Category: Special

Taste of Country Music Festival 2016, Day Three: Jake Owen Fights The Cold To Close Out A Three Day Party

The third day of the Taste of Country Music Festival 2016 kicked off around 1:30 pm on June 12th in Hunter, NY. Coming back to the mountain for the third and last day of the festival was bittersweet for me. On one hand, I was looking forward to seeing country super star Jake Owen perform. But on the other hand, I knew that once he finished his performance, the awesome three day Taste of Country festival would be over until next year.

Despite the weather being fairly pleasant and warm the first two days of the festival, the third day of the festival had 40 mile per hour winds which made it feel more like a late fall NY day. At one point there even appeared to be snow flakes in the air. Needless to say, I immediately regretted not packing any sweatshirts or coats for what I assumed would be a blazingly hot three day summer music festival.

The day started on the festival’s main stage with the up and coming country group, Outshyne. The group was started in 2007 in South Carolina by high school friends who had previously only participated in rock bands. The members of the group did not start to appreciate country music until after they had graduated High School and had grown into adulthood. The group members site their main influences to be Merle Haggard, Lynyrd Skynyrd and John Mayer. Outshyne has a notable rock vibe to some of their music and has recently gained considerable ground on the country music scene, with their latest single “That Girl”. They had a country rock sound to their music that reflected their roots.

Up next at around 3 pm was country music veteran, Neal McCoy who started his country music career in 1981 by winning a talent contest. Since then he has released 10 studio albums and 34 country music singles. This included three platinum albums, one gold album and seven top 10 country hits. I had never seen Mr. McCoy in concert, and did not know what to expect when the 58 year old took the stage. I was impressed with the amount of time he took interacting with the crowd, shaking his butt, and even jumping up and down. McCoy had more energy on stage than half of the younger performers that I have had the pleasure to photograph and his anecdotes made the crowd laugh and stay engaged throughout his performance.

After a short break, Mr. “Buy me a Boat” himself, Chris Janson took the stage. Janson moved to Nashville when he was 19 years old, in 2005 to become a country music star. Like so many country stars of today he began his career first proving himself as song writer. His first hint of success came in 2012 when he wrote the Tim McGraw hit, “Truck Yeah”. But his dreams did not actually come true until, despite not being backed by a record label at the time, he came out with the song, “Buy Me A Boat”. He sent the song to country radio show host, Bobby Jones, who loved it and as a result played the song on his show. Following the exposure, the song became a favorite of country music fans around the country and jumped to the top of the country charts. The mega hit caught the attention of major record labels around the country and Janson was soon signed to Warner Music Nashville.

Janson has a blue collar style and friendly demeanor that makes him a perfect country music star. Several times during the concert, Janson would break into energetic harmonica solos, announcing at one point, “are ya’ll ready to see how 135 pounds of skinny white boy can play this harmonica like you never seen?!” to cheers of the crowd. When Janson would play the harmonica, he would throw his entire body into the performance, swinging his arms and legs, dancing back and forth and truly enjoying every second of it. Janson even threw a few lines from Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In The Dark” and Hank William’s “Country Boys Can Survive” into his performance to keep things interesting.

I was especially impressed with Janson’s latest single, a song that he wrote about his wife named “Holdin’ Her”. In the song, Janson tells the story of how he met his wife and how much love he feels when he hold’s his her in his arms. Off to the left of the stage, I could see Janson’s wife, Kelly Lynn Janson holding their beautiful infant son, Jesse Bo Janson in her arms (pictured in the gallery at the bottom of the page). During several of the songs, I could see a smile come across Janson’s wife’s face as she watched her husband perform.

Following Janson’s amazing set, I rushed over to the secondary, indoor concert stage of the festival to watch newcomer, Jake Worthington perform. The twenty year old, Texas native attempted to start his country music career in 2013, by auditioning for the fifth season of the NBC reality music competition show, “The Voice”. Unfortunately, he was not chosen by any of the judges and did not make it on to the show.

Worthington showed his resilience by coming back and trying out for the sixth season of the show. This time Worthington was chosen by three out of the four judges, including Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Shakira, but he unsurprisingly picked country music star, Blake Shelton as his coach for his show. Not only did Worthington make it on the show but he finished the season in second place. All three songs that Jake performed on the show became iTunes top 10 hits.

Shortly after his success on the show, Worthington was signed to record label, W3 Entertainment and released his self titled debut album. Despite his young age, Worthington has a twangy, heartfelt, vintage country sound that reminds me of how country music used to sound decades ago. I would not be surprised to see him accomplishing great things in the industry in the coming years.

At around 6 pm, I rushed back to the main festival stage to watch veteran country singer, Gary Allan begin his performance. Allan has been performing since the age of 12, when he would tour country bars with his father’s band. He was offered a record contract at the age of 15, but was forced by his parents to reject the offer and finish high school. After high school, Allan spent several years finding his sound. At the age of 29, in 1996 he signed a contract with Decca Records. Since then, he has released 11 albums and has had four number one singles.

While playing his set, Allan and his band solidified their country music star status by passing around a bottle of Jack Daniels. Allan has what I would describe as a great balance of modern pop country while still keeping some songs faithful to the original, old school, country music sound.

Giving another newcomer a chance to shine on the secondary stage, up next was up and coming singer, Adley Stump. Like several other performers in this years Taste of Country Festival, Stump got her start on NBC’s singing competition reality show, “The Voice” and was on Blake Shelton’s team during the competition. Earlier this year, Stump was recognized with a Grammy Amplifier award, and was the featured music performer at the 2015 Miss USA telecast. I was truly impressed by the passion that Stump displayed during her performance. She kept a large smile across her face, dancing around, shaking hands with the crowd throughout the whole show.

As a photographer, it was a challenge keeping up with her, but at the same time, when an artist loves what they do, they are also quite a bit more fun to shoot. You could tell that there was nowhere else that she would rather be at that moment. She played a mixture of country favorites and her own songs. I especially loved the upbeat, full of attitude song, “Like This” and the heartfelt salute to our troops and the families that support them from home “Stay At Home Soldier”. Her impressive vocal range also made it easier to feel the emotion behind her songs.

Last but most definitely not least, Jake Owen took the main festival stage around 7:45 pm. Despite the images of warm summer days, beautiful beaches displayed on the large screen and fake palm trees on the stage behind Owen, a 40 mile per hour, freezing cold wind with some snow flurries made things feel like the concert was taking place in early November rather than early June. I was honestly shocked that I was seeing snow flurries in June. Before I traveled to Hunter Mountain, I was warned to expect crazy weather due to the altitude, so I packed a poncho and an umbrella. What I forgot to pack was a decent coat. Despite the cool weather, Owen’s performance kept the cooled crowd captivated with a memorable performance.

Owen kicked off his set with the title track of his latest album, “American Love”. Despite the weather, Owen stuck to his tradition of performing in bare feet, and did not seem to be phased by the cold weather. At one point during the show, Owen jumped off stage and interacted with fans in the front rows. Owen showed the range of his talent by mixing some of his hits with the theme song from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Drake’s “Hold On We’re Going Home” and even “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce. Owen prefaced his hit song “Beachin’,” by laughing and saying “Who wants to go to the beach with me……in 40 mile an hour winds”. Owen closed out an amazing set and an unforgettable Taste Of Country Music Festival with his first number one hit, “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”.

