Subterranea Festival
The Caverns - Pelham, TN
( long backstory intro because I cannot fully express just how special this band and their community are to me )
Papadosio has been my favorite band since a friend introduced me at a garage party in 2014. One cold winter night, everyone was sitting around chilling for a smoke break after a raging tournament of beer pong, and my friend said, “hey give me the aux and hit the lights, I wanna show y’all something.” So he put on ‘Find Your Cloud’, a song from their TETIOS album that came out two years prior, whipped out some light-up balls attached to rope called “poi”, and started flowing with them in beautiful patterns that perfectly synchronized with the heavenly jams that were filling my ears and soul. I had never experienced anything like this and it absolutely and irreversibly changed my very being; I was awakened to a whole new world of music experience. Once the song ended I had to hear more, so for the next round of pong, Dosio was our vibe. Needless to say, I lost pretty early on because I was so distracted by dancing to the music. But I didn’t care, this new love of my life was singing sweet sounds through air so my heart was compelled to listen and my body possessed to move.
My friend told me that they had a show coming up in April if I wanted to go, but of course he already knew the answer just by looking at the glow in my aura. So Saturday, April 18th, 2015 at Tipitinas in New Orleans was my first show. It was a two-day run for Bicycle Day and I could only make it to the first night, but in no way did that dampen my excitement. When we got to this unassuming yellow building on the corner of a street with a name that would be a right of passage to correctly pronounce, the place was flooded with a sea of dreads and tie-dye, more of those poi balls, and the sweet smell of the devil’s lettuce in the air…my people. Since it was a psychonaut holiday, everyone was about to be (or already was) in another dimension, and that included us thanks to a kind dread-head in a trippy Pikachu shirt. I had previous experience with psychedelics though mushrooms, but had never before done LSD until this night. We talked with the guy for a while and right before doors opened, we all cheers’d our tiny papers and I strapped in for my first acid trip. As the opener started, so too did my ride. I don’t remember much about them since I was processing the come-up that felt like I had a shit brewing while simultaneously feeling an insatiable need to tap dance for about 45 minutes. Nevertheless and thankfully, I leveled out right before Dosio went on.
Since I was still new to their music, I hadn’t yet built my melodic memory of recognizing a lot of the songs, especially since they had played a couple of Radiohead covers that night which really threw me for a loop because I wasn’t familiar with them at all at that time. But one thing was for sure, I immediately knew when they played my song, the one that started it all. Bliss befell me. Because I had joined my fellow trippers in another dimension, I don’t really remember much of the night, but also somehow still remembered everything from that night. I had several existential experiences during their set, some were internal realizations, and others were external hallucinations, but all permanently altered every molecule of my existence. Over the years, there’s been a lot of speculation of the meaning of the band’s name, one of them being that it’s a code about psychedelics, specifically LSD, of which one of the street names for is a “dose”. So, Papadosio. Pop-a-Dose-yo. The band hasn’t really confirmed or denied this theory, but it was certainly true for me, because that night, my first dose was with Dosio.
This was my first experience which would lead me down an 11 year road of self-exploration, psychedelic adventures, falling in love with live music, enhancing a passion for dance, finding the love of my life, and making so many friends with like-minded, kin-spirited souls who found each other through the manifestation of LOVE that is MUSIC. I am eternally grateful for every person I’ve met and experience I’ve gained because of this band - I owe much of my spiritual journey to these five amazing people who opened their minds, followed their hearts, and created a movement fueled by connection, creativity, and consciousness. Now, attending the third year of a music festival held inside a cave hosted by my favorite band, will be my 20th and final Papadosio show for the foreseeable future of their hiatus.
( now here’s what you actually came to read )
I hadn’t been to the Caverns since the last Subterranea in 2023, so it was a wonderful treat to just be in the mountains and the cave again regardless of a show. It’s a truly gorgeous place where you can really feel the spirit of the land, and one should, because for centuries, its history was cared for by indigenous wards in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; their essence embedded in every wise tree and ancient rock. Even the beautiful wooden doors entering the cave are adorned with an inscription honoring their reverence that reads: “ ᏚᏍᏓᎦᎸ'Ꭲ ᎾᏃ ᎤᏁᎳᏅ ᎠᏂᏴᏫ ᎠᏲᎯᏲ’Ꭰ ᎤᎾᎵᎪᎲᏍᏗ ᏗᎧᏃᎩᏛ ᎬᏓ (in the caves, Great Spirit brings all people together through music).“ I know this to be true not just in this place, but in any place where people gather and dance; it’s primal, it’s divine, and it’s woven into our cultures and spreads across time.
