moe. has announced that they will be playing a 2-night New Years Eve run in Albany this year, December 30th and 31st at the Palace Theatre. On sale information is not available yet but you can stay up to date on all things moe. by visiting their website www.moe.org.
Robert Randolph and the Family Band have been around since the days of The Wetlands in New York City. The bands first release, Live at the Wetlands, saw the group capture one of their legendary performances at the venue, while Unclassified had the group capture that sound and energy in a studio setting. Both Colorblind and We Walk This Road strayed from the sound that the group established, while broadening their overall musical horizons. Lickety Split is a great return to form from Robert Randolph and the Family Band that has them reaching back and bringing that original live energy back into the studio, while adding in the new musicianship from the previous two albums; the blend of these makes for a wonderful listen.
The album starts off quick with “Amped Up”, signalling that the album is going to be one to party and dance to; it’s a rocker that shows off the band’s skills with each player getting plenty of room to work with. The next two songs have a gospel blues feel with Lenesha Randolph owning the song completely; having grown up in the church, Robert is always one to include some gospel into his repertoire. “Take the Party” features Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and blows the listener away thanks to great pedal steel work by Robert and Troy absolutely killing it on his horn – truly a wild upbeat song from beginning to end. A funky disco beat welcomes in “Brand New Wayo” that sees Robert team up with the legendary Carlos Santana. The two guitarists trade licks back and forth throughout the song and you cannot help but dance around while listening to this track. Two covers, “Love Rollercoaster” by The Ohio Players and “Good Lovin’” by The Young Rascals, appear in the second half of the album and give it a boost. “Good Lovin’” especially is meant for Robert and the Family Band. They stay true to the 60’s tune while still giving it their own trademark sound.
Lickety Split shows that Robert Randolph and the Family band are refocused on their music and produced a very strong album. The tunes will definitely come alive when he goes out on his upcoming tour that will see him hit the Upstate region this fall.
Key Tracks: Amped Up, Take the Party, Brand New Wayo
The lineup for the second annual First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival, has been announced. The festival, now with double the amount of performers and double the number of days – will run from September 19-28, 2013.
With nearly 120 free performances at this year’s Fringe Festival, City residents will have the opportunity to be a part of Rochester’s growing cultural experience.
All tickets are now on sale at – rochesterfringe.com. Ticketed shows range from $5 to $16, and the $190 Fringe Fanatic pass includes entry to all except for the previously-announced Marc Maron ($20-$55), Dave Barry ($20-$65) and new Spiegeltent shows.
This year’s multi-arts festival has divided its shows into seven genres: Children’s, Comedy, Cross-Genre, Dance, Music, Performance Art, Spoken Word, Theatre, and Visual Arts. A printed Fringe Guide will be distributed starting in August, but the complete schedule with prices, venues, photos and descriptions is now available at rochesterfringe.com.
Venues This Year Are: Acanthus Café; Bernunzio Uptown Music; Blackfriars Theatre; Christ Church; Eastman School of Music’s Cominsky Promenade, Kilbourn Hall, New Rehearsal Hall (Rm. 415),Sproull Atrium (by Max of Eastman Place) and Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre (headliners); Gallery r; Garth Fagan Dance Studio; Geva Theatre Center Nextstage; George Eastman House’s Curtis Theatre, Living Room and Terrace Garden; Java’s Café; The Little Theatre’s Little 1 and The Little Café; Manhattan Square Park; MuCCC; RAPA; Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo); Rochester Museum & Science Center; The Space; Spiegeltent; TheatreROCS Stage at Xerox Auditorium, Writers & Books; and the UR Arts Bus.
Bella Terra means “Beautiful Earth” and the location and site of the festival certainly capture just that. The festival takes places in Stephentown, NY at Gardner’s Farm at the base of the Berkshire Mountains. The site is beautiful, the artists are amazing and the festival is ever growing. The Albany Drum and Bass Coalition, Leila Harrison and Jon Santolla (or Bad Manners/DJ Leila and Mentally Ill) did their part in creating hype around the up and coming festival with their Bass Fix, “Road To Bella Terra” edition.
