Albany’s Palace Theatre welcomes rock band moe. for a two night New Year’s Eve run! Eastbound Jesus, a northern rock band from Greenwich, New York, will accompany them on December 30th, and the talented horn section of 90’s jam band Conehead Buddha will join them on stage for a full set on the 31st.
The members of Conehead Buddha are long-time friends of moe. and joined them at their festival in Turin, NY this past August. This band has been around since the 90’s, when ska became popular in the U.S. For anyone who does not know them, their album Rockets is well known among ska fans, putting them in the same realm as Sublime musically. After taking a small break from touring, this band has found their second wind, and has again been taking crowds in the North East on a ride. No set list necessary, this band “feels out the scene” and plays a show that is well-suited for almost any kind of crowd. The horn section consists of Shaun Bazylewicz on trombone, Terry Lynch on trumpet, Shannon Lynch on saxophone and flute. These musicians have an upbeat, talented style that allows them to sit in successfully with bands over a multitude of genres.
New Year’s Eve with moe. is sure to be a lively, rockin’ way to spend the New Year. Check out the energy in our state’s capital and celebrate the New Year with the talents of New York’s finest. Come get down with the moe.rons!
Although it’s getting darker earlier and we are all preparing for a long chilly winter, the team at Summer Camp Music Festival 2014 are gearing up for another fantastic summer festival season, and the dates for this years Summer Camp have been announced.
Summer Camp takes place at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, IL on May 23, 24 and 25, 2014. The Summer Camp Music Festival will feature over 75 artists on 7 stages including 3 days of moe. and 3 days of Umphrey’s McGee. On top of all the live music, festival-
goers have access to on-site camping, late night shows, musician workshops, a non-
profit village, unique arts & craft vendors and tons of great food and beer.
The Summer Camp Music Festival started in 2001. Since its beginning Summer Camp has been known for its spacious, open fields for shows, trademark late-night events, pristine campgrounds and amazing lineup of eclectic artists and bands.
2014 will mark the 14th Summer Camp Music Festival with a lineup that has over the years, included: Widespread Panic, Trey Anastasio Band, the Flaming Lips, Willie Nelson, STS9, Bassnectar, Jane’s Addiction, Wiz Khalifa, The Avett Brothers, Pretty Lights, Skrillex, Primus, George Clinton, The Roots, Girl Talk and many, many more.
More information on the festival is available at the official festival website: www.summercampfestival.com
Jungle Boogie Music Carnival made its home for two days at Roaring Brooke Ranch in the heart of the Lake George region in Upstate, NY this past Halloween weekend. Guests checked in around 3pm on Friday, October 25th, and freely explored the grounds until the music on all three stages began just before sunset.
The resort has a 1970’s, vintage vibe to it, complete with cabin style hotel rooms scattered around the secluded property – this ranch is fit for an adventure. A large pond sits in the middle of the site, surrounded by weeping willow trees, it’s alive with wildlife and colorful autumn foliage. The festival attracted anyone who was into raging for a weekend in a beautiful resort area, and indulging in the Halloween spirit of the season.
The energy overall was full of curiosity – each space offering something completely different. At every turn there was something new to explore, some energetic realm to indulge in. In the main lodge, the Boogie Stage was set up along with local arts-n-crafts vendors and live painters. A large bar sat next to the stage serving classy drinks during all hours of the night. Just around the corner, guests could explore the Psy-trance Room – this space was decked out with multiple geometric cloth tapestries and black light fixtures. Everything was bright, radiating color, and the crowd was a true blend of every kind.
The Jungle Room with its electronic stage within a classy banquet hall, a perfect fit for a drum and bass get down. Lights, and fog filled the room, jungle flowers hung from the ceiling, and artists were selling their home-made t-shirts and glowing art pieces in the foyer.
