Category: Special

LOCKN’ Opens With Scorching Performances

Last week the world’s greatest athletes wrapped up their quadrennial competition competing on the world stage in Rio de Janeiro. The Olympics showcased the greatest talent humans have to offer in achievements of physical performance.

This weekend, on a farm in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains in central Virginia, the most talented musicians in rock are gathering to showcase the greatest talent humans have to offer in achievements of aural performances – it truly is like the Olympics of jam, or in LOCKN’ parlance, the Jam ‘Lympics.

Welcome, #LOCKN! Safe travels to everyone. Infinity Downs is now open for coffee, tasty breakfast, lunch, or just relaxing cool brews. If it’s a lay in a hammock and play some games type of morning… Infinity Downs is the place to be. Show field opens at 5PM, and until then, please be mindful of traffic during this busy time and respect your fellow campers. We’re so excited to have you.

A photo posted by LOCKN’ Music Festival (@locknfestival) on Aug 25, 2016 at 5:31am PDT

LOCKN’ pushed the festival into late August this year, up from early-mid September previously. If the move was made to ensure better weather, it is paying off, with hot and dry conditions that allowed for efficient entry to the festival grounds for the 25,000 fans arriving from Wednesday through Thursday.

Who better than Umphrey’s McGee, back for their third straight LOCKN’ appearance, to carry the torch in to kick off this year’s festivities. Like any good opening ceremonies, Umphrey’s set provided a feast for the eyes, with sprays and splashes of lights constantly bathing the stage in a kaleidoscope of color. This year LOCKN’ is featuring a rotating main stage. So, as opening act Vulfpeck played the last notes of their set, Umphrey’s two guitar attack blasted immediately before the band was even visible. The stage fully rotated, and just like that, Vulfpeck had transitioned seamlessly into Umphrey’s McGee, without a wasted second of silence.

Sometimes it is fun and games. #Umphreys #Lockn

A photo posted by LOCKN’ Music Festival (@locknfestival) on Aug 25, 2016 at 4:42pm PDT

Between the opening notes of “Nipple Trix” and the closing sounds of “All In Time,” Umphrey’s set featured explosive guitar work and bombastic full band improvisations, a relentless assault of over-the-top rock theatrics. Like a DJ scratching on the turntable, the next band to turn around the table, Ween, got remixed into Umphrey’s set, as Gene Ween sat in for a cover of Billy Joel’s “The Stranger.”

The opening ceremonies provided by Umphrey’s McGee was sandwiched between qualifying rounds by Vulfpeck and Ween. Both bands advanced to the medal rounds, and continued with sets Friday.

Who’s ready for Ween? #WeenMe ?: @jayblakesberg #LOCKN #ween #theboognishrises

A photo posted by LOCKN’ Music Festival (@locknfestival) on Aug 25, 2016 at 3:15pm PDT

Relative newcomers to the scene, and riding high over a year that has seen their popularity skyrocket, Vulfpeck properly opened up the performances for the 2016 edition of LOCKN’ with their infectious and slinky funk. At a festival that is sure to feature many sit-ins and a good share of covers, they delivered on both counts, with Antwain Stanley sitting in for a few tunes and secondly with their nifty cover of Steely Dan’s “Peg.” Bassist Joe Dart showed off his gymnastic skills quite literally as he cartwheeled across the stage while getting the crowd involved in a “Christmas in LA” singalong.

Ween closed the main stage Thursday with a career spanning set that in typical Ween fashion completely disregarded rock convention. When at the Jam ‘Lympics, its best to show off your jamming chops, and Ween delivered with a whacked out free form romp through “Poopship Destroyer” that had the band completely bathed in red, with some perfect trippy echoed images being displayed on the big screens and Gene Ween’s voice getting spookily modulated. They segued right into a more spritely “Zoloft” before ending after midnight unceremoniously with “Pandy Fackler.” But as Ween reminded the crowd, “Tomorrow is game day.” Even after the over two hour set, it felt like the show wouldn’t be complete without their impending Friday night set.

The day’s competition may have concluded, but back at the ‘Lympic village the party was just getting started. In the secluded Woods stage EOTO was digging into their electronic groove while the forest flashed hypnotically in reds, greens and blues. Behind a wood door that bore Jerry Garcia’s unique hand print, Garcia’s Forest featured an endless stream of historic Grateful Dead jams. While at the Blue Ridge Bowl, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead reinterpreted the very same music to a packed audience of blissed-out groovers. The music never stops.

Like a two-sport wonder, Dave Dreiwitz, who had just performed with Ween on the main stage, pulled off the magnificient multi-band feat as he immediately appeared on stage with JRAD,the first on stage in fact. JRAD’s set opened with a spacey jam that dissolved into a long drawn out take on “Truckin’,” and then the set just spiraled into a tie-dyed blend of Grateful Dead colors, mixing and remixing the Dead catalog to thrilling effect, with takes on “St. Stephen,” “The Eleven,” “The Wheel” and “Estimated Prophet” peppering the set before a night closing “Terrpain Station.” The band served as the bridge between the ancient Gods of jam and the more modern styles and techniques of today. A perfect summary of what the celebration continuing at LOCKN’ is all about; the perfect way to end the first night and a look forward to the next three jam packed days.

JRAD #LOCKN

A video posted by pete mason (@phanart) on Aug 26, 2016 at 6:47am PDT

August 26, 2016
Festivalgoers Let Their Soul Shine During Second Half of The Peach

Saturday and Sunday at The Peach Music Festival in Scranton, PA was more of the same weather wise with scorching heat, humidity and powerful storms that would delay several sets in the evening. Despite the elements, festivalgoers all across Montage Mountain appeared to be in better spirits for the later half, perhaps due to an acceptance and understanding of these factors, but more likely due to the outstanding music delivered to their eyes and ears. Headliners like Trey Anastasio Band and Umphrey’s McGee delivered top notch sets on Friday and Gov’t Mule and new supergroup “RB&B” brought the festival to a truly satisfying close on Sunday.

New York’s own Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds swooped onto the main stage early in the afternoon. Arleigh Kincheloe and brother Jackson, along with the rest of the birds energized the mountain with their soulful yet funky performance fans have come to love.

The afternoon also welcomed back Tom Hamilton to the Grove Stage with his band American Babies. Hamilton is a talented songwriter and although his presence in Thursday night’s Pink Floyd Electron set was nothing short of jaw dropping, the change of pace with the lively Americana feel to his afternoon set is exhilarating as well. Also during this time, metal rockers Brown Sabbath slayed over on the Mushroom Stage. Their frontman is as comical as he is talented, addressing the crowd as “motherfuckers” in between sets. As the name suggests, the Austin based band covers the catalog of Black Sabbath, but they do so with horns and Latin-style percussion for a unique experience both metal heads and hippies can appreciate.

