As time ticks by, we draw closer to the event that altered my course for the better. A little more than a week away, unless you’re pre-partying, Secret Dreams is set to engage its third iteration. This year’s edition is set to improve on the past episodes in every single capacity. Awesome venue? Legend Valley, check. Art and artistry represented through a community of inspiring visionaries? Double check. Elite performances from a cadre of musical artists intent on delivering one-of-a-kind presentations for all those in attendance? Super-triple-double-dog, check. As Secret Dreams’ form continues to evolve, one thing will remain consistent: a focus on inspiring each other. This ain’t your average music festival, this is Secret Dreams Music and Arts Festival, and we’re going to be sharing philosophies aimed at improving outlooks on life, throughout the weekend. Bear Swiftly, will be on site, vending with my homies at Cerebral Concepts. Tipper’s my absolute jam (Off Kilter, Bro!), but that’s only one fractal of the lasers. Take a spell and listen, and I’ll fill you in on what’s got me excited about Secret Dreams.
2022 is a year I celebrate, for many reasons, the year of the inaugural Secret Dreams. Here, I received signals instructing me to exit one business venture into another, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. The groundwork had been lain long before, it just took some gentle coaxing from the universe at large to sail me in my proper direction. I was guided back to Legend Valley, a venue I’m fond and familiar with thanks to Lost Lands, circa 2017. Golly gee, I could tell you some stories about those expeditions, but I’ll save those for another entry, and another time. Essentially, what I’m getting at is many of us go to festivals to endeavor experiences. Sometimes happenings occur so potent, it causes one to recall a powerful source of magic brims inside each of us. Did you forget? I know I did, or maybe I was merely ignoring my gift. More accurately, I didn’t know how to apply it until I gazed upon a field flowing with vibrant and colorful personalities manifesting images from their mind’s eye. We can look at our situations through a multitude of lenses, but it doesn’t change the fact that we have to be honest with ourselves. Follow your passions, and make sure they’re your own. I set aside the welding torch, picked up the pen, and I started writing. From Secret Dreams, Electro Scribe was blessed, and born.
There’s a thing I’ve been saying since I adventured Secret Dreams for the first time. Music and arts festivals just hit different. I’ll tell you what; when you walk through a festival, with unfettered access to observe and interact with prolific pioneers more than happy to share the wisdom of their ways, it evolves your attitude. Most of the time, if we’re not where we want to be, we just need a few minor adjustments to our dispositions. One takes a step back and surveys the landscape of our lives, analyzing pathways traversed. That first year of Secret Dreams, I came to see Tipper and reconnect with friends. However, there was a bounty of musical harmony and art-filled masterfulness that lay in wait to inspire and orient my wandering soul.
This year’s lineup is apple sauce jacked. It’s been doing belly burps, planks, squats, and push-ups. Advice on how to prepare? Don’t forget your orange juice for waking up. A lot of folks start their day with coffee, caffeine, and the finest salts and sugar… water. Fresh juice is a nutrient dense solution which boosts focus, prudence, and response. Not saying drop the coffee, I’ll still drink the morning brown with a dash of whole milk and organic honey or raw sugar. However, there are alternatives. Cold showers revivify senses and boost creativity. With that PSA out of the way, let’s talk about the performers assembling for the engagement that is, Secret Dreams. Two sets of Tipper, one 420 style and the other brimming with bangers. Bangers, bud, we’re getting a saucy serving of bangers! You ready to get Tipped, fellow animals?
Tipper’s top dog, the apex of the iceberg as they say, but there’s a multitude of artists sporting a plethora of styles, besides. How many? Guess I’m counting now, but I’ll do it for you, likeable and inteligent person reading this narrative. Over sixty artists representing disciplines from electronica all the way through to instrumentalism and jam band will descend upon Legend Valley to share their sounds. The following have multiple sets throughout this celebration: Tipper (as mentioned, 420 set Friday and Bangers set Saturday night), Papadosio (3 nights), The Disco Biscuits (2 nights) Barclay Crenshaw (2 nights), Daily Bread (2 nights), The Werks (2 nights), and Lespecial (2 nights).
