HSMF | 07.05-07.08 | Quincy, CA

1. Hanging in Peace Park with my wife and kids.
2. Deluxe swimming pool in RV Town.
3. New Mastersounds late night set with Earl!

-BigA

great freakin' coverage!! Helps that it's close enough to let the whole 'base crew out to play. Great pieces that really covered the various sub-scenes of music that exist at these festivals. but where are the Video embeds, video interviews?? multimedia reviews....

Damn you jambase for keeping me up late again. Very passionately delivered review, and great photos. It’s been many years since I’ve attended HS and I’ve only been once – I think it was year four, in the days of Box Set and Acoustic Junction. But reading about it every year sure does bring back memories that I’ll never forget. Indeed, HS is a special event, held in one of the most beautiful settings, put on by some of the kindest and most righteous folks on the planet. I didn’t know Sarah Ann, but to know the festival is to know her. She’ll be missed, but remembered dearly by fans and everyone involved in HS for certain.

If anyone who was there would be willing to comment on Ryan Montbleau’s set (he’s a personal favorite,) I’d sure like to hear of it?

Thanks to all for the coverage. You do a great job bringing the festival to those of us unable to make it ourselves.

WOW.
The first page of this article is some of the most chilling, loveliest words I have ever read. I feel completely attached to almost every word of the first page. Thank you jambase for being here and being a part of this oracle we know as High Sierra. This was my 8th year and probably my favorite. Victory is something to really celebrate and be proud of. Thanks for paying attention and understanding the dynamics that make up this one of a kind event.
However, I read on, and I feel like its 2002, 03, 04, 05, and 06 again. Same bands you cover, same "crew" that interests the writers of jambase only. There is a whole other huge palette of music that you didnt even touch on. For instance, this year was a heavy string year, yet you pay no mind to write one little paragraph on anything strings.
Leftover Salmon OWNED THE WHOLE FESTIVAL. Their reunion in their home away from Colorado was, ahem, I might add, without any kandy coat, THEE FUNNEST, BEST SHOWS I personally have ever attended in my 35 years. We ahve all seen our fair share of shows, but these were probably my favorite of all time. Their playing was furious, with little baloney, they were wound tight and came loose like a train humming thru the Sierras without a care in the world. Packed with sentimental journeys and a new found shovel of Super Coal in the engine, I was completely delighted and amused by both of their sets. I felt High Sierra's history and future unfold in their music, which was chock full of personality and beauty. Ive only been paying lots of attention to Salmon since 2001, and these were definitely the best shows of theirs I have ever witnessed. What equalled up to their playing and demeanor was the crowd, who was in sync with every shennanigan and lonesome call.
It doesnt get any better for me personally.....Yonder also delighted with steam, and Hot BUttered Rum, well with all they did this year, I am really confused as to why you people at jambase are so one sided with this event. Those guys played an amazing late nite performance that was unlike any show I have ever seen of theirs. Wheres the stoke, jambase?
bassnectar even raised hairs and had this wild Vaudeville Tent experience that etched some High Sierra history.....how about all the incredible afrobeat acts this year like ALBINO (WTF incredible), Chicago AFrobeat Project and the highly creative Budos Band???
How many years can we focus soley on Teal Leaf Green and The Slip? I understand those bands are High Sierra Community at some of its FINEST, and we appreciate you coming every year and respecting.....but PLEASE, get out of your shell and represent the adventurous sprit that IS high Sierra, For Real next year!
Im giving you 5 freakin stars, only cuz of that first page. =)
MUCH LOVE and THANKS FOR LISTENING!
Samsa Bee

Oh and one more thing:
"take me out to the balllllgaaaaaame"
Three cheers for some amazing Kickball Tourneys! Rise and shine HIgh Sierra!!!

Well, that does it for me. I now will call Jambase Slip Bias . Good band but the favoritism is too extreme. When I think of all the amazing undiscovered talent this is depressing to me. Journalistic integrity does not matter these days.

HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Dancing onstage w/wife and 9 week old during Leftover Salmon.
2. Drive-By-Truckers - agree w/everything SuperDee wrote.
3. Taking my 2 year old to the Page workshop, holding him tight, and choking up during Velvet Sea.
3.1 Brett Dennen. WOW.

