A beautiful evening of music took place at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock on April 27th with the legendary folk-rock band Aztec Two-Step. Over the course of two sets of music, Rex Fowler and Neal Schulman had the intimate crowd in the palm of their hands. The night took place in the lounge of the Bearsville Theater rather than the big room, making the evening even more special by being physically very close to the performers.
Between sets Rex and Neal hung out by the merchandise stand and chatted with everyone who wanted to. It was a wonderfully laid back Saturday night show. As soon as Rex and Neal took the stage, the appreciative crowd gave them a huge ovation. Both men are very good story tellers and jokesters and showed it very early on. All night they had funny stories ranging from origins of songs to stories about other musicians to a lovely tribute to Richie Havens. Another great thing about the show was that they had no written set list and discussed which song to do next in front of everyone, which of course led to more jokes.
The relaxed feeling of the show made everything all the better. Rex and Neal have a great bond on stage. Their harmonies are still perfect after being together for 42 years and their guitar work is excellent. Neal can really handle a guitar. Some of his solos through the evening were jaw dropping. Both musicians moved from folk to rock to blues to country easily showing that their music is full of variety and that they have something for everyone.
A first set highlight was “The Ballad of Humpty Dumpty and Cinderella” which saw the audience participate in the chorus after an invitation from Rex and Neal to help them out, easily making for a highlight of the evening. The set continued with Neal saying “You know some bands have lists up here, and we don’t blame them” as the audience laughed seeing that Rex and Neal weren’t sure what they would open up with. Early on in the set they stated how all acoustic duo acts owe their livelihood to The Everly Brothers and they did a great cover of “Walk Right Back.” Following that, Neal and Rex went right into “Tonight I Wish I Was in Texas” which was a clear highlight with great harmonies. They ended set one with “The Persecution & Restoration of Dean Moriarty (On The Road)” and it was a perfect set closer. The song is a tribute to the novel by Jack Kerouac and it does the book justice. Some of second set highlights were “Killing Me”, “Highway Song”, and “Johnny’s an Angel”. The last one is a tribute written for John Lennon a week after he was killed in 1980.
All three of these songs were excellent and received well by the small crowd at Bearsville. After finishing the set, Neal and Rex briefly went to the side of the stage and then came back, joking with the crowd they didn’t know if it was a well-deserved encore or they were just coming back to come back. They were obviously joking as they were getting a huge ovation from the fans in attendance. With a two song encore of “Whiskey Man” and “Prisoner”, they ended on a high note, receiving a standing ovation from the entire crowd at the end of the second song. It was a great evening of folk rock and if you have a chance, be sure to see these two great musicians for a thoroughly enjoyable evening of music.
With a notorious combination of great music and a welcoming family friendly atmosphere, this festival has become a favorite of many, especially . While a small festival overall, StrangeCreek has benefited from positive word of mouth over the years and continues to grow and gain loyal attendees seeking out the best music in New England. Several Upstate NY bands, including Donna the Buffalo, Jimkata, Conehead Buddha, Marco Benevento, Eastbound Jesus and Lucid will be making an appearance this year, as well as numerous bands that make routine trips through Upstate New York.
Aside from the music, the festival also offers Yoga, bonfires, late night music, and an overall sense of community, that is missing at many larger events. This year, as in years prior the gates will open on Thursday evening for those looking to get a jump on the weekend. 
The tour to commemorate Sports comes to
Grandpa in this case refers to the kind of guitar player Leo Kottke is – playing songs on an acoustic guitar while stopping to tell long, drawn out stories as he gets the tuning just right. He could easily be pictured sitting on the edge of a porch telling folk tales while strumming his guitar, just as he performed his 90 minute set this past Friday in the smaller and much more intimate Swyer Theater at The Egg, just a floor below the main room many are familiar with. I only learned of Leo Kottke in 2003 when he put out Clone with 
Playing 15 or so songs over the course of the night, the setlist that was only found inside the mind of Leo. Comprised of ballads and love songs, instrumentals of both a progressive and orchestral nature, Kottke could have tackled classical numbers in the style of Bela Fleck and given a performance that would be of nearly the same caliber.
