Mark your calendars for moe.down 14! Snow Ridge once again hosts the 14th annual moe.down music festival, in Turin, NY. The festival, traditionally on Labor Day weekend, has again been scheduled for August 9, 10 and 11, artists yet to be announced.
New this year, VIP tickets! Early bird tickets go on sale December 10th at noon here.
After a one-year journey, The Big Up Music and Arts Festival returns for the summer of 2013. Shireworks Productions has shared a transmission received from The Big Up Mothership, who reported it had been traveling in outer space since the end of the 2011 fest, when it got sucked into a wormhole and then spit out into a previously undiscovered frontier. See the full transmission of the message below.
Entering its third year, The Big Up presents a new paradigm in the independent festival scene by maintaining a boutique ethos. Showcasing three nights of live music, arts and culture, programmed with a premier festival experience in mind.
Festival goers listen to seamlessly flowing, yet rarely overlapping music schedules that play like the best summer mixtape, while geocaching, attending a workshop, or simply soaking in the sun. For the 2013 festival, fans can expect to experience a unique synthesis of live national and groundbreaking musical entertainment, interactive art, sustainable initiatives, high-end production quality and an intimate vibe, all at a tremendous value.
Hosted by the livetronic power-trio, Higher Organix, past Big Up festivities have featured 72 hours of music with performances by EOTO, Tipper, Big Gigantic, Gramatik, Digital Tape Machine, RAQ, OTT, Marco Benevento and many more. The Festival weaves a dynamic festival landscape of space-themed arts, magical woods, a wide array of food, crafts, and participatory activities.
The Mothership has advised to stay tuned to Festival website and on Facebook.
There’s a chill in the air, the leaves are turning gold, and the grapes are ripe for the pickin’. That’s right, it’s time for the first ever Purple Pig Music Festival at Odd Fellows Farms in Naples, NY. The festival will feature two nights of relentless roots and reggae music by Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad as well as a premiere set from Naples native Aaron Lipp and Friends. Other bands include The Prickers, Pink Elephant, White Woods, Axis Armada, My Stolen Bike, Tryptic Soy, Easthill Ramblers, Naked Grey, Roots Collider, Landmark, Wonderland House Band, Universe Shark, and Family Dinner. The festival gates open at 2pm on Friday September 28th with music starting at 5pm. Pack some warm threads and your camping gear, as The Purple Pig offers on site camping for a small fee of $5 a night or $10 for the entire weekend. Tickets for the festival are $10 a day or just $20 for the entire weekend!
There will be no shortages of fuel for dancing as the Purple Pig will offer a gluttonous array of food, fine brew, and local wine. This festival has down home done right written all over it. It’s the perfect way to celebrate Upstate NY in all it’s autumnal glory. Details and updates can be found on the event page.
Listen to tracks from Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad’s latest album “In These Times”
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1694271″ height=”200″ iframe=”true” /]
This was my first time attending the 3rd annual Catskill Chill, a 3-day, 3-night music festival packed weekend located at Camp Minglewood in Hancock, NY. By fate, I immediately found my friends out of the other 5,000 people that attended the festival. Each year, the Chill grows and extends the family to include even more outgoing, fun loving people. The concert-goers ranged from all ages, showing that people of any generation can appreciate great music.
Friday September 7th
Wasting no time after settling in, I rushed to catch the first band of the weekend, Caravan of Thieves. The four members each played stringed instruments with a unique percussion set behind them, consisting of large buckets and empty paint cans. Caravan of Thieves was a great way to ease into the weekend, helping to loosen up the dancing muscles after being stuck in a car. The band sent out gypsy melodies full of swing and mischief, energizing the crowd by playing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” as well as Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. JGB with Melvin Seals took the Main Stage paying tribute to Jerry Garcia by playing his songs and staying faithful to his style. Intense energy radiated from the organ, especially during “My Sisters and Brothers.” The music of JGB was a breath of fresh air with everyone praising the groove and throwing their hands up to rejoice that the weekend had arrived. We all were here, it was finally ok to breathe and boogie down.
DrFameus, better known as the drummer from The Disco Biscuits, Allen Aucion, threw down some serious beats on the B Stage. DrFameus played drums and worked off computers at the same time, creating a glorious range of electronic music with plenty of bass. It was his first time at the festival and hopefully not his last. Kung Fu’s late night set elicited positive responses from fans, including “Kung Fu was amazing! A jazzy improv jam band with funky… costumes. Chris Michetti from Conspirator came and joined them and tore his guitar apart.”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYsCldy6Xu0&w=560&h=315]
Saturday September 8th
Consider the Source was the first to take the Main Stage on Saturday and featured multiple guest appearances throughout the show. The sound wave sorcerers brought chills to the crowd with their exotic, funky rock. Frank and Ryan Members of Shwizz, jammed out on one of the songs. John from FiKus joined the band on trumpet. Rob and Tim from Kung Fu came in on the second to last song. Consider the Source gave the audience a choice of two short songs or one long last song, the response was unanimous for a long jam.
After Consider the Source ended at 1:40pm, announcements came on the loudspeakers that there was a tornado warning for the area. All concert goers had to be inside of the stage areas or a cabin and the music was going to be put on hold. People quickly stashed to bring any items inside to nearby friends cabins and prepared to wait out the storm. The rain fell hard for only a few minutes but continued for about 2 hours and the wind picked up but not to the extreme. The weather finally calmed down and word spread that the music would resume at 4:30pm. The schedule would pick up where it left off, but each set would be shortened to provide each artist a chance to perform.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klnzvEn4Hwg&w=560&h=315]
A friend had recommended that I make time during the festival to check out the Alan Evans Trio. The trifecta is led by Alan Evans from Soulive on drums, with Beau Sasser from Akashic Record playing the Organ and Danny Mayer from On The Spot Trio on Guitar. Alan Evans Trio was our salvation after the storm. The fans were soaked but smiling after hearing “Baby, take my hand.” The soulful organ, funky beats and groovy guitar was just what the crowd needed to forget the rain delay and to turn the party back on. With only 10 minutes left in the set, Alan asked if they should play two short songs or one long song, the crowd again cheered for one long song. A new song by the group, “Cosmic Hazeldust” was inspired by Eddie Hazzo and Jimi Hendrix, was a great set closer and psychedelic music gold. One of my favorite discoveries of the weekend was The Indobox, a great rock dance group who quickly won me and the rest of the crowd over just after their first song, “Colours”. The Indobox played a few songs off their new album, Dig Safe, which was released back in March and quickly flew off their merch table. The band hailing from Boston, MA sounded similar to a band like Passion Pit. The music was full of ranging synth beats, catchy pop lyrics and groovy guitar jams especially during “Please don’t say no!” and “Covering up the sky”. The Indobox has a mechanical sound, each instrument working perfectly in sync with the others and well-constructed.
