NYS Music 20​18

Category: Jam/Progressive

  • Cousin Earth’s Energy, Ampevene’s Album Release Highlight the Hollow

    The Hollow Bar and Kitchen was in a New York state of mind on Friday night. Albany progressive rock quartet Ampevene, celebrating the release of its new album Ephemagoria and Brooklyn-bred Cousin Earth threw down the perfect blend of Led Zeppelin-esque energy and a quirkiness in the Frank Zappa vein at Albany’s leading rock club.

    Kicking things off with “Rometheu,” Ampevene put on display its prowess for technical proficiency, led by guitarist Gabe Stallman and bassist Mack Hogan trading runs. Hogan’s thumping rhythm was a constant throughout the group’s set. “Tracalysis” was followed up with an all out rock ‘n roll drum solo from Brian Fahey.

    Pulling from one of their main influences, Ampevene launched into the chunky opening chords of the Nirvana mega hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Stallman added a unique spin to his short solo, making the song take a psychedelic spin. “Goliath” preceded “Tumultous,” the latter of which morphed into a crowd pleasing segment featuring Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused.” The jam saw the crowd grow a little rowdy and the band responded with the highlight of their set. “New Song” and “Valencia” closed out the set to a roaring applause from the band’s friends and family in attendance.

    Up next was Cousin Earth, playing their first headlining show at the venue. The five-piece group melds together a wide array of musical variety, proved right out of the gate with a searing take on the “Zelda” theme song. Joey Calfa, on his trusted electric ukulele, showed his prowess on the unconventional rock instrument by transforming each note into a blend of guitar and ukulele.

    “Zelda Sarias Song” > “Think of all the Things” > “Tale Spin Theme Song” was next, as Calfa and bassist Corey Feldman, who plays on a Kala U Bass the size of a ukulele, continued to feed of each other’s energy. Tara Lawton, who also plays the melodica, and Terry Brennan held down the vocals with the confidence of a seasoned opera singer, giving the band a sometimes Vaudeville-like feel.

    (Side note: I first saw Cousin Earth a little more than three years ago, just as they were transitioning into their new name from Ukulelian. They opened up a small festival and the crowd was sparse to say the least. I was unsure what this band was going to be like given the irreverent instrumental selections, but the band blew me away that afternoon. Since then, Cousin Earth has been on a steady upward climb, and their headlining slot at the Hollow was proof of their professional work ethic.)

    “Dancing Fool,” “Keep it Greasy,” “Super Fun Laser Beams” and “Alive” allowed each member to stand out at times, while also showcasing their incredible improvisational skills. Drummer Nate Searing held it all together throughout the night, while at the same time providing a loose and fun atmosphere.

    The funniest part of the night is when they burst into a cover of actress Natalie Portman’s rap from Saturday Night Live. Attendees sang along and the band had some trouble containing laughter on stage.

    The closing segment of “Blisters,” “Keep On”>”Scuttle Buttin’”>”Little Wing”>”Capricorn on the Cob” saw Calfa switch between his ukulele and his cherry red Fender Stratocaster to do his best Jimi Hendrix impression.

    All told, this show was great in every aspect. As both Ampevene and Cousin Earth continue to ascend and grow, both groups still put all of their effort into a pleasing live experience.

    Ampevene setlist

    Rometheu, Tracalysis, Drum jam, Smells like Teen Spirit, Goliath, Tumultuous*, New Song, Valencia
    *with Dazed and Confused jam

    Cousin Earth setlist

    Zelda Main Theme> Zelda Sarias song > Think of all the things > Tale Spin Theme, Dancing Fool > Keep it Greasy, Super Fun Laser Beams, Alive, Womp > Natalie Portman Rap (SNL) > Womp > Space Worms (future folk) > Tarantella Napolitana, Spiritual Spun, Blisters, Keep On ( show me the numbers, Ian), Scuttle Buttin’ > Little Wing > Capricorn on the Cob

    Encore: Son of a Bitch

  • Camp Bisco 16 Announces Lineup

    Camp Bisco returns for year 16.

    The music festival hosted by the Disco Biscuits takes place once again on Montage Mountain on Thursday, July 12 to Saturday, July 14, in Scranton, Pa.

    Marc Brownstein, Biscuits bassist posted on Facebook: “Back to the mountain with an amazing lineup!!”