Like the most famous festivals of Europe, the Psy-trance stage got everyone’s feet stomping, body’s swaying, and hearts pumping. After chatting with Psy-trance artist Meg from Xena Linguist, it became clear just how dedicated this genre’s group of artists actually are to their realm of music. She explained she had been introduced to this style of music only a few months ago and was “Deeply moved by its fast paced rhythms and dedicated following.” Its creativity and flowing art, makes psy-trance music and culture truly intriguing and appealing to anyone who is looking to soak up raw talent while connecting with people of all kinds.
In the Jungle Room electronic artists like Getter, Evac Protocol and JPHELPS, rocked the bodies of everyone who entered their domain Friday night. It was like walking into a European night-club with neon décor covering the space. Laser light shows kept things colorful and each artist had the finest beats to enliven the crowd and ignite some serious dancing. The rich design of decorating turned the industrial like space into a lively jungle, and had the most diverse group of people relishing in its sound all weekend long. With live dancers on stage, Saturday’s Jungle Room set was the most impressive with beats by Jennifer Haley, Trollphace, Megalodon, and of course the United Kingdom’s, Adam F.
Creators chose to call the Lodge stage, the “Boogie Stage” for a reason. Every band that played this stage knew how to get funky. Friday night the acoustic duo, Jake and Doug showed off their natural talent with seemingly effortless playing on the guitar and djembe. Their Reggae-esque style was a call to all and their Sublime covers did not disappoint.
High Peaks Band played an impressive set with a rich blend of originals and covers. The headliner of the fest, Twiddle, rocked out perfect phish-like jams. Formula 5 kept the crowd begging for more well into the early morning hours. Impressing even the most devoted Umphrey’s and moe. fans, this band proves themselves to be one of the best on the local jam band scene.
Joe Davis has just about mastered the guitar and Mike McDonald’s skills on keys are unmatched. Their killer set had people talking all weekend. Day two brought Digital Dharma, Flux Capacitor, Shwizz, lucid, and Capital Zen to the party. All of these bands rocked the place in their own unique way. With the crowd dressed in costume and ready to party, the music on the Boogie Stage just kept coming.
Flux Capacitor really impressed with their balanced blend of electronic and rock jams – a new up and coming band that is already taking the live music scene by storm. One could describe them as having a Lotus-like sound, but then when you least expect it they turn on the heavy, and you find yourself head banging.
As always lucid covered just about every genre there is to cover and had the crowd happy and feeling right at home within their sound. With their finely crafted songs and rootsy lyrics, this band always has the power to reel everyone in, while turning strangers into family in just one set.
Having been built on the premise of partying for a purpose through creating funds to educate and support wildlife, this event embodies the dedication it takes to create something with such meaning and truth. By booking local as well as international acts who are capable of exploring multiple genres. Scheduling allowed for the creation of music lasting until all hours of the night. This festival also employed some of the friendliest staff on the scene, welcoming all guests to after parties all weekend long, and offering safe cabins to retreat to, all while Halloween is heavy in the air. Jungle Boogie has it going on! Festivals of this kind are the way to go and the wide stretch of true talent is something to be celebrated – This event is one for the books!
From their endless touring with nationally-acclaimed jam favorite moe. to recording and playing together as the Americana based Al and the Transamericans, for Upstate music fans, Al Schnier and Vinnie Amico are two names that ring a familiar tune. But their new collaborative side project, Floodwood, is an act on the bill that may not but the name is buzzing. Less than two years ago, the two joined forces with New York natives Nick Piccininni, Jason Barady, and Zachary Fleitz to create a new, progressive string outfit who, in the short time since their inception, have swept through the live scene, playing countless festivals and shows in the region. And with the release of a new album this fall, Floodwood isn’t just a group merely drifting along the stream. They’ve jumped into the scene feet first, plucking strings and packing energy to rise them out of the tide.
