Back in 2010 Perpetual Groove crushed the competition on their way towards winning our Cover Wars March Madness tournament with their sublime version of This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody). The Talking Heads cover has been a staple of PGroove’s live sets for over a decade, so it’s no surprise they performed Naive Melody at what could very well be the band’s last festival set.
Perpetual Groove’s last festival appearance before beginning an “indefinite hiatus” took place earlier this month at the AURA Music Festival in Live Oak, Florida. We’ve shared plenty of amazing fan-shot vids from AURA, but recently a number of professionally-shot “official” clips have made their way to the festival’s YouTube channel. One of these vids features PGroove’s cover of This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) from their festival finale. Take a look…
It’s hard to sum up three days of perfection into one measly review, and the AURA Music & Arts Festival was no exception. In its fourth incarnation, AURA found its home this year at Spirit of Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida – the biggest venue to date for this special festival. Anyone who has been to there will tell you that there is a unique energy about those woods; the Spanish moss hanging low from large, expansive Oak trees, with muted colors that leave you wondering if it is moss, frozen icicles or fairy dust.
The forecast warned us it was going to be a chilly one, but I think everyone at the festival was surprised at just how cold it actually was. With temperatures dipping into the high 20s at night, you would never know you were in Florida! That being said, one of the great perks about Suwannee is that you have permission to build a fire pretty much anywhere you want. There were plenty of locals selling firewood throughout the grounds, and some were nice enough to give you a golf cart ride back to your campsite (although a heady trade is always appreciated; I gave Teddy good conversation, an apple, a banana and $4 for the lift). Not that we needed the fire for food because the selection of food vendors was exceptional and delicious. From hot pizza, spicy pad thai and fresh coffee, to the best breakfast bowl I’ve had in my life. And, lets not forget a big shout out to Florida’s oldest craft brewery, Dunedin, for providing the most delicious selection of libations all weekend long
On Sunday morning Brock Butler kicked off the final day of the 2013 AURA Music Festival with one of his signature “Brockfast” sets. The human jukebox offered a mix of acoustic covers by the likes of Tom Petty, The Lumineers, Dawes, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and Eels as well as originals from his solo and Perpetual Groove repertoires.
Brock brought up a few guests to help out over the course of the set, one of which was vocalist/guitarist Emily Carroll. By having Carroll on stage to harmonize with him, Butler was able to debut a cover he’s always wanted to sing – Peter Gabriel’s Come Talk To Me. The song was right in Brock and Emily’s wheelhouse vocally. Thanks to Adam Firtel of Cheesehead Productions, we can share a video of Come Talk To Me from AURA with the added bonus of a performance of The Weather and The Wait from Butler’s Lately Here Though LP. Let’s take a look…
’00s jammers RAQ returned to the stage on Friday evening at the AURA Music Festival down in Live Oak, Florida. The group offered a mix of originals from throughout their time together with Kung Fu drummer Adrian Tramontano filling in for Greg Stukey.
[Photo by Allison Portlock]
Our friend Adam at Cheesehead Productions filmed plenty of amazing moments at AURA including most of RAQ’s set. Here’s the catchy synth’d out Botz…
Set: Shirley Be A Drooler, Botz, Brother From Another Mother, Will Run, Comin’ Home, Walking in Circles, Late Night > Sweet Cream Butter > Late Night , Tumblin’ Down
From February 15th to 17th the AURA Music Festival will bring a vast array of jam, funk, rock and jamtronica acts to The Spirit of Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida over President’s Day Weekend. The lineup includes a number of HT faves including Perpetual Groove, The Heavy Pets, Kung Fu, The Lee Boys, Newtown Crosby, Brock Butler, The McLovins, Consider The Source and the return of RAQ.
This festival is put on by passionate music fans for passionate music fans and will include multiple sets from a number of acts such as Papadosio, Conspirator, PGroove, The Heavy Pets and Consider The Source. One of the many special performances set to take place at AURA this year will be a Tribute To Stevie Wonder put together by the uber-talented Nigel Hall. Joining Hall as “Artists-At-Large” for AURA ’13 are Roosevelt Collier of The Lee Boys, Lettuce guitarist Adam “Schmeans” Smirnoff, keyboardist Jimmy Dunstan, sax player John Provenzano and RAQ/Kung Fu keyboardist Todd Stoops.
As part of our Everybody Wins When We Plug Something And In Return They Offer Us Free Shit To Give Away program, we’ve got a pair of general admission passes for AURA to give to one lucky reader. To enter our contest, simply leave a comment below telling us which AURA Music Festival set you’d be most excited to see. The contest entry period closes on Wednesday, January 31st at 11:59PM ET. After that, we’ll tally all the entries and pick one winner at random.
Here’s the fine print…
To enter the contest, leave a comment below telling us which Aura Music Festival act you’d be most excited to see
Your comment(s) must be left by 11:59 PM EST on January 31st
Anybody entering more than once will be disqualified, tarred and feathered
One winner, picked at random using random.org, will win a pair of general admission passes to attend the 2013 Aura Music Festival
HT staff members are not eligible to win
For more information on this year’s AURA Music Festival, head over to the event’s website.
The initial lineup for the 2013 edition of the Aura Music & Arts Festival has been announced and there’s one name that got our immediate attention – RAQ. With both Conspirator and Kung Fu on the bill, the Florida festival took advantage and scored RAQ’s return gig. RAQ hasn’t toured since 2008 and has only played a handful of shows since. No word yet on whether there’s more shows in RAQ’s future.
Other bands set to play Aura, which will be held at Live Oak, Florida’s Spirit of the Suwanneee Music Park on President’s Weekend, include Papadosio, Perpetual Groove, The Heavy Pets, Dopapod, Consider The Source, Newton Crosby, Stokeswood, The Lee Boys and Dr. Fameus.
Another listing that piqued our interest is Kung Fu’s tribute to Stevie Wonder featuring Nigel Hall. Also, we’re glad to see Brock Butler aboard for a solo set and Todd Stoops, Nigel Hall and Roosevelt Collier listed as “Artists At Large.” Tickets are currently available through Elevate Ticketing.
The AURA Music and Arts Festival was created in 2010 by jamband/live-electronica fans for jamband/live-electronica fans and each year out the producers have expanded their offerings that hit at the intersection of those two genres. That will continue with the 2013 installment of AURA which will be held for the first time at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (home to Wanee, Bear Creek, Magnoliafest and more) in Live Oak, Florida from February 15th – 17th.
Event organizers have announced the first four headlining acts for AURA ’13: The Heavy Pets, Conspirator, Perpetual Groove and Papadosio. The full lineup will be revealed this fall. A batch of $75 tickets will be put on sale this Monday, September 10th, through the festival’s website.
