Early Summer Festival Guide 2012
Story and Photos by Selena Hodom

With the festival season quickly approaching, we always take a look at the biggest bang for your well earned festival dollar.  Well, there were a few surprises amongst the larger and later festivals with moe. down returning to Turin, NY with a new date, and The Allman Brothers announcing Peach Festival in Pennsylvania in August.  We certainly will keep an eye out as Gathering of the Vibes continues with line-up announcements.  This guide focuses on the earlier, larger shows.  We will keep you informed and groovin' all summer with information on the biggest and best music festivals. 
   With the escalating costs of gas, we know that this decision becomes increasingly more difficult each season.  Here is a breakdown of the things that matter to you.  Whether you choose to stay close to home and enjoy the rockin' sounds of Mountain Jam, or make the adventure a little farther west to Summer Camp, the summer is coming soon and we want to help you plan your escape.
 

Summer Camp: Chillicothe, IL May 25th- 27th
  This might be a little premature to say but, I am sure the Summer Camp line-up might be the best one of the summer.  Three Days of moe.  Three Days of Umphrey's McGee.  Jane's Addiction, Primus, Pretty Lights, and me wishing I owned an airplane.  Weir, Robinson, Greene Trio is the high end collaboration at this show.  Gogol Bordello, G. Love, Keller Williams, Lotus, Spearhead, Yonder, Cornmeal, Leftover Salmon.  The list keeps going.  This top heavy line-up has Victor Wooten, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Devil Makes Three, and Greensky Bluegrass in smaller type, if that gives you any indication of what you are in for.  They boast 6 stages and over 100 bands.
Camping, Site, Green Efforts, and Special Things:
  The camping has pretty standard offerings for tent and RV's.  They do take festival greening to an astonishing level with Bio-Diesel generators being the prevailing power source at the festival site.  They have a huge focus on supporting the community they impact and the local business economy.  They have clearly coded bins for recycling, trash, and composting.  They also have their own green team staff that mans the trash and recycling stations for the duration of the event.  Each attendee is given 3 color coded bags upon entering the festival site to encourage participation in reducing the festival's waste.
For ticketing and more information visit: summercampfestival.com


DelFest: Cumberland, MD May 24th-27th

  The most family oriented of the early festivals.  DelFest is a traditions, and progressive string show.  The Del McCoury Band your obvious hosts for the three day throw down.  The who's who of the bluegrass world is carefully intermingled with the fast paced new comers.  The festival is now offering progressive late night jams that will surly appeal to the younger generations of string music fans.  As with all string based festivals you can be sure there will be a lot of collaboration amongst the artists in the genre. Béla Fleck with Alan Bartram, Jason Carter, Ronnie McCoury, & Danny Paisley promises to be a historic moment for the festival.  There are a number of collaborative sets already built into the line-up as well.  Steve Martin's band the Steep Canyon Rangers are a welcome site, as he proved at Bonaroo last year that he is much more than a great actor.  Additions of Yonder Mountain String Band, Devil Makes Three, and Split Lip Rayfield might have the traditionalists scratching their heads but, will have the twenty somethings getting down. 

Camping, Site, Green Efforts, and Special Things:

All of the multi-day passes include general festival camping.  They also have RV camping available and various VIP packages to enhance your show experience.  They have a number of non-profits representing and providing education.  The kids area provides environmental education about increasing watershed awareness.  They will have arts and crafts provided by the Allegeny Arts Council.  There isn't a huge focus on greening on their festival site but, I would assume that regular green efforts like trash separation and recycling will be set up through the event area.  For tickets and additional information visit: delfest.com.

