Okeechobee Official Portal Guide 2022

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“It’s an honor to organize Okeechobee for such an amazing community of people at one of the most beautiful festival locations. Creating an environment that combines so many genres of music with people from different scenes is exciting. We hope the weekend takes Okeechobeeings on a unique journey of musical discovery and adventure. Cheers to 5 years of celebrating music, community, and art at Sunshine Grove!”

Pasquale Rotella, Co-Owner, Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival

"When you can bring light and make someone happy, it’s the best feeling in the world! That’s my main motivation for having created the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival. Happy people make better citizens, why not have a little fun from time to time. YOLO!" Julio Santo Domingo, Co-Founder, Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival

P. 04

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

P. 08

OKEECHOBEE CORE VALUES

P. 14

THURSDAY ARTISTS P. 16 Chee P. 18 Covex P. 20 Heidi Lawden P. 22 MASF P. 24 Two Feet

INTERVIEWS

THIS MAGAZINE IS INTERACTIVE Scan this Portal Code to transport to the digital magazine.

Every time you see a Portal Code, interact with it to LISTEN.

WHERE THE PORTAL GROWS

P. 31

PULL-OUT SCHEDULE

P. 36

FESTIVAL MAPS

P. 26

FRIDAY ARTISTS P. 40 Colorvision P. 42 Freddy Todd P. 44 Khiva P. 46 Pepper P. 48 The Ries Brothers

INTERVIEWS

P. 30

P. 50

SATURDAY ARTISTS P. 54 Cannons P. 56 DONZII

P. 58

SUNDAY ARTISTS P. 62 Mt. Joy P. 64 The Hails P. 66 Twin Shadow

P. 68

OKEECHOBEE HISTORY

DOWNLOAD THE OKEECHOBEE APP Maximize your OMF experience, customize your personal set times, receive event messages, view festival and campiing maps, and more!

OKEECHOBEE STAGE HOURS BE

THU: 6PM-2AM FRI: 3PM-2AM SAT: 3PM-2AM SUN: 12:30PM-12AM

HERE

FRI: 3:00PM-12:15AM SAT: 3PM-12:30AM SUN: 12PM-10:20PM

NOW

FRI: 3PM-12:25AM SAT: 3PM-1:30AM SUN: 12:30PM-10:50PM

JUNGLE 51

THU: 6PM - 7:00AM FRI: 6PM - 7:00AM SAT: 6PM - 7:00AM SUN: 5PM - 5AM

AQUACHOBEE THU: 6PM - 12:30AM FRI: 12PM - 9PM SAT: 12PM - 9PM SUN: 12PM - 9PM

INCENDIA

THU: 12:00AM - 3AM FRI: 10PM - 4AM SAT: 10PM - 4AM SUN: 10PM - 2AM

PORTAL GUIDE TEAM Editor & Publisher Mitch Foster Layout & Design Ashley Hallenbeck Project Manager Chuck Magid Copy Editor Garrett East SIGT Photos Alex Dixon, Daniel Garcia OMF TEXT HELPLINE Are you okay? Does your neighbor need help? Text OKEE to 69050 to get in touch with Ground Control. They’ll get back to you right away and make sure you get help. This number is available 24/7 throughout the festival.

UPGRADE TO VIP Visit a booth at the BE, HERE, or NOW stages to upgrade to VIP and gain access to exclusive viewing areas!

@S H OW S I G O T O © Shows I Go To, LLC 2022 showsigoto.com / / / sigtmag.com U.S. ISSN Center at the Library of Congress Assignments: S.I.G.T. Interactive Magazine (Print) ISSN #: 2694-5002 S.I.G.T. Interactive Magazine (Online) ISSN #: 2694-5010

HEY! THIS IS PRINTED & DESIGNED BY SIGT MAGAZINE, & THE OPINIONS AND DESIGNS MAY NOT REFLECT THOSE OF OKEECHOBEE EXPERIENCE LLC.

THIS IS ART! ENJOY.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS Your journey through the Portal begins in an idyllic place of happiness and respect, where vast grasslands, pine and palm forests, and sun-kissed lakes meet to form a land that we love and covet - a place that takes us to another world. We are ready to Enter the Portal. We travel to Sunshine Grove to love, laugh, listen, dance, sing, create, meditate, eat, drink, explore, and live together for four magical days and live the OMF mantra - to

BE, HERE, NOW. The wonderful world of Okeechobee is yours to explore. Embrace your inclination to wander Sunshine Grove and discover what lies within the festival’s tree-lined passages. You will discover endless creativity carefully curated to delight all of your senses.

The Grove is a sprawling meadowland encircled by a pine and palmetto forest as far as the eye can see. The Grove is home to the BE and NOW stages plus all of the food and drink options you could ever crave. Beyond the Grove lies Moonlight Oasis.

Moonlight Oasis is made up of the Chobeewobee Village, the HERE stage, Aquachobee Beach stage, Jungle 51 and Incendia.

Chobeewobee Village is full of immersive art experiences and performance areas, bazaar-like shops, Yogachobeee, food and drink vendors and much more. Follow the path to Aquachobee Beach and enjoy the day-to-dusk sets while you bask in the sunshine. Don’t forget to save your energy for the otherworldly vibrations of Jungle 51 and the fiery nights at Incendia.

What to explore first? Let your senses lead the way. You’ll get to wherever you want to go if you just keep exploring…

5

189,216,000 SECONDS AGO, IT HAPPENED. A PORTAL OPENED, & EVERYTHING CHANGED. The Portal was manifested in our dreams, coming to life when tens of thousands of beautiful souls converged in the magical, nature-filled paradise of Sunshine Grove.

Strangers traveled from far and wide, camping next to each other, exchanging stories, and laughing as if they were friends from long ago.

WELCOME TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF:

Inside the Grove, you could smell the fresh air that had traveled from the oceanside. You could hear the crack of the deciduous floor below your feet as you walked from forest to meadow to jungle. You could feel the glimmer of sunlight breaking through the tightly intertwined vines in the pine groves, and touch the Spanish moss hanging from the long arms of trees. This space was filled with the sensation of stepping into a wild, untamed place that humankind was the last to discover.

The grove was overflowing with love and respect for each other and nature. The noise of the outside world could not pass through the Portal; there was simply no place for it. A pulsing energy began to emanate and grow, and as the sun set, the lights and music rose.

Sound waves reverberated around us, shaking our souls as we danced and existed in the moment. Otherworldly sounds emerged from the Jungle, late into the moon-kissed starry night. Suddenly, we found ourselves looking up to the fire-tinged skies of early morning, and made our way back to our tents to squeeze in a few restful moments before, preparing to do it all again.

We were all in it, every person— every Okeechobeeing— defining the Okeechobee Music Festival mantra, to BE, HERE, NOW. The feeling of this new world, the people, sights, sounds, colors, love, and vibes were indescribable. After four days of magic, we could finally identify it: it felt like coming home.

Bringing people together is as old as humanity. OMF set out to create a ritual, one where you can step through the Portal year after year, and enter a place where time stands still. A place where the minutiae of everyday life evaporates. You don’t leave it at the door; you simply let it go.

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Okeechobee.

7

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The Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival are proud partners with HeadCount: a non-partisan organization that uses the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy. HeadCount's "Participation Row" is an interactive social activism village that connects music fans from across the country with the local Okeechobee County community. HeadCount has hosted "Participation Row" onsite at the Okeechobee Music Festival each year since the festival's inception, and in that time has registered thousands of voters, encouraged civic participation, and supported dozens of local Okeechobee nonprofits.

OMF 2022 Partner Nonprofits: Helping People Succeed

HeadCount

Martha's House

Healthy Start

Treasure Coast Food Bank Thank You For Your Service End the Hunger Program through Okeechobee County Schools Big Brothers Big Sisters of Okeechobee County 13

TH THU THUR THURS THURSD THURSDAY THURSDAY HURSDAY URSDAY REZZ

TWO FEET

BE

BE

DRAMA

EPROM

BE

AQUACHOBEE

GERD JANSON

DANNY DAZE

JUNGLE 51

JUNGLE 51

THURSDA

HURSDAY URSDAY RSDAY SDAY DAY AY CHEE

AQUACHOBEE

TSURUDA

AQUACHOBEE

CHIIILD BE

COVEX BE

HEIDI LAWDEN JUNGLE 51

VCTRE

AQUACHOBEE

SLUGG

INCENDIA

YOLI MAYOR BE

GASPAR MUNIZ JUNGLE 51

MASF DRE MENDEZ B2B LORD RASH

INCENDIA

INCENDIA

15

INTERVIEW WITH LESEGO “LEE” MLANGENI, AKA

“The only opportunity I had to dig for music growing up was me saving up my lunch money, walking to the mall, and spending like 3 hours at the internet café.”

SIGT: What was it like growing up in South Africa?

