Category Archives: Music Festivals

2011 Catskill Chill Festival, Last day, Sunday

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Photo by: Katie Feinstein

I slept like a baby the night before.  Missed the late night Wyllis show with the fantastic Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet, vocals) and I was bummed, thinking, “I just had to rest my ankles, not pass out for the night.”  Darn it…

Luckily there was a small crew from my cabin, virtual strangers before the Chill Festival, who were up and chatting on the porch.  To my ultimate surprise, I was treated to a coffee machine, hooked up and coffee being spooned in to be brewed.  There is nothing like a weekend at a festival, with a coffee maker.  Thank the sweet heavens, I am becoming re-born again.

This morning was a real treat for me, meeting strangers and becoming close friends with them in the early morning over coffee and bloody Mary’s.  Laughing so hard with each other, recounting the adventures of the day before, and truly making bonds.  I was so grateful I was amongst such wonderful people, and feeling the bliss from music wash over me.   My mind drifts, and I apologize for this is a festival review, so… on to the music….

The line up:
Particle
Dopapod
John Brown’s Body
7 Walkers
Big Sam’s Funky Nation

Particle

Photo by: Phrazz

I interviewed Steve Molitz from Particle before the Catskill Chill Festival (click here for the review), and I was excited to see him play again.  These guys are like electronica/trance/groovy dance music.  The crowd was still light at this time (3:30pm)… perhaps we all needed more coffee?  But I got my groove on, danced a while and flitted through the crowd, seeing friends and friendlies everywhere I turned.

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Photo by: Phrazz

Dopapod I have to say, I personally wasn’t into these guys.  My friends and posse seemed to be, so I wandered back to the cabin to get ready to leave.  The plan was we’d leave after John Brown’s Body, to take the 2 hour drive back to Manhattan, so I figured this was a good a time as any.  Little did I know that I wouldn’t be leaving for many, many hours.

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Photo by: Phrazz

John Brown’s Body – raging RAGING reggae.  These guys were so much fun, the venue was pretty well packed, it was kinda muggy, rainy, sweaty, but no one seemed to mind.  This was an amazing 2 hour set, people dancing, swaying – artists painting in the crowd, soccer balls being kicked around, balls bouncing, hoola hoops hooping… yes. Yes, yes, yes!  The Catskill Chill’s website says it best, ” JBB’s live show has the kind of organic, body-rocking sound that’s only possible with an 8-piece band where air tight drum and bass, a three piece horn section, and “the most gorgeous melodies in all of modern reggae music” [All Music Guide] meet a dubbed-out sound engineer.”  This was a highlight, indeed.

In between these shows, we took the time to pack the car – as originally planned.  Then, I believe it started to rain, so we took cover with…

Photo by: Joshua Raskin

7 Walkers:  I couldn’t leave.  Who, me? Leave during Billy Kreutzmann (drummer, Grateful Dead), George Porter, Jr., (bass, The Meters), Papa Mali and Matt Hubbard.  I had all great intentions, but what do they say?  The best laid plans…. yeah, that’s what happened.  This band is a mix of Grateful Dead hippy bounce with some creole soul from New Orleans.  It is fresh and upbeat, they play new original songs (some written by Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter), and they look like they are having the greatest time.  I have seen them quite a few times now, and I just have a blast every time I see them.  They never disappoint, I always feel like I’m amongst family, and my heart shines bright when they end the show.  Thank you.

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Photo by: Phrazz

Big Sam’s Funky Nation / Jets Game / We gotta go!

Yes, we had to go, but I was very excited to just linger aimlessly amongst the vendors while Big Sam was crushing it at the other stage. I needed some food, I needed some coffee and I was planning on not rushing before jumping in the car. My friend was enamored with the Jets Game, which made me feel no pressure to start driving. I have to admit, this was a great way to end the evening. Watching the Jets with my friends, hearing Big Sam’s Funky Nation in the background, quietly eating, patiently waiting, and enjoying my last few breaths of the Chillest festival I believe I’ve ever been to.

