WHAT is good for the soul

“When you can make so many people happy, it’s good for your heart.”

The sun had long set on Roger Burau’s property, home for The WHAT Festival for the third consecutive year, when he took to the stage on Saturday evening.

For the past 48 hours, acres of his land had been transformed into a miniature community of music, camping and food trucks with cliffs to the north and the river to the south. As he stood on stage, in the spotlight for just a few minutes, he was greeted with cheers, applause and cries of thanks from the crowd.

The 19th Annual WHAT Festival—or WhatFest—began with Angelus Errare, a Wyoming and Colorado punk band reminiscent of the pop-punk renaissance of the early 200s and ended with the Unlikely Candidates, a Texas indie rock band which had parallels to The Strokes. Between them, genres ranged from blues and country to multiple subgenres of rock.

“Band selection is a key component of this process,” said Elisa Bender, who helps organize The WHAT Festival with her husband, Adam Bender, and Marco Ruble. “The festival showcases Wyoming-based bands or those with strong regional connections.”

The Wyoming-based bands this year included Still House Blues of Rawlins, Pleasure People of Casper, Screen Door Porch of Jackson and Peculiar Patriots of Laramie. The Patti Fiasco, led by Encampment native Alysia Kraft, made their first appearance at The WHAT Festival since it returned to the Valley.

Since it began in 2004, The WHAT Festival has had different locations and had previously called the Platte Valley home. From 2012 to 2017, the annual music festival was hosted at the Bear Trap Cafe and Bar. From 2018 to 2021, organizers looked for a better fit for the two-day music festival.

“My son, Danny—who owns the Malt—knew some [bands] that had played some music at his restaurant. He thought it would be fun to see how it would work out here,” said Burau. “We talked to some [people] and there were some people that said ‘You don’t want to do that. It was really bad someplace else.’ We said ‘Well, we’ll try it.’”

Whatever bad experience was relayed to Burau, he said he hasn’t experienced in the three years hosting The WHAT Festival.

“Everyone that has shown up, elderly people like myself and all the young folks, they’re so appreciative that it’s just been a thrill for me to be able to share [and] to hear these guys play,” said Burau.

Not only is Burau happy with bringing in The WHAT Festival, the organizers are pleased with their current venue.

“Hosting The WHAT Festival at Roger Burau’s property has been a dream come true. We’ve long sought the perfect location. Upon visiting, we were captivated by the site’s natural beauty,” said Elisa.

Kraft also commented on the natural beauty as she took the stage Friday evening, telling the crowd the venue was “beyond her wildest dreams.”

Over the weekend, the weather played as much a part of the music festival as the surrounding scenery. Lightning strikes and the roar of thunder threatened an incoming storm which, around 3 p.m., finally let loose with a downpour of hail as Jason Buchanan and the Short Timers were on the stage. They finished out their set acoustically behind the stages in the catering tent.

Despite what ended up being a 45 minute delay to the main line-up, the storm did little to dampen the spirits of both musicians and attendees. Even when the storm, much like a band asked to play an encore performance, let loose on the festival three more times, the show went on.

While nature provided its own lighting, between breathtaking sunsets and hair-raising lightning, the lighting for the show itself was also awe inspiring.

“The lighting is handled by David Soules of Screaming Goat Productions,” said Elisa. “David’s expertise transforms live music performances into full-fledged rock shows. When not working with Adam and Benderuble Sound, he serves as the head lighting director at the renowned Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.”

Soules’ lighting skills were in full display on both Friday and Saturday evening, bathing the bands in a mixture of blues and reds. Though not nearly the same backdrop as Red Rocks, the cottonwoods behind the main stages were also painted in blues and reds adding to the overall rock concert effect.

The sound, meanwhile, is handled by Adam Bender and Benderuble Sound. Adam brings 25 years of experience to the festival along with other shows across Wyoming and the Front Range.

“He also manages The Gryphon Theater at the Laramie Plains Civic Center, a historic venue in downtown Laramie,” said Elisa. “Known as the best sound engineer in Wyoming, Adam’s quick thinking and problem-solving skills ensure smooth production regardless of any issues that may arise.”

For both the festival organizers and Burau, a lot of work goes into each year’s festival.

“Planning for The WHAT Festival begins roughly a month after the festival concludes. We’re constantly striving to improve the experience and ensure the safety of all attendees,” said Elisa. “The post-festival period involves a thorough review of what went well and identifying areas for improvement.”

Band submissions, meanwhile, open up in January with Adam Bender and a small board reviewing the entries and selecting the lineup.

“This early and thoughtful planning allows us to curate a diverse and exciting musical experience for festival-goers,” said Elisa.

Burau, along with providing a venue for The WHAT Festival, also works to ensure it is cleaned up ahead of the event. He begins mowing the field more than a month before the festival and even creates pathways between the cottonwoods where attendees will camp during the event.

“Roger himself is kind, caring, and compassionate, and he shares our vision for the festival,” said Elisa. “He trusts us to be good stewards of his land and we are deeply grateful for this generosity.”

Burau said he has been impressed with how well the volunteers and attendees take care of the property, adding they treat the land like their own.

“I found one small can last year. They fill up the dumpster and everyone treats the land like it’s their own. It’s really special the way everyone does,” said Burau. “And the volunteers, what they’ve done to keep improving things is just incredible.”

The WHAT Festival has become a special time of the year for Burau, who not only enjoys seeing the smiles and tears of joy from festival attendees, but uses the event as a family reunion of sorts. It’s a shared experience with the organizers as well.

Said Elisa, “This partnership has allowed us to create a special, grassroots festival experience in one of Wyoming’s most beautiful settings.”