CHEE: Growing up in South Africa was interesting, culturally speaking.

I was born and raised in Pretoria. My mom is Portuguese, and my dad is Sanga. I kind of got the best of both worlds, learning different sides of my family and therefore different cultures. I grew up doing a lot of art, mainly painting and sketching. Towards the end of primary school I got into making music because my brother had a copy of FL Studio. In the beginning of high school I ended up meeting Jon Casey and we both discovered electronic music together. That was basically the beginning of this entire journey. I'm really excited to go back there [SA] at some point.

SIGT: Your love for electronic music began there, but where did your love for music begin previous to that?

CHEE: My brother used to listen to a lot of hip-hop, and my mom was into disco and pop music. Michael Jackson was the first artist I remember listening to, and I was like, "Oh shit, what is this?"

In high school I started forming my music taste, which consisted of a lot of metal, like Bring Me The Horizon, Asking Alexandria, just surface-level metal. I never really dug super deep because I didn't necessarily have resources. The only opportunity I had to dig for music was me saving up my lunch money, walking to the mall, and spending like 3 hours at the internet café downloading music, and catching computer viruses from LimeWire. So much good shit came out of that, 'FabricLive.37' (Caspa & Rusko), Noisia, Spor…

SIGT: How do you feel all of these influences have evolved your music?

CHEE: Before I was passionate about music, I used to play a lot of video games. When I had my first encounter with DAWS, I kind of saw it as a sound generator. I was like, "Oh cool, I can make weird noises in here!"

I think there's this link between sound effects, video games, and electronic music. It was like discovering this whole new world of stuff. I dove in head-first. I wanted to learn how to do all of it. Hearing Skrillex as well, "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites." I was a big fan of horror movies and games, and hearing those growls makes it sound like it's alive. On top of that, I was listening to a lot of hip-hop. This is kind of why I write a lot of halftime now, because I can incorporate all those sounds I've learned from Noisia, Culprit, and Skrillex, and can also use the beats I enjoyed from like Timberland, Kanye, etc. Halftime is just kind of this middle ground or, like, Future Beats now. It's the sweet spot for me.

SIGT: You put out probably my favorite album title of last year, 'Paralysis Analysis.' Should we expect any of those songs live at Okee?

CHEE: Oh, hell yeah! Be expecting a whole bunch of new stuff, familiar stuff, and tons of unreleased stuff. I've been sitting on so much music.

SIGT: Is there anything that you would like to say to the fans at Okeechobee this year?

CHEE: Drink water. Pull up. Have some fun!

17

INTERVIEW WITH BRENDAN BELL, AKA

SIGT: How has COVEX and your music developed over these years?

COVEX: It's definitely been through a lot of transformations from 2016 to now. I've done a lot of different genres and a lot of different sounds. But over the last few years, I've pretty much nailed down what I'm doing direction-wise.

I put out my debut album [‘Ex Tapes’] in August, and that's setting the tone for all this new music to come. It's been awesome; I love getting booked for shows like this.

SIGT: Awesome! Congratulations on the new record! Tell me about that recording process and creating the music.

COVEX: I produced it all by myself right here in my bedroom where we're talking. I work with a lot of songwriters and vocalists, so they help out as well. I play piano, I do a little drumming, and I sing. Singing is the number one thing for me, though.

SIGT: What keeps you going and experimenting?

COVEX: Eternal dread? No, I'm kidding! That's a good question. I honestly just show up every day and try to push myself to come up with something new every time I sit down and produce. I think that always makes me come out with something creative that I haven't heard before. That's what keeps me going. It's just the spark.

SIGT: What is one thing that you want to tell the fans at Okee?

COVEX: Try to enjoy the moment as much as possible, and make new friends.

18

“Enjoy the moment as much as possible, and make new friends.”

DJ, PRODUCER, MANAGER, LABEL OWNER, EVENT PROMOTER, FESTIVAL PROMOTER, & MOTHER

SIGT: I'm so excited you're coming to Florida and performing this year at Okeechobee.

HEIDI LAWDEN: Me, too! I'm super excited. It was fun how it came about. I played for some people at Glastonbury, actually, who recommended me to play this year.

SIGT: You grew up gigging in London, and you had a residency at the Ministry of Sound?

HL: Yeah. It's really funny because I connected with an old roommate from that time and he said, "I remember we would all go out and spend money on clothes and you would stay home and have your grandma make you things because you were saving up for turntables." I was saving up for turntables!

SIGT: Wow, what year was that?

HL: I think it was probably the early ‘90s, maybe 1990. We were all teenagers. I left home shortly before my 16th birthday, as you can do in the UK, you can be done with school by 16. I headed straight to London, where I had some family. I stayed with them for a little bit until I found a place of my own with roommates. We had day jobs, but really all we wanted to do was go out every single night of the week.

There was something to go to every single night of the week, so we took advantage of all of it.

SIGT: You found yourself in a place where you could immerse yourself in the culture around you, and there was always music.

HL: It was great to be part of a fun thing with like-minded people. You could go out on the weekend and see someone on the dance floor, and then see them during the week on the tube, and you would talk to them like, “Weren't you at that party this weekend?” It really was this little crew of people that would move between every party, you would see the same faces. We were a small scene, but we went absolutely everywhere. It was really wonderful. Some of them were gay-scene fashion parties where it was more about how we look, and some of them were real serious heads-down music parties. We just got the best of the worlds. So how could you not be seduced into leaving your day job and wanting that to be your life? What an education!

SIGT: Do you have any advice for young artists who are aiming to make a career out of music?

HL: Don't delay. Don't succumb to fear and self-doubt and people telling you that you can't do it. England was very much "everybody in their place." As a woman, you weren't really expecting to go into a male-dominated industry, but perhaps you could have a role in the background underneath two or three men. There was a bit of a glass ceiling. And then you have your family just telling you to get a proper job. So it's kind of rigged against you. Honestly, my thing is just don't delay. Do it. Why not? Be your own champion and don't listen to the doubters, even if they might be members of your own family.

“Be your own champion, and don't listen to the doubters.”

21

M M M IC ICHH IC H

L EL AE L A AE

A A ALL L

XX EEXE

“Give more than you take.”

INTERVIEW WITH IDENTICAL TWINS, ALEX AND MICHAEL MARANTE

SIGT: Where did the name MASF come from and how is it pronounced?

MASF: It’s pronounced MASSIVE. It's everybody's first initial in our immediate family—M for Michael, A for Alex, and then our parents, S for Silvia and F for Felix.

SIGT: Marante, is that Spanish?

MASF: Yeah, we're actually from Miami, but our parents are Cuban. Most of our family are in Cuba and we have a lot of family in Miami as well.

SIGT: You guys started performing as DJs officially at 16, but you started learning at 14. But really, I read that you guys were getting into music at nine years old?!

MASF: Yeah. Our older brothers were really into freestyle growing up in the '80s. That's how we kind of found our way to the music that we make now. We like trance a lot, techno, freestyle, breaks, house, everything. Being in Miami, you're going to be around the Latin scene, too. Hip-hop was also really a huge influence. We try to translate that into our music.

And we're also Cuban so ... salsa!

SIGT: This is your second time performing at Okeechobee?

MASF: Yeah, we did the last one in 2020! If you were there, you already knew what the vibes were. You were free. You felt like you left planet Earth and you're in a whole different world.

And that's how Sunshine Grove makes you feel. It's such a large piece of land, and it's a magical place, literally. The more I think about it, the more excited I am to go back into the portal.

It feels like homecoming.

SIGT: Do you have any advice for young artists starting out?

MASF: Two words: Study music. What I mean by that is study sets, study the intricacies of mixing and making a vibe. Don't worry about what everybody else is doing. Be patient with yourself and make sure that when you do this, you're doing it because you love it. Make sure you're always helpful and you're always offering. Give more than you take.

23

“Just go with the flow.”

INTERVIEW

W I T H BILL

DESS, AKA

SIGT: Are you excited to be back at Okeechobee?

TWO FEET: Oh, yeah. I played it a couple of years back and I really loved the festival. It's always super fun. Very cool vibes.

SIGT: What was your transition like from being a jazz/blues performer into Two Feet?

TF: Every musician has a starting point, and what initially got me into music was blues and jazz. I’ve loved it since I was a kid and studied it for years. Then, I decided I wanted to get more into modern music, so I started producing beats. One day, I decided I'm going to make my own thing, make it really simple and heavy and just make what I wanted to hear. I brought back in some of the blues and jazz playing and that's how the sound came about.

SIGT: Do you play any other instruments on the tracks?

TF: I play all of the instruments on every track. Drums, synths, keys, bass, everything. I perform with a full band live. It's a drummer, me, and a guy doing keys and synths.

SIGT: Tell me about your progression from releasing your single "Go Fuck Yourself" in 2016 to now performing at some of the biggest festivals and venues in the country.