    It will be the festival’s fourth consecutive year at Montage Mountain — which includes a waterpark and camping grounds for festivalgoers.

    The Disco Biscuits headline the three-day event, and the festival continues to book the biggest names in EDM and jamtronica.

    Headbangers and bassheads can rejoice there will be no shortage of bass at this year’s event.

    Bisco staples such as Bassnectar, Tipper, Lotus and STS9 return to headline once again. Excision and Illenium will also headline along with Bonobo, which will include a live band.

    More bands included are: 12th Planet; Anna Lunde; Big Wild; Boogie T; Buku; Desert Dwellers; DJ Jazzy Jeff; The Floozies (ft. the Terminus Horns); The Funk Hunters; G Jones; Ghostface Killah; Jai Wolf; Lettuce; Liquid Stranger; Mija (back to back) Billy Kenny; Oliver Tree; Papadosio; Quinn XCII; Space Jesus X2 (including a special downtempo set); Snails; Sunsquabi; Tauk; Zion I x Lespecial.

    Also making the trip to Montage Mountain will be: Agent Zero; Bass Physics; Bluetech; Cofresi; Ducky; Flamingosis; Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad; The Hip Abduction; Horizon Wireless; Kidswaste; Kung Fu; Let’s Danza!; Magic Beans; Naughty Professor; Orchard Lounge; Probcause; Space Bacon; Squinto; Yheti and Zeke Beats.

    For more information and tickets for Camp Bisco 16, visit campbisco.com

  • Latest Live Phish Release Features 1998 Vernon Downs Show

    The latest addition to the Live Phish series is Phish’s show from Central New York’s harness racing mecca, Vernon Downs, on Aug. 12, 1998.

    The only show Phish has ever performed at this venue worked perfectly into Phish’s wordplay throughout the night. The “Makisupa Policeman” lyric, “Woke up this morning, burning down,” was met with rapturous applause due to its resemblance to the venue’s name. Later in the show, the band performed a cover of the Talking Heads classic “Burning Down the House,” which took on a new persona as Trey Anastasio sang, “Vernon Down the house,” much to the delight of those in attendance.

    The show was also somewhat of a hometown show for drummer Jon Fishman, a graduate of nearby Jamesville-DeWitt High School. Anastasio refers to him as “Bob Weaver” during the show. He also continuously busted Fishman’s chops throughout the show, referring to his old high school band, Frodo, on several occasions.

    As far as Phish shows go, this one has to be one that would convert many first-timers. Covers of ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Talking Heads and the Rolling Stones, along with several popular Phish standards, definitely converted many in attendance for the first time.

    Set One: La Grange, Makisupa Policeman, Funky Bitch, Possum, Roggae, Character Zero, Ramble On, Slave to the Traffic Light

    Set Two: Mike’s Song> Simple> Rift, Loving Cup, Sleeping Monkey > Weekapaug Groove, The Squirming Coil

    Encore: Burning Down the House, You Enjoy Myself

  • Trey Anastasio Brings Intimate Solo Tour to Ithaca

    Phish frontman Trey Anastasio brought his solo acoustic tour through Ithaca this past Friday night. Trey combined story telling with many of the songs, including stories about Phish shows in Ithaca in the late 80s and early 90s. Download the show here.

    Setlist via Phish.net:

    SET 1: Prince Caspian [1], NICU[1], Theme From the Bottom[1], Rise/Come Together[2], Ghost[1], The Wedge[1], AC/DC Bag[1], Light[2], The Inlaw Josie Wales[1], Dog Faced Boy[1], Sleep[1], Ocelot[2], Summer of ’89[1], Twist[1], Sand[2], Fuego[2]

    ENCORE: Carini[1], Wilson[1]

    [1] Trey solo acoustic. [2] Trey solo acoustic debut.

  • Michal Menert and Breaking Biscuits Blow The Roof Off The Fillmore

    Michal Menert wanted to have a party in Denver, Colorado, so he invited a few of his friends to come rock out  at the Fillmore. His “Big Band,” The Pretty Fantastics, is a compilation of incredible musicians that accompanied him the night of January 26. And when he says big band, he means it. With horns sections, a cellist, violinist, drummer, DJ, and a backup singer/ keys player, the possibilities were endless.

