Preview: The Way Life Should Be Camping and Music Festival! June 3rd-5th

There have been many attempts to bring the festival aspect of the music industry to Maine, and it’s been shown to be quite difficult. However, on the weekend of June 3rd-5th about 2000 people (2500 max) will be gathering in Brooks, ME for a weekend of music, camping, and other typical festival fun.



Artwork by Isaac Wright


The small to moderate size of the festival, grassroots style of organizing, variety of music in attendance, and the very reasonable ticket prices have set up The Way Life Should Be Festival for great success.




The site is a large open field surrounded by forest, and is called Roaring Acres Farm. Great for camping and dancing! Also...picture thirteen different incredible acts on this stage and without a doubt, we're ready for a festival:




This mobile stage, from Image Production Services, is 33 feet long and covered! The sound is also being provided from Image Production Services state of the art sound equipment.

There will be some great music performed on this stage throughout the weekend with genres ranging from bluegrass to reggae to dubstep:

SCHEDULE:

Friday:
1pm- Heads in the Clouds

3pm- Chaos Sauce

5pm- Jammin' Toast

7pm- Herd of Watts

9pm- Roots of Creation

11pm- Cyborg Trio

Saturday:

11am- Free Advice

1pm- Fiddle Head

3pm- The Running Gags

5pm- Skyfoot

7pm- Sophistaphunk

9pm- Stream Reggae

11pm- DJ Dradis (DJ Les)


Many of the bands playing at The Way Life Should Be Festival originate in Maine, an aspect of the festival we highly respect. We believe that Maine festivals supporting Maine musicians is another important factor in the success of the festival scene in this great state!

One of these is the band Chaos Sauce, originally from Rockland and Portland, and well-known in the Orono area.

Chaos Sauce’s music can be pretty hardcore, but it’s also way, way more than that. They are playful, talented, and their stage presence and interaction with the crowd makes for an incredibly good time. They have many great originals of their own (look out for Computer Malfunction...), and also do excellent covers by bands like Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Biggie Smalls.

Check out a show review/interview we did when we first met the Sauce: http://thewayliveshouldbe.blogspot.com/2010/04/read-this-review-chaos-sauce.html



Another band hailing from southern Maine is a Portland favorite called The Running Gags. These guys are awesome and include a diverse range of influences. They seem to have been writing more than ever lately, and we can expect a CD out soon! They also do a large variety of covers by bands like The Beatles, Queens of the Stone Age, and Harvey Danger. The most important emphasis is their straight up talent, and their playfulness and interaction with the crowd.

Check out what we wrote about The Running Gags in the past: http://thewayliveshouldbe.blogspot.com/2010/03/running-gags-at-dime-friday-march-26.html

Sophistafunk is another band we are very excited to see on this festival line up, and they’re comin’ atchya from Syracuse, NY. This trio is said to have ‘invented its own style of cross-genre music by combining hip-hop & spoken word with the sounds of live funk, soul, and dance music.’



We recently released an interview with Sophistifunk’s Adam Gold ( keyboardist and occasional vocalist of the group) in regards to their last visit to Maine, and it is apparent that they are quite excited to come back for this festival! Adam left us with these inspiring words about their show at the Way Life Should Be festival, “ MAN are we glad that we're a part of this festival. Now that Nateva is cancelled, The Way Life Should Be will be the biggest most banging festival in Maine all summer! You can expect some crazy tricks up our sleeves. I've been preparing and saving up for some crazy new instruments that I plan on going crazy with this summer, and the way we absorb energy from the audience will only be magnified with an
outdoor festival.”
Check out the rest of the interview here: http://thewayliveshouldbe.blogspot.com/2011/04/some-words-with-adam-gold-of.html


Jammin' Toast, Fiddle Head, and Skyfoot are all coming out from Massachusetts and adding some more great music to the lineup for the weekend. Also, Free Advice is coming over from NY and Herd of Watts bringin' the heat from Florida!

