Thursday June 29 was a busy night across Buffalo, musically speaking. The real celebration went down that night at Buffalo Iron Works. Intrepid Travelers released their latest EP Everyday Is Your Birthday to a packed crowd. Witty Tarbox opened up the festivities. They describe themselves as indie riffs over a rhythmic funk foundation fond of improvisation. Being relatively new to the scene as a band they lit up the stage setting the tone for the evening. They ended their set with Vulfpeck cover “Cory Wong” with help from Donny Frauenhofer from Intrepid Travelers. Almost hard to believe they have been playing together for under six months. Be sure to check these guys out during their set at Cobblestone Live on Saturday July 15.
With their tour speeding up, Intrepid Travelers had enough time to release their latest EP to a delighted hometown crowd in the 716. They hit the stage close to 10:30 and it was ON from there. The first four songs of their set were off of their latest EP Everyday Is Your Birthday. From there they traveled to a funky but unfinished “Electric Avenue.” A few more covers as well as a few more off their latest release were sprinkled in throughout the rest of the set. Ellen Pieroni was featured on alto sax for the Lettuce cover of “Madison Square.”
There aint no rest for the wicked. Intrepid Travelers are already back on the road with five shows in the first week of July spread across the Midwest. Halfway through July they will be traveling home with shows on July 15 at Three Heads Brewing in Rochester and July 16 in Buffalo at Cobblestone Live.
Intrepid Travelers Setlist:
Soundcheck: Get IT to you
Set 1: On Inside > Destinesia, Dark Disease > Funnel > Jam > Electric Avenue(1) > Jam > Maddy & Anna, Captain Jon > Final Voyage, Madison Square(2)$, 1999(3), Stand The Heat > Get IT To You
(1)Eddy Grant cover
(2)Lettuce Cover
(3)Prince Cover
$ Featured Ellen Pieroni (Folkfaces) on alto saxophone
Witty Tarbox SetList:
Pyramid, Pabst Blue Rhythm, Surfslut, Trevor, Bitch Has Got An Attitude, Scmitty n Bags, Prepare To Launch ^, Moving Pictures, Cory Wong*#
*Vulfpeck Cover
# w/ Donny Frauenhofer (Intrepid Travelers) on Keys
Mountain Jam Music Festival in Hunter, NY celebrated their 13th anniversary with a tremendous lineup of legendary, famous and diverse musicians. Passes to Mountain Jam were an unforgettable gift for Fathers Day!
You know you’re on a ski resort when you see ski lifts overhead and snow machines beside you. RV’s and tents were discretely and comfortably located making for exceptional accommodations. Only a bit of cool light rain cast a shadow, but it’s cooling was welcome.
The Thursday night pre-party crowd packed The Healy Brothers Automotive stage in Hunter Lodge for Marco Bennevento Band, who warmed up the audience with their rendition of Sunday’s Headliner Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like an Eagle.” Most of the hits they played were from their newly released album Live from Woodstock. Closing out the pre-party and reappearing on Friday night was adopted Brooklyn son Sinkane. He’s an English man via Sudan who blends kraut-rock, progressive-rock, electronica, free rock, funk and Sudanese pop, creating one big late night dance party.
The endurance award goes to the energetic Andy Frasco and the UN. The joyous smiling Frasco with his giant wavy afro played five different times during Mountain Jam. Twice he performed impromptu because he’s so much fun to dance to. Andy’s energy is so contagious the audience just needs to let loose.
The star of Friday and perennial crowd favorite was Colorado’s own The String Cheese Incident. For their debut to Mountain Jam the band played a distinct blend of rock and jam grass for about three hours. They played twenty songs spanning their 23-year career. They encored with their song “Nothing but Flowers.”
Seattle’s own The Head and The Heart also performed earlier on Friday playing energetic folk rock blended with beautiful harmonies. Their catchy tunes made for a fun sing-along. Also from Colorado was Elephant Revival who delighted Hunter Mountain with a mix of folk and bluegrass exporting the Rockies to create a Colorado high that was thoroughly delightful
Toronto’s own highly anticipated Glassnote recording artists The Strumbellas brought an exciting mix of pop folk rock. Their performance of “Spirit” lived up to The Mountain Jam video preview with the whole crowd singing along almost knowing all the words.
Warner Brothers recording artist Gary Clark Jr, a recent guest on the CBS show NCIS New Orleans brought soulful blues which rocked the mountain. He sure did not disappoint the ladies. His shredding on the guitar echoed legendary blues musicians in a Louisiana blues tradition. He’s scheduled to open for Eric Clapton in Los Angeles in September. (Did I tell you the line up was fabulous? Let me say it again).
Shovels and Rope project a big booming sound for a Southern rock duo. Hailing from South Carolina the couple delighted the crowd featured their 2013 song of the year “Birmingham.”
Saturday’s headliner Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers would have been great alone but bringing out Marty Stuart was a bonus guest playing on a classic hit. He also played plenty of hits including “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “Free Falling” and “Refugee” which turned Mountain Jam into one big sing-along. The crowd knew every word of all his songs including songs from the 90’s album Wildflower.
The handsome 6’4″ Matisyahu, a Jewish American reggae vocalist and beat boxer played hits like “King without a Crown” and “One Day.” Best of all Matisyahu introduced his new album Undercurrent. Performing with his band, we were truly wowed by his control of the audience
Michael Franti, a Bay area native led the crowd in the Sunday morning yoga session. Later he and his band Spearhead played a really fun afternoon love-dance set. Encouraging the crowd to dance together and mingle was just more joy to compliment the beautiful sun shining day. His special guests were Lucas Nelson and his percussionist to magnify his great party atmosphere on this beautiful bright sun shining day, playing his hits “Say Hey” and “Sound of Sunshine.” His spouse, an ER nurse inspired their foundation Do it for the Love, supporting the terminally ill. Please go to their website and nominate a deserving hero today. It’s free for all to do.
Nashville and Hollywood Walk of fame recipient Peter Frampton sparkled as ever with phenomenal musical energy playing all his hits including “Show Me the Way” and “Do You Feel Like I Do.” He played “Black Hole Sun,” a tribute to acknowledge the recent loss of former tour mate Chris Cornell. His use of the talk box made it one of the coolest cover renditions I have ever heard.
Top headliner Steve Miller Band closed out the fabulous Jam. Recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee The Steve Miller Band played an energetic sing along set including their most popular hits “Abracadabra,” “The Joker” and “Fly Like an Eagle.” The hi-light of the set was when he brought out Peter Frampton to play a rocking blues hit that awed the audience with all their skills.
With so many great bands playing with such beautiful weather, Mountain Jam 2017 was one great festival, so if there are some bands on the lineup you love, buy some early bird tickets and go jam on the mountain because you will have a blast!!!
Voices of Angels was a fitting title for the Celtic Woman tour that recently stopped in Syracuse at the Oncenter on June 21.
