Category: Music Festivals

Gathering of the Legends: A Vibes Recap

Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Conn. once again played host for the 2014 edition of the Gathering of the Vibes, a music festival which featured a dreamlike musical lineup with rock legends at every turn. Literally offering something for almost all musical tastes, Vibes once again showed why it has become one of the most entertaining and dominant festivals this country has to offer. The music that these four magical days produced seemed to blow the sky-high expectations out of the water and will certainly serve as one of the true highlights of this year’s summer festival season.

Thursday Gathering of the Vibes offered a full four days of music and the proceedings kicked off early Thursday afternoon. One of the early headliners was White Denim, a true up and comer on the scene, currently in the midst of a full-scale North American tour. Their set on the Green Vibes Stage, the secondary stage of the festival located just outside the main grounds and near Boardie Camping, featured selections from their new album Corsicana Lemonade. Afterwards, Rusted Root took over the stage and contributed a set filled with their usual selections including their entertaining take on the Elvis classic “Suspicious Minds”. Following a spirited set of tunes from Ryan Montbleu & Friends on the Main Stage, old school northeastern jam icons Strangefolk delivered the first memorable set on this stage with a poignant yet lighthearted string of songs that included a full set sit in from Jason Crosby of God Street Wine and Assembly of Dust. Stanley Jordan, a guitar virtuoso who essentially served as a musician at large throughout the entire festival, made his first appearance with an inclusion on “Sometimes”. Despite a solid start of music, an unfortunate mishap occurred on the opening night of the festival as East or Boardie Camping, an area of campsites located near the festival grounds that comes with an additional cost due to its close proximity, was improperly arranged with cars due to a staffing deficiency earlier in the afternoon. This forced the area to close at a certain hour of night and force campers who had rightful access to it to park in West aka General Camping which is further away from all the stages and main festival grounds. To the festival’s credit however, they did allow campers with passes to East Camping to move their cars and belongings to the right area the following morning when sunlight would allow for a much more feasible transition.

The latter part of music on Thursday night included a Grateful Dead tribute band and one of the true rising talents in the jam scene. Dark Star Orchestra did not replicate a Dead show of yonder but instead delivered two sets of covers that traversed both the Dead and Jerry Garcia Band catalogs. “Shakedown Street” served as an appropriate opener before seguing into an impressive “Greatest Story Ever Told”. Later, the GOTV veterans smoothly moved through the JGB classic “Cats Under the Stars” before bringing Stanley Jordan and drummer Kenwood Dennard on stage for a sit in on “Bird Song” which ended the first set. DSO’s second set, as expected, was a little more spacey but not before a “China Cat Sunflower” started things up again before giving way to a “Hey Pocky Way” and, eventually, “I Know You Rider”. A stellar “Playing in the Band” then sandwiched a drums jam which featured another appearance from Jordan and Dennard for good measure. This performance helped set the tone for what is typically a heavily Grateful Dead inspired weekend and this year’s Vibes would certainly prove to be no different. A late night set from Dopapod was the only thing left on the menu this evening and the thriving electronica quartet was the perfect fit for last act of the day. The group displayed a deft touch in moving in and out of different musical styles ranging from hard rock to psychedelic dub and showed off a much improved light rig that definitely enhanced the performance. The collaborative spirit was still alive and well late at night as Dopapod’s set also featured another sit in from Stanley Jordan and later Todd Stoops and Adrian Tramantano from Kung Fu joined the fray for two songs which included a monstrous version of “Trapper Keeper”. Dopapod seems to slowly be making the ascension many thought they would and their set capped off an extremely busy first day.

Friday Another band making a slow yet steady rise to prominence in the festival circuit, Twiddle, served as the wake up call on the Main Stage for the first full day of music. As would be expected for any set starting at 11 a.m., the group played a fairly laid back but heartfelt set of songs to a crowd that steadily grew as the festival population continued to rise and shine. By the end of their set, the band seemed genuinely honored with how many people were present which suddenly made such an early start time not as bad. Afterwards, the next Grateful Dead inspired act took the stage in the form of a certified power trio. Keller Williams brought his Grateful Grass act to Bridgeport which featured the very capable assistance of Jeff Austin on mandolin and Reed Mathis on bass guitar. On an increasingly humid afternoon in front of a rapt crowd, the group acoustically plowed through a string of Dead tunes from all eras. The set began with the band intricately weaving in and out of a sublime version of “Eyes of the World” that featured a strong outro jam which segued right into “Brown Eyed Women” which, in turn, transitioned right into the opening of “Birdsong”. Perhaps more impressive than the quality of play from these masterful musicians was their innate ability to craft cohesive jams that seamlessly flowed right into one another. After Williams delivered a heartfelt thank you to the crowd for giving them an excuse to play all of these wonderful songs, the group demolished one last segue in the form of the set closing combination of “Scarlet Begonias -> Fire”.

The musical tone then shifted, albeit briefly, to big band style as Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue followed on the Main Stage with a rousing set of New Orleans themed funk and jazz numbers. Strong rhythmic jams with heavy brass overtones filled this lively set as festival goers slowly started to populate areas in the crowd with lawn chairs and blankets in an effort to carve out personal real estate for the rest of the night. In the true spirit of a communal festival, setting chairs and leaving other personal belongings on the ground to do this is not only safe and permissible but also somewhat recommended as long as it’s not done too close to the stage or it interferes with someone else’s vantage point. Once the Mardi Gras atmosphere that had been built up subsided a little, it was once again time to pay homage to the Grateful Dead, the band responsible for the inspiration of the first Gathering of the Vibes festival 19 years ago. Drummer extraordinaire Joe Russo has assembled an all-star band of sorts that is making themselves quite known due to their ability to both pay tribute to Dead compositions of all sorts while adding a modern-day influence and style to the jams that ensue. Featuring other established artists like Marco Benevento on keys and Scott Metzger on guitar, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead tore through Grateful Dead staples like “Casey Jones” and “St. Stephen” and did so in a fashion that seemed to have even the oldest or most jaded Deadheads slowly nodding in agreement. A true highlight was a soulful version of “Reuben & Cherise”, a song Jerry Garcia often performed with his solo projects, that slowly but steadily morphed into yet another stirring rendition of “Eyes of the World”. Guitarist Tommy Hamilton took care of lead vocals on the majority of songs played and the set ended with one last segue of “Lazy Lightning -> Uncle John’s Band”, a pair of songs which had been played in the opposite order to begin the set.

This would be the last of The Grateful Dead themed portions of the day as the final three acts on the Main Stage greatly varied in both substance and style. San Diego rockers Slightly Stoopid brought a loose, fun and total West Coast vibe to this East Coast festival with a lengthy set of rock and reggae inspired songs. A vibrant horn section helped give a lot of their songs an old school ska feel to them as well. The band even decided to reach back into the vaults for an older song from 1994 that was straight up punk rock which, no lie, resulted in a full-fledged hippie mosh pit. This may be a first for Vibes but research is still ongoing. With a fun and ‘lively’ mood in the crowd now firmly established, it was then time for one of the weekend’s true headliners, John Fogerty. The driving force behind Credence Clearwater Revival, one of the most iconic American bands ever formed, seems like he hasn’t lost a step at all and prowled all over the Main Stage with a complete set of classic rock hits. Starting with the “Travelin’ Band” opener, Fogerty began his set with a string of popular songs like “Born on the Bayou”, “Lodi” and “Lookin Out My Back Door”. Following this, he then went back and forth between lesser known solo numbers and other CCR classics like “Susie Q” and a set closing “Fortunate Son” that seemed to feature the entire crowd on backup vocals. The rock legend then came out for a stirring encore of “Bad Moon Rising” and “Proud Mary” which allowed Fogerty one last chance to show off his infectious stage presence and properly end a set that was much more lively and powerful than many may have expected.