DJ Dradis (DJ Les) is coming from the Orono, ME area, and is known for his late night sets and keeping people moving! His first time really layin' down what he had to offer was actually at a festival style party that contributes largely to how TWLSB festival formed. Festival coordinator, Dave Pike, seemed determined after experiencing some lower key festivals in Maine, to try to create something that would appeal to higher numbers of people. Pike has utilized his public relations degree for the overall coordination the festival, working with Peter Courand to find a prime festival location, and booking bands.
The gatherings leading up to Pike's goal had been organized and thrown initially as large birthday parties for a friend on Islesboro. As they grew, live music was added and last year was the first time they had a cover, which was 10 bucks. The parties developed into a yearly event, and was given the name 'Irieboro'. Stream Reggae is Maine's premier reggae band, and has played at the Irieboro fests for the past two years, offering music from the heart and soul of the Caribbean.

Roots of Creation, a band out of New England as well, and Cyborg Trio (from Portland, ME!)will be playing back to back on Friday night. Roots of Creation will be bringing some great reggae/rock/dub to the table at 9pm on Friday.
Cyborg Trio will be hittin' the stage around 11pm with some 'dynamic, psychedelic improvisation and carefully crafted beats.' They've created quite a name for themselves in Maine!


We're stoked to see such a wide array of styles at this festival, and at such a low price as well! It'll be without a doubt a killer weekend, and we hope to see everyone there!

Community Radio 89.9 WERU is sponsoring The Way Life Should Be Festival!

For more information, check out the TWLSB facebook event here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=160291940693442

Buy your tickets here!: http://thewaylifeshouldbe.ticketleap.com/

Some Words with Adam Gold of Sophistafunk!

On March 3 of this year the members of The Way Live Should Be (WLSB) went to see Dumpstaphunk at Port City Music Hall in Portland. The show was amazing, but it was the opening band that night that really caught our attention, largely because we had never heard of them before. Their name is Sophistafunk, from Syracuse, NY, and the core members consist of; Jack Brown - vocals, lyrics; Adam Gold - keys, bass, vocals and Emanuel Washington – drums. They describe their sound as, “Combining hip hop & spoken-word with the sounds of live funk, soul, & dance music, the trio SOPHISTAFUNK has invented its own style of cross-genre music”. We would agree! From the seriously talented percussive skills of Washington, to the pick-up-my-Moog and dance around the stage antics of Gold, and the enlightened, brilliant lyrics of Brown… these guys really caught our attention. Imagine our excitement to hear they would be playing The Way Life Should Be Festival (no relation) in Brooks, ME this coming June! A well traveled, really funkin' fun band from New York, back again? We had to hear what they thought about Maine from their last trip!

WLSB: Any comments on your last trip to Maine?

Gold: We had a freaking blast in Maine. You know, it seems really far away from New York, but it isn't. All those New England states are so close together, we were amazed how quickly we got to Portland. Either way, the vibe was incredible, the water was close by, and the area was just bustling with creative energy!

WLSB: Was it your first time in Maine?

Gold: I once attended a Phish festival in ME many years ago, and a couple close friends from college are from Maine; Camden and Greene. However, for the other two members of the band, it was their first time, and it WAS my first time in Portland! I'd heard so much about how great the city was.

WLSB: What did you think of Port City Music Hall?

Gold: I probably talk about Port City twice a week. One of our favorite clubs to perform in of all time. The beautiful art gallery in the front just prefaces the whole evening with greatness and creativity. The venue is FIRST CLASS, with an incredible sound system and sound engineers. The managers and employees there are more-than-accommodating, as well as the upstairs green room areas. (SHOWERS!) We can't wait to return to that venue, and the state for that matter.

WLSB: What was it like opening for Dumpstaphunk?

Gold: We were really fortunate to share the stage with legendary funk artists like them. They are super funny, super FUNNY, and ridiculously funky, and I envy their ability to get all the women up on stage like that! It was cool to level with them in the green room, and I believe Ivan got a phone call from Keith Richards while we were eating dinner!

WLSB: How did you guys get on the band list for the Way Life Should Be fest? What can we expect from the show?

