NYS Music 20​17

Category: Video

  • Revisit moe.downs 11-15 and the Festival’s Return to Snow Ridge

    The third and final chapter in NYS Music’s three part 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.

    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.

    moe.

    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.

    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.

    moe.

    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 2: Yodelittle>(nh) Bullet, Nebraska*, Spaz Medicine*, Happy Hour Hero*>Mexico*>Akimbo*>Tenth Avenue Freeze Out*

    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

    Encore: Rebubula

    # last time played 8/25/94

  • moe.down 6-10: A Flash Back

    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.

    moe.down

    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.

    8/31/07 Snow Ridge Ski Area, Turin, NY
    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.

    moe.down sam bush

    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
    ^first time played (moe. song)
    $ with Jake, Brendan, & Andy from Umphrey’s McGee
    @ with Nate Wilson on keys

  • Big Takeover Releases Throwback Music Video for “Love Understands”

    The Big Takeover, the funky roots and reggae group out of the Hudson Valley, have released the music video for “Love Understands,” off their recent album Silly Girl. The 80s throwback video features singer NeeNee Rushie, Chas Montrose (saxaphone), Rob Kissner (bass), Andy Vogt (trombone) and Kerry Shaw (guitar) and was directed by Crazy Gringo, Liz Paradise and Zach Thomson. The track is now available now on iTunes and on .

  • Formula 5 Releases Studio Video of Upcoming Album ‘All Points North’

    NYS Music stopped by Over It Studios in Albany this January and February to catch Formula 5 in the studio recording All Points North, which will be released on April 14 on F5Jams.com. F.Cavone Productions filmed and edited this look at Albany’s rapidly rising jam band.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqS9sBhJhlg

    Themes of death, rebirth, and moving on make All Points North a more introspective album than the band’s previous studio efforts. It also marks a new direction for the band’s sound. Guitarist Joe Davis reflects on the final product, “I think “Q&A” and “Excalibur” are on ode to the old band, having been written by myself and (former keyboardist) Mike McDonald. It’s like a final farewell to the old, mixed in with new styles, such as with “The Birch Tree,” “Do Tell,” “Figure Out a Feeling,” “Trout Waters Pt I & II” and “It Goes…;” that old jammy style is still in us but it’s more mature and reigned in.”

    formula 5 all points northAll Points North was produced, recorded and mixed by Bryan Brundige at Overit Studios in Albany, NY and Mastered by Michael Schoonmaker at Gigantic Mastering. All Points North will be released by Formula 5 on all platforms on April 14 and be available for streaming on F5Jams.com and JEMP Radio.

    Formula 5’s Spring Tour brings them throughout the Northeast, bookending the tour with performances at music festivals Rock n Roll Resort and Disc Jam. In between the band hits familiar Northeast markets with artists including Dead Phish Orchestra, Mister F, Litz, Space Carnival, The Other Brothers, Relative Souls and more. Formula 5 will have a pair of album release shows on April 14 at Pacific Standard Tavern in New Haven, CT and on April 15 at Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs, NY.

  • Premiere: Wild Adriatic’s Music Video for ‘Come Back Baby’

    Wild Adriatic premieres today their video for ‘Come Back Baby,’ off their latest album Feel. Drummer Mateo Vosganian shares a little on the making of the video:

    “For this video we had the idea of involving the local community a bit more and put out a call for local young theater students to cast in this video. We ended up working with kids from Ballston Spa and had such a great time shooting with them. They were, of course, way more professional than we were on set and committed a whole weekend of their lives to making a fun video with us. Everything related to the video stems from our home community. Our friend Josh Casano is a band director at Oneida Middle School and connected us with the school principal who agreed to let us shoot there. Our friends Chromoscope Pictures are based in the Troy area and directed, produced, and edited this project. All in all it ended up being a super fun concept and we loved being able to sneak nods to some of our heroes into it.“

