Kalistani Major History

[Doc]

GanJam 5055 features Poppunk, Fusion, and Triphop
Three Day Festival also displays psychedelic art
Yoshimi, Suldanor
October 21, 5055


More than 50,000 fans gather at Yoshimi Field, Suldanor for the recent GanJam

GanJam 5055, the intermittent festival of Kalistani Music and Arts, has recently ended, with pledges to hold more District festivals over the next five years.  This festival represents the first festival since the ill fated show of 5028, which was plagued by rain and cancellations.  Generally speaking, the festival this year, a late season three day concert and art fair held at Yoshimi Field in far southern Suldanor, went far better.

52,435 concert goers visited the festival during the three day event.  This year's GanJam was sponsored by the five major Kalistani Record Labels, as well as KRTVN and ODEN and featured bands currently at the top of the Kalistani Music Scene.  It also returned the Art Fair to the GanJam, a feature that was noticeably absent during the last few events.  The venue, Yoshimi Field, was recently designated a permanent outdoor venue:  It had previously served as a SP militia training base, but passed to the District Government in 5035, and has been used as an outdoor venue for the Suldanor music scene for twenty years.  This year, the site was officially divested and purchased by Chase Promotions LTD, who then opened the site officially for the GanJam in coordination with the Labels.

The Art Pavilion actually opened the day prior to the Festival, and welcomed both art installations from across the Republic, as well as several interactive and interpretive exhibits.  In an effort to encourage attendance at the Art pavilion, a new "artists' village" was constructed near the art pavilion to house not only the artists who had their work in the pavilion, but also band and guest accommodations.  Label representative Marissa Talmadge said of the decision, "You never knew who you would run into at the art pavilion over the week.  You could meet Janet Sweeny, who designed the black light display, or you could meet Billie Pepper, who spent a lot of the time wandering around the hall.  You never knew."  The desired effect was achieved however:  more than 45,000 concert goers visited the art pavilion to see the various works by famous Kalistani Artists during the festival.

The days at this GanJam did not carry traditional themes that are associated with the GanJam.  "Working with KRTVN," said Talmadge, "We took a poll to order our Bands.  The top three vote getters were our Day headliners, and then we went from there.  Of course the Labels were to nominate their artists for the poll, but we got a nice cross section of Kalistani Music."  Day 1 was headlined by MC Skinny J, who has been working for 20 years with the Kaliburg Hiphop Collective The Brethren.  Skinny J and The Brethren brought a master set of boombap hiphop to the evening.  "It was way different of course to most of the music on the festival," said Skinny J.  "We see a lot of punks and rock kids, and it's important to keep hip hop and bass thumping alive for the Republic!"  Skinny J's performance won "crowd favorite" award for the festival.  Day 1 also featured an all Egelian set by Kaliburg punks Dias Azules, as well as sets by Killer Panda, who was primarily EDM and triphop, and Ernie Caldado, who's KME trio got the crowd jumping.


Skinny J, from Kaliburg closes a successful Day 1 of the GanJam

Day 2 Was headlined by FStop.  The set, which began after 11:30 pm was the most attended set of the entire festival, and fans reveled to Billie Pepper's and Band's high energy late night live antics.  The set featured many hits, but they also played a few deep cuts from their records, and previewed a few tracks from their upcoming album "Lovers Rock" which is due out after the beginning of the new year.  "From the sound of their new music," said concert goer Alyssa Cooper, "It sounds like FStop is going to delve deeper into reggae and ska, but like an electronic version of that."  An early single release, "You Really Love Me" seems to confirm this move:  the track is electroreggae and even includes a featured Toast by dancehall Legend Queen Rasp.  Queen Rasp appeared on stage with FStop during the GanJam set.  Other acts that played on Day 2 were Port Swedes post-Grit act Drogo Jones, Vrassan City Alt Folk rockers Ani and the Rustics, and Suldanor punk legends The Progeny.


