The 10th annual Mountain Jam festival is just a day way when it kicks off Thursday at Hunter Mountain, New York at 2 pm on the West Stage. The eclectic 40-band lineup at the four-day music festival represents a little of everything musically, but we picked out some that will make this one worth the ride to upstate New York.
1. Umphrey’s McGee: These masters of progressive improvisation, headline Thursday night right before heading over to Arkansas for a spot on the Wakarusa bill the same weekend, soon to be followed by a covered Bonnaroo set the following week. Umphrey’s next studio release Similar Skin will be out June 10th, and while the band has only played about half the tracks live prior, fans might expect some new live debuts.
2. Trampled By Turtles: This Minnesota quintet is rock leaning bluegrass at its best. Their 2012 studio album Stars and Satellites, followed by their 2013 Live at First Avenue live cut, has kept them in continuous tour mode. Trampled by Turtles continually steps out of the comfort zone with creative covers and unique compositions, while delivering a supreme balance of traditional and modern bluegrass sound.
3. Anders Osbourne: A New Orleans native, who is highly under celebrated in the mainstream audience, is as much of a soulful vocal singer as a rip-roaring guitar player. His 2013 EP, Three Free Amigos has gained him an even bigger following. Aside from releasing LPs in both 2010 (American Patchwork) and 2012 (Black Eye Galaxy), and both an EP (Three Free Amigos) and LP (Peace) in 2013, Anders constantly tours and is a favorite for countless sit-ins with other artists. Continually changing and evolving, Anders is truly an innovator.
4. Robert Randolph & The Family Band: The funk & soul tunes of Robert Randolph and the Family band starts early Friday afternoon. His fourth full length album, 2013’s Lickety Split once again showcases the extreme talents of Robert on the pedal steel guitar that has made Eric Clapton a fan.
5. Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds: The Brooklyn-based, eight-member lineup have an undeniable live energy that have earned highlight nods for prior gigs at Bonnaroo and the Voodoo Experience. While Sister Sparrow is the songwriter of the band, the Dirty Birds work collaboratively on all their arrangements. The musical chemistry that is the result of that is an interesting mix of creativity and individualism.
6. The Avett Brothers: By now the Avett Brothers are pretty much a modern pop act, however, they still know where they came from and project it through their music. These two brothers out of North Carolina have made headway in the modern music scene that honors their bluegrass roots while taking a new modern touch on it (especially their latest LP the Dandelion and the Magpie. Their unique sound can be identified in a few notes. From some of their classics such as “I Killed Sally’s Lover” to 2009’s gorgeous “I and Love and You” Their simple lyrics speak of personal journey and experience and delivered in a way that encourages audience involvement (“Kick Drum Heart”) and unique setlists.
7. Gov’t Mule: Gracing the music scene for 20 years now (1994), Mule’s 2013 release Shout! is a power blues album that delivers raw energy on every track. Frontman Warren Hayes formally produced and owned Mountain Jam before selling it to Town Square Media, but is still expected to sit in with many of the bands. As for Gov’t Mule itself, expect a heavy improve set that proves why they are one of summer’s finest festival rockers.
8. Healey Hall Events: Technically not a specific act, there are some great things going on for the 10th anniversary of Mountain Jam inside Healey Hall. The Festival announced a series of workshops along with live music, acoustic jams (Michael Franti), photographers (Jay Blakesberg), songwriting workshops and artists, there is surely something for everyone.
9. Michael Franti & Spearhead: Michael Franti & Spearhead have become staples at Mountain Jam with their routine appearances. Just before kicking off their Soulshine Music & Yoga Tour, Franti & Spearhead will surely make for a feel good time. The barefooted Franti can be typically seen crowd surfing and pulling lucky audience members up on stage for a song or two.
10. The Allman Brothers Band: The big news this year was the return of the Allman Brother Band (last played the festival in 2009) who are closing out the festival on Sunday night. In January, The Allman Brothers have announced the departure of Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes at the end 2014 year to pursue their own bands. This will be one of the last Allman Brother arrangements, as the band concludes things in October at the Beacon Theatre. The band will play their 1969 self-titled album and the 1970 Idlewind South in their entirety. This will be a rare treat as they have only been performed this was a handful of times. It’s only fitting that the Allmans perform at Mountain Jam this year as the festival was named after an almost 34 minute song from 1972’s ‘Eat a Peac
2014 Full Lineup
THURSDAY: Umphrey’s McGee (2 sets), Dark Star Orchestra, Elijah & The Moon, Copious Jones, The Dirty Gems, K-Jamm
FRIDAY: Bob Weir & RatDog, The Avett Brothers, Trampled by Turtles, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Beats Antique (Late Night), Antibalas (Late Night), Moon Taxi, Reignwolf, The Weeks, The Dough Rollers, Citizens Band Radio
SATURDAY: Gov’t Mule, Pretty Lights (Late Night), Tedeschi Trucks Band, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Jeff Tweedy, Blitzen Trap, Jackie Greene (Late Night), Valerie June, Jonathan Wilson, Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, Connor Kennedy, Ratboy Jr., Paul Green Rock Academy
SUNDAY: The Allman Brothers (Performing Their First Two Albums), Michael Franti & Spearhead, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Anders Osborne, Lucius, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (ft. Sean Lennon & Charlotte Kemp Muhl), Treetop Flyers, Sean Rowe, Ratboy Jr., Paul Green Rock Academy