The darlings of the festival scene, Twiddle, brought a massive crowd to the Mushroom Stage mid-afternoon on Saturday. This would likely have been a massive pool party like that of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong the day before, but the wave pool was closed. No matter though as fans packed the area to witness the rising stars welcome Russ Lawton on drums and Ray Paczkowski on keys, both from Soule Monde and TAB, join the band for “White Light.” Bassist Zdenek Gubb proved himself to be MVP of the set with powerful and funky bass playing that could be felt at the very top of Montage Mountain.

The highlight of Friday afternoon was Joe Russo’s Almost Dead. Because the Grateful Dead means so much to so many people in the community, it’s no wonder their set drew such a massive crowd to the main stage. Joe Russo and friends bring a thrilling and welcomed update to the classics so many of us have come to cherish. Their set included greats like “Eyes of the World,” “The Wheel” and a full and powerful “Terrapin Station.”

As was the trend each evening at Peach, Mother Nature made her presence known with continuous flashes of lightening that would come with strong winds, rain and thunderstorms forcing The Lennon Claypool Delirium to prematurely end their predictably spacey yet original set. Fans took cover under the Pavilion as the first part of the storm passed overhead flooding the floors under their feet. Once passed it was finally time for the great Trey Anastasio Band to hit the stage. The pavilion, now packed with fans, housed tunes like “Cayman Review,” “Magilla,” “Gotta Jibboo” and “Money Love and Change.” As soon as “Sand” started to pick up, Anastasio was forced to tell fans to once again seek cover due to more severe weather. Once given the all clear, TAB returned to the stage to pick up “Sand” where they left off. Later in the set, Trey shared the story of how former TAB trombonist Jeff Cressman left the band to play with Santana. When Trey asked him who might replace him, Cressman suggested his daughter Natalie. Jeff was then welcomed to the stage and the father-daughter team thrilled the crowd together during “Push on Til’ the Day” to close one of the best sets of the entire Peach weekend.

Umphrey’s McGee gave the best musical nightcap of the weekend with their latenight set on the main stage Saturday night. The lightshow in the Pavilion was spectacular and the music was on point. The progressive rockers from Chicago played older songs from their catalog such as “Wappy Sprayberry” as well as a cover of Prince’s “Controversy,” a song they first covered in Minneapolis the day after the legendary singer’s death. “Puppet String” included Hall and Oates’ “I Can’t Go for That” and Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” teases. Fans beat on the back of the seats within the Pavilion; the sound dragging the band out for a thrilling encore of “In the Kitchen” into “Glory” and ending with a reprise of “Puppet String.”

Sunday was the return to struggle city for many campers packing up their belongings to hike off the mountain and return home. Lines seemed to move faster and despite it being the fourth day of the festival, people were in good spirits.

Sunday began with a special ‘Wake up With Warren Haynes’ acoustic set that featured Gov’t Mule numbers “Beautifully Broken,” “Raven Black Night,” and “In My Life.” The set would not have been complete without the delivery of some Allman Brothers Band tunes to commemorate the festival’s beginning. Haynes played “Old Friend” and “End of the Line,” two ABB songs he contributed to. Warren returned for a two-song encore beginning with Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” and Gov’t Mule favorite “Soulshine” to the delight of thousands.

Not more than a year since the Black Crowes called it quits, founding member Rich Robinson is taking his solo career to new heights. The Rich Robinson Band performed Sunday at The Peach. In addition, Robinson was welcomed to the stage to join Blackberry Smoke and later on with Gov’t Mule.

Blackberry Smoke is a southern rock group with bluesy guitar riffs and country music undertones not unlike that of the Allman Brothers Band. The set featured originals as well as a down home version of Led Zeppelin’s “Your Time is Gonna Come.” Robinson joined the quintet for The Black Crowes’ “Wiser Time,” in which he delivered a thrilling guitar solo.

With Gregg Allman canceling a week prior to The Peach due to illness, a supergroup was formed to fill in the time slot he was scheduled for Sunday afternoon. The group consisted of Joe Russo, Marco Benevento and Oteil Burbridge. The trio delivered a unique set that was largely a jazz-fusion jam in which the talents played off one another with ease, a nice segue to the headlining guest packed performance by Gov’t Mule. After a few Gov’t Mule tunes including “Mule” and “Game Face” with a “Mountain Jam” tease, Rich Robinson was once again welcomed back to the stage for a Crowe’s signature song “Sometimes Salvation.” The encore included “Come and Go Blues” with Charlie Starr, Brit Turner and Brandon Still of Blackberry Smoke before Oteil Burbridge joined the stage once more to aid in Allman Brothers’ classic “Dreams,” before ending the festival with a triumphant “Whipping Post.”

The fifth annual Peach Music Festival was legendary in its own right with world class musical acts, a stunning yet difficult venue, and memories fans would take with them for the rest of their lives. The spirit of the Allman Brothers Band was alive and well and we are happy to hear Gregg Allman is on the mend.

August 22, 2016
Photo Gallery: Vertex Festival, Year 1
At the foot of 14,197 foot Mount Princeton, under the warm Rocky Mountain sun, amidst a cool river and lake, Vertex Festival was born. This festival was beautiful in every direction you looked – from the blue mountains in the distance, to the dancing cottonwood forest, to the colorful interactive art installations placed all over the venue. And of course, the music! Such a great variety of artists, old and new, with plenty of different genres and sounds to suit everyoneâs ears.
August 20, 2016
The Werk Out Music and Arts Festival Exceeds Expectations

The 7^th annual Werk Out Music and Arts Festival at Legend Valley Music Venue and Campground was stacked for success with a powerhouse line-up.

Taking place in Thornville, Ohio, August 4-6, it was more than just the music that fueled the success of this year’s festival. Anchored by moving tributes in honor of former Werks’ keyboardist Norman Dimitrouleas, as well a plethora of artist sit-ins and breakout performances, this year’s festival was marked with emotion and surprises.

The Werk Out’s biggest surprise literally fell on STS9 drummer Zach Velmer, when a female fan managed to bypass festival security. Once onstage, the fan made Werk Out history by attempting a trust fall onto Velmer and his kit. STS9 left the stage to regroup and returned for a high energy second set that closed out the Main Stage on Friday Night.

Friday afternoon was highlighted by the Big Damn Jam’s performance of the Beatles’ classic album Abbey Road. The performance was dedicated to Dimitrouleas, who passed earlier this year. As a member of Big Damn Jam, Dimitrouleas always wanted to perform the album. After his passing, BDJ decided to honor him posthumously with the performance at this year’s Werk Out Music Festival.

