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Sunday, September 3rd, 2006
Ziggy Marley :: moe.down 7 |
By Sunday afternoon, the rain had slowed to an intermittent drizzle. Ziggy Marley was scheduled to perform at 2:45 and didn't show up until 3:45. Marley got going with "Into The Groove," the lead track from his latest release. Unfortunately, most fans weren't there with him. The energy level in front of the stage was minimal. "This is a cry for justice," he pleaded prior to one song, ripe with a "justice" chorus sung by backing vocalists. Indeed, as if the elder Marley was looking down on his son, the sun began to break through the clouds when the band performed "Jammin'" and fans reached their hands up and let out a cheer. Then, as the clouds hid the sun again and phans realized Mike Gordon's set would be delayed, the crowd thinned.
moe.down 7 |
Macon, GA-based Moonshine Still had set up its gear at the beer tent, but not before troubadour Tim Easton, who took the red eye all the way from California. Sadly, Easton's blues-infected set was sparsely attended. He played the part well though, with curly locks, fully clad in denim with gruff whiskey-soaked vocals and acoustic guitar and harmonica.
"I'd like to invite my new friend Jon up to play drums. Gotta warm him up for the late night set," he said introducing Jon Joiner, the newest member of Moonshine Still. "Running Blues" detailed the travels of a runaway slave, a speedy "Tom Thumb Blues" style number. Grabbing a digital camera from his bag and shooting the crowd, he closed his set with "Domestic Blues," enticing the crowd with the lyrics, "I don't know where I'm going, I just know I gotta go – to moe.down!"
Mike Gordon :: moe.down 7 |
Mike Gordon & Ramble Dove brought a hoedown to moe.down, which transitioned well from Easton's blues. Bret Hughes joked with the crowd about having a beer in hand "because it's a honky tonk thing. It's better when you're drunk." The crowd indeed lapped it up. Disappointingly, technical difficulties prevented Gordon's only vocal turn from being heard, but it was clear he was happy handling the bass duties and letting Hughes and guest vocalist Aya Inoue take the reins. But perhaps the highlight of this bunch had to be the pedal steel of Gordon Stone mixed with the surprisingly adept honky tonk guitar of Max Creek's Scott Murawski, who played as though they'd been together for years, not months. Covers of Hank Williams and George Jones songs, among others, as well as a few collaborations between Gordon and Hughes filled out the set.
For its part, Moonshine Still lit the tent on fire Sunday evening, featuring the slide guitar of David Shore and the deep resonating vocals of Scott Baston. This band's three-song set prior to moe. pumped up the crowd. Certainly one of the least known bands at this festival, bringing together the free-form jams of moe. and the melodic pop craftsmanship of Umphrey's, this band easily captured many new fans.
Gordon Stone & Chuck Garvey :: moe.down 7 |
moe.down 7 ended with two high-energy sets from moe. that, despite the rain, closed the festival on a strong note. The upbeat tempo of "Moth" dropped, then picked back up as it segued into the pop melodies of "New York City," for which Gordon Stone joined the band on stage. But he really made his presence felt on "Waiting For The Punchline," during which moe. allowed space for Stone's weeping pedal steel. It was a natural fit and the most pleasant sit-in of the weekend. The mid-song tempo change of "Y.O.Y." drew a huge cheer from the crowd, which found its way back to "Moth," and then to a fan favorite, "Brent Black," to close.
moe.down 7 |
The second set continued with fan favorites as "Jazz Wank" morphed into an obtuse "Dr. Graffenberg," again joined by Willie Waldman and again, everyone seemed out of sync. The familiar chords of the Rolling Stones cover "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" followed, another well-worn moe. cover, and then "Plane Crash" had the crowd dancing in the cold, wet mud with delight. Saving its best for last, "Recreational Chemistry" closed out another moe.down on an emotional and sedated high.
While Mother Nature may not always cooperate, the community and surrounding area of Turin, NY, including the kind folks of Snow Ridge, always do. moe. and its moe.rons continue to be welcomed back. Affably, even Johnny Law allows us to police our own. Regular readers to this page are well aware of festivals done well and others done poorly, everyone has their favorites. For seven years now, moe.down continues to be the perfect three-day Labor Day weekend.
JamBase | moe.down
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