Mike Gordon is putting the final touches on his newest studio album, OGOGO, set to be released in September. He will head out on a fall tour with the current lineup of his solo band. The 17 night tour kicks off on Sept. 22 in Athens, Georgia and includes a stop at Syracuse’s Westcott Theater.
Phish bassist, Mike Gordon, has been keeping busy with the new lineup of his solo band. His fifth studio album, OGOGO, will be released on Sept. 15. The first track, “Steps,” is available for streaming now and can be heard in the video below.
Gordon will also take his current solo band out on a 17 night tour that kicks off on Friday, Sept. 22 at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, Georgia. The tour makes a stop on Friday, Sept. 29 at the Westcott Theater in Syracuse. The only other stop in the Northeast is at New Haven, Connecticut’s College Street Music Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 27. The tour closes out with a two-night stand at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colorado on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 13 and 14. Gordon’s band includes Scott Murawski on guitar, Robert Walter on keyboards, John Kimock on drums, and Craig Myers on percussion.
Tickets for the tour are available now via a real-time pre-sale, which ends Thursday, July 13 at 5 p.m ET. The general on sale date for the tour is this Friday, July 14 at 10 a.m. ET.
Mike Gordon Fall 2017 Tour Dates
Sept. 22 – Georgia Theatre, Athens, GA
Sept. 23 – Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC
Sept. 24 – Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh, NC
Sept. 26 – The National, Richmond, VA
Sept. 27 – College Street Music Hall, New Haven, CT Sept. 29 – The Westcott Theater, Syracuse, NY
Sept. 30 – Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON
Oct. 1 – St. Andrews Hall, Detroit, MI
Oct. 3 – Bells Eccentric Cafe, Kalamazoo, MI
Oct. 4 – 20th Century Theater, Cincinnati, OH
Oct. 5 – The Vogue, Indianapolis, IN
Oct. 6 – The Metro, Chicago, IL
Oct. 8 – Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee, WI
Oct. 10 – Slow Down, Omaha, NE
Oct. 11 – Madrid Theatre, Kansas City, MO
Oct. 13-14 – Boulder Theater, Boulder, CO
In the post, the band alluded to reaching a turning point in its career, leading to the decision to go on indefinite hiatus to focus on other projects and the members’ individual lives.
Jimkata got its start at Ithaca College in 2005. Originally, the jamtronica band didn’t take itself seriously, taking its name from the 1985 gymnastics-meets-karate movie Gymkata, starring Olympian Kurt Thomas, a movie so notoriously bad, it’s a must-watch. Constant touring and a do-it-yourself work ethic earned the band a loyal fanbase as it transitioned from a jamband to a more electronic sound.
Founding members Evan Friedell (vocals/guitar), Aaron Gorsch (guitar/keys) and Packy Lunn (drums) grew up together in the Upstate college town of Oneonta. Bassist Dave Rossi joined after meeting the other members during his freshman year at Ithaca. Rossi was dismissed from the band in 2015.
The band has had a largely DIY ethic since its formation, turning to fans in online campaigns to finance its albums and tourning non-stop. The band’s latest album, 2016’s In Motion was financed through a PledgeMusic campaign. Such techniques tend to endear a band’s fans to the music as they feel a sense of ownership. Jimkata has felt a sense of pride in its DIY ethic and the relationship with its fans. Friedell says, “We just road dogged it. It’s all DIY. Doing 150 shows a year, sleeping on floors, recording songs along the way. We built everything organically, all word of mouth. The advice we got when we started was ‘Just go out and play. It’ll pay off.’”
In its statement, the band stated:
Its a very vulnerable thing to create music and share it with the world, not knowing how it will be received. For it to have been received with love and passion all these years is an honor. And to have existed as an independent band supported by friends, fans, and family for ten years feels like a privilege regardless of any challenges we’ve faced. But in short, we’ve busted our ass, given it our all, and for now we’re gonna take a step back and bust our ass in other directions. We look forward to staying connected with you and hope to hear from you as we pursue new projects. This is not the end of the music, but it is the end of this particular chapter of Jimkata.
The hiatus is not immediate, as the band still has several dates to perform, including a set at the Night Lights Music Festival in Sherman, south of Buffalo, Aug. 24-26 and October dates in Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany and New York. Tickets for the October shows go on sale Friday, July 14 at 11 a.m.
