It has been one week since the Fare Thee Well shows graced us with their presence on the stage at Soldier Field in Chicago. Sunday’s closer was too incredible to even put into words. Time was needed to decompress and arrange all the thoughts and musical moments of these shows before admitting defeat that the weekend has really, truly, honestly, come to a close. Months of build up to a magical weekend slipped by quickly and before we all knew it, poof, it was gone.
The events in Chicago over Fourth of July weekend has become more than the Grateful Dead. The music that was so heavily anticipated has become greater than the sum of all their shows, albums and memories of the past. The energy surrounding the weekend was filled with nothing but positive vibes and bliss. Have you ever seen so many people in one place that felt incredibly happy to be alive and living in the moment? That’s what Soldier Field contained. It was a gigantic stadium filled with great joy that weaved in and out of the seats, the floor, the walkways, and spilled out into the lot, to Shakedown and beyond. Smiles were everywhere, including Soldier Field staff, security and police. The magical happiness was contagious throughout the city, including hotels, restaurants, and bars. What other band can create a ripple effect felt far beyond the reaches of the stage?
As for Sunday’s closer, they held nothing back for the final performance. For the three shows, it appeared that Friday’s opener was designed to help fans release all that pent up energy they’ve been holding onto for months. Saturday’s show was a breather, a time to relax and take in the moment. Sunday’s show was the icing on the cake, the big bang, the epic show fans have been waiting for. All the big songs came out to play.
Trey Anastasio and Bruce Hornsby gave an incredible vocal performance with the opener of “China Cat Sunflower,” a song not often played at the starting position of a show, though maintained its familiarity by properly sliding right into “I Know You Rider.” A crowd favorite, “Estimated Prophet,” and one that has been eagerly anticipated, made an early appearance on the setlist. When the first notes of “Estimated” dropped, the stadium went absolutely insane. Everyone was on their feet jumping up and down, with arms in the air and ecstatic cheers of joy expressed aloud. “Built to Last,” from the Grateful Dead’s last studio album, came right onto the set and reminded fans that their music is timeless. “Samson and Delilah,” another heavy fan favorite showed up before going into an unforgettable, tear filled “Mountains of the Moon.” “Throwing Stones” had fans stomping their feet, creating a thunderous pounding throughout the stadium. It was an incredible way to close the first set on such an intense high.
During set break, a surprise fireworks display was set off to the delight of attendees. There were two nights of fireworks in a row? Again, this show was unstoppable with huge surprises in store. No one wanted the evening to end.
After a 45 minute set break, followed by a long trippy jam session to open, the second repeat of the five show run came into play with “Truckin’,” which made its original appearance in Santa Clara to open the first set of the first performance. How appropriate to have such a dynamic song materialize, once again, during the last set of the last show. Fans went crazy. The energy continued as they grooved into “Cassidy,” a tune that guaranteed everyone was jumping up and down, dancing their asses off; set two was on fire. “Althea,” a song many thought may open the show, finally emerged with Anastasio on vocals. This cruised right into the big one everyone had been waiting on.
Credit: Jay Blakesberg
The song that every single person wanted to hear, whether they were in the stadium, listening in their car, or watching on the webcast, finally came out to play. “Terrapin Station” crawled onto the stage and sat there to the thrill of thousands who have been patiently waiting to hear the notes begin. Teases of this tune were hinted at throughout the weekend and to everyone’s delight, finally came to light. Everyone went into a wild frenzy as this mystical melody filled the air. Not surprisingly, it seamlessly meshed into “Drums,” with the Rhythm Devils once again giving a performance that blew everyone away. The trancelike rhythms created by the duo included notes created by what’s known as “The Beam,” an 8-foot instrument that is strung with 13 bass piano strings all tuned to the note of D. Ghost-like sounds danced from the strings when Mickey Hart strummed this unique instrument. The very last notes of “Drums” included blasts from the locomotive horn, which woke everyone up in the stadium, before a psychedelic “Space” took over.
An incredibly rare performance of “Unbroken Chain” appeared mid-set, having only been performed live by the Grateful Dead 10 times before this evening. The same sequence of “Space>Unbroken Chain” was last performed at the final Grateful Dead show on July 9, 1995 at Soldier Field. Phil Lesh sang the notes to this song beautifully, and many of his emotions picked up, as fans in the audience cried tears of joy to hear this rarity being performed at the last show. Bob Weir then sang “Days Between” exceptionally well before the evening ended with “Not Fade Away.” What a way to end the evening it was indeed. As the performers slowly walked off stage, the Rhythm Devils kept the beat going as the audience belted out the lyrics, “You know our love will not fade away.” Even as the drummers left the stage, the stadium kept the lyrics going. It was only when Lesh walked back on stage to give his donor rap that the audience chant came to an end.