The Abbey Road set included a rotating cast of musicians most notably Dino Dimitrouleas (The Werks), Todd Stoop, Alex Delk (Octopus’ Garden), Marcus Cornwell (The Vibe) and Justin Robb (Litz) as well almost a dozen other musicians throughout the afternoon set. Most of the musicians participating had played with Dimitrouleas in various projects over the year. During the set, fabric flowers fashioned from Dimitrouleas’ old shirts were passed out in his honor. Fans and musicians wore them on hats, backpacks and various pieces of clothing throughout the rest of the weekend.

The tributes to Dimitrouleas continued throughout the weekend including The Werks’ Saturday night encore with a dedicated performance of “Carry Me Back Home.”

“I’ve never been so emotionally touched by a musical performance as I was during the Werks encore tribute to Norman on Saturday night,” said Zachary Burns of Grand Rapids, MI. “Everything from the crowd chanting ‘DINO! DINO! DINO!’, to Dino’s speech before the song starting, to seemingly every member and a good portion of the crowd crying during ‘Carry Me Back Home.’ That was the definition of being happy and sad at the same time.”

The Werk Out’s most talked about performance came in the form of the Twerkapod “Tribute to the 90s.” Featuring members of Twiddle, The Werks, and Dopapod, the Friday night late night set was packed with a mix of obvious choices (Green Day, Blink 182, Sublime, Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine) and stunning surprises (Britney Spears, Hanson and TLC). Highlighted performances from the set included “Gangsta’s Paradise” which featured a perfect reproduction of the song’s ending choral arrangement and Twerkapod’s word perfect performance of TLC’s “Waterfalls.”

Fans of The Werks weren’t in agreement on which of the weekends multiple sets were the band’s best. Most found that each of the weekend’s set contributed a different experience for the weekend.

“I really enjoyed the first Werks set on Thursday,” noted Tyler Raymond of Michigan. “I’ve seen the Werks more than any other band and the sound and production was top notch from them. The way the light show was coordinated with the band was seriously next level. You could really tell that they were putting the shows on for us and that the guys really love us.”

Dino Dimitrouleas, currently on a hiatus from bass duties with The Werks, joined his band mates on several occasions for sit-ins throughout the weekend starting Friday night. “When Dino came on stage in the tent everyone was so happy” Raymond told NYS Music, “Definitely a moment to always remember.”

Vermont based quartet Twiddle continued to create a buzz about their unique brand of jam. Raymond also noted that the band’s Saturday night sunset performance on the Side Stage was among his favorite non-Werks set of the weekend. “They are moving up the list of my favorite bands quickly because what they bring to the take is so fresh and different than anyone else out there right now.”

The weekend also featured several breakout performances. New York’s Mister F and Teddy Midnight created a buzz in the Big Tent Stage. North Carolina’s Big Something capitalized on their first Werk Out appearance on the Side Stage with a high energy afternoon performance on Saturday afternoon, while Maryland based band Litz turned heads during their Big Tent Stage set, which featured a sit-in from Twiddle keyboardist Ryan Dempsey.

In fact, the weekend was full of sit-ins including Twiddle’s Mihali Savoulidis and The Werks’ Chris Houser performing with Greensky Bluegrass and Dopapod’s Rob Compa shredding during Twiddle’s “Apples.” And according to Derrick Webber of Ypsilanti, MI, these sit-ins add a new element of musicianship for some of his favorite musicians. “It blows me away to hear such clean performances from guys that don’t typically play together, and the passion they still have is inspiring.

The weekend’s ultimate sit-in featured members of the Werks, Twiddle, Greensky Bluegrass and Big Something in Matt Butler’s Everyone Orchestra. Butler finds a way to coordinate a variety of musical sounds, while leading his EO members to create unique and one time only jams. Twiddle bassist Zdenek Gubb stepped on stage to lead the EO to the highest energy, grooved out dance party of the set. However, Houser received the set’s MVP award for showcasing a variety of styles, genres and face-melting solos throughout the performance.

Beyond the music, the Werk Out featured a large number of vendors, giving attendee’s a variety of food, beverages, merchandise and crafts to choose from over the weekend. Vendors for the weekend all were competitively priced, creating a fairly priced and active marketplace throughout the weekend.

Nick Augustine, a first time Werk Out attendee from Maryland, noted that his favorite non-musical part of the weekend was the fire spinners and propane dance floor set up near the late night stage. “What a cool addition to the atmosphere!”

The Werk Out looks to return to the Legend Valley Music Venue and Campground for its eighth installment next August. The venue has plenty of space for the festival to grow without the inconvenience of having to move locations to accommodate its growing popularity. What the Werk Out does right is that it cultivates an environment of friendship and community while packing its line-up with musicians and artists that clearly have solid working relationships and mutual respect for their fellow musicians.

Augustine, who told NYS Music that he will be making the Werk Out an annual addition to his summer festival plans, said it was the overwhelming sense of community that made the festival a stand-out event. “The staff, the crew and the people were all adding to making this festival fun, beautiful, exciting and safe. From the decorations to the sound and lights to the amount of good vibes and vending, this festival was one of the best I’ve attended!”

August 19, 2016
Heavy Montréal Stands Strong With 30,000+ Metalheads

Once again, Montréal brought in thousands upon thousands of the world’s biggest heavy metal fans last weekend. The event known now as Heavy Montréal, was held on August 6 and 7 at the Plaine des Jeux at Parc Jean-Drapeau. The weekend was host to more than 37 bands that played across 3 different stages. Out of the 30,000+ fans that attended, approximately 23 countries were represented. Those countries include fans from, the United States, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Switzerland, France, Great Britain and more.

For those who attended the festival last year, there were two main differences. Those differences were the festival was dropped down to only Saturday and Sunday instead of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The other difference being in the actual festival grounds. This year, the festival moved to the smaller side of the island known as the Plaine des Jeux. Over the same weekend, metal fans may have run across many hipsters wearing their colorful tank tops and board shorts while taking the metro to Heavy Montréal. The reason for the mix of music scenes was because right next door at the old Heavy Montréal festival grounds was the ÎLESONIQ festival which was headlined by artists such as Zedd and Skrillex.

Anyways, back to the metal. Saturday was a busy day for everyone it seemed. Only the most loyal fans to the headlining bands camped along the rail all day to catch that one band they came for. Pop Evil was one of the bands who started off the weekend and they seemed to love Montréal and the crowd loved them. The band opened up with the crunching riff of “Deal With The Devil”. Festival sets are never long, so everyone has to bring their ‘A’ game. The crowd support and reaction at just 1:30 in the afternoon was incredible.

In the middle of the afternoon on Saturday, it seemed to go back and forth from one great artist to the next. Bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan, Skeletonwitch, Fear Factory and Kataklysm were only some of the options early in the day. Each of those bands all seemed to draw respective crowds which was surprising when some of the sets overlapped. Somehow it seemed like no matter who was playing next, each stage was packed.

