NYS Music 20​13

Tag: Music Festivals

  • Lookin’ at Lockn’

    Fine wine, craft beer, and pick-your-own orchards aren’t the only things that will draw visitors to Nelson County, Virginia this Fall.  Taking place September 5-8th,  Lockn’ Festival (formerly known as Interlocken) will draw thousands into the county for a weekend-long influx of music, featuring nothing but the finest Rock ‘n’ Roll and Jamband acts heard throughout the national circuit today.

    Lookin' at Lockn'Featuring sets from The Black Crowes, Widespread Panic, Gov’t Mule, and the Tedeschi Trucks Band, the festival pays homage to its southern-bred roots, but appearances by Furthur, The String Cheese Incident, and the Trey Anastasio Band interweave soulful, hard southern rock with mastery of improvisational jam, making Lockn’ the premier and most talked about festival of the season.

    Not only does Lockn’ offer world class music, but it offers it in a most picturesque setting. Located at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Central Virginia, the festival will take place at the 5,000 acre Oak Ridge Estate in Arrington. Over 15,000 tickets have already been sold and organizers are expecting a crowd twice that size.  Ticket prices range from $285 – $1099, including camping, RV and VIP options. Lockn’ isn’t the first music festival to hit Central Virginia and the surrounding area, as the state is also home to Floydfest and The Festy Experience, among many others. Yet Lockn’ proves itself to be quite different.

    lookin at locknLonger sets from fewer artists will make the Lockn’ experience unlike any other. Organizers Dave Frey and Peter Shapiro have made the Oak Ridge Estate the final stop on Summer tour and whether one’s been following Furthur, or traveling from town to town catching the Crowes, come September the wheels will stop in Arrington for a cumulative and collaborative four day epic show with multiple artists, two main stages, no breaks, no overlapping sets – a weekend of continuous music.

    Thursday will feature performances from:  The String Cheese Incident (2 sets), Gov’t Mule, Warren Haynes Band, Keller and the Keels, and Grace Potter.

    Friday, Furthur (featuring Phil Lesh and Bob Weir) will perform two sets, and the Zac Brown Incident,  String Cheese, Jimmy Cliff, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Soul Rebels, Pegi Young and the Survivors, and the Founding Fathers (featuring members of the Infamous Stringdusters) will share  the stage.

    Saturday, Furthur will perform Workingman’s Dead in its entirety and Widespread Panic will hit the stage with John Fogerty sitting in.  With the cancellation of Neil Young and Crazyhorse, the Trey Anastasio Band has been added to the bill and The Black Crowes, Punch Brothers, The London Souls, and Love Canon complete the Saturday line-up.

    On Sunday, Furthur , Widespread, and the Crowes will perform individual sets once again, joined with performances by  the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Col. Bruce Hampton and Friends with Oteil Burbridge, and the Hackensaw Boys.

    Jorma Kaukonen, Jeff Sipe Trio, and Indecision will also be performing as special guests and a live soundtrack cinema, featuring specially-selected silent films will compliment performances taking place throughout the weekend.

    Live music isn’t the only thing Lockin’ has to offer to its patrons either. New York based civic engagement group HeadCount is organizing Participation Row, an interactive Non-profit village. Anchored by the “Qello Lounge” the village will feature a number of organizations and provide a space within the festival grounds for people to gather consciously.  Upon entering the festival, patrons will receive a card they can bring to any non-profit booth on Participation Row.  Booths will be giving away stamps for taking specific actions, and once a card has four stamps, it can be brought to the Qello Lounge, where one will find couches and a sampling of the world’s largest library of on-demand music content.

    While Lockn’ may be the premier festival of the season, there is a simplicity that lives at its core.  This simplicity is a movement, an interlocking if you will.  Lockin’ brings together all that is worth celebrating in life: world-renown and regional music, local sustainably sourced food and drink, picturesque camping and so much more – all at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the quaint, quiet town of Arrington, Virginia. Nelson County better get ready.

    For more information, including ticket sales visit: www.locknfestival.com

  • Night Lights Festival in Sherman, NY Features a Wide Variety of Upstate Bands

    The 2013 Night Lights Festival returns  September 13th and 14th to Sherman, NY.  The festival, in its third year, is held at the Great Blue Heron festival grounds. A component of a larger effort, Night Lights at the Heron, the two day music festival plays off of the light installation set up thoughout the woods creating a unique mash up, touted to be “mind blowing” by many.

