The young metalheads from Illinois, Starkill, brought their new material, Fires of Death,to the city once again. This was their second tour this year after having toured with veteran heavy metalers, Hypocrisy, earlier in the year. These guys were no newbies and after having toured successfully, it came to no surprise they will be on the road again. With the main elements of their music; melodic guitars, insane guitar solos, and powerful heavy metal drumming, they definitely brought something worth checking out; fresh, vibrant, nothing cliché. Hopefully young and talented bands like this gain more recognition, but for now Starkill has surely earned more fans and recognition after this tour.
Highly awaited were the Italian beasts known as Fleshgod Apocalypse. After having extensively toured Europe, and only days away from releasing their new album, Labyrinth,they embarked on this tour. The ear bursting drums and unreal symphonic death metal atmosphere only added to the hype brought by this band. They were certainly a forced to be reckoned with as their fans moshed furiously to their music. On this tour they brought along the soprano singer VERONICA BORDACCHINI, who collaborated in Labyrinth. Her powerful operatic vocals only added to the eeriness of the music, which made for a perfect amalgam of symphonic death metal. They were definitely in no way overhyped, it was death metal at it’s finest, which let’s us know that their future material is definetly something to look out for. Labyrinth has been released via Nuclear Blast records August 16th.
After a successful co-headlining tour with Eluvietie last year, it came to no surprise Wintersun would be back once more. This time the Finnish heavy metalers would headline across the states. They had fans dying as they yearned their return and their demands were definitely made known to the promoters who made this tour happen. After the success of the long due Time I album, it was no surprise that they once more sold out a New York city venue, this time around Irving Plaza, and last year it was the Gramercy Theater. Wintersun brought along a treat this time around for their devout fans, not only would they play the Time I album in it’s entirety, but also their debut Wintersun album, and a new song from the Time II album, “The Way of the Fire” (expected to be released sometime early next year). Fans chanted along to every song, as they knew the words by heart, and head banged, and moshed to every master piece made by the Wintersun front man Jari Maenpaa.
Thinking about what I wanted to write about as Phish Summer Tour kicked off and SPAC, I pondered a few different things. I wanted to first off write about something I had in the pipelines of new seeds I was sharing with the etree community and I of course wanted something Phish, and maybe something that was not only good, but under appreciated. Lake Placid 1995 met all the criteria.
Much has been documented about December 1995, a month many consider to be one of the top three if not single greatest months in the history of Phish. It’s a month filled with night after night of fiery, tight playing, ground break jams and multiple all around all-time great shows, one that was filled with very few dull moments. I happened upon four shows this month myself, which proved to be quite the challenge considering the weather we faced in the Northeast.
Blizzard like conditions from Albany to Lake Placid that final week of Phish tour made it extremely difficult to get around on the New York State Thruway. It became so much that when confronted with an opportunity after Binghamton to sell my Lake Placid tickets and head home to Buffalo, I did, which made collecting my thoughts on this two night run that ended this long and incredible tour somewhat bittersweet. One thing that has also gone a little unnoticed and less written about in recent years, particularly in the 3.0 era of Phish is the value of seeing Phish on their home turf. Not necessarily Vermont or New England, but Upstate New York, specifically, the North Country, the Adirondack region. When I think of Phish, I think of this region. When I visit this part of New York State, I want to listen to Phish and when I see Phish in this region, it brings back incredible memories. To me, there is nothing like an Upstate New York Phish show.
Phish lot shirt from 1995
Seeing Phish at places like The Knickerbocker Arena or Saratoga Performing Arts Center, from The Clifford Ball in Plattsburgh to the ground breaking Halloween 1994 in Glens Falls and many more, Phish brings it on their adopted home turf. When the band grew out of Vermont, not only by touring around the country, but growing their fan base into larger venues in the early 90’s, it was Upstate New York that served as the new home turf. You can feel it when you’re there. Phish in Lake Placid ’95 was the perfect two-night conclusion to this great month. What more could you really expect from these guys at this point? A monster tour staring back in September and wrapping up nearly three months later. What started in Hershey, built upon in New Haven, collected at U-Mass, exploded in Niagara Falls and Albany, carried on in Maine, reached all new levels at Binghamton and set the table in Lake Placid for what many believe to be the greatest Phish show of all time on New Years Eve. These two shows contained all the tightness of three months on the road you would expect. A well oiled machine coming to a rest after a long work out. I don’t think the band’s lack of creativity or deeper exploration in these shows is worth worry.
What you do get is air tight renditions, high energy improvisation like what is found in the “Mikes > Simple > Weekapaug” in night one, and the band ultimately capping the tour and setting the table for the New Years Eve run. While December ’95 is not known for its very best “Mike’s Grooves”, it is known for is all time “Tweezers”, and 12/17 deserves attention along with the others. There are times for me when it sometimes feels like not only musically, but on a decision making level, that you sense what the band has decided upon. It feels to me all these years of listening to these Lake Placid shows, that they deliberately knew where they were in the tour and what had gone down up to this point. They noticed that sometimes they need a creative reprieve and 12/16 was one of those moments. But by night two, we’re ready to bring it back for one last push down the home stretch and really see what this thing is made of, to see if they could milk this thing to the last drop, and that’s exactly what they did.
photo by James Potvin
What gets overshadowed from this month is the bulk of 12/17’s second set: “Free > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Harry Hood > Sparkle > Tweezer -> Tweezer Reprise”. A raunchy “Free”, a direct hit of “2001”, an extended “Hood” and one last gasp “Tweezer” really showcases the brilliance of what makes December ’95, and seeing Phish on their home turf of Upstate New York so special. That is energy, energy, energy. The band knows it. The crowd knows it. Say what you will about Great Woods, Merriweather, Deer Creek or Alpine, Hampton, Philly or Boston, but there is quite simply nothing like a Phish show in green country of Upstate New York.
