Wakarusa 72C: Sunday closes with ‘Beautiful Girls’ and ‘Toots’

Editor’s note: This is the final of four stories in the “Seven to see (72C)” series profiling the musical acts appearing at the Wakarusa Music Festival (June 2-5). Last year saw attendance reach 18,000, an increase of around 3,000 over 2009. Link here for the first story in the series, link here for the second story and link here for the third story.

review by Peter Lewis
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Programming note: In creating these daily lists, special attention was paid to performance times, not only to facilitate an attendee’s ability to see full sets, but to erase any worry about getting between stages afterward.

72C on SUNDAY (June 5)
• Drum Circle (Satellite Stage – 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.)
Purely for the sake of doing something out of the ordinary, start your day over at the Satellite Stage with some communal music. As the day is young and full of hope, you can channel your inner hippie out here for a portion of the “set” before grabbing some lunch and heading over to the Outpost.

• Quiet Corral (Outpost Stage – 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.)
This Lawrence, Kan.-based band features a very affable pop-influenced folk sound. The well-produced music is a bit cleaner cut than some of the other roots based Americana outfits, but the vocals are effecting and earnest. Quiet Corral is certainly a harmoniously pleasant way to spend an hour of your last Waka afternoon.

• Jay Nash Band (Outpost Stage – 2 to 3 p.m.)
Of the singer-songwriters featured at Wakarusa this year, Jay Nash seems to be one of the best. His voice is warm and evocative, reminiscent of someone like Ray Lamontagne but with a more defined masculinity. He released an album titled “Diamonds and Blood” this past March.

• The Stone Foxes (Outpost Stage – 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.)
From the hilly expanses of San Francisco, The Stone Foxes will put forth some circa 1960s American rock on the Outpost Stage. The sound is mainly blues structured, but features elements of classic country that gives the group a sound that is reminiscent of a group like Buffalo Springfield.

• The Beautiful Girls (Revival Tent – 6 to 7:30 p.m.)
Don’t head to the Revival Tent expecting to see anything close to beautiful women on the stage. You’ll be disappointed. These are a bunch of dudes. But they’re from Australia and have accents, so there might be beautiful girls in the audience. At any rate, the tunes — like much of the Waka output — will be some of the easy grooving jams you might hear from someone like Jack Johnson, melding elements of rock and reggae into a smooth pop sound.

• Toots & the Maytals (Revival Tent – 8 to 9:30 p.m.)
Even at age 65, Frederick “Toots” Hibbert can still bring it. As the (anecdotal) progenitor of the word “reggae,” Toots has had his hand in the genre since its nascence in 1960s Jamaica. And to this day, the man hasn’t lost a step. Though it may not seem so to the festival organizers, Toots & the Maytals will be the best band you see all weekend. Yes, this is very bold, but having worshipped at the altar of Toots on a few occasions, my confidence is well placed. Don’t miss it.

• Ozomatli (Revival Tent – 10 p.m. to midnite)
If anything can hope to match — or at least continue — the party Toots kicked off on the main stage, it’s Ozomatli.  This Latin group distills the cacophonous elements of So-Cal society into a unique blend. From hip-hop and cumbia to reggae and rock, Ozomatli creates a riotous live environment perfect for a great time.