Summer Meltdown

The Quick and Easy:

What: 8th Annual Summer Meltdown
When: Aug. 8-10
Where: Whitehorse Amphitheater in Darrington WA
Why: Listen to some music, express yourself and enjoy the outdoors .

The Eighth Annual Summer Meltdown returns August 8-10 for its third year at the beautiful Whitehorse Mountain Amphitheater in Darrington, WA, nestled in the foothills of the Cascade mountains.

Anchored and headlined by the stellar talent of Flowmotion – a Seattle band quickly rising to national stature – this year’s Meltdown features a rich blend of over 25 national acts and local independent favorites. Featuring national musicians like avant garde guitar-slasher Buckethead, the emerging brilliance that is San Francisco’s Tea Leaf Green, Matt Butler’s Everyone Orchestra featuring Steve Kimock and members of ALO, and the inimitable stylings of That 1 Guy, the festival also offers a diverse sampling of local independent acts like 2007 “American Idol” star Blake Lewis returning home in his pre-Idol incarnation as the beat-boxing B-Shorty, McTuff (featuring Skerik, Joe Doria, Andy Coe and Dvonne Lewis), The Panda Conspiracy, Handful of Luvin’, The Staxx Brothers, even Seattle’s favorite kid’s band, Recess Monkey.

In addition to the impressive line-up and the fellowship of good people – over 3,000 people attended the festival last year – festival co-producer Terra Roots Foundation brings back the Green Village with exhibits like “Building with Cob” and environmental and social outreach. The foundation is a non-profit advocating Sustainable Living, Responsible Action and Creating Community through grants to local musicians and artists and community organizations. To that end, the Second Annual Meltdown Food Drive will benefit Darrington Community Services and Food Bank, and the foundation will give support to the Darrington Family Support and Resource Center.

The festival encourages families to join in the fun with a dedicated kid’s play and activity area, an organized parade leading to a special show by the wonderful Recess Monkey, the Little Seahorse Showcase (young people performing live) and more. The spacious campsites stay cool beneath tall cedars, kids like to splash in the stream on the grounds, and everyone looks up to the glacier-capped Whitehorse Mountain, looming over all.

The continued efforts of the Meltdown organizers and volunteers has resulted in a strange twist. What remains the very definition of a homegrown, grassroots affair – in its first year the festival was held on a friend’s property on San Juan island, and since then it has built and outgrown several locations -- has produced a cadre of seasoned veterans, pros with eight years of festival production under their belt. It’s an elite group of outfits that has that kind of experience, and it shows. The Summer Meltdown has quietly grown into the biggest camping festival in Western Washington.

Traditionally, this event has been a celebration of art, life and community. Flowmotion’s Josh Clauson says “Meltdown is based on coming together, renewing the sense of community – the idea of ‘all one people’ becomes reality for a weekend, and people carry that with them when they leave.”