Thursday Sept. 25 brought the Grammy Award winning Tedeschi Trucks Band to Upstate NY during a break in the middle of their New York City Beacon Theatre run. The group performed at the Auditorium Theatre, radiating their unique blend of roots, blues and soul-stirring musical heat. Their extended set touched on all aspects of their stage show and featured well-known studio cuts from the band’s catalog as well as a few surprising covers for their hardcore Rochester contingent. Eliciting memories of past rock legends and influences, the multifaceted Tedeschi Trucks Band mirrors roots revival masters Delaney and Bonnie and subscribes to their aesthetic which includes disseminating a unique brand of traditional, Americana and funky blues music.
After a booming and raucous set by opening band, Playonbrother, the Tedeschi Trucks band followed with an inspired set despite militant security and a seated crowd. Eventually, as the show continued the energy could no longer be contained as the band stirred the assembled throng into musical hysteria through their funky and virtuosic performance. While the focus is often and rightfully so on Derek Trucks spiritual channeling of melody through his trusty Gibson SG, every musician in the eleven member coalition is given equal time to bask in the alluring glow of the spot light. Whether it is the double barrel drum duo firing off rim shots in a percussion battle, Kofi Burbridge blowing a breezy flute line, Mike Mattison singing a sweet soul lyric, the horn section punctuating a great jam, or Susan Tedeschi stinging with a series of clean tone blues licks, it’s all hands on deck with this group.
The concert opened with the simmering groove of Traffic’s’ “Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring” each member adding color to the fat bounce laid down like shag carpeting by bassist Tim Lefebvre. Similar to every song that is added to their increasingly large repertoire the Tedeschi Trucks band grabbed the song in a firm embrace made it their own.
The concert continued flashing by like a series of Super 8 images, each moment building on and in most cases surpassing the last, instantly logged in the recesses of the attendees spun heads. “Made Up Mind” the title track from the bands 2013 LP whipped the crowd into a hand raising gospel review, with Trucks innate ability to reconfigure melodic ideas into dazzling guitar dissemination’s fully on display. Then, the following breakout of blues standard “Loan Me a Dime” instantly caused an assembled gasp from the audience, especially those familiar with what Duane Allman did with the song via Boz Skaggs. First Tedeschi and then her husband tastefully poured liquid string bends and sustains all over the shifty track, bringing the seated to their feet and concluding the song with a standing ovation.
“Idle Wind” concluded the first segment of music fittingly in a rolling maelstrom of sound. After disposing of the groovy verse segment that features Susan vocalizing like granulated sugar, sweet with a yummy grit, the song slipped into a beautiful place. The horns and guitars started to intertwine and it is this illustrated relationship that soon developed into a teeth clenching jam that squeezed the handlebars for dear life tightly. Soon the excursion fell softly into an avalanche of drums neatly tying itself up with a “set closing” reprise.
Breaking into different segments the band returns for an acoustic set of music. A seated Trucks five-fingered some woody acoustic slide on the traditional “Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning” as well as name dropping the Allman’s with a stripped down “Done Somebody Wrong”. Susan Tedeschi’s reading of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright” was special and featured Tedeschi wringing every drip of emotion from Dylan’s timeless melody. This brief respite from the electric proceedings is a testament to the diversity and multiple talents of the group.
The second half of the performance began with crowd favorite, “Midnight in Harlem” ushered in on a Allman-esque space drift that coalesced into the songs blue rotating groove. The husband and wife duo sang together in glorious voice, each represented by their respective instruments. There is no looking back when the group seizes the moment and blazes their way first through Derek and the Domino’s classic “Keep On Growing” then the hard-hitting Bobby Bland blues, “I Pity the Fool” before closing with an extended and definitive “Bound For Glory”.
The band’s own “Bound for Glory” contained jamming that bordered on the edge of fusion magic. A plethora of horn exclamations, sexy slide and honky keyboards lifted the song to dizzying and illicit heights. The central section of the song lost its structure, going so far out you wonder how they are going to land. The band so deftly balances the tight rope between accessible songs and twisted improvisational passages that their appeal is one of celebration and cross genre pollination. The group not only represents a sepia toned lonesome train whistle of the blues past, but a Technicolor supersonic rocket ship into the musical future. “Bound for Glory” encapsulates all of these elements and fittingly closes the show.
A gentle and original version of James Taylor’s, “Fire and Rain” closed the evening and sent a hungry crowd home stuffed, unable to imbibe another musical bite. The greatest thing about this evening’s performance is the realization that the band will be back and they will continue to improve and grow their catalog of music. Tedeschi Trucks band delivers the goods on a nightly basis, it’s a shame there can not be more nights like this one.
The second Annual Lockn’ Music Festival was a huge success, drawing approximately 30,000 fans to the massive Oak Ridge Farm in Arrington, VA over September 4-7, 2014. Founders Peter Shapiro and David Frey listened to fan complaints last year to make major changes to the festival grounds, including building new stages, roads, and entrances, as well as hiring better-trained staff to handle parking, security, vending, and logistics. Music started daily around 11 am and continued until 3-4 am each night (except Sunday).
Thursday
The music kicked off promptly at 4 pm with the No BS! Brass Band from Richmond, who treated the first fans to horn-loaded renditions of popular favorites by Michael Jackson and Led Zeppelin, including a fiery version of Led Zeppelin’s “The Ocean” with a “Black Dog” riff at the end, ending with a festive “Thriller”.
The Revivalists, from New Orleans, started on the Oak stage, hosting one of the first sit-ins of the weekend from Lettuce’s guitarist Eric Krasno. They covered the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” with rocking soul that amped up the sweaty crowd, as lead vocalist David Shaw jumped off the stage to sing in the crowd.
New York’s own Lettuce brought their extreme funk to Lockn’ with fast-paced tunes that set the groove for the night. One of the highlights was Alecia Chakour sitting in on vocals for “Do It Like You Do” from their latest album, Fly, with a swanky melody, smooth bass line, and sensual flair thanks to Chakour. She also dedicated “The Sun” to her friend, Brian Farmer, who was Warren Haynes’ guitar tech and recently passed this year. Lettuce broke out fierce classics like “Lettsanity” and “Last Suppit” along with one of their newer songs, “Phyllis”, and closed the set with “By Any Shmeeans Necessary”, joined by the No BS! Brass band.
Just as the sun began to set and cool off festivalgoers, back-to-back sets by Umphrey’s McGee andThe String Cheese Incidentheated things up. Umphrey’s McGee executed their first set with precision and purpose as the 6 piece band rocked the stage with triumphant sound. String Cheese immediately followed Umphrey’s on the adjacent stage with a set of crowd-pleasing originals like “So Far From Home” and “Can’t Stop Now”. Umphrey’s returned with a solid “Wappy Sprayberry”, and a fresh song off their newest album, Similar Skin, “Cut the Cable”. Flexing their jam-band prowess, Umphrey’s tore into a half-hour version of “Puppet String > Higgins”, and closed with a rousing rendition of Pink Floyd’s “Shine on You Crazy Diamond”.
SCI ended the night on the main stage with a tribute set to Kool and The Gang, joined by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and JT Taylor (a founding member of Kool and The Gang). There was no fighting the dancing bug when a trio of backup singers joined in, where everyone on stage showed off their dance moves. The old school disco funk had the crowd singing along to “Ladies Night” and “Get Down on it”, with a wild “Celebration” encore.
A new stage conveniently situated on the walk back to the campsites, the Relix Shakedown Stage, hosted late-night sets all weekend. Following the funk theme, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk packed the grassy amphitheater for an explosive dance party in a field framed by a colorful line of trees. Playing crowd favorites “Everybody Want Sum” and “Put It In the Dumpsta”, Dumpstaphunk was joined on stage by the Steel Town Horns for “I Know You Know” and “I Wish You Would”, closing the night with “Raise the House”.
Friday morning brought blue skies and a hot sun making most festivalgoers crawl out of their tent just in time for Keller Williams‘s Grateful Grass set on the Acoustic Triangle Stage at 11am. His 5-piece all string band included mandolinist Jeff Austin from Yonder Mountain String Band, fiddler Jason Carter from Del McCoury Band, Keith Moseley the bassist from The String Cheese Incident, Ray Starling, and the man himself, Keller Williams, who altogether drew a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd. The foot-tapping, southern swing style set was greatly appreciated by the audience and musicians, as Williams continuously thanked everyone for the chance to perform some of his favorite Dead songs. Walking out of the shaded forest area to the top of the hill, guests had an amazing view of the festival grounds and colorful tents, backed by the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains.
