It’s All Good At Merryland Music Fest – Review & Photos

Words & Images by: Stu Kelly

Merryland Music Fest :: 7.9-10.16 :: Merriweather Post Pavilion :: Columbia, MD

The inaugural Merryland Music Fest wrapped up this past weekend giving fans a full serving of live music from many different genres. The newly established event showcased bluegrass, funk, EDM, rockabilly and reggae – all centered on the freedom to explore through extended jams and plenty of live experimentation. After nearly two decades, Tim Walter and All Good Presents retired their four-day camping extravaganza and condensed it into a two-day experience at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, one of the most gorgeous outdoor amphitheaters in the greater Washington D.C. and Baltimore area (honorable mention Wolf Trap and Pier 6). Overall, this experience was a successful endeavor for a first year operation and the fans seemed to be happily enjoying the diverse music over the course of the weekend.

Saturday, July 9

On Saturday I arrived to the venue early to check in and scope out the scene. I was shocked to see how empty the parking lots were and the lack of tailgating I’m used to witnessing at Merriweather. However, the few people that were in the lot did seem to be enjoying themselves either tossing a Frisbee or spinning poi to pass the time before gates opened at noon. The festivities kicked off with Electric Love Machine (ELM), a rapidly ascending band based out of Baltimore. ELM was incredibly precise and gave an energetic performance despite the lack of people inside the venue. It’s always admirable to see a band playing their hearts out as it was clear being on the Merriweather stage was a huge honor for them.

The changeover to Protoje’s set dragged around 30 minutes into his scheduled start time because for whatever reason the rotating stage wasn’t being used during the first two acts. This extended production change took all the energy out of the venue left over from ELM’s set but once Protoje took the stage he more than made up for the awkward half hour or so. There was a lot of great crowd interaction and the energy was picked right back up with his signature reggae influenced music and hip-hop based vocals. At one point Protoje addressed the crowd and said “I think this is a very important time in our country, I see a lot of things happening.” Without going into specifics, the band dropped into “Criminal” one of his signature originals. At one point his keyboard player teased Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and the band slowly all took form and did a soft take on the grunge classic.

The rotating stage was now operational and the changeover to TAUK was seamless. TAUK was easily one of the best surprises of the day as they absolutely dominated their allotted time slot. The NYC outfit possesses a mean sound for only being a four-piece. Their instrumental sound inspired a nice dance party which extended all the way to the back of the lawn. At one point their drummer, Isaac Teel, stood up from behind his kit and got the whole crowd to clap along to their infectious sound. It was clear more people were finally starting to fill the venue as TAUK received the first standing ovation of the evening.

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe took the stage next and kept the energy in full swing. Karl and his band are veterans to the scene as they’re approaching nearly two decades of making music and averaging over 150 shows a year. With invaluable experience touring with The Rolling Stones, Denson is rapidly becoming one of the most versatile sax players in the scene

.

VIPs were treated to a Q&A with Kyle Hollingsworth, Keith Moseley and Michael Kang from The String Cheese Incident. Before the session began, their tour manager asked the crowd several times to not ask the band where their name came from. There have been a lot of stories about the origin of the group’s name and whatever the truth may be, it’s clear SCI doesn’t love it and it was too late to change the name by the time they started getting recognition in the industry. Regardless, the open Q&A was a lot of fun as questions stemmed about their recording process, their unique collaborations, their diverse sound and stories from the road. Some fans even took the microphone to simply thank the band for everything they had done even though they didn’t have a question in mind. It was nice to see this intimate interaction and the amount of outpouring love.

Yonder Mountain String Band took the stage and delivered the weekend’s first dose of bluegrass. The five-piece is a well-oiled machine who has triumphantly overcome adversity as they continue to push on and tour extensively. One of the highlights came when Allie Kral stepped up an led a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” which was a nice unexpected treat. The band performed a few new songs including one that really stood out called “Bad Taste” (still a working title according to the band). After an extended “Traffic Jam” the band closed out their set with conviction leaving the crowd wanting more.

Stephen Marley took the stage and mixed a blend of his signature originals with his father’s material as the band opened up with “Lively Up Yourself.” Other takes on Bob’s repertoire included “Buffalo Soldier,” “Jammin’,” and “Could You Be Loved,” which featured a huge black and white image of Bob as a backdrop for the duration of the cover.

Lotus was one of the best acts of the weekend as they didn’t waste any time pumping energy into the crowd, which never subsided. It was strange seeing Lotus perform when the sun was still up as they’re usually no stranger to late night sets with a deep, psychedelic light show. The five-piece were tightknit and musically intertwined through the deepest corners of improvisation. One of their highlights was a nice rendition of “Golden Ghost” which surfaced surprisingly as a segue as well as “Greet The Mind” which went into “Gilded Age.” The future is incredibly bright for the Philadelphia group as they have a new album called Eat The Light coming out tomorrow. The String Cheese Incident closed out the first day of the inaugural Merryland Music Fest with two full sets and sent the crowd home more than happy and satisfied. Check out our full coverage from their two sets via this link.

Sunday, July 10

On Sunday morning the lots were even emptier than Saturday and attendance had clearly dropped off as the day went on. There were still a solid number of people in attendance but there was a noticeable difference between days. However, the energy was still abundant and Sunday’s lineup was stacked full of talent. Those who were in attendance were lucky enough to witness some incredible live music.

The main stage kicked off with Baltimore local Cris Jacobs and his band. Jacobs is a former front man of Baltimore’s own The Bridge, who released four albums in 10 years and averaged 200 shows a year. When The Bridge went on a hiatus, Jacobs continued to pursue his love of music and explore a different genre altogether. The Cris Jacobs Band performed a nice collection of folk, country and blues rock ‘n’ roll to a growing audience as his set unfolded.

