bonnaroo Archives

Bonnaroo 2014: A Photo Diary From The Guts of a Real Person

“I don’t believe in any of it
but I believe in all of it.”
— Jack White

There are probably at least a million places in Tennessee where you can go to be you. If you walk down the hill to the pond in my backyard, for example, you can be you right then and there with the frogs and the cattails. You can drive down Darbytown Road to McCord Hollow and find Cane Creek and Slippery Rock and be the youest you you’ve ever youed, and probably find some really pretty creek rocks in the process. But if you’re wanting to add some music to the mix, and maybe 89,999 other people, there’s no better place to be the youest you than at Bonnaroo. Once a year, Manchester, Tennessee becomes the third most populated place in the state, thanks to Bonnaroo, the music festival closest to my heart. When it began in 2002, I was living in Murfreesboro, Tennessee — a college town with nothing more to offer me than some crappy retail stores — and I couldn’t believe I wasn’t on that farm. I watched the evening news when they reported on cars being backed up for miles on I-24 and how people were getting out just to say hi and meet each other, because they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon, and wasn’t that the point? To say hi and be welcomed into a space that hadn’t even existed before they’d arrived there?

My uncle, who’s a musician — I tried to learn guitar from him when I was 13 but it just never took — mailed me a copy of the double CD from the first year. I almost couldn’t listen to it because WHY HADN’T I BEEN THERE. Why had I been sitting in an apartment in Murfreesboro, pretending to be ok and pretending to be moving forward, while thousands of people had camped out and shared a real, actual thing for a full weekend? Why was I not like those people? When was the last time I’d shared a real, actual thing?

It would take another eight years for me to sorta figure that out, and in 2010 I applied for press passes. Autostraddle was the smallest of beasts then, and my dad had died just a few months prior and I really honestly felt like there wasn’t anything that wasn’t worth trying. I was reckless with my trying, actually. I flung my heart in every direction that year. Bonnaroo is the one place where it stuck. Or Bonnaroo was the one place that would have me.

It’s about a two and a half hour drive to Manchester from my mom’s house and we were leaving before the sun came up. I cried the entire way because all I could think about was how excited my dad would’ve been for me, if he’d still been there. I can’t tell you how excited he would’ve been — there are literally no words to stitch it all together. I mean he probably would’ve died, if he hadn’t already been dead.

So that first year at Bonnaroo was a series of shock, dehydration, confusion, and life-changing shots of time that taught me — or reminded me? — that we’re all right here. I’ve tried so hard to keep that with me. I wrote it into the Runaways credo. I cried when those Runaways put it on a t-shirt. I write it on my wrist when I can’t believe he’s gone, or I can’t believe he’s 15, or I can’t believe she’s still here, or that I am. I mean, that I even am.

photo by katie o’donnell

I hope I’ve grown since then. It definitely feels like Bonnaroo has — sometimes in the worst way, like people wearing headdresses this year when I’ve honestly never seen that shit before — but I do believe the crux of the festival is still what it was 12 years ago, that we’ll all just be the best versions of ourselves here. For that reason, I hope they’ll issue a statement within the next year that outlines their stance against cultural appropriation like Lightning In A Bottle did in May 2014. Just a thought!

Megan and I took our hippie bullshit feelings back to Bonnaroo this summer and it was everything we dreamed it would be and a couple of things we didn’t want or enjoy, like heatstroke. This here is a photo diary of our four days on the farm. You can click to enlarge these little baby images! Do it, it’s neat.

Shots taken by Megan and me using a Sony a600, Canon T50 and iPhone 5s.

Thursday

Lineup that we cared about:
ZZ Ward
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down
MS MR
Cloud Nothings
Banks
Poliça

Packing List from Phoenix:
blanket
fanny pack
flower crown
eye mask
inflatable turkey leg
kangaroo onesie

We skipped the interstate traffic and instead made our way through a bunch of little towns using winding highways and country roads. There were barns and wildflowers everywhere and I have no idea why I live in Arizona and not Tennessee.

Every moment at Bonnaroo is a toss-up, to be honest. A lot of things go into making sure you just stay alive and it’s likely that the plans you’ve made will need to be adjusted, so you have to be flexible. The one thing I know for sure will always, always be amazing and exciting and perfect is driving onto the farm. It’s mostly the anticipation and how nothing is fucked yet — the whole weekend is still full of possibilities and you’re not even slightly dehydrated — but it’s also coming home.

She liked my tattoo and I liked hers.

#RBF; no apologies.

The moon was ridiculous all weekend. This was its first appearance. If you squint and use your imagination, you can see the ferris wheel in the blurry photo at the bottom. Trust me.

We used battery operated tea lights at night because the LCD bullshit lanterns they sell in the camping department make the tent feel like the opening scenes of Joe vs The Volcano.

Valerie June is your new best friend, if she wasn’t already.

Playlist: Bonnaroo Days And Nights 2013

Note from Laneia: In a couple of days we’ll be on the farm in Manchester, covered in sunscreen and wristbands and probably standing in line for beer/samosas. This will be my fourth trip to Bonnaroo for Autostraddle and if you’re going too, I’ll have meetup info for you in another post! Here’s Morgan with another perfect set of playlists to get you ready for Roo, or maybe just ready for daydreaming.

In Tennessee, you wake with the sun because you don’t really have a choice. The day starts at daybreak whether you like it or not, so drink a little coffee and a lot of water and take a hard look at your schedule. Don’t miss anything.