Savannah, Georgia’s Baroness brought their progressive “stoner” metal grooves to Rochester’s Club at Water Street Wednesday August 7th. Touring behind their newest album, Yellow and Green, the group was joined by label mates Royal Thunder. Royal Thunder is a three-piece progressive rock band from Atlanta. Their sound is a mix of the old and the new; imagine a mix of The Cult and Evanescence with a more hypnotic progressiveness. Featuring the vocals and impressive bass skills of MLny Parsonz, the trio impressed the small crowd that had made it in early during their 40 minute set.
Baroness, by all accounts, appear to be on the cusp of success. While they still perform their own soundchecks and headline smaller venues, they are able to pull a close to capacity crowd for a decent ticket price on a Wednesday despite the distance from their far away southern roots. Many attendees were adorned in black Baroness shirts and colorful tattoos and the beer was flowing at full blast as go-time approached.
The glowing trademark on the band’s Bad Cat amplifier head beckoned the black fashioned masses closer. Blue oyster cult filled the pre-show music as the band took the stage to the muted sounds of “Highway Star”. The set started acoustically unassuming before a barrage of power chords enlightened the onlookers into a sea of metal signs.
The band’s sound is a mix of unassuming melodic mellowness with brutal reminders gleefully tossed eloquently into the mix. Picture Mastodon meets early Clutch with a twist of classic rock ground in and the potential to surpass the sum of their influences. The crowd chatted little, transfixed by the sonic spectacle on stage. Many songs had epic qualities, building, subsiding, peaking, running the gambit of emotions in one composition.
http://youtu.be/3BM2ztLlhvo
The show mostly showcased the band’s newest effort, but had enough older tracks to keep things interesting. Unlike most harder shows, the audience seemed content to stand and watch for most of the show, but in true metal fashion a decent mosh pit broke out during the encore. Pull your Sabbath tees out of the basement and go check out some Baroness!
Fittingly, for one evening, a cluster of stars were hosted on the Saranac Brewery Summer Stage as two roots based bands Railroad Earth and Yonder Mountain String Band energized the overlooked town.
Saranac, a name meaning “Cluster of Stars” is inspired by the Iroquois Indians, historically indigenous to the area now known as Utica and throughout Upstate NY). Nestled in the foothills of the Adirondacks, in the middle of this run-down, old industrial stopover city – a place where the buildings are so worn the brick look windburn and the hollowed shells of factories whisper a forgotten town – sits the lively Saranac Brewery with a massive American flag soaring above. Symbolic and geographically historic, the city-in-the-shadows reflects American folklore and does so in celebration with good brew and great music.
Steeped in Americana, Railroad Earth warmed up the crowd with a tantalizingly ominous “Forecast” but fortunately, the weather cooperated as the venue is open-air. “Stillwater Getaway” showcased instrumental mastery and perhaps served as a nod to Railroad Earth’s home base, engaging the crowd for an eight-minute dance around before slowing down in a soothing “A Day on the Sand.” Moving through a truncated but lovely set, the evening was beginning to take shape, the sun was setting, the temperature mirrored a typical August day in Upstate NY and the craft beer was joyously received and the songs unfolded. Gratitude would be the only acceptable emotion and that sentiment was echoed in “Livin’ the Good Life.” The segue that followed was a playful tease and a subtle hint at the soon-to-take off, cerebral jam, “Seven Story Mountain.” Railroad Earth’s folk like lyrics and organic tones make for a synchronous match for such a location.
Setlist: The Forecast > Stillwater Getaway, A Day On The Sand, Came Up Smilin, Saddle Of The Sun > Shockenaw Mountain Breakdown, Livin The Good Life > Seven Story Mountain, Hard Livin, Bringin My Baby Back Home
After a rousing set by Railroad Earth, Yonder Mountain String Band kept the excitement high by launching right into “Ramblin in the Rambler” which easily transitioned into “Pretty Daughter” and just as cheers began hit right back into “Ramblin.” Stopping briefly to welcome the burgeoning crowd the band took little breathing room before launching into a more than 20 song set, stretching to the edges of their catalog, even including Frank Zappa’s “I am the Slime.” With the sun finally setting, the band welcomed to the stage Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth for “Funtime” a jammed out “Riverside” and closed the set with a tune many YMSB fans know far too well, “Two Hits and the Joint turned Brown.”
Taking a short break, Yonder returned to the stage for their encore adding to their ranks John Skehan, Andy Goessling and Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth. The three talented musicians added to the already robust sound to help YMSB close with “If You’re Ever in Oklahoma > No Expectations >Oklahoma.” Yonder Mountain String Band, no strangers to Saranac Brewery were perfectly complimented by Railroad Earth, making it a strong night of bluegrass, beer and dancing.
Setlist: Tuning Up, Ramblin in the Rambler>Pretty Daughter>Ramblin in the Rambler, New Deal Train, Don’t You Lean On Me, I am the Slime>Northern Song, Just Like Old Times, Katy Daly, Finally Saw the Light, Pockets, Irondale, Death Trip > Boatman, Going to the Races, Funtime* >, Riverside*> Two Hits and the Joint Turned Brown*
Encore: Oklahoma# > No Expectations# > Oklahoma#
*with Tim Carbone on Violin
#with Andy Goessling on Guitar and John Skehan on Mandolin and Tim Carbone on Violin
The eager concert junkies let out the occasional yelps of excitement as the outdoor music melted into silence. It was time for Xfactor1 to rock the stage and blow everyone away with what they had in store for us. One by one, each band member appeared: Zack (drums), Jerry D (bass), CLok (guitar), Cody (guitar), and QBall Wolf (vocals). They were more than ready to get Bearfest started the right way with “Bring It On.” What they unleashed was something different. Something refreshing and new. In a way, very erratic, if you will. “An xfactor is an unpredictable intangible,” explained Wolf to Upstate Metal’s Kate Drexel. “Our name simply means we want to be the number one xfactor in all things and all situations.”