Gold: Our agent Gabe helped put that one together, but my guess is that YOU and your friends that saw us at PCMH made it happen! MAN are we glad that we're a part of this festival. Now that Nateva is canceled, The Way Life Should Be will be the biggest most banging festival in Maine all summer! You can expect some crazy tricks up our sleeves. I've been preparing and saving up for some crazy new instruments that I plan on going crazy with this summer, and the way we absorb energy from the audience will only be magnified with an outdoor festival.

WLSB: Why are you interested in playing Maine venues?

Gold: We love the fact we will be playing up there because we've never been that far north in the state, and therefore have never truly been able to spread our music to the people of Maine. Also, since I've visited there before, and because I LOVE lobster rolls, I just can't wait to get fat and funky for everybody!

WLSB: Anything else you would like to say? Again, we were super impressed and feel like you guys have a very distinctive, inspirational/motivational/super groovy sound that we haven’t really heard before!

Gold: You know, one thing that comes to mind is, yes, we have a unique sound. Sometimes its so hard to get that across to people. “Hip-hop” is a box, even “Funk” is a box these days. There are SO MANY "funky" bands that are really nasty on the "jam scene". But… I really feel like our music TRANSGRESSES these boundaries. We are inspiring and positive dance music. Simple as that.

Simple as that indeed! Thanks so much to Adam Gold of Sophistafunk for chatting with The Way Live Should Be! These guys are sure to impress and make you shake your bootay at the upcoming festival…. BE THERE. Anyone who hasn’t heard yet about the The Way Life Should Be festival it is Friday June 3rd – Sunday June 5th in Brooks, ME. It includes other great acts like the Roots of Creation, Stream Reggae, Cyborg Trio, Running Gags, Chaos Sauce, Fiddle Heads and others from all over the east coast! Watch for the Way Live Should Be’s festival preview coming very soon! We hope to see you there!

Sophistafunk: https://www.facebook.com/#!/sophistafunkband?sk=info

Way Life Should Be Music and Camping Festival: https://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=160291940693442

Tickets for the festival!: http://thewaylifeshouldbe.ticketleap.com/

Write-up and interview done by Heather Omand, Edited by Kim Morrison

Interview with Skerik of The Dead Kenny G's

After my interview with Skerik, I rushed right home and put on Bewildered Herd, the first, and currently only, Dead Kenny G’s album. The Dead Kenny G’s are Skerik (tenor sax and keyboard), Mike Dillon (percussion and Vibraphone), and Brad Houser (bass and baritone sax). With Skerik’s words echoing around my skull, the music seemed transformed from just ordinary awesomeness to an album not truly heard before. It seemed much more revolutionary; full of punk intellectuality, vibrance, and even good old fashioned fun. These guys aren’t just doing something different, they’re doing it well. They utilize music’s traditional role of activism, communication, and solidarity, but translate it into a radical, post-post modern sound. Their new album, Operation Long Leash (wait until you hear the story behind the name!), comes out March 15, 2011 and is set to be an even more mind blowing, substance-oozing experience. More on that below, but first, some basics:

The Way Live Should Be (WLSB): How did the Dead Kenny G’s (DKG’s) come to be? And of course, where did the name come from?

Skerik: Well, Mike D and I have played in a lot of bands together; Critters Buggin and the Black Frames to name a few. Brian Houser was also in Critters Buggin. The DKG’s started with a keyboard player, Brian Haas, and then we switched and had Brad playing. It’s really good because Brad is a great, unique bass player and also plays the baritone saxophone. We each double up on instruments which helps us open up the sound a bit.

The name comes from this artist in Seattle, he told a friend of mine that he had a great band name but that only I could use it. When I heard it, I started the band the next day. It’s a great name because I’ve been a fan of the Dead Kennedys for years; they’re a very important punk rock band. Then Kenny G is just, such a jerk who makes horrible music and who symbolizes the whole commercial music/smooth jazz thing. We just want people to realize that there are options out there; you don’t have to listen to smooth jazz! There is real music with real substance out there that is smooth, but doesn’t pander in this horrible melodramatic way that smooth jazz does. A commercially, financially motivated way.