NY’s instrumental progressive rock band, Tauk, opened the main stage with an insane breakdown of The Beatles’ “She’s So Heavy”. Tauk kept fans cool with fluid segues and refreshing grooves, which have appeared on Sirius/XM JamOn. When asked about plans for fall tour, bassist Charles Dolan beamed that they have shows booked until January, with a Halloween gig being announced soon.
Friday began steamy, as the 6 piece bluegrass plucking madness of Cabinet took the stage, followed by Del McCoury Band, who dressed in their finest suits to play harmonious and authentic folk tunes. Drive By Truckers brought a classic rock ‘n’ roll sound with the help from four screaming guitars and simple lyrics. Their “Grand Canyon” set closer sent layers of ringing guitar riffs echoing across the field.
The String Cheese Incident returned to the main stage for a second night of two sets, much to the delight of fans. This Colorado band rarely tours the East Coast, making their appearance at Lockn’ even more special. The set was light and breezy with caribbean vibes that drove the crowd wild. The set took a turn towards electrified bluegrass when Sam Bush joined in on fiddle for one of their more popular new songs, “Colorado Bluebird Sky.”
A last-minute addition to this year’s lineup was Bill Kreutzmann’s Locknstep Allstars, stepping up to fill the gap left when Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir cancelled his appearance. The Allstars included keyboardist Aron Magner from Disco Biscuits, guitarist Tom Hamilton from American Babies & Brothers Past, ace guitarist Steve Kimock and the legendary bassist Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Brothers Band. The musicians shared intense chemistry, gliding through the set of Dead classics, with sit-ins by Keller Williams for “Bird Song” and Taj Mahal for “Further on Down The Road.” Kreutzmann’s set closed with “Franklin’s Tower”, a Dead cover played later by Phil Lesh and Friends (one of many “cover collisions” throughout the weekend).
The last main stage act wasPhil Lesh, Grateful Dead bassist and founder, along with his Friends, drummer Joe Russo (Furthur), keyboardist John Medeski (Medeski Martin & Wood), legendary jazz guitarist John Scofield, and guitarist Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule, Allman Brothers) for a two hour set of improvisational spacey jams. They kicked off the party with a festive “China Cat Sunflower”. It was refreshing to hear other band’s covers such as Traffic’s “Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys” and Cream’s “Sunshine of your Love”. Deadheads rejoiced to hear familiar favorites such as “Shakedown Street” and a lengthy “Unbroken Chain”, a dark and mysterious “Mountains of the Moon” and a furious “The Other One”, followed by Traffic’s “Dear Mr. Fantasy”. Curiously, Phil Lesh and Friends closed with “Franklin’s Tower”, which was also played earlier by Bill Kreutzmann’s Locknstep Allstars.
The warm summer night was capped off with a beautiful acoustic Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi set on the Triangle Stage, and Chris Robinson Brotherhood on the Relix Shakedown Stage, who performed one Black Crowes cover, “Tornado”, and mostly originals, such as “Shore Power”, from their new album, Phosphorescent Harvest, along with a smokin’ version of “Never Been to Spain” (by Hoyt Axton). Chris Robinson closed the evening with an intense version of Slim Harpo’s “Got Love If You Want It.”
Saturday brought blazing sunshine and high humidity for Lockn’ fans, eager for two more days of incredible music. It was so hot that even the speakers were sweating. The steamy afternoon started on the Oak Stage with the bluegrass expertise of Larry Keel & Sam Bush, joined by Larry’s wife Jenny Keel on upright bass. The music shifted to upbeat rock, as Ween guitarist Aaron Freeman (aka “Gene Ween”) took the Ridge Stage, playing a new song (as of yet untitled), starting off with the crowd scratching their heads. He rocked through “All the Way to China”, and “Covert Discretion”, the latter a song about saving himself from his chemical dependency. He played most of the songs off of his new album, Freeman, which are very philosophical stories of his life and the battles with various influences of fame.
Bluesy guitar virtuoso, Gary Clark, Jr. brought out-of-sight guitar licks and powerful vocals to the Oak Stage in the early afternoon, as the heat took over while fans sought or made any shade possible. Clark opened with “Catfish Blues” (Robert Petway) and “Ain’t Messin’ ‘Round”, and as his guitar playing warmed up, so did the crowd, but the cold local craft beer helped dull the heat. Clark played an hour and a half with mostly originals, including “Don’t Owe You a Thing”, a fuzz-guitar finger-picking blues ballad, B.B.King’s “3 O’Clock Blues” and the sultry “Bright Lights”.
Tedeschi Trucks Band proved to be one of the best acts of the weekend, with adoring affection for each other that speaks through their music. The crowd cheered with all the variety from soul, blues, and southern rock that was full of heart. They played blues classics such as “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” (by Hambone Willie Newbern), “Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning” (Willie Johnson), a rousing version of Derek and the Domino’s “Keep on Growing”, and a beautiful version of “Bound for Glory”, which was dedicated to the late Brian Farmer. In a 10+ minute long “Misunderstood”, Derek showed off his deft slide guitar, moving to “Bound for Glory”, graced by Susan’s angelic vocals and soulful guitar, along with intense Hammond riffing by Kofi Burbridge.
Wilco opened with their 2001 classic, “War on War”, from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. During Wilco’s set, a passing sun shower provided a brief relief from the summer heat, as well as a bright double rainbow across the horizon. Frontman Jeff Tweedy cracked jokes about the weather, quipping “don’t rainbows suck?” during “I’m the Man Who Loves You”, then teased “Let it Go” from the film Frozen. As they dove into some serious jamming, keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen smashed his keys with a pillow. Guitar duels ensued between Nels Cline and Pat Sansone, with rhythmic backing by bassist John Stirratt and drummer Glenn Kotche. Wilco played other favorites, “Handshake Drugs”, “California Stars” and “Kingpin”, closing their set with “A Shot in the Arm”.
Phil Lesh and Friends kicked off Saturday night with a slew of segued songs, starting with a killer “Going Down the Road Feelin’ Bad” and ending with a beautiful “Bird Song”. Mingled into the line was a somber “Wharf Rat”, along with a picturesque “Eyes of the World” and a psychedelically-tinged “Caution”, augmented with great walking bass lines by Lesh and lovely organ fills by Medeski. “Dark Star” was enhanced by the soulful vocals of Warren Haynes. During the Beatles’ “She Said, She Said”, Phil & Friends’ set was cut short due to a nearby lightning storm, which prompted Lockn’ authorities to order an orderly evacuation of the concert field.
‘You can’t have a Panic show without a little panic’, as a few fans commented while the skies grew dark over the fans rushing to their campsites. The rain delay was lifted after an hour, with Widespread Panic starting on time. Steve Winwood sat in for strong vocals that were as cool as the fresh air after the rain. “Can’t Find My Way Home” went into dark jam territory as Winwood added a touch of the blues. Sax man Randall Bramblett joined alongside Steve and Widespread for “The Ballad of John and Yoko” through nearly the end of the set. Winwood played the best version of “Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys”, which was also covered by Phil the night before. Winwood’s powerful organ solo brought recognizable delight for the set closer, “Gimme Some Lovin’.”
One of the biggest acts of the weekend was the main stage closer of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. The legendary rock group opened with the iconic “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” (The Byrds), blasting through top hits “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”, “Free Fallin’” and “Yer So Bad”, with Petty on acoustic. His set finished with a rocking “Refugee” and “Runnin’ Down a Dream”. Petty encored with “You Wreck Me” and a sizzling “American Girl”. The familiar in-your-face rock had stretched out jams, and was much better live. Tom Petty is like hanging out with old friends, making jokes about music and poor memories of the past.