Saturdays biggest surprise was Escape The Fate. Playing on the Blabbermouth.net stage, these guys absolutely stole the show. Skeptical on how the crowd would react at a festival dominated by “heavier” bands, Escape The Fate provided that breath of fresh air in the afternoon. The band’s setlist consisted of mainly songs off of their last 2 studio albums, which were both solid from start to finish.

Other bands that played Saturday that put on unforgettable performances were Sabaton, Sebastian Bach and Black Label Society. Sabaton had the best stage set of the entire weekend hands down. The Swedish power metal guys in Sabaton brought both pyro to their stage set and a tank. Yes, you read that correctly, a tank. To go along with the awesome stage show, Sabaton ripped through a 10 song set list that consisted of songs like “Ghost Division,” “To Hell and Back” and “Night Witches.”

Sebastian Bach, who everyone knows as the voice of Skid Row, seemed to surprise the audience with a high energy impressive set. Sebastian came on stage to “Slave to the Grind” and was headbanging while swinging his microphone around him. Sebastian connected with the Montréal crowd by speaking lots of French to them, which brought roars from the packed audience. Fans of the TV show “Trailer Park Boys” were present in the crowd, which is a show Sebastian is commonly featured on. Fans brought in a sign for Sebastian, which he took, not to rip up and throw away like Axl Rose would have done, but instead Sebastian held it up high with laughs and propped it up on stage. It could easily be seen that Sebastian was in high spirits and truly loved performing at Heavy Montréal.

Black Label Society was one band that not a single person in Montréal should have missed. Friday night the band played a headline show in the city and on Saturday once again at Heavy Montréal. Watching Zakk Wylde shred on the guitar is mind-blowing. The man can virtually play anything with his eyes closed. The band was tight and ripped through a quick 8 song setlist, highlighted by “Funeral Bell,” “Bleed for Me,” “Godspeed Hell Bound” and “Stillborn.” The end of the set wasn’t the end of Zakk for the weekend. Everyone knew that Zakk and his band would be back on Sunday for more, but not to perform as Black Label Society, but under Zakk’s name instead for a softer set.

The end of the day 1 for Heavy Montréal was capped off by Mastodon, Nightwish, and last but not least Five Finger Death Punch. Mastodon, who was scheduled to play last year’s Heavy Montréal but was forced to cancel, came back this year and gave fans what they’ve been waiting for. The group from Atlanta, Georgia mixed with tremendous talent all around has been on the round behind their 2014 release of Once More ‘Round the Sun. As many fans hoped, Mastodon focused on that album playing track from it such as “The Motherload” and personal favorite “High Road.” Other fan favorites from the set included “Oblivion”, “Divinations” and “Blood and Thunder.”

Nightwish made its only stop in North America of 2016 at Heavy Montréal. For being a symphonic metal band from Finland, the crowd support for Nightwish was unbelievable. The band opened with “Shudder Before the Beautiful” which was off their 2015 release Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Their latest album seemed to be the focus of the night with 5 songs played off it in total. The band brought in an impressive pyro display wish some fans certainly didn’t expect. Between the frequent pyro blasts right in front of singer Floor Jansen and guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, the C02 cannons going off gave Nightwish the complete production package.

Night 1 of Heavy Montréal was closed out by one of the most bad-ass bands of today, Five Finger Death Punch. These guys have been non-stop with a vicious cycle of releasing albums and touring without taking a break. Work has already begun for their next album after just recently putting out Got Your Six. The road warriors opened their set with “Lift Me Up” which was off Volume 1 of The Wrong Side of Heaven And The Righteous Side of Hell. With a short set and so many tracks to choose from, it’s hard for the band to really dig into their catalog. The guys seemed to try and keep everything balanced by playing at least 1 song off of 6 different albums. The night ended strong with “Got Your Six,” “Under and Over It” and “The Bleeding.” Five Finger Death Punch gave the crowd everything they had and the crowd showed no signs of letting up. Fans at Heavy Montréal were ready for day 2 before they even left the island.

Sunday started off with bands I Prevail and We Came As Romans. Both drew in the younger crowds early in the afternoon. I Prevail played their hit cover song “Blank Space” which was made famous by Taylor Swift. Surprisingly, this rendition was awesome and I Prevail really made it their own.

Guitar genius Tosin Abasi was on site Sunday with his band Animals as Leaders. This instrumental djent band drew in all the guitar nerds in the crowd over to the Scène HEAVY stage to get a glimpse at Tosin doing his thing. Animals as Leaders was definitely one of the standouts of the weekend for their uniqueness.

One of the summer’s biggest metal tours made their stop in Montréal on Sunday. The tour features Saint Asonia, Alter Bridge, Breaking Benjamin and Disturbed. Saint Asonia was the creation of Adam Gontier, formally of Three Days Grace and Mike Mushok of Staind. Joining them in Saint Asonia are Corey Lowery on bass and Rich Beddoe on drums. Basically a “supergroup” these guys have been going strong after their formation in 2014 and touring behind their 2015 self-titled release.

Hatebreed also played on Sunday. Many fans may have missed the fact that Hatebreed was at Heavy Montréal because they were a very late addition for Trivium who had to cancel last minute. For a last minute add-on, Hatebreed came to destroy Parc Jean-Drapeau. Ironically, the band opened up with “Destroy Everything” and then immediately went into “Looking Down The Barrel of Today.” The band a total of 4 songs off of The Concrete Confessional which was a heavy hitting album Hatebreed released last May.

Both Blind Guardian and Zakk Wylde drew big crowds on day 2 of Heavy Montréal. Blind Guardian who just played Wacken Open Air in Germany 2 days before coming to Montréal, had the best sound of the weekend. The German power metal band played a 8 song set that featured tracks from 6 different albums. The most popular album of the setlist for Blind Guardian was Nightfall in Middle-Earth. The tracks featured on that album that were played during the set were “Into the Storm,” “Mirror Mirror,” and “Time Stands Still(At The Iron Hill).”

Zakk Wylde was playing for his 3rd time in 3 days. This time just under the name Zakk Wylde, but still with his BLS bandmates on stage with him. The set started out with “Sold My Soul,” which seemed like a 20 minute guitar solo that features Zakk going nuts by playing behind his head and with his teeth. The band played “In This River” which is a Black Label Society song, but this version definitely had a different spin to it. Watching the band transform and play something completely different than the day before was very cool. There probably aren’t many bands out there that can do what Zakk and his Black Label crew could.

Sometime during the late afternoon the rain finally came down. While it started out as a light shower and then stopped, things changed shortly after with a downpour. The rain didn’t last long but from what fans were saying, it was the first time it had ever rained at Heavy Montréal.

