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Planning my first summer music festival of the year, I decided to miss one of my favorite annual festivals and start my summer off with the 10KLF family. I live in Hawaii and it is a long journey to hop on over, but I was willing to take the chance. I had attended the 10KLF MUSIC FESTIVAL two summers ago and had a blast, so I felt it would be fitting to begin my summer journey here in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

We arrived in the later hours of the night before the festival, thus escaping any crazy lines or traffic. A smooth transition and a very welcome one as we even scored the same campsite we'd had two years ago to help settle us in for our weekend adventure.

This year's 10KLF festival was held once again at the SOOS PASS RANCH in Detroit Lakes from July 23 - 26th, 2008. As far as music festival sites go this one is top notch. Plenty of room and a great layout--a lot of space for camping, either car or tent, and many of the grounds are well covered with a nice canopy of tall trees. The weather at this time of year is not too hot and mosquitoes were surprisingly minimal for a place with so many lakes around it.

VIP camping is very close to the main field and music stages and this is where we chose to camp again this year. There was ample room with bathrooms, portalets and showers, all within a short walking distance from our campsite. Most of the other campgrounds I walked through had great shade, plenty of space for tenting or vehicles, and portalets at key locations to make for a fully comfortable camping scene.

Festival taxis were on hand again for a reasonable price to get back and forth between campgrounds and the main stages if you so chose. The walk from most of the campgrounds to the main field and stages was no longer than 15-20 minutes or so and that convenience was well appreciated. All of the campgrounds had their own vending or food concession areas. Many were unique and had colorful, interesting items for sale, from handmade tie dyes, batik shirts, dresses, jewelry and drums to exotic glass art and items from around the world. There was an eclectic selection throughout for the camping patrons to peruse at their will. Food vendors were also abundant and many choices from vegetarian to full on BBQ, even your Midwest favorites, were available throughout the venue. Since I am a vegetarian I would have liked a little more selection or at least some organic food for people like me but there was enough food around to get by on without bringing your own food or coolers if you did not want the hassle.

Most food vendors that I saw had pretty clean kitchen setups and a steady flow of customers throughout the weekend. Overall a good selection and something available for everyone.

The music lineup this year was definitely top notch once again and I was excited to see some acts I had never had the chance to see before. Some of the bands were old time favorites like Phil Lesh and Friends, The Everyone Orchestra and Michael Franti and Spearhead. Even Dark Star Orchestra, one of my favorite dead head experiences of now, was there to treat the attendees. Something I had not seen though were The Flaming Lips, Wookiefoot, Cornmeal and The Family Groove Company. Mickey Hart also had a new band spinoff from the favorite The Rhythm Devils featuring Steve Kimock, George Porter Jr., Kyle Hollingsworth of SCI and Jen Durkin from the east coast favorite Deep Banana Blackout. Most of the bands' performances were very energetic and a fun vibe emanated the entire weekend. I really enjoyed the performance from Mickey Hart's band, full of high energy funk and many Grateful Dead classics. They had the main bowl hoppin' for their whole set. George Porter added a great funky bass line and guitarist Steve Kimock's playing was stellar as usual. Michael Franti and Spearhead also led a highly energetic show, bouncing around as he does, shouting out his trademark "How You Feelin!!!" the whole evening. He performed a lot of new material and the atmosphere of his set made for a fun time for all. Everyone I saw all around me was really enjoying themselves, smiling and grooving out to the beat of the music. The Wookiefoot set was quite a bevy of colorful costumes and a bouncy, funny acting performance. I could see why their show is usually at night, though, as the blacklight costumes would have been more dramatic for the visual feast they provided. Great fun energy though. They hammed it up for the 10KLF crew and really gave their all. I definitely had a great time for their set.

For Garcia lovers we had Dark Star Orchestra open up the festival on the first night. To set the mood, so to speak, for the entire weekend. Boy do they play a great tribute to the Grateful Dead. They tore up their set with so much light and rocking energy at times it was as though I was back at the Dead shows of long ago. They do provide a ton of their own talent and skill, and sure do nail that Grateful Dead sound. Awesome start to a fun festival. The sound was loud and clear and their tones amaze me each time I see them.

The Flaming Lips set was just spectacular both visually and aurally. A boatload of fun and wildly energetic. There were huge confetti canon explosions backlit with wonderful bright stage lighting, a sensory overload. Lots of strobe lighting and a state of the art visual screen. Great flashing sparkles of LED lighting engulfed the audience to enhance the whole experience. Even more fun was when a bunch of totally naked girls joined the stage, undulating and rocking out totally to the hypnotic music they were laying down. Almost like a huge scale Broadway musical, concert style. Definitely not the run of the mill concert experience. I really loved the vibe and fun, and it was probably the most packed of any of the musicians' performances that whole weekend. They definitely gave it their all and the crowd was fully in awe.

