From July 23-25, the Land of NOD Experiment set up shop on a farm outside of Jackson, Michigan and brought a weekend full of music, art, and hippies to an area that’s not exactly known for its free-spirited mentality and cultural happenings. Heavy rain and thunderstorms plagued Friday and Saturday and kept me from attending the festival, but Sunday brought warm weather and blue skies that set a perfect backdrop for performances through the afternoon and evening.

Ann Arbor natives The Macpodz were taking the stage when I got to the festival, and their set blew me away. I’ve seen flyers for their shows all around town but I’ve never actually seen them live before. Their instantly catchy and ridiculously funky music draws inspiration from all over the sonic spectrum – from jazz to disco to rock to dance. The quintet displayed an unexpected knack for composition and orchestration, and I was impressed with their layering of intricate melodies and rhythms. On top of that, the band members were charismatic and interacted with the crowd throughout the set. I’d highly recommend checking them out the next time they’re playing in town.

While The Macpodz were packing up their gear, a sound guy started setting up turntables on the other side of the stage, which meant that DJ Q-Bert and Kool Keith were up next. I was really stoked to see Kool Keith perform since he’s one of the most prolific MC’s in hip-hop history and he was performing as Dr. Octagon, the moniker under which he released the classic oddball album Dr. Octagonecologyst. As he and Q-Bert, a legend himself, walked on stage I could only think about how their combined reputation and brilliance were going to be lost on the mostly hippie/hipster crowd. But once their set was underway I realized that they weren’t even giving the audience a good enough performance to back up their classic status. Kool Keith sounded bored and lazy at times, and Q-Bert didn’t have any good chances to flex his muscles on the Technics. It was awesome to see the two heavyweights live and there were some memorable parts – like when they performed “Earth People” and “Blue Flowers” – but ultimately I felt a little let down.

Cool Keith

I poked around the grounds for a while, checking out the crazy art and enjoying some fantastic people watching. At last, festival-goers slowly made their way from camp sites, vendor booths, and side stages to the main stage area to wait for the festival’s last show from headliners of Montreal. The band finally came on stage as the sun was disappearing below the trees, and proceeded to deliver a gripping performance that converted this casual listener into a big fan. I didn’t care that I didn’t recognize every song because all of the band members played with enough passion and energy to make it a great show for anybody. They played rocking lead single “Coquet Coquette” from their upcoming album False Priest and it was absolutely crushing on the festival sound system. Along with the music, there were frequent theatrical outbursts where creepily masked and robed figures came on stage and acted out morbid, mildly disturbing scenes.

Of Montreal

The added entertainment made the already stellar show even better, and I’m sure everybody left the festival as satisfied as I did.

My great overall experience made me wish that Friday and Saturday would have seen better weather. A surprisingly strong, eclectic lineup paired with a cool location and on-site camping give the Land of NOD Experience a lot of potential for the future, and I’m excited to see how it grows and brings in a beefier lineup with more popular artists.

Review by: Sam Billetdaux

Photos by: Chelsea Brown