The band’s newest release, This is Life, is an album simple in theme, yet complex in form. Showcasing the diverse talent of the Northern-bred quintet, it draws on elements of jam, jazz, bluegrass, and roots to capture the signature sound associated with the Floodwood name.Birthed out of the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, the album features Al Schnier (moe.) on guitar, Nick Piccininni (The Abrams Brothers, The Atkinsons, The Delaney Brothers) on banjo and fiddle, Jason Barady (Wooden Spoon) on mandolin, Zachary Fleitz (Wooden Spoon) on bass, and Vinnie Amico (moe.) adds a unique percussive dimension otherwise unseen in music of this kind. Al, Nick, and Jason all take lead on vocals, and the musical variation of the band makes each track on This is Life take on a form of its own.
“North Country Winds”, the album’s opening track, pays homage to the Floodwood’s northern roots. Schnier’s nostalgic lyrics paint the picture of an isolated Adirondack winter, and Barady opens up the number with a teasing of the mandolin – soon after the rest of the band follows suit; Piccininni’s fiddle stands at the forefront, and Fleitz and Amico’s rhythms drive the track. The album’s theme is reflected in the track, “Holy Sacred”, a playful tune with a simple message. The track showcases Piccininni on banjo and “This is Life,” are three words that repeat themselves throughout the tune.
Tracks like “Gravel Yard” and “Caught” are reflective of Schnier and Amico’s musical history of experimental jam. Weaving together improvisational, spacey elements with traditional bluegrass form, the tracks hit at the core of what classifies Floodwood as a progressive touring act. “Magnolia Road” is a tune with that signature moe. sound fan have grown to love, but the addition of Picinni’s vocals accompanied by strings give it a flavor of its own. “Stomp It”, “Spoon Kicks” and “Whiskey after Breakfast” are instrumental tunes whose energies are reflective of what one might find when catching Floodwood live. Naturally, these songs set themselves apart from the other tracks on This is Life.
While the album gives listeners a taste of the progressive powerhouse that is Floodwood, it merely skims the surface. They are a band not simply to be heard, but one to be seen. To appreciate Floodwood, one must dive deep, but not too deep. The spin they put on traditional form isn’t the only thing that characterizes Floodwood as progressive. These days, they’re moving along at a rapid pace, playing countless shows throughout the Northeast. And while touring and playing together may be fairly new for this Adirondack-born quintet, their music makes the message clear: for Floodwood, This is Life.
For the first 10 years of moe.down, Snow Ridge Ski Resort in Turin was the home and Labor Day was the weekend – an end of summer tradition everyone in the Northeast that called themselves a moe.ron looked forward to experiencing. Then there was the ill-advised shift to Mohawk at Gelston Castle for moe.downs 11 and 12, but fortunately fans convinced the band to move back to Turin, with a shift to mid-August for moe.downs 13 and 14. Now, things have come full circle in the past 5 years and moe.down 15 will return to Snow Ridge Ski Resort for moe.down 15 on Labor Day weekend.
A message from moe.: “We are excited to announce moe.down is moving back to Labor Day Weekend! A lot of thought has gone into this decision. It wasn’t easy: so many people liked the new weekend, but a number of people also missed the advantages of the holiday weekend. We hope all of you can still join us. Watch for updates, 15 will be moe.mentous! August 29,30&31 2014 Snow Ridge Ski Resort Turin, NY”
Fans were asked to vote on the preferred date for moe.down, and while Mid-August was the fan favorite, Labor Day was the decision fans went with. Looks like Phish at Dick’s may have some competition for fans of both bands. Or maybe not.
Now in its fourteenth consecutive year, the moe.down music festival has comfortably settled back into its original home at Snow Ridge Ski Resort in Turin, NY. Once again, moe.ville will be alive as fans get down to a dozen bands, including hosts moe.
For the past few years, moe. has been experimenting with new formulas; the attempted change in location (Gelston Castle in Mohawk, NY) for #11 & #12 was a major disappointment to most, but the weekend change from Labor Day weekend to mid-August seems to be accepted by the majority. This year was their first attempt at a VIP upgrade ticket option, which offered a fenced-off section a few hundred feet back from the stage and off to the side, containing its own beer tent, porta-potties, and covered seating area. It also allowed for earlier entry to the site on Thursday, including a pre-festival show and moe. soundcheck, while general campers were still forced to stay in line with their car until the next morning.
