Courtesy of CoSM.org
For those who have never been, the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors is a museum/music venue/community in Wappingers Falls, New York. Founded by renowned psychedelic artists Alex & Allyson Gray, the chapel is a hub for everything counter-culture: workshops focusing on poetry, yoga, and flow arts are in constant rotation, and once a month a music event is planned. Much like Alex Gray’s art itself, events at CoSM are all about being familiar, but different every time, and this past weekend’s Summer Solstice celebration took that philosophy to a whole new level. Boasting two big name headliners, the event drew over 2,000 people to CoSM’s mid-sized grounds. While the house and surrounding property were bursting at the seams, the additional attendees only added to the sense of unity that is so prevalent at all of CoSM’s events.
The House
It is after Alex and Allyson’s opening ceremony that things really began to flow, and the house began to breathe. In accordance to the house rules, all visitors removed their shoes before entering. Once inside, there was an endless array of choices that one could make. You could venture around to observe the original artwork that Alex has displayed around the house, or instead grab a bite to eat at the onsite “Mushroom Cafe” (where even the trashcans are art). Live painters worked in a side room, while a large canvas was erected in the center for attendees to make their mark on with sand art. Body artist Caren Charles left her mark on attendees in the main room, while the side porch became a center for people talking and observing the festivities going on in the backyard.
Outside
Alex and Allyson pulled no punches when planning this event, making it more extravagant than any we’ve seen before. Every resource was utilized, from the calming tea lounge tent in one corner, to the intense fire performance and aerobatics stage in the other. Behind a roaring, yet well kept fire, a complex and ever-changing laser light show illuminated the trees. Perhaps the biggest attraction to those looking for refugee from the tightly packed house was a giant dome in which psychedelic images were projected in every direction while soothing ambient music played.
The Music
Despite all of the extra activities there were to enjoy, it was clear most everyone was there to submit themselves to the vibes brought by well known artists Space Jesus and Minnesota. Opener EurythmY did a great job setting the stage for the rest of the night with a set that was both energetic, but restrictive, leaving plenty of energy for the night to come.
Space Jesus took the stage at 10 p.m, beginning his set with a series of psychedelic bangers, including an unreleased song from his side project Schlang. Before long the small room was packed wall to wall, with little room to move. Despite this, the energy in the crowd was high, and people utilized whatever space they could find to get down as Space Jesus alternated between trippy and aggressive music.
Minnesota came on soon after, introducing himself to the crowd by throwing the a capella from Biggie Small’s “Gimmie The Loot” over a multitude of ever-changing drops. From there, his set flowed through a variety of tunes ranging from his cinematic masterpiece “Voyager”, to heavy dubstep classics like Liquid Stranger’s “Ripple”
Near the end of Minnesota’s set Space Jesus descended once more to join him in the latest of a series of back to back sets the two have performed together. Leaving the melodic world behind, the two played on for another half hour or so, dropping banger after banger, working the room into a MASSIVE frenzy. Finally, when the night needed to come to a close Alex and Allyson joined the two musicians, coaxing the same crowd that had been wild mere minutes before into a relaxing mantra chant…never before have I seen such polar opposite energy transferred so smoothly.
Courtesy of Space Jesus’ Facebook
Returning To Earth
Much like a music festival, nights at CoSM feel as if you’re in another world, one where anything is possible. Unfortunately, when the time comes attendees must line up to take a shuttle van to the nearby train station where most were required to park. Murmurs of sadness echoed throughout the crowd, counteracted by laughter as some reminisced about the night they had. Music producer Scatz was one of those people, gathered with his friends he reflected on the magic of the place they had just exited: “It’s not really a venue, it’s a house. You feel like you’re at somebody’s home and you treat it that way…There’s this respect and everything, you can see a lot of that coming away with the scene with a lot of the new music….you see a lot of the bad, but this is the good side of that stuff.”
Courtesy of CoSM.Org
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