Wade Wilby

Wade Ellis Wilby has experienced many angles of the music biz. He’s written songs for Rane, headed up production at Higher Ground, and his latest gig has him working for Umphrey’s McGee. This past weekend Wade served as a jack of all trades for the Summer Camp festival, and he was kind enough to share his thoughts on the weekend…

If I ever thought Summer Camp was this great growing up as a kid, my parents would have had many more carefree summers.

As for the adult version, JAM Productions and Jay Goldberg have put together a great entertainment package at a quaint little site in the heart of America. It’s no wonder their numbers continue to grow — a huge thank you to them for all the hospitality and hard work. What a great weekend in Illinois.

This summer’s lineup was headlined, once again, by moe.‘s three nights, with Umphrey’s McGee opening on Friday and Saturday. This set-up makes for a great situation: moe. and UM have a great rapport with one another, and UM’s sharing the stage with them is not only very professional and easy, it’s also a blast. It also lends itself to both bands being extra comfortable, allowing for much better sets musically. Now, about those incredible sets…

Read on for the rest of Wade’s recap of Summer Camp, including the inside scoop on why Brendan Bayliss showed up to play in a dress and a feather boa.

Wade Ellis Wilby has seen it all in his 27 years. He’s experienced many different sides of the music biz, from writing songs for Rane to heading up production at Higher Ground to his latest gig working on My Chemical Romance’s lighting rig. This past weekend Wade served as Production Manager for the 1st annual USTORM benefit. Today, Wade makes his Hidden Track debut, sharing his experience with us below, with the help of photos and videos shot by Jennifer Hartswick…

Sometimes you find yourself in a moment so sincere you have take a second to try and discredit its existence. Can this really be happening? A moment so resilient that it makes you remember why you chose the path you did. These moments, despite what the fans may think, truly come few and far between for the musicians and all of us behind the scene. You may find this hard to believe, but it is very hard work making the “magic” happen night in and night out.

The result: bands and their fanbases becoming jaded and fairly indifferent to the routine of it all. Sure your fans still love you and come out every night, but that spark of joy that we all start out with is hard to revisit. The moment that I found myself and many of the musicians in on Saturday night at the Park West made us feel a sense of community again, the very same sense of community that made us want to be a part of music to begin with. It was a feeling that I hadn’t had in a while. Read on for Wade’s incredible account of the USTORM Benefit…