Photos by JohnRyan Lockman
Imagine a tiny wayside town off the beaten path of another place off another beaten path. This is Rancho Del Rio, site of the annual Campout for the Cause festival. Located four miles from State Bridge in Bond Co and Highway 131, the use of the word “town” for Rancho Del Rio is extravagant. Simply “Rancho,” as the locals call it, is no more than a smattering of small cabins and a local BBQ stand. There is also a general store where one can buy alcohol, the barest of camping essentials, and possibly make a phone call, but only if you are up on your sweet talk. The aforementioned locals are a unique people living so far off the grid. Look for Mohawks and pedal bikes. Set up by a flat of land between the bank of the Upper Colorado River and a steep incline in literally the middle of nowhere, Campout for the Cause has called Rancho home for four of the last seven years.
THURSDAY
Driving toward the festival site, I get the usual tingle of excitement that thrills through me when I drive around the corner to expose the tricolored mountainside that overlooks State Bridge, another music venue that has multiple shows in the summer. For some years Campout was held at State Bridge, but in 2014 promoter Scotty Stoughton decided to move it back up the road to its first home because of Rancho’s ability to accommodate the growing Campout population.
Additionally this year, Stoughton offered an early admission ticket for $10 extra dollars. People who purchased the ticket not only had an extra night to camp by the rushing Colorado River, both Gipsy Moon and Fruition came to settle in and pick some around the small family campfire. Along with those who chose to partake in the “Early Bird Special,” many were volunteers, festival workers and locals. As some got the site “show ready,” others set up a lovely dinner for all to eat under the yoga pavilion only a few yards from the main stage. One of the best parts of Campout is its intimacy. Everything you need is but a short walk. After dinner, the bands started to play under the pavilion because of the rain that would plague the weekend off-and-on. However, the festival feel really got started when they moved out to the hay bale surrounded bonfire next to the pavilion. Even though the temperature around us was low, the bands heated things up and it really started to feel like summer.
Campout for the Cause is a rare festival. One hundred percent of its net proceeds go to three non profits: American Rivers, The Eagle Valley Land Trust and All Hands Volunteers. The third of the three that Stoughton got personally involved in when he traveled to Haiti in 2010 to aid with the victims of the of the devastating earthquake. Emphasis on sustainability, water conservation and recycling are strong themes that run throughout the festival every year. Campout is not a festival you have to recover from. There is no need for a vacation to recoup from your vacation. Sure, the shenanigans abound with music and whiskey, but there are also yoga classes, permaculture clinics, acro yoga classes, drumming workshops, standup paddle board (SUP) clinics, SUP yoga and bellydance workshops. There is so much for families and others who would like to branch out and learn as well as come and listen to some amazing music.
FRIDAY
Friday morning came slow, soft and wet. I spent a good chunk of the morning napping and listening to the inconstant rain. I had learned from the frigidness of last year that I needed many, many a layer if I was going to escape the weekend without wetness. I created Jenna’s palace, complete with dual fitted sheet Paco Pads, blankets and pillows galore. Unfortunately, I still had my not-so-trusty tent from last year and with a little mishap with my base tarp, half of my tent was damp. Good thing it’s big. Lesson learned. Bye-bye three-man Alpine Design. Momma’s upgrading…
As the day started I was itching for a little healthiness before I got unhealthy. I decided to take one of the many yoga classes offered within the festival. Boulder based yogi Gina Caputo led our class with Gipsy Moon setting the mood picking acoustic throughout. What a wonderful way to start the weekend.
Because of my amazingly slow morning, I meandered about and relaxed for most of the day and my first real musical set came from the Lil’ Smokies. I had only been hearing good things about them from the local Vail bartenders. This Montana sextet has a great newgrass sound that hits vaguely like The Infamous Stringdusters with their dobro and violin forward sound. Smooth, fun, and upbeat, these guys have a lot of promise. Seeing Mandolin player Cam Wilson in a bright yellow onesie onstage sure brightened up the drizzly afternoon. Keep an ear out for more of the Lil’ Smokies in the future.