As stated earlier, Alter Bridge was in Montréal and ready to show the city what they’re made of. Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti together make one of the best guitar combos in rock. Together, with the rest of Alter Bridge, the band puts on an incredible live performance. Myles is one of the best vocalist there are today and the band creates some heavy hitting riffs that are hard to get out of your head once you hear them. Songs like “Come To Life,” “Ties That Bind,” “Isolation” and “Addicted to Pain” are just some of what Alter Bridge played during their short set. The only thing that can be said is that Alter Bridge needs to do a headlining tour and come back to Montréal very soon. With a new album The Last Hero due out on October 7, Alter Bridge fans may very well get that headlining tour they’ve been wanting.

One of the best bands of the day if not the best overall was the mighty Killswitch Engage. The guys in Killswitch Engage squeezed in 11 songs into their short set time and showed every other band over the weekend how it’s done. Guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz lead the charge and opened up the set with “My Curse.” Between songs Dutkiewicz made sure the crowd did not calm down. This was definitely the set to see at Heavy Montréal. The crowd was a constant circle pit with crowd surfers and topless chicks. To sum it all up, the word would be chaos. Vocalist Jesse Leach was quite impressive in his ability to not only cover his original songs, but also some of the songs Howard Jones originally sang on. Songs like “Rose of Sharyn,” “The End of Heartache,” and “Holy Diver” sounded incredible with Jesse back in the band. On top of that, their newest material from Incarnate and Disarm the Descent was absolutely killer live. The mix of fast brutal riffs and energy Killswitch Engage brings to the table makes them a hard act to top for the rest of Heavy Montréal.

The 8th Heavy Montréal was closed out with Breaking Benjamin, Volbeat and Disturbed. Breaking Benjamin has been on the road ever since their release of Dark Before Dawn in 2015. With Benjamin Burnley is the only original member left in the band and he’s done a spectacular job filling the spaces next to him on stage. The reformed Breaking Benjamin sounds awesome together, especially Ben. It’s a pleasure to be able to see Ben back out on the road playing songs such as “So Cold,” “Breath,” “I Will Not Bow” and last but not least “The Diary of Jane.” To add to that, the new material off of Dark Before Dawn is also great live and the crowd in Montréal certainly helped Ben out by singing basically every word alongside with him.

Volbeat, who just released Seal the Deal & Let’s Boogie came out with “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown.” The highlight of their set was performing “Evelyn” with the Barney from Napalm Death. Volbeat who now features a new bass player, Kaspar Boye Larsen and Rob Caggiano on guitar, still puts on a great live show, but the energy on stage was missing that came from their former bass player Anders, who left the band last year. The band was sure to play hits like “Sad Man’s Tongue,” which was introduced with a little “Ring of Fire” intro by Johnny Cash. The crowd was definitely familiar with Volbeat and their love and respect for Johnny Cash. The night for Volbeat ended with “Still Counting” and just about everyone at the festival could be heard singing, “Counting all the assholes in the room,” even the people waiting across the way waiting for Disturbed.

Back from their hiatus and hitting the road after releasing Immortalized, Disturbed has been destroying every arena, amphitheater and festival it can play at. Heavy Montréal was no exception to that statement. Bringing an onslaught of pyro, just like Nightwish did the evening before, David Draiman and the rest of Disturbed were there to show Montréal they were back and meant business. The set opened with “Ten Thousand Fists,” “The Game” and “The Vengeful One.” For a band that took a long break, one would expect them to be rusty and still not be in the swing of things. Not Disturbed, this band is a well oiled machine that shows no signs of slowing down. The biggest surprise was hearing the band play “Land of Confusion,” a song that hasn’t been featured in their setlist often on tour. The band obviously played it’s insanely popular cover of Simon & Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence.” Just about every cell phone and lighter was in the air for this song and it was a powerful performance to say the least. The night was full of other hits like “Stupify,” “Inside the Fire,” “Stricken,” “Indestructible” and “Voices.” The night and entire weekend came to a close with the song that just about everyone in the world could have predicted, “Down With the Sickness.” This was the perfect ending for a perfect weekend of metal music at Heavy Montréal.

If anyone has thought about going to Montréal for this festival, it’s highly recommended. The city is beautiful, the people are friendly and getting to and from the festival is easy. On top of that, Heavy Montréal is one of the most organized and put together festivals in North America. Look for a lineup announcement coming to NYS Music for Heavy Montréal 2017 early next year.

August 16, 2016
Arise Festival Stands Tall Among Giants
There is an ancient Eastern ritual cycle known as Jo-Ha-Kyu which has been applied to tea ceremonies, martial arts rituals, and even theater performances. The cycle was created to create intention and awareness to the different stages of life. From August 5-7 outside Loveland, Colorado, a family-run, independent music festival, called Arise, enacted the spirit of that intentional cycle through its three-day event. The festivities opened with a beautiful opening ceremony that included a series of “Jo”-like songs, chants, and prayers aimed at infusing festival-goers with an air of respect and care not often found at music festivals.

The ritual “Ha” concept emphasizing the activity of becoming, often referred to “the swirl of days,” spun its way through the Arise weekend with a constant parade of live and electronic music acts including Jurassic 5, Colorado’s own, Elephant Revival, the Hard Working Americans, and Papadasio. The Area 51 stage hosted a bevy of bass-thumping EDM acts throughout the weekend. Still, mixed into the swirl were a number of self-reflective activities including yoga, philosophical discussion groups, and environmentalist workshops, including one led by the world-renowned activist, Julia Butterfly.

Certainly there are other festivals attempting to infuse self-reflective elements of artistic expression with art structures, live painting, play spaces, and spiritual growth workshops into the music scene. However, it is a testament to Arise organizers that they continue to grow as a family-run event in a saturated festival market that is increasingly being dominated by large-corporately-funded events. Arise grew this year even as a new festival, backed by a music industry giant, sprung up in a nearby location the same weekend.

The Arise weekend closed with rousing performances by the likes of Ziggy Marley, the New Mastersounds, and the Old World beats of Dirtwire, an EDM project founded by members of Beats Antique. A final ceremony closed the festival early Monday morning. “Kyu” rituals are designed to acknowledge the collections of communal experiences with the hope that participants have created a singular experience that is more than just another multi-day party. As the sun peaked over the rust-colored hills, and festival-goers slowly gathered in a circle to join hands, the sight was enough make one’s heart grow three sizes too large.
August 15, 2016
Taste of Country 2016 Music Festival: Kid Rock Sets The Mountain On Fire

I had never been to a country music festival until I attended the 2016 Taste Of Country Music Festival, and I honestly did not know what to expect. The yearly festival was held June 10, 11 and 12 on Hunter Mountain in Hunter, NY. Driving into Hunter, NY, I had to double check my GPS to make sure that I was in the right place. I was fairly surprised that mega country stars like Kenny Chesney, Jake Owen and rock star Kid Rock, artists who usually sold out stadiums such as Ford Field and Gillette stadium with capacities of over 60,000 people would play a small mountain town with a population of just over 2700 people. But the small town, usually known for it’s superb winter skiing, with its amazing mountain views, ended up being a great choice for the fourth annual Taste of Country Festival, which set a new attendance record with over 53,000 fans over the weekend.

