Chali 2na – Showbams

Lightning in a Bottle taps REZZ, SOFI TUKKER & ZHU as headliners for ‘transformational’ festival’s 20th anniversary in 2023

Lightning in a Bottle //
Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area – Bakersfield, CA
May 24th-29th, 2023 //

Lightning in a Bottle, believe it or not, is turning 20 this year.

After 2022 marked its first installment in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic with Glass Animals, Kaytranada and GRiZ headlining, the “transformational” festival is back at it this Memorial Day weekend and ready to enter a third decade.

Sitting atop the poster for The Do LaB’s signature event will be three electronic heavyweights in REZZ, SOFI TUKKER and ZHU following its Phase 1 lineup announcement, but the undercard has more than enough dance-forward music to keep you moving and grooving into the early-morning hours, too.

20 years of lightning has led us to our most eclectic array of artists yet ⚡️ Get tickets: https://t.co/M9B6C9SvV1 pic.twitter.com/C0cPR3I9CB

— Lightning in a Bottle (@LIBfestival) January 17, 2023

Below the top line, some of the artists standing out at the Lightning Stage in 2023 include Phantogram, Tobe Nwigwe, 070 Shake, Caribou, DRAMA, Sampa the Great, MINDCHATTER, Uncle Waffles, Beats Antique and Ozomatli with Chali 2na & Cut Chemist. The Thunder Stage, meanwhile, has its own crop of acts worth highlighting here in Liquid Stranger, LSDREAM, TOKiMONSTA (DJ set), The Glitch Mob, LTJ Bukem with Armanni, MEUTE, Deathpact, The Polish Ambassador and The Floozies, yet so does the Woogie Stage with sets by Tale of Us, Diplo, Purple Disco Machine, Ben Böhmer, Stephan Bodzin (Live), Blond:ish, LP Giobbi, Giorgia Angiuli and more. Peep the poster above for the rest of the roster.

LIB has long been considered to be one of the country’s premier boutique festivals and a great way to cure any Coachella blues just one month later. Though there aren’t a lot of names — besides DRAMA — crossing over from the famed two-weekend, three-day extravaganza in the desert this April, both of them have previously shared the same electronic-leaning talent from RÜFÜS DU SOL, SG Lewis and Bob Moses to Four Tet, Bonobo and Tycho. Still, for as much as the music has been the main draw for fans over the last 10 years, promoting the ideals of sustainability, social cohesion, personal health and creative expression through art, yoga, workshops and speakers continues to play an essential part of the experience and The Do LaB’s overall mission since the very beginning.

GA and VIP tickets to LIB 2023 can be purchased here for $439 and $775, respectively, plus fees as well as car camping and parking passes. Group campsites in addition to admission for RVs and kids ages 1-17 will also be available, so feel free to bring the whole family to Buena Vista Lake for a long weekend of fun!

UPDATE (February 28th): The lineup for the Grand Artique stage has now been announced featuring performances by Band of Gringos, Bootleg Sunshine and more. You can find the rest of the scheduled acts in the poster above.

UPDATE (March 2nd): Two days after telling us which artists will play the Grand Artique stage this year, the festival has shared the roster for The Junkyard with Ali Khalili, Armando Kroma and Beau Sebastian leading the way. See who else will be there in the poster above.

UPDATE (March 7th): Feeling a little spiritual in 2023? LIB has revealed more of its Phase 2 lineup as LIGHTCODE by LSDREAM and Sunday Service with The Polish Ambassador lead the Compass Music stage with their ambient, chill vibes. Take a look at the poster above to familiarize yourself with the other artists on the bill.

UPDATE (March 9th): Hey, bass heads! The fest has dropped more music (like it’s hot) by delivering its roster for The Stacks that boasts The Gaslamp Killer and so much more, including special guests. Peep the poster above for the full list of performers.

UPDATE (March 14th): With 10 weeks to go before LIB’s 20th anniversary, daily lineups have officially arrived. Scan the posters above for all of the acts taking the stage from Wednesday to Sunday.

By Josh Herwitt //

Jurassic 5 //
Club Nokia – Los Angeles
July 9th, 2015 //

In 2002, Jurassic 5 were on top of the hip-hop world. After achieving moderate success from its first two studio albums, the LA-based group’s third LP Power in Numbers soared to No. 15 on the Billboard 200 thanks, in part, to its hit single “What’s Golden” before other tracks like “Freedom” and “Hey” would later propel the six-piece further into the mainstream.

But by 2006, things had started heading in the wrong direction for the alternative hip-hop collective. DJ/turntablist Lucas Macfadden (Cut Chemist) left the group to focus on his solo career, and J5’s subsequent full-length record Feedback, despite its commercial success, was met by some rather ho-hum reviews. Less than a year later, the group broke up, citing “musical differences” for its decision to call it quits. Each of the remaining members — Charles Stewart (Chali 2na), Dante Givens (Akil), Courtenay Henderson (Zaakir aka Soup), Marc Stuart (Marc 7) and Mark Potsic (DJ Nu-Mark) — went their separate ways after the split, with some pursuing their own individual projects while Henderson was eventually forced to work a job at Nordstorm to make ends meet.

Jurassic 5’s Marc 7

Seven years passed before Jurassic 5 would resurface, though this time it was in front of a packed crowd on the polo fields of Indio, Calif. The group’s Coachella performance in 2013 would signal a reunion of sorts, one that has continued through the first half of 2015 with shows overseas in Australia, New Zealand and Japan prior to this summer’s headlining U.S. tour, which featured a hometown date at Club Nokia last Thursday night.

And although Jurassic 5 hasn’t released any new material besides the Heavy D-produced track “The Way We Do It” last year, they still sound just as tight as they did in their early-2000’s heyday. In its native LA, the group appeared to be in high spirits from the minute it walked on stage. Chali 2na, arguably the group’s most beloved emcee among fans due to his deep baritone voice and remarkable rhyming ability, looked like his old cheerful and playful self, flowing effortlessly while flashing his great, big smile in between verses.

Jurassic 5’s Chali 2na

The DJ battle that ensued midway through J5’s set, meanwhile, reminded both new and old fans that the talent within the group extends equally from the front to the back of the stage. Because for as gifted as DJ Nu-Mark is, it’s hard to think of Jurassic 5 without picturing Cut Chemist behind the decks. During the few months that the group performed without him after his departure, something felt missing. It’s that relationship between DJ and emcee, after all, that makes iconic hip-hop groups like J5 so special to experience in a live setting, even more than two decades after they were formed.

At Club Nokia, Jurassic 5 never showed their age. They hit upon just about every big track they ever released and even welcomed legendary rapper Percee P to the stage late in their encore. But as nostalgic as it was hearing tracks like “Jayou”, ” The Influence”, “Quality Control” and “Improvised” more than a decade after they were written, Jurassic 5 won’t be able to live off them forever. Whether it’s next year or the year after, there will come a time when the group’s members will have no choice but to re-enter the studio and assemble a new record — if not to generate more radio play, then to at least continue touring. For now though, all six seem happy to be performing together again and similarly, so do their fans.