Xfactor1 continued their set with “It’s My Life” and a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black,” followed by “Break You.”
“Xfactor1 song writing is a group effort,” Wolf said. “Usually I will come up with a melody theme, and the guys will run with it until we add our influences. I think that influences are more than just ‘how do you sound?’ It’s attitude, passion, and ideals about life and music. Because of that, Metallica, Pantera, Korn, and other ass kickers come to mind.” These influences can definitely be heard in QBall’s unique voice as they proceeded with “You Suck.” Fans began to wave their horns in the air to the beat of the song followed by head banging.
“I’m a huge Deftones fan so that would be awesome,” said Wolf when asked if he had the opportunity to collaborate with another artist. “Five Finger Death Punch would be great as well.”
Before finishing the set, QBall had the fans gather in closer so the band could take a picture with the crowd in the background making an X with their arms in the air, a very similar moment the band shared at this year’s Rock on the Range. “We absolutely love playing the Rock on the Range festival (twice, ’09 and ’13), because it’s held in our hometown of Columbus, OH at Crew Stadium, and it’s like a huge family reunion.” Xfactor1 finished their set with “Never” and “Live Another Day,” leaving the crowd feeling warmed up, yet they wanted more from this killer band. Xfactor1 left the stage to presumably “film porn, party, play Texas Hold ‘Em poker,” according to QBall when asked what they do during their downtime.
All in all, this band was beyond words. Just an absolutely mind blowing performance filled with catchy songs, and they definitely set the mood right for the night. Be sure to check out the band on Facebook. Their record, Famous.Last.Words was release in June 2012.
Xfactor1 can put on one hell of a show. One you will not want to miss.
The city of Peru hosted one of the best kept secrets of Upstate New York on August 2nd and 3rd 2013 at the Twin Ponds Campsite with the music festival Backwoods Pondfest. The intimate music festival was set at the tip of the North Country, only a few exits short of Canada, making for a scenic ride from any direction for dedicated music lovers. Offering weekend tickets as well as single day passes, Friday’s guests were treated with a double rainbow in the early evening after a brief rain shower. Visitors were allowed to select their own campsites with car side camping. Whether in the far off quiet area, woods or grassy field camping, any spot on the festival grounds offered plenty of cool afternoon shade with a full sky view of the bright stars at night. Bands were located either on the Main Stage next to the bright blue school bus, named Lucy (belonging to host band Lucid) or on the Tent Stage, next to the wooded camping, with a soft sandy dance floor.
Friday
With a name like Backwoods Pondfest, it wasn’t a surprise that the bearded quartet Blind Owl Band was one of the first bands to start the weekend on the Tent Stage. The Saranac Lake locals consist of Arthur Buezo on guitar, Eric Munley on mandolin, James Ford on banjo and Christian Cardiello on bass. Their aggressive string music mixed with rowdy harmonies greeted festival goers to their neck of the woods with open arms and dancing feet. Spiritual Rez made everyone forget that they were even in New York with their heavy reggae dance music. Toft Willingham spit out rebellious lyrics to the crowd while thrashing about his long blonde hair as Rob O’Block shredded on the guitar. Kory Stanbury on saxophone and Quinn Carson on trombone provided a strong horn section throughout the set as Mohamed Araki surprised fans everywhere with his keytar. Ian Miller kept the party going with a constant quick rhythm and Jesse Shaternick’s lighthearted bass notes. The band has great chemistry as they provide an energetic performance with never ending reggae funk magnitude. Be on the lookout this fall for their new album release, Apocalypse Whenever and upcoming shows at The Catskill Chill and Wormtown Festival.
For the past seven years, Backwoods Pondfest has been hosted by the Adirondack “Woods Rock” band known as Lucid. Their sound is unique as it varies from classic rock to blues to funky jazz to reggae and even doo-wop, a little something for everyone. With the festival set in their neck of the woods, Lucid has a dedicated fan base that overflowed from underneath the Tent Stage on Friday night. “Whiskey Dream”, with steady beats and cymbals from Kyle Murray was a crowd favorite as Andy Deller kept the keys at a playful tone. One of the highlights of the set was Kevin Sabourin repeatedly singing out the chorus line, “Friday is the best day of the week because I don’t have to work tomorrow” resulted in a massive tent-shaking sing along. Lowell Wurster blared off on his harmonica especially during “Backwoods”, a song meant for that weekend.
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad sent out a psychedelic reggae groove that made it easy for fans to dance all night. The band, hailing from Rochester, consists of James Searl on bass, Chris O’Brian playing drums, Dylan Savage and Dan Keller on guitar and Tony Gallicchio on keys who bring a laid back vibe that relaxes and recharges listeners at the same time. The night was set ablaze from the fire spinners and jugglers from Cosmic Karma Fire located to the left of the Main Stage.
Jimkata lit up the Tent Stage with their electrifying rock that is similar to a Mario Bros. soundtrack for adults, complete with beeps, boops and mind melting instrumental jams. It’s no wonder this up and coming Upstate New York band from Ithaca has been building up fans on their busy summer tour with big performances at Summer Camp and Gathering of the Vibes. The end of the night performance at the Main Stage was from the experimental techno funk group, Dopapod. Keyboardist Eli Winderman, drummer Neal ‘Fro’ Evans, guitarist Rob Compa and Chuck Jones on bass swirled together a set that was full of funky melodies with robotic harmonies and pure reckless rock.