The show this summer evening took place at Red Square, promising a great night of live music and awesome chances to win various Bella Terra merchandise and tickets. The night traded off with sets of Jeff Bujak, DJ Leila, Mentally Ill and the collaborative efforts of “Bad Manners.” As always, Jeff Bujak’s light installation wow’ed the crowd throughout his sets while he pounded on his keys sending the crowd into fits of dancing, hooping and personal glow-stick light shows. Bujak pulled out various samples from The Beastie Boys to 50 Cent turning The Red Square into a giant dance party. Jeff Bujak has always been a great set to catch at a festival. His energy alone is sure to lively up your Bella Terra weekend so make sure you make it to his set.
DJ Leila and Mentally Ill traded off on their sets playing some solo tunes and some collaborations which they refer to as “Bad Manners.” Each song ranges from down-tempo, trancier sounds to very high tempo drum and bass that could walk the line of sounding metal. Both DJs are well known in the area for their hard, fast and dirty beats, as well as bringing underground Drum and Bass to a music scene in which it had previously gone unnoticed. They clearly both bring very influential and necessary aspects to the Albany music scene and “Bass Fix” has become a year long, monthly staple at Red Square. All three acts certainly set the tone for the quickly approaching festival. Make sure you catch all three artists sets at Bella Terra Festial, August 15-18. Buy Tickets
Tabitha Clancy sometimes obsesses over one song and sometimes she obsesses over a band (she listened only to Pearl Jam for about a two year stint). Sometimes it’s a lyric, or a simple measure of musical content that will grab her. She will hear the music before the words find a way. She will never say, “I love all kinds of music.” Sometimes it takes Tabitha time to warm up to a song, or a band, and sometimes that magic just isn’t there. People who are walking encyclopedias for anything music related fascinate her, though we here at think she has a good grip on music history. In fact, these are just a few of the reasons she has been writing for us since 2008. Generally, her coverage area is within the Capital District. However, she ventures beyond state boundaries to report on scene from various festivals. She often travels the country, following her favorite band, Railroad Earth.
She credits her late father’s love of eclectic and rather nostalgic taste in music for her ability to listen and enjoy the good stuff both past and current. She loves singer-song writers like Josh Ritter, folk artists, bluegrass, and rock and roll. Locally, her favorite band is Eastbound Jesus. She has not been to every venue in the country to know which is her favorite, but in New York, she believes Bearsville Theater is top notch. She loves everything about Johnny Cash, his life with June and his music. She was trained as a biologist in college and currently works as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist in Albany. While she enjoys dabbling in science, she would like to eventually work full time within the realm of the music world.
Her musical bucket list has more to do with travel than it does seeing actual musicians live as she has seen many of the greats already. She would really like to get her blues and jazz education in New Orleans. She would love to visit the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. One day she will visit the Gorge Amphitheater (WA) as well as Terrapin Crossroads (CA). If she absolutely had to pick one song to be her all time favorite, it would be “Amazing Grace”, which she considers timeless and truthful.
My first introduction to this beast of a band came in late February of this year at the second-annual Upstate Black ‘N’ Blue Cabin Fever Party at Bogies. A four-piece based out of Western Massachusetts, Before I Had Wings follows in the tradition of Hatebreed, Death Before Dishonor, and Shattered Realm with a brand of brutal hardcore that simply destroys. Forming in 2009, BIHW has unleashed their aural assault on unsuspecting towns all over the Northeast, and have become somewhat of a permanent fixture here in Albany. One listen to their debut Burn the Impure will show you why – as it perfectly captures every nuance of their intense live performance; it will leave you reeling and wanting more.
I caught up with three-quarters of Before I Had Wings (vocalist Chris, drummer Nate and bassist Kane) after their set at the Black Phil Memorial Show on Sunday, July 28th. Phil Brewer, guitarist for Albany’s At Arms, lost his battle with cancer recently, and his friends in the scene organized this show to celebrate his life and to raise funds for his family. All three of them were very down to earth and forthcoming with information regarding the history of the band, its future, and – for Kane – a cheerful anecdote about his first time meeting Phil.
UM: So you guys are from Western Massachusetts; what part of Western Mass do you call home?
Chris: We’re all from different areas: I’m from Berkshire County; they’re (Kane and D.J. – their guitarist, who was handling merchandise at the time) from Pioneer and Nate’s actually from the Albany Area.
UM: That’s right, I remember hearing that. So, how long have you guys been doing this now?
Chris: Before Nate was in the band…all together, like three years. He joined about a year or so ago…Maybe 2009? I think me and the guitarist D.J., we were writing stuff in 2009 but we didn’t start playing shows until 2010.