 

Mountain Jam: Hunter, NY May 31st-June 3rd

  Mountain Jam is always a nice mix of the old and the new.  Gov't Mule and Spearhead return as hosts to this festival that has been a mainstay in the Catskill Mountains.  Ever year they host over 50 bands both established and up and coming.  In the past they have hosted more rock based late night sets.  This Summer they welcome Lotus and James Murphy of LCD Sound System to follow the national trend of late night DJ thumping sets.  The Return of Ben Folds Five is long awaited, The Roots (do I really need to say anything,) and Steve Winwood being a great fit with Gov't Mule.  There are a couple of bands and epic collaborations to get excited about.  You will always see Warren Haynes sit in with a number of the performers throughout the weekend.  Franti's set is always a group effort.   The Word with Robert Randolph, Jon Medeski, and North Mississippi All Stars promises to be funky as hell.   Bustle in Your Headrow featuring Marco Benevneto, Joe Russo, Dave Dreiwitz, and Scott Metzger will bring you Led Zeppelin tunes like you have never heard them before.  Up and coming talents Dawes, Jimkata, and Caravan of Thieves will provide can't miss sets as well.  
Camping, Site, Green Efforts, and Special Things:
  This season Mountain Jam is providing premium pre-pitched mountain top camping in limited amounts with group prices for up to six people for $599. There are a number of regular RV and regular weekend camping packages and day passes are available for those of you with other plans for the weekend.  The site is on the side of a mountain.  Be realistic when you pack, as you have to carry everything in and up to your site.  There is a lot of climbing involved, so be smart and bring only what you need.  
  The festival is home to an Awareness Village.  Every year a number of socially conscious and environmentally conscious groups set up and talk about their agendas.  There is a small stage for day time performances and a children's stage.  There are a number of non-profit groups that attend.  You can stroll through and educate yourself on the issues that are pressing in our generation.  
  The Festival has improved their green initiatives over the past few years.  They provide free water with the purchase of a Mountain Jam water bottle to encourage festival goers to reuse.  They have teamed up with Clean Vibes to man the recycling stations and help keep trash sorted.  All vendors are required to serve with disposable dishes that are made of biodegradable, earth friendly materials.  They are providing a bus service from NYC to the festival site to cut down on gas emissions.  They are encouraging ride-share and carpooling as well. For more detailed information and tickets visit: mountainjam.com. 









   

Rubblebucket: Brooklyn, New York

There is a certain drawing force to Kalmia Traver's eerie sweet echo.  The tireless front woman for Brooklyn based octet, Rubblebucket, bounces joyfully across the stage.  Clearly, she is enjoying herself.  She has every reason to.  The band continues to have monumental success in every market and now will grace the Bonnaroo line-up with performers like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, and Phish.  Amidst the raucous theatrics that encompass their every performance, there is something unique and beautiful about her presence.  Her voice is not disgustingly sweet or preachy.  It is hauntingly memorizing and alluring. It weaves in and out playfully with the music, tastefully blended with pitch perfect harmony and support being lent from trumpeter and bandleader Alex Toth and trombonist Adam Dotson.

Their self-fueled promotional success is unparalleled in the industry.  The band being a creative and artistic force behind the visual aspects of the performance, videos, albums, and merchandising has allowed them to create and cultivate their own identity not only on stage but, everywhere else too.  They maintain a direct connection with their fan base through simple gestures like having the members sell merchandise directly to the fans following the performance and not so subtle parading through venues, jumping up on the bar, giant robot puppets in the crowd, and Alex Toth's widely talked about crowd surfing while playing the trumpet.

The musical powerhouse consists of eight very unique musicians, all wandering in the same psychedelic journey.  The music has become cohesive, flowing, and the vision more clear as time progresses.  At times you cannot take your eyes off of the performance, other times you can close your eyes and escape with them.  There is a strong indie rock vibe with nods at The Talking Heads and Bjork.  A smoking horn section provides for a spaced out afrobeat flare.  They get a lot more progressive and experimental with every album they produce.  They maintain strong visual imagery whilst creating a dreamlike vision in your brain.  They cascade sounds with thumping beats and flashing lights.  Rubblebucket has managed to take the country by storm with a solid business attitude and a infectious party vibe. You can check out the entire experience on their website www.rubblebucket.com.

Order their latest live album/DVD Rubblebucket: Live In Chicago now at:
 Itunes (MP3 and DVD download)
Amazon (MP3 only)
Our web store (MP3, DVD and physical)
and obviously at live performances across the country.  

