Syracuse’s Westcott Theater and Albany’s Red Square open their doors to a modern experimental supergroup Friday May 31st and Saturday June 1st as Club D’Elf is accompanied by organist and composer Marco Benevento, of the critically acclaimed Benevento/Russo Duo. Club D’Elf defies convention and classification, as they draw on influences from electronica, jazz, dub, progressive rock and traditional and world music.
Led by bassist/composer Mike Rivard, the Club D’Elf “club” is designed to be a constantly evolving and revolving musical brotherhood, regularly rotating members, hosting superb artists and incorporating new sounds. Club guests have included legends John Medeski and Billy Martin of Medeski Martin and Wood, the hip hop/jazz crossover artist DJ Logic, Marc Ribot, Skerik and of course Marco Benevento. These uniquely gifted talents keep Club D’Elf fresh with new ideas and spontaneity. This isn’t Mike Rivard’s first rodeo either; Mike brings his experience laying down grooves for big names such as Morphine, Aimee Mann, G Love and Jonathan Brooke among others. Club D’Elf’s sound grows out of this rhythmic root, past tradition and custom, into the cosmos. Who knows where listeners may end up when Marco Benevento’s graceful piano melodies dance over Mike Rivard’s deep, thuddy Morroccan trance bass lines? No matter where you end up, this show is sure to keep your mind fed and your body grooving.
Tickets are $15.00 at the Westcott Theater and the show starts at 10pm. At the Red Square the show is $12 and $15 at the door, show starts at 8pm.
Robert Randolph introduced a generation of live music fans to the sound of Sacred Steel, that of the pedal steel guitar. Dating back to his performances at The Wetlands at the turn of the 21st Century and leading through the first two Bonnaroos and the rest of the past decade, through Randolph the legacy of a classic sound has found its way into the live music lexicon and numerous festivals at an increasing pace. With The Slide Brothers, presented by Robert Randolph, the sound of the Sacred Steel is brought to light by four impressive and iconic Sacred Steel players: Calvin Cooke, Aubrey Ghent, Chuck Campbell and Darick Campbell. On a balmy Friday night in Saratoga Springs, all but Darick took the stage for a rare treat; multiple pedal steel players rocking out on gospel and blues numbers dating back to the turn of the past century.
Opening for The Slide Brothers was Danielle Miraglia from Boston, a true Delta blues guitarist. With just an acoustic guitar and a hollow wooden riser nicknamed ‘Stompy’, she kicked her heel for the beat and played mesmerizing guitar on “Meet Me in the Morning”, a requisite off Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. Later, two songs stood out among an enjoyable set, a soulful “It Hurts me Too” and “No One’s Listening.” The latter of the two had the opposite effect, as a rapt crowd focused on the gorgeous singer and her powerful vocals. She brought to mind an early Sheryl Crow, with potential for pop appeal based on her songwriting and performance. Check out one of her songs below.
After a spell of tuning, Ghent, Cooke and Chuck Campbell sat left to right in front of Phil Campbell on bass and Carlton Campbell on drums, both nephews of Chuck. The crowd moved closer to the stage as the band jammed out an instrumental “Jewel” with pace and patience. The night’s second version of “It Hurts Me Too” was soulful and layered. “Catch That Train” had deep guttural vocals from Ghent backed by middle Cooke along with Phil, whose bass was thick and Wooten-esque. While Aubrey Ghent’s steel guitar had a traditional sound, Calvin Cooke’s has a slight bit of reverb on it, making it stand out among the three; Chuck Campbell’s sound was so sharp it could slice right through the air with every slide of the left hand.
Calvin Cooke took the soulful blues route and sang a powerful “The Sky is Crying”, while Ghent and Campbell combined for a tandem duet as the two carried the beat as Cooke sang, hitting the high notes on the steel. The greatest moment of the night came with a base layer of “Green Onions” ilk, leading to a long, slow building instrumental of slide guitar jamming that extended for 20 minutes in the form of “Help me Make it Thru.”