Catch Jimkata in October:
Oct. 19 – Flour City Station – Rochester Oct. 20 – Buffalo Iron Works – Buffalo Oct. 21 – Westcott Theater – Syracuse Oct. 26 – The Hollow Bar & Kitchen – Albany
Oct. 27 – The Main Pub – Manchester, CT Oct. 28 – American Beauty NYC – New York
After a two year hiatus, moe.down returned to its birthplace at Snow Ridge for the Fourth of July weekend. The highly anticipated return of the festival featured many sit-ins and covers along with rarely played moe. classics and seven full sets of moe.
moe.down was founded as a fan and family friendly festival in 2000 at Snow Ridge Ski Resort in the Tug Hill town of Turin. The festival made a name for itself over the years by inviting bands not typically associated with the jamband scene. Past years of moe.down have seen such acts as They Might Be Giants, Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven, Violent Femmes, Flaming Lips and Meat Puppets join moe. in upstate New York on a yearly basis. You can read all about past moe.downs in NYS Music‘s featured series here, here and here.
moe. also has a reputation for fostering younger bands. This year’s festival was indicative of that. Up and comers such as Mister F, Wild Adriatic, Organ Freeman, the Black River, Hayley Jane and the Primates, Ripe and the Hip Abduction were included in this year’s lineup, along with such familiar tour mates as Kung Fu, Twiddle, Railroad Earth, Ryan Montbleau and Blackberry Smoke. Fishbone was this year’s inclusion for outside-the-jamband mainstream act and did not disappoint. Several moe.-related bands were also included in this year’s lineup, including Floodwood, Al and the Transamericans and the Mike Dillon Band. Frequent moe.laborator, Shannon Lynch of Conehead Buddha and Lynch was also on hand, contributing her sax and vocals to several performances throughout the weekend.
Occasional heavy downpours throughout the day on Friday made for a muddy start to the weekend as much of the parking, main stage and high traffic areas became nearly nonnegotiable. Regardless, moe.rons are a hardy bunch and mud or not, moe.down was back.
Friday opened with Yes Darling on the tent stage. Yes Darling is a collaborative effort of Ryan Montbleau and Hayley Jane. Their chemistry got the festival off to a great start and provided a foreshadowing of what would come later in the night.
A reunion set of Al and the Transamericans followed on the main stage, followed by Hayley Jane and the Primates’ set in the tent and Ryan Montbleau on the main stage. The scheduling throughout the weekend was precise. As soon as one band finished on one stage, the other stage cranked up almost immediately. The proximity of the stages also allowed those at either stage to remain where they were and still enjoy the music from the other.
Kung Fu funked up the tent as many of the moe. faithful began filing in for the band’s first set at Snow Ridge in nearly three years.
moe. kicked off its festival with the apropos “Bring it Back Home,” seamlessly segueing into “Akimbo.” The segue-fest continued with “Defrost” > “Bearsong” until they brought it all back home to “Bring it Back Home” > “Captain America.” A fairly straight-forward rendition of “Captain America” was interrupted by a slight lyrical flub that was quickly recovered.
This led to the first sit-in of the weekend as Kirk Juhas and his Hammond B3 made their way to stage left to participate in three songs, “Blue Jeans Pizza,” a stellar cover of the Allman Brothers Band’s “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” and Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.” Juhas’ keyboard style fit in well with the flow of “Blue Jeans Pizza.” A “Two Tickets to Paradise” tease alluded to the moe.down hiatus before flowing back into “Blue Jeans.” If moe. were to consider adding a full-time keyboardist to the lineup, Juhas would be a great fit.
The “Elizabeth Reed” cover was noticed early on by many in the crowd and met with a huge roar when the opening notes hit Chuck Garvey’s pick. Juhas played the part of Gregg Allman as Garvey and Al Schnier did their best Duane Allman/Dickie Betts. The band made this song its own while still nodding to its Allman’s influence. The first cover of the weekend would have been the perfect set closer but moe. had another trick up its sleeve.
The trick in question was bringing Ryan Montbleau and Haley Jane onstage for a spot-on rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.” Montbleau nailed Lindsey Buckingham’s vocals while Jane’s Stevie Nicks was a bit more bluesy than the original but a perfect complement to Montbleau. This is where the two’s chemistry was truly on full display.