Brooklyn-based Turkuaz were another highlight of the weekend as they kicked things up a notch with their adept and futuristic funk. This nine-piece band is composed of extremely talented members as everyone on stage plays a pivotal role in the overall sound. Beyond just their natural talent and singular sound, one thing that’s most enjoyable about seeing them live is each member is clearly doing what they love as they look incredibly happy to be performing on stage. With synchronized dance moves and perfectly timed choreography there’s a show within the show. Turkuaz stuck to their hits and highlights included “Nightswimming” and “Doktor Jazz,” both featured on their critically acclaimed album Digitonium. Sammi Garett stepped up and led the band during “Tiptoe Through The Crypto,” which was incredibly well executed. The sky’s the limit for this young powerhouse jam band. It will be fun to watch them grow for many years to come.

Baltimore’s Pigeons Playing Ping Pong were welcomed by loud cheers from the audience as the stage rotated and they were firmly set in place armed with their instruments (a tactic Greensky Bluegrass would later emulate during their set). This was the largest home crowd welcome to a local band from the whole weekend. The band was clearly enjoying being on stage and they had the crowd in the palms of their hands. Currently, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are touring under the release of their most recent studio album Pleasure, which is a monumental step for them solidifying themselves as a prominent touring band with plenty of new and exciting material.

Nahko & Medicine For The People took the stage and quickly pumped their positive and upbeat melodies through the crowd. Before the band took form, Nahko took time to honor the native people of the land while sporting a hat that read “MAKE AMERICA NATIVE AGAIN.” This sort of identification of the native people is something similar to Xavier Rudd or John Butler’s pre-show rituals. The crowd had noticeably moved as close as possible to the stage for Nahko’s set and they seemed to be completely mesmerized by his upbeat and powerful music and they remained committed during the entirety of the band’s set.

By the time Langhorne Slim & The Law took the stage the crowd had very noticeably thinned out, so the frontman took matters into his own hands and literally climbed over the barrier and started walking through the crowd singing to fans as he climbed over the rows of the pavilion. Everywhere he turned he was met with people taking pictures and filming his antics. In between verses Slim began coaxing the crowd by saying, “move up” and “follow me.” His requests were happily obliged as he now had a full crowd of spectators as this bold and courageous move more than paid off. One of the most impressive things about Langhorne Slim, besides his incredible showmanship, was his astounding vocal range.

Austin native Shakey Graves’ music is a cross between folk, blues and rock ‘n’ roll, which followed Long Slim’s sound perfectly. The 29-year-old powered through his set and surely developed a new fan base. Active since 2011, Shakey Graves has quickly emerged as one of Texas’ rapidly rising stars.

The folk trend continued with Kalamazoo, Michigan natives Greensky Bluegrass and they delivered an absolutely incredible set of their powerful bluegrass sound. One of the highlights came when guitarist Dave Bruzza stepped up and sang lead on The Band’s classic staple “The Shape I’m In.” Mandolin player Paul Hoffman treated the crowd to one of their most beloved singles “Windshield” before the band played a new song off their upcoming album, which should be expected around September. Anders Beck laid down an extensive solo on his dobro solidifying time and time again that his addition to the band in 2007 has proven to be an invaluable part of their overall sound. After 15+ years on the road, Greensky Bluegrass’ dedication has certainly paid off and they’re not showing any signs of laying off the gas anytime soon.

Grace Potter kept the momentum in full swing as she delivered quite possibly the best set of the weekend. Potter and her new band were all smiles as she pushed through some of her most recognizable numbers including “Medicine” and “Paris (Oh La La).” The Vermont native took an interesting, fast-paced take on her traditional song “Nothing But The Water” before slipping into an extremely psychedelic cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody To Love” where she was rolling around on stage seducing the crowd even if she didn’t intend to. During her set, Potter routinely switched between her coveted Gibson Flying V, a 12-string acoustic and her organ. She would also run up and down the skirt of the stage interacting with the front row as much as possible. At one point she took a moment to acknowledge that Merriweather was one of her favorite venues to play and she went on to share stories about how she’s shared this stage with musical legends that helped shape her life, most importantly Levon Helm. Additionally, she reminisced about her being included at the Dear Jerry concert in 2015. At the end of her set the multi-instrumentalist and her full band continued the tradition of a full band drum solo, which was comprised on two separate drum kits on stage.

The weekend’s closing slot was reserved for veterans Ben Harper And The Innocent Criminals. Harper and company closed out the weekend with conviction. With such a vast catalog, there was no predicting what the band would opt to play. There were many nice surprises that surfaced, especially “Burn To Shine” and “Burn One Down.” Alternate lyrics referenced Merriweather Post during “Steal My Kisses” which was naturally met with a roaring sense of approval from the crowd. At one point during their set, the band teased Bob Marley’s “Trenchtown Rock” complete with the first verse of the song. Another highlight came when they played “Call It What It Is,” a song inspired by police brutality with direct references to Trayvon Martin, Ezell Ford and Michael Brown. This number was performed with a lot of heart and you could feel the outpouring emotion connected to our country’s current events. “Fight For Your Mind” was jammed well outside of the song’s original dimensions and showcased a legitimate funky bass jam locked in with a percussion break featuring woodblocks. Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals played all the way up to their allotted set time and left the crowd satisfied before heading home.

As the crowd began funneling out, Tim Walter’s voice came over the loudspeakers thanking the patrons and encouraging everyone to drive safe. Walter also mentioned he hoped to see everyone next year – confirming that this event will return in 2017. When it was all said and done All Good Presents pulled off an incredible new endeavor and found a way to unify the community despite facing so many recent challenges. It’s most certainly all good at Merryland Fest.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”314″ gal_title=”20160710 Merryland Kelly”]