The three angelic vocalists on the tour were Susan McFadden, Mairéad Carlin, and Eabha McMahon, and together with the multi talented newcomer Tara McNeill on violin and harp, they melodically painted a picture of their homeland. This production once again outdid themselves putting together a show that highlighted the amazing harmonies of Celtic Woman and the phenomenal musicianship of the band and choir. Playing many crowd favorites, their mix of traditional and popular music brought the crowd to their feet.
They now are winding down and heading home from their North American tour which included 90 cities and 94 performances. I would like to leave you with one of my favorite numbers from the show, a sean dos song, “Sadhbh ní Bhruinneallaigh.” Eabha McMahon’s performance of the this traditional tune brings you to the musical experience of the Irish culture in its truest form, the trad session.
Setlist: Mo Ghile Mear, My Heart Will Go On, Dúlman, Isle of Hope, Amazing Grace, Across the World, As She Moved Through the Fair, The Kesh Inn, Danny Boy, Nil Sén La, Téir Abhaile Riú, Orinoco Flow, For the Love of a Princess, Ave Maria, Walk Beside Me, Óro Sé Do Bheatha ‘Bhaile, Percussion Solo, The Voice, Sean Nos Song, Westering Home, Time to Say Goodbye, You Raise me Up and Parting Glass
Upon arrival, you’d think there wasn’t much going on at Darien Lake Amphitheater, but once you entered the venue, it was a whole different story. It was pretty packed inside and fans were scrambling around to get to their seats before O.A.R came on. You could see the dividing wall between casual concert goers and ones who were die hard based on the shirts or what they sang, for every song that both bands played that night. Whichever side you fell on, you were not to be disappointed by the upcoming performances.
Train is led by singer/guitarist Pat Monahan and the stage made it clear who was in charge. Except for a couple of occasions, everybody stayed on their designated risers, leaving the front of the stage to Monahan. He’s full of stage tricks, seeing which side of the crowd can sing louder or turning a video camera onto the audience. During the song “If It’s Love,” Pat grabbed cell phones from the audience and would take a selfie while flawlessly singing the song. He also brought out Natasha Bedingfield to sing the song “Bruises” and it was a perfect duet to say the least.
O.A.R.’s music is a genial blend of straightforward rock and light reggae. They are a six-piece band from Rockville, Maryland and a mighty band indeed. From start to finish, their presence was strong and most members had quite the facial expressions and charisma. Guitarist Richard On was engaging with the crowd and even at one point tossed a pick to a little girl in the front row. Vocalist Marc Roberge was all smiles during the show and had the fans singing along with him swaying to and fro. The night went without a hitch and not one individual seemed to leave displeased by the night’s performances.
On Friday, June 23, 2017 the American chart topping Southern rock/Country rock group Blackberry Smoke rolled into Wilkes-Barre, PA to perform in front of a stoked up crowd at the F.M. Kirby Center in the heart of downtown Wilkes-Barre. Having toured extensively most of last summer on tour with Gov’t Mule, they released their fifth studio album Like an Arrow on October 14, 2016.
With five studio albums under their belt, including Bad Luck Ain’t No Crime (2004), Little Piece of Dixie (2009), The Whippoorwill (2012), Holding All the Roses (2015) and most current Like an Arrow, Blackberry Smoke has an enormous catalog of songs to choose from. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, these Southern boys are no stranger to the road, touring and performing throughout the United States. Formed in 2001, Blackberry Smoke have headlined as well as opened for major artists such as Zac Brown Band, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eric Church and more. For the past sixteen years they continue to tear up the charts and road with mega hits and touring, playing on average, 250 shows a year. They have developed quite the eclectic fan base as well ranging from the classic Southern rock, country, rock and roll, grassroots and jam band fans. They have been know to frequently break into long jams, throwing covers into the mix of their music and play all night long.
Guitarist and lead singer Charlie Starr shares, “There’s so many elements to what people call rock. There’s gospel and country and swing and blues. We’re just trying to write songs that include all those different types of elements. It keeps it interesting for musicians and songwriters.” And what great musicians and songwriters these guys are. If most of the sold out crowd at the Kirby Center didn’t appreciate the classic and vintage gear these guys used live which lended to their unmistakable sound, they certainly appreciated and knew the music as they sung along, clapped and foot stomped from the beginning to the end of their epic twenty-song set. Some songs on the set were definitely epic jams such as “Sleeping Dogs” which featured a very cool rendition of the Beatles “Come Together” tossed in the mix.
Blackberry Smoke’s original lineup of Charlie Starr (lead vocals, guitar), Richard Turner (bass, vocals), Brit Turner (drums), Paul Jackson (guitar, vocals), and Brandon Still (keyboards) have been together since the beginning and are as tight knit and in the groove as any band could be. Yet they don’t stand still and settle in the pocket, musically that is. They always seem to be pushing the boundaries and digging into new territory with their music. Their diversity and growth can definitely be heard throughout their albums and setlist. Their set at the Kirby Center had a multitude and mix of great songs from their recordings.
At 8 p.m. Brooklyn, NY based Indie/Alt-country blues band The National Reserve got things started with a forty-minute set that surely set the tone for the headliners. The National Reserve were a fun, musically diverse quintet. A fun and talented bunch of guys who could be your friend, hanging out, drinking whiskey in any local pub or starting up an impromptu jam in your mom’s living room. A great group of talented musicians led by guitarist/frontman Sean Walsh.
Blackberry Smoke hit the stage at 9:15 pm and played a twenty-song set which lasted til after 11 p.m. The crowd was on their feet for the entire two hours, some even waiting for the after show VIP meet and greet. Blackberry Smoke started off the set with “Let Me Help You (Find The Door)” from 2015 Holding All the Roses, followed by “Testify” from their 2003 album Bad Luck Ain’t No Crime, and “Six Ways To Sunday” from the 2012 release The Whippoorwill. Blackberry Smoke continued throughout the night playing many hits, foot stomping tunes, acoustic tunes, jam tunes, along with a few covers including “Hey, Hey, What Can I Do” by Led Zeppelin as their first of three encores. Blackberry Smoke hit Wilkes-Barre, PA like “a freight train runnin’” and had their fans captivated “starin’ at them like a deer in the headlights” like they didn’t see this one coming. They put on a hell of a show for their fans and I am certain they made many more fans that night as well that just went along for the ride and left amazed.
Blackberry Smoke Setlist: Let Me Help You (Find The Door), Testify, Six Ways To Sunday, Good One Comin’ On, Wish In One Hand, Waiting For The Thunder, Rock And Roll Again, Let It Burn, Sleeping Dogs/Come Together, Shakin’ Hands With The, Holy Ghost, Whippoorwill, Up In Smoke, Lay It All On Me, Ain’t Got The Blues, Running Through Time, One Horse Town, Like An Arrow
Encore: Hey, Hey, What Can I do, Who Invented The Wheel, Ain’t Much Left Of Me
Parkway Drive brings their last US tour of the year to the greater North American area. Thursday, June 22 they paid a visit to Upstate Concert Hall.