Dawn to Dusk

BonnarooDay

Welcome to the day!

When You Wake Up Feeling Old – Wilco
Nights Become Days – Frank Turner
Mousso – Fatoumata Diawara
Quiet Hours – Wild Nothing
Sun – Cat Power
High in the Morning – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
I Will be Back One Day – Lord Huron
Desert Song – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Constant Conversations – Passion Pit
The Sun – Portugal. The Man
Go Outside – Cults
It’s Alright – Matt & Kim
I’m Writing a Novel – Father John Misty
The Forest Awakes – David Byrne & St Vincent
The Socialites – Dirty Projectors
Balloons – Foals
Country Roads – Pretty Lights
Accent – Conspirator
Sun In Your Eyes – Grizzly Bear
Sun Hands – Local Natives

STREAM THE PLAYLIST HERE

Dusk to Dawn

BonnarooNight

The sun’s going down and it’s time to wipe off your dustache and prepare to be lost all night. You are never too tired. Take a breather on a hay bale and get your second, third, and maybe fourth wind. You can do this.

Welcome to the night!

Music to Walk Home By – Tame Impala
Walk At Night – Cults
Continuous Thunder – Japandroids
Block After Block – Matt & Kim
Cherry Wine – Nas (feat. Amy Winehouse)
Nuclear Seasons – Charli XCX
Paradise – Wild Nothing
Miracle – Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors
Cowboy Boots – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Mary Jane’s Last Dance – Tom Petty
The Violet Hour – Sea Wolf
We Went Wild – Lord Huron
Crystalline – Bjork
Cartographist – Purity Ring
Witch – Maps & Atlases
Sleep Forever – Portugal. The Man
Kids on the Run – The Tallest Man on Earth
No Te Vayas – Calexico
Talking with the Wolves – Glen Hansard
After Glow – Foals

STREAM THE PLAYLIST HERE

Add your favorite tracks from this year’s Bonnaroo lineup in the comments!

Bonnaroo 2012: Travel Diary and Feelings Atrium

A few (fourish) months ago, I went to Bonnaroo 2012 in Tennessee and it was amazing, as all Bonnaroos are. Unlike A-Camp, Bonnaroo has become something I can’t process immediately, if at all. I tend to leave with a serious feeling of sadness and loss, and of never wanting to go back to the Real World, and wishing I’d done some things differently — and not necessarily in a healthy, “let’s live each day to its fullest!” way. So I try to just stuff all those feelings down and get on with life, lest I tumble down a rabbit hole of regret and loathing of reality. At least I know my limits! You’ll notice that this recap (“recap”) of my time at Bonnaroo is hella late and actually not a recap at all. It’s a travel journal and feelings atrium, as the title suggests. Also its ‘lateness’ is an inherent part of its soul, so.

bliss

Remember when I said this would be the year of doing all the things I hadn’t done yet?

I tried. I really did. Let’s go through the list quickly before I change my mind and trash this draft.

“All The Things I Haven’t Done Yet” Results

1. Ferris Wheel
I didn’t do the ferris wheel because the lines were so incredibly long, and I had an honest fear of dying (you brush up really close to your own mortality at Bonnaroo, I think because a lot of people are on drugs and dehydrated and you know that someone probably won’t make it out of the weekend alive and basically, even when you’re not on drugs and are drinking a gallon of water an hour, you still find yourself really nervous that the person who won’t make it out might be you. I can think of few things more tragically sad than dying on your first Bonnaroo ferris wheel ride).

2. Comedy Tent / Cinema
I didn’t do the comedy tent because it was always so far away from me and honestly, whatever I was already doing seemed more interesting. Same for the cinema, except I do regret missing Beasts of the Southern Wild. I told myself I could watch that any ol’ time, eventually, but I’d never be able to sit on that patch of grass in that crowd under that sky again, and so I stayed wherever I was.

nowhere near the comedy tent or cinema

3. Silent Disco
Real talk: I was never fucked up enough to take part in Silent Disco. This was a game time decision made every time I passed the tent. “Am I even slightly fucked up?” “No.” “Well then, let’s keep walking.”

4. Garnier Salon
I didn’t do the Garnier Salon, but I think I did something much better: an actual shower in a shower stall, using free Garnier products, which I did NOT have to wait in a line for and which was seriously cleansing and totally private. Megan and I had an entire shower trailer to ourselves! Just a couple of sweaty naked lesbians in the woods, covered in soap and dirt and relief. No big deal, world, No big deal. (Best deal.)

5. Walking Around to Other Campsites
I actually did walk around to other campsites! I did this! And I played around with our site’s art pod situation, which was just weird enough at 2am to convince me to grab the most fucking delicious veggie quesadilla that has ever existed on our planet and sorta frightenedly (that’s not a word) speedwalk back to our tent so I could hide and eat and not look at anymore faces. Other people’s campsites were neat. We took lots of mental notes re: how we could improve our own campsite next year. You’d think you wouldn’t want a corner lot, because of the constant traffic and such, but you would be wrong because those assholes had more room than any of us.

stellar advice: “let the best of you roo! be proud and be you!”

6. The Real Shakedown Street
Looking for ‘the real Shakedown Street’ was so confusing and really fucked with my sense of confidence and self-worth and basic mapping abilities. We were, however, situated very near Bushy Branch, where a vegan shop was set up with the apparent sole intent of pleasing me constantly. The breakfast scramble, in combination with a blended fruit situation, saved my life Saturday morning. So anyway that more than made up for the lack of a legit Shakedown Street, if that’s even its real name.

