I woke up last Saturday to a cool and overcast October morning. Unlike one of my usual weekends, I promptly made some breakfast and got ready for the day. You see, this wasn’t a standard day to recharge from the week. It was Sleepy Fest, and I had a drive to Saxapahaw ahead of me.
The fall air hit differently as I meandered from highways to country roads, listening to the new La Dispute album. The forecast appeared to be merciful, with no rain threatening to dampen the occasion. I couldn’t help but feel the excitement spill over, especially since I couldn’t make last year’s festival due to life’s chaos getting in the way.
This year’s lineup was characteristically eclectic, spanning from NC folk, oldtime, and Americana, to twangy punk rock, immersive electronic, and drag. But that’s not all! The festival featured visual installations, non-music arts elements, an art market, a kids zone, and programming throughout the grounds. Precisely the kind of immersive, multi-sensory day that Sleepy Fest has become known for over its last three iterations, including last year’s first foray in Saxapahaw.
Image credit: David Prather
My excitement ensured I got into town before check-in, giving me enough time to see the finishing touches before the free-to-the-public performances started across the street from the Ballroom. Once 11:15 came around, I got my cat-adorned volunteer badge and made my way to the ticket booth for a quick orientation.
Right away, I knew I had picked the right role when I met Emma and Sophie, who both brought an infectious enthusiasm to the cool morning. Both were Sleepy Fest veterans, made evident by their stories of past volunteer experiences. I introduced them both to Blank Tapes and shared some stickers conveniently before folks like Ryan Newson (aka Lonnie Rott) and Sleepy Cat Records co-founder Saman Khoujinian swung by the tent.
As the festival kicked off, I found myself in the front row, surrounded by familiar faces and names from our wonderfully interconnected music community. “There goes Chessa Rich!” “Oh hey, it’s the Sugaree String Society!” “There’s Nick Sanborn of Sylvan Esso!” All these moments of gratitude, soundtracked by a DJ set from Quilla, made the volunteering hours fly by. Before I knew it, 3pm had come around, and I was meeting the next shift of folks working the booth.
Image credit: David Prather
I started my festival day the way any self-respecting attendee would, by hitting the Saxapahaw General Store for some food and drinks. I’m no fan of shellfish, but oysters were being cooked outside that couldn’t be ignored by the festivalgoers. Instead, I opted to gorge myself on the insane-sounding yet delicious Duck Jam Burger.
With much-needed sustenance in place, I finally wandered through the performances. Hard Drive brought in quite the crowd with their lively old-time bluegrass that makes you want to bop (if not dance) along. Magic Al got set up in the water tower outside the Ballroom for a multi-part DJ set throughout the mid-to-late afternoon. In between, I caught Joseph Terrell (of Mipso fame) and his delicate acoustic folk songs on the Amphitheater Stage.
Image credit: David Prather
The moment I’d been waiting for came when Alice Gerrard took the stage at 4pm. The woman is a legend in every sense of the word, and she delivered an all-timer of a set alongside the equally phenomenal Tatiana Hargreaves and Reed Stutz. Together, they played songs from Alice’s discography — including her latest LP, Sun to Sun, released by Sleepy Cat — and some covers of classics from The Carter Family and old-time traditionals.
I stuck around the Main Stage to catch Slow Teeth next, which ended up being my third time seeing them this year. At this point, I’m convinced they’re incapable of putting on a bad show. Their artistry just keeps rewarding repeated listens. I shared a video of the trio shredding through a song in the latter half of their setlist to my best friend, Joey. His only “complaint” was that their sweeping post-rock didn’t fit his idea of a Sleepy Fest.
As daylight began to fade, I emerged from the Ballroom to catch one of my favorite local drag artists, Stormie Daie, take the Amphitheater Stage. She delivered another performance to die for, dressed in fabulous purple and aqua blue cheetah print, with a fierce mane that complemented the outfit. Truly the perfect final image before I made my way back to the car for a country drive back home.
Driving home with the windows down, I swung by Bojangles for a bit of comfort food to share with my partner on our back patio. We sat and enjoyed our 4-piece Supremes as some live music from a nearby neighborhood drifted over. And I felt that particular ache that comes after a great show, like a sort of FOMO-tinged post-festival energy that doesn’t go away.
It’s a feeling that tells you it was a damn good day.
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