The crowd was off of their feet the second Parkway Drive came on stage and started their set with the song “wild eyes.” With nonstop crowd surfing and moshing throughout the whole set, you could feel the energy and the room shaking from the stage all the way to the back of the venue! You do not want to miss this tour.
Setlist: Wild Eyes, Carrion, Dedication, Vice Grip, Karma, Sleepwalker, Dark Days, Destroyer, Boneyards, Writings on the wall, Idols and anchors, Romance is Dead
The third and final chapter in NYS Music’s threepart series on moe.down revisits the 11th through 15th festivals. In 2010, the band moved the festival from the grounds of Turin, NY, where they spent the last decade, to a new location at Gelston Castle Estate in Mohawk, New York. For the next two years, moe.down would call this location home.
moe.down XI
Line-up: moe. The Black Keys. Nas & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley. Mike Gordon. Lotus. Grace Potter and The Nocturnals. Punch Brothers. Built to Spill. Tortoise. Ryan Montbleau Band. The Macpodz. The Brew. Monkey Wrench. Orgone. Turbine. Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds.
moe.down XI was the first time a multi-day festival had been held at the Gelston venue. Infrastructure had to be built to pump in water to the campgrounds and crude roads had to be roughly smoothed out to get attendees on site. This first year on the grounds also brought drizzles of rain throughout, as well as a chill, damp air that lingered each day, with touches of sun peaking through here and there.
The original line-up in 2010 featured Jakob Dylan, but he unfortunately had to back out and was replaced with Grace Potter and The Nocturnals for this year’s events. It’s not very often that artists on the original line-up have to back out, but this year’s schedule change kept the flow going. Who doesn’t love watching Grace Potter literally grace the stage with her beauty, Flying V guitar in hand, and breathy vocals melting into the microphone? Other noteworthy performances over the weekend included sets by Phish bassist Mike Gordon and his solo band, who’s set included Radiohead’s “15 step,” as well as The Brew blowing up the venue with an unexpected cover of Foreigner’s “Juke Box Hero.”
Host band moe. played on the main stage each day of the festival. The customary kids parade occurred on Saturday, with the stream of kids attending ending up on the main stage while moe. laid down some energetic jams. Each year, a mayor is chosen by the audience. The winner of the annual election of the mayor of moe.down went to Rage Lincoln and his reading of the Headysburg Address.
Notable sets included the evening Saturday set that opened with “Plane Crash” and then closed out the night, before encore, going back into “Plane Crash,” bringing the night’s performance to a smooth finish. The last night of the festival, moe. busted out a twisty turny extended “Farmer Ben” that was crammed with nuggets of unexpected surprises. Hints and teases of Rush splashed about through the jam, including touches of “Spirit of Radio,” “Tom Sawyer,” and “Working Man.”
moe. fan, Mike Quinn, looked back at some of his most unforgettable moments from moe.down and this year in particular brought fond memories. “I’ve been lucky enough to witness some really amazing things at moe.down. I’ve seen friends get engaged (moe.down 11) and then two years later get married at the top of the hill (moe.down 13). I was with my friends when they felt their son in utero kick for the first time at moe.down (11).”
Check out a smoking “Recreational Chemistry” from 9/4/2010:
9/3/10 – Gelston Castle Estate – Mohawk, NY Set 1: Zed Naught Z>(nh) Time Again>Waiting For The Punchline, Blue Jeans Pizza>(nh) Captain America>Puebla>George, Brent Black>Akimbo
Encore: Brent Black>Billy Goat
9/4/10 – Gelston Castle Estate – Mohawk, NY Set 1: Skrunk>Lazarus>Spine Of A Dog*, New York City^, St. Augustine>32 Things
Encore: Y.O.Y.^^
Set 2: Plane Crash>Hector.’s Pillow>Bring You Down, Daydreaming, Paranoid Android#>Ricky Marten>Time Ed
Set 3: Seat Of My Pants>(nh) Bearsong>(nh) Runaway Overlude>(nh) Recreational Chemistry, Not Coming Down>Wormwood>Plane Crash
Encore: Faker
* w/ Powerhouse ending ^ moe.down Kids’ Tent Parade ^^ Dedicated to Monkey Wrench (who played on the Buzz Stage right afterwards) # Last time played 7/20/07
9/5/10 – Gelston Castle Estate – Mohawk, NY Set 1: Buster>Haze>Yodelittle>McBain, Cornflake Girl>(nh) Timmy Tucker
Set 2: Moth>Queen Of Everything, Four>Rebubula
Encore: Deep This Time, Tubing The River Styx>The Pit>Farmer Ben**>Moth
* Ben jam section: Ben>Spirit Of The Radio (Rush)>Ben>Tom Sawyer (Rush)>Ben>Working Man (Rush)>Powerhouse>Ben
moe.down XII
Line-up: moe. The Levon Helm Band (featuring special guest Bob Weir). Ween. TV On The Radio. Slightly Stoopid. Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers. Ozomatli. Railroad Earth. The New Mastersounds. Rubblebucket. Danger Muffin. The Ragbirds. Empire Sound. Band. Gary Clark, Jr.
This year’s three-day event called into question whether it may even go on. Hurricane Irene rolled through the area just a few days prior, shutting down the flooded thruway. Those concerns were dashed, however, as the thruway opened and the show went on.
Once again, the festival was held at Gelston Castle Estate in Mohawk, NY. One big draw was heavy hitter Bob Weir as special guest with The Levon Helm Band. Gary Clark, Jr., an up and coming artist at that time, was slated to perform, along with well seasoned bands, Ween and Slightly Stoopid. Railroad Earth also made an appearance, and will be returning to this year’s moe.down.
The weather did have it’s say on some of the schedule during the weekend. The Levon Helm Band was postponed for nearly an hour due to lightning in the area. Fans took shelter under tarps and tents until the storm subsided. When the band finally took to the stage, Bob Weir sat in for their moving set.
On Saturday, moe. performed back to back sets in the evening, with the encore featuring “Crab Eyes” played on iPads to honor the passing of Steve Jobs. Sunday’s moe. evening sets brought Bob Weir to the stage as he joined in on a jaw dropping triple punch during “The Other One>Smokestack Lightning>The Other One.” The winner of this year’s mayor of moe.down was announced before encore and went to both Bob Weir and Rob’s hair. “Spine of a Dog” and “Seat of My Pants” brought the festival to a close.
