Music

[Review] The 5th Annual Pass the Good Benefit at Vortex Spring

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Florida’s Pass the Good welcomed its 5th coming this year and brought not only a stacked lineup of 183 talented artists but also a new venue. If Spirit of the Suwannee and Ginnie Springs had a baby it would be Vortex Spring, located in Ponce de Leon, Florida.

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Photo by Annabel Shettel of Bullet Music

Two main stages, Area 51 and Thaz Dope, were placed around the crystal clear spring allowing music-goers to enjoy swimming and jamming all in one. The Area 51 Stage featured the majority of live bands playing throughout the weekend, whilst the Thaz Dope Stage, created by the Incendia crew, hosted the deep, trippy bass producers. The setup of Funktion One speakers at Thaz Dope not only signaled to their alien brethren, but endowed one’s ears with the most crisp sounds and deepest of driving bass tones. Three other stages were located throughout the lush grounds including the Campground Stage which brought continuous dubstep until the sunlight hurt your eyes, and the Revival Stage hosted many local favorites as well as the third Beach Stage.

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Photo by Annabel Shettel of Bullet Music

Friday’s sunset brought with it Lucky Costello on the Area 51 stage impressing everyone with their electronic-jam fusion and groovy beats. Closing out the Area 51 stage was one of Atlanta’s cosmonauts, Higher Learning. The trio got the ball rolling for the night with their beautifully composed astral sound and driving rhythms.

RELATED READ: [Interview] Higher Learning: Why Not to Be Missed at Pass the Good

Night one culminated with some long awaited producers to grace the Southeast, G Jones and Bleep Bloop to be precise. G Jones brought the deep driving bass that one feels from the inside to get most anyone raging. Bleep Bloop followed, providing an aggressive and quirky bass-heavy set. The Incendia flames continued through the wee-hours of the night with Jacksonville favorites, MZG, offering a stellar performance bringing the vibe back to Earth with their melodic dance beats and unconquered contiguity.

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Photo by Annabel Shettel of Bullet Music

Saturday dawned a new day full of superb talent throughout all five stages. Up and coming downtempo bass producer, Bit Deff, out of Jacksonville, FL brought the heat in the heat at the Thaz Dope Stage, followed by dubstep veteran, Ployd, out of ATL providing a technical dubby set to get most anyone dancing. Total improv sets are hard to come by, but Rims and Keys provided just that as the sun set behind the tree-line. Jay Rims (drums), Jordan Adams (Moog, keys), and Dave McSweeney (bass) turned heads with DnB rhythms, expertly keyed Moog synths, and precise bass progression.

As the moon rose into the dark starry night, Space Kadet, the freshest electro-jam quintet from Atlanta, took stage. These talented musicians compose a mix of sound reminding one of old-school STS9 vibes with a driving funky bass-groove getdown. Prior to Space Kadet, Geri X, out of St. Petersburg, Florida, dropped jaws with her effortless vocal tone and impeccable range all while perfecting guitar chords in tempo with her rhythm driving drummer. Closing out the Area 51 stage on Saturday night was Atlanta’s Modern Measure made up of Kyle Holly (drums, production) and Charlie Thornton (production, bass, alto sax). With a style unlike any, the duo switched it up from driving drum and bass to hip-hop and grooving dance beats.

Overall, Pass the Good was definitely a success with its new location and lineup that surely impressed everyone. The smiles on people’s faces were contagious, as was the love in their hearts. Stewart Beck knows how to choose a great lineup and he did just that, once again. All the thanks go out to the artists and hard-workers running the show, without them none of this would be possible!

Pass the Good 2016 Vortex Spring

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