Using Music to Open People's Minds

  I have to admit, when asked to do the first Big Splash concert, I knew only a little about hydraulic fracturing or fracking.  All that I knew was that it was bad, and was poisoning the water supply in other states.  I had watched Gasland, and had been shocked and devastated at what I saw.  They were getting ready to bring it here.  This would pollute our land, our air, and our water.  People tend not to deal with problems until they are hit in the face with them, until it effects them personally.  Like I said they are bringing it here, there was an immediate call to action.  Could we help stop it before it happened to us?  What could we do to stop it?  How could we use what we know to make a difference and educate people on what was to come if we allowed the gas and oil companies free reign in New York State?

  I have known Jon McNamera for about 10 years.  We have been friends a long time, and worked together on shows mainly from an artist to promoter type of relationship.  Later, I would realize that he would become someone that I would grow to respect and admire.  He had an idea.  He had teamed up with a group of people with a common vision, and went to work.  From this idea the Finger Lakes Clean Waters Initiative was born.  Their thought:  To produce a series of concerts and events to educate the public on the dangers of hydraulic fracturing.  To keep the water in New York safe.  Increase public awareness using music.  He started putting plans in place to change his entire life to support the fight against fracking.  I was asked to jump on board as a stage manager so, I joined the team.

 The Initiative has gained support from a variety of socially conscious performers including: Natalie Merchant, Willy Watson from Old Crow Medicine Show, Banjo Legend Ritchie Sterns and his projects The Horseflies, and Evil City String Band, Donna the Buffalo, Sim Redmond Band, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, Tim Carbone from Railroad Earth, Jim Lauderdale, Yolk, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Driftwood, Tim Herron Corporation, Dutch Bucket System, Sophistafunk, Thousands of One, House on a Spring,  The Burns Sisters, The Green Deeps, Cabinet, Ayurveda, Hee Haw Nightmare, The Double E, and others.   These musicians help to create and develop a unique musical vibe that transfers to music lovers of all ages.  All of them ideal to spread the message and, all excited to speak out against fracking.

  Four events later, I finally realized that we are bringing hope to people in the southern tier.  That what we were doing was changing our state.  We were successfully using music to open people's minds, and bring people together.  Author (Raising Elijah) and Acclaimed Ecologist Sandra Steingraber said of the Natalie Merchant event,  "Tonight, the Forum belongs to us. Which is to say it belongs to the biggest most epic human rights movement New York has ever seen."  The crowd erupted in agreement.  She has donated all of  the cash from her Heinz Award ($100,000) to the fight against fracking and a variety of groups she felt were leading the way in the anti-hydrofracking movement including some of the award to the Finger Lakes Clean Water's Initiative and their arts based activism.  She was treated to a Mayor's reception prior to the March 10th Natalie Merchant concert to honor her work and research against fracking.
  This is a fight that we all should relate to.  Without water there is no life.  There is no human life, no trees, no animals, no rivers, no streams.  There are several quotes about the next world war being about a shortage of water, not gas or oil.  We are making this a reality sooner than we think.  Please do what you can to educate yourselves on the dangers of hydraulic fracturing and help the organizations that are lobbying in your area against it.

Finger Lakes Clean Waters Initiative has several shows slated for Summer 2012 including potential dates in Binghamton, Hector, Rochester, Albany, Oneonta, and more.  Show support at these events, vote, sign petitions, call your elected officials and make your voice heard.  Natural gas is not the answer, renewable energy is.   Tell them you do not want natural gas drilling in New York State.

Get Educated on the Dangers of Hydro-fracking and get active in your communities to prevent it.  Here are some organizations that are leading the way in the fight and do need your help and support.  These are just a few.


Finger Lakes Clean Waters Initiative
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Finger-Lakes-Clean-Waters-Initiative/207165332642028
http://www.fingerlakescleanwaters.org

Frack Action
www.frackaction.org

Gas Free Seneca
http://gasfreeseneca.com/

Sandra Steingraber's Speech from March 10th
http://shaleshockmedia.org/2012/03/13/sandra-steingraber-at-the-natalie-merchant-concert/

     

Letting it all Go...