Photo by Krest Winchester
Thursday night into Friday was gloomy and drizzling rain. This is not unfamiliar territory for the dedicated, experienced moe.ron; on Labor Day weekend in years past it was not unusual to have oppressively high 90s heat, pouring rain, or even snow. As usual, the crowd in line Thursday night showed their excitement for the festival by partying all night long, sometimes alongside the nicer of the two groups of security hired for the weekend. Gates opened around 8:30 am Friday morning, and everyone scurried to their favorite campsites with tarps to hold their spot while taking the multiple trips required to cart their weekend’s worth of belongings from the parking lot. Music didn’t start Friday until 4:30 pm, allowing plenty of time for set up and even a nap. The weather gods were in sync with moe. this year, and the rain stopped just before Pennyshine, Al Schnier’s wife Diane’s new project, took the stage. Del McCoury’s band followed on the main stage, dressed to impress wearing three piece suits and showing the crowd how it’s done. Eastbound Jesus gave a great two set moe.down debut and featured the tunes getting some well deserved attention in Upstate NY.
Photo by Krest Winchester
As moe. took the main stage for their first set of the weekend, the lights hit it off magically with the mountain air dew, making a sick show on the ski hill behind. As a tribute to Jerry Garcia on the anniversary of his death, moe. played “Casey Jones” to a crowd singing along in appreciation and reverence. Later on in the evening, to tip another hat to the bearded legend, “Deal” was met with more hoots, hollers and dancing.
Anyone who checked out Steve Kimock Band’s late night set Friday agreed it was one of the top performances of the weekend. The band was on fire. Bernie Worell, the keyboardist from Parliament Funkadelic and the Talking Heads, ripped it apart. After a funkalicious “Come Together” cover and later a “Burning Down the House”, the crowd left the stage sweaty and glowing.
Photo by Krest Winchester
Another perfect day Saturday brought two solid sets by a fan favorite from Upstate NY’s past, Conehead Buddha. By now it was very clear how much moe.down, its moe.rons, and its performers have grown, as kids of all ages with huge headphones populated not only the audience but also the stage. Terry Lynch’s adorable toddler Felix joined his dad for most of the first set, staring at the dancing crowd with a shaker in his hand.
Later during moe.’s set, the three horns from Conehead returned to play a spooky and yet rockin’ “Plane Crash.” Also welcomed to the stage that night was Chris Michetti (Conspirator, Raq) for “Godzilla.” Their second set’s “Recreational Chemistry,” “Akimbo,” and “Meat” with dueling solos from Vinnie and Rob was arguably the best of the weekend, and after the customary announcements of birthdays, engagements and landmark show celebrations, the encore was in tribute to the late JJ Cale who passed away two weeks prior, and also to Mikey Houser who passed away 11 years ago that night, with a song Widespread Panic also often covered, “Traveling Light”.
Photo by Krest Winchester
With a third day of awesome sun and mountain breeze, many fans took advantage of the chair lifts for an even higher experience. Others staked out front row territory for the two sets of Raq on the side stage. Raq has received a huge response from their comeback shows in recent months, and this weekend was no different. Keyboardist Todd Stoops, with his normally worn tRAQ suit jacket draped on his keyboard stand, joked with the crowd, announcing that Sam Levey (owner of Westcott Theatre in Syracuse) had ruined his ensemble. (Sam, as well as friend Kyle Shay of KRock Jam Sessions, have been doing some ‘Stoops tour’ in matching tRAQ suit outfits in the front row.) Be assured, these Stoops fans are great guys and normally dig the ladies. It was like the whole crowd was one big group joking and busting on each other like old friends.