Members of FStop and 420 gather near the Art Pavilion as GanJam was being struck for the year

Day 3 was perhaps the most eclectic day musically speaking, of all three days.  This day kicked off early with Hard rock act from Gendaris The Farmers, who played straight alternative rock during their 45 minute set.  They were followed by pop quartet The Girlz, who spread their message of girl power.  They were joined on stage by KMI labelmates, funk band Carey and Sunshine, who took over for them and played an entire set of straight funk and RF Funk.  The Evening kicked off with KME ska band El Leon del Sur, from Dana, and have been gaining large audiences in both Sulari and Kaliburg.  The Concert closed out with 420 playing a double set, over two and a half hours, with one break after the first hour.  During the first set 420 played a selection of their hits from both their first three records, as well as several from their upcoming record.  During the set, MC Guillermo Rodriguez said all National Product consumed during their sets was on the band, and the out door venue very quickly filled up with ganja smoke, as ODEN reps and volunteers proceeded to circulate through the crowd passing out ganja to all takers.

Toward the end of the first set, ODEN distributors were once more circulating through the crowd, this time distributing high potency psilocybin tablets to concert goers, once more at the instigation of the band.  All members of the band were seen to take a handful of the tablets as well.  They then played a couple more songs and went on break for about a half hour, but told the fans not to go anywhere.  The crowd lights did not come up, and psychedelic graphics continued to play on the screen that backed the band, as individual band members remained on the darkened stage and took turns soloing on their respective instruments.  Nicholas Ross meanwhile read spoken word poetry, including his poem "The Magic Mushroom" which were actually the lyrics of the non-album B-Side "Bombage".

When the drugs started seriously kicking in for most in the audience, the band kicked into the massive guitar and drum opus of "Electricity Intro".  The stage lights came back up and what appeared to be an encore stretched out for an hour as the band played the entirety of the Electricty album live.  As soon as fans realized that the entire record was being performed live, the drugs were in full control, and most of the audience sat entranced.  "It was bizarre and just mesmerizing," said Jill Severson, who remained for 420's second set.  "At first we were kind of confused.  I don't think they were supposed to play a second set, but as soon as we realized that they were playing the album cover to cover, there was like just like 35,000 people out there in the field, at like 1:30 in the morning, and we were just on this cosmic vibe."

"This second set is just for the fans," said the clearly inebriated singer Nicholas Ross, sporting a recently shaved head and a monk robe.  "It's a cosmic voyage and we're all on the mothership."  Everyone interviewed said the live performance far surpassed the recorded version of the record.  "Like, I mean, I liked the rock before, and I have been a 420 fan since Funkrawk," said Derek DeVille, "but I sort of never got Electricity, until tonight.  It made so much sense, now.  It totally felt like a trip around the galaxy and into the core of an atom."  The performance also won over many critics, some of whom revised their famously negative reviews of the record.  Doris Browne, of rock blog Slash/7, who had famously called the album "self-indulgent, boring, predictable and bizarre", wrote a formal retraction of her review the following morning, and said "I was wrong.  I get it now, I am converted, and can only beg you, if you are a music lover, to revisit this record."

ODEN reports that the festival was a commercial success.  "The festival was profitable," said ODEN spokesperson Gina Rodriguez.  "We have made a significant contribution to the Growers' Syndicate, and shared the remaining profits with the various Labels.  We were also able to pay Artists this year who had work displayed in the Art Pavilion, which is new for GanJam."  Yoshimi police, who performed security for the venue, reported only a few breeches of public order during the three days, "A comparatively moderate level of criminality compared to most GanJams."  Most of the crime reported involved vandalism and petty theft, and only four people were seriously injured.  "Their injuries were self inflicted" said the police spokesperson.  "The injuries were the result of drug induced paranoia, and involved getting trapped in a portable toilet and then being rolled down a hill.  How four people fit into the portable toilet is still under investigation."


The Progeny warm the crowd up for the Day Closers FStop

The record label co-sponsors of the festival said they were proud of the festival and would consider doing another festival in five years, but meanwhile, can focus on regional concerts at smaller venues, and perhaps shorter lengths.  "Its a lot to get together, lots of moving parts," said Talmadge.  "With a smaller venue, and maybe a day instead of three, we can compact the festival experience and expose the format to many across the Republic who could not make it to Yoshimi this year."

Whatever happens for the future, this festival will be remembered for many years.