Highlights & Photos | High Sierra Music Festival | Quincy
By Team JamBase Jul 17, 2015 • 10:45 am PDT
Images by: Steve Conroy and Jake Alexander
Read on for highlights and Jake’s photos after Steve’s gallery.
The 25th annual installment of the High Sierra Music Festival took place earlier this month on the Plumas-Sierra County Fairgrounds in Quincy, California. Headliners included two nights of The String Cheese Incident, an extended set by Umphrey’s McGee and two sets from Joe Russo’s Almost Dead. High Sierra has always held a special place in our hearts and this year most of the JamBase team attended the festival, and as usual we had the time of our lives.
Since Team JamBase was on hand at this year’s festival, we’re trying something different for our High Sierra ‘15 coverage. Our own Steve Conroy and Jake Alexander brought their cameras to document both the music and scene in Quincy, while a number of members of our team shared their three favorite High Sierra ‘15 moments. We’re already counting down the days until next year’s festival which returns to Quincy June 30 -July 3, 2016.
Jake Alexander
My First High Sierra
As a first-timer at High Sierra I entered Quincy without much expectations one way or the other. I was greeted by some of the most friendly strangers I have ever met. Walking through “Shady Grove” was an experience all unto itself, with themed camps and festival goers offering me bourbon every 50 feet (It helped that I was wearing a t-shirt that simply said, “Bourbon?”) I sat in the bleachers looking over Grandstand, talking with new friends about what they had seen and what they were excited to see and I started to understand why High Sierra was one of those festivals that people plan their summer around.
Kamp Bitchin Kitchen
Friends of the well-known and well-loved chefs, Larry and Denise Bressler continued the tradition of the Bitchin Kitchen this year in the farthest corner of the High Sierra campground. The delicious smells of gourmet food prepared on camp burners melded with the crooning of musicians that had just finished their set on the main-stage, creating a mellow and friendly atmosphere that welcomed anybody that happened to be passing by. There was a poignant feeling in the air as bands such as The Sam Chase, The California Honeydrops and T Sisters stopped by to pay tribute to the late couple in this intimate and respectful setting.
Omaha Diner Impresses
It’s impossible to pick a favorite band or set from the weekend, but I can say with confidence that Omaha Diner was one performance that took me by surprise. I had never seen Skerik before and watching him manically run around stage and shout along with the crowd was just what I needed to energize me for Saturday night. Charlie Hunter, Bobby Previte, Eric Bloom and Skerik just looked like they were having real fun up on stage and the crowd fed off that energy. It was a great performance by some stellar musicians.
Andy Gadiel
The Slip on The Big Meadow Stage
If there was ever a band synonymous with High Sierra, it would be The Slip. They have appeared on stage at the festival more than any other I can remember, and always bring something special for the occasion. This year was no exception as they took to The Big Meadow stage just before sundown and treated the audience to a set of classic The Slip songs combined with some new ones from an apparent five-year album in the making. The Slip rarely play these days, as they have moved onto other projects (The Barr Brothers) or were playing with other outfits during the weekend (Surprise Me Mr. Davis). It was great to hear the trio grace the stage again in fine form, with “Weight of Solomon” and “Children Of December” to close things out being especially fulfilling.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead closing the Main Stage Sunday Night
The Grateful Dead are the granddaddy of them all, and likely the reason many festival attendees, me included, fell in love with live music so passionately in the first place. They were the door that opened up a whole new universe of music, making their impact on society and our community undeniable. As it is the 50th anniversary celebration and the ‘core four’ were playing in Chicago the same weekend, many High Sierra faithful got to say “Fare Thee Well” in Santa Clara the weekend before. It was befitting that Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, one of the newest and most exciting tribute bands to come around lately, would close out the main stage on Sunday night. They did it right with two blistering sets of classic Grateful Dead inspiration taken to the next level. Hear for yourself here.
Kamp Bitchin Kitchen
It was an emotional High Sierra for many, as longtime festival-goers Larry and Denise Bressler were taken suddenly from us last year. Larry was an amazing chef who had an incredible love for all kinds of music and people. He would set-up camp with friends in the back corner of RV town every year to create a one-of-a-kind festival experience. If you ever came to one of the crawfish boils or fried chicken nights then you know what I mean.