After three days of awesome music, extremely unhealthy yet delicious food, and meeting hoards of friendly country fans, Hunter Mountain had begun to feel like a second home to me. I always found it amazing how strangers who would ordinarily ignore each other in their normal day to day life, could become almost instant buddies during a music festival. There is something wonderful about a good concert that can take an ordinarily shy person and turn them into a “smiling, while singing at the top of their lungs” party animal. The environment created, somehow punches through the awkward/shy barrier that prevents strangers who have never met from becoming friends. I suppose that knowing that everyone around also loves country music, is great common ground to start on.

During the festival, I met many very cool and interesting people. As I was in the crowd with my professional grade Canon 5D Mk III taking some pictures of the concert, a short woman in a gray cowboy hat, who reminded me of my grandmother, yelled at me and with a big smile across her face, asked me if I would take a picture of her and her friends. I smiled and agreed, she pulled a small drugstore disposable camera out of her pocket and dropped it on the ground, she picked it up and handed it to me. Looking at the cardboard covered camera, I smiled and offered to use my own camera. That is the way I met Santa Bellino, Jessica McGraw and Paul Campione Jr. who traveled from Staten Island, NY to enjoy the festival (pictured below).

Over the three days of the festival, I also met a group calling themselves the Taste Of Country Family. The group started in 2014, during the second annual Taste of Country Music Festival with 4 people from Marlborough, Massachusetts, John Trotta, Danielle Trotta, Britney Hisman and Bethany Hisman. Since then, the group has grown every year and now includes over 31 people from New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Rhode Island and New Jersey. Each year of the festival, the group creates a community of tents at one of the official Taste of Country camp grounds and spends the weekend partying and enjoying country music.

In addition to the concerts which usually don’t start until after noon, a typical day includes a campfire breakfast (with mimosas), drinking games, and later at night sitting by the camp fire singing songs while one of the group members, Tyler Senecal, plays the guitar. This year they even had group T-shirts with the phrase “BEER CAMPIN & COUNTRY MUSIC” made for the group. I find it amazing that this festival was able to bring all of these strangers together over the years and in my opinion this group embodies what the Taste Of Country Music Festival is all about.

The 2016 Taste of Country Music Festival was an amazing experience and I look forward to coming back next year, as a reporter or even just as a country music fan. As of this writing, two major headlining artists have been announced for the Fifth Annual, 2017 Taste Of Country Music Festival, Jason Aldean and Sam Hunt.

October 2, 2016
Catskill Chill Closes out Summer at New Minglewood

Catskill Chill rounded out the New York summer festival season September 24-26 with a stacked line-up and a new location. Moving just a few miles from its former location in Hancock, NY, the Catskill Chill found a new home this year in Lakewood, Pa. Previously held at Camp Minglewood, this year the Chill found its new home at New Minglewood and included an extra day of camping and more music.

The festival’s inaugural Thursday night pre-party was a great addition to the weekend. Twiddle highlighted the evening with two sets including a sit-in with Scott Hannay of Mister F. Although the turn out for the night’s first two bands, Aqueous and Jimkata, was light, the packed house for Twiddle verified that many festival goers had taken advantage of the Thursday night ticket.

Arriving early had more benefits than just the music. Many festival attendees enjoyed the ability to set up camp and explore the grounds before the barrage of attendees arrived on Friday. “The best part of the Thursday ticket was being able to get the choice camping spots.” Jennifer Bliss of Saratoga Springs, NY told NYS Music. “It was also nice to have our camp ready to go, so that we could really enjoy the music on Friday.”

Mike Gordon drew the largest crowd of Friday Night to the main stage. Among the songs performed, the Phish bassist debuted “Let’s Go,” a tune generally reserved for a Phish set list. George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic also enjoyed a great turn out, many of whom had never seen the master of funk live. “I had only heard the name George Clinton, but didn’t really know what he was about. Thinking about it, that set might have been my favorite of the weekend. I liked that Chill has artists like that on their line-up,” noted Brian Thomas of Cleveland, Ohio.

Other much talked about sets on Friday night included Pink Talking Fish and Pink Talking Fu. The Pink Talking Fish set included a variety of Phish, Talking Heads and Pink Floyd with a sit-in from Kung Fu’s Tim Palmeri on “Great Gig in the Sky” and “Crosseyed and Painless.” The B Stage was turned into a dance party during Pink Talking Fu (Pink Talking Fish and Kung Fu.) The two bands highlighted the music of David Bowie and Prince in a tribute set that featured both top 40 hits and beloved deep tracks. Shira Elias of Turkuaz and Hayley Jane both sat in for vocal performances throughout the set.

Friday’s sleeper sets included music by Funky Dawgz Brass Band, Mister F and Goldfish. All three bands are well worth seeing and turned out amazing performances.

Saturday’s main stage was highlighted with an assortment of musical styles that kept the variety going throughout the day. Ryan Montebleau, Cabinet and Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass added an element of relaxation and chill while Lettuce and Particle were funky and dance worthy.

The B-Stage popped off thanks to sets from Turkuaz and Tauk. Formula 5, Big Something and the Magic Beans all generated note-worthy buzz at their various sets on Saturday as well.

Saturday was the day of tribute sets, providing a plethora of familiar music performed by some of the festivals most beloved artists. Fikus and Shwizz came together to perform as Shwikus Plays the Beatles, while the Heavy Pets played the 80’s and Lespecial paid tribute to Primus.

“I just loved all of the tribute sets at Chill,” mentioned Nick Augustine of Silver Springs, MD. “Every one that I saw was executed perfectly!”

The most intriguing set of the night went to Turbine, whose RadioDead set was at times mind twisting and enigmatic. The concept – Radiohead songs played in the style of the Grateful Dead and Grateful Dead songs played in the style of Radiohead. Turbine did a stellar job of translating the songs into the respective styles, so much so that many attendees couldn’t quite wrap their heads around what they were hearing. “Wait, is this Radiohead or the Dead?” was overheard often during the set.

For the second year in a row, members of Dopapod and Turkuaz brought the house down during their tribute set, this year with a tribute set to the preppie-loved classic soft rock of the 80s known as Yacht Rock. The set was fun, campy and executed with perfection. It’s a nod to both groups of Berklee trained musicians, as they take such care with music that could otherwise be dismissed. Somehow they find a way to celebrate not only the music, but the production quality that feels like you are square in the middle of a musical time capsule.

Josh Schwartz (Turkuaz) receives MVP nods for his spot on vocal tribute to soulful baritone Michael McDonald. However, Rob Compa who tackled vocals on the Eagles classic “Hotel California” as well as the entire Dopakuaz crew wins honorable mention during a production perfect version of the song. The set also included the most “had to be there” moment as Dopapod bassist Chuck Jones took to the Chill Fam seas with a stage dive and crowd surfing adventure.

