Music Festival Reviews - FestivalFamily.com

    

 Hello and welcome back to the never ending saga of our Jamcruise 8 review extravaganza!   Already we’ve heard tales of close calls with death  - Jamcruise 8 Review Day 1 and love’s promise fulfilled - Jamcruise 8 Review Day 2,  so we now turn our attention to our true purpose in the music scene:  The uniting of the fans, the sharing of a purpose and the building of a family.  

    The new morning started with great promise as I saw my friend Mikey right outside the door to my cabin.  Setting up a small video trained on the stage where the Ryan Montbleau Band was preparing to play, I asked him if he was taping the band, as per usual, video of any real length was discouraged.  He smiled that gigantic Mikey smile and assured me that it was for something else and said he’d see me up front.  This was my third time catching Ryan’s show, and he brings an Americana vibe that comes from his heart.  And everything sounds better played on a stage set up on the deck of a cruise ship!  With a Technicolor explosion provided by the led screen, a stunning back drop of Mother Ocean and her majesty Pool deck was easily my favorite place to be.  After another fiery set, Ryan took a moment to give the mike to…Mikey!  Mikey then called his long time paramour Jacquelyn Reno to the stage and, dropping to his knees, asked for her hand in marriage!  She said “Yes” and there was much rejoicing.  And I mean literally, there was actual rejoicing!  Lots!  I corralled the two and speedily made my case with love and a demonstration of my shots of their engagement seconds prior in volunteering for the job of wedding photographer to the lovebirds!  Which they graciously accepted!  Ray!

     So now its falls to me, the glorious task of regaling all who read these words with the story of the most fun I’ve ever had, sailing the wide blue seas aboard the only festival that doesn’t just move you, it actually moves, Jamcruise!  In it’s eighth year of operation, Jamcruise has become renowned as the highest order of music festival, the apex of what the scene is about.   Cloud 9 promotions have hit on a winning formula, inviting acts of a type, choosing not just the biggest acts available, but artists and performers who are of a like mind and skill level.  Such Funk, suck down dirty funk of a kind that can only be brought by the likes of George Porter and Maceo Parker, with an all-star selection of New Orleans stalwarts, such as Galactic, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue to get you dancing with not just the motion of the ocean, but the groove in your soul.  With support running from the electric bluegrass mayhem of Railroad Earth, the impossible to classify music lovingly presented by Zappa plays Zappa and the pure soul satisfaction of Karl Denson and the Tiny Universe(karldenson.us/ )among so many others the musical aptitude of the boat was through the roof.  It was a music lover’s paradise, and I was in a very personal slice of heaven.

     A beautiful day started with finding a parking space in Chicago.  Those of you who live in the area are probably laughing right now and for the rest let me explain the humor that there isn’t any parking, at least none in the general vicinity of the site.  You may turn down a side street and find a great spot only to see that it is only for those who live in the area with a permit.  I was lucky to find a meter fifteen yards from the front door (there was a time where parking next to meter was free on the weekends, alas not anymore), the only hitch was that I had to run outside every two hours to slide my credit card into a machine that would allow me to run back and do it again until nine at night.  This would be okay because I smoke and it isn’t allowed indoors. Every time that I had to run back in I would be searched by “eager” security officials.  Some newbies threw away my bagel, and confiscated three official FESTIVAL FAMILY key chain lights that I was giving away to spread the word and the love (not to worry, I had fifty-seven more that were distributed throughout the night).  One of the chief security officers pulled me aside and apologized to me about the bagel and lights, and chastised the rookies, which made me feel a little warmer on a cold morning. -Peter

 

I attended the Evolve fest with my entire family, that is, my wife and two sons ages 6, and 3.   Having been to the two previous Evolves we had an idea of what to expect, although every year so far has been different from the others.   This was the first year at Hidden Valley in Vernon, N.J.

We found the venue to be very accommodating and appropriate for a music festival.  There was plenty of open grassy space to run and play.   The hill in front of the stage was comfortable to sit on and there was no trouble seeing the action on the main stage no matter how crowded it got.  The indoor stage offered a different atmosphere, much smaller and more intimate.   I enjoyed the contrast between the two  musical environments.   Most importantly, I felt safe to let my children play at a distance without having to watch them like a hawk.   (I should add that I knew a lot of people at the festival as well as many of the children that they were playing with.)

