We’re closing in on My Morning Jacket’s five-night stand at NYC’s Terminal 5 in which the group will perform each of its studio albums in their entirety. Jarrod Dicker spoke
Words and Images: Allison Taich
Northwest String Summit @ Horning’s Hideout, July 16-18
The Northwest String Summit (NWSS) celebrated its ninth anniversary July 16-18, 2010 at Horning’s Hideout in North Plains, Oregon. The three day music festival hosted by Yonder Mountain String Band (YMSB) included a cumulative nine hours worth of live YMSB, plus an outstanding roundup of string musicians including: Danny Barnes, Darol Anger and Great American Taxi. The Rhythm Devils and moe. both joined the fun electrifying the otherwise acoustic lineup.
There were several factors that set the NWSS apart from all other music festivals I have attended. For starters the grounds of Horning’s Hideout were immaculate. The layout was full of rolling hills, thick forests of lush browns and greens, a streaming river, pleasant lakes, wooded camp grounds, fearless wild peacocks and the list goes on. Every personality I crossed was more exceptional than the next; fans who attended wanted to be there, they were there for the music. There was no seedy scene, no pushy or undesirable individuals, simply people looking to celebrate acoustic music and have a good time. At nighttime the forests echoed with the plucking of strings from varying campsite jams, followed by the hoots and hollers of excited festival goers.
Music wise there was only one stage meaning one band played at a time. There was no overlapping, no running back and forth, no missing portions of sets and no need to leave sets early in order to catch another band. Each band laid down a winning performance making it hard to select a favorite. It seemed that every performance was charged by audience enthusiasm and energy. Bands reciprocated by churning out some of the wildest sets of acoustic music. READ ON for more from Allison on the NWSS…
Odds are if you’ve read this site you’re familiar with the Phish Spreadsheet. Our pal Hoydog23 started the project a few years back by compiling download links to Phish shows
It was originally “Deadhead Haven: A Gathering of the Tribe,” & people came. And they kept coming. And 15 years on, the Tribe’s still coming for Gathering of the Vibes, which has long since achieved veteran festival status & amazingly, manages to stuff its lineup that much tighter every year without sacrificing any of the comfort & just plain old manageability that makes it the choice festival for many concergoers over bigger, glitzier events.
Longtime promoter, Terrapin Presents president and avowed Deadhead Ken Hays knows this, of course. And it’s top of mind again this year, just as it has been for each of the Vibes’ previous 14 installments. Furthur will be there. So will Jimmy Cliff, Nas and Damian Marley, and the latest incarnation of Rhythm Devils, plus a glut of other top-flight acts on two stages.
Hidden Track caught up with the unflappable – and relentlessly busy — Hays this week, as Gathering of the Vibes 2010 prepares to get underway Thursday afternoon at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Conn.
HIDDEN TRACK: Kind of amazing we’re going to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Gathering of the Vibes. Is it safe to say you didn’t imagine this kind of longevity at the outset?
KEN HAYS: No, I mean it all started in such an organic way. I’d seen over 300 Dead shows and knew people everywhere, but when Jerry died, both me and a lot of my friends knew we weren’t going to be able to see each other – we’d have to all go our separate ways after that. So, a bunch of my friends and I got together and said we’d have a party to celebrate Jerry’s life and the music of the Dead, and on Memorial Day Weekend in 1996, we went to SUNY Purchase college and produced what we called “Deadhead Haven: A Gathering of the Tribe” for 3,500 people. From there it grew exponentially. But it was totally out of default. We had no idea what we were doing. We just wanted to throw a party.
READ ON for more of Chad’s chat with Ken Hays…
The Ryan Montbleau Band’s next studio album, Heavy on the Vine, comes out on September 21st, but we don’t have to wait that long to get a taste of what
On August 24 !!! – pronounced Chk Chk Chk for those who want to Google them – will release their fourth studio album and first in three years, Strange Weather
The 2010 All Good Music Festival, held July 8th – 11th, in Masontown, WV.
Gorillaz have announced cities and dates for their upcoming U.S. tour. The band confirmed a good number of arena and theater shows. Tour Dates October 3 – Montreal, QC –
Ben Keith, a steel guitarist and multi-instrumentalist who played alongside Neil Young for nearly 40 years, has died of unknown causes. He was 73. Highly skilled on the electric guitar,
Florida’s Surfer Blood and New York’s The Drums have joined forces for a U.S. tour These two current buzz bands are exploring the whole US together as well as playing
