Gathering of the Vibes will celebrate its 18th year, returning July 25th – 28th to Bridgeport, Connecticut at Seaside Park. The four day music and art festival still has Weekend Camping Passes available for $225 as well as Single Day Tickets and Single Day VIP with discounts for Connecticut residents, Bridgeport city employees and active members of the military. “Although many Vibes veterans are local, we’re seeing our fan base expand beyond the tri-state area more and more each year. People are traveling from DC, LA, Philadelphia and even other countries,” commented Gathering of the Vibes founder, Ken Hays.
The 2013 lineup includes Phil Lesh and friends for 2 nights with John Scofield and John Medeski, Gov’t Mule, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Black Crowes, The Funky Meters, Galactic, The Roots, Blues Traveler, John Scofield Uberjam, Grace Potter plus many more. The weekend begins on Thursday with Consider the Source, Original Strangefolk and Upstate New York’s Wild Adriatic starting the party, creating the perfect excuse for concert-goers to arrive early and set up fast. The music will be going nonstop even into the wee hours with late night performances from members of LCD Soundsystem, Thievery Corporation, Papadosio, and Kung Fu. There will also be a Silent Disco with costume themed nights; with Friday being “Jungle Love on the Beach” and Saturday “Pirate Pajama Party.” Due to popular demand, the late night stage will be open to single day holders on Friday and an additional $20 for Saturday.
Besides having over 40 bands, Gathering of the Vibes offers an array of food and craft vendors, with a Kids Corner and Teen Scene with arts & crafts, plus an 85 foot Ferris wheel. Among the music and art for everyone, Vibes is the ideal festival for families and a timeless tradition. There will also be a “Non-profit Village” which showcases local and national non-profit organizations from all over the country, demonstrating that Gathering of the Vibes is a festival that cares.
For the past 18 years, Ken Hays has put on the Vibes festival to bring people together to celebrate the spirit of good music and good times. Being a dedicated Grateful Dead fan, Hays and fans everywhere were seeking a void after Jerry Garcia died in 1995. Hays organized a small memorial for Jerry and friends to gather for a weekend retreat which overtime has evolved into a 20,000 person party on the beach, hosting legendary musical acts from all over the country. With Gathering of the Vibes quickly approaching, I was lucky to get some free time with the festival founder, Ken Hays.
Susan Rice: This whole festival started from your love of Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead. What concert got you hooked and made you a lifelong fan? Do you have a favorite song/album?
Ken Hays: Yea probably my first one which was November 10th 1985 at the Byrne Arena in New Jersey.
SR: What was it about that show that got you hooked?
KH: A combination of listening, having a love of the album “American Beauty” and seeing the band perform live and it wasn’t just the music. It was a sense of community. If someone bumped into another, they would smile and look each other in the eyes; there was a kindness that surrounded the Grateful Dead.
SR: Do you ever travel to other musical festivals/concerts to get more ideas for yours?
KH: I love music festivals. What I really want to do is to travel to Europe and further to expand some of the more unique and high profile festivals.
SR: I’ve seen pictures and they look crazy.
KH: Oh yea, there are some on mountain tops. Beautiful festivals and venues throughout the world, that host hundreds of thousands of people, through the course of a weekend. They always seem to fall during the summertime where I am going a little bit crazy bringing the final approaches to Vibes.
SR: What is new this year to Gathering of the Vibes that long time veterans have to look forward to?
KH: I feel that we have a great lineup that is filled with great diversity and incredible musicianship. Many of the bands are not on the radio and you might not have heard of them but these are musicians and bands that are extraordinary in their live performance.
SR: You’ve mentioned that you and your team will sit down to plan out the artist line up as well asking fans of who they want to see. Do you ever have big name bands/artists reach out to you first to join? If so, who?
KH: Ya know, yea, Janes Addiction and Elvis Costello, who both performed in 2011. They were thrilled to be a part of the Vibes and something a little different. They were a huge hit with the Vibe Tribe.
SR: This year, you are once again offering print at home tickets. As great as a convenience it is to fans, do you find this makes your job easier or harder at the gate?
KH: It’s easier for attendees and for us at the gate. You have the ability of purchasing your ticket and scanning it on your iPhone. I think it’s the future of ticketing. Make it less expensive and more convenient for the ticket buyer. But additionally for us, operationally and logistically, scanning everybody and getting them settled in for a great weekend.
SR: I’ve never traveled out to Connecticut or to Seaside Park for that matter. What makes it the ideal place to have Gathering of the Vibes?
KH: Seaside Park is 370 acres of Long Island Sound, a mile and a half of beach and it’s a beautifully manicured park that was donated to the city by Mayor PT Barnum in 1975, with the condition that the park be open to the public and that it be reserved for recreational and artistic events.
SR: Have you always had a great relationship with the town of Bridgeport especially with hosting a huge nonstop party?
KH: The city has been awesome to work with, from the top down. They see the value of hosting Gathering of the Vibes at Seaside and we love the venue. Going 50 miles outside of NYC to find 370 beautiful waterfront acres is most unusual and unique. Year after year, vibes attendees come back with their kids. Last year we had just about 2,000 kids with their parents. I think that’s what differentiates Gathering of the Vibes from most festivals because there is a festival every weekend during the summertime throughout the country. As festivals continue to thrive, we’ve got a kids corner and teen scene, tons of fun interactive scenes for kids of all ages.
SR: Do you think that Gathering of the Vibes will still be going strong in another 18 years?
KH: In another 18 years? Haha I hope I’m doing good in another 18 years.