UM: So you’ve gone through a few line-up changes since the beginning?
Chris: Basically, the only line-up change has been the drummer. We had a drummer for a long time, but he decided to quit and Nate took over.
UM: You guys are lucky! It’s so hard to replace a drummer.
Chris: I know, especially around our area.
Kane: Nate’s the best!
Nate: Thank you!
Chris: Nate’s got it on lockdown.
UM: Nice! So anyways, I remember mentioning in one of my reviews of your previous shows that your sound is comparable to bands like Hatebreed and Death Before Dishonor. Other than these two, can you tell me what other bands have influenced you?
Chris: It’s all different; it depends on who you ask. For me personally, its bands like Shattered Realm and Let it Die, you know? Like ’04-’05 core mixed with beat-down; I like Nasty, I like World of Pain, I like all that shit.
Nate: Same here, basically. Actually, I like death metal, too, but beat-down mostly – Shattered Realm, World of Pain, Nasty.
Kane: I’m into New York Hardcore. We don’t sound like that, but I’m influenced by bands like Citizen’s Arrest…
Chris: We’re not afraid to admit that we’re also influenced by Numetal – bands like Coal Chamber and Machine Head.
UM: Oh, Coal Chamber and Machine Head are awesome! You can’t argue with that!
Chris: Yeah, we have Numetal riffs and we’re not afraid to admit it. People call us Numetal, we don’t give a fuck what you call us!
UM: Absolutely, you guys are fucking awesome and I don’t give a shit what anybody says. I’ll put that in print, too! Anyways, you guys are straight edge?
Chris: We’re a straight edge band, we just don’t sing about it. In the past, we’ve tried out non-edge members and nothing ever worked out, and not necessarily because they weren’t straight edge, but because they didn’t make the dedication towards the band. But then recently, we decided that we’re just going to stay a straight edge band, we’ll have straight edge members; it’s not a big deal. We’re not going to sing about it, were not going to put “X”s in our name, but we’re all straight edge and that’s what matters the most. I was in straight edge bands [that sang about it] before, and you basically end up cutting your fan base in half because people don’t want to hear about it.
UM: That’s cool. So I have your first full-length, Burn the Impure, which is a great album, really heavy and well-done. Do you have anything else in the works?
Chris: We’re working on something right now, but that’s probably going to take a year, maybe two [to complete]; were not rushing it. We have a title already picked out, but we don’t want to give it away. We’ve got a lot of shit going on next year, so if we start recording? Awesome, if not, you know? We’re just gonna take it slow. We’ve got the eight track Burn the Impure full-length/EP, whatever you want to call it, and then the two-song demo we released earlier this year.
UM: That’s right! I remember seeing that somewhere online…that’s two new songs?
Chris: If you go to Stereokiller you can download it for free; it’s “Unworthy” and “Bitter Man”, just look it up…
UM: Nice.
Chris: We have older stuff, but we don’t talk about it because we don’t sound like that anymore. We don’t like to bring it up, but if people are really interested, just hit us up. We’ll give you a cd.
UM: I’d actually like to hear that myself.
Chris: We were not influenced by the same stuff we are now. Our guitarist will straight-up tell you he was influenced by like Emure back then.
Kane: Times have changed.
Chris: Times have definitely changed since then.
UM: Ok, well we got a good amount of ground covered in five minutes or so. On a final note, say something about Phil. I didn’t know him personally, did you guys?
Chris: I’m from Western Massachusetts, man. I think Kane…
Kane: I hung out with him one time, and it was sick! We were at a party at Vinnie [Life Sentence]’s house, and everyone was listening to Trapped Under Ice and like moshing in the living room. Then some girl changed it and put on rap – which was awesome, I thought it was sick – but Phil got all pissed. He kept trying to run around this girl to change the music, and he had just broken his hand, so he was doing all this weird shit to try and change the music, but he couldn’t really, so that was sick…he was a good dude, though.
UM: That’s good to know, and it’s good to see that there are so many people out here tonight to support him, even those who didn’t know him…
Chris: I’ve been going to shows for probably about ten or eleven years. I probably ran into him, I just didn’t know him by name. I probably shook his hand; but it seems like a lot of people cared about him and that’s what matters. That’s what the scene is all about.