We had most of our usual group with us since every show is always a reunion, but we also managed to convince three other lovely people to come who we met back in May while volunteering at Dosio’s other festival in Maryland, Kicksville. I’m so thankful they were up to making the 15 hour drive for another opportunity to see each other again, especially since none of them had ever been to the cave or Subterranea! Emily, Kitsune, and John - new friends that feel like past life pals. We’re extra glad that we all got to spend more time together because sadly a few weeks after the fest John passed away. He was a gentle soul and a wise man, we connected instantly at Kicksville through deep conversations about spirituality and life in general, but my favorite moment between us was after the group meditation ended, I was already crying from gratitude and I turn around to see the same tears rolling down his face and we shared a beautiful hug. RIP John Evanco, I hope you're having fun at the great festival in the sky.
Because it’s such a small festival, it was easy to camp together and make sure that everyone is having a good time (as subatomic particles do) for our last Dosio show. We had quite the little compound set up for all 12 of us, a perfect start to a bittersweet weekend. I’m so blessed to be surrounded by so much love; some of the best people I’ve ever met are because of this band, both the music and the community have added so much depth to my soul. I also handmade SO MANY trinkets that were a Dosio / Avatar Last Airbender crossover that I’m quite proud of! I had carved out the Dosio symbol on one side and the element symbols from ATLA on the other, then painted them in their respective associated color and with color-shift paint. I had so much fun handing them out asking people what their element was and also leaving them on the trail leading to the cave. Can’t wait for their return because I’ve got some very special goody bags in the making for all my favorite Dosioheads.
Naturally, the boys had an amazing lineup of music for us with a mix of EDM and Jam and some places in between, from artists they’ve played with before as well as their own side projects. Even though I was familiar with almost all the artists, I had only seen 3 live, so new experiences awaited and that’s why I love music festivals in general but especially mixed genre ones - you get a full spectrum of sounds. I had just seen Dosio, 5AM Trio, and Somatoast at Resonate festival back in May, so we love any chance to see them again, especially so soon. Plus that’s the great thing about jam bands and dj’s, you’ll never get the same show twice! Shoutout to Earthcry Live and Maxfield for taking silver and bronze of my favorite sets of the weekend, but the gold winner is (of course) a Dosio set, specifically night one. We got some uncommon gems like “How Not to Float”, “Fuse”, “Each and Every Wave”, and one that no one expected so everyone went absolutely bonkers over, “Giving You Up”. After hearing the intro and then turning around mouth agape in shock and cursing with excitement just to see everyone else doing the exact same thing together had become a core memory. That’s not the first time I’ve experienced crowd synchronicity at their shows, because they have such a harmonious vibe that it sort of just happens, and you can see it and feel it and it’s amazing every time I’m part of it.
Dosio’s music has always had themes of love, mindfulness, mental health struggles, spiritual experiences, and cultural commentary. They work hard to create the magical shows we all love, but when they take time to specifically curate a set, you can feel the emanations of their intentions, and Subterranea was one of those times. To me, the songs they chose spoke of both horrors and wonders in the world, but there was a subliminal whisper of hope between the lines of light and dark. “Don’t let them take your humanity. Don’t let them darken your light. Don’t let them corrupt your heart with fear. We are Love, the source of All. Everything will be okay because we are protected by Love. Love is the only truth.” That’s the message I received during their set and I’ve had many other similar experiences at their shows, which again adds another layer of depth to my love for them. Like many others, their messages of hope got me through some of the hardest, darkest years of my life because they challenged me to grow and connected me with wonderful people who were on the same journey. I expected to cry after the last song of the last set of my last show, but I didn’t. I teared up not out of sadness, but of gratitude. So thankful that we all shared this experience together as friends and fam, plus knowing that in time the boys will be back in town, my heart was at peace because we can always come back.
