Spring Break, Relix Style

Above: LangerRusoo at Langerado 2005 (photo: Langerado.com)

I may have been out of college for close to three years now, but I’m going on spring break anyway. Now, I’m sure those of you who know me will rightfully joke that I’m always on some sort of mental spring break. But, this weekend, my sonic schizophrenia is taking a three dimensional form as I embark on my first trip to Langerado. Viewed as festival season’s unofficial kickoff by some, and a chance to bake during spring break by many more, Langerado has rightfully aged into one of the country’s finest festivals since its 2002 debut. Expanding by close to five thousand fans, and boasting such headliners as Ben Harper, Wilco, the Flaming Lips and the Black Crowes, this year’s festivities should draw both the diverse crowd and bumper-to-bumper traffic so sweetly associated with the Bonnaroo’s of yore. Plus, most Spring Break vacation packages expire after your 25, so I only have four months to get out any residual college angst.

Before we begin the bloggin’, a shameless plug. The good folks at Langerado have been nice enough to let Benjy Eisen (my fellow nocturnal jam-dork) and I host their official podcast. Those of you with your speakers on are probably hearing one of our pre-casts right now. For those of you surfing the web while procrastinating from the doldrums of everyday Office Space-­life, be sure to plug in a pair of headphones before your boss walks by (unless, of course, he’s hip to the Cold Turkey). If all goes to plan, we should be fleshing our camera phone reflections with daily podcasts straight from Sunrise, FL so be sure to check this site on a daily basis throughout the weekend

Without rehashing the opening graph of my death of the jam-scene dissertation, a subject for another blog entry all together, Langerado has widened its stylistic borders significantly this spring. Placing indie-rock “It Bands” (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and the Secret Machines) next to the jam-scene’s next (last?) group hopes (The Duo and Umphrey’s McGee), Langerado has followed in the footsteps of Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits, presenting independent live music spanning a number of genes side-by-side. Speaking of the Duo, I’m eagerly awaiting their set today, which should feature both new material (think the Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene) and old, drinking game favorites (try to predict just when in the best the Duo busts into its Jammy-nominated “Becky.”). I’m also excited see if Wilco reinterprets any material from one of Jeff Tweedy’s 10,000, new solo-projects (is Warren getting jealous yet? )t and to see who exactly is playing with the Black Crowes this go around (I hear rumors that Eddie Harsch is the latest victim of the Robinson Brothers’ famed sibling rivalry).

Well, I’m off to finish packing and to prepare my eyelids for another marathon weekend without shuteye. If you’re reading this from the comfort of your own home, be sure to download our three Langerado Pre-Casts at www.relix.com/radio (or through itunes by searching Cold Turkey in the purple colored podcast section) for your trip to sunny Florida.