SR: What advice do you have for me as a first time vibes goer?
KH: I think that it’s important to wander about. That’s one of the beautiful things about Seaside is that the venue is laid out in such that, in a 5 minute walk you have access to all the activities, all the stages, all the craft and food vending and the artisan village. So walk around, experience all that there is and bring positive vibes and spread those vibes with others.
Equifunk: The All-Inclusive Music Festival is happening from August 16 to 18 this year and we’ll bring you previews and interviews with bands that will be playing the festival. The All-Inclusive Preview is happy to take a look at The Nigel Hall Band to continue this series.
Nigel Hall is a guardian of soul music who has said of himself that he “lives, eats, and drinks music.” His shows bring a whole lot of funk from the moment they begin until the last note hits. His energetic vocals always add an extra layer to the music no matter what band he is playing with. Nigel is an established keyboard player laying down grooves that are easily danced to. He is also a member of the funk band Lettuce and has played many times with Soulive, who are headlining Equifunk. Look for Nigel to be around all weekend, dropping in on other bands’ sets as well as being a part of The Equifunk All-Stars set alongside Eddie Roberts, Stanton Moore, James Casey, and Pete Shand.
Tickets are available now here. Check out our full preview of the Equifunk festival here.
The time is here for the 17th Annual All Good Music Festival on July 18- 21st at Legend Valley in Thornville Ohio. With that being said the lineup is unbelievable, with Furthur, Primus, Yonder Mountain String Band and Pretty Lights headlining throughout the weekend. This year’s All Good covers a broad spectrum of musical genres, with some killer late night acts as well as some chill daytime shows, sure to impress the most seasoned of festival goers. All Good’s lineup will even highlight some newer bands to the festival scene.
The festival will open on Thursday July 18th – opening bands John Scofield UberJam Band on the Dragon Stage and Toubab Krewe are set to get the party started. That’s two bands that will prime the whole fest, it only gets better from there. Thrown into this mix are bands Papadosio, Lettuce and Yonder Mountain String Band. Thursday night’s closing act is Beats Antique- who will be laying down heavy dance beats with a steamy belly dancing routine to entice and amaze all in attendance.
The first full day of All Good has an amazing line up with Cabinet starting the day of at 9:30 am on the grassroots stage. The lineup for Friday is not going to disappoint with bands like Mojoflo, Fear Nuttin Band, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band (definitely worth checking out) and many other great bands throughout the day, the nighttime lineup is off the hook. Les Claypool and his crew Primus will be up first followed by The Bridge and STS9. Closers Moon Hooch will finish up the lineup for the late-night show.
At the apex of All Good on Saturday is reggae infused band Three Legged Fox. Saturday is when all the heavy hitters will be playing with bands such as The Sheepdogs, African ShowBoyz, Trombone Shorty, The Rex Jam, followed by Grace Potter and The Nocturnals , The Infamous Stringdusters, and Furthur featuring Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, will close out the mainstage. Late night consists of The Werks, Pretty Lights, Founding Fathers – Andy Falco and Chris Pandolfi of the Stringdusters in their new electronic outfit and finally Upstate New York’s very own Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad.
Sunday will be packed with some bands to recharge your batteries as the festival finishes out its final day. The day will start with the Revivalists from New Orleans with the lineup closing with Keller Williams and The Travelin’ McCourys, what an end to a lineup filled with amazing musicians, and festivities.
This years All Good Festival has a few improvements from last years All Good, for starters the Horse Patrol is focused on leaving “ nothing behind and will clean up after their horses.” Safety and security in the campgrounds are all set with an entirely new security team – more seasoned to festivals then the crew that did security last year. The ancient fiberglass porto-johns have got an upgrade and there will be larger camping spaces. Vehicles that show up with 4 or more people will get the camping space of 2 vehicles. Also staff is prepared to get festival goers in and out of the show a lot faster every single time.
This Year’s Complete Lineup:
FURTHUR featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir, Pretty Lights, Primus, Yonder Mountain String Band, STS9, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, John Butler Trio, Keller Williams with The Travelin’ McCourys, Dark Star Orchestra, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Beats Antique, Leftover Salmon, Papadosio, The Werks, Lettuce, North Mississippi Allstars, John Scofield Uberjam Band, The Infamous Stringdusters, MarchFourth Marching Band, The Soul Rebels, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, The Bright Light Social Hour, The Bridge, Digital Tape Machine featuring Kris Myers and Joel Cummins of Umphrey’s McGee, The Revivalists, Kung Fu, The Sheepdogs, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Ultraviolet Hippopotamus, Moon Hooch, Fear Nuttin Band, Everyone Orchestra, Nahko And Medicine For The People, The Ragbirds, Cabinet, The Stepkids, Fruition, Superhuman Happiness, Founding Fathers, MojoFlo, Roosevelt Collier,The Rex Jam
“The Art of Dying comes from a longer sentence: ‘the art of dying is my life to live’,” explains Jonny Hetherington, frontman of Canadian rock band, Art of Dying, to Upstate Metal’s Kate Drexel, over their lengthy Skype interview. “And it was a real late night, kind of drunken conversation that kind of came to that exact sentence, ‘The art of dying is my life to live.’ But it kind of became just, between the members of the band, just became our motto, our theme of how we live, recognizing that life is precious and your time here is kind of limited or unpredictable at least so that’s it, that’s the band name.”