Saturday
Few things taste better than fresh music in the morning. The Chronicles from Albany opened up the Main Stage with set full of hot hip hop and sweet jazz served best for a Saturday morning after an all night rager. The Metroland, Albany’s alternative newsweekly, acknowledged them as “Best of Jazz” in 2012 and 2013, paying tribute to their unique blend of all things jazz, funk and gospel. Tyrone Hartzog displays a cascade of notes as he glides over the keys. One of the best things about The Chronicles is their unpredictable jams, especially with the horn section of Bryan Brundige on trombone and Jeff Nania on saxophone. Daniel Lawson sneaks in the heavy bass notes and with Justin Henricks strumming along gives the way to a rockin funk wave. Andrae Surgick keeps a steady and chill rhythm that sends plenty of cymbals sparks flying.
Rack Em Let’s Go! definitely catches your attention with their band name alone but their music will stay with you way after their show. Exploding out of Boston, the rock and roll quartet gave a high energy performance, combining old school rock with a twist of modern soul and funk. Switching up the scene on the Main Stage was Fikus, delivering an electronic rock show with complete with funky harmonies and fast paced extraterrestrial melodies. Catch Fikus this coming weekend at Bella Terra Music Festival in Stephentown, NY. The Capital District’s top jam band Formula 5 steamed up the Tent Stage with their original dance heavy tunes plus a hot rendition of Phish’s “Sand” with guest appearance by Justin Henricks of The Chronicles on guitar.
A music festival isn’t complete without a Grateful Dead cover band these days and Backwoods Pondfest booked the best one in Upstate New York, The Garcia Project. The Saratoga Springs locals provided fans with an easy listening afternoon full of their favorite Dead songs, especially a treasured version of “Tangled up in Blue” with haunting vocals from Mik Bondy and Kat Walkerson. Capital Zen played a hard hitting set under the tent with uncontrollable beats from Rye Wylie, reckless guitar from Terry Scoville and wild bass bombs from Tony Leombruno.
Fans were left speechless from the first few soulful notes belted out from Jennifer Hartswick and especially during an extraordinary cover of the Talking Heads’ “This Must be the Place (Naïve Melody)” and Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine”. The Jennifer Hartswick Band overflows with musical energy that carries its own direction.
Electronic hip hop trio Sophistafunk tore the Tent Stage to pieces with bass heavy notes from Adam Brown, groovy beats from Emanuel Washington and robust vocals from Jack Brown. Afterwards, one of the founding fathers of funk, Bernie Worrell, gave a thunderous performance on the Main Stage with his heart stopping piano solos. The Bernie Worrell Orchestra lays out the funk, one layer at time, each grooving into the next twilight zone. Later, the Vermont based quartet Twiddle carried out the party vibe onto the Tent Stage and through the crowd. Their improvisational jams can start with a heavy rock feel then blasting into a reggae melody all with a fiery passion. Keeping with tradition, Lucid ended the festival weekend with their annual second set to close the Main Stage. It was a true free for all as festival goers, staff members and musicians danced together to the unrelenting and lively music of Lucid.
Throughout the weekend, musicians and fans alike had nothing but positive feedback about the festival given the wide range of musical talent and beautiful scenery. Amid a very chill environment where festival goers formed a close knit bond, dedicated music lovers reveled in their adventure up north to Backwoods Pondfest.
The Black Crowes brought their long history of hits and booty shaking Rock n Roll to Canandaigua’s CMAC Amphitheater on a simply weather-tastic Wednesday, July 31st, along with Tedeschi Trucks Band. As the crowd made their way in from the lots and started to fill the pavilion and lawn, New York City’s London Souls provided some stupendous entrance music. The power guitar bass and drums trio formed in 2008 and has already climbed the touring ladder high enough to open for some major league acts. The band’s sound is largely based on a myriad of classic rock influences, with enough taste of jam to make a proper sandwich. Those that made it in early enough got themselves a treat and those that did not should make it a point to see these guys when they come back through. Catch them in upstate again October 22nd at Rochester’s Club at Water Street and October 26th with Umphrey’s McGee at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo.
The Black Crowes
Next up was the husband and wife duo of Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi with eight other top notch musicians to fill out the self monikered Tedeschi/Trucks Band. Trucks is well known for being a young guitar prodigy touring with The Allman Brothers as a teenager and spending years in his own band until joining forces (in more ways than one) with fellow shredder and top-notch vocalist Susan Tedeschi in 2010. They tour with a full horn section, extra vocalists, and plenty of percussion. It’s hard to call this band an opener, as it was very apparent in the crowd that many were in attendance for them as much as the headlining act. There’s nothing cooler than watching a husband and wife lovingly try and out-shred each other and the crowd ate it up and asked for seconds.
Tedeschi/Trucks Band
The Crowes hit the stage after about a 30 minute break and wasted no time getting into it with their classic “Jealous Again”. Chris Robinson, who seems even taller in person, was adorned appropriately in a white Buffalo Dead t-shirt and “skinny” blue jeans. Mr. Robinson, of course, is a longtime proponent and activist for marijuana regulation, so this reporter was not surprised to smell an interesting skunky scent emanating from the stage. The band ripped through hit after hit and a decent enough collection of deep cuts to please any fan. For the encore, most of the Tedeschi/Trucks Band joined them onstage for an incredible moment of jamtastic virtuosity covering Eric Clapton’s “Don’t Know Why” and Joe Tex’s “Show Me”. Twelve musicians all at the top of their game melding in unison was the cherry on the top of a sundae of an evening.
Setlist: Jealous Again, Thick N’ Thin, Blackberry, Another Roadside Tragedy, How Much for Your Wings?, Bring On, Bring On, Wiser Time, She Talks to Angels, Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ (The Velvet Underground), Soul Singing, Thorn in My Pride, Remedy
Encore: Don’t Know Why (Eric Clapton), Show Me (Joe Tex cover)
This year I was able to experience one of the best music festivals this side of the country: All Good, which took place at Legend Valley in Thornville Ohio on July 18-21. I made the trek out to Ohio late Wednesday night and arrived early Thursday morning, when the madness began.