    The lineup for the night was packed. With openers Elliot Lipp, Dynohunter, and Late Night Radio, they got the night started off right. The energy was high right out of the gate, and you could feel the crowd surging. The bill included another heavy hitter, Breaking Biscuits, a mashup of jam-legends, The Disco Biscuits, and electro-funk greats, Break Science. The super group made their debut at Brooklyn Comes Alive back in 2016, and fans have eagerly awaited their return.

    Breaking Biscuits began their set on a mile-high note, not letting the crowd forget who was on stage. With covers of RJD2’s “The Horror” and Daft Punk’s “Robot Rock,” the quartet blew the roof off the Fillmore. They were on fire and you could see it in their eyes. After Breaking Biscuits was done throttling the Denver crowd, Dynohunter rocked out a quick intermission set from the soundboard while the plethora of gear and instruments were brought out for The Pretty Fantastics, and the ceiling was reattached.

    Michal Menert is not only a very talented producer, but also an incredible guitarist and singer, and his big, massive, gigantically talented band touched all genres. Menert even gave Break Science a nod as he played a couple songs they co-produced together on their EP, Twilight Frequency. Between the horns, strings, and the heavy, heavy bass, you could say they were more than “pretty fantastic.”

    Check out photos below, courtesy of Zatchmo Lives Media.

  • Consider the Source Announce Coast-to-Coast Spring Tour

    Consider the Source has announced a Spring Tour, spanning the entire country coast to coast over 31 shows across March, April and May.  The first two shows of the tour find the trio opening for Pink Talking Fish at The Capitol Theatre on Feb. 10, and supporting funk/soul legends Soulive at Ardmore Music Hall on March 2. The next night the band then heads into Brooklyn to perform at House of Yes with You Bred Raptors? before taking a few weeks off prior to a cross country tour.

    consider the source coastConsider the Source were recently guests on Adult Swim’s Fishcenter Live. If you missed the episode, stream it here.

    Feb. 10 – The Capitol Theatre – Port Chester, NY*
    March 2 – Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA#
    March 3 – House of Yes – Brooklyn, NY%
    March 30 – Chameleon Club – Lancaster, PA%
    April 4 – Buffalo Iron Works – Buffalo, NY
    April 5 – Woodlands Tavern – Columbus, OH
    April 6 – Reggies Music Joint – Chicago, IL
    April 7 – Source Public House – Menasha, WI
    April 8 – The Frequency – Madson, WI
    April 12 – The Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO
    April 13 – Lost Lake – Denver, CO
    April 14 – The Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO@
    April 18 – Filling Station – Bozeman, MT
    April 19 – Red Room Lounge – Spokane, WA
    April 20 – High Dive – Seattle, WA
    April 21 – Analog Cafe – Portland, OR
    April 22 – HiFi Music Hall – Eugene, OR
    April 25 – The Dip – Redding, CA
    April 26 – Humboldt Brews – Arcata, CA
    April 27 – Alibi Ale Works – Truckee, CA
    April 28 – Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA
    May 2 – Mohawk – Austin, TX
    May 3 – Gas Monkey – Dallas, TX
    May 4 – The Abbey Underground – Denton, TX
    May 5 – The Shrine – Tulsa, OK
    May 9 – Zydeco – Birmingham, AL
    May 10 – High Rock Outfitters – Lexington, NC
    May 11 – Bright Box – Winchester, VA
    May 18 – King’s Rook Club – Erie, PA
    May 19 – Hookahville – Bellefontaine, OH
    May 26 – StrangeCreek Campout – Greenfield, MA

    *w/ Pink Talking Fish
    #w/ Soulive
    %w/ You Bred Raptors?
    @w/ The Jauntee & Sixty Minute Men

  • An Acoustic Evening With Trey Anastasio at the Mayo Performing Arts Center

    Trey Anastasio kicked off a nine-night solo acoustic tour at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown New Jersey on February 8. He performed to a capacity crowd of 1,302 people. Just for perspective, MSG holds 20,789 people. That’s right around 16 times smaller than the room we all just saw him play in 17 times last year. 2018 is starting off a bit more intimate. The audience shared in a bit of back and forth with Anastasio, “If you sing it I’ll Play It,” Trey told fans as they were coaxing out a “Sleeping Monkey”. That then inspired Trey to challenge the crowd to a  “Limb By Limb”. “… But can you do this one?”, he laughed. They could, as both songs feature the audience singing the vocal parts normally done by Page.