TF: It seems kind of quick, but everything goes really slow. It's all relative. Initially you're in front of 200 people, and then a couple of months later, you're in front of 800 people, and then a couple years later, you're in front of a couple of thousand people and playing big festivals. When you first play festivals, you always get little slots at the beginning of the day, and then they just slowly start moving you up.

Honestly, it's all relative. It's like learning anything or going through school. All of a sudden, you're a senior, you know what I mean?

SIGT: What does it mean for Two Feet to be part of the Okee community?

TF: I love this festival and the community. It's such a family vibe and it feels like everyone's going on like a trip together in the wilderness. It's just a holistic, fun, hippie festival. Everyone's really nice, it's very pretty, and there's a really good vibe.

We were totally excited to be able to play it again.

SIGT: What’s next for Two Feet?

TF: We have an album coming out this year and a really big fall tour. Continuing the touring, writing, and seeing what happens. Just go with the flow.

25

FRI RIDAY FRIDAY FRIDA FRID FRI FR TAME IMPALA

EARTHGANG

BE

NOW

GARY CLARK JR.

CARIBOU

BE

BE

COI LERAY

FOUR TET HERE

26

NOW

ELDERBROOK HERE

IDAY THE BACKSEAT LOVERS

TOBI LOU

BE

AY DAY IDAY RIDAY NOW

“There’s a first time for everything! First time your 3 kona boys will be bringing the Pepper Ohana to Okeechobee! Can you guys say it with us…?

ALOHA F$%KERS!!!!!

See you soon, Ohana!”

- PEPPER

PEPPER BE

GUS DAPPERTON NOW

BLU DETIGER BE

ROSS FROM FRIENDS

HERE

FRIDAY FRIDA FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY DUCKWRTH

GEE DEE HERE

1788-L

NOW

AQUACHOBEE

OF THE TREES AQUACHOBEE

NOODLES

INDIA JORDAN

NOW

HERE

MYD

HERE

HIROKO YAMAMURA

EAZYBAKED

JUNGLE 51

AQUACHOBEE

SUPERTASK INCENDIA

28

KHIVA

FREDDY TODD

AQUACHOBEE

INCENDIA

INCENDIA

Y AY AY Y AY INVT

DAIIKON JUNGLE 51

JUNGLE 51

COLORVISION

JUNGLE 51

POTIONS INCENDIA

BE

FIIN

AQUACHOBEE

THE RIES BROTHERS

BE

INTEGRATE AQUACHOBEE

HERE

SAKA

RECHULSKI

JONNY FROM SPACE B2B SISTER SYSTEM

INCENDIA

DIALS NOW

ICEKREAM AQUACHOBEE

Not pictured: Saka on Aquachobee

TAL R O P E H T WHER E WS O R G CHAPTER ONE To say when or where our story truly begins may be impossible, as time and space did not exist as we know it today. The universe was still perfectly dark.

Light could not escape the ultra-dense plasma which filled it. Here is where our story of Chobee shall begin…

In a far distant present, here and now, Chobee was confused. They could infer their own existence, but it didn’t make any sense. Chobee just knew one thing: there must be joy! A wonderful experience with bright colors, inspiring flavors, sparkling joy, and unconditional love.

“This must manifest,” thought Chobee.

At this precise moment, Chobee began moving around creating a wave which rippled through the ultra-plasma expanding into the universe. It was a sound wave! As the wave spread, it awakened other entities. Some were happy to come into existence, others confused, or even angry. All responded by creating their own individual sound waves. Very soon, this primitive universe was filled with these sound waves. However, instead of a symphony, it was a true cacophony, from gentle lullabies and comforting whispers to death metal and fearful shouting.

“What have I done?” Chobee asked. “This is not what I had in mind.

I must fix this.”

A new sound wave emerged: Chobee’s laughter.

CHAPTER TWO This primitive universe was filled with Chobee’s contagious laughter, vibrating like a cosmic earthquake. As it grew, it became unstoppable!

And then it happened – the cosmic explosion.

Light began to pour out into the universe, fueled by Chobee’s laughter. Ionic bonds were created, hydrogen clouds collapsed, stars exploded in supernovas, and planets formed. Chobee was contemplating this amazing game, permanent metamorphosis, celestial dance of joyful creation and destruction. Chobee was genuinely happy.

What could be better than that? Chobee asked himself.

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Continued on P. 37

And suddenly, Earth appeared.

Chobee was amazed. Earth was like nothing seen before. Something new was happening; the dance they used to see in the stars was now happening on the surface of this rocky ball. Things which had been raised from stardust were moving! New patterns and countless combinations were self-organizing!

“No doubt,” thought Chobee, “these moving patterns are conscious.”

They were Earthlings!

Attracted by their happy vibes, Chobee excitedly passed from Outer Space to Earth. But soon noticed not everybody shared this enthusiastic feeling.

THURSDAY, MARCH 3

Following the first sound wave created by Chobee in the dark plasma, all possible harmonics its own absence.

Therefore, some AQUACHOBEE JUNGLE 51 of these INCENDIA BEwere created…

HEREincludingNOW harmonics were joyful, but others were not. Some were angry to be disturbed, to YOLI MAYORfrom their deep meditation of nothingness.

VCTRE And to nothingness they be awakened 6PM 6PM - 7PM 6PM - 7:15PM wanted everything to return.

7PM

GASPAR MUNIZ

COVEX

10PM

DRAMA

OPENS FRIDAY

CHIIILD

8:25PM - 9:25PM All this had to stop!

9PM

OPENS FRIDAY

CHEE to them, 6PMand - 9PMthe scariest 7:05PM - 8:05PM All this noise, movement, and light was simply obscene 7:15PM - 8:30PM of all for them were the feelings that these Earthlings seemed to manifest.

8PM TSURUDA

8:30PM - 10PM

EPROM

ISAAC FERRY 9PM - 11PM

9:45PM - 10:45PM Chobee’s goal was simple: have fun and create10PM a paradise on earth. Earth was - 11PM utterly incredible. Witnessing the colorful and diverse beings — black panthers, 11PM CHARLESTHEFIRST TWO FEET mischievous raccoons, foxtail squirrels, white-tailed HEIDI LAWDENdeer, even cottontail 11:05PM rabbits, - 12:20AM TRIBUTE 11PM - 1AM MASF 11PM - 12:30AM striped skunks — Chobee felt it was an almost hallucinatory experience. Enchant12AM 12AM - 1AM ed by the diversity, he exclaimed through the Spanish moss: “These beings have DRE MENDEZ B2B LORD RASH REZZ 1AM souls!”12:45AM 1AM - 2AM - 2AM

JANSONbut quickly Then the humans emerged. At first, they appeared dumb andGERD clumsy, SLUGG 2AM 1AM - 4AM

2AM - 3AM smiled and embraced us! Even the primordial harmonics of the Great Universe —

3AM Great Spirits if one would dare to name them — are eternal and static; they cannot evolve as they are perfect in their stillness.

DANNY DAZE

4AM

4AM - 7AM Humans all had something very special, something that makes them a bit like Chobee himself: they can change, transform, and create new patterns and vibes.

They are creative by nature, and have a unique feature even the Great Spirits envy: AQUACHOBEE YOGACHOBEE the heart.

2:00PM

Sand Tic-Tac-Toe

3:00PM

Steady Yoga

4:00PM can Sandcastle 4:20PM Electric Yogareality. Each Each heartbeat create aBuilding new image, a new feeling, evenFlow a new 4:30PM Kendama Tournament 5:45PM Musical Chairs heartbeat is like with a new cosmic explosion.

Some spirits could not stand that, Eprom especially the ones who found the human movements chaotic and obscene.

BAMBOO GARDEN Open 2PM-6PM

WELLNESS FOREST Open 2PM-6PM

Unaware2:30PM the angry spirits were preparing3:00PM a cosmicSaving war the against the humans, Dreamcatcher Workshop Environment Chobee 4:30PM explored Rock newMandala activities on Earth, includingwith creating “music.”

Painting Creative Outlets Through music, Chobee was able to gather thousands of beautiful souls, anchored in the magical, nature-filled paradise of Sunshine Grove!

As Earth’s souls gathered, Chobee’s portal became increasingly visible, attracting even more souls, and manifesting the sacred link between Earth and the Cosmos, with humans as channeling entities. The humans called this portal “Okee.”

Together they renamed it “Okee-Chobee.”

Meanwhile in a higher dimension, the angry spirits were gathering. Their mission: find a way to stop the obscenity of joy on Earth.