That’s not all, we’ve also got G Jones, Jade Cicada, Detox Unit, Lotus, LTJ Bukem (Cosmic Twilight Set), Dirtwire, Emancipator Trio, The Floozies (YEEESSSSSS!!!), Ivy Lab performing a special DnB set, Mickman, Mindchatter, The Polish Ambassador, Truth for an extended 420 set, and Wreckno up in dis hizzie. Add in A Hundred Drums, DMVU, Esseks b2b Tiedye Kye, Koan Sound, Late Night Radio, LYNY (Chicago based), Lyrics Born (Full Band), Maddy O’Neal’s MADHAUS (I’m salivating already), Moontricks, Player Dave, Shigeto (Live Drum + DJ set), Spoonbill, SunSquabi, Supertask, Ternion Sound, Toadface, Tripp St., and the Widdler. Absolutely stacked, get your legs ready, we gonna be dancing, a lot!!!
But wait, there’s more! 5AM, Anna Morgan, Artifakts, Chalk Dinosaur Ensemble (Jen the Dragon loves these fellers from Minnesota), Come Back to Earth: Mac Miller Tribute Band, Cualli, Funkbox, Ghost Gardens, The Hose, Iceman Special, K+Lab, Kr3ture, Lusine, Magic Beans, Mindex, Moftiv (is the F silent?), Mystic Grizzly, Nasty Snacks, Octave Cat, Parkbreezy, Sneezy, Space Bacon, and don’t forget pre-party entertainers Yheti, Chalk Dinosaur, and Zen Selekta. I hope I pronounced everyone’s names correctly. If I didn’t, I’ll find them on the grounds and make sure to get it right for future purposes.
You’ll encounter all the above listed acts spread across three stages: Lucid, Portal, and Woods. Lucid is the main stage where you’ll predominantly find top tier instrumentalists and jam bands. Alternatively, Portal features exclusively electronic acts. This is my home away from home, where you’ll find me juiced to the gills, most of the time. Tipper and all his friends deliver juicy sets here throughout the week, and Portal stage backs up to a hillside with plenty of trees and shade for hanging hammocks. You can bet you’ll find more than a few handsome Wooks and goreous woodland fae peering inconspicuously from within the foliage, but don’t worry, they’re largely friendly. However, the fae are tricksters, and will try to take your name. Keep your wits about you. Portal Stage also boasts a plethora of afterhours and ambient presentations, though the volume will be turned down a tad as to avoid drawing the ire of Thornville locals. It’s actually rather pleasant; you can hear yourself think and carry on conversations freely amongst friends, old and new.
The Woods stage is well utilized, early on in the day and later at night, to avoid direct sunlight exhausting attendees and artists. We’ve got a lot of communal celebrations to hold, don’t want to get all you lovely creatures tuckered out before the fun really kicks off. Additionally, the Woods is another site for late night instrumental entertainment. There’s a noise ordinance in place nightly after midnight, so akin to Portal stage, the sound is turned down as we engage chillish, cool cat, vibes. Check out the schedules I’ve included above for more insight into how to plan your own agenda.
The music is only one aspect of this coming week’s entertainment. Throughout your experience, you’ll discover a cubic buttload of installation, live glass, and visual cognoscenti sharing talents and creativity throughout the venue grounds. Installation artists are as follows: Actualize, Annette Outdoors, Art in Session, Boredom Fighters, Cerebral Concepts (stop by for conversations about shapes), Colorimetry, Dan Shields, Dohm Collective, Deliberate Creation Station, Earth Touched Designs, Florentine Farms, Frick Flack Blackjack (J-Rose Loops rocks!), Fuller Life Foundation, Funktion Forms, Geovisual Creations, Greg Coye, Guardian Aliens, Joyful Bubbles, Readings with Jewell (I love reading, consider my interests piqued), Level 42, Metanoia, Metaterrestrial, Mythic Times, Save the TV’s (Streaming killed the TV Star), Soular Structures, Spero Art, Subloominal, Tate Leigh, The Gallery Society, The Grovetrotter, The Ship of Fools, The Wizard (Gandalf?), Tyler Schrader, Wick Visuals, Zenith, plus Zoe Fox and Sam Mills. What a huge lineup! Some of these monikers and titles fascinate my mind, and I’m only getting started listing promethean futurists.
