Go Ask Aura

© Tracy Block / RumBum.com

As the music festival phenomenon has swept the nation, small grassroots fests have given way to multi-million dollar behemoths. Great as Lollapalooza is, it's hard to catch that fest spirit at the Xbox 360 stage. Enter Aura, a neophyte fest that burst straight out of the womb this past weekend in festival-friendly Florida.

Aura is the brainchild of South Florida producer/musician/promoter extraordinaire Daryl Wolff and his partners CJ Rodriguez, Bianca Garza and Craig Heneveld. The idea for Aura came to Wolff just five months ago. In that time, he was able to transition the idea from a holiday weekend party into a full-blown fest, primarily through word-of-mouth.

“We wanted to throw a festival during the first holiday weekend of the year that drew bands from all over the Southeast, only expecting 200 people to show," Wolff says. But, "once news of Aura began to spread, we obtained the proper insurance and decided to go all out." In the end, Aura drew a crowd of more than twice what they were expecting at the Sertoma Youth Ranch, a secluded spot in Brooksville, FL about 45 miles west of Tampa.

Finding Peace in the Middle of Nowhere

The ranch, an 88-acre outdoor camping ground complete with cow pasture and barb wire boundary, aptly
© Track Block / RumBum.com did what any fest site should do, immediaetly representing freedom and community for those who attended. “We looked for something off the beaten path, and this venue was an accessible, beautiful location,” Wolff says. “When we were doing site checks, we knew immediately that this would be home to Aura.”

The grounds included a pavilion that was transformed into a spectacular main stage, both scattered and packed with curious jamophiles throughout the weekend. Wolff, who moonlights as a sound technician, decided that the fest woldn't be complete without a Rage Tent, a place where dirty DJs could do what they do best. So, he created an enclosed set for the acoustic treats with the help of Full Sail University student and Aura volunteer, Chad Hartsfield. This participation is, of course, all what the festie spirit is about. “The lack of official onsite staff allowed us to bring in volunteers who believed in our mission, people that went way beyond the call of duty,” Wolff says.

To add to the ambiance, Wolff selected vendors that sold a diverse spread of homemade merchandise. “We wanted glassblowers, t-shirts, jewelry – anything that added to that standard community vibe that is so important to round out any festival,” Wolff says.

Music, Magic and An Enchanting Farewell

Beers flowed freely as old festie friends got reacquainted and many new ones were found. But it wasn’t just the hops that kept this group together, it was the music. From Friday’s pre-party, which included Ohio’s Papadosio dance jamtronica, to the late-night fueled dub fusion by Jacksonville’s Greenhouse Lounge, the music kept everyone going deep into the night and got 'em up again each morning.

Saturday was bittersweet for Wolff and hundreds of other attendees, who came to give Treasure Coast
© Tracy Block / RumBum.com jammers Brother Bean a proper sendoff. Brother Bean, who's been jamming across the state since 2006, is breaking up and moving on. And Wolff, who’s been controlling the soundboards for Brother Bean for the past couple of years, joined the band for their rendition of Phish’s “Down With Disease,” adding an extra depth to the trio with melodic, hearty work on the keys. It was the band’s bassist, Russ Neidhardt, who initiated toasts, emotional banter and overwhelmingly teary-eyed jams throughout the evening.

The music tasted so good going down that not one soul could recall the downpour that entrenched the pavilion for the better part of the day. Instead, glowsticks flew, balloons cruised, and more than a dozen Brother Bean jams flitted their funky basslines, playful guitar riffs and rhythmic drumming throughout the enchanting farewell.

Sunday’s lineup consisted of a whimsical daytime set by Tallahassee’s Soular System, while fairy-clad females hooped to the soundtrack. Labyrinth blanketed the tent with trippy sci-trance before DJ Craig Heneveld’s drum ‘n’ bass produced aerobic pulsations and palpitations. Aquaphonics, who recently through a banger down at The Vagabond in Miami post-Phish, took a subtle approach with a more relaxed set, but drummer Jessiah Weston’s machine-like patterns took the set on an unpredictable path. Psy-jam similar to the never-ending rabbit hole of STS9, The Malah’s spiritual and cultural accents were what made them unique. Tracks like “Counting Days” were the perfect illustration of the band’s ambient exploration through sound, their mellow presence filling the ranch with fluffy, feel-good vibes, a warm headliner for Sunday night. It was back to the camp following The Malah, and since DJ Craig Heneveld’s last set was cut, drum circles, portable electro beat makers and acoustic instruments resonated as campfires swallowed an endless supply of wood for one last night of merriment.

And so the dream of one multi-tasking boy who cried Wolff is fulfilled at the ripe, young age of 26.  “Aura, for me, is a culmination of all the years of musical influence in my life. I was finally able to bring all the different aspects of production, playing, promoting and communications together, and it was that collective skill set that brought Aura to fruition.”  And, even though the reality still hasn’t set in, Wolff’s memories of backed-up cars aligning the dirt roads of the Sertoma Youth Ranch will be forever etched into his memory. Encore!

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