Friday’s second set was joined by three members of Kung Fu for a ripping version of Frank Zappa’s “San Ber’dino.” Guitarist Tim Palmieri, keyboardist Beau Sasser and saxophonist Robert Somerville joined moe. for one of the band’s traditional covers turned into a funky guitar duel between Garvey and Palmieri that also featured some “Elizabeth Reed” teases. Somerville’s solos added a punch sometimes lacking in moe.’s versions of the Zappa classic while Sasser’s keys added the crunch the song very much needed. The fun had onstage among all the musicians was truly evident as Garvey and Palmieri traded licks and Sasser smiled from ear-to-ear. Despite being the opening song to the second set of what would be a marathon night, the crowd was visibly spent as was Garvey, who exclaimed as the Kung Fu fellows exited the stage, “Now what the hell are we gonna do?”
What moe. did was get back into its catalog with a series that included “Billy Goat” > “Tailspin” > “Hi & Lo” > “Water” > “Hector’s Pillow” into a tease-heavy “Farmer Ben,” that hinted at influences throughout moe.’s career, and finally into a trippy, short “meat.” The inclusion of “Water” was truly appropriate considering the amounts of it that had fallen from the sky leading up to and during the fest.
Following the traditional post-set Al.nouncements, Schnier thanked the musicians that had performed that day and the soundcheck the previous night along with the crew that helped to keep things going despite the weather, offering a cheers to the moe.down faithful as they broke into an acoustic version of “Raise a Glass.”
The four song encore got into the silly zone as the clock sniffed the 2 a.m. barrier. A cover of the Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun,” sung by Schnier, turned into a group sing-along. Friday ended with “Nebraska” and an extended “Faker.” An epic, nearly five hour set by the hometown heroes set the stage for an amazing weekend.
After the rain came the sun, and with that even more interesting interplay between the acts on Saturday at moe.down.
Waking up Saturday, it appeared we might be in for even more mud and gross weather, but that never happened. What did occur was a day saved by increasing temperatures, a bright sun and a renewed positive energy among the crowd, who were clearly ready to un-cake the mud, dry out and boogie without sliding down the slippery mountain terrain.
Kung Fu and moe. both battled the elements Friday night to piece together a memorable evening. But a little after noon on Saturday, the Black River kicked things off inside the tent stage. Perfect for the lazy morning, Mike Powell lead the still waking crowd through an hour of fun rock.
A little after its slated 1:30 p.m. time slot, moe. took to the mountain stage and intertwined some of the parade from the kids tent into their set, performing Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family” and rousing the attendees to sing along in unison. “Spine of a Dog” and “Buster” opened the set in fun fashion, with Schnier and Garvey trading licks, as is usual.
“Bullet”> “Kyle’s Song” > “Kids” proved itself to be a trio of meticulous segues. moe. then closed out the Saturday set with an extended “Moth.”
Albany-area progressive funk rockers Mister F, who were all enjoying their weekends near the VIP camping area, were up next in the Tent Stage. Keyboardist Scott Hannay said prior to their set that the band was very prepared to give fans a treat.
What they weren’t planning for was more bad weather, as rain and lightning caused the band to have to exit the stage for about 15 minutes due to safety reasons. They didn’t miss a beat when they returned, giving the rowdy crowd another half hour of blistering time signatures. “Duck Tales” > “Eye Level” > “Everything You Say” kicked off the set, but it was “Answer the Dog” that was the set highlight. It featured teases of Inspector Gadget and the Snoop Dogg/Dr. Dre classic “Nuthin’ but a G Thang.”
Funk and reggae mixed with a little punk rock was up next, as veterans Fishbone brought its crew onstage for 90 minutes of unadulterated, unapologetic, in-your-face music. Maybe they were energized by what was going to happen later?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWBvfY4DbOM/
Floodwood brought its folksy, Americana blend to the tent stage next. This writer missed most of the set due to having to change out of soggy, muddy clothing and to prepare for the evening’s activities. Blackberry Smoke, followed by Saratoga Springs riff rockers Wild Adriatic, were next on the docket. It was the perfect back-to-back combination, as the southern charm of Blackberry Smoke was the perfect breeding ground for the hard hitting Wild Adriatic.
moe. came back on for its second Saturday set with blazing covers of Pink Floyd’s “In the Flesh,” followed by “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2.” The energy caused the crowd to sing along in unison with the two of the psychedelic rock group’s most beloved songs off The Wall. Fishbone then joined in the fun for a cover of “Freddie’s Dead,” before Charlie Starr, of Blackberry Smoke, sat in for a southern tinged take on moe. favorite “Opium.” “32 Things,” “Seat of my Pants” and “Plane Crash” were performed, with the latter two closing out the set.