I wonder what the numbers were from their first year, to this year (their second). I will poke around and be sure to report back.

Please leave comments on your favorite memories. And I hope to see everyone again next year!

2011 Catskill Chill Festival, Camp Minglewood, Fri & Sat

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The Scene:  Talk about a Chill Festival.  This small little festival was tucked away far into the Catskill Mountains, at a summer camp called Camp Minglewood.  It had all the makings of a lovely summer camp; cabins for campers to sleep, docks and a lake for swimming, halls for eating and gathering.  This weekend, Camp Minglewood was transformed into a vendor filled, camping, music loving extravaganza.  Tents were mixed with the cabins, electricity was available for coffee percolators in the morning, hot showers (yes, I said HOT showers in the cabins) and the people were friendly.  So friendly.  Did I mention friendly?  Hugs and good mornings from strangers and friends alike.  It felt like one large big happy family, who were all floating on air from music overload, shared experiences and dancing hard.

Friday:  So, after a long day at work, and a longer ride up to the Catskills, getting our wristbands, parking the car, finding the cabin, and unloading, we were able to catch the evening’s last set.  My friend and I found our friends and I was jonesing for some music already.  We bolted from our posse and went to find the music.  We made the last set of the night, Break Science.  I remember there were about 300-400 people, and some very heavy beats from Mr. Adam Deitch.  After I got my fill from head nodding, and some hip shaking, we went to check out the fire drum circle. Jumping through mud puddles, we checked it out, and was treated to a fire dancer twirl right next to us.  I put my toes near the fire, got warmer (thankfully!) and wandered around.  We went back to the cabins to chill out with my posse, check out the vendors, understand the lay of the land, and think I passed out at 3.  Oh – we had bunkbeds, typical for a summer camp.  It’s been a very long time since I’ve slept in bunkbeds.  (side note: bring padding for bunkbeds).

Photo by: Josh Raskin/Tiny Rager

Saturday:  Ok, so I was hurting this morning.  Between the crazy long week, the dancing and wandering till 3am, the bunk beds and waking up to the sound of the drum circle still going on, I have to admit… I was kind of hurting.  If you know me, you know I am not the most lively, cordial, talkative person in the morning, and my new cabin mates learned that quickly.  I found the coffee truck, bought three cups, gave one to my friend and drank the other two quickly.  It helped…  It was beginning to help.

The day was gorgeous, not a cloud in the sky, the sun was out, the weather was a perfect 80 degrees.  It was spectacular.  And perfect.  And very Catskill Chilling.

The Heavy Pets: I gathered myself together, took a shower, ate a bit of food (don’t remember what it was), and got myself down to the stage for The Heavy Pets.  It was a really nice way to start the day.  The Main Stage wasn’t packed at all – probably under 400 people.  The Pets jammed, crazy guitar licks, heavy groovy bass drum, bouncy, trippy kind of music.  There was room to bounce.  There was room to jam.  I was relaxing into the vibe of the festival – the Chill.

Photo by: Josh Raskin/tinyrager

There was a surprise birthday party for me and a few other Virgo babies, that was completely a surprise for me.  The coordination to get at least 20 people together, at a certain time at a festival is a feat in itself, but to have candles and goodie bags for the birthday boys and girls, well… all I can say is I am grateful.  (And thank you, Karen.)

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Photo by: Phrazz

Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds:  Wow.  Hello there.  I’d never seen these guys before and… wow.  Rage-o-rama.  Horns galore, incredible harp player, and the chick that sings – WOW.  I was impressed.  We had trombone, trumpet, sax, bass sax, guitar, bass guitar, harmonica, drums, singer.  The horns do a great dance in sync, Sister Sparrow sings it hard – full Aretha/Whitney/Janis in your face (the chick is about 5 feet nothing and maybe weighs 25 pounds.  How does that work?!?)  This band is on my highlights list.  They are fun.  They are funky.  And I danced my butt off.