7. Planet Roo
I did the fuck out of Planet Roo! I was super ONE with Planet Roo. We still hang out sometimes.

bff planet roo

8. Post Office
And I did the Post Office! We sent postcards to ourselves and one or two other people, but we didn’t have enough cash to send one to everyone we wanted, so we did what any normal person would do, which was plan to come back the following day, but fail to actually do so. A handful of people received cute little Bonnaroo postcards with cute little Bonnaroo postage stamps, and a lot of people didn’t, and we’re doing our best to ensure that those two types of people never speak to each other again. The only thing I hate more than hurting someone’s feelings is, apparently, going back to the post office.

this isn’t the post office, it’s a cute sign

9. Big Ass Waterslide / Breast Painting Booth
I don’t think I have to tell you that I didn’t go on the Big Ass Waterslide or get my boobs painted. I mean, right? We’re all friends here.

the view from fun.’s set

10. Yoga
I did yoga! And a meditation! I sat on a little blanket near the back of the crowd and we were walked through centering ourselves on the grass, then expanding out to the size of the festival, and then the size of the country, and then the world and all the way into outerspace and back again, so we could feel very large and peaceful and tiny all at once. Then we did some super basic yoga while Megan smoked cigarettes on a big rock or maybe it was a picnic table? It was really fucking fantastic and I’ll be doing this every year. Do all the outdoor yoga! It really changed my life, I’m serious.

this is not where yoga took place, but it is really pretty

11. Yawn Clean Vibes Trading Post yawn. Sneeze. Walk away.

12. Centeroo Fountain
Ok I actually technically did prance through the Centeroo Fountain, and yeah alright it was cool or whatever. I’m really bitter though, because I wasn’t wearing the right clothes and I was really grumpy about not having any food and needing to pee or have sex or drink a beer or SOMETHING ANYTHING, so my fountain experience wasn’t as fun as I wanted. And then I didn’t go back and now I’ll live with this guilt and bitterness for the rest of my life.

13. Meeting You
I MET YOU! I met you and it was The Best. You’re all really fucking awesome! I mean, I knew you would be, but it’s just so nice to be right. We even hung out with Lanie (who would later become a September A-Camper!) for Ludacris and possibly something else — I have a hard time remembering the rest of that day, thanks to Autostraddler Charlotte, who gifted us with a [thing]. And I basically had to partake of the [thing] because you guys, she’d written YOU DO YOU down the side of it! It was a lesson learned, but I don’t regret a thing.

autostraddlers at bonnaroo

Other Things We Did

1. Sat In A Hammock
I cheated death in the hammocks of death! The death hammocks! (I have a fear of hammocks and I sat in one and I didn’t fall out or break my neck or embarrass myself.) (Ok maybe I was a little embarrassed.)

death averted!

view from death hammock

2. Graffiti
Alex made a YOU DO YOU stencil so we could tag the wall around Centeroo, because that’s what one does. It was a lot of fun, actually. We went a step further and doodled all over the walls by What Stage and that was really rewarding. Silver and gold spraypaint is the way to go at Bonnaroo. Maybe everywhere.

megan doodles, tags a wall and makes a new friend

3. Super Sweet Campsite
Our tent was amazing this year for two reasons: 1) We used a canopy with sides, which gave us enough room for a cot, a table and two coolers. 2) We crafted our own toilet facilities inside the tent using a large bucket, toilet seat, garbage bags and kitty litter. Sidenote, have you ever used a Frog Togg Chilly Pad? Megan’s wearing one here and they are pretty fabulous.

megan loves the tent and pumpernickel pretzels

Let me be really real with you: I debated on whether or not to share the secret of our personal restroom/bucket, for obvious reasons, but I’ve ultimately decided that it would go against all that I believe in to keep it from you, as it is truly life-changing and The Best Fucking Idea We’ve Ever Had. Is it a little weird to walk a bag of your own (fully biodegradable!) used kitty litter to the garbage cans? I’m not gonna lie — yes. Yes it is. Is it totally worth it at 3am, 7am, 11am to not have to wait in line at the really disgusting public port-o-potty station, stand in other people’s [everything] while you acrobatically attempt to keep from falling into the Blue Hole of Despair, then leave feeling like you have to bathe in hand sanitizer before you can go on with your life?

You bet your sweet ass it is.

Ok I don’t think we’ve ever been closer, you and I. This is nowhere near Moe’s Ten Days In The Life of A Tampon in terms of serious personal honesty, but I still feel really good about it.

