Now in its 14th year, UTOPiAfest returned to Four Sisters Ranch in Utopia, Texas on October 12th-14 for a cosmic celebration revolving around the annular eclipse. In 2018, festival founder and organizer Travis Sutherland moved the event to Reveille Peak Ranch in Burnet, Texas which made for a closer drive for the mostly Austin audience. The return to the original location was chosen because it would be 100% in the pathway of the October 2023 and April 2024 eclipses.
Like previous festivals, the weekend began with a Thursday pre-party that allowed vendors and campers ample time to set up their sites. The celestial theme of the event spurred a collaboration between two bands that serenaded the modest sized crowd, Austin-based Trouble in the Streets and Denton collective Wax Logic who performed a spirited rendition of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Led by the guitar virtuosity of Daniel Forrester and powerful lyrics sung by Nnedi Nebula Agbaroji, those early to arrive shimmied and shook to the classic psychedelic rock album performed live.
This boutique festival has created a sense of community among the revelers and returning to the original site was a special experience for many who hadn’t walked on the grounds in six years. On Friday, campers lazily meandered throughout the ranch. Some took part in the many events planned for the weekend including an early morning plant walk and smudge building workshop or afternoon disc golf outing.
The weather usually plays a major role at the festival, like the year when STS9 cut their set short due to a deluge that washed out the crowd, or when icicles formed on tents the following year. This year was different, as each day that passed was as pleasant as the previous. Friday’s late afternoon lineup of Texas String Assembly and Megafauna basked in the sun as they laid the groundwork for the music ahead.
As day turned to night on Friday, Tomar & The FCs took the stage. Tomar Williams began his career singing lead on the Chitlin Circuit with his family band in the late 1980s before forming the R&B band that got the crowd grooving. They were followed by The Amzaris, featuring the sweet combination of upright bass, marimba, saxophone, and violin. On the soft rock side, 100 Days moved the crowd setting up nicely for Trouble in the Streets. Dubbed ‘electro tribe’ music, the band also known as TiTS have played with George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic among other noteworthy acts and showcased Agbaroji’s talented keys and vocals.
Money Chicha, Friday’s rhythm-heavy cumbia headliner did not disappoint. The Austin based band features members of Grupo Fantasma and Brownout!, who are well known to UTOPIAfest regulars. Laying down trancelike beats with psychedelic guitar licks and keyboard interludes, the crowd was launched into space and the band was a perfect selection for the cosmic focused festival. Bassist and frontman Greg Gonzalez stopped at one point to remind folks that the band’s name was not Money “Chica” but Money Chicha – Chicha is the type of music they play, Peruvian cumbia that gained popularity in the 1960s and is still ascendant today.
The big solar event started on Saturday morning, and one attendee walked through each camp passing out special sunglasses for viewing the eclipse. As campers prepared breakfast, they were serenaded by loudspeakers spaced out on the festival grounds that played musical tones provided by The Octopus Project that were at once eerie and transcendental. Revelers gathered in clusters straining their necks to see the sun poke out from the clouds as it got progressively darker. The communal nature of the event and the spectacular hillsides of the ranch made for a sublime experience.
Saturday afternoon featured more workshops and clinics, while a slew of jammy bands such as 80H, Fools, and Sucka Please graced the two stages and kept the good vibes going. Nearing the magic hour, Andrea Magee took the stage. Dressed in a flowy rainbow pantsuit, the Austin-based songwriter and musician banged her hand drum as she slithered across the stage with her big toothy grin. As the evening set in, Maggie Koerner took the stage with a wide brimmed hat and guitar in hand. The Louisiana native, formerly of the funk band Galactic, has gone independent and her lush and soulful singing was greeted by a joyful and exuberant crowd.
One of the highlights of the weekend was the Space Prom which featured disco balls, alien encounters, and a delicious set by DJ Mixer Rogers, followed by one man band Henry Invisible. Henry is an ultimate multi-instrumentalist showman who bounces back and forth between building up a conga rhythm, slapping a bass, and tinkling the keys. Donning a disco ball bucket hat and cheeky grin, the Prom King got the crowd jumping.
Over at the main stage, The Octopus Project emerged with neon string suits reminiscent of an even more psychedelic Sergeant Peppers band. Active since 1999, the Austin-based indie electronic band stole the show in their unique blacklight attire. Their brand of pop-fueled electronic rhythm and noise entranced the willing crowd while two marshmallow-like creatures bounced at the back of the stage. Fronted by Yvonne Lambert in a stunning cropped haircut, the band ended their set with Lambert thrusting her Moog theremin out into the crowd including festival goers in their music making.
To close out the event, bi-coastal disco rockers !!! (chk-chk-chk) harnessed the energy produced by The Octopus Project and unleashed it back at the crowd. Lead singer and gnarly jorts wearer Nic Offer bounced enthusiastically across the stage, onto some wooden spools, and jumping into the crowd. The kinetic energy was palpable as the crowd engulfed the singer and then spit him out again and again. For those who missed this eclipse, they have only to wait until the spring when revelers will unite again at Four Sisters Ranch for the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
-words & photos: Alex Freeman
