NYS Music 20​15

Category: Bluegrass/Country

  • Best of NYS Music 2015: Staff Picks for Out-of-State Festivals

    While most might dream of tropical getaways when it comes to vacation time, music fans accrue their days to travel across the country—or world—for weekends jam-packed with live performances, indulgent food and experimental fun. From the east to the west coasts to the Midwest, NYSMusic staffers traveled near and far throughout the year to see their favorite groups in action. Here we give you our top picks for out-of-state festivals of 2015.

    2015 festivalsBest Small Festival: Arise Music Festival, East Coast Tsunami Festival, Grand Point North Festival and The Werk Out Music and Arts Festival

    With the growing number of small-scale festivals that seem to pop up each year, it’s no wonder that our team could not pick just one or two as their favorite—so we decided to include the ones we felt deserved an honorable mention. First up is Arise Music Festival, an event in Loveland, CO, that according to Andrew Wyatt “offers a spicy jambalaya of multi-cultural live music, electronic performances, art presentations, along with numerous workshops centered around eco-activism, social justice, and spirituality practice.” With nearly 100 musical acts, the three-day festival now in its third year featured the likes of the Polish Ambassador, Rising Appalachia, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, Lukas Nelson, Turkuaz, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Trevor Hall, Emancipator Ensemble, Ozomatli and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, among others.

    Headlined by Wu-Tang Clan and Life Of Agony, the East Coast Tsunami Festival held in Reading, PA, treated hip hop, hardcore and metal fans to two full days of shows, including favorited groups Body Count, Mobb Deep, Murphy’s Law, Madball and more. And despite sound issues during day one, Jay Saint G. still dubbed the festival as “a wave of brutality that every music lover should experience.”

    Up next is the Grand Point North Festival held in Burlington’s Waterfront Park with views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. Headlined by Vermont’s sweetheart Grace Potter, the fifth annual installment boasted two nights of music featuring Phish’s Mike Gordon, the Flaming Lips, Shakey Graves, Greensky Bluegrass, Amy Helm and the Handsome Strangers, among others, and special guests like Kenny Chesney who joined Potter to perform their single, “Wild Child.” Alexandra Provost and Laura Carbone noted that “as Potter walked onto the stage, her skin glistening from raindrops, the audience went wild” and that she “put on an astounding performance, showing off her piano, guitar and bluesy vocal skills.”

    And finally the Werk Out Music and Arts Festival at Legend Valley, a venue favorited by the Grateful Dead in the ’80s. With a stacked lineup featuring the Werks, Papadosio, Dopapod, Lettuce, Umphrey’s McGee, the Floozies, Consider The Source, Break Science and Tauk, the sixth year for the Thornville, OH, festival “was as always a ridiculously good time for all who made the journey,” according to Ben Landsman. With three stages, a silent disco and one fan wedding,Landsman noted that “between the beauty of Legend Valley, the bright spirit of the fans, the innovative music, this festival is one of the treasures of the Midwest.”

    Best Midsize Festival: Green River Festival
    Honorable Mention: Aura Music and Arts Festival, Boston Calling, Camp Bisco, DelFest, McDowell Mountain Music Festival

    Held at Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, MA, the sold-out 29th annual Green River Festival was “fresh, exciting and invigorating,” according to Eli Stein. Featuring four hot air balloon launches, the family-friendly July event pulled out all the stops with a craft tent, Frisbee dog show, acrobats, karate demonstrations, swimming, a Mardi Gras-style parade and exotic local fare like elk, boar and venison burgers, a Korean food truck and kabob vendors. Throughout the three-day weekend, more than 40 performers ranging from Americana to dance, blues and jam graced the event’s three stages nestled in the foothills of the Berkshires, including Eilen Jewell, the Wood Brothers, Rubblebucket, Marco Benevento, MAKU Sound System, Langhorne Slim and the Law, the Punch Brothers and tUnE-yArDs, which Stein noted was the perfect mixture:

    Musically, the festival served up a heaping slab of New England comfort food. The rest aforementioned activity, as they say, was just the gravy. Not only were the band selections great, they were clearly hand-picked and not just pulled off the nearest passing festival train. The music flowed wonderfully from set to set, and built to a nice peak at the perfect times. There was an evenness to the passion and approach of the musicians that made for a smooth transition no matter where you went.”