Finally, it was time for one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend as Lotus, an established act in the jamtronica vein of today’s music scene, promised a set of ‘deconstructed’ Talking Heads covers. This meshing of two distinct musical styles had everyone dreaming big and also wondering if the performance would be all instrumental or not. This question was answered immediately with Gabe Otto taking care of the lead vocals on the opener ‘Pull Up the Roots’. Donned in his finest all white suit and doing an admirable impression of David Byrne, Otto handled the vocals on all songs when needed. When it wasn’t needed, Lotus delighted the evening crowd with a stunning technical proficiency and truly unique take on another immensely influential American band. Driving guitar riffs and spacey synth effects served as a foundation for the music that expertly mixed the percussive heavy jam style of Talking Heads with the electronica aspects of Lotus – a match made in music festival heaven. ‘The Great Curve’ was played to perfection and, later, Tommy Hamilton reemerged to lend guitar work on “I Zimbra” and the Lotus original “Spiritualize”. Some of the other highlights were songs taken from the Talking Heads Remain in Light album like “Born Under Punches” and “Crosseyed and Painless”, the latter of which featured Jason Hann from String Cheese Incident and EOTO on percussion. What appeared to be a first time musical experiment can clearly be deemed a success which was met with resounding applause from a tired yet appreciative Vibes crowd. With action now complete on the Main Stage after a thorough day of music, the crowd slowly parted as people weighed decisions on whether to retire to campsites, trudge over to the Green Vibes stage for Deep Banana Blackout and EOTO late night sets or take a nice long walk down the shoreline to the Silent Disco which featured a plethora of DJs spinning well into the night.

Saturday The term “Super Saturday” can be thrown around loosely at times and may not always ring true but on the third day of Gathering of the Vibes it most certainly did. With superstar names like Umphrey’s McGee, Widespread Panic and The Disco Biscuits all on the day’s lineup, Saturday was, by far, the day most people were looking forward to and it certainly featured the largest crowd of the weekend as many came to the festival this day only based on the music that was being offered. If it’s possible, a day that began with very high hopes seemingly had them all exceeded and then some with a Saturday that produced one magical moment after another. Appropriately filling in the pre-noon time slot on the Main Stage was Assembly of Wine – a hybrid of band members from Assembly of Dust and God Street Wine. Their relaxed and quasi-folky sound helped those few who were in attendance to wake up and start a new day with a relaxed attitude. Afterwards, Connecticut locals Kung Fu got things a little more warmed up with their signature brand of ‘in your face’ funk rock. When their set was completed, Stoops, Tramantano and guitarist Tim Palmieri held court in the media tent, answered questions and shed a little inside light on what appears to be a potentially exciting and popular band on the rise.

Gathering of the Vibes really showed its musical diversity on Saturday with the bands performing that afternoon. First, a relaxed and intimate set of bluegrass inspired rock went down on the Main Stage as the recently reunited Leftover Salmon were joined by Bill Payne of Little Feat for the entire set. Covers of Little Feat classics “Oh Atlanta” and “Dixie Chicken” stood out amongst everything played even though they stayed fairly true to the original versions. Next, acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela wowed spectators with their unique style of synchronized strumming and picking before giving way to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, a relatively new indie folk band and one of the few West Coast acts to appear this weekend. All of these acts served as wonderful musical appetizers of sorts, but now it was time for some main courses. Starting with a lively Dumpstaphunk set on the Green Vibes stage, for the rest of the evening, music would be served by true titans of the current jam scene. One of these is the popular Midwestern rock outfit Umphrey’s McGee. Certainly no stranger to the festival circuit, Umphrey’s played a set full of songs from their newest album Second Skin starting with the opener, “Cut the Cable”. Later, Kenwood Dennard would lend his percussive assistance again with a sit in on “Women Wine and Song”. The Chicago rockers then proceeded to deliver a complete set of their popular blend of musical improvisation fueled by prog rock themes and blistering cohesiveness. UM showed off its dark side as well with a harrowing cover of Tool’s “Forty Six & Two” with drummer Kris Myers taking care of the vocals. This paved the way for an old school closer in “Miss Tinkle’s Overture” that served as a fitting end to a remarkable set.

The bar had certainly been set high with this performance, but amazingly, Widespread Panic was able to build on it and take the music to another level. With all traces of sunlight now finally gone, the Southern rockers opened things with an energetic “Tall Boy” opener highlighted by some spirited play on piano from JoJo Hermann. This moved seamlessly into another older, classic tune in “Climb to Safety” and the band was off and running and didn’t look back. Other highlights included a massively psychedelic “Little Lilly” which featured some captivating background lighting on stage. A slow and steady jam followed that eventually picked up in pace and before long, Col. Bruce Hampton joined the band on stage and lent his vocal prowess to a wild version of “Fixin’ to Die”. Between the truly inspired guitar solos from Jimmy Herring and an ultra-steady rhythm section, Panic delivered both a musical and visual show for the ages that touched on all areas of their extensive catalog of songs. Classics like “Chilly Water” and “Driving Song” were expertly mixed with newer songs like “Cotton Was King” and covers like JJ Cale’s “Ride Me High”. The finished product wound up being one of the most impressive and memorable acts of the entire weekend, a feat unto itself right there. While most people knew what to expect from a Widespread Panic performance, the one that followed had everyone guessing as to the possibilities. The kings of the modern jamtronica scene, The Disco Biscuits, recruited the help of some familiar faces for a potentially mind-blowing musical collaboration. Mickey Hart & Bill Kretutzmann, the Rhythm Devils themselves, would be joining them for a performance that saw old school Grateful Dead songs performed in a truly new school manner. At first, only the Philadelphia foursome appeared on stage as they warmed everyone up with a fairly standard run through of “Story of the World”, a Bisco original. A surprising cover choice in James Brown’s “I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing” followed which also featured a guest vocalist in Greg Sherrod to give it a truly soulful touch. Soon after, the music steadily shifted back from funky to untzy as the band ripped through the ending of another standout original song, “Confrontation”.

While hopes of an inverted version went by the wayside, it was then time to bring out the guests of honor as Hart and Kreutzmann got both the introduction and warm welcome each deserves as they arrived on stage. In a truly fitting first song choice, the newly formed sextet delivered a stunning version of “Home Again” that was marked with a superb ascending jam. It only made sense to play a first song like this with two members of The Grateful Dead, a band which helped inspire the notion of festivals like this. In true jamband fashion, the opening number eventually turned into a new one without any stoppage and a string of modernized Dead classics ensued. Starting with “West L.A. Fadeaway” – the next sequence of songs was one for the ages as the drum icons lent a steady and recognizable rhythm to the proceedings. “I Know You Rider” and yet another “Eyes of the World” with keyboardist Aron Magner on vocals followed; the group did a remarkable job of keeping the basic integrity of these classic songs intact while injecting a faster tempo with contemporary musical effects at certain times. The always upbeat “Shakedown Street” also made an appearance and as a slow, gentle rain began to descend on the crowd towards the end of the set, another impressive jam steered its way into a take of “Viola Lee Blues”. A song that was expected to be heard as The Disco Biscuits had debuted it in a performance earlier this summer. One last Bisco tune rounded out the set in the form of a long and powerful “I-Man” that was rich in musical texture and served as a fitting end to the set. The encore featured a legitimate choir on stage that sang everybody home with a spirited version of “And We Bid You Goodnight” – a song often used to close out Dead shows of the past and a more than fitting ending to an epic day of music.

Sunday The final day of Vibes generally has a more relaxed and intimate feel to it as people begin to pack up campsites and prep for the ride home back to reality. This year’s Sunday was no different as afternoon sets from Maceo Parker and McLovins were fairly laid back and mellow. After each of these, the music then took on a true Upstate New York vibe as two more legends graced the festival with their respective styles. Donna the Buffalo has been delivering their infectious sound of zydeco fueled grassroots rock all over New York and the rest of the country for many years now. Their set on the Green Vibes stage fit the relaxed Sunday atmosphere perfectly as Tara Nevins belted out the inspirational lyrics of the band’s classic hit “If You Only Could”. Over on the main stage, fellow New York rock legends moe. treated the Sunday crowd to a set full of originals. A lively “Tailspin” opener soon turned into “Hi and Lo” – a much older tune, before transitioning into “Little Miss Cup Half Empty”; a song from their most recent release No Guts, No Glory. A fairly straightforward set followed with “Buster” and “Wind it Up” serving as songs/jams of note.

