Resonate Festival
Spirit of Suwannee Music Park - Live Oak, FL
Suwannee is our home and Resonate is our spring family reunion. This year was the 5th year of this magical festival, and if you asked anyone who went, they would probably tell you that it was the most magical year yet. The park itself is an absolute vortex of energy from its historical existence as home to native humans and nature spirits alike, and when you add 5,000 more sources of energy, a community of people connected by art and music, you get an abundance of love in all forms that can be felt as soon as you enter the park.
This was my 2nd Resonate and my fiance Jeff’s 4th. We came with his sisters and brothers-in-law, and a couple of our friends who also brought new friends to make a grand group of 12 goofy goobers. We were delighted to see so many beloved familiar faces and also meet a lot of new faces as they told us this was either their first Resonate, first time at Suwannee, or their first festival ever! We welcomed them to the Resonate Suwannee family with hugs and trinkets, then wished them blessings on their weekend of adventures at this sacred swamp.
Resonate has always been a sweet spot for many Suwannee fam, as it perfectly manages to retain the creativity and fun vibes of their larger fall festival, Hulaween, but on a much smaller scale which creates more space for connection, exploring, and of course dancing. Akin to Hula, Resonate always has a top-tier music lineup that’s the most delicious blend of EDM, Jam, Funk, and a few genres in between. Both the headliners and the up-and-coming artists bring something special that you don’t want to miss, and you won't have to since another great feature of this fest is that there’s only two stages, so there’s no overlap of sets!
But anyone who’s been to any Suwannee fest will tell you that it’s so much more than the music; the art, the activities, and the people who curate them are just as exciting. Painted murals, projection domes, scavenger hunts, succulent food, trippy vendors, and an abundance of workshops will have you frolicing all around the venue.
This year, I had the honor of hosting a clothing swap that found its home with Krissy at the Complimentary Bar in the Arts Village. The idea for the swap was inspired by my passion for fashion paired with sustainable activism. The premise is simple: if it’s wearable, it’s shareable - a free exchange which only requires that if you pick out an article, then you give an article in return. The clothing industry is one of the top producers of environmental pollution and indentured labor, so efforts to combat those problems starts with a community of people who participate in sharing and upcycling the abundance of clothes we already have. Krissy and her Complimentary Bar were the perfect home for the swap because the idea behind her station was also free love! She created stickers, button pins, and set up a table of assorted goodies that were all free to have. In a world where merely existing costs everything, giving anything away for free is an act of rebellion. Jeff and I had so much fun working with her, and she was so gracious to ask us back again next year to work together to create a whole new free experience!
There were a few other swaps happening as well such as books, plants, stickers, and various trinket tables scattered throughout the venue and camps. Although I love and support the vendors who deservedly earned their spot to sell their beautiful wares, I would love to see Suwannee have an equally supported free-exchange market.
Now about the music at this more-than-just-a-music festival. The only way to describe the auditory bliss we experienced is to say that it was indescribable (but I’ll do my best). Absolutely legendary sets were played by each artist and band. For some it was their first time ever playing at a festival (honorable mentions Danitza & The Yeah Babys) and others were Suwannee staples (Ott, Papadosio, & Sauce Pocket to name a few). Resonate’s musical host is the electro-funk-jazz-rock-jam band STS9, who played two knock-out sets Thursday and Friday night. Personally, I’m not the biggest Tribe fan, but I gotta admit, with their new production this year plus the vibes of their fans, they were getting down and so was I. I’ll be on the lookout for a recording of both their sets to relive the grooves.
Global Mountain Shindig had the esteemed honor of opening Resonate, we told them to give us the funk, and so they did. They funked us real good! I think this was their first time here, so it would certainly be our pleasure to see them return. Danitza was also a first timer ever playing a festival, so of course we showered them in sweet, sweaty love. They’ve been here before, but we love to see Sneezy play their silly songs, never a dull moment with their shows or the crazy crowd to match, good times all around.