In years past, Sunday was the last chance for a mayoral candidate to petition the voting crowd with their qualifications for election as the Mayor of moe.ville, a title which has never carried any weight except some drunken notoriety the Sunday of the next year’s festival and very few “I’m kind of a big deal” points with the other ‘.rons. In prior years there were often bribes of free bacon, shots of liquor out of a cow costume’s teat, and chuckle-worthy posters on every porta-potty door and tent pole. There was noticeably less petitioning than usual, possibly because there hasn’t been an actual person winning the mayoral race in years. Cows, buttscratchers, squirrels humping Utica Club beer cans and ‘Tits & Whiskey’ have been some of the most current moe.ville political figures. This year Rex and Lloyd lost to “Ditch” – Ditch being a well-known location in “Turwookistan” camping area where the sketchiest of sketchy happens til dawn or later. And the mayor relinquishing their title from moe.down 13? That would be Gold Bond. The powder.
Photo by Krest Winchester
Stanley Jordan Trio was a huge hit for the weekend. A band with mind-blowing chops, Stanley can play his guitar like a piano and then seamlessly go into jazz comp chords with one hand while soloing keys with his other. This didn’t stop with Stanley Jordan himself, as his drummer then busted out one handed solos on keys while playing his drum kit with other hand. This talent on top of diversity of playing Mozart in the same set as Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl”, was something you walk away from still wrapping your head around what you saw.
That wasn’t the last the weekend would see of this Trio, for as moe. began their two sets, Stanley was welcomed back to the stage for “Yodelittle” -> “Meat” (finishing with force the “Meat” from the day before.) And again Stanley was up on stage to close out Sunday’s encore of “Rebubula” and “Happy Hour Hero,” this time with his drummer as well, before the customary fireworks ended the music for the weekend just after 11 pm. In a world full of terrible twists and tragic turns, moe.ville continues to be a solid staple for family fans of any age. Never a disappointment. Let’s hope that Mayor Ditch doesn’t do us dirty next year.
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.
Upstate improvisational legends moe. brought their jam marathon’s to Rochester’s Party in the Park series June 20th. Often locally referred to as “Party in the Parking Lot”, this series deserves more credence. While it’s correct that the events take place in an area also often used to park cars, what is missed by local denizens is that there is ample space provided, an excellent “big-time” stage, copious amounts of affordable vending, convenient entry and exit points, a picturesque view of the Flour City bridge and tons of nearby parking. People must not care that much though, as this event was packed from end to end.
moe. came straight out of the gate at full speed with fan favorite “Happy Hour Hero”. The first set was a short one, but offered excellent takes on “Sensory Deprivation Bank” and “Akimbo” as well as some voice box fun from Chuck Garvey. During setbreak, fans enjoyed music from buskers, beer from Rochester based breweries Rohrbachs and Genesee, and several food trucks filled with tasty treats.
Second set began while the sun was going down, allowing fans a glimpse at moe.’s top tier light show. Also offered was plenty of shreddy guitar interplay between guitarists Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier. Highlights included a fiery “Wicked Awesome”, the always epic “Brent Black” and a top-speed encore combo of “Spine Of A Dog->Meat”.
Setlist: moe., Party in the Park, Rochester, NY – June 20, 2013
Set 1: Happy Hour Hero > Sensory Deprivation Bank, Understand, The Ghost Of Ralph’s Mom, Hi and Lo > Big World > Akimbo Set 2: Haze > Wicked Awesome, Puebla > Billy Goat > Tailspin > Brent Black Encore: Spine Of A Dog > Meat
Upcoming Party in the park shows include John Browns Body on 7/11, Great Big Sea on 7/18 and Leon Russell on 7/25
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.