Late-night Saturday started up the hill on the Triangle Stage, for a rare appearance of Hot Tuna Acoustic, with founders Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady on guitar and bass, and Barry Mitterhoff on mandolin. For his 17th birthday, Jorma’s son Zach joined Hot Tuna on stage to play guitar during their opener, “Been So Long”. Hot Tuna did a number of classic covers by Reverend Gary Davis, such as “I Am the Light of this World”, with Jorma’s incredible fingerpicking and Jack’s virtuoso walking bass thunder, which really took off at the last half of “Hesitation Blues” and the lively “Keep On Truckin’” encore, as well as sprinkled throughout their set, along with Barry’s tasteful mandolin picking and occasional audience support on the choruses.
Late-night closers and the real “break-out” band for Lockn’ was Bustle In Your Hedgerow, who completely burned up the hillside at the Relix Shakedown Stage with passionate instrumental versions of Led Zeppelin songs, bringing a fresh intensity to these classic rock anthems. Led by the multifaceted Marco Benevento (with his army of keyboards and circuit-benders), Dave Dreiwitz of Ween on bass (a modern-day John Paul Jones), Scott Metzger (of Particle & Rana) on guitar (shredding Jimmy Page licks with aplomb), and the ever-limber Joe Russo (Furthur) on drums, pounded out Bonham beats to the responsive crowd. Bustle gained many new fans at Lockn’ with incredible renditions of “For Your Life”, which went into a dark and mysterious “No Quarter”, as Marco unleashed alien sounds from his vast array of keyboards and effects, with stratospheric keyboard solos.
Few people were sleeping, even at the campsites, but everyone said how much they loved listening to Bustle. A Native American tribal dance circle evolved around the sole campfire, and fans slowly soaked in the Bustle set as the three days of music, camping and walking started to sink in.
Sunday
Sunday started out cool and mellow, with a welcome cloud cover to thwart the blazing late summer sun. Keller Williams played his Grateful Gospel set on the Early Triangle Stage at 11 am, with classics like “Ripple” done with a bluegrass feel, assisted by a skilled gospel vocal troupe. Keller then went into a light and airy version of the Dead’s “Eyes of the World”, where fans didn’t mind another ‘cover collision’, as it was fresh and tastily enhanced by soothing vocals and guitar work. Hailing from Charlottesville, Erin and the Wildfire opened the main stage at noon to a few early risers, but more fans arose from their camps to flood the concert grounds for SOJA, who brought a large local following and fired up the crowd.
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals kicked the afternoon into overdrive, with straight-ahead power rock anthems like “Ah Mary”, “Low Road”, and “Sweet Hands”. “Nothing but the Water” went into part of Sly’s “I Want to Take You Higher” and ended with an eerie”White Rabbit”. Potter dedicated their encore to the memory of Brian Farmer with a sorrowful “I Shall Be Released”, with Grace taking the helm of the B3 and belting out vocals that echoed off the hills. GP&N ended their set and completed the tribute with The Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends”, propelled by Grace’s blasting organ & vocals.
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Willie Nelson treated long-time fans to straight-ahead versions of many classics like “Crazy”, “You Were Always On My Mind” and “Georgia”, playing almost 30 songs in an hour and a half. He joked throughout, making fun of the hard road life and introducing songs like “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” with related stories to provide context. Wilco had another memorable set, with “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”, “Hesitating Beauty” and “Hoodoo Voodoo”, finishing with “Outtasite (Outta Mind)”. Widespread Panic also played a great closing set on Sunday, treating fans to Neil Young’s “Vampire Blues”, where Randall Bramblett again joined the band, this time on harmonica. They closed with a funky version of the Bill Withers classic,”Use Me”, with Susan Tedeschi joining on guitar and vocals, and Bramblett on sax.
The Allman Brothers Band performed Live at the Fillmore East, kicking off with “Statesboro Blues” (Blind Willie McTell) and “Done Somebody Wrong” (Elmore James), and a sweet & smooth version of “Stormy Monday” (T-Bone Walker) with soulful vocals by Gregg Allman, sweet slide work by Derek Trucks, and rhythm guitar by Warren Haynes, who took a soaring solo at the end. A few of the standouts were a nearly 15-minute “Whipping Post”, with ridiculous slide and guitar solo trades between Derek and Warren, and a lengthy “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”. The Allmans closed out the set with “Blue Sky” > “Mountain Jam”, ending with “Little Martha” and an encore of “Mountain Jam Reprise” to close the main stage, while group and album cover photos of the Allman Brothers of yore graced the audience, who cheered to thank the Allman Brothers for a lifetime of music, reflecting on the band who will soon retire.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps0K3SFMS-Y]
See You Next Year
Entry into the festival was far smoother this year due to skillful planning, as well as better layout due to the purchase of adjacent land so all the campsites could be closer. The concert fairgrounds and camping areas were completely redesigned, with new stage locations and new roads built to handle more fans. VIP and Super VIP had larger camping and concert field space, more bathrooms and showers than last year.
Moving the late-night Triangle Stage to the nearby ridge made it less than a 20 minute walk from the main stage field (versus a long 45-minute walk last year). VIP facilities were larger and cleaner this year, under constant maintenance until after midnight. Patrons enjoyed more food choices, more fresh water taps, colder beer, and better use of space, as compared to 2013.
There was a temporary shortage of porta-johns, but more were promptly delivered the next day. There were complaints of minor thefts of tapestries, coolers, and other personal items, but in general the fans were well-behaved and all the major areas were kept safe and sound. The crowd was well-behaved, withstanding the blistering sun with umbrellas, wide hats, shade tents, and water mist guns. In spite of a cancellation by one of the major headliners (Bob Weir and Ratdog, which also cancelled a Furthur reunion), other musicians stepped up to the plate to fill the open main stage slots (namely Bill Kreutzman and Phil Lesh with their respective super-groups).
One of the newest additions to this year’s activities was the on-site biking program. Fans were encouraged to bring their bikes, or could rent one, courtesy of Snowshoe Mountain Bike Park. Oak Ridge Farm has over 30 miles of trails to explore with guided tours from the Charlottesville Area Mountain Bike Club. Because of the beautiful weather, bikers could be seen pedaling at all hours of the weekend. Disc golf, yoga, and swimming hole trips, cultural awareness and crafts were also some of many activities that Lockn’ provided to patrons.
In spite of threats by the ABC to shut down Lockn’s liquor license, county and state police reported only minor incidents, and Lockn’ ran very smoothly, especially considering the amount of fans and crew this year. Thanks to careful planning, and expenditures on key infrastructure like new staging, camping, electricity, and roads, Lockn’ organizers seek to improve the area further, and bring more business into Nelson County next year. Although The Allman Brothers are retiring, we can hope to see many of the headliners return next year.
The Peach Music Festival of 2014 may have hit a few bumps in the road in the last week before the festival got under way, however it did not stop them from having one very successful event. When the news came out that Bob Weir and Ratdog would be cancelling the remainder of their touring schedule, including the Peach, there were some very unhappy fans who expressed their opinions all over social media. The Peach on the other hand took a deep breath and managed the situation like any good executive would and came through in a big way. They were able to fill Weir’s void with a second night of Trey Anastasio Band. The festival also added a special set of Grateful Dead music by a super-group of very talented musicians.
Thursday night brought the majority of the crowd to the mountains of Pennsylvania and the music started at 6PM with Citizens Band Radio followed by local northeast bluegrass standouts Cabinet. Cabinet was asked back with good reason, they were one of the most talked about groups from last year’s festival. George Clinton and Parliament Funk followed Cabinet and brought the funk. George Clinton and the P Funk have been playing for over 40 years and have been part of some big time stages; it was great seeing them at The Peach. Late night is always a great time when it comes to music festivals. Dopapod,who also returned to The Peach again this year, played an incredible set combined with great lighting and jams that lit up the sky. There were plenty of people talking about what a great show it had been closing out night one. This was only the beginning as Friday would bring some heavy hitters and with the newly added acts for Friday night, the anticipation was at an all time high.
Friday started off the day with, From Good Homes on the main stage and Trigger Hippy on the Mushroom Stage. Blackberry Smoke got a lot of people moving at the Peach Stage and by the time JJ Grey and Mofro began their set the majority spent their time there. JJ Grey doesn’t travel much up north and being at the Peach this year was something I was excited for. JJ Grey’s voice and southern soul reminded me of Joe Cocker. Grey’s voice delivers as much as his music does with flashes of excitement on stage. He brought a lot of smiles and he was perfect in the placement of the festival. Playing several of his notable songs and bantering back and forth with the crowd, he was a shining spot in not just the Friday lineup but in the entire weekend. I hope that JJ Grey and Mofro can make some time to come up north more often, he is definitely more than welcome.
