Rage, go hard, get f****d up- these are some terms that you might hear associated with today’s festival scene. Though it can be fun to wile out, it can be even more rewarding to take a second for chilling and it is, of course, most ideal to Catskill Chill. Held September 6-8 at Camp Minglewood in Hancock, NY, this year’s Catskill Chill served as a prime example of everything a festival should be. The staff, performers, and attendees all exemplified the positive energy and sincere respect for one another’s experiences that gives the Chillfam its highly esteemed reputation. During our artist interviews, we repeatedly heard praise for the smooth sailing style that is signature to Chillfam fests and were thrilled that this attention to detail trickled down to each and every participant. In an age dominated by cell phone use and social media, it was supremely refreshing to retreat to the beautiful Catskill Mountains and enjoy some good old-fashioned face time. Given the overlap of performances and how easy it is to get sucked into a great conversation while walking through the campgrounds, it would be impossible and an unrealistic portrayal to cover each and every second, so I’m including some highlights.
Accommodating Friday work schedules, our little crew arrived in the evening and was directed to set up camp in the baseball field overlooking the lake. Schlepping our bags was made significantly less treacherous thanks to the distinct sound of Lotus travelling through the grounds. From a distance, the music reminded me of the New Year’s Eves past and I knew it was a great set even before I heard the rave reviews that were on the tips of Catskiller’s tongues. By the time Lettuce took the stage, we had pitched our tents, unrolled our sleeping bags, and even interviewed Stoops of Kung Fu! Lettuce is comprised of Eric Krasno, Rashawn Ross, Adam Deitch, Neal Evans, E.D.Coomes, Adam Smirnoff, James Casey, Ryan Zoidis and Nigel Hall joining forces to satisfy the audience’s appetite for funk. With 20 years on the scene, it was no wonder that Lettuce played mostly originals. They did, however, throw Jerry Lordan’s “Apache” into the mix. Vocalist Alecia Chakour joined the band for “Do Your Thing” and Hall shone especially brightly when he sang “Do It Like You Do,” from their new album, Fly. Whereas some concerts tire you out, Lettuce and Royal Family Records artists in general manage to leave their crowd feeling uplifted and energized- which was necessary considering the night was still young in fest time when their set ended.
The crowd had to choose their own adventure after Lettuce, as Orchard Lounge and Viral Sound were all throwing down. We traveled up the hill from the Main Stage to the B Stage where Orchard Lounge began to puppeteer the crowd with their unique blend of turntabilism/improve/electrofusion. The B Stage was special because you could shimmy up to the front row, hang back, or even browse the vendors while still enjoying the music. The tunes played by Orchard Lounge put a swagger in everyone’s step as they walked through the performance area and those who were closer to the stage were able to witness the intensely beautiful chemistry between Spencer and Brittany Briscoe Lokken.
Kung Fu was next to take the stage, and the set was highly anticipated after our interview with Stoops. Everyone was “Gung Ho” on a great performance from the first song! It was hard to determine which had more momentum: Stoop’s fingers moving frantically across his keyboards or the dancing crowd! Somerville, Palmieri, Tramontano, and DeAngelis made clear that this was not their first rodeo and roped fans in with high energy musical expertise. Nigel Hall and percussionist Johnny Durkin joined in for a cover of “Steppin’ In It” sure to impress even Herbie Hancock. Durkin stuck around for classics “Teen Town” and “Hit It and Quit It.” It was appropriate that Kung Fu chose to end the set with “Samurai” because they did a kick-ass job of impressing the noble Catskill Chillers.
When we went up to the stage for Twiddle Saturday morning, it sounded like it would have been worth mustering some energy to have stayed up for Higher Organix after Kung Fu, but I trust we’ll have the opportunity to see them again in the fest scene! From their first few notes, Twiddle conjured that feeling specific to a sunny day at a festival; the crowd seemed to be floating on the utter bliss of sunshine, good tunes, and good company that keeps us coming back for more. In addition to handling their instruments, Twiddle was faced with the challenge of giant beach balls continuously bouncing onto the stage and photo pit becoming an impromptu game of volleyball as they tried to keep the music going. Much to the pleasure of the crowd, Bobby Paltauf, Stoops, and Scott Rene made appearances throughout the set. After catching this set, I would strongly advise trying to see Twiddle on their Nice Crispy Bacon 2013 Fall Tour. Yarn, the band to play the main stage after Twiddle, evoked a similar feeling as far as maximizing the daytime festival experience, and the funkified Zappa tunes played by The Z3 in between the two acts were certainly crowd pleasers.
Eric Krasno Band (not Lettuce, Soulive, Chapter 2, Fyre Dept. or Kraz but rather an assembly of members from The Dap Kings and The Warren Haynes Band with vocalist Alecia Chakour accompanying Krasno) played the B-stage, where the crowd could get a closer look at Krasno’s bass mastery. The crowd got what they wanted AND what they needed through the delivery of an especially soulful and funky set. We were getting our interview on in the afternoon but it sounded like Tea Leaf Green and Shmeean’s & the Expanded Consciousness, and Consider the Source’s acoustic set were Catskill highlights.