We here in Upstate NY have more than our share of music festivals, from the large (Mountain Jam, Camp Bisco, moe.down) to the small (Great Heron, Backwoods Pondfest). There is little reason to venture out of Upstate when festival season rolls around. But when Upstate bands branch out and hit off festivals outside the region, we take note and follow them for an adventure. Summer Camp Music Festival, located in central Illinois, is one of the better produced festivals out there, with an enormous lineup that encompasses bands both big and small on seven stages, bringing together a wide variety of genres that broaden the experience for even the most die-hard music fan. Here’s our take on Summer Camp, simply the best festival in the Midwest.
moe. on the Moonshine Stage
After spending Wednesday night in Chicago, we ventured down I-55 to Peoria and arrived in Chillicothe, a small town on the Illinois River. The flat layout of the festival was immediately appealing. Anyone who has attended a festival in NY can attest – lugging your stuff up hills and through a menagerie of inclines can be off-putting. With a slight breeze in the air, camp was set up in the middle of four stages – Sunshine, Starshine, Camping and the Vibe Tent. This proved to be a number one reason why you arrive at a festival early – prime location for camping is hard to come by after Day One. The first band for the weekend was Chicago’s Family Groove Company, who kicked things off with “The Charmer”, invited up Allie Kral from Cornmeal for “One Eye Dreaming”, followed by a well-placed cover of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ “American Girl,”, quite apt for the talented Kral.
Around 8 p.m., one of the great staples of Summer Camp took the stage: Cornmeal. This Illinois-based blue collar band has seen their popularity rise slowly but surely over the years as they’ve vigorously delivered their own special blend of bluegrass and folk music throughout the country. This marks the band’s 11th appearance at Summer Camp and they did nothing to disappoint the revelers that were ready to go on this first day of the festival. This weekend was also a sendoff of sorts for the band who were saying good bye to their longtime and supremely talented fiddler, Allie Kral, who earned MVP honors this weekend by sitting in on multiple bands’ sets and blowing the house down each and every time.
Allie Kral with Floodwood
After Cornmeal’s initial set of the weekend, the musical mood on the Starshine stage shifted to electronica as Digital Tape Machine delivered a pulsating set that set the stage beautifully for some of the late night acts this weekend. Featuring Joel Cummins and Kris Myers from Umphrey’s McGee, it seems this side project of sorts is really starting to find its niche as they displayed a powerful cohesiveness that only comes after time and multiple gigs. Their unique version of IDM with elements of tech house, dance house and drum and bass kept the Thursday night crowd dancing and wanting more. Out in the Camping Stage was a band from Minnesota, Roster McCabe – the Midwest is heavily represented out in these parts, as one would suspect – and they showed some gravitas and fervor during a power-charged set of originals that brought to mind Umphrey’s McGee and Dopapod. A well played version of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” caught the crowd off guard and resulted in a dance party in the woods, making for the first of many covers of the popular disco/dance tune that we will all be hearing this summer.
In the Vibe Tent, UV Hippo from Michigan was laying down jams that built on top of each other, culminating in a breathtaking climax and showing mastery of their craft. A solid “Square Pegs, Round Holes” preceded Roster McCabe’s Alex Steele joining the group for Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish”, a well placed cover and one of those late night moments you love to catch.
Future Rock in the Red Barn
The dance party continued well into the night with Future Rock, a band that’s seemingly designed specifically for a late night time slot at any festival. The Chicago rockers kept the action fast and furious in the Red Barn which was open to everyone this evening. A unique aspect of the Summer Camp festival is that late night acts at this location required an extra ticket that had to be purchased ahead of time, and depending on your musical tastes, will compel you to plan ahead or seek out new and unknown acts amid the general late night sets.
Dopapod in the Vibe Tent
At the same time, Dopapod was throwing down more of the late night goodness this band has become known for at the Vibe Tent. There seemed to be an even bigger crowd here which speaks somewhat to the fact that not everyone knew the Red Barn was open tonight to the general public, but more to the reputation this band is developing within the jamband and festival circuits. As usual, they delivered a fun, high intensity set, punctuated by “Braindead” off their latest album Redivider, playing nearly until sunrise and sent Summer Campers home spent, but with smiles on their faces.