Once the Upstate New York portion of the festival was completed, the end of a memorable weekend was within sight, but not before two more notable acts closed out the Main Stage. Ziggy Marley was the perfect choice to fill one of the Sunday afternoon time slots as he led his band and the audience for a set composed of mostly original numbers. As good as they may have been, it’s hard to argue that they got the same reception as his father’s ‘love’ songs as “Is This Love”, “One Love” and “Could You Be Loved” all made appearances. Afterwards, one of the last additions to the festival’s lineup, Dispatch, closed things out in fine fashion with an upbeat and positive set of rock and harmonies. The 19th Gathering of the Vibes was now in the books and what a weekend of music it was for those fortunate enough to be in attendance all four days. Despite some early mishaps, the festival smartly put all its chips behind the immense musical talent that truly defined this year’s Vibes. With pleasant weather throughout and the same warm, communal vibe that’s present every year, it would be hard not to declare this year a resounding success with one of the finest musical lineups ever assembled.

August 14, 2014
moe.down 15 Comes Back to the Festival’s Original Time and Place

moe.down 15 is set for its return Labor Day Weekend at the Snow Ridge Ski Resort in Turin, N.Y.

After moving to a different location several years ago, the fest is finally back to the original time and place where it all began. There’s no doubt that moe. fans and live music lovers are pleased by the announcement.

moe.down began at the Snow Ridge Ski Resort in 2000 with around 3,000 people in attendance and has since grown to become home to roughly 10,000 music revelers for Labor Day Weekend. More important than the time and location of the festival, is the band that started it all, moe.. The Rock/Jam quintet has had a revolving cast since their forming at the University of Buffalo in 1989, with Rob Derhak and Chuck Garvey being the only original members remaining. moe. has become a veteran and staple of the festival scene, getting their start at Gathering of the Vibes in 1998.

This year’s line-up will include moe., Gogol Boredello, O.A.R., Lotus, Soulive, Les Claypool’s Due De Twang, Jerry Douglas Band, The Rich Robinson Band, Everyone Orchestra, Twiddle, Floodwood, Aqueous, The Werks, Conehead Buddha, American Babies, and Wild Adriatic. Representing the Upstate New York area is Aqueous of Buffalo, known for their Groove/Rock style, Conehead Buddha with their Latin and funk rhythms hailing from Coxsackie, Floodwood and their unforgettable String Band sound from Utica, Wild Adriatic of Saratoga Springs, and of course moe..

The festival grounds at the Snow Ridge Ski Resort are a beautiful and well suited are for the event, with the ski slopes for seating. There are two stages on the grounds, with numerous vendors selling many different types of food and other goods. Two support groups for festivalgoers can be found; Yodeladies, a women’s support group and The Happy Hour Heroes, an AA Support group. Both being named after moe. songs. The adjacent hills are used as camping grounds, separated into Family and Sober, Quiet and Regular camping areas. A Kid’s Tent is set up during the day from 12-4pm for parents needing their young ones supervised. Snow Ridge Ski Resort is also right next to the local Steak N’ Brew for anyone wanting an actual meal at the fest.

moe.down has been host to many big name headliners over the last 15 years, besides moe. themselves. Past headlining acts include Stanley Jordan Trio, Umphrey’s McGee, Slightly Stupid, The Black Keys, Cake, Redman and Method Man, Ani DiFranco, Yonder Mountain String Band, Bela Fleck, The Roots, Medeski Scofield Martin and Wood, Ziggy Marley, Keller Williams, Tea Leaf Green, Violent Femmes, Blues Traveler, Mike Gordon, Michael Franti and Spearhead, John Brown’s Body, Donna the Buffalo, Soulive, The Wailers, Dave Grissam Quartet, and Les Claypool.

moe.down 15 will provide a nice mix of Jam, Rock, Funk, and Bluegrass for live music lovers from the Upstate area and abroad. The beautiful grounds, wholesome environment, and good music can be a perfect end of the summer getaway for any type of person. The fest starts Friday, August 29^th and will end Sunday the 31^st. Tickets are on sale now for $150 and may also be bought at the gate. Parking for the weekend will be an addition $10. More information can be found at the moe.down website.

moe.down 15 Festival Playlist

Warm yourself up for moe.down 15 with a preview playlist of this year’s preforming artists.

Performers on the playlist include moe., Les Claypool’s Duo De Twang, O.A.R., Soulive, Lotus, Floodwood, Aqueous, Twiddle, and The Werks. Be sure to check out the upcoming moe.down 15 Festival Preview via NYS Music Music Guide.

moe.down 15 will be held on Labor Day weekend, August 29-31, at the Snow Ridge Ski Resort in Turin, N.Y. For tickets, please visit the band’s website.

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August 14, 2014
Mayhem Festival Comes to Darien Lake

The Rockstar Mayhem Festival always brings the biggest names in metal music to the masses and this year at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Western NY, everyone was fully prepared for the event. Mayhem Festival is one of those festivals that I try to attend every year because the atmosphere is meant for all the misfits. The fan base represented, elderly couples in band shirts to a five-year old on her dad’s shoulders rocking out to music.

A lot of excellent, head banging bands filled the stages of Mayhem Festival; but the stage that caught a lot of attention was the Coldcock American Herbal Whiskey Stage. The two bands that I personally thought stood out the most were Mushroomhead and Miss May I. Mushroomhead fans waited and cheered when their stage was being set up. Without having any idea of what to expect, the band came out wearing gory masks and the sound they made was a mixture of metal, industrial and even a bit of rap influenced. Fans looked intrigued. Water covered the drums on stage and as the drumsticks hit each drum, water flew in the air to each beat. The vibe they gave on stage was rather ‘Slipknot’ like and I later found out that Slipknot and Mushroomhead fans had a feud for years about who copied the whole mask look; regardless of the masks the band put on an energetic, horror metal show.

A much younger crowd approached the stage as Miss May I was announced, as soon as the band took the stage I thought “Oh great. Here we go another screaming band.” But something about them was different from any other metal core band. They interacted very much with the crowd and their songs were catchy, yet meaningful. The lead singer, Levi Benton had very deep growls and screams but when he talked to the crowd his voice was very soft and sweet. He asked the crowd if anyone is currently in the military and many cheered and Benton announced to the crowd to buy them a drink. He dedicated a song called “Hero With No Name” to the troops from their new album Rise Of The Lion. The band ended their set with Benton going into the crowd to be closer with fans and said that he will be at their merchandise tent after the show to talk and take pictures with fans. Within minutes after the band left the stage, fans rushed to the tent and Benton was more than happy to greet fans. I even walked out of their tent area with a signed CD because I was so impressed by their performance and their dedication to fans.

Finally, the moment that everyone was waiting for. Security was allowing people to find their seats for the main acts of the evening. I was thrilled to see KoRn and Avenged Sevenfold but I waited anxiously in my seat as two other bands were set to perform before the headliners. Trivium was the first band to take the stage and they brought everything they had. The band got the crowd going with frontman, Matt Heafy telling everyone to stand up and that Canada was the best show they had the other night. If you are from New York that would make anyone stand up and scream louder. Trivium played a total of seven songs including their singles ‘Through Blood and Dirt and Bone’ and ‘In Waves’. Even after the band left the stage, the crowd wanted more and so did I.

I was already pumped with adrenaline after watching Trivium take the stage and I watched as the crew was setting up for the next act, Asking Alexandria. Two huge light up A’s were put up as red curtains also drapped the stage. The excitement level of the crowd was rising as the lead singer made his way on stage dressed in a white suit jacket with a scarf and jeans. Everyone stood up and cheered and the band went into their first song of the set, ‘Don’t Pray For Me’ their 2013 single from their album From Death To Destiny. I was not too impressed by the band’s performance as the singer Danny Worsnop casually walked around on stage and would go off on little rants about if the crowd did not like the band then they could drink more and forget about them. But to the fans that waited to see them, the band played all the songs that the crowd wanted to hear, ‘Moving on’ and ‘The Death of Me’. But other than that the band’s performance was nothing special.