For the late night set, moe. kept with the theme of inviting guests to explore their material, as well as others’ music. “Wind It Up,” “Same Old Story,” “Tubing the River Styx” and “The Pit” began the set, before “Silver Sun” gave way to a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “The Other One,” which featured Jason Barady and Nick Piccininni, both of Floodwood.
Sunday featured a renewed optimism, as the mud was nearly dried, and some fresh music on tap.
Mike Dillon Band started the music on the tent stage, before roots-Americana band Railroad Earth brought their brand of bluegrass to the Main Stage.
Twiddle, seeing its stock rise steadily in 2016 and into 2017, took to the mountain stage at 5:30 p.m. and lit right into “Nicodemus Portulay,” featuring an extended trance-like jam. Favorites “Polluted Beauty” and “Lost in the Cold” were up next, as the former carried into the 16-minute range.
“Orlando’s,” “The Fantastic Tale of Ricky Snickle,” and “Drifter” finally gave way for a set-closing “Wasabi Eruption” > “The Box” before finally settling on “Juggernaut.” It’s abundantly clear that Twiddle have not only carved out their place in the jam scene, but based of their moe.down set, they’re ready to continue pushing to uncapped heights.
The final night of moe.down had the band dressed all in white, similar to Saturday night. The band opened with “Puebla” and quickly returned to “meat.” from Friday night. Loughlin’s extended malletkat (“It’s not a xylophone”) solo led the band into an early moe. classic, “Awesome Gary,” sending the crowd into a dancing frenzy, while also indicating that Loughlin would have a large presence on this night.
Schnier donned a white suit with a fedora reminiscent of the Panama Jack spokesman and proceeded to level up to rock star mode during the solo in the proceeding “Crab Eyes,” standing on top of the monitors and all.
The unexpected highlight of Sunday’s set was when Rob Derhak forgot the lyrics to “New York City” and asked the audience for help, “Someone’s gotta give me the first line. The band has no clue…But what’s the first word? Anybody know the first word of this next line? This is gonna go down as the most epic ‘New York City’ ever.” Unfortunately the crowd was no help, which resulted in his son pulling up the lyrics on his phone while the band continued the bridge in the background.
Sunday’s first set concluded with a guest appearance from Twiddle’s Mihali Savoulidis and Ryan Dempsey for a performance of moe.’s “Mexico.” Dempsey’s keys weren’t really prominent in the mix, while Savouldis’ fretwork mixed well with Schnier and Garvey. All of the musicians were obviously pleased to be sharing the stage as the crowd sang along.
Following setbreak, the traditional Mayor of moe.down election took place. It’s obvious at this stage of the game that Derhak has had enough of this tradition. The nominees included such animate and inanimate objects as the hay (that was laid down on top of the mud), Screaming Trumpkin (a rubber chicken that resembled President Donald Trump), Frank (moe.’s guitar tech, Frank Robbins), Rex (the reigning Mayor of moe.down) and Rob’s Bulge (a reference to bassist Derhak). The resulting “election,” much to Derhak’s chagrin, was Rob’s Bulge. The acceptance speech included Derhak saying, “I hate this. And, uh, fuck everybody here. But my bulge is Mayor of moe.down.” This was followed by a chant of “Rob’s Bulge” led by Schnier.
Following the election, a “McBain” sandwich occurred, that included a “Skrunk,” a “Yodelittle” and a return to “McBain” that featured percussionist Mike Dillon battling Loughlin on the mallets, truly one of the many highlights of the weekend.