4. Bon Iver
We saw a lot of bands, obviously, and they were all pretty awesome in their own ways (Kenny Rogers was only disappointing to Megan because she had confused him with Kenny Loggins), but Bon Iver at the What Stage on the rainy, chilled out Sunday afternoon was so perfect.

what it looks like to be really ready for bon iver (beer and ribbon fries)

It was actually perfect. Nothing was wrong, nothing was weird, not a single mellow was harshed. Justin Vernon was brilliant and gracious. He played “Blood Bank” and I was right there. I wish he could come to every Bonnaroo forever.

bon iver

5. Phish
Not being a huge Phish fan, and being extremely exhausted instead, we opted to enjoy Phish from our campsite, which was close enough to Centeroo that we could still hear everything. It was raining and there were fireworks. Megan said it was the best day of her life and I don’t think she was kidding.

requisite sad picture of driving off the farm in the melodramatic rain

By now I’ve come to terms with the fact that it’s over — that summer is over, and everything that entails — and I’m ready to move on. The real reason I brought this post to you tonight is because Bonnaroo tweeted that their videos from 2012 were being pulled down at midnight, and I didn’t want you to miss them! Take some time to really say goodbye to summer with Dispatch, Bon Iver, Grouplove, City and Colour, and The Alabama Shakes. I’ll leave you with a photo of one of the last things we saw on our way to the airport in Nashville.

oh tennessee, what a bunch of weirdos. xoxo

Bonnaroo 2012: The Year Of Things I Haven’t Done Yet

Yahoooooo it’s time to go to Tennessee and trounce around a farm for four days! Five, actually. Hi! We’re going to Bonnaroo 2012 June 7-10! Who’s we? Well it’s me and my plucky little mohawked girlfriend, Megan. She’s never been to Bonnaroo before — actually, she’s never been east of Colorado — so we’re all very excited. This year’s headliners include Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Beach Boys, Phish and Bon Iver, but we’ll talk about the bands later. Right now let’s talk about me.

I kept thinking, “What can I possibly say about Bonnaroo that hasn’t already been said?” Because I love it, of course, and I think you weirdos would love it, but what if there was nothing else to really say? That would be a problem because saying stuff about Bonnaroo is like, the point. It’s the reason I go. But I really don’t want to write about Bonnaroo! I just want to be there and I want you to come with me and hang out and eat samosas, make some memories together, you know? Just be. Because there’s so much being to be done on the farm!

god i miss sarah p-lmer

My first year at Bonnaroo was a frantic confusing jumble of heat, maps, music, camera equipment and heat. Also heat. I remember it in bits and pieces. I remember agreeing to climb onto Alan Palomo’s shoulders, only to have a security guard tell us that it wasn’t necessarily a good idea or even allowed, and trying to get Romy Madley Croft to notice/want me, and getting lost a lot. I remember melting into a crowd of about 100,000 while Jay-Z rapped about being young forever. I remember forgetting what it was like to live in civilization.

The second year was when I thought I knew what I was doing. I packed better, and less. I watched Hesta Prynn dance in cut-offs/make my dreams come true. I let my heart tumble out onto the grass during Arcade Fire. Sarah and I explored the world behind the media compound and main stage, and watched flickering blinky lights float to earth on the other side of the chain fence, too far away to grab one. I was jealous for a second until I just gave in and fell in love with all of the people I couldn’t be.

I usually just gloss over the times when I couldn’t move, or when I cried because I didn’t want another sweaty naked shoulder to touch mine.

But while I was recounting my tales to Megan in an effort to get her really excited and prepared for the festival, she had other questions. What was the Art Academy like? How does the Silent Disco work? Did people take yoga mats or towels? How do you get into the Comedy Tent? Why on earth had I left early on Sunday both years? WAIT THERE’S AN INFLATABLE WATER SLIDE??!

And that’s when I realized, you guys, that even though I thought I’d learned so much from the first year — not to pack a ton of food, that it wasn’t really just about the music, prints not solids, etc. — I’d still been missing out on so many things! Voluntarily! So obviously I had my answer re: what to write about. In addition to just chilling out and loving life, this year I’ll be doing (almost) everything I haven’t done yet, which will probably be a lot like going to Bonnaroo for the first time, which is to say that this year is going to KICK ASS.

All The Things I Haven’t Done Yet

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1. Ferris Wheel

via nowpublic

The line at the ferris wheel pales only in comparison to the line at the entrance of Centeroo. It’s covered in trippy lights and apparently runs nonstop all weekend. We have mixed feelings about this one.

Megan: I would much rather go sky diving than go on a ferris wheel.
Laneia: Sky diving isn’t an option though. I’ll probably just fall out of it. It’ll be like that guy in The Notebook.
Megan: I don’t know why we have to do something that we both don’t want to do.
Laneia: That’s the point!
Megan: Let’s go walk into a fly net! Because that’s just what people do at Bonnaroo!
Laneia: I don’t even know what a fly net is.

2. Comedy Tent

via you ain't no picasso

There’s air conditioning! And funny people. Aziz Ansari, Reggie Watts, Amy Schumer, Ali Wong and a large selection of white men, like Brian Posehn, will all be there. There is the issue of securing a ticket in advance, so we’ll see how this goes. Also Ali Wong is really hot.

3. Cinema

via nowpublic

Again with the long lines. And it’s like, 80 miles over at the edge of Centeroo. But this year there’ll be an advanced screening of Beasts Of The Southern Wild, which looks fucking amazing, and! And! Autostraddle’s favorite, tUnE-yArDs, along with Ava Mendoza, will be performing a live score to Buster Keaton shorts!

4. Silent Disco

via the tennessean

Ugh I feel really self-conscious about dancing and so does Megan (we are potatoes), but Bonnaroo is not the place to indulge self-consciousness, so FUCK THAT. I’m putting on some headphones and pretending I look this way on purpose. K Flay has a set on Thursday at 9:30 and Friday at 4:00!

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5. Salon by Garnier Fructis

via the tennessean

I was always put off by the lines, again. But it’s a free hair wash! By probably really attractive women! In air conditioning! Free samples! Doin’ it.