FRIDAY, MARCH 4 BE

HERE

NOW

AQUACHOBEE 12PM - 1PM

ICEKREAM

1PM

1PM - 2PM

KHIVA

2PM

4PM 5PM 6PM 7PM 8PM 9PM 10PM 11PM 12AM 1AM

INCENDIA

SAKA

12PM

3PM

JUNGLE 51

THE RIES BROTHERS 3PM - 3:40M

GEE DEE

3PM - 4:35PM

COLORVISION

THE BACKSEAT LOVERS 6:10PM - 7:10PM

PEPPER

7:25PM - 8:35PM

CARIBOU

GARY CLARK JR.

10:45PM - 11:45PM

(VCTRE B2B BLACK CARL!) 3:15PM - 4:30PM

DIALS

INDIA JORDAN

5PM - 6:20PM

MYD

DUCKWRTH

EAZYBAKED

NOODLES

4:30PM - 6PM

OF THE TREES

5:30PM - 6:45PM

6PM - 7:30PM

6:55PM - 7:55PM

6:40PM - 7:40PM

ROSS FROM FRIENDS

GUS DAPPERTON

ELDERBROOK

9:20PM - 10PM

8:05PM - 9:05PM

9:05PM - 10:20PM

INTEGRATE

3PM - 4PM

4PM - 5PM

4:35PM - 5:30PM

BLUE DETIGER

4:55PM - 5:55PM

KIEREN TAYLOR

FIIN

3:50PM - 4:40PM

2PM - 3:15PM

9:20PM - 10:20PM

FOUR TET

10:30PM - 12:15AM

8PM - 9PM

DAIIKON

1788-L

6PM - 10PM

7:30PM - 9PM

TOBI LOU

COI LERAY

INVT LIVE

10:20PM - 11PM

10PM - 11:30PM

JONNY FROM SPACE B2B SISTER SYSTEM 10PM - 11PM

KHIVA

EARTHGANG

11PM - 12AM

11:25PM - 12:25AM

HIROKO YAMAMURA

TAME IMPALA 12:30AM - 2AM

11:30PM - 3:15AM

POTIONS

12AM - 1AM

SUPERTASK 1AM - 2AM

2AM

FREDDY TODD

3AM

SUPRISE GUEST

2AM - 3AM

RECHULSKI

3:15AM - 7AM

4AM AQUACHOBEE

YOGACHOBEE

10:00AM 11:15AM 12:30PM 2:00PM 3:30PM

9:00AM 10:15AM 11:30AM 1:00PM 2:30PM

OMF 5-Year Anniversary 5k SUP Yoga Beach Blanket Limbo Sand Pictionary Volleyball Tournament

Electric Yin Yoga Deep Dub Bass Yoga Drum & Breath Yoga Drishti Beats Yoga Freedom Flow Dance + Cacao Blessing

BAMBOO GARDEN

WELLNESS FOREST

10:00AM 12:30PM 3:00PM

10AM-6PM Open Daily 3:00PM Cosmic Healing Sound Meditation

Open 10PM-6PM

Wellness Workshop Bountiful Bamboo Wooden Photo Coasters

Open 2PM-6PM

3AM - 4AM

SATURDAY, MARCH 5 BE

HERE

NOW

12PM

5PM

SYNERGY

1:30PM - 3PM

TASTY VIBRATIONS 3PM - 4PM

PAPADOSIO

7PM

POWOW!

8PM

GEORGE CLINTON & P-FUNK & MORE 7:35PM - 8:35PM

9PM

THE GLITCH MOB 9:05PM - 10:20PM

ELEPHANT HEART 5:45PM - 6:45PM

HAYWYRE

7PM - 8:15PM

LAB GROUP

8:30PM - 9:45PM

DEATHPACT

10PM

1AM

3PM - 4:15PM

4:15PM - 5:30PM

5:30PM - 7:05PM

12AM

PLAYER DAVE

SEBASTIAN PAUL ROME IN SILVER 4:10PM - 5:10PM

6PM

11PM

INCENDIA

12PM - 1:30PM

2PM

4PM

JUNGLE 51

HINT OF LAVENDER

1PM

3PM

AQUACHOBEE

MEGAN THEE STALLION

10:50PM - 11:50PM

DJ RAY

3PM - 4:25PM

DONZII

4:35PM - 5:35PM

LOVELEO

5:50PM - 6:50PM

ROMARE

7:05PM - 8:05PM

AMTRAC

YU SU

4:15PM - 5:45PM

SOUL CLAP

5:45PM - 7:15PM

KENNY JONES 6PM - 8PM

DJ HARVEY

7:15PM - 9PM

LISA FRANK

8:20PM - 9:20PM

8PM - 10PM

CANNONS

10PM - 11PM

9:40PM - 10:40PM

TROYBOI

11:05PM - 12:05AM

11PM - 12:30AM

DJ MINX

3PM - 4:15PM

LYSN.

10PM - 11PM

CHLOÉ CAILLET

WASHED OUT

10PM - 1AM

ABELATION

JAI WOLF

GRIZ

12AM - 1AM

BLACK CARL!

12:30AM - 1:30AM

12:30AM - 2AM

PARROTICE

11PM - 12AM

1AM - 2AM

MONTY LUKE

2AM

1AM - 4AM

3AM

EAZYBAKED & FRIENDS 2AM - 4AM

VOLVOX

4AM

4AM - 7AM

AQUACHOBEE

YOGACHOBEE

10:00AM 11:30AM 1:15PM 3:00PM 4:30PM

8:30AM 9:45AM 11:00AM 1:30PM 2:45PM 4:00PM

Nature Hike Disc Golf w/ Noodles Beach Decathlon Beginner Hoop Flow Tetherball Tournament

Yoga Nidra Grand Rising Yoga Drag Queen Bingo w/ Muzzy Bearr Rave Aerobics Dance Party Drishti Beats Sound Healing BBQ w/ Eazybaked

BAMBOO GARDEN

WELLNESS FOREST

10AM-6PM Open Daily 10:00AM Value of Attention w/ Mitra 12:30PM Guided Painting Class 3:00PM Portal Crafts

10AM-7PM Open Daily 3:00PM UV Glow Body Painting

Open 10PM-6PM

Open 2PM-6PM

TAL R O P E H T WHER E WS O R G SUNDAY, MARCH 6 BE

12PM

HERE

THE HAILS

1PM

12:30PM - 1:30PM

2PM

1:40PM - 2:40PM

3PM 4PM

FORD.

TWIN SHADOW

2:55PM - 3:55PM

TAI VERDES

A HUNDRED DRUMS 12PM - 1:30PM

NOTLÖ 1:30PM - 2:15PM VEIL

NOW

AQUACHOBEE

HUSH FORTE

CALEB DENT

12:30PM - 1:30PM

JUNGLE 51

INCENDIA

12PM - 2PM

MIA GLADSTONE

2:15PM - 3PM

NOTLÖ B2B VEIL 3PM - 3:30PM

THE LIBRARIAN

1:40PM - 2:40PM

HONEYLUV

MINDCHATTER

3:30PM - 4:55PM

4:15PM - 5:15PM

2PM - 4PM

3PM - 4PM

GOTH BABE

SAGE ARMSTRONG

4PM - 5:30PM To say when or whereMIZE our story4:20PM truly- 5:20PM begins may be impossible, as time and 4:55PM - 5:55PM 5PM space STRFKR did not exist as we know it today. The universe was still perfectly dark.

KASBO VNSSA filled it. Here KAIVON 5:40PM - 6:40PM could not escape the ultra-dense plasma5:30PM which 5:40PM - 6:40PM NASTIAis where - 7PM 6PM Light 5:55PM - 6:55PM 5PM - 8PM our story of Chobee shall begin…

MANIC FOCUS SMINOChobee was confused. They could infer 7PM In a farMT. 6:55PM - 7:55PM JOY present, distant here and now, 7PM - 8PM 7:05PM - 8:20PM

DOMBRESKY

7PMChobee - 9PM their own existence, but just knew one BIA it didn’t make any sense.

8:20PM thing: there must be joy!- 9PM A wonderful experience with brightDANDY colors, FLYING LOTUS JACKinspiring 8:30PM - 9:30PM 8PM - 10PM sparkling joy, and unconditional love. “This must manifest,” thought 9PM flavors,JUNGLE CLOZEE 8:50PM - 9:50PM Chobee.

9:20PM - 10:20PM

8PM

ASHNIKKO NIK P (DNB SET) 10PM At this precise moment, Chobee10PM - 10:50PM 10PM - 11PM began moving around creating a wave which PORTER

through the ultra-plasma expanding into the universe. It was a sound ROBINSON KUMARION 11PM rippled 10:30PM - 12AM 11PM - 12AM wave! As the wave spread, it awakened other entities. Some were happy to

SVEN VÄTHby 12AM come into existence, others confused, or even angry. All responded

DELA MOON 12AM - 1AM

10PM - 5AM creating their own individual sound waves. Very soon, this primitive universe KLL SMTH 1AM was filled with these sound waves. However, instead of a symphony, it was a (DNB) 1AM - 2AM true cacophony, from gentle lullabies and comforting whispers to death metal 2AM and fearful shouting.