     At last the time has come, our last chance for a big time getdown, The Bear Creek Music Festival.  Nestled comfortably in Northern Florida, the Spirit of Suwanee park has been recommended to me for years for it's combination of natural beauty and ease of ampitheater and camping accessability.  Home to a variety of festivals this year, such as Wanee and the Magnolia music festival, this funkin' groovy spectacular was the perfect way to wrap up a stellar year on the concert trail.  Oh, and did I mention GALACTIC?!!  Playing TWICE!!!  The drive down saw an unfortunate conflict in timing and a favorite music festival habit, the flush.   I usually add one of those fuel system cleaner thing to my pre drive fill-up, to flush the system clean.   Also in a more personal way, I guzzle water like it's going out of style and flush and rehydrate myself for the trials ahead.  Unfortunately thanks to poor timing on my part I hit Atlanta traffic in early rush hour.  Let's just say that was a squirm-a-rific 'ole time, yes it was!

   Late Friday afternoon, we headed out to Freedom Farm for Harvest Moon Music Festival.  It had been raining all week and that day was no exception.  The long road to the farm wound through the State Forest, past horse trails and finally lead to Mary’s Highway, the driveway back to the farm.  Camping was set up in an oblong field, surrounded by trees.  This time of year, the trees are like fireworks: red, green, gold and orange. The rain had slowed down the setup, but it was well underway when we arrived.  As we set up our camp, the owners of Freedom Farm came to greet us. Tony, Mary and their small granddaughter introduced themselves and welcomed us to the music festival.

    Traveling through the hilltops of Pennsylvania, you approach the small town of Kempton with an understanding that life here is different than that of the suburbs NJ. Antique shops with furniture that has more history than time itself and traffic lights that really serve no direct need. This truly is a setting that a music festival was meant to be born from, the countryside. As we had arrived and we were about to realize what community really was meant to be, Jerry Fest.

    Arriving late Friday morning, we were greeted by the parties host, Chris Santarelli, at the gates. We were traveling with a small army, a total of 5 children and 15 adults, family camping was a priority for our tribe.  Fortunately, JerryFest had one of the best setups for a family looking to enjoy a music festival with their children. More importantly, they met the needs of other attendees without children just as well. Chris directed us to the wide open family camping, conveniently staged right by the playground. This was a perfect spot, shaded trees, a view of the stage from our campsite and an area for all the children to play with one another. Wait, tickets were only $25 for three days of music?

     …But if you don’t, we’ll still go play.  This was our mantra for the weekend as we regularly checked the forecast for updates but continually found predictions of rain.  Knowing that Jibberjazz’s Jon Sten and company always put on a stellar music festival, though, we did not let the wet weather dampen our spirits.  Instead, we packed our best rain gear – our trusty tent, umbrellas, sturdy raincoats, warm clothes, extra towels, boots, and tarps – and hopped into the car for the ride up to Wind Gap, Pennsylvania.  While slowly making our way up the rain slicked turnpike, we contemplated exactly what this particular Jibberjazz event with its interesting moniker “Meeting Of The Minds 2” would hold in store.

     The Terrapin Hill Harvest Festival is an institution here in Kentucky, having produced a stellar array of shows over the past two decades.  Though up until this year the stars have aligned against my attendance, I finally had a chance to see what all my friends had been raving about. Nestled deep in the heart of my home state is an organic teaching farm, home to a music festival that has drawn tens of thousands to its humble environs.  At close to 400 acres, it’s wholly natural approach to growing fruits and vegetables is a shining example of the power of mother nature. 

   From the seed to the field to the table, your food has remained untouched by harsh chemical fertilizers and pesticides, treated instead with something sadly rare in the food industry: Love.  Pete and Brenda Cashel and their three children Kelby, Deanna and Jonah work the farm like generations before and hopefully, by their example, generations to come and it is in this rich, nurturing environment that the Terrapin Hill Music Festival has sunk it’s roots and blossomed into an annual tradition for all ages.  With a stellar lineup of  acts ranging from the legendary Del McCoury Band, psychedelic bluegrass masters Cornmeal, the funk supergroup The Superheroes to 12 year old singer/songwriter sensation Almira Fawn this year’s Terrapin Hill music festival had the makings of a bumper crop of good times a great music.

    With over ten years experience throwing this party, Wormtown's Wormfest just keeps getting better and better. From the traveling musicians to the hula-hooping bubble jugglers, this music festival has it all. The feeling of family does not go unnoticed, especially by the musicians who used kind phrases like; "this is for you, and it's all about you" and "even though i pay my mortgage in South Carolina, you're all family here."