Media Credit – Travis Shinn
Formed in the streets of Vancouver, BC by Jonny and the band’s guitarist, Greg Bradley, over the years this band has grown in many ways since the beginning in 2004, making band member changes along the way. Originally, the band started with Jonny, Greg, Chris Witoski (guitarist from 2005 till 2008), Matt Rhode (bassist from 2005 till 2008), and Flavio Cirillo (drummer from 2005 till 2008). In 2008, Hetherington and Bradley met their current drummer, Jeff Brown, then the rest of the current members made their way into the band, Tavis Stanley (guitar), and Cale Gontier (bass). When asked about how the band met, Hetherington recounted the details of the formation. “Greg and I met in Vancouver, I actually just moved out here and I pretty much sucked at playing guitar and singing at the same time. So I decided the best thing to do was to play on the street a lot so I would go down to Gramble Street or a couple of little spots that I had in town and I would just sit there and play my heart out all day long and all night long sometimes. One night, some dudes were walking by and they were starting a band and heard my voice and kind of…I guess they followed my voice for a couple of blocks because I was singing pretty loud. And next thing you know, that was Greg, and the next thing you know, we never parted ways since, it was like we decided to start a band right away. After a few years, we met Jeffy, who’s also in Vancouver, a drummer here, who was in a different band just a couple of doors down from us, in our jam space, and when the time was right, we just knew that after having Jeffy out once, we knew he was our guy. Then he had ties to Cale and Tavis who were living in Toronto, which is like…I don’t know…2,000 miles away. But he’s from Ontario, so he knew Cale and Tavis and we were heading out there for Canadian Music Week, which is a festival they have every year. And the timing was just perfect, we all hooked up, the five of us literally had a couple of beers together and we got along like we had been friends our whole lives, and the timing was right in our band to have them come in and the timing was right in the band they were playing with, to step away, so it was just perfect, that was about five years ago now.” He then chuckled and added, “I always joke that it was love at first beer, I guess.”
Since 2007, the band has released a total of three albums; their self-titled debut, Vices and Virtues (2011), and an acoustic compilation Let the Fire Burn (2012), featuring songs from their sophomore album, “Completely” and “Get Thru This”. The band definitely has a unique sound, as some fans put it, “a mix of Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace”, particularly because of Hetherington’s voice. Of course, according to Jonny, various artists, going as far back as Led Zeppelin, broadly influence the band. “I know Tavis and Greg both hold the highest regard for those guys, I’m learning the Zeppelin catalog myself now a little bit, so I’m just kind of…I have saved that for this part of my life, which is kind of cool to be going through that,” explained Jonny. “But the thing that changed music for me the most was really the grunge years. Just when I heard Pearl Jam and Nirvana and Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains for the first time and Tool for the first time. A Perfect Circle, all that kind of stuff in the 90s just really resonated with me and the passion they were singing with and how good the bands were, the instrumentation, everyone seemed really great with what they did, it was a very real time in music… It was such a real movement, the closest thing our generation has to the 60s movement or whatever. So I feel really fortunate to be a part of that era and just to have grown up a little bit with those bands as an influence, because we try to follow the same rules in our music and if it’s not real, then we move on from it. So we try to be as real as we can in our recordings and as real as we can on stage, and what you see is what you get in an Art of Dying show. It’s really important to us to wave that flag of ‘we’re real people, making real music’.” Well, their fan base has grown greatly over the years, and these dedicated fans call themselves, Die Hards. On Facebook, Jonny created a group for the fan club called The Die Hards (Official Fan Club for Art of Dying), where the fellow fans post pictures of themselves with the band and/or pictures with videos from live shows, as well as their favorite lyrics, personal stories of discovering the band, and questions. This is a very successful way for the Die Hards to connect with each other and possibly meet each other at nearby shows. Since the creation of the group, the members of the club have become very close with one another.
As for touring, the band is very tour hungry. They have featured in various hard rock and heavy metal festivals throughout the country including the 1st and 2nd annual Avalanche Tours in 2011 and 2012, both tours headlined by Stone Sour and Shinedown. They were also a part of the 2011 tour of Rockstar’s Uproar Festival, headlined by Avenged Sevenfold. As for other festivals, they performed at Rock on the Range, Carolina Rebellion and the 48 Hours Fest, all in 2011. Art of Dying has been known to tour with Disturbed and Three Days Grace. Currently, they are on the road with Saving Abel, part of a beneficial acoustic tour called Rock4Revival. When asked about the band’s favorite part about touring, the enthusiasm in Jonny’s voice was evident. “Touring, you know, I always feel like it’s our home. We all have our homes, obviously at home, but it just feels like for us the road is…as soon as we get home, we want to get back out again, so fun. It’s a little sad because a lot of the bands we’ve toured with don’t feel the same way. A lot of the bands are dying to get home and…I guess the more bands I meet, the more I realize that true friendships within bands are pretty rare, and I think a lot of people on Facebook and Twitter ask me stuff like, ‘I’m starting a band, what should I do? Give me some advice!’ My first advice is always to make sure you’re doing it with people you really like and people you really love and hopefully it’s with your friends because it’s truly how you’re going to make it or get by or survive, the support of true friendship. If it’s just a common, ‘We want to start a band, but we barely know each other…’ I don’t know! It could last too but at the same time, I just think the friendship part is very important so to me. Being on the road is just about embracing that time as a musician, as a performer and as a friend, and just really…whether it’s writing a song unexpectedly at 9 in the morning on the tour bus or whether it’s that perfect moment on stage, that night, it’s all a real good time for us.”