“What have I done?” Chobee asked. “This is not what I had in mind. I must fix this.”

AQUACHOBEE

YOGACHOBEE

A new sound wave emerged: Chobee’s laughter.9:00AM 10:00AM Nature Hike 11:30AM SplashDance Aerobics 1:00PM Sandcastle Building 3:00PM Sand Pictionary primitive universe was filled with Chobee’s 4:30PM Beach Ball Dodgeball

Chakra Balancing Yoga Flow 10:15AM Deep Dub Bass Yoga 11:30AM Therapeutic Contact Yoga 1:00PM Drishti Beats Stretch & Massage contagious laughter, 2:30PM New Moon Ceremony

This vibrating like a cosmic earthquake. As it grew, it became unstoppable!

And then it happened – the cosmic explosion.

BAMBOO GARDEN

WELLNESS FOREST

10PM-6PM 2PM-6PMlaughter. Ionic Light beganOpen to pour out into the universe, fueledOpen

by Chobee’s Guided Meditation Open Daily bonds were11:00AM created, hydrogen clouds collapsed,10AM-7PM stars exploded in supernow/ Mitra @ Jungle 3:00PM Essentialgame, Oil Workshop vas, and planets formed.

Chobee was51 contemplating this amazing 12:30PM Secret Succulent Gardens permanent 3:00PM metamorphosis, celestial dance of joyful creation and destruction.

Tye-dye Sundye Chobee was genuinely happy.

What could be better than that? Chobee asked himself.

And suddenly, Earth appeared.

CHAPTER THREE Chobee was amazed. Earth was like nothing seen before. Something new was happening; the dance they used to see in the stars was now happening on the surface of this rocky ball. Things which had been raised from stardust were moving! New patterns and countless combinations were self-organizing!

“No doubt,” thought Chobee, “these moving patterns are conscious.”

They were Earthlings!

Attracted by their happy vibes, Chobee excitedly passed from Outer Space to Earth. But soon noticed not everybody shared this enthusiastic feeling.

Following the first sound wave created by Chobee in the dark plasma, all possible harmonics were created… including its own absence. Therefore, some of these harmonics were joyful, but others were not. Some were angry to be disturbed, to be awakened from their deep meditation of nothingness. And to nothingness they wanted everything to return.

All this noise, movement, and light was simply obscene to them, and the scariest of all for them were the feelings that these Earthlings seemed to manifest.

All this had to stop!

CHAPTER FOUR Chobee’s goal was simple: have fun and create a paradise on earth. Earth was utterly incredible. Witnessing the colorful and diverse beings — black panthers, cottontail rabbits, mischievous raccoons, foxtail squirrels, white-tailed deer, even striped skunks — Chobee felt it was an almost hallucinatory experience.

Enchanted by the diversity, he exclaimed through the Spanish moss: “These beings have souls!”

Then the humans emerged. At first, they appeared dumb and clumsy, but quickly smiled and embraced us! Even the primordial harmonics of the Great Universe — Great Spirits if one would dare to name them — are eternal and static; they cannot evolve as they are perfect in their stillness.

Humans all had something very special, something that makes them a bit like Chobee himself: they can change, transform, and create new patterns and vibes.

They are creative by nature, and have a unique feature even the Great Spirits envy: the heart.

Each heartbeat can create a new image, a new feeling, even a new reality. Each heartbeat is like a new cosmic explosion. Some spirits could not stand that, especially the ones who found the human movements chaotic and obscene.

CHAPTER FIVE Unaware the angry spirits were preparing a cosmic war against the humans, Chobee explored new activities on Earth, including creating “music.” Through music, Chobee was able to gather thousands of beautiful souls, anchored in the magical, nature-filled paradise of Sunshine Grove!

As Earth’s souls gathered, Chobee’s portal became increasingly visible, attracting even more souls, and manifesting the sacred link between Earth and the Cosmos, with humans as channeling entities. The humans called this portal “Okee.”

Together they renamed it “Okee-Chobee.”

Meanwhile in a higher dimension, the angry spirits were gathering. Their mission: find a way to stop the obscenity of joy on Earth.

To be continued...

35

I N T E R V I E W W I T H DE YO, C H RI S, N I C K , AN D RYAN, AK A

SIGT: This is going to be your first show under the new name?

NICK: Yeah, myself, Chris, and Ryan played in a band called Main Man for three years. When we lost our singer, we tried a bunch of different singers out. We sent one song to Deyo, whom we've known forever as a killer musician and songwriter. Deyo took it and turned it into a completely elevated piece of music that just blew our minds.

SIGT: Cool! He's got his own project (called Deyo), and he's been working on that for a while?

RYAN

DEYO: Yeah, it's funny because Okee actually plays a little role in the story here.Main Man was nearly going to play Okeechobee 2020, and the lead singer had dropped out of the band completely. So Chris (Mintz-Plasse) asked my brother to sing the Main Man songs, but it didn't end up working out. Then last summer, when Chris was in New York and we had a couple of cocktails, I told him, "Hey, you asked the wrong brother." Right after that, Chris started sending me the songs and that's when the project was born. So Okee was a part of our lore; our story.

SIGT: Chris, you actually started out playing drums?

CHRIS: Yeah, after I filmed the movie Superbad [see McLovin'] I bought a drum kit with my first paycheck and started just learning drums. With Nick learning guitar, we started a White Stripes cover band, and then that led into, like, inviting friends over, and it started our first band, The Young Rapscallions. And then when that bass player quit, I picked up the bass and started learning the bass.

40

NICK

“I borrowed the family's old Cadillac and drove down.

It was a magical hang in the Sunshine Grove.”

SIGT: Are you planning on releasing some music soon?

C: The first song we're releasing, "Reckless," was the first instrumental we sent Deyo; he chopped and diced it up. It is a true story about ruining a relationship with a girl. It was crazy because the story from the single happened when Deyo came to see The Young Rapscallions in San Francisco, like 11 or 12 years ago. There's another little lore of the band.

SIGT: Why do you guys think it's so important to have a space like Okee to be able to connect with each other?

CHRIS

DEYO

D: I actually went to the inaugural Okee festival. I only went there on Sunday to see Ween and White Denim. I was in Florida on a family vacation celebrating one of my family member’s birthday.

The cleaning lady came on Sunday morning and was like, “I went to this music festival because I wanted to see Mumford And Sons, but it was all kids your age. So if you want to go, here's my wristband,” and she just gave it to me. So I borrowed the family's old Cadillac and drove down. It was a magical hang in the Sunshine Grove.

I think it's a really conducive environment for music, especially new music like ours. We're building it out so that it will be transmitted well to the Okee audience and I'm glad to know the vibe of Okee.

We're adding all this really cool stuff, kind of a combination of electronic music and live sounds, and just making it something that's really special. It hits all the elements; it feels good to be kicking it off there.

41

I N T E RV I E W W I T H F R E DDY TODD SIGT: What was the first show that you went to when you were growing up?

FREDDY TODD: It's funny because the first concert was officially with my dad, we got free tickets to Foreigner. Their single was "Hot Blooded." I remember I was almost having a panic attack as a young lad, smelling pot for the first time and watching all these old hippies get hyped up when the band started.

But what's funny is this was way before I started smoking weed, and I definitely do think my relationship with pot has helped my anxiety and things like that. Of course, getting older and meditation helped me realize being upset or anxious for no reason is so pointless. So that's kind of how I got over stuff.

SIGT: How did you get from Foreigner to Glitch music?

FT: When I was about 14/15 years old, my good friend Andrew's older sister Rachel, his older brother Ben, and our friends group, which included GRiZ, really got me onto Square Pusher and Aphex Twin. Then I got in to Luke Vibert, and then even weirder, more band stuff, like StereoLab and just that whole era of good electronic music.

SIGT: Shall we expect the Keytar to make an appearance at Okeechobee?

FT: There's a high possibility. High chance.

SIGT: Do you remember the first time you experienced electronic music live?

FT: I grew up in Detroit. I remember going to the Detroit Electronic Music Festival early on, which is now called Movement. I was exposed to a lot of house and techno. I remember they booked Flying Lotus, Pretty Lights, & Glitch Mob. I then drove down to Chicago to catch PREFUSE 7 at a street festival. I hopped the fence at Lollapalooza to Thievery Corporation—the most lit shit ever; they're my favorite band. But really, what did it for me was when I went to Rothbury in 2009 [which later became Electric Forest].

I came home and just unloaded everything I learned and wrote my first Freddy Todd solo EP, of like, Glitch-Hop stuff.

SIGT: Let's talk about aliens. Do you believe?

FT: Definitely, yeah. I mean, there's no way there's nothing else out there. I can say I also believe there's extraterrestrial beings, terrestrially, meaning, like people encounter weird stuff and dimensionally weird stuff and creatures all the time here! I guess in the expanse of the universe, the simple answer is, yes, there's got to be other beings, but I think they're already here. There's definitely other dimensions.