The Chill Fam All-Stars tribute to Michael Jackson was another highlight of the night, however, many festival attendees were turned away as the Late Night Hall was packed to capacity before the music even started. However, despite not everyone being able to attend, the set was highlighted by the vocals of Elise Testone, whuch were a milky and smooth compliment to the original. The Chill Fam All- Stars included Eric Gould (Pink Talking Fish); Adrian Tramontano and Robert Somerville (Kung Fu); Shira Elias, Chris Brouwers and Michelangelo Carubba (Turkuaz); Danny Mayer (Eric Krasno Band); Steve Molitz (Particle) and Robert Volo on trombone (Deep Banana Blackout).

Sunday’s Main Stage was highlighted by performances from Dopapod, Greensky Bluegrass and Electron. Although the festival grounds and attendance at sets appeared to begin to thin out by Sunday afternoon, festival goers that stuck it out were also treated to great performances by Perpetual Groove, Tom Hamilton’s American Babies, The Werks and Broccoli Samurai.

Sunday’s most noteworthy performance went to Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. They made the most of their two sets, including a two-hour cover set late night at Club Chill. The set was one of the most sit-in heavy of the weekend including performances by Tom Hamilton, Shira Elisa (Turkuaz), Steve Molitz (Particle), Elise Testone, and Rob Somerville (Kung Fu).

The New Minglewood grounds felt like home for many Catskill Chill veterans. The added facilities of more “play areas” including the basketball courts by the B-Stage created a fun vibe that more people plan on taking advantage of next year. Wins for the new location included closer parking to the camping grounds, more common areas and the B-Stage, whom many felt housed the best music and sound of the weekend.

However, despite the great sound at both the main stage and the B-stage, many festival attendees found themselves hanging outside both Club Chill and the Late Night Hall due to the facilities acoustics. “It was really loud in both the indoor venues,” noted Mike Dustin of Allentown, PA, “For the most part, we chose to just sit outside and listen there. It just literally sounded like we were watching music in a high school gym. So much of the sound quality was lost.”

Most of this year’s attendees agreed that the cabins, vendors and security were in sync with previous years. However, it was noted by several folks that this year the port-a-potties in the camping areas could have used much more attention, as the usual daily cleanings of the facilities seemed to have been missed in at least one location.

As the weekend’s attendees packed up and returned home, most were happy with the new location and the line-up. But beyond that, it was the Chill Fam vibe that most were pleased to be a part of. “Chill is my favorite festival – hands down,” said Kelly Kepler of Portland, Maine. “I was scared that this year would be different, that changing the location would mean all the things we loved about Chill would be different. Honesty, I think it was better. It was a great way to bond with new people because everyone was on even ground. It only made our little Chill family stronger. I can’t wait for next year!”

September 29, 2016
Rock Allegiance Stands Strong Among Competition

For the second straight year, Chester, PA was home to Rock Allegiance. The Rock Allegiance festival, which is one of the many Danny Wimmer Presents events, returned to Talen Energy Stadium (formerly PPL Park) on Saturday and Sunday September 17 and 18.

Unlike last year’s festival, Rock Allegiance 2016 was set for 2 full days that included some of the biggest bands today, such as Avenged Sevenfold, Alice In Chains, The Offspring and Slayer. To accompany two full days of music, this year added even more of the festival’s signature Gourmet Man Food and other experiences for fans to check out. Some of this year’s experiences included The Music Experience, The Jack Daniel’s Experience, FYE Experience and Zippo Encore. As always, proud sponsor, Monster, was on site giving away free products and hooking fans up with chances to meet their favorite bands.

Saturday’s festival lineup featured quite a mix of bands. There were heavy metal bands, cover bands, comedy bands, grunge bands and more. Some of Saturday’s stand-out performances were Skindred, Avatar, and Motionless In White. Each one of these bands brings something unique to the table that not an everyday band does. Skindred had the most unique sound of the day. The Welsh rockers mix heavy metal with reggae and create some insane grooves. Lead singer Benji Webbe certainly knew how to lead his band and give the crowd a set to remember past the weekend.

Certainly no one was disappointed with headliners Alice In Chains, Breaking Benjamin and The Offspring. Each one of those bands has earned their keep and each had their own die-hard fans in attendance. Alice In Chains was joined by Billy Duffy of The Cult for their song “Rooster.” One band that failed to bring out the special guests that everyone was hoping for was Taylor Hawkins’, Chevy Metal.Â Chevy Metal, which is Hawkins’ cover band that rips through classic rock songs with ease, is known for bringing out big names at their shows. Unfortunately, when the band closed out the Liberty Stage, no guests came out to join the band.

Fans of Sepultura got to hear the legendary album, Roots, in its entirety during Max & Igor Cavalera’s Return To Roots set. This was one of the most bad-ass sets of the day. Seeing the two brothers back on stage doing Sepultura songs was absolutely incredible and the crowd went wild. One band that seemed to sneak its way into a huge main-stage slot was Baroness. These guys have been growing and growing non-stop and have been receiving incredible support from some of the biggest musicians on the planet. The love and support of Baroness landed them a late evening slot and definitely gave the band a chance to reach an audience of plenty of Baroness virgins.

It’s impossible to not mention Trivium when it comes to kicking ass. The guys in Trivium seem to live on the road and never show any signs of slowing down. Although their last album Silence In The Snow, wasn’t as “heavy” as some old fans would have liked, this monster of an album has been a commercial hit and the tracks are solid. Gone are the signature screams of singer Matt Heafy, but the record showcases Heafy’s ability to actually sing. Together with long time band members Corey Beaulieu and Paolo Gregoletto and new drummer Paul Wandtke, Trivium continues to give festival crowds around the world a brutal, fast and a seemingly too short set.

Saturday’s top performance didn’t come from any headliner or by any band that played on either stage inside the stadium. The top band of the day took the Liberty Stage at 4:15. That band was letlive. For people who skipped letlive., saying they missed out is a complete understatement. Often times, writers will say a band had “high energy” and all these other generic compliments about a band they thought was pretty good. On Saturday, letlive. could be described to someone who missed them simply as, f*&King insane. Singer Jason Aalon Butler gave Rock Allegiance everything he could, without getting in too much trouble. Butler ended up hanging upside down at the soundboard tent and running throughout the crowd while his team of roadies tried to keep the audience from becoming strangled with this microphone cord. If there’s one thing fans at Rock Allegiance aren’t ever going to forget, it is letlive’s set.

Out of the 2 day festival, Sunday was definitely the day with the stacked lineup. The day started off with what would be one of the best sets of the day from Death Angel. Singer Mark Osegueda is by far one of the best vocalists in heavy metal. This guy can hit any note imaginable. If there was one bad thing to say about Sunday, it would be Death Angel’s set was too damn short. Next time, Death Angel deserves a mid-day main stage slot to show the crowd what they bring to the table.

After Death Angel, bands like Devour The Day, Twelve Foot Ninja, Crobot and Kyng were all back to back one after the other. Although none of these bands have hit it big yet, they’re all in the process of knocking down that door. This year was Devour The Day’s second year in a row playing Rock Allegiance and the crowd was definitely excited to see them again. The singer of Kyng wasn’t too happy with them and Crobot playing at almost the same exact time. He went on to say that whoever booked that should be fired.

