July 29, 2008

We sent Jeremy Gordon and Carla Danca into the world of Camp Bisco. Luckily, they came back unscathed and filed this report from Mariaville…

The reviews for Camp Bisco 7 are in and what a fantastic success. From Brownstein’s proclamation of “Best Camp Bisco Ever” to ILCC’s owner Frank Potter acknowledging the fabulous vibe of the event. The three day festival’s 2nd year at the Mariaville, NY site went smoothly for all…well maybe not for all.

Whether fans were enjoying bands like The Bridge, local favorites Jimkata or DJs MSTRKRFT and Ralph Lawson, many left the weekend shaking their heads, eager to hear more. The festival hosted a wide variety of sounds with the progressive sounds of U-Melt, trance DJ Prometheus, next generation jamband RAQ and indie- fence straddlers !!! (Chk Chk Chk). READ ON for more from Jeremy and Carla…

When the first leg of Beck’s tour was announced we were disappointed to see that he wasn’t making it east of Chicago. Luckily, the folk/dance/punk/pop/rock troubadour has finally added his

Umphrey’s McGee has once again topped the voting of Cover Wars by capturing a majority of the votes in last week’s Nirvana edition. Of note is that every artist earned at least one vote – which doesn’t happen frequently. This week we’re moving back to the glory days of Classic Rock, more specifically 1967 and Jimi Hendrix’s second studio album Axis: Bold as Love.

Spanish Castle Magic’s lyrics are inspired by a dance club that Jimi would frequent in his high school days called, wait for it…The Spanish Castle. Whether you’ve been a long-time Hendrix fan or just like the song because it was on Guitar Hero, hopefully you’ll enjoy at least one of the versions included this week as we’ve got a smattering of artists including: Other all-time guitar greats, alternative rockers and more…

(You must login/register with IMEEM to hear these tracks in their entirety.)

READ ON for more information and versions we could only supply via YouTube…

Having recently finished an enterprise feature for another publication on the glut of national music festivals and what role that glut creates for regional festivals with a lot more personality, I’m more excited this year for the Gathering of the Vibes than I have been in quite some time. As the man said, “He’d have to be one charming motherfuckin pig”…er, sorry, “Personality goes a long way.”

Compared to the Roo- and Coachella-sized behemoths, and a lot of the sexy new kids with names both playful and official-sounding—Rothbury might be a bit of both, and allegedly, it was quite the time—the Vibes is a creakier, more elegant dinosaur. A glorious, humble triceratops of a festival, yes, secure in its size, pleasant in its modest ambition and its abilities, not ostentatious, and kindly manageable.

And damn isn’t it great to have it back in New England proper (it returned in 2007 after several years of renovation to Bridgeport’s Seaside Park and a few years at various upstate New York locales)? For this born/bred New Englander, it’s not only in a New England/Tri-State area happy medium, but it fills a still-felt void left by the big Phish festivals of yore and especially the can’t-believe-it’s-been-five-years-now departed Berkshire Mountain Music Festival (1997-2003). (For Berkfest alums from those heady days, monsoon conditions and all, have a scoop of nostalgia on the house) READ ON for more about what you can expect at GOTV ’08…

On September 23rd, the Followill brothers and their cousin Matt – better known collectively as the Kings Of Leon will release the fourth album Only By The Night. The record