Out of the three albums, the band has a total of six singles with catchy yet powerful lyrics and tones. These singles include “Get Through This” from their debut record, yet another version was released in 2011 from Vices and Virtues, “Get Thru This” along with “Die Trying”, the very first song from that album. In 2012, from the same album, “Sorry” and “Raining”, and this year, “I Will Be There”. These profound songs manage to touch the Die Hards’ hearts and those songs remain to play a big part in their lives. After Drexel asked about song ideas and their evolution, Jonny recalled how he had coincidentally wrote a song that morning. “So this is actually typical in some ways for me, I woke up this morning, and I was dreaming. In my dream, I was writing a song, which is kind of weird, but this actually happens to me all the time now. I’ll either be on stage in the dream or I’ll be writing in my dream or I’ll just be humming a melody in my dream or something and that’ll wake me up, and when I wake up, I try to force myself to get up and go work on the song. Because if you’re lazy and just sometimes like, ‘Fuck! I just want to go back to sleep!’ then you totally miss your chance because it’s gone. So like this morning, it was way too early to get up but I just forced myself to get up. I pressed ‘record’ on my voice recorder, and hummed the melody from the dream and then grabbed my guitar and started working on the melody for about an hour. Then I kind of made some coffee and set the guitar down for a bit, and I like to let the musical ideas kind of mix up a little bit in my head for a bit and then I sat down with my guitar again and kind of found…I don’t know what the word is but it just all of the sudden clicks. The ‘Oh yeah, there is where it has to go!’ and it feels good and it feels right so you just follow that and then about three hours later, I got some lyrics now and I’ve got what I really think is a strong chorus and the whole thing, just…I got the verse, pre-chorus, and the chorus, and I know the bridges, I’m going to finish that as soon as this interview is done,” said Jonny, both he and Drexel shared a hearty laugh. “It’s just like that are really, really fun ‘cause the song kind of comes really easily. I know this one is coming that way. Sometimes there’s a song that sits around for three years and it’s hard to finish it because it’s not an easy one, but yeah, that’s generally how it works, and if I don’t write lyrics, or if I get busy and if I don’t have time to finish the words, I’ll usually do that later…I love Cuban cigars, so I’ll just light up a two or three hour cigar and just finish all the words to a song or two. Actually, recently too, there’s this really awesome friend of mine in Vancouver that lent me his store at night. He owns an amazing coffee shop, but it closes at night so he lent me that place to go finish songs, so I’ve been doing that a lot recently, and it’s just great to be in this dark, closed coffee shop, alone with my ideas and I’ve been able to write lyrics for two songs a night when I do that, so yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
While talking about their songs, Drexel was eager to find out the story behind “Raining”, one of her favorite Art of Dying singles, featuring the former frontman of Three Days Grace, Adam Gontier. “That one’s weird, the lyrics for that one found me, and I think it’s all about fears and coming to terms with the fact that we’re all a little bit crazy, and we’re all a little bit messed up inside at times. Sometimes I feel like I have the best life on the planet, I’m in a rock band, I’m having fun, I have people in my life that are brilliant, and I love them, and so I often think, ‘Wow, I’m the luckiest guy in the world’. But then there are days when I feel like complete shit and just things inside are not right, and I hate those days, but I think I wrote ‘Raining’ to kind of say to myself that we’re all that way, and it’s ok and we’re all kind of…you know, it’s raining inside for all of us at different times and it’s ok. So it’s kind of like that comfort in numbers or something, just realizing that it’s a normal part of life.” Kate admitted that on rough days, she finds herself having the song on repeat at times, to help her get through them. “That’s actually how Adam Gontier wound up singing on it with us, he’s Cale’s cousin, and so we always bounced ideas off of him and stuff, just as a friend, and he always came back saying that song was his favorite in our group of songs that we were going to make the record with, so we just asked him if he wanted to sing on it, and he said yes, so I think that song runs deep for people, including Adam.”
Through all the madness of touring and recording, Hetherington admitted to not having a lot of downtime, trying to manage the band with various documents and preparations for upcoming tours, from work visas to union dues being paid. “I’m always trying to get through these crazy to-do lists of stuff. I don’t just play music in the band; I do a lot of the business in the band as well so I’m always just whittling away at different things on the list of what to get done…It gets a little crazy when you care about your band, you want everything to work all the time and I don’t know whether I’m a bit of a control freak or whether it’s just I care so much that I want things to work, just always busy with either music or band stuff or trying to cook some food.” However, there is one downtime activity that Jonny is very passionate about, cooking. On Facebook, Pintrest and Twitter, he tends to post recipes for fantastic looking dishes. “When I cook, I really love it. I put a lot of passion to that too because it is one of the things I enjoy, really good food and having a beer or wine or cocktail that goes with that food. I love the whole experience of mixology and dining and eating and cooking and I think that’s probably…it’s a necessity in life, you might as well enjoy it and make it a really fun moment every day.” A little chuckle escaped from him as he added, “Although this morning, I just had a fried egg sandwich and a pickle, so I guess that’s not much of a moment.”
