There Was Fire On The Mountain at Bear Shadow Music Festival

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: Whats News | Photograph By: Marjorie Christiansen Photography

They came for their favorite bands, from close by and far away, in pairs and groups, young and old, and every age. They were there for the second Bear Shadow Music Festival– a cavalcade of extraordinary talent, a weekend of music and fans converging at its bucolic home at Winfield Farms in Scaly Mountain.

  Overloaded with anticipation and the joy to return to live music unencumbered by pods and masks, the attendees arrived in high style. They slipped on cowboy boots fit for a star, donned wide brimmed felt hats and brightly colored ball caps, and dressed in pretty, long dresses and skirts, and boldly patterned shirts and jackets.

It was the end of April, the onset of spring and everything felt exciting.  The energy at the farm felt heightened.   Bubbles emanated from a machine, drifting upwards to the sky, while children danced between the froth. Close by, perched on an overwide swing, three pairs of young legs pumped in unison – hoping to the reach the sky.

  Liberated from distancing requirements, there was a collective ecstasy in the acknowledgement that the main purpose of being alive is being around other people. I witnessed friendships forged in lines at bathrooms and food trucks – “hold this place in line for me”. Old friends reunited – as did this writer, connecting with a colleague of 30 years ago.  They shared food – pizzas, and burgers and BBQ – and mused about “Rebel Rabbit” – a carbonated beverage infused with Delta 8 THC – a cannabis compound.  They purchased t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats from the festival store, explored retail offerings of honey and clothing and jewelry, and learned about the Highlands Biological Center and the Highlands/Cashiers Land Trust.

  It would be hard to imagine a time when this collaborative feeling of joy was more palpable.  At every performance, the bands underscored the notion that nothing, absolutely nothing can replace a live concert.  The audience consumed the music with the enthusiastic appetite of a starving diner – inhaling the sounds and talents.  Strangers stood shoulder to shoulder, bobbing heads and tapping feet in togetherness, sharing a smile and happiness at the music – forming a bond, in perfect symbiosis with the music, each other and the performers.  At every set, I bore witness to faces turned in chorus to the stage, ready to be stunned, to be wowed.

  The exhilaration was evident from the first performance on Friday night when at the end of the set, Susto’s guitar player jumped from the stage onto the floor, rejoicing in having formed a connection with the crowd.  That night, as the sun began to set, the same sense of enthusiasm infused the reception for Curtis Harding.  Yet, that there was newness and stress in relearning this ritual of live music – as headliner, Band of Horses vocalized at the conclusion of that evening.

  As organizer Casey Reid summed up day 2 of the festival: “there was fire on the mountain, that’s for dang sure.  49 Winchester, Wild Rivers music and Lukas Nelson brought the heat to Winfield Farms.” They also, to use a cliché “brought the house down” in fiery cheer and enthusiasm.  I expect that discussions will long be held as to which day was a favorite, but for many it was Sunday – as Reid said “We banished the Sunday scaries thanks to the musical magic of Kitchen Dwellers, the flawless harmony of Jamestown Revival and the progressive Bluegrass of Trampled by Turtles.