It wasn’t until late afternoon when we finally got in line for our wristbands. It was $5 for the privilege of drinking Sweetwater beer all afternoon, a portion of which goes back to the Candler Park community for allowing this festival to happen every year. The other part covers the brewery’s operating expenses (even though they probably make a killing on the thousands and thousands of beers they sell at $5 apiece). The wristbands weren’t required though. As we would soon find out, this was a rather family-oriented festival that played host to an enormous variety of people of all ages. Young kids, old kids, new parents, parents of parents... Even the dogs were out en masse. The website clearly states no pets allowed. But I have a feeling the owners of this particular brewery would probably say something along the lines of “No pets. Except for dogs… dogs are cool.” Needless to say, there were plenty of hounds, pups, panting pooches, and one particularly quirky Parrot to keep us on our toes. As we waited in line, a few festival-goers pointed out how many Beatles covers they kept hearing off in the distance. I had done my homework and I knew what they were hearing was The Mystery Trip – an authentic Beatles tribute band. Unfortunately for all of us still in line, The Mystery Trip would be closing out their set just as we were getting inside the gates.
It seemed as if we arrived at 420 Fest amidst a rush of people and I could feel the grounds getting more and more crowded by the minute. We walked past a number of jewelry and recycled art vendors and quickly jumped in the beer line and got our paws on a couple of cold ones before conducting our search for a lawn spot. If you have ever been to Sweetwater before, you know that most of their beers have two distinct qualities; the first being phenomenal taste, and the second being a strangely unique name. “Motor Boat”, the seasonal “Road Trip” ale, “Happy Ending”, “Sch’Wheat”, and the festival titled “420” extra pale ale are just a few of the beers on tap this weekend. Jo and I took a brief look around the park for a bit and ended up popping a squat in the shade while the next band, Deep Blue Sun, began setting up. The main stage lay in a perfect position amidst this gradual, wrap-around hill that provided everyone in the
park a view of the stage. We noticed the venue, slowly but surely, getting increasingly crowded so we hopped up and found a decent sized plot of land right up next to the stage. In all honesty, I was entirely unprepared for the musical storm that was about to hit me right square in the face.Right from the opening notes, I knew this band was going to throw down. Deep Blue Sun had that screaming, psychedelic jam-band sound that I couldn’t help but compare to The Allman Brothers Band. In fact, at this particular performance, Yonrico Scott (of The Derek Trucks Band) sat in on drums and provided a link between these two veteran Georgian jam-bands. After a decade of performances, DBS has crafted a truly powerful blend of funk, rock, blues, and pure psychedelic improvisation that leaves fans pulling their hair back in attempt to keep their faces from melting away. Keyboardist John Marsh hops around behind his instrument, commanding an impressive display of soulful vocals and funky organ riffs while his wife, Katie, compliments him with a sweet, feminine singing voice and a steady rhythm guitar. Bassist Ben Hernandez even jumps in behind the microphone with an infectious, high energy demeanor.
Some of the bass lines that he was throwing down that afternoon were the type of sounds that lift you up off your feet and have you bouncing around before you even know what hit you. With Yonrico holding it down in the back, the rhythm section duo was spot-on the entire night. He absolutely loves playing with this band and has even been quoted saying that Deep Blue Sun is “the best kept secret in the jam-band world”. In addition, DBS had a guest 
saxophonist who added some real flavor to the mix. But the highlight of this show in my opinion was the lead guitarist whose name I am not entirely sure of. On the DBS website, the lead position is accredited to Matt Lynn, who is vastly different in appearance to the guitarist that took the stage at 420 Fest. I know this band has a history of numerous line-up changes, but whatever his name might be, one thing is for sure… he could PLAY! With emotion written all over his face, this guy was laying down what I can only describe as the definition of southern, improvisational jam guitar. It had a touch of blues and a truckload of psychedelia. Needless to say, I was thoroughly impressed and couldn’t seem to pull my eyes away from his fingers as I got close to the stage for some photo opportunities. After an hour of shredding, dancing, and partying with Deep Blue Sun, I was sad to see them start breaking their stuff down. But fortunately for 420-goers, The Pimps of Joytime (following a short, mediocre set from the band “The Sundogs”) would be up soon.