Shwizz was the first act I caught playing at the Club Chill stage. The Club Chill is on top of the festival hill and is on the one side of the Tunnel of Light, a pathway full of strung up lights. The stage is in an enclosed building with red stadium benches and a big dance pit, a very unexpected and thrilling venue. My friends and I had great timing by walking in just as the band had started to play Frank Zappa’s “City of Tiny Lights.” Followed later on by a song they said was inspired by their friends, “Slow Down” and stated that they were happy to be a part of the ever growing Catskill Chill Family. Shwizz ended the set with Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar.” During the show, Shwizz had the chance to show off their rockin wild guitar solos and fusion of funky electronic jazz beats. Frankie Coda, the bass player had this to say, “The festival was magical. It has grown into one hell of a family over the past 3 years. The Club Chill set was a ton of fun. The late night cabin jams were off the charts and the vibes at this festival are something special. We are looking forward to the next one.”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdPN1CS31f4&w=560&h=315]
Rumor had spread over the weekend that one of Ithaca’s top electronic rock bands, SolAris was going to perform on their cabin porch on Saturday. The 3-piece all instrumental trio grew a crowd once their light show went off and their music started oozing over the camp grounds. During the performance of their original song, “Harkonnen”, drummer Daniel Lyon’s beats were so hot he was literally steaming. Jared Raphel was glued to the keys as he electrified the crowd with his notes and Vinny Naro shredded on his deep bass solos. Besides playing Radar and Cosmo, SolAris used funk and trance house music to make a serious improvisation set.
Yonder Mountain String Band was this year’s main headliner and my first time seeing this band from Colorado; after Saturday night on the main stage, it will not be my last. YMSB’s music calls to you like the open road, giving you a need for adventure and an aching in your heart. The set started with an intense energetic song called “Casualty” at which time the band stated before how amped they were to be playing in Upstate New York. The acoustic foursome blasted into “Heading back to Colorado” to which I’m surprised their strings didn’t break from the hardcore strumming they were all doing. Yonder took some time to thank everyone at the Catskill Chill for putting on such a great festival and providing everyone with such a diverse lineup. They felt that it was “a force to be reckoned with” and that “you’ll never know what you’re going to get.” YMSB commended the audience for having such a wide taste in music and for discovering new artists that weekend. Their fast paced blue grass tunes lead us into “Another Day” followed by “On the Run” during which they added a jam singing about the festival. The crowd went wild as they sang, “Tent to tent, RV to RV, it’s all about variety!”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU75CS-WUrs&w=560&h=315]
Particle had travelled all the way from California to play at one of their favorite festivals, The Catskill Chill and with knowing this, no one wanted to miss their last night set on the main stage. The floor and stadium benches were packed and rowdy with excitement. As soon as the lights went out, fire dancers ignited the VIP standing area and neon glow sticks were in full force. Particle wasted no time by starting the show with “Triple Threat” and “The Golden Gator” both amping up the already crazed crowd. After their original grooves, Particle took the crowd on a Pink Floyd wonder ride consisting of “Have A Cigar” into “One Of These Days” and directly into “Pigs.” The flow and segway into the jams was spot on and had shown the crowd that is was not the same Particle back in 2005. Ending the set with “Ed+Molly”, an upbeat hard electronic rock groove, left my mind numb.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl0Gu3ddNJk&w=560&h=315]
After the serious jams from Particle, I headed back to my tent while my friends checked out Wyllys at the Club Chill late night set. Wyllys was described to me as “it’s like taking a child out of Disney movie, kicking and screaming and throwing them in a deep, dark dungeon and giving them only electronic music equipment to play with.” Anytime Wyllys is on a festival line up, don’t miss out on the dance party throw down that erupts.
Sunday September 9th
The weekend was finally coming to an end and there was still more music to be heard. Timbre Coup opened up the B Stage that afternoon to blue skies and a cheerful crowd. One of the first songs, “August” was off their new album Knuckles and Valleys, providing simple, inspiring lyrics and a Zen like sound. There was much excitement for fans as Timbre Coup busted out a rendition of the New Deal’s “Deep Son”. Fans of the New Deal claimed that Timbre Coup provided a great cover and it was one of the best of the weekend. This was followed by “Arnold Schwarzenegger”, a more laid back, dark raging guitar jam.off the album, Check out This!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKx0t4rFOQo&w=560&h=315]
There was much hype built up about the band, The McLovins, a young quartet from Connecticut who knew how to make the crowd dance. McLovins opened with “TETOP”, a soft, jazzy jam that instantly showed me that The McLovins did have as much talent as everyone said they had. It was incredible to watch such young musicians create jams with such soul and nature flow. Fans described “Tokyo Tea” as their most badass song. The McLovins ended their set with the ever popular Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street” and Dylan’s “The Mighty Quinn”.