UM: Absolutely, and it seems like hardcore more than any other genre will pull together for a crisis moment or a benefit or memorial. I think that’s great…
Chris: This is probably the fifth or sixth benefit I’ve been to, if not played…
UM: Yeah, the Stigmata benefit was pretty wild…
Kane: I was crushed, literally, like on the floor.
UM: Ha! Yeah, I caught an elbow to the face for that one. I always say that if you catch a head injury at any point, it’s a good show.
Chris: We actually get frowned upon for encouraging violent dancing. We’re really into it – we think people, like, frown upon us for it though.
UM: Yeah, but Scott Vogel and Jamey Jasta do it all the time.
Chris: It is what it is.
UM: Right on. So I see you guys have been getting around a lot lately – you’ve been in Connecticut and New Jersey recently. I know you just finished up, but do you see yourself playing Albany again soon?
Chris: We’ll be back whenever Mike [Valente] or Dan [Asylum] will have us. We’re gonna take a little time off to write, but we’ll be back.
UM: Well it’s always a pleasure to see you guys; you guys are one of my favorite bands. I listen to Burn the Impure as much as possible. It’s hard though, I’ve got kids in the house and my youngest is just starting to get into music. At four and a half, his two favorite bands are The Ramones and Agnostic Front.
Kane: That’s real stuff!
Chris: Yeah that’s good stuff.
UM: Well it was a pleasure talking with you guys and I’ll see you inside.
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 the Corn. 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 Mountain String 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!”
The Stepkids 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 “Groundhogs Day“ 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 “My Name is Mud”, and encored with “Tommy the Cat”, 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 The Bridge, 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.
This week, Nonpoint hits the stage with the killer opener Surrender the Fall, in support of the release of their latest self-titled record.
Nonpoint:
Founded in early 1997 by Elias Soriano (vocals) and Robb Rivera (drums) in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The rest of the band members consists of Rasheed Thomas (guitar), Dave Lizzio (guitar), and Adam Wolaszyn (bass). Over the years, the band has released a total of 9 albums and has shared the stage with Hinder, Drowning Pool, 12 Stones, Anew Revolution, Mudvayne, In This Moment, Sevendust, and Buckcherry, as well as recently making an appearance at X-Fest in Syracuse, NY.
Surrender the Fall:
Hailing from Memphis, TN, this five pieced band hits the stage to continue supporting their debut record, Burn in the Spotlight, released in September 2012. Members are Jared Cole (vocals), Anthony Pitts (guitar), Eddie Tyre (guitar), Devin Hightower (bass), and Rick Anderson (drums). This past year, Surrender the Fall rocked the stage at Rockapalooza with Candlebox, Saliva, and Mushroomhead. They have previously toured with Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Almost Kings, Eye Empire, and My Darkest Days.
Be sure to check future tour dates on both bands’ Facebook pages. This is certainly a performance you will not want to miss.
Oneonta Hills Bluegrass Festival starts Friday at 2pm at the Susquehanna Trail Campground and Music Park in Oneonta, NY; today is the last day to get pre-sale tickets at $25, gate price is $35. You can purchase tickets online or by calling 607.432.1122. Hookup camping is sold out, field camping is still available and is free with your ticket. The festival will run from Friday 08/09/2013 – Sunday 08/11/2013 at 6:00PM.
Headlining Oneonta Hills Bluegrass Festival Friday night will be The Nellies – Saturday’s headliner is The Barefoot Movement.
Friday July 26th
The Nellies-8.30-10.30 pm
Stable Hands-6.00-8.00 pm
Live Stock -5.00-5.45 pm
Barrington – 4.00-4.45 pm
Betwixt,Bothered and Bewildered 3.00-3.45 pm
Gravel Yard 2.00-2.45 pm
ACCOUSTIC AFTER 10.30 PM
Saurday 27th
Barefoot Movement-8.30-10.30 pm
Betwixt,Bothered and Bewildered 6.00-8.00 pm
Gravel Yard 5.00-5.45 pm
Barrington 4.00-4.45 pm
Stable hands- 3.00-3.45 pm
Livestock -2.00-2.45 pm
Melanie and the Boys -1.00-1.45 pm
Hot Wings Cold Feet -12.00-12.45 pm
ACCOUSTIC AFTER 10.30 PM
SUNDAY WILL FEATURE GOSPEL 10-11 AM
Full Details: http://
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.”
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Steve Kimock and Bernie Worrell
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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