NYS Music 20​15

Category: The South

  • Bear Creek Music Festival Canceled

    The Bear Creek Music and Art Festival will not happen this year.

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    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.

  • Hearing Aide: JJ Grey and Mofro ‘Ol’ Glory’

    From the former farmlands of Jacksonville, JJ Grey and his band Mofro have made a sweep of the northeast, bringing a funky sizzle that can only come from down south. In their most recent release, entitled Ol’ Glory, this seven piece ensemble brings listeners an eccentric mix of Earth Wind & Fire, James Brown, and Al Greene sensibilities.

    There’s no doubt that Grey has a bluesy roughness to his vocal tone, and with the combination of a brass section, tight harmony lines, and gnarly bass parts, this is guaranteed to be the soundtrack of your (hopefully soon) spring barbecue.

    JJ Grey and Mofro 'Ol' GloryDespite the underlying groove ringing throughout Ol’ Glory, there are 12 unique tracks that make up this record. Tracks like “Hold On Tight” set the scene for your candlelight dinner, while the incorporation of the guitar slide on “The Island” brings you to an outdoor tailgate scene. As the songwriter, JJ Grey also incorporates his coffeehouse roots with a country sensibility in songs like “Tic Tac Toe” and “The Hurricane.”

    For those with motown-colored ears, tracks like “Everything is a Song” and “Brave Lil’ Fighter” are sure to be right up your alley. While those may be great warming up tunes, however, the real dance jams come later in the album, like my personal favorite, “Turn Loose.” I try not to use the slang term ‘phat’ often, but if you hear the rhythm of this tune, you’ll be sure to understand my reasoning.

    JJ Grey and Mofro 'Ol' GloryWhile JJ & Mofro may not be stopping in on New York this festival season, they will be headlining several national festivals and playing alongside bands like No Doubt and Zac Brown Band. In the meantime, you can learn every song on their Soundcloud and keep up to date with their tour via Facebook and their website.

    Key Tracks: Ol’ Glory, Turn Loose, Brave Lil’ Fighter