6. Walking Around to Other Campsites

via saramelvin.blog.com

The ‘walking’ part is the only deterrent here, and honestly it had never even occurred to me that I should visit other sides of the farm, but I bet I could meet some neat people and pick up a few ideas for next year’s tent. Also how else will I ever find the real Shakedown Street?

7. The Real Shakedown Street

this is not the real shakedown street via moetrainstracks.com

The stuff of legends. Usually I don’t give a shit about legends, but this feels important. Basically it’s a row of unauthorized vendors — the weirdest/best of all the weirdos — selling things like $1 grilled cheeses, handmade clothes, glass and other random wares. Because it’s unauthorized and probably riddled with illegal substances of every persuasion, this festival mainstay is set up in a new place each year. There are other rows of vendors throughout the farm, but they’re not The Shakedown Street. You see why this is important. Apparently it’s a sketchy place after dark, so this is a daytime-type bear hunt.

Is this even a real thing?? I don’t know! That’s why it’s called a legend.

8. Planet Roo

via brokenmic.com

Lots of stuff going on at Planet Roo, which is a space I don’t even think I’ve seen. Is there collaging? Straw hut-making? Screen-printing? I don’t know! Probably! Maybe I’ll learn something new. Maybe I will draw a pony or sign up for the Peace Corps.

9. Post Office

via termini design build

Also at Planet Roo! Bonnaroo has its own postmark for crying out loud. Skipping the post office is always one of my biggest regrets.

10. Big Ass Water Slide

via trustneely.com

I can’t swim, so this seems much safer than diving into a river via rope swing, and maybe not as crowded as a water park, so sure, I’ll go on the water slide.

11. Breast Painting Booth

via westvletern12 on flickr

Even though part of me really does want to be topless in public, I still don’t think I can do this. Like, maybe if it was an all-girl breast painting troupe, and it was conducted inside a silk-lined tent, with parrots and grapes and iced coffee — maybe then I’d go for it.

12. Yoga

via ben keller on flickr

This is right up there with the post office in terms of regrets. I have anxieties about doing yoga in public spaces (I realize this stands in contrast to the aforementioned desire to be topless, but that’s because humans are complex creatures), so I usually just chicken out. LOSER. Not being a loser this year. Not chickening out.

13. Clean Vibes Trading Post & Clothing Drive

via cleanvibestradingpost.org

Clean Vibes is an incentive program that involves turning in large bags of recyclables or used clothing, and receiving points that can be used to get neat things, like probably frisbees and hacky sacks. I always do my part by collecting the trash and recyclables from our camp, but I’ve never actually gone to the trouble of turning them in for prizes. I love prizes! What the hell’s wrong with me?

14. Centeroo Fountain

via joe gall on flickr

So there’s this fountain, right? And it’s big and water’s everywhere. And it’s crawling with people. And the first year I went, someone told me a horror story about the water not being cleaned or something, so I’ve been terrified of it ever since. Well no more! No more will I live in fear of the fountain at Centeroo!

But if I come back with some sort of waterborne disease, I’m gonna be pretty upset.

15. Meeting YOU!

We’ve made some half-hearted efforts to organize meetings with AS readers at Bonnaroo, but between the crammed schedule and the fact that I’m a total dork, it just never has worked out. This year’s different!

We’ll be at Broo’ers Village around 4:30 on Friday — that’s after Two Door Cinema Club and before the Avett Brothers. Let the spirit of A-Camp inspire you and just show up! You don’t need to worry about being too something or not enough anything — I’d just really like to say hi! We’re gonna get some drinks and foods, so it’s a pretty low-key situation. Bring some spray paint for Centeroo wall art (we’ll have stencils). If you’d like to suggest a different time or just want to unofficially RSVP, let me know in the comments!

Have you managed to make it to any of the things on the list? You should tell me about them! Are you going to Bonnaroo this year? ARE YOU SO EXCITED?? Or if you want, we can talk about your favorite festival foods. How do you feel about alligator tail?

Playlist: Bonnaroo Days And Nights

Since 2010, Autostraddle has been making the annual trek to Manchester, TN, for the four-day dirty hippie song and dance festival known as Bonnaroo. Executive Editor Laneia is on her way again, this time with Bonnaroo virgin and activity partner, Megan, and they are totally and absurdly amped beyond all measure. Look for more info on Autostraddle’s plans for Bonnaroo (and you!) a little later in the week, but for now let’s get you all geared up for your weekend on the farm with a couple of playlists! Even if you’re not going to Roo this year, these songs will do their best to make you feel like you’re there.

Dawn to Dusk

Welcome to the day!

It’s around 8 a.m. in Tennessee, and it’s too hot for you to be in your tent, so peel off your sticky pajamas and put on some sunblock. Pack as much water as you can, grab your schedule and set off. The day is yours.

Towers – Bon Iver
Just One – Blind Pilot
Simple Song – The Shins
Wouldn’t It Be Nice – Beach Boys
11:11 – Rodrigo y Gabriela
Ode to Sunshine – Delta Spirit
Ten Thousand Words – The Avett Brothers
Salinas – Laura Marling
Stranger – Trampled by Turtles
Let Me In – Phish
Cruel – St. Vincent
Breatherz (Young as Clouds) – Rubblebucket
Summer Beat – Orgone
No Widows – The Antlers
Left Home – Sarah Jarosz
Save the Rich – Garfunkel and Oates

STREAM THE PLAYLIST HERE

Dusk to Dawn

Welcome to the night!