WLSB: Is Kenny G aware of the band?

Skerik: I don’t know. I think he’s locked away in his million dollar citadel. He probably doesn’t have a lot of incoming information. Otherwise it would make it really hard for him to do what he does considering most of the world is against him critically.

WLSB: Where does the DKG’s ultra unique sound come from?

Skerik: Well, theres the one side of it where you’re playing your record collection. If you’re a musician that is attracted to all kinds of different music it’s going to make the music that you play that much more diverse.

WLSB: Do you think appreciating the DKG’s requires an informed/musically learned listener?

Skerik: I think people should trust their guts more. There’s a great quote by Ornette Coleman that has to do with that. I actually have it here… “With my music I often have people come up to me and say I like it but I don’t really understand it. Many people apparently don’t trust their reaction to art or to music unless there is a verbal explanation for it. You can’t intellectualize music. It is only in terms of emotional response that I can judge whether what we are doing is successful or not. If you are touched in some way then you are in with me.”

He’s such a genius. I don’t think that the music we’re playing is really that challenging, like some of Ornette’s stuff. We’re basically a super party band that’s trying to introduce some interesting harmonic ideas, interesting linear ideas, and rhythmic concepts.

**Now, on to questions about the new album. From a new producer/engineer to an album name that is also the name of a secret CIA operation, the Dead Kenny G’s continue to bring their diverse influences and sounds to the table.**

WLSB: Were the creation processes of Long Leash different from Bewildered Herd in any way?

Skerik: Well the recording was different because we worked with this really great engineer named Randall Dunn. He was really special and had very specific ideas. He gets involved in the processes of recording and choosing what instruments should be overdubbed and what songs we should pick to put on the album. He was much more involved than the engineer of the first record. He’s pretty famous; getting to be a pretty well known engineer and producer. Look him up. He’s been making some really important records the past couple of years. It was a good opportunity for us. He’s been a friend for a long time and he’s really becoming a very special engineer and producer. That dramatically affected the sound of this new record. A lot of people are going to be listening in to the new record because of Randall’s involvement. However, the writing is similar to Bewildered Herd. We wrote the music as a trio and it still has similar ideas.

WLSB: The DKG’s image seems to have a significant political side. For example the song, “Im Your Manager, Im Your Pimp”, the album names; “Bewildered Herd” and “Operation Long Leash”. Is this a sign of the times, or do you guys have any sort of goals/agenda?

Skerik: That’s the punk rock side. We’re very influenced by 80’s punk rock. Like the Minute Men, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks… all that kind of stuff always had a very political message. All that has really disappeared, no one’s really been doing that which is pretty sad. That whole genre just sort of collapsed. On the new record there’s a song called Black Death and it’s about addiction to oil and addiction to drugs. Those are some themes and the kind of stuff that we talk about a lot. That one song sort of encapsulates what we’re trying to do.

WLSB: Should we expect any of the DKG members to be running for political office anytime soon?

Skerik: Ha! No, we’re obsessed with music. Music for us is a full time job, literally 24 hours a day. No time for anything else. The other two guys are sober. I drink a little bit, and maybe snowboarding, but that’s it. But that doesn’t mean we don’t endorse certain candidates and work with people. Mike D plays in Ani DiFranco’s band and she is very politically active and writes a lot of music dealing with politics. They were doing things with Dennis Kucinich when he was running for president. There’s definitely not many candidates like him. He’s a badass.

WLSB: Where does the new album’s name, Operation Long Leash, come from? We’ve read it’s the name of a CIA operation?