As of mid-May, Art of Dying is on the Rock4Revival acoustic tour with Saving Abel, originally created by Kayla Riley, one of the DJs from Sirius XM Octane. It all started with a small benefit acoustic show, Rock 4 Recovery, in downtown New York at the Gramercy Theatre in January of this year. Bands included Smile Empty Soul, Hurt, Art of Dying, Adam Gontier, and Before the Curtain. Because of the show’s huge success, Riley wanted to continue this as a benefit tour. “They took the bands from that evening and split it up into two tours and Adam from Three Days Grace couldn’t do it, so they got Saving Abel to do it. So basically it’s just Saving Abel and a couple other bands, I know Hurt and Smile Empty Soul are doing one leg of the tour, we’re doing the other leg and it’s all acoustic, and we’ve only announced a few shows right now, but it’s going to be almost two months of touring, so it’s going to be really cool. So we’re going to be all over the place with our acoustic set and it’s a lot of fun for us to have those intimate, really lower volume but still really fun shows. So on our Facebook and our Twitter and our website, we will be announcing the shows over the next few days, so if you wanna know if it’s coming near your city, just find us online and we’ll be announcing stuff daily.”
Be sure to follow the band on their Twitter (@ArtofDying) and be on the look out for updates on their tour on Facebook. This is a band you will not want to miss out on!
Spotlight on this small metal band from Central California who gives off a certain indescribable vibe to their music. Ladies and gents, I give you Half8n! “It is a play on the phrase Half Eaten. The spelling is reflective of the age of technology. Shortened words and slang so to speak. Quietly, in the dark, the other half has been eaten, consumed by the world and by what has been created for us and by us. Reflecting the behaviors of the people within the world with our music. Half of me/us has already been eaten away, the other half that’s left here in this shell is the half that I/we keep for ourselves,” explained the band via email to Upstate Metal’s Kate Drexel. The band consists of Dalton Whitman (lead vocals, guitar), Eric Avila (guitar, backing vocals), James Ruiz (bass), and Justin Casselman (drums).
Bands such as System of a Down, Alice in Chains, Tool, Pantera, Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, and Primus influence Half8n. “These are just some of the bands that influence our sound. What influences the topics, or subjects we touch on vary from: life, current events, love, sadness, the list goes on. There are so many emotions, and feelings, and things happening in the world, that we have influences coming from every direction. Having four separate band members, with their own lives, trials, and tribulations, gives us that much more to go off of.” When asked if the band had the opportunity to collaborate with another band, who would it be, they answered that it was a hard question to answer, but they ended up choosing Tool. “Every band has their own heros, but if we have to pick one, we agree it would be Tool. Tool – because the underground scene is still so original and pure. Fans are still about the music not the look or amount of money spent on advertising and costumes. All that aside, we believe that Tool could teach us a lot. Not just from a musical point of view, but a spiritual point of view as well.”
The topic then turned to their music, about the evolving of their song ideas. “Dalton usually comes to practice with a general idea for a song, it’s usually a catchy hook, or a basic melody. Then as the four of us come together, and put our own mark on it, the catchy hook or basic melody evolves into an entire song,” they explained. “And it doesn’t always stop evolving when we’ve recorded, mixed and mastered it. Some completed song will be shelved even after mastering is complete simply because we feel like the song has not finished evolving. Some of our current songs are actually excerpts from a handful of our unpublished songs. Proving that we are not in control of the evolution of any one song, and we do not decide when it is complete. The pen is doing all the writing and we are simply holding onto the pen.” The band then individually answered Drexel’s favorite question; what does music mean to you? To Dalton, “Music is a chance to create”; Eric: “Music is a voice, a voice to be heard by everyone”; Justin: “Music to me, is perfection”; and James: “Music is our battle cry.”
Be sure to follow the band on Twitter (@half8n), and check their music out on reverbnation.
Attention, Skillet Army, the band invites you to RISE with them in celebration of their newly released epic album Rise. Howard Benson produced Skillet’s ninth album and they recorded it in October 2012 through January 2013 at West Valley Studios in Woodland Hills, California. This time, Skillet takes their music to a whole new level; Rise is filled with darker and heavier melodies, and the band’s drummer, Jen Ledger, features her vocals in most of the tracks. Riseis the band’s best album yet.
The album begins with its title track and third single, hinting to the fans what to expect throughout the album. Definitely a great way to start the record. Powerful lyrics sung by Ledger and John Cooper accompany the dark tones. Towards the end of the track, mixed recordings from a panicked phone call to 911, news reporting, to a disappointed father yelling at his child, perfectly connecting all of this to the next song, the leading single, “Sick of It”. The quiet catchy beats start the song off, followed by explosive beats, courtesy of Ledger, especially towards the end, her pounding rapid drumbeats. Cooper’s wife and the band’s keyboardist/rhythm guitarist, Korey, complements the beats with an electronic pulsing melody. The lyrics to the song are very profound and influential. “Good To Be Alive” has a very light tune, gives the album a mini break from the dark melodies. It has a very uplifting vibe, then in the end, it returns to the dark tones, mixed operatic vocals as well John and Jen’s voices providing a teaser of the next track and the album’s recent single, “Not Gonna Die”. This track’s strong and catchy lyrics express the perseverance of surviving, giving a dramatic effect with the rapid, catchy violin strokes accompanied by Ledger’s pipes. Song number five, “Circus for a Psycho” begins with the band’s lead guitarist Seth Morrison’s crazy guitar riffs, demonstrating the continuance of their change in their sound. The chorus has a catchy tone that will haunt the back of your mind after you listen to it. Next, the album’s second single, “American Noise”, slows Rise down with beautifully written lyrics. Following is “Madness in Me”, filled with explosive electronic beats and guitar riffs. Towards the end, Ledger can be heard singing a teaser of the lyrics to the next song, her voice electronically remixed. In “Salvation”, Jen sings most of the song with the exception of John singing the chorus, her voice perfectly matching the tone. Again, this song is beautifully written including a great solo performed by Morrison. However, that is not the end of the featuring of Ledger’s vocals. She and Cooper perform “Fire and Fury”, a fantastic, passionate duet with a haunting melody. The mood changes with the fun, swanky track, “My Religion”, providing a Gospel-like sound. Midway through the song, a remastered version of “Amazing Grace” is sung by Cooper. The last two songs, “Hard to Find” and “What I Believe” both have deep lyrics, complemented with beautifully composed melodies. “What I Believe” was a great way to end the album, however it left the listeners with a need to hear more of the sweet, intoxicating beats provided by Skillet.
