Another batch of additions to the All Good Music Festival has just been announced. The Dark Star Orchestra will play an acoustic set at the event, which will also see recently added performances from HT faves Kung Fu, Cabinet and Superhuman Happiness. Moon Hooch, Feat Nuttin Band, Ultraviolet Hippopotamus, Founding Fathers and MojoFlo have also been added to the bill. Plus, Roosevelt Collier will perform with a variety of bands as an Artist At Large.
Here’s the full list of All Good Music Festival additions…
Dark Star Orchestra (acoustic), Kung Fu, Moon Hooch, Feat Nuttin Band, Roosevelt Collier (artist at large), Ultraviolet Hippopotamus, Cabinet, Superhuman Happiness, Founding Fathers, Mojoflo
The All Good Music Festival is set to take place from July 18 – 21 at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio. Furthur, Pretty Lights, Primus and STS9 are among the event’s headliners. Tickets are currently available through the festival’s website. Watch a new mini-documentary about the All Good Music Festival…
Two major summer music festivals have announced lineup additions today. HT faves Yonder Mountain String Band, Lettuce and Toubab Krewe are among the additions to the All Good Music Festival lineup. Meanwhile, Grizzly Bear and Wolfgang Gartner have been added to the Hangout Music Fest. All Good takes place at Ohio’s Legend Valley July 18 – 21, while Hangout Music Fest is set for the beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama on May 17th – 19th.
Here’s six more stories of note as we start the week…
Finally, a special one-time-only concert is taking place in New York City on Wednesday night at The Cutting Room featuring members of The Radiators, Lettuce, Johnny Sketch & The Dirty Notes and more. A group dubbed “Fishhead Stew” brings together Dave Malone (The Radiators), Camile Baudoin (The Radiators), Adam Deitch (Lettuce/Break Science), Dave Pomerlau (Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes), and Mark Rechler (OUTHOUSE, Icons of Funk, Circus Mind) for what looks to be a killer night of music. Tickets for the debut (and possibly only) performance from Fishhead Stew are available here.
The 17th annual All Good Music Festival will take place from July 18 – 21 at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio boasting a lineup that features headliners Furthur, Primus, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and Pretty Lights. STS9, Keller Williams with the Travelin’ McCourys, North Mississippi Allstars and John Scofield’s Uberjam Band are among the other acts that will be performing at All Good this July.
Here’s a look at the initial All Good 2013 lineup announced today…
Pretty Lights, Primus, STS9, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Keller Williams with The Travelin’ McCourys, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Leftover Salmon, Papadosio, North Mississippi Allstars, John Scofield Uberjam Band, The Infamous Stringdusters, Trevor Hall, MarchFourth Marching Band, The Bright Light Social Hour, The Bridge, Tribal Seeds, Digital Tape Machine featuring Kris Myers and Joel Cummins of Umphrey’s McGee, The Sheepdogs, Nahko And Medicine For The People, The Stepkids
Once again event promoters promise no overlapping sets throughout the entirety of the weekend. In addition to the acts announced today, look for 20 additional artists to be revealed soon. For the first time in All Good history tickets went on sale at the same time the lineup was revealed. To purchase your passes, head to the All Good website.
Phish LD Chris Kuroda, who’s celebrating a birthday today, helped out with the lighting design at last weekend’s All Good Music Festival. He also participated in a Q & A attended by a handful of Phish fans in which he gave a look “behind the curtain.” Not only did Kuroda intimate that Phish will return to Madison Square Garden for New Year’s Eve (18:05), he also revealed that the band has “many surprises” in store to celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2013. Along the way there’s lots of technical talk, but you don’t have to be a lighting designer to enjoy the 30-minute discussion. YouTuber musiclove627 captured the chat for our enjoyment…
The weather report indicated that Sunday would be the real scorcher of the weekend, and as promised, the few scattered clouds provided insufficient shade to keep the morning sun from turning my tent into a sauna. A number of folks had bugged out the previous night or early that morning to make an early start back to reality. The majority, however, stuck around for the final, bittersweet day of the 2012 All Good Music Festival that featured fewer acts than the previous days.