    Tour Dates
    Wild A Tour Dates
    3/31 – Nectar’s – Burlington, VT
    4/01 – Port City Music Hall – Portland, ME w/ The Maine Youth Rock Symphony
    4/07 – Parlor Newport – Newport, RI
    Come Back Baby
    Wild Adriatic & Leopold & His Fiction Tour
    4/11 – Baby’s All Right – Brooklyn, NY
    4/12 – Coda – Philadelphia, PA
    4/13 – Daryl’s House – Pawling, NY
    4/14 – The Haunt – Ithaca, NY
    4/15 – Dogfish Head Brewing – Rehoboth Beach, DE
    4/16 – Rams Head Baltimore – Baltimore, MD
    4/18 – Broadberry – Richmond, VA
    4/19 – MotorCo – Durham, NC
    4/20 – The Evening Muse – Charlotte, NC
    4/21 – Ashley Street Tavern – Augusta, GA
    4/22 – Sweetwater 420 Festival (Just Wild Adriatic)
    4/25 – Empire Control Room – Austin, TX
    4/26 – Gas Monkey – Dallas, TX
    4/27 – House of Rock – Corpus Christi, TX
    4/29 – Limelight – San Antonio, TX
    5/02 – Atomic Cowboy @ The Bootleg – St. Louis, MO
    5/05 – Schubas – Chicago, IL
    Wild Adriatic Summer Tour
    5/26-5/28 – Summercamp – Chillicothe, IL
    6/1-6/04 – Hazelnut Hang – Isle of Palms, SC
    6/30-7/02 – moe. Down – Turin, NY

  • Metal Couch Cast Returns With Season 2, Talk The Rods Returning, Feuds, and Review Obituary’s New Album

    Metal Couch Cast, the metal talk show on YouTube based in Syracuse returns after a brief hiatus, now featuring two of NYS Music’s writers Jay Saint G and Black Metal Steve

    Along with voice actor Matthew “Moshpit” Fardo, with Steve Losurdo Productions handling all of the show production go into a frenzy of metal topics including Tool’s recent tour announcement, along with The Rods new album and label with much, much more.

    Check out the video below and be sure to subscribe.

  • Gin Wigmore interviewed by Recess with Spinelli

    Originally hailing from Aukland, New Zealand but now residing in Los Angeles, USA, Gin Wigmore is known for her powerful vocals and melodies.

    gin wigmore

    Listen to the interview with Gin Wigmore by Alexander Spinelli/Longbow Media/Recess with Spinelli:

    Ms. Wigmore originally came to my attention while I was in London, England in 2012.  While surfing the channels on the (in the local vernacular) “telly,” I stumbled on a James Bond, “Skyfall” commercial featuring Gin’s song, “Man Like That,” off here 2011 release “Gravel & Wine.”  At this point, I was as Peter Pan may say, ‘hooked.’

    gin wigmore
    Gin Wigmore at the Hollow Bar and Kitchen in Albany, NY

    Ms. Wigmore’s 2013 release, Blood to Bone lived-up to her reputation and in fact, ever solidified her growing American fanbase, with songs such as “Written in the Water” and “New Rush.”

    Back in December, Gin came to Hollow Bar and Kitchen, in Albany, NY to a packed audience in support of her upcoming album and newly released, bold single “Mercy.”

    I interviewed Ms. Wigmore ahead of the show, during which she speaks of her musical progression, move to California, the upcoming album and much more!

    You can also listen to the full radio broadcast here:

    Recess with Spinelli can be heard every Wednesday 8pm-10pm EDT on WSPN in Saratoga Springs, NY on 91.1FM and on Hoxton FM in London, England every Wednesday 11pm-1am GMT 6pm-8pm EDT

    Follow Recess with Spinelli:

    Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube Soundcloud Mixcloud and online at longbowmedia.us

  • Listen to Sawyer Fredericks Interview on Recess with Spinelli

    Fultonville, NY native and winner of NBC’s Season 8 of “The Voice,” young Sawyer Fredericks will be joining the stage with fellow local musicians The Sea the Sea, Girl Blue, Sandy McKnight and John Davidson for the 518 Songfest at The Egg in Albany, NY on April 1. interview

    Sawyer Fredericks Interview
    Sawyer Fredericks live on Recess with Spinelli at WSPN

    Back in November, Mr. Fredericks stopped by the WSPN radio studio on the Skidmore College campus for an interview and to perform several live songs and discuss life on the family farm, musical inspiration, experience on “The Voice” and much more.

    You can listen to the full radio broadcast here:

    Sawyer Fredericks Interview
    Sawyer Fredericks live on Recess with Spinelli at WSPN

    Recess with Spinelli can be heard every Wednesday 8pm-10pm EDT on WSPN in Saratoga Springs, NY on 91.1FM and on Hoxton FM in London, England every Wednesday 11pm-1am GMT 6pm-8pm EDT

    Follow Recess with Spinelli: Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube Soundcloud  Mixcloud and online at longbowmedia.us

  • Funktional Flow Releases Video for “Trouble”

    Funktional Flow has released the video for the original “Trouble,” off their latest album Time Will Tell. The video was filmed at King’s Rook in Erie, PA and was edited by Nick Sonricker. Read the NYS Music review of Time Will Tell. Funktional Flow performs next at The Armor Inn Tap Room in Hamburg, NY on March 18.