I had seen the name before, The Pimps of Joytime, mostly because of their scheduled 2010 appearances at some major summer festivals – Wakarusa, High Seirra, and All Good to name a few, but I knew little about them. As the band got all set up to play, one thing was for certain - they had style. The lead singer and guitarist, Brian J, came out looking like a true pimp. Snazzy shoes, jewelry, an American flag-patterned waist accessory, and a slanted top hat that only served to compliment his air of confidence.
In addition, the bass guitarist and commander of the moog synth, Clark Dark, came out wearing this other-worldly sort of space helmet on his head. He too, was oozing with confidence and his bright green shoes added a real quirk to his flair. The PJT’s drummer was larger than life and as soon as he took the stage he cracked an enormous smile that never left his face throughout the duration of the performance. Chauncey Yearwood on congas and Mayteana Morales on percussion and sampler were no exception to the stylish appearance put forth by this fresh looking group of musicians.
I think one of the most intriguing characteristics that makes music so unbelievable to me is its inability to be described. There are those times when you hear a band or see a performance that leaps so many boundaries and jumps so many genres that its really difficult to put your finger on what exactly it was that you just witnessed. It’s beyond explanation. But I will try my best, since… that’s what this project of mine is all about. The Pimps of Joytime play a unique blend of funk that, in contrast to the powerful, in-your-face sound of say, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, has you moving and grooving in a very sensual way. Coming from Brooklyn, it was interesting to see how geography plays such a prominent role in the development of a band’s style. Not that I am an expert on the subject or anything, but this East-Coast group had a much more smooth approach to their sound than other bands that I suppose you could say are in the same category as the PJT’s. But hold that thought. Like any good band seeking their own unique sound should do, The Pimps have spent formative years living in numerous geographic locations, most notably Los Angeles and New Orleans. In fact on their most recent album, “High Steppin”, the band collaborates with New Orleans legends Cyril and Art Neville to give their album some down right dirty funk that they otherwise might not have been able to capture.
Each instrumentalist on the festival stage that evening contributed to a very unique, very danceable brew of music that had 420 fans moving and grooving in a borderline embarrassing way. As the night went on, the beers got poured and as the beers got poured, the people got loose and as the people got loose, they began to find their groove (in large part due to the PJT’s). Unlike previous acts, a mob of people pushed their way towards the front of the stage and seemed to be having a blast as The Pimps massaged their central nervous system. I snapped a few pictures and couldn’t help but join in. Chauncy on the congas gave the PJT’s sound a real groovy afrobeat foundation. Nothing wrong with a little world flavor. In addition to Clark Dark’s funk-driven bass playing (one of the more prominent sounds amidst this group) he gave his moog synthesizer a whirlwind a few times, providing this other-worldly electronic vibe that I would have never guessed would come from this band. Even Mayteana, when she wasn’t shakin’ tambourines or adding other percussive elements that provided a certain level of Latin or salsa flair, was layering some samples into the mix that gave this music a truly unique feel to it. Smooth funk, jazz, afrobeat… call it what you want. In an interview with NPR Music, lead singer Brian J had this to say…“When all those lines and genres get blurred, anything can be soul: rock ‘n’ roll, punk. It’s all soul to me, if it’s soulful”
Like I’ve said before, when you are exposed to music that has true soul, you know it as soon as the first notes strike you ears. I had a blast partying with Jo, the 420 festies, Deep Blue Sun, and The Pimps of Joytime and I can only hope that we encounter each other again before the summer is over. It was a fantastic way to close out day one of this cozy little beer festival and regretfully, my sister and I had to skip out on the main act, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, as we had a date with the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field… too bad The Rockies shut us out. But that’s okay… we let our allegiance be known a number of times as Heidi shouted “GO TIGS!!” for all of Turner Field to hear.
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