Photo by: Robyn Gould

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Steve Molitz Talks Catskill Chill, Sept. 6, 2011

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Catskill Chill Music Festival, Hancock NY

September 9 – 11th.

My buddies are putting on this great festival and it will be my first year attending.  Travelling north a few hours into the woods of Upstate NY, near the town of Bethel, NY close to the infamous Woodstock of ’69, the lineup touts such great acts as:

  • Umphree’s McGee
  • Conspirator
  • 7 Walkers featuring Bill Kreutzmann
  • Dumpstaphunk
  • JGB w/ Melvin Seals
  • Perpetual Groove
  • Particle
  • Big Sam’s Funky Nation
  • Zach Deputy
  • Pimps of Joytime
  • The Heavy Pets
  • …and more.

I was lucky to get an interview with the keyboardist from Particle, Steve Molitz, and Jambands.com picked it up before I could get it on View Skewed.

Check it out here:  http://www.jambands.com/the-loop/2011/09/06/steve-molitz-talks-catskill-chill/

I’ll be covering the Chill for View Skewed, so stay tuned.  This should be a great end of the summer festival!

Gathering of the Vibes, 2011 – Audio Links (torrents incl.)

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Once again, a heartfelt thanks to Rob Clarke and Scott Bernstein for taping the festival, and being so prompt in putting the out there for us to all relive again.  Mucho gracias!

Thursday:
The Infamous Stringdusters: http://www.archive.org/details/stringdusters2011-07-21
Roots of Creation: http://www.archive.org/details/roc2011-07-21.jz-bt201.flac16
New Mastersounds: http://www.archive.org/details/nms2011-07-21.v2KM184
Dumpstaphunk: http://www.archive.org/details/dumpstaphunk2011-07-21
The Mother Hips (torrent): http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=547058

Friday:
Ryan Montbleau: http://www.archive.org/details/montbleau2011-07-22
God Street Wine (Lo Faber, Aaron Maxwell, Jon Bevo, Dan Pifer) with special guests Jason Crosby and Joe Russo:  http://www.archive.org/details/gsw2011-07-22
Kung Fu: http://www.archive.org/details/kungfu2011-07-22
Big Sam’s Funky Nation (torrent): http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=547156
Furthur: http://www.archive.org/detail/furthur2011-07-22.v2km184.clarke.115050.flac16
The Bridge: http://www.archive.org/details/bridge2011-07-22
Tedeschi Trucks Band (torrent): http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=547111
Taj Mahal (torrent): http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=547047

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Robert Plant and The Band of Joy, Wanee Festival, 4.15.11

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The artists who play with Plant are extremely talented musicians, it brings the band up a stratosphere.  Add, Plant’s beautifully eerie vocals reminiscent of the Zeppelin days, but not,- add in a splash of the beauty of the Wanee Festival, with its friendly folk and country charm equals… Wow.   15,000 of us out in a Floridian field, next to the Suwanee River, jamming out with Robert Plant.  Yes, Wow.

The Band of Joy are: vocalist Patty Griffin, guitarist Buddy Miller, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Daryl Scott, bassist-vocalist Byron House, and drummer-percussionist-vocalist Marco Giovino.

I was sitting on the soundboard, about 30 feet from the stage, and I was elevated, sitting above the crowd.  My eyes were fixated on Plant, in awe of his presence.  He still dances great, he still sings strong, and he turns the stage over to Miller, Scott, House, Giovino who all respectable, intricately technical musicians.  Patty Griffin has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard, and when she sings with Plant along with the strings of Daryl Scott and Buddy Miller, well, it’s like… I have no words.

Favorite Songs:  The Zep Covers, How Many Times Have You Heard Someone Say, I’m In The Mood For A Melody, … actually, to be honest, the whole set I was mesmerized.  Plant had a nice banter with the audience, complementing someone’s tattoo, and after his set was done he came back and said something like, “Well hi, they say since I’m the headliner I can play a few more songs.”  We started during the sunset, and we ended in the dark, with flame lanterns flying in the sky, all of us dancing away the day.