From 2:30 onward, many fans may not have even left the two main stages inside Talen Energy Stadium. Unfortunately for bands like Neck Deep, Amity Affliction and Pierce The Veil, the main stages where were the party was at. Although, even though the inside floor was packed in, these bands attracted their own die-hard fans and fans who may have been curious to check out someone new. Pierce The Veil certainly could have played inside due to the crowd and the stage setup they had. The guys in Pierce The Veil are an absolute blast to watch on stage and their spaceship on stage isn’t something every band brings out on the road.

Sevendust had a huge crowd over at the Bridge Stage for their set. One of those fans at the Bridge Stage was Anthrax singer, Joey Belladonna, who joined Lajon Witherspoon to sing “Face to Face.” Sevendust was another victim of the dreaded short festival set. Only having time for a handful of songs, Sevendust wasted no time between songs and gave fans as much as they could. The band closed out their set with their Grammy nominated track “Thank You.”

Some other highlights of the day were Hellyeah and Killswitch Engage. Both of these bands are entertaining to watch from start to finish. Hellyeah singer, Chad Gray is one of the most explosive front-men in metal. Hellyeah’s setlist only featured songs off their 2 latest albums Blood for Blood and Unden!able. During the track “Sangre por Sangre,” bassist Kyle Sanders spit fake blood all over Chad’s face. Chad would sport this blood for the rest of the set and it was clear this band meant business. Hellyeah have certainly been working their asses off creating new music and trying to win over the haters of their group.

Killswitch Engage, on the other hand, doesn’t have to do anything fancy on stage to win over fans. The guys in KSE are purely bad-ass and get the crowd going regardless if they’re fans of their band or not. Certainly one of the rowdiest crowds of the day, Killswitch gave them all the reason to be. Guitarist, Adam Dutkiewicz, did what he does best and got the people of Rock Allegiance in the KSE mood. Dutkiewicz and singer Jesse Leach lead the charge and helped give Killswitch Engage one of Sunday’s best performances.

The rest of the evening after KSE was great as anyone would have guessed. Chevelle, Anthrax, Volbeat and Slayer were all fantastic. Each band had a giant fan base in each section of the floor. Slayer fans waited all day along the rail of the Bridge Stage to be in front of Kerry King and Tom Araya. Having half of the big “four” on one stage was an easy choice for thrash metal fans on where to set up camp. Getting that front row spot for both Anthrax and Slayer would put any thrash metal fan in heaven, or in this case, hell.

As expected, Anthrax stuck with their casual festival setlist. This setlist is fine for any casual fan of Anthrax, but the die-hard fans who traveled to see them definitely wanted something a little different. Tracks like, “Got The Time” and “Antisocial” could definitely be replaced by songs off their latest two albums, which were both outstanding. Both Chevelle and Volbeat, on the other hand, picked their setlists well offering a nice balance between new and old material. Slayer was also another band that seemed to surprise the crowd with their setlist choice. Instead of playing mainly tracks of their latest album Repentless, they only chose to play the title track. The rejuvenated Slayer lineup dug into deep cuts as well as playing the fan-favorite classics like “Raining Blood” and “Angel of Death.”

The two top performances on Sunday belonged to two bands that toured together not too long ago. Those two bands are Ghost and headliner Avenged Sevenfold. Ghost, who just kicked off their Popestar Tour days before, opened their set with their new EP single “Square Hammer.” For fans who hadn’t caught on to Ghost already, were probably walking out of the stadium that night with a shirt or CD from the FYE tent. Ghost definitely had one of the biggest fan bases over the entire weekend. Ghost shirts were seen by the minute on both days of the festival. The stage show wasn’t what fans will see at headlining shows due to time restrictions, but fans weren’t complaining. The Ghouls, complete with their new female bassist, ripped through 6 more songs after “Square Hammer.” Together with Papa Emeritus III, the band flawlessly performed songs such as “From the Pinnacle to the Pit,” “Cirice,” “Year Zero”, and more. Unlike headlining shows where the band closes with “Monstrance Clock,” Ghost changed things up and said their goodbyes with “Mummy Dust.”

The chance of Avenged Sevenfold disappointing the fans at Rock Allegiance this year was practically 0%. It’s been a while since Avenged Sevenfold has toured and fans were ready for something that was new and fresh. The band went on stage and opened with “Nightmare.” Fans could quickly point out that Avenged no longer had the extensive stage setup like they did on their Mayhem Festival run a few years back. This time, Avenged kept things simple with an empty stage and a giant LED screen. People who thought that was all they brought were definitely mistaken. It didn’t take long for the onslaught of flames to come from the back of the stage song after song. The new tour not only meant a new stage but also a refreshed setlist. This time around, Avenged played tracks like “Planets,” “Acid Rain,” “To End the Rapture,” and “Second Heartbeat.” The weekend ended with “Unholy Confessions,” instead of the typical encore of “A Little Piece of Heaven.”

At the end of the weekend, it would be hard to say fans were left disappointed. The lineup for both days of the festival was solid and seemed to have something for everyone. It may have been noticed by people at Rock Allegiance that it wasn’t close to a sold-out capacity crowd, but that doesn’t affect the experience negatively. With two other festivals going on over the same weekend, both within reasonable driving distance, Rock Allegiance held its ground and drew a decent size crowd for what it was up against. Hopefully next year, Chester, PA. can once again be the host of Rock Allegiance for the 3rd straight year.

September 26, 2016
Photo Gallery: Sterling Stage Last Daze of Summer

Sterling Stage ended the 2016 festival season with Last Daze of Summer, a weekend of laughter, love, and creative expression. If you weren’t able to make it, make sure you check out next years festivals at Sterling Stage Kampitheater, located in Sterling, NY.

September 24, 2016
Catskill Chill Offers Fierce Line-Up at New Location

If you’re not quite ready for the summer to end, the Catskill Chill offers many music lovers one last chance to spend a weekend immersed in sights and sounds at the festival’s new location. Just a mere ten miles southwest from its former location, 2016 ushers in a new era for the festival at the New Minglewood. This year’s basic festival ticket includes three days of music and camping starting September 24-26.

Catskill Chill kicks off this year with a Thursday pre-party, a new addition for the festival. At the mere cost of $45, the pre-party offers a powerhouse line-up of northeast festival favorites. The inaugural evening features Buffalo grove rockers Aqueous, jamtronica favorites Jimkata, two sets from Vermont’s Twiddle and superduo Trakstar featuring Todd Stoops (RAQ) and Rob Chafin (The Werks). The evening will be filled with high energy music that looks to set the bar high for future pre-party festivities.

Martie Locke who will be traveling from King of Prussia, PA, said that the Thursday pre-party is actually what sold him on the weekend. “It’s amazing. Aqueous, Jimkata and Twiddle offer some of the best musical vibes,” he told NYS Music. “I think Thursday night could be some of the best fun of the weekend. Well worth the price of the entire ticket.”

For folks not making the Thursday festivities, the entire weekend is packed with creative collaborations, solid headliners, as well as up and coming artists from all over the country.