    Best Large Festival: Gathering of the Vibes and Summer Camp
    Honorable Mention: Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Hangout Music Fest, Lockn’ Music Festival, Peach Festival, Rock Allegiance, Rock On the Range

    Celebrating its 20th year, Gathering of the Vibes offered up an impressive lineup with headliners Wilco, Weezer, Tedeschi/Trucks Band, Dark Star Orchestra, Ben Harper, Greg Allman and the String Cheese Incident. The late summer festival returned to Seaside Park in Bridgeport, CT, and treated fans to a super jam called Vibes 20th Anniversary Spectacular featuring Gov’t Mule guitarist Warren Haynes, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, Meters founding bassist George Porter Jr., Marco Benevento on keys and Joe Russo behind the drum kit, plus Jackie Greene on guitar. Although the four-day festival will take a break in 2016, VibeTribers Julia Wolfe and Steve Olker recounted the last day of the 2015 event and dubbed this run as one that would set the pace going forward:

    As the sun set over Vibes for the last time, [Ben] Harper closed out with his song “Better Way,” and it was finally time to head home. Seeing so many bands perform was both enticing and overwhelming at the same time, making leaving Vibes even more bittersweet. The range of genre, popularity, age and background is what makes Gathering of the Vibes separate from other festivals. After 20 years, Gathering of the Vibes has remained one of Connecticut’s most well-known festivals, and it’s attention to bringing about change while discovering your own inner peace is what will bring success for future gatherings to come. Until next time, thank you vibes for a real good time.”

    With more than 100 bands over four days on seven stages, this year’s installment of Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, IL, saw a stacked lineup of bands like moe., Umphrey’s McGee, Steve Miller Band, Widespread Panic, STS9, Big Gigantic, John Butler Trio, Krewella, Trampled by Turtles, Keller Williams and Grateful Grass, Yonder Mountain String Band, Violent Femmes and many, many more. Festivalgoers also had access to on-site camping, the infamous late night Red Barn Shows, musician workshops, a nonprofit village, arts and crafts and unique food vendors, plus some impressive improvements. In Pete Mason’s review of the festival’s final day, he detailed what made the perfect ending to the much celebrated event:

    The final set of the night to check out was North American Scum, an LCD Soundsystem cover band who might be the best band to close out Summer Camp. Members of the group are formerly of This Must be the Band, a Talking Heads band from Chicago, who have traditionally played one of the final sets at Summer Camp. This incredible two hour set featured the entire Sound of Silver album and, because everyone else was playing Grateful Dead songs, a spirited version of “Scarlet Begonias” to cap the night.”

    Read more from Summer Camp Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4.

  • Nashville Producer Dave Cobb Rallies All-Star Cast for Concept Album

    Grammy-nominated producer Dave Cobb has rounded up some of Nashville’s best and brightest country and Americana stars for an upcoming compilation album.

    The 12-track record titled Southern Family features artists Chris and Morgane Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Shooter Jennings, Zac Brown, Rich Robinson (of The Black Crowes), Miranda Lambert, Anderson East, Jamey Johnson, John Paul White (formerly of The Civil Wars), Brandy Clark, Brent Cobb and Holly Williams.

    dave cobbAccording to MusicRow, the album was inspired by 1978’s Civil War concept album White Mansions that featured notable musicians Waylon Jennings, Eric Clapton and Jessi Colter, and for this latest project, the acclaimed producer gathered “all of my friends on one record” to share a collection of stories about growing up in the South.

    Dave Cobb is best known for his work on Sturgill Simpson’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music (2015 Americana Music Awards Artist and Song of the Year), Isbell’s Southeastern (2014 Americana Music Awards Album and Artist of the Year) and Something More Than Free and Stapleton’s Traveller (2015 CMA Awards Album of the Year). Cobb has also produced records for Houndmouth, Honey Honey and Lake Street Dive. This year he is nominated for several Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Traveller is up for Album of the Year and Best Country Album and SMTF for Best Americana Album.

    Southern Family is expected to be released on Cobb’s own label imprint Low Country Sound/Elektra Records on March 18.

    Southern Family Track List:
    1. John Paul White, “Simple Song”
    2. Jason Isbell, “God Is A Working Man”
    3. Brent Cobb, “Down Home”
    4. Miranda Lambert, “Sweet By and By”
    5. Morgane Stapleton with Chris Stapleton, “You Are My Sunshine”
    6. Zac Brown, “Grandma’s Garden”
    7. Jamey Johnson, “Momma’s Table”
    8. Anderson East, “Learning”
    9. Holly Williams, “Settle Down”
    10. Brandy Clark, “I Cried”
    11. Shooter Jennings, “Can You Come Over”?
    12. Rich Robinson (featuring The Settles Connection), “The Way Home”

  • Darlingside Releases Additional Northeast Dates

    Rising folk quartet Darlingside will head to the Northeast this winter, with several dates in New York state.