Finally, the performances everyone was waiting for. Korn unleashed the madness as they came out with a booming performance. . I was impressed at the professionalism of Jonathan Davis while the band opened up with ‘Falling Away From Me’ and Davis’s microphone was not working and he continued to sing and did not cause a scene until he received a new microphone and went straight into the chorus. Reginald Arvizu hypnotized the crowd with his neon green strings on his bass. After the band went into a few more of their hits. Davis brought out his bag pipes and the crowd roared with excitement as the band went into ‘Shoots and Ladders’. They also ended the show with ‘Coming Undone’, ‘Here To Stay’ and ‘Never Never’. But then the crowds favorite were played, ‘Freak On The Leash’ and ‘Blind’ and then as the band ended the show, they brought out their kids on stage and the kids head banged and threw guitar picks to the audience. Korn definitely will spread metal music to generations to come and they continued to show that the band still had the same level of passion that they had when they first came out in the music world.

As Korn left the stage, a black curtain dropped along the stage and the Avenged Sevenfold symbol was shown on the front. My excitement was building and I knew Avenged Sevenfold always put on a mind-blowing show after seeing them twice. The lights dimmed once more and the curtain raised as the stage showed a massive skeleton sitting in a throne with a crown, obviously dedicated to the band’s Hail To The King album. The audience erupted as flames came out from the stage and the band opened up with ‘Shepherds Of Fire.’ Lead singer, Matt Shadows took the time to say how the stage was not very personal with the fans and he asked security to bring fans on to the stage and he made a promise that the band would not throw fire at them. The right side of the stage filled with fans as they jumped and screamed to the songs while every once in a while Shadows and guitar player, Synyster Gates would give high fives to the fans that were lucky enough to come up on stage. Avenged Sevenfold played well-known songs like ‘Nightmare’, ‘Bat Country’, ‘Almost Easy’ and then the song ‘So Far Away.’ Shadows took the time explaining the meaning behind ‘So Far Away’. In 2009, the band’s long time drummer, Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan passed away. The song ‘ was dedicated to Sullivan and fans held up lighters and their phones during the song as a memorial for the drummer. The band left the stage after their song ‘This Means War’ but the fans wanted more. The fans banged their hands on the back of the seats and started chanting ‘A7X!’ and I doubt was part of that also. Moments later, the band came out for a two song encore with one of their first ever singles, ‘Unholy Confessions’ and then ended with the kinda disturbing song, ‘A Little Piece Of Heaven’ which Shadows describing the song as ‘A song about love, death and sex in the afterlife.’ It was a huge crowd pleasure and the song almost resembles a play with commentary throughout the song and a story to go along with it.

The crowd left the venue with sore necks, loss of voice and maybe a few bruises. But everyone could be seen with smiles on their faces and cheering. Korn and Avenged Sevenfold definitely brought back how metal and rock music should be and pleased every metal head in upstate New York.

Also check out our coverage of the Saratoga Springs Mayhem Festival here.

August 10, 2014
The Peach Music Festival 2014 will be an Epic Good Time

The Peach Music Festival is nestled in Northeast Pennsylvania’s Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA and returns this August 2014. The festival is less than four and a half hours from Pittsburgh and Buffalo and a little over two short hours from Albany, New York City and Philadelphia making it perfectly located for music lovers all over.

The Festival will be welcoming back The Allman Brothers Band, who started the festival back in 2012 with Live Nation. This year marks a certain milestone for The Allman’s, they’ve announced this will be their final year of touring together. The Peach is chock-full of some of the most premier touring bands, that for the price of admission, is an absolute steal. Below you will find a break down each day, so that you can plan accordingly, it’s going to be tough to see everyone but with proper planning you can make sure you catch the most bands humanely possible.

The Peach offers several different options for tickets but options are becoming limited as the festival approaches. Along with a ticket purchase most people either camp on site, bring an RV or stay in a local hotel. Thursday is the official start of the festival and with everyone pouring in for a busy weekend, you will want to get there early enough to set up and catch the opening band, Citizens Band Radio. All of Thursday’s bands will be playing on the Mushroom stage. The Mushroom stage is right smack in the middle of the water park of Montage Mountain. One of the coolest things about the Peach is that with the price of admission you also get to use the water park all weekend. The water park has a lazy river, wave pool and several water slides. There is nothing like being able to float around the lazy river and listen to the acts on the Mushroom stage. Citizen’s Band Radio will start at 6PM

Cabinet plays at 7:30PM on Thursday, local to the area, this band was the talk of The Peach in past years. Cabinet is bringing the northeast bluegrass scene to the front and center of whatever city they are in;don’t miss this homegrown sensation. George Clinton and the Parliament Funk follows Cabinet in the 10PM slot. George Clinton and the Parliament Funk are absolute legends in the Funk music scene, touring since the ’60s, they have influenced countless music groups and are going to get you fired up for the entire weekend. Closing out the first night will be Dopapod, who are deservedly returning to the festival this year. They got everyone raging last year in the late night slot and are perfectly paired once again, with the Thursday night midnight slot. The night is packed with a great lineup but its only a taste of what the weekend will bring. Don’t burn yourself out too much on the first night there will be plenty of music come Friday.

On Friday the music starts at 12pm on the Mushroom stage. The Grove stage and The Peach Stage will also start on Friday so this is when the planning will really begin on your part. The Grove stage is a smaller stage outside of The Peach stage’s entrance. It is easier to check out music within those two stages but to get to the Mushroom stage, it’s a short walk to get there but nothing drastic. With music starting first on The Mushroom stage with Bobby Lee Rodgers at noon. Perfect timing for grabbing a bloody-mary from the water park’s bar and chillin to some early tunes from the Jazz rocker.

Here is where it begins to be tough, 2PM brings Trigger Hippy to the Mushroom stage and From Good Homes to the Peach stage. Trigger Hippy which is a super group of sorts and produces a soul driven rock and roll experience. The group consists of Black Crowes Steve Gorman (drums), Joan Osborne (vocals), Jackie Greene (vocals, guitar, keys), Tom Bukovac (guitar) and Nick Govrik. From Good Homes is a side group of Railroad Earth’s frontman Todd Scheaffer. The band dates back to Scheaffer’s high school days and disbanded in 1999, only to reunite 10 years later in 2009. The group combines Rock, Jazz, Celtic and Folk with Scheaffer’s solid writing. They have toured very extensivly throughout the Northeast, it will be good to see them back at it.

Blackberry Smoke follows From Good Homes and Bass master Victor Wooten follows Trigger Hippy on the Mushroom stage. Blackberry Smoke, mixing elements of Gospel, Rock and Bluegrass have been on the rise and earning it while touring 250 plus shows a year. The Mushroom stage will see The Revivalists, Boombox, and Papadosio for the remainder of the evening, The Grove stage will include Consider The Source, American Babies, The Vegabonds and Zoogma. The Peach stage begins to pick up quite a bit of steam with JJ Grey and Mofro and Tedeschi Trucks Band. Closing out Friday on the main stage will be none other then Grateful Dead’s legendary Bob Weir, who will be playing with Ratdog. Late night moves over to the Grove stage with Cabinet playing there second show in as many days and Big Gigantic on the Mushroom stage.

If you do go to sleep Friday night, you’ll want to be back at it in time for the music Saturday mourning, which will start again promptly at 11:15AM with The London Souls. The band will get everyone rocking early and might be a perfect start to the day on the Mushroom stage. The Same stage will also be shared with Rich Robinson Band, Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers, Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band, The Wood Brothers and Particle throughout the day and up until midnight. The Grove stage will see Tom Graham, Big Leg Emma, Flux Capacitor, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Aqueous, and The Werks will all play up until midnight. On the Peach Stage, Acts Tribal Seeds, Infamous Stringdusters, and The Greyboy Allstars will play the afternoon slots. Headlining Saturdays event will be Gov’t Mule, Trey Anastasio Band, and The Allman Brothers Band. The late night bands include Ron Holloway Band on the Grove stage and Lotus on the Mushroom stage.