    Trey Anastasio Acoustic

    As he has been known to do, Anastasio also took time between songs to share stories and engage the audience. Storytime with Trey. He covered topics ranging from pregnant cow’s milk to the tongue-eating louse, killer of fish. We also heard the tale of poor young Payton Hooten getting lost at his first concert. Don’t worry Trey talked to his mom on the phone, and reunited him with his friends. Trey also took the opportunity to share about the loss of his lifelong friend to cancer, and debut a song he wrote during the experience. He went on to describe the Portuguese emotion of “Saudade” just before he began playing, although the song was not officially named at the time.

    Trey Anastasio continues his acoustic tour tonight in Ithaca at the State Theatre.

    Setlist: Blaze On, Backwards Down The Number Line, Miss You, Strange Design, 20 Years Later, Wolfman’s Brother, Everything’s Right, The Inlaw Josie Wales, Sleeping Monkey, Limb By Limb, Waste, “Saudade”^, Bathtub Gin> Chalkdust Torture> Back On The Train

    Encore: Bouncing Around The Room, Push On Til The Day*, More

    ^ First Time Played, Original- In honor of CCott

    *Unfinished- Played up to “…Pete threw a bomb and rang the pole…” then stopped to tell the story of that lyric

  • Primus and Mastodon Pairing Up For Huge Summer Tour

    Primus and Mastodon are hitting the road together this year for a huge summer tour. Stretching non-step from the beginning of May to early July, the tour will circumvent virtually the entire country.

    Primus Mastodon And talk about a great first show to kick things off! On May 6, the two bands will rage Red Rocks Amphitheater for what should be an especially memorable night. The majority of May will take them through the south, to venues in cities like Dallas, Nashville, Alabama and Georgia, before late May and early June starts their northeast leg. Along with dates in Portland, Asbury Park, Providence and others, they will play three New York venues: Artpark Amphitheater in Lewiston, Cool Insuring Arena in Glen Falls, and Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk.

    The rest of June will take them back out towards the midwest and west, from Columbus to Chicago, to Indianapolis and then farther out to spots like Bonner, Montana, Seattle Washington, and Bend, Oregon. Primus and Mastodon wrap it all up on July 7 at Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, AZ.

    The pairing of these two hard rock titans should be a dream matchup for fans of either band. Primus will be supporting their 2017 release, the storybook concept album The Desaturating Seven. Mastodon is also coming off its own 2017 release, Emperor in Sand. Both albums have received ample praise across the major music news sources, and have certainly resulted in some tremendous recent shows from each artist.

    Tickets are now available for all summer shows, and you can get them by visiting either Primus or Mastodon’s websites.

    Primus and Mastodon 2018 Summer Tour Schedule:

    May 6 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater
    May 8 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
    May 10 – Dallas, TX – Southside Ballroom
    May 11 – Austin, TX – Austin 360 Amphitheater
    May 12 – Rogers, AR – Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion
    May 14 – Birmingham, AL – BJCC Concert Hall
    May 15 – Nashville, TN – Nashville Municipal Auditorium
    May 16 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theater
    May 18 – Portsmouth, VA – Portsmouth Pavilion
    May 19 – Charlotte, NC – Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
    May 20 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater
    May 22 – Reading, PA – Diamond Credit Union Theater @ Santander
    May 23 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark Amphitheater
    May 25 – Glen Falls, NY – Cool Insuring Arena
    May 26 – Providence, RI – Bold Point Park
    May 27 – Portland, ME – TBA
    May 29 – Boston, MA – Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
    May 30 – Philadelphia, PA – Penn’s Landing – Festival Pier
    June 1 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summerstage
    June 2 – Baltimore, MD – Pier 6 Pavilion
    June 3 – Brooklyn, NY – Ford Amphitheater @ Coney Island Boardwalk
    June 5 – Columbus, OH – Express Live! Outdoor Amphitheatre
    June 6 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
    June 8 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
    June 9 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheater at Freedom Hill
    June 10 – Indianapolis, IN – Farmer’s Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park
    June 12 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
    June 14 – Minneapolis, MN – MYTH LIVE
    June 15 – Bonner Springs, KS – Providence Medical Center Amphitheater
    June 16 – Camdenton, MO – Ozarks Amphitheater
    June 18 – Lincoln, NE – Pinewood Bowl Theater
    June 21 – Bonner, MT – Kettlehouse Amphitheater
    June 22 – Seattle, WA – Marymoor Park
    June 23 – Bend, OR – Les Schwab Amphitheater
    June 25 – Troutdale, OR – Edgefield
    June 28 – Avila Beach, CA – Avila Beach Resort Amphitheater
    June 29 – Berkeley, CA –  The Greek Theatre
    June 30 – Lincoln, CA – Thunder Valley Resort Casino
    July 2 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Great Salt Air – Outdoors
    July 3 – Las Vegas, NV – Downtown Event Center
    July 5 – Los Angeles, CA  The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley
    July 6 – San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theater
    July 7 – Phoenix, AZ – Comerica Theatre

