John Coleman spent Labor Day Weekend at moe. down & filed this report…

Warm days and cool nights illuminated by a harvest moon meant plenty of good vibes floating around moe. down 10 at Snow Ridge Ski Resort, in Turin, N.Y. The rustic locale is located just outside the southwestern boundary of the Adirondack Park, rising up among sleepy towns and farms.

Similar to the Mountain Jam stage setup at Hunter Mountain in the Catskills, the main stage faces up a ski slope that provides a great perch for those who chose to challenge its increasingly steep pitch while second stage is located on a flat area near the main lodge, among vendor booths and picnic tables.

Although much was made of the lack of star power when sized up to previous moe. downs, with a mix of veteran acts like Sam Bush, Ani Difranco, Ominous Seapods, Lynch and Cake, and emerging bands like The New Mastersounds, The Heavy Pets and The Nate Wilson group, who could complain? The late addition of Umphrey’s McGee was enough to get those sitting on the fence to spring for the affordable weekend pass.

There were many moe. down highlights, too many to list. But here’s a taste…

1. Bushwhacked!: To cap off moe.’s first set of Day 2, the “Godfather of new-grass,” Sam Bush, joined moe. on fiddle during the instrumental, Meat. The crowd loved it and evidently the band did too, as the sit-in clocked in at just under 24 minutes. Bush also sat in on Mexico earlier in the day.

READ ON for more of John’s moe. down 10 highlights…

2. Entrance music: The band’s decision to begin each set with a solo jam from a different member of the band treated the crowd to a rare and intimate experience. Imagine walking into the main stage area with a nice buzz, watching a bluebird sky blend into another stellar night, all to the tune of Chuck jamming away, touching on Bird Song, until the band joined and charged right into Shoot First. Ahhh, take me back.

3. The New Mastersounds: The four-piece jazz/fusion band from Leeds, UK, made the most of three time slots on Friday and won the crowd over, kicking off the weekend and becoming the talk of Day 1. Accurately compared to The Meters, the Mastersounds repped a jazz slot that has been filled by Medeski, Martin & Wood and the Benevento/Russo Duo at past moe. downs. Check them out at www.newmastersounds.com.

4. The Heavy Pets: The Heavy Pets were another band that wowed on the second stage. Playing a couple of sets on Day 2 (one may have been cut do to a scheduling change), the Pets brought a big sound with funky grooves that fully showcased Jim Wuest’s keyboard work and some driving rhythms thick with crunchy, effect-heavy guitar. This is a young band with a bright future. If they didn’t open enough eyes at moe.down, they will surely make a name for themselves on the bill with The Brew in coming months.

5. Making Flippy Floppy: Umphrey’s McGee busted out the Talking Heads tune during their Sunday afternoon performance. It is a song that has been in their rotation for some time but was taken to another level at moe. down, featuring some Chinese intervals (to quote Jerry). It occurred to me during the song that Bayliss is getting pretty damn good at mimicking David Byrne on vocals. Joel attested to the fact that the band was exhausted after hightailing it from Colorado, where they played the Mishawaka Amphitheater. As stated on their blog: “Sunday: Aspen > Bus to Denver > Flight to Syracuse via Cincinnati > Vans to Turin NY for moe down.” Maybe it showed, but who cares? They gave it 110 percent and that’s what’s important.

6. Queen Of Everything, Lazarus>George on Day 2: An epic trifecta that lasted nearly an hour and gave birth to Meat with Sam Bush. The crowd was transfixed, hanging on every note. The Day 2 recording won’t be gathering dust for a while. Get it while it’s hot.

7. Cake: The crowd had their cake, and dug it too. While lead singer John McCrea’s ill-fated attempt at humor was awkward at times, it is safe to say that Cake was well-received and was a clever act to throw in the mix. Unlike fellow co-headliners Method Man and Redman, who tried unsuccessfully to win the crowd back after interrupting their set because of some glowing projectiles, Cake was able to avoid starting a fight with the crowd and aimed to please, pulling from their extensive list of favorites.

8. Ominously Iggy: Plattsburgh, NY natives Ominous Seapods, who played at the inaugural moe. down in 2000, delivered a balls-out version of Iggy Pop’s Lust for Life. The role of Iggy Pop was played nicely by Seapods’ front-man, Max Verna, who went shirtless as he assaulted the stage with Pop’s ferocity. It was a great comeback performance by an old-school jam band that has a lot left in the tank.

9. The debut of “The Seed” on Day 1: The better of moe.’s two debuts – the other being “Borderline,” debuted during set 1 of Day 3 – The Seed features a washed-out slide intro/verse, a catchy refrain and culminates in a hammering, Zeppelin-esque assault accented by Chuck’s scorching solos. Tightly played for a debut. (p.s. Borderline is not to be confused with the Madonna song with the same name. This was made clear by prior to the song.)

10. Without a hitch: Aside from usual drug arrests (I heard there were 11) and the occasional tent being rummaged through, the weekend went smoothly and wasn’t spoiled by security guards on power trips. You have to factor in the absence of the infamous “Black Ninja’s,” whose reign of terror over moe.down 9 was still a bad taste in people’s mouth. They wore masks … Really??

Not a perfect 10, but close!