Check out the band performing “Crab Eyes” completely on iPads:
9/2/11 Gelston Castle Estate – Mohawk, NY Set 1: Captain America, Down Boy>(nh) Skrunk>George, Where Does The Time Go?>Dr. Graffenberg, Deep This Time>32 Things
Encore: Plane Crash
9/3/11 Gelston Castle Estate – Mohawk, NY Set I: Rise>(nh) St. Augustine, She Sends Me, Nebraska^, Puebla>(nh) Mar-Dema>Timmy Tucker, Hi & Lo>Moth
Set 2: Good Trip>Akimbo, Blue Jeans Pizza, Downward Facing Dog, Tubing the River Styx>The Pit, Haze@>Rebubula@
Set 3: meat.>Don’t Fuck With Flo>Yodelittle>Lazarus, Four>Buster
Encore: Crab Eyes**, Bearsong
* w/ moe.down Kid’s Tent Parade @ w/ al. on ’74 double-neck Gibson ** w/ band playing on iPads
9/4/11 Gelston Castle Estate – Mohawk, NY Set 1: Rainshine, Happy Hour Hero, Big World>Ricky Marten>The Other One*#>Smokestack Lightning*##>The Other One*#, Stuck Inside of Mobile (with the Memphis Blues Again)@*%, Feel Like A Stranger*%%
Set 2: Wind It Up, Faker>Billy Goat, Suck A Lemon, Paper Dragon>Recreational Chemistry
Encore: Mayor of moe.ville Election$, Spine of a Dog>Seat of My Pants
* w/ Bob Weir @ w/ al. on mandolin # LTP > 7/17/09 ## FTP – Chester Burnett, a.k.a. Howlin’ Wolf cover % FTP – Bob Dylan cover %% FTP – Grateful Dead cover $ w/ Bob Weir (and rob.’s hair) elected mayor
moe.down XIII
Line-up: moe. Umphrey’s McGee. North Mississippi Allstars Duo. SOJA. Bright Light Social Hour. Timbre Coup. Aqueous. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Galactic. The Wood Brothers. Marco Benevento. Kyle Hollingsworth. The Everyone Orchestra. Leroy Justice. JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound. Infantree.
This year’s moe.down was moved back to the original Turin, NY venue at Snow Ridge Ski Resort. It was also moved up to an earlier date, this time in August. The move back to the original venue, as well as an earlier time slot made for a successful festival, and one of their best to date. Fans were ecstatic to be back on the old stomping grounds and, much to their delight, were able to experience two full sets of moe. each day. 2012 also brought much anticipated camping areas designated for families and sober attendees.
It just wouldn’t be a moe.down without some rain in the forecast. Occasional showers rolled in on Friday night, but the bands that took to the stage made sure to keep the energy going late into the night. Once again, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals performed, opening up the main stage on the first day. She later joined in with moe. during their cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.”
Saturday’s second set by moe. in the evening turned spicy as Galactic joined the group on stage to bust out The Band’s “Up On Cripple Creek,” which was immediately followed by a hefty jam session by both. The double jamming session continued as they flowed into “How Many More Years” with both Vinnie Amico and Jim Loughlin on percussion.
One attendee, Chris Perrault, recalls the magic of this year’s festival overall. “Musically, I remember standing high up on the hill as the sun was setting, watching everyone groove. As the sun went down, everything became electric or illuminated. The stage. The hula hoops. The glow sticks. But mostly the dancers and the music just changed course from happy daytime music to crunchy ‘oh, you want to get down? Well, then let’s!’ It was fantastic!”
Sunday’s performances brought a heavy hitting set by Umphrey’s McGee, which included a sit-in by Stanley Jordan. moe.’s evening performance included Umphrey’s McGee joining in for a band switch during a double dose of Pink Floyd covers, performing “Time” and “Breathe.” This year’s mayor of moe.down went to Goldbond. A surprise second set delighted fans as fireworks blew up in the sky, with “Billy Goat>meat.” bringing the event to a close.
8/10/12 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: Plane Crash@ >(nh) Not Coming Down@ > Wormwood > Okayalright, Gimme Shelter*#, Tubing The River Styx > The Pit > Puebla > Timmy Tucker, Letter Home^, Wind It Up
Set 2: Tailspin## > head., Happy Hour Hero**, McBain > Skrunk > Brent Black
Encore: Seat Of My Pants^^ >(nh) Akimbo
@ w/ al. on ’74 Gibson double-neck guitar *w/ Grace Potter on vox ** w/ Kyle Hollingsworth on keys ^ ’97 / Reggae version ^^ SDB tease # Last time played 3/06/08 ## Last time played 1/31/11
8/11/12 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: Crab Eyes>(nh) Down Boy>(nh) The Bones Of Lazarus, Blue Eyed Son@, Captain America>Waiting For The Punchline, Faker>Moth
Set 2: Paper Dragon>Dr. Graffenberg, Sticks and Stones, Zed Naught Z>Don’t Fuck With Flo>Zed Naught Z, Up On Cripple Creek*>moe. / Galactic Jam>How Many More Years**, George, Recreational Chemistry
@ w/ al on electric mandolin * w/ Galactic ** Galactic w/ Vin & Jim on percussion
8/12/12 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: Haze@, It>St. Augustine>Downward Facing Dog, Bring It Back Home*, Spine Of A Dog>Buster
Set 2: Bullet>Deep This Time, The Road>Kyle’s Song>Kids, Time^>moe. / Umphrey’s band-switch>Breathe
Encore: Rebubula
Encore 2: Billy Goat>meat.
@ w/ al on ’74 Gibson double-neck guitar * w/ moe.down Kid’s Tent Parade ^ w/ Umphrey’s McGee Mayor of moe.ville = Goldbond Fireworks went off after Rebubula, and band played a 2nd encore as surprise to fans
moe.down XIV
Line-up: moe. Steve Kimock Band. Mike Dillon Band. Conehead Buddha. Pennyshine. Conspirator. Stanley Jordan Trio. Savoy. Floodwood. Dr. Dog. Del McCoury Band. Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. RAQ. Eastbound Jesus. Wolf! The Stepkids.
This year’s event was once again held in Turin, NY. The crowd of attendees was much smaller, and more intimate, than usual. Friday’s musical set began on a stylish note, as the Del McCoury Band took to the stage. With perfectly coifed hair and stylish suits, these guys brought nothing but class and bluegrass to the stage. It was a refreshing musical change to the festival without a doubt. moe.’s Friday set included a tip of the hat to Jerry Garcia with a performance of “Casey Jones,” as the anniversary of his death was August 9. For the first time in recent years, the Friday night sky was crystal clear, without a hint of rain in sight.
Saturday’s events brought a lost wandering Beagle puppy to the attention of everyone. moe. even made an announcement to try and find the owner. Without any luck finding who the dog belonged to, she was eventually turned over to the local Humane Society, to which she was appropriately named “Moe.Na.” Speaking of moe., their evening set busted out a ridiculously energetic version of “Plane Crash” that included Shannon and Terry Lynch, of Conehead Buddhas, on horns. If that wasn’t enough to blow fans away, second set was basically one of the most insane sets they’ve ever played. Fierce compositions followed one after the other, filled with emotional jams that brought a wave of energy up and down as the melodies ebbed into each other. That set brought down the house, and had fans staring in disbelief at the amazing shreds the band was throwing out to the mountain side.
