The New Camp Bisco – posted 12/24/12

We made it back safe and sound. Good times were had, and we plan on giving a proper “special report”. Expect to see something Wednesday or Thursday night. Lots of pics on Facebook in the meantime.

Cheers!

Holidaze: Don’t Lose Your Wristband – posted 12/19/2012

Well, it’s day 3 here in Mexico. The TWoL crew is a little sun burnt but the good times continue. Due to continued wonky tronz, just thought we’d give a quick update.  (Super quick, will save full review for the normal podcast).

- Cloud 9 is crushing it keeping everyone happy and safe here. We have reports have people who tried to wook there way onto the resort from Strings and Sol, got busted, and were removed.

- Also, ocean currents can get pretty dangerous at times. Resort staff are constantly making sure no one drifts away.

- Beyond the bar staff being worked to the bone keeping the booze flowing, they also send waiters with random drinks through the crowd during the shows. Didn’t expect this and its pretty sweet. You could literally drink a 1,000 beers.

- Lunch and dinner here is good to above average. Breakfast and late night get a meh. (Just keeping things real.)

- Umphrey’s crushed it last night. Period.

- We aren’t doing any excursions, so nothing to report back on that. Also, photos and updates will be sporadic. This is a vacation after all.

Talk to y’all soon.

-Steve

Holidaze: The First 24 – posted 12/18/12

This following is review of the scene here at Mayan Holidaze. It is written, obviously, from my perspective, but I attempt to address what I believe the average reader would imagine occurs at this festival.

It’s no surprise to any regular listener of the podcast that I’m the resident Bisco lover at the TWoL studio. I saw them play an afternoon set at the Summer Sun Music Festival in 1998 and have hit my fair share of Camp Biscos, New Years, and few shows in between. Bundle that with living in the Northeast and being in my mid-30’s, you can probably fit me into a dying breed of fan for this scene. It seems that while the Phish fan base evolved with me on some level, Bisco fans hold steady as younger and more in line with EDM (Electronic Dance Music) culture.

And it’s the stereotypical EDM fan whom I would believe most people picture being here.  The early 20-something in a flat brimmed hat, with a heady crystal and fly kicks. There would be rage sticks, laser pointers, and chicks in those animal hat things. This is what Camp Bisco and many other festivals have become, which all well and fine. Except with that comes a division between those who just want to party and those who come for the music. So personally, I was not worried to find that contingent here. It’s too costly and the lineup is too small.

So who actually does make up this crowd of 1,000 guests on site and 300 with day pass privileges? Well, it’s really neither of the above mentioned demographics. With a fair amount of confidence, I’d most people here are late 20’s / early 30’s, they love the bands headlining, and they are all really friendly. Everyone I’ve chatted with so far has been stated Bisco as their main reason for coming, with a surprising low number of UM fans. Perhaps after Umphrey’s takes the stage tonight I’ll have a different report, but for now that has been the story (which is honestly surprising to me).

The feel to this place is very organic. There are no rage sticks, laser pointers, or LED hoola hoops. I haven’t come across any passed out wooks or noticed the Safety Team having to rescue anyone. Not that I personally expected to see this, but it’s worth noting as the above have become all too common at a lot of festivals these days. All that said, yes there are a lot of flat brims, dreadlocks, and more tattoos than I could count. But there are babies too. A lot of babies. I definitely wouldn’t envy a single guy here, as all the chicks seem taken. Sorry packs of bros!

So as I type this poolside, drinking a margarita, I’m excited for day 2. The crowd here is unique, but friendly and here for the right reasons. By today, everyone should have finally arrived and the music and activities get into full swing. Last night was just an appetizer and everyone is definitely hungry for more. I’ll plan to report back again tomorrow with some thoughts on the Resort itself and the overall Cloud 9 production. In the meantime, you can follow along with updates and pics from our Twitter and Facebook feed.

Thanks for listening,
Steve