As the band broke into “Brent Black,” the skies opened yet again, sending the faithful scurrying for cover. Many gathered in the tent stage area as the band troopered on through the downpour. As the rain fell, the band converged to presumably discuss what to do for the remainder of the show. Vinnie Amico and Derhak continued playing as Schnier convalesced with the stage crew. The rains diminished and the band persevered, the result was pure exuberance from fans.
The weekend concluded with Schnier thanking the crew, their families, fans, Snow Ridge and the people who cleaned out his basement during the recent flooding in the Utica area, followed by an encore that included a “Not Coming Down” > “Okayalright” and a fitting “America, Fuck Yeah” from the Team America soundtrack.
moe.down XVI by all accounts was a success despite the weather. When it comes to moe.down, it’s expected you’re going to get weather. That’s what makes moe.rons such a special breed and moe. such a special band. The return of this festival to its origin proved successful and bodes well for a return for moe.down XVII in 2018. Let’s hope it’s so.
Under the perfect evening sky, with the most gentle of breezes blowing through the amphitheater-like backyard venue, Syracuse music lovers welcomed Christian Lopez to New York. Being introduced to his music for the first time, house party attendees were in for a treat from this 21 year old musician and his bandmates Jason Navo on bass and Cameron McClaren on drums.
Despite his age, this young man is a seasoned musician with more than 6 years on the road experience, playing in front of audiences of all sizes, winning them over one by one. Raised in West Virginia, music was always a part of his family as his mother is a music teacher. Encouraged by his parents and subjected to many country music greats including Waylon, Willie, Johnny and Kris, the flavor of those influences as well as his personal favorites blend to become this eclectic mix in his songwriting and playing. Whether it’s a rock-a-billy tune, a slower ballad or an all out rock and roll number, audiences can’t get enough of him from the minute he starts playing and singing.
Listening to him, his voice had a smooth John Denver-ish tone with the ballads, however, as he played his rock numbers I felt him channeling Jerry Lee Lewis’s energy and Elvis’s prowess. Moving around the back yard to capture new angles, I constantly overheard the awe and appreciation from everyone in attendance. I would be remiss not to mention his songwriting skills were top notch as well. His setlist was riddled with these numbers, each as well written as the next. Two covers were sung (“Hurricane”-Levon Helms and “Use Me” – Bill Withers), however, they were sung more like tributes than as covers as you can see below.
https://youtu.be/GQQLwTcMf0g
Treating us to many numbers off the new upcoming album Red Arrow, produced by Marshall Altman, it’s hard to believe this 21 year old has already accumulated the skill set necessary to become a household name. One can only anticipate, as time goes on, the musical genius to come from this talented young man. Mark my words, he is an artist to remember. Catching the eye of Rolling Stone at the American Music Fest in 2015, and artists such as Amy Helm at Cayamo in 2017, it’s apparent those in the business have already taken heed. Booked already to partake in Rock Boat 2018, that would be one heck of a vacation and a way to be introduced to the talents of this young man, don’t ya think?
Setlist: 1972, Man I Was , Finish What You Started , Someday , Hurricane (Levon Helm cover) , All The Time, Between Us , Morning Rise, Swim, Silver Line , Don’t Wanna Say Goodnight , Use Me (Bill Withers cover) , Caramel, Say Goodbye , Will I See You Again, Steel On The Water
Lopez, 22 years old from West Virginia, was named best new artist by Rolling Stone Magazine at Americana Fest in 2015 and was a finalist on American Idol in 2013.
Christian Lopez Band shows are legendary because of high energy and a range of music which includes a mix of music from his debut album Onward, material from a forthcoming new album and covers of fun material. The band performs an amazing cover of the Bill Withers tune “Use Me Up,” The Beatles song “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” and Levon Helm’s “Hurricane” which he performed with Levon’s daughter Amy Helm on the 2017 Cayamo Cruise.
Because the Boilermaker Road Race is on Sunday morning, the show starts early at 5 PM.
Tickets are just $20 and include food and beverages. This is an all-ages show.
The City of Rome’s annual summer concert series at Griffo Green at Rome City Hall kicks off its season of free Monday concerts July 10. All shows are held from 6-8 p.m. each Monday night throughout July and August. Beverages will be available for purchase and food trucks will be on hand on selected nights. There will also be a food truck rally July 24.