The evening was brought to a close with a double encore performance that included “Touch of Grey” and the final, tender rendition of “Attics of My Life.” Weir performed on an acoustic as Lesh and Anastasio put their instruments down to sing in tandem to this tearful, grasp at the heart performance. The evening ended with Mickey Hart’s very last words to everyone, “Please, be kind.”
Now that it has been a week of decompressing and digesting what was witnessed last weekend, many fans are finding it difficult to transition back into reality. The energy and vibe felt by all wants to be held onto forever. Something magical happened last weekend in Chicago. There’s no denying it. The feeling of euphoria still lingers with the phantom brush of wristbands still wrapped on an arm, the desire to check the Ticketmaster app for one more ticket drop, and that feeling of wanting to blurt out, “Anyone have extras?” What a long, strange trip it’s been, but this is not the end of a legacy; it’s just the beginning and there are so many roads left to explore. Until then, fare thee well…
Set 1: China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Estimated Prophet, Built To Last, Samson & Delilah, Mountains Of The Moon > Throwing Stones
Set 2: Truckin’, Cassidy, Althea, Terrapin Station > Drums > Space > Unbroken Chain, Days Between > Not Fade Away
After a year’s hiatus and a change in venue, Camp Bisco is back and moving to a site that offers fans a better experience at Montage Mountain in beautiful Scranton, Pennsylvania on July 16-18th. Campers will be treated to a water park, as well as many other amenities not offered at other festivals, such as full restaurant and bar.
The festival will feature many Camp Bisco regulars, such as Pretty Lights who is performing Thursday night as one of the festival’s headliners. Derek Vincent Smith took the moniker Pretty Lights in the summer of 2004. He had played electronic music with other groups but chose to go on his own and make his own music, starting out as a late night act for other major groups — one of them being the Disco Biscuits. He has since made a name for himself and has earned the coveted spot he’s playing. Thursday night also features STS9, otherwise known as Sound Tribe Sector Nine, pioneers along with the Biscuits with the livetronica genre. Mixing beats from hip hop to funk and jazz, this is a perfect addiction to the experience that is Camp Bisco.
Thursday also welcomes newcomers to the festival Twiddle, a rocking band hailing from Burlington, Vermont and featuring wailing guitar solos as well a tad of dub to it as well. Whatever the mixture they use, they found a good one because Twiddle is not an act to miss at this years festivities.
Big Gigantic plays on headlines Friday night bringing their own version of electronic jazz to the main stage. In a world where electronica seems to have peaked, bands keep coming up with new ways to make the sound their own. Gigantic does this by incorporating horns to the mix, leaving the crowd in pure awe. As with Twiddle, the festival is not only electronic music. For example, Tom Hamilton of The American Babies [Electron, Joe Russos Almost Dead, Brothers Past] shows his Americana side with this project. He covers tunes by Bob Dylan as well as reworking Brothers Past songs to have them fit this genre.
Saturday is the day that many campers will be looking forward to. With Tipper, Basssnectar, and yes, of course — the Disco Biscuits. Bassnectar has worked hard to get where he is on the Camp Bisco stage. Starting off as a side attraction over the years, he became more and more popular making his way to the main stage as a headliner. This is where a lot of hard work and determination has paid off, and Lorin Ahston, otherwise know as Bassnectar, is not an act to sleep on.
This leaves us with the festival’s namesake, The Disco Biscuits. Closing out all three nights, they definitely leave the crowd wanting more each time. Having been together for 20 years, The Biscuits have come as far as any band can dream and they keep getting better. Having sold out shows across the country and playing with members of the Grateful Dead, there is no time like now to see them play.
There are many different travel packages which all can be found here. Between all the great bands (the complete list can be found here) and the beautiful scenery, there is no reason not to get down to this year’s Camp Bisco.
There’s no doubt that we’ve been having one hell of a year in music. Most recently, we’ve seen artists like Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Bill Withers (finally) becoming inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Leading up this year, we’ve seen big name artists like Taylor Swift pulling their music from online streaming services to crush the myth that “physical sales just don’t sell anymore.” We’ve seen lawsuits changing the recording world and the way we associate artists with earlier musical predecessors.