    The indie four-piece is scheduled to play at Daryl’s House in Pawling Jan. 13, Club Helsinki in Hudson Jan. 14, Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs Jan. 15 and two nights at Rockwood Music Hall’s Stage 2 in New York City on Jan. 16 and 17 before dates in the Midwestern states and West Coast.

    The Massachusetts-based band — Don Mitchell (guitar, banjo), Auyon Mukharji (violin, mandolin), Harris Paseltiner (cello, guitar) and David Senft (bass) — met as students at Williams College and have been playing together for six years. Their textured, collective sound is being hailed as unique and genre-fresh by music critics and the like, with much praise being given to the group’s method of performing around a single microphone.

    Paseltiner said in a release announcing the dates:

    Each song and set of lyrics are created by all of us together, a sort of ‘group stream-of-consciousness.’ So we moved away from a single lead vocalist and started gravitating towards singing in unison, passing the melody around, or harmonizing in four parts through an entire song.”

    These additional tour dates are in support of the group’s latest album Birds Say; the 13-track release dropped in September and it is the second album on Nashville company Thirty Tigers, which also manages clients like Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson. Darlingside’s extended string of dates come off the heels of a successful fall run, including sharing the bill with Grammy-nominated Patty Griffin. Tickets for all 2016 dates are on sale now through the band’s website. But if you can’t wait until the New Year, Darlingside is booked at Milkboy in Philadelphia this Wednesday.

  • Update: Taste of Country daily lineups released

    Updated 3/22/2016: Fans can rush to their computers and grab their single-day tickets for the fourth annual Taste Of Country music festival, now that the festival has released their daily lineups. Friday night’s lineup will be headlined by Kid Rock, with Big & Rich, the Cadillac Three, Jana Kramer and Annie Bosko.

    On Saturday, fans can see Kenny Chesney in the closing spot along with Frankie Ballard, Eric Pasley, the Swon Brothers, Old Dominion and William Michael Morgan.

    Jake Owen will close out the fourth annual country festival. Joining him on Sunday will be Gary Allan, Chris Janson, Neal McCoy and Outshyne.

    Fans attending the festival can head over to the Bud Light Stage and see some of country music’s future artists. Musicians will perform there throughout the weekend: Logan Brill, Amanda Watkins, Dylan Jakobsen, Adley Stump, Keith Walker, Elizabeth Lyons, Jake Worthington and McKenna Faith.

     Original article:

    For those fans who have been holding out and waiting to buy their tickets for the Taste Of Country Music Festival to announce more artist than the featured headliners, the wait is over. Organizers have announced the artists who will join Kenny Chesney and Jake Owen on a country-packed weekend at Hunter Mountain Ski Resort on June 10-12, 2016.

    Just in time for the holidays, fans can now ask their loved ones for some new cowboy boots or a 10-gallon hat so you can line-dance in style with Gary Allen, Big & Rich, Neal McCoy, Frankie Ballard, Eric Paslay, Chris Janson, Old Dominion, The Swon Brothers, Jana Kramer, The Caddillac Three, Outshyne, William Michael Morgan and Annie Bosko.

    Gary Allen has been on the country music scene since 1996. His debut album, Used Heart for Sale, is gold certified. Allen’s third studio album, Smoke Rings in the Dark, was his first in three consecutive albums to reach platinum certification.

    Allen has released more than 25 singles that have reached Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Eleven of those tracks reached the top 10, with four of those singles reaching No. 1 including “Man to Man” and “Tough Little Man” (2003), “Nothing On but the Radio” (2004), and “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)” (2013).

    Big & Rich consists of the country music duo Big Kenny and former founder and member of the band Lonestar, John Rich.

    Their smash hit “Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy” is certified platinum and has been featured in various TV spots including an episode of Boston Legal, while ESPN used the song in commercials for the 2004 World Series of Poker.

    Big & Rich have released five studio albums, with their latest, “Gravity,” being released in 2014. The album was released under the duo’s personal record label. Big & Rich Records.