Skerik: Yeah, there’s actually a link in the album art work to the article on it. It’s a great story, just really incredible. I hope everyone gets to read about it. It was a CIA operation, but Harry Truman and Congress didn’t want to fund this operation because it involved supporting abstract art. So artists like Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, etc; the CIA wanted to promote their artwork throughout the rest of the world, to show that America was a very free and open place. They couldn’t get public funding for it and there is a famous quote from Harry Truman he says, “If that’s art, I’m a Hottentot”. I looked up Hottentot and it’s a derogatory, European name for a tribe in South Africa. So, here’s this racist old curmudgeon who doesn’t know shit about art in the first place and he feels that his racist opinion is going to have some relevance to the discussion. When there’s all these CIA guys who are all Harvard and Yale graduates that had extensive education in art. They not only saw this as a way to fight the cold war with the USSR, but they were also fans of the art and they actually owned a lot of these paintings. So in the late ‘90s one of these guys was retired and he leaked this story out and it was written in the Independent, an English newspaper. That’s how we found out about it. So anyway, they were secretly promoting this art throughout the rest of the world by setting up tours of the work. They would find an art promoter/collector in New York, for example, and the CIA approached them and said we’ll pay to promote this tour of this Abstract Expressionist art in Europe and we’ll underwrite it. Can you do it and don’t tell anyone where the money is coming from? And they were like, Oh yeah, of course; these people were promoting this artwork on a daily basis.

Its just so amazing; they had these tours and they were doing it covertly. The artists didn’t even know. If you read about it I think there were some rules involved in the USSR and elsewhere; if you were an artist you had to paint in this realist style to highlight the people’s struggle, etc. The CIA was basically like, look, they’re telling artists how to paint and how to work. We aren’t telling our people what to do, we have a freer society, a better society and here is an example. I encourage you to read about it, I’m not a scholar on the subject.
Not to mention it makes a great album title. In instrumental music we put a lot of thought into our song and album titles. Those titles are like our lyrics, like little haikus. It might only be one word or three words, but they can tell a whole story. Like Miles Davis, he used to do that. He was playing instrumental music but his song and album titles would tell a whole story.

**Read the Independent’s article about Operation Long Leash here:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/modern-art-was-cia-weapon-1578808.html
How many album titles can you think of with stories as cool as that? To wrap it up, a few questions particular to the upcoming show and New England.**

WLSB: What can you say about the on stage presence of the band?

Skerik: Oh man, crazy… visceral. In your face. Ready to please.

WLSB: Have you played NH before?

Skerik: Oh yeah, we’ve played the Stone Church a bunch of times. I’ve also played Portland, ME a couple of times with Claypool. I’d really like to get back up there.

WLSB: What do you think of the “East Coast Scene” compared to the “West Coast Scene”?

Skerik: I don’t see differences like that. We did really well the last time we were on the east coast. We haven’t been up north, but people were really supportive with a lot of people coming out to shows. It was really great. A lot of real passionate people everywhere, we are very lucky.

WLSB: Would you guys consider coming to Nateva?

Skerik: Well, the only way we can ever play any shows is if someone invites us. A lot of people come up to us and say why don’t you play here or here. I say well you tell the local clubs to hire us. We can’t just invite ourselves to your house, we have to be invited!
(Let’s work on that folks, ask Nateva to invite the Dead Kenny G’s!!)

WLSB: Anything else you would like to say?

Skerik: Well, we’ve actually been dressing up as dead Kenny G’s, so check it out, it’s going to be really fun!

The Way Live Should Be sends our everlasting thanks to Skerik for the opportunity to speak with one of our musical heroes. The DKG’s show in New Hampshire is March 16, 2011 at the Brick House, Dover, NH. (ONE DAY after the release of the new album… if that’s not an occasion to come party, I don’t know what is!!!) We will absolutely be there, and we hope to see you there too… it’s going to be an unforgettable opportunity to see a truly amazing, substance band, up close and personal.

Written by Heather Omand, Edited by Kim Morrison.