A finale of “Don’t Let the Devil Ride” and “I’ll Just Wave my Hand” had truly deep bass to accompany the soul driven vocals of Aubrey Ghent. After a short walk off stage, the band returned for an encore initiated by oom-paa drum beats to work a jam into “When the Saints Go Marching in”, complete with a call and response as the crowd sang along with the band. To see a pedal steel player is one thing, to see three and dance to the layered rhythms is another. Great thanks goes out to Robert Randolph for assembling The Slide Brothers.
Setlist: Jewel, It Hurts me Too, Catch That Train, Don’t Keep Me Wondering, What Happen to Them, The Sky is Crying, Wade in the Water, Help Me Make it Thru, Don’t Let the Devil Ride, I’ll Just Wave My Hand
Albany native and Vermont resident Dan Johnson, along with his Expert Sidemen, has released his second album, Bound for Abiquiu, on the heels of a successful Kickstarter campaign. With the album release party occurring this Thursday at Valentine’s, along with Driftwood and The Grassroots Rebels, featuring members of Jerkwater Ruckus, Albany is in for a treat, as Dan showcases a classic country/bluegrass sound through superb songwriting and catchy melodies throughout Bound for Abiquiu.
Opening with “Adam and the Snake Oil Salesman”, Dan’s country-twinged voice showcases his story telling skills while being complemented nicely by the Sidemen, adding in guitar, banjo and steel pedal guitars. Words of wisdom pour from the chorus, “There’s a road that has no beginning, there’s a great big old place in the sky, there’s an up, there’ a down, there’s a middle ground and you don’t ever have to die.”
Named for a song and album of the same name by Albany band Knotworking, “The Garden Below” asks questions that lead to a confession, foreshadowing “Utica Blues” later in the album. “My Three Friends” is a truly traditional country tune, in the vein of Johnny Cash and Steve Earle, the way country music should sound, with lyrics on life’s laments and struggles, the sadness of these followed by the hope for better things around the corner. “Come on in my Kitchen” is not the classic blues number of the same name, but instead a pedal-steel accented plea to a lady to come over for dinner; a short, make you smile tune.
“Another Good Thing is Come and Gone” is a highlight of the album, played and sung in the Del McCoury-style, making it a most traditional bluegrass track. “Dancing Fool”, while not the Frank Zappa song (although Dan’s take on that would be great to hear) is a mellow tune painting a picture of a nervous guy working up the courage to ask a lady to dance, lacking confidence, even calling himself a dancing fool, yet still wanting a dance nonetheless. With a little klesmer intro and accordion adding a nice touch, “Off on the Tide” tells the story of a sailor heading out to sea, sick of the town he’s been at for a spell.
With a nod to Upstate NY, “Utica Blues” is a gambling song set in Utica, singing the blues about the life of a gambler who comes and goes as he wins and loses. “Riding into Utica on a dirty old train, when I leave Utica I’ll be riding high again.” For what it’s worth, Utica is the perfect location for this story. Finally, the title track “Bound for Abiquiu” brings a high note to the end of the album, telling the tale of a journey about to be embarked upon. The destination of Abiquiu is a mystery, left to the listener to draw their own conclusion.” Bound for Abiquiu is a perfect album for a sunny summer day or a drive to the Adirondacks or Southern Tier, while picking in the campgrounds at Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival or casual listening to a classic country sound.
Key Tracks: Another Good Thing is Come and Gone, Come on in my Kitchen, Dancing Fool, Utica Blues
The Blind Owl Band has set out to raise funds with Kickstarter to promote their new album and 2nd recorded effort. The band returned to Granary Studio in Morrisonville, NY in March and April 2013 and recorded 13 unreleased original tracks with Larry Dolan returning as producer.
