PLur in the pines
Originally published for The Lumberjack on Sept. 25, 2024. My first time doing a music story and taking pictures of a music event!
This past weekend, Coconino Campout, an EDM and camping festival, utilized music to bring together people in the pines with peace, love, unity and respect.
The three-day event, hosted by Pepsi Amphitheater and Relentless Beats, had everything from mushroom-shaped tents and wizard costumes to guided meditation and vibrant visuals.
The festival primarily featured bass music, including sub-genres such as riddim, dubstep, bass house and melodic bass. EDM legends like LSDREAM and Liquid Stranger shared the stage with local DJs for the bass heads of Flagstaff.
Isabella Ferraro is the special events and project manager of R Entertainment, the company responsible for booking, production and staffing at Pepsi Amphitheater. Being in her role for more than two years, she has seen the progression of the venue and Flagstaff music scene.
Negative stereotypes, such as sexualization or drug use, create a stigma around EDM culture. Ferraro said although this can affect people’s perspectives on raves, being in that environment can break down those walls.
“A lot of my managers have no history with EDM, and we do a lot of different genres at this amphitheater,” Ferraro said. “Every single time we do an EDM event, they say, ‘These are the nicest people I have ever met.’”
Last September, Pepsi Amphitheater hosted its first camping music festival, Ursa Major. This event was presented by GRiZ, a DJ famous for his experimental bass music.
Ferraro said this was a special experience for Flagstaff since it was GRiZ’s send-off show before his hiatus.
“I think he wanted to give back to his fan base and have a really intimate vibe,” Ferraro said. “I'm sure he could have done a festival 10 times the size as this, but he really wanted it to be an intimate experience.”
After the success with Ursa Major, Ferraro said she advocated for the EDM scene in Flagstaff, wanting to bring more live events to the college demographic.
In addition to the stigma around the culture, DJs also receive certain levels of backlash, with the preconceived notion they “just press play” and mix the tracks prior to their sets.
Local musician Josh Oxley performed on Saturday, representing some of the bass music scene in Flagstaff. His stage name, “Auxlee” comes from the spelling of the frequently used auxiliary cord.
Oxley defended music production, highlighting it as a space where artists can enjoy the freeing nature of music.
“When I first started making beats, I wanted to be able to write a song from start to finish without having to explain to someone what I was trying to put into it,” Oxley said. “It made it easy for me to put down all the musical ideas I had at once.”
With the accessibility of music production technology, artists and musicians can embody the entire process of creating a song.
Although mixing and mastering are not associated with traditional songwriting, Oxley said it can be just as meaningful, as music is a universal language.
“When you have something you're trying to convey, you don't always need words to express feelings and emotions,” Oxley said. “Using different sounds, instruments, frequencies and chord progressions, I believe you can really make people feel something if the intention is there.”
PLUR, or peace, love, unity and respect, is the mantra that fuels the rave community. The acronym even translates into a handshake ravers use to trade kandi — handmade, rave-themed friendship bracelets.
One Coconino Campout attendee, Ben Bethel, has been a raver since 1991 and took this event as an opportunity to share his PLUR wisdom. He sported a glitter beard and walked around handing out a list of positive affirmations and reminders paired with stunning jeweled pendants.
His affirmations touched on feeling out emotions, dealing with grief, being mindful and carrying empathy for others.
“Greet, have a conversation with, move through your negative and unhealthy emotions and find the experience beautiful,” Bethel said. “Have gratitude for the experiences of the past - for they have made you who you are today.”
Coconino Campout was headlined by Sami Diament, whose stage name is LSDREAM, who closed the Friday lineup. He began the next day with a special set called Lightcode, which was dedicated to guided meditation and sound baths.
Diament began Lightcode by sharing his experiences with mental health and burnout in a creative industry. He encouraged the audience to feel as much as they could and live in the moment.
“I need to share this journey that I had with my community and create art that spoke on these things, and ultimately be of service,” Diament said. “I'm in service to my art, and I'm in service to spirit, and I'm in service to positive energy doing good things while I'm here.”
Sound bathing is a meditative experience consisting of restoring the body through sound, using healing instruments like gongs, chimes, singing bowls and even voice. This can be an extremely relaxing experience for the listener due to different sound frequencies resonating with the body.
The set’s energy evoked emotion for the audience as many were crying, hugging their loved ones or lying down absorbing the sun rays.
Diament also used this time to encourage everyone's crazy outfits and silly dance moves for the rest of the weekend, showcasing the mutual love and appreciation between audiences and DJs.
“That's the inspiration for this, why I started LSDREAM,” Diament said. “Realizing that childlike joy we feel when we're bouncing around to weird beeps and boops and crazy noises, that beautiful expression and joy is so healing, and there is so much power and joy that can get unlocked from those things.”