I grossly underestimated how spectacular Cornmeal was going to be. The Bluegrass rock/Jamgrass group ignited Sunday night with a fitting farewell festival performance. Cornmeal brought fierce country energy to the crowd, with plenty of foot stomping and non-stop cheering. One of the most memorable songs was “I’m Coming Home” containing an all-consuming, strong jam that I never saw coming or thought possible from a bluegrass band. Followed by that was, “When the Worlds Got you Down” an enchanting melody that has you singing along instantly, even the first timers. The encore was “Long Hard Road” once again, displaying their amazing finger picking skills, their goddess of a fiddle player, Allie Kral, showcasing her speedy rhythms; Cornmeal is definitely a band worth following. The perfect Cornmeal follow up was at Acoustic Junction in the middle of the camp grounds. The Brummy Brothers quickly drew a crowd with their upbeat original bluegrass tunes as well as modern pop hits such as “Fuck You” by Cee Lo Green. My favorite song of their’s that I can’t get out of my head is “Weed, Whiskey, Women” due to the beautiful harmonies and the repeating chorus line, “Nothing like being home, drunk, stoned and laughing.” The B Brothers are sure to have a bright future ahead of them with their attention grabbing talent.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpysQri2AFs&w=560&h=315]
Possibly the biggest excitement built up for the day was for Lotus.The set started with the ever popular, beeps and boops of “Suitcases.” A mellow start that quickly picked up speed from the heavy dance beats pumping out the speakers. “Livingston Storm” picked up the crowd with the funky guitar notes and rolled them over into “Dowrn”, the groovy electronic tune that had everyone dancing. One of the highlights for fans was “Tip of the Tounge” taking to the next level with exotic drumming and spacdy guitar riffs. The popular set closer was “128”, which shredded faces with fast rhythm and serious synths.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIlpPuEgJPo&w=560&h=315]
At the end of the weekend, it made total sense to name the festival Catskill Chill. The laidback attitudes and friendly nature of everyone, made the festival that much more relaxed and enjoyable. This was another successful year that proved the Catskill Chill family are true party professionals. The Catskill Chill dished out everything you could want in a festival and much more. I know that I am already counting down the days until next year’s Chill.
A little something extra at this year’s Utica Music and Arts Festival! The 1st Annual Industry Meet and Greet will be held at The Radisson Hotel, Friday, September 14th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Every year, the organizing committee of the Utica Music and Arts Festival strives to create an experience not only enjoyable, but valuable to the artists we call family and the environment that makes or breaks them. This year we take the time, in our 5th turn around the sun, to remember a commitment we hold dear: networking.
More than a festival experience, the UMAF has been structured from its inception to provide a plethora of opportunities for artists to meet and mingle with each other, make lasting connections with other artists they can continue to work with, form touring caravans, gig share, and join forces in a variety of ways. We desire strongly that everyone cooperate and collaborate in an effort to become increasingly more self sustainable in a changing industry. The committee enthusiastically explores all options available to assist our family of artists in rebooking locally and attempts to place them in performance spaces most suited to that end. Venturing further beyond that threshold, this year the team has conceptualized a pilot Industry Meet and Greet which will occur on Friday, September 14, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at festival headquarters, The Radisson.
All performers are invited to attend and gain access to professionals who may be able to advance your presence in Central New York. We are happy to provide them for perusal should you have them in a compatible format. This includes demos, business cards, download cards and other materials linking to online content, press kits both digital and physical, and mailing list information.
Members of the industry in the niches of booking, talent buying, press, and promotion have been invited to attend this two hour, informal gathering and to mingle with each other and our artist roster, exchange materials and contact information, and discuss strategies for continued success and experience in The Mohawk Valley and outlying points of New York State. Invitations have are being sent out to specifically identified industry persons and these invitations will entitle their recipients to access any and all of the performances of over 200 artists over 3 days in Utica, NY and our first annual Industry Meet and Greet. We mean to keep this informally structured, but are here to facilitate needs you may anticipate or encounter. This even will foster increased cooperation between independent agencies operating in the Central and Upstate New York region so that we may all be successful in the endeavors that move us.
Please remember to keep on the cutting edge of information regarding the UMAF by checking the official website, joining our Google Plus Circle, and ‘liking’ our Facebook Page.
This embedded presentation will provide a few more details, as will the article available on the festival’s website.
Let’s prove you can do business, earn your living, and have a great time all at the same time and let’s explore even more ways we can cooperate together at this year’s UMAF!
The 3rd annual Catskill Chill Festival will return back to Camp Minglewood in Hancock, New York for September 7th-9th. This years lineup includes: Yonder Mountain String Band, Lotus, Conspirator, Soulive, Lettuce, EOTO, JGB with Melvin Seals, Rubblebucket, Cornmeal, Jeff Bujak, Timbre Coup and many more bands as well as DJs. With three stages consisting of jam bands, reggae music, funk, jazz, blue grass, electronica, and rock and roll, there’s something for everyone. Besides great music, the festival offers a fire show by SOPF, bonfire drum circle, an open mic stage and yoga classes.
Festival goers have the option of free on-site camping or renting on site cabins. Cabins range in size with private cabins that sleep two to large double bunkhouses which sleep 32 people. The Catskill Chill Music Festival is also offering buses from New York City to Camp Minglewood for only $60 per person. The bus ticket gives city slickers a round trip ride from Bryant Park in Manhattan, straight to the front gate of the festival.
For more information, go to catskillchill.com or like them on Facebook. Some of the artists attending The Chill this year spoke to about their music, upcoming shows and Upstate New York.
Jeff Bujak
Susan Rice: How do you perform differently during a silent disco vs. a “regular” non-headphone wearing show? Do you find yourself watching the crowd more during one over the other?
Jeff Bujak: When I run my show audio through wireless headphones, I have the advantage of hearing exactly what the audience hears. Same mix. Same stereo audio feed. I’m able to mix in full stereo and have fun with panning and such. I can do more intricate progressions and get more complicated since everyone is paying attention. When I perform through a PA, everyone hears the audio differently, so I try to mix the audio for the best of the room and keep it intense to keep the audience’s attention. I’m up against other people’s friends talking to them; not the case with headphones. I can’t get as mellow or intricate. Being louder and bassier can get a crowd into a frenzy, but the audio quality usually suffers so I play more heavy and simple to keep that attention going. 2-different shows. I love them both. And I never really look at the crowd for either show. It disrupts my playing. As much as I want to, I try and mess up.