Moving onto glass, there’s a wonderful assortment of blowers who will be playing with their hands. Hot air? Plenty of it, but stay cool, hunny bunny. These folks have got skills that pay the bills, while impressing onlookers: Aric Bovie, Cici Kitty, Cy Glassworks, Earth Touched Designs, Enlightened Angles, Falcon, JDZ, Land of the Sky, Mina.Glass.Sk8, P Funk, Rhythm, and Shane Smith. That’s a glass half full collection of artisans for your eyes to peek, peer, and leer upon as they display their unique craftsmanships, for all to observe.
The roster of live painters is as follows: Aaron Brooks, Abbey Aura, Ania Amadoor, Aiyana Rosalani, Altered Moon Art, Chanimal, Chris Bohlin, Drake Arnold, Ellie Paisely, Flowkate of Mind (ha, I see what you did there), Gavinger, H.L. Crawford, Infinite Horizon, Jerod Black, Jerry Cahill, Jonathan Cepeda, Josh Audiss, Lex Newtho, Logan Belz, Martina Sanroman, Michael Hancock, Nick Synaptic, Psykiss, Rae Grand, Randal Roberts, Raw.Sol, Rich Ayers, Rosa Beryl, SchottinthHeart (Nice!), Scott Nicholson, Sean Zenner, Shannon Miguela, Silver Arrow Art, Sofi Rami, Spero Art, Steven the Artist, Subloominal, Sweet Melis, Sweet Sator1, Technocolor, The Groovy Girls, and Violetris. These exceptional innovators will be spread throughout the grounds, showcasing endowments through canvas paintings and other forms of creativity. Stop by, say hello, be respectful, and watch them form imagery from sources unseen.
I left two out from the above list, and this is because Tom Loranz and The Whimsical Libra set aside time to answer some questions for this piece. Thus, the following are excerpts from our digital conversation. I drafted separate questionnaires for them both, so their responses to my queries are wholly unique unto themselves. They provided insights into their art styles, influences, and the Secret Dreams community we’re inspired by and truly adore.
The Whimsical Libra had this to share about her journey into the world of art. “I began showing my artwork and live painting at local jam events in 2018 but I have been on my art journey most of my adolescence and young adult years. In 2019, The Whimsical Libra became my art name and I began vending with a 10×10 canopy at some smaller festivals and I blossomed from there. In 2020, I taught myself how to preserve flora, fungi, and insects during the pandemic. With all the extra time on my hands and my weekly shows paused until further notice, I refined myself and emerged with new skills and the confidence to showcase them. I started pursuing live painting over vending at events in 2021. I loved the opportunity to channel and paint live as a performer and it allowed me more freedom to paint wherever without the full booth to watch. I enjoy blowing minds as patrons express how much the piece has evolved during their adventures around the festival grounds. Painting live has been my main passion for some time now.”
The Whimsical Libra is known by two other names, only one of which I feel approval to share with you. You’ll have to get the other from her, personally, and she’s very sweet to speak with. “Most of my followers know me as The Whimsical Libra. My facebook art page was the only professional page for my artwork prior to me syncing with my instagram (@astral_adventurer). I always say “we are ever evolving” which is very true. While thinking of a name, I needed one that would never change despite my growth. I thought about it and well… I have a whimsical perspective on life and I’m also a Libra. Since those things will never change about me, The Whimsical Libra became my art name and has stuck ever since.”
I inquired about some of her influences, to which she delivered the following. “[Salvador] Dali is huge for me! I love his ability to capture surreal concepts with deep emotions and messages involved. His mind is so bizarre and beautiful, he was ahead of his time. A few modern inspirations are Hannah Yata, Robert Steven Connett and Olga Kilmova.”
This led us towards another topic, painting as a storytelling medium. She shared these astute observations. “We as visual artists are translators for an unspoken language. We bring the beauty of the mind’s eye into the physical realm by pushing pigments, giving life to a 2D surface. There are many emotions we experience that we may not have the proper vocabulary to express. I feel a good painting allows the space for connection and sharing deep messages without the need for any spoken words. Almost like a telepathic connection.
Humans have been using art to tell stories since they learned to use tools. Petroglyphs tell the stories of the past. The artists have been long gone but we still can translate their message all these centuries later.”
