By Jessi Smith
Photography by Jonathan Smith
On the Bus Productions held the first annual Levity Fest music, art, and tattoo expo on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, in Trinidad, Colorado. The festival was an all-day affair with doors opening at noon and crew staying near midnight.
Afroman, Grammy-nominated singer of international novelty hit “Because I Got High” headlined the event, taking the stage around 9:00 PM. Nappy Roots, a hip-hop ensemble originating in Bowling Green, Kentucky, also drew large crowds with their energetic perfomance of hit singles like “Po’ Folks” and “Good Day.” Both acts arrived in Trinidad the day of the festival, and spent time shopping and eating in Trinidad the following Thursday. Up-and-comer JMAYZ was well received on the main stage between the night’s headliners. Florida resident Big Buzz “recently released from a State Enforced Vacation” dominated the stage with Aggressive Gangster Rap reminiscent of 2002. Big Buzz entered the stage to receptive fans who were showered with money, before he stepped down to the floor for another song right In the Enthralled Crowds Faces.
Performances began around 1 PM, with area artists such as Trinidad’s beatbox & guitar duo Devin Presley and Teddie Castle, DJ & Comedy Sets by Attikin Troll aka Chris Mackey, DJ Frizzy Fish aka Kyndall Alvarez, local favorite DJ Spacely, as well as Nesto Mariani and Gasho of Raton. Trax A Trillion from Lansing Michigan, currently in Colorado Springs was the first artist to light up the main stage with aggressive guitar riffs and hard rap lyrics.
Artists traveled from Michigan, California, and Oregon by plane, with transport to and from Trinidad provided by High Life Promotions. Old Man Saxon, a comedy rap artist with over 17,000 YouTube followers, dressed to the nines and provided a concise set of humorous songs. Max Price of Ann Arbor, Michigan, performed a unique set of rock-rap numbers featuring electric guitar by Chris Terry.
Garden of Weeden
Levity Fest offered a fully-compliant cannabis consumption area entitled the “Garden of Weeden.” Live cannabis plants decorated the large outdoor area enclosed by opaque fencing and monitored by armed security. Food trucks populated the west side of the courtyard, with Redneck Smoke’s impeccable new truck, Green Chile Burger, and Brisket Cheese Fries special being the choice munchies of the day. Three of High Life Promotions‘ cannabis consumption busses were available, with cannabis vendors such as West Edison, Mahatma, and Rockin’ Extracts providing free samples and merchandise. A full bar was also available with a wide variety of domestic and imported liquors. All entrants were over age 21 and required to provide valid ID.
Another performance area in the enclosed courtyard drew a large crowd with a group of young hip-hop musicians of Fort Worth, Texas. So Supremey, Roddie Flacco, Yan$eth, Rockstarr Kidd, and more gave a show-stealing set mid-afternoon before the crowd moved indoors to the main stage. Levity Fest was the group’s second booking outside of Texas.
Other free activities were available all over the venue, dubbed the Ol’ Yota Music Hall, formerly the Phil Long Toyota Dealership located just northeast of A-1 Automatics and Towing on Highway 350. Arcade games like the World’s Largest Pacman and pinball were offered indoors, with bean bag toss and badminton (which was unfortunately not compatible with gusty winds on the temperate day) outside.
Vendors such as The Spot 420, located on Commercial Street in Trinidad, gifted swag and coupons to visitors and raffled off items later in the day. Other vendors and artists also came out to network and sell paintings, pipes, jewelry, and more. Main Street Tattoo Parlor was on-hand doing live tattoos well into the night. Green room catering was provided by Frontier BBQ of Trinidad.
Headliner Afroman graciously signed autographs and took photos with many fans, including on-stage endorsements of local dispensaries Magnolia Road and Highland Health. Afterparties on-site began around 10:30 PM, being moved to Drop City to continue into the morning. The concert drew visitors from as far as Denver, Santa Fe, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, and Lawrence, KS. Afroman’s manager Tony Wallace promised an excited crowd that Levity Fest would return to Trinidad annually and thanked Chris Mackey of On the Bus Productions and David Kemp of High Life Promotions for their efforts in organizing the groundbreaking local happening.
On The Bus Productions
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OnTheBusProductions/
High Life Promotions
www.highlifepromotions.com
https://www.facebook.com/420socotours/
Afroman
Official Website: https://www.afromanmuzzicc.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ogafroman83/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ogafroman/
Nappy Roots
Official Website: http://nappyroots.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nappyrootsmusic/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nappyroots/