The album features songs that were born within the walls of the Granary recording studio during the recording of “Rabble Rousing” in the fall of 2011 such as “Jazzy Magee”, “Christians Head”, “Cherry Tree” and new songs that have yet to be played live, such as “Rain On”.
Now as The Blind Owl Band gets ready for summer, they are looking for support to independently release this album. The recording is done, a release date of July 10th has been set. The band now needs the help of their fans to fund the mastering, printing and advertising of this album.TheKickstarter project has a goal of $5000 and we think these guys deserve the help!
The band is touring in support of their Kickstarter Project from May 16 to May 26, you can also Follow the release of the album via their Facebook page or at TheBlindOwlBand.com.
The Blind Owl Band
Arthur Buezo (Guitar, Vocals)
Christian Cardiello (Bass)
James Ford (Banjo, Vocals)
Eric Munley (Mandolin, Vocals)
Tour Dates:
May 16 – Atwoods Tavern, Cambridge, MA
May 17 – Pizza Stone, Chester, VT
May 18 – Strawberry Jam, Northville, NY
May 18 – Olive Ridley’s, Plattsburgh, NY with Lucid
May 19 – The Wherehouse, Newburgh, NY
May 20 – The Living Room, NYC, NY
May 21 – Free Range Busking Day
May 22 – Underground Arts, Philly, PA with The Brummy Brothers
May 23 – The River St. Jazz Cafe, Wilkes-Barre, PA
May 24 – Touch Fest 2013!! South ADK’s
May 25 – The Dutch Treat, Franconia, NH
May 26 – Rosa Flamingo’s, Bethlehem, NH
May 26 – Red Square, Burlington, VT
Woodstock native Jim Weider heads up the Thruway to present Project Percolator featuring Garth Hudson at The Egg on Saturday, May 18th. Jim Weider talked with about his project, growing up in Woodstock and fondly recalls his time spent as a member of The Band. His resume is long, his music is well crafted and he aptly presents something that is uniquely him.
Tabitha (TC): Let’s start off by talking about Project Percolator. Describe what people can expect from a live show.
Jim (JW): It’s all groove instrumental with my Telecaster Guitar. It’s rock style and blues over the top. We have several albums out and it is structured songs. I like to write instrumentals that are structured just like vocal tunes. There will be verses, bridges and everything. Then we have sections in the songs where we stretch it out. We play them differently each time. We might go into a Led Zeppelin line so it’s as exciting for the audience as it is for the band. All the musicians are so great behind me; depending who takes off, we follow the other. We try and jam out on certain songs. We’ll do “The Weight” by The Band, with a reggae feel and then in the middle we’ll jam it out then go into double time. If Garth Hudson (The Band) takes off on the keyboard, we’ll all follow him. So we do everything differently each night. It’s kind of exciting for both of us – the audience and us. I always have a blast playing with these guys. Rodney Holmes is just an amazing drummer to be seen. Avi Bortnick (John Scofield Band) is on guitar and he plays much different than me. Of course having Garth is a true dream. We’ve been together for many, many years. Garth comes up with amazing sounds. You’ll hear Garth Hudson like nobody’s ever heard him before because the way this band opens it up and lets us play. Everybody has a blast.
TC: How did you determine with whom you would work with for Project Percolator?
JW: It started about seven years ago with Percolator. I wanted to branch out from my blues – rock records into something different. I just felt like I was cornering myself. I wanted to get into groove music. I started writing and came up with drum loops. I was lucky enough to get Rodney Holmes. He played with Santana and Brecker Brothers. He freed up and joined me. Once I got Rodney, we toured Europe and United States. Rodney’s been with me the whole time. The bass player, Steve Lucas (Bruce Cockburn) joined up on the Pulse record. We’ve been together for quite a while now. We’re going to play some new tunes, and we’ll bring in some Dylan stuff and some Band tunes also, which we do our own versions.
TC: You have worked with Garth Hudson for a number of years, most notably with The Band. How is working with Garth similar or different in Project Percolator than prior commitments?