  • Leftover Salmon and Jeff Austin at the Boulder Theater, November 27-28

    While much of the country was figuring out how to dish up Thanksgiving leftover turkey, Leftover Salmon served up two steamy nights of tasty bluegrass licks at the Boulder Theater. The six-man band, celebrating 25 years of music, joined forces with the Jeff Austin Band for a two-night run that allowed Colorado music fans to quickly forget the remaining helpings of turkey sandwiches and soup. Both nights Leftover Salmon jammed two sets of their polytechnic Cajun bluegrass for three hours. The second set of night one included a full helping of their album the Aquatic Hitchhiker followed by energetic covers of Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix.

    leftover salmon jeff austin

    Jeff Austin’s group of melody makers started each night with lively improvisational sets that turned Black Friday shopping stampedes into golden foot-stomping jamborees. Early in night two, Jeff Austin joined Leftover for a breathless series of tunes rivaling any jams on the live music scene. The weekend celebration was a hootin’, hollerin’, holiday hoedown.

  • Hearing Aide: The Turnpike Troubadours Self-Titled Album

    The Turnpike Troubadours, hailing from middle America (Tahlequah, OK, to be exact), offer listeners genuine heartfelt lyrics over the backdrop of perfectly balanced old-timey, twangy instruments that are heavy on the fiddle and pedal steel guitar. This band epitomizes Americana music at its best, which at times is reminiscent of the Avett Brothers and Robert Earl Keen, and while this style might not be a favorited genre amongst music fans, the Turnpike Troubadours just might help the category gain a few converts.

    Comprised of lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Evan Felker, bassist R.C. Edwards, fiddler Kyle Nix, pedal steel and electric guitarist Ryan Engleman and drummer Gabe Pearson, the Turnpike Troubadours’ self-titled fourth album pulls listeners in right from the first track with the five-member outfit’s driving beats and Midwestern drawl. Each member of the band is individually talented, but when joined together to perform as a group, they create a sonic vibe that is uniquely all their own with country-rock and roots characteristics.

    Amy Lieberman - Turnpike Troubadours (2)

    The 12-track Turnpike Troubadours has an organic sound, with the band basically recording until they got it right. Listening to the album makes you feel like you’re at a barn dance in rural America, particularly on a couple of tunes, including “Easton and Main” and “7 Oaks,” during which one can practically picture a country line dance happening.

    Although the tunes may have an uplifting and catchy sound, if listened to carefully many of the lyrics are a bit dismal, particularly on “Fall Out of Love,” which will really hit a nerve with those who have experienced such a situation. Perhaps the most appealing element of the album is that the songs make the band members seem accessible and real, spinning tales that are universally applicable and played over melodies and rhythms that are easy to get into.

    Formed in 2005, the Turnpike Troubadours have gained quite the following over the years, commonly drawing thousands of people to shows in their home state and nearby Texas. Hopefully they will bring the party to New York State, because it would be hard to picture having a bad time at one of their shows, but for now, you’ll just have to settle for their latest album.

    Key Tracks: “7 Oaks,” “The Bird Hunter,” “Fall Out of Love”

  • Leftover Salmon Lays it Down at The Egg

    Twelve years after last appearing at The Egg, Leftover Salmon returned to Albany for a nearly two-hour set in the intimate Swyer Theater. Fans danced in the periphery, while others remained seated, tapping their feet to the rhythm and mouthing the words to familiar lyrics, yet rarely seen live in these parts. Going in with no expectations, this marked my first opportunity to see Leftover Salmon after 14  years of patient listening.

    Drummer Alwyn Robinson stood out immediately, not only because of his presence behind the kit in a bluegrass band, but especially because he did not overshadow his bandmates. He was not driving the songs nor was he reserved to the point of a feigned presence on stage. Robinson is the ideal bluegrass drummer.

    Giving a nod to recent corruption news from the nearby Capitol, Vince Herman introduced “Hey Woody Guthrie,” calling on the fabled folk legend to return as the good fight is still being fought. “Flight of the Durban,” led by Andy Thorn on banjo, was upbeat and a long journey through a composition that could double as a soundtrack for a travel video. “Troubled Times” and “High Country” were on the country side of things, while an upbeat version of Dylan’s “Simple Twist of Fate” was a refreshing take on a classic folk tune.

    Drew Emmitt showed masterful prowess on the mandolin and switched to electric guitar during an extended jam, following the same style of Robinson—not taking an overpowering Warren Haynes-esque solo, but augmenting the existing jam. Herman introduced “Two Highways,” a song he dedicated to his wife to-be (as of next week) in Mexico during Strings n Sol festival prior to band intros, capping off the set with a lively cover of T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get it On).” The band returned to the stage with a standing ovation from the audience and performed “Gold Hill Line” for an encore, prior to signing autographs in the lobby for the ardent fans.

