This year’s New York State Blues Festival will be headlined by Butch Trucks & Freight Train.
Trucks, known best as a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, will close out the free, two-night festival in Syracuse’s Clinton Square.
Also performing at the festival, to be held July 8 and 9, will be Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, blues guitarist Sonny Landreth, and a host of other national, regional and local bands.
In addition to performing Saturday, blues artist Tas Cru, of Chaumont, near Watertown, will also hold a musical workshop Saturday afternoon.
This year’s festival will again include the Signature Student Series. Signature Music is a nonprofit group that teaches music to teens in Central New York who can’t afford private lessons. Students from the program will perform in between main stage acts at NYS Blues Festival.
An estimated 15,000 people from throughout the U.S. and Canada attended last year’s festival, which included the Robert Randolph Band, the Devon Allman Band and a reunion of legendary Syracuse blues band, the Kingsnakes.
The New York State Blues Festival was founded in 1991, and since then it has grown into the largest free blues fests in the Northeast. Over the years, it has hosted huge names like Buddy Guy, Little Feat, Dickie Betts, Bo Diddley and more. The festival is community focused and seeks to promote and cultivate the great American art form of the blues.
The full 2016 New York State Blues Festival lineup:
Friday July 8
Main Stage
4pm – MIKE DELANEY & THE DELINQUENTS – main stage
4:45pm – JANE ZELL – side stage
5:10pm – FUNKY BLU ROOTS – main stage
5:55pm – JANE ZELL – side stage
6:20pm – THE WESTCOTT JUGSUCKERS – main stage
7:10pm – JEFF JONES – side stage
7:30pm – BRANDON SANTINI – main stage
8:40pm – JEFF JONES – side stage
9:10pm – SISTER SPARROW & THE DIRTY BIRDS – main stage
Saturday July 9
12pm – Workshop w/ TAS CRU – side stage
1pm – SKIP MURPHY & HIS MERRY PRANKSTERS – main stage
1:40pm – SIGNATURE STUDENT SERIES – side stage
2pm – TAS CRU – main stage
2:55pm – SIGNATURE STUDENT SERIES – side stage
3:15pm – MIDNIGHT MIKE PETROFF BLUES HARP BAND – main stage
4:10pm – TOM DWYER – side stage
4:30pm – TORONZO CANNON – main stage
5:40pm – TOM DWYER – side stage
6:00pm – SOUL OF SYRACUSE w/ THE FABULOUS RIPCORDS w/special guests PETE MCMAHON, MAUREEN HENESEY, MARK HOFFMAN – main stage
7:10pm – BIG D – side stage
7:30pm – SONNY LANDRETH – main stage
8:40pm – BIG D – side stage
9:10pm – BUTCH TRUCKS & THE FREIGHT TRAIN BAND – main stage
It wasn’t the ‘90s, but it sure felt like it when Reel Big Fish skanked up Burlington’s Higher Ground. It’s been 25 years since the band got its start, and they’re definitely making the most of this significant anniversary.
The age range in the Higher Ground Ballroom on Feb. 5 was surprising. My friend and I, who saw Reel Big Fish together in high school in the ‘90s, expected everyone there to be our age or older, but it seems the band is still drawing younger audiences as plenty of the kids in attendance seemed to be in their 20s or younger.
The show began with a set by a California band called the Maxies. Band members all wore creepy masks as they said purposely offensive things, made fun of the headliner and played a song about how they were better than your favorite band. They also did a really touching rendition of the All-4-One classic “I Swear,” complete with the lead singer reaching out a hand to the audience. It was entertaining, but a little too heavy on shtick and light on talent.
Next up was Suburban Legends. The band out of California’s Orange County got the show going in the right direction with some peppy ska. The lead singer, who has a seriously impressive mustache, oozed energy, and the rest of the band wasn’t exactly sitting around. They jumped around onstage, and they carried out a serious amount of choreographed moves — little things like walking left then walking right at the same time, but it was still a lot to do while also playing instruments and singing and all that those things entail.
Sadly, this band, which has a complicated background, announced in December 2015 that the 40-day tour with Reel Big Fish would likely be their last tour, but they left things open to the possibility of touring again after a break.
But they definitely had fun that night in Burlington. In addition to fun originals, Suburban Legend played a wide variety of hilarious covers like “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” and songs from Disney’s The Little Mermaid. They recently released an EP full of covers from animated movies, but their most recent album is called Forever in the Friend Zone, and they played a few tunes from that record as well. All in all, the set was the perfect way to get pumped up for Reel Big Fish.
And finally, the ska legends took the stage. Reel Big Fish launched right in with one of their hits, “Everything Sucks,” with a vengeance not always seen by bands who have been touring for 25 years.
