Most festival’s are lucky to get past their first year nowadays, the ones that hold longevity often do it deservedly and the 34th annual Gathering at Chaffee’s is no exception. Along with the storied history, the 2 day festival’s proceeds have always gone to charity, specifically the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Children’s Advocacy Center of Erie, PA.
Held just a hop skip and a 20 mile jump west of Erie, PA on the expansive land of the Chaffee family, this 2 day affair offers on site car camping, explorations through the woods, vendors, on site local beer tasting from Lavery Brewery and local home brewers (10$ for unlimited samples while supplies last) and a whole lot of excellent music. Beyond that, whether you’re a first timer or have been coming for years, you will find one of the friendliest group of festival denizens just about anywhere. Upgrades this year include a 100’x40′ party tent lit up with visuals and morning “hangover” yoga on Saturday.
Things will kick off at 2:30 Friday afternoon with a duo of Erie based bands. The experimental “little bit of everything” sounds of Triage Unit will be followed by the hard bluesy rock of Special Guest. After the locals, the tasteful jamtronica of Ohio’s Broccoli Samurai will make way for the funk bombs of Massachusetts Funktapuss. Eric Brewer and “Phriends” will bring it back to the local scene with a Phish tribute set and Buffalo’s red-hot groove machine Aqueous will headline Friday for the second straight year.
Things start-up earlier Saturday at 11AM with six straight locally based bands – the alt-rock of Falling Moira, the Trohoske Grey Jazz Trio, This American Songs americana, the hip hop jam of The L.E.C., Gnosis’s electronica, and arguably Erie’s biggest band, Falling Hollywood. North Carolina’s BIG Something will start the heavy jamming for the night. Twenty year vets and often moe. contributors Conehead Buddha will then set thing up for the nights two headliners – Ithaca’s Jimkata and Boston’s Spiritual Rez.
Make your weekend a gathering! Only 50$ at the gate and online, including free camping, parking and unlimited awesomeness. And remember, try to have some extra fun, because after all, it’s for the kids!
Funktapuss from the 2013 Gathering
The normally reserved nature of the beautiful Kodak Hall at Eastman School of Music became a virtual party room. A congregation of old and young, suburban and urban, liberals and conservatives all standing together for the purest spectacle of music mastery that may have ever entered this distinguished venue. Seats did not remain full for long as the performance was peppered with standing ovations, rushes to the front to shake hands offered by the band, and an endless cacophony of applause, shrieks and dancing feets.