Thursday
I finally arrived in Hebron, Ohio after eight and a half hours of a musical journey. Ohio made me feel like I was in a long never ending cornfield infused tunnel. When finally arriving at the All Good grounds, only to find no one there, (the lights were on but no one was home), I sought out a spot to spend the night, and found people who were actually partying all night long in the Kroeger parking lot, which was a couple miles away from the grounds. I found a quiet spot was in the back parking lot of at the Comfort Inn, and I wasn’t the only one that had the idea, as there were about 20 other All Goodians crashing there for the night. Hebron is a quaint little farming town nestled in the heart of cornfields as far as the eye could see, the aforementioned hotel and grocery store seemed like sensible lodging, simply because I didn’t want to wake up to a reenactment of the Children of theCorn. Finally bedding down for the night, the waiting game began, which gave me some down time before the weekend festivities began. In the parking lots there was an electricity in the air, license plates from Ohio, Virginia , New York, Pennsylvania and even Colorado. Everyone traveled hundreds of miles for one of the bigger music festivals in the Midwest. I already knew that this festival would help me document some great bands, not to mention a bunch of new friends and stories. I was fortunate enough to partake in the modern melting pot of rainbow tye-dye and hoola hoops.
At 8 am the temperature was already 81 degrees, the sun shining and haze from the humidity already on the fields. This was the first festival I have been to this year with the sun actually shining on the first day, and it was a nice change of pace. Setting up camp and hanging out with all the new people I met on the way in All Good was pretty amazing, and I thought, ‘If the rest of the fest is anything like this, I am in for one hell of a time!” It was on a shady spot on a hill that I realized music festivals are an oasis for artwork and I was greatly inspired through this sensory stimuli overload. The lay of the land was pretty amazing as well, a giant hill forming a bowl shape where the stage is situated, although it offered little shade at the top which was prime real estate when the sun was out! Even though I was 500 miles away from home, I ran into people I see at local festivals in New York. Festivals are a giant family, creating bonds both with people you know and new faces you meet. Hoops and hacky sacks galore filled the natural amphitheater where everyone was waiting to see the opening act, John Scofield Uberjam Band, featuring the masterful jazz improviser whose music generally falls somewhere between post-bop, funk edged jazz and R & B. His set was a great opener for the stacked lineup of giants.
Speaking of giants I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw coming down the hill a small army of people on stilts, dressed like characters from Aladdin. The music for the rest of the day included Toubab Krewe, Papadosio and Lettuce, followed by Yonder MountainString Band and Beats Antique. Lettuce started as the sun was going down, and from my perspective, funk and photography make an insane combo; it’s tough to take photos when my feet want to move to the beat. If that wasn’t enough, Yonder Mountain String Band kept the grooves coming in the name of bluegrass. Late night with Beats Antique, was sensory overload accompanied with a belly dancing mesmerizing performance by Zoe Jakes.
Friday
I awoke to the sounds of Cabinet, a bluegrass/country group, and what a way to wake up! Following Cabinet was a band from Columbus known as Mojoflo. They definitely helped beat the heat with their soulful upbeat sounds and even had a dance off in the “Soul Train” line. Making my trek down to the Main Stage, I stumbled upon a drum circle where I saw a familiar face whom I had met in May at the Spring Revival. Three states away and I saw someone from my own back yard, what a small world. Once I reached the main stage to hear the sounds of blues, Americana and hillbilly music fill the air from Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. Rev. J. Peyton, his wife Breezy and cousin Aaron “Cuz” Persinger form the trio and got people moving around, playing as a thunder storm was brewing overhead that led to an hour-long delay in the music. The brief thunderstorm didn’t deter the hard core Dark Star Orchestra fans, as one girl said to me “A little rain isn’t gonna stop us, it’s All Good!”
TheStepkids knocked it out of the park followed by legends Leftover Salmon. The surprise of the fest and one of my new favorites was Nahko and the Medicine, with a positive message in their lyrics that was truly for the people.
After they warmed the crowd up and people were sharing the love, I saw a couple gazing into each other’s eyes. They mentioned that they met at a John Butler Trio show three years ago and were getting married in September. The trio from Australia put on an incredible performance, accompanied with slide guitarist Roosevelt Collier, making for a magical combination. As the sun went down, Digital Tape Machine featuring Kris Meyers and Joel Cummins of Umphreys McGee gave a stellar light show that matched up with their video game sounding music, getting the crowd dancing to the 8-bit club jams.
Primus Sucks and started their set off with “GroundhogsDay“ and “Fisticuffs“ which gave all the costumed spectators the chance to really get into the weirdness throughout the night. There were pigs and bears and even a fan in a banana costume; it was a combination zoo and fruit salad that was welcomed by Primus. During this weirdness, cartoons were played will Primus rocked the stage. Primus ended with their popular hit “MyNameisMud”, and encored with “TommytheCat”, in which Les Claypool explained how he and Tom Waits became friends because he asked Tom to do the voice in the video. Primus definitely didn’t suck and gave everyone a show to remember. Making their once a year appearance at All Good was TheBridge, whose light show was complimented with fireworks galore. As if my eyes and camera lenses needed any more stimuli, STS9 gave not only a stellar musical production but a ridiculous visual offering.
Saturday
Just when you think you can’t take anymore, it’s Day Three of a festival and you soldier on. The day began on the Grassroots Stage with Three Legged Fox, which had a dub/reggae/ska/sound to them, a sweet way to start the day off right. On the Main Stage was a group from Africa called The African ShowBoyz, who were dressed in traditional African garb and played instruments made from gourds, and put on a pretty impressive show. One the bands who were the talk of the fest and awarded my personal best All Good Band name was Michigan’s Ultraviolet Hippotamus.
Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue gave me a reminder of what James Brown was once like when he led his band. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals gave a high energy performance, so much that I needed a cold shower to get my blood pressure back down. To cool things off a bit, Bob Weir of Furthur came out and did a duet with Grace Potter, singing “Friend of the Devil”. The Infamous String Dusters put on one hell of a performance and were joined by Grace Potter for “Turn on your Lovelight”. Sticking to the Grateful Dead theme of the night, Pretty Lights dropped an electronic remix of “Shakedown Street”, leading to some sensory overload from the lights and lasers, prompting fans to get a better view of things from the hill. Rochester’s own Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad played for a packed field to cap off the late night.
Sunday
Sunday was a nice recovery day that allowed catching up with old and new friends alike. The Ragbirds were definitely worth a viewing. The lead singer Erin Zindle was playing her fiddle and joked about one of the camera men being a doctor; she mentioned this as she was eight and a half months pregnant, so the camera man could deliver the baby if she were to go into labor onstage. Even being pregnant she could play the fiddle like she beat the devil himself in a competition. Likewise with Keller Williams and The Traveling McCourys, Sunday’s acts had everyone jumping and dancing like they were at a good old fashioned hoedown; the only thing missing was the barn.
Furthur featuring Bob Weir and Phil Lesh headlined All Good with an already extensive line up that topped off Saturday’s lineup. The all-stars opened their set with “Dancing in the Street”, which got everyone dancin’ on the grass. They played a double set and had a March Fourth Marching Band, complete with stilt walkers perform during setbreak. They came back playing “Feel Like a Stranger”, yet by this point there weren’t any strangers, only new friends in the crowd. They closed with “Scarlet Begonias”, and a surprise sit-in of Grace Potter on “Turn on Your Love Light”. Furthur took a bow after an encore of Phil’s “Donor Rap” and “BrokedownPalace”. Furthur paved way for producer Pretty Lights who laid down an EDM cover of “Shakedown Street” in a nice little nod to The Dead.
Although I was met with a dreaded eight-hour drive home, All Good was by far the largest and most fun music festival I have been to and I can only look forward to the next. I am fortunate to have gone and even more fortunate that I got to document All Good for in words and photos.
Furthur has been enjoying a solid Summer tour with appearances at few music festivals and a larger concentration on playing their own shows, rather than filling up the festival scene this year compared to previous summers where we saw them at every major festival. With killer setlists in the previous shows leading up to Furthur’s July 19th performance at CMAC in Canandaigua, NY, fans were ready to shake their bones to the songs of the Grateful Dead. This was to be their last stop on this tour before they hit All Good Music Festival in Thornville, Ohio for the weekend. Anticipation was high and the scene was set for a good show. The lot scene was thriving with food vendors and heads selling wrapped silver as usual. The police presence was there but not as overwhelming as in past years.
Once the crowd began making their way towards the gates for the earlier than scheduled show, fans began to whisper about why the tickets said the show began at 8:00PM and they were being ushered in at 7:00PM. Apparently there was a misprint – if you weren’t one of the very few people who checked online that day for up to date show info on the venue’s FaceBook page, then you were most likely unaware of this last-minute change.
The show began with “Jack Straw” and the crowd received it well, and John Kadlecik took the lead on a fantastic “Dupree’s Diamond Blues”. With two songs in the first set about the rain – “Mission in the Rain” & “Box of Rain” – the scene was set with the first set ending in pouring rain.
Second set began strong, the dancing contagious and the rain pouring down on those in the lawn; “Playing in the Band > Any Road” got everyone’s blood pumpin’ and wanting more. During “Mountains of the Moon” the sound of concertgoers belting out the lyrics, “Hey Tom Banjo” got the vibe heading in the right direction and then fans were treated with a dance-evoking, “Caution”, after which Bob Weir delivered the announcement that the show was being ended at that time due to severe weather storms heading towards the venue. He tried to explain that it wasn’t the band but the venue who had made the decision, he explained – “If we keep playing they’ll just unplug us anyway guys, we’re really sorry.”
The crowd reluctantly retreated to their cars and the many in attendance were heard expressing their distaste for the early ending and few agreed that it was a necessary measure. followed the crowd out to the lots and ended the night with heavy hearts.
In an effort to compensate concert goers CMAC has announced they will exchange any Furthur ticket stub, at any other show during the 2013 concert series at CMAC (except Kenny Chesney) for access to the Headliner Lounge, one complimentary drink, and access to private restrooms and a private bar. Your ticket stub does not grant you entrance to the show, you must purchase a ticket to the show of your choice and redeem your stub then. If you have any questions regarding this opportunity you can contact CMAC by calling 1-800-745-3000
07/19/13 (Fri) Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center – Canandaigua, NY
Set 1: Jack Straw, Dupree’s Diamond Blues, My Brother Esau, Mason’s Children, Mission in the Rain (1), Box of Rain Set 2: Playing in the Band > Any Road, Mountains of the Moon, Caution (2)
(1) last time played by Furthur: 10/05/12, Los Angeles
(2) show stopped short by the venue due to incoming lightning storm
Saturday was another beautiful blue sky summer day at Gathering of the Vibes 2013, jam packed with a diverse lineup of legendary artists. The Funky Meters started their set on the Main stage with sound troubles during the first few songs but this didn’t deter them from laying down a funky set. Bassist George Porter, Jr. wore a bright smile as he dropped the heavy beats while dancing with the crowd and his bandmates. Another legend, famous at Vibes as The Master of Ceremonies is Wavy Gravy, who was on the scene, sporting a lot of tie dye, red clown nose and chicken hand bang.
