followed the beat, every person in attendance seemed to be reinvigorated by the return of the sun and music. A more laid back set was expected, but instead Destructo gave an upbeat set full of tech, house, and hip-hop. To cap it off he greeted those in the front row by hopping off stage and pouring drinks.
The Way Down Wanderers
Summer Camp 2015 may have been one of the moments where The Way Down Wanderers went from local favorites to something bigger. Each song presented versatility and different talents. “If I” led by banjoist Ben Montalbano and “Dead Birds” led by guitarist Austin Thompson stood out from the setlist. The crowd was packed with stomping feet and wide smiles the whole time. The joy came to a culmination when the band hopped off stage to lead the crowd in the folk standard “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and join in with mandolin, banjo, and spoons solos.
Sinkane
Sinkane’s Saturday night set on the Campfire Stage was almost criminally under attended. The poor souls who did not make it missed out on an incredible mix of funk, reggae, and electronic rock. The laidback and soulful set focused on his latest album Mean Love, with the title track and “How We Be” setting the tone. Making things even more impressive is that Sinkane runs the show not only on stage but also off stage. Following his set while moving his gear he was swarmed by multiple fans and quickly switched from roadie, to merch coordinator, to publicist.
John Butler Trio
Australian guitar wonder John Butler was a most anticipated set for both those that had been present throughout the weekend and the Sunday arrivals. All were rewarded with a life affirming set that included new songs, old favorites, and plenty of guitar virtuosity. The slot was perfectly sandwiched in between two rain storms and it was as if the sun had come out to shine brightest for Butler’s time. The peak of “Oceans” left both him and the crowd speechless.
GRiZ
By late Sunday the day had already gone through one heavy rain storm and another downpour could have easily ruined the big finish of the festival. Fortunately, that big finish was none other than the master of funk, GRiZ. It felt like nothing could bring the crowd down as he meshed riotous beats, funky sax lines, and classic songs together. A particularly fun moment came when he whipped out “Kung Fu Fighting” and several in the crowd suddenly became martial arts masters. As the rain picked up the energy only seemed to rise in turn. By the time he dropped “It’s All Good” the frantic dancing and drenched bodies agreed that it was in fact, all good at Summer Camp.