    Leftover Salmon performs tonight at Higher Ground in Burlington, VT, Brighton Music Hall in Boston, MA, on Dec. 4 and The Wolf Den in Uncasville, CT, on Dec. 5.

  • Leftover Salmon Returns to The Egg on December 2

    Jamgrass legends Leftover Salmon make their return to The Egg on December 2. Bassist Greg Garrison spoke with NYSMusic about the group’s first time back in Albany since the 2003, the group’s influence on the jamgrass scene, their songwriting process and release of the live album 25.

    For fans of bluegrass and its speedier cousin, jamgrass, the welcoming atmosphere can be felt as “a happy, fun festival vibe,” as Garrison describes it. The upbeat, progressive improv nature of Yonder Mountain String Band and Greensky Bluegrass can trace itself back to Leftover Salmon, whose unique genre of Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass is an instant jolt of energy to audiences around the country. Bringing the audience to their feet at The Egg will be thanks in part to drummer Alwyn Robinson, a role often not filled in typical bluegrass acts. “The fact we have always had a drummer and looked to find a well-versed and good drummer, and with our current drummer Alwyn Robinson from Brooklyn, kept up with the tradition of energetic drummers that we’ve had,” noted Garrison.

    There are of course other bands who preceded Leftover Salmon in their contributions to the jamgrass scene. Hot Rize, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Newgrass Revival paved the way for Leftover, marking a lineage that dates back to the early 1980s, connecting current jamgrass-descendants with their predecessors. Over the years, Garrison has seen bands come and go, and the sound changed ever so slightly over time. “The faces and names of the bands have changed, and some have done better than others, like Railroad Earth and String Cheese Incident, who are paving the way for how far you can push the genre as far as crowd and sound. The ones who stay a little truer to roots – Yonder Mountain String Band and Greensky Bluegrass and the like, you could listen to them 10 years ago and now, while the material might change and playing has gotten better, it has matured, it’s still the same.”

    Greg Garrison, photo by Andrew Wyatt
    Greg Garrison, photo by Andrew Wyatt

    The evolved newgrass sound can be found within their recorded albums as well. On their albums High Country and Aquatic Hitchhiker, listeners can find songs that change as they are performed live, whereas Garrison notes, “some will stretch out a little bit and we see where it takes us, and take a simple arrangement and continually use it as a vehicle live.”

    Songwriting on recent studio albums has been fresh songs that had not been road-tested. Songs were written individually outside the studio and once in the studio, arranged as a band and lyrics edited to polish the final product. “Andy Thorn (banjo) was a live player since before he joined us. He used to see us when he was 15 years old. Now, he’ll come up with a tune that is a fully formed Leftover Salmon tune before we get a hold of it.”

    25, a celebration of Leftover Salmon’s 25 years of music, was released over Thanksgiving weekend. Selecting the tracks was a feat, taking three years’ worth of shows and trimming the list down to 50-60 recordings to choose from. “It took a better part of a year to dig through it all and get what we wanted. Mario Casilio (sound engineer) spent time in the studio together mixing it and making sure it sounded good enough as a representation of the band. It’s the first album I’ve been able to produce for the band. I feel like we picked some interesting tunes that don’t get played very often, like an old version of “Blister in the Sun,” which we play once a year, so to capture a good one of those is great.

    “Bill Payne (Little Feat) playing with us for the past couple years (all but one track features Bill) has helped us move in the direction of filling some spaces in a collective improvisation kind of way. We had a horn section with us at the Boulder Theater last year – it sounds like Leftover Salmon but the stuff is definitely unexpected and made it sound really good, and much better than just pulling something off of archive.org, but there’s nothing wrong with that, I do it too.”

    Back in the Northwest for New Year Eve, Leftover Salmon will be joined by Skerik and Bill Payne in Portland, followed by shows in Alaska, Fort Collins, CO, a three week run in March and April, as well as the annual Ski Tour, which will include a mini-festival at The Stanley Park Hotel in Estes Park, CO. Unique to the Rocky Mountain-based band are events like Winter Wondergrass in Lake Tahoe, NV and Colorado, an outdoor bluegrass fest in the winter. “Everyone braves it and has a good time, plus we have a few shows in Chicago at The Vic Theater. We’ll be out and about doing our thing.”