I caught the second half of the day’s opening act on the main stage Corey Harris & the Rasta Blues Experience. Although it couldn’t match the almost religious experience that The Lee Boys & Traveling McCourys brought to the Sunday slot two years prior, the band’s fairly traditional reggae sound made for a good vibe to kick things off right in the noontime heat. Santa Cruz, California acoustic trio Devil Makes Three were up next on the Dragon Stage, and turned some heads with both slower bluegrass ballads and faster numbers, alike. A quote written on one of the banjos played by Cooper McBean paraphrased Woody Guthrie, “This Machine Annoys Fascists.” McBean, along with guitarist Pete Bernhard and upright bass player Lucia Turino brought a sound that combined punk/rockabilly, folk, and bluegrass in a way that only seems to come from Northern California.
I awoke Saturday morning feeling like a piece of broccoli in a vegetable steamer, and quickly emerged from my tent to feel a gentle breeze and the warmth of morning sunlight. The intense blue of the mid-morning sky was broken by patches of clouds, akin to the opening credits of The Simpsons. After scarfing down a breakfast burrito courtesy of my campmates, I made my way to the concert field. At the gate I was thoroughly shaken down by security staff, who peered inside every crevice of my camera bag and gear – the only time over the weekend I received such close scrutiny. I managed to catch the second half of Saturday’s opening set by Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, whose down home tunes already had folks dancing and others just smiling in appreciation of the complex instrumentation courtesy of one of the finest guitar players around.
An odd daytime set by jamtronica supergroup Conspirator followed, about which I joked to some fellow photographers, “I just ate a ton of molly – this is my whole night.” Truly, although Conspirator had just played a late night set the previous night at the Gathering of the Vibes festival, and offered a solid performance, the time slot just made no sense at All Good. Next, Ohio indie rock band Red Wanting Blue fronted by vocalist Scott Terry played a half hour set. Their guitar-driven pop sound was reminiscent of ‘90s Counting Crows, and fit well in the more laid back vibe of the mid-day heat. Bay area jam band Tea Leaf Green followed, and played a number of newer tunes off of their last album Radio Tragedy, with guitarist Josh Clark trading licks with All Good artist at large Roosevelt Collier in multiple numbers.
Friday morning at the All Good Music Festival saw considerably cooler temperatures than anyone had anticipated, much to everyone’s relief. The lack of the being parboiled in one’s tent in the early morning sun seemed to help everyone’s mood, and a few hundred people gathered to see the first acts of Friday, cooled by the gentle breeze under a totally overcast sky. The earliest timeslot went to Colorado’s indie folk quintet Elephant Revival. A smaller crowd of diehards in attendance sang along with songs whose gentler tones were perfect for the mild morning air.
After a brief DJ set, California coastal jam band Animal Liberation Orchestra or ALO treated the crowd to a non-sweaty daytime festival set of favorites including Plastic Bubble that had guitarist Dan Lebowitz throwing out some hot licks. I was excited to hear crowd favorite Barbecue, into which was sandwiched Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger. However, the results were somewhat weaker in comparison to the same BBQ > EOT >BBQ sandwich at their Bonnaroo set five weeks prior. Still, it is always hilarious to hear ALO perform their song Jericho which vividly describes the outdoor camping and music festival experience, and it wasn’t lost on the All Good audience. A brief set followed by Minneapolis bass drum-heavy band 4onthefloor, whose Springsteenesque vocalist brought rocking earnestness to their early afternoon slot. The Wood Brothers entertained the crowd with their roots rock sound including a sit in by All Good Artist At Large Roosevelt Collier, who plays peal steel guitar with the Lee Boys.
The multi-hour line of traffic to get into the festival belied promoters’ promises that the move from the hills of West Virginia to its new home in Thornville, Ohio would greatly improve the speed and ease of entry into festival gates. Although there was not a winding, one-lane mountain road and corresponding fear of burning out my clutch, traffic still crawled along the rural two-lane highway for miles. Traffic passed fields of soybeans and corn and wooks walking the shoulder, fingers in the air, selling glass or t-shirts, or just knocking on car windows to ask for spare change. A random farmer was selling water and meat sticks (really) from roadside stands,and ticket scalpers held signs expressing their particular jones for tickets. Occasional rain showers kept temperatures lower but magnified the humidity under a totally overcast sky.