    Night Lights The Festival continues to add bench strength in their third year, bringing in both regional and nationally touring acts, including Marco Benevento, The Heavy Pets and Jimkata. Lazlo Hollyfeld, and Smackdab were both part of the original Night Lights lineup are joined by veterans Schleigho, Aqueous, Aircraft, DJ Cutler and John E. Old School , and new this year, Family Funktion and the Sitar Jams, Funktional Flow, Universe Shark, Haewa, On Beta and Space Junk.

    The festival aims to please offering a choice of woods or car camping, as well as RV and family camping options. Single day passes are also available for both Friday and Saturday. Pick up tickets in advance here

    Check out a 360′ view of the festival!

    The music schedule:

    Friday, September 13th

    6p-6:45p        Cafe                        John E Old School

    7-7:45p          Cafe                        Shotgun Jubilee

    7:45-8:45      Main                       Space Junk

    8:45-9:45       Cafe                        Family Funktion and the Sitar Jams

    9:45-11:15     Main                       Aqueous

    11:15-12:15   Cafe                        Universe Shark

    12:15-1:45     Main                       The Heavy Pets

    1:45-3:15       Cafe                         The Manhattan Project

    Saturday, September 14th

    2:00-3:00     Cafe                         On Beta

    3:00-4:15      Main                        Haewa

    4:15-4:45       Cafe                         Comedy and Wine Toast

    4:45-6             Cafe                         Aircraft

    6-7:15             Main                       Funktional Flow

    7:15-8:30      Cafe                         Smackdab

    8:30-10          Main                       Jimkata

    10-11:15         Cafe                         Lazlo Hollyfeld

    11:15-12:45   Main                       Marco Benevento

    12:45-3           Cafe                         Schleigho

    3-?                     Fire Pit                  DJ Cutler

  • Another Happy Weekend in moe.ville

    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.

    moe.ville
    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.

    moe.ville
    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.

    moe.ville
    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”.

    moe.ville
    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.

    moe.ville
    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.

  • The Big Up Festival Comes Back in a Big Way

    Thunder rolled in from the distance as The Big Up campers funneled into the venue, hurrying to set their tents up. As EZ-Ups and tents began popping up throughout the field, rain fell and dissipated in the August humidity. The levels of excitement were high for the return of The Big Up Festival, this time at a new location at Hemlock Hollow Farm in Claverack, New York.

    The main camping lot was just on the other side of a small wooded area separating main stage from the campgrounds, but still close enough to hear each main act from the comfort of your site. lespecial took the main stage playing a high energy set, setting the tone for the rest of the weekend. Steering away from the normal and expected, lespecial adds a necessary and interesting variety to each festival and show they play. Directly following lespecial was Laser Sex at the Space Ball City tent directly adjacent to main stage. Laser Sex used a mix of funky-deep bass lines with a heavy use of samples, creating  a perfect storm for an epic dance party. Light projections by Drew Suto of Dutch Masterson Designs spanned the walls and ceiling of the giant tent only further exemplifying each set.

    Dopapod took main stage directly after Laser Sex which had the crowds wandering back and forth without much time to rest in between phenomenal sets. Dopapod only further proved why such a huge hype around them exists. Each time Dopapod picks up their instruments, it seems their talent as individuals and as a group grows exponentially. It is no surprise that their popularity only continues to grow in such rapid success. Dopapod played for an hour and a half before Gigamesh began his electrifying and energetic set in the Space Ball tent. If you had caught Gigamesh at his set at Camp Bisco, you knew that this was not a set that you could relax and hang out during. True to form he busted out amazing dance remixes of a variety of different songs. The highlight of the set was a rendition of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” which turned the tent into a giant, hot rave. When asked to describe the festival experience in a few sentences, Gigamesh spoke of the overall vibe saying,“The whole festival has created a very welcoming atmosphere. The people aren’t pretentious or uptight and that sets a great tone for a festival.”