Sunday’s musical delights included the Mike Dillon Band, with Carly Meyers of ROAR! crushing a killer trombone as part of the ever rotating cast of musicians in this project. Stanley Jordan, famous for his two-handed tapping guitar style, had fans who’ve never seen him perform watch on in awe and dropped jaws. Speaking of Jordan, he joined moe. during encore with “Rebubula,” after the new mayor of moe.down went to the ditch. “Happy Hour Hero” closed out the year, followed by the annual fireworks display.
Watch moe.’s entire second set from 8/10/13:
8/9/13 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1 Big World>Ricky Marten>Bring You Down, Casey Jones, Blue Jeans Pizza>Silver Sun>Mexico
Set 2: St. Augustine>32 Things, Deal#, Time Ed>Water*>Brent Black%>Mar-DeMa>Time Ed
Encore: Spine Of A Dog**
# LTP > 12/02/12 * w/ Enter Sandman Jam % unfinished ** w/ Powerhouse ending
8/10/13 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: Skrunk>Timmy Tucker, Wind It Up, Godzilla*, Puebla>Tubing The River Styx>The Pit>Plane Crash**
Set 2: Smoke>Chromatic Nightmare>Smoke>Recreational Chemistry>Akimbo>Tubing The River Styx>Seat Of My Pants>meat.#>Brent Black^
Encore: Traveling Light##, Dr. Graffenberg
* w/ Chris Michetti on guitar ** w/ Shannon & Terry Lynch on horns ^ completes 8/09/13 version # unfinished ## first time played- (cover – JJ Cale) – dedicated to JJ Cale and Mikey Houser
8/11/13 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: Stranger Than Fiction, Suck A Lemon, Crackers, Bearsong*, Billy Goat > CalfironIA >(nh) Y.O.Y.>Buster**
Set 2: Queen Of Everything, Moth>Hi & Lo>Opium, Yodelittle%>meat.#, The Bones Of Lazarus>George
Encore: – Rebubula^, Happy Hour Hero^^
* w/ moe.down Kids Parade & Carly Meyers on trombone ** w/ Mike Dillon on percussion % w/ Stanley Jordan on guitar # completes 8/10/13 version – Ditch voted in as mayor. of moe.ville ^ w/ Stanley Jordan on guitar & Kenwood Dennard switched out for a period of time with Vin, who played percussion with Jim, before switching back with Kenwood on drums ^^ Fireworks were shot afterwards
moe.down XV
Line-up: moe. Gogol Bordello, O.A.R., Lotus, Solve, Les Claypool’s Duo De Twang, Jerry Douglas Band, Everyone Orchestra, Twiddle, Floodwood, Aqueous, The Werks, Conehead Buddha, American Babies, Wild Adriatic
Since 2000, moe. has been hosting this festival for fans, friends and family. This year, the three day festival was especially welcome as the event returned to the original Labor Day weekend date at Snow Ridge in Turin, NY. Not having to go to work on Monday was a big factor for fans, as many did not want to miss the epic fireworks display after the band’s last song on Sunday. The rain held up for most of the weekend, keeping the grounds dry during the day.
Two bands making debut appearances this year included Twiddle and Wild Adriatic. Both bands are scheduled to appear this year for moe.down XVI. Conehead Buddha, Lotus, and Les Claypool’s Due De Twang gave powerhouse performance sets jam packed with high energy. Lotus took the place of The Rich Robinson Band, who were originally scheduled to perform. The most surprising act of the festival was from Gogol Bordello, an intensely high energy band whose music was a combination of bordello, punk and theatrics all rolled into one.
moe.’s Saturday evening performance included the members of Conehead Buddha horns joining the group on stage for the majority of the set. moe. put out the call to fans stating that if their Facebook page reached 100,000 likes, they would play a “Voter’s Choice” song during moe.down. They did not disappoint. They brought out the rare instrumental “Canned Pastries,” that had only been played five times previously, making it’s last appearance on the setlist on August 25, 1994. Before the encore of “Rebubula,” the mayor of moe.ville was announced. This year finally went to Rex Thomson, who had been competing for the mayor for the past few years.
Check out the encore which wrapped up the last moe.down three years ago:
8/29/14 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: meat.*>Dr. Graffenberg>Low, Same Old Story, Chromatic Nightmare, Don’t Fuck With Flo>Timmy Tucker, White Lightning Turpentine, Faker>meat.
Encore: Spine Of A Dog>Seat Of My Pants
* w/ Bullet Jam / false start
8/30/14 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: Mar-DeMa>(nh) Captain America, Okayalright>(nh) Crab Eyes, This I Know, Billy Goat%, Skrunk>Blue Jeans Pizza>Waiting For The Punchline Reprise>Waiting For The Punchline, Downward Facing Dog
Set 3: Silver Sun, Threw It All Away*, Not Coming Down*>Wormwood*>Brittle End*, The Wizard*^, Spanish Moon*>Blond Hair And Blue Eyes*, Late In The Evening*, Plane Crash*
Encore: Jazz Wank>Hava Negilah>Long Island Girls Rule
% w/ moe.down Kid’s Tent Parade * w/ Conehead Buddha horns: Shannon Lynch on saxaphone, Terry Lynch on trumpet, Shaun Bazylewicz on trombone ^ w/ Terry Lynch on vox
8/31/14 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: Paper Dragon, Annihilation Blues, Do Or Die, Water>Hector’s Pillow>Four>32 Things, Canned Pastries# Set 2: Big World>Rickey Marten>Time Ed>Moth, Puebla>Kyle’s Song
NYS Music continues its review of the history of moe.down, one of the most established and successful summer festivals the state has to offer. We looked at the first 5 moe.downs last week, and here’s a look back at some of the more memorable moments in years 6 through 10, as moe.down set roots down in Turin, NY and became a Labor Day Weekend tradition.
moe.down VI
After five increasingly successful years in Turin, moe.down had established itself as one of the premier summer festivals in the Northeast. It was now not only a “must go” destination for moe.rons but for music fans alike thanks to increasingly diverse lineups that featured more and more nationally prominent acts. The sixth rendition featured Keller Williams, who was everywhere at that time, The Violent Femmes, Matisyahu and Medeski, Martin & Wood as the lineups continued to be made with a blend of popular acts and those that were favorites of the band.
Night one of the festival only calls for one moe. set, and while this year would be no different, it was definitely cover heavy with versions of “Stairway to Heaven,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “All Along the Watchtower,” the latter of which featured Keller Williams sitting in. Setlists courtesy of Phantasy Tour.