Ending the set with Dylan’s A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, Plant and Griffin singing duet, my friends and I floated off the field back to camp for food intake before the second night of Allman’s.  It was a beautiful 2 hours spent with the incredible Robert Plant and The Band of Joy.  It was a beautiful day filled with incredible music.  There were still two bands still to play that evening. And I was floating on a cloud, named Wanee.

Set List
1. Black Dog
2. Down by the Sea
3. Angel Dance
4. Black County Women
5. House Of Cards
6. Monkey
7. Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go
8. Gallows Pole
9. How Many Times Have You Heard Someone Say
10 .Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down
11. Ocean Of Tears
12. I’m In The Mood For A Melody
13. Please Read The Letter
14. Houses Of The Holy
15. Ramble On
16. Crowd
Encore:
17. Central 208
18. Rock & Roll
19. A Hard Rain Is A Gonna Fall

http://robertplant.com/

Wanee Lineup Released!

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OK – I’m beginning to get my festival schedule ready, and this is the first one on my docket.  I’m itching for summer festies to come, and always look forward to Wanee!

Set in the swamp on the beautiful Suwanee River, this festival has a bit of magic around it – the scenery is calming, the people are of the utmost southern hospitality and friendliness, and the music… well… just check it out.  Also, you can read about last year’s beautiful festival here:  View Skewed Wanee 2010 Coverage

See you guys there!

www.waneefestival.com

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2010 Top Ten Shows

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It was an exceptional year for live music. I am lucky enough to live in a city where music is a part of the lifeline, like matzoh ball soup and a good reuben, as much as we love to hate our mayor, and collective groans when the MTA hikes their fares. Here is to 2010. May we all have a healthy, prosperous and musically exceptional new year!

photo by: Karen Dugan

10.  Scofield, w/ Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez, Blue Note,  May 2010

9.  Jorma Kaukonen, Iridium, May 2010

8.  Wanee Funk Jam w/ Dumpstaphunk and The Funky Meters George Porter Jr, Russell Batiste, Cody and Luther Dickinson, Oteil and Kofi Burbridge, JoJo Herman, Bobby Lee Rodgers, Matt Grondin.

7.  Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble – birthday evening, August 2010

6.  Gov’t Mule, PC Richards Theater, August 2010

photo by: Robyn Gould

5.  Roger Waters, The Wall, MSG October 2010

4.  The Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi Band, Wanee April 2010

3.  Jimmy Herring, Lenny White, Richie Goods Iridium, August 2010

2.  Pat Metheny Orchestrion, May 2010

photo by: Allison Murphy

1.  Another One for Woody, November 2010

Runners Up (I couldn’t fit them all in the Top 10):

  1. Deep Banana Blackout, Late Night, Gathering of the Vibes 2010
  2. Phish, New Years Eve 2010, MSG
  3. Les Claypool, Vibes 2010
  4. New Mastersounds, Mountain Jam, June 2010
  5. Furthur, Radio City Music Hall, February 2010
  6. Xmas Jam:  Warren Hayne’s Band and John Bell Acoustic, December 2010

Gathering of the Vibes, Day 3, Saturday July 31

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Friday was the warmup for Saturday’s crazy.  It was full on all day.

photo by: Jeffrey Dupuis

McLovins:  I’ve been told by numerous people to check these kids out, and I missed them at Nateva to see Max Creek.  I heard they crushed it at Nateva, so I decided to forgo Max Creek.  (side note: I found it very interesting that both these bands were playing at the same time at both festivals.  And they are both from Connecticut.  Coincidence??) I get to the Green Vibes stage about 10 minutes after they started and the place was packed.  I tried to get up to the stage and check them out but I couldn’t get up there without a case of claustrophobia so I ended up to the side.

photo by: Jeffrey Dupuis

There was a bit of technical difficulty, but then they just broke out.  In typical teenage style they were loud and fast, but tight.  Impressively tight; technically and talented.  Really talented kids.  Check out more from my friend Lori’s Coventry Music.  Something about a 1000 Hippie McLovin March went on, that I wasn’t privvy to.  Here’s the YouTube – load it up and click it around the 5 min mark.  Whooo, they go off.