Wake up with Warren, always a good time on Sunday’s at The Peach. Warren Haynes will play the morning slot, last year we saw Bob Weir so for those who were there last year will see a change this year. With only two stages on sunday it makes it easier to travel while both stages open are the Peach and it’s neighbor in the Grove stage. The Grove Stage will include Cherokee Red, George Wesley, Miz, and closing the weekend out on the Grove stage will be Jimkata at 430PM. The Peach stage will include Taj Mahal Trio, The Soul Rebels and only fitting closing the Peach Stage as well as the festival, The Allman Brothers Band.

Well there is the complete rundown of who is playing where at this year’s festival. Make sure you don’t forget any of your festival gear, bring plenty of water to stay hydrated and bring your dancing shoes as it’s going to be a weekend to remember for years to come. See you at the Peach!

FULL LINEUP WITH TIMES

August 7, 2014
The Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival is Coming to the NY State Fair

The 5^th Annual Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival is coming to the NYS fairgrounds August 22. This year’s festival may be the best yet with names such as Godsmack, Skillet, These Raven Skies, and many more performing. The full afternoon and evening event begins at 2PM.

Beginning in the afternoon on the festival stage will be Escape the Fate, Redlight King, 3 Years Hollow, Tattered, and SuicideGirls. Also performing will be UPROAR 2013 Battle of the Bands winner, Sons of Revelry.

Headlining on the Rockstar Energy main stage will be Godsmack. They are touring in support of their sixth full length album, 100hp, which debuted August 5, 2014. The metal legends have sold over twenty-million records since their start in 1995. This will be their second time at UPROAR.

Joining Godsmack on the main stage will be Skillet and These Raven Skies. Ranked as one of the top five hardest working bands in 2011 by songkick.com, Skillet has sold over two-million records in their eight years together. They are touring to promote their new album Rise, which was released in 2013. These Raven Skies is the band formerly known as Dreams of Reason; They are touring to promote their debut album as These Raven Skies.

Don’t miss your chance to attend one of the hottest tours of the summer! Buy your Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival tickets here!

August 6, 2014
Road to Backwoods: DoomF*ck

The 8th annual Backwoods Pondfest, held in beautiful Adirondack Region of Peru, NY only a short drive from Plattsburgh and neighboring Canada takes place this coming weekend of August 8th and 9th. The 2 day festival will feature live music, art, yoga, hooping classes and new this year, a Disc Golf Tournament. Backwoods Pondfest attracts people from all over the East Coast every year, looking for an intimate festival experience that is family friendly yet knows how to party. The festival offers a large range of musicians, supporting both national and regional acts with this year’s lineup featuring The Manhattan Project, Chali 2na and The house of Vibe, Twiddle, Alan Evans’ Playonbrother, Aqueous, and many more. This “Road to Backwoods” piece will highlight the local improv band, Doomf*ck.

Doomf*ck hails from Plattsburgh, NY with Backwoods Pondfest being right in their own backyard to rage the Tent Stage first thing Saturday morning. There is a consistent rotation of band members with main stable member and bassist Catherine-Harrison-Wurster leading the heavy improv band. The diverse lineup creates a unique show experience each time with a fusion of jazz, punk, funk and simply noise. Doomf*ck will be performing tonight Aug 4 at Club Metronome, located above the historic Nectar’s in Burlington, VT as part of Metal Mondays with RAIL, Mac Swan and Black Holly. Doors are at 9pm with a charge of $5 for 18+ and $3 for 21+ event.

Tickets are still available for Backwoods Pondfest on their site or at any show with Lucid, The Garcia Project, Capital Zen and North Funktree. The last day to purchase tickets online is Tuesday Aug 5th but will be available at the festival at the gate. With early bird tickets already sold out, don’t miss out on your chance to experience Backwoods Pondfest. Be sure to like on Facebook, twitter and Instagram for Backwoods and all your festival coverage.

August 4, 2014
Review: Pitchfork Music Festival 2014

As the 2014 edition Pitchfork Music Festival entered its third and final day, a mass of fans gathered at Union Park’s northernmost stage to see Jordan Lee perform with his Brooklyn-based chamber folk band, Mutual Benefit. Their set featured music from the group’s 2013-released Love’s Crushing Diamond, intricately written tracks with sincere lyricism and eclectic instrumentation.

The early afternoon performance was punctuated with consistent mid-song banter from Lee. After jokingly introducing he and his band as Neutral Milk Hotel before their opening song, Lee took a moment in the middle of their set to make another quick-witted comment, saying that it had always been his dream to open for Slowdive and Kendrick Lamar in the same day.

As humor-intended as his statement had been, Lee had a point; the fantastic range of artists at Pitchfork – spanning both genres and generations – make the festival one of summer’s most exciting events in the indie music community.

Twenty-four hours before Lee took the stage, a group of 20-year-olds known as Twin Peaks played Saturday’s first show in a manner more fit for a headlining spot at Woodstock in 1969. The group’s overflowing rambunctiousness spilled into the audience, beginning when lead singer Cadien Lake James strolled out in a wheelchair and a cast up to his knee, and peaking when guitarist Clay Frankel smashed his guitar and threw the fragmented pieces into the audience.

For many fans, Twin Peaks’ set was followed by a performance from tUnE-yArDs, the afro-pop project of Brooklyn’s Merrill Garbus. Garbus’ set was backed by two vocalists, a percussionist, and a multi-instrumentalist – an arrangement that emphasized her experimental songwriting and fascinating performance style. Throughout the set, Garbus switched between a ukulele and a pair of standing tom drums, both of which she looped in conjunction with beguiling vocal melodies to lay a consistent texture under her lyricism.

Beck at Pitchfork Music Festival 2014 (Friday)

Pitchfork’s minimal stage set-up and open scheduling offered artists the time and resources to make each show sound exactly how they wanted. As the average music festival continues to increase its stages and grow in size every year, Pitchfork has kept a steady 3-stage structure throughout its nine years in Union Park.

While the festival’s focus on music is unmatched – providing a space for fans to feasibly see up to nine acts in one day, all of which receiving the best possible sound engineering a festival can offer – Pitchfork incorporates a number of artistic outlets for those outside of the musical community.

The Columbia College-sponsored Book Fort displays recent releases from local writers, and acts as a stage for authors to give readings while fans take breaks from standing in the sun to see their favorite bands. And aside from the Book Fort, Pitchfork expands its artistic reach on Washington Boulevard, where the nearby street is temporarily shut down to hold the Flatstock Poster Fair, exhibiting work from vendors based all over the country.

St. Vincent at Pitchfork Music Festival 2014 (Saturday)

As creatively diverse as Pitchfork may be, music absolutely runs the festival. Standout performances from this year’s lineup included crowd-favorites Real Estate, who played tunes from their spring-released album as though they had been performing the songs together since they first met in high school fifteen years ago, as well as St. Vincent, whose musicianship as a guitarist clearly exceeded anyone else at the festival all weekend.

Headlining performances from Beck and Neutral Milk Hotel on Pitchfork’s first two nights made for fitting conclusions to full days of great music, but Kendrick Lamar’s closing set on night three acted as the perfect ending to Pitchfork 2014.

Kendrick Lamar at Pitchfork Music Festival 2014 (Sunday)

Taking the stage after a penultimate performance by Scottish producer Hudson Mohawke, Lamar performed for the entirety of Pitchfork’s audience, nearly all of whom knew every lyric to the songs he performed off of his critically acclaimed 2012 release, good kid, m.A.A.d city. Lamar was backed by a live band and a stage-wide screen, whose short video clips in between songs established a cinematic theme throughout his set.

On the same stage that Jordan Lee had spoken about Kendrick Lamar earlier that day, Pitchfork came to a close. While the festival continues to improve every year, 2014 marked another great weekend in Chicago. The trip west from Upstate New York may be a long one, but the mid-July trek to Pitchfork is always worth it.

