Hillside Festival 2005

This blog oughta be called, "Recycling for 6000". I just returned home, all sunburned and exhausted from camping at the Guelph Lake Conservation Area. I was a volunteer in the Waste Management Crew at the Hillside Festival. I am still happy, and the effect usually takes a few days to wear off.

Hillside is a festival unlike any other I've ever attended. Musically and artistically, it stands alone, because it's not just another folk festival. There's an eclectic mix of musical styles, creative outlets, and a relaxed vibe that you usually don't see in large crowds. One thing that impressed me the most about the festival is how clean it is. Let's face it: When you get crowds of thousands of people together, it's quite easy to see how things can get quite messy rather quickly. It's completely different at Hillside. A wholly different mood applies.

The first time I went to the festival, I was impressed at the organization and effort that went into keeping the island clean when approximately 6000 people were eating at every meal. That's a lot of dirty dishes, and a lot of messy stuff left over. I was so impressed in fact, that after a lot of nagging by my friend Sass, I signed up as a volunteer so I could take part in the Hillside Festival relatively cheaply. Last year, I was a floater. This means you sit around waiting for something to happen or you get to do something horribly mind numbing for a couple of hours and then wait some more.

Not so this year. I was a Garbage Man, and I'm proud of it. We filled three large size garbage bins with recycling, cardboard, and garbage, and we filled a 15 foot wide hole with compost. On the spot. While all the cool stuff was going on, we were working our way through the hordes of music and art lovers, and taking away their waste. I even got to empty composting backstage. It wasn't the highlight of my weekend but I can't complain. I came to an understanding of what being a garbage man entails. It seems to me that some folks don't like garbage men much, but they accept that we're necessary. Other people are downright falling over themselves to express admiration and gratitude for all the grody things we have to do. It felt good to be a part of something that people universally respected.

I had some fun, and some relaxation despite the 12 hours of Waste Management I participated in. Xavier Rudd is someone to watch out for. He is an incredibly gifted musician. He has a magnetism, and a personality that conquers all. He has various bits of percussion, three didjeridus and several guitars that he plays when he performs his finely crafted and melodic tunes. It's an awesome thing to hear him perform, because he can really tell you a story on top of playing the hell out of all his instruments, simultaneously. It's a difficult thing to describe really, because it was so different from any music I'd ever seen performed. This is not a one man band act at all. It is just Xavier Rudd and everyone should start paying attention. Just go and buy any records you can find, or better still, try to see him perform sometime. It's a mind-blowing thing.

I also got to hear a wonderful group from Quebec call Les Batinses. They play what might be called traditional Quebecois tunes on the surface, and as a subtext there are all sorts of subversive things like punk, hip hop, rap and hard rock thrown into the mix as well. They have a unique approach to playing the old tunes in a new way, and they're quite entertaining even for a poor unilingual slob like myself. I wish I could understand the French language better, because I'm sure their lyrics were as infectious as their music.

I always like the jewelry vendors. There are always some unique and wonderful baubles for sale. One artist I especially liked was Jason Bellchamber, who carves Celtic knot patterns and images into metal rings. It's really lovely stuff. He also taught a short workshop on basic knotworks and trisele patterns, which I was lucky enough to take in. These people took care of the beautiful stuff. I took care of the ugly stuff. It was a fair deal.

I had a lot of fun. I've probably mentioned that a few time already. I had a lot of fun. Oddly enough, Sass and I were neighbours in the tent city, but we hardly saw each other. We caught a couple of concerts together and occasionally said hello to each other as we wandered the site looking for old and new friends. I even found a few. We swam in the lake a few times. In good aqueous fashion, Sass jumped in at least 8 times. I only made it into the water 4 times over the course of the weekend. The last swim was the best, because I got to wash the soil from my labours from my sunburnt skin, clean up and head for home. Sass began helping me get over a long standing discomfort in deeper water. She's my best friend amongst the hundreds of other friendly people I encountered at the festival. I was satisfied and wanting for more at the end of another successful Hillside.

See you at Hillside 2006. Just make sure to separate your waste in the right bins, and enjoy the vibe!