    Ian Stewart played short sets before and after Higher Organix’ first set of the weekend. The crowd seemed to be pleased to see Higher Organix once again take the stage together at The Big Up Festival. True to form, they packed a lot of energy into their allotted time and kept the crowd moving. Jules Jenssen really exhibited his diversity and talent by picking up his sticks and hopping on stage with his boys while also helping run the festival and his various other side projects throughout the weekend. One would think it was not physically possible. The rain had tapered off shortly after we had arrived and it wasn’t until Higher Organix ended their set that it began to downpour turning much of the festival grounds into a mud fest. No one seemed to mind the onset of heavy rain as they made their way into the wood stage for Mun’s amazing set. The paths leading into the woods quickly became a treacherous journey as the walkways turned to mud. At one point there was a large rope scaling the incline leading to the stage that individuals used to pull themselves up the hill without falling.

    Festival goers are no stranger to the rain and mud that go along with camping alongside live music, so it would take a lot more than that to dampen the spirits of the Big Up patrons. The hill stage was worth the walk with mind blowing deco and surroundings. It was apparent that a large amount of effort went into turning the woods into an other worldly place. Neon decorations stretched from tree to tree lit up with projections and changing lights surrounded by a beautiful and serene babbling brook home to a large trout population. The woods stage was definitely a site to see. The night was capped off at the Space Ball tent with Party Supplies who laid down an awesome set that was reminiscent of bands like Two Door Cinema Club and Empire of The Sun. Thursday night’s lineup was perfect to ease into a long weekend of great music.

    By Friday it seemed that the population had nearly doubled as more and more people funneled through the main gates. The rain had picked up significantly overnight, making the grounds a muddy mess and some of the earlier sets difficult to catch. The forecast showed a 100% chance of rain until 10 pm, so it was a pleasant surprise when it began tapering off in the early afternoon. Luckily, camping was so close to main stage that all of the main acts were audible while campers took shelter under their EZ-Ups and campsites. Once the rain stopped people began emerging throughout the grounds and filing back into the concert field for Color Channel. This was a perfect opener to release all of that pent up energy from sitting around the camp sites all morning. The sound was reminiscent of LCD Soundsystem with a psychedelic-pop undertone that was the perfect upbeat mix for a post-rain dance party.

    Timbre Coup switched schedule times with their good friends Kung Fu after car troubles prevented Kung Fu from making it on time. People began emerging from their different campsites to dance to Timbre Coup’s funky afternoon set. Kung Fu promptly took the stage, and no matter how many times you see Kung Fu, it is always a different experience. Chris Deangelis, bassist for Kung Fu, described the connection between the name and the experience: “It’s all been pretty organic. We like to kick ’em in the face, and then nurse them back to health.” It is easily agreeable that anyone who has seen Kung Fu live can agree with this statement, as there is rarely a dull moment for the band or the crowd while these guys are on stage. After Kung Fu, Escort took main stage. The entire set was mostly focused around a 1970’s disco vibe, with the lead vocals from Adeline Michele creating a mind blowing stage presence with her powerful voice. The talent of each member in this band is incomparable when fused together to make a disco-funk explosion. When Michele picked up the bass, you were immediately aware that each member in the band had an outrageous amount of talent outside of their one specific niche.

    The Indobox raised the heat in the Space Ball city tent; by the end of the set the inside of the tent had increased at least 10 degrees. The Indobox always packs a huge punch and brings something outside of what most festival goers are used to seeing. Jules Jenssen once again stole the show on the drums, but that is certainly not to say that the rest of the band did not throw down as well. The entire set had a very indie-electro vibe which was only solidified by their amazing cover of Mike Snow’s “Animal.” Holy Fuck! of Toronto, Canada took main stage at midnight and brought a new and eclectic vibe to the festival. The rhythm between drum and bass progressively built taking the set in twists and turns panning between high tempo and ambient beats. Each song played with different tempos and builds to create an experience that is unlike most electronic bands that exist. Overall the set was phenomenal and a great beginning to the late night music. Gaudi was another artist that brought a completely different sound to The Big Up Festival. The set played between world music and break beats shifting from harder, faster tempos into slower paced dub and reggae. Jeff Bujak played in between sets bringing his high energy, dance party vibe to the late night tent, in a way only Buj could.

