A one-of-a-kind solar-powered recording studio on wheels and other Cali Roots Fest 2015 highlights.

Beyond a complex maze of campers, tents, makeshift shelters and partying, the RV seemed like it was miles away from the Monterey County Fairgrounds' main stage arena.

In the far back corner of the RV lot, the Jam in the Van RV was a whirlwind of activity for all three days of the California Roots Festival. 

This isn't your ordinary recreation vehicle.

On the outside, Jam Van 2.0 is wrapped in multi-colored airbrush graffiti. There are illustrations of a trumpet, guitar and portraits of busts of music legends, including Kurt Cobain.

On the inside, the Jam Van is a full HD audio/video production suite. 

The walls are plastered with stickers, posters, mismatched tapestries, signatures of musicians, artifacts from the road and inside jokes, like a couple pairs of flip-flops, representative of a tight fellowship based on shared passions and many long hours together.

The main area of the vehicle—formerly the living space/kitchen of the RV—is where the band sets up. There's room for a full drum set, synth/keys, a couple guitarists and their amps and a horn section.

At the ass-end of the RV, where a water closet may have lived, is a small mixing and editing room.

Jam in the Van co-founder/co-producer Dave Bell says the transformation from out-of-date RV to state-of-the-art recording studio is an ongoing process.

And the four domestic-sized solar panels on the RV roof powers everything; the Jam Van is a completely self-contained operation.

“We can pull up to the Grand Canyon or the beach and do a fully plugged-in session, which nobody else can do,” Bell says. "The audio and video are as good, if not better, than anyone else filming for the Internet.

The sixth annual Cali Roots Festival at the Fairgrounds in Monterey was a perfect addition to JIV's festival roster. After all, it's the biggest reggae rock fest in the world.

Over the three-day event, there were sessions with Trevor Hall, Nahko And Medicine For The People, Jon Wayne and the Pain, Dirty Heads, Mike Love, John Brown's Body, Iration, G-Love & Special Sauce, Cas Haley and Sun Dried Vibes.

I was able to sit inside the RV to experience the final session of the weekend. And it was a goodie. Fishbone.

The six members of the mold-breaking Los Angeles funk-punk-soul mash-up set up quickly—they were set to play the main stage just an hour later.

Fishbone co-founder/singer/sax man Angelo Moore strapped on his weathered alto sax, while each member began trickling in on their instrument to form a tightly-laced warm-up jam.

JIV sessions feature three songs of the bands' choice.

Fishbone kicked off with their new single "Unstuck" off their 2014 EP Intrinsically Intertwined. 

From beginning to end, the outfit's session was all about funk and nothing but the funk. Outside it was a chilly Monterey afternoon, but inside the van, the air became thick with jam.

The Jam in the Van backstory.

The world’s only solar-powered mobile music studio and performance session platform was conceived four years ago by Dave Bell, Jake Cotler and Louis Peek in Venice Beach.

Bell had landed in Hollywood about nine years ago. First, he did the “agent’s assistant thing” in the film industry. Then, he worked for a company that produces stand-up for Comedy Central and HBO.

Cotler meanwhile, studied law and screenwriting at USC, but eventually decided that law just wasn’t his scene.

In 2002, Cotler convinced Bell to go with him to Bonnaroo, the mega music fest in Manchester, Tennessee.

“I just fell in love with the music world,” Bell says of his first festival experience.

More summer exoduses to Bonnaroo followed. After spending a couple grand summer after summer, renting RVs, Cotler, Bell and Peek decided to just purchase their own.

They scored one off Craigslist for $800 and that's when it all began.

“I’d already amassed a ton of buddies around L.A. who were techs, sound guys, camera guys and that kind of shit, which made it much easier to get [JIV] going,” Cotler says.

“We didn’t know exactly what we had, but I think we knew we had something cool, and it just kept evolving," Bell says.

Gary Clark Jr. at Telluride Blues and Brews Festival was the first biggie for Jam in the Van.

The blues guitar phenom dug the experience so much, he came back to record a second session with his full band.

“We were like, ‘OK, people are going to start buying into this now,” Bell says.

Funding mostly comes from JIV's YouTube channel and sponsors, including Lagunitas Brewing Co, Toshiba Electronics, GoPro, MXL Microphones, Acme Elixirs and Orange Amps.

At SXSW this year, JIV paired up with GQ for a 40-band showcase that brought 16 sponsors with it.

Apparently, these guys are just getting started. 

“We definitely want a fleet of Jam Vans all over the country,” Bell says. “With one van we can’t hit all the festivals. There’s no shortage of festivals or bands."

More than 500 artists have rocked the van since it began, including George Clinton, Matisyahu, Misterwives, Allen Stone, ZZ Ward, Robert DeLong, The Orwells, Blues Traveler and Deer Tick.

Sessions are uploaded every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on their website and their YouTube channel—Thursdays, a new interview or non-performance segment is uploaded.

Following California Roots Festival, JIV is heading to Napa for BottleRock (May 29-31). Other scheduled stops: High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, California (July 2-5), Outside Lands in San Francisco and Telluride Blues and Brews Festival in Telluride, Colorado (September 18-20).

Bell estimates 10,000 miles will be logged in 2015.

Beyond the Jam in the Van, there were several additional Cali Roots 2015 highlight. 

The Roots' Saturday performance on the main stage closed out the day with a non-stop, two-hour smattering of hip-hop, funk, jazz, rock, Zeppelin, Herbie Hancock and The Headhunters, Guns n Roses, Muddy Waters, scat, Tuba Gooding Jr. and positivity.

Perched up on an elevated platform towards the back of the stage, large-and-in-charge drummer/bandleader/producer/writer/teacher/DJ/cultural phenom Questlove pounded away with Philly-fed panache—his trademark, oversized afro puff kept cool, unhindered by the rhythmic fire transpiring below.

Michael Franti & Spearhead's conscience-elevating set on Saturday afternoon, which involved the frontman spending a lot of time performing off-stage, immersed in an audience of thousands, hugging, appreciating and vibing off the mutual energy. A thick fog of spiritual goodness permeated the air. Or, it may have just been all the ganja.

Kirk O’Hara, aka Mouth Painter (born without the use of his arms and legs), inspired. All the Arizona native had to do was do what he does on a daily basis: paint dynamic portraits.