It’s been a hard day’s night, and here we are stuck in traffic on US I-78 somewhere near Harrisburg, PA, on our way to Thornville, OH. We’re hungry, tired, and our backs are sweaty, but honestly, we couldn’t be happier.
Last weekend, we had the chance to chill upstate at Camp Bisco, giving nearly 500 festival-goers the chance to #SoundOff and registering the rest to vote. There was so much peace, love and neon, it felt at times as if we might just turn into a couple of glow sticks – but luckily, we’re still human.
For four days, we camped behind the HeadCount booth inside Reginald (a.k.a. Reggie, our jet-setting cargo van), and became a part of the festival fabric.
Our first day was spent building the tent, organizing supplies and getting our bearings. Though there wasn’t any music that day, we sure kept busy. We learned the quickest route to the cleanest port-o-potties, saw a mobile Ferris wheel build itself and got a good feel for the crowd by exploring the campground.
On day two, we hung around the booth and actually did our jobs. Twelve-hour days aren’t easy, but HeadCount-ing ain’t no walk in the park. By the third day, we were an established landmark on Vendor Row. Everybody who’s anybody at Bisco knew where to find “those HeadCount guys” and we really felt welcomed by the crowd. All day long, young kids and festie vets kept coming up to the booth just to say, “Hey, I’m registered, but I dig what you guys are doing – thanks!” The support we found carried us through the final day – a hot one for sure.
By late afternoon, fatigue had set in and the phrase “Are you registered to vote at your current address?” had become more of a habitual tick than an actual question. Still, we managed to hang tough and finish strong, flying our banner well into the spark-filled night.
Musically, we dug it all. From the electronic jams of The Disco Biscuits and STS9 to the dozens of up-and-coming artists at the B.I.G. tent, we’ve seen the future of music, and we’re down. It was certainly a shift from the hippie-jams we’re used to, but the EDM crowd accepted HeadCount’s message as their own, and we see some serious potential….
Crisscrossing the country all summer long has brought more than a few challenges. Two months of trail mix, heavy bass, and PB&J make for a hard-knock life, but through it all we’ve kept our heads up and carried the torch of democracy to deadheads, hippies and candy kids alike. Look out, All Good, here we come!