Friday offers a mixture of relaxed vibes and funk. Zack Deputy kicks off Friday’s Main Stage music. Kung Fu offers the day’s first look at Main Stage funk takeover while funk masters George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic and Phish bassist Mike Gordon headline the Main Stage on Friday evening. Pink Talking Fish are sandwiched in between the two powerhouses, with their performance on the B Stage, creating a solid five hours of music.

Ryan Montebleau sets the mood for the Saturday Main Stage, with Cabinet and Keller Williams offering up a Saturday afternoon filled with Bluegrass vibes. Lettuce closes out the Saturday Main Stage Music.

Sunday’s Main Stage is a variety of musical genres. Roosevelt Collier’s NY Get Down will feature Dopapod’s Rob Compa and Eli Winderman as well as Michelangelo Carubba and Taylor Shell of Turkuaz. Bluegrass favorites Greensky Bluegrass and electronic rock masters Dopapod fill out Sunday afternoon. Electron will conclude the activity on Sunday’s Main Stage

This year’s Catskill Chill is filled with a variety of beloved music performed by some of the festivals most respected veteran artists as this year’s Chill is jam packed with tribute performances. Friday night will feature Pink Talking Fu paying tribute to this year’s passing legends David Bowie and Prince.

Saturday hosts the majority of these performances. Shwikus, featuring members of Shwizz and Fikus, will pay tribute to the music of the Beatles. The Heavy Pets bring their highly praised Tribute to the 80’s, while fans of Primus will want to check out Lespecial’s Primus set in Club Chill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN246u0Q7J8

Dopakuaz, featuring members of Dopapod and Turkuaz, returns after a memorable performance of the music of Studio 54 at last year’s Catskill Chill. This year, the two bands have collaborated to showcase the best of classic 80’s preppie soft rock, also known as Yacht Rock. Saturday night’s tributes will conclude with the Chillfam All-stars Tribute to Michael Jackson. Fans of Led Zepplin should catch Elise Testone’s tribute set on Sunday. Bitches Bloom will perform the music of American Jazz legend Miles Davis on Sunday as well.

The Catskill Chill is also offering a few unique choices on their 2016 line-up. Primate Fiasco’s unique blend of Americana, street band and off humor lyrics are a refreshing change of pace for almost any festival line-up. Meanwhile, Reed Mathis (Tea Leaf Green) and Electric Beethoven featuring Jay Lane (Primus, Ratdog),Todd Stoops, Cochrane McMillian (Tea Leaf Green) and Clay Welch will perform a set of “classical dance music” with a reimagining of Beethoven classics.

This year’s line-up is also highlighted by a laundry list of this summer’s most buzz worthy bands. Hailing out of New York State, Mister F, Formula 5 and TAUK continue to make noise on festival line-up’s all over the Northeast. Hayley Jane and the Primates are Chill vets, but their rising stock makes the Vermont based group one of the weekend’s acts to see.

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Tom Hamilton’s American Babies are other noteworthy artists for the four-day weekend. North Carolina’s based Big Something and Boston’s progressive eletrofunk outfit Strange Machines have also been gaining steam all summer long.

“Strange Machines is just so epic and progressive as they make you want to dance harder,” said Nick Augustine of Maryland, “They blow me away again and again every time.”

The Werks, Turkuaz and Indobox are also solid, ‘can’t go wrong’ choices amongst this year’s jam packed line-up.

First time attendees will find themselves on even ground with experienced Chill attendees, as everyone will be learning the festival’s new lay-out. However, festival organizers look to make the transition a bit easier by keeping stage names and key amenities the same.

However, beyond the music, the hope of most attendees is that despite venue changes, the “Chill Fam” will maintain the vibe that has, in part, kept the festival growing.

Rachael Dube from Vermont, a four-year Chill attendee isn’t worried about the venue change. In fact, she says she is excited for the new location. “There is just something pretty righteous about moving it from the original spot you know? Change is beautiful and inevitable, nothing should stay the same forever. Being able to take the great base that we have created at the Chill, and move it wherever we like, seems pretty cool to me. It’s something special that’s for sure.”

And it’s not just the festival goers that are excited for the vibe that the festival offers. Scott Hannay of the band Mister F was a three-year Chill attendee before his band played the festival in 2014. He told NYS Music, that it’s the “the ubiquitous Chillfam” that makes the festival special. “The vibe, the staff, all that music and unique combinations of musicians, it all melds together in a way that other festivals do not. Chill is exactly that, Chill.”

Tickets for general admission as well as VIP packages are still available.

September 15, 2016
Time to Get Your Celtic On at the Syracuse Irish Festival 2016

Attention anyone who wants to have a good time, put aside the fact that you have never been to a Celtic music festival and not sure if it’s your cup of tea. Do you like music, dancing, good food, beer? Yeah, I had you at beer. It’s time to get your Celtic on this Friday Sept. 9 and Saturday Sept. 10, as we once again gather for the 2016 Syracuse Irish Festival at Clinton Square in Syracuse. This year’s lineup is a spectacular mix of old and new and acts featuring a diverse lineup on two stages. Combine this with Celtic wares, family activities, delicacies, and libations, it’s sure to be a good time for all.

Crowd favorites, Searson return this year. It’s like welcoming home family as Erin, Colleen, Danno, and Fraser take to the Ommegang Stage Saturday evening. Also returning this year are The Elders, Kansas City’s very own superstars, a band who Central New York has adopted as their own personal band. This dynamic group is bound to set the stage on fire once again and get the crowd on their feet singing and dancing both Friday and Saturday nights.

For those smart enough to arrive early both days, they will be treated to the trio of The Moxie Strings, The Flyin Column, The Public House, The Blarney Rebel Band, and Attractive Nuisance, among others. This mix of both traditional and contemporary Celtic music is sure to entertain those attending and garner them some new “likes” and “follows” on social media accounts.

There are many new acts to look forward to this year. The promo shot of The Led Farmers is more than enough to hook the casual observer as their set should prove to be just as fun as their photo. Playing both evenings on both stages, this quartet from Dublin, Ireland are a must-see as they are introduced to Central NY.

Don’t want to miss the football games, no worries. Join The Town Pants on Friday night at the Irish Tailgate Party. Beginning at 4:00 p.m. in the pub area, attendees will find multi-tasking to be a joy. The Syracuse-Louisville game will be broadcast on the big screen in the pub area Friday night.

NYS Music is honered to be a parter for this year’s Syracuse Irish Festival, bringing our readers highlights from the stage and crowds. We hope to see you all there. Please take the time to stop me, I’m the blonde with the camera, as I make my way around the crowd. Say hi and insist I get your photo to prove that you were hanging with the cool crowd at this weekend’s event.