Tom Loranz is truly a fascinating character, and a stand-up guy. He’s an exceptional tattoo artist fashioning one-of-a-kind designs onto murals of skin. I consider people to be works of art, and he accentuates bodies with gorgeous embellishments and motifs. “I’m currently really loving my tattoo career. I’ve been building a unique tattoo style based on the patterns in my paintings. It’s a fun and rewarding medium to work with. It is such a powerful artform, and I’m so honored people are wearing my artwork on them for life.” Soon, I’ll be sporting one of his distinctive designs, and I’m excited to say the least.
I inquired about elements Tom Loranz enjoys incorporating into his artwork, as well as his creative process. His answers are as follows.
“Before I start a piece, I think about three main things. Composition, perspective, and FLOW. Flow is always one of my most important elements. I love creating pieces that keep the eyes moving throughout the piece, giving it movement.
“I like to give my paintings an immersive ethereal atmosphere type feel. One of my first thoughts is how to achieve that. When it comes to painting, half of my projects are planned. The other half is experimenting and seeing what looks good at the moment. I tend to start working with values, and slowly add color and life to pieces that call for it. Similar to the patterns I like to create, each piece feels like a puzzle I’m creating on the spot.”
As we continued, I asked Tom for some details concerning best practices in professional spaces. He delivered, “I would say having a dedicated painting space, where everything is all set up and ready to go. That’s the most efficient way to dive back into a piece. As far as tattooing… I always make sure to set up a clean, relaxing, and calm space to work in. It’s all about making the client and myself comfortable, and happy.”
I enticed The Whimsical Libra to share thoughts about the Secret Dreams Music and Arts Festival, as well as the community, to which she gushed lovingly. “The past two years have been such a magical experience for me as a featured artist. I truly feel the attendance has a high appreciation for art. The first year as a Roaming Creator, my w.i.p I was working on sold on the spot before it was complete. I was shown so much love on that piece, it felt surreal. She found a loving home during that weekend. Last year was a different and equally as dreamy an experience as well. Originally I planned to collaborate on a mural with my partner, Tom Loranz. I get the call from Gavin on Monday, a wall opened up and if I wanted to shine on my own mural. That was my first solo 8×8 and I was elated. I tackled it using a roller for the background and 3 different brushes. I felt so accomplished after the 4 days. The same group of 15 or so people posted up behind my wall the whole weekend watching it unfold. They thanked me and shared their amazement as they watched me throughout the weekend. It felt great being acknowledged for my contribution to the event by both staff and attendance.”
On the topic of Secret Dreams and the art community, Tom Loranz absolutely glowed about support shared between fellow dreamers. “I really look up to all the visual artists on the lineup, they are all amazing humans. I feel like we do what we can to at least support each other’s posts on social media. Showing posts a little love goes a long way in today’s age. I also love scooping some art from The Gallery Society’s art gallery. Just being surrounded by all of these amazing artists is so motivating, and inspiring. So grateful to be part of it.”
Tom also had this to say about how Secret Dreams treats their artists. This has been a topic I’ve heard a lot of discourse on, lately, and I’m thrilled to know the organizers of this festival are taking care of their painters. “Secret Dreams does a great job at addressing the needs of the visual artists. They make sure we feel appreciated, and are taken care of. It is absolutely improving the standard for us artists. I’m hopeful other festivals will evolve to this standard.”
Finally, The Whimsical Libra had this guidance to share with onlookers and observers: “Mindfulness is free. Be aware of your surroundings and please do not touch the artwork, sculptures or any installations.”
Before we bring this story to a close, and trust me, there will be more, I’d like to address the community that shows up to Secret Dreams Music and Arts Festival, and the like. You all are wonderful, kind, evocative, provocative, and unique souls, to name a few from among a myriad of descriptors I can choose. Festivals like this don’t happen without a vibrant collective of adventurers and explorers who bring the best of themselves to collaborate among the many. We share our interests and passions freely with one another, laughing and giggling at jokes and enjoying music and art as we impress each other through character and personality. Bring your glorious selves to Secret Dreams, and let’s push each other forward to heights we never knew we’d be able to describe. There’s so much to be excited about, I hope to see you at Secret Dreams.
Be well, be successful. Bear Swiftly.
–Electro Scribe–