In the live show atmosphere, we’ve seen many great small music festivals lose the support they need to bring us great music. Luckily, there’s one festival that seems to have left a firm stance in an ever changing music industry, and it’s back for its 20th year to bring us the music that’s so very near and dear to our hearts. Friends, get ready for the Gathering of the Vibes.
Starting as nothing more than a small memorial celebration at SUNY Purchase, “Deadhead Heaven: A Gathering of the Tribe” was created from a batch of devoted, yet mourning fans of the legendary Jerry Garcia: local promoter Bob Kennedy, business guru Ken Hays, and publishers of the fan magazine “Dupree’s Diamond News” Sally Ansorge Mulvey and John Dwork. Their aim was to provide an atmosphere that celebrated the incomparable success of the Grateful Dead, while mourning the loss of a respected, legendary frontman with hope and celebration. As the word spread about the show’s reminiscent and engaging atmosphere, so did the festival itself. Moving to Croton Point Park, NY a year later, it was renamed “Gathering of the Vibes,” named after the devoted fans self-proclamation as the ever present “VibeTribe.” To meet the growing number of attendees, the festival moved the following year to Plattsburgh, NY as the founders searched for an even bigger venue to host a long-term contract. Upon finding Seaside Park in Bridgeport, they immediately jumped on the opportunity, gracing Connecticut with the 1999 and 2000 Gathering of the Vibes Music Festival. It was then that Bob Weir himself played the Vibes stage, alongside his band Ratdog.
With great success always comes great challenge, and renovations needed to be done to Seaside Park as Vibes gained notoriety. For the next six years, the festival hopped over to Red Hook, NY followed by the Indian Lookout Country Club in Mariaville, N.Y. That certainly didn’t stop Dead members stopping in on the fun, however, since Phil Lesh & Friends made a two night cameo appearance in the 2002 festival in Mariaville.
Despite the festival’s continued success in New York, Vibes was able to relocate back to Seaside Park from 2007 onward, with endless support from the Town of Bridgeport as well as the devoted VibeTribe. Today, you can still witness the same spiritual cleansing and celebration of great music that these great pioneers aimed for back in SUNY Purchase. Along with the great artists that graced the stage back in 1996, including Strangefolk, Max Creek, and moe., Gathering of the Vibes has brought in some of the greatest legends in music, including Elvis Costello, Allman Brothers Band, James Brown, Buddy Guy, and Primus, to name a few.
This year, the team at Vibes has thrown us a couple of surprises in their 2015 lineup, including Weezer, Wilco, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, and The Gaslight Anthem. Though you may plan to make your way into a crowd of sweaty, sprightly individuals to jam out to the newbies of the Vibes lineup, make sure you take part in the shows of those who came at the early stages of Vibes, including but not limited to Max Creek, Strangefolk, Warren Haynes, and Deep Banana Blackout.
With so many venue relocations and constant adaptations, Gathering of the Vibes has been no easy wind. With constant support from the beloved VibeTribe, Gathering of the Vibes has been able to withstand the odds and survive as a notable festival, earning ranks on Rolling Stone’s “Summer 2015 Must-See Music Festival.” To join in the 20 year celebration, visit the Gathering of the Vibes official website and get your tickets. While you wait in anticipation for this year’s festival, however, make sure to check out the past performers that graced the Vibes stages, dating back to SUNY Purchase in 1996. The Gathering of the Vibes has certainly beaten many odds and maintained its high reputation, which is certainly worth celebrating, so we’re looking forward to this year as well as many years to come.
During the Grateful Dead’s much anticipated “Fare Thee Well” reunion and farewell concerts at Chicago’s Soldier Field July 3-5, there will be a coinciding art show by PhanArt, titled In All Good Company, the largest exhibition of Grateful Dead art and artists. The art show will feature a newly announced lineup of dozens of artists displaying and selling posters, pins, clothing and photography.
The exhibition, put together by PhanArt, will take place from noon until 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday 1 mile from the stadium at the historic Congress Plaza Hotel on 520 South Michigan Ave., near Grant Park. Local Chicago bands Jack Straw and Under the Willow will complement the artistic displays throughout the weekend. In addition, Blank Space Arts will be curating a playlist, providing an audio background to the visual effect of the art.