“I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till i drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.” ~Jack Kerouac

In my confusion and at night I find that things tend to become more clear for short periods of time.  It's amazing to me how days quickly come and go in this life.  How you can quickly break down the good days by the hours, and the tough ones get buried somewhere between this prolonged state of disarray.  It is wonderful when a series of small moments, no matter how trivial they seem can bond people together in the depths of their souls for a lifetime.  It is all about understanding the people that you meet on any given day and those moments that you can take for granted without even trying.  Those that are there in one breath and with the next they are gone.  You seem to remain tied to them but unsure the reasons why, until the next time they appear. They really never left, did they?

The only constant is that which leaves imprints on your existence and changes you forever for good or ill.  The smallest laugh shared amongst friends can echo in the confines of your mind and bring you peace when those you love are far away.  There is no mistaking the light that comes across your face when something happens that brings forward these recollections.  You might have even smiled as you read that and thought "I was there with you."  We are all one in a moment with a tear, a laugh, or a song.  The music is a catalyst of much of the journey, and it makes things clearer as I sit at a campfire appreciating in depth conversation with all of you.

If I have learned anything this year at all, it is about letting go.  The capacity to accept is often tainted by preconceived notions of who a person is, what they wear, what they do, and the like.  Please drop these things at the entrance.  They are not welcome here.  There is something that can define friends at the peak of a jam where everyone dances their own way and often out of time.  We unite in the lyrics of the chorus where we are all singing the same song together.  This life is about letting the moment be completely what it is: beautiful and not searching.  Loving each other for your diversity, opinions, experiences as much as your strength beauty, and tolerance.  The reason they can still sell you peace and love is that it isn't a dream someone had in 1969 it exists now, and it is within you.  To find it you need to let it all go.  Here is where common ground isn't a punchline.  It is who we all are, if we open our minds to it.

Hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year.  See you all around the campfire.   











 



 

 



 

Thoughts on the Good Life...

It has been a while since I have come to this place to share my thoughts and adventures.  Summer was busy which in my world means the music has been overwhelmingly amazing.  The sun sets and rises with hope hanging on a dream.  The dream is an illusion of sorts.  You forget how to be "normal" and anything that used to matter to you simply doesn't matter so much any more.  You miss birthdays, weddings, getting together with friends.  As four in the morning creeps up you start to believe you have lost all sense of reality and the dream dissipates into the obsession. You attempt to make sense of the evening's events, and the music before it becomes a faded memory.  You close your eyes and feel it within your soul.  Man, it was a great night.    

Your head hangs heavy and you carry your slightly wasted self into the warm confines of "home."  The emptiness of that space, reminds you that no one really does get it.  It is the reminder of the things that you have given up to continue this life.  It's not the being alone part that gets you, as you learn to become self entertaining and sufficient.  You truly enjoy the quiet reflection that comes from the silence.  The love you get from your family and friends fills the void that everyone has within themselves for love.  It's more a longing for someone that is strong enough to stand beside you, instead of in the shadows.  To support what you are trying to do, someone that will say, "I've missed you."  People too often put you on a pedestal, that you will no doubt get drunk and fall off of at some point.  That they all just stay for a little while.

You again realize that the word "home" becomes as trivial as "normal." You live out of a car, hotel, and backpack; one bag for the laptop, an external hard drive for space, and your slightly overused camera that allows you to keep going on.  No one will ever believe any of this.  You realize that "normal" was the dream you once had too.  Is home where I can cook a great meal and watch movies I desperately want to see?  You want to enjoy being in one space, and have nothing to do.  Nothing in all of it seems to make sense.  Where am I going today, and Why?  You fight within yourself to balance everything that you wanted and begin to wonder if the very thing that defines who you are is the exact thing that robs you of that normalcy everyone takes for granted.      

When you make what you love the most the whole of your being, it changes your perspective on reality quite a bit.  It becomes a slight distorted and skewed.  If you have spent any amount of time on the road, you know that when you do return, nothing is at it seems.  You are changed by what you have seen each time, in small and slight ways.  You begin to feel strange and uncomfortable at the thought of a "dinner with the family."  What do you say again?  What if they ask me about what I do?