I won’t bore anyone with the lengthy and (at least by now) hilarious tale of our misadventures that went on for almost four hours. I’ll simply say that I heard the term ‘clusterfuck’ bandied about freely by photographers and paying fans alike to describe similar experiences of getting into the camping grounds. The All Good Festival helped each of us contribute more than our share to air pollution, global warming and depletion of fossil fuels as thousands of cars sat idling or creeping along at a snail’s pace for hours, only to be repeatedly misdirected. I’m sure many had far more positive experiences, but such was mine. Some logistical SNAFUs are to be expected for a larger festival’s first time at a new site. However, when fans pay several hundred dollars for the chance to be stuck in their vehicles for hours due to lack of coordination, communication, and explicit signage – at least have a port-o-john to be found.
All that said, in my experience with music festivals, the craziness of boredom, hunger and frustration, quickly dissipates once you’re inside. The search of cars was variable from opening of suitcases and pill bottles to a brief glance inside the vehicle. I’m sure there was profiling going on, but the exact rules probably makes as much sense as those of TSA. Having secured a decent campsite with my crew, I found the concert field. When I saw the line at the entrance to the concert bowl, the same term reverberated in my mind – check back tomorrow for my rant on RFID tags in festival wristbands – and then I made my way into the festival field to catch a few numbers by Trampled by Turtles.
The 2012 All Good Music Festival begins tomorrow, July 19, at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio. Known for having only one stage of music going at any time, All Good offers set after set of one incredible act after another. In recent months the venue formerly known as Buckeye Lake has been expanded considerably from its more recent days hosting smaller festivals thrown by more local legendary acts such as Hookahville or The Werkout. Venue owners and festival staff have been working for months to return Legend Valley to its former glory.
In a recent Hidden Track interview All Good promoter Tim Walther discussed how much work has gone into transforming the historic concert venue back into a top tier festival venue. Walther assured longtime All Good fans that the new venue promises fan favorites and new additions – both in terms of festival eye candy and musical offerings. Lighting design for both stage and ambient campground areas was coordinated by Phish lighting wizard and “fifth” member, Chris Kuroda. This year’s All Good features headliners the Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh & Friends, the Flaming Lips, Bob Weir & Bruce Hornsby wsg Branford Marsalis, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Yonder Mountain String Band, with late night sets by Shpongle, Galactic, and Lotus. “Artist At Large” Roosevelt Collier of The Lee Boys has announced plans to sit in with Galactic, ALO, the Wood Brothers and Yonder Mountain String Band on Friday. The lap steel guitarist revealed he’ll be the guest of The Allman Brothers Band, Tea Leaf Green, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, The Rex Jam and Lettuce on Saturday.
Hidden Track’s Andrew Bender will be covering All Good for a third year in a row, providing insights into the festival experience, performances and the change in venue. Check back daily for daily reports from Andrew in his 2012 All Good FestivaLog.
This year the 16th annual edition of the All Good Music Festival moves from its home of almost a decade in West Virginia to Legend Valley in Ohio. The 2012 All Good Music Festival features headliners Allman Brothers Band, The Flaming Lips, Bob Weir and Bruce Hornsby with Branford Marsalis, Phil Lesh and Friends, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Yonder Mountain String Band and Lotus.
[All Photos by Andrew Bender]
Andrew Bender has covered the All Good Music Festival for the past two years for Hidden Track. Earlier this month, Andrew spoke with All Good Music Festival founder and promoter Tim Walther about the festival’s move and what it takes to put on a festival for over 20,000 fans.
Andrew Bender: The idea of a larger outdoor camping and music festival with only one stage of music at a time is pretty unique – what was the inspiration for that, originally?
Tim Walther: We’ve been doing that since the beginning when we had a split stage. It was maybe a 30-foot stage with 15 feet dedicated to 1 band, and when that band would finish and we’d turn it over to the next band. As we grew we realized that the number one complaint for fans at larger festivals was that they just could not see all the music that they paid to see. They would be chasing music. You have 30 minutes of this band at this stage and then you’re running over to this other stage to catch a piece of this other band, and it really takes away from the experience. We worked really hard to keep it all in one place, to bring everyone into one central location and have that energy build all day long. At the All Good Festival you see that energy grow from day to day. By Saturday afternoon everybody is completely moved in to their experience and their surroundings and they are just part of that overwhelming, thrilling energy in the space right in front of the stage. That’s what I really think is the magic of having non-overlapping sets.
