A New Fest In Florida: Sunshine Hootenanny Debuts With moe., Dogs In A Pile, Karina Rykman & More

What a gift.

After spending weeks of demolishing our double-hurricane ravaged home, Nancy and I needed a break – a chance to remember that life, the good life, exists away from mold and mud and shovels and rakes and (literal) implements of destruction. And then like a glorious rend in the storm clouds, the Sunshine Hootenanny made me forget all my frustrations and jettison near despair.

On a gloriously sunny, unseasonably cool Florida weekend, the inaugural Sunshine Hootenanny Music & Arts Festival was the perfect transportation to our incredible privilege of life experienced through the magic of live music. Held at the Florida Sand Music Ranch in Brookville, Florida, November 21 – 23, the Hootenanny made for some truly special memories for all involved.

So, first off, I have to gush a bit. I’ve been covering music festivals since 2006, and as a fan, attended many more, both big and small. The Sunshine Hootenanny is in a class alone. It is difficult to convey just what a truly different and special event this was. Maybe I’m jaded and have been made cynical by the typical festival scene. Most are like the gated communities so ubiquitous here in Florida, with a hard line of segregation between the talent and the fanbase, and security that is often an arms-crossed, bag-searching, imposing presence. Not here. There were no uncrossable lines. Band members walked the grounds, chatting and smiling with the fans.

I can, and of course, will write about the music – outstanding, as we in the jam tribe can blessedly take as granted. But a music festival is a vibe and a community. Our impromptu village was a beautiful blend of greying veterans of our scene, and young families with enthusiastically dancing children who’ll ensure that the jam music festival will long endure. It was the warm, inviting milieu, and the friendly, supportive crowd that made the magic. I hung my camera vest with a couple of thousand dollars of gear on the back of my chair and didn’t think twice about walking away. The Sunshine Hootenanny itself was the star of the weekend.

For a festival of maybe 1,500 folks, there were two – that’s right TWO – security personnel, and one of them spent much of his day cutting a rug on the pavilion floor. It was an exploitation-free zone, with free scalding hot showers, $2 bottles of water, an actual BYOB policy in the venue, dogs cavorting everywhere right by the stage, real wood fires at almost every campsite (firewood was even delivered by management on request.) In addition to the music, there were activities for kids and adults alike, a great group of vendors with the Shakedown area just a couple hundred feet from the stage, and awesome, and affordable, food options.

The Florida Sand Music Ranch campground was wooded and shady: live oaks draped with Spanish moss, lots of labeled native Florida trees and shrubs, a stream of crystal-clear water flowing over a white sandy bottom, and lovely lakeside campsites. There were no mowed fields with hundreds of tents crammed side by side. Yeah, overall, it was pretty amazing. Special credit goes out to promoter Turner Moore for recognizing what we really wanted, if we only knew it, and then creating that and providing it for us.

Friday

Unfortunately, due to pressing home repairs, we missed Thursday, which included the likes of Low Ground Trio, Ship of Fools, Rich Sheldon performing as The Strolling Moans and Tru Phonic. However, we were all in for Friday and Saturday.

The festival featured lots of local Tampa area and greater Florida bands, as well as three big name headliners I last saw together at the Adirondack Independence Music Festival in 2023: moe., Dogs In A Pile, and Karina Rykman. The two stages – Sunshine and Moonlight – were directly adjacent, so you could just swivel your chair and never miss a beat. Familiar with the music, and thoroughly impressed by past performances, anticipation was our high as we settled in for two days of vibrant, passionate improvisational music.

The musical day began with Woody & Sunshine, a remarkable duo who laid down a sweet, throbbing, trippy and delicious groove. Woody sets the tempo with synth drums and loops then shreds on guitar while Sunshine plays her ethereal electric banjo. Though I missed part of their energetic set while setting up camp, from the half hour I caught, I am officially now a fan, and added one of their stickers to the collection on my rear window.

Friends of Fil, the Fil Pate project that plays inspired jazz/rock-infused music, took over on the Moonlight Stage. Their heady set included a spacey rendition of the classic “Caravan.”

