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Summer.

The mere word in itself conjures up a myriad of memories lingering in a haze of Bar-B-Q and Freon that ignite a convective event of cataclysmic proportions. For three months every year (and sometimes four or five if you want to tip your hat to Global Warming), we are allowed to take part in the rites of the Season of the Sun.

People crowd into the streets, anxious to encounter those that have eluded them during the cold hibernation of winter. Men suddenly seem to call in to work more frequently with a bug that can only be cured with a nine-iron. Women peel off as many layers as possible (right down to the bra…you know who you are), and shun societal conventions in a season long art fair that hangs just above the thong line on their lower back.

There are a myriad of moments that can only be defined as “Summer”. Grilling out at any place or time…a favorite of the Midwest, “Corn Hole” (or as I like to call it, “Hole in a Board”)…beer that goes down smoother than water…driving with the windows rolled all the way down, and the radio all the way up…the ice cream truck that plays a never-ending chorus of “Turkey in the Straw”…Sitting on a covered porch during a tornado warning instead of hauling ass toward the basement…all of these moments melt together into one giant tie-dyed T-shirt of awesome that lasts for a finite time, and hosts some kick-ass moments. Of these moments, the Apex of All That Is, The Alpha and the Omega, the Hall and the Oates, has got to be the summer music festival.

The music festival is nothing new. It is as old as time itself. From the moment Og took his stick and bowl out of the cave to the yard in front, there have been summer music festivals. They are not just a chance to go and see music performed, they are a magnet for performers as well. For all musicians know that the best parts of a music festival are not the ones you see on the stage, they are the parts you find on the lawn, in the camping area, in the parking lot, and in line for the port-a-potties. There is a definite vibe that can only occur when thousands of human gather to celebrate the most basic and celebrated form of art we, as a species, can claim…music. As soon as there is a momentary break in the jam of the moment, someone can be heard uttering the all-too-familiar phrase, “I’ve got my guitar in my car…”

Being from Lafayette, it always seemed that to find these moments in the sun, I had to find the festival itself, cram into the car with three other sweaty humans for eight hours, and suffer through some bizarre rite of passage to truly enjoy whatever place it was I was headed to. There was the lead up to the trip itself (“Man…this is gonna be bad ass…”), the event in its own right where you spent most of the time looking for the three people you knew in a crowd of 20,000 people (“Hey…any of you guys seen a dude who’s kind of a regular looking guy and answers to ‘Chris’?”), and the inevitable long-ass drive home wherein someone was hung over, someone was having hook-up regret, and someone else played Radio Nazi (“Just listen to Jerry’s solo, man…”). This is no longer the case. God has given us a gift, and it is the LayFlats Music Festival.

If none of you have been to LayFlats, then SHAME, and your chance for retribution is coming in a mere four months. It is truly the best part of All Things Outdoor Summer Music Festival, and a little bit even more badass. This is why I am compiling my own official list of…

REASONS WHY YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO ATTEND THIS YEARS LAYFLATS ARTS AND MUSIC FESTIVAL!!!

1. Longer is better!!!

This year the festival has increased to a two-day event. This makes it totally logical to cruise into town on Friday, and stay for day two. If you aren’t from Lafayette, the cool thing about us Lafitians is that we are way too cool for our own good, and surely will loan you not only the shirt off of our backs, but the cushions off of our couches, as well…ESPECIALLY if you drop the phrase, “support live music” into the conversation. I am willing to bet a warm living room floor for your and your fifteen buddies lies only a few feet away.

2. It’s not easy being green, but they’re doing it anyway!!!

The promoters of LayFlats, Travis Easter and Johnny Klemme, are doing their damndest to see that this event doesn’t add to the carbon footprint. They are doing all in their power to keep the site clean, utilize carbon offsets and use products that will not destroy the planet. Last year the clean up was a team effort that was not only efficient, but well-organized enough that the good people at the Amphitheatre are actually giving these guys AN EXTRA DAY! Tell that to the guy in Woodstock, NY who still has a mud pit in his yard. Outdoor festivals should respect the outdoors. Period.

3. Lafayette Brewing Company Beer!!!

Not only does this festival have a beer garden, it has a beer garden full of beer that will knock you on your ass. For those of you out there who consider yourselves, “beer connoisseurs”, yet don’t know the power of LBC beer I offer a challenge. That challenge is to get to the LayFlats Music Festival. Period. This stuff is not only as tasty as the nectar of the gods, but will also leave you with that, “I can totally go talk to this chick/dude” feeling. Magic.

