2008

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

Jelly NYC, the folks that put on the wildly popular Pool Parties at Brooklyn’s McCarren Pool, can’t seem to catch a break this summer. Either it’s been stiflingly hot out

Now that we’re in the thick of the summer, it’s time to kick back with some good old rock and roll. This week’s Stormy Monday begins with The Stones doing

The summer concert season reaches its crescendo this upcoming weekend when three of the longest running festivals in the nation take place. Out in Chicago the promoters of Lollapalooza defended

Over forty years into their career Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are still as capable as they were in their heyday of rockin’ mass audiences. Anyone who has seen The