JW: Garth does some shows with us. He just fits in because Garth always made all the great atmospheric sounds for The Band. He was always into effects and sounds so putting him in the midst of Project Percolator works out perfect. He goes with the flow. He uses his ears and comes up with some great stuff and then we’ll break it down, then it’ll just be Garth by himself. He just fits right in with this kind of music because it’s wide open and flowing. It’s like a glove and very entertaining. I get a kick out of it and so does the band. I think the audience will too.
TC: What sparked the idea for Project Percolator?
JW: I had done a couple of blues-rock records. There were a million blues bands and I had done the roots rock thing with The Band. I just wanted to stretch out more. Get more down to the R & B feel where it’s about the groove. So I started with loops. I started recording by myself. On the first record the drums were over-dubbed. We’ll do some songs with some loops still. I just wanted to get out of that corner write something totally unique that’s not your standard blues shuffle. I really felt like I needed to come up with something fresh and I just stayed with it. Of course I still played with Levon up until his time of passing.
TC: We just past the one-year anniversary of Levon Helm’s passing. Having worked closely with him for many years, how has his passing impacted you both professionally and personally?
JW: Well, you can’t put a finger on when you lose someone you’ve been with that long of a time. We played a lot of shows. It’s deep rooted and it’s a huge loss – as a friend and a musician. About four years ago, Jimmy Vivino went back to Conan on the left coast. When he did, I joined up. I still kept Percolator going but it was great to be back playing with Levon. We did a lot of shows. I never saw him happier. He was on top of his game. He was just very happy and it was great to be with him. He really inspired me. He had my back and looked over my shoulder since we started to work together.
TC: Do you have a favorite pastime or memory of Levon?
JW: Laughing across the country in the back of the bus at three or four in the morning. That’s what keeps coming up.
TC: How has being born and raised in Woodstock contributed becoming a musician?
JW: Everybody was playing music. One after another a new group would come out. Then The Band, from our hometown, came out and that was a huge inspiration. It was just one thing at a time that led to the fire burning to be a musician. All these great players were playing around town. I never went too far. I went down and saw Paul Butterfield playing at the local café. All these great musicians playing live and then I saw Sound Outs (impromptu concerts) before there was the Woodstock Festival. It was a big inspiration living around this area. It was a fantastic time to be alive for music. All the sounds were inspirational.
TC: When did you first begin to play for an audience?
JW: Early on we would play high school dances. We practiced in my grandmother’s garage. We had cookies and coffee and just practiced for a high school dance or a hippy party in some older person’s backyard barn until I was old enough to play in bars.
TC: What was your first band?
JW: It’s hard to remember. I think I came up with a brilliant idea smoking something other than cigarettes looking up at a bunch of trees laying in the woods going, “hey, I got a great idea for the band, Leaves of Green!”
TC: Your resume of musical endeavors is jam packed with various projects. You’ve done everything from session work, to production, touring, and even large telecast concerts. Is there and event or a project that stands out for you?
JW: Well I guess playing at Dylan’s 60th Anniversary at Madison Square Garden. We were doing all Dylan tunes with The Band. Playing the Berlin Wall with Roger Waters when that went down. Just being able to play Carnegie Hall was fantastic.
TC: What was your most surprising, yet satisfying collaboration?
JW: Being able to produce tracks on a Mavis Staples disc and playing with her was fantastic. I also recorded with Scotty Moore, so that was full circle. I also got to lead The Band at South-by-Southwest in Austin.
TC: Is there a collaboration you have yet to do that you would like?
JW: I’m not quite sure. I have to think about that. People ask me that a lot. I am starting to write a new album and I have a new live CD that I’ll have at the show. I had Blues great, James Montgomery play with us.
TC: What do you believe was a defining moment in your career?
JW: I’d say when I joined The Band in 1985 changed everything. Levon getting me in the band was pretty amazing.
