Scorched Mountain Fest

Headlining & Camping in Arkansas

Destiny is usually hoping the gas station has her preferred flavor of Bang energy drink. On the way to Arkansas, however, outside the Circle K was a treat way better than Purple Haze or Any Means Orange: BABY GOATS!!! The lil kids were hand raised and happier to be pet than most dogs. Cuteness overload, and a sure sign that we city slickers were in for a rural time.

Couple weeks back, Sneezy trekked up a mountain to Dead End Ranch for Scorched Mountain Music Fest. Psyched to play a headlining spot, we packed the tents and gear to camp all weekend. This was the first year for this specific fest. No one knew quite what to expect.

We lost cell service driving to the campsite. Camping with Sneezy is real camping-- we’re in it together, to be in it together. We set up in a drizzle. Danny’s toy keyboard, Austin’s battery-powered guitar amp, and Jack’s waterproof guitar didn’t need wifi to keep the vibes high. Who needs streaming when you have a creek?

This was a family-run festival. One food truck, one Smurf themed bouncy castle, one honors system coffee tent that doubled as a ceramics painting studio. The crew slept in hammocks on the main stage. I sold merch next to a ten-year-old vendor hawking miniature treasure chests to store your other festival trinkets. He taught me a lot about shark teeth.

Expecting less than 150 guests, this was the smallest festival I’ve seen in my short time with Sneezy. This kind of event runs on passion. It’s not a bottom line or big payday that motivates someone to navigate getting food, electricity and music to the remote wilderness. It’s the same motivation that gets us all in the van: enjoying the process, spending time with those you love.

Sneezy played for two hours Saturday night. The crowd almost reached fifty people. Fifty thousand bugs, though. Downtown or in the wilderness, the raucous Sneezy energy is exactly the same. Leaping off the stage, blowing bubbles, nailing the somersault, it’s the same party. Open invitation.

I’d bet more than half the crowd had never heard our band before, and I can confidently say none of them had heard the new song “See You Again.” But at the end of the set, every person in the field clapped in unison. We sang the chorus together like it was a radio favorite.

At the beginning of the weekend, we were surrounded by strangers. By the end of the set, everyone pledged to Boogie Nation.

Wherever the van takes us, we find a new fan. Help us keep finding them. Eight days left for our van gofundme.