  • Hearing Aide: Ampevene’s ‘Ephemagoria’

    Complex isn’t always good, but in Ampevene’s case, it’s raw, emotive and highly expressive. The Albany-based quartet will unveil their latest live album, Ephemagoria at The Hollow Bar + Kitchen on Feb. 9 with the helping hands of their friends in Cousin Earth. Having teased fans along the way with the releases of “Valencia” and “Rometheu,”  the complete live effort commands attention from its earliest, distorted notes. Over a 10-track sonic highway, the prog rockers take listeners for a noisy ride as they blend blatant psychedelic rock influences with their own gritty flair and unique cocktail of spellbinding genres. 

    Branching off of Gabe Stallman’s solo project as a guitarist, Ampevene is completed by Stallman on guitar and vocals, Mack Hogan on bass, Brian Fahey on drums and Ava Smith on keys. Seeing a minor lineup change, Fahey is the current drummer who took over for Darryl Kniffen, the recorded drummer on the album. The first few tracks come as an attack on your senses, kicking off with a myriad of sound and distortion as an 8-minute journey unfolds within “Florida.” While the group is undoubtedly influenced by psychedelic rock before its time, (think Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett era) Ampevene channels those visceral tendencies and matches them with the gripping mood and scaling of metal progressions and often hard to compute math-rock.

    Just when you get settled into a groove, it doesn’t last for long before you’re tossed into new kaleidoscopic arrangements and time signatures. The first half of the album relies solely on storytelling through music before a 12-minute “Rometheu” introduces the first glimpse of vocals on the album, although that’s not the pinnacle of the track. While fleeting, Stallman’s vocals are comparable to the tone and echoing of groups like Circa Survive and the Mars Volta, with the latter covered later on the album. With the first and fourth beats emphasized in each measure, the song picks up speed with compositional mastery as the foursome jerk the steering wheel into fresh segments, a common thread throughout Ephemagoria.

    “Hill” comes as a hard-hitter with all the focus placed on tight drumming at the album’s peak with an explosion of sound before introducing the first cover in a somber, slowed down version of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” With a new age take on a beloved classic, the warped arrangement and unique style almost makes the song unrecognizable at times, if not for the lyrics. A second cover comes as a crisp version of the Mars Volta’s “Goliath,” mimicking the song’s natural sound and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’ distinct vocal inflections.

    The live album as a whole features classic and never before recorded Ampevene songs as well as covers, capturing the feel of a live performance at The Recording Company in Esperance, NY, and mixed by Tim Lynch with mastering by Alan Douches of West West Side Music. Ampevene has the raw talent of making their multi-segmented tracks seem like effortless jams spliced together at all the right, unexpected times. With the ability to entice fans to try to follow along and eventually surrender to the flow, the quartet seems to have mastered their live presence and execution while diving deep into guitar solos, exploratory jazz segments and thrash metal elements.

    Catch the high-energy release Friday night when Ampevene takes The Hollow stage at 9:30 PM!

    Key tracks- Rometheu, Hill, Tumultuous

  • Lookin Back on Lockn’ 2017

    For “veteran” festival attendees we still feel the magic around festival season. The weeks leading up; the excitement, the planning. It doesn’t get old you just learn a little more each year and hopefully pass that wisdom on to those coming up behind you. For Lockn’ 2017 I decided to bring my six year old, Ryder. It was by no means his first show but it was his real first festival and his first time camping.

    For music lovers taking their children to their first festival is the equivalent of people taking their child to Disney World for the first time. You see the magic and feel the excitement all over again with a new level of enthusiasm and a level of innocence you had forgotten. To watch the enjoyment and wonder through my sons eyes was incredible. He couldn’t get enough, he loved every moment and wasn’t fazed by any of the bumps along the way. We drove from Florida to Virginia and setup camp in the family camping area. He immediately met our neighbors and played safely under the eyes of multiple parents while I finished getting settled in. For the next four days he was dirty, stinky, covered in orange clay and he couldn’t have been happier.