As mentioned earlier, even the smaller artists bring big beats, so try to catch as many of these as you can! The first night headliners had us needing to buckle up because we were about to go 0 to 100 real quick. Before STS9 closed, there were Lotus and Beats Antique. I’ve loved Lotus for years, this was (finally) my first time seeing them live and it was well worth the wait. Everyone was having a blast, and how could we not when our ears were being filled with smooth electric jams? It’s easy to get caught up in the moment of the music, but I do love to occasionally pause and revel in the energy around me. Watching everyone having their own unique experience, flowing in bliss, made me feel so grateful to be alive to share it with them, and with Lotus as the soundtrack to that moment, well, it was a gift from God.
The previous sets were hot hot hot, but for me, the absolute GOAT set of the whole weekend was at sunset with Beats Antique. Y’all… that was the most incredible musical experience I’ve ever witnessed, at a festival or otherwise. There were big drums. There were beautiful belly dancers. There were eclectic orchestral instruments. Fuse all that together with a tantric splash of EDM and you’ve got a sound that reached down to your roots and awakened an ancient, sultry spirit within. As a dancer myself, I actually cried as I watched the music flow through their body in such a way that I would consider it the 8th wonder of the world. This was my first time seeing them and there’s no way in hell it’ll be my last.
Thursday was already an incredible experience, but Friday really made my entire weekend and life (story to follow). Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a big Dosiohead, they’ve been my favorite band going on 11 years now. Not just for the music, but because of the genuine people they are, and the kindred community they’ve created who I love so dearly. They’ve graced Resonate with their soulful jamtronica grooves for a few years, and after almost 20 years of playing countless shows and festivals, they’ve decided to take a well-deserved hiatus after this year. That meant the two sets they would play on Friday and Saturday were about to be historical.
So for another beautiful sunset set, they were welcomed for the first night of their last show at Suwannee (for now), the energy was warm and the band was smiling ear to ear. We secured our spot on the rail a solid 30 minutes before the show just from how excited we were, but Jeff had another reason for his excitement. The music started and they played several high-energy songs from their Microdosio album inspired by many marvelous mushrooms, but then for a moment they slowed it down with a song from my favorite album, TETIOS, not exactly a romantic song, but still its message was something we both resonated with. Jeff knew it was time.
Unaware of his movements because I was swept up in the music, I felt a tap on my shoulder and then turned to see the love of my life taking a knee holding a luminous moonstone ring. With all the love in existence rushing through my soul, I said yes…during sunset, at our favorite festival, front row of our favorite band, and with our friends and family surrounding us.
Time stood still in this heavenly moment.
The people around us were so amazing, showering us with love, cheers, and gifts; and as if it couldn't get any better, we were blessed with a setlist from Billy, their keysmaster and synth daddy. I couldn't have asked for a better way to share the immense love I have for Jeff, our loved ones, the band, and all of Suwannee.
From there, the love and magic just kept on flowing as the music that followed Dosio was the most psychedelic trip (with or without actual psychedelics) that I’ve seen at a fest, giving us a savory Desert Dwellers, STS9, Ott, and Shpongle sandwich! Desert Dwellers and Shpongle have been on my music bucket list for ages and what a crazy trip it was to witness them in the same night! Although Desert Dwellers have played here before, they really brought the desert heat to our oasis this year, because when I asked people what their favorite set was, DD were at the top of most everyone’s list, naturally.
Shpongle was a newcomer ‘round these parts this year, and by golly I hope they return even shponglier again soon, because that was one wild ride! Ott, as always, brought us a set straight from whatever planet he’s from, because every time I’ve seen him, I've been transported through multiple dimensions. The end of night two left me wondering how it could even be possible to top this, but of course it gets better. We were at Suwannee, after all!
The last day is always bittersweet; everyone was wavering between exhausted and excited, basking in every sweat-soaked moment of this experience as much as they could before the end. Despite this year scorching us with 90 degree days, everyone was out in full force flowing at workshops, taking a dip in the refreshingly cold river, and of course vibing with the music. You would think the heat would make people a little hostile. Nope, not here. If anything it brought us closer together as everyone was passing out water and cooling each other with fans and spray bottles. We call this a family for a reason: we take care of each other. Because regardless of what each individual is going through, our collective goal is to make sure everyone is happy, safe, and having fun.