This year many of us gathered in the same spot to pay tribute to Larry and Denise the only way we knew how, by celebrating all the things they loved the most. Friends, family and musicians came to the Bitchin Kitchen throughout the weekend to pay their respects, cook, eat, play music and share stories. There was rarely a dry eye in the house and all who visited left with a reminder of what made Larry and Denise so special.
Matt Hogan
The String Cheese Incident Returns After 16-Year Absence
SCI made their triumphant return to High Sierra after a 16-year absence and delivered four strong sets of Cheese classics mixed with new tunes to the High Sierra faithful, along with a strong contingent of old-school SCI family who made the trip to Quincy. It felt like a grand reunion, and Friday night’s performance in particular was special, with SCI bringing out guests like Fareed Haque on guitar for an inspired “MLT,” and Jen Hartswick adding trumpet and vocals to a dance party cover of “Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground).” The second set was a huge “Colorado Bluebird Sky” sandwich -with heavy hitters like “Land’s End,” “Rivertrance” and “Jellyfish” in the middle -that whipped the enormous grandstand crowd into a frenzy, sending clouds of dust drifting up toward the full moon above. The playing was tight throughout both shows, and the easy-going interplay on display between the band members really showed The String Cheese Incident was feeling and playing better than they have as a group in a long time.
Sunrise Kickball
Back around the turn of the century, High Sierra gave birth to Sunrise Kickball as an organic event for those festivarians who weren’t quite ready to go to bed after a full night of partying, and needed an outlet for their creative and athletic energies. Over the years, Sunrise Kickball has seen imitators sprout up at other festivals while growing in size, scope and sheer chaos -to the point where attempting to actually follow the action of the “game” is a pointless exercise. But seeing so many adult revelers return to their childhoods to play kickball while dressed in their wildest costumes, and bringing their “A” games to the party (in various states of sobriety), makes for some of the most hilarious people-watching and quote-generating you will find. It’s one of those things you really have to witness to fully appreciate, and it’s always fun to watch the interactions between the “still ups” and the “just ups” waking to greet the day. There were some rumblings from long-time festers that with so many participants, the event may have jumped the shark, but I’m not sure that’s really possible … unless you’re referring to one player literally jumping over another dressed in a shark costume while rounding third, because I definitely saw plenty of antics like that.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Makes High Sierra Debut
This main stage closing performance was one of the most highly-anticipated slots of the weekend, with many fans hoping to get a taste of what they were missing at the Fare Thee Well festivities in Chicago, I think it’s safe to say that, after tearing through two incredible sets of Grateful Dead classics, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead more than delivered. Oddly, the HSMF Silent Disco was streaming the Dead show live from Chicago at the very same time JRAD was playing, so there were some fans actually listening to the show on headphones while watching JRAD, which made for a very “meta” type of experience. But it really felt like those of us in Quincy might have gotten the best of all worlds (especially if you got to check out the Santa Clara FTW shows the week prior), as Joe Russo’s Almost Dead is pushing the Dead catalog forward, and breathing new life and energy into the music in a way that no other tribute project has done before. Toward the end of the show, Tom Hamilton -who has really developed into a secret weapon -took a seat near the edge of the stage during “Morning Dew” to deliver a stunningly beautiful guitar solo, and it just felt like one of those magical, perfect moments. Tears of joy flowed freely as fans hugged each other, sang along and gave thanks after four soul-nourishing days in Quincy.
Head to Page Two for more photos and highlights from High Sierra ’15.
Read more High Sierra highlights after Jake’s gallery.
Jon McLennand
The Brothers Barr
Brad and Andrew Barr have been two of my favorite musicians since the first time I saw them as two-thirds of The Slip at my first music festival -moe.down 2000. From the jazz-turned-indie rock of The Slip to the songwriting and catchy melodies of Surprise Me Mr. Davis to the gorgeous harp-infused Americana of The Barr Brothers to the free-improv Slipping Daylights -no matter the setting, they are consummate musicians that have become masters of any style they choose. My highlight was unquestionably their first performance as The Slip in three years. Sounding exactly as they always did, this set was the one that made me feel at home in my first trip to Quincy.