All in all, this record is it, this is their best one yet. The lyrics and melodies will haunt the back of the listeners’ mind, to the point where they could be humming it in their sleep. Rise is available for purchase at a store near you and available for digital download. Be sure to check Skillet’s Facebook and website for tour dates. They are part of the Carnival of Madness tour this summer. Will you RISE in the madness with the band?
The late 90s were Phish’s greatest years, and fittingly, yet another Live Phish release from the era has been released. Ventura, a six-disk set covering the July 30th 1997 and July 20th 1998 shows at Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, California, captures the sound of the era – the cowfunk of the 1997 and 1998 tours. With two prime shows chosen, the Ventura release is one of the best from Phish, on par with Phish at the Roxy and Colorado ’88.
Before getting to the music, it is worth noting that the packaging and art, designed by LandLand, represents vivid beach scenes on the box cover and unique designs on each of the six disks. LandLand goes for a relaxed, inviting scene on each, comparable to their equally impressive Alpine Valley and Commerce City prints in 2012, making for a great official design to the set.
Both shows are remastered by Fred Kevorkian, the guru who has brought new sounds to multiple releases recently, and begins with the 1997 installment where “NICU” wakes the crowd before a wonderful “Wolfman’s Brother” takes charge before segueing into a “Chalkdust Torture” that is given nearly as much space to breathe into its jam. “Stash”, like so many other shows before, is a mid-set highlight which clocks in at over 15 minutes. With so much excellence in the first half of the set, the rest of the set winds down with “Weigh” > an elusive five minute “Piper” then “Cars Trucks Buses” before “Character Zero” is found in its natural place to close the set.
Set two dips in with “Punch You in the Eye”, always a nod to a heater of a set on the horizon. While “Free” is 11 minutes long, this version gives off a ‘less is more’ vibe, but still rolls the set along. Then, we are treated to one of the true highlights of Phish in their early prime, a tasty jam sandwich of “David Bowie” > “Cities” > “David Bowie”. This is the thing Phish dreams are made of: 21 minutes of “Bowie”, a perfect and smooth segue into “Cities” then a re-entry into “Bowie”, creating one of the many highlights of the summer, and an intriguing listen at that. With much of the heat of the set contained on Disk Two, a cover sandwich later in the set includes Bill Monroe’s “Uncle Pen” and “Prince Caspian” > Hendrix’s “Fire”, rounding out a tremendous set, capped off by an encore of Clifton Chenier’s “My Soul.” The bonus – a “Makisupa Policeman”-ish soundcheck jam is the final track, giving a taste of the warm ups from the period that propelled these jams to light.
The 1998 show opens with an adventurous “Bathtub Gin” that clocks in at over 20 minutes, a rare start to a show these days, but from the late 90s, anything like this was possible. Much of the rest of the first set: “Dirt”, “My Sweet One”, “Water in the Sky” and others are standard versions, serving as a balance to “Gin.” The set enders, an early and proper “The Moma Dance” and a rockin’ “Split Open and Melt”, are a one-two punch, ending a set that is meaty on both ends.
Set two features two Phish songs in between two songs from The Who’s Quadrophenia, with “Drowned” > “Makisupa Policeman” > “Maze”, a delightful journey through varying improvisations, ending with the soft piano solo of Page McConnell on “Sea and Sand.” “Prince Caspian” > “Harry Hood” is yet another fine example of the extensive exploration that the band undertook on the stage, taking risks and developing jams organically into things of beauty. Just six songs in this set shows how improvisation of the era could translate into an incredible musical experience. The encore of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” was part of a summer of unique covers at each show, then a “Halley’s Comet” with a little extra mustard from the good ol’ days of Phish. Once again, a snippet of the soundcheck jam from the show was again “Makisupa”/reggae-ish, with Shocking Blue’s “Venus” serving as hilarious banter amid the jam.
Ventura is available now for purchase at Phish Dry Goods. Pick it up and enjoy some of the best of the late 90’s while you rock out on tour this summer.
Equifunk: The All-Inclusive Music Festival is happening from August 16-18 this year and we are happy to announce a new series on that will bring you previews and interviews with bands that will be playing the festival.
The All-Inclusive Preview is happy to take a look at The Heavy Pets to start this series off. The Heavy Pets are no strangers to the Upstate New York area. Having just been through this past spring with five shows in the area, they are a well-known jamband that loves to come up north from Florida and wow the scene. With their blend of rhythm and blues, jazz-funk, reggae and rock and roll, they are always interesting to watch and listen to, never knowing what direction the music will go into next.
First formed in Goshen, NY during their high school years, Jeff Lloyd, Mike Garulli, and Joe Dupell came together in the first incarnation of the band and stayed in touch through college at Syracuse University and various moves for jobs. This continued until 2005 when the band reformed in Florida. Since then they have been perfecting their sound with rich vocals and jams that take you to another plain. The band has been active, playing all over the United States and gaining fans along the way. They have played Langerado, Jam Cruise, Bonnaroo, Gathering of the Vibes and many other festivals. Their set at Equifunk should be a fun throw down for everyone to dance to and let the funk fly. Tickets are available now here.