SR: You have a busy schedule for the next few weeks from traveling all over the east coast. Do you think your tour will end with a completely different sound from when you originally started?
JB: My sound varies from night to night. I’m pretty much a traveling experiment to see how far I can push myself; mentally and musically. I can always feel the rust coming on when I have a week off, and it takes a show to get moving again. But, once my mind is loosened up, I’ll try new things and see if I like it. By the end of a run, I usually have new parts and new things to practice with that week.
SR: What is it about Upstate New York that keeps bringing you back to perform?
JB: I grew up in Syracuse, NY so upstate NY has always been a hotspot for music in my world. All of the bands and clubs that have been in and out have created a great scene and I love being a part of it. There’s more clubs/bars down the Thruway to keep a band touring for a couple weeks. I hate tolls, though.
Particle with Steve Moltiz
Susan Rice: You have played multiple Phish After Party shows in New York, Massachusetts and soon California. Do you get to see the Phish shows often? What influence does the band hold for you?
Steve Moltiz: Whenever Particle plays a Phish after party, we all go see the Phish show together. It’s an inspiring way to start the night, and it really opens our mind up to taking a more expansive approach to our improvisation…
SR: After touring the west coast, what new skills and sounds are you bringing for the folks on the east coast, especially those attending your first show back, the Catskill Chill Festival?
SM: We just incorporated a Pink Floyd theme into ou recent West Coast shows, so I’m sure we’ll work in some of the Floyd highlights into our Catskill Chill set. It’s really a blast for us to “Particlize” the Floyd tunes by merging their psychedelia with our funktronic rock…
SR: What inspirations do you get when traveling and touring through Upstate New York that you can’t find anywhere else?
SM: Upstate NY is a very peaceful place to get away from the usual distractions of technology, and allow yourself to reconnect with some of the more subtle rhythms in life (your breath, heartbeat, etc.). We love playing up there, and can’t wait to see you all at the Chill!
Dan Gerken of Timbre Coup
Susan Rice: You attended moe.down 13 this year for the first time as a performer. What were some of your favorite moments? What were your fans reactions?
Dan Gerken: moe.down 13 was amazing from top to bottom from performers to organizers of the event. It was very special to us playing with such awesome national acts in our own region and we found that a lot of our core fan base came out to support us. Some of my favorite moments include the Saturday moe sets, hanging with the Umphreys Mcgee guys and being videotaped by multiple cameras at the same time. My pinnacle moment was chatting with Stanley Jordan after the Umphreys set and being able to talk music with such a legend and positive soul such as him.
We feel as though we introduced ourselves to many new folks who hopefully become fans. Sometimes it’s difficult to put all your eggs in one basket and go catch a club show of a new band but at festivals you can get this introduction without having to go out of your way. I believe a lot more fans will be following us and we all feel as a band that we all put on a good performance in a key situation at moe.down. We were happy with our sets.
SR: You have 13 shows lined up for your fall tour including The Catskill Chill festival. Where do you see your music branching out over the season?
DG: We will be adding many more unannounced shows to our calendar in the next few weeks leading up to Catskill Chill but….. as far as what we have up as of yet we are excited to get down south again (10/18 Knoxville TN, 10/20 Savannah among others) and get invited back to a few spots as well. Look for us in the Northeast quite a bit too with stuff in MA and all over NY (September 20 Rochester, September 21 Buffalo). www.timbrecoup.com for details
SR: Having grown up here in New York, what were some of your favorite events to attend in the Upstate region?
DG: I personally have been in NY since I was 14. There are many things to do in the summertime tied in with nature and the Adirondacks as well as music and culture and we as a band have always enjoyed when the two came together. Mountain Jam, moe.down, Camp Bisco and Backwoods Pondfest are just some of the many events we have attended in NY and are some of the biggest festivals in the country as well so this is clearly a place where both nature and culture can come together as one entity.
Gabriel Marin from Consider the Source.
Susan Rice: You have a fall tour of 4 shows scheduled in Germany. What to you hope to learn most about while there?
Gabriel Marin: We are also playing Israel for the 3rd year in a row too. This is also our second year doing Germany.We have a really big fan base in Israel, so that is always a blast, and we are excited to tour in Germany opening for Panzer Ballet, who is really amazing. God willing by the end of this tour we will have a sizeable following in Deutschland.
SR: Which artists do you enjoy sharing the line up with at Upstate New York venues?
GM: Upstate is the first region out of NYC we starting playing, so we have a ton of great friends from upstate. Timbre Coup, Arm Cannon, Peanut Brittle Satellite… Im sure I’m leaving some out by accident. Even though they aren’t from upstate, we play a lot of festivals and upstate gigs with our homies in Dopapod.
Festivals are becoming so common place, it’s hard to find that festival that doesnt feel too big or hasn’t gone the corporate route. Back in 2008, I drove north on a whim to Peru, NY, a town I was unaware of until Backwoods Pondfest 2012 was announced. Back then, The Breakfast and Plattsburgh’s Lucid headlined and I figured this would be a nice way to see what a festival looks like in its nascent years. I returned in 2010 and saw that the festival had grown, just enough to show that it was going to continue to grow at a steady pace. When I drove the two hours north to Backwoods, I wasn’t surprised to see a bigger festival, more fans, more vendors, two stages and a scene that brought me back to some of my first festivals. Backwoods Pondfest 2012 is the festival that reminds you what the festival experience is all about – seeing music both familiar and new, hanging with friends and strangers alike, and experiencing nature and camping in an ideal setting.
I missed Friday because I was at John Prine and Lucinda Williams, but I talked to fans who gave high marks to Break Science, Floodwood, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds and Twiddle for their performances. Backwoods always delivers on the music and this year was no exception with two jam packed nights. I arrived on Saturday around 3pm and found the festival more spacious, filled in with campers in parts that empty back in 2008 and vendors of a wide variety taking up a ring around the main stage field.