You start to be an inverted version of yourself to downplay the extreme situations of what you have seen and done.  You want to be like everyone else, where the most exciting thing of the week is who killed who on Law and Order.  Though you just sat at a dinner table with Bob Weir and talked at great length about the genius of Jerry Garcia.  Make no mistake,  I love this life for those opportunities and moments but, realize that general perception of people makes it hard to be simple.  I was hungry and we talked.  It is all the ultimate journey of self discovery, I guess.  For me, the journey begins again.  
     

I will at least add on some theme music.  

In an NPR interview Ryan Montbleau describes his new song Stay and I can't help but relate.  If you missed it, the recording and interview were very well done.

http://www.npr.org/2010/11/24/131575400/ryan-montbleau-band-night-after-night

 

Sometimes....

Today: 
  Sometimes we do things that just make no sense.  We think things that are irrational, and we follow dreams that just never seem to become reality.  There is a small part of me that often chases dreams but, I have been fortunate enough to make some of them my reality.  I guess that is why I am feeling a little stressed today.  There are times where your dreams are exploited and taken away.  Then you need to decide if you should try to remain peaceful, or just let them go for the good of what you are trying to create.  Another time, I would have let it go.  This time is different because, there is hope.  When you have hope nothing is really lost, or is it?  Now the only question that remains is, "Do you really understand what was lost?"
  Spring is here with a slight chill to the air tonight.  The past two days crept slowly by with the sun shining down, a raging fire, and some hooping with the Phamily.  The music has been great lately, with no signs of slowing down.  I am feeling a twinge of regret for not making it to Soulive last night, or Boombox tonight at the Westcott Theater but, sometimes you need to just appreciate just breathing the air.  Surrounding yourself with good friends, and a laugh shared among equals can be the right medicine for a clouded perspective.  I prefer spinning vinyl these days instead of my mind.  The world seems to make so much more sense to me today.  For that I am eternally grateful.

03-26-10
Jatoba The Perfect Wife Manchester, VT :
   Going back to Vermont this past weekend to see the Jatoba boys was again something I desperately needed to do.  There is a feeling of coming home every time I reach the top of Hogback heading into Brattleboro.  This is sacred time, time to share memories and stories with the road family.  This time it was my turn to travel north again, and I didn't mind much.  I miss the people there and love how every time I visit someone tells me I should stay.  The show on Friday was good.  Not the best, but still a time to re-connect on projects and plan for the future.  There was weak drinks, and much dancing.   The second set caught my attention a little more now, thinking to myself how far the boys have come.  I could not help but feel a sense of pride.  They have earned their place in the scene on their own talents.  I am just there to help them on their journey.  I am glad that I have been able to watch them grow.

03-27-10

Hot Day at the Zoo and Moe./ Snoe. Down 2010 Killington, VT:
 The Snoe. Down scene was epic.  The sun shining down on the mountain and people wiping out on the half-pipe .  Hot Day at the Zoo played a raging set comparative to their latest effort Zoograss.  I have never been a huge fan of Moe. personally but, they can be interesting.  I do like their music.  I do appreciate their impeccable sense of timing and sometimes flawless jams.  The afternoon set on Bear Mountain was tight, fearless, and the perfect thing to fit the adventure.  This particular weekend perhaps it was more fun then we thought it would be.

  There is something to be said for a condo full of crazy people after a beautiful day of music that has magical powers.  It could have been the beards (who claimed to be wizards.) I guess you never can tell.  We quickly changed our plans to attend Keller Williams in Burlington that night and we opted to stay in the mountains and get down.  There is something that can be said for our after hours shenanigans.  I am not sure what it is about it.  It could be the faded look everyone gets in the wee hours of morning, or the seemingly endless hours of laughter that comes every time.  This is where people become a little closer.  Where you meet strangers and leave as friends.  I think this is truly where you can learn to let it all go and just exist, if you embrace it.  I am not sure what else I can say about it.  Jon was right, "It was all fun and games until Jed broke the coffee pot."  