The festival split it’s acts between two stages, the main stage, named The Dodge Ram Guts and Glory Stage which featured the festival’s bigger acts, including the headliners, and the Bud Light Stage, which featured up and coming country artists. This provided three days of back to back country music, with a touch of rock to keep things interesting, and kept this reporter running back and forth between the stages to try to catch most of the action. The first day of the festival was headlined by Kid Rock, and featured Big & Rich, The Cadillac Three, Logan Brill, Annie Bosko, Jana Kramer as well as Dylan Jakobsen.

Annie Bosko, was the only artist to be featured on both the main Ram Stage and later in the day, the Bud Light Stage. Bosko is an American Idol alumni, and has paid her dues singing backup vocals for the likes of Adele and Darius Rucker. She was named by Rolling Stone Magazine as “One Of 10 New Country Artists You Need To Know: Summer 2015.” She has powerful voice and backs it up with a bold on stage attitude. I was especially impressed by her single “Crooked Halo.”

The Cadillac Three took the Ram Stage at 6pm. The Cadillac Three or TC3 as they are also known, launched their first album in 2012, and are currently on tour with Florida Georgia Line. Each member had long hair and wore a baseball cap over it. Their look, sound and love for the South, reminded me of a modern Lynyrd Skynyrd. The group told the crowd about the first time they played a show in New York, a few years ago and were worried about how their brand of country would be accepted this far north, but then realized that there were more rednecks up here than in the South.

Up next was Logan Brill on the Bud Light Stage. Logan released her first album in 2013, but has been preforming in front of crowds in Tennessee since she was 11. I was impressed with the diversity of her music, she was able to transition from the blues, to country and pop without missing a beat. Her experience showed in the emotion and soul that she brought to her performances. I especially loved her heartfelt single, “World Still Round”.

Once Logan finished her show, I rushed back to the Ram Guts and Glory Stage for Big and Rich, who broke out to the country music scene in 2004 with their mega hit “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)”, and have been making country music history since. Including a CMA, ACM and CMT nomination and two platinum albums. The crowd definitely responded to them and seemed to sing along to most of their songs. Their on stage, fun loving energy animated the crowd who seemed to enjoy every minute of it.

Last but definitely not least, Kid Rock took the stage around 10 o’ clock to end the night with a bang, both literally and figuratively. Kid Rock is one of the few artists to successfully be able to mix rock, rap, and a touch of country. He released his first album in 1990, a second in 1993 and his third album in 1996, but it wasn’t until 1998 when he released his fourth album, Devil Without A Cause that he found success. His 1998 album sold over 10,000,000 copies and ensured that he would become a household name. His appearance was met with screams and cheers. At one point during his performance, with a grin, Rock lamented to the crowd that he had no idea why he kept “getting booked at all of these country festivals.”

Perhaps it was because, although he did not technically sing country music, he definitely embodied what southern rock was all about, and that his modern cowboy persona fit perfectly in a country festival. Rock showcased his musical talent during his show by jumping between being the lead singer, to the drummer, to playing the piano, to playing the guitar, to playing DJ by scratching on the turn tables, while at the same time pouring himself a glass of Jim Beam. The show even included a row of moving, mechanical flame throwers behind Rock and a few loud bangs at the perfect moments in various songs. This put an amazingly explosive end to had already been an amazing first day at the TOC festival.

August 11, 2016
A Milestone at 10: Pondfest Continues to Innovate

For any festival to survive – let alone thrive – for 10 years is an impressive feat. Bonnaroo and Coachella are two names that immediately pop into mind, but now it’s time to add Backwoods Pondfest to that list.

This past weekend at Twin Ponds Campsite in Peru, N.Y., Pondfest, which is put on by northern New York band Lucid, celebrated its 10^th birthday by throwing a truly cohesive party melding the fun of camping in the middle of the forest with live music.

The lineup mixed the best that the Adirondacks has to offer, with some of the bigger acts of the festival circuit. Lucid, a band straight from the heart of the Adirondacks, has been a staple of the weekend since inception, and while this year was the same, it was also very different. Last year, the band announced it was taking a long break, but not officially breaking up and would continue to play events like Pondfest.

And just to put any rumors to bed, bassist Chris Shacklett gave me a brief interview on Saturday afternoon to discuss the state of the band. First off, Lucid is not breaking up.

“We are totally shifting our focus,” Shacklett said. “Instead of continuing to hemorrhage money, we are being smarter about what we do. There’s not going to be much in the way of touring anymore, but we’re going to do more things like this (Pondfest).”

Along with Lucid, the other headliners were Melvin Seals and JGB, Pink Talking Fish (is Bowie), the Blind Owl Band and Twiddle’s guitarist Mihali Savoulidis and his ‘Frends’, who brought the surprise of a Twiddle set. NYS Music contributor Chelsea Wright was in attendance and gives us a first hand account of how it went down:

“I received a message from Lowell, letting me know that there would be a special surprise Thursday night. I made the last minute decision to travel the two hours from Vermont for the ‘Mihali & Frends’ show, knowing that if Lowell promised a surprise, it was bound to be extra special. Having seen Mihali & Frends the weekend prior as a part of Twiddle’s first major event, Tumble Down, I knew that some amazing collaborations were going to happen – at his sold out Higher Ground show, he brought together musicians from Nahko & Medicine For The People, Twiddle, and the Kitchen Dwellers for two full hours of incredible jams.

Arriving just on time, I approached the stage and Mihali was just getting it started by inviting a few good Frends up to join him. It was like revolving doors, including some of my favorite musicians; Ryan Dempsey on keys, Jamie Armstrong on Sax, Joshua West on drums, to Kevin Sabourin on guitar and vocals. At one point Brad Hester from Annie in The Water came up and had a back and forth match on a kazoo, with Jamie’s sax. Then they switched it up to Chris Shacklett on bass, Lowell Wurster on percussion and vocals, the beautiful Meadow on vocals, and then the big surprise of a total shift into a set by Twiddle. After Twiddle finished, Mihali remained, and invited members of Capital Zen up to join him. It was an all-around party, with special moments that no one could have anticipated.”

Arriving on Friday, I was greeted by multiple ambulances and state police cars with lights flashing all over. I was not allowed to enter for nearly two hours as the entrance was blocked for any cars getting in or out.

When pressed for a reason, a State Police officer said, “We’re here because of some overdoses. Make sure you’re safe when you go in.”

Derek Haviland, the press and marketing man for the festival, said there weren’t any overdoses in the sense that you’d think of, but rather that someone had simply imbibed a bit too much and just needed a little help. He hinted at a bit of an overreaction by local first responders.

“Little towns like this aren’t really used to stuff like this, so I think they just took any and every precaution while they were here,” Haviland said, adding that the individual was fine by the following morning. “We are safety first; we took all the right precautions.”