One Love Rising poured out some roots rock-solid Bob Marley-inspired reggae that created the perfect ambience for this high chill festival. Fronted by multi-instrumentalist Meesta Juanjamon, their set was full of familiar Bob Marley numbers and closed out with a “No More Trouble” that had the crowd singing along.

Grateful Dawg, offers up the beautiful simplicity of guitar (Billy Gilmore) and mandolin (Mickey Abraham) and creates a spot-on Jerry Garcia/David Grisman tribute. Their cover of Irving Berlin’s “Russian Lullaby” was gorgeous, and just one of many standout renditions of the Garcia/Grisman themed set.

One Love Rising members Daniel Benjamin Jones and Meesta Juanjamon pulled double duty as The Reality took the stage. They jammed with a crying, sighing ultra-melodic style but were fully capable of pumping out some throbbing danceable grooves as well. Their set even had the lone security guard in the venue boogeying down during their cover of Smashmouth’s “Walking On the Sun.”

Bobby Lee Rodgers has the bona fides: one of the youngest ever professors of jazz at Berklee, veteran of the vibrant Atlanta music scene and co-founder (with the legendary Col. Bruce Hampton) of the widely acclaimed jazz/fusion/rock band, The Codetalkers.

Touring now as the Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio, Rodgers’ jazz background is evident in their music. Rodgers plays his guitar through a vintage Leslie organ cabinet equipped with a rotating drum, producing a dirty, scratchy sound. The trio gave a stellar set of original material played by true veteran professionals.

Bobby Lee Rodgers Audio Taped by Archie Cove

“Charisma” is a word that gets tossed around a lot. But if I’ve ever seen a performer who just has it, it’s gotta be Karina Rykman. She’s living the dream, and it shows. Her exuberance leaps out in her live performances. The joy with which she performs flows over the crowd and is quickly reciprocated by the audience, including those who’ve never seen or heard of her.

Her album, Joyride, no doubt benefitted from having Trey Anastasio as a co-producer, but stands on the merits of her songwriting and the band’s musicianship, and the title track is getting significant airplay from SiriusXM to college stations to mainstream radio. Her set went deep into improvisational jamming that allowed guitarist Adam November to strut his stuff. Included were choice covers of Ween, Butthole Surfers, Talking Heads and LCD Soundsystem that shows how wide her musical influences run. “City Kids” was a simultaneously raucous and dreamy 10-minute ride that was a highlight of the weekend.

Karina Rykman Audio Taped by Archie Cove

With Venus setting over the water and Jupiter riding high on the ecliptic, moe. took the stage to close out Friday night. Their set was pretty Chuck Garvey-heavy, opening with the guitarist’s wailing slide on “St. Augustine.”

Friday night also included an always welcome “Ricky Marten” and closed out with a traditional “Happy Hour Hero” into “Seat of My Pants” into “Sensory Deprivation Bank” segue fest and a bouncing “Buster.”

moe. Soundboard Audio via nugs.net

Saturday

The Sunshine Hootenanny opened Saturday with a terrific set by Blue Skye Pipes & Drums. BSP&D plays traditional Celtic and Scottish music in shows that are almost music lectures. Each song is introduced with a bit of background that makes the music more enjoyable through context. For example, many people know the traditional “Loch Lomond,” but hearing the story of two prisoners, one freed and one executed, made the song so beautifully mournful and sad that I saw that I was just one of many in the crowd with teary eyes. I’m so glad that I was there and will certainly catch them when they play in the area again.

Tampa’s Chris Sgammato is helping to produce the next generation of musicians at his Sgammato School of Music. Two of the 15 bands he’s currently mentoring performed on Saturday: Jocelyn Hobson Band and Alleycat K. They both gave solid, professional and self-assured performances that belied their young ages and ensure that the music world has worthy inheritors. Jocelyn Hobson has a sweet, strong voice that’s almost startling to hear coming from one so young. This young musician has a solid future. Chris also has his own band, Displace, which would prove important that evening.