The Full Marco Benevento Treatment
HSMF got the Full Marco Treatment this year. He made his first HSMF appearance in 2002 as half of the Benevento/Russo Duo. This year he made (at least) four appearances. Saturday night saw the return to the stage of Surprise Me Mr. Davis – featuring all members of The Slip and HSMF’s favorite troubadour Nathan Moore -which had Marco filling in color with rock and roll keyboards in a Chuck Leavell role. Sunday afternoon had him manning the B-3 organ for a set of organ-led jazz grooves opposite another B-3 master in Tony Monaco and accompanied by another HSMF staple in guitar chameleon Fareed Haque. This was followed by Marco’s turn as bandleader on piano and vocals for a Trio show. After a short break he closed the Grandstand Stage festivities with two sets of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead’s explosive Dead-based rock.
Straight Group Improvisation From Living Daylights
When I first started trading tapes and branched outside the box, one of the bands I stumbled on was Living Daylights. Fronted by Jessica Lurie, this trio takes an aggressive approach to saxophone jazz. I first caught them as part The Slipping Daylights workshop. This band featuring all members from Living Daylights and The Slip along with special guest Jen Hartswick first came together back in 1999 at HSMF, so there was already a lot of history before the first note. The set was 50 minutes of straight group improvisation that blew me away. So much impressive interplay, as if the bands had actually played together at some point in the last 10-15 years. The Sunday Living Daylights set was everything I hoped it would be. All three members are outstanding players that take mindbending leads, but it’s their collective interplay in the compositions and how the other two members will perfectly frame and play off of the soloist that make this group so exciting to see.
David Onigman
The Slip Returns
As a gigantic fan of The Slip, one of the bands that first jumped off the initial lineup was this set, as the trio had not played an official show since 2011. The band delivered a career-spanning performance and before starting “Catch a Villain” alluded that they had been quietly and slowly working on something that had started to, “look and feel like an album.” A new LP from The Slip would be quite welcome at this point since it’s now been almost nine years since 2006’s Eisenhower. Looking around at the fans and musicians assembled in the front rows and side stage and observing the genuine smiles (talking about you Reed Mathis) on everyone’s faces made it expressly clear I was not alone in my excitement that this band was back in our world.
Songs of Their Own
When we began the ambitious (and borderline foolish) goal of delivering 50 new Grateful Dead covers in 50 days, we knew it was going to come to a conclusion while we were at High Sierra. What we didn’t know was that we’d literally be recording Video #49 up there. As our schedules aligned, the only chance we had to catch up with Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers was at the festival and we recorded their rendition of “Bird Song” at the Sierra Nevada Tent. Memories of SOTO were everywhere we walked, whether it was The Brothers Comatose playing “Brokedown Palace” at the main stage (which they first learned for our series), Lebo playing on “Bertha” at the Guitarmageddon Watkins Glen playshop, or sharing the Playing For Change “Ripple” video with the world from our campsite bright and early Sunday morning.
Umphrey’s McGee’s Walk Down Memory Lane
Umphrey’s McGee returned to High Sierra for the first time since 2009 and had their first crack at a headlining slot. During their set the band played the crowd-pleasing “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds, as made famous on the soundtrack for The Breakfast Club. As he typically does, lead singer Brendan Bayliss took the opportunity before the tune’s triumphant vocal outro to tell a quick story, this time detailing the band’s history at the festival and what the opportunity to headline meant to them.
Bonus Highlight From Marcus Schmidt
Wood Brothers Build Off Fourth Of July Energy
Not long into The Wood Brothers set you could feel the energy building: it was the Fourth Of July, the hangover sweat was almost all the way squirt gunned off, and the crowd was starting to get shaking in the audience after just a few songs (and lawnmower beers). If you appreciate jazz or folk music-this band will bring you to some serious musical plateaus. Chris Wood’s crafty basslines are rich in jazz styling, while keeping it simple and true to what Americana and folk music are about, very fitting for the holiday. Oliver Wood’s vocals were spot-on as usual. It’s always impressive to see him playing show after show and maintaining such a healthy sounding voice. He sings with his heart and purity, and that really shines with the band. Jano Rix added some impressive percussion sounds on his Shuitar-an acoustic guitar with various noisemakers. He was also playing melodica which added an unusual element to the band’s sound.
Many highlight tracks were played from their most recent release The Muse -“I Got Loaded,” “Wastin’ My Mind,” “Keep Me Around” and a sultry version of “Honey Jar.” They also played a slowed down version of arguably their most popular song, “Luckiest Man.” It was really enjoyable to hear them mixing the tempos and adjusting their tunes to keep things interesting and varied from the album versions of the songs.
JamBase | Thank You For A Real Good Time
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