In All Good Company offers free admission to all visitors and looks to continue the great tradition that PhanArt has had since its inception in 2013. Produced by Pete Mason, PhanArt exhibitions have been held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Miami, representing an effort to offer fans a rich variety of original concert art.
Listed below are the artists whose work will be on display at this Grateful Dead art show:
John Warner | Not Fade Away Artworks | Rhoney Stanley | Phil Kutno
Richard Biffle | Move Brightly featuring Tie Dye by Courtenay Pollock
Uncle John’s Outfitters | Good Thoughts Printing | Vintage Dead
Dead Images by Robbi Cohn | Jim Pollock | Mark Serlo | TRiPP
Mountain Family Glass | Sunshine Daydream Hippie Shop | Michael Boyer
Andrew Bryant | Erin Cadigan | Amigos and Us | The Art of Ryan Kerrigan
Kingpin Designs | Jeff Troldahl | Pinsanity | Get Shit Done | Zenster
Morning Dew Tye-Dyes | Eden’s Rose Foundation | Grateful Girls Scarves
Scott Harris Photo | Heady Teddy’s Outfitters | Dr. Wookles
Easy Wind Family Creations | Lot Lifestyle | Pin me Down
Rock musician Chris Cornell, best known for being the lead vocalist and songwriter of Seattle grunge band Soundgarden, will perform across North America in his recently announced acoustic fall tour, including several stops in the northeast. On Oct. 11, Chris Cornell will take stage at the University of Buffalo Center of the Arts in Buffalo, two days after an Oct. 9 performance at Massey Hall in Toronto, Ontario.
About a week later, Cornell is scheduled to play at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on Oct. 18 and the Shubert Theatre in Boston on Oct. 21.
The 50-year-old singer has recently announced the release of an acoustic album titled Higher Truth, to be released on Sept. 18. The fall performances will have an intimate, acoustic setting, featuring music off of Cornell’s upcoming album.
Cornell is widely considered to have one of the best voices in rock music, with a four-octave range. In 2011, Rolling Stone selected Cornell as the #9 Best Lead Singer of All Time, while he was named the #12 Greatest Voice in Music by MTV in 2005.
KnotFest of course the festival will be headlined by Slipknot themselves and will see 50 bands and five stages for the two-day event in San Bernardino, California on Oct. 24 and 25.
Some of those names include Judas Priest, Bring Me The Horizon, Korn, Mastodon, Clutch, Corrosion Of Conformity, Trivium, Ghostface Killah, Mobb Deep, At The Gates, Suicidal Tendencies, Cannibal Corpse, Body Count, Gwar, All That Remains, Helmet, Born Of Osiris, Red Fang, Snot, The Sword, Battlecross, Goatwhore, Devour The Day, Beartooth, Kyng, Kataklysm, Six Feet Under, Dying Fetus and Belphegor.
Blabbermouth posted the stage breakdown for the event.
Saturday, Oct. 24:
Main stage:
JUDAS PRIEST
KORN
MASTODON
TRIVIUM
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY
[to-be-announced special guest]
Second stage:
AT THE GATES
BODY COUNT
RED FANG
BATTLECROSS
Third stage:
GWAR
BORN OF OSIRIS
THE SWORD
GOATWHORE
Fourth stage (Extreme):
KATAKLYSM
BELPHEGOR
INQUISITION
ABYSMAL DAWN
Sunday, Oct. 25:
Main stage:
SLIPKNOT
BRING ME THE HORIZON
CLUTCH
GHOSTFACE KILLAH
MOBB DEEP
Second stage:
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES
ALL THAT REMAINS
KYNG
BEARTOOTH
Third stage:
CANNIBAL CORPSE
HELMET
SNOT
DEVOUR THE DAY
Fourth stage (Extreme):
SIX FEET UNDER
DYING FETUS
DISGORGE
INTERNAL BLEEDING
GREEN DEATH
A group of Grateful Dead fans are organizing a multi-pronged effort to thank the band for 50 years of music, including a group singing of “Not Fade Away” to the band each night of the upcoming 50th anniversary Fare Thee Well shows.
The group also wants fans to upload thank-you videos online to thank the band personally, as well as to donate to the Rex Foundation, a Grateful Dead-related charity.
The Not Fade Away effort is being organized — since April — by a group of Deadheads who decided they want to thank the Grateful Dead for providing them with decades of fun, love and music.
