Got ready slowly and then headed over to the festival in late morning, arriving in time to join the long line to get in around 11:45. The gates soon opened and we grabbed a great spot, stage center about 50 feet back, just about where we sat last year. We got iced coffee immediately but were still suffering from the heat and a bit of exhaustion from being out late rocking the night before (and the night before that, etc.).
BUT, soon the music started, our bodies adjusted, we ate a few cold noodles from one of their Thai-style food vendors, and we were off! There was a short rain shower later in the afternoon and that relieved the heat a bit. The forecast at the beginning of the day was for greatly changeable weather and there was even some fear of a tornado or bad lightning storms, but the rapidly changing sky didn't turn threatening and we all breathed a sigh of relief to make it through the day unscathed, though they cancelled the balloon flights (they held the balloon illumination though).
Here's what we saw:
Slaid Cleaves -- Slaid was one of the excellent known quantities among the spotty (by their standards) lineup at this year's GRF. He played with his current accompanist, Chojo Jacques on mandolin, and ripped through a number of his excellent songs. He did Broke Down, Horses and Divorces, and several other early songs. He also did some of the new stuff, including Still Fighting the War of course, Welding Burns, and God's Own Yodeler. He also did a Don Walser original and was able to rip off some excellent Maine yodeling.
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Jeffrey Foucault and Cold Satellite -- I'd heard a couple of songs from Foucault's new record and was not that impressed, but live I felt his sound was excellent. David Goodrich (last seen accompanying Peter Mulvey at the Festival last year) playing guitar helped of course. They did some great rock and blues, but were at their best when they toned it down a bit and let the irony of their new songs shine through.
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Sallie Ford and The Sound Outside -- We'd seen a few songs by Sallie on YouTube and were psyched to see her let loose in person; Scott and I moved up front, and Sallie did a great set in her typical flowered sun dress, fancy glasses, and eclectic band, rocking our world with her unique brand of bad girls' psycho surf rock. Highlights were Addicted, Lip Boy, and the poppy Do Me Right. For me though, the best part of her set was when she covered Loretta's Fist City; no one there had any doubt that she'd be more than glad to knock that girl's head off if she made her do it. Sallie signed her new record for me afterwards and seemed tickled that her music can entertain middle-aged guys as well as her core audience of bad girls.
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Miss Tess and The Talkbacks -- First hard choice of the day was whether to see JD McPherson or run down to the Yonder Tent for Miss Tess. I made up my mind early (actually, I guess I'd made up my mind when I first heard Don't Tell Mama on her new record), and Sarah and I were down there right in front of the stage for her set, though a bowl of peach ice cream made me a little late. We were not quite as blown away as we'd thought we would be; her band seemed to know that they couldn't get the same studio sound that had been so great on the record when live, and so they rocked it up a bit more and this perhaps needed some more practice. But what the hell, we totally got lost in the beautiful sound of her guitar, her mellifluous vocal phrasing, and the burning leads of Will Graef. Highlights were Adeline, People Come Here For Gold, and of course Don't Tell. I ran into Miss Tess in the crowd the next day and gushed about her set ... a charming woman.
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The Skatalites -- I was going to stay down at the Yonder Tent for The Duhks, but we were exhausted from standing and wanted a break back at our seats and maybe some food. And we were glad we did, because The Skatalites came on and impressed us so much. The band formed originally about 50 years ago in Jamaica and was instrumental in the inventions of ska and reggae. They still have a few of the originals and some killer young additions, including an incredible horn section and a great keyboardist and guitarist. They played a few jaw-dropping songs but then I managed to rip myself away and hurry back down to the Yonder Tent for...
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The Duhks -- I'd never seen this band but had wanted to for years, especially after seeing their fiddler, Tanya Elizabeth, accompany Mary Gauthier a few years ago. They were everything I expected and more, definitely the band of the day for me. I'm not sure how to describe this group of Canadians from the Plains, they're a band you need to hear. They don't have an unusual lineup: a vocalist, an acoustic guitarist who leads the band, a dynamic fiddler who sings a lot of backup, a banjo player who takes some vocal leads, and a percussionist. They do some songs in an almost traditional Cape Breton style, but also veer effortlessly into things like R&B, gospel, jazz, bluegrass, and whatever else comes to mind. They even did a Randy Newman song and then closed with a dark, incendiary version of Traveling Shoes! Do not miss these guys if you have a chance. I also should mention that Leonard Podolak played one of the funkiest banjos I've ever heard and that Scott Senior played box, some kind of leather bell contraption on a high hat stand, and a thing that was a cross between a bodhran and a tambourine. Loved those guys!
The Devil Makes Three -- OK, struggled back up the hill, got some food, and then got just captivated by The Devil Makes Three, from Santa Cruz. This was another band I'd never heard and the blurbs I'd read about them didn't do much for me. But they reminded me once again how many supremely talented musicians there are in the world and what a delight it is to discover new ones. They play what you might call old-timey rockabilly but is all original, and they're all virtuosos on their instruments and can sing like they're not even trying. You should check these guys out, especially pay attention to how often Cooper McBean changes instruments: at least once a song.
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We were shot after that. We could have stayed for Gogol Bordello (the crowd was swelling in anticipation of this band like you wouldn't believe) or Bernie Worrell, but later reports made us glad we hadn't. All reporters agreed that Gogol Bordello was obnoxiously loud and in-your-face ... ok if you like that kind of stuff I guess, and that Bernie Worrell tried to do a cool funkadelic act but was a bit stale.
Whatever, we picked up some ice and some more beer at the Big Y and then were back at the hotel relaxing by then!
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