Check out our full preview of the Equifunk festival here. For those wanting to see The Heavy Pets in person, they will be at Putnam Den on June 27th. Here’s a clip that features the band jamming with Eric Krasno of Lettuce and Soulive:
The Infamous Stringdusters have announced the first set of artists who will perform at this year’s Fall time bluegrass extravaganza, The Festy Experience. Taking place between October 10-13th 2013 in Nelson County, VA. Returning to the star studded lineup this year is Rochester’s own Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad.
Hailed for being a truly unique celebration of music and outdoor living, The Festy continues to carve a unique and growing niche for itself. Hosted each year on the Concert Ground at Devils Backbone Brewing Company (a locally renowned brewery and full service restaurant), The Festy’s vision as an earthy fall-flavored Experience in the Blue Ridge Mountains comes to fruition in this idyllic, intimate natural setting near the band’s home base of Charlottesville, VA.
The Festy Lineup 2013:
The Infamous Stringdusters, JJ Grey & Mofro, The John Scofield Uberjam Band, Chris Thile & Michael Daves, Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Lake Street Dive, Aiofe O’Donovan, Marco Benevento, David Wax Museum, Nathan Moore & Bryan Elijah Smith, Della Mae, Cabinet, Chris Jones Band, Joy Kills Sorrow, New Country Rehab, Jon Stickley Trio, The Hill & Wood, The Fire Tapes, SoundRabbit, Dante Bucci, Grits-n-Gravy.
Plus Founding Fathers, Sunliner (Sarah Siskind & Travis Book), MAN MOUNTAiN, Opening Ceremonies with Andy Hall, and Garrett Grass Grass Gospel Hour…
We still have ONE MORE HEADLINER to be announced later this summer along with further information about local artists and Stringdusters projects.
And then, the rain started. For the better part of the next two days, Summer Camp would have a middle finger extended by Mother Nature across this small town in Central Illinois – quite literally, see below. While it was on and off, when it was on, it felt like the off switch was broken, so things slowed things down a bit. Still, even though Saturday brought more rain, there was also more top notch electronic music, highlighted by Conspirator’s early afternoon set. This Disco Biscuits side project has reached a new level with the addition of Chris Michetti on guitar and KJ Sawka on drums. They delivered their own unique, high octane brand of ‘untz’ through a light drizzle that seemed to be very well received. Summer Camp has done an unbelievable job of integrating top notch electronica acts into a festival co-hosted by two of the premier jam bands in America.
Mother Nature’s Middle Finger, right over Summer Camp
The Moonshine stage also played host to two other notable electronica acts that afternoon. Diplo, an American DJ who has skyrocketed to fame in the last few years, displayed his usual repertoire of engrossing beats and dubstep stylings, augmented by ladies invited on stage to twerk for a song or two, grinding to the defeaning bass while a 2-3,000+ crowd that was rabid like no other fist pumped throughout the set. The crowd collectively grooved furiously and wanting more, yet they didn’t have to wait long to get their wish as the legendary DJ duo Thievery Corporation were next up on this stage. Although a bit more mellow in nature, this group uses mixes and samplings like no other to create unbelievable soundscapes that create an environment that’s both funky and ambient at the same time. It was a true treat to finally see this act in person years after getting hooked on their releases like ‘The Mirror Conspiracy’ and ‘The Richest Man in Babylon’.
Meanwhile, on the Sunshine Stage, Cornmeal held its final show with Allie Kral on fiddle. Leaving the band amicably was bittersweet for many diehard fans of this quite multi-talented jamgrass group. After tearful words from band members, a speedy, foot-stomping “Hillbilly Ride” was churned out in the unique Cornmeal sound that is unmistakable, one that will be a slightly different moving forward, but still loved.
After some solid electronic music and bluegrass, it was time to get back to some rock as done by the festival’s co-hosts moe. and Umphrey’s McGee who would each play two sets. Umphrey’s McGee led off their show with a stellar “Depth Charge” that seamlessly led into the classic “Hurt Bird Bath”. Later in their opening set, they brought out the horn section from Mad Dog & His Filthy Little Secret which turned out to be stroke of genius as they transformed ‘Booth Love’ into a jazzier, funkier version that many seemed to appreciate.
UM’s second set opened with another phenomenal segue of two classics as “Wappy Sprayberry” got stretched out and turned into “Ocean Billy”. The band took their time with each of these and it paid off as the Saturday night crowd ate this up. For good measure, they also threw in a cover of the Beck hit “Debra”, performed a monster “Der Bluten Kat > Final Word > Der Bluten Kat” and brought the horns back up for a rousing “Bridgeless” encore. Umphrey’s has become the master of infusing improvisational jams with elements of funk, metal and jazz and this weekend let them display their talents in a setting that truly seemed like home for them.
Before moe. took the stage Moonshine, Summer Camp promoters and musicians announced they were joining in the March Against Monsanto, a propitious moment as the worldwide March was going on around the world that weekend, tying a popular cause outside the festival atmosphere to a population that jubilantly supported the movement, one for the betterment of food and farmers around the world.
moe. then put on a set that blew the Moonshine Stage crowd away; even the most diehard fans were taken aback at the meaty choices given a full moe.-festival treatment. The debut of Rob Derhak’s “Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes” was well received by the crowd, while the hot trio of “The Faker > Hector’s Pillow > Plane Crash” polished off the first set, the last tune with Allie Kral sitting in on fiddle and finding new levels in the song to explore. Second set started with “Rain Shine” and the newer “Silver Sun” lasting nearly 20 minutes, before finally segueing into “Happy Hour Hero”, a song revered Upstaters and for those who made the trek west cheered enthusiastically to the line “A Saranac will do just fine.”.