Mr. Gravy told stories from back in the glory days of Woodstock and gave advice to concert goers such as “balancing on a unicycle equals a balance life.” Rock guitarist Steve Kimock was joined by Bernie Worrell and friends such as Bill Evans and George Porter Jr., making for a super killer set early in the day. The musicians covered The Beatles “Come Together” and an epic closer of Talking Heads “Take me to the River.” Kimock mentioned in an interview later in the day that it was his son’s idea for the collaboration with Worrell and it was easy to perform with friends when they are all here at Vibes, stating, “It’s all about circumstance and convenience.”
Funky Meters
The Roots, best known for playing as Jimmy Fallon’s Band on Late Night, proved to be a bunch of jazzy, energetic, jungle, hip-hop animals, covering a wide array of genres that kept the crowd on their dancing feet through the set. The Roots hip-hop-ifyed classic hits such as “Jungle Boogie”, Guns and Roses’ “Sweet Child of Mine” and Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.” The tunes went from spacey beeps and boops containing robust rap lyrics, only to go back into a full swinging cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “Move on Up”. Keyboardist Kamal Gray went off on almost every song with hard hitting solos as the band members danced all over the stage. This was The Roots first performance at Vibes and hopefully not the last.
The Roots
Back by popular demand this year was the sensational Grace Potter and The Nocturnals. Grace took the stage, wearing a gorgeous white toga-like dress, showing off her womanly figure that was made for the spotlight. “Medicine” opened the set, proving that Potter and The Nocturnals can cure anything that ails you. Grace serenades fans with a wide range of vocals that are sincere and slightly heartbreaking. Throughout the set, Potter reminisced about her first Vibes experience, a very rainy weekend when she was 15 years old, which made for incredible memories and has made her who she is today, saying “This is what inspires us.” Paying tribute to JJ Cale, who had passed away earlier that day, GPN performed “Can’t Look at the Stars” off their newest album, The Lion The Beast The Beat, a passionate song that brought everyone close to tears. Potter never missed a beat as she switched instruments from her electric and acoustic guitars to tambourine and electric piano making her the ultimate threat in today’s music industry. To the delight of the audience, Warren Haynes made a guest appearance and the set concluded with another tribute to the late JJ Cale with an authentic performance of Eric Clapton’s “Cocaine.”
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Before taking the stage with Gov’t Mule, Warren Haynes took some time to chat with the press in the media tent about Gathering of the Vibes, best described to him as a “family reunion”, where people take music very seriously and it’s a great opportunity to see everyone in one spot. Fans asked about the various groups and their setlists, which he responded, “In The Allman Brothers, and The Dead and Gov’t Mule, we don’t really worry about arrangements too much. A lot of times we are doing it on the fly and sometimes where the verse begins is where you want it to begin…it’s about trying to achieve balance between your band and your friend’s band.” When asked on his thoughts about the passing of JJ Cale, he said “It’s a huge loss. He’s an amazing writer and artist and for people that don’t know, he wrote so many amazing songs that you’ll probably hear a bunch of them over the course of tonight….and I’m really sad to see him go.” Unfortunately, the duo never had the chance to perform together despite Haynes being a big fan of Cale’s. Still shaking off the previous musicians, I asked him what it was like to perform with Grace Potter and The Nocturnals. “Grace and I always have fun playing together. She’s wonderful and we’ve played together dozens of times at this point. She’s one of the guest featured vocalists on the new Gov’t Mule bonus disc that’s coming out this September and we always look forward to playing together.” Feeling recharged after the interviews, Warren took the stage with Matt Abts on Drums, Danny Louis playing Keyboards and Bassist Jorgen Carlsson, to form the last minute addition to the GOTVs ineup, Gov’t Mule. It’s understandable why this band is in high demand for shows, given their hard rock performance with a dash of blues. Not to anyone’s surprise but there were fantastic sit ins from George Porter, Jr., Bill Evans & John Scofield, individually as well as the powerhouse group encore of “After Midnight”, dedicated to JJ Cale.
Gov’t Mule
It was an “all too familiar” feeling, waiting in the crowd for the second night of Phil Lesh & Friends final set of the Gathering of the Vibes weekend. Given the wide fields at the Main Stage, half the crowd has their own setup with families lingering towards the back with blankets and chairs, leaving plenty of dance room up front for the diehard fans. Whether hustling up close to the stage or being content with the two large TV screens, concert goers were able to get an actual view of the chemistry that Phil shares with John Scofield, John Medeski, Joe Russo and John Kadlecik. Besides drifting in and out of their jams, the musicians are constantly watching each other perform for the “signals” and feeling for the vibes that they each are giving off. Bill Evans joined in on the fun during the entire second set with his saxophone and clarinet, particularly for “He’s Gone.” When asked how he felt the show went, Evans laughed, “Oh, I had no idea what was going on.” He was hearing all this music for the first time, so he had to take in the information quickly and just play, making for a fresh and innovative set, the way the Phil likes it.
With the end of the festival just around the corner, Saturday night makes for the perfect excuse to let loose and rage hard. The Green Vibes Stage kept the party going with separate DJ sets of Rob Garza from Thievery Corporation, James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem and jambanders Papadosio. Each act provided the dark dance jams that festival goers crave after midnight and still have you wanting more when you see the sun come up.
