Holobora celebrates local music, art |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Apr 29 2009 at 3:35 PM |
Photo by Kevin Whetstone
Ryan O'Connor, Evan Mendyk and Roni Hodges play for the audience at the second annual Holobora festival. The musicians are part of a group called the Beat Continuum Project and were just one of the many acts on hand Saturday night to entertain the packed show at Jammer's Roadhouse.
By Kevin Whetstone
Antelope Staff
"When I say holo, you say bora! Holo!"
Numerous fans erupted in response as the Beat Continuum Project's MC and UNK graduate Ryan O'Connor led the chant Saturday night at the Holobora music and arts festival which took place at Jammers Roadhouse.
The Beat Continuum Project, one of the many acts who made the trip to play for the large crowd that gathered for the April 25 festival, helped organize the event which started off at 4 p.m. and ran into the early morning hours.
Cold weather, strong winds and the constant threat of thunderstorms throughout the evening were not enough to keep a diverse aggregation of bands, fans, artists and others from making the ten-minute trip from Kearney to Odessa in order to come together for an evening of food, friends, music and all-around fun.
In only its second year in existence, the annual festival consisted of eight different bands as well as a few art majors who came to show their pieces and possibly make a little money from their hard work.
The bands were each allotted a one-hour stage slot with various solo artists filling in between sets, and artists were welcome to come and share their work and participate in making new collaborative art.
In its first year, people were able to paint, throw clay on a sculpture wheel and play music and games along with experiencing the live music.
The setup for the festival was the same for this year, but much of that had to be changed when the weather looked to be taking a turn for the worse.
Much like last year, the festival was meant to take place in the vast parking lot of Jammers Roadhouse, with the main acts playing on a stage on the north side of the building while solo and acoustic artists were set to play inside the establishment, but all that changed early on when it was decided the show be moved indoors.
Joseph McHale, a junior art major from Cambridge, commented on the change.
"I was a bit disappointed when I got there and everything was inside. I was kind of dreading standing in the cold all night, but I remember how much fun we had last year with it outside.
There was a lot more room, and a lot more people were able to enjoy it. I am happy I got to stay warm, but we paint outside, and this year, because it was indoors, there wasn't really adequate space, but I still had a great time. The music was great, and the atmosphere inside the building was really comfortable," McHale said.
Despite the change of scenery, many people were on hand to experience the music, which throughout the evening was a mix of rap, rock, folk and metal.
"There was a little something for everyone there. No matter what kind of music you're into or what scene you liken yourself to, Holobora has something for you. That's what I love about it, the fact that it has a kind of Coachella/Woodstock feel to it. It's just too bad that it had to be so cold, because last year the turnout was way bigger, but then again there was a huge parking lot and the inside to work with, and the weather was more in our favor at the time," McHale said.
The music went on all day and into the night at Holobora, and those who took the time to see it were blessed with an experience that weighed heavy on all the senses.
Along with looking at original art, watching and listening to original music, and smelling and tasting the original recipe of the free hamburgers provided, festival goers were certainly touched by the sense of togetherness the event provided.
"Even though there were less people that came out this year, I am still happy with the way things went. Since the event was moved inside, people were forced closer together, which I think kind of subconsciously encouraged them to lower their inhibitions and maybe make some new friends. I just hope everyone had as good of a time as I did, because if they did, then I think that next year will be even better," said Will Sheldon, who owns and operates Jammers Roadhouse, which can be found on the south side of the Odessa interchange just off Interstate 80.
Holobora will take place again next year and will hopefully remain an outlet for the arts for many years to come.
Although no date has been set for the next year's festival, interested artists and musicians who would like to play in the event can log on to www.myspace.com/holobora and find out all they need to know.