TC: Besides music, do you have another passion, hobby or activity that you enjoy?
JW: Yes! I like to be outside. I like to go fishing and talk a walk in the woods in stuff. There is a reservoir not far from me, which is where I like to relax.
TC: What is your secret to longevity in the music business?
JW: Keep listening, keep the glass half full and just stay at it, don’t give up. It’s harder now than it’s ever been, but you just have to keep an open mind. Play for the love of music because if you do it for any other reason, you should get out.
The Putnam Den is fortunate to have a quartet of legendary pedal steel musicians coming to town on Friday, as Robert Randolph Presents The Slide Brothers, four of the greatest living musicians who embody the Sacred Steel Tradition – Calvin Cooke, Chuck Campbell, Darick Campbell and Aubrey Ghent. The joyous music these legendary artists create extends far beyond scared steel to encompass blues, rock and soul all celebrated with a sound that is uniquely their own. Opening the show is a great Delta blues guitarist in her own right, Danielle Miraglia from Boston.
The pedal steel guitar was introduced to church services by Willie Eason in the 1930’s. His single-string passages, which imitated the African-American singing and shouting voices, remain the signature sound of the Keith Dominion steel guitar style. Robert Randolph rose to fame a decade or more ago playing Sacred Steel with his band at The Wetlands, Bonnaroo and venues throughout the Northeast and has become the most successful artist to emerge from the Sacred Steel tradition.
The Slide Brothers include one man who has been dubbed the “B.B. King of gospel steel guitar”, Calvin Cooke. Calvin was hails from Cleveland and performed the pedal steel at Church of the Living God in Jewell Dominion, known for it’s strong steel guitar tradition. He continues to use the same instrument on stage today as he had in 1955, as well as a ten string pedal steel instrument which he plays in a unique tuning that came to him in a vision.
Aubrey Ghent, a nephew of Willie Eason, has also become a celebrated steel guitarist, preserving the sacred steel tradition and instrumental in bringing it to a wider audience. Unlike Robert Randolph and the Family Band who have crossed over to doing more secular music, Aubrey Ghent has stayed closer to the gospel roots of tradition, as have many of the steel guitarists of the Jewell Dominion. In recent years, Ghent has performed and recorded with several top recording stars including Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks.
Chuck Campbell began playing the lap steel guitar at the age of eleven. At fifteen he became one of the first players to utilize the Pedal Steel guitar in the House of God Church, Keith Dominion. Chuck is renowned for his innovative approach to the instrument both technically and musically. His use of effects such as distortion, tone control pedals like the Wah-Wah and his picking techniques enable him to emulate the human voice in an uncanny fashion.
Darick Campbell first made his mark in music as a drummer. For several years Darick was the premier drummer of the General Assembly, the National Convocation of the House Of God Church in Nashville, Tennessee. His choice of the Lap Steel is a reflection of the influences he has blended to become the most emotional player of The Campbell Brothers musical tour d’ force. His renditions of “End of My Journey” have caused audiences throughout the world to weep in heartfelt response to his playing.
“My goal is to open the door for people in the same way that musical doors have been opened for me,” explains Randolph. “I want to take this musical history and make it relevant to give people a better idea of who we are and where this tradition came from. I think even though I’m a young guy who was born into the era of hip-hop and contemporary gospel, I can help bridge the cultural gap between people who are seventy-five years old and kids who are fifteen years old by reaching back into this history of music.”
Find out for yourself how deep this musical history sounds with The Slide Brothers on Friday night at The Putnam Den. Doors are at 8, show is at 9:30. Tickets are $10 at the door and $8 in advance.
Albany’s Alive at Five, featuring free music shows at the Corning Preserve overlooking the Hudson River, has announced their 2013 schedule and it looks to be the best one in recent memory. Featuring funk, blues, reggae, country, classic rock and a great deal of local bands, Albany is in for a treat starting June 6th!