With my delayed arrival killing any chance at seeing Hayley Jane and the Primates, Bella’s Bartok, Thunder Body and Lucid, I arrived just as Melvin Seals was taking the stage. The longtime keyboardist for Jerry Garcia had a nice groove going for “Cats Under the Stars,” before starting right up into a Grateful Dead regular, “Sugaree.” “Strugglin’ Man,” “Rhapsody in Red” and “Money Honey” perfectly captured the essence of a JGB show, with swirling, noodly guitar and the big church organ sound. “Sisters and Brothers” and “Deal” were my personal favorites, with the latter coaxing an uproarious applause from the crowd of beards, sun dresses and dreadlocks.

Right after, on the Woods Stage, Syracuse hip-hop trio Sophistafunk took the audience on a positive mental trip with lyrics of encouragement, happiness and elation.

Spiritual Rez then started the late night sets and there seemed to be a large congregation of fans in attendance mainly to see this band. After a set with some sit-ins, Rez gave way to Tweed on the Woods Stage at around 2:25 a.m.

Tweed could be categorized as a jamtronic act, but I thought the set was more dreamy than anything else. Because of the downpour, I made the decision to hear the set from my tent which was about 300 feet from the stage. I drifted right off into blissful slumber.

Waking up in the woods when the weather is hot but still pleasant, is everything I want in a festival morning. This morning was special as some of my favorite live acts were slated to perform. Making my way backstage to interview some folks, I bumped into Formula 5’s bassist and the young Gregg Allman-lookalike James Woods, who was energized and pumped for the band’s set later that afternoon.

After grabbing a sausage, egg and cheese, two coffees and water (thanks to my editor), I made my way to catch some of Doomf#@k, a band with some of the Lucid guys. I can only describe this act as a talented, humorous joke band.

The Honey Smugglers were slated to perform on the smaller stage, but because the members of The Brummy Brothers, scheduled to perform on the main stage later, got into a car accident and were unable to make the trek, the Smugglers were asked to move from their slot and play on the main stage later.

Formula 5 comprises young men from the Adirondacks, led by guitarist Joe Davis who totes a red Gibson SG, a guitar he loves with all his heart.

“This thing is a beauty,” he said before loading in his gear.

F5’s set consisted of some of the tightest jamming I have ever heard from the group. Matt Richards, who recently took over keyboard duties, displayed the energy and enthusiasm he brings to the band. Woods and Davis are a natural team, with Davis typically weaving his speedy licks around Woods’ boisterous bass lines.

Mister F’s insane pace and tempo made them perfect for the late afternoon slot before Lucid and The Blind Owl Band satiated the crowd’s thirst for jams, before leading into Pink Talking Fish’s set in honor of David Bowie. The band weaved in songs from Bowie, Phish, Talking Heads and Pink Floyd seamlessly while guitarist Dave Brunyak shredded uncontrollably.

Gang of Thieves, The Nth Power and Subsoil finished off the music with abandon and there wasn’t an unhappy soul in attendance.

With 10 years under the belt, Pondfest shows no signs of slowing down, even a bit. Attendees often speak of the weekend as “going home” to see their friends and make new ones. With a great philosophy and positive outlook, Pondfest stands to be around and rocking the Adirondacks for years to come.

August 11, 2016
You Can’t Half-Ass Bluegrass: 2016 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival Recap

Another sun sets for the annual Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, which spanned July 14 through 17, 2016 in Oak Hill, NY. With a stellar lineup and not-too-ridiculous weather, there was music playing all day, everyday, all weekend. Ringing through the distance from the Main Stage, to small gatherings under pop-ups and RVs, there was music, and you were never quite sure if it was played from a record, the radio, or between musician attendees.

Thursday

Hovering for camp site real estate, Grey Fox attendees loaded in as early as Tuesday to Walsh Farm. Even on Thursday, the first official day of live music, there was no space left in all the camping areas, and people already commenced their festivities and jamming. Since most notable Grey Fox artists didn’t play until the late afternoon, and played two sets at that, most attendees set up sites, got their bearings, and settled into the weekend. Guests ranged from large packs of young adults to groups of families to solo travelers, and everyone made an effort to make their campsites waterproof and visually appealing. There were stations on the walk to and from camp, featuring board games, a jam tent, and even a pop-up tent bar. Before long, the area was a small city of people, all welcoming and eager to hear some fine bluegrass.

After making several laps around the area, with food and drinks in hand, the music kicked off at Main Stage with Compton & Newberry, Band of Ruhks, and Ithaca-based group The Horse Flies. As the sun made its descent for the first festival day, The Horse Flies kept the rhythm moving for festival dancers, which made a nice transition into Steep Canyon Rangers shortly after, with blood-curdling fiddle playing by Ranger Nikki Sanders. This set was particularly percussive as well, which polyrhythmic syncopation on the mandolin, and every member joining in on the drum kit at one point in their set. Their set list included songs spanning the early 2000’s to today, featuring “Stand and Deliver”, “Whiskey in the Afternoon”, and “Radio.” It was the Wood Brothers who closed out the Main Stage Thursday night, featuring three powerhouse musicians, Jano Rix and brothers Chris and Oliver Wood. Some of their songs included “What the Devil” and “I Got Loaded” from arguably their best record to date, entitled The Muse. The crowd was lively and relatively tame for a music festival crowd, but people were certainly conserving energy to enjoy the great music that was still to come.

Friday

For most campers that inhabited ares with families, the start of each day was about 8 a.m., when some of Grey Fox’s younger fans woke everybody up for breakfast. Despite ongoing fear of thunder, the weather was relatively smooth Thursday night into Friday, and the sun was harshly shining by the time the music kicked off for the day. First off was Charm City Junction, despite it being the time slot for the Lonely Heartstring Band on the schedule. Never the less, they brought an Irish flavor to Grey Fox with songs like “Train on the Island” and “I’ve Got a Woman,” with some additional jazz improvisation in the tune “Greasy Coat.” As part of their set, they dove off into a brief history lesson, relating traditional Irish music to the creation of old time music, eventually forming its way into bluegrass.

Just as Irish traditional music evolved to bluegrass, Charm City Junction evolved the stage for Pennsylvania-born trio The Stray Birds shortly after. Bringing an element of twang and hollering to the Grey Fox crowd, their music featured tight vocal harmonies, a switch-off of instruments, and an energy that won over the crowd. Along with their latest single release “Sabrina,” the band played the title track from their 2014 album Best Medicine, which features the lyrics music is the best medicine I sell.