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

FRIDAY SEPT. 9 – OMMEGANG STAGE

5:00 p.m. Attractive Nuisance
6:00 p.m. The Town Pants
7:30 p.m. Butler-Sheehan Academy
7:50 p.m. The Flyin Column
8:30 p.m. Rince Na Sonas School of Irish Dance
8:50 p.m. The Moxie Strings
9:30 p.m. Johnston School of Irish Dance
9:50 p.m. The Elders

FRIDAY SEPT. 9 – LEMOYNE PUB STAGE
12:00 p.m. Quigsy and the Bird
1:20 p.m. An Ceol
2:40 p.m. Home Slice
4:00 p.m. The Public House
5:10 p.m. Butler-Sheehan Academy of Irish Dance
5:30 p.m. The Flyin Column
6:30 p.m. Rince Na Sonas School of Irish Dance
6:50 p.m. The Led Farmers
8:10 p.m. Johnston School of Irish Dance
8:30 p.m. The Causeway Giants

SATURDAY SEPT. 10 – OMMEGANG STAGE
11:00 a.m. Irish Mass
12:20 p.m. Blarney Rebel Band
1:30 p.m. Dance School (TBA)
1:50 p.m. Moxie Strings
3:00 p.m. The Public House
4:20 p.m. Drumcliffe Arts
4:40 p.m. The Led Farmers
6:00 p.m. Roisin School of Irish Dance
6:20 p.m. Moxie Strings
7:30 p.m. Francis Academy of Irish Dance
8:00 p.m. The Elders
9:25 p.m. McDonald School of Irish Dance
9:45 p.m. Searson

SATURDAY SEPT. 10, 2016 – LEMOYNE PUB STAGE
12:00 p.m. Harrington School of Irish Dance
12:20 p.m. Irish Dance Lessons for Adults
1:30 p.m. Deirdre McCarthy
2:30 p.m. Kilgore McTrouts
3:30 p.m. Syracuse Irish Session
4:30 p.m. Roisin School of Irish Dance
4:50 p.m. Kitty Hoynes Irish Session
5:50 p.m. Drumcliffe Arts
6:10 p.m. Blaithin Loughran & Her Family
7:00 p.m. McDonald School of Irish Dance
7:20 p.m. Joe Devoli & Bob Halligan
8:20 p.m. Francis Academy of Irish Dance
8:40 p.m. Billy Delaney & The Celtic All Stars

September 8, 2016
Buffalove Music Festival 2016: Photo Gallery

Buffalove Music Festival, held in Westfield, NY July 29-31, 2016 was another huge success, with incredible performances all around. The new location for the fourth year festival had the benefit of shaded camping, perfect for a late summer festival.

Boss Tweed and the Carpetbaggers (Mike Gantzer, Evan McPhaden, and Nick Sonricker) wearing Mexican wrestling masks, cut off jeans, and no shirts, with Evan destroying a watermelon on stage, much to the delight of the fans. David Loss later joined this now-original Aqueous lineup, but not before being encouraged to shed his shirt and shred with them.

AquaFlow (Aqueous and Funktional Flow members) combined for another memorable set, while Broccoli Samurai, Consider the Source, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, EOTO, Formula 5 and Mister F performed their usual firebrand sets for the 716 crowd, while Jimkata had an exceptional amount of smiles in the crowd during their set.

For another year of Buffalove, a small fest for the thriving Western New York jamband fans, the great weather added to the weekend’s vibe, as did meeting up with old friends and new, including plenty of AQuaintances who packed the stage for every Aqueous set throughout the weekend.

This photo gallery is dedicated to Keith Rahaim. May he rest in peace.

September 4, 2016
The LOCKN’ Report: Day 4

Friday night Phish served up an incredible show at LOCKN’ that looked like game, set, match for the Jam ‘Lympics. Saturday, My Morning Jacket volleyed back a set for the ages, with an almost unmatchable rock tour de force. Would Phish be able to continue the rally? In short: Yes!

The first set opened energetically with “Sample in a Jar,” “Martian Monster” and “Axilla.” With few exceptions, the set continued to build in intensity. “AC/DC Bag,” “Possum” and “46 Days” each got about as thrashing a treatment as they’ve ever been given, nearly matching the energy exhibited by My Morning Jacket the night prior. A mid-set “Fuck Your Face” was thrown in to drive the point home (“And this guitar is gonna fuck your face `cause it knows how to scream!”) if it weren’t received loud and clear already. A closing rendition of “First Tube” put an exclamation point or two on one of the most pure-rock-energy Phish sets you will hear. Before exiting the stage, Trey Anastasio held his guitar up ceremoniously, like a sacrificial offering to the Gods of rock. And lo, they were satisfied.

With that off of their chest, the band was free to close out the 4th edition of LOCKN’, Phish style. They continued more along the lines of the brilliant explorations from their show on Friday night. As on Friday, this set flowed together almost seamlessly, no breaks, no banter, just wall-to-wall improvisational mastery. Amongst a set with literally no lulls or duds, a mid-set “Twist” > “Light” combo stood high above the rest. The “Twist” evolved into a jam that saw the entire band locked in to an almost dizzying array of sound that seemed to end too soon. But it didn’t, because the “Light” that followed somehow reached deeper, soared higher and was debatably better even that Friday’s “Ghost.” They still had solid versions of “Tweezer” and it’s most-welcome partner “Tweezer Reprise,” “2001,” “Harry Hood” and one last rocker in Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter” left in them before ending LOCKN’ with The Rolling Stones’ “Lovin Cup.” The PA blasted another Stones classic, the geographically-appropriate “Sweet Virginia,” as they festival-goers walked off the concert field for the final time of the weekend.

The day began twelve hours earlier with Hampton Road’s The Dharma Initiative and their grooving rock that swirled with flourishing keys and vocals. Doobie Decimal System, featuring Jason Crosby, Roger McNamee, Pete Sears and Jay Lane played a fun early afternoon set heavy on familiar covers like “Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite” and “Ohio.” Twiddle returned for their second day to bring more blended jams and bopping energy. They were certainly one of the better bands at connecting the spaces between bands, both in and out of their set.

Reggae made appearances throughout the festival, whether in My Morning Jacket’s cover of “Could You Be Loved” or as an influence heard throughout Twiddle’s music. But when The Wailers took the stage, they showcased reggae in it’s purest form. Their set played like a greatest hits collection, “Get Up Stand Up,” “Natural Mystic,” “Buffalo Soldier,” “Three Little Birds,” “Lively Up Yourself,” “Exodus,” and on and on. It was all smiles under the beaming Virginia sun as fans twirled and bobbed in the midday heat.

Chris Robinson Brotherhood’s set started conservatively, with takes on “Let’s Go Let’s Go Let’s Go” and “Leave My Guitar Alone.” They continued to loosen the reins as they progressed, ending with some lengthy and rocking jams on a closing run of Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue,” “Vibration and Light Suite” and “Narcissus Soaking Wet.” In their loosest state, they wear their Grateful Dead influence on their sleeves. Their sets will generally contain some Dead covers even, but not on this day. Which was fine, because after a short break, the stage was reconfigured and they would become the backing band for Phil Lesh.

Lesh‘s second set of the weekend would include a bit more traditional instrumentation than the first, and appropriately with a band that took pride in it’s Dead influence. Chris Robinson even came prepared in his Jerry Garcia t-shirt. After an opening warm-up with “Samson and Delilah,” the band played a bluesy one-two punch of “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” and “Wang Dang Doodle” in order to showcase the talents of special guest guitarist Gary Clark Jr. After he left, they proceeded into a set-highlighting version of “Hard to Handle” that was both right in Robinson’s wheelhouse as a frontman as well as a great vehicle for some classic Dead jams. “St. Stephen” and a slightly rejiggered “The Wheel” featured more superb playing throughout before they closed their set with “Turn On Your Lovelight.”