    Ryder was able to experience music in a way that I believe bypasses most adults. He felt it. He instantly became part of the community and that is where the real magic happens. To him, no one was a stranger and he wanted to hear their stories about where they had come from and what bands did they really want to see. He met the owners of Morning Dew tie dye and spent so much time admiring their work and falling in love with every piece, they were so wonderful to him, answering his questions and embracing his curiosity. Once we left Morning Dew we headed over to the Handlebar Café to see if by chance they could fix a tire on his wagon. They could not have been kinder and did everything in their power to not only fix Ryder’s wagon but to let him help and teach him the process of what they were doing. They spent almost two hours on his wagon – for free. He told them they had to go to Garcia’s Forest and that it was the coolest place he had seen there.

    While all of this was an incredible experience to watch play out for my child it was heightened on a very emotional level for me as well. You see, Ryder has special needs. He has global apraxia, a motor planning disorder that makes it difficult children struggle to speak. But yet, everyone took the time to meet him and understand him. Another major obstacle is that Ryder has (SPD) sensory processing disorder. I was internally terrified of how he would respond to the crowd, the music, the lights, the smells, the food, everything! It is a lot for adults, to be honest I wasn’t sure how it would go. He really wanted a smoothie before we headed to the mainstage for the night, it was hot out and had already been a long day. I stopped by The Loving Cup and they were more than happy to accommodate his dietary restrictions even though they were slammed. In true festival magic it turns out they are from our hometown, Jacksonville Beach, Florida. I strongly believe in the energy that live music produces, there is undercurrent that binds the community together. Sure, some will never feel it and they float by. But others have experiences like Ryder’s where you feel at home.

    As we walked to the main stage Ryder asked me, “can we come back next weekend?” I had to explain that next week this would turn to a large empty field. So he asked, “well, where do we find this?” I simply replied, “tour baby.” Once we settled in for that nights shows I was tapped on the shoulder and a man said, “Will you give this to Ryder?” It was a beautiful stone shaped like a pyramid. He said, “I want him to have it.” It was one of the owners from Morning Dew tie dyes. Ryder loves rocks, gems, stones and all of the Earths wonders. He was over the moon with delight, it still sits safely on his dresser.

    Some people believe children do not belong at shows or that it is pointless to bring them because they won’t remember it. Personally, I believe even if they do not remember the “ins and outs” it helps shape them. My child who struggles every day to do basic tasks has never felt more loved and included. Complete strangers stopping to give him high-fives, dance with him, other children playing hopscotch with glow sticks in the dark, running freely with new friends while digging in the dirt and playing with bubbles. He traded a light up balloon for a flashing lantern so the children could continue to play once the sun was down.

    I had a friend question me about taking him out of school since it had just started to attend a music festival. I explained that to me, he is in school. This is the school of life and love and a fundamental part of growth and development. Ryder’s music teacher happens to play in JJ Grey and Mofro and gave us passes to be able to watch from backstage on Sunday. He was so excited to Mr. Eric at his “real job” as he calls it. When they finished Ryder went down and had his picture taken with Mr. Eric and Craig the drummer who was sweet enough to give Ryder his drum sticks.

    Although I am certain Ryder will not understand what he was a part of at Lockn’ for quite a while, Bob and Phil playing Terrapin Station for the 40th anniversary, being backstage, drum sticks from Craig which by pure coincidence Mofro was Ryders first show when he was an infant. What he does understand is being given a gem by a woman as she told him it was filled with positive energy for him to now go share with the world, a golf cart taxi driver giving him a geode intact that he had dug up in Indiana but he wanted Ryder to have it. All of these events may seem insignificant to cynical adults but to Ryder it was pure magic. He is already excited for Lockn’ 2018 and asks all of the time, “how much longer?”

    In a world filled with so much tension and negativity it feels like gift to be able to share with him a community that I believe in and love. I hope that he continues to feel the music and the undercurrent of energy and spreads the positive energy just like he was asked to. Cheers to you Lockn’ for putting on one hell of a festival for kids of ages all ages to love and embrace.

Built in Breakdance