Kicking off this year’s series on July 10 is SAMMYS Hall of Fame inductee Fritz’s Polka Band. Fritz’s Polka Band was formed in 1978 and has been active ever since. While the word “polka” is in the band’s name, it is not solely a polka band. Fritz’s Polka Band performs everything from classic rock to blues to country. Check out FPB’s version of “All Along the Watchtower” below.
Vinyl 45, a five piece performing hits from the ’60s and ’70s, takes the stage July 17 followed by acoustic duo, the Boxed Set on July 24. The latter is also the date of the Food Truck Rally. Local food trucks will be lined up along North Washington Street for concert goers’ culinary concerns.
The Pine Ridge Mountain Band visits Griffo Green on July 31. This four piece specializes in southern rock. You’ll hear classics from the Allman Brothers Band and Lynryd Skynyrd as well as contemporary hits from Blackberry Smoke and Tom Petty.
Their version of the James Gang’s “Funk 49” can be seen below.
Caut!on makes an appearance Aug. 7. This local favorite dips into the catalogs of the Grateful Dead, Van Morrison, the Band and other Americana and jamband staples along with its own original compositions.
Red Hush has been performing around Central New York for upward of 20 years. Their hard rock style has earned them a loyal following throughout the area. Griffo Green will be rocking when these guys take the stage Aug. 14.
The series wraps Aug. 21 with a performance of classics and contemporary rock and country by Dubonnet. Dubonnet is another veteran Central New York act with a strong following.
The Rome Summer Concert Series is sponsored by Davidson Auto Group and the City of Rome Department of Parks & Recreation. Admission to all events is free.
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
Upstate NY music lovers can catch a unique experience while celebrating a part of history. The Albany Symphony, along with the New York State Canal Corporation, will present Water Music New York, a celebration to commemorate the bicentennial year of the Erie Canal. Organizers of the week long event ask music lovers to “follow the barge.”
Musical history buffs across the state will have the chance to experience live music canalside at several different locations across the state, as the Albany Symphony‘s week long barge adventure on the Erie Canal will run from July 2-8, making stops in Albany, Schenectady, Amsterdam, Little Falls, Baldwinsville, Brockport, and Lockport. All shows are free.
The celebration will kick off on July 2 at Jennings Landing in Albany, and also make stops on July 3 at the Mabee Farm in Schenectady, July 4 at the Riverlink Park in Amsterdam and July 5 at the Rotary Park in Little Falls.
During the week-long Erie Canal Bicentennial journey, the Albany Symphony will collaborate with local art groups and debut seven world premieres by up and coming composers. The composers found their inspiration in the culture, history and stories of each canal community while composing their works of art that celebrate New York and the Erie Canal.
Communities taking part in the event will present a full day of block parties and activities that are centered around the communities’ historic character and cultural highlights. Grammy award winning conductor, David Alan Miller, will head up the conducting duties during the week long event. Miller and the Symphony will also perform selections from Handel’s Water Music, and American favorites including the “Superman March,” “Stars and Stripes Forever,” “Raiders Of The Lost Ark,” “March, and Hoedown from Rodeo. The events will also feature Daniel Schlosberg in his composition, “Work Song,” and collaborating artist such as the ESYO Youth Jazz Ensemble, and the Skidmore Storytellers Institute.
More information on this historic tour can be found at the Albany Symphony Orchestra’s website.
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
Buffalo’s Folkfaces are gearing up for 2017 and their biggest summer tour yet. The extensive tour focus primarily on New York, giving those in the state plenty of opportunities to check them out.
Buffalo-based Americana quintet Folkfaces has had a busy 2017 and the year is only half over. They released their debut album How Long? back in April while also completing two spring tours. The band consists of Tyler Westcott (guitar, vocals), Dan Borodzik (slide guitar, vocals), Ellen Pieroni (saxophones), Patrick Jackson (upright bass) and Dan Schwach (drums, washboard).
Folkfaces’ summer tour features over 30 dates throughout New York with stops in five other states and Toronto. The tour kicks off this Wednesday, June 21 at Al’s Wine & Whiskey in Syracuse and closes out at the Night Lights Music Festival in Sherman. The tour primarily brings the band throughout New York with a heavy focus on the western portion of the state for their hometown fans.
