Nightflying: The Entertainment Guide

---D.R. Bartlette

Jimmy Tebeau has played with his band, The Schwag, at festivals for more than a decade, and the entire Schwagstock operation at Camp Zoe shows it.

Everything about the festival was tight. The main stage setup was arena quality, with massive stacks of speakers and a three-screen light show provided by Soulshine Liquid Art. What’s more than impressive about it is the fact that the whole setup is in the middle of the sticks, in a field near a gravel road.

This Schwagstock featured a total of nine bands. Headlining was the legendary Big Brother & the Holding Company. Four of the five original members, plus new guitarist Ben Nieves and Wendy Rich on vocals, played to a monster crowd Saturday night. Die-hard fans were not disappointed: Rich would have done Janis proud. Her voice captured Janis’ sound: gritty but tender, powerful and bluesy…as one fan put it, “I could close my eyes and hear Janis.” This was Big Bro’s second time to play Schwagstock, and as bassist Peter Albin put it, “it’s always been a religious experience for us.”

Some bands, like The Schwag, Moonlight Drive and Last Waltz Ensemble, were tribute bands for late-60s faves the Grateful Dead, The Doors and Bob Dylan & The Band, respectively. One young fan said after the Moonlight Drive set, “I’ve never seen The Doors live, but I felt like, after last night, I kind of did.”

But it wasn’t all cover bands. Jaik Willis, out of Chicago, returned with his incredibly earnest acoustic folk guitar sound. “Camp Zoe is absolutely amazing,” Willis said. “It’s one of the most beautiful campgrounds in the country. The Camp Zoe people are just a pleasure to work with – totally sweet. It’s a really good vibe.”

Natural Breakdown came all the way from New Jersey to play two sets over the weekend. According to their Web site, their goal is to raise consciousness through sound and word, and they certainly achieved that goal. Though they covered bands as varied as the Police, Bob Marley and Sublime, they also played original jams that built to hypnotic crescendos, carrying the audience along with them.

Ekoostik Hookah, out of Ohio, also delivered the psychedelic jams Friday evening and late Saturday night. They host their own music festival, Hookahville, in the spring and fall.
Freekbass, out of Cincinnatti, was a rare treat. His bass playing was so funky you could almost smell it, and his guitar player, T-Sly, slathered on his own sweet sound. Drummer Chip “Uncle Snare 5” Wilson ran the show, working the crowd and supplying the gritty get-down vocals. The band is on their way to Japan, on tour with funk legend Bootsy Collins.

Unfortunately, with nine bands and two stages, this reporter had to miss one band…and Devon Allman and Honeytribe was it. Reports from the crowd were that they grooved on a 60s style sound.

But enough about the bands. Campout festivals are a whole different scene – as Tebeau puts it, “It’s the social experience of it.” And the experience at Camp Zoe is excellent. The festival is simply the most well-staffed and -managed event this reporter has ever attended.

Camp Zoe is also just plain beautiful. Sinking Creek, a crystal-clear spring-fed creek, runs through the property, lined with limestone bluffs and rolling green Ozark hills in the distance. And Camp Zoe protects that beauty with a strong environmental policy – campers are encouraged to have a “leave no trace” plan and there are plenty of trash and recycling barrels around. Last year, Camp Zoe recycled 7,000 lbs. of aluminum, glass and plastic at its last event, said Janelle Laster, volunteer and recycling coordinator.

Other than the VIP section, the other campsites weren’t regulated: if you could squeeze your car in and pitch a tent, it was a campsite. If you want a good campsite, with shade and enough space, show up early to stake your claim – the area near the river fills up fast.

Camp Zoe does offer a designated disabled camping area. There were at least three wheelchair users at the festival, and by all accounts, except for the loose gravel roads, the facilities were adequate.

Despite the primitive camping, you can find just about anything you need at Schwagstock. There are cold showers near the river. Vendors sell food and drinks (and tie-dyes and hemp jewelry, of course), and the camp general store sells whatever else you need: soda, water, cigarettes, beer, ice and T-shirts. There’s even an ATM.

Safestock is where guests can come for minor medical help, first aid or just a place to get it together. The cool, darkened building is staffed with volunteer nurses and paramedics, and they can provide food, water and over-the-counter medicine. They also handle dehydration and heat exhaustion, but they mostly deal with people who have “done a little too much partying,” said Liz Bay, a volunteer nurse assistant. If the situation requires more extensive medical treatment, they can help the victim get to a hospital.

Even though it’s a huge party – more than 4,000 people attended – it’s also safe for kids. Schwagstock now has a designated family camp area, and there was even a St. Louis police officer on site, Det. Jim Buchanan. Buchanan said his only objectives were to restore order [in case anything happens] and prevent injury. “I’m here to keep the peace and keep it safe,” he said.

What about the porta-potties? As Joe Grasso, the staff manager, said, “People aren’t going to remember how good the band was; they’re going to remember how bad the porta-potty was. That’s why we’re really on keeping them clean.” Service trucks came in each morning to clean and restock them, so they never got too nasty. I would have to give Camp Zoe at four-and-a-half out of five stars on its facilities. The only thing that would have been better is if there would have been hand0washing stations next to them.

Be aware, though that there is no cell phone service at Camp Zoe. Also, the camping is primitive, so bring your own water and/or hand sanitizers. You’ll also need to bring cooking supplies or enough money to buy from the vendors.

Dany Hastie, who has attended every festival for three years, said his first year at Schwagstock changed his life. “I have actually had spiritual epiphanies here,” Hastie said. “When I die, I want my ashes scattered here.”

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