The Jam ‘Lympics rightly concentrates on team efforts, though one individual needs to be recognized here. Neal Casal played in four sets over the weekend. As a member of his own Circles Around the Sun, Hard Working Americans, Chris Robinson Brotherhood and finally in Lesh’s band, his lead guitar was a central and dominating force in every instance. Truly deserving of standing on the podium to receive an individual medal.

Gary Clark Jr. finished up the daytime portion of the last day of LOCKN’. After his first solo it was clear he was holding back something during his sit-in with Lesh. He is an enormous talent on the guitar and showcased both his playing and songwriting prowess throughout a set of mostly originals like “Bright Lights,” the soulful “Cold Blooded,” and rocking “When My Train Pulls In.” Despite his skills, amongst the other acts of the weekend, this one fell a little flat as a one-sided effort. His backing band took a bit too much of a backseat with repetitive rhythms resulting in songs feeling worn and dragged out.

About the biggest surprise of the weekend was the lack of surprises. With few exceptions, bands were content to play their own sets without inviting any of the many other musicians on stage for something out of the ordinary. That said, each band seemed to be inspired by the others on the bill, and put forth gargantuan efforts. So many bands played to the top, or nearly so, of their capabilities. Just as athletes push themselves to their limits amongst the best-of-the-best, so too did these musicians. LOCKN’ put the music front and center with almost every decision. The sound system was incredible. The rotating stage was a wonder and allowed for a nearly seamless day of music. It didn’t always work perfectly as some of the bands weren’t quite ready to take the stage on time and the sound had a bit of a hiccup on the changeover. Though the fact that you could ever time a band’s exit with the next band’s entrance is somewhat incredible, and it worked more often than not. Late night and late morning options (including a near-mythical stage set in the middle of the woods) gave fans the opportunity to see music with no downtime for over 16 hours of each day. As some are calling for the festival bubble to burst, LOCKN’ has found a niche in the crowded market that sets itself apart. If they continue to concentrate on the quality and experience of the music, it could be viable for a long time to come.

September 1, 2016
The LOCKN’ Report: Day 3

The Jam ‘Lympics brought out the best in bands on day 3 at LOCKN’. ‘A’ games ruled the day.

In the early going, Moon Taxi? quickly became Moon Taxi! as the Nashville band quickly won over the early afternoon crowd with their Southern rock inflected jams, with highlights being an “All Along the Watchtower” cover and set-closing “All Day All Night” and it’s soaring guitars big rock finish.

Vermont jammers Twiddle spun around the stage next, opening with a lengthy take on “Polluted Beauty” that brought out influences from many jam band mavens before them. Keller Williams came out to lend a hand on “Best Feeling” which ended with a jam on Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal”. The set ended as it began, with a drawn out version of “Jamflowman” which opened groovily but ended in a flurry of explosive guitar rock (which would continue to be a theme on this day).

Stanton Moore picked up nicely on the departing sounds and brought in Galactic with a flourish of drums before the rest of the band joined in. New Orleans native Erica Falls joined the band throughout the set to pick up the vocal duties on songs like “Hey Na Na” and “There’s Something Wrong With This Picture.” The real highlights of the set came when harmonica giant, Lee Oskar, of War fame, came out to add a little more funk muscle for takes on “Slipping Into Darkness,” “Like a Rolling Stone” and nearly half the set overall.

Hard Working Americans brought their rough and tumble barroom rock attitude next. They weren’t going to win on style points, but were trying to crushing it on raw rock power alone. Dave Schools and Duane Trucks provided the engine while Neal Casal’s guitar and Jesse Aycock’s lap steel twist around each other. Lead man Todd Snider lead them through incredible versions of “Stomp and Holler,” “Dope is Dope,” and “Something Else.” With Phil Lesh’s set delayed the band extended their set, Todd Snider taking over with some spoken word ramblings while the band rocked out behind him, building yet another rocking finish. “The answer my friend is blowing in the wind. Well I listened to the wind and it didn’t tell me a fucking thing, so much for folk music,” Snider quipped, like a true rockstar.

The rotating stage and interlocking sets concept didn’t quite work so well for most of the day, including a break of over 30 minutes while Phil Lesh got his friends ready to go. It certainly was a lot of musicians to coordinate. But Phil Lesh is the ultimate coach, and what seemed to be a bizarre collection of players, Lesh knew it would work. With Page McConnell, Jon Fishman, Joe Russo, Anders Osborne and the Infamous Stringdusters it was essentially a LOCKN’ All-Stars. The set took advantage of the players, mixing some bluegrassy tunes like “Dire Wolf” and “Rosalee McFall,” with more stretched out versions of “Uncle John’s Band” and “Scarlet Begonias.” Russo kept the gangly band tight together while McConnell provided an enormous and impressive groundwork for the others to launch from. Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi joined the group for takes on “Mr. Charlie” and “Sugaree,” which saw Trucks and Jeremy Garret weave solos together that was brilliantly unexpected. Leave it to a coaching genius like Lesh to see the potential of the the fiddle and slide guitar to sound so good in that spot.

The Tedeschi Trucks Band left it all on the field for LOCKN’ with a stellar performance. The 12-strong band beat out even Lesh’s assemblance in total manpower. The set ranged from straight blues, classic rock, New Orleans jazz, fusion and soul, and they stuck the landing from every angle. Trucks assumed control of the band throughout the night, taking solo after relentless solo, showcasing his talent in all its magnificent glory. The set consisted almost entirely of covers, including “Within You Without You” (Beatles), “Keep On Growing” (Derek and the Dominos), “Had to Cry Today” (Blind Faith), and “Bitches Brew” (Miles Davis). But the highlight of the set was when all the diverse influences came together for their closing rendition of their own “Let Me Get By,” yet another big rock finish.

Many fans dread a band’s “festival set” due to their generally truncated nature and their tendency to lean heavily on the hits. My Morning Jacket operates in exactly the opposite direction. Their festival sets are something to seek out and look forward to, and their first LOCKN’ appearance was no exception.

My Morning Jacket declared victory with their set opening “Victory Dance.” The bar had been set high by what had come before them. But they set the bar higher, and then vaulted over it with relative ease. An early set “Off The Record” set the scene properly. There had been a lot of rocking on the stage during the day, but none quite as coordinated and ferocious as that. Throughout the set the band would take songs further and deeper than usual, and focused on the songs that could do so. “Steam Engine” got dragged out into a powerful sax lead jam, while “Phone Went West” found a melodic run and built it into a blistering rocker. Every single song in the set seemed to end with the aforementioned big rock finish, the energy reached a point that just could not be topped so they just kept pushing it back to the top. They played tribute to Bob Marley (“Could You Be Loved”), Prince (“Purple Rain”), David Bowie (“Rebel Rebel”) and the world on the whole with a surprisingly fun and rocking “What the World Needs Now.” When “One Big Holiday” reared it’s head, it became clear the energy couldn’t be sustained any longer, and the set came to a close after over 2 hours of relentless rock genius.

Sunday’s artists will need to watch out for splinters after that stage shredding that took place on the penultimate day of LOCKN’.