Phil Lesh and Friends' performance was high energy as well and they belted out their two sets with youthful glee for such a bunch of veterans. John Molo on drums was driving the band and newcomer Jackie Green was actually pretty good on guitar and vocals too. Not Garcia at all here, folks, but Phil's approach is to have a fresh sound, playing old classics and new material. It is not about creating what once was. A kind of nice approach to keeping it interesting and the scene moving forward.

There were many other bands I saw that weekend from local ones to bands from far away. I must say all of them gave a great performance and had a lot of energy to provide to the 10KLF fans. Of the newer bands I saw I would have to say Family Groove Company was the most fun with a fresh approach on the jam band scene. All the stages had good sound and most had enough room for some really good get downs. There were many other bands I saw that whole weekend I have not mentioned but you can see them and check them out on the 10KLF website for yourselves. So take a look at http://www.10KLF.com. Lots of information there and quality photos of this year and years past are already posted. All in all I would highly recommend gearing up to come check out this fun scene way up here in the northern Midwest.

Maybe a bit of a journey, but well worth the effort with a genuine reward of a really cool scene, good people, great music and summer camping galore. Hope to see you all next year and thanks for a fantastic time, 10KLF. -- Jon Berk

March 26th 2008 News

10,000 Lakes Festival Confirms Additional Performers for July Music Weekend
Leftover Salmon, WookieFoot, The Bad Plus and Others Join Phil Lesh & Friends, The Flaming Lips, and Many More at Northern Minnesota’s 6th Annual 10KLF Music & Camping Festival Held July 23-26

OurStage 10KLF Cosmic Break Tour Kicks Off Thursday, April 3 in Minneapolis Offering Emerging Musicians a Chance to Perform the Festival’s National Stage

Detroit Lakes, MN March 26, 2008 - The sixth annual 10,000 Lakes Festival (10KLF) held July 23-26 at the Soo Pass Ranch in Detroit Lakes, MN returns as the Midwest’s premiere camping and music destination event with an additional round of artist confirmations. Campgrounds are filling quickly based on the excitement of the festival’s diverse selection of already announced artists. 10KLF 2008 will also feature performances from:

Leftover Salmon
WookieFoot
The Bad Plus
Tim Reynolds and T3
The Waybacks
Bonerama
Secret Chiefs 3
EOTO
Dub Trio
U-Melt
Family Groove Company
One Under
Kinetix
Redux
The Rhinestone Diplomats
Pert Near Sandstone
With over a dozen acts still to be announced

Previously confirmed artists for this year’s event include Phil Lesh & Friends, The Flaming Lips, Michael Franti & Spearhead, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Mickey Hart Band (featuring Steve Kimock & George Porter Jr.), Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood, Slightly Stoopid, Dark Star Orchestra, Panjea with Michael Kang, JJ Grey & MOFRO, The New Mastersounds, Everyone Orchestra, The Wood Brothers, Cornmeal, WBPN and The Hue.

In addition to some of the most popular touring artists, 10KLF and its partner OurStage.com will kick off the 4th annual Cosmic Break Tour on April 3 at Cabooze in Minneapolis. OurStage is the only 100% democratic competition where the fans decide who’s best in emerging music and film. Artists upload music and compete in monthly competitions. Fans visit OurStage.com and judge the music. Fan-favorite artists move on to the next round.

Hosting regional showcases throughout ten Midwestern cities, the Cosmic Break Tour offers independent and emerging artists the chance for a paid performance slot at this summer’s event as decided by fans voting. Other showcases take place throughout April and early May in Sioux Falls, St. Louis, Fargo, Omaha, Iowa City, Milwaukee, Chicago, Duluth and then again in Minneapolis.

For those artists living outside these regions wishing to apply, three Cosmic Break slots will be chosen from performers applying nationwide. Complete details and music submission information can be found at http://www.ourstage.com/go/10KLF.

Located off the beaten path in Minnesota’s pristine North Country, the festival’s over 600 acres of unspoiled lakeside and forest camping provide an unusually tranquil and natural festival setting. Shorter lines and more personal space create a relaxed and friendly atmosphere that lasts all weekend long.

The 10,000 Lakes Festival continues the ‘Help Us Help’ campaign in 2008, an initiative giving back to the community through matching each dollar donated by patrons at online ticketing checkout. Proceeds go directly to worthy charities, split evenly to organizations including: the Becker County Humane Society, The Rex Foundation, Conscious Alliance, Detroit Lakes Public Schools and more.