We started out the Wormtown music festival experience with a modest three hour drive from Rhode Island. We arrived at Camp Keewanee about nine in the morning on Friday and began to set up shop. The only down side is parking away from your campsite, but we're still young at heart. After staking out our claim and driving off some invaders we secured our home for the weekend and waited for some friends to arrive. A few hours into the day we had the makings of a fine family resort and were ready to start our adventure.

   Wondering down to the River Worm Stage, (which as the name implies is by the river) we were informed that a band had been taken off the line-up and that the schedule was pushed back ever so slightly. Fortunately this gave us some time to check out the river and all it's serenity. Shortly there after we went back to check out Fennario.

  Forty years is a long time, this is probably the last for the boomer generation, most will not make to the fiftieth. Woodstock Music Festival is the Daddy of all The Music Festivals making Monetary Pop the Granddaddy which makes the Sun King, Caligula setting Rome on fire while he preformed theater the great great great great Granddaddy, but I digress.  So it moves me to visit the site, celebrate another trip around the sun and investigate this beast called Woodstock Music Festival.   My plane landed in Albany NY around 1 p.m. August 14th. 

    The rain was heavy for the past six weeks and finally cleared up a few days before my arrival.  THE DRIVER was waiting at the airport to pick me up.  “All’s cool man” The last time I have seen my friend he was bulkier.  I needed a smoke, “You can smoke in my car as long as the windows are open, I brought kool-aide packets for tailgating in the parking lot, camper tricks baby camper tricks”.  A hot a humid gust greeted me as I threw my gear into his car, haven’t felt this warm since Florida.  The airport of Albany looked much like the Midwest, actually much of Albany is like the Midwest, trees line New York Thruway on either side, and people respect the distance for other drivers (that’s a big difference).

   Rolling through the hills of West Virginia, I could hardly believe it was a year ago that my eyes were opened in such a meaningful way. It is since that point, that I have come to realize exactly what transpired at Uncle Marvin's Mountain Top. Over the last year when people would ask, “Doc, what has changed since that experience when you claim your third eye opened”? Often, my reply would be different depending on what stage my evolution was growing from. It was not until AllGood 2009, did I realize that the universe and family would speak so clearly, “til my tale is told and done”. For those that don't know "Me", feel free to read my personal story before continuing.

   Wuhnurth: A "Wuhn"-derful weekend! In just it's second year the Wuhnurth festival delivered a fun line-up, scenic camping and a laid back vibe that still resonates inside me days later. One of the advantages of smaller festivals is the sense of camaraderie that is engendered by seeing the same faces all weekend long. Unlike the feeling of swimming the great oceans of humanity that make up fests like Bonnarooo and Coachella, Wuhnurth was the perfect size for people looking to enjoy their music without the hustle and bustle.

     For the past 31 years Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa California has played host to Harmony Festival.  In early June hundreds of dedicated people transform this common fairground into a musical playground.  This was our third year at Harmony & there have been many changes in the last three years, some good and some not so good, but one thing is for sure we always have a great time

      After the longest week in recent history, it was with a redemptive eye that we looked forward to Gathering Of The Vibes 2009, our favorite of the large music festivals and still one of the most jamband loyal of them all.  This was my eighth GOTV and my fiancé’s fifth (the last four attended together) and to say that we had large expectations, being this was the only large music festival we would be attending in this crunched economy summer season would be an understatement.  Packing was easy as we borrowed a certain Dr. friend’s hatchback and had plenty of room for all our festy necessities.  Hell, I even remembered to fill up the vehicle before heading out.

     I’d like to thank Dr.Trip and Festival Family for the opportunity to talk about the part of Rothbury that meant the most to me: the music.  Though the promoters had an anxious wait for the final go ahead due to some financial issues with the property, you certainly couldn’t tell from the lineup.  Starting with The Dead’s only summer appearance and the return of The String Cheese Incident at the top of the bill, with support by festival regulars like Keller Williams, Les Claypool and Toubab Krewe, and a host of acts from around the world, Rothbury was a music lovers dream come true.  With a backdrop of psychedelic forests, roaming parades of burlesque dancers, jugglers and more weirdness than you could shake a stick at (and believe me I tried.  My arms are still sore from all that stick shaking!) Rothbury provided a wonderful setting for a weekend of magic and delight.