The group plans to start singing “Not Fade Away” just before the second set starts of each of the 50th anniversary reunion shows in Santa Clara, California this weekend, and Fourth of July weekend in Chicago. The decision about when to sing the song was a big one, but before the second set made the most sense to most of the organizers involved, according to the website’s FAQs.
Separately, they’re asking for short Youtube videos of fans thanking the band in their own way. They’re also collecting videos of individuals and groups performing their own versions of “Not Fade Away.”
The group also hopes to raise the largest-ever collective donation to the Rex Foundation. In order to participate, donors should give directly to the foundation, but make sure to include “#NFA” or “Not Fade Away” in the “special instructions to the seller” box.
The Grateful Dead, along with their friends and family, established the Rex Foundation in 1983, and it has a broad mission supporting everything from a healthy environment and the rights of indigenous people, to the arts, social services and education. The foundation was named after Rex Jackson, a Dead roadie and later road manager who died in 1976.
I’ve come across a great number of Twiddle fans in the past year and found that a band I rarely see has far more fans than I expected. If you live in the Northeast, it’s highly likely that you know at least a few of them. There are a few reasons that Twiddle has blown up in the past year, with the main one being a vibrant, rabid and insane fan base of Twiddiots who resemble the larger fan bases among jam bands at earlier stages. In meeting these fans and seeing the band recently, I’ve found Twiddle’s music as comfortable and easy to access with a well-rounded sound, but more importantly, I have discovered Twiddle fans to be the next great fan base waiting to be tapped.
Twiddle
Having seen Twiddle three times in the past three months – Upstate Concert Hall in April, Rock n Roll Resort in May, and Disc Jam Music Festival in June – I have come to be amazed by the fans while enjoying the music. It’s not that I’m not interested in the music — I just find the fans hanging on every note of this band eerily similar to that of the fan bases of Phish, Widespread Panic, moe. and Umphrey’s McGee. It appears that Twiddle is a jam band for fans of the post-EDM explosion who grew tired of the music and scene but retained a desire for a larger community aspect of EDM, particularly PLUR – Peace, Love, Unity, Respect, things all found within the Twiddle community. While I can go to a Twiddle show and listen to the music and enjoy it to a degree, the fans are the main attraction – young, exciting, seemingly even male/female, in college and containing a desire to be a part of something larger.
There are those jam bands with strong fan bases that come out in droves for shows, buy all related merchandise (both fan made and official), focus squarely on all components of the band and intertwine it with their daily lives. Twiddle fans are similar to those of Phish, Widespread Panic, moe., and Umphrey’s McGee, just at an earlier stage – the Vermont-based band is only in its 10th year and the fan base, while far from fledgling, is supportive of the band and growing rapidly as each of these now established bands saw their fan base grow around the same point of their careers. They’re not the same musically, but they have their die-hard fans as well as their detractors, an annual music festival many consider to be the band’s own and offer up-and-coming bands a fan base that is as fertile for exposure to new music and brands as they are enthusiastic for every note Twiddle plays. Twiddle fans are a once in a great while occurrence – a fan base thriving around one band and everything they bring to the table.
Twiddle fans seek, and find, a more inviting environment and acceptance among a new community. They could be Phish fans first, but with Phish, you have an older group, some of whom have been closely following the band for 25 years or more, and with a greater amount of jaded fans and a larger degree of negativity and criticism compared to other fan bases, it makes sense that a 18 year old might go see Twiddle more often than Phish and find a home among the former’s community.
It may be that Umphrey’s might be over their heads, Widespread Panic too Southern-based and moe., like Phish, having an older fanbase that may not be as accessible to find space in as they do Twiddle’s. This is entry-level fandom with ease via a consistent and growing touring schedule, fan groups on Facebook, as well as Friendly Gathering this weekend, and a fan base that is welcoming for the most part. moe. is smart to bring Twiddle in for shows and festivals, knowing full well that their fans might become moe.rons, and vice versa.
This targeted marketing to the fan bases via performances at moe.down, Saranac Brewery in Utica in mid-June and Waterfront Park in Burlington this August, serve as testament to the viability of Twiddle through its fans; those who can harness that fan base will find great success.
Twiddiots (a term of endearment, much like moe.rons despite sounding negative upon first glance) were the driving force behind Twiddle’s Kickstarter campaign for their upcoming album Plump (due out later this year), which hit a goal of $20,000 in 24 hours, more than doubling that goal by the end of the campaign and catching the eye of outsiders, myself included.