In addition to their own shows, they’ll be sharing the stage with a handful of other bands. They play with Dustbowl Revival on June 28 at Babeville in Buffalo. They’ll join The Tenants on July 14 for a house show in Akron, Ohio on July 14. On July 22, they play the Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs with The North and South Dakotas. The Fredtown Stompers and the Buffalo Brass Machine join them on Aug. 2 at the Tralf in Buffalo. As part of the Buffalo Infringement Festival, they play alongside Swimmer, Minor Racket, Dark Matter Trio and The Funk Theory Extravaganza on Aug. 4 at Nietzsche’s in Buffalo. Nietzsche’s sees them again on Aug. 23 along with Minor Moon and Pine Fever.
Folkfaces is one of NYS Music’s 87/90 up and coming featured artists.
Folkfaces Summer Tour Dates
June 21 – Al’s Wine & Whiskey, Syracuse, NY
June 23 – 42 North, East Aurora, NY
June 28 – Babeville, Buffalo, NY *
July 6 – The Waterhole, Saranac Lake, NY
July 7 – The Monopole, Plattsburgh, NY
July 8 – Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, VT
July 9 – The Pizza Stone, Chester, VT
July 12 – Temple Bar and Grille, Rochester, NY
July 13 – The Crittenden Tavern, Coudersport, PA
July 14 – House Show, Akron, OH **
July 15 – Cobblestone Festival, Buffalo, NY
July 16 – 10th Ave. Burrito Co., Belmar, NJ
July 17 – Shrine World Music Venue, New York, NY
July 17 – Silvana, New York, NY
July 18 – Arlene’s Grocery, Brooklyn, NY
July 19 – Salt Gastropub, Stanhope, NJ
July 20 – Cabaret at Germano’s, Baltimore, MD
July 21 – TBA
July 22 – Putnam Den, Saratoga Springs, NY #
July 28 – Fiddler’s Picnic, Marion, NY
July 31 – Buffalo Infringement Festival, Lafayette Square, Buffalo, NY
Aug. 2 – The Tralf, Buffalo, NY ##
Aug. 3 – Funk ‘n Waffles, Rochester, NY
Aug. 4 – 189 Public House, East Aurora, NY
Aug. 4 – Buffalo Infringement Festival, Nietzsche’s, Buffalo, NY ^
Aug. 5 – The Riverboat Bar, Alexandria Bay, NY
Aug. 6 – Junction City Music Hall, Toronto, ON
Aug. 11 – Slyfest, Sherman, NY
Aug. 20 – Nights of Fire Festival, Franklinville, NY
Aug. 23 – Nietzsche’s, Buffalo, NY ^^
Aug. 25 – Night Lights Music Festival, Sherman, NY
* w/ Dustbowl Revival
** w/ The Tenants
# w/ The North and South Dakotas
## w/ The Fredtown Stompers, Buffalo Brass Machine
^ w/ Swimmer, Minor Racket, Dark Matter Trio, The Funk Theory Extravaganza
^^ w/ Minor Moon, Pine Fever
Phish bassist, Mike Gordon, has been keeping busy with the new lineup of his solo band. His fifth studio album, OGOGO, will be released on Sept. 15. The first track, “Steps,” is available for streaming now and can be heard in the video below.
moe.down was founded as a fan and family friendly festival in 2000 at Snow Ridge Ski Resort in the Tug Hill town of Turin. The festival made a name for itself over the years by inviting bands not typically associated with the jamband scene. Past years of moe.down have seen such acts as They Might Be Giants, Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven, Violent Femmes, Flaming Lips and Meat Puppets join moe. in upstate New York on a yearly basis. You can read all about past moe.downs in NYS Music‘s featured series 
Musical history buffs across the state will have the chance to experience live music canalside at several different locations across the state, as the 
Communities taking part in the event will present a full day of block parties and activities that are centered around the communities’ historic character and cultural highlights. Grammy award winning conductor, David Alan Miller, will head up the conducting duties during the week long event. Miller and the Symphony will also perform selections from Handel’s Water Music, and American favorites including the “Superman March,” “Stars and Stripes Forever,” “Raiders Of The Lost Ark,” “March, and Hoedown from Rodeo. The events will also feature Daniel Schlosberg in his composition, “Work Song,” and collaborating artist such as the ESYO Youth Jazz Ensemble, and the Skidmore Storytellers Institute.
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.