May 28, 2015
Begun over a decade ago as part of the twenty-fifth anniversary of WDST, ‘Radio Woodstock’, Mountain Jam heads up Hunter Mountain in upstate New York Thursday-to-Sunday, June 4th-7th:
THURSDAY, JUNE 4th
| East Stage moe., 12:30 AM – 2:00 AM moe., 10:30 PM – 12:00 AM One of the most-established acts on the jam festival circuit has to be moe (QRO photos at a festival). They came up in the nineties with other neo-hippie bands as Phish & Widespread Panic (instead of ‘Dead Heads’, moe. has ‘moe.rons’…), and have kept on going for over twenty years now. They play back-to-back sets at Mountain Jam. |
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| Railroad Earth, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM Stillwater, New Jersey’s Railroad Earth take in not just staple jam influences but also such farther styles from jazz to Celtic, expect live improvisation as well (QRO photos at a festival). |
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West Stage Marco Benevento, 12:00 AM – 12:30 AM Marco Benevento, 9:30 PM – 10:30 PM New York experimental rock & jazz artist Marco Benevento (QRO photos) has found a second home on the jam band circuit. He plays two back-to-back sets on Thursday, plus “Mental Floss with Marco Benevento” on Friday (see below). |
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| Also: Planet of the Abts, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Sons of Bill, 5:45 PM – 6:30 PM The Dharma Burns, 4:30 PM – 5:15 PM |
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FRIDAY, JUNE 5th
| East Stage Gov’t Mule, 12:00 AM – 2:00 AM Many festival jam bands draw their lineage back to sixties hippies bands like The Grateful Dead, but few as directly as Gov’t Mule (QRO photos). Originally begun as a side-project to the reformed Allman Brothers Band in the early nineties, Gov’t Mule was right at the cusp of breaking out on their own in 2000 when bassist Allen Woody died. But guitarist Warren Haynes (who founded Mountain Jam) and drummer Matt Abts recovered to become a festival mainstay, featuring a rotating cast of guest members and being guest members, like Haynes’ work in The Dead. They play every year at Mountain Jam, this time twice (see below), doing their acclaimed Dark Side of the Mule on Friday. |
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| Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters, 9:30 PM – 11:00 PM Coming to Mountain Jam on Friday is the legendary Robert Plant. While he’ll always be best known as the singer/frontman of Led Zeppelin, he’s also crafted a very successful solo career for over thirty years now, not to mention teams up ‘Page and Plant’ in the nineties (with Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page) and, more recently, with Alison Krauss in Raising Sand, 2011 Grammy winner for Album of the Year. And while he’ll always be best known for virtually giving birth to hard rock, his post-Zeppelin work has allowed him to venture into folk and blues, such as on 2010’s Band of Joy (QRO review) and subsequent tour (QRO live review) – and he comes to Mountain Jam behind his latest outfit, the new Sensational Space Shifters (QRO photos at a festival) and last year’s Lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar. |
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| Grace Potter, 6:46 PM – 8:15 PM While many jam bands on the festival circuit seem to have been playing forever, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals (QRO photos outdoors) formed & broke out more recently (QRO photos outdoors at a festival), thanks to 2007’s This Is Somewhere, and opening for the likes of Gov’t Mule (see above & below) & Black Crowes (QRO photos). The funky blues-soul act (QRO photos at a festival) earned major praise for 2010’s self-titled release (QRO review) and 2012’s The Lion The Beast The Beat, getting bigger & bigger (QRO photos at a festival). This year, however, Grace Potter has gone solo and will be releasing her first proper solo album, Midnight – and in the run-up, comes to Mountain Jam. |
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| Also: Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, 4:15 PM – 5:45 PM Trigger Hippy, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM Nikki Lane, 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM – QRO photos at a festival |
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West Stage Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers, 8:15 PM – 9:15 PM Nicki Bluhm (QRO photos at a festival) began her alt-country career opening for her husband’s band, The Mother Hips – and now her & her Gramblers are playing later than them at Mountain Jam (see below)! |
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| Also: Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, 5:45 PM – 6:45 PM The Mother Hips, 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM – QRO photos Spirit Family Reunion, 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM The Mike + Ruthy Band, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM |
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Healey Brothers Hall EMEFE, 5:45 PM – 6:45 PM Hula Hooping Workshop with Miss 360, 4:45 PM – 5:30 PM The Compact, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM Mental Floss with Marco Benevento, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM |
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SATURDAY, JUNE 6th
| East Stage Big Gigantic, 12:00 AM – 2:00 AM Boulder’s Big Gigantic (QRO photos at a festival) mix (big) electronic beats with live drums and even live saxo-mo-phone. Known to set crowds in a writhing heap of body parts (QRO photos at a festival), Big Gigantic (QRO photos at a festival) has been showcasing their electronic fervor all across the globe (QRO photos at a festival), including the last ever New Year’s Eve at New York City’s closed landmark venue Roseland Ballroom (QRO live review). |