The fans have uTwiddle, an online community with setlist stats and news on the bands, a growing fan art community and a plethora of pins that are highly sought after. Grassroots California could retire on sales the now iconic Twiddle hats alone. The fans are what makes the band, and seeing the band feed off the fans and vice versa is the connection between band and fan that is rare to find at such a nascent stage and one that is worth paying attention to. Watch their fans and you’ll see a swarm that look like they are having the greatest time ever while experiencing pure bliss during each song played. You might not get it, but they do. The music makes the fans happy and the vibe and pe/king (more on that in a minute) carries through and can make you want to enjoy the music or disregard it wholly.
Those who detract from Twiddle and make it a point to rip on them do so because of the fast rise of the band, the ascendance and coronation from their fanbase as ‘the next _____’ (insert notably large jamband here) without having heard a note, having seen the fans and not wanted anything to do with it. You’d be skeptical too if you heard some band was considered ‘the next ______.’ I read an article about The Jauntee being the next Phish – I enjoy The Jauntee but that label is always going to be there because of that article, and there’s a certain level of comparison that can make it hard to forget. Regardless of the fact no band is the next _____, there are the haters who simply don’t like the band or their fans.
Being in the Northeast and around Twiddle fans more than others, it can be easy to grow tired of peaking and the discussion of songs and shows at length, especially when a more established band may provide more content, musically and otherwise to lead to a more familiar conversation, one that is safer and doesn’t involve knowing a great deal about a new band, their musical mythology and all the inside jokes. Some find early Twiddle fans to be less receptive to new fans, ironic as fans of other jam bands are not as receptive to Twiddle in general. A cited lack of originality in sound paired with the inability of Twiddle fans to handle criticism echo other fans bases when something hot, new and exciting takes attention away from their current fixation. “I don’t want to learn new stuff” seems to be the mantra behind some of the vitriol, but that goes in lockstep with Deadheads hating Phish heads, Phish fans refusing to cross over to moe. or Umphrey’s, and now Twiddle fans finding ire among non-fans. Twiddle is Buzz Lightyear to the established and accepted Woodys of the jam band world – shiny, sleek, new, full of new features and immensely popular as of late – all valid reasons to question viability and scoff at the new sound.
Kevin Rondeau, Twiddle’s manager since 2011, is another factor in the growth of the band in the past few years. Rondeau began booking shows for Twiddle in 2010 then in 2011 became manager while continuing to book shows before the band signed with Madison House in 2013. Now with a growing staff including Kevin, road manager Dan Travis, Sam Johnson running sound, a lighting designer joining the crew soon, a well-respected publicist in Destiny Beck, as well as web designers and various artists part of the growing Twiddle Co., the band’s growth has led to changes in the behind the scenes for the band, a positive step as the band is not about to test the brakes anytime soon.
“I think Twiddle’s music right now is as good as if not better than any of the top jam acts. All of this growth that is happening, we all knew it would happen; it was just a matter of time. We have pushed a philosophy of friendliness and positivity and the fan base has embraced it,” cited Rondeau when asked about growth in recent years. “The fanbase is incredible and we have a lot of close relationships with fans. When I was walking around Disc Jam on Sunday, I saw fans I have known for many years now and it resembles a family in many ways. I try and keep a very steady presence in the fan base so that they are informed of what is going on.”
“I asked my wife if she thought we could get people to fly to Costa Rica for a Twiddle festival, and she said certainly. There are a lot of dedicated people now among the fans.”
Under Rondeau’s guidance, the band has moved from side stages at festivals to hosting its own festival, sort of. Frendly Gathering (yes, Frendly, no I), held this weekend at Magic Mountain in Londonderry, Vermont, is not the band’s festival, but rather promoted by professional snowboarders Jack Mitrani and Danny Davis, with Twiddle acting as the official unofficial host band. While Frendly Gathering is a separate event from the band, the two are connected and benefit each other – the festival has a headliner bringing a guaranteed crowd and the band has a festival identified as their own, increasing their visibility and building comparisons to bands such as Phish, moe. and Umphrey’s, where the band has a vested interest in a festival as well as being comparable to festivals of similar size bands – The Werks (The Werkout), The Mantras (Mantrabash), Lucid (Backwoods Pondfest) and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (Domefest).