LOWLIGHTS:
1. Making the mistake of using the same hopper as Patterson Hood. That "fairly decent and not too foul port-o-let" was neither after his visit. Fuckin' southern whiskey shits.
2. Fatty, gooey, rich and chocolatey late night brownie vendor MIA.
3. Not getting to see enough music!!!

First time in Cali, first time seeing Bassnectar, and Page throwing down some Phish songs, and Bisco twice, what more could one ask for. Definitely will be attending that festival every year. It was so clean, and everyone was so friendly. Amazing time.

Kenny

redheaven said it all!

AW PAGE...

This was my first HSMF and after (4) Bonnaroo’s and (4) JamCruises and countless other smaller fests, this is the BEST festival ever. Seriously, I had so much fucking fun!

I took a TON of great pictures with my Fancy Camera; feel free to swim around in these - http://www.shenny.smugmug.com/gallery/3140302

Matt

4 days and 36 bands later...

My forth and favorite High Sierra. I am so grateful for the Quincy townfolk for not allowing the sherrifs to get away with what they did the past 2 years.

I'm surprised not to see any mention of the Devil Makes Three. Although they don't have a ton of material and don't "jam" like many of our favorite festival bands, they nailed down two solid sets during the weekend.

My other favorite bands were Leftover Salmon, Del McCoury, and Phix.

The festival goes by so fast, that this year I decided to mark which performances I attended in the program. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to try to remember what happened. ;)

Awesome coverage...you were able to cover high sierra better than I was while I was there!

My top 3...too difficult
-Surprise Me Mr Davis in the Vaudeville tent
-Disco Biscuits late night
-Playing with all the bikes at the New Belgium tent

How could I forget...asking Page a question at the workshop
-Talking with Allen from Garaj Mahal while waiting in the Javagogo line

1. walking around with my two year old daughter and being fully conscious that it was the most at peace I had been in a loooong while felt beyond good. it was...scrumptrulescent

2. Dumpstaphunk. I can stil hear the masses who who whooing better then the Rolling Stones.

3. Owning the artist check in gate and greeting all the musicians with some serious vibe. Making Martin Sexton laugh was a moment I will never forget...

I dig the review, even w/ it's lop sidedness. I love the Slip, but even the review does not touch on the fact that the start to there set was ROUGH. Brad's voice has seemed to be wiped out this summer. Guitar tuning issue was hard to watch as you just wanted them to dial it it, which happened after 3 songs. Cumulus, a true delight to hear in the space of HSMF once again.

Bassnectar was a gamble, yet a safe, hyped one for the HS crew. Recently getting my Burn cherry popped I have opened up to the new SF elctro scene, spearheaded by Lorin himself. Man did he deliver. Late night was packed, even to the point where my full all access would not gain me entry(only for 2 minutes as I scored a combo(not letting in staff, nice!)) The party was intense and unlike any HSMF late night I ahve attended in previous 5 years. Vaudeville was same, but on larger scale. Bustin my sweet dance moves on stage was a highlight as the energy in that tent was palpable. What's that Zigga Zigga sound?(insert gratuitous bass here)

Garaj Mahal are also HSMF veterans sorely missed by Jambase staff. What's the deal? Is it too intense, too cerebral for ya? Fareed, Kai, Hertz and Levy are some of the most talented players in the scene, and so many people seem to be in the dark about true improvisation and musicianship. Really bums me out that Garaj still holds most UNDERRATED award. I truly hope they receive the credit they deserve. Songs like Semos and Massive display pro chops, technicality while shaking some serious asses.

Ryan Montbleau band sounded great and the song craft was evident. This group strikes me as the love child of the west coast's Brett Dennen and the east's own, Reid Geinaur and AOD. His vocals are unique and the playing is melodic... perfect for a sunny High Sierra afternoon.

Leftover on the main stage was purely killing, crazy-(gr)ass bliss w/ the last light of fest dwindling with the veteran's reunion. You can tell Vince is at home in Quincy and is the man around town/fest, you simply can't stop the man. Page sitting in w/ LOS was a massive surprise to everyone but the bands themselves, while Thile added to the furious mando section. It was breathtaking, emotional and body movin'

The vibe this year was top notch and will only get better w/ age.