What Would Hunter Say....

Disclaimer: Experiment Only...Meant for entertainment, some people will take this seriously. Guess they can refer to our motto.  Cheers! 

What would Hunter S. Thompson possibly say in a moment like this? I thought on it for a brief second and started to write (Not that I would even come close to what his thoughts might be. I could probably not even come close to his brilliance. Hopefully feeble attempts are harmless.) Here is what came out of that trip....

King of the Mountain
We never stopped, we have been at this for months with no end in sight. What else is there to do but go on some strange, alcohol fueled bender in the mountains for a week. Not enough foresight in this plan, and the only way out at this point is to take the bus. Fuck that. Ah, good alcohol, or was it the Little Feat, whiskey and bad cocaine? The sun coming up slowly by day kissing the Spanish Moon goodnight. Surely there is time to catch up on all of these things. Christ, there are ten thousand copies of this thing out there, and we are just getting started.
There was a thaw today coming out of the mountains, slowly through the Olympic Village, and past the High Peaks. I love this part of the country, and haven't felt home like this in quite some time. It is bittersweet, really. The promise of greater things hanging in the balance has just passed my weary head. It has me shaken but, not ignorant to these things.
Coming down from a high like this is hard to ignore. It's like a roller coaster in reverse. Good thing I put the band out days ago, they would never be able to navigate this climate, and besides, why should they get to have all of the fun. It is really a question of bad economics and which way the wind might blow.

To Do List:
-Book Martin Sexton for a small intimate club show (Please and Thank You)
-Confirm the already booked dates
-Lights and bring the raucous for the show on Saturday Night
-Phish, Hampton...get ready
-Call the Dickey crew to let them know we will be swinging by for the show
-Distribute
-Sleep....continue the hustle.

Done. Set fire to the opposition? They don't thoroughly understand what is really going on here any way, setting the pace, and making it happen. What do they really know about all of that which has changed in the past few years. A waste of time that I cannot afford for this very reason. How do you make them see? There needs to be a desire to open their eyes and really take it in. It seems a futile attempt to make them understand that this is bigger than any one person or entity, and to survive the only realistic thing to do would be to collaborate. Everything has changed, for no real reason that I can fathom. No need to retreat, it is alright to move forward, with great success. Besides, we are all friends here, right?
Thanks, Devito. Mahalo. It was a good run, and the insight and positive energy from it will carry me through the next few months. It was in these necessary evils that I have found peace within myself, and the strength to know that things are moving on, ever changing still. The chances are well worth the risk, and all of this work has amounted to much more than I could have ever thought possible.
We are never going to make it out alive without a solid plan, and strong drink. There has to be an easy grand to throw down on something serious or we are all fucked. Phone call, secure that, and our fate as it looms in the balance. Done, and two if I need it. So, I clearly needed to put them out after the ice palace and the choclolates wore off, good thinking on my part. Time to plan for two weeks across the country, better make it 30 days or else we will never make it through. Work it, develop, grow the family, and then hit it all again. It is a healthy chain of events, really. It is also the only way to approach this righteously.
OK, here we go. No more screwing around. This is serious, and we all know to what degree. Fasten your seat belts, this is going to be a rough ride this time.


The Bus
The damn bus. The putrid stench of the Adirondack drug runners who had way too many at DeVito's bar last night, sets me a slight off balance. You would think a shower for the good of mankind was in order before coming down from the mountain. They come with the pure stuff, to spread the love throughout the central most parts of New York. The pimps, thieves, hustlers, and slightly better than average cocaine. Who really knows the difference any more the stuff that has been stepped on a time or two with pharmaceuticals and the buzz is similar to what you could have with it pure, for a quarter of the price. Which is all to say that it is still a good buzz and a descent high.
These are the true Adirondack Pirates, screw the rum runners, they had their day. Damn the rum all together because it will not get you off anymore. What we need is scotch on the rocks or straight to the vein, damn the glass. Plan a tour across the country under these circumstances? Absolutely.