Friday
With good locations for stages and campground layout, plus an option for the forest, RVs and VIP experiences, Summer Camp felt a bit like Mountain Jam, and is about the same size, just… flatter. The grounds were laid out on a grid much like the Midwest and they offered regional foods and had a few carnival rides and the like, seemingly giving in to the universality of music festivals in the 21st Century. Friday’s action got underway with the help of two of the better band names currently out there. Cosby Sweater, another Umphrey’s side project of sorts featuring the ever busy Mr. Joel Cummins, played on the Camping stage and surely played a part in waking up nearby campers. This stage was literally located within woods containing tents and campsites in the general vicinity and it played host to some of the better ‘under the radar’ acts of the weekend (see: Roster McCabe). Over on the Starshine stage, Pimps of Joytime threw down a fun and memorable set that surely garnered them a few new fans. If you haven’t heard this group’s blend of funk, rock, afrobeats and electronic elements, you should really do so as soon as possible. It was nice to see this primarily East Coast band on the bill of one of the most successful Midwest musical festivals going right now.
Diplo crowd
Next, it was time for the opening salvo from one of the festival’s musical co-hosts, moe. Their set featured a blistering ‘Captain America” opener that segued nicely into ‘‘Recreational Chemistry”, a song that many felt wouldn’t appear until later in the weekend. The band seemed energetic and on point from the get go as they closed the set with the always entertaining ‘Seat of My Pants’ and the encore of “Okayalright” seemed to sum up the general sentiment that the 2013 version of Summer Camp was officially in full gear.
Over at the Media Center, located in the Church, Dumpstaphunk gave an interview to an attentive audience curious about a little bit of everything: their new album, Dirty Word, featuring Skerik, Flea, Trombone Shorty and Rebirth Brass Band, the experience of playing two festivals in the same weekend with each one a time zone away from the other (Summer Camp and StrangeCreek) and the importance of bassist Nick Daniels who quit the Neville Brothers to get Dumpstaphunk to where they are now.
moe. on the Moonshine Stage
After a quick trip to the Sunshine stage to catch some of the reggae music dished out by the legendary Wailers, it was back to the Moonshine stage for some heady jazz improv as only Medeski, Martin and Wood can deliver. Highlights included a fantastic Billy Martin drum solo that flowed right into “Night Marchers”. This trio never disappoints and John Medeski seemed extra energized towards the end of this hour long set and showed off his chops on the set closing “Heaven on Earth”. With any big music festival there inevitably comes a time when you have to make a tough decision on which act you see and which one you miss. Summer campers were now faced with such a decision as Keller Williams with More Than a Little played on the Sunshine Stage and Yonder Mountain String Band took the reigns back down on the Moonshine Stage. These two stages were pretty much at opposite ends of ThreeSistersPark so the chance of seeing significant portions of each was pretty slim.
Down at Moonshine, Yonder was in full form, tearing through “Pretty Daughter” midway into their set, and a hoe-down worth “Casualty”. Roosevelt Collier of The Lee Boys sat in with the Yonder boys for versions of “Kentucky Mandolin”, “Dear Prudence” and “Raleigh and Spencer,” playing on same level and adding a soulful slide guitar to each tune. A return for and encore of “Two Hits and the Joint Turned Brown” had accents of that steel sound, and with Jeff Austin’s breakneck speed on mandolin, the crowd was kept dancing along to a phenomenal sit in.
Roosevelt Collier and Jeff Austin
On the other main stage, Sunshine, this was not your typical Keller Williams set. The ever evolving artist decided to get himself a backing 6-piece funk band for this go round and, just for good measure, added Victor Wooten as a second bass player. This group was tight, in tune and delivered some truly memorable versions of Keller classics like “Let’s Jam” and “Freeker by the Speaker”. Hearing these tunes with female backup singers and a tight rhythm section gave each a real different feel, in a good way. Perhaps more impressive was the covers they tackled as well. These included The Talking Heads’ classic “Once in a Lifetime” and Keller also invited Jake Cinninger from Umphrey’s McGee to join them on a truly remarkable take of The Grateful Dead’s “West L.A. Fadeaway”. This closed out the set and was met by a raucous crowd’s approval. There’s no reason to think Keller won’t continue to bring this outfit of funk and soul out on the road from the time to time.