Tampa area band, Row Jomah, performed at The Sunshine Hootenanny as Royale with Cheese, and played a set of the eclectic music found on Quentin Tarantino’s soundtracks. For people like me – people of a certain age, you dig – these are the songs of our lives. From George Baker’s “Little Green Bag” to the Brothers Johnson’s brilliant cover of Shuggie Otis’ “Strawberry Letter 23,” we know these songs intimately and remember them fondly and Royale with Cheese plays them with skill and aplomb. The band also gave the festival one of its truly fun moments, reproducing the Jack Rabbit Slim Twist contest from Pulp Fiction.

Grandpa’s Cough Medicine is a quirky, irreverent bluegrass band, that describes themselves thusly: “Politically incorrect lyrics that make other bluegrass acts look like Disney princesses.” They threw down a toe-tapping, chuckle-inducing set that really riled up the crowd. Their “If I Lay Down This Guitar,” about annoying fans, was laugh out loud funny, but don’t be fooled by their humor: These guys can play. I highly recommend catching these guys if possible for a fabulous time.

Chris Sgammato had an unexpectedly busy and hectic Saturday. There primarily to support the bands comprised of his students, he was called into service when Gov’t Mule tribute band, Dose, was forced to cancel. Chris told me he teaches his kids that you have to be ready for anything in the music business; well, he proved himself an honest man who takes his own advice.

In an effort worthy of the unrehearsed spontaneity of Everyone Orchestra, and with less than two hours to pull together a lineup, a set, instruments and gear, he sprung into action blowing up the phones of friends, former and current bandmates, acquaintances and accosting random passersby. Most were like: “Dude, uh, no. Can’t be there in the next 20 minutes.” But his Displace drummer, Evan Thibeault crossed several counties and made it in time, although without drums, so he played on the minimal student kit of Alleycat K. Dogs In A Pile band members Jeremy Kaplan and Sam Lucid pitched in and an organically grown set was born.

Chris called the new arrangement Dogs In Displace, and it was groovy. I had missed the announcement, so when I was walking up, I said to Nancy, “This doesn’t sound like Gov’t Mule.” No disrespect intended to Dose, but this thrown together hour and a half was what a jam session is supposed to look like. After an hour, the Dogs guys had to go set up as they were scheduled to go on in a half an hour, so Alleycat K reconfigured into their original band, Beyond Chaotic, and blared out a sick energy closing showcasing their metal/punk chops.

Dogs In A Pile brought their rabid fanbase, the Dog Pound, with them and showed why they have made such a name for themselves on the jam band and festival circuit. Heralding from Asbury Park, New Jersey, they play an amazing blend of psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll spiced with jazzy funk and extended jamming. They killed their set with a brazen “Samba For Sam” that really put their jam credentials on display. It was the perfect lead in to jam kings, moe., and even had moe. guitarist Al Schnier, sit in on the Grateful Dead’s “Feel Like A Stranger.”

Dogs In A Pile Audio Taped by Archie Cove

moe. closed out The Sunshine Hootenanny with an absolute heater of a set that gave Rob Derhak the slapping, bass-freaking moments he was quiet on the night before. Opening up with a frenetic and blaring “Not Coming Down” that had Rob’s hands a mere blur, they segued into a dreamy, swaying “Wormwood” and then into audience favorite “Okay Alright.”

The jam of the night came on a “Billy Goat” into “Meat” into “Water” and back into “Meat” that was among the best I’ve seen and heard. There was also a stellar “32 Things” that had the largest crowd of the weekend jumping.

I’m past deadline and am sorry that I’ve omitted any of the outstanding bands I saw this weekend. But I can attest, without fear of contradiction, that the first Sunshine Hootenanny was a remarkable success.

Special credit goes out to Audio One Sarasota and Marco Beruff who ran the soundboard 14 hours a day without interruption and without a hitch/. Laser Fox provided an outstanding light and laser show that enhanced the music. And Schlangin Pixels provided the ever changing backdrop to both stages. But all due propers go to Turner Moore and his amazing crew. They made our weekend just as perfect as could be possible. This festival has a bright future and I can’t wait for the next Sunshine Hootenanny.