As the day progressed, more shows seem to pop up all over the main area of Grey Fox. The Grass Roots Stage had workshops on songwriting and vocal lessons, and the Slow Jam offered lessons for beginners in fiddle, mandolin, guitar and banjo. The Creekside Stage hosted a few bands for a second show following their Main Stage visit, one of which was Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore. With a powerhouse vocalist and cool bluesy guitarist, not to mention a husband and wife power duo, Mollie and Rich won over the hearts of their listeners with their spontaneous personalities and musical chemistry. It was from there many attendees flocked over to the Catskill Stage to witness Trout Steak Revival. They payed tribute to the festival’s sponsor beer (and creator of the amazing Summerfest Crisp Lager), Sierra Nevada, and played their song with the same name off of their 2015 album Brighter Every Day. Along with playing the title track to the album and a song about pie, they seemed to take a progressive bluegrass (is that a thing yet?) kind of direction for their last song, leaving Grey Fox on a different note, and setting the stage for the Dave Grisman Bluegrass Experience, which had some fire-like mandolin playing to heat up the gathering crowd. As the night progressed, many worked their way back up the hill to Main Stage to see the Del McCoury Band at 9pm. The Main Stage was flooded with hula hoopers, campers, and dancers as Del McCoury entertained the audience with crude humor and creative musicianship. They played “Rain and Snow,” “Fire On the Mountain,” and “Cornbread and Creekwater,” before Del McCoury opened up the floor for requests for the rest of the night, and was completely blown away by his crowd response. As campers made their way back to camp, Matuto filled the air with their non-conventional bluegrass songs, featuring elements of rock and world music as a backdrop for the night’s close.

Saturday

After two separate attempts, it was Saturday at 1pm that devoted fans had the chance to see the Lonely Heartstring Band play their set at the Catskill Stage. After their recent release of Deep Waters in June 2016, they played a selection of new songs, including the title track “Deep Waters” and “The Tide.” As children ran around the crowds and their set drew to a close, they also covered the Bob Dylan classic “Rambling, Gambling Willie,” which brought every audience member to their feet to clap along. Moving towards Main Stage to see Mr. Sun, a crowd was already actively engaged in 24-year-old songwriter Sierra Hull. She hosted one of many power trios throughout Grey Fox featuring guitarist Justin Moses and bassist Ethan Jodziewicz, who remained on stage for Mr. Sun at 3pm. Featuring jazzy interludes, funk bass rhythms, and a variety of catchy tunes, Mr. Sun certainly won over audience members who may not have known them before.

All throughout Saturday, dozens of mandolin and banjo players graced the Grey Fox stage to showcase their plucking speeds and artistic flare, but it wasn’t until Saturday night that attendees finally saw the pros. Making his first Grey Fox appearance of the year, Béla Fleck joined in with Sierra Hull for an unforgettable set of intense solos. Sierra Hull shattered any preconceived notion of what bluegrass should look and sound like, and folks of all ages were grateful to see her perform alongside banjo extraordinaire Béla Fleck. After one of Della Mae’s larger sets, Chris Tile joined Béla Fleck on stage with no backing band to deliver one of the most notable performances of Grey Fox. Their set traveled through time, from Scarletti’s Sonata in C Major K. 159 to the Punch Brothers hit “No Concern of Yours.” For each new song they played, the more attention to dynamics they gave. At several times throughout their set, the hundreds that gathered to watch fell silent only to hear the delicacy of their playing. They were able to harmonize, imitate multiple instruments and their respective ones, and carry an entire set for themselves without anyone ever leaving the area. There’s something about bluegrass that brings you to a better understanding of music theory, improvisation, and song structure, and it’s beyond apparent in these two musicians. As Saturday night came to a close, Donna the Buffalo lead the last hurrah in the Catskill Stage, giving Grey Fox guests one more night of dancing before heading home the following day.

Sunday

Despite the massive rush leading up to the festival, many people didn’t stay too long on Sunday, making the barren lands of Walsh Farm seem endless in distance from where campsites still remained. For a relatively quick set, Della Mae closed out Grey Fox as people got their last fill of food and dancing. It wasn’t long before distant travelers had to pack up for the weekend and ship back home, but each attendee walked away with some good memories, extra snacks, and if they were lucky, a new instrument, courtesy of Grey Fox’s weekend-long raffle.

Grey Fox has surely delivered another great year this year, with an amazing lineup and a group that you can’t find at other festivals. The hospitality and incredible musicianship of every Grey Fox attendee is overwhelming, and fans of all walks of life can find a home in Walsh Farm. If you’re looking to join in next year, follow Grey Fox’s Facebook page and website.

August 3, 2016
The Werk Out 2016 Looks to Pack a Punch

Nestled inside the Legend Valley Concert Venue and Campground, the Werk Out looks to be the sleeper festival of Summer 2016. With a jam packed lineup and the intimacy of a smaller venue, this year’s festival features a variety of musical acts, vendors, craftspeople and activities. Now in it’s seventh year, the festival returns to Thornville, Ohio, August 4 through 6.

Headliners and host band The Werks will perform all three nights, while Twiddle and Dopapod will hit the stages for two nights. STS9 tops the lineup with two sets while funk masters Lettuce and The Motet lead the festival’s late night efforts.

The Werk Out will also play host to several tribute sets including the highly anticipated Twerkapod “Tribute to the 90s” featuring members of The Werks, Dopapod and Twiddle as well as Daft Phunk – a Daft Punk tribute performed by Earphunk.

Bluegrass sensation Greensky Bluegrass, rock/funk fusion band Kung Fu, hip-hop funktronica Manic Focus, NYC Funk outfit Turkuaz, and the Everyone Orchestra featuring Todd Stoops round out the already diverse, funky and fun weekend of music.

The festival is also packed with many of Ohio’s finest up and coming festival artists including Broccoli Samauri, reggae rock fusion Tropidelic, and Ghost Gardens.

Other must see non native Ohio see include North Carolina based rock jam fusion Big Something, Maryland-based band Litz, and New York state based bands Mister F and Teddy Midnight.

“Don’t miss the Glostik Willy late night set on Saturday Night/Sunday morning,” noted Grand Haven, MI, native Zachary Burns, a three-year vet of the Werk Out. He also suggests getting to the venue early to take advantage of wooded shady camping, as space in these areas is limited.

“Definitely don’t skip out in the Disc-O-Pizza vendor,” Burns also suggested. “ Some of the best/fairly priced festi food you can get.”

Columbus, Ohio native Jake Ashworth agrees with Burns. “When in need of food, seek out Disc-O-Pizza. And Gilligan’s has the best smoothies.”

Ashworth also mentioned taking advantage of the showers near the stage to stay cool and suggest if you want to post up in your hammock, to get there early because “the trees fill up fast.”

Music begins on Thursday at 4 p.m. Saturday day passes are available at the gate for $80. Weekend passes are still available and can be purchased in advance or at the gate. Camping is included. No alcohol is sold during the festival, however, according to the festival website, “Please bring your own alcohol for the weekend. And some to share.”

August 1, 2016