    Leftover Salmon continue their Northeast run with stops at Higher Ground in Burlington, VT on December 3, Brighton Music Hall in Boston, MA on December 4 and The Wolf Den in Uncasville, CT on December 5.

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  • Felice Navidad! Felice Brothers to Release Benefit Christmas EP

    ‘Tis the season to be jolly, and the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley will be decking their halls with tidings of comfort for families throughout the region through the help of Palenville’s Felice Brothers. The band is set to release a five-song EP, Felice Navidad, of original Christmas-themed songs through their online store on Nov. 30.

    The cost of the EP download is $5, with net proceeds benefiting the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley. Those pre-ordering now will receive a free download of the new song, “Country Ham.”

    felice navidad The band will also be performing at Foodstock 8, an annual charity concert benefiting the same food bank at The Chance in Poughkeepsie on Nov. 21. Other bands on the bill that night include Lindsey Webster, Sirsy and Lara Hope and the Arktones. Other dates include a Nov. 28 gig at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, Webster Hall in New York on Dec. 2 and Brighton Music Hall in Boston on New Year’s Eve.

    The follow-up to the band’s acclaimed 2014 album Favorite Waitress is slated for release in 2016. The Albany Times Union called Waitress, “freewheeling, loose and heartfelt…A wild cross between The Band and Nirvana.”

    The Felice Brothers have released their first video from the benefit Christmas EP, set to be released Nov. 30. Ian Felice performs the simple, forlorn tale of Christmas. Felice tells the Wall Street Journal, “It’s a narrative about feeling lonely on Christmas, and the different emotions that can go with the holidays that aren’t always talked about in the happy-go-lucky songs.” Check out the new video here:

  • Bearsville Bluegrass with Yonder Mountain and Henhouse Prowlers

    Getting off I-87 and heading on Route 212 towards Woodstock, you pass by a road sign that says ‘Veteran.’ On each trip to Woodstock towards Bearsville, NY, the sign never held any significance to me, but being Veteran’s Day, and heading to see some purely American music – bluegrass from Yonder Mountain String Band and Henhouse Prowlers – it brought a knowing smile to my face, and likely to those of other travelers headed to Bearsville Theater this evening.

    yonder mountain henhouse prowlers
    Yonder Mountain String Band

    Henhouse Prowlers, a five piece bluegrass outfit from Chicago were a well-received opener tonight, channeling Bill Monroe’s classic sound and spreading their music beyond our nation’s borders. There were original traditional numbers, such as Fool’s Carnival Song, with thoughtful lyrics and well-rounded between the five band members. What was truly intriguing this evening was learning that Henhouse Prowlers make a number of international tours through the State Department, bringing American Bluegrass to Africa (three tours so far), Russia, and soon Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Bringing back a little African music, they performed the Nigerian song “Chop my Money”, and as one would suspect, a lively tune, “Dancing Cures All.” The set ended with Todd Livingston’s dobro playing highlighted on the finale, a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire.”

    Yonder Mountain’s set opened with “Sideshow Blues” and a cover of Smokey Robinson’s
    “I Second That Emotion” fit inside, with Jacob Joliff’s mandolin playing standing out among his bandmates, despite not overshadowing the others as the strings were rapidly strummed. “Things You’re Selling,” about televangelists, stood out in a lively set, as did “C’est La Vie”, featuring Allie Kral on vocals. Yonder brought up Todd Livingston and Dan Andree from Henhouse Prowlers for a stellar extended jam on “Angel” and a segue into the classic Grateful Dead tune, “Shakedown Street.” The second set was highlighted by covers of Son Volt’s “Drown,” and The Rolling Stones’ “Torn and Frayed,”, with originals “Looking Back Over my Shoulder” and “Sidewalk Stars” closing out the night.

    Watch a performance of “Black Sheep” and “Insult and an Elbow” with a Q&A from Radio Woodstock, recorded earlier that day.

    Set 1: Sideshow Blues > I Second That Emotion > Sideshow Blues, I’m Not Saying, Up For Brinkley’s, A Father’s Arms, Things You’re Selling, C’est La Vie, Angel* > Shakedown Street*

    Set 2: Around You> Nothing But A Breeze > Drown, Walking Shoes^, Leavin’^, Torn And Frayed, My Gal, Night Out, All Aboard > Looking Back Over My Shoulder > Sidewalk Stars 

    Encore: Dominated Love Slave

    *Todd Livingston on dobro & Dan Andree on fiddle
    ^Aaron Dorfman on guitar & Ben Wright on banjo