Some are already calling it the deepest jam lineup of the summer. When perusing over the 50+ acts playing over four days on four stages, it’s hard to argue that assessment. From its humble beginnings in June 2001 at Sturbridge, MA, Disc Jam has blossomed into a premier 4-day music festival destination and it took place June 11th-14th at a brand new majestic location at Gardner’s Farm in Stephentown, NY (where Bella Terra has previously occurred). The reasonably priced festival ($150) was convenient for most parts in the Northeast with an approximately 2.5 hour drive from NYC, New Haven, Providence or Boston and 3 hours from Burlington.
There were late night acoustic sets including Phutureprimitive, The Hornitz and Lespecial who successfully covered a Korn song. Fans had the opportunity to discover the Silent Disco – an intense party where everyone involved wears a headset and listens to music together in general silence. The artists-at-large were highlighted by Turkuaz’s Mikey Carruba and Craig Broadhoad. Disc Jam brought together the finest in jam, jamtronica, funk, electronica and bluegrass and also offered other activities like live painting, art installations, yoga sessions, quality vending, hula hooping and Disc Golf.
Now celebrating its fifth year, Disc Jam has garnered a reputation for providing exemplary disc golf. This year is no different with two different tournaments offered on a brand new 9-hole course sponsored by Innova with impressive prizes awarded to the victors. Disc golf is played individual score or in teams of 2 when in a doubles tournament, very similar to traditional golf.
This is a festival one should have major FOMO if they missed attending. Having garnered about 2,000 attendees last year, the new and improved brand new location and satisfying deep lineup had an estimated attendance of more than 4,000 this year. It celebrates the small festival vibe while drawing some of the bigger named bands from the Northeast and beyond. A major bonus of the festival is that it took place in a large field – so attendees could easily hear their music while at their campsite or car!
Highlights:
Friday, June 13th
Lettuce
Lettuce is at the top of the game right now and the headliner of the fest was poised for a special Friday night performance. In the conversation with Dumpstaphunk and Galactic, Lettuce may very well be the most prolific funk band in the land and are always ready to rage. The funkateers held the prime Friday night slot and were set to kick off the festival in style. Having met at the Berklee School of Music years ago, the band knows each other’s tendencies and play off each other to perfection. Lettuce is Adam Deitch (drums), Adam Schmeans (guitar), Jesus Coombs (bass), Neal Evans (keys), James Casey (tenor sax), Ryan Zoidis (bari sax), Eric Bloom (trumpet) and Nigel Hall (keys.) The band started with the incendiary beat of “Reunion” which invited all in attendance into the danceathon. They segued into “Force of Nature,” an ironic tune considering the ominous weather had quickly set in. Suddenly music was halted as dangerous weather forced its way into the proceedings. It rained with authority for an hour with the threat of a tornado. Staff diligently yelled at patrons to leave their tents and get into their cars for safety. It was unfortunate that this much anticipated set was truncated, but fortuitous that all were safe.
Set List: Reunion, Force of Nature (Big Anthem), Chief
Saturday, June 14th
Krewe De Groove
Krewe is a delightful emerging band out of Massachusetts that delivers a full sound. Led by New Orleans-influenced Brandon Tarricone, they were an ideal choice to commence the proceedings on Saturday morning. The soul based jazz musings were intricate and complex and fun to groove to. The outfit consists of Brandon Tarricone (guitar/vocals), Justin Lopes (organ), Henley Douglas Jr. (sax), Dave Walker (bass), John Iltis (drums), Mark Early (sax) and Eric Schindler (sax). A special standout performance was shared by Eric Schindler on the sax who provided depth of sound with exemplary fills and outstanding solos.
Set List: Hustle Shuffle, Ride Clean, Street Stomp, Strictly for the People, Mighty Mighty, Why Don’t You, Wookie World, Tchafuncta, Whats Going Down, Jack Rabbit
Sunday, June 15th
Cabinet
With Allie Kral having left Cornmeal and Jeff Austin departing Yonder, one can argue that Cabinet is the most prolific bluegrass band in the land. Cabinet is JP Biondo (mandolin/ vocals), Mickey Coviello (guitar/vocals), Pappy Biondo (banjo/ vocals), Dylan Skursky (bass), Todd Kopec (fiddle/vocals) and Jami Novak (drums). They are a brilliant mesh of Americana, bluegrass and jam. The band from Scranton, PA had the stage overrun by fervent fans for their Sunday evening set. Double-headed monster, co-lead singing cousins, Pappy and J.P. Biondo, offer a distinctive variety of sound with Pappy’s subtle style and JP’s delivery as smooth as clear honey. The set commenced with a punchy “Susquehenna Breakdown” which set the stage for a raucous show. The highlight was the tale called “Eleanor” which exemplifies what Cabinet does best – exquisitely crafted storytelling over a textured and layered sound with notable fiddle fills by Kopec. To see Pappy work magic on his banjo is worth the price of admission alone and the band is chock full of members with exemplary chops.
Setlist: Susquehenna Breakdown, Home, Now, Eleanor > Mysterio, Bottom, Sea, Loose Lucy*, Caroline > Shined, Lay Low, Heavy Rain, Cut Down *W/ Craig Brodhead from Turkuaz
Twiddle
2015 continues to be the year of Twiddle. With successful festival stops at Rock and Roll Resort and Jam on the River, the boys from Castleton, Vermont continued to shred the circuit with a fiery two set performance that concluded the Disc Jam Festival proceedings. Twiddle is Brook Jordan (Skins), Zdenek Gubb (Low End), Ryan Dempsey (Ivories) and Mihali Savoulidis (Axe). The band is known for its extensive jamming and exquisitely insightful lyrics by Mihali. The performance showcased the genius of guitar maestro Mihali, who knows when to provide nuance and when to go all out. The show included a bevy of sit-ins including Todd Stoops, recently let go from Kung Fu, and it provided a stellar showcase of talent. The highlight was easily a lengthy “Apples” which included several guests and demonstrated the depth of skill from the band and guests.
Setlist
I: Blueberry Tumble, Catapillar, Wasabi Eruption, Latin Tang*#^, Brick of Barley, Atlantic Mocean, Beehop#-> Pawn Shop-> Beehop
II: Polluted Beauty=, Apples%#¥(), Every Soul#, Frankenfoote, White Light#-> STOOPS+-> White Light#
*with Russ Lawton of Soul Monde, #with Todd Stoops, ^Wiley Griffin, =Craig Brodhead of Turkuaz, %with Honeycomb, with Scott Hannay of Mr. F, () James Woods and Joe Davis of Formula 5, *w/ Russ Lawton of Soule Monde*w/ Russ Lawton of Soule Monde
*with Russ Lawton of Soul Monde
# w/ Todd Stoops
^ w/ Wiley Griffin
= w/ Craig Brodhead of Turkuaz
% w/ Honeycomb
¥ w/ Scott Hannay of Mister F
() w/ james Woods and Joe Davis of Formula 5.
+ STOOPS is a new Twiddle song. It’s when Todd Stoops is crushing on stage with us.