A recently formed fan-based charity, White Light Foundation, connects the band and fans together, giving back to local charities and gaining visibility thanks to generous donations from both Twiddle and Burton Snowboards. These and other donations will help to raise funds at Frendly Gathering for Love Your Brain and Kurn Hattin Homes for Children, both Vermont based organizations. Founded by Jay Segal and Steve Perlah, they cite inspiration from the charitable efforts of the Phish community who they herald as “amazing role models for a fledgling organization.” Fans looking out for each other and supporting their local community are a part of the growth of many bands and Twiddle and their fans seem to be on the right track in giving back to local communities of which they are a part.
Musically, a reggae jam seems to be the recurring theme of the music, and overall, it is very happy music, jams and compositions both. With more chances to watch the band members perform, their individual talents and position in the band are more apparent.
• Mihali Savoulidis has a voice similar to that of Dave Matthews but distinct in its own right. Wearing a Bob Dylan hat on his head and permagrin on his face, he looks like the happiest guitarist ever while playing and singing to the fans, whether shredding or noodling or anything in between.
• By evidence of wearing a winter hat on stage nearly all the time, bassist Zdenek Gubb is from house Stark; winter isn’t coming – winter is already here. Any given song and Gubb drops some serious meatballs and adds depth to compositions.
• Keyboardist Ryan Dempsey is talented in every capacity behind the keys but is a wild card otherwise, the oddball among oddballs in the band and off stage. Accessible and visible among fans, he revels among the fan base and doesn’t shy away from the spotlight.
• Brook Jordan is a clutch drummer and exciting to watch in every instance – he keeps the beat while the other three meander about a jam and serves as a point of reference for accessing the music.
Together on stage they dial in and flow together nicely, if without taking a great number of chances. This is not Buddy Mihali and the Crickets, with Mihali taking lead throughout, but his presence is undeniable whether on stage or off. He knows he’s a rock star but doesn’t come off like one. He’s the band frontman but seems to shy away from the spotlight.
Twiddle has two side projects, Gubbulidis, a duo featuring Mihali and Zdenek, and Best Good Frends, a new band that recently held their first three shows in early May of this year, featuring Mihali, Zdenek, Ryan Clausen and Josh Dobbs (Dead Set Tuesdays) and Ratdog saxophonist Kenny Brooks. The latter group has great potential for extended improvisational jams as witnessed at their second ever show at The Hollow Bar and Kitchen in Albany, where six songs were played over the course of two sets and an encore. If there is an exciting aspect of Twiddle’s music to pay attention to, this is the one.
Twiddle also offers a great deal of generosity and assistance in supporting up-and-coming bands, giving the next wave of bands and musicians a shot. At the three shows from the past three months, every show featured sit-ins from musicians who may not otherwise be introduced to the Twiddle fan base. Too many in total to list, but among them, I wouldn’t know who Honeycomb is without Twiddle, as he has sat in twice with the band and twice I’ve been blown away by this beatboxer out of Windsor Locks, Ct.
Then there is peaking, or pe/king as Twiddle fans type the term. The concept, developed by Twiddle fan Spencer Frank, with Sam Luke and Nick Cioffi, was conceived by the fans to make an otherwise bad day seem far better than it truly was – a way of pumping themselves up to events yet to come. Popularized via Gubbulidis shows in Burlington on Tuesday nights, when Ryan Dempsey asked about peaking, Spencer replied “Dude, its the next level,” and with that, it crossed from fan idea to band supported identification which fans therefore find greater participation with. In seeking a definition of peaking, Frank returns with “I would say that peaking is taking any situation at its current status and bringing it to the next level.” For Luke, peaking is used “as a fuel to inspire ourselves to maintain constant optimism and motivation.”
“I think peaking is awesome,” notes Rondeau. “Fans have little symbols and hand gestures, and it’s cool that fans have adopted something. There’s an obvious drug reference to peaking, but I don’t think that the way in which our friends use it. It could be any moment in life, at a concert, feeling bliss and something incredible, a great feeling of positivity and all those things can be experienced at a Twiddle concert with a bunch of friends. It’s a great way for the band to communicate to the crowd that they appreciate that the music is being appreciated, it’s an acknowledgement of feeling the same way, doing what we love.”
Added Rondeau, “Nothing is possible without the fans, the band is super aware of that.”
“What was really cool was when we realized that it’s different for everyone, but that we were organically sort of creating a community where people were supportive of each other’s /s (peaks)” Cioffi observed. “I think we are just taking concepts like mindfulness and positivity and rewording them in a way that is digestible and translates well to the medium of Facebook as well as the real world and it’s cool because there are people posting hikes they have taken, and their kids doing something awesome, or talking about how they have been sober for a few months, or how they are psyched for the upcoming shows its just pure positivity and support.”