One thing about the Peach, you sure do get your exercise bouncing from stage to stage. As soon as JJ Grey was finishing up The Revivalists were getting going over on the Mushroom stage and by the time you made it over there, The Revivalists crowd was packed right up to the stage. Out of the middle of the crowd one could see David Shaw’s head and noticeable hair bobbing to the beat, shaking everyone’s hands as he made his way to and from the stage. He loves every minute on and off the stage, smiling from ear to ear. The Revivalists give the fan the ultimate experience every time they perform with great energy, music and showmanship.
The Peach stage was just ramping up as soon as the dinner hour was looming with a Dead set featuring a cast of excellent musicians. The lineup was put together in the last week with the departure of Bob Weir and Ratdog from the festival lineup. The festival had brought a lot of the Grateful Dead crowd in past years and with the remaining fan base that didn’t bail with the Weir announcement, were treated to a great set by Joe Russo (drums), Jackie Greene (guitar), Jeff Chimenti (keys), Reed Mathis (bass), Scott Metzger (guitar), Tom Hamilton (guitar) and Joan Osbourne (vocals).Tedeschi Trucks band carried on after a great set and opened with Traffic’s ” Who Knows What Tomorrow Brings”. Playing their staples with “Midnight in Harlem” and “Bound for Glory”. TTB also played Willie Johnson’s ” Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burned” which saw a seated Trucks with an acoustic guitar. Trucks normally can be seen playing his Gibson SG, so it was nice to see him donning a different look and playing some old Delta blues taking the listener back to a simpler time. Trey Anastasio Band was headlining the evening and I couldn’t have been more excited, shamelessly I haven’t seen TAB yet and was looking forward to it; seeing Phish many times I had an appreciation for Trey’s guitar work interlaced with his normal band but it was the mix with horns and backup singers I was looking forward to checking out the most. Opening with the upbeat ” Sometimes after Sunset” and playing a set filled with songs like “Shine” Phish’s ” Sand” and closing out with “Push on Til the Day”. Trey’s guitar solos grab your attention and he loves to feed off the energy of the crowd producing a different solo on any given night.
Anastasio is truly a master with being able to take the crowds feelings and let it be broadcast with his solid guitar playing. The encore brought a familiar song to the masses with Led Zepplin’s ” Black Dog”. When it was first announced that TAB would be playing two nights, it was a bittersweet feeling, I felt that maybe another band would have been added but I was soon glad that TAB would be playing two nights because one set just wasn’t enough for me and I couldn’t wait come Saturday evening on the main stage. Friday’s late night sets included Scranton’s own Cabinet on the Grove stage and Big Gigantic on the Mushroom stage. Big Gigantic has played countless festivals throughout the entire country and their Livetronica and lighting kept the late night crowd entertained into the night.
What started out as an overcast type day soon turned into a day filled with sunshine and music. Everyone dusted themselves off from the night before, got a breakfast burrito and a morning beverage and dove right back into the music filled Saturday. The Mushroom stage started the day off with The London Souls and Rich Robinson Band, while The Peach stage brought out The Tribal Seeds and The Infamous Stringdusters. The Grove stage hosted Tom Graham and Jamestown’s Big Leg Emma. Big Leg Emma had a sizable crowd brewing, representing the western New York scene rather nicely. Gov’t Mule took the Peach Stage as they did many times before at this festival and the many festivals around the country. Warren Haynes, an extremely talented guitarist, with his crunchy guitar and southern twang, always seems to impress the crowd. Haynes is not only a great guitarist but he is one of the most humble and respected people throughout the industry, he is as real as someone gets in the spotlight and it shines through in his playing. One of the greatest things about Warren was his guitar technique. Brian Farmer, who by the time you’ll have read this had unfortunately passed away; Farmer may have been one of the most well liked persons who seemed to have loved life every time you saw him. It’s with a heavy heart that I type this and know that this gentle giant will be missed by so many, Thank you Mr. Farmer for making sure that Warren’s guitars always sounded top-notch.
Another bright spot for western New York State was Aqueous, who played the Grove stage and had the largest gathering of people on that stage, their constant touring throughout New York and Pennsylvania has really paid off, as well as the many followers coming from Buffalo, NY that made the trip. The band started off their set with “King for a Day”. Kicking it into high gear with a rousing segue series with “Skyway>Staring into the Sun>Heart Shaped Box> Warren in the Window”. Closing the set with ” Strange Times” and using every bit of their allotted time with one incredible set from start to finish. The set was perfectly placed at a time when the crowd was filtering into the main stage area for Trey Anastasio Band’s second night set. If there were any non believers watching Aqueous perform their set, I would bet that there wearing an Aqueous shirt today. As everyone shuffled off from Aqueous, the main stage filled in with many people for night two of Trey Anastasio Band. The talk around the campgrounds was on how everyone loved TAB the night before. Night two included three Phish songs to keep all the phans pretty content with “Alaska”, “Gotta Jibboo” and “First Tube”. Trey played to the crowd again on the second night and at one point dodging a few giant-sized balloons that found their way on stage, without missing a beat and smiling in true Trey form.
As good as TAB was, the night belonged to The Allman Brothers Band. The amphitheater was packed to the gills both in the pavilion and on the lawn. There were not many people at the venue that weren’t down to hear the band. As the Allmans came on stage the crowd erupted, Butch Trucks came up to his elevated drum kit with fists clenched high and got the fired up crown even more excited. Ever since the Allmans announced this would be their final tour the anticipation for this show was at an all time high. The band was also going to play their 1972 album, Eat a Peach in its entirety. As soon as the group hit the first few notes of “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” they new this night was going to be something special. Following along to the album, the boys played “Les Brers in A Minor” and “Melissa”. “Mountain Jam” was incredible, with Oteil Burbridge’s thumping bass, Butch Trucks’ rolling drums matched with being on an actual mountain and at The Allman’s festival it was a once in a lifetime experience. Rolling right through with ” One Way Out”, ” Trouble No More”, “Stand Back” and closing the set with a rousing ” Blue Sky”. The Allmans stepped off stage for what seemed like seconds, returning with just Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes who came out and played ” Little Matha” while images of the late Duane Allman with old footage of the Allman Brothers band were displayed on the screens. It was a great moment with two of the newest members of the band paying a tribute to the originals. Danny Louis once again joined the group onstage; Louis who plays in Govt Mule, played on the opening song and on “That’s What Love Will Make You Do”. Closing the night out with “Black Hearted Woman” the band finished up their first night and it was one of the best I have ever seen from them. The band was on point, and they showed it all night long. The Allmans are true pioneers in the music scene, if there wasn’t groups like this, we wouldn’t have a lot of the music we love to listen to from so many others. It was amazing to catch them before they decided to hang it up and if you weren’t able to make the festival you may want to make some plans to catch them with their Beacon Theatre run.
Setlist: *Ain’t Waistin’ Time No More, Les Brers in A Minor, Melissa, Mountain Jam, One Way Out, Trouble No More, Stand Back, Blue Sky Encore: Little Martha, That’s What Love Will Make You Do, Black Hearted Woman *Eat A Peach in its Entirety
Late night featured two great bands with Lotus and The Ron Hollaway Band playing on opposite sides, NYS Music’s own Garrett Montgomery reflects on the latter which we both had the pleasure of attending. As a mass exodus of fans headed to watch Lotusfrom the poolside Mushroom Stage, Ron Holloway started spraying melodic runs with his tenor saxophone at the smaller Grove Stage. A highly revered veteran of the festival circuit, this was only the second ever show Holloway has played with his new project, The Ron Hollaway Band. After singers Amanda Lynne and Jenny Poppen pleaded “God make me funky!” and bassist Chris Brown’s quickly flicking fingers demonstrated he was blessed with that gift, the late night crowd was provided a special surprise. Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks and Danny Louis joined The Ron Holloway Band on stage for unforgettable renditions of “The Weight” and “The Letter.”
“We were fortunate enough to slide into that midnight spot,” lead singer Jenny Poppen said. “It couldn’t have been a more perfect place. People were leaving the Allman Brothers, heard us, and had to stop. We were hoping Warren and Derek would join us, but it was a last-minute surprise even for us!”