Next up was my third dose of Gipsy Moon in 24 hours. After successfully completing their Kickstarter campaign earlier this year, the band is currently in the studio about to finish their next album. They also recently went through a lineup change. During the two days they were at Campout, if they were not playing music onstage, they were all standing under the dome tent next to their RV practicing and perfecting songs with their new guitarist/bassist Andrew Bonnis. Their songs always feel silky and slightly sensuous. I find myself alway wanting to pick up my hoop while they play. It is great music to just sit and listen to or be creative with.
I wandered back to my tent to regroup and add another pair of socks before Dustbowl Revival. My tent was wonderfully close to the stage so I was able to listen to the beginnings of this California collective that exudes Ragtime soul and Americana. I was lucky enough to catch them during Stoughton’s other brainchild, WinterWonderGrass in Tahoe, CA a few months ago. (I missed them at the Avon WWG, as I was working.) While their show was energetic and the sweet, yet simultaneously sultry vocals of Liz BeeBe were engrossing, the thing that really caught my attention was their cover of Radiohead’s “Creep.” Hearing that song performed in Dustbowl Revival’s own distinctive style, I couldn’t look away.
Friday night’s headliner, Fruition, has been a part of the last four Campouts, growing from one of the ‘tweener acts on the side stage to the anticipated headliner. The drizzly rain parted ways to allow the Portland-based band to melt faces off of old and new fans alike. The three-part harmonies between Jay Cobb Anderson, Mimi Naja, and Kellen Asebroek always suck me in and the intensity of each member’s stage presence can be felt in waves through the crowd. If you doubt me, look at the flip of Anderson’s red hair and the scrunch of his face in the pictures below. The group never fails to get the crowd moving and subsequent body temperatures risen. On the first leg of their spring tour Fruition is traveling with another Oregon based band, The Hill Dogs. Perhaps looking for balance from the barn burner set, Fruition brought The Hill Dogs out for a beautiful rendition of the harmonic song, “Meet Me on the Mountain,” followed by the east riding “Come on, Get In”. Never to leave on the softest of note, however, they encored on recent Sirius FM favorite “Mountain Annie”.
Late nights were held on the covered Hootenanny Stage at the top of the venue. Friday and Saturday’s late nights were by Schlep n’ Wolf, pun intended, local impresarios Johnny Schlepper and Jake Wolf flanked by whomever feels the need to jump on stage and assist. My assessment last year that the festival really came together during these top stage shows holds true. The intimate setting alongside the butt-shaking covers these guys played helped bring worker, patron and reveler together. After the last show was done, the music continued. Since the rain had subsided the fire pits were raging strong with members from all the evening bands taking turns sitting in the circle adding their own personal style to each and every song.
SATURDAY
Early Saturday was bright, sunny and warm. Quite the departure from the day before but sure as the sun rose, the clouds eventually covered it and the interminable rain began and stayed. I was bartending that afternoon into evening so I was slightly departed from the main acts. I was however right in the Hootenanny stage able to enjoy all the ‘tweener sets and because of the rain, Grant Farm was moved closer to me. More on that later.
There are challenges to every festival. Picking the right weekend, picking the right bands, marketing to the proper demographic, picking the right team to execute the festival. The list is endless. The challenge this weekend was evident. It has been the same challenge that mountains and Front Range of Colorado has been dealing with all spring. The rain, the rain, the rain, the rain. It came and went in waves causing multiple delays, swaps in scheduling and outages in power. Saturday afternoon rolled along with consistent rain and inconsistent lightning and thunder.
Rain might be a drag, but the Colorado folk earn their shows and a little damp wasn’t about to slow them down. Unfortunately for the Hootenanny stage the lightning did slow us down. Every time lightning flashed in the sky, the generator that powered the entire stage had to be shut down for 30 minutes. That meant no lights, no sound, and to the chagrin of many festival goers, no coffee or tea. A round of multiple lightning strikes in the area meant that The Old Town Picker first ‘tweener set was going to be delayed. Not to fear! Number one: these boys are Steamboat locals and a little inclement weather wont slow them down. Number two: these boys play Bluegrass. Who ever said Bluegrass has to be plugged in? These Colorado gents simply stood in a circle and rocked the rain galoshes off of the crowd that huddled around them. Playing bluegrass styled covers from the likes of Elvis Presley, AC/DC, and Kiss, pretty soon all the of the people in the top deck didn’t care that the songs were not amplified. We were all singing along and dancing. Rain and thunder be damned.