We were sad to see Baltimore-based jam band The Bridgetake their ball and go home last year, especially after putting out the fantastic National Bohemian LP. Despite playing what was billed as their “final show” last November in their hometown, the group will reassemble for one night only to perform at this summer’s All Good Festival – their eighth All Good appearance in a row.
Another round of additions to the 2012 All Good Music Festival & Campout have been announced and include Dark Star Orchestra, Rubblebucket and Larry Keel & Natural Bridge. Jerry Joseph & The Jackmormons, Passafire, The Devil Makes Three, Pimps of Joytime, Corey Harris & The Rasta Blues Experience, Red Wanting Blue, Moon Hooch and Cris Jacobs Band were also tacked on to this year’s lineup.
All of the bands above join the already formidable lineup which features headliners the Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh & Friends, The Flaming Lips and Bruce Hornsby with Bob Weir and Branford Marsalis. Previous All Good Festivals were held at Marvin’s Mountaintop in Masontown, West Virginia. The 2012 edition of the fest will be the first one held at Legend Valley. As with past All Good fests, there will be no overlapping sets. Tickets are currently on sale for $189.
The 2012 All Good Music Festival lineup has just expanded with the addition of Yonder Mountain String Band, ALO, Conspirator, Elephant Revival, The Macpodz, Dirtfoot and Yellow Dubmarine to the bill. All Good will take place at Legend Valley in Ohio this year for the first time after a long run in West Virginia.
Here’s the lineup as it currently stands…
Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh & Friends, The Flaming Lips, Bob Weir & Bruce Hornsby featuring special guest Branford Marsalis, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Lotus, G. Love & Special Sauce, Galactic, Shpongle presents The Masquerade, Mickey Hart Band, Trampled by Turtles, Big Gigantic, Tea Leaf Green, Greensky Bluegrass, The New Mastersounds, SOJA, Railroad Earth, Papadosio, The Werks, The Wood Brothers, Lettuce, The Lumineers, Everyone Orchestra, The Rex Jam, Rumpke Mountain Boys and 4onthefloor
The All Good Festival has just announced the lineup for this summer’s 16th annual installment of the jam-heavy event which is set to take place at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio on July 19 – 22. Heading up All Good 2012 will be the Allman Brothers Band, Bruce Hornsby and Bob Weir with special guest Branford Marsalis, Phil Lesh & Friends and The Flaming Lips.
Previous All Good Festivals were held at Marvin’s Mountaintop in Masontown, West Virginia. The 2012 edition of the fest will be the first one held at Legend Valley. As with past All Goods, there will be no overlapping sets. Here’s a look at the full initial artist announcement…
Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh & Friends, The Flaming Lips, Bob Weir & Bruce Hornsby featuring special guest Branford Marsalis, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Lotus, G. Love & Special Sauce, Galactic, Shpongle presents The Masquerade, Mickey Hart Band, Trampled by Turtles, SOJA, Railroad Earth, Papadosio, The Werks, The Wood Brothers, Lettuce, The Lumineers, Everyone Orchestra, The Rex Jam
Tickets go on sale this Friday at Noon EST for $159.
The All Good Music Festival & Camp Out had long been held at Marvin’s Mountaintop in Masontown, West Virginia, but that will change in 2012 as the event’s promoters have just announced that the 16th annual installment of All Good will take place on July 19-22 just a short drive to the west at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio. Formerly known as Buckeye Lake, the “new” site has hosted numerous Grateful Dead shows as well as performances by the Allman Brothers Band, Lollapalooza and numerous Hookahvilles.
While the local community in West Virginia never fully embraced All Good, last year county officials passed a Mass Gathering Ordinance that put an onerous tax burden on event organizers. Combine the hefty tax with the authorities overzealous treatment of festivalgoers (not to mention the death of an attendee) and apparently it was time for the move to Ohio. The new site is just one mile from the interstate which should ease fans’ traffic woes. Expect a full lineup this spring, but organizers still aim to provide a schedule filled with no over-lapping sets at the new, beautiful site.
Here’s a letter the All Good team has penned about the switch…