Solos flew like hotcakes for the star-studded The Band cover, while Rod Gross kept everyone in line on the drums. The crowd sang the well-known lyrics in unison, and then the heavy hitters stepped up. Holloway soloed first, laying out a template for the others to build on. Warren retorted in soul-wrenching style. Trucks, who seemed to be hiding near the back of the small stage, slid in and added his share to the monster jam. Holloway’s guitarist Joe Poppen, however, would not be outdone during his set. He shredded to pieces what the other rock stars built up, showcasing his own clout as a highly talented guitarist.
When “The Weight” wound down, The Allman Brothers‘ guitarists and Govt’ Mule keys player stuck around for a cover of “The Letter”. According to Holloway, “They saw the song list and gravitated toward those two songs. [Warren and Derek] liked the idea of playing both songs, which made it even more fun having them stay out for two.” Holloway, who has played with Root Boy Slim, Dizzy Gillespie, Little Feat, and many more musicians throughout his career, added, “It was an honor and a privilege being up with them, those are two of my very best friends.”
After the guests left the stage, the Ron Hollow Band continued to rock the crowd well past curfew, playing a mix of jazz, soul, funk, and blues. Amanda Lynne started a heartfelt cover of Neil Young’s “Down By The River” that Jenny Poppen added her “Black Betty” touch to. Holloway warned, “Careful ladies, there are a lot of horny guys out there,” as his band mates grooved and grinded on stage. While it was easy to be seduced by their shaking hips and pretty faces, their appeal was rooted even deeper in their soulful voices. With musical legends crowding the stage, no one could mistake Jenny running the show and Amanda Lynne’s voice was rousing. Holloway, who discovered Lynne in 2013, realized she wasn’t being properly utilized in her previous band. “I thought to myself, ‘I want to get her in a setting to really shine.’ So she was definitely going to be a part of the band.”
The Peach set included a grooving version of “What Is Hip” and keys player Wes Lanich cranked it up during “Memphis Soul Stew.” While the night was full of covers, Holloway portends, “We’re here for the duration. We’re thinking about getting into the studio and recording, that’s a definite. It’ll probably be a mixture of both [covers and originals], but definitely expect originals.” The next scheduled Ron Holloway Band show is at the 8×10 Club in Baltimore. Though no dates are confirmed yet, Holloway and Jenny Poppen both hinted that it will not be long before the band returns for another show in the northeast.
Set list: Blackbird, God Make Me Funky, The Weight, The Letter, Baby I Love You, Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean, Make It Rain, Congo Square, Baby Love, If I’m In Luck (I Just Might Get Picked Up), Breaking Up Somebody’s Home, Down By The River, Kissing My Love, What Is Hip, Memphis Soul Stew, Rock Ready
Lineup: Ron Holloway (tenor saxophone), Jenny “Black Betty” Poppen (vocals), Amanda Lynne (vocals), Joe Poppen (guitar), Christopher Brown (bass), Wes Lanich (keys), Rodd Gross (drums)
Guests: Warren Haynes (guitar), Derek Trucks (guitar), Danny Louis (keys)
Sunday tends to be a more laid back day, with a crowd that had been going hard since thursday night, Sunday set up with a sense calmness to it. A good amount of people tend to also pack up and head out and get to the travel ahead of schedule and back to reality. For the hardcore festival goers that like to use every minute of the weekend for the festival, they are treated to some great music. The day started out with Wake Up With Warren. A set with Warren Haynes and an acoustic guitar. Warren played several Govt Mule songs, Allman Brothers Band tunes, a Rolling Stones cover and closing with Pink Floyd’s ” Wish You Were Here”. Haynes is such a versatile guitar player that he can play just about anything and with the knowledge of music that he has learned, he makes it look easy.
Taj Mahal Trio, who is led by Grammy award-winning blues musician, Henry Saint Clair Fredricks has been playing music for 50 years. Taj Mahal, is what he uses for his stage name played with some of the greatest blues musicians in his time and was a refreshing sound of authentic raw blues on Sunday. The Soul Rebels, a band from New Orleans had a big sound and was working to get the crowd jumping for the Allman Brothers return to the stage. The eight piece band brought the funk, jazz and dance to the stage and was a nice surprise to the Sunday afternoon. Bridging The Rebels and the Allmans was Jimkata, which closed out the Grove stage with a solid set and very good appearance at The Peach.
The Allman Brothers band closed out the festival, once again coming on stage to a standing ovation and the band got right into it opening with The Spencer Davis Group’s ” Don’t Want You No More”. Playing through their extensive catalog while playing popular songs such as ” Statesboro Blues” , “Midnight Rider”, ” Soulshine”, ” In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” and closing with ” Whipping Post”. The Peach fans definitely got a big slice of Allman Brothers for the weekend and it’s going to be tough to see this band hang it up with touring. I sure hope they rethink it and perhaps still attend the festival that they created only three short years earlier. If the Allmans decide to permanently put it on hold I sure hope they pass the torch to a great band that can take on the festival and continue to grow it the way the Allman Brothers Band had always planned.
Setlist: Dont Want You No More, It’s Not My Cross to Bear, Midnight Rider, Done Somebody Wrong, Hot’Lanta, Dusk Till Dawn, Leave My Blues At Home, Statesboro Blues, Soulshine, You Don’t Love Me, Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl, Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, JaBuMaOt >In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, No One To Run With
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.
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!
In honor of the tenth anniversary of Mountain Jam, which takes place in the glorious Catskill Mountains right here in our Upstate backyard, the weather decided to fully cooperate for the entire weekend (with the exception of literally one minute of rain late Thursday night)! Set within the beautiful backdrop of Hunter Ski Mountain, which forms a natural amphitheater with its sheer geography, the spectacular and constant sounds of pure musical genius were constantly being bounced off the mountains right back at you. It was even possible to take in the music and views from above via the Sky Ride (a.k.a., the ski lifts)! With the two main stages set up right next to each other, it was possible to see a continuous flow of music without having to leave your spot, but when the need arose to stretch your legs or take a break inside the Ski Lodge (where there was access to indoor bathrooms throughout the days and evenings), it was definitely worth visiting Healey Brothers Hall located inside the lodge, where several workshops were offered throughout the weekend. In addition, one could check out the variety of other activities going on on the mountain, including taking a yoga and gong sound healing class in the Learning Center; playing a game of Frisbee Golf; participating in a drum circle; cleansing your karma at the Karma Wash; or taking a nap in the Hammock Grove.
With the festival gates opening at 2pm on Thursday, there seemed to be some initial confusion amongst the security guards about exactly what was going on, which resulted in a few of the early arrivals to miss a bit of the first band, but thankfully, once the music started, it motivated everyone (including the security guards) to keep things moving. Diesel America from New York City held the esteemed position of being the opening band for Mountain Jam X, quite an interesting choice, as they played some of the hardest rock ever heard at a Mountain Jam, but they certainly helped kick things into gear. Next up was K-Jamm, a catchy “hipster rock” band, sounding a bit like Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros with some Rusted Root mixed in, and heavy on the Hammond, giving the band a real classic sound. Following K-Jamm were The Dirty Gems, a Brooklyn-based band who has won or been finalists in numerous Battle of the Band competitions. Having incredibly high energy, powerful lead female vocalist Raycee, during the first song, took a break to high-five the rest of the band members, and encouraged everyone in the audience to do the same! Performing a great cover of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” and then ending on a jazzy note, The Dirty Gems’ parting advice was, “Be safe but not too safe!” After such a wise tip, Copious Jones, from Atlanta, Georgia, was next to perform on the West Stage. They had the exceptional ability to combine various genres of music within each of their tunes. During any given tune, you could be hearing straight up rock, jazz, folk, reggae, and even salsa. The lead vocalist, “Sniffles” Callahan, sounded an awful lot like Gogol Bordello, which was an added bonus! At one point, they had everyone dancing so hard, even one of the cameramen on stage was getting down! The final band to play on the West Stage on Mountain Jam, Day 1, was Citizens Radio Band from New Jersey, who was a whole lot of fun, and the first bluegrass band of the festival! In fact, they got the crowd psyched with a rousing rendition of “Bluegrass Breakdown”, a real traditional number, and later on sang a beautiful version of “Silver Threads and Golden Needles”, which had a New Riders of the Purple Sage sound to it. At certain points during their set, a saxophone made an appearance, which added a distinctive tone to an otherwise predominantly bluegrass and country set.
