Show Review

For most of the weekend in Hunter, NY, the historic mountains remained hidden by a steady light mist spraying from gray clouds covering the valley. The jams though, were almost impossible to miss, as they sounded from the sloping fields of Hunter Mountain’s base area for two long days and nights. The second annual Mountain Jam Festival roared out of the gate, and came to a rocking close Sunday night with Gov't Mule’s Warren Haynes putting the finishing touches on an incredible weekend of music in the Catskills.

Under the ski lifts at Hunter, the nearly 3,000 festival attendees were treated to more than twenty performances on two stages, as Gov't Mule headlined the main stage with two sets each night. Welcoming on-site campers Friday night in the winter resort’s base lodge, DJ Logic spun turntables while the heavy rains began to fall. Saturday morning greeted the mountain with a soggy smile, bringing more than an inch of rain to the slopes mostly before the funky reggae beats of John Brown’s Body began at 12:30pm. After the music started it was easier to ignore the steady drizzle and just soak in the tunes, especially when the performers appeared to accept the conditions just the way they were.

Keller Williams took the stage bearing only his acoustic guitar (his performance remained loopless since his pedalboard was lost by the airline) and in his casual crafty style broke down the situation at hand, affirming, “I need a rainy day, looks like I got one.” Indeed, it was rainy enough for Keller to remain shoeless, but not barefoot like Mr. Michael Franti, who’s free spirited rap with Keller asked, “We’re all in this together, who cares about the weather?” Franti continued the careless approach into Spearhead’s energetic set, bringing the crowd to a lively roar singing “Everyone Deserves Music.”

Robert Randolph &the Family Band, led by the smooth, sweet styles of Randolph’s pedal steel guitar, celebrated a soulful sound that had the hillside swaying in unison almost like a choir. This perfectly expounded the gospel roots that are so prevalent in their refreshing and meaningful music. Warren Haynes appeared on the main stage for the first time when the Family Band invited him to sit-in for “Homecoming.” Trading notes with one another, Warren and Robert seemed like they could go on all night - instead, Haynes returned the favor and Robert was a guest at the end of the Mule’s first set for a stirring rendition of “Turn on Your Lovelight.”

Playing four sets at Mountain Jam, Mule took the opportunity to utilize a pair of backup singers on Saturday night. Machan and Elaine Caswell provided backing vocals on “The Letter,” ”A Million Miles From Yesterday,” “Soulshine” and “Livin' Lovin' Maid.” Rose Hill Drive, hailing from New Paltz, NY, performed on the second stage just before Mule began, and guitarist Daniel Sproul appeared alongside Haynes for the inspiring show closing cover of Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer.” Remembered by the Mule’s performance were Vince Welnick and Ramrod, keyboardist and crew for the Grateful Dead, who both passed in May.

On Sunday the music again began shortly after noon, with organ and drums from the Benevento-Russo Duo permeating on the main stage while clouds slipped over the green mountains above the dreary waterlogged crowd. A light mist started to fall as ex-Phish bassist Mike Gordon brought out his brand new honky-tonk collective, Ramble Dove. Gordon’s assemblage of country-styled musicians such as Brett Hughes, Neil Cleary, and Marie Claire, along with hand-picked veterans Gordon Stone (Gordon Stone Trio) and Scott Murawski (Max Creek), charged through the free-spirited tunes about laughing, love, and liquor. Dove invited guitarist Mark Spencer onstage for “I Got Loaded,” and keyboardist Marco Benevento for the lost Phish fragment, “Weekly Time.” This was a suitable choice considering that the outfit has been hanging its honky-tonk styles every Tuesday night at Vermont’s Radio Bean Café for the past few months before breaking out into other areas of the country – the band just touched New York City’s Irving Plaza last week, and will perform at Bonnaroo in Tennessee next weekend.

One of the more intriguing acts on Sunday’s second stage was the acoustic blend from of the Wood Brothers, Oliver (guitar) and Chris (bass). Together they created a timeless sound that evoked an expressive and relative sense with stories drawn from country blues, New Orleans R&B, or Appalachian bluegrass. Oliver later joined brother Chris on the main stage with MMW. Another act that served up a tasteful sounding buzz from the second stage was The Slip, who had My Morning Jacket’s Jim James up front dancing for much of the Boston band’s vigorous set.

It was the final act at the second stage however, that drew the largest crowd of the weekend in front of Hunter’s base lodge. Vermont's rising stars, Grace Potter &The Nocturnals seemingly called the entire main stage crowd down the mud-slicked hill after MMW’s set. Grace claimed to be fighting a cold and sub-par sound on stage, but her dynamic vocals demanded that fun be had by all. In one of those moments that grabs new listeners forever, guitarist Scott Tournet broke out the “Flying V” and ripped a solo with it that sent a buzz deep through the crowd. The Nocturnals ended their short set with one of the more fitting songs played all weekend, “Nothing But The Water” – also the title track from the bands new re-released album on Hollywood Records. The crowd cheered and called for more, but as it went all weekend, things remained on schedule and it was time for My Morning Jacket to perform on the main stage.

Having spent the past few weeks filling the opening slot for Pearl Jam, this would be the band's first festival gig of the season, before also appearing at Bonnaroo and High Sierra. With a presence that commands the audience's attention, Jim James bounded about the stage wailing on his instrument as his hair flung about his bearded face. Creeping into their set with their opening tracks from 2001's At Dawn, Jacket showcased compelling vocal abilities with "Low Down." Drawing from the band's acclaimed 2005 album Z, they performed excellent versions of "Off the Record," What a Wonderful Man," and “Wordless Chorus." Seen sprinting up the muddy slope to the concert field, Grace Potter found her way to the front and joined the audience for one of the most impressive rock 'n roll shows of the weekend.

But even with Jacket's stellar performance, The Nocturnals ripping it up on the second stage, and the omnipresent soggy conditions of the grounds, for 2 nights in Hunter, NY, the Mule was king. Warren, Matt, Andy, and Danny touched onto the "Banks of the Deep End" before inviting Mike Gordon out to add bass on the Dead's "Loser," with an added "Terrapin Station" jam. Next out was John Medeski who contributed organ for "That's What Love Will Make You Do" that ended the Mule's first set. Finishing up the festival with another well tightened set, Haynes led the band through a delicately woven match of Prince's "When Doves Cry" and his own "Beautifully Broken." It has been said that, “You don't learn anything the second time you're kicked by a mule.” As Haynes sent the crowd off into the night with an encore of "Red House," it was obvious that most everyone at the Mountain Jam certainly learned something at this second thrilling night of the Mule. This is a band that maintains some of the most serious chops in the business, with a leader that carries his voice through the cloudy night sky and guides his fingers over the guitar with a passion you dont often see duplicated.

So, with a bow, the Mule closed down their second annual Mountain Jam in Hunter, NY. Even with a flurry of precipitation from mother nature, the venue held its own quite remarkably, and the stellar music all weekend long took care of the rest. Radio Woodstock, WDST, and Warren Haynes should be very satisfied with their production, and are hopefully already turning the gears for the Jam to return in 2007.