Jatoba from Brattleboro, VT was the first act of the day I caught. I saw them back in 2010 with Cornmeal at Red Square in Albany and I was impressed. This time they were even better and tighter, as evidenced by the video of these two songs, “Ride Slowly Ride” and “Closure”, with some stage banter mixed in. They are rumored to be playing some supporting Northeast dates in the fall/winter and will be stopping in Upstate NY for sure. If you are going to Upstate Boogie 3, you can expect to hear some material they have been working on, a treat coming from Jatoba.
Lucid, the host band of Backwoods took the stage for an evening set and played to a crowd that gravitated towards the stage as Lucid warmed up. Sporting some of the finest North Country beards around, Lucid brought up special guest Rooster, aka Rick Bentley from Birmingham, Alabama, to sit in on guitar for “Countryesque”. Rooster was in the audience when Lucid played in his town and while he sat through their soundcheck, they bantered back and forth and clicked, leading to Rooster heading north to take in Backwoods Pondfest 2012 and sit in. A great guitar and friendly southerner, Rooster felt welcome at the festival, a bit of a rarity down south. Next, percussionist Lowell Wurster invited his father George (and festival MC) to sit in on harmonica for “Backwoods”, to which George introduced to the crowd at the end as being “all the way from the great Adirondacks” and the applause thundered from the crowd leading to a return to the stage for an encore of “Green Money”.
Campfires could be seen as you walked to your car (it took me about 90 seconds to get to my car when I needed to) and a larger fire kept fans close to the music and warm as the temperature dipped into the 50s after midnight. Although during the day the skies were partly cloudy and warm, this is Upstate New York and the first sign that summer is coming to a close is a chilly night in August, but this little taste of fall is always pleasant to experience a month before it starts to become the norm.
Max Creek, having “been around for a few years now”, as MC George put it (really though, more than 40 years) performed as Saturday headliners, ranging through originals and covers alike, including “Helter Skelter”, “Rag Mama Rag” and “Cities”. Afterwards, guitarist Scott Murawski mentioned how Phish bassist Mike Gordon texted him that Trey had listened to Scott playing Phish’s “Sugar Shack” so that he could nail the guitar riff in transition. It turns out that while Max Creek was onstage at Backwoods, Phish was playing “Sugar Shack” for the first time since October, 2010. A very cool musical connection and story bridging two bands 3,000 miles away.
A staple of Backwoods has been the acts Tim Palmieri, The Breakfast and Kung Fu, the latter of which is alive and well and put on a great late night set on the main stage. It helps for a festival to have a known music element like this and the crowd clearly appreciates Kung Fu and their funky performances.
The late-latenight action belonged to The Indobox at the tent stage. If you wanted your latenight jams, mixed with elements of techno and dance music, then this fulfilled your wishes and overflowed the cup. If there was any band that could rise out of the clutter of EDM acts and perform live electronica at a high level, then The Indobox is that band. For over an hour, the tent was another 20′ warmer inside, steamy and full of dancing bodies moving to the truly impressive tightness of The Indobox. If this were the late ’90s, we’d be seeing a glimmer of an early Disco Biscuits group. Do not miss them at Catskill Chill on Saturday September 8th at 4:20 in the afternoon.
Backwoods Pondfest remains a diamond in the rough of music festivals. Few festivals give you the pure, original festival feeling like this one. Make plans for the 2013 edition, which will be covering as announcements on dates and lineup come out in the spring. Festival-goers who have been to just a few or a few dozen fests, Backwoods is for you.
The 2012 Utica Music and Arts Festival marks 5 years strong!
In less than one month, the 5th annual Utica Music and Arts Festival will hit the streets of Utica, NY. September 13, 14 and 15th, headliners Badfish, Zach Deputy, XVSK, and Twiddle will be joined by returning favorites Hank & Cupcakes, My Pet Dragon, Shane Maux from Belikos (now in Duk Duk Goose), Randy Niles, j. Schnitt, The Rick Short Band, Brian Mulkerne, Brass Knuckle Intercourse, Autumn Fire, and The End Men, and more than 150 other artists! In all, approximately 200 performers on 19 stages, the UMAF is CNY’s largest music festival.
It is the mission of the Utica Music & Arts Fest to revitalize Utica’s historic appreciation of the musical arts while providing a stimulus to our local economy. The intention is to initiate the creation of a solid, growing, and eternal network of industry professionals, centered in Utica with local, national, and international expansion.
Artists will exhibit their work in the Radisson which is also festival check in. This year the hotel will venue not only performing artists and out of town bands and fans, but also two ‘firsts’ for the UMAF, an Industry Meet and Greet and a wine tasting event.
Utica Greens Festival, sponsored by Price Chopper, takes place on Varick Street from 12 noon to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday the 15th. The UGF is the part of the UMAF that highlights our families and community and will feature vendors, an exhibition by Bailey’s Karate, a pop-up skate park brought to us by Lifted Apparel and Board Shop, belly dancing, face painting, a community Zumba bash in the street, and many regional dishes to taste under the Greens Tent. The UGF is a part of the UMAF and all bands on Varick Street during that time period are free to the public. Access to the Greens Tent, however, requires a donation, a portion of which will benefit Pack A Back, a community organization that gathers school supplies for the Utica City School District students.
The UMAF is thrilled to announce a relationship with this year’s San Gennaro Feast occurring at the Cathedral of the Theotokos of Great Grace during the weekend of the UMAF. SGF attendees will benefit from musical acts which have been provided by the UMAF playing songs for all ages. Performances begin on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and run until 11:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 2:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Strangers Helping Strangers is a charity organization gathering canned goods at the Radisson, the festival’s hub. SHS encourages festival attendees to bring a nonperishable food item or personal toiletry with them to check in and these items will be donated to a local area charity.
Additional information is available at the Official UMAF website with Official Venue Listing and 2012 Performing Artists.
Tickets are available online, through contact with volunteers and organizers, and at the following locations. A limited number of 3 Day All Access Passes for the 2012 Utica Music & Arts Fest are available for purchase starting at $60.00 plus applicable fees. After these tickets are sold out, tickets will continue to be sold for $70.00 in advance and will go up to $80.00 day of show.
