Our kitchen was cranking out enough cold brew concentrate for 800 cups of iced coffee. Everything was covered in coffee grounds for weeks and I thought the sound of grinding would never stop, but the moment we had been waiting for all summer arrived at last: it was time to pack up the car and make the pilgrimage from New England to Watkins Glen for this edition of Fest Food: Magnaball.
I splurged on tickets to the first Festival Ate dinner on Thursday evening, justifying the expense as it being my journalistic duty to do so. The setup was incredibly impressive, transforming a simple tent with some lighting and fabric to create a warm, elegant space and it was surreal to walk into a fine dining restaurant in the middle of a muddy field. Every night featured a different menu for vegans, vegetarians, or omnivores with beautiful plates of seasonal produce from Finger Lakes farms, each course named for Phish songs. While some dishes were not as flavorful as I hoped, it is not fair to judge a new restaurant on the first night of service in a big city, let alone at a music festival. Overflowing pitchers of the headiest Vermont craft beer pairings easily paid for the cost of the dinner and I discovered my favorite brew of the fest, Sip of Sunshine from Lawson’s Finest Liquids.
Every morning at Magnaball you could go do yoga, then wander through the farmer’s market snacking on freshly baked breads with local cheese, pickle and beet juice shots, a rainbow of summer vegetables and heirloom tomatoes, lush from the peak season sun. Elderflower Farm was selling blueberries by the pint as well as berry popsicles that made a perfect breakfast. I was lucky enough to be standing there when the caterers brought over a batch of blueberry muffins still warm from the oven that were fluffy, golden, and buttery. Elderflower Farm is run by the Fishman family in Lincoln, ME and in addition to growing berries, they produce organic, raw milk from jersey cows, and have Shetland sheep, pigs, chickens, turkeys and horses.
Next to Elderflower at the farmers market, Tessa Gordon, Mike’s 9 year old daughter, had set up a lemonade stand with proceeds to benefit The WaterWheel Foundation. The most adorable stand imaginable was constructed and Tessa couldn’t have been cuter in a lemon-patterned apron, serving up the tart drinks with a shot of blueberry juice and a yellow, polka-dot straw.
The fest food lineup at Magnaball was truly fantastic with something for everyone, from teriyaki tofu with quinoa to BBQ pulled pork from a giant smoker or pizza baked in a wood fired oven. There were so many new vendors to try, but at setbreak the first night, the siren song of an old favorite called… a primal craving for JERRY ROLL. This is the original king of Shakedown cuisine, vended on lots since the early days of the Grateful Dead and still going strong at shows across the country. The gigantic egg rolls are stuffed with shredded veggies, fried, and sodomized with Sriracha, soy and duck sauce. After inhaling my roll, I literally needed be hosed down under a water pump to regain composure and return to the show.
All summer we enjoyed the most delicious iced cold brew coffee at home, so my fiance wanted to spread the gospel of this beverage by vending at the fest. Every morning we were up early, ready to sell coffee in the lots. “It’s Ice Cold Brew Co.” featured both dark and light Magnaroasts that were low in acidity, high in caffine and had rich, robust flavor. Seeing the joy come over the hungover faces of happy campers as they took a sip and said, “Ahhh.. delicious!” made all his hard work worthwhile. And rolling out of my tent every morning to an unlimited supply of artisan iced coffee was absolutely heavenly, making Anthony my personal Magnaball MVP.
The last evening of the festival the pressure was on to plow through as many vendors as possible and that’s exactly what we did. Our all around festival favorite award goes to… Roti Rolls! This food truck from Charleston, SC served meat, veggies, and curry on Indian flatbreads similar to a scallion pancake. Easy to eat, filling but not heavy, with satisfying flavor is the recipe for perfect festival food and Roti Rolls definitely crushed it. An honorable mention goes to Arancini Bros from NYC for their sweet and savory stuffed risotto balls. And Righteous Felon Jerky for their Victorious BIG variety made with Victory Brewing Company beer- they share a wall with the brewery in Pennsylvania. I’ve never ordered food online in my life, but one taste convinced me to track them down immediately after the festival and order a wholesale case.
For the last evening at Waterwheel, I had to check out our neighbors vending in the next tent. They turned out to be a bunch of Phish fans from Massachusetts with an artisan popcorn company called Corn and Co. and gave us a box of goodies to taste test which we washed down with hibiscus, ginger, lime Aqua Vitea kombucha. When I returned to report back on our favorites, the owner mentioned that they were donating all their tips from that weekend to WaterWheel. I tried to reply and uncontrollably burst into tears of joy. All the wonder, magic, and good vibes of Magnaball seemed to culminate in this one act of kindness. Later that night we found out that WaterWheel hit a fundraising record at the festival with more support from the fans than ever before to help good causes across the country.
After the sublime YEM > fireworks encore, we danced our way through the DJ Drive-In set for a final midnight snack: hot and juicy fried chicken. Just as we ordered, a hot pan of cornbread came out of the oven and maple butter slathered squares were passed out to all the kids in line. It was a slice of heaven, just like Magnaball. Which was really a food festival where Phish happened to be playing every day. My dream come true.
My culinary ethnography of food on tour started the summer of 2011 when I volunteered for The Waterwheel Foundation, driving across the country from the Midwest through the south, up the east coast and back via Cleveland and The Hotdog at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Even though I had no real plans for this trip, I was warmly welcomed all along the way. Southern hospitality combined with the amazing community surrounding Phish assured that I always felt at home.
