Abundant sunshine and music playing on the grass– Sunday held a tiny preview of the Whole Earth Festival as DJ Sep D, DJ Kelly D,Gabriel Villanueva and Ben Mok held it down on the Quad with the weekly “Sunday Sol.“
DJs Sep D and Kelly D are just some of the artists that will perform at theupcomingWhole Earth Festival the weekend of May9on the UC Davis campus.This year’s theme is “Mending Our Web.“
Sociology professor David Kyle,who shared the stage with Jamaican reggae artist Brother G in last year’s festival,said performing at Whole Earth was a crazy experience.
“When we first started playing,there weren’t that many people,” Kyle said. “By the end,there was a crowd of people dancing in front of us.It’s a good feeling.“
With four different entertainment stages that offer everything from hip-hop to reggae or acoustic to house music,the three-day event is bound to peak the interests ofany festivalgoer.
“There’s such a wide array of music,” said Lindi Houser,one of the directors of Whole Earth Festival. “It’s pretty eclectic – we mixed it up.“
MUSE gives a preview of some of the entertainment coming campus next weekend.
Quad Stage.TheQuad will act as the central hub for Whole Earth festivities.After the festival’s opening ceremony,local band CFS will continue the funonFriday.Later that night,the stage will feature acts like the whimsical space-pop of San Francisco-based band Excuses for Skipping,and a hybrid of reggae,rock and club trance dub from Green Machine.
Saturday’sactsinclude the Middle Eastern-tinged rock-and-roll band Brothers of the Baladi.Also taking the stage isSacramento rapper,slam poet and UC Davis student Random Abiladeze.Morning Glory may appeal to classic rock enthusiasts,as they takeinspiration from’60sand ‘70s actslike the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin.
DJ Stage.DJs from aroundNorthernCalifornia will come to Whole Earth,including some names that are staples to theDavis electronic and house scene,like Doctor J,Tao and DJ Ndemik.
“I’m going to be biased – I love the DJ stage,” said Kelly Scott,who will spin as DJ Kelly D on May10. “There’s a sense of freedom that’s not really there in other acts.“
This year,the stage has moved to the pit by Wellman Hall toprovidea more club-like atmosphere,Housersaid.Audio and visual will also come together with a music and video mix from San Francisco-based VJ SatsiSonik.
Walker Stage.Friday will bring a taste of Greek,Middle Eastern and eastern European folk from world music group Fantacea.Saturday’slineup includes tunes from closer waters; thePortland native Casey Neillfuses modern rock with punk elements and Celtic styles.The scrumptious San Franciscans Key Lime Pie will serve up a medley of rock,funk and soul.
Soular Dance Stage.Located right outside the Coffee House near Wellman,the Soular Stage will be a hotbed of diverse dance styles.Performances include a blend of dance and martial arts fromSacramento’s Capoeira Agua De Beber and swing routines from theyouthful teamDavis SwingKids.This year will also mark the first performance at Whole Earth from Na Keiko O‘ Hawai’i,who will perform a mix of Tahitian,Maori and hula.
“We do a lot of performances,butWhole Earth has definitely a different sort of vibe to it,which is awesome,” said senior design majorand Na Keiko O‘ Hawai’i presidentLauren Yee. “It’s very culturally accepting.“
The Whole Earth Festival will be held May9through May11on campus.Adetailed schedule will be available soon,and more information can be foundat wef.ucdavis.edu.
RACHEL FILIPINAS can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.
