Retro Active

For such a forward-thinking fest, there sure are a lot of acts roaming the stages with a distinctly vintage vibe. Over the past few hours I've caught portions of sets that unapologetically reference musical movements and moments long since expired.

 Although Stephen Marley's original music fully embraces the amalgamatory spirit if reggae, incorporating slices and samples of R&B, hip-hop and rock into the traditional Jamaican sound, he clearly understands that when an audience sees a Marley, they want some sort of direct reference to the legendary father. Stephen Marley, Bob's second son, seemed happy to oblige. Not only is the producer/performer a dead ringer for his father, both visually and vocally, he's more than happy to spike his set with some of daddy's hits.

Later, on the outlying lunar stage, the vaguely cultish Polyphonic Spree channeled the ghost of Sgt. Pepper and Pet sounds, with no less than 23 musicians, including two drummers, a string section and small choir, vamping through a set of orchestral pop. Somewhere, Phil Spector is smiling. Well he would be, were those legal issues not hanging over his head.

On the small Solar stage, which, in keeping with the green theme of the fest (more on that later), Col. Bruce Hampton led his latest band, the Quark Alliance, through a set of the sort of jammy prog-rock that has been his calling card for years. Good stuff, but it probably isn't going to get him promoted to general.