Mayan Holidaze 2011 | Review | Pics
By Team JamBase Jan 31, 2011 • 3:43 pm PST

Mayan Holidaze :: 01.20.11-01.23.2011 :: Now Sapphire:: Puerto Morelos, Mexico
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Mayan Holidaze is the fourth annual incarnation of Caribbean Holidaze; an idea born on the beaches of Ocho Rio, Jamaica. It is every festival lover’s fantasy. As with years prior, there were no issues of camping or fighting tens of thousands of people for a space to dance and see the musicians. There was no running frantically from stage to stage to make each band’s relatively short one-set show. With the small crowd, witnessing or being victim to the devices of neglectful or inexperienced festival-goers is unlikely. There is never any standing in line to buy expensive food and drinks. Instead, the small attendance capacity allows for each person to wake up ervery day in a bed and walk less than a minute to one main stage, where each primary act plays a total of five sets. There is always an easy sight line and plenty of space to move as the sandy oceanfront dance floor is far bigger than the crowd. Also, since everything is included in the price of the ticket, there is little need to ever carry cash. Because it is relatively expensive and exclusive, it also brings a more mature, advanced crowd of amazing, friendly people, many of whom already know each other from years past and all of whom will leave having made connections with new incredible people. Inevitably, this hot ticket sold out very quickly.
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The bands took turns for the first three nights, rotating between early and late night sets; each delivering continually more captivating shows as the weekend progressed. The conveniently placed main stage was decked out with a state of the art light show that painted kaleidoscopic prisms in the sky and on a small grove of palm trees that served as the stage’s backdrop. Seated on the beach, it was less than 100 yards from the endless sea that stretched vastly into the horizon. In the wee hours, after the main stage had closed, the indoor club raged on with DJ sets from a variety of acts. The entrancing house music of Chicago’s own Orchard Lounge and a downright nasty dub-step show from Disco Biscuits guitarist Jon “Barber” Gutwillig were among the most notable. In the .morning, the select few who had made it through the night gathered on the beach to celebrate the beginning of a new day before the rising orb of Mexican Sun.
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It could be argued that the Umphrey’s McGee set that everyone showed up for was played the next night, which was kicked into high gear with the rampaging “Nothing Too Fancy,” demonstrating an unstoppable energy from the rhythm duo of Kris Myers and Andy Farag on the ever-churning drum set and percussion accompanied closely by the thunderous low end of Ryan Stasik’s bass guitar. The energy continued frantically through the second set, starting off with the frenzied “Hurt Bird Bath.” Their elaborate dual guitar opus JaJunk gave guitar riff master-crafters Brendan Bayliss and Cinninger a chance to open up their bag of tricks, effectively flooring the audience as it brought the show to a roaring finish. On the final night, Umphrey’s – who characteristically has shown so much love for their fans – gave a special gift to those attending by allowing them to vote on a list of extremely rare tracks. The results were magical.
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The real surprise came on the final night as the Biscuits, in keeping with their fellow headliners, did something very special. Their take on “special” came in the form of Tractorbeam, a chance to escape the vocals and lyrics and focus intently on the music; telling stories through entrancing melodies and hypnotic synthesizer over and undertones. It started with the reggae-esque “Mirrors” and blazed on without a single pause, segueing fluidly from song to song. The musical barrage sent the audience through a time-warp all the way to the final notes of the manic “Lunar Pursuit” attached to the ending of “Svenghali.”
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Other incredible memories of the trip included transcendentally floating in the ocean during the Album Leaf’s atmospheric, down-tempo sunset show as the rain poured from grey obscurity overhead. On the other end of the spectrum, a breathtaking sunrise on the final morning painted the sky with tie-dye clouds, drawing cheers of joy from spectators at the first majestic glimpse of the sun. And, of course, the sensational time spent in paradise with friends who feel like family, joking, laughing, carrying on, cavorting, engaging in harmless mischief and having our minds blown in unison by each respective band was something that will surely bring many of us back for as many years as possible. All of it together will surely leave most with memories that their hearts and minds will cherish forever.
As the weekend drew to its bittersweet end, there was very little left to do except exchange hugs and vows to return next year and to do it even bigger, even better. And, as many of us left the warmth of our Caribbean paradise behind to return North to the cold, harsh winter, our hearts overflowed with positive energy to redistribute into our daily lives – a drive to spread joy to our loved ones and truly earn our next vacation, our next musical fix, and to pass on the uplifting tales that encompassed what many called the best vacation of their lives. Even the day after Mayan Holidaze 2011, January 2012 feels like it could not possibly come soon enough.
Continue reading for pics of Mayan Holidaze 2011 – Day One…
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Continue reading for more pics of Mayan Holidaze 2011 – Day Two…
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Continue reading for more pics of Mayan Holidaze 2011 – Day Three…
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Continue reading for more pics of Mayan Holidaze 2011 – Day Four…
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