Reel Big Fish, from Huntington Beach, California, is currently made up of Aaron Barrett on vocals and guitar, Billy Kottage on trombone, John Christianson on trumpet, Ed Smokey Beach on drums, Derek Gibbs on bass, and Matt Appleton on saxophone and vocal harmonies. Barrett is the only member of the band who remains from the founding lineup, which started as a Led Zeppelin cover band. They grew to success in the ‘90s and early 2000s, but since then they have become more of a band with a cult following, according to their wikipedia page.
The current band lineup is great — each musician has tons of character and they’re really entertaining to watch.
The band seems keenly aware of what fuels their popularity, playing plenty of songs from the albums that made them famous, especially Turn the Radio Off. The setlist bounced around between the band’s eight albums, but it started and ended with Turn the Radio Off hits. Toward the end of the show, they said they were going to play their big hit from the ’90s, and they launched into Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” for a few moments. Then they went through a few other ’90s hits, teasing the crowd, including Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy” and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones‘ “Knock on Wood.” Then finally, they played the song everyone had been waiting for, “Sell Out.”
The encore consisted of a newer song, “Everyone Else is an Asshole,” before dipping back into TTRO with “Beer.” Then to end the show, they played a-ha’s “Take On Me,” which got Reel Big Fish 15 minutes of fame when they played their rendition of it in the movie BASEketball.
Overall the show was wholly satisfying. There was plenty of nostalgia but also had a good amount of newer material, and the band’s electric energy kept the crowd going all night. It’s impossible to stand still when Reel Big Fish is throwing it down on stage.
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moe. threw an amazing party Jan. 11-14 in Jamaica. This year’s Throe.down was combined with Little Feat’s annual destination festival called Feat Camp, and it was held at Jewel Paradise Cove in Runaway Bay, Jamaica.
Now that we’ve had a little time to ruminate on the amazing experience (yeah, yeah, we know, it’s been a long time), here are our top 10 favorite things about moe.’s Tropical Throe.down 2016.
1. Rob playing an entire song laying down
It was pretty epic. During the final moe. show of the festival, bassist Rob Derhak sat down in a chair for a few moments earlier in the show, but later on, someone switched the upright chair out with a lounge chair. Rob took the bait and sat down, laying back and kicking his feet up in front of him as he picked away at the laid-back new tune “Montego,” an instrumental debuted at the band’s New Year’s run in Albany.
Toward the end of the song, guitarist Al Schnier grabbed an inflatable whale that had been making its way around the resort pools for the last few days and the stage that night. He threw it on the ground near Rob and sat down straddling it as the two jammed with Rob slapping the shit out of a nasty bass solo.
The song transitioned into “Billy Goat,” a song that Rob sings, meaning he had to stand up. It was pretty entertaining to watch him try to haul himself out of the chair while playing the lead-in to the song without stopping. After some bad attempts with his legs flailing awkwardly, he finally took a second from playing so he could get up. Then he launched into a badass “Billy Goat” to end the set.
2. Sweet Billy Payne sit-ins
Little Feat’s keyboard player Bill Payne sat in with moe. on a handful of songs throughout the festival: “Sensory Deprivation Bank”>”Happy Hour Hero” on the second night and the Jimmy Cliff classic “The Harder They Come” and “Bring You Down” on the final night. moe. has had plenty of keyboard players sit in over the years, but Payne may be one of the best — he meshes well with the band’s sound while filling it out in strategic places. And the guys definitely seem to have fun playing with him.
It’s not the first time that Payne has sat in with moe. He joined the guys for their Halloween 2014 show in Las Vegas. The show was “The Big Lebowski”-themed, and Payne dressed as the Stranger, the movie’s narrator.
3. 85 and sun
We all know it hasn’t been the coldest winter in the Northeast, but it was still a huge relief to be in a place where it’s 85 degrees and sunny nonstop. And the resort where Throe.down was held, the Jewel Paradise Cove Beach Resort & Spa, was great — three swim-up bars, great food, the hot tubs were hot and the pools were refreshing, and you were never far from anything. Plus the service was usually super helpful, you could go on a free glass-bottom boat tour or snorkeling expedition or try their kayaks or other boats, and there was even a super-fast waterslide in the middle of the resort.
And Jamaica is an amazing place. Many of the people there seem to be friendly and positive people. We had several people tell us, “In Jamaica, there are no problems, only situations,” and we heard the refrain “No problem” each time we asked for anything.
4. “Ziggy Stardust” in honor of Bowie, “Donkey Show,” and other amazing music
Memorable musical moments at Throe.down were abundant. But the most poignant was probably when the band played “Ziggy Stardust.” David Bowie had died the day before, but it wasn’t until Jan. 11 that the news started to spread, and that night, moe. payed tribute to the rock icon with one of his most well-known songs. It was the third time moe. played it — they debuted it in 1999, and they brought it back out again for their Star Wars-themed Halloween 2015 show.
