Girl Meets City: Wildwood Revival Edition
I had the fortune of attending the second annual Wildwood Revival this past weekend. I knew two of the artists that would be performing, Kelsey Waldon & American Aquarium, because we’ve interviewed both of them for The Southern Weekend. American Aquarium has performed in my hometown of Macon, Georgia many times including just a couple of nights before this festival. I also placed this event on our highlight list for The Southern Weekend, as I could tell it had all the makings of something amazing.
I was not let down.
Thankfully, my good friend Jen was able to fill the slot of my original companion for the event- and honestly, without her I would not have had nearly as much fun. In true Molly-and-Jen-collaboration-form we thought it would be a good idea to try and also double this up with a “how to dress for fest” photo shoot. The downpour that started Saturday evening thwarted that effort- but we will try again another time.
Oh, wait, did we bring champange to a camp fire? And a cheese plate? Oh yes, yes we sure did….
So our original plans of creating a campground-glamping oasis were melted away with the rain. No matter! We popped that bubbly anyway and shared the cheese and crackers and fruit with our new friends. Besides, there was lots more to do anyway.
Christopher Paul Stelling
Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons
The Water Liars
Lindi Ortega
We arrived a little late (whoops) and missed the first three acts, including Kelsey Waldon- which made me a little sad. But each of the acts we did see were a lot of fun, and it was nice that the music was centrally located in one spot.
Friends from The Broad Collective had already grabbed a nice spot on the grass with a blanket, so we would float from them over to the vendors tents and then also inside the house. Note: buy a VIP pass. It’s worth it just to have access to go inside this beautiful old plantation home, to get access to the food (although amazing food is available outside as well), to the bars, and MOST importantly: the bathrooms.
Let’s be perfectly honest, outdoor… um… recepticles of any kind aren’t necessarily going to be pleasant. It just isn’t. So the VIP passes are worth it just for that.
Back to the more fun stuff.
I loved being able to get food and snacks from local Athens places such as Heirloom Athens and Hip Pops Athens. The pulled pork hash kept me warm when I was cold, the Strawberry pop woke me up when I was tired and full, and the next day the chilled noodles from Heirloom were just light enough to satisfy and not make me feel heavy.
I am sad that the rain kept Cotton and Pine from being able to exhibit their prints- BUT I follow them on Instagram now and I’ve met them face to face, so that’s cool. Also, their kid is so stinkin cute. I plan to order one of their prints as soon as I can!
And then, of course, there was more music- click through my photo gallery below to see some of my shots:
Sunday morning started out with yoga from East Nashville Yoga- and I kind of regret not going, but also not. I’m happy that I started my day with the Sweet Tea Rose (wine). And then, just like my little Episcopalian heart loves, along with my wine we had church.
Church consisted of the musicians singing gospel hymns, making me both happy and tearing up- in a good way.
There were some performers that really stood out for me, that I had never heard of before and now I plan to follow them and *hopefully* plug them enough locally so that I can see them in Macon. One that I have to highlight would be the Blackfoot Gypsies. Their energy was palatable. The lead singer made my jaw drop. Literally. The entire. Time. The last time I had that kind of reaction watching a performer was when I was photographing Dickey Betts at the Cox Capitol Theatre.
And then there was this adorable child who clearly was having a good time:
And then the money shot:
And then I had my heart oh so pleasantly broken hearing one of my favorite bands, American Aquarium, opening their set with ” Man I’m Supposed To Be”.
I loved absolutely everything about this festival. I loved seeing so many parents bringing kids, and the kids enjoying it. I loved the dance party by Electric Western Dance Party, playing Otis Redding and Little Richard and all these songs I grew up hearing my parents playing and watching everyone just dancing like their lives depended on it. I loved getting to meet festival organizers Libby Rose and her brother Jesse Collier. I loved that Libby said to me ” I just want you to have fun!” And that I could see her talking to everyone wanting to make sure they were having fun.
I loved that Libby and Jesse’s parents were helping volunteer. That their friends were helping with it. That after the first night the performers were singing by the fire with festival goers, that I got to talk with some of the band members. When they say this is a boutique festival experience, it’s not just about the fact that it’s set in this gorgeous place. It’s about the intimacy of it all. I came away from this feeling like I had made a ton of friends, people from all over the place.
And it’s just like whenever I travel somewhere, I always leave a little bit bittersweet, wishing that just for a little longer- I could freeze that moment in time.
Looking forward to next year….
Love to all y’all,
Molly