Raleigh was the one night when I knew no one and had nowhere to stay. My best bet seemed to be sleeping in my car at Wal-Mart and hoping I would not be raped and/or murdered. Wandering down Shakedown after the concert, I was very bummed, extremely hungry and had zero cash. A dude appeared with the mustache worthy of a Confederate general (though he turned out to be a New England Yankee) and we started chatting. Within seconds he offered me a falafel wrap he had bought from one vendor who used real chickpeas, then brought to another for a slather of special sauce. My kind of guy! After he crushed a couple more sandwiches, Anthony (aka Pic for Piccirilli) came to my rescue, offering his hotel room with 10 boys sleeping on the floor. Fast forward three years later: we now live in Boston together with our two dogs, an 100lb Italian mastiff and a Welsh Corgi named Gumbo. That night in North Carolina I was looking for a post show snack and ended up with true love!
We planned and prepped for a week, making lists and multiple shopping trips just like we would catering for 50 people, except this time the plan was selling pulled pork to 300 Phisheads. Pic cooks the meat and I make sides, so I wanted to be sure we had something for everyone – vegetarian, vegan, even gluten free.
Just as we knew they would, the fans absolutely loved our BBQ! Sandwiches were flying along with vegetarian combo plates. That night we sold every single sandwich. Someone even asked us to cater their wedding! After packing up in the rain at 2 a.m., I left Worcester knowing Smoking Ted’s served not only the most delicious food at that show, but some of the best BBQ on lot anywhere. That pride was even better than the big wad of cash we made for our 
So when I found out earlier this week that it would be acoustic Candlebox, I gave pause because I was expecting the full band instead of something stripped down. Expectations were set on electric but acoustic performances of songs you’ve listened to for more than 20 years was a change I could get behind. Within moments of Kevin Martin discussing the story and the conditions behind writing “Sweet Summertime,” I became intently focused, more so than I would have been hearing the usual renditions from the Candlebox lexicon, without a little something extra on the side. Over the next two hours, Martin and Brian Quinn played a dozen Candlebox songs and gave insight into how these compositions were created amid turbulent paths taken by the band and behind the scenes.
It only took two songs to get to the dark side of Candlebox, and just like that, I was 17 again. “Drowned” was introduced as the result of Maverick Records, who launched Candlebox’s first album to national acclaim, faced pressure from in an effort to produce Lucy, the follow up their 1993 self-titled debut. “Cover Me,” has a religious focus, as Martin doubted that one lone god was the right one among the many gods throughout history.
Throughout the night, it was uncanny how the tone of Martin’s voice hasn’t changed a bit in 25 years; emotion packed lyrics poured out over intense guitar work from Quinn. Songs of longing, such as “Miss You,” was dedicated to his father, a WWII veteran, and “Love Come Back to Me” were stellar.
He did decline a request to play “Breakaway,” regarding the suggestion with “Memories of the process are very painful and the process of recording Happy Pills was so raw,” that to revisit the lyrics in this point and time wouldn’t have the same power and meaning behind them. “Far Behind,” written in tribute to Andy Wood from Mother Love Bone, whom they first knew in the Seattle scene in 1991, was given a new frame from which to hear the song.
After, Brian broke into “The Weight” to the surprise of the audience who sang along while a song off the forthcoming album, “Alive at Last,” closed the show. Without a doubt, acoustic Candlebox exceeded expectations and makes seeing the full live band a must with new light shed on songs that have aged well.
Frank Palangi, a Queensbury native, opened the show with a 30 minute set of gritty acoustic guitar work and flexible vocals that captured the attention of the crowd. Palangi channeled Faith no More, Alice in Chains, Lifehouse and other late 90s rockers through a series of originals that must translate well in a live, plugged-in setting. For a local musician opening for Candlebox at The Egg, the thrill was visible in his smile and on stage presence.
Although most of the crowd were there for Greensky Bluegrass, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades were welcomed with a positive turnout early on. The five-piece acoustic outfit ran through their unique blend of bluegrass and country that brought bands like Trampled By Turtles and Old Crow Medicine Show to mind. One thing that sets this group aside from anyone else is their utilization of the harmonica and accordion in their arrangements. The fiddle blends well with the handheld instrument to deliver a strong high-end sound. Personal highlights came with covers of Pink Floyd’s “Time,” and Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright,” where they successfully turned two classics into their own sound.
Kalamazoo’s Greensky Bluegrass took to the stage for two sets of well thought out and executed mayhem, running through early staples, showing off new work, and paying homage to their inspiration by taking on songs like Billy Joel’s “Big Shot,” Bruce Hornsby’s “King Of The Hill,” and the Allman Brothers’ “One Way Out.” Known for their playful covers and heartfelt originals, this band can go from dead serious to bouncing off the walls in a matter of one jam in between two songs.
Zuli arrived just in time for their 9.30 slot, having played another set – in another borough, no less – just beforehand. A pretty intense schedule didn’t impede the joyous musical moves that were on display throughout their performance. A large room like LPR, when not-quite-full with the mixed crowd of a Monday night – fans, friends of the other bands, NYU juniors catching up after their Christmas breaks – can create an awkward vibe for some live bands. If Zuli sensed this difficulty at all, they tackled it with jesting stage banter, the settling of a beef about their favorite restaurant (it might, after all, be 