Building a Mountain: Local music festival grows in number of acts, attendees
Posted on Friday, September 5, 2008
According to the city of Ozark, its population is just more than 3,500. On Thursday, that town is going to get a new neighbor -- one bigger than itself, too.
When the annual Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival sets up on the Mulberry Mountain Lodging & Events grounds about 16 miles to Ozark's north, more than 4,000 people -- maybe as many as 5,000 -- will converge on the festival grounds.
And it's like a city in itself, explains festival organizer Dewey Patton. Attendees from 20 states will converge on the area, sleeping in RVs, cabins at the site or in tents that will surround the stage. There will be shops selling food, drinks and arts and crafts.
"We enjoy seeing people come together as a community for a short period of time,"said Patton. "We're creating a small city here on the mountaintop for a few days."
For the third edition of the festival, Patton said he tried to book a more diverse lineup, and one that was larger than the previous year's collection of bands: 25 acts performed on the festival's three stages, and this year, 28 bands will perform.
But it goes beyond just the numbers, as Patton said he believes he has higher-profile artists on this year's roster.
Closing out the main stage on Sept. 12 are Split Lip Rayfield, The Avett Brothers and Leftover Salmon. Split Lip Rayfield is a trio from Kansas who play what some call "thrash grass,"music made using bluegrass instruments and punk mentality. Similarly, North Carolina's The Avett Brothers play folky, American music with pop sentiments. The closing act for the evening, Leftover Salmon, plays a kind of music it describes as "Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass,"which infuses bluegrass, rock, country, Zydeco and more. The group has been together, minus a brief hiatus, since 1989.
On Sept. 13, the closing acts are Perpetual Groove, The Wailers and Umphrey's McGee. Perpetual Groove is a Georgia-based jam act that has performed at other national music festivals such as Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Langerado Music Festival, High Sierra Music Festival and more. Reggae act The Wailers first formed in the early 1960s and gained fame as the backing band for Bob Marley. Headliner Umphrey's McGee is a progressive rock-oriented jam band that is known for their live performances. Among other honors, the band has previously received a Jammy Award, an honor given yearly to the nation's best jam bands.
The sound production and the lighting will also be advanced when compared to previous years, Patton said, as the company responsible for the technical side of festival is adding new elements.
But music isn't the only thing that will keep the community together for the three-day festival. Demonstrations by the Kaivalya Hoop Dancers troupe from Denver will begin at 11 a.m. Sept. 12. Throughout the festival, FoxFire Magik will perform fire shows and offer free fire dance lessons.
For the first time this year, the festival will also offer guided nature walks to its patrons. The tours will explore the area surrounding the festival grounds.
"We are able to bring in people from all over the nation who get to see the Ozarks,"Patton said.
The vendors are also an attraction, Patton said. In addition to a variety of local crafts, food for all tastes will be sold. And it's for all ages, too. Children younger than 12 are admitted free with a parent.
"We find a lot of people bring their kids out,"Patton said. "It is a music festival, but we try to make it a good atmosphere for kids."
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