SIGT: I agree with other dimensions, too.

And it could be us; we could be the aliens.

FT: Right?! Exactly. You have secret programs everywhere. They say the military is 100 years ahead of us at all times in terms of the tech that's revealed.

SIGT: Is there anything that you would like to say to your space alien friends coming to Okeechobee this year?

FT: I just have to say safe travels.

Drive safe, fly safe, and I can't wait to rock it!

42

“Meditation helped me realize being upset or anxious for no reason is pointless.”

me .”

“It 's al l ab

or

o energy t u

f

I N T E R V I E W W I T H J E S S I E L E C O U T E U R , A K A KH I VA SIGT: You do a lot of vocal samples yourself. When did you start writing lyrics?

KHIVA: I've been writing poems, lyrics, and songs since I was really young. That was really the original inspiration to start making music overall. I needed some way to translate my poetry, my lyrics, and my writing into a tangible form. Yet, I make so many things that don't have lyrics at all. But the majority of my stuff does have vocals and lyrics in it nowadays. I've always been a writer. My passion is channeling things and speaking through music and the vibe. That's why DJing is so important to me, because you can channel that wordless message.

SIGT: You got into this style of music in your late teens, but before that, were you into any other sort of music?

K: Yeah, electronic for me in my late teens. I was pretty much always a rock and metal listener for the majority of my youth. It was a lot of heavy stuff in high school and things like that. I love Alexisonfire. They're one of my favorite bands of all time. Also, Misery Signals, Whitechaple, Born Of Osiris... I was into that era.

I think there's a definite connection and link between those styles, especially heavier dubstep and stuff like that.

SIGT: Where did "Swampmonster" come from?

K: That one is really interesting. I've always been super into the imagery of Swamp Thing and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. That type of old school comic vibe. I feel like it was just something that I needed to make. When I put it out, I was actually living in Costa Rica. It was really cool to be working on promo and stuff for it while I was in a place so thriving with bugs, and there were rivers and water everywhere. What's funny about the new Remixes EP, is the artwork of the green, alien looking thing is a painting of a "Swamp Monster" that I did when I was 16. I took a photo of it and I edited it for that artwork.

SIGT: What does it mean to you to have the opportunity to perform at a magical place like Okee?

K: I think it's pretty magical that it has such a huge energy around it and the hype around it. I've had friends who have played down there in the last few years and I've always heard such good things. It's all about energy for me so that's always a really good sign. I'm always happy to be somewhere where the energy is already there. It's like you're set up for success. The people are going to be great. I know everything is going to be great. It's that kind of love that really means the world to me when people are putting in that sort of energy and effort, it really makes a huge difference. I'm honored to be there and to be able to showcase different things.

SIGT: Well you are certainly doing it big this year; you're actually performing two sets, Aquachobee and then Incendia, from Water to Fire.

K: Hell yeah. That's a vibe in itself!

SIGT: Is there anything else that you would like to say to the fans at Okee?

K: I love you and I am looking forward to it!

45

.”

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is

“

M

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c

INTERVIEW WITH YESOD WILLIAMS, DRUMMER OF PEPPER, PODCASTER, & OWNER OF LAW RECORDS SIGT: When I first started going to concerts, it was a lot of your guys' stuff. I'm from Orlando. You guys are staples over here.

YESOD WILLIAMS: Thanks. Yeah, big time. The House of Blues in Orlando, even down to Wills Pub we played, I remember, in 2000 or 2001, just one of the craziest shows. I remember the toilet broke in the bathroom and there was like water all over the whole fucking dance floor. It was insane. We go so far back. Florida is one of our second homes outside of Hawaii.

SIGT: What does it mean to you and the band to get into Okeechobee and to be a part of that community and culture now?

YW: I really think it all starts with the music. Music, to me, is real-life magic. The communities that carry this magic throughout the world all have such intrinsic value of themselves. To be able to experience something like Okeechobee—which we've heard of the vibe, the energy that exists there, the legacy in general—and now finally being able to experience that magic ourselves and be part of the Okee story, is just a pure honor. We want to lift that magic up as high as we can, and kick a hole in the sky when we get to Okee. We're just so lucky to be involved in any part of it.

SIGT: You're the drummer of Pepper, you have your own podcast, and you're running a record label. How important do you think it is in the music space these days to diversify your skills?

YW: I think it's super critical, but each situation is definitely unique to itself. I don't think we would be where we are today if it wasn't for controlling our own destiny. We were on Atlantic Records for a while, and we were on Island Def Jam, and we know how it is to be up against that whole beast like that. It's such a recipe for burnout.

All the stuff we do now just seems to throw gas on the fire of the Mothership, which is Pepper and Law Records. I just want to be of service to music, to the music industry, to Okeechobee, and to anywhere that will have us. I want to give back. We're so blessed and our flame is so strong but I want to make sure that we spread this love to as many people as possible.

SIGT: What's on the horizon for Pepper?

YW: We've been in the studio and we've pretty much got a whole new album in the can, waiting to be shot out on the world. We're headlining Red Rocks for our first time ever on 4/20 with Method Man, Redman, & Collie Buddz. We're going to release a single around then so look for some new Pepper music. We're just so excited to be just spreading love, even at greater volumes these days. Aloha!

47

CHARLIE

DRU MS / SYN T H BASS / VOC ALS

SIGT: The Ries Brothers from Clearwater, Florida, what does it mean to you guys to be able to perform at Okeechobee in your backyard of the Sunshine State?

CHARLIE: It's massive. This is a festival we've kept our eye on since it started. It always was a big goal. As soon as the first year came out and we saw the lineup was crushing, we were like, ‘One day we're doing this one, no matter how long it takes. We're going to work hard to get on this lineup sometime.’ So we are very honored because we had made it a goal a long time ago.

To be in our home state is even better. It's a gathering of music lovers from so many different scenes in one place for one weekend. It's going to be amazing. So we're just excited to get in that environment and to make new fans and see some old fans and just have a good time and make some connections with other bands and just make some new friends.

SIGT: Can you tell me about your influences and the journey as a band together?

C: For sure. My influence has come from rock and roll, blues, alternative scene, and Kevin is the reggae guy that turned me on to all the reggae and the dub.

KEVIN: Yeah, I love a lot of old school reggae from the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, and of course, all the new-school stuff. What got me hooked in the reggae scene was like Sublime first, then Slightly Stupid, and went down the rabbit hole with all those bands.

Then when I discovered roots reggae, that's when I really fell in love with reggae.

C: Actually Gary Clark Jr. is a big inspiration, it's a huge honor to share a bill with him.

We take each other's influences and put them together to become the rock and roll, blues, reggae, and jam music that we are today.

KEVIN

GU I TAR / U KU LE LE / M E LODIC A / T H E RE M I N “When you're in the same place for too long, you get uninspired and you can't really focus on new ideas.”

INTERVIEW WITH

SIGT: Both you guys are multi-instrumentalists. How crucial is that for this project?

C: Absolutely crucial. Nowadays, you gotta do more than ever to catch people's attention, especially just being a duo. From time to time, we add other musicians; like, we're going to have a couple of other players back us up on a couple of songs at Okee. But for the most part, it's just us two. So we had to do whatever we could to make the show interesting.

SIGT: What keeps you guys going and experimenting as a band?

K: I guess just listening to a lot of music and discovering new music. We're constantly inspired by traveling, too, because we're always on the move. Sometimes when you're in the same place for too long, you get uninspired and you can't really focus on new ideas. When you're traveling constantly, new things are opening in your brain.

It's a lot easier to write stuff.

C: Along with seeing other musicians, touring with other people, and playing festivals with other bands. That's particularly why we're excited for Okee, to see other bands, because you can always learn something by seeing somebody else. That's what keeps us going. We want to be the best we can be. There's always room for improvement.

We always have that drive. When you lose that, I think you're in trouble. It's super important to stay curious and motivated.

49

SATURD SATURD SATURDA SATURDAY SATURDA SATURD SATURD SATURD SATURDA GRIZ BE

MEGAN THEE STALLION

BE

"I'll never forget how incredible the crowd was at my first Okee in 2018. Can't wait to be back this year and close out a stage with my live show!"