Because of my displaced proximity I wasn’t able to fully appreciate the main stage acts of the day: former Elephant Revival member Sage Cook’s new band We Dream Dawn, acoustic singer songwriter Reed Foehl, local rockers Brothers Keeper, and husband/wife based Birds of Chicago. I got to hear a smidgen from headliner Elephant Revival as they played their usual lovely brand of vocal ensnarement. Oh Bridget and Bonnie, how you make my goosebumps rise.
The standout of the evening was by far, birthday boy Tyler Grant’s band, The Grant Farm. Because of the rain, producers decided to move The Grant Farm’s set up into my domain, The Hootenanny Stage. I am so happy that they did. Over the years I have come to know The Grant Farm as having a certain consistent blend of Country/Bluegrass wrapped around a comfortable core of Rock. From note one they blew my preconceived expectation out of the water! From behind the bar I had no visual representation of the band but as soon as they started playing, I stopped in mid-cocktail pour to listen. The funkiness that was emanating from the from of the stage sounded more like The New Mastersounds than the national flat picking champion I have come to know and love. Perhaps it was because of the new keyboard player Kevin McHugh they have acquired this year. Perhaps it was because Mr. Grant was having an extra special birthday night. Theories aside, the crowd felt the groove as they rocked back and forth to the beat. As a bartender we were lucky to have a little more room than our counterparts, and we made it work for us. Busting moves left and right and pouring cocktails right and left. We were having arguably more fun behind the bar than those in front of it. That funky good feeling lasted all the way through Grant Farm and well in to Schlep n’ Wolf’s set where the good times kept rolling well after the bar was shut down. I actually heard someone say, “Man I wanna be back there! It looks like the bartenders are having a better dance party than us!” Damn right we are kiddo. Damn right.
SUNDAY
Up early for a change, I opened the bar at 9 a.m.-after a solid 4 hour nap-and I got to see the musical aftermath of a really good late show during the “Breakfast Jams” that started at 10. I think I heard “I might need a bucket” more than once. But, to their credit, none of the musicians abdicated their thrones. Neither did the guests. Those who went to bed early were up early and ready to have some fun. Families were out in force over this weekend and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Dancing, swinging, hooping and enjoying their time with some of the cutest, and most well behaved, children I have seen.
Headlining Sunday night was Gregory Alan Isakov. He put on a haunting and beautifully diverse show. Although honestly, in the cold and rain, I really wanted something to move my body to and keep my blood moving. His amazing sound really makes you stop and really listen. Maybe it was the location out in the rain, maybe it was my mindset, but and I couldn’t sit for that long.
Following up was Idaho-bred, Oregon-based, The Shook Twins. I have been asking what was everyone’s favorite set over the weekend was, The Shook Twins has been the common denominator. With their gorgeous faces, beautiful voices and fun, let’s-not-take-our-selves-too-too-seriously songwriting (How can you not like a song who’s refrain is, “We might be fucked, so fuck it!”?), they pulled in the entire audience who packed into the top tent as tightly as I had seen all weekend. With members of Gregory Alan Isakov’s band and Elephant Revival taking turns sitting in, they had the crowd’s attention in spades. One extra special moment was listening to Laurie beatboxing while she and Katelyn sang a mashup of “Drop it Like its Hot> Billie Jean> Tipsy>Turn Your Lights Down Low.”
MONDAY
I was up in the morning to help break down and clean our bar area. The thing that always sticks out for me with Stoughton’s festivals is that there is such a light load to clean up afterward. There is so much emphasis throughout the weekend on conservation and recycling and love. Love for the people next to you and love for your Mother Earth. People are extra conscious about what they might throw on the ground so the festival grounds look much like they did before fans rolled through. Not to say that there isn’t micro trashing and multiple other clean up duties to be had. The emphasis on love and community and family runs so strong through this festival I will always return to it and encourage others to seek it out. Tyler Grant said “best freaking staff in the world, hands down. It’s a family.” If he says it, it must be true! Here at Campout for the Cause, you will always see your favorite bands and perhaps have a new band to find and love. There will always be a hug to be had from old friends and new. Best of all, it’s all for the good of our community and our environment and the world around us.
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