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| The Black Keys, 9:30 PM – 11:00 PM The blues-rock from guitar/drums duo of Dan Auerbach & Patrick Carney (QRO photos) sounds like it comes from the deepest (and blackest…) part of the South, but these two white men (QRO photos at a festival) hail from Akron, Ohio. However, The Black Keys (QRO photos outdoors) are as gritty as anyone, whether on records like 2008’s Attack & Release (QRO review), 2010’s Brothers (QRO review), 2011’s El Camino (QRO review), or live (QRO photos at a festival), as depicted on the Live at Crystal Ballroom DVD (QRO review). And the duo (QRO photos at a festival) headline Mountain Jam (QRO photos headlining a festival), touring last year’s Turn Blue (QRO review). |
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| Gov’t Mule, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Many festival jam bands draw their lineage back to sixties hippies bands like The Grateful Dead, but few as directly as Gov’t Mule (QRO photos). Originally begun as a side-project to the reformed Allman Brothers Band in the early nineties, Gov’t Mule was right at the cusp of breaking out on their own in 2000 when bassist Allen Woody died. But guitarist Warren Haynes (who founded Mountain Jam) and drummer Matt Abts recovered to become a festival mainstay, featuring a rotating cast of guest members and being guest members, like Haynes’ work in The Dead. They play every year at Mountain Jam, this time twice, including their acclaimed Dark Side of the Mule on Friday (see above). |
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| Rebelution, 4:45 PM – 6:00 PM Bringing some reggae to Mountain Jam is Santa Barbara’s Rebelution (QRO photos in Santa Barbara), who’ve been all over the festival circuit – and last year had an over-packed Big Apple show shut down by the FDNY! |
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| Also: Rusted Root, 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM – QRO live review Dopapod, 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM |
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West Stage The Wailers, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Bob Marley formed The Wailers and brought reggae to the world – and, as Michael said on Lost, “Who don’t like Bob Marley?” The Wailers have kept going strong (QRO live review) long after Marley’s death, so pass the dutchee to the left-hand side, mon… |
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| Shakey Graves, 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM Shakey Graves (QRO photos at a festival) is the post-folk alter ego of Austin’s Alejandro Rose-Garcia (QRO photos). |
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| Benjamin Booker, 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM The neo-garage of Benjamin Booker (QRO photos at a festival) isn’t that special, but is getting him attention. Also: Burnell Pines, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM |
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Healey Brothers Hall Hula Hooping Workshops with Miss 360, 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM Jason Pinksy: Cannabis Lectures, 4:45 PM – 5:30 PM Matt Anderson, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM Jay Blakesberg Photography: Guitars That Jam, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM Jocelyn Arndt, 12:45 PM – 1:30 PM Paul Green Rock Academy, 11:00 AM – 12:25 PM Ratboy Jr., 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM |
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SUNDAY, JUNE 7th
| East Stage Alabama Shakes, 7:15 PM – 9:15 PM Actually from Alabama, throwback rock ‘n’ rollahs Alabama Shakes (QRO photos at a festival) are well loved from their numerous, energetic live shows, which got them a slew of Grammy nominations in 2013, and have launched them into headline status at Mountain Jam (QRO photos at a festival). |
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| Michael Franti & Spearhead, 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM The Bay Area’s own multi-ethnic Michael Franti is a mixture, as he fuses hip-hop & jam-band with Spearhead (QRO photos at a festival). Also noted for his peace and social activism (including going barefoot since 2000), it won’t fly over the heads of Mountain Jam. He also does yoga earlier in the day (see below). |
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| Lake Street Dive, 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM After meeting at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music (QRO photos at a Boston festival), jazz-soul outfit Lake Street Dive (QRO photos outdoors) became, “Two girls, two guys, and a whole lotta feelings.” Also: Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams ft. Bill Payne (Little Feat), 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM |
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West Stage Hurray For the Riff Raff, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM New Orleans’ Hurray For the Riff Raff (QRO photos at a festival) bring their folk-blues up above see level at Mountain Jam (QRO photos at a festival). |
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| Also: Amy Helm & The Handsome Strangers, 3:45 PM – 4:30 PM Simone Felice, 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM – QRO photos Simi Stone, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM |
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Healey Brothers Hall Lions On the Moon ft. Eric McFadden, 4:15 PM – 5:15 PM Hula Hooping Workshops with Miss 360, 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM Jason Pinsky: Cannabis Lectures, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM Paul Green Rock Academy, 12:15 PM – 1:45 PM Yoga with Michael Franti, 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM Ratboy Jr., 9:15 AM – 10:00 AM |
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For festival website, go here: http://mountainjam.com/
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