Umphrey’s McGee kicked off their first set of the weekend with the walk-on instrumental “No Crying in Mexico,” a unique start to a show as the band arrives on stage to join pre-recorded music. “All in Time” kicked things off with the first half of the song, which later found its second half mid second set. Conversely, “Nothing Too Fancy” appeared midway through the first set and closed the set, after a dirty “Comma Later”. “Bright Lights, Big City” featured Dominic Lalli of Big Gigantic, blowing the song up amid Jeff Waful’s light show. “Puppet String”, yet another true Umph-rocker, was split between the sets and closed out the evening, but not before Umphrey’s played a first in more than a decade version of moe.’s classic “Rebubula,”, leading many to speculate on what song moe. may cover of Umphrey’s that weekend.
Later on Friday night, things began to get electronic again as Sound Tribe Sector 9 took the stage and got the dance party started once again. A well-established act at this point, STS9 delivered 90 minutes of inventive and inspirational electronica. If you weren’t in the mood for this, over on the Campfire stage was Allie Kral and Friends who treated all to a fun set of bluegrass staples and covers. The set even included an impromptu version of “Friend of the Devil” with Chicago’s own Barry Brown sitting in on vocals, followed by spirited versions of “Graceland” and “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.” Over in the Vibe Tent, a pair of DJs known as Team Bayside High put on an incredibly fun set, utilizing house samples and remixes in the Belding style of late night while Alvin Risk took the tent past 4 a.m. Once you are up so close to dawn, it’s a simple task to make it to 5 a.m. Kickball, the official start of Field Day. Think Camp Bisco’s Color Wars with some slight variation. Team Purple was well represented during the game, led by Umphrey’s bassist Ryan Stasik, although Team Red pulled out the victory during the rain on Saturday afternoon. Purple will be back…
Stay tuned tomorrow for Pete and Tim’s recap of Saturday and Sunday at Summer Camp Music Festival!
The band’s newest release, This is Life, is an album simple in theme, yet complex in form. Showcasing the diverse talent of the Northern-bred quintet, it draws on elements of jam, jazz, bluegrass, and roots to capture the signature sound associated with the Floodwood name. Birthed out of the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, the album features Al Schnier (moe.) on guitar, Nick Piccininni (The Abrams Brothers, The Atkinsons, The Delaney Brothers) on banjo and fiddle, Jason Barady (Wooden Spoon) on mandolin, Zachary Fleitz (Wooden Spoon) on bass, and Vinnie Amico (moe.) adds a unique percussive dimension otherwise unseen in music of this kind. Al, Nick, and Jason all take lead on vocals, and the musical variation of the band makes each track on This is Life take on a form of its own.
A message from moe.: “We are excited to announce moe.down is moving back to Labor Day Weekend! A lot of thought has gone into this decision. It wasn’t easy: so many people liked the new weekend, but a number of people also missed the advantages of the holiday weekend. We hope all of you can still join us. Watch for updates, 15 will be moe.mentous! August 29,30&31 2014 Snow Ridge Ski Resort Turin, NY”
moe. came straight out of the gate at full speed with fan favorite “Happy Hour Hero”. The first set was a short one, but offered excellent takes on “Sensory Deprivation Bank” and “Akimbo” as well as some voice box fun from Chuck Garvey. During setbreak, fans enjoyed music from buskers, beer from Rochester based breweries Rohrbachs and Genesee, and several food trucks filled with tasty treats.
Second set began while the sun was going down, allowing fans a glimpse at moe.’s top tier light show. Also offered was plenty of shreddy guitar interplay between guitarists Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier. Highlights included a fiery “Wicked Awesome”, the always epic “Brent Black” and a top-speed encore combo of “Spine Of A Dog->Meat”.