A limited number of 3 Day VIP All Access Passes for the 2012 Utica Music & Arts Fest are available for purchase starting at $80.00 plus applicable fees. After these tickets are sold out, tickets will continue to be sold for $90.00 in advance and will go up to $100.00 day of show. Discounts are available for ticket bundles, as detailed on the website. Individual shows may be attended without a weekend pass by paying a cover charge which will vary according to venue ($5-$15) or by purchasing a day pass which will only be available once the festival has begun.
Ticket Outlets:
The Brewery Giftshop – 830 Varick St. Utica
Utica Coffee Roasting Company – 92 Genesee St. Utica
Puff N Stuff – 333 Genesee St. Utica
Big Apple Music – 8441 Seneca Turnpike New Hartford
Cafe Domenico – 2011 Genesee St. Utica
Lifted Boardshop – 709 East Dominick St. Rome
Pizza Boys New York Mills – 9 Clinton St. New York Mills
Thank you to our sponsors and participating venues: Price Chopper, Lifted Apparel and Board Shop, Bank of Utica, Puff N Stuff, Pizza Boys New York Mills, Saranac, Mohawk Valley Promotions, United Auto Sales, Jagermeister, BLU, The Celtic Harp, The Nailcreek Pub & Brewery, The Stage at Saranac Thursdays, Piers & Blake, Shots Sports Bar, Dick Smith’s Tavern, The Radisson, O’Donnell’s Pub & Grill, Sickenberger Lane, The Cage, The Green Onion Pub, and the St. Gennaro Feast.
One of the great rites of passage the Northeast music scene has to offer every summer is a not so little festival called Gathering of the Vibes. Spawned from a small Deadhead party thrown at SUNY-Purchase in 1996, it’s now grown into a much larger annual celebration of The Grateful Dead and music in general. Thousands of fans set up camp within Seaside Park in Bridgeport, CT and are treated to a long 2012 weekend of musical acts that featured some contemporary bands and new names but also a lot of classic and familiar ones.
Thursday’s music got started bright and early on the Green Vibes Stage at noon with sets by MIZ and Lucid which served as a more than acceptable soundtrack for people arriving and setting up camps nearby. The Green Vibes Stage served as the main secondary stage for the festival and it was also utilized for the late night festivities. This was the most scenic of the stages as well located just feet away from the majestic waters of Long Island Sound with plenty of trees up close that provided shade during the day.
One of the first familiar faces of the weekend belonged to George Porter, Jr. & his Runnin’ Pardners who graced the Green Vibes stage later that afternoon. The legendary New Orleans bassist and his band bobbed and weaved through an expectedly funky and uptempo set which seemed to really kick off the festival. It also featured some of the first slightly “Dead” themed music of the weekend as the ‘Aiko Aiko’ -> ‘Hey Pocky Way’ that was played is something that could be plucked right out of a late 80s setlist. They also threw in their take on ‘Lovelight’ as well as the Alan Toussaint classic, ‘Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley’.
While this was going on, Zach Deputy Band got things cooking on the Main Stage. His unique brand of soulful rock infused with looping technology and introspective lyrics served as an opening act of sorts for one of the more high profile bands of the weekend, Yonder Mountain String Band. This self-dubbed high energy acoustic bluegrass band has been a festival staple for years now. This set marked the second to last gig of their current tour and one of their last chances to “get their ya-ya’s out” per mandolinist Jeff Austin. The latter part of their set featured YMSB classic hits like ‘Complicated’ and ‘On the Run’ as the sun began to set on the first night of Vibes.
The Grateful Dead aspect of the festival ramped up into full gear with Thursday night’s main act, Dark Star Orchestra. This group has been touring the country since 1997 delivering both spot on replicas of actual Dead shows and creative original sets filled with Dead tunes. They picked a gem of a show to cover this evening by playing 7/18/89 Alpine Valley in its entirety. This classic late 80s show opened with ‘Touch of Grey’ and was followed by a poignantly played ‘Jack Straw’. A quintessential cover The Grateful Dead did during this era, Bob Dylan’s ‘Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again’, was also very well executed with Rob Eaton nailing the extensive lyrics. The second set opened with the classic ‘Sugar Magnolia’ -> ‘Scarlet Begonia’ pairing and took off from there. ‘Eyes of the World’ lead into the ‘Drums and Space’ portion of the show and later on the covers kept on coming with the band’s takes on Traffic’s ‘Dear Mr. Fantasy’ and The Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’. Fittingly, the encore of this show was yet another cover and another Dylan one at that with ‘The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)’ closing it out.
For anyone still on their feet and able to move, the late night portion of Thursday’s music was filled by The Royal Family Ball featuring Soulive and Lettuce. These are another two acts that have become a regular sight on festival lineups due to their unique blend of soul, funk and rhythm and blues. Both groups feature the talents of Eric Krasno on guitar and Neal Evans on keys so that doesn’t hurt either.
Soulive kicked things off in proper fashion with two of their classics, ‘Hat Trick” and “Upright’. Both songs were accompanied by a three piece horn section dubbed The Shady Horns. The covers just kept on coming as the band’s unique take on ‘Eleanor Rigby’ followed and this segued nicely into ‘Third Stone From the Sun’. Soulive released an entire album of Beatles covers appropriately titled “RubberSoulive” and is a must hear for any fan of the Fab Four, Soulive or both.
The Shady Horns later re-emerged towards the end of Soulive’s performance, Adam Deitch took over on drums and just like that Lettuce was grown on stage. The multi-piece funk/soul/RnB outfit kept things grooving all the way into early Friday morning thus capping off a truly full day 1 of music and fun.
A light but very steady rain greeted festival goers on Day 2. This soaked the grounds pretty thoroughly and made for a more than adequate test in keeping a dry campsite. Small puddles and thick, viscous mud formed on the main field which tested everyone’s footwork a little. Shortly after noon, Reid Genauer made his first appearance of the weekend with Assembly of Dust.