2013 Alive at Five Schedule
June 6th: The Fabulous Thunderbirds with Super 400
June 13th: JT Taylor with The Ill Funk Ensemble
June 20th: The Refrigerators with Molly Durnin
June 27th:George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic with Funk Evolution
July 11th: Satisfaction: The International Rolling Stones Show with Chris Dukes Band
July 18th: Starship featuring Mickey Thomas with Wild Adriatic
July 25th: Local Blues Night: The Tom Healey Band and Blues Sanctuary
August 1st: The Original Wailers with MIRK
August 8th: Country Night! Skeeter Creek with Whiskey City
Remember, no coolers, alcohol or drinks allowed in. They’ll be plenty of vendors there to take care of you.
Dan Johnson, an Albany native now living in Vermont, has launched a Kickstarter for his second album, Bound for Abiquiu, alongside his Expert Sidemen.
Already halfway to the their $1000 goal, the album refers to a location in Northern New Mexico, where Dan has “Spent quite a bit of time up that way, and it’s a special and a spiritual place. The title song is about kind of laying down an old life and settling down, going within, returning, letting go, moving past and the process of transformation and how great forces kind of help us with our changes”
Support Dan’s Kickstarter and see him at the album release party on May 23rd at Valentine’s, with Driftwood and The Grassroots Rebels, feat. members of Jerkwater Ruckus.
The boys of Timbre Coup always bring a large crowd whenever they play Albany venues, and building off that following has led to a great reception for Mister F, the new project/collaboration of Ben Pickering, Andrew Chamberlaine and Matt Pickering of Timbre Coup and Scott Hannay of Capital Zen. They brought Fikus to Albany on May 4 at Red Square.
It was a pleasant surprise to see that a band as collaborative in nature took on a new life outside of both respective bands. All members brought such a high level of talent and energy that it would be seriously difficult to go wrong with this mash up. Although there certainly exist hints of both Timbre Coup and Capital Zen, it was a completely different show and a completely different experience. This is clearly not just a side project for any of the boys, but instead an opportunity to try something outside of what we are all so accustomed to in Albany.
Scott Hannay on the keys brought an electro feel to the organics of the bass and guitar. It is a perfect mix of organic and synthetic, man and machine. One of the highlights of the night was when Matt abruptly yelled into his microphone “Well, obviously we have a rapist in Lincoln Park,” in which the band responded which a hilarious rendition of Antoin Dobson’s “Hide Ya Kids, Hide Ya Wife.” I was truly unaware that you could actually turn such a ridiculous YouTube sensation into a well composed song. As always, Matt did not cease to impress on the drums with his fast paced beats; the rest of the band followed in step to create phenomenal jams.
Although some of their past work has been faster paced with ripping guitar solos, it seemed they all shared the stage in an equilibrium within each jam. The experience was absolutely different than any band on the scene. There is certainly no single genre that Mister F would fall under, as they clearly have made it an art of incorporating all talents and reaches of music to compose hardwired songs that will keep you dancing from start to end. Each individual is so passionate about the music they create that each song reaches new highs and lows in every measure. You can catch Mister F at Upstate Spring Revival May 10-11, Strawberry Jam May 19th, Disc Jam June 14th, and The Big Up Music festival August 8-10th.
Setlist: Deal Breaker, 11, Everything You Say, Bed Intruder> Vocoder, Busters Revenge, Hedgehog> J> Hedgehog, Canned Heat, Jump the Shark . Download the show from Archive.org
Fikus, a Bergen County, New Jersey based band headlined the night, and although they were named after an obscure Phish song, their show rivaled Mister F’s set. For a nonstop 90 minutes, Fikus played a tremendous selection of songs, ranging across the prog-rock and electronic spectrum. The quintet produced incredible dance numbers, such as “Latin” that had a distinct Latin-flair to it, before getting spacey in a Brian Eno-style of ambient jamming, before returning into a Moog-heavy shred fest, grinding through the jam and coming out the other side with an audience ecstatic at this distinct sound emanating from the confines of Red Square.