Band Break: My buddy and I went back to camp for the 40 minute respite before Assembly of Dust.  I got on the phone with This Week on Lot and tried to describe the surroundings to them.  A conference call of sorts.  You can check out me on the radio here.  Afterwards, I got a bit of food in me and was off to the Main Stage.

Assembly of Dust: I have not seen these guys a lot, but each time I have seen them I like them more and more.  Their talent is obvious, the music is technically sound, Adam Terrell, lead guitar, vocals (also plays with Nate Wilson) shreds it, Reid Genauer, lead vocals, guitar has a really nice voice.  Two drummers, and a keyboardist that plays the violin.  I mean, c’mon, you can’t go wrong.  They shredded the last song to pieces and you could tell they were getting off by the energy in the crowd.  Great time had by all.

photo by: Jeffrey Dupuis

photo by: Jeffrey Dupuis

Galactic: They put on a solid show, as always.  Cyril Neville shows up and kicks it up a notch.  Corey Henry frikkin blasts that trombone out of the universe.  Ben Ellman plays the sax hard and sexy.  Stanton Moore keeps the beat down and low, and the place just falls into soul funk deep grooves and swayin’ hips.  Oooh, lordy lordy.  Fun fun stuff, as always.

photo by: Jeffrey Dupuis

Setlist:  Gemini Rising, Gossip, You Don’t Know, Balkan Wedding, Heart Of Steel, Cineramascope, Ooh Nay Nay, Boban, Tell Me What’s On Your Mind, Boe Money, No More Okey Doke, From the Corner to the Block

Band Break: Met up with some Camp Family from Nateva that day and we took it back to camp.  I introduced them as “my old friends”, then realized that Nateva was less than a month away.  Festival family is on another level… Old friends indeed.  We collectively decided to sacrifice Umphree’s McGee for time in the shade, a change of clothes, food and drink and laughs.  Sorry Umphree’s.

photo by: Jeffrey Dupuis

photo by: Jeffrey Dupuis

Rhythm Devils featuring Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and Keller Williams: I have to admit, I was surprised how amazingly good these guys were.  Keller added a nice level, but this was not the Keller show.  This was the Rhythm Devils show in all their glory.  Two incredible drummers, doin’ what they do.  Drums.  In an ode to the Grateful Dead, it was kind of a stretched out Drums/Space but without the Space.On another note, I met a friend who I went on Dead Tour with 20 years ago.  Beautiful syncopation…Original Dead members on stage, me with my buddy, reliving old memories, seeing the newest iteration of Billy and Mickey on stage, complete with firedancers.  LOVED it.  I will catch them when they play in NYC, without a doubt.

photo by: Jeffrey Dupuis

PRIMUS: Jeez holy louise moly blown away.  I can’t even describe it.  Les Claypool bassing OUT up there with these humongous astronauts behind the band.  Jay Lane is an incredible drummer, I can tell why he left Furthur to go

photo by: Jeffrey Dupuis

back to this band.  But, of COURSE!  I was not a Primus fan (operative word there “was”), and the only thing I knew of them was that “back in the day” they were associated with lots of skinheads and mosh pits.  Well, there were no mosh pits.  Just lots of people bouncing around, myself included.  I couldn’t stop my legs moving even if I wanted to.  They blew me away, I am a hardcore Primus fan now – already bought the tickets for the October show in NYC.  That’s how much I loved this set.  WOW.  Go see these guys….

photo by: John Harrington

Deep Banana Blackout: Continue reading →