It’s still hot, but it’s getting dark and everyone is a weird combo of excited and exhausted. Prepare to lose hope of ever knowing where you are or how to get somewhere else. You’ll probably feel a little chilly, but you definitely won’t be lonely. Be fun, be safe!

Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out – The Antlers
Little by Little – Radiohead
Gotta Go – Oberhofer
The Undertaker – Puscifer
This Is The Life – Two Door Cinema Club
Arming of Infants – Trampled by Turtles
Down in the Yards – Rubblebucket
Yer Spring – Hey Rosetta!
Coyote – The Lonely Forest
Always – Blind Pilot
Away – Kathleen Edwards
Sleep – The Roots

STREAM THE PLAYLIST HERE

Add your favorite Bonnaroo related tracks in the comments below!

Want to suggest a playlist theme? Hit Crystal up on Formspring and someone of the team will make it for you.

Brittani’s Team Pick: Bonnaroo Comedy Tent Live

At this very moment Laneia and Sarah are at Bonnaroo and you are seething with jealousy as you wonder if your refrigerator has acquired magical powers and restocked itself since the last time you checked it ten minutes ago. Nevermind, that’s what I’m doing. But if you’re reading this that means you probably aren’t at the festival either. Bonnaroo may not be broadcasting musical performances on youtube a la Coachella but Comedy Central will be live streaming the performances of some fantastic comedians.

At 6pm ET, Sunday June 12th, there will be so much stand-up happening and it could all be happening on your computer screen. Hurrah! There is a serious lack of female comedians because women suck and aren’t funny but the one that did manage to make the bill is queer comedian Tig Notaro. Other performers I’m excited to see include Donald Glover of Community, 30 Rock writer, Hannibal Buress, and Daily Show Correspondent, Lewis Black. What female stand-up comedians would you have liked to see at the festival?

Bonnaroo 2011 Spotlights: Jessica Lea Mayfield, Sharon Van Etten, Abigail Washburn

Oh hi there. Are you going to Bonnaroo this year? Our editors Laneia and Sarah F*cking P*lmer are there as we speak, and so I’m gonna shelve my jealousy for a moment and tell you about a few of the talented, slightly lesser known female artists that’ll be shining on the Bonnaroo stages this weekend.

Jessica Lea Mayfield

Jessica Lea Mayfield is a 21 year old singer/songwriter from Ohio who has a smokin’ hot drawl that I could listen to forever and just might. It’s difficult to lump Jessica Lea Mayfield’s sound into one, or even three, genres ― it’s a little folky, a little bluesy, a little country and a little indie pop/rock. Have a listen.

Earlier this year JLM released her sophomore album, Tell Me, which is filled with simple hooky songs about love that all sorts of people with all sorts of feelings can relate to. Also it’s produced by Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys, which makes it even more special. You can buy it here.

Fact: researching Jessica Lea Mayfield is as enjoyable as listening to Jessica Lea Mayfield. The opening sentence on her Wikipedia page states that Jessica Lea Mayfield is best known for writing dark, sad songs, and if you suggest otherwise then she’s gonna cut you. According to this interview, Jessica Lea Mayfield will never write upbeat songs like Katy Perry, nor will she ever tell you that she feels like a plastic bag drifting in the wind. And to the haters who think she needs to turn that frown upside-down, she says “suck it”.

Sharon Van Etten

Somehow I’ve only recently discovered Sharon Van Etten. Her Bonnaroo biography states that “[Sharon has] had some bad experiences in relationships. OK, more than some,” which compelled me to download all of her music immediately.

There’s something so incredibly alluring about this artist. It’s largely her music, which is stunning in ways that I’ve spent hours trying (and failing) to describe. But also partly because she doesn’t promote herself with the same level of intensity as other singer-songwriters. Her most recent album, Epic, is (self)described as “laying a romantic melancholy lining over the gravel and dirt of heartbreak, without one honest thought or feeling,” which is funny because it’s not quite true.

Epic is a short but stellar record, I’ve fallen in love with it and you might too. Get it here.

If you need more Sharon Van Etten in your life, I recommend checking out NPR’s tiny desktop concert or Autostraddle’s anticipatory Bonnaroo 2011 playlist.

Abigail Washburn

This Illinois-born, Nashville-based artist plays upbeat folk tunes on her banjo that’ll put a swing in your step and sunshine in your heart.

The New York Times once described Abigail Washburn as “Appalachia and folk-rock, with tinges of Asia and Bruce Springsteen”, which is fascinating and appealing in equal parts, I mean really who can resist a beautiful clawhammer banjo player who sometimes sings in Mandarin. Not me.

You can download Abigail’s latest album, City of Refuge, here.

Bonnaroo 2011: Music Guide & Autostraddle’s Anticipatory Playlist

Autostraddle is going to Bonnaroo! Laneia has already talked about what we are/are not bringing this year, but we need to talk music. That’s what this is really about, right?

So let’s get down to it. Here are the bands we are super excited about, with the occasional interjectional feelings-based input from Laneia. Some artists are old, some are new, some we’ve never actually heard before. But we think they are all worth a listen, whether you’re actually going to Bonnaroo or not.