For the bands playing later in the evening, the music was switched over to the larger East Stage, so at this point in the festival, there was a mass migration from one stage to the other. To inaugurate the East Stage at this year’s Mountain Jam was the legendary Dark Star Orchestra, a band famous for replicating entire Grateful Dead shows tune-for-tune, and as close to note-for-note as they can learn. Due to their two-hour time slot, they didn’t have time for an entire Dead show, so they played one of their original sets, which was equally as well thought out and executed as a Dead set would have been. Included in their set were several of the Dead’s more upbeat tunes, including “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo”, “Midnight Moonlight”, ”Samson and Delilah”, and “Eyes of the World”. At several points during the set, it sounded like they were going to go into “China Cat Sunflower”, and I could have sworn they were going to start “Women Are Smarter” when they actually went into “Iko Iko”, but that just kept everyone on their toes, like the Grateful Dead used to do. The band closed out the set with a sentimental rendition of “The Weight”, dedicated to Levon Helm, who coincidentally celebrated his 70th birthday at Mountain Jam just a few years ago. Dark Star Orchestra successfully channeled Jerry Garcia to all of us on this first day of Mountain Jam, and you could tell the band was feeling the love from the audience, as Rob Eaton, rhythm guitarist and vocalist, called the crowd a “Laurel and Hardy bunch”!
And now, for the headliner of the night, Umphrey’s McGee! They came out on stage in the dark and started playing their first number “Le Blitz” before the lights came up, getting the audience pumped with a nice blend of acoustic piano and electric guitar. About halfway through their set, during “Space Funk Booty”, some guy came running down the hill at full speed, and mumbled something to me on his way back up about getting so into the music, he may have even blacked out at one point! The band took the opportunity to garner some Umph Love for their new album Similar Skin, which came out just after Mountain Jam weekend, by playing the title track. To close out their first set, one of the hosts of the festival, the one and only Warren Haynes, joined Umphrey’s on their last tune, “Thin Air”, the first of many guest appearances made by Warren throughout the festival. Umphrey’s McGee’s second set consisted of several really dance-y songs, including super fast and flawless two-finger tapping on the guitar during “Cemetery Walk II” by Jake Cinninger, who was so hot, bassist Ryan Stasik had to fan him down; a vocal jam surrounding the phrase “Smoke it if you’ve got it” with the lights turned out on stage; and ending with a funky Police cover, “Driven to Tears”. Umphrey’s parting advice for the crowd was to “Drink more water!”
Day 2 of Mountain provided a longer 15-hour day of harmonious bliss, perhaps the busiest band being Brooklyn-based Afrobeat aficionados Antibalas, who made three separate appearances throughout the day, starting with an early set to get everyone on their feet from the get go, moving on to the Healey Hall stage for a mid-afternoon Afrobeat workshop, and ending the day with the last set of the day, starting at 1:00AM once again on the inside stage. A force to be reckoned with, with 11 band members on the stage, you could truly feel the steady beats and brass pulsing through you during their musical sets, and, although it meant missing some of the music going on outside, it was definitely worth participating in the Afrobeat workshop, during which Antibalas drummer Miles Arntzen taught the lucky group of participants two basic African claves (or rhythms), the Dorian scale, and “learning how to unlearn”. Other bands that played throughout the day were NYC-based The Dough Rollers, who sounded a bit Tom Waits-y (and who also didn’t seem too thrilled or prepared to be there); Robert Randolph and The Family Band, who were sounding as soulful and funky as ever, and ending with a last pedal steel riff over which he sang “Let’s Go Rangers!” (as there was a game going on that evening, which was being shown at the bar inside the lodge); The Weeks, who were reminiscent of The Strokes; Trampled By Turtles from Minnesota, who played the fastest bluegrass I’ve ever seen; Reignwolf, playing some hard southern rock, with drummer Texas Jo playing with similar antics as Animal of Muppets fame; The Avett Brothers from North Carolina, whose true love of playing music really shined through in their heartfelt tunes, and who brought with them a dedicated fan base of all ages (in fact, the two little girls sitting with their parents in front of me seemed to know practically all they lyrics to their songs!); and Moon Taxi from Nashville, who provided the audience with some bouncier trippier music, and a truly fun and upbeat musical experience.
Bob Weir and Ratdog were the main act of Day 2 of Mountain Jam, and they very nonchalantly started off with “The Music Never Stopped”, which proved to be an apt title for the rest of the set, with “Easy Answers”, “West L.A. Fadeaway”, “Don’t Let Go”, “Me and My Uncle”, and “Deal” rounding out the first set. “Uncle” Warren joined Ratdog for the first of several songs of this spacier second set. During “Lady With a Fan”, on which Bobby’s lovely lilting voice truly shined through, drummer Jay Lane started a vocal jam going back and forth with the crowd, alluding to the fact that this would be a good opportunity for a “cell phone video”! Being a bass player myself, it was a true pleasure to get to experience such an upright bass virtuoso as Rob Wasserman, who really came through during the second set on “Terrapin” with some fancy bowing. After ending the set with “Sugar Magnolia”, Warren came back to join the band for their encore of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode”, featuring some crazy fast piano playing taking place by Jeff Chimenti.
To close out the evening, while Antibalas was providing the organic Afrobeats inside, for those willing to brave the chilly air, it was well worth checking out Beats Antique, who were throwing down their sounds and samples on the East Stage. Feeling bad that they were playing opposite one of their favorite bands, Beats Antique started out with some Antibalas samples, and went on to fuse genres as varied as flamenco and Gypsy jazz, and even included some of Les Claypool’s distinguished bass beats. Performing with DJs David Satori and Tommy Cappel was Zoe Jakes, a belly dancer who provided an unusual yet pleasing visual element, which, in combination with the incredible lighting design, worked well to create the whole psychedelic scene that was taking place.
Feeling a bit low on energy on Day 3 of Mountain Jam, the incredibly talented and young (he’s only 20 years old, if you can believe it!) Connor Kennedy, from the nearby artistic and musical community of Woodstock, got my butt kicked into gear with his inspirational songwriting and guitar playing. (Later on in the day, Connor Kennedy, Eric Earley of Blitzen Trapper, and Valerie June offered a songwriting workshop inside on the Healey Hall stage.) Day 3 also included performances by Blitzen Trapper from Oregon, who provided the audience with some good old-fashioned southern rock, heavy on the slide guitar; Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, fronted by Arleigh Kincheloe, whose unbelievably commanding voice is on the same level of impressiveness as Janis Joplin, backed by a funk-soul band of seven powerhouse musicians including a horn section; Jeff Tweedy, taking it down a notch with his mellow singing and guitar playing, performing a mix of some new materials he was trying out and some “sloppy versions of songs [he’s] played before”, and joined by his gifted son Spencer on the drums for a few tunes; guitar hero Jonathan Wilson (who’s not too shabby on the piano either), who continued the mellowness for a bit longer; Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, who had “the counsel” made up of some of his friends and fellow band members fill up time with their own music until he himself showed up a half hour into the set, which he of course made up for by singing some of his father’s big hits including “War”, “Exodus”, and “Get Up Stand Up”; and Valerie June from Tennessee, a singer who has one of the most enchanting and otherworldly voices, who when you listened to her, you truly felt like you had been transported to the 1930s and were listening to the record player.
On this third day of Mountain Jam, there were in a sense two headliners, namely Tedeschi Trucks Band (TTB)and Gov’t Mule! TTB played us into the sunset with their amazing chemistry between husband and wife superstars Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, as well as the nine other spectacular musicians who joined them on stage, including a horn section. Opening with a sweet flute solo on “Idle Wind” certainly didn’t hurt matters. Soulive and Lettuce founder Eric Krasno joined TTB onstage for “Misunderstood” and the Traffic cover “Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring”. Tedeschi proved to be a superstar with both her guitars and vocals, which are like honey for the soul, and Trucks could play forever and that wouldn’t be long enough.