August 28, 2016
Taste of Country 2016 Day Two: Kenny Chesney Starts A Party On The Mountain

The second day of The Taste of Country Music Festival in Hunter Mountain, NY kicked off around 1:30 pm on Saturday, June 11. As I walked into the ski resort, things felt somewhat different than they did on the first day of the festival. After spending the previous day photographing, exploring the mountain and meeting the hordes of friendly music fans that had made the journey from the surrounding states to spend the weekend enjoying some of the biggest artists in country music, I no longer felt like a stranger on the Mountain. This was the day of the festival that I was most looking forward to, since my favorite country artist is Kenny Chesney. I have seen dozens of great artists perform over the years, and most of them were great shows, but there are very few that I would not get tired of seeing over and over again. Chesney is one those few artists. But before we got to Mr. Chesney, there were many great artists that were going to get the day started, some of which truly impressed me.

Up first was 23 year old William Michael Morgan. Morgan released his self titled debut album this past March 18th, which is coincidentally only a few days from the day that his first child, a beautiful baby girl named Presley was born. When I heard Morgan sing I was surprised at how mature he sounded for his age. He had a deep twangy, classic country sound, that reminded me of Clint Black and Merle Haggard. Given that the country music industry of late has gone in the direction of a pop and sometimes even rap fusion of music, I was did not expect to see such a young artist concentrate on the roots of the genre. Most notable was the single that has brought the new artist on to the country charts, “I Met A Girl” which was co-written by country Star, Sam Hunt. The country love ballad reminded me of how country music used to sound.

After a short break, around 3:00 p.m., Old Dominion took the stage. The group consists of Matthew Ramsey on lead vocals, Trevor Rosen on guitar and keyboard, drummer Whit Sellers, Geoff Sprung on bass, and Brad Tursi on guitar. Three of the band’s members, Ramsey, Rosen and Tursihad, had success in the country industry writing hit songs for the Band Perry, Kenny Chesney, Tyler Farr and even NBC’s country music based drama, Nashville. Their energetic stage presence and unique fusion of pop-rock and country seemed to get the crowd in a great mood. Old Dominion is currently on tour with Kenny Chesney.

Up next to the stage was sibling duo, the Swon Brothers, made up of Zach and Colton Swon. Like so many country artists, the Swon Brothers got their start singing and playing music in their local church. They went on tour with their parents’ gospel group, Exodus, when they were just children. In 2000 they decided to form their own group, and the Swon Brothers band was born. In 2008 Colton Swon was picked to be an American Idol contestant and reached the Top 48 before being eliminated. More recently in 2013, the Swon Brothers were picked by coaches Usher, Blake Shelton and Shakira to be on the artist’s teams for the music competition, in the NBC show, The Voice. They ultimately decided to be on Blake Shelton’s team. The brothers finished in third place on fourth season of The Voice. Their appearance led to a contract with record label, Arista Nashville. During the show, the duo performed their own material as well as covers of Merle Haggard, and even Kings of Leon. Their sound showed hints of their gospel roots, and also mixed in some good old fashion rock.

I made my way to the smaller, indoor Bud Light Stage to see newcomer Elizabeth Lyons. Lyons has had a love for performing from a young age, but decided to complete her education at Vanderbilt University in 2013 before dedicating herself to becoming a full time country artist. She has been featured on CMA Close Up’s “Who is New To Watch in 2014.” She has also opened for country stars like Luke Bryan and Cole Swindell. I would describe Lyons’s music as having a country-pop sound reminiscent of early Taylor Swift which is exhibited in songs like “Boys in Every Zip Code” and “Go Girl”.

Starting at around 6:00 p.m., Eric Paslay began his show on the main outdoor festival stage. Like so many current country music stars, Paslay got his foot in the door of the country music industry writing songs for other artists. He has written hits like “Rewind” for Rascal Flatts, “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” for Jake Owen, and many other songs for the likes of Lady Antebellum and Eli Young Band. Paslay ventured out as a solo artist in 2014 with his self titled debut album. Unsurprisingly, he continued to make hits with songs such as “Song About A Girl” and “Friday Night.” Watching Paslay perform with a great deal of passion definitely made me appreciate the hard work the he had put into his music. I believe that if an artist performs music that he wrote, it can add a whole new layer of visible dedication to the music and that was definitely present in Paslay’s set.

Like a game of tennis between stages, where this reporter was the ball, following Eric Paslay’s set, I ran inside to the secondary stage to catch the performance of McKenna Faith. Faith is a California native and currently the number one selling “Independent Female Country Artist” on iTunes. I would describe the rookie artist’s on stage mannerisms as “girl next door” with a little bit of bad girl thrown in for good measure. Faith had a grin on her face her entire set, which the crowd ate right up. Her enthusiasm and the happiness that she got from performing made me wish her a whole lot of success. Her talent and vocal rage made me believe that this wish will likely come true.

Continuing the trend, following Faith’s last song, I rushed back to the main outdoor stage to see Frankie Ballard at around 7:30. Ballard took the stage dressed like a modern day James Dean, with slicked back hair, wearing blue shoes, blue jeans, a vintage black leather jacket and a red handkerchief around his neck to finish off the look. His rock and roll look fit perfectly with his country rock sound. He kicked off his set with his hit “Young and Crazy” and had the crowd singing along right off the bat. He rolled through his set with his other hits “Sunshine & Whiskey,” “It All Started With a Beer,” and “Helluva Life.” To keep things interesting, Ballard threw a cover of Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” into the mix and finished his show with “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.”

Ending the night was the legendary Kenny Chesney, who took the stage at around 9:45. As soon as he walked on stage, the crowd exploded into cheers. Kenny Chesney is one of the reasons that I became a fan of country music. There is something about Chesney’s music with the pictures his songs paint of carefree paradise and loving life, that inherently make you feel good. There is also something amazing about a Kenny Chesney concert that you can only say about a few artists. He leaves it all on the stage and after watching several of his shows in different venues, I believe he is incapable of giving a bad performance.

At the age of 48, Chesney runs, jumps and shouts all around the stage for hours most of the summer and doesn’t show one sign of fatigue. It almost makes me wonder if the secret to the fountain of youth involves drinking Corona and spending your winters in the Virgin Islands (or perhaps that is just what I trained myself to believe). Chesney didn’t waste any time, kicking his set off with his mega hit, “Beer In Mexico,” which got the crowd into the party mood right away. Chesney played all of his hits and the crowd seemed to sing every word with him. In the middle of his set, Chesney spoke about how he was currently touring with Old Dominion and that two members of the band had written a single that he released last year, “Save It For A Rainy Day.” To everyone’s surprise, he then proceeded to invite the two writers and now Old Dominion band members on stage to sing the song they co-wrote.

The collaboration among the three country stars was something awesome to see. The way he flirted and chatted with the crowd, by the end of the night, you felt more like you were one of Chesney’s drinking buddies rather than a fan in the middle of a giant crowd (once again, this may be just what I have talked myself into believing).

At the end of the show, as I walked out to the parking lot of Hunter Mountain, my legs and back were hurting, I was tired and hungry, but I still had a big smile on my face and wouldn’t have changed a thing about my day.

August 27, 2016