I had such an EPICK time this year, and its funny how I barely saw any of the featured bands in the article.

Highlights: Leftover Salmon Mainstage was the biggest surprise to me as I thought they sounded Even Better than Latenight. The Euphoria Encore was the best end to mainstage in quite a few years.

Also:
PAGE workshop and then Mainstage set last song (Cars Trucks Buses)
Blue Turtle Seduction late night opening for Yonder (Love those Woodbeez!)
Yonder latenight (I am now officially back into Yonder)
Chris Thile vaudeville (Epik last 20 minutes of that set!!)
Ryan Montbleu vaudeville (Best new groove of the fest, and first west coast show ever for those guys)
Everyone Orchestra shady grove
Mavis Staples covering The Weight
Rev. Payton (I thought this band was like Devil Makes 3 but 10x more Fun and interesting)
GALACTIC!!! (total reversion to old school grooves!!)
Phix covering Phish covering the Rolling Stones' Lovin Cup vaudeville
Almost everything Leftover played was wayyy tighter than expected and they sounded better than they have since like 2000 or so IMO
Kyle with Anders playin Lost>Will It Go Round In Circles (!!)

and I guess I missed most of the Epik sets this year, but really bummed about missin the Dumpstaphunk, HBR latenight (loose lucy), Pangea, Drive By Truckers, Bisco, etc....

Great comments! I guess I now feel compelled to do less bitching, more appreciation, that jambase took the time to know and love this festival.

Highlights for me:
~Salmon, of course, as I stated above.
~Everyone Orchestra late nite. What a way to end the stage part of the festival, immaculate emotion pouring out of the Tulsa Bldg.
~Flowing between Bassnectar and Hot Buttered Rum's late nite: its very 'Hig Sierra' to have attention deficit disorder in the way "Hmmm, wonderful crazy hoedown rock experience, or sublime SF unique beats?"
~Blue Turtle Seduction/Yonder late nite, what a crowd, what an insane plethora of personalities!
~That 1 Guy: Les Claypool and Keller Williams had a love child at Burning Man , and this is what manifested.
~Soulive Big Meadow: the hip hop flavor was CLASSICALLY done.
~Strings For Industry: vaudevilel and late nite, a perfect side dish for Salmon lovers
~ALBINO monday morning camp jam: subtle funk, very sexy, these guys have incredible dynamics in their playing.
~The campers spirit.
~The freak freely zone opening up again.
~LAte nite parades were off the hook this year.
~Kickball, enough said.

Sure wish I would of dove into the Vaudeville for Dumpstaphunk, what i heard was fantastic. My biggest mistake of this year. Ya gotta have a list of misses, but why did this have to be one of them?

Heres to an off the hook, best year ever in 2008!!!

I've never been and I never knew High Sierra had a cop problem. Glad to hear it was resolved. Must be a cool town.

...so Page only did the outro to "Squirming Coil"? Velvet Sea is a surprise. Asking about a reunion while Trey still had 3 to 5 years handing over his head is a stupid question. Much needed boo.

Who is in the picture next to the article on the home page?

Like mentioned above I wish you would sway away from the common covered bands and review some of the lesser known one. For me it was the year of Hot Buttered Rum String Band playing three sets including a fun filled late night. They had some great guest sit in as will. For me HSMF is all about discovering new bands and this year was no different. I heard the Mammals, Eddie Roberts Roughneck, Mamas Cookin', Budos, dumstaphunk, Chris Thile and How to grow a band, and Reeble Jar and became instant fans of all the groups above. What a year and what a great family. See you all next year.
Peace

"[...Reed...], better attuned than Hunter's warmer jazz feel would have been, and the bobbing crowd reciprocated in kind."
No knock on Reed -- I love both his bass- and guitar-playing -- but Charlie was HEAVY (not warmer and jazzy) when I saw him with Coalition. He was on 6-string, not 8 for those gigs.

karacter0 asks:
>Who is in the picture next to the article on the home page?

That would be Surprise Me Mr Davis

So glad to hear the police didn't ruin as much fun as last year.

