Say Cheese: Horning's Hideout 2012- Friday July, 20th

Horning's Hideout
North Plains, OR

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

We awoke to the cool Oregon air, stretched and crawled from our tent. The overcast weather made it possible to sleep until whatever time we desired. Folks prepared breakfast and collected themselves from the previous evening's affairs. We inquired about the time, only to find that it was nearing the afternoon and that Poor Man's Whiskey was about to take the stage. Off to the venue we went in search of our minds, some music and breakfast to fuel day two at Horning's Hideout!

Over at The Sawmill Stage, California band Poor Man's Whiskey began with a sizable crowd! Folks danced and smiled, showing great appreciation for PMW in between every song. Their set included a lot of energy, as well as a couple of moments of slower jams and entertaining banter. As the sun shined through the cloth strewn between the trees, a blissful feeling overcame me. Surrounded by great friends, listening to PMW in the beautiful woods of Oregon... Not a bad way to have enjoyed my morning coffee.

Wandering around Horning's Hideout was a delight! Smiling faces collided with nonsensical activities. For instance, haircuts were taking place on barber chairs in the middle of the woods, folks were in costume dancing carelessly and acrobatic clowns roamed the grounds entertaining the guests. What a fantastic place Horning's was! After a brief return to camp, our adventure continued at the main stage for Toots & The Maytals. The band sounded great, outputting pure reggae. Folks flocked to the scene as Toots hit the stage. He sounded great, but was moving much slower and with significantly less energy than the previous time many had seen him.

About half way through Toots there was a crowd shift with Colorado's premier funk band, The Motet, taking the Sawmill Stage. Having seen The Motet a lot in the last couple of years, I was taken aback by an odd energy that surrounded the band. Something was different. That energy went from being odd to intense as the band ripped through their original compositions. Dave Watts' drumming drove the group as Garrett Sayers dropped bass bombs. Joey Porter and Ryan Jalbert also stood out, contributing some great solo work. The Horn section of Matt Pitts and Gabe Mervine brightened up the vibe as Jans Ingber lead the charge. Jans went above and beyond and just about stole the show.




The conclusion of The Motet's set triggered the realization that it was time to Cheese! The main stage quickly became the center of the universe for SCI fans. The boys hit the stage and all at once, took off their jackets to reveal their purple "Team Gewald" shirts in honor of Sarah Gewald. It was a beautiful moment that reminded me of how tight our community is.

String Cheese Incident Live at Horning's Hideout on July 20, 2012.



Set One: Outside and Inside > Can't Stop Now, Yo Se, Water > Pack It Up, Hey Pocky Way*, Song In My Head > Best Feeling it > Let's Go Outside

Set Two: Shantytown > Howard, Freedom Jazz Dance#, Restless Wind > Land's End, Can't Wait Another Day > Drums > Magic Carpet Ride > Glory Chords > Rosie

Encore: This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) > Restless Wind#

* with Dumpstaphunk
# with Stanley Jordan

With the energy peaking, the first set of the weekend began like a dream with "Outside Inside" into "Can't Stop Now," launching the crowd into an all out frenzy. "Yo Se" was followed by the danceable "Water," which turned into "Pack It Up," featuring a nasty synth solo from Kyle Hollingsworth! Following "Pack It Up," Billy Nershi called out members of Dumpstaphunk to join in on the fun for a funky and shredding, "Hey Pocky Way." With just SCI remaining on the stage, they went from "Song In My Head" into a "Best Feeling" that boasted some mellow picking before ending the first set with Kyle's "Lets Go Outside."

The second set began with a jamtronica "Shantytown" that transitioned into an ever-so-weird sixteen minute "Howard" that blew the sold out crowd's minds! Eddie Harris' "Freedom Jazz Dance" came next, changing the vibe all together with the man himself, Mr. Stanley Jordan turning out! His tap style of playing fit right in as he battled first with Michael Kang before shifting his focus to Kyle. An additional highlight of the show came with "Restless Wind" into "Land's End." The classic material reminded me of why I traveled to Oregon from Colorado to see The String Cheese Incident. The crowd was absolutely receptive to what they were hearing.

Next up came a large section of songs/jams that went from "Can't Wait Another Day" into a fantastic "Drums" that featured the amazing chemistry between Michael Travis and Jason Hann. "Drums" went into Steppenwolfs's "Magic Carpet Ride," then into a slow "Glory Chords" before closing the second set with "Rosie!" The show was incredible and reflected a well-rehearsed band at the end of a tour. For the encores, the grateful audience was treated to the Talking Head's "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)" followed by "Restless Wind (Reprise)" to close the main stage for the evening. Beautiful.

A quick stop at the Silent Disco would turn out Jason Hann on the laptop and our eventual return to camp for the evening. All around us magic was happening. Throughout the woods music, laughter and partying could be heard as we crawled into our tent for the evening. The following day would prove to be yet another great adventure...

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

www.horningshideout.com

www.stringcheeseincident.com