The least poignant moment — but still a super entertaining one — was when the band finished out Throe.down with “Tijuana Donkey Show,” the first time they had played it since 2007. Originally a song from side project Ha Ha the Moose, moe. played “Donkey Show” a handful of times between 2004 and ’07 before giving it up. Until the crowd insisted that it be the Throe.down 2016 encore. Percussionist Jim Loughlin, who drums for Ha Ha the Moose as “Sludge,” took over the drums while drummer Vinny Amico covered percussion.
The band also broke out “Defrost” again, which they played on New Year’s Eve for the first time in eight years. It was in heavy rotation in the mid ‘90s, but the band stopped playing it for an 11-year gap, pulling it out once in 2008, then again New Year’s Eve.
Other notable moments:
– moe. occasionally played a great version of Little Feat’s “Spanish Moon,” but with Little Feat co-hosting the festival with moe., they decided not to play what has become a popular cover among fans. But that didn’t stop moe. from teasing it a bit. During their Jan. 11 show, moe. played an extended jam featuring melodies from “Spanish Moon” in the middle of their “Cissy Strut” encore, getting close but never quite getting into the full song.
– They also teased ZZ Top’s “Waitin’ For the Bus” during the second set opener, “Puebla,” on Jan. 11.
– It was their frst time playing “Cantina Band” from Star Wars in a show that wasn’t billed a being “Star Wars” themed (third time overall).
5. If you like pina coladas…
And besides the regular shows, the daytime acoustic set was a whole other mess of fun. The guys played the set at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville in Ocho Rios, but before the show, most of the band members joined fans on a catamaran ride and lunch with a company called Cool Runnings. The boat launched from Mahogany Beach in Ocho Rios and everyone was given a chance to snorkel, then there was a lot of rum punch, loud music and dancing. Some of the band members may have learned how to twerk.
Then, after lovely outdoor buffet lunch, everyone was bussed to Margaritaville, where moe. played a super fun acoustic set in the sun. They played some great covers including “Escape” — the “if you like pina coladas” song — the Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun,” “Cajun Moon” by J.J. Cale, and the Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody),” first played this New Year’s Eve. The song had the staff swaying to the tune by the end.
The set also included “Blue Eyed Son,” “That Country Tune” and “Johnny Lineup,” along with a few other tunes the band plays more regularly.
There’s something amazing about sitting on a deck, sipping margaritas and basking in the sun while listening to one of your favorite bands play a few dozen feet away. Even if the sound wasn’t perfect, it was still super entertaining. Jimmy Buffet would be proud.
6. Medeski Martin & Wood
The instrumental trio was billed as a special guest, and special they were. They refer to their music as an “amalgam of jazz, funk, ‘avant-noise’ and a million other musical currents and impulses,” and that pretty accurately described what it was like to see them play three days. The band swings from one influence to the next in a way that’s very fun and engaging, if sometime a little hard to follow. Their cover game was on point (or on fleek? Is that how you use that term?), ranging from Duke Ellington to David Bowie. MMW’s “avant-noise” bit seemed too much for a few of the fans to take, but for the most part, the crowd bobbed their heads and danced along as the creative trio brought them on an enjoyable musical journey.
And fans who stayed on for an extra day at the end of the festival were lucky enough to see both John Scofield and Warren Haynes sit in with MMW for a few songs. Both musicians were arriving for Government Mule’s Island Exodus 7, which began at the same resort the following day.
And with a band full of guys who are so cool and down to earth, that’s awesome. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to ask them all the moe. questions that have been keeping you up at night, like why did they stop playing “Disembodied Head,” or what on earth is going on with “Lazarus” these days, or what’s up with moe.down? But you might just find yourself cutting them a break and shooting the shit about the weather when you run into them, cuz hey, they’re on vacation too.
10. The drum stick trick
Watch this, paying special attention to Jim right around 1:01:45.
Jim and Vin are freakin’ ninjas. Apparently they’ve done this before. It’s amazing.
Despite many fans with hopes to the contrary, no, moe.down will not be revived this year.
When the band announced that there wouldn’t be a moe.down in 2015, the first time in 15 years, fans were devastated. .rons started to have hope for the festival to return in 2016, especially after new owners bought the ski slope in Turin where the festival has been held most of its 15 years and expressed interest in making sure moe.down came back to their venue. But it turns out those hopes were misplaced.
Here’s the full text of the post on the moe.down Facebook page:
We appreciate so many fans reaching out to tell us how much they miss moe.down music festival, and we know there have been many questions on whether or not we have plans to bring it back this year. At present, we do not have any plans for moe.down 2016. The moe.down discussion on bringing it back in the future is very much alive between all those involved. In the meantime, we will be announcing a few other special summer shows in addition to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre – we hope to see you there!
Here’s hoping that 2017 will see the return of the festival that many moe.rons refer to as, “My home, my heart, my best friend.”