Cornflower's Wanderlust California Recap
Wanderlust!
Wow, what an amazing experience. Wanderlust Festival is truly a YOGA Festival. No joke. With over 40+ teachers offering classes all day from 7AM - 5PM Olympic Valley was bumping with people ready to downward dog!
It is such a rarity to be at a festival at such a high altitude, such beauty, and crazy amounts of people high on life and their dedication to a huge wellness practice that as of 2010 has over 20 million practitioners in the US alone and growing. SURREAL!
I was blessed to have been invited by the wizards behind the curtain at Velour Music Group to be involved to which I am eternally grateful.
I was given 2 1-hour sets, one on Saturday and one on Sunday at The Casbah Stage at 1pm. Then was asked to play a Yoga class at High Camp's Yoga Tent (alongside DJ Drez, Nathan Ensley of Albino Afrobeat and Craig Kohland of Shamans Dream & YogiTunes) with Janet Stone from Yoga Tree SF.
We had an amazing team holding down the Casbah stage… Paul on Sound, Steve on Stage and then Terry was the Stage Manager. These three guys made our experience flawless. What an awesome opportunity. The stage was set in the middle of the village where the most foot traffic of the festival occurs. On one hand it makes it challenging as people are continually moving through the area, and a set like mine requires audience energy. On the other hand, it actually gives me the most exposure, as everyone who is at the Festival will hear my music as they are traveling to and from Yoga and Meditation classes. With this in mind Nikita (my manager / wife) and I gathered our intentions and focused on creating a vibe that would catch all those meant to tune into the Great Music flowing through. Without a doubt… spirit provided. Both the Saturday and Sunday sets were huge successes.
Saturday July 30 2011 setlist: Planetary Mirror Improv, In The Moment, Do You Know > Jam, Heartshine II > Something in the Air > TimeSpace (w/ Craig Kohland), Lady Love.
After the Saturday set we took off up the Cable Cars to get up to High Camp for the Yoga Class. WOW! My first cable car ride and it was breath-taking. So gorgeous. These mountains are amazing. Then we were whisked off to the Yoga Tent to setup. It was my first ever Yoga Class I have played for, so I was a bit nervous. But it went so smooth… we had Johnnie G on sound, holding it down and a PACKED overflowing glowing group of Yogis and Yoginis ready to get their stretch on! Janet Stone was AMAZING! She brought such deep wisdom and healing into a funky fresh danceable yoga class. What an amazing experience. I definitely look forward to doing this more with Janet. A very profound moment for my trajectory with music and I feel this was only the beginning.
Sunday, the final day of the Festival, was EPIC! It was a return to a few older tunes I haven't played in awhile and a brand spanking new tune that I have been wanting to release for over a year and it just has never been the right time… but Sunday July 31st proved to be that day, and WOW, it came through strong…
Sunday July 31 2011 setlist: Spectral Storm Improv, Journey Into Sound > Jam, One Drop (w/ Dreda Dre), Oceanwater, Sipapu (Live Debut).
We had such an incredible time. Met such beautiful radiant people, made some new fans and some amazing new connections, reconnected with old friends and developed deeper connections with some long time friends and peers.
I am so grateful to Wanderlust Festival! The organizers, production team, management, staff, sound engineers, volunteers, the teachers and practitioners, and all the musicians. Looking forward to more!