This soon gave way to the next Grateful Dead themed act of the weekend, 7 Walkers, which features Bill Kreutzmann on drums, Papa Mali on guitar and the aforementioned George Porter, Jr. on bass, naturally. These guys have done a wonderful job of taking a handful of Dead classics and infusing them with a rich, soulful New Orleans sound. Their version of “Sugaree” has become a signature song of sorts for the group and this rendition was supplemented with guitar work by Scott Murawski of MaxCreek who sat in. He also joined in on versions of ‘Bird Song’ and ‘Wharf Rat’ that were both well received. All of this mixed with the typically fun and infectious ‘New Orleans Crawl’ led by Papa Mali made for a great early set of music regardless of the elements.
While the sun never really appeared on Friday, the rain eventually subsided a little and more festival goers emerged from their respective covers and made their way over to the main stage. There were certainly plenty of good reasons to do so as one of the weekend’s more prestigious collaborations was taking place on the Main Stage. Bruce Hornsby, Bob Weir and none other than Branford Marsalis combined musical forces and put on a treat for all to hear.
The set started out with just the three men on stage trading licks and playing off one another like they’ve done so many times before. Before long, some light noodling by Weir and some distinctive piano work by Hornsby gave way to a full fledged version of ‘Dark Star’ that seem to catch everyone by surprise a little. Later on, a rhythm section filled in behind the music legends and the set kicked into high gear. They treated everyone to a rollicking ‘Me and My Uncle’ – > ‘Mexicali Blues’ that everyone dancing and singing along. The set concluded with a monstrous ‘Playing in the Band’ that left nothing but smiles on both the audience and musician’s faces.
The main act Friday night saw the third living member of The Grateful Dead take the stage, Phil Lesh. Phil and his ‘Friends’ (which included his sons Brian and Grahame) treated everyone to a fun show that spanned two sets and featured several gems from the Dead catalog of songs. Not to be outdone by 7 Walkers, Phil led the band through their own version of ‘Bird Song’ in the first set. Therein lies one of the unavoidable ‘problems’ of a Dead-based music festival: the repeating of songs. While it may be an issue for fans who aren’t as into The Grateful Dead as others may be, true fans were able to hear some of their favorite songs interpreted by different bands all throughout the weekend.
The second set opened with a monstrous ‘St. Stephen’ and later on ‘Scarlet Begonias’ made another appearance. This time, the band stretched it out a little and segued nicely into ‘Fire on the Mountain’. Phil & Friends delivered Dead classics all night long and ‘Shakedown Street’ served as the encore and the final song of the day on the Main Stage.
The Friday late-night slot switched up gears, musically speaking, to say the least. Classic Dead tunes and rock covers gave way to uptempo electronica as done by Conspirator and Gigantic Underground Conspiracy. Another ‘interlocking band member’ pairing, the two acts made sure everyone in attendance was still moving and moving hard as Friday night became Saturday morning.
Conspirator started out as a Disco Biscuits side project for members Marc Brownstein and Aron Magner and has now emerged as its own beast altogether. They’ve increased their touring significantly lately and have been making their mark on the festival circuit this year. Christ Michetti, formerly of Raq, has taken over on guitar for the group and gives the band a technical precision that meshes perfectly with the pulsing beats and electronic grooves that are generated. Conspirator looked great and sounded better as the band members were clearly locked in to one another and having a great time doing so.
As their set went on, more instruments were brought on stage, drum parts were exchanged and soon the evolution into Gigantic Underground Conspiracy was complete. This outfit consists of the aforementioned members of Conspirator along with Dominic Lalli and Jeremy Salken of Big Gigantic and Ben Baruch of Underground Orchestra. Saxophone and percussion were now thrown into an already infectiously uptempo mix. This kept the party going strong as revelers could either enjoy this or take a walk down the beach for some good old fashioned Silent Disco until the sun began to rise. Although this walk was quite lengthy from the main festival grounds, Silent Disco is a veritable good time at any festival and a great work around to any local noise ordinances. It involves personal headphones which can pick up two DJs spinning nearby and offers the listener the chance to pick which one they’d rather listen to. It’s a dance party with everyone wearing headphones, while having a great time.
For those scoring at home, so far the 2012 edition of Gathering of the Vibes has featured one of the most heralded touring bluegrass acts in the country, a New Orleans bass legend, three living members of The Grateful Dead and their respective projects, two other Grammy award winning legends and jaw dropping live electronica done by some of the best in the business…..and the weekend is only half way done.
Saturday brought better weather and much more typical summer festival conditions: hot and humid. Many people took advantage of the beach and the nearby water for some temporary relief. The water was also filled with docked boats in the area with people lounging, swimming and taking in the festival atmosphere.
Ryan Montbleau Band kicked things off early on the Main Stage with an energetic set which served as good wake up call for many. However, there were a lot of people very content to lie down in the few spots of available shade. The band contributed to the great covers played all weekend with their take on the Steve Miller Band hit ‘Jet Airliner’.
Their set gave way to perhaps one of the coolest cover bands out there right now, Zappa plays Zappa. This group has been touring pretty consistently for the last few years and the book on them has been very clearly written. Dweezil Zappa, offspring of Frank, and a bunch of insanely talented musicians and singers do spot on covers of Zappa tunes. The songs are always well performed and serve as a fitting tribute to one of the more unique musical minds to ever live. As an added bonus, lead vocalist and trumpet player Ben Thomas even sounds like Frank when he sings, be it intentional or not.
As the temperature began to get a little hotter, so did this set. ‘Dirty Love’ was well done and soon after that ‘Apostrophe’ was performed to perfection with relentless guitar work by Dweezil. He also displayed his well honed chops in a fun set closing ‘Muffin Man’. For any Zappa fan, this group is a must see.
Later that afternoon, the last of the living members of The Grateful Dead graced the Main Stage as Mickey Hart Band treated everyone to a set replete with Dead classics and innovative original tunes. ‘Not Fade Away’ filled the opener slot, a far cry from its usual set ending or encore positions in Dead shows of yore. MHB also threw in a fun ‘Franklin’s Tower’ that had many singing along.