It seems that it’s over even before it started as Sunday arrived with no delay. Concert goers can be seen everywhere beginning to pack up their campsites and plan their remaining day at Gathering of the Vibes. Staying true to the old motto, “Never miss a Sunday show,” Vibes had saved for last. Blues Traveler made their debut at this year’s Vibes, showcasing their style of uncontrollable New Jersey rock. John Popper wasted no time blasting fans with his wide range of harmonica solos while Ben Wilson smoked the keys with fingers ablaze. Bassist Tad Kinchla and Brendan Hill kept a steady, light hearted rhythm of blues going with Chan Kinchla strumming solid 90’s guitar chords. Bill Evans joined Blues Traveler for a unique jazzy cover of Sublime’s “What I Got”. Blues Traveler pulled off a serious game changer when they performed a spin on the classic Charlie Daniels song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”, by having Popper ferociously play the harmonica in place of the fiddle. The band was joined by guitarist Mihali Savoulidis from Twiddle for a ripping version of “Carolina Blues”.
Max Creek
After the show, John Popper and a few other members of Blues Traveler met with the press backstage for a brief interview. John Popper discussed how with so much traveling, each show feels like a reunion when you have friends in every city, making every night of the week a party night. He spoke of his inspirations that originated from Paul Butler, Blues Brothers and Jimi Hendrix. “On the harp there is such low expectations. On the harp you cover what you like.” When asked about Bill Evans and Mihali Savoulidis sitting in, he said, “Yea, that was fun. It was awesome. There was no warning. I just wish we had more time because both of them wanted to stretch. You just feel it…let’s just take it to a second gear but we’re just trying to cram all our songs in.” Blues Traveler is well known for establishing the H.O.R.D.E. (Horizons Of Rock Developing Everywhere) touring music festivals from the early 90s. When asked about festivals, Popper stated, “I think they made it a lot smarter making them destination festivals. When you have a giant whale carved out of a redwood tree, everyone wants to come and see it. It’s beautiful. But when you gotta load it on flatbed truck and haul it everywhere, you’ve just quadruped your price for everything…when you have a place where you know it’s going to be, you can just park the whale and it’ll be there next year. You can have big things…but it was a lot of things like that. You had to bring your attractions with you.” Naturally money plays into a big factor of putting on festivals but Blues Traveler is looking for locations for next year. “It’s a game of patience.” He brought up how major jambands like Phish and Dave Matthews Band don’t have to play major festivals since they can afford not to.” Why bother when you can throw your own? Why not just go to Disneyland? Why not just hire Disneyland to come on the road with Phish? That would be fun.” Popper compares Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo to Vibes, saying he really “digs the scene” at Seaside Park and how crucial it is for festivals to have basic amenities, not just to be located in the middle of nowhere.
Blues Traveler
The VibeTribe got a taste from Down Under as the John Butler Trio shook up the stage on Sunday with Guitarist John Butler, Drummer Nicky Bomba and Bassist Byron Luiters. The soft vocals and strumming from Butler gave way to a tribal beat from Bomba mixed with versatile notes from Luiters. JBT created a new sound of music with their Australian flair, somewhat like a Consider the Source vibes meets the Outback. They worked on their spacey build ups, holding them longer than anticipated with great intensity. As Butler thanked the colorful bunch, he said, “We’ll always come back if you’ll have us.” Hopefully the staff at the GOTV was listening. Last but not least, southern rock and roll legends The Black Crowes featuring Chris Robinson on lead vocals and harmonica, guitarist Rich Robinson, Steve Gorman on drums, Bassist Sven Pipien, Adam MacDougall on keyboards and newest member Jackie Greene on guitar, were greeted with a warm welcome after their recently ended two year hiatus. The Black Crowes have tremendous stage presence with multiple “off the wall” guitar solos, Chris Robinson’s vocals and groovy dance moves plus Gorman’s hard hitting rhythm. The band treated fans to songs from their newest album, Wiser for the Time, as well as remarkable such as The Rolling Stones “Jumping Jack Flash” and Joe Cocker’s “Feelin’ Alright.” Be sure to catch The Black Crowes in action on as the tour the country this fall.
The Black Crowes
Gathering of the Vibes continues to share a collective spirit and positive energy by honoring the music of the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia and with new visitors and returning VibeTribe members of all ages each year. With over 20,000 attendees this summer, Vibes proves that good music and loved ones are always worth gathering for.
What you do get is air tight renditions, high energy improvisation like what is found in the “Mikes > Simple > Weekapaug” in night one, and the band ultimately capping the tour and setting the table for the New Years Eve run. While December ’95 is not known for its very best “Mike’s Grooves”, it is known for is all time “Tweezers”, and 12/17 deserves attention along with the others. There are times for me when it sometimes feels like not only musically, but on a decision making level, that you sense what the band has decided upon. It feels to me all these years of listening to these Lake Placid shows, that they deliberately knew where they were in the tour and what had gone down up to this point. They noticed that sometimes they need a creative reprieve and 12/16 was one of those moments. But by night two, we’re ready to bring it back for one last push down the home stretch and really see what this thing is made of, to see if they could milk this thing to the last drop, and that’s exactly what they did.
Baroness, by all accounts, appear to be on the cusp of success. While they still perform their own soundchecks and headline smaller venues, they are able to pull a close to capacity crowd for a decent ticket price on a Wednesday despite the distance from their far away southern roots. Many attendees were adorned in black Baroness shirts and colorful tattoos and the beer was flowing at full blast as go-time approached.
“Xfactor1 song writing is a group effort,” Wolf said. “Usually I will come up with a melody theme, and the guys will run with it until we add our influences. I think that influences are more than just ‘how do you sound?’ It’s attitude, passion, and ideals about life and music. Because of that, Metallica, Pantera, Korn, and other ass kickers come to mind.” These influences can definitely be heard in QBall’s unique voice as they proceeded with “You Suck.” Fans began to wave their horns in the air to the beat of the song followed by head banging.
All in all, this band was beyond words. Just an absolutely mind blowing performance filled with catchy songs, and they definitely set the mood right for the night. Be sure to check out the band on Facebook. Their record, 
