As soon as the sun started to go down on Wolf Run Ranch, a cold breeze chilled the air initiating a rush of excitement for those who felt it. The cool wind reminded everyone that soon it will be pitch dark, and things might get a little weird. On top of the weirdness, the setting sun begins a night of incredible music for a crowd of festie-heads eager to dance.

On Friday evening, Ashland’s Indubious was set to play just before dusk on the Equinox stage, a new one positioned at the bottom of a large hill with Mt. Adams as the backdrop. Most of the area was shaded by trees as lay right within the surrounding forest, so the cool air was rushing fluidly throughout the crowd. As soon as the reggae playing duo took stage, we were greeted with a rolling bassline and an electronic drum beat. A blistering piano riff filled out their signature sound which is grounded in reggae but branches into electronic rock and funk.

Shortly into their set, they paid homage to the forthcoming legalization and went into “Ganja Weed” off their first album. The heavy bass lines and synthesizers on this song fed right into the tribal sounds and whispering chorus that make up the more recent, “Wake the Lion.” Both of these feature a bold dub influence that comes out clearly on all their vocals and create a prominent, authentic reggae tone. If you closed your eyes you’d swear you have been transplanted onto the beaches of Jamaica, but alas you’re still in Dufur, Oregon.

As concert goers slowly filed in and packed in closer to the stage, Indubious kept the beats coming. “Live Indubiously” was played and brought out everyone’s best smiles and even better dance moves. A couple of raunchy bass lines and powerful solos on the synthesizer, they slowed down and eased into “Infinite,” a fitting song about stars.

On the beginning of this first night, Indubious provided the festival everything it needed to get things going; good music and positive energy. It was not a very high maintenance crowd, but they delivered a performance that would have satisfied the pickiest ones out there.

-Photos and words by Colin Hudson

The days are getting longer and the weather dude is telling me the temperature isn’t going to dip below 80 degrees anytime soon, so this could only mean one thing, What The Festival 2015 is right around the corner! This year marks the festival’s fourth go-around, and the folks that put this shindig together are gearing up Oregon’s Wolf Run Ranch for another successful weekend.

This festival has a little bit of everything. It takes place on a gorgeous campground about 25 miles east of Mt. Hood. There’s enough room to walk through a (glow in the dark!) forest, lounge on plush sofas, benches, and any other designated or non-designated chill zones, dance in a splash pool with a stage that pumps out beats all day long. You can attend workshops, go to yoga and all that jazz. And to top it off, you get to witness a slew of the top producers and DJs in the game.

Names like Big Gigantic, Griz, and Seattle’s ODESZA top the list of a funkafied lineup, and there is also a number of local acts and up-and-coming artists that fill out the three day extravaganza. This event is held in Oregon for good reason. There is plenty of Portland influence, especially on the music side, here is a list of local flavor:

Indubious – Electronic reggae, or reggae with electronics. Somewhere in the middle of that is the hard hitting duo from Ashland. A live bass player and keys/and synths mix beautifully in front of beats will go off in psychedelic tangents, but always find their way back to the traditional reggae songs they’ve been making for years.

Hustle and Drone – Synth pop straight outta Portland. H&D has seen a large growth of success over the past year. The songs they write have an indie rock influence and always hold a danceable beat.

Ernest Lovers w/ Pete Krebs – Quite a bit of a different pace than the majority of the lineup, but these are local legendary song writers. They will provide a nice break from the chaos and give your brain cells a minute to rejuvenate with some slow and melodic honky tonk.

EPROM – Bass heavy with a little bit of hip hop. EPROM is one of the most notable Portland acts on the list and is set to have a big summer. He makes his beats with old school drum and bass influences and touches and dabbles of dubstep and trap. It’s damn near impossible not to dance for this.

Solovox – Piano extraordinaire and beat maker. Carl Solovox knows how incorporate his refined piano skills and put them to use on a synthesizer. He’s been known to remix some classic rock and roll (Johnny Cash, AC DC, the list goes on) and always creates a dance party of epic proportions.

Barisone – Master of silk and smooth. Barisone has become a household name in the Portland community with a steady working relationship with FAK Wednesdays and Bubblin. His music is grounded in hip hop and R&B and will change what you thought you knew about the word “sexy.”

Device Grips – straight up dance funk – full band! The (relatively) new Portland band, Device Grips are making their name quickly with blues infused horn-heavy funk with a little bit of rap n’ roll to create some of the liveliest music out there. Don’t be the person that has to tell people a year from now that you missed this set because you were trying to get a burrito (nothing against burritos, but trust me on this one).

Lovebomb Go-Go Marching Band – One of the most extravagant acts you’ll see, ever. This band hails from outer space, I assume, given their space helmets and vibrant clad of silver linings that make up their uniforms. Who knows what they’re going to pull out for a festival like this?

Other notable local artists include: Chrome Wolves, Lincoln Up, Mr. Wu, Takimba, Trashcan Joe, PRSN, Tyler Tastemaker, Deafmind, Octaban, Hal-V & Space Case, Quarry, Laura Lynn, Computer Pham, Diablo, and Montel Spinozza.

Moral of this story: Get your tickets to What the Festival and try and catch every one of these!

-Colin Hudson