Settling in for two superb sets of Gov’t Mule, the band that has come to be known as the house band of Mountain Jam, those who had attended Mountain Jam in the past knew they were in for a real treat with the mix of originals and covers that Mule typically plays at this festival. Their first set demonstrated the band’s musical prowess, with each and every instrument and voice sounding crisp and clean, while the second set saw more fun covers (including “Tell Me Something Good” by Rufus and Chaka Khan, “Creep” by Radiohead, and “Sugaree” by Jerry Garcia). Several musicians made guest appearances during the band’s sets, namely Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Jackie Greene, and Eric Krasno. Government Mule was clearly paying attention to what was going on throughout the rest of the festival, as they teased “Rocky Mountain Way” by Joe Walsh, which had been covered earlier in the day by Blitzen Trapper, and they also kept in line with the underlying theme of bands throughout the weekend covering Led Zeppelin tunes, with a rocking rendition of “Since I’ve Been Loving You”. To finish off their set, Mule encored with a Doors mini set, consisting of “People Are Strange”, “Five to One”, and “Break on Through”!
As if the crowd hadn’t gotten their fill of music and dancing for the day, the music just kept going, with Jackie Greene playing on the indoor stage, and Pretty Lights playing outside on the main stage. Although it was a tough decision, having seen Jackie Greene on several other occasions, including previous Mountain Jams (and when he made a guest appearance with Ratdog earlier in the evening), I opted for checking out Pretty Lights. Led by Derek Vincent Smith, this extremely talented “sample collage artist” was able to bend sound and light in every direction, leading the audience to get sucked into the pretty lights that were going on in front of them. It was impossible not to dance to his brilliant selection of tunes that were sampled, starting with “Fight for Your Right” by the Beastie Boys, later moving on to “Midnight Rider” by the Allman Brothers (a very fitting choice given the occasion), and seamlessly throwing together a mash-up of several Led Zeppelin songs. But perhaps even more impressive than simply the tracks that he mixed so perfectly, were the lights that seemed to be so in sync with the music, and so spectacularly complicated, that you couldn’t help but wonder how the artists put it all together. Lighting designer Greg Ellis and Production Manager/Audio Engineer Phil Salvaggio, both natives of Upstate NY, played equal parts in making the precisely choreographed Pretty Lights experience what it was. At one, point, Ellis somehow managed to create colored wedges of light outlined by thin white laser lights; imagine how much work must go in to that! Pretty Lights was truly a mind-blowing experience.
Waking up on Day 4 of Mountain Jam is always a bittersweet experience: you know you have one more day full of all the music you can dream of, but you also have in the back of your mind that this inconceivably fun time you’ve had over the past four days is going to come to an end. But in the meantime, Anders Osborne from New Orleans brought us some of his soulful singing and guitar playing and his inspiring lyrics, and even brought out special guest Marco Benevento, who was accompanied on stage by two little girls who I can only assume to be his daughters. The Treetop Flyers from London brought the audience some beautiful three-part harmonies and good time rock-and-roll, leading up to the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, who sounded nice and gospel-y (Chris Robinson is another one of those singers whose voice makes my heart), but the keyboards seemed to be overly synthesized. A very pleasant surprise for the middle of Day 4 was The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (GOASTT), headed by none other than Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl. Listening to their music had a way of putting you into a dream state, being so psychedelic in nature, featuring some really radical percussions that looked like they consisted of two pots taped together, a maraca, and a tambourine just sitting on top of a folding table! Lennon definitely inherited his parents’ talent genes, as he demonstrated through his creative songwriting, vocals, and guitar skills. GOASTT had a definite Sergeant Pepper’s look about them as far as their outfits were concerned, and even the sound had an underlying Beatles feel to it.
Still in a dream-like state of mind, after being wished a “Happy 4:20, because it’s always 4:20 on the Mountain!” by an announcer, Patrick Carlin, George Carlin’s brother, came out to introduce probably one of the most positive bands out there, Michael Franti and Spearhead! Successfully combining dance beats, electronic effects, and infectious and encouraging lyrics, this band is certainly a force to be reckoned with, leaving not one single face in the crowd without a smile. Franti has such amazing chemistry with the crowd; no matter whether you are seeing him in an intimate club or at an immense festival such as this one, he still interacts with the audience, and today gave shout-outs to the person smoking a joint in the green shirt, and the guy dancing around with a fly swatter, among others. For me, throughout the whole set, I was pleasantly distracted by the fact that I knew he was going to be coming out into the crowd and standing on a block set out for him literally right next to where I was standing! And sure enough, during “11:59”, Franti made his way over to the block, and put out his hand for a gentleman in his 50s to join him, referring to him as his “brother from another mother”, and inviting him to sing along during his brief cover of the Lumineers “Ho Hey”! I had never actually seen a positive aura surrounding anyone before, but I can now say that I’ve seen one around Michael Franti. (And the gentleman who he had on the block with him was basking in the glory of that experience, glowing for the rest of the evening.)
Although the anticipation was building for the Allman Brothers Band, who were up next on the East Stage, there was still one more band on the West Stage, and that was Lucius from Brooklyn. Getting shafted out of 15 minutes of their time slot due to Michael Franti running over during his set, Lucius graciously started right in with their super fun style of indie pop rock, and sucked the audience right in with their catchy rhythms and tight harmonies. The whole act was a very symmetrical experience, with one side of the stage practically being a mirror image of the other, down to the outfits worn by and hairstyles of all five of the band members!
And now, last but most certainly not least, the much anticipated and highly esteemed Allman Brothers Band (ABB), who wrote the song after which the Mountain Jam festival was named, came out on stage for what would be one of their last performances ever, as the group has decided to hold their final show at the fitting Beacon Theater this October after touring for 45 years. To commemorate this auspicious occasion, ABB treated us fans to a performance of their entire first two albums, Idlewild South and The Allman Brothers Band. Even though the band was sticking to a strict set list, that certainly didn’t prevent the jamming from happening. A particularly special moment during the first set came during the “Drums” they segued into from “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”, during which you could practically hear a melody coming through, even though solely percussions were being played; ABB has always had the unique ability to accomplish this task, perhaps because they have three percussionists up there who have been doing this together for decades. Today was an extra special day for Derek Trucks, as he celebrated his 35th birthday playing with ABB at Mountain Jam! This fact just reinforced his outstanding musical capabilities, as the crowd was reminded of the fact that Trucks hadn’t even been born yet when ABB recorded either of the albums performed tonight! But he has certainly mastered all their music and then some, adding his own unique twists. It was most definitely an honor to get to see The Allman Brothers Band perform for what might be my last time seeing them.
With all the tremendously diverse musical acts that performed at this year’s Mountain Jam, including several world-renowned artists, it is no surprise that the festival was feeling the growing pains of becoming an expanding festival, with a more corporate backing this time around, as made evident by Awareness Village being replaced by a Budweiser beer tent and Blu electronic cigarettes booth. But despite that, the overall positive energy that always seems to linger over Hunter Mountain during the Mountain Jam festival each year was still there. Between the awesome musical collaborations that took place throughout the weekend, with Bob Weir joining the Avett Brothers (and even doing some yodeling with them!), Jonathan Wilson joining Bob Weir and Ratdog, Derek Trucks and Jackie Greene joining Government Mule, and, of course, Warren Haynes making appearances with several bands throughout the four days; the lucky audience member who got to propose marriage to his girlfriend on stage during Michael Franti and Spearhead’s “Say Hey (I Love You)”; Jeff Tweedy telling the audience that he wouldn’t mind if someone got him a baked potato, since the baked potato vendor was in his line of sight throughout his entire set (and then when someone actually got him one, he sheepishly complained about it having sour cream on it, as he is lactose intolerant!); and someone in the audience handing me a balloon during Moon Taxi’s set, and actually being able to feel the vibrations of the music come through the balloon halfway up the mountain! That just goes to show you how truly powerful the music and vibe at the Mountain Jam festival can be. Whether you have not been to one yet, or you are a veteran, Mountain Jam is not to be missed for those who appreciate virtually any type of music, as with the wide array of bands the festival features, your genre of choice is sure to be covered by at least a couple of the bands there, and you will be introduced to many more that you will be asking yourself why you had never seen before.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Mountain Jam, a festival produced by Mountain Jam, LLC, in association with Woodstock, NY’s legendary independent radio station Radio Woodstock 100.1, and none other than guitar and vocals virtuoso Warren Haynes. You know if Warren Haynes is involved, it’s going to be good! The festival will take place at Hunter Mountain, a world-class ski resort nestled in the heart of the Catskill Mountains in Upstate NY, from June 5-8. Located just over two hours from New York City, it is definitely worth the trip up the mountain to check out this festival, which features approximately 40 bands on 3 stages.
