As the vibe tribe began to assemble, the faithful flocked to Seaside Park Thursday, seeking out good weather but reinforcing against the threat of rain. The 14th annual Gathering of the Vibes began with blue skies but ultimately couldn’t escape the storms that have plagued the summer.
[All Photos by Jeremy Gordon]
Luckily, however, there was enough sunshine to power the wonderful new GreenVibes stage with its partial solar energy requirements. Reckoning, a local band from Long Island lit up the afternoon with its set including hits from The Dead, the Allman Brothers as well as a take on Phish’s Birds of a Feather, putting everyone in the party mindset. Local Artist P.J Pacifico opened the main stage with a folk- tinged roots rock set including a very intimate Beatles cover.
The Donna Jean Godchaux Band (aka the former Zen Tricksters) continued on in the legacy of the Grateful Dead with the former singer giving us a taste of her famous vocals. With Donna’s voice mixing wondrously with Jeff Mattson’s guitar, you are almost transported to a time 30 years ago. Though the rain began to fall, the crowd spun along to new originals and favorite Dead tunes like Sugaree, Scarlet Begonias and Samson & Delilah.
READ ON for more from the 2009 edition of Gathering of the Vibes…
In their third year back at Indian Lookout Country Club outside of Albany, Bisco fans were treated to 3+ stages, 50+ bands and countless hours of music that raged until almost the very end (seems the plug was finally pulled around 7AM on Sunday morning). With over 7,000 fans in attendance Camp Bisco showed the multifaceted side of its host and an inside look at some of the influences, interests, and good friends of the Disco Biscuits.
[All photos by Jeremy Gordon]
If you were dedicated enough to wait in line all night long and set up early you might have caught a taste of Beautiful Small Machines, who played the tent stage early on Thursday to a light but enthusiastic crowd. After a quick break for Mother Nature’s own light show and thunderstorms, Kid Cudi brought everyone back out of hiding with a positive message and talk of his new iTunes videos with Kanye West.
Asher Roth hit the main stage next and became the talk of the day – apparently his frat boy style raps didn’t mesh with the scene as well as hoped though he did try to work the crowd a bit and threw in some Bisco references during his hit I Love College as well as inviting quite a few scantily clad girls up on stage to dance along. Back at the tent stage Chronicle of the Land Squid went on, despite rumors that a band member missed his flight. Luckily things worked out and despite the river running through the center of the tent, the dance party had begun.
READ ON for more of Carla’s thoughts and Jeremy’s images from Camp…
Words: Carla Danca
Images: Jeremy Gordon
It has been over 6 years since moe. played the water-logged field at Waterloo Village in Stanhope, NJ. With that venue now all but closed to concerts, bands had to find some new places to play outdoors in Dirty Jerz. Luckily, Create a Vibe has again stepped up, establishing a great new spot at beautiful Vasa Park in Budd Lake, NJ. For the second year in a row, day long events are being held in this Northern NJ park, a quick ride from the City, but far enough to leave all the congestion behind.
Fresh off of their 2nd annual July 4th weekend stint at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, moe. had fun with their Sunday setlist. Jimmy Cliff’s The Harder They Come – which they haven’t played in over 2 years – was resurrected when Ryan Montbleau and Yahuba Garcia of the Ryan Montbleau Band sat in during the first set, followed by Wicked Awesome. The second set jammed with some great segues, and finished strong with Al rocking his tele-mando/double neck guitar for a Rebubula that really got the crowd dancing!
It was great to enjoy a sunny day out in the park with so many moe.rons and their kids, as this was definitely a family-friendly event. moe. was even kind enough to encore with two requests from creative kid-fans in the audience, though Rob declared it would never happen again “even if you’re my kid.” They repeated BJP and Spine from the previous two shows, what other band does that for even their littlest fans?
07/05/09 Vasa Park, Mt. Olive, NJ
Set I: Crab Eyes, All Roads Lead to Home, The Harder They Come1 2, Wicked Awesome> Wormwood> Okayalright, The Road> Tubing The River Styx> The Pit
Set II: Moth> Jazz Wank> Yodelittle> Moth, Rebubula> Cathedral> Rebubula
Encore: Blue Jeans Pizza, Spine Of A Dog, Wind it up
1 Last time played 01/13/07 (199 shows)
2 w/ Ryan Montbleau (vocals) & Yahuba Garcia (percussion)[via PT moe.]
READ ON for more of Jeremy’s photos from moe. at Vasa Park…
Words: Carla Danca
Images: Jeremy Gordon
It’s summer time and most bands are hitting up outdoor sheds and festivals, but the Disco Biscuits have always done things a little different. Just a few weeks before the start of Camp Bisco VIII, the boys did a quick “dirty beach” run, up the coast of Delaware and into Atlantic City for a 2 night run at the House of Blues.While Bisco kidz always seem to be the butt of jokes in the scene, AC didn’t even flinch at the invasion of the raging flat brims.
Brothers Past kicked off both nights at the HOB, at least for those of us who were able to pull away from the casino floor. As someone who has really enjoyed BP before, I was a little disappointed with the room sound’s effect on the experience; the sound mix was really heavy on the bass and a bit muddy near the front of the stage.
The HOB has a large floor downstairs that is almost entirely covered by a seated area. Fortunately, night 2 is already posted on the LMA and the recording sounds great! It is a lot clearer than it sounded at the show, and you can actually hear the vocals. My highlights were the cover of Radiohead’s National Anthem and their own Simple Gift of Man to close the set. I think that these guys have so much potential, as they are definitely breaking out of the jam band and livetronic mold.