THE HEADLINERS

+ Eminem
11 p.m. Saturday, What Stage

Let’s start with the big names. Eminem is holding down the top spot on Saturday night this year. It’s a weird choice; rap just doesn’t seem like the type of thing that would suit most of the Bonnaroo crowd. Jay Z was the main headliner last year, though, and everyone seemed to love it. So maybe this will work, but idk, I love Jay Z and I hate Eminem.

+ Arcade Fire
11 p.m. Friday, What Stage

The Arcade Fire has the top spot on Friday, and unlike Eminem, they are an absolutely perfect choice. They’re an awesome band to hear outside, (espesh if you’re in an altered state like 3/4 of the Bonnaroo crowd), they fit the festival atmosphere, and they’re touring with The Suburbs, arguably their best album yet.

The Suburbs won best album of the year at the Grammy’s, spawning that lovely meme. I can’t decide how I feel about this. On one hand, I love the album so much that I want the entire world to hear it. But sometimes it feels like Win Butler let me in on some amazing secret, and I don’t want to share it. Alas, that is not how music works, so at least I get to see them perform it live. Laneia will have to hold me back from climbing on stage and tackling someone out of pure joy.

+ The Black Keys
8 p.m. Saturday, What Stage

These guys have been making the festival rounds for a while now. They were at Bonnaroo last year, then Lollapalooza, and now they’re back, with higher billing. I have loved them for a long time, and they rocked when I saw them a few years ago. But let’s be real, The Black Keys are just not a festival band. They belong in a small, intimate concert hall with wooden floors covered in beer, cigarette smoke hanging in the air. I’ve tried to give them a chance at festivals a few times, but for some reason, their music does not sound as good when they play outside. Give them a try if you want, and of course their albums, including Brothers, are always worth it, but I will be skipping them at Bonnaroo this year.

+ My Morning Jacket
8 p.m. Friday, What Stage

Does anyone have any feelings re: MMJ?

Laneia: “One time in 2002, I made a mix cd primarily focused on Mason Jennings and it included one song by My Morning Jacket. I think My Morning Jacket only exists at festivals. My Morning Jacket is a really good band name.”

SARAH IS EXCITED ABOUT THESE:

+ Lil Wayne
1:30 a.m. Saturday, Which Stage

All right, I’ll admit it, I’m such a hipster that my only real exposure to Lil Wayne is from 500 Days of Weezy. But I firmly believe that album has given me a genuine love for Lil Wayne. Plus, he is playing until 3 a.m. right after Arcade Fire, and I appreciate the epicness of that scheduling. If ever there was a rapper that belonged at Bonnaroo, it’s Lil’ Wayne.

Laneia: “I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Lil’ Wayne song. Have I?”

+ Mumford & Sons
6:15 p.m. Saturday, Which Stage

Sigh No More was one of the best albums of 2010, and Mumford & Sons are still going strong with it. Like The Black Keys, they have been hitting the festivals hard. But these guys are actually good in an outdoor setting. I was lucky enough to see them play together with The Temper Trap at an after party at Lolla last year, and they fucking killed it.

+ Freelance Whales
5:30 p.m. Thursday, That Tent AND 4:45 p.m. Friday, Sonic Stage

Weathervanes is hands down my favorite album right now. I can’t believe it took me so long to finally download it. You really need to own the album so you can listen to “Location” on repeat for days, like me. Their talking-really-fast-how-has-he-not-taken-a-breath-yet style is really interesting, and I like the continuous ghost/death metaphors in their lyrics. Surprisingly, it remains a hopeful record.

These guys are playing twice: once on Thursday night and again Friday afternoon. Hopefully, this will be just like my special moments with Brandi Carlile last year, and I will fall even deeper in love with them.

+ Girl Talk
2:30 a.m. Sunday, This Tent

GIRL TALK! I thought I loved Gregg Gillis a lot, but then he released All Day, and the world became shinier and more awesome. It’s absolutely his best record yet; he took his mixes to a whole new level. Are you over I Want You Back + Lil Kim yet? I’m not. Also his concerts are amazing and make everyone feel super high on life. This can only be improved by being outside in a field in Tennessee, under the stars, surrounded by thousands of hippies.

Unfortch, he’s playing at 2:30 in the morning on Saturday night. I guess that means I will be bringing Red Bull and Five Hour Energy to Bonnaroo this year.

+ Florence and the Machine
6:45 p.m. Friday, This Tent

Is Florence and the Machine over, or still a thing? I can’t tell. But I think they are still enough of a thing to go see at Bonnaroo. “Kiss With A Fist” is still a jam, right?

+ Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
12:30 p.m Saturday, This Tent

Oh hey, these guys are going to be so so great. I love their sound, and their live show is supposed to be excellent. They have a soulful, old Southern rock feeling (and by that I mean Chuck Berry/Little Richard, not Lynyrd Skynyrd). Listen to the song below, and also this amazing version of “Bitch, I Love You.”

LANEIA HAS FEELINGS ABOUT:

+ Sleigh Bells
10:15 p.m. Thursday, The Other Tent

They’re a Brooklyn duo, Derek Miller & Alexis Krauss. This stuff is noise pop at it’s finest, punchy and bright. They released their debut album, Treats, last summer. Intern Morgan says they are SO GOOD live, and definitely worth checking out.

Laneia: “When I need to work nonstop for hours, I play Treats on repeat and when I’m done, my thoughts have sort of flatlined and all I’m left with is a pile of sent emails, cleaned dishes and the lyrics of A/B Machines on an unrelenting loop in my brain. Bliss.”