Jams were stretched out from a prog-rock base that grew and developed into even deeper cuts, ala “Jim Jones”, as Fikus’ own plane of progressive jamming melded into “Nightwalker”. The audience were headbanging as the band cranked out fully synced rock that, bringing them into a wholly new section of improve with a distinct 80’s flair. “Cool Refrigerator” turned the tempo down as Pete Kozak sang acapella as Jon Schmarak provided a piano interlude, before the full band joined in for yet another slamming number that swayed the dancefloor, populated with a solid crowd of late-night revelers intent on bringing Cinco de Mayo in with cheers for mas y mas. The swinging encore “Tempest” elevated the crowd past 2 a.m., building the anticipation for another return to Upstate New York later this summer, if not sooner.
Tequila shots were requested and enjoyed during the night, making this twin-bill of fantastic improv-heavy bands a perfect highlight for the warm nights ahead this summer.
Setlist: Somethin’ Stanky > Latin, Jim Jones > Nightwalker > Dingo , Cool Refrigerator
Memorial Day, a weekend traditionally known as the opening of summer kicks off 2013 Festival season in the Northeast with StrangeCreek Campout Music and Arts Festival in Greenfield, Massachusetts, nestled in the Berkshire Mountains. The festival is named after the bands Max Creek and Strangefolk is held at Camp KeeWanee, a children’s summer camp on a small river in the woods of Northern Massachusetts.
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.
The entire StrangeCreek Campout lineup includes headliners Max Creek, Dumpstaphunk and Donna the Buffalo, plus fan favorites Zach Deputy, Ryan Montbleau, The Alchemystics andMarco Benevento. The rest of the lineup is not too shabby either, with something for everyone: Consider the Source, Jimkata, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Bernie Worrell Orchestra, Alan Evans Trio, Juggling Suns, Shake Down, Turkuaz, A. Dario, Barika, Bay Road, Beau Sasser Project, Big Daddy Love, Big Something, The Big Sway, The Brummy Brothers, Byrne’s Big Suit, Carole Davia, Conehead Buddha, Cosmic Dust Bunnies, Cosmodrome, Daddie Long Legs, Danny Pease & the Regulators, Domino Theory, Eastbound Jesus, Fat Bradley, Fungus Amungus, Gaia Roots, The Garcia Project, Gary Backstrom Band, Goosepimp Orchestra, Jabooda, Juicy Grapes, Kind Buds, The Kings, Les Racquet, Liquid Pocket, Lucid, The Marks Brothers, Matt Carey, The McLovins, Moses & the Electric Company, Orange Television, Otis Grove, Our Own World, Outer Stylie, Paranoid Social Club, People With Instruments, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Primary Others, Primate Fiasco, Raft, Rebelle, Rebel Alliance, Relative Souls, Resin Ed, Rev Tor featuring Charles Neville, Rising Tribe, Romano Project, Secret Sage, Seed, Silent Bujak, Sun Jones, Tawdry, Tony Vacca and World Rhythms Ensemble with Abiodun Oyewole (of The Last Poets), Van Gordon Martin Band, Vernville Family Jam, Viral Sound and William Thompson Funk Experiment.
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. Tickets are now on sale.
We cannot wait for Memorial Day! See you at StrangeCreek!!
The pedal steel guitar was introduced to church services by Willie Eason in the 1930’s. His single-string passages, which imitated the African-American singing and shouting voices, remain the signature sound of the Keith Dominion steel guitar style. Robert Randolph rose to fame a decade or more ago playing Sacred Steel with his band at The Wetlands, Bonnaroo and venues throughout the Northeast and has become the most successful artist to emerge from the Sacred Steel tradition.
2013 Alive at Five Schedule
Already halfway to the their $1000 goal
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.