Back on Tour

Bassnectar is a DJ from California whose popularity recently took one of the largest leaps that I have ever seen in a musician. This is partly due his electic, heart throbbing, mind twisting sounds, but no one who knows his work can deny his dedication to touring. In 2007 alone, Bassnectar, aka Lorin Aston, played shows on over one hundred and forty evenings of the year. This is a staggering number, and it is extremely impressive that any man could handle that much performing. His style is difficult to describe, but it is somewhere between hip-hop and electronica. For short, most people call the genre trip-hop. I have seen Bassnectar four times, and I'm looking to make that five times as of tomorrow. It is actually kind of funny to see him in person...he looks like Cousin It from the Adam's Family while performing on stage. His hair is so long that it almost looks like he is wearing a brown shawl over the top of his head. This can only add to the act because has a undeniable presence on stage. To clarify, he dances and acts outrageous onstage which keeps the crowd into the show. He has almost a bond with his audience, and this is by no coincidence. The first time I went to a Bassnectar show was two years ago, and I impatiently awaited the opening act off the the side in the audience. I happened to glance over my shoulder...to my shock he was standing about three feet behind me shaking hands with a few guys in the audience. Immediately I turned around, shook his hand, and got to exchange a few words with him before people around me realized what was going on and wanted a piece of the pie. He even invites audience members onto stage to dance (Only rule is no touching him or the equipment). Bassnectar's popularity stems primarily from his recent habit of playing the late night (two AM-five AM) sets at most major music festivals that took place this summer (ie: Rothbury, All Good, Shambhala, Camp Bisco). His uncanny ability to keep people awake and excited through the wee hours of the night definately says something about his abilities. Plus, people always tend to have more fun at the late night shows than during the day. At night, everyone that attends decides to break out the beach balls, glow sticks, inflatable toys, and costumes. Although it may look like just senseless partying from videos, Bassnectar is actually very politically active, and he makes this perfectly clear at some point during every show. Also, a portion of his earnings from every show is always donated to "Conscious Alliance", a group of people who started food and clothing drives, and have collected donations for foundations that benefit young people for as long as I have been attending Jam band events. Attending a Bassnectar show is not for the weak of heart, as the shows tend to draw a lot of strange people, and the scene can get pretty wild (if you click this link go to 3:30 :) ). If you are looking for a wild night, trust me you will feel right at home at a show like this.