Having started out as a one-day festival to celebrate Radio Woodstock’s 25th anniversary, it has grown to what it is today, a festival that has been consistently rated as one of the top music festivals in the country by magazines such as Rolling Stone. Over the years, Mountain Jam is honored to have hosted some incredible talent, from internationally touring bands, including Widespread Panic and Primus, to some local favorites from right here in Upstate New York, including John Medeski and Simone Felice, and this year is sure not to disappoint. Not really knowing where to begin, as there are so many spectacular musicians who will making appearances over the course of this four-day festival, just a few of the bands that will be playing include: Bob Weir and Ratdog, the Allman Brothers Band, Government Mule, Umphrey’s McGee, Pretty Lights, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Jackie Greene, and The Avett Brothers. And these are just a fraction of all the huge acts that will be there! The two main stages are set up right next to each other, which maximizes the amount of time there is to play/see music, as while one band is playing on one stage, the stage next to it is being set up for the next band. (It is also much easier on the knees, for fans at least, who don’t have to trek across fields to make it from one band to the next.)
The third stage is located in Healey Brothers Hall, inside the Main Lodge. It is always worth heading indoors to check out this more intimate concert space, and to escape from the elements, if necessary. This year, in honor of Mountain Jam’s 10th anniversary, a series of workshops will be taking place in Healey Brothers Hall throughout the weekend. Stop by to participate in these workshops, which are being led by various authors, photographers, painters, dancers, and musicians, including Michael Franti, who has become quite the fixture at Mountain Jam, and who will be performing a very special acoustic set! Another cool act to perform on this stage will be Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, who will be joining the Paul Green Rock Academy – another collaboration that promises to be exceptional. Other workshop topics include songwriting, led by Eric Earley (of Blitzen Trapper), Valerie June, and Connor Kennedy; and a reading and discussion with Duane Allman’s daughter Galadrielle Allman.
Hunter Mountain has become quite the year-round attraction. For those daring enough, between sets, be sure to squeeze in enough time to experience North America’s longest and highest Zipline, right there at Hunter! For a unique way to be able to take in the spectacular mountain views while not having to miss a beat of music, take a ride on the Sky Ride, which allows you to view the two main stages from above on the mountain’s ski lifts. There are plenty of other activities that can provide a brief hiatus from all the rockin’ music being channeled out to you, including yoga and sound healing classes, drum circles, and a live interactive version of Farmville 2! In addition, Ash Street Puppetworks will be strutting their fantastic puppets around the festival site throughout the weekend, and you can’t really miss them, so be sure to snap some photos when they pass by – they are quite the sight to see! Another act that has become a staple of Mountain Jam who will be back again this year is the Shilly Shally Fire Troupe, who jumps from place to place around the festival site to captivate the audience with their unique interactive fire act. The Fire Troupe will even be giving workshops this year for those who have always been curious as to how they do all their remarkable tricks!
For the wee ones, there are plenty of activities to keep them entertained (an important note: children 10 and under are admitted to the festival for free with a ticket-holding adult, limit two children per adult): children’s music and entertainment will be performed on Saturday and Sunday mornings; there will be a “cozy kids corner” complete with arts and crafts, hammocks, and a sandbox, and even its own potty; the well-known Wormtown tent, where kids can get their faces painted and participate in team games (there is a child registration area located at the Wormtown tent, in case your child gets lost during the festival); and the “Wayfinder Experience” interactive game. None of these activities should be treated as babysitting services, but they definitely provide some much-needed distractions for the kiddies, and they do so in such a way that encourages the children’s teamwork and creativity.
While you are enjoying all the music and activities, it will be hard to avoid reveling at the beauty of the scenery surrounding you. To demonstrate the festival producers’ awareness of that fact, and the forward thinking that went into the planning of this festival, Awareness Village will once again host exhibits from not-for-profit organizations and environmental groups, in addition to children’s entertainment, performance and sculpture art, physical and spiritual healing, a beer and wine garden, and much more. On top of all that, Awareness Village is the spot to be if you are itching to meet some of your favorite artists, as you will be able to find many of them signing merchandise in the Radio Woodstock Artist Signing Tent throughout the weekend! The Festival will also be continuing its greening efforts with recycling, carbon offsets, and $1 water refills to reduce the usage of plastic water bottles. So be sure to stop by the Awareness Village to see the many positive impacts that are being made by local environmental groups, and to learn more about how you can help move this planet in a more positive direction.
It would be foolish not to mention the extraordinarily wide range of food options from which to choose at Mountain Jam. Many of the food vendors are located right along both sides of the concert field, so you don’t even have to miss any music while scoring some grub to sustain you through the rest of your dance-filled days! From New Orleans-influenced cuisine to Asian-style stir-fried noodle dishes, from tacos to pizza, you will find all that and more at the Festival. Some of the more unique food options available this year include How We Roll, described as serving comfort food in an egg roll, and Meltdown Gourmet, where they serve up a variety of creative grilled cheese creations, including a BBQ chicken mac and cheese sandwich!
Tickets are available on the Mountain Jam Festival website, with a variety of ticket options available, ranging from single-day tickets ($69 for Thursday only; $99 for Friday, Saturday, or Sunday), to 3- or 4-day passes with or without camping (if you buy at the “It’s About Time!” price, a 4-day pass with camping would cost $269). In addition, there are designated “car camping”, “lot car camping”, and “near-car camping” passes available, if lugging all your gear up to a camping spot on the mountainside isn’t your thing. RV passes are also available, with several designated areas to choose from as far as where to park your home for the weekend. One can also purchase one of several “Jammer” packages, which provide VIP amenities such as early access to the festival, private camping areas, a special viewing area in front of the stage, access to shaded hospitality tents stocked with hors d’oeuvres and discounted drinks, and 24-hour access to air-conditioned bathrooms (which can be key, especially when it gets hot and sticky outside, which often happens at Mountain Jam). Jammer pass holders are eligible to reserve lodging in the on-site Kaatskill Mountain Club, which provides swanky accommodations during the festival right there on the outskirts of Awareness Village. (These rooms are sold out for this year, but be sure to reserve your spot for next year’s festival if you are looking for a more luxurious festival experience!) This year, you can also purchase an on-site parking pass; your other option would be to park for free at one of the festival’s off-site parking lots and take a shuttle to the festival entrance (or you could always utilize the many parking lots that seem to pop up on people’s front yards for such events, for a small fee, of course). Please see the Festival’s website for more detailed information on ticket pricing and to purchase tickets and RV/car camping/parking passes. The Festival website also has a list of hotels in the vicinity of Hunter Mountain, many of which will be serviced by a hotel shuttle being offered by the Festival for a $20 fee, allowing you to leave your car behind at the hotel and not even have to worry about looking for parking at or near the Festival.
Whether you decide to come for the day, or for the entire four days, you will discover that you don’t have to travel very far (that is, if you live in Upstate NY) to find world-famous, as well as locally known and loved, musicians playing in a pristine mountaintop setting. Mountain Jam is a place where you can just let loose and enjoy yourselves to the fullest, where you will come to see familiar faces year after year – and meet plenty of new ones, and where you can get your karma washed by a team of “Bliss Facilitators” right there on the concert field! Come on out to Mountain Jam in the heart of the Catskills for a thoroughly enjoyable four days of music, art, and community from June 5-8! In the meantime, here’s a preview of what’s to come at this year’s Mountain Jam Festival!
Thursday night brought the majority of the crowd to the mountains of Pennsylvania and the music started at 6PM with 
Late night featured two great bands with 
Sunday tends to be a more laid back day, with a crowd that had been going hard since thursday night, Sunday set up with a sense calmness to it. A good amount of people tend to also pack up and head out and get to the travel ahead of schedule and back to reality. For the hardcore festival goers that like to use every minute of the weekend for the festival, they are treated to some great music. The day started out with Wake Up With Warren. A set with Warren Haynes and an acoustic guitar. Warren played several Govt Mule songs, Allman Brothers Band tunes, a 
