The place was all set up for two types of groups, acoustic and amplified. The bigger tent was for the amplified groups. I'm not sure why, but I really like the shapes of these tents, backed by sun and clouds and trees.
There were lots of small stands with jewelry, clothing, and food. There was one advertising local theater as well. Apparently Gallagher will be coming to the area in early September.
One of the reasons I like music fests so much is that there are always lots of stories. Of course, there is the music. Jody hangs with a music crowd, so we were there to see some of them play. But there were tons of other good acts as well. Below is Sarah Ayers with her group. This woman can SING. She did a lot of her own stuff, along with covers of Aretha and others. She got all raucous like Janis, but she could sing a tune as well. Her band was great.
The guitarist was especially good. The guy could lay down a riff!
Next up over in the acoustic tent was Claire Reynolds, a local blues singer. She did a really entertaining set, with a bit of yodeling as a closer. Her guitar took bows for her. Apparently she really loves it. Anyway, she could play that thing like BB.
Jody's friend knew of her from older days. Apparently she used to pump gas in one of the local villages. It hurts a bit to see real musicians, capable of giving so much joy, reduced to making ends meet. In a kinder, gentler world we would revere and promote these people and hold them immune from daily cares.
Things got busy in the big tent again with Cate' Musiq Group. These guys were amazing to me. They had a big band R&B sound, sort of like Chicago brought forward. I really didn't expect to hear that kind of a sound at this festival. Jody tells me that the promoter, a local guy, really has an eclectic taste in music. He books music of all kinds into the festival.
Cate' (pronounced kah-tay) started up the second theme of the evening, good hair. Maybe because I am bald, I have always enjoyed people with hair, particularly wiggly, unrestrained hair.
At any rate, he had a lot of really young musicians, brass and woodwind. They were great, doing everything from a big band sound to individual jazz riffs. I was amazed and really jealous that such young guys were so good! It made me think I had misspent my youth!
The music really got the crowd going. There were lots of families here; kids ranged from stroller babies through toddlers and young children to teenagers. Everybody seemed to enjoy the music.
One of the most fun acts to watch was this one, KJ Denhert and the New York Unit. This lady describes her music as urban folk and jazz, but to me it refused classification. It is a sophisticated New York nighttime sound. The woman can sing, and she can play, too. The band is good, but you could hear her guitar coming through, even while she was singing.
Ms. Denhert continued the hair theme, with her curls rocking back and forth on her head as she moved with the music.
Next up in the big tent was Frank Vignola's Rhythm Machine. This guy began to make me understand the place of the bandleader in a big way.
Take a look at the way these guys were staying in touch with him for cues. He really led a wild ride, but they stayed in sync with him the whole way. The music was amazing. It ranged from jazz to bluegrass and beyond, all focused on amazing guitar playing.
This is not to take anything away from the other band members. Mr. Vignola is just an amazing player. But there was another guy in the band, Aaron Weinstein. I could just see this guy taking lessons his whole childhood, then pissing off his parents breaking off into a more popular genre. He has the classical chops, too, though. He has played at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Wolf Trap, too. When Frank Vignola wasn't leading, this guy was, and he was also amazing.
Then it was time for an acoustic break with Kate and Paul. These are Jody's friends, who play folk music with a slightly political edge. They harmonized beautifully, with a really virtuoso guitar performance by Paul. His slide riffs really made my day.
So, on to a couple more themes for the day. One theme was dog friendliness. In particular, there were a lot of BIG dogs. The biggest was probably this Irish Wolfhound, which stood above his owners waist. This was a very friendly dog, despite his size. He let anyone near him and people were petting him all day long.
There were other big dogs as well, including a brindle Rottweiler, lots of Labs, and other generally big animals. This one had the slobbers, drooling into his water dish.
There were lots of small dogs, too.
It was a good people-watching day, too. Lots of local people of various flavors: bikers, left-over hippies, happy families, and tons of (wait for it)
GEEZERS like me. I was kind of amazed by how many "older" people there were. At any rate, the music was really agreeable for us. It was kind of slanted toward the sort of things we used to hear when younger.
E thought this guy looked like Mickey Rooney. Maybe in profile? Anyway, I liked his tats. There were lots of those around.
For me, the last major representation was the cigar smokers. There seemed to be more of them in the crowd than I expected. This guy let out an amazing jet of smoke, but I couldn't seem to catch it right! It's all in the timing, dammit!
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