HARMONY FEST: 6/8-10

29TH ANNUAL HARMONY FESTIVAL
Northern California’s Premier Music and Camping Festival
June 8, 9, 10 Sonoma County Fairgrounds
TICKETS ON SALE NOW

As the earth spins toward the summer solstice, people naturally feel a need to come together outside and celebrate – it’s hardwired into our instincts. In Northern California, we call that the Harmony Festival. Last year’s Festival was the largest and most successful ever, and just to make sure this year is even better, the Festival organizers have gone into partnership with the institution that defined concert production nationwide, Northern California’s own Live Nation (formerly Bill Graham Presents). Said Festival Director Scott McKeown, “Combining the strengths of both organizations allows us to bring to the North Bay a world-class music and lifestyle festival as has never before been seen in Northern California.” It’s an unbeatable combination.

On June 8, 9, and 10, 2007, the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds will host the 29th Harmony Festival, a gathering that unites music of all sorts, spiritual and environmental consciousness raising, camping, and a darn good party – and much more. Hey – it’s just that time again. Tickets are available NOW for all events and packages at www.harmonyfestival.com.

For the first time in the festival’s substantial history, Friday will offer a full day of music and events: three days, three nights, and three Main Stages full of fun and music.

Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys), soul diva Erykah Badu, conscious hip-hop revolutionaries The Roots, Common, Rickie Lee Jones, New Orleans Social Club (featuring Ivan Neville and the legendary Leo Nocentelli among others), and the cream of the jam band and acoustic world, including moe., Umphrey’s McGee, the Waybacks, Hot Buttered Rum, ALO, Mike Stern Allstars (featuring Victor Wooten of the Flecktones and Dennis Chambers along with Miles Davis guitarist Stern), Vernon Bush, New Monsoon, and STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9) lead the musical entertainment.

As always, there will be further music late at night with the “Harmony After Dark Zone,” featuring Jai Uttal, One at Last, Sheila Chandra, and Shimsai among many others.

The “After Dark Zone” will be in three different venues for one modest price. Along with that, the Techno Tribal Dance with Stanton Warrior, Shpongle, Ganga Girl, and Rabbit in the Moon among others, will go late with the very best of trance dance culture – when we asked the producers about it, the phrase “over the top” seems to be the best description.

Of course, music is only one aspect of the 29th Harmony Festival, which will bring together many different facets of leading-edge information and approaches to healthier, more satisfying lifestyles with an amazing array of distinguished speakers, including Amy Goodman, Arianna Huffington, Edwin Black, Van Jones, and Rabbi Michael Lerner – and many more.

This year’s Festival theme is “Promoting Global Cooling.” Every conscious person is aware of the current planetary crisis, and forums, speakers, and exhibits will provide much valuable information; but the theme has a double meaning as it seeks to present an alternative, calmer worldview that seeks to cool down the currently over-heated and divisive partisan atmosphere in which these matters are being considered. Harmony means many things here, in musical, political, and spiritual terms, and the Festival is a holistic gathering that presents the most compelling advances in personal and social transformation, health, healing, ecology, art, activism, food, politics – in fact, the whole life package. It is a Party with a Purpose.