The Forecastle Festival, held this year on the scenic waterfront of Louisville, Kentucky is the culmination of a vision, a vision belonging to J.K.McKnight.  He has worked tirelessly over the last eight years to create a place where people could come together and share not just in the creation of music and art, but to raise the consciousness of a wide variety of social and environmental issues.  Gathering a wide variety of musical acts, from nationally recognized acts like headliners Widespread Panic and the Black Crowes, to more down home favorites such as Arnett Hollow and the Hackensaw Boys, and presenting them side by side with large booths and displays dedicated to the preservation and cultivation of our Mother Earth, Forecastle is a festival with a message. So, while you’re hearing a dizzying array of stellar music, you’re also getting the chance to learn some new ways to protect and serve the world around you. A rather nice dream when you think about it.

     The day started with us leaving Jacksonville early in the morning for our trek to La Fayette, GA.  My friends and I were packed 5 deep in a 1993 Lincoln.  After traveling for almost 9 hours with Atlanta traffic, we reached a small town that was tucked back in the northern corner of Georgia.  The gas station had incredible prices on 30 packs so our group had massive amounts for the weekend.  We arrived at Cherokee Farms, which had a small field for camping, nice hills for lounging during the set breaks, and plenty of woods to get lost in at night.  The festival was Amberland, in which Perpetual Groove was the only band playing for the entire weekend, having 9 monster sets throughout the weekend.  The people in attendance for Amberland were people that were true Pgroove fans; there because they know that the weekend would be full of good heads and awesome music.

    Bonnaroo, bayou code word for "Let's party" and the name of the most massive music festival held on this continent.  With a line-up that covered most all styles and genres, featuring such luminaries as Phish, Bruce Springsteen, and the Beastie boys, with a dizzying array of support acts from every walk of life, Bonnaroo has you covered.  If you were to say that there wasn't that much on the bill that interested you, I would be inclined to wonder what kind of music you did like.  Sure, there weren't any Touvan throat singers, and there was a noticeable lack of  Swedish death metal, but hey, you can't win 'em all.  This was my fifth Bonnaroo, and I was anxious to see what new surprises the fest held in store for me.  There is so much to behold, from thrilling musical moments to the sheer mass of humanity, surging like blood through the massive festival grounds bringing this all to life.  A whirlwind of freak parades, fungally inspired fountains, and so much random, crazy weirdness to confound all your senses into whipped submission.

Hosted by Warren Haynes, Mountain Jam has become a stalwart on the Northeast festival scene.  This years Jam featured two of the three major bands that “the hardest working man in music” has done time in thus far this year, Gov’t Mule for two nights and as a Sunday finale, The Allman Brothers Band.  As we rolled through winding hilltops of the mountains of XYZ Park, the sun finally shattered through the rain clouds.  With waterfalls to our right and rocky ledges to our left, the three of us stood at the footsteps of a weekend of music, friendship and scenery straight out of a mountainside brochure.

For the past seven years, Worms have worked diligently to transform Camp Kee-wanee into the Strangest Creek in the land, but it was not until this past Memorial Day weekend that I found myself a resident of Wormtown and the Strange Creek Campout.  Knowing that Wormtown has been putting on quality festivals for over ten years and being familiar with many of their kind staff members, I was certain we would be in for a weekend of great tunes, entertainment and a feeling of family and community.  However, having never been to a Wormtown festival, I was left full of curiosity and an eagerness to see exactly what it is that keeps this party alive year after year.

Just after leaving Summercamp last year, I got a reminder of how short life truly is and, still basking in the good vibes from the festival, I swore to take each moment as precious and try and do as many of the things I loved doing as possible.  What makes me happiest is spending time with my friends and seeing live music, which makes the festival scene my home away from home.  So this year I'm setting out to travel a lot more and hit up as many shows as possible, starting with Summercamp 2009!

Nestled beneath ancient oaks, pecan groves, and gentle cypress, the Gamble Rogers Folk Festival is held the first weekend of May each year at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds, just west of St. Augustine, FL.

 

After almost a week of April Showers, it seemed as if even the sunshine was coming out for Some Kind of Jam, an intimate music festival held in the rolling foothills and farmland of Kempton, PA.

The weekend’s forecast of 80-plus degree weather was a pleasant surprise after the chilly rain of the previous year. We knew we were in for a treat as we approached the Kempton County Fairgrounds, home of the festival for the second year now.