July 30, 2014
Mayhem Festival in Saratoga Proves That Rock Still Rules

Heavy music fans of all ages descended upon Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), starting at 1PM on July 23. The first sounds of pounding drums signaled the opening of the Saratoga gates, ominous clouds added to the palpable intensity of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Three stages adorned the lawn of SPAC, rows of tents flanked the main concourse. From the time the doors opened, until about 6:30PM, all three stages were in a constant rotation of hard-hitting, face-melting heavy rock and metal of all kinds.

The show kicked off with black metal newcomers, Erimha, a budding band from Montreal, playing on the Victory Records Stage. On paper they might seem out of place with the rest of the acts on the day long bill, but they were a good welcoming committee, setting the tone for the rest of the day. The tents were hot spots for patrons to meet and greet their favorite bands, before and after they played, and to pick up band merchandise as well as festival merchandise like T-Shirts, bandanas, and sunglasses. By 2:30, the crowd had already settled in for the day, flocking to each stage as new acts started their sets. Texas Hippie Coalition ignited the ColdCock Whiskey Stage with their southern heavy rock. At one point, lead singer Big Dad Rich claimed the lawn for his own, saying that anyone on it better raise their fist in acceptance. The crowd happily obeyed, and looks of joy and entertainment washed over the few hundred strong in attendance. Veil of Maya took the Sumerian Records Stage soon after and drew an even bigger crowd with their gigantic wall of sound.

The first ‘destination’ band of the day was definitely Mushroomhead out of Cleveland, Ohio. It seemed that everyone that was on the fringe of the stages or lost in the sea of tents during other acts all made the point to be in front of the ColdCock Whiskey Stage when the troupe of masked men started their performance. With multiple singers, crushing riffs, sound samples, and two powerhouse percussionists at the front of the stage, they ruled the crowd with ease. The second not-to-miss band of the day was undoubtedly Ice-T with Body Count. Strutting out on stage to the wail of guitars, Ice-T screamed, “Saratoga, we are moving right next door to ya!” and fired a (fake) gun into the air. Flanked on stage by his wife Coco and their two bulldogs, Ice-T whipped the crowd into a frenzied pit with classic Body Count songs, each getting a bigger response than the last. Rain started to fall finally during their set, and though it never became a torrential downpour, it helped to cool off the throngs of humans who had been dealing with the 80 degree heat and blacktop walkways all day long. Each of the three stages did a good job keeping the show running smoothly, with little to no down time between acts. By 6:00PM each stage’s headliners were finishing up their sets to satisfied crowds. The entire population turned its sights to the main stage, many taking their seats inside the amphitheater. Trivium and Asking Alexandria got great responses from their fanbases, a mostly younger audience, but the crowd grew bigger and bigger with all ages filling in the lawn. Parents taking their children to their first festival, or possibly first ever concert, and older couples reliving their youth with shirts they might have dug out of the back of their closets. All were enjoying the days festivities to their utmost potential.

By the time Korn took the stage, almost every seat inside was filled with people on their feet, the lawn was packed with fans, singing along with the opening song, “Falling Away From Me”. Playing hits from their extensive back catalogue, they stoked the fire that had been burning all day inside the rambunctious crowd. Favorites like “Freak on a Leash” and “Shoots and Ladders” complete with bagpipes, let the crowd join in the obvious fun the band was having on stage. With the return of Brian “Head” Welch last year, the band is back to its full original strength, and it shows. Lead singer Jonathan Davis crooned “You can’t bring me down” during one of their newest tunes, “Hater”, and he meant every word. They proved that they are still relevant in the ever changing world of heavy music, a landscape that they helped shape with set closer, “Blind” way back in 1993. Avenged Sevenfold are no strangers to holding the top spot, and they came out controlling the crowd from the start. They had a huge stage backdrop, reminiscent of a Dio fantasy, with large steps leading up to castle facades, and three arch ways with huge high definition screens. Showing animation and live feeds of the band members from the stage, the over the top scenery threatened to steal the show from the actual performers, but just barely. M. Shadows used his vocal prowess to capture the crowds attention, while guitarists Zacky Vengeance and Synyster Gates harmonic precision helped to keep hold. When the band finally touched on “Hail to the King”, the center screen opened up to reveal a towering animatronic Skeleton, complete with crown and sword upon a throne of skulls. A7X made sure that the culmination of a the day was brought on the wings of a nightmare, into the waiting ears of an eager audience.

Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival is now in its sixth year, and shows no signs of slowing down. Much like many of it’s predecessors, like Ozzfest and Family Values Tour, it is a haven for like-minded bands and fans to congregate and celebrate the heavy music and dark emotion filled culture they enjoy. If the thralls of happy faces throughout the day, or the inherent sense of camaraderie between musicians and fans is any evidence of success, then hopefully Mayhem will continue to return to Saratoga Springs, NY every year.

July 29, 2014
The American Music Festival for The Lake Announces Line-up

Mayor Robert M. Blais of Lake George in partnership with 389Group and Putnam Den Productions, announced today, The American Music Festival for The Lake to take place on September 20^th and 21^st. The annual event serves to establish support of the Village and post-season tourism. The event will also generate funds and awareness for the S.A.V.E. Lake George and its efforts to eradicate invasive species that currently threaten the lake’s biological health. The event will be held at the new Charles R. Wood Park in the West Brook enviro-park project on the site of the former Gaslight Village.

Headlining Saturday, or Rock Fest Day is Robert Randolph & The Family Band. This part blues, part gospel and all rock band has been described as “an American original” and the “Jimi Hendrix of the pedal steel.” Paranoid Social Club will also take the open field stage, presenting their Maine-base, punk-pop live show that has catapulted them to cult status. Other artists include NRBQ, and Wild Adriatic.

Country Sunday will feature New Riders of the Purple Sage; a spin-off from the Grateful Dead, however successful in their own right, they are the “cowboys of country rock.” A two-time Grammy Nominee and praised as a creative force in acoustic music, Claire Lynch Band will push the boundaries of the bluegrass genre. Also included are country-blues band, Rosco Bandana and “honkey-tonk heroes,” the Stony Creek Band. More acts to be announced.

The family-friendly, all inclusive community music festival will offer a variety of activities. Several dozen vendors and exhibitors will be on hand for arts and crafts, a kids zone to include amusement rides, food trucks and The Flashlight 5K foot race! On Saturday, don’t miss fireworks over the lake. The American Music Festival for the Lake will complement the Adirondack Balloon Festival taking place nearby and hot air balloon rides will be offered.

Tickets available at festivalforthelake.com.

July 29, 2014
Grey Fox, A Bluegrass Festival Designed for Both Enjoyment and Learning

The Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival is a festival designed for music lovers and musicians alike. You may think you are coming to simply listen to and enjoy the best of the best bands in the bluegrass world, but Grey Fox is so, so much more. In addition to the indescribably breathtaking music that takes place on the High Meadow (Main) Stage, it is possible – and recommended – to learn some new musical techniques from experts in their fields on the Grass Roots Stage, listen to stories and some tunes from your favorite musicians in a more intimate setting on the Creekside Stage, pick up a new dance step or just boogie down at the Catskill Stage, and participate in directed slow jams in the appropriately named Slow Jam Tent.

The festival officially began on Thursday, July 17, but for those hardcore Grey Fox attendees, the gates opened early, on Wednesday at 7:00AM to be exact, so folks had time to set up camp either car-camping style, or a bit more ‘in the rough’ having to carry your stuff across a field to the High Meadow Camping area and park across the street in the Car Corral, which entitled you to a $20 parking fee refund, as well as entrance in a raffle to win a pair of tickets to next year’s festival. For those early to arrive, entertainment for the evening was provided on the Catskill Stage, with an open mic event, followed by the showing of the Bill Monroe documentary “Powerful: Bill Monroe Remembered”.

With fans eagerly awaiting the music to begin on Thursday, many had been camping there since the night before and had all that extra time to get psyched up, the day kicked off at 1:00PM with the official host band of the weekend, Dry Branch Fire Squad. The band has a true old-timey sound, and they make you feel as if you are sitting with them in their living room, with the set being highlighted by the intermittent ramblings and storytelling of band leader and ‘National Treasure’ Ron Thomason. Once Dry Branch Fire Squad had gotten things kicked off, the young Barefoot Movement impressed the crowd with their upbeat rhythms, their great job at taking turns leading the tunes, and their playful introductions of each other. They ended their set with a super fun cover of Blind Melon’s “No Rain”.