Galactic was, dare I say, out of this world. I loved how the band members were configured in a line across the stage for the sake of both photographing the band and also being able to see each member’s contribution to the mind-boggling funkiness. Between seeing them before and more recently having the pleasure of catching Stanton and Rob Mercurio at Equifunk, I was wanting “Moore,” and was stoked for Galactic and even more thrilled when they went above and beyond in fulfilling my expectations. Corey Glover, of Living Colour, joined in for “Hey Na Na,” “Out in the Street,” and “You Don’t Know,” among others. You surely defined “What Is Success,” while witnessing this extraordinarily prosperous pairing! Moore, Mercurio, Jeff Raines, Ben Ellman, and Richard Vogel sure know how to get a crowd moving- even dismissing my bias towards loving anything that makes me feel like I’m in the French Quarter.
Headtronics, featuring, Steve Molitz, DJ Logic and Freekbass came together as Headtronics at the Universal Church of Love and Music Funk Festival and were preaching the funk at the B-stage following Galactic. We were bummed to have missed The Mantras Friday afternoon on account of our evening arrival but seeing Ken Mogel not only join in but also play the guitar upside-down to accommodate his left-handedness offered some major reconciliation! Jules Jenson of The Indobox also joined in for the last song. Their set was made even more impressive when I later learned that it was thoroughly improvised.
Conspirator is generally a good time and their set late Saturday evening was no exception! We were able to chat with Brownie prior to seeing him lay down the bass, which gave us some extra insight on the performance. Brownie loved the press-conference style chat and joked about being in the West Wing one day…hmmm, Brownie for president? Conspirator has been greatly influenced by their revelation that they can sound different from The Disco Biscuits while still rocking their instruments and the full-bodied instrumentation that we witnessed Saturday evening was perhaps the best testament to this discovery. Conspirator’s ability to sound different than Biscuits without abandoning their instrumental roots is also evidenced in their varying fan base, as reported by Brownie:
Our whole thing has been about keeping The Biscuits the Biscuits and Conspirator Conspirator and having them sound different. Even the fans in a lot of cases are different fans. In a lot of places Conspirator’s built up a different fan base that weren’t Biscuits fans out around the country. That sounds probably ridiculous but we’re out on tour and we know who the people are. We go to places the Biscuits haven’t been in 5 years or 7 years and we’ve been there [as Conspirator] 5, 6 times in the last two years. It’s starting to build into its own little thing.
Though Brownie used the word “little,” it seems like Conspirator is getting pretty big. Brownie also shared:
I kind of enjoy the headlining slot at the small festival … to the mid-day slot at the gigantic festival. They’re equally as satisfying, they’re equally big. You get these huge festivals and you play in the middle of the day and 10,000 people show up but it’s fun to play last or play at nighttime and have the whole experience with the lights.
Torch handled the drums for this show, and will continue to do so during their fall tour. If you need more Brownie than Fall Tour offers, Gigantic Underground Conspiracy will be playing Jam Cruise and collaboration at Hulaween doesn’t seem too unlikely! So what is the breakfast of bass champions? A fellow reporter asked and Brownie revealed he enjoys oatmeal. An oatmeal enthusiast myself, I asked the pivotal question “instant or slow-cooked?” and received this answer:
No, I like both. Whether I make it or whatever I can get. If I can’t make it, then I’ll eat instant. I prefer to go to a nice brunch restaurant and have steel-cut oatmeal with fruit. I never ate oatmeal before then I just got into it recently. Now I love it. It’s so good.
Oatmeal must be where it’s at because Conspirator transformed Catskill Chill into Catskill Rage with their late night set and I was appreciative of my time spent chatting with Brownie pre-show!
Brothers Past proceeded Conspirator, and this was Catskillers second chance to catch Tom Hamilton, as he also played with American Babies earlier in the weekend. After grooving at the B-Stage, fans returned to main stage to catch RAQ. This time Stoops wore a black jumpsuit instead of a red one and, like the jumpsuit colors, the performance was nothing like the night before! Kung Fu is funk while RAQ is rock and there was no doubt that festival attendees were rocking out to this exceptional set. RAQ opened with “Beauregard,” delivered flawless transitions between songs, and had the fans fully engaged well before Sommerville sat in for the closing song, “Botz.”
Having missed Cabinet’s Dead Set (which I heard only great things about), I was glad they were playing again and made sure I was there to see their Sunday morning set. Catskill’s schedule is a testament to how well they know the scene- what better way to start the day then with a high-energy blend of bluegrass, country, and folk! “Wine and Shine” was one of my favorites but each song they played was stellar! Word to the wise- go see Cabinet on their fall tour!!
