I call this the healing festival. At any time, you can jaunt off to one of the 40 workshops or 20 booths and relax the soul with yoga, massage, tai-chi, and meditation. Food is also a nurturer, and there will be a legion of offerings, from French crepes to sushi to southern comfort cooking.

Don’t fret about the antsy children.The LEAF is a family atmosphere, and even the most Ritalin prone will have a hard time losing their attention. There will be a Little People’s Market with original kidmade art, a YWCA Kid’s Creativity Area, family campfires with Denisa Rullmoss (incuding marshmallows and ghost stories), and, of course, a big lake to swim in.

For the happy feet, there’s African, contra, Salsa, swing, and Zydeco dancing at Brookside Dance Hall. For the talking clientele, there’s the poetry slam contest (with cash prizes), and for the part time musicians, there’s workshops and jams with the performers.

And of course, there’s the wonderful music that the LEAF organizers obtain from every speck of the globe. LEAF brings in names that more than likely you have never heard of, but by weekend’s finale, a new wonderful sensory library has been established in your head. Here’s just a smidgen of the acts that will be at LEAF all weekend:

The Be Good Tanyas — I first heard these gals on WNCW several months ago, and was blown away by the trio’s uncanny musicianship. With vocals more haunting than midnight in a swamp, and acoustic instrumentation that would make Doc Watson sweat, the Be Good Tanyas are beyond the real deal. They define it. I would be happy paying for a full weekend LEAF ticket just to see them. This is their first Southeast concert (coming from their home in British Columbia), and it will probably be one of their smallest (the big time is calling). With a mesh of old-tyme jazz, blues, gospel, folk, and country, the Be Good Tanyas should please every palate in the place. The must see band of the weekend.

David Vai and Corn Tornado — I first saw Vai (pronounced “Vi” and rhymes with “pie”) in my friend’s tiny trailer, and I was floored by the rascally gentleman’s mandolin madness and innate lyrics. Little did I know that Vai was a two-time winner of the Merlefest songwriter’s award, as well as being chosen by BMI, ASCAP, Sony Records, TNN and the Nashville Entertainment Association as one of the top 20 unsigned bands in America. With prodding from my sister (who’s a huge Vai fan), I’ve captured Vai in various music halls, and have come away more impressed each time. Busting out a mix of bluegrass, country, folk, funk, jazz, and all out rowdiness, Vai and his partners in crime will ensure to make every one of your hairs stand in revelry.

The Holmes Brothers — Rolling Stone Magazine has informed me that, “one listen, and you’ll adopt this family as your own.” A daring statement, considering that my family is big enough and not in dire need of new members, but apparently this band has the proclivity to get in your blood. Joan Osborne was so inspired by this trio, that she invited them to be her backup band in an impromptu opening act for Bob Dylan. Others have jumped on for the ride, including Peter Gabriel (who recoreded their music), Late Night with David Letterman, and rave reviews by mammoth newspapers like the New York Times and the Washington Post. Seasoned in the categories of R&B, gospel, and jazz, the Holmes Brothers will be sure to create another following when they hit the LEAF.

Smilefest 2002
Where: Van Hoy Farms in Union Grove, (right outside of Statesville)
When: Thursday, June 6 to Sunday, June 9
How Much: Tickets will be $75 from 5/1 to 6/5
Tickets will be $80 (cash only) at the gate on June 6. Ticket price includes primitive camping. Children under 13 free. Buy Tickets by Phone: 1.800.594.TIXX (8499). Buy Tickets by Mail Order:
Send a SASE and Money Order (made payable to Smilefest Productions) to:

Smilefest Productions
3711 Manor Drive
Greensboro, NC 27403

For more info, check out the website at www.smilefest.com

Van Hoy Farms in Union Grove is perched atop holy ground. It was on this hallowed spot that Jerry Garcia and David Grisman first met more than years ago at the now defunct bluegrass festival. When Jerry passed away in 1995, a small cadre of music lovers felt compelled to bring the finest assemblage of musicians from across the land into Union Grove. For seven years now, SmileFest Productions has congregated fans and musicians in the spot where the king of the deadheads first strummed a tune with the prime minister of the mandolin. This year’s SmileFest is bigger than ever, and it covers a swath of genres from bluegrass to classical to straight up funk.

The campground and festival setup at Van Hoy is for the ultimate festivarian. Shady spots and valley sights are in abundance, but be sure to get there early, because the late comers will have to deal with the open sun. The covered amphitheater is built for barefoot dancing, thanks to a sandy bottom that will cushion even the hardest of jigs. Vendors with an array of foods (including some organic and vegetarian), crafts, clothing, and music will tempt your wallet, and there will be an onsite General Store for the unprepared.

But most of all, there will be the music that begins with Snake Oil Medicine Show at 7 pm on Thursday and ends with Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe at 12:30 pm on Saturday night. If you’re in the mood to feel inadequate, bring your instrument along as Larry Keel, Keller Williams, Vassar Clements, and Sam Bush will all be doing workshops during the weekend.

Although miniscule in comparison to the goliath Bonnaroo, SmileFest’s lineup is solid all the way through. The lineups get bigger every year, and it’s hard to fathom how they cram all that blistering music into one campground. It stands as one of the best festivals in the country for attitude, camaraderie, musicianship, and life altering moments. However, I can’t for the life of me, figure out how they got the name, SmileFest...

Here’s a preliminary lineup. For more info on the musicians, check out their websites, or visit SmileFest’s website:

The First Annual Bonnaroo Festival
Where: Manchester, TN.
When: The campground will open on Thursday, June 20, at 12 p.m. The music smorgasbord begins on Friday, June 21, and ends with Trey Anastasio’s performance on Sunday, June 23.
How Much: The first batch of 60,000 tickets sold out in a mere 19 days. Another limited amount for $140 (which include the three day pass along with camping) has sold out. There are no day passes, and there will be no ticket sales at the door. Organizers are pleading with folks who don’t have tickets to not show up. Please be considerate of these rules, because it will determine if we have something special like this in the future
For more info (camping, lodging, directions, vendor licenses, etc.) visit the website at www.bonnaroo.com or contact Ken Weinstein at Big Hassle Media: 212.619.1360, weinstein@bighassle.com.

The mother, granddaddy, king, queen, dictator, and ruler of all festivals has come. Not since Woodstock (or its illegitimate ugly cousins from the 90’s) has a festival attracted such an array of stellar musicians. Drool pockets are a given anytime I see this lineup, and I’m sure there’s a flood of saliva going around the 60,000 lucky ducks who have already purchased tickets. This is a festival of musicians who are beyond the scope of just playing for money. Each one is of high caliber, and they play music for the sheer love of it. A quote from the website defines how special Bonnaroo is:

“Besides being the place to be this summer for the fans, there is no question that the immense success of BONNAROO captures the zeitgeist of the evolving music business. The socio-economic symbolism of the festival is multi-tiered. People are getting their music in new ways, bands and fans are communicating in new ways and the industry is completely retooling the way business is done. BONNAROO is now very much a part of the equation in the continuing debate over where the industry is going and how it will get there.”

Among a long of confirmed acts is Widespread Panic (headlining Friday and Saturday night), Trey Anastasio (headlining Sunday night), String Cheese Incident, Phil Lesh & Friends with very special guest Bob Weir, Ben Harper, Norah Jones, Galactic and Gov’t Mule.