JAI WOLF

: oW ing

tu

PoW fea

- Jai Wolf Sajeeb Saha

r

NOW

GEORGE CLINTON &

PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC

BRANDON "TAZ" NIEDERAUER

MONONEON

& SURPRISE GUESTS

DAY DAY AY AY AY DAY DAY DAY AY

THE GLITCH MOB

TROYBOI

BE

HERE

WASHED OUT NOW

DEATHPACT HERE

AMTRAC NOW

DJ HARVEY AQUACHOBEE

LAB GROUP HERE

CANNONS NOW

PAPADOSIO BE

SOUL CLAP AQUACHOBEE

YU SU AQUACHOBEE

51

ATURDAY TURDAY URDAY TURDAY ATURDAY ATURDAY SATURDAY VOLVOX

JUNGLE 51

ROMARE NOW

HAYWYRE HERE

DJ MINX

AQUACHOBEE

LOVELEO NOW

CHLOE CAILLET JUNGLE 51

ROME IN SILVER HERE

SEBASTIAN PAUL BE

ELEPHANT HEART HERE

MONTY LUKE JUNGLE 51

SIMONE GATO JUNGLE 51

Not Pictured Kenny Jones & Lisa Frank on Jungle 51

BLACK CARL! INCENDIA

SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY "I am more than excited to be playing Okeechobee this year!

Ever since I first saw photos and videos of the festival from previous years, it quickly became a dream festival for me to perform at. Okeechobee will be my debut festival/show in Florida and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome! I can’t wait to connect and meet new people and experience the festival! See you all then! "

ABELATION INCENDIA

❤

- Reese Downs Abelation

PLAYER DAVE HERE

DONZII NOW

PARROTICE INCENDIA

HINT OF LAVENDER

AQUACHOBEE

LYSN.

INCENDIA

DJ RAY NOW

TASTY VIBRATIONS

BE

"M

us

ic

h t is t he medium

w t a

I N T E R V I E W W I T H M I C H E L L E JOY O F C A N N O N S SIGT: You're coming back to your home state of Florida for Okeechobee.

When did you move out to LA? MICHELLE JOY: I moved out to LA in 2012, and I've been out here ever since. I grew up in South Florida, and then I went to Florida State University and lived in Tallahassee for five years. I felt like I needed some change so I went out to Los Angeles. I had this secret desire to finish writing all these songs I had just started on my own and kept to myself. I went to Craigslist at the time looking for other musicians and found Ryan and Paul on there.

54

e

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SIGT: You guys are exploding; your single "Fire For You" is up to 77 million Spotify streams. I read it's such a personal song for you, and it helps you not feel alone, and helps other people not feel alone, too

MJ: Exactly. The best feeling for me is when I meet people, and they tell us how much our songs have been there for them during difficult times, and what that means to them.

We all write because we feel something inside of us that has to come out. Music is the medium that we use in a therapeutic way. For "Fire For You" to be able to help us and then other people, I really couldn't ask for anything more.

It's really special.

SIGT: What inspires you to keep creating and experimenting with new sounds?

MJ: I find writing and singing to be very therapeutic.

It's how I work through happiness, joy, sadness, all different kinds of emotions. This has been the only thing that makes me feel complete.

SIGT: How was the development of the band from 2013-2019?

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MJ: We've stayed true to ourselves and never really expected anything to come out of it besides having a good time. We like playing music together and we like writing together. I remember when we put our first songs on SoundCloud, I was a little nervous. I never could have imagined our songs would have the impact they have had on people all around the world. It still shocks me every single day. I just feel really grateful.

SIGT: Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for somebody who's struggling, having a tough time with purpose and meaning, or is looking for some light or hope?

MJ: Try and find something that makes you feel good that you like.

Try not to worry about what anyone else is going to think of it or how anyone else feels about it.

SIGT: 'Purple Sun' just came out earlier this year. Are we anticipating any of those songs live at Okee?

MJ: Yeah, and we do have some new songs we will be playing off of our upcoming album, 'Fever Dream'. We're going to be just starting out on our "Fever Dream Tour." We’ll play three dates, and then go to Okee.

SIGT: Is there anything you would like to say to the fans at Okeechobee this year?

MJ: We are thrilled to be a part of the Okee lineup this year, and to celebrate their 5th anniversary.

Nothing beats coming back to my home state and doing what I love most!

55

I N T E RV I E W W I T H D E N N I S F U LLE R AN D J E N NA BALF E , AK A DONZI I SIGT: DONZII started in 2015 in New York City?

JENNA BALFE: We did, but we didn't really start taking it seriously until we moved back to Miami in 2017.

SIGT: You guys have a debut album coming out soon. Any titles in the works?

JB: There's a couple of titles in the works. I think the one that we're having the most fun with right now is 'Goodbye Carlos'. It's just funny to us.

SIGT: Dennis, you are just an insane bass player. You drive the songs and you really create the mood. Tell me, what is your setup like?

DENNIS FULLER: My background is as a trained percussionist. I went to school for percussion. I wanted to approach bass with a very rhythmic approach.

I wanted to fill the gap I felt was missing in the post-punk & goth scene where bass isn’t just meant to be this filler sound, or something that just takes up low end, but it's actually quite rhythmic and melodic and almost sharp. I also wanted to try to make something new. I have a custom bass made out of all Maine Maple, so it has a really bright attack. Then I had them put guitar pickups in the bass. They were like, “Are you sure you want to build a bass from scratch and then screw it all up by putting in guitar pickups?” And I said, absolutely, let's do it. How are you going to do something different if you don't break a few rules?

SIGT: I've seen all kinds of labels thrown at DONZII, from dark-wave, post-punk, tropical-goth, new-wave, all kinds of stuff. For your new album, what kind of vibes are you going for there?

JB: Oh, man, I laugh because this album has so many genres. There's literally a shoegaze track on it. I think as music listeners, we like so much music. We just really wanted to take an honest approach to making something that satisfied all of our yearnings. So the new album has all of this. There's a pop song on it, like a pop-punk song. There's industrial stuff…

DF: There's also very classic no-wave stuff... Someone who we let listen to it described it as a Frankenstein style. When we get together, we never really know what's going to come out. A lot of times there's comedy and just funny stuff happening when we're playing. And honestly, what music is to us is just like having a good time and being able to kind of laugh at the world and just enjoy yourself. We really want to capture a lot of those moments. It’s probably why we are so sentimental about a lot of these tracks.

SIGT: If you could pick five artists to perform at your funeral, to celebrate your whole life, who would they be?

DONZII: The Cranberries. Korn. Tears For Fears. Skinny Puppy. Britney Spears.

SIGT: Is there anything that you'd like to say to the fans at Okeechobee this year?

JB: We're really looking forward to convening at this amazing event! We look forward to sharing our music and energy with everybody, connecting, receiveing, learning and just having a fucking awesome time. We can’t wait to hang and party and just feel the vibes of nature and music.

56

“Feel the vibes of nature and music.”

(BASS)

DENNIS FULLER

(VOC ALS)

JENNA BALFE

PORTER ROBINSON

ASHNIKKO

BE

NOW « My first and only Okeechobee was in 2018, and I've been dying to come back since then. Playing on the beach during the sunset was such a magical experience! I’m beyond excited to come back this year with my whole team and bring everyone on a journey on Sunday night .»

💜

CLOZEE

- Chloé Herry aka CloZee

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Hometown: Toulouse, France

FLYING LOTUS

SMINO

NOW

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SUNDA SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY “We’re really excited to come to Florida for the 5th edition of Okeechobee. The line up is packed full of vibes and it’s an honour to be a part of it. Can’t wait to see all the beautiful faces from the stage.”

JUNGLE

- Tom McFarland @tromcf @jungle4eva

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DOMBRESKY

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“I’ve heard good things about Okeechobee and can’t wait to experience it with you all. I will be playing an extended set on this occasion, Sunday evening 10pm till dawn (7 hours)! Put your dancing shoes on!”

From Germany

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MINDCHATTER NOW

THE HAILS BE

I love that the mantra of Okeechobee is “Be. Here. Now.” That resonates with me because my favourite part of playing shows is when the audience and I get lost in the moment together. That moment when everyone lets go and allows the music to take over brings us all together.

It’s magic. It is “Be. Here. Now.” I can’t wait to join all of you and be in the moment together!

- Andrea Graham aka The Librarian

THE LIBRARIAN HERE

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Not pictured: Mia Gladstone on NOW

I N T E RV I E W W I T H MAT T QU I N N O F

SIGT: You once said, “Before the band, the realities of life made the dream of writing songs seem pretty impossible.” And now you're living the dream.

MATT QUINN: I have always wanted to be a songwriter, performer, and I, like so many artists, had given it what I felt like was the “full shot.” I’ve played shows to no one, driven around, and tried to open for people and various projects. In fact, at some of these I was literally playing the song “Silver Lining,” which ended up being Mt. Joy’s big single. It's just this really difficult road.

There’s like five or six things that need to lock into place for a band to start having success and I could just never find it. And you get to a point where the reality is that you're not making any money, and you can't pay rent, and if you can't pay rent, then you're homeless. And those are the realities, right? And then sort of a last-ditch effort— I'll spare you the long story— it ends up working.