I first saw Arleigh Kincheloe as an artist-at-large at Equifunk and she was a diva with the right kind of attitude! Seeing her head her own band, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, seemed like the next logical step so I was thankful Catskill Chill had her on board. She spoke highly of both festivals and shared, “I obviously like the comfort level of being with your band and showing everyone this is my project. It’s cool, I’m proud of it.” Sister Sparrow’s lyrics and voice could be successful in her own right but reach new heights when partnered with The Dirty Birds full-bodied sound. “I guess I always knew that I wanted a big band,” said Kincheloe, “I love bands with a horn section. I’m realizing I was kind of stubborn when I first started writing songs, I would say, ‘This is going to be this.’ And I’m glad I did! It’s funny going back to my house and my parents always want me to play my songs solo and I ask, ‘Where’s my band?’ (laughs) It totally messes with my mind.” Sister Sparrow’s mind seems to be at ease as she delivered originals and threw Queen classic “Fat Bottomed Girls” into the mix. The band recently worked with producer Randy Jackson on their new ep Fight so definitely check that out!
The Fundimensionals were playing the Chill Lounge around this time and I was happy to have caught some of their set. Opening with “Super Smash Bros” was a crowd-pleaser, as were the originals that proceeded. Their cover of “Jack Straw” featuring Ken Mogel was one of my favorite moments of the entire weekend- I danced so hard you would’ve thought it was late night! Bobby Paltauf also joined in for a cover of The Band’s “Up on Cripple Creek.”
The McLovins showed that this wasn’t their first rodeo- er, festival,when they rocked the B-Stage. The guys performed in giant furry costumes and, while waiting for the show to start in the photo pit, it was pretty funny to hear the members of Grant’s Tomb warn The McLovins that their headpieces were about to bump into the top of stage! While the costumes were silly, the performance, which featured collaboration with the horn players from Grant’s Tomb composed by McLovins guitarist and keyboardist Atticus Kelly, was a display of serious talent. George Porter, Jr. joined in on the fun for classic “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang and if you have the festival’s headliner making an appearance during YOUR performance, it’s safe to say you’re doing something right! Click here for our exclusive interview.
Grateful Dead music at a festival is an instant hit but blending it with funk is something extra. Motet played a Funk is Dead set and announced that this would be the last chance to catch them funkifying the Dead. Their high energy performance showed that funk and the spirit of the Dead are very much alive and I’m glad I caught them before they retired this act.
The Meter Men was one of the weekend’s most highly anticipated sets and also one of the most pleasing. George Porter, Jr., Leo Nocentelli, and Ziggy Modeliste were joined by Phish’s Page McConnell and every side was rage side! The Meters heavily influenced the scene present at Catskill Chill so having The Meter Men there was a testament to the festival’s heart and soul being on point. “Fire on the Bayou,” “Just Kissed My Baby” and “People Say” were among the songs that reminded Catskillers how much it’s possible to love music. In the ultimate acknowledgement of talent, The Meter Men welcomed Bobby Paltauf on stage and Porter watched with happy awe as Paltauf played as though he’d been jamming with Nocentelli for as long he has!
It takes some major talent to play after The Meter Men, so we weren’t surprised to see Dopapod take the Main Stage next. Turkuaz also did a killer job handling the B-stage in between the two acts. Dopapod is as innovative as they are talented and the Catskill schedule struck again in saving one of the best acts for the last night! The band opened with a double-dose of favorites, transitioning from “Vol. 3 #86” into “Nuggy Jawson” and their set only got better from there! When Papadosio followed the set, you could sense the good energy they had harvested at their festival, Rootwire, the weekend before. Their visuals and music offered a full experience. Nobody wants the music to stop so thank goodness Catskill brought with mind-twister Dopadosio to the stage!! Featuring different arrangements of members from both bands, Dopadosio allowed a unique headlining experience that was enjoyed by those who have watched the bands grow in the fest scene over the years and newcomers alike. The set began with some Radiohead covers followed by Papadosio’s “Find Your Cloud” and Dopapod’s “Faba.” From there, the supergroup began an improvised jam so good that it eased the pain of this being the last song of Catskill Chill 2013.
When the set ended, it really felt like the last night of camp; friends running to spend that last bit of quality time and savor the atmosphere once more. Throughout the weekend, I spoke with some attendees that had been campers as children there. If a festival can compare with, or even rival, positive childhood memories, then it must be especially great. I also noted that a crowd who’s mainly there for the music as opposed to getting trashed means that the festival ground does not get too trashed, either. The artist and attendees spoke of Catskill as though they were proud older siblings, and I’m grateful I could feel the love shared by the Chillfam. When tickets go on sale, I fully intend to be click-ready by a computer to beat “Cabin Fever” and plan my grand return! Catskill has proven year after year it’s worth attending so make sure you’re ready too because Blind Faith Early Bird Tickets for 2014 are being released October 22, 2013!
Festival Review by Mia Jester
Interviews By Mia Jester and Brittany Bee
Photography by Mia Jester
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