G-licious

The Big Up 2011- Jimkata

The Big Up 2011- Dopapod

The Big Up 2011- Marco Benevento

The Big Up 2011- Consider The Source

via Performer Mag

Before their set, Consider The Source wasn’t entirely sure what kind of crowd they would draw at 2pm on the last day of the festival. By the time they took the stage, people had already gathered, lightly filling much of the concert area. With the previous day’s cloudy weather and thunderstorms behind, and a bright sun-filled sky to welcome them, the entire festival was out in celebration just in time for CTS’ set. Consider The Source’s sci-fi, Middle Eastern, prog-rock is marked in all white and surrounded by shred. Double neck fretless guitars in pedal heaven, aggressive, rhythmic slap bass, and the powerful combination of electronics and live drums is Consider The Source’s sensual heaven. Look at their faces, watch them perform below. You’ll see what I mean.

Words: Amanda Macchia

via Performer Mag

I’ll be honest with you, although Papadosio is perhaps the most talked about band this year, it took a while for me to let go of some of my preconceived notions on electronic jam bands these days and give them a shot. People were packed into the barn stage for their set, sweat dripping off of everyone’s foreheads, as Papadosio looked on in amazement at the overflowing crowd singing along to their songs. You could feel the connection between the band and their audience, and in that moment, Papadosio’s spotlight got a little brighter.

Their songwriting retains the mentality of a modern jam band – guitar riffs combine with synths to follow comfortable patterns and poppy, folk-like lyrics, and harmonies serve the band well. The distinction is that Papadosio blankets their rockin’ jam sound with creative drumming and a techno, trancelike ambience that pulls from all over the musical map. Sometimes they’re a little mellow, creating sparkling, beautiful soundscapes. Other times Papadosio is more raw, breaking down with interesting samples, heavy synths and loud, screaming guitars. Sometimes they mix it all together in one track, leaving layers to unfold as the song ticks on. They’re like Dirty Paris but better, and far more interesting. Each song takes a different approach from the last, introducing you to new textures and sounds (while maintaining that electro-jam backbone), and creating an entirely unique, track by track experience.  All I can say is watch out for this band. The hype surrounding them is anything but a bunch of talk.

Words by: Amanda Macchia

via Performer Mag

Dirty Paris deserves props. They’re a young band, especially in the sense that they’re fresh to the scene and have come a long way in a relatively short time. They’ve been on a number of bills this summer, and have quickly become one of the most talked about up-and-coming artists on this year’s festival circuit.

What they do is an energetic, progressive mash-up of electronic jam band, songwriting, and trance-jazz ambiance – and they do it well. What really struck me about Dirty Paris is that they’re the type of band that doesn’t manifest jams that lose your interest. A diverse palette of sounds unravel around you while Dirty Paris plays with timing, tempo, and melody, creating an electrifyingly unique sonic experience that never stops moving and transforming.

Words by: Amanda Macchia

Performer Magazine’s Amanda Macchia and Gabriella Thurman sit down backstage with Karl Denson at All Good Music Festival to talk about his not-so-tiny universe of musicians, new ways of writing music, and following Primus on the main stage.

Gabriella: Thank you for being here! So, where are you coming from, you’ve been on tour since June correct?

Karl: [laughs] Well, I’ve been on tour since 1990. This summer has been all Tiny Universe, we’re coming from….. ahh…. um….. Where the hell were we? We had fun. It was a good show! Um….

Amanda: I think its pretty normal if your touring a lot… What did you have for breakfast?

K: Oatmeal! Thank you that makes me feel better…But I’m trying to think of where we were yesterday .. we went form home to … Vegas! We opened for Wide Spread Panic! It was a great show.

G:  So, you have Karl Denson Trio, The Greyboy Allstars, and you sit in with a lot of other musicians.  What is KDTU to you in the scheme of it all?

K: This is my main thing. The Trio is when I took a break from all of this and that was really fun, but this is my main interest and my main tool.

G:  Last week we actually did an interview with Lettuce, but I know you did a project with Soulive.  How was that? Can you tell us a bit about it?

K:  That was really fun, those are some of my favorite guys and I had a really fun time working with them.  I did some recording with them, hopefully that is going to be coming out soon.

G:  Now, what’s your dream band? Do you have it right now or what is the combination of musicians you would like to work with, in your wildest dreams?

K: It would be a band with Patty Griffin, Bjork, and Corrinne Bailey Rae.  That would be my dream band. I would be a member of that band.  I love the female voice, so it would be those three women singing. Oh and Susan Tedeschi, it would be those four.

G: What should we expect from your set tonight?  We also heard that maybe Zach Deputy might sit in with you.

K: That is the plan. Coming out of the Primus set we are going to start off with something really as close to a Brontosaurus-rex as we can.  That’s a Brontosaurus with a larger head and a shorter neck.

G: Now, does it have big teeth?

K: Yes, fully prepared to slash, claws and everything. Looks like a herbivore from the back but from the front it looks fully deadly, but it’s not really fast.  He lumbers.

G: What’s on the horizon for you musically with KDTU?