At 3:00PM on Thursday, the Creekside Stage opened with a raucous performance by the immensely talented Rushad Eggleston, who was actually a beneficiary of a Grey Fox Scholarship, which allowed him to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music. He is truly a cellist from another universe. In fact, he has created a whole other world which he describes as “the land of Snee” from which forth comes ridiculously absurd lyrics, which Rushad sings while running and jumping around stage with a cello strapped over his shoulder. Just one of the gems that he shared with the crowd was actually a request of the hilarious song, “I Peed on a Bird” introduced at one of his late night sets on the Catskill Stage last year. During this song, the magic of Grey Fox truly became evident. Even though that song most likely didn’t make it into the mainstream music scene, and quite possibly didn’t leave the grounds of Grey Fox, every single person in that tent seemed to remember all of the bizarre lyrics of the chorus and were belting them out while laughing and enjoying sharing a special bond with the rest of the Grey Fox community.

The official first day of Grey Fox marched on, with performances by the 2012 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Emerging Artist of the Year Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers; the note-bending and beautifully harmonizing HillBenders; and the traditional yet at the same time contemporary Deadly Gentlemen, featuring a heavy percussive sound coming from a double bass. Next up was the more folky Aoife O’Donovan Band. Her voice sounded familiar, and it quickly became evident that she was the singer from Crooked Still, who have not played together since 2011. Well, wouldn’t you know it, since two other members of the band’s original line-up were present at the festival as well, she had banjoist Greg Liszt (currently playing with The Deadly Gentlemen) and otherworldly cellist Rushad Eggleston join her on stage for a mini Crooked Still reunion. The Steep Canyon Rangers, having gained fame in recent years from performing with Steve Martin, sure had a hard act to follow, but they managed to astound the crowd with their particularly haunting fiddle and banjo sounds, and incredible harmonies so on target that at one point, it sounded like there was a train whistle blowing.

After a sky that threatened to pour down upon us earlier in the day, the sky cleared up and the moon rose over Nickel Creek, the final band of the evening on the High Meadow Stage. It was hard to tell that the band had been on hiatus since 2007, as they still managed to forge the chemistry they had so many years ago, when they first formed their band back when they were just children. The addition of Mark Schatz on the bass to their line-up for this tour added a whole other amazing element to their already sweet sound. After playing one of their more popular instrumental tunes, “Ode to a Butterfly” mandolin player Chris Thile explained that it is much more difficult to come up with names for instrumental songs than it is for songs with a chorus, and perhaps as a way of apologizing for depriving us of Nickel Creek’s music for all these years, jokingly said that the band had taken so much time off because they had run out of titles for their instrumental tunes. Well, it sure was great to have them back together to see how much they have grown up, while still staying true to the band’s roots.

Grey Fox doesn’t mess around, the music on the second day got started at 11:00AM, and for those who got up even earlier, or for those who never even went to sleep, there were meditation classes at 9:15AM and yoga classes – accompanied by a live band – at 10:00AM at the Catskill Stage each morning. Mama Corn gave us all a run for our money first thing Friday morning, with their rousing renditions of “Catfish John” and Pink Floyd’s “Fearless” as well as their take on “Keep On the Sunny Side” which they ironically played in a minor key. Red Wine, a bluegrass band who flew here all the way from Italy, and who has been touring worldwide since 1978, was almost like the Jimmy Buffett of the bluegrass world, both in appearance and song styles, and even threw in a medley of Italian songs, which was a bit cheesy, but acceptable given the sweet Italian accents of all of the band members. On the opposite end of the spectrum geographically, Wood & Wire have their roots (well, at least their bass player does) right here in western New York. Hipster-like in style, this foursome played/sang around a single microphone, which is always enjoyable to watch and see how they manage, and they handled it with ease. The next band was aptly named Brothers Comatose; the chemistry and harmonies between the band members were so tight, there was no doubt there were brothers involved. Changing the tone drastically, Nora Jane Struthers and the Party Line were up next with a much more Americana-based set, perhaps the most so far in this genre all weekend. Struthers has a sweet voice, and is yet another example of some of the young talent out there these days. Once again going in a completely different direction, Gangstagrass showed us all a good time, demonstrating just how far you can push the bluegrass envelope, combining bluegrass and hip-hop; who would have thought it would work, but it was a whole lot of fun.

During ‘dinner break’ on the High Meadow Stage, Del, Ronnie, and Robbie McCoury were sharing family stories on the Creekside Stage, as well as offering tips about the ‘efficiency of motion’ employed by the McCourys, in that if you watch them closely, even though they are playing a thousand notes a minute, their hands barely move. It’s always lovely to listen to Del’s sing-songy voice telling us stories; he sure does have a lot of history to share, being that it is his 75^th birthday this year, and he has been playing bluegrass music for the majority of his life, having gotten his big start with Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys all the way back in 1963.

After getting some nourishment back at the campsite and putting on some extra layers before the cold set in for the evening – it got down into the 40s a couple of nights; it was time to head back to the High Meadow Stage for the fun times that were in store for Night 2 of Grey Fox, starting with The Steel Wheels. Jumping on the reunion bandwagon, the band invited a former member of the band to join them, adding a second fiddle to the mix, proving that you can never have too much fiddle. The sophisticated and polished Gibson Brothers graced us with their good-natured brotherly goading and their straight up 5-piece traditional bluegrass line-up.

Following the Gibson Brothers was the all-female band Della Mae, a band who truly got their start at Grey Fox. These young musicians have been coming to Grey Fox for years, but just recently as musicians themselves. In fact, bassist Shelby Means used to attend Grey Fox as a volunteer picking up trash! They seemed very appreciative of Grey Fox and all the doors it had opened for them, so much so that they even took the time to thank the “I-I-Iceman” crew; there is a fleet of trucks driving around the camping areas all weekend selling ice to campers in need of keeping their coolers chilled, by inviting them up on stage and singing Foreigner’s “You’re As Cold As Ice”.

Saturday evening’s headliner, Keller Williams and the Travelin’ McCourys set started with Keller Williams alone playing some of his signature fast/choppy guitar licks, and singing some silly tunes, including one about an ‘over-the-shoulder rocket launcher’ – that’s Keller for you, and then invited bassist Alan Bartram out to join him for a song about losing his remote control for three days, which forced him to write shallow lyrics since he couldn’t watch TV. Meanwhile, Bartram was cracking up this whole time. Fiddler Jason Carter came onto the stage next, and joined the other two for a cover of Waylon Jenning’s “Good Hearted Woman”. Keller felt a banjo was needed for this next song, so that was Robbie McCoury’s cue; he joined the others for a song about falling in love with a girl on the porta-potty line. By far the funniest introduction was Keller ‘welcoming’ mandolin player Ronnie McCoury onto the stage with Tom Petty’s “You Got Lucky” with Keller basically telling Ronnie to watch himself, and to better not get cocky and think he is better than Keller. The band truly did have fun up there on stage, and the audience could definitely tell. Performing some of Keller’s more famous tunes, including “Freaker By the Speaker” and “Mullet Cut” they threw in a couple of some not-so-obvious covers, ranging from Taylor Swift’s “Trouble” to their encore of Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks”.

It was tough to end the evening on such a high and fast note, but that just gave folks the energy to keep their dancing feet moving onto the Catskill Stage, where the zydeco-style Revelers were playing into the wee hours on both Friday and Saturday nights. Mo’ Mojo were on the Catskill Stage on Thursday night. Even if you didn’t make it down there after the full day of music on the main and workshop stages, you could still enjoy them from your campsites, as their steady drum beats and washboard scratching really thumped through the ground, keeping the rhythm going whether you were aware of it or not.