9/2/05 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Jazz Wank> Rebubula*> Cornflake Girl> Recreational Chemistry, Wind it up, Salt Creek, Stairway To Heaven Jam^> All along the Watchtower^, Faker> Moth> The Pit> Brent Black> Moth
Encore: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
* unfinished ^ with Keller Williams
The following day’s opening sat saw guitarist Al Schnier’s children get involved and ended appropriately enough with a rousing rendition of “Kids.” Other highlights included a “Timmy Tucker” that was stretched across two sets and a full on instrument switch with Japanese band Big Frog. The band switch continued a recent tradition of sorts as the same thing had been done in years past with other headliners like The Disco Biscuits and Galactic, showing just how gracious the festival hosts are in sharing the spotlight at their festival.
9/3/05 • Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Spine Of A Dog> Buster, Shanna Robe*, Ayla Schnier solo^, She, Crab Eyes, Hi and Lo> Timmy Tucker&> Kids
Set 2: New York City, Head> Timmy Tucker&+, Happy Hour Hero%> Rise> Karma Police> Head
Set 3: Not Coming Down> Wormwood> St. Augustine> 32 Things$, The Road> Kyle’s Song, Akimbo
Encore: Time, Sensory Deprivation Bank
* with Ben Schnier
^ Ayla Schnier solo on piano
& unfinished
&+ finished
% with complete band switch with Big Frog
$ with members of Dread Clampett
moe.down VI was closed out in style with a show that featured the band’s first ever take on The Grateful Dead classic “Terrapin Station” before steering back into a “Rebubula” that was left unfinished from the day before. As if that weren’t enough, the encore ended with a superb version of “Meat” that gave way to a brilliant fireworks display that left everyone gazing at the sky as the band completed another stellar chapter in the book of moe.down.
9/4/2005 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY Set 1: The Ghost Of Ralph’s Mom, She Sends Me, Tailspin> Californ IA> Bullet> Big World
Set 2: Y.O.Y.> Down Boy, McBain, Four> Dr. Graffenberg> Terrapin Station*> Rebubula^ Encore: Tijuana Donkey Show, Meat&
* first time played ^ completed from friday night & with fireworks
Here’s a clip of the aforementioned “Meat” which closed things out.
moe.down VII
The seventh rendition of moe.down had a Phish-y vibe to it with three of the four members appearing on the bill. Bassist Mike Gordon played with his side project Ramble Dove while Page McConnell and Jon Fishman also lent their talents on keys and drums, respectively, to the festivities. Naturally, rumors of guitarist Trey Anastasio appearing as well swirled about as 2006 was right in the middle of the band’s near five year hiatus – an event that undoubtedly fostered some of the festival and band’s growth. This year also featured a band skyrocketing in national popularity in Umphrey’s McGee, an up and coming act in Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Ziggy Marley and Yolk, a legendary NY band with roots in Binghamton.
moe. opened up their portion of the weekend with a ripping cover of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla” and later brought out McConnell to assist on two of the band’s more classic numbers in “Buster” and “Mexico” as well as “Blue Jeans Pizza,” a fairly new one at the time.
9/1/06 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Godzilla> Spine Of A Dog> Plane Crash> Buster*, Mexico*, Blue Jeans Pizza*, Good Trip> Wind it up
Encore: Meat
* with Page McConnell
The hosts enlisted some more help the following day with two separate Umphrey’s McGee sit ins. First, Jake Cinninger (guitar) and Kris Meyers (drums) came out and assisted on “Faker” which cooled things down after a monster 2nd set “George” that was accentuated by some brilliant disco ball lighting effects. Later in the set, guitarist Brendan Bayliss came out for the staple “Rebubula,” just as he had done a few summers earlier at the first Bonnaroo during moe.’s epic late night set – an event that, arguably, entrenched both of these bands on the national stage.
9/2/06 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Not Coming Down> Wormwood> The Ghost Of Ralph’s Mom, Akimbo, Lazarus*, 32 Things, Tailspin> Timmy Tucker
Set 2: Head> George, Faker^> Water> Rebubula&
Set 3: Crab Eyes, Bullet> Big World, The Road> Don’t Fuck With Flo$> The Pit> Godzilla
Encore: Karma Police> Head
* with Stephen Perkins
^ with Jake Cinninger, Steven Perkins, and Kris Meyers
& with Brendan Bayliss
$ with Andrew Bellivia and Willie Waldman
Sunday saw two more moe. classics get the special guest treatment as pedal steel guitar virtuoso Gordon Stone joined in for “New York City” and “Waiting for the Punchline” in a first set that was a highlighted by a “Moth” that nearly bookended the whole thing.
The Rolling Stones classic “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” served as a more than tasty treat in the 2nd set and the weekend was capped off with a rip roaring “Recreational Chemistry” that closed the book on the 7th moe.down.
9/3/06 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Moth> New York City*, Down Boy, Waiting For The Punchline*, Y.O.Y.> Moth> Brent Black
Set 2: Jazz Wank> Dr. Graffenberg^> Can’t You Hear Me Knocking> Plane Crash, Brittle End, Seat Of My Pants
Encore: Recreational Chemistry
* with Gordon Stone
^ with Willie Waldman
Check out this 2006 promo for moe.down. It gives a great view as to the surroundings and communal vibe that this festival cultivates so well. And if that’s not enough, it also contains a baby faced Al Schnier and a tasty outro jam from a live version of “The Road.”
moe.down VIII
By 2007, the festival had become a well oiled machine and was not only producing a string of memorable Labor Day Weekends one after the other, but also showing the ability to adapt on the fly. Ryan Adams was scheduled to be one of the headliners at moe.down 8 but had to cancel. Instead of replacing him with a local or unknown artist, the festival was able to score Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction fame and his side project Satellite Party. This continued the precedent set last year when Stephen Perkins, drummer for Jane’s Addiction, appeared with his band Banyan in addition to sitting in with moe. on a take of “Lazarus.”
This year showcased a really impressive array of musical selections. There was the classic hip-hop/R&B stylings of The Roots, 90s jam band Strangefolk, alternative legends The Meat Puppets, a young electronica influenced band called Lotus and Medeski Martin Scofield & Wood all on the same bill. As moe.down continued to grow in popularity, it seemed to produce festival lineups with more and more depth each year.
Set 1: Stranger Than Fiction, Bearsong, Bullet> Tailspin, Kyle’s Song, Opium> lyleloveit., She> 32 Things
Encore: Don’t Do It*, She Sends Me
* First time played.
Saturday’s sets at moe.down 8 exemplified everything the festival had become, beginning with a “Buster” opener that saw a parade of kids marching on and around the stage. Just as it had grown in popularity and musical talent, each year there seemed to be more designated areas and activities scheduled for children, showing that the festival could also cater to families as well. And in keeping with other moe.down traditions, Saturday also had a full band switch with the Meat Puppets in the middle of “Big World” and a captivating sit in from Perry Farrell on a cover of the Jane’s Addiction tune “Ocean Size.”