K: Well we just kind of started on a period of writing together with is really nice.  Because up to this point I’ve been kind of the main writer and I kind of write everything and teach it to the band.  But the last few months we have been getting together and just writing together which has been really fun.  So we have a bunch of new ideas, and Chris Thile we will have, he’s from the Greyboy Allstars, he’s been here for a couple of years now.  That really put a whole different twist on the band. Now we got kind of, you know… he comes from a sort of soundtracky, rock-and-roll thing, which is really cool.  So we have been collaborating a lot now.

A: Are you guys going to be making an album?

K: We are, we’re working on it right now.  It’s about half done.

A: Do you have a release date?

K: No but we are hoping for early to mid fall.

A: Awesome, thank you so much for talking to us! We really appreciate it.

K: My pleasure!

(Marco Benevento)

(Toubab Krew)

With a flawless, diverse line up, All Good offered something for everyone.  You wouldn’t think that ‘exhausting’ would find its place as a positive description in a festival write up, but it has. All Good was exhausting; with a jam-packed line-up it seemed impossible to push ones self to see and do it all.  Adding to that, when driving into All Good you are surrounded by a literally breathtaking landscape.  Not only is it beautifully mountainous, green, wooded, etc., but getting from the campsite to stage was a workout. One of the biggest mistakes an All Good attendee could make was to bring the wrong pair of shoes.    

Aside from all of that, All Good performed a wonderful balancing act of musical legends such as Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, and Les Claypool; the established such as Moe, Marco Benevento, and Beats Antique; the up-and-coming Green Skye Blue Grass, Zach Deputy, and These Unites States.  The line-up was so juicy you could see the satisfaction of a quenched musical craving on the face of every passing individual.

There was a plethora of extra activities for all ages, from crafts and djembe lessons to yoga.  The gem of the weekend had to be the Grassroots Stage, which offered intimate Q & A sessions with musicians, workshops, unique collaborations, performances by up-and-coming artists and more.  For instance, on Friday drummer Joe Russo (who played with Further that night) gave a talk on everything from his musical style to how he ended up where he is today.  The stage also magically blended up an extra-special collaboration between Keller Williams, members of Umphrey’s McGee, and Toubab Krewe.  The intimacy of the stage added a special vibe that you do not find at other larger festivals like All Good.

As the saying goes, things get better with age, and All Good was no exception to the rule in its 15th year. With an exceptional musical lineup, friendly atmosphere, clean grounds and enthusiastic crowds, it was one of the highlights of the summer’s festival season.  Capping it all off with a fireworks display following Dark Star Orchestra’s customary final song of “We Bid You Goodnight” was the icing on the cake. Any fan of the festival scene, or anyone curious about what it has to offer owes it to him or herself to check out All Good next year. Its 16th year is certain to outshine even this one!

All Good 2011- Primus

ALL GOOD 2011- Further

LIVE REVIEW- ALL GOOD- BEATS ANTIQUE

via Performer Mag

Bass heavy, heart-pounding Beats Antique. You can feel them in your bones. I saw them last weekend at Camp Bisco, but the trio played in the early evening, when the sun was still relatively high in the sky. Beats Antique is meant to be seen like this – captured against the rolling, glowing hills of All Good Music Festival just as the sun sets into the ground. The trio winds hip-hop and jazz into an electronic-infused, world roots dance party, on and off stage. In between dancing and drumming, producer and world-renowned belly dancer Zoe Jakes was the perfect hype girl.

Beats Antique is a package deal – tempting, vampish performances, fat beats and heavy bass, banjos and whining string instruments. Raw and alive, their world-traveled, multi-cultural and disciplinary approach continues to blow festival crowds away, this performance included.

Words By- Amanda Macchia

LIVE REVIEW- ALL GOOD-THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS

via Performer Mag

The Infamous Stringdusters put on a hell of a performance at All Good this year. They were fitted into a bill brimming with unique and interesting bluegrass outfits, standing out amongst the crowd as an act who’s musical prowess has gotten the others beat. They’re music amounts to a more traditional bluegrass sound, with homey, country vocals, replete with the usual harmonic quality in bluegrass music. It’s evident that they create intricate compositions that speak to something a little bigger than the country/folk/bluegrass crowd. The Infamous Stringdusters manage to straddle this line where they play remarkable, traditionally-inspired bluegrass tunes, but soften them with folk-songwriting and resilient jamming. At the very bottom of their music is a bastion of soul, supported by impressive musicianship and an evolution of bluegrass-inspired sounds (from jazz to rock to country) that make the Stringdusters one of the more dynamic smaller acts at All Good 2011.

Words By- Amanda Macchia

Tokimonsta at Camp Bisco X

via Performer Mag

Composed, waiting for Nadastrom to finish his set, Tokimonsta stood ready to take the stage. As the only lead female electronic musician at Camp Bisco X, Tokimonsta was a breath of inspirational air. She created a sound that mixed trip-hop with a splash of ambient trance-vibes, sprinkling a bit of every musical genre here and there. She made it seem effortless. The crowd was completely enamored and engaged by the complex soundscapes Tokimonsta creates. Her vibe were much different than other electronic musicians at Camp Bisco X; she did not jump up and down with the beat, raise her hands, shout out to the crowd, or play silly gags onstage. Instead her energy, power, enthusiasm, and ability to move the crowd was translated with her intense facial expressions and directly through the speakers. What came out of those speakers seemed to be an extension of herself, a feat for any musician from any genre to ascertain.