For those who are finding Twiddle as an entry level band and fan base, peaking can be something that resonates with newcomers and established fans, a message of community and positivity and support, a well as a challenge to do better. Sure, it’s a cliquey concept, but Umphrey’s fans do that thing where they put their fists together and stick the pinkies and other fingers down to make a UM sign, but there is more to it than just saying ‘rock on’ in Umph-speak. Yet peaking is all inclusive, much like how the Twiddle fan base appears, although some older fans do retain a certain ‘OG’ status that can be off putting to some, something that can be found among every fan base of established jam bands.
In talking with Twiddle fans about highlights from Disc Jam Music Festival, the two that were offered up immediately were Turkuaz’s Craig Brodhead sitting-in on “Polluted Beauty” and the jam during “Apples” which saw Mister F’s Scott Hannay (keys), Formula 5’s Joe Davis (guitar) and James Woods (bass), Honeycomb (beatbox) and Michelangelo Carubba of Turkuaz (drums). I referred to the pair of songs as personal highlights of the weekend at Disc Jam and specifically stated that these two songs were ‘the tits.’ This, to Spencer, Nick and Sam is the equivalent of pe/king. There is a universality of pe/king that can provide an inroad to understanding what their fans are peaking about, and which also carries with it an outsider perspective of ‘what the fuck is that?’ Much like two languages having two words to describe the same thing, the peaking phenomenon is more familiar than outsiders may realize, despite being on the dork side of all things Twiddle.
Twiddle is definitely not for everyone, but those that identify with it are really into it. It brings to mind the Jerry Garcia quote about licorice and the Grateful Dead: “We’re like licorice. Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice.” Twiddle isn’t the next Phish, but its fans may very well be the next Phisheads, Spreadheads, moe.rons or Umphreaks, and that is well worth paying attention to.
The Bear Creek Music and Art Festival will not happen this year.
The funk-laden festival, held for the last eight years at the Spirit of Suwanee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida, was scheduled for Oct. 1-4 this year, and had an initial lineup set (Galactic feat. Macy Gray, Soulive, Dumpstaphunk, Victor Wooten, The Motet, Pee Wee Ellis and the Assembly, Khris Royal and Dark Matter, Freekbass & The London Souls). But organizers canceled it today via a message on their website and social media channels.
Full text of the announcement:
Dear Bear Creek family,
It is with heavy hearts we must announce that Bear Creek 2015 has been canceled. Bear Creek was one of the top boutique festivals in the US, and a primary reason it has been so special is because of YOU, our dedicated fans. We spent eight amazing years together filled with beautiful music, dancing, laughter and celebration, and those memories will always live on. In hopes of producing the best possible event for everyone involved, we switched our dates and tried to diversify our lineup to keep things fresh. Unfortunately, things just were not working out in our favor this year and we were not willing to let the show go on unless everything was absolutely perfect.
All Bear Creek Music Festival ticket purchasers will be refunded from point of purchase.
Much love,
The entire Bear Creek staff
Festival organizers said on the event’s Facebook page that they are working to move a group of the scheduled artists to the MagnoliaFest Lineup for this year, and to standby for details about that.
Gathering of the Vibes 2015 has announced its schedule for its upcoming four-day festival at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut. This also marks the 20th anniversary for the annual festival.
Gathering of the Vibes.
2015 lineup, including Weezer, Wilco, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, and The Gaslight Anthem. Though you may plan to make your way into a crowd of sweaty, sprightly individuals to jam out to the newbies of the Vibes lineup, make sure you take part in the shows of those who came at the early stages of Vibes, including but not limited to Max Creek, Strangefolk, Warren Haynes, and Deep Banana Blackout.
The exhibition, put together by PhanArt, will take place from noon until 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday 1 mile from the stadium at the historic Congress Plaza Hotel on 520 South Michigan Ave., near Grant Park. Local Chicago bands Jack Straw and Under the Willow will complement the artistic displays throughout the weekend. In addition, Blank Space Arts will be curating a playlist, providing an audio background to the visual effect of the art.
The group also wants fans to upload thank-you videos online to thank the band personally, as well as to donate to the Rex Foundation, a Grateful Dead-related charity.
