Back in 2022, Dyan and I were invited to go to the 3rd Annual HOODOO Mural Festival in Amarillo, Texas. We had such a blast, and I knew I would be going back for another year. The morning of Saturday, September 30th, I took a short drive to Amarillo and entered Polk Street for what seemed to be another year of one of the greatest block parties in West Texas. Tons of local stores were set up with their own merchandise and it was packed with great food and art everywhere. HOODOO Art Foundation is a non-profit created to bring art and art education to the city of Amarillo through murals and other resources. The HOODOO Mural Festival is intended to celebrate the yearly completion of new art projects and murals with musicians and other exciting events. This year’s headliner was the fantastic DJ LP Giobbi alongside a ton of other incredible musicians coming in to support the art.
One of the coolest parts of the entire event is the muralists they bring in to paint these beautiful and permanent murals across the downtown area of Amarillo. I envy how beautiful Amarillo’s downtown area is and how much it is growing year by year with attention to the smallest details like murals.
Chill Son
The first band I caught was Chill Son, an Amarillo instrumental duo of Nate Pfeil and Colton Thomas. They had this very clean guitar sound full of funk and rock elements which was a nice start to my day’s celebration. I ended up checking their self-titled EP from earlier in the year and really enjoyed the sounds they were crafting. I always enjoy HOODOO being able to not only bring in these huge global musicians but really cool and deserving local musicians as well.
DJ Cassandra
Between sets was DJ Cassandra keeping the energy high with fun and catchy intermission sets pulling classic songs from multiple decades filled with high-energy and positive vibes. Her sets were a great way to keep the music flowing and interesting between artists.
Cody Jasper
Cody Jasper and his band performed next. He is an up-and-coming Southern Rock artist with touches of Outlaw Country and Blues raised in Amarillo. He had recently recorded some new music and was previewing it. It was great to see an artist make a homecoming of sorts back to his hometown and present his growth with the city. His music was headbanging music. He absolutely tore the stage down and I was worried there wouldn’t be a stage left for artists to perform on.
Giacomo Turra
One of the most exciting artists performing was the Italian musician Giacomo Turra who performed with his band. Giacomo has made waves through social media like Instagram and YouTube performing covers of classic R&B, Funk, and Jazz songs with his own twists as well as crafting his own material. His set contained songs like Forget Me Nots by Patrice Rushen and Tom Misch’s Disco Yes. It was extremely funky and a ton of fun. It felt like a 70s dance floor and I thoroughly enjoyed the high-energy performance from the band.
Kaelin Ellis
Last year, I was lucky enough to see Kaelin Ellis for the first time after being a huge fan of his work and loving his album THE FUNK WILL PREVAIL from earlier in the year. After his performance, Dyan and I got to chat with him about music and his extensive workload so far including his fantastic EP with Lupe Fiasco and the late Virgil Abloh. Last year’s performance was a fusion between a DJ set and live instrumentations and remixes from Kaelin himself. This year, he told me he wanted to keep the set entirely based on his own music and remixes he’s done to other songs. This allowed him to shift the production around the show’s energy and add live drums to his own music. To me, Kaelin’s production style is very distinctive. He plays in a non-quantized sound so the drum hits are very loose, similar to classic funk like James Brown. This allows for a wonky sound that has become his signature style. It really works. He has become HOODOO’s resident artist as he’s performed for the past three consecutive years. He always seems to put on a show-stopping performance. This time was no different. The crowd lost it between transitions of songs and when he got on the drum kit. It is electric to see him perform, and I am always excited to see him grow as an artist with each performance. He also remembered me from last year, so I was glad to reunite with him once again.
After Kaelin finished his set, instead of DJ Cassandra walking back out, the music shifted to playing exclusively songs by the legendary American rock band The Grateful Dead. One of Giobbi’s biggest influences is Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead. Earlier in the year, she had released a full remix album of the entirety of Jerry Garcia’s solo debut studio album before releasing her own debut album Light Places later that year. As the DJ decks came out, it was time for the night’s final set.
LP Giobbi
I was born to dance and have a good time, so when there is an opportunity to listen to an incredible DJ put on a performance, I try to take the opportunity and let all the energy out. Earlier in the day, Will Krause, one of the producers of HOODOO, introduced me to LP, and she was just such a nice person as a whole. We briefly talked about music and I shared my love of her new album. The authenticity that she presents in her music is just who she is as a person, and I love that.
Once her set kicked off, I very shortly posted on my personal Instagram story “This is the most euphoric dance set I’ve ever been to. I might cry. I gotta let all the emotions out.” Her sound translates extremely well to a major festival stage, and the psychedelic elements presented throughout her album and singles were oozing from every moment of her performance. From switching to the piano playing these rich melodies to huge drops, I was sweating and I was having such a great time. She is such a fantastic performer, and hearing these live renditions of my favorite Light Places tracks really brought the album to life. I cannot recommend catching her set if you ever get the chance.
As a whole, HOODOO was successful for another year. The murals were incredible, and the music was exhilarating. Being able to catch these high-value acts in the small city of Amarillo is a beautiful experience, and I feel that it is something you cannot take for granted. Art is the culture, and the culture revolves around artistry.
Next year’s HOODOO Mural Festival will occur on Saturday, September 28, 2024. Information will be announced on HOODOO’s social media and their website https://www.hoodoomural.com/
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