At Live Oak, you never really know what you might find, or where the epiphanies are buried in the program. Last year, for instance, the lineup had the expected deposits of high-profile, latter-day Americana oozing out of its pores, but the weekend's clear highlight for some (present company included) was the Romanian gypsy brass band Fanfare Ciocãrlia. Playing fast, feverish Roma music and with a tightness that seemed to loosen the ligaments of the seduced audience, the band rocked the outdoor house in its official set.

Then, after being booted off the stage, their tireless muse bid them to come down to play on the spectator's own level, the shimmying nucleus in a large crowd circling around the Romanians. It was a magic moment in the 805. Something about the revelatory freshness of the band, on its first U.S. tour, and the brave, mad new musical world it presented grabbed the crowd. Beyond the music, the vibe they created resonated with the overall energy of the Gypsy-like Live Oak camp on this annual June weekend, a time which is, for many, sandwiched between realities of school, work, and life.