For those in need of another dose of high octane electronica with a dash of progressive rock thrown in, Dopapod delivered the same over on the Green Vibes Stage. This quartet prides itself on not restricting itself to one musical genre or style as elements of funk, rock, trance and dubstep weaved in and out throughout their set. They also joined in the cover parade that lasted all weekend with a truly unique version of the 90s hit, ‘Peaches’.
Later that night, there was a reunion of sorts on the Main Stage as the original lineup of Strangefolk turned back the clock and rocked Gathering of the Vibes once more. This was a band that was a staple on the bills of early Gatherings along with other up and coming regional jam bands like Percy Hill and moe. Reid Genauer made his second appearance of the weekend and looked like he was having a great time as he led the group through the classic songs ‘Valhalla’ and ‘Lines and Circles’ to open. As night began to fall, the four old friends ripped through favorite after favorite from their catalog of songs creating disbelief that they hadn’t played together like this since 2000 prior to this year. They also remembered to pay proper homage to the founding spirit of this festival with a set closing ‘Touch of Grey’.
The mood then shifted back to hard rock as one of the main headliners, Primus, turned the Main Stage into their own musical playground. Les Claypool delivered his usual antics, banter and explosive bass play and Larry LaLonde attached his guitar like he was angry at it. Their set included several songs off of their latest album, Green Naugahyde, including ‘Tragedy’s a’ Comin’ but they made to sure play old favorites like ‘Jerry Was a Race Car Driver’ and ‘My Name is Mud’ before all was said and done. High intensity rock and roll combined with surreal video and animation on a large screen behind the band made for a memorable set to say the least.
Saturday night offered some very danceable music as Sound Tribe Sector 9 took over after Primus and threw down as only they can, creating an almost a rave-like scene. The late night acts included The Machine, one of the premier Pink Floyd tribute bands in the country and Papadosio, who kept revelers dancing through the night and into the morning.
As dawn broke on the last day of Vibes, people could be seen slowly taking down campsites and packing cars. Some left the grounds altogether assuredly content with an amazing three days of music. The Sunday lineup did have a much more relaxed feel to it that fit the day nicely.
Always a blast in whatever time slot he plays, Keller Williams served as the wakeup call on the Main Stage this day. He held nothing back as his set was highlighted by ferocious acoustic guitar play, thick, juicy bass lines and his renowned looping technology. He also featured the most ‘outside the box’ Dead cover with a rendition of ‘Can’t Come Down’, a song so old that it was conceived when The Grateful Dead was still going by their original moniker, The Warlocks. This was a true treat and a must hear for any Deadhead….or Warlockhead. ‘Best Feeling’ was a song a lot more people were familiar with and closed out Keller’s set in grand fashion.
As Keller wrapped up, The McLovins held court on the Green Vibes stage and greeted new arrivals with a solid take of ‘Playin’ in the Band’. The new incarnation of the band later played the song that originally shot them to notoriety, Phish’s ‘You Enjoy Myself’. While it’s certainly a different look and feel, the future is still very bright for this band as they appear to be slowly forming their own sound and identity while taking on harder and more complex compositions.
The afternoon wore and on more and more campsites dwindled in size and packed cars leaving the grounds became a more common sight. Max Creek delivered an enjoyable set on the Main Stage as Scott Murawski once again displayed his guitar prowess and a band that’s been together for four decades weaved through old classics. Afterwards, legendary band Steel Pulse performed delivering a healthy dose of reggae and dub to the Sunday festivities.
To close out the weekend, The Avett Brothers played a long set with a five song encore that tied a bow on a memorable weekend. Their heartfelt lyrics and own blend of country, folk, rock and ragtime sent everyone home happy. No covers were needed in this final set of the weekend as their hits like ‘Shame’ and ‘Kick Drum Heart’ satiated loyal fans and new listeners alike.
With no more music to be had, most campsites were fully cleaned and abandoned as car after car began to exit the premises. Gathering of the Vibes promised a full weekend filled with both musical legends and up and coming acts and it delivered in spades. A festival that began as a party for lovers of The Grateful Dead came to full fruition as all living members of the band played and played well. Whether it was Dead covers, bluegrass songs, New Orleans soul or infectious dubstep, the festival offered all things for all walks of people and tastes. Seaside Park appears to be the perfect host for such a gathering and will hopefully continue to be just that for years to come as yet another chapter of the Vibes story has now been written.
On August 25th, 51Basscamp returns to Maple Ski Ridge in Rotterdam NY for 18 hours of Electronic Dance Music created by bands, DJs and national headlining and regional performers among other unique acts in a multi-stage event. Running from Noon on August 25th and ending around sunrise on August 26th, 51Basscamp is a late summer music festival that combines great music with an ideal setting in Schoharie County.
Acts at 51Basscamp this year include recent additions Nigel Richards, Psyncus Circus of the Senses, Beacon in the Dark, Michael Anthony, Jay Balance, Milkdud, and Just The Sauce They join a lineup that includes Donald Glaude, Orchard Lounge, Comic Strips, Horizon Wireless, Jeff Bujak, Blue Boy Productions, Don Stone, Dream Job, Static Groove, Evac Protocol, Kloud9, Mikey Parkay, LazerBass, Vudoo Runner, Sweat Pants Money, Digital Dharma, Tier 1 and Primitive. In addition to the amazing music and performers, 51Basscamp features local lighting designer Dutch Masterson Designs on visuals as well as a one of kind Laser installation for the main stage of the event. Beacon in the Dark will be providing a UV art installation with exotic fetish body painting and dancers along with roaming entertainment. In addition, artists will be creating one of a kind art pieces on each of the stages during peak set times.
will be giving away TWO tickets to 51Basscamp. All you have to do is one or both of the following:
Like 51Basscamp on Facebook between August 1st and August 20th. OR Comment below about what band you MOST want to see at 51Basscamp, and why. Two lucky winners will get passes to 51Basscamp, courtesy of . Winners will be selected on August 21st. Tickets are available for only $40 online, you can pick them up through Fanfueled.
Visit www.51bass.net and contact 51bassinfo@gmail.com for submissions of any kind.
Update 8/21: Congrats to our two winners, Vicky Nelson and Dylan Brown!