As far as lop-sided reviews and only the bigs getting covered. If you want people to read, you should write.

another awesome yr at hsmf. (thanks so much to the crew & town of quincy for standing up to the antagonistic vibe the cops were throwing down over the past few yrs.)
My favs: 1st-Dumpstaphunk in vaudeville. omg!!! groovin crowd & music over the top (praise jb!).
2nd-LOS-late night & mainstage. vince & drew were great as usual & i loved the addition of the piano/keys-a little xtra honkytonk & a singer to boot. don't miss these guys if they're in town b/c they're on FIRE!!!
other favs: mavis staples (legend); les claypool (mainstage, seen him b4 & liked it but he blew me away sat night); anders osborne (man can he play the guitar, nice to see kyle too, props to the whole band though); mofro (nice festival addition of the horns(2) & keyboard/organ a bigger sound to please the crowd, BUT i did miss hearing his guitar player who i felt sort of got left out); thamusemeant ; and Brian auger's oblivion express (you gotta go see this guy-i think he was much more entertaining than page (their time slots were same/close), but i never was really a phish fan)
other mentionables: salvador santana band, reeble jar, outformation, 56 hope road, march4thmarching band, chicago afrobeat project, new mastersounds
of course i missed alot-bummed --papa mali, TLG, emt, ukelelejake, albino
& there were a few shows that left me thinking to each his/her own....
anyhow, another great yr!

just for the record i wasn't booing the article, i was booing the person that asked about a Phish reunion.

"If you want people to read, you should write."

Maybe weve tried. It takes a ton of time and energy to try and get published, or get in with this crew, esp. when it comes to High Sierra. I think they deserve the constructive criticism along with the praise. Its not like this is just one show out of the blue. This is a festival that the jambase people have dibs on writing about every year. Nice try, though. =)

We're gonna do great in 2008!

THANK YOU HIGH SIERRA!!! Gotta agree with Kaceyman bout that truckers set. I had no idea?!!! Everything was great.
Can't thank you all enough:):) Fantastic!!!

I like music!

Thanks for covering. Not having been there it's hard to say what got too little or too much coverage, but great to hear that Salmon was well received. They were a huge presence in Telluride this year. Page sitting in?! Insane.

Could somebody please explain to me what the excitement is about The Slip. I have seen them on several occasions now because of all the great writeups they get and, I must say, I am thoroughly unimpressed. I just don't get the appeal. Am I not looking at them through the right lens, are they a singer/songwriter band? Every time I've seen them I've just gotten bored. I'm not trying to hate, I just want to know why some people love them so much. Help me out...

For one,

As long as you can have the moon
let me have the dust.
Somebody comes along
you continue to rust.
Everyone will do you wrong
'til you learn how to trust,
along the way......
- If One of Us Should Fall, The Slip

And also, in regards to why The Slip is the best there is the entire Eisenhower record, but how's this for proof:


I hold every person I meet like a treasure

I defend the ones I love to whatever the end is

And that's why I take it to you through the music

'Cause when the music's connected it's like everyone's protected

-Children Of December

and then there's the mind-reading freakout jams that really only happen when a band has been together for 15 years... it ain't for everyone, but for those who get it, it don't get much better...

The songs and albums by the Slip become integral parts of my life at different phases of my life. Their studio albums have become some of the most reliable discs in my massive collection to put a grin on my face or make a long drive a little shorter. Does, Geckos, even Eisenhower and so on are a sure bet musical investment. The balance between songs and jams keeps me wanting more of each. I look forward to much more incredible music being created by this remarkable trio.

One reviewer wrote: "THREE WORDS: Page McConnell's Playshop. I would try to say more, but I get chills just thinking about it." - AMEN. I was great and I was totally suprised. Page's Coil at the end was breath-taking.

Re: Cop presence -- I was part of the "Friends of the Fair" group that followed the officers when they were on-sight. Cops came only briefly Fri & Sat, and then late-night on Sunday. All tolled, the sheriffs were pretty hands-off and monitored by legal observers the entire time they were on-sight. The good energy that everyone felt at the festival this year is large part due to the work of the Fair manager, Billy Cox. He deserves a huge thank you. Before the festival occured and since the festival has been over, Billy's been working with the local community and sheriffs to ensure that HSMF remains a magical experience.