+ Loretta Lynn
6:45 p.m. Saturday, That Tent

Loretta Lynn is basically a legend. She has more awards than any other woman in country music history. She was married at 13 and had four children before she turned 19, which makes songs like “The Pill” even more interesting and groundbreaking. She released an album produced by Jack White in 2004 — Van Lear Rose. This is gonna be live, uh-huh:

Laneia: “Oh my god you guys.”

+ The Strokes
6:45 p.m. Sunday, Which Stage

They released a new album this year, Angles, after a two-year break from the band.

Laneia: “I am filled with negative feelings about this new album! It’s totally uninspired and stale. Am I supposed to believe that after two years, none of these guys experienced a single thing that made them grow as artists? Under Cover of Darkness sounds like a songwritten by a Strokes cover band, from like five fucking years ago. I don’t know, I’m bitter. If you don’t have anything new to say, why not just wait until you do?”

+ Beirut
6:15 p.m. Sunday, The Other Tent

Musical Intern Morgan describes Beirut as “swelling vocals over Balkan folk and Eastern European-influenced melodies.”

+ Matt & Kim
3:15 p.m. Friday, This Tent

They’ve evolved over the years, getting more polished and more poppy with their latest albums, like Sidewalks. Fun fact: the police in the Lessons Learned video (see below) were real, and Matt & Kim only got out of being arrested by claiming they were filming a mayonnaise commercial.

+ Cold War Kids
5 p.m. Sunday, This Tent

Apparently, Cold War Kids are labeled as a Christian band, but you would never know it. They make fun, punk and soul-influenced rock. Check out their latest album, released this January, Mine Is Yours. Music Editor Crystal is a serious fan of Cold War Kids, and, slightly related, on May 7 they tweeted “Doc Martens have always been my favorite shoe, for guys & girls.” Instant love.

+ Best Coast
7:15 p.m. Thursday, The Other Tent

Best Coast includes former Vivian Girls drummer Ali Koehler. The album Crazy for You is summer in the form of music. Hipster Runoff describes Best Coast as a “fuzzy buzzy band that sings abt dank, California, boys, and kitty cats” SO THERE YOU GO.

ALSO WE LIKE THESE:

+ Justin Townes Earle (@justintearle)
2:30 p.m. Friday, The Other Tent

JTE has released an album every year since 2008, a pace that can probably only be surpassed by The Mountain Goats. His style is polished blues and folk-influenced country. His latest is Harlem River Blues and Laneia says you should buy that right now.

Laneia: “You should buy Harlem River Blues right now.”

+ Ray LaMontagne (@RayLaMontagne)
6:15 p.m. Friday, Which Stage

Ray quit his shoe factory job to become a singer-songwriter, and then won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album with God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise. His voice is soulful and amazing.

+ Hesta Prynn (@hestaprynnmusic)
9 p.m. Thursday, The Silent Disco

Hesta is an Autostraddle favorite! Former member of the all-girl hip-hop group Northern State, The New York Post called her “M.I.A. And Miike Snow’s lovechild,” which is a pretty damn awesome description. Check out her EP Can We Go Wrong.

+ Old Crow Medicine Show (@thelowcrow)
2 p.m. Saturday, Which Stage

These guys caught their break while busking outside a North Carolina pharmacy. Also, they were on the Transamerica soundtrack, which is sweet. Check out their 2008 album Tennessee Pusher.

Laneia: “If you’re gonna seriously listen to OCMS, you have to hear Greetings from Wawa. Everyone loves Wagon Wheel from the self-titled album, but there a couple of amazing tracks on Wawa, like Kitty Clyde and Oh My Love, that were seemingly recorded live at a radio station? Or possibly on a different planet? I don’t even know you guys, it’s so fascinating.”

+ Phosphorescent (@Phosphorescent)
1:45 p.m. Friday, This Tent

They release Here’s to Taking It Easy in 2010, and one of their songs includes the line “naked, swirling like otters (you know how they are).” Sold.

Laneia: “A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise is just the most beautiful, haunting song. I would try to explain how much I love it, but I can’t wave my arms around in this post and shout ‘DOESN’T THIS MAKE YOU WANT TO DIE BUT LIKE, IN A GOOD WAY??’ so you’ll have to pretend I did. To Willie is Phosphorescent’s tribute to Willie Nelson, in which they cover the lesser-known, sort of inherently sad tracks, mostly dealing with addiction and loss, like Too Sick to Pray and The Last Thing I Needed (First Thing This Morning). Fucking amazing tribute album END OF STORY.”

+ Deerheart

Intern Morgan wants to recommend Deerheart, who she is friends with, so of course we’re doing that here and now. They opened for Against Me!, the Dropkick Murphys and Bruce Springsteen a month or so ago. That sounds very exciting!

Next: A special Bonnaroo Playlist just for you!

2011 Summer Music Festival Guide

If you’re a music loving queer living in the USA then you’re probably aware that the music festival season is just around the corner. In fact we should all be packing our bags / festival battle gear for South by Southwest right now.

In case it has escaped your attention, the lineups for this year’s U.S. music festivals are killer. With so many amazing events and so little time (and money), we’ve asked a few of our team members to make some recommendations. Some of them may be attending / live-blogging their nominated festivals.

Which festivals are you looking forward to this year?

If you happen to live someplace outside the USA, then the content below may make you feel a little sad. We’re sorry. You should brag about your country’s festivals so we can be sad, too.

South by Southwest