9/1/07 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Buster*, The Road, Shoot First^, Down Boy, The Ghost Of Ralph’s Mom, So Long&, Mexico%
Set 2: Lazarus> Skrunk, Ocean Size$, Okayalright> Wind it up, Plane Crash
Set 3: Big World> Meat Puppets Jam#> Big World, McBain> George, Faker> Timmy Tucker
Encore: Spine Of A Dog@> Spaz Medicine
* with The Kid Zone Buster parade lining the front of the stage.
^ with Rob on upright bass, Al on acoustic guitar
& with Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun (Pink Floyd), Al on acoustic guitar.
% with Curt Kirkwood (Meat Puppets) on guitar
$ First time played. w/ Perry Farrell on vocals
# moe. / meat puppets band switch
@ with Al solo intro
Closing out the festival this year featured more of the same with a beautiful ending to the opening set with a cover of “The Weight” that saw various members of Uncle Earl and The Brakes give this classic number an acoustic feel. Later in the evening, another band member switch of sorts took place as moe.’s crew members each took over an instrument on a cover of “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” before yet another spectacular fireworks display set from atop the hill sent everybody home.
9/2/07 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Crab Eyes, Hi and Lo> Kids, The Pit> Meat, The Weight*
Set 2: Blue Jeans Pizza> Recreational Chemistry^, Not Coming Down> Wormwood> St. Augustine> Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere%$> Rebubula
Encore: Akimbo, Letter Home#
* with KC Groves, Kristin Andreassen, Abigail Washburn, Bryn Davies of Uncle Earl on backing vocals, Rayna Gellert of Uncle Earl on fiddle, and Zach Djanikian of The Brakes on vocals.
^ with Chuck on bass guitar and Rob on guitar for part
% with Jeff Waful on Chuck’s guitar and vocals, Frank Robbins on Al’s guitar, Hector Jimenez on bass and vocals, Steve Young on keyboards, Cass Libbers on drums, and Ken “Skip” Richman on percussion
$ first time played (Neil Young & Crazy Horse)
# Fireworks followed “Letter Home” with Rainboe. singing “The Star Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America”
moe.down IX
With moe.down now firmly entrenched as a summer festival staple, the 2008 version offered a lineup chock full of easy listening with acts like The Levon Helm Band that, naturally, did a bunch of popular The Band covers, The Sparrow Quartet featuring Abigail Washburn (back from last year) and Bela Fleck, Cornmeal and Yonder Mountain String Band. For the non-acoustic fans, groups like U-Melt, American Babies and The Benevento Russo Duo offered their various takes on improvisational rock. And Presidents of the United States of America seemed to fit the early 90s/alternative band slot this year and wowed the crowd with a fun Sunday afternoon set under a blazing hot sun.
8/29/08 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Spaz Medicine, Blue Jeans Pizza, Funky Reuben*, Letter Home> Okayalright, Darkness> Shoot First^> The Road> Rebubula
Encore: Sensory Deprivation Bank
* Last time played 02/15/92 (1552 shows)
^ with Bela Fleck
The guest appearances this weekend fell right in line with the country feel to this year’s bill with Bela Fleck lending his talents to “Shoot First” and Jeff Austin from YMSB fitting in perfectly on “Bring You Down.” One of the weekend’s other memorable sets was delivered by Cornmeal who played an engaging set of bluegrass and uptempo folk tunes with Allie Kral, now of YMSB, on fiddle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ9I5-_s7gI
8/30/08 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Bring It Back Home, Bearsong, All Roads Lead to Home*, Captain America^> Waiting For The Punchline, Brent Black#
Set 2: Defrost@> Crab Eyes, Sticks and Stones*, Deep This Time*, The Pit, Bullet> Bring You Down$
Set 3: Buster> Second Cousins&> Runaway Overlude> She*%, Voodoo Child> Seat Of My Pants
Encore: Spine Of A Dog> Yankee Doodle+
* with Nadine LaFond on vocals
^ with Kids tent parade coming on stage
# with Marco Benevento on keyboards and Joe Russo on drums
@ last time played 01/22/97 (1228 shows)
$ with Jeff Austin on mandolin
& First time played and on stage setlist as “ShitLy”
% band segue with Fishbone
+ last time played 03/18/99 (947 shows)
For the hardcore moe. fans, there were bust outs galore at moe.down 9. Songs like “Funky Reuben” and “Defrost” that hadn’t been played since the 90s made appearances. It seemed as if the entire moe.playbook was an option this weekend. While plenty of songs from the recently released Sticks and Stones album also got some play, standout versions of old school hits like “Sensory Deprivation Bank,” “Recreational Chemistry” and a rollicking third set opener of “Buster” from Saturday night really made their mark this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeHrYNV1PwI
Sunday was not lacking in special moe.ments either as Cornmeal made another appearance and helped close out the first set set with their version of ‘jamgrass’ on a blistering “32 Things” that closed out the first set. And the second set saw Shannon and Terry Lynch of Conehead Buddha lend some brass support on “Happy Hour Hero.” Not to be outdone by the previous days’ offerings of bustouts, the second set also contained a “Roll >Armageddon Jig>Strychnine Waltz” sequence that hadn’t been seen in more than 7 years. But, by far, the most unexpected performance of the weekend may have been the last one as the entire band played around one mic and sent moe.down 9 attendees away for another year with their heads up thanks to the Monty Python sing-a-long classic, “Always Look on the Bright of Life,” replete with responsive whistling from another year’s worth of tired yet satiated fans.
8/31/08 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Tailspin> Timmy Tucker> Understand, Queen of Everything, Down Boy, Macintyre Range*^> 32 Things^
Set 2: George> Happy Hour Hero$> Recreational Chemistry, New York City> George> Roll#> Armageddon Jig#> Strychnine Waltz#> Plane Crash
Encore: Wind it up, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life@&
* without Rob
^ with members of Cornmeal
$ with Shannon Lynch on saxophone and Terry Lynch on trumpet
# last time played 4/22/01 (710 shows)
@ first time played (Monty Python). Chuck on guitar and Jim on tambourine. Entire band around one mic, Rob singing lead.
& second encore (after fireworks)
moe.down X
As a testament to the tireless work put in by moe.’s management team and the bond created with Snow Ridge over the years, 2009 marked the 10th year of the festival, all at the same location. And perhaps no previous lineup offered such a diverse selection of musical artists. Not too many other festivals could promote a bill that had acts like Ani DiFranco alongside ones like Method Man and Redman. And in a rare treat for any East Coast show, the festival was able to lure out California-based rock outfit CAKE who delighted the Saturday night crowd with a set of classic hits. Fledgling bands at the time like The Heavy Pets and The New Mastersounds both increased their exposure thanks to sets at the smaller stage on site. And like any other moe.down, the hosts were everywhere and playing with everyone.
moe. brought out something of a new trick this year as well. Each day, their performances began with one member on stage beginning a song before slowly being joined by everyone else one by one. Vinnie Amico got things started on night one with an opening drum solo before being joined by the rest of the band in a set that delivered such staples as “New York City,” “Hi and Lo” and “Four.”
