The Do It Ourselves Festival (DIO Fest) has been covered here before but it begs a revisit. In fact, this truly singular and special event deserves an annual accounting if only for the genuine goodness it provides. DIO Fest is a special stoke. Some of this will sound like pretty flowery, hyperbolic hippie speak but bear with it, kind reader, because this is real – it happens every year and it happened again this year. DIO Fest is more than simply a gathering of bands and music fans, it’s more than beer in the sun and good food in your belly (all those things happen though). A lot of music festivals out there tout the community they build for a weekend and in a loose sense that happens, but the focus often becomes the party or the projection of ourselves we put out there. While there are certainly Lagunitas filled shenanigans afoot and one could easily overhear some dude with a man bun wax poetically and endlessly on about the perfection that is the Goji Berry, up at Camp Krem in Boulder Creek, California every year, it is not a misread to say that each festival attendee knows why he or she is there. This year’s edition was held April 27-29th and was no different.
For every other weekend of the year and weeks in summer, Camp Krem runs programs for special needs campers. This is their time to spend in the woods and just “be” under the stars with a campfire and s’mores, and daytime crafts and swimming. Here they are no longer marginalized but the center of real love and attention. There is the purpose and there is the real connection for why this festival happens. Every attendee knows that each ticket sold helps this place which we have all come to love. Additionally, this year, DIO partnered with Michael Franti and his wife Sarah’s amazing Do It For The Love Foundation. This incredible group is a music version of the Make A Wish Foundation. They find individuals that need the healing power of music and make sure that they get a once in a lifetime experience attending the concert they need to see, meet the artist and make a million memories. The partnership this year was a perfect fit. Camp Krem is your typical summer camp set up and one weekend a year those of us that attend DIO get to go back to camp, help some causes and have some fun. Alex Krem set the tone for the weekend when I overheard him say to a couple of festival goers, “Girls, you can only make good choices or great ones tonight, go have fun.” That sums up the festival.
Though this year’s installment was the most ambitious music year yet, the beauty of this festival and its setting is that it allows time for attendees to stretch out and become present – to feel a part of something bigger than just the individual. Yes, there is truly a community that has been built around this event. And it is the feeling of returning to that community each year that feeds the stoke as the festival dates close in. When the tents spring up among the manzanitas, redwoods, oaks and sorrel, the stoke builds further. Everyone greets one another with a smile that is wider, a laugh that is heartier and a hug that is warmer. Every musician or band that plays talks about the uniqueness of the vibe created and it is hard to put that into words (even now). DIO Fest is squarely in that category that you must experience it to understand it. And with a fairly low attendance cap, you know it won’t ever change too much. Sure, the music line-up is fluid year to year but the food, the stages, the camping, and the surroundings are elements that remain beautifully static. These are the things that call us back year after year, knowing that we get to revisit old memories and build new experiences every year.
The music this year was outstanding. Futurebirds gave us a magnificently gritty headlining set that dripped with reverb and reckless rock and roll. Its counterpoint might have been William Tyler who finished the weekend with a perfectly played instrumental set that sat us down and left us contemplative as a gentle rain fell and reflected the mood of the crowd. Willy Tea Taylor brought tears and goosebumps to many as he rolled through song after remarkable song, Wailin’ Red brought a soul-soaked Otis Redding/Bill Withers infused set of fittingly mountaintop proportions. Sky Country reminded us that our mountain overlooked a sacred California central coast that teemed with waxy waves, inspired surf stories yet to be written and lingering, drippy psychedelia. Joe Kaplow brought us back to earth and grounded us with his special brand of folk rock that left listeners eager for a reportedly forthcoming record.
During one of her songs, Emily Afton dropped some auto-tune that would seemingly never have worked with this generally guitar driven environment but damn if it didn’t get kids up, kicking their heels and hooting out approval. Tommy Guerrero set Jungle Fire up for their set by conjuring and ultimately channeling Jimi Hendrix with one of the sickest “Third Stone from the Sun” covers that’s been played on a festival stage (yes, even compared to Govt. Mule). Jungle Fire brought booty shaking, crowd surfing Afro-Funk and The Deer brought some wonderfully wooden Americana from a human setlist and delivered depth and textures that left the swaying crowd attentive and appreciative.
To talk about the music all day just doesn’t do this festival justice, it is a very important piece of the puzzle, but we must return to the stoke. The stoke of helping a special place and its people continue their purpose, the stoke of being a part of a legitimate community that, in the end, you have the power to spread. If that community is possible, even in its ephemeral form, here, then why can’t we spread that outwards, reaching like the roots of the redwood, out into the interactions in our daily lives (remember that hyperbolic hippie speak mentioned at the beginning?)? The fact is folks, we can. Just smile bigger, laugh heartier, and hug warmer – every day. If you boil it down to that and keep it simple, then can’t each of us make a difference in the world?