The Saturday morning of Grey Fox always means one thing for me: bluegrass karaoke on the Creekside Stage. Audience members are encouraged to belt out some tunes, either ones they have written themselves or traditional songs, but the most unusual aspect of karaoke at Grey Fox is that you have a live band backing you up! My friend, who I’ve been coming to Grey Fox with for at least 10 years now, and I always make sure that we wake up early enough and have enough coffee in our systems to make it to this super fun and nerve-wracking event at 11:00AM, which isn’t always the easiest task to accomplish on Day 3 of Grey Fox, but we managed to work up the courage to sing Gillian Welch and David Rawlings “Red Clay Halo” joined by my boyfriend on guitar.

Following that intimidating experience, it was time to sit back, relax, and listen to the gems we were in for that day. Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen were a ton of fun, demonstrating that they had been paying attention around the campgrounds by dedicating a particularly trippy version of Tony Rice’s “Is That So” to the huge black Grey Fox balloon that was shaped more like a pig, that was flying around amongst the camping area. The Claire Lynch Band provided country music lovers with what they were craving, but there was a surprising amount of jamming mixed in, especially on their version of “Wabash Cannonball” a traditional square dance tune, which they managed to go off on an amazing tangent with, and almost caused the audience to forget what song they had started with, but managed to rope it right back in. The next band scheduled to play on the High Meadow Stage was Balsam Range, but they were running late, so we missed their set on the big stage, but Red Wine, the Italian bluegrass band, was more than willing to play a second set!

Taking a break during the heat of the afternoon, it was time to take advantage of one of the slow jam workshops, specifically the workshop for guitars and basses. Although the bassists got a little bit shafted, as we were far outnumbered by guitarists, it was still useful to spend an hour really delving into two songs, and jamming on them super slow. This allowed you to pick up on things that you might have once tried to figure out by listening to a recording, but weren’t really being able to get down because the musicians on the recording were playing too fast. The slow jam tent is a great place for beginners to feel comfortable playing in a judgement-free zone.

Rushing back up to the High Meadow Stage to try to catch the end of Jim Lauderdale’s set with Della Mae, it was interesting to see the mix of the old school and newer artists of the bluegrass world collaborating together so effectively. Some of the banter coming out of Lauderdale’s mouth seemed a bit inappropriate, but he ended on a gracious note. After once again getting spoiled with a ‘home’-cooked meal back at the campsite, it was time to hear Elephant Revival, another band playing to the more hipster crowd, mashing together a variety of musical genres from a band consisting of a mind-blowing collection of instruments, each band member knowing how to play several, with one of the female lead vocalists sounding a lot like Beth Orton. The incomparable team of Tim O’Brien and Darrell Scott came up to bat next, and they did not disappoint. Bringing us back to a more traditional style, it was simultaneously comforting and inspirational to know that so much sound can come out of just two instruments – although Tim was switching between the mandolin and fiddle throughout their set. After singing several traditional-sounding numbers, they switched to a more serious mood and sang “Turn Your Dirty Lights On” an original protest song about an environmental issue near and dear to Tim’s heart: mountaintop removal in West Virginia, where he was born. One of the song’s lines was “Coal is black, it ain’t never gonna be green,” which seemed to hit a nerve amongst the crowd. They followed that intense song with a much more upbeat one, “Dance, You Hippie, Dance” which helped lighten the mood and led to one of Tim’s signature flashlight shining sessions.

On this third day of Grey Fox, there were essentially two headliners, as if the Del McCoury Band wouldn’t have been enough, the Carolina Chocolate Drops were there to top off the evening. But first things first, the Del McCoury Band, Bluegrass Hall of Fame inductees, never fails to delight, and this performance was no different. Having three members who are part of the same family blessed with some very musical genes, you’ll never hear a tighter band. Plus the non-McCoury members of the band are nothing to shake a stick at, bassist Alan Bartram has mastered the difficult art of being able to sing a melody and play the rhythm section at the same time, while fiddler Jason Carter is an expert at pretty much every technique of playing the fiddle, having won three IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year trophies. They got to most of their more popular tunes including audience requests – you can tell that Del is truly listening to what the audience is asking for, as he does tend to get to most of their requests. Requests included, “All Aboard”, “High on the Mountain” and of course, “Vincent Black Lightning”. At a festival like Grey Fox, where you see just how far bluegrass music has cast its web and embraced other genres, it is refreshing, and appropriate, to have a true traditional bluegrass band hold such a prominent position in the line-up.

The esteemed final Saturday night-time slot on the High Meadow Stage was reserved for the Carolina Chocolate Drops, who have proved that the old-time music they have been researching and perfecting is still a sought after genre. Even though there were thousands of people on the concert field, everyone was so mesmerized by Rhiannon Giddens hauntingly striking vocals that at times, you could practically hear a pin drop. The audience was hanging on every word sang and note played, and rightfully so, because each song was a story in its own right. In fact, “Come Love Come” was a history lesson in itself, as it was based on slave narratives from the Civil War that Giddens had read and gained inspiration from to write this tune. The Carolina Chocolate Drops put together an ideal set, combining the perfect mix of original songs, including “Ruby Are You Mad At Your Man?”, which has been performed by the New York City Ballet; and “Cornbread and Butterbeans”, described as being a song about life, love, and food; storytelling between songs; a dancer who joined them on stage for a couple of tunes to do some clogging and the Charleston; guest appearances by Del McCoury, Della Mae, and Jim Lauderdale; and a few awesome covers, including Blu Cantrell’s R&B hit single “Hit ‘em Up Style”. Their stage presence is a force to be reckoned with, as they somehow made you feel like you were sitting in a circle around them in the swamplands of the South, just listening to some old-timey twangy strings and hand drums.

Once the music is over on the festival stages, don’t think that you are done for the night: one need only walk around the campgrounds and keep one’s ears open, and discover that some amazing music is taking place all around you. It is a wonderful thing to have a gathering of such talented musicians not only on the festival stages, but amongst the festival attendees as well. For those bold enough, it is definitely worth walking around the campgrounds with your instrument and join in one of the jams. Most people don’t bite, and many are welcoming of new players to jump in a take a solo.

The Sunday of Grey Fox is a short day, ending by 2:00, allowing everyone ample time to pack up and get home at a reasonable hour before having to delve back into the working world the next day, yet you can always count on three uplifting and inspiring elements to keep you going until next year’s Grey Fox rolls around. First of all, the Dry Branch Fire Squad’s Sunday Morning Gospel Show is not to be missed, as everyone needs their fix of Ron Thomason’s storytelling one last time before the end of the festival. Secondly, the instrument raffles are drawn, which always keeps everyone on their toes, because who wouldn’t want to go home with a well-crafted new instrument? Throughout the weekend, folks were encouraged to purchase raffle tickets for one of five stellar acoustic stringed instruments, including a Deering banjo and a Northfield mandolin, the proceeds of which go to a scholarship fund given to selected Berklee School of Music’s Summer Strings Program recipients. And last but certainly not least, the Bluegrass Academy for Kids gets to play a “graduation gig”. Over the course of the festival, a group of about 120 kids between the ages of 8 and 17 are given the opportunity to attend a free intensive four-day workshop on everything you need to know about perfecting your stringed instrument, singing harmonies, and performing collaboratively as a band. It is always quite a sight to see all those young talented children on the main stage, giving us the confidence that bluegrass music will continue to grow and thrive with this next generation of musicians.

As you pack up the last of your camp and make that final trip across the field, don’t be surprised if you get a tear in your eye as you say goodbye to your tent neighbor, someone who had been a complete stranger at the beginning of the festival but has now come to be a lifelong friend, knowing that you are going to have to wait 360 more days until the next Grey Fox. And just a warning to those of you who are thinking of coming to Grey Fox next year: be prepared to keep the third weekend of July free every year from now on, because once you start coming to Grey Fox, there’s no doubt that you will make it an annual tradition from this point forward. See you next year on the hill.

Below are some links to download recordings from this year’s and previous Grey Fox Bluegrass Festivals.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Keller Williams and the Travelin’ McCourys, Del McCoury Band, The Deadly Gentlemen

July 29, 2014