    Saturday was a beautiful day in comparison to the rainy days that had led up to the last day at the Big Up Festival. Consider the Source took main stage mid-afternoon in a very CTS fashion, holding absolutely nothing back and unleashing a fire set that had the crowd yelling for more as they left the stage. Halfway through the set they pulled out an insane cover of “Run Like Hell,” which is definitely over done, but somehow these boys managed to put their own twist on it and turn it into a loud, chaotic and beautiful rendition of a classic song. The Heavy Pets pulled out a great version of “So Thank You Music” while Higher Organix second set of the weekend was absolute fire. Throughout the set there were ribbon dancers cascading from the top of the main stage down to the floor. Jules Jenssen closed the set with an outrageous drum solo that made the entire crowd step back and evaluate what the hell was going on. This guy can play the drums, that’s an understatement for sure. Once he was done, he yelled into the microphone, “Sorry guys, I’m a little tired so cut me some slack.” If that’s tired, after three days of performing AND running a music festival, then wow.

    Kung Fu came on main stage later with their Prince tribute. The Motet’s vocalist Jans Ingber stepped in to cover Prince’s vast vocal range and did not falter. The energy of Kung Fu is unfathomable, and when you mix that with Prince it is nothing short of spectacular. They played all the classics mixing in their own funky twist. They closed with the ever popular dance tune “1999”. Afterwards, it was no surprise that the Space Ball City tent was packed wall to wall for Normal Instruments. This powerhouse of musicians is always a crowd-pleaser and they certainly did not disappoint.

    Beats Antique stole the show with Zoe Jakes pulling out all of the stops as she danced across the stage. Some of the highlights included a beautifully executed “Beauty Beats” and a high energy “Dope Crunk”. After their set, Zoe stated, “I feel like Upstate New York has an open community to anything. I feel a connection and openness and connection to the music and art that I give out to the crowd”

    Walking into the tent stage to Eskmo’s performance would start as very confusing and end as absolutely blown away. Eskmo clearly has a very creative concept on how to make music, and it certainly works for him. Behind his table he did everything from pop soda cans, crumple bottles of water, smash two shovels together, and sing melodic sound bites into the microphone, all while looping them to a back beat to make a layered track. If you had just heard this song in passing you would never think it was created using a variety of household oddities.

    Clearly The Big Up Festival did a great job of covering a wide variety of artists while giving the chance to smaller artists to share the stage with some of the biggest names in the game. It is no wonder this festival had such high anticipation and excitement surrounding the comeback after seeing the amount of talent that graced the stage of this small Upstate New York town. The Big Up Festival’s ‘upstronauts’ have already begun the countdown to the next epic year of amazing music and art.

  • Chenango 21st Annual Blues Festival August 16th & 17th

    This year is the 21st annual Chenango Blues Festival draws thousands to a beautiful rural venue in Norwich, NY. This year’s festival will take place August 16th & 17th at the Chenango County Fairgrounds. Tent Camping space is still available and can be purchased in addition to your festival ticket for $35.00 for the weekend (Camping Guidelines). Tickets are $20.00 in advance and $30.00 the day of the show, Ticket sale locations can be found HERE.

    Photo Courtesy Of: http://www.chenangobluesfest.org/2012-photos.html
    Photo Courtesy Of chenango blues fest

    Friday, August 16, 2013
    Frontier Communications – Free Friday Night show!
    Chenango County Fairgrounds – Tent Stage

    6:00 – 6:45 p.m. – Pinecone Fletcher
    7:15 – 8:30 p.m. – Tinsley Ellis
    9:00 – 10:30 p.m. – Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers

    Saturday, August 17, 2013
    Chenango County Fairgrounds
    Sheffield Bio-Science Infield Stage

    Gates open at 11:00 a.m.