SIGT: That's awesome. I've got a song called “You Gotta Pay the Toll to Rock and Roll,” and it's very much about that and being in the van and being broke and doing what you want to do and living your dream. But speaking of driving around in the van, “Jesus drives in an Astro Van,” my dude. What year Astro Van is he cruising in?

MQ: I've never personally owned an Astro Van, which is hilarious. But my good family friends growing up who were our neighbors, they had this green Astro Van, man, must have been from like mid-‘90s. So I'm picturing something like a dark green Astro Van when I was writing that song. And it's just so funny. I'm sure, you know, as a songwriter, like, sometimes the goofy ideas are the things that you don't necessarily try to have the weight of the world behind mean so much to other people. It's been a thrill to have people connect with that song because it was really such a light-hearted stab at writing a goofy song.

SIGT: That's incredible. What kind of weed is Jesus smoking in the van, man?

MQ: Man, hopefully some sort of Sativa to keep him awake, keep him grooving, so he's not getting too sleepy, I guess. I just hope Jesus is smoking good weed.

SIGT: Do you have any advice for young musicians aiming to make a career out of music or any word you like to pass on to the younger artists?

MQ: Focus on what you can control. I knew I wasn't that good at guitar and so I worked on guitar a lot. Make it your world to get better. If you really want to make it your profession, then just like anything else, you must put an extraordinary amount of time into it and then keep doing that. Don't be afraid to grow and then put in the work to grow.

SIGT: What do you want the people of Okeechobee to know?

MQ: I just want people to have fun and be free.

Be good to each other. And, man...

“...you're in the Sunshine listening to music.”

63

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SIGT: How did you all meet?

FRANCO SOLARI: Zack, Andre and I were in a band when I was like twelve years old, up through what became The Hails, so we've known each other for a super long time. Zack brought everyone together because he had connections to Andre and I through that. He went to a music camp with Dylan and met Robbie in the UF dining hall because he had a band shirt on and they started talking.

Zach has always been the glue.

SIGT: "Younger" just blew up. You're at nearly 9 million Spotify streams now.

FS: "Younger" originally came out in 2018. We had put out a small EP before then but we were still kind of figuring out what we were doing. When "Younger" came out and got on the "Fresh Finds" Spotify playlist, that's what catapulted us.

That's when we took it to a different level of seriousness. We dropped the next song, "Stay," nine months later and we've been figuring things out as we go.

We've reached a place now where we need to be more strategic and plan what we want to do. Like, who do we want to be? Those are questions we're actively figuring out.

SIGT: How have you grown personally as brothers and friends over the years?

ANDRE ESCOBAR: I think there's always been a great deal of respect between us, just as people. We started out as friends. This band has been the source of a lot of firsts for us. I think through this band, we've all come to realize what we can do professionally on a musical level. We've all learned a lot through the band.

There's a deeper level of respect amongst us now, in that we're all aware of what each other is capable of, professionally. It just added another layer to the bond between us.

SIGT: I've been vibing on the song "Denial." I’ve read the lyrics, but what was the inspiration behind the song?

AE: Robbie and I wrote those lyrics right after I graduated college. It was the start of the next phase of our careers and our lives. We were in a state of denial about a few things at the time, one, it had felt like college had just completely flown by. It took us time to process that. It was a general statement about a few things. For me personally, some relationship troubles. There were a lot of transitions happening in our lives, so it was rooted in that vibe.

SIGT: It's a little ironic for me because the song has this feeling of like "everything's going to be okay."

AE: That's what we're trying to go for.

The lyrics are not the most positive, but the music contradicts it. That's kind of what we go for, I think, in a lot of our music generally. We leave a little room for hope.

65

n t way, e r e f f i d a t .” r wa r d i n a d i f f e r e n t r e s u l o f e v o M “ f yo u ge t and see i

SIGT: Let's start with style; when you're styling yourself for the stage, is there a starting place that you have?

TWIN SHADOW: It's funny. I don't like to overthink it too much for the stage, though there have been times where I have. I think a lot of hip-hop and rap still has this mindset where you get on stage wearing the stuff that you wear all the time. You just care about how you look. You care about your presentation. For me, it's more just an exaggeration of what I already wear, an extension of an organic thing.

SIGT: Florida is your home state. We're stoked to have you back here.

Originally, you were born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic?

TS: Yeah, I moved to Florida when I was like three years old. We moved to Miami and then eventually to the Tampa Bay area. Growing up, when I got my first fake ID, we used to go hang out at this goth club called The Castle [in Ybor City]. I had some very good nights there.

SIGT: I've noticed that you have a lot of themes of growth in your music.

TS: I think these universal themes are as old as time. It always is incredible when they kind of happen to you, and you're humbled by the fact that the

I N T E RV I E W W I T H GEORGE W I L L IAM L E W IS J R . , A K A T W I N S H A D OW knowledge has always been there. I've made a million mistakes in my life and in my career, and I think I stay connected to learning from those mistakes and observing the mistakes I've made. You do evolve slowly, but you have to be willing to really evaluate what has happened and not dwell on it in any way. Move forward in a different way and see if you get a different result. I'm a person who's changed so many times. I've always felt pretty chameleon-like. My adapting to the world around me is hopefully my desire to try to be the most sensitive and intelligent being that I can try to be. I'm always obsessed with change. I think it's difficult. It's really easy to get stuck inside of things. And I've certainly done my fair share of getting stuck. But changing is everything. And usually, unfortunately, failure is the catalyst for change and not the other way around. Success oftentimes has a calcifying effect.

SIGT: "Saturdays" is huge. You had HAIM featured on that album, but your history with HAIM goes back to where you helped them on a track called "Edge" on their debut album, a bonus track. How did your relationship bloom with them?

TS: I remember the day we met. I don't remember why we met, but we met up for coffee and we just chatted. I saw them perform once and I was just blown away. They're just such a badass force. It's funny, I actually wrote the song ["Saturdays"] for them. I remember sending it to Danielle way before I even made that record [’Caer’]. She was like, “We love this, but we're writing all of our own songs for this thing.” When we were making ‘Caer’, I pulled out that demo and it just felt like, oh, this totally works. So I worked on it and after the song had basically been finished, I reached out to them to get on it. Danielle is so insanely good. I think it just added the perfect touch to the song.

SIGT: Is there anything that you would like to say to the fans at Okeechobee this year?

TS: Stay hydrated and take care of each other!

In Memory Of

Love relentlessly, know your worth, cherish your friends, put yourself in the shoes of others. - Charles Ingalls

1996 - 2021

CLEAN VIBES As we enjoy this magical weekend of music, art, and countless experiences, please be mindful that we are guests at Sunshine Grove. The Clean Vibes trash and recycling crew will be keeping the campground and venue areas clean throughout the weekend, but we all need to do our part and pitch in to keep the festival grounds as the beautiful nature paradise that they are.

Every vehicle receives two bags: the clear is for trash and the blue is for recycling. Any tin, aluminum, plastic containers, paper and cardboard can be recycled in the blue bag.

You can get additional bags at any Info Booth in the campgrounds.

When the music stops at the end of the weekend, please be sure to take some time to clean up your campsite. Bag up all of your recyclables and waste destined for the landfill in separate bags. Do a quick sweep of the ground to pick up any cigarette butts and bottle caps from the grass - Sunshine Grove is home to vast wildlife and animals and it is our duty to protect them and leave no trace. Finally, tie off your full bags of waste and bring them to the edge of any road in the campground for curbside pickup.

Let’s take the phrase “leave only footprints” one step further and make sure the footprints we leave are as small as possible. Thank you for keeping Sunshine Grove a beautiful place today and for years to come. This book is printed sustainably.

HEALTH & SAFETY I T ’ S O K AY TO A SK FO R H E LP !

Emergency medical services will be available in the campground 24 hours a day, along with a booth for ADA needs, Information, and Lost & Found. Please familiarize yourself with their locations on the map so you can find them quickly in the event of an emergency.

ON S I T E M E D IC A L A RE A S

are positioned throughout the festival. These 3 tents can be identied by the the red cross above the entrance. Remember: you will not get in trouble for reporting a medical emergency. Our first aid stations are judgment free.

STAY H Y D R AT E D !

Are you thirsty? That means you’re already dehydrated! Free water refill stations are located throughout the festival grounds and campground at each shower pod. Make sure to stop by and top off your bottle or hydration pack.

GRO U N D C O N T RO L

teams will be roaming the campground and festival site, and can answer questions, help lost Okeechobeeings, and assist with any emergency situations. Be on the lookout for these friendly faces in purple shirts.

AC C E SSI BI LI T Y I N FO:

We offer separate ADA campsites and stage viewing areas. Okeechobeeings are welcome to visit our Access Centers for assistance and information.

THANK YOU TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO MADE OKEECHOBEE HAPPEN THIS YEAR—THE STAFF, THE CREW, THE ARTISTS, AND YOU!

OMF 2023 AWAITS...