But the true heat of this evening was felt in the five song segue of “McBain > George > Spine of a Dog > Buster > McBain”, where only “Spine of a Dog” gave you a chance to breathe amid the incredible selection of huge moe. numbers. An encore of Umphrey’s “In the Kitchen” capped the trade off of covers between the two bands, but this one had stank on it in the vein of moe, especially on the lines “The TVs on too much and I don’t ever think enough about the things that matter most, or what would make me old (like Joel).” If your mind wasn’t blown away already that weekend, moe. took care of it with their performance this evening.
One of the true treats of the weekend was the late night performance of Floodwood on the Campfire Stage. This Upstate New York progressive string band displayed its version of Newgrass to a small but eager crowd on what was now early Sunday morning. There was something refreshing about seeing venerable rock icons Al Schnier and Vinnie Amico giving it their all with Jason Barady, Mick Piccininni and Zachary Fleitz in such an intimate setting. They rolled through song after song with a vigor and enthusiasm that was palpable and even treated all to a multi-song encore as the skies slowly began to turn lighter. The band seemed truly blown away by the reception they were getting at this hour. Banjo player and fiddler Piccininni may have summed it up by best by saying, “I’ve been waiting for this night for a long time.” It showed in their heartfelt performance that surely did upstate New York music proud.
Sunday
Waking up to a light rain storm meant it was time to pack up and get ready to leave later that day, but not before catching a trio of Upstate bands to start the day. Aqueous took to the Campfire Stage, playing “Bohemian Rhapsody > Warren in the Window> Bohemian Rhapsody” to the early risers. Timbre Coup made a huge sandwich out of “Arnold Schwarzenegger > June> Never There > Arnold Schwarzenegger” at the Camping Stage shortly after, then were followed by Project Weather Machine who shredded through a stellar “Sunset Soldiers”. Guitarist Dan Wafer was happy to be at Summer Camp, enjoying the chance to network and meet other musicians, a great opportunity for a young band. Shortly after the Upstate bands played, Brooklyn’s Tauk met up for an interview, where they expressed their appreciation for the more personal feel of the fest and the active crowd, creating an atmosphere where everyone wanted them to have as much fun as they could during the weekend. Stay tuned for our review of their latest album Homonculus, its an album of instrumental bliss.
Unfortunately, due to the continuous rain and inclement weather that turned Three Sisters Park into MudFest 2013, moe. was only able to play their opening afternoon set and not their final one later that evening. This set was of the acoustic variety as Rob Derhak played on an acoustic bass the whole time. As such, there were several numbers from their heavily acoustic album “Sticks and Stones” played including the title track itself. Perhaps the highlight of the set was a rousing “Shoot First”, sung beautifully as always by Chuck Garvey, and after an extended jam, it was segued perfectly into ‘Bring You Down’. This old school number was a treat to hear done in this acoustic style and was met with heavy applause and adulation at its completion. ‘Tambourine’ and ‘Four’ closed out the set which no one at the time knew would be the band’s last of the weekend. At this point, everyone just seemed to be hoping that the rain wouldn’t affect the appearance of one of the bigger acts appearing at Summer Camp, Trey Anastasio Band.
Prior to Anastasio’s headlining set that night, one more Upstate band was in order, that of Ithaca’s Jimkata, playing the Vibe Tent, with a excellent segue of “Die Digital> Lego Land” that had Peoria resident Erika Garcia remark “I ducked into a tent to get out of the rain & ended up dancing my ass off and finding a ridiculously awesome new band who I’ll seek out in the future.” Branching out into the Midwest is next for this venerable electronica infused rock band.
The majority of the festival slugged through the ankle deep mud strewn streets to get to Sunshine Stage for Trey Anastasio Band, one act that few would think to miss. Opening with “First Tube” and “Mozambique”, it was in “Last Tube” that Trey broke free to explore the song, as he seems to be more prone to do at music festivals. Feisty versions of “Cayman Review” and “Drifting” brought a smile to the face of many, while the skies threatened in the distance – a show of lightening accompanied the lights on stage, but gave pause to those looking to end the night on a dry note. Thus, after a 30 minute encore break, the second set started but was cut short due to rain after only 20 minutes, at which point got to packing up the car once and for all and got on the road as the skies opened up something ungodly on the Midwest.
Driving out, we took our time getting home – taking our time during 15 hours across five states, before we land safely back home in the confines of the Northeast. Summer Camp truly put on a great show, one that rivals some of the top festivals of comparable size. If you’re adventurous and enjoy a wide array of music, or roll of the dice weather, you’ll find a fantastic festival in the Midwest with Summer Camp.
For the past 18 years, Ken Hays has put on the Vibes festival to bring people together to celebrate the spirit of good music and good times. Being a dedicated Grateful Dead fan, Hays and fans everywhere were seeking a void after Jerry Garcia died in 1995. Hays organized a small memorial for Jerry and friends to gather for a weekend retreat which overtime has evolved into a 20,000 person party on the beach, hosting legendary musical acts from all over the country. With Gathering of the Vibes quickly approaching, I was lucky to get some free time with the festival founder, Ken Hays.