READ ON for more of Carla’s words and Jeremy’s photos…
Jeremy Gordon was on hand to shoot night three of Jones Beach…
Here are the aforementioned photos from Jeremy Gordon of the second day of Mountain Jam. Be sure to check out Jeremy and Carla’s Day 1 recap.
Words: Carla Danca
Photos: Jeremy Gordon (TO FOLLOW)
With the sun finally out in full force and only bright fluffy white clouds in the sky, Day 2 of Mountain Jam had the makings of a perfect day. I hurried over to the mountain to catch The Macpodz and their vibrant horns started the day out right. Brett Dennen kept it going with more smooth roots rock that was easy and familiar, perfect for those who might still be recovering. Something that struck me was that unlike most afternoon slots at festivals, there were a lot of people out on the hill; apparently Mt Jam organizers know how to pick them.
By afternoon it was beautifully cool and breezy, and I was excited for Gomez to take the stage. Seducing the crowd with their infectious song, Airstream Driver, I like them more with every listen. With the perfect mix of raspiness and grit, How We Operate shows the range this band has. From easy pop to hard hitting rock they blend all sorts of sounds and keep me wanting more.
The day rolled on with Jackie Greene who may be young but his talent shows. He included a nod to the Grateful Dead in New Speedway Boogie as well as a personal favorite of mine, Velvet Underground’s Waiting for My Man. The Hold Steady made sure to give fans a taste of their new album including their new single Memphis. READ ON for more…
Words: Carla Danca
Photos: Jeremy Gordon
The first day of Mountain Jam, held at beautiful Hunter Mountain in the northern Catskills of New York, had something for everyone.
I started the day with Marco Benevento Trio and a cover of MMJ’s Golden that was so beautiful even a butterfly was drawn to the stage. Next up was PBS (Porter Batiste and Stoltz) with a set so filled with funky grooves that it seemed to call down the rain, with some help from an on-stage rain dance of sorts by George. Railroad Earth and Tea Leaf Green had the crowds dancing and smiling despite the on again / off again showers. By the time Umphrey’s was up and the lights had begun to fade, things really started to move. Warren got in his first sit in of the day with a cover of The Rolling Stones’ Can’t You Hear Me Knocking, as Umphrey’s wrapped up its set.
But this is Gov’t Mule’s festival and it wouldn’t be their style to let anyone go home without a serious taste of what they bring – Warren tearing into that guitar so furiously that picks were flying off stage like dirty cigarette butts. With covers from Led Zeppelin, Ray Charles, The Grateful Dead and Neil Young, I’m not sure if there is anything that they can’t make their own. George Porter joined then on stage and the second set ended with Tea Leaf Green’s Josh Clark and Trevor Garrod joining in for a stunning Cortez the Killer, while the crowd helped out in a sing-a-long.
If you could made it to late night however, you were in for a something special. Girl Talk fronted an all out party on stage complete with dozens of girls dancing on stage while tossing toilet paper streamers and even an inflatable whale into the crowd. His thumping set was filled with all your guilty pleasure songs from the past 20 years—the ones you can’t resist singing along to when you’re alone in the car. Inside, Eric Krasno and Chapter 2 gave a different kind of dance party, with some straight up rock and roll including a cover of Hendrix’s Manic Depression.
READ ON for more of Carla’s thoughts and Jeremy’s photos from Hunter…
Words: Carla Danca
Images: Jeremy Gordon
Fresh off their showing at SXSW, Lucero rolled into the Music Hall of Williamsburg with their reputation preceding them. Now, some bands are good while sipping martinis, while others are good for drinking beers. At a Lucero concert, you show your appreciation by chucking your can of Pabst Blue Ribbon at the stage in joyous celebration, while the band pours you a shot straight from their quickly emptying bottle of Jameson.
Titus Andronicus led off the night, loud, hard and fast, appealing more towards fans of punk and rock than southern-twanged ballads. The band warmed up the sold-out crowd until they were eager to take anything that might be thrown at them. Finally, it was Lucero’s turn to take the stage, led by Ben Nichols with Roy Berry on drums, Brian Venable on guitar and John Stubblefield on bass, the Memphis-based band mixed their own version of American punk with country rock.
To round out their sound, Lucero was joined on this tour by Tom Bean on the pedal steel guitar and Rick Steff on accordion. Lucero fans become part of the show, at times screaming out the words before the band could even get to them as the music whipped the devoted denizens into an orgy of moshing, stage diving and crowd surfing. And this was only two songs in!
READ ON for more from Carla and Jeremy on Lucero…
Last Friday, Brooklyn fans welcomed Tea Leaf Green for their first-ever performance at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Of course many of the faithful had been with the band from the last two nights at Mexicali Blues. They were grinning from ear to ear as they spoke of shows that brought the magic back, Reed Mathis singing, Josh Clark playing harmonica and the reintroduction of favorite songs that had fallen by the wayside during the band’s new transition. Filling the venue with their faces painted and bouncing balloons from the upper decks, it felt more like a re-birth than a rock show.
[All words by Carla Danca, photos by Jeremy Gordon]
The band has always had the strong musical personalities of Trevor Garrod and Josh Clark moving it forward, but it’s been Reed Mathis that has been the fan focus of late. Many understood that it would take time to integrate his magical gifts and diverse abilities to push the band to new heights, however this didn’t eliminate some of the frustration fans felt. During this run, it was apparent that the Reed they had been waiting for had arrived.
Looking more comfortable on stage (in his dapper hat) his body language showed off the new dynamic. Instead of standing on the side following, Reed was seizing the moment and showing off his immense skills. Leading the band into funky jams, taking Josh Clark’s challenges and throwing them back – with a smile – and joining in on harmonies with Trevor, the band has a rich new blend that sounds energetic and exciting again.
READ ON for more of Carla’s words and Jeremy’s photos from TLG…
