Say Cheese: Horning's Hideout 2012- Thursday July,19th

Horning's Hideout
North Plains, OR

Words By J-man
Photos By Carly Marthis & J-man

There are places on this earth that act as conduits for the dreamlike, utopian vibe that many festival goers and music fans from all over this country seek. In one of the more northwestern points of this country, folks have become privy to the magic of Horning's Hideout. Rolling hills collide with both alpine and mossy deciduous forests in this place of fantastic beauty. For fans of The String Cheese Incident, that weekend at Horning's would mark the end of the Summer 2012 tour, and what a close it would be. Many would travel across this great country to participate in this escape. For us, our journey would begin in Denver, Colorado. A mere twenty one hours later and about twelve hundred and fifty miles, we found ourselves rolling past Portland and down the country roads leading into Horning's. There were no long lines, there were no police, just the feeling of cruising through the back country to arrive "Home."

Hugs and smiles led to more hugs and smiles as folks went through the minor vehicle inspection to enter the property. With no underlying security threat other then our tired faces, we put on our smiles and pulled into the park. Winding roads/paths lead to the administrative center of the park, as cars were directed to their temporary weekend resting place. As camping was separate from parking, fans packed and stacked for a haul into the woods. Up and down rolling hills through plush green mossy forest, past tapestries, lights and happy people we trekked until we found what we considered the perfect spot.

Surrounded by friends, "Family" and fantastic people, our adventure truly began...

With the sweat wiped from our brow, we headed towards the music! While passing the administrative buildings a loud call came from a beautiful peacock! Then another. We passed the lake, the kids pavilion and playground arriving at a handful of "security" personnel waiting to "search" our bags going in. Inside the venue, we were taken aback by the piney beauty of the amphitheater/bowl. One pleasant surprise came with the discovery that Zane Kesey and the Furthur bus were also in attendance! A quick glance at one another and our group headed in all different directions. This may be the best time to introduce the cast of characters in our adventure. Heading straight down the hill to the dustbowl, like a proud puppy with a Frisbee was Saint Murray, who found friendly faces to toss disc with immediately. Our Psychedelic clown, Matt headed directly for the hill to dispense "Special" stickers to unsuspecting new friends. Carly and I found a seat on the lower half of the hill to enjoy the first band of the weekend, The Drunken Hearts.



The Drunken Hearts have been progressing little by little since the first time that I had seen them play. Of course, Horning's Hideout was no different. Andrew McConnathay's Eddie Vedder like vocals permiated the ears of the small crowd. Through well-written songs and bright instrumentation, The Drunken Hearts displayed why it was they were invite to Horning's. A barefoot Murray ran back and forth, throwing and catching the Frisbee as Matt, with a tiny hat on his head and flip sunglassed, passed out stickers with dancable fury. What a fantastic way to have begun our weekend!

Following The Drunken Hearts set, we wandered towards the Sawmill Stage passing a plethora of excellent food options from pesto pineapple pizza, elixirs, Asian food, great breakfast options, etc. Additionally there were the beer/wine tents, that were selling semi-expensive drinks with limited options. This was somehow acceptable due to the fact that we were not allowed to bring alcohol into Horning's. Arriving at The Sawmill Stage, everyone was smiling. The area was perfectly carved out of the surrounding beauty and included large fabric shapes stretched above the crowd! Back at the main stage, The Contribution began.

The Contribution is a collaborative effort between Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth), Keith Moseley (The String Cheese Incident), Jeff Miller (New Monsoon), Phil Ferlino (New Monsoon), Matt Butler (The Everyone Orchestra) & Sheryl Renee. First and foremost, as always, their production and performance was fantastic. For someone who has seen them on multiple occasions, it was consistent in all regards including the setlist. Contribution fans were spoiled with an album of great songs and now they want more!

Next on the main stage was the Kyle Hollingsworth Band. Kyle's hand picked band is stacked with members of Colorado band, The Motet. On guitar Dan Schwindt, on bass Garrett Sayers and on drums Dave Watts. Slowly, the main stage bowl began to fill in with folks arriving at the festival. By the half way point of their set, the main stage was packed with folks getting down to some of the most groovin' music the festival had to offer thus far. One of the best rhythm sections on the festival scene in Watts and Sayers, led the charge while Kyle and Dan passed ripping licks and tones back and forth. At one point the band was joined by Jason Hahn on percussion.

Kyle Hollingsworth Band Live at Horning's Hideout on July 19, 2012.



Setlist: To Young, Racer X, All I Need I Have Right Here, Ordinary, Way That It Goes>Slipknot>Franklin's Tower, Boo Boo's Picnic, Zuko 103 Tune (?)

The conclusion of the KHB set triggered our eventual return to camp for the first sleep that we would get in forty eight hours. The result of our exhaustion would be missing EOTO, but also would mean that we would be well-rested to take on the remainder of our adventure. We laid our heads down on our pillows and dreamt of peacocks and Cheese...

Carly & J-man's Thursday & Friday Photo Gallery

www.horningshideout.com

www.stringcheeseincident.com