4. MUSIC!!! DUH!!!

LayFlats Music Festival is one of the true remaining outdoor festivals that feature not only nationally touring acts, but many local acts as well. This year LayFlats will feature 62 live acts during the two days of the festival. They have a variety that covers everything from ska, to blues, to swing, and of course, good old fashioned rock and roll. It’s not a jam event. It’s not a thrash event. It’s not a reggae event. It’s a music event. Also, while other events forget the people who keep them afloat, LayFlats truly is a music festival for musicians. They give back to those who give so much to them.

5. Like kids and dogs??? They do to!!!

Last year there were as many kids and pets at this event as there were grown-up people (although I use that term very loosely). There is no problem with bringing anyone, or anything, to LayFlats that you want to spend some QT with. If they like to wiggle their diaper encased butts to music, there’s an extra bonus. Kids under 12 even get in FREE. That’s right. Free. As in, “for nothing”. There are even kids’ games and art and music workshops as well. Who says family values are a thing of the past????

6. More bang for your buck.

Let’s face it; gas is pound-you-in-the-kiester expensive this summer. If you drive to other music festivals, you’re not only going to pay close to $300.00 in gas there and back (if you’re lucky), you’re also out a few hundred in tickets to the event itself. Grab a few of your buddies, get a DD, cram in the Ford Focus, and at $10.00 for a single day ticket (a whopping $15.00 for the 2-day ticket), you can have an ass-kicking time for less money than a night at the bars. LayFlats is better for the environment, better for the wallet, and better for the soul.

7. You like to be the nice guy!!!

Not only are you taking a two day vacation from reality, you are giving someone else a little bit of a vacation, as well. All of the proceeds from LayFlats Arts and Music Festival go toward local charities in Tippecanoe County. Every bite you chew, every band you dig on, and every beer you sip is giving a little of itself to the less fortunate in the area…and everyone knows nice guys/chicks are super hot!!!

8. There’s more than corn in Indiana.

There is art, and great food, and local vendors, and music of all styles, and beer, and people you haven’t seen in years, and smiling faces, and an awesome vibe! Food at LayFlats is the bizz-omb with everything from Cajun BBQ, grill and roasted sweet corn to vegan. If you leave LayFlats hungry, it’s a damned shame.

9. Volunteering is good for your karma!!!

For those that not only want to attend the most clearly awesome music festival near the Wabash, but want to be a part of it, too, remember this…volunteers are sexy. Not only does it make you feel better about the world as a whole, it makes you a part of the whole world. Volunteers are being asked for a 5 hour commitment if they work both days, and a 3 hour commitment if they work for one day only. Yes, admission is free. I also have it on good authority that vols get not only admission AND lunch, but also (drum roll please)…A FREE T-SHIRT!!! That’s right. No jokes. A free T-shirt. If that doesn’t make you want to get on the list to sign up right now then you are a damn fool. Of course, nothing motivates this girl like the feel of a smooth cotton blend against her skin on a September night…or two September nights…take your pick.

10. You could be in on the ground floor of changing the world!!!

How cool would it be in twenty years when you are coming back to LayFlats #21 to tell your kids that “you were here, man…you were here”. It’s almost like the fall of the Berlin Wall, or the Grassy Knoll…only not even close to those things, but, you get the point. Some day when you return to throngs of hundreds of thousands stretched out across the land by the river, you can close your eyes and remember the best outdoor summer festival you ever attended, and how it has only gotten exponentially cooler in the years since. Be a part of history.

There. You have heard my schpeel. I have presented my case. There is no reason or way you can refute the fact that LayFlats Arts and Music Festival is one of the coolest, most progressive, most entertaining ways to get the best bang for your buck you will find in the upcoming summer months. I look forward to seeing you all there. I will be the one in the T-Shirt, drinking 85 from the Lafayette Brewing Company, and generally enjoying the best that summer festivals have to offer.

Hope to see you all there. It could possibly be the best damned outdoor summer music festival in the Midwest…or maybe even the universe. You decide. Get your tickets now. Get your buddies lined up, and get to enjoying your summer. I will look forward to our time in September.

See you there.