Discounted festival tickets, campground reservations and complete festival details are now available online at www.10KLF.com. New in 2008, multiple festival ticket packages now exist, including an option to secure rare festival poster artwork bundled with event tickets with the 10KLF Jim Pollock Poster Package, featuring two VIP passes, a VIP campground vehicle reservation and two limited edition Pollock 10KLF prints only available through this package deal.

Official 10,000 Lakes Festival Website: www.10KLF.com
Official 10,000 Lakes Festival Ticketing Engine: www.10KLFTickets.com
10KLF Ourstage Cosmic Break Tour website: www.OurStage.com/Go/10KLF

March 5th 2008 News

10,000 Lakes Festival Confirms Initial Lineup Including Phil Lesh & Friends, Mickey Hart Band, The Flaming Lips, George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic and Many More
Concert Celebration Descends on Northern Minnesota July 23-26 for 6th Annual Music & Camping Festival

Detroit Lakes, MN (February 22, 2008) - The sixth annual 10,000 Lakes Festival (10KLF) is proud to announce the initial lineup for this year’s celebration of music, nature and community. Held July 23–26 at the Soo Pass Ranch in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, 10KLF continues to grow as Al Schnier guitarist from moe. calls the 10,000 Lakes Festival “one of those great spots you tell all your friends about.”

With over sixty bands on the final lineup, the 10,000 Lakes Festival announces initial artists for the 2008 event with performances from:

Phil Lesh & Friends
The Flaming Lips
Michael Franti & Spearhead
George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic
Mickey Hart Band (featuring Steve Kimock & George Porter Jr.)
Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood
Slightly Stoopid
Dark Star Orchestra
Panjea with Michael Kang
JJ Grey & MOFRO
The New Mastersounds
Everyone Orchestra
The Wood Brothers
Cornmeal
WBPN
The Hue
With over forty additional acts still to be announced

Along with these artists, the OurStage 10KLF Cosmic Break Tour presents emerging musicians nationwide with the chance to perform at this year’s festival. Artists may simply submit their music on the OurStage 10KLF channel without charge and then it’s up to the fans to decide. Based on OurStage’s fan-rankings, 50 bands will be selected to perform at 10 regional tour stops throughout the Midwest this April. At each stop, five bands will take the stage to perform live where the band with the most audience votes at each show receives a paid performance at 10KLF in July. http://www.ourstage.com/go/10KLF

Located off the beaten path in Minnesota’s pristine North Country, the New York Times praises 10,000 Lakes Festival’s “enticing” wooded and lakeside camping grounds, describing them in last year’s Summer Festival Guide as “perfect for long walks.”

While such long walks can certainly be relaxing, they are by no means necessary. The festival’s five different concert stages are strategically placed within short walking distance of each other. Over 600 acres of unspoiled lakeside and forest camping provide an unusually tranquil and natural festival setting.

Strolling around the Soo Pass Ranch’s 60-acre concert bowl, festival attendees are treated to top of the line, modern facilities with running water and hot showers. Shorter lines and more personal space create a relaxed and friendly atmosphere that lasts all weekend long, complimenting the natural Minnesotan hospitality. Perhaps the Minneapolis Star Tribune put it best by describing 10KLF as “filled with thousands of good vibes.”

This widespread good spirit allows 10KLF to continue supporting the community that hosts the event through the ‘Help Us Help’ campaign. Through this campaign, 10KLF will match each dollar donated by patrons when ordering tickets online. All of the proceeds go directly to worthy charities supported by the 10,000 Lakes Festival including: the Becker County Humane Society, The Rex Foundation, Conscious Alliance, Detroit Lakes Public Schools and more.

Event tickets, campground reservations and festival details are now available online at www.10KLF.com.

Performers at the previous 10,000 Lakes Festivals include Widespread Panic, Bob Weir & RatDog, The String Cheese Incident, The Black Crowes, G. Love & Special Sauce, Les Claypool, 311, Galactic, The Roots, John Mayer, Donavon Frankenreiter, O.A.R., Medeski Martin & Wood, Keller Williams, Los Lobos, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Samples, DJ Logic, Particle, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Rusted Root, Maroon 5, The Big Wu, The Radiators, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Soulive, North Mississippi Allstars, Tea Leaf Green, Railroad Earth, Shooter Jennings and many more.

Official 10,000 Lakes Festival website: www.10klf.com
Ourstage Cosmic Break Tour website: www.Ourstage.com/Go/10KLF

View a brief video tour of the 10,000 Lakes Festival grounds and various stages

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10,000 Lakes 2008