    12:00 – 1:00 p.m. – Chris O’Leary
    1:45 – 3:00 p.m. – California Honeydrops

    4:00 – 5:20 p.m. – Larry McCray Band
    6:30 – 8:00 p.m. – Shemekia Copeland
    9:15 – Royal Southern Brotherhood

    Nelson & Flanagan/Grouse Ridge Kennel Tent Stage

    1:00 – 1:45 p.m. – Tas Cru
    3:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Valerie June
    5:20 – 6:30 p.m.- Ben Prestage
    8:00 – 9:15 p.m. – Honey Island Swamp Band

     

    **Please be aware that no tickets for Saturday’s show will be sold at the Friday show this year. Will call only from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

  • The All-Inclusive Preview of Equifunk: The All-Inclusive Music Festival Part 5

    Equifunk: The All-Inclusive Music Festival is happening from August 16 to 18 and we have brought you over the past few weeks a preview of the bands that will be playing the festival.  We are wrapping up our preview with the daily schedule announcement as well as a preview of one of the Sunday headliners, Pork Tornado.

    Pork Tornado is a band co-founded by Phish drummer Jon Fishman and Dan Archer, who is a record producer and engineer and helped record Phish’s album Lawn Boy.  The band plays blues, country and rock covers as well as original material.  First formed in 1997, the band never really got moving until Phish’s first hiatus in 2000.  By 2002 the band had an album out and was touring regularly until Phish got back together.  The band does not perform much anymore so it is always a pleasure to get a chance to see them.  This is their only announced date for the rest of the year, so if you are a fan of the band you do not want to miss out on this show.

    Equifunk: The All-Inclusive Music Festival has been setting up some amazing events for the weekend.  There will be a 3 on 3 basketball tournament with one lucky team getting a chance to take on the guys from The Main Squeeze.  Tennis, kickball and softball games will also be taking place at the festival with artists joining in from time to time.  All food and beer is covered from when you step on to the premises on Friday all the way through Sunday morning’s breakfast, with plenty of food available to buy throughout the remainder of the day.

    equifunk music festivalThe daily schedule was released yesterday and can be found here, but we would like to give you some of the highlights of each day. Friday kicks off at 3 PM with the Woody Brown Project and does not stop until 3:30 AM with a set by Boombox. Throughout Friday there are no sets scheduled to overlap with The New Mastersounds headlining the night.  Saturday is the most packed day of the festival with music starting at 11 AM and going all day until a little before 4 AM.  The afternoon is looking great with back to back to back sets by Keller Williams & More Than A Little, The Heavy Pets, and Marco Benevento.

    The night is looking great too with Nigel Hall Band going into Anders Osborne with John Medeski followed by Soulive & The Shady Horns with Maceo Parker.  A late night Marco Benevento campfire set goes into The New Mastersounds & Friends set to close the day.  This will be the first time in six years that there will be music all day Sunday and the line-up for the day is great.  Music will be starting a little before 11 AM and go 12 full hours until 11 PM with no sets overlapping.  The day ending back to backs see The Revivalists go into Pork Tornado and the festival will close with The M&M’s, a super group made for the festival that includes Stanton Moore, Maceo Parker, Papa Mali, John Medeski, Robert Mercurio, and Marco Benevento.

    This is definitely going to be a great festival that you do not want to miss.  The levels of funk that will be coming from the speakers all weekend is going to be intense.  Tickets are available now here.  Check out our full preview of the Equifunk festival here.

  • The Road To Bella Terra: Bujak, Mentally Ill and DJ Leila Lay it Down at Red Square, July 27

    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

  • All Good Music Festival was All Great

    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.

  • Oneonta Hills Bluegrass Festival, August 9-11th

    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://www.reverbnation.com/show/9765049

  • The All-Inclusive Preview of Equifunk: The All-Inclusive Music Festival Part 4

    equifunk Festival

    Equifunk: The All-Inclusive Music Festival is happening from August 16 to 18 this year and we are happy to announce a new series on that will bring you previews and interviews with bands that will be playing the festival.  The All-Inclusive Preview is happy to take a look at Marco Benevento to continue this series.

    Marco is no stranger to those in the Upstate region.  Living in Woodstock, he regularly visits Albany, Syracuse and Buffalo while out on tour.  His mastery of the keys along with his fun-filled jam-packed set always sets the floor into a dance party regardless of what venue he is playing.  Marco will be playing at least three times over the weekend with a solo set, a special late night camp fire set, and finally on Sunday he will playing with The M&M’s that also includes Maceo Parker, Stanton Moore, John Medeski, Robert Mercurio, and Papa Mali.  He is no stranger to the festival as this will be his 3rd appearance.

    Tickets are available now here.  Check out our full preview of the Equifunk festival here.