Our group took the day to relax at camp, as hot as it was, and we were gonna need our strength later. Because Saturday was the big shebang, filled with another round of heavy headliners and late night renegades. Ott’s 2nd set was our first stop and this time he was playing at the Amp instead of the Porch. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. Ott is known to play very bass-heavy psychedelic dub, and although his sound at the smaller stage was still banging, it really got amped at the Amp. We were dead center in the pit and the bass was so powerful, it dislodged a burp from deep within me that I didn’t even know was there. But besides his sound that moves every molecule in your body, another reason to never miss an Ott set is the fact that he’s such a funny and kind man. For both sets, he was hyping the crowd with jokes and goofy faces, and afterwards he could be found in the pit sharing love and trinkets with fans of all ages. I know all of us at Suwannee were happy to hear he was doing better with his back condition and grateful that he made sure to make it back down for another year of vibing with his favorite swamp people (even if he didn’t want to taste what was in the “big bag of brown” from the Crawfish Fairy - IYKYK).
The rest of the day and night, our one big sweaty swampy family was moovin’ and groovin' through two incredible new live experiences from Thought Process and Opuio, one of the best Dosio sets I’ve seen in a decade, and our last course of this hot and heavy meal of a weekend, Detox Unit.
But don’t get up from the table just yet, we haven’t had desert! Some sweet sounds and good vibes were waiting for everyone at camp Planet Zuton. Lovely folks Jeremy, Gina, Nikki, Jesse, Travis, Gracie and more worked so hard all weekend to set up the coolest camp in the land. If you know where to go (not like it was hard to find what with giant inflatable mushrooms towering in the trees and a surrounding wall of beautiful blacklight tapestries), you would find a neon forest wonderland filled with trinket tables, comfy couches, beautiful art installations, and a three-headed silent disco monster.
Around 2am we had arrived just in time, ready to tune in and trip out. Good thing too because soon after, the people started to flow in and the line was getting long. We danced around while exploring the area, dropped off the last of our trinkets at the take-one-leave-one, and admired the abundance of beautiful art all around us. Silent discos are a lot of fun both with and without the headphones; it’s a great compromise to local noise ordinances for those of us who still want to keep the party going till sunrise without getting shut down. And without headphones, it’s quite entertaining to see people throwing down to music you can’t hear. As a dancer, I love trying to interpret the sound through the tempo of their movements, which was extra fun with there being three different channels. I wish I could remember the names of the DJ’s, but Red was playing some nasty trippy dub, Blue was playing some 2000’s hip-hop throwback trap, and Green was a total wildcard hopping through multiple genres.
Before we left we had the pleasure of talking to Gina and thanked her and her team for all the good vibes and art in Zuton. Planet Zuton actually had their own festival this year back in February called Zutopia, an intimate mixed-genre camping fest with even more other-worldly vibes, so if you enjoyed their off-world cosmic colony at Resonate this year, make sure to keep a look out for the mothership to their home planet in 2026!
Every time I return to this beautiful swampy utopia of art, music, and love, I can’t help but say “I’m home”. Suwannee is a sanctuary for the lost to be found, for consciousness to grow, for love to bloom, for our inner child to play, and for humans and nature to live in harmony. It doesn’t matter if you're a beginner or expert - you are welcome, you are loved, you are free. We are guided by one simple agreement: embrace and embody Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect.
Remember, the energy you experienced here doesn't have to stay isolated to this place. As you return to your daily life, use that energy charged within you to create a life-changing mindset, get into the habit of calling life at Suwannee the "real world". The real world is where the default mode of humans is to love and support each other, to be your genuine goofy self, and enjoy being alive. All the joy and trinkets you exchanged this weekend, there's nothing stopping you from doing that in your daily life!
That cashier you had a nice convo with? Give them a sticker! The little kid having a hard time at the grocery store? Here's a trinket to play with! Stuck in traffic? Blow some bubbles out of your window! Be the change you want to see, be the light you want to shine, and be the best part of someone's day. I’ll be counting down the days until we're all home together again, until then, be excellent to each other.
