By Andy Bernstein
I am proud to say that I've attended every single Camp Bisco, and watched it evolve from a family gathering in 1999 to America's premier live electronic music festival. I've seen the highs (the goodbye to Sammy in '05, Shpongle in 2006, the VIP tent spinorama last year) and the lows (a kid not knowing how many states there are while 20/20 cameras were rolling in '08).
I've also seen Camp Bisco mature into a safe, well-organized event where the music and the communal vibe far overshadow any of the sketchiness that has stained many other festivals.
A big part of that, no doubt, stems from the Color War. For those who have never attended Camp Bisco, it's a sort of Olympics where festival attendees show up in uniform and ready to compete. It represents all the most positive things about the the Biscuits community - that being COMMUNITY itself.
So I was thrilled last week when HeadCount volunteer and Color War captain Cailin Boucher called me with an idea - tie HeadCount to a Color War event. She suggested the "Letter Writing Challenge." Whatever team writes the most letters to Congress wins the event.
This is a true realization of how we aim to spread political participation in the live music scene. From the ground up. From deep within the community.
So we eagerly welcome Camp Bisco Color War participants to stop by our booth on Thursday or Friday and write a letter to Congress. It can be about anything you wish - the oil spill, organic farming, marijuana legalization, take your pick. Anything the represents the Camp Bisco community well. We'll help you figure out who your representative is and mail it for you. And your team will get a point for each letter.
We'll also choose some of the best-written letters, and Marc will stop by around 5 PM on Friday to pick the very best. It will be worth an additional five points. The team with the most points then wins the event.
There will be plenty of things to do at the HeadCount booth even if you're not on a Color War team. You can play "Reality Check," our Camp Bisco-wide trivia tournament. The first prize is two VIP tix to next year's Camp Bisco, thanks to CID Entertainment. You can also sign a pledge to vote and get a recorded phone call from Marc the day before the election. Our goal is get 400 people to sign these pledges, proving that the Biscuits community will hit the polls in November.
And of course, you can register to vote.
I hope everyone is as excited for Camp Bisco 9 as I am. HeadCount has been at every Camp Bisco since its return in 2005. We are proud to call it a home away from home.