Shabang Music Festival: From Renegade to Renowned Event
Hills, Headliners, and Hella House Music
For the 11th year in a row, Shabang Music Festival returned to the beautiful hills of San Luis Obispo for a weekend filled with amazing live music, good vibes, and community bonding. The festival’s electronic-indie crossover lineup featured major headliners like Wallows, Goth Babe, Jungle, Odd Mob, GUDFELLA, and many more! In addition to the stacked lineup across four different stages, Shabang offered a stage with various workshops (my personal favorite being “The Sacred Art of Ass Shaking”), an immersive camping experience with DRC Creatives, interactive painting exhibits, a Vendor Village, and silk aerialist performers.
Picture Credits: Gabriel Martinez
From Backyard Renegade to Festival Powerhouse
Shabang started out as a renegade in 2014 amongst a few friends and has turned into a large independent music festival with over 10,000 annual attendees! Attending felt like I was at Coachella circa 2004. The festival’s dedication to uplifting the local music community is showcased through their Silent Disco stage, which is comprised entirely of local DJs, as well as their California-wide Battle of the Bands tour, which awards the winners with a slot on the lineup along with various resources to broadcast their music and elevate their careers. Even 11 years later, you can still feel the essence of Shabang’s grassroots upbringing and the unity of the 805 community that this festival fosters.
Day One Highlights: Groovin’ & Movin’
The festival started off strong on Friday, May 2nd, with Leisan opening at the Funk Safari stage. Leisan, a Los Angeles-based house music DJ and producer, had attendees groovin’ and movin’ as soon as the festival gates opened. The other acts at the house stage kept the energy up until the end of Jungle’s headlining DJ set. One thing I really liked about this festival was that its relatively small size allows for one act to be the main event and close out the night while still having a lot of room for attendees to move on the dance floor. Some other Day One standout performances were Almost Monday, GUDFELLA, Mind’s Eye, and Goth Babe.
Good Girls Go to Heaven, Bad Girls go to The Funk Safari
You know what they say: good girls go to heaven, bad girls go to the Funk Safari! And the baddies were OUT this weekend — everyone at the festival was FITTED. I saw a lot of girls clad in chunky jewelry, accompanied by a maxi skirt or micro shorts and a bikini top. Additionally, cowgirl/boy boots once again made an appearance among attendees. Lots of men were wearing jerseys and baseball caps. And of course, it wouldn’t be a music festival without the iconic pashmina and sunglasses combo!
Did I mention how cute the Shabang merch was? The majority of their merch featured cool colors, which are associated with calmness, nature, and creativity. Clearly, all aspects of this festival point back to their roots and central theme of local authenticity.
Second Day Shenanigans
My friends and I began our second day of the festival at the DRC Creatives pre-party, where they had various community bonding activities and an open decks opportunity. Of course, I had to hop on the decks and show the Shabangers some hardgroove, UKG, and techno. Heading into the festival, the vibes were still high despite the slight drop in temperature and overcast skies. I was especially excited for this day because two of my favorite artists were performing: Odd Mob and Wallows, both of which DID NOT disappoint. We also explored the University and Silent Disco stages, where I was pleasantly surprised to find Caroline Shinner throwing down some 140+ BPM hardgroove and techno. After catching Kream at the Funk Safari, we headed to “The Sacred Art of Ass Shaking” workshop, where everyone was ***as you can imagine*** shaking their ass like no one was watching. Odd Mob into Wallows really ended the festival on a high note.
Beyond the Lineup: Shabang’s Secret Scenes
For those who wanted to extend the festivities after the festival ended, Shabang hosted an official afterparty on-site at the Dairy Creek Clubhouse. King Julian and GUDFELLA joined Odd Mob to keep the party going until 2 in the morning. But the festivities did not stop there, DRC Creatives had an exclusive campsite after-after party for several more hours on Saturday night.
Who knew House and Indie Could Be Soulmates?
Overall, Shabang was one of my favorite festivals! The authentic nature of the independent festival was apparent in every aspect. It was so refreshing to attend an event that featured two completely different genres of music. Who knew house and indie would pair so well together? I certainly do after this experience. I am already counting down the days until I am back frolicking in the hills of San Luis Obispo, but until then, I will just reminisce in my Shabang hoodie.