9/4/09 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Buster*> New York City, Big World> Hi and Lo> Tubing The River Styx> The Pit, The Seed^, Spine Of A Dog$> Waiting For The Punchline$, Four$> Buster$
Encore: McBain
* Vinny drum solo > Jim > Rob > Al > Chuck to start Buster
^ first time played (new moe. song)
$ with Kirk Juhaus
MVP honors for the weekend could have easily been given to Sam Bush who not only played an afternoon set with his band, but lent his violin prowess and infectious energy on sit ins with moe. on songs like “Tambourine” and a rocking “Meat” that closed out Saturday’s second set. Perhaps no song befits moe.down’s rapid ascension into the top tier of the summer music festival hierarchy better than “Where Does the Time Go?” from the final set of night two.
9/5/09 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Mexico*, Crab Eyes, Tambourine^, 32 Things%, Deep This Time> Brent Black
Set 2: Zed Nought Z&> Skrunk> Akimbo, Queen of Everything, Lazarus> George, Meat#
Set 3: Dr. Graffenberg, Understand> Okayalright, Where Does the Time Go?> Plane Crash, Captain America> Recreational Chemistry@
Encore: Wind it up
* Al solo > Chuck > Vinny > Jim > Rob > jam (kids parade) prior to the start
^ with Sam Bush on vilolin w/ bow
% with Sam Bush on minature gutiar
& Jim malletkat solo > Vinny > Rob > Chuck > Al prior to the start
# with Sam Bush on violin
@ with Suke Cerulo
As the sun set on yet another year of magic in Turin, NY, expectations were that the festival would continue to motor along on its current pace and continue the tradition it had firmly established at Snow Ridge Ski Resort. As we’ll see in the upcoming part 3 of NYS Music’s moe.down review, this would not necessarily be the case. However, even though the venue may change, it’s clear that the spirit and the elements that make this festival special never will.
9/6/09 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
Set 1: Shoot First*> Bearsong, Borderline^, Bullet> Hector’s Pillow> Ricky Marten> Second Cousins> Runaway Overlude, She$
Set 2: Timmy Tucker, Seat Of My Pants> Sensory Deprivation Bank@, Happy Hour Hero@, Not Coming Down@> Wormwood@> St. Augustine@, The Road@
Encore: Rebubula@
*Chuck solo > Vinny > Jim > Rob > Al prior to the start
The reggae scene in Woodstock, NY is strong. The Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, NY hosted a packed house for Chronixx, Kelissa, and Woodstock native D.J. Max Glazer on April 29.
The crowd hung on every word and beat put down by Max Glazer as he led the audience through samples of the reggae greats, before introducing Kelissa. A native of St. Andrew, Jamaica, Kelissa is known for her positive lyrics that reflect the experiences of her life. She sang with power and energy that the crowd picked up on and fed off of. Chronixx hit the stage and continued to lift the crowd with his positive words. Coming off a string of sold out shows, I don’t imagine the Hudson Valley disappointed.
The Bearsville Theater will host a few other highly anticipated reggae shows this summer. Jesse Royal stops by July 7, and Maxi Priest will play the theater August 11.
There are certain things in life that move you in the most harmonious manner, that it sends chills down your spine. Phoenix was the cause of that exact sensation on a splendid and spectacular evening at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in colorful Colorado on Wednesday, June 7. The night was simply captivating, as giant natural rock formations surround you at this outside venue. An occasion like this should definitely be on a bucket list for those of you who have not had the chance to experience such an event at this magical place.
The night started off with an energetic group called The Lemon Twigs, who demonstrated their capacity to jam all while rocking funky outfits and made the crowd pop with extreme intrigue and positive responses. The audience slowly filled the arena and nature’s light began to dim. As their performance came to a close, boulders as crimson as can be started to glow underneath the moonlight in the background, and Miike Snow entered the stage not too long after that. As a Swedish indie pop band, they incorporated a sense of synthpop and alternative dance flare and gave fans a sweet taste for what’s to come next.
Everyone was fooled that night; what was once a clear starry night moments before, took a turn for what was least expected. When it rains, it pours. However, the heaviest of downpours and even slight hail that evening surely didn’t stop the crowd from going wild. The weather gods somehow knew Phoenix was about to perform and it almost seemed like the rain was a grand opening display before an incredibly riveting performance. This French ensemble conquered the stage while standing on a giant LED platform and created a tantalizing memory to store in everyone’s minds. Thomas Mars soothed the surroundings with his vocals, Christian Mazzalai rocked on guitar, Deck d’Arcy on bass and keyboards, and Laurent Brancowitz on guitar and keyboards. The group included their touring members Robin Coudert on keyboards and percussion, as well as Thomas Hedlund on drums and percussion.
This group’s style has developed over time only to create distinct soundwaves that hit one’s pleasure centers even more. Flavors of synth pop, alternative rock, and new wave filled the atmosphere all while including the French language in some of their masterpieces. This particular show at Red Rocks was actually the last one before they released their newest album, Ti Amo, which is now available for all to listen. It holds a unique and upbeat essence that puts the move in groove. They performed a couple fresh tunes off the new album such as “J-Boy” and “Ti Amo” as well. Certain underlying musical elements are discovered in the back beats of their songs. Other oldies magically graced the air including “If I Ever Feel Better,” “Lasso,” “Girlfriend,” “Trying to be Cool,” “Fences,” “Lisztomania” and “1901.”
At the end of the performance, Thomas Mars of Phoenix entered the Red Rocks crowd as a personal closing of the night and shared that special moment with everyone around. ‘Twas a heart-warming and sincere performance with a sprinkle of friendliness. Phoenix rose and thus vanished into the night after wooing the crowd with their delectable sound.
This year’s three-day event called into question whether it may even go on. Hurricane Irene rolled through the area just a few days prior, shutting down the flooded thruway. Those concerns were dashed, however, as the thruway opened and the show went on.
This year’s event was once again held in Turin, NY. The crowd of attendees was much smaller, and more intimate, than usual. Friday’s musical set began on a stylish note, as the Del McCoury Band took to the stage. With perfectly coifed hair and stylish suits, these guys brought nothing but class and bluegrass to the stage. It was a refreshing musical change to the festival without a doubt. moe.’s Friday set included a tip of the hat to Jerry Garcia with a performance of “Casey Jones,” as the anniversary of his death was August 9. For the first time in recent years, the Friday night sky was crystal clear, without a hint of rain in sight.
Since 2000, moe. has been hosting this festival for fans, friends and family. This year, the three day festival was especially welcome as the event returned to the original Labor Day weekend date at Snow Ridge in Turin, NY. Not having to go to work on Monday was a big factor for fans, as many did not want to miss the epic fireworks display after the band’s last song on Sunday. The rain held up for most of the weekend, keeping the grounds dry during the day.
The night started off with an energetic group called