Aesthetically speaking, Nateva is not a gigantic festival. This leaves everyone camping on the grounds in prime real estate - close to all stages, vendors, and bathrooms. There were plenty of charging stations around the campgrounds, and more than enough potable water spouts. There were, unfortunately, some reoccurring sound issues throughout the festival weekend. In a number of performances (from Umphrey's McGee to She and Him) instruments would repeatedly flare up and unruly sounds would spout toward the crowd. There were countless instances where musicians could be seen struggling, with angered looks on their faces.

At the end of the day, though, Nateva did a lot of things well. The porta potties were impressively well kempt and lit. There were also a few actual bathrooms throughout the fairgrounds as well as two lost and found stations, a media building, and a Hannaford's right outside the festival gates. The most impressive was the lineup, which was unique, fostering an environment for lesser-known musicians to get their sound heard. A few bands were so notable that if they went unmentioned in this article, it would be a travesty.

Boston band Magic Magic had many local attendees scratching their heads and wondering why this was the first time they'd heard the group. Opening up the main stage on Friday, Magic Magic's alchemy of easy listening and indie-pop set the precedent for musical diversity at Nateva. Hip-hop was also present later that evening, represented by the five MCs from The Problemaddicts. Although the sound in the barn stage wasn't spectacular, making it hard to differentiate between flow and lyric, there was no denying the enthusiastic precision that backs this super group. They were simply and powerfully on point. At the end of their set they teamed up with The Alchemystics, a Massachusetts based hybrid of dub, roots, reggae, and hip-.hop, morphing them with the sounds of their DJ. It was a refreshing performance, setting the stage for the breadth of music yet to come.

Other talented acts included the Nate Wilson Group, Rustic Overtones, Roots of Creation, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, The Constellations, and The Felice Brothers.

The most memorable and impressive of all the unsung bands to play at Nateva were the notorious shredders The McLovins. Generating a lot of hype, it's no surprise that the three teenagers packed the Port City barn stage at 2:30 in the afternoon with John Brown's Body on the main stage. The only other time this type of crowd developed in the barn stages was during late night sets. They had the crowd screaming for an encore, and were unbelievable deserving of it.

With the ups and downs that come with the production of any event for the first time, Nateva certainly had its lineup down. One can only hope that throughout the next years Nateva will work out its kinks and be that Maine summer get-a-way it so desires to become.

http://www.natevafestival.com