Summer
It seems to me that so much of our lives are leading up to something. During the week, many of us are looking forward to the weekend, waiting to be finished with work, to be off the bus or whatever else it is we are currently doing. It could be that some of us spend most of our lives waiting; looking forward to a point when in all reality we will likely be, well, waiting.
Samapalooza is a big deal to those of us that put it on. It’s like Christmas to a child for us, our magical time of year. This makes it all to easy for us to spend the months waiting, looking forward. This doesn’t happen, however. The months leading to the show have become, for us, as important as the event itself. What transpires on the transforming landscape of 575 Atherton inspires me to reevaluate my life. A camp (or commune if you choose) sprouts in the basin. Makeshift in nature, it all makes sense. We have grass, lounges, food pantries, tents, bathrooms, a kitchen, running water and pretty much anything else we need to basically live out there. It’s a simple existence and that simplicity is beautiful.
The period of time before Samapalooza has begun to define our summers, calling back stowed memories of the last school-bell. We work, no doubt, but it’s work we believe in and at the end of each day we can sit back with a beer and enjoy what we have created, relishing the effects of the fading light. We are together, we are tired and we are likely a little buzzed but more than anything else we are locked into that moment. We are not waiting.