Get your tickets here:
http://www.doverbrickhouse.com/tickets/

Dead Kenny G’s site:
http://www.thedeadkennygs.com/

Preview Bewildered Herd and more:
http://www.myspace.com/thedeadkennygs

Get the album:
http://www.fastatmosphere.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=DKG_CD_BH&Category_Code=CRITTERS

http://thedeadkennygs.bandcamp.com/album/bewildered-herd

Orono Music Scene Update

Every single one of the local bands in the Orono area has something to offer that none of the other local bands offer. Besides the amazingly vast array of distinctly talented musicians, each band has its own unique quality that the others lack. It can make nights where multiple bands are scheduled to play at the same time an incredibly difficult decision. Do I go see Chaos Sauce and get a 100,000 volts of sheer Rock Power? Or do I see Frank and the Red Hots for that more carefree, jammy sound that is so reminiscent of summer and Festival Season (!!!)? From Suit Mullet’s smooth, jazzy and almost sinfully addictive sound to the Running Gags extensive range of well mastered musical styles to Restless Groove’s…. well… restless grooves it continually amazes us here at The Way Live Should Be how very, very lucky we are.

Not to say all is well in the area’s music community. It can’t be easy being a local band in Orono right now. With the recent (temporary!!) loss of The Dime as a venue we lost a venue with a great stage, quality sound system, and PLENTY of dancing room. We love Woodmans, a lot!, but there is a serious lack of groove space. And what the Roost makes up in dancin’ room is unfortunately lost in their occasional rude treatment of the bands. No one is perfect, and owning a bar always has to be business first, but we have been thinking the upstairs of the Bear Brew could become a good raging spot for live music again. Remembering a few Funk Thrust shows there from a few semesters ago really helped us to appreciate the potential of that space. Also, in a town affected by a recovering economy and a high percentage of incredibly busy and flaky college students its hit or miss for any band, any night.

All that being said, the show must go on. And go on it does! Last night I made the difficult choice to spend most of the night at Woodman’s with Restless Groove. It must be mentioned that my decision was weighted in their favor. The Way Live Should Be’s very own Kim Morrison joined RG on the saxophone for the cover of Les Claypool’s One Better. It was Morrison’s first ever public show and we just have to say, she killed it. Though a little shy and quiet at first, she grew in confidence and really completed a song that is somewhat empty without the saxophone. RG has played One Better for some time, but Skerik’s saxophone is a defining point of the song and it has never sounded so good by RG as last night. Kim sounded really solid, even natural, and we are confident we will be seeing more of her “on stage”. Great job girl!!

Another good friend, Andrew Downey, graced us with his intelligent and thoughtful rhymes, performing the RG’s and Downey’s newest song the Fritz, as well as a couple others. The Fritz has quickly become an obvious favorite in the audience and features an exceptional fusion between RG musical style and Downey’s personal flow. Downey brings a hip hop sound to RG that makes them a better band over all and gives them a musical side everybody seems to love and relate to.

As a band, Restless Groove’s defining characteristic is all in the name; the groove. From the way they start the show by jamming and building an instant groove to the absolutely irresistible way they get you on your feet they have it all figured out. They interweave their well-loved and dynamic originals with seamless covers and ingenious “Metallys” in a way that leaves the audience member no choice but to unmercifully, continuously Rock Out. Their cover of Tommy the Cat, featuring one of Primus’ most distinctive themes and musical assemblages, is so insanely spot-on that only Primus could do it better. Regardless of who those four individuals are outside of the band, when they play together they become something much more than just the sum of four parts.

What to take away from this (intended to be) short update on the music scene in Orono, ME? Go out and support live music. Live LOCAL music. You will not be disappointed!!

Upcoming shows:
Suit Mullet: March 1st, Bear Brew, Orono.
Running Gags: March 19th Loon Ski Moutain, New Hampshire
And many more popping up between now and then… keep your eyes peeled to the band’s various facebook pages!!!

Preview of Bear Creek Music and Art Festival! Nov 12-14 Live Oak, FL

Bear Creek Music and Art Festival is held in Live Oak, FL at The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park.



We know how important festival season is to some people, so how about extending the festival season into November?! New England is not nearly as aware of this festival as they should be.



Taking a look at this festival, we think it'd be impossible for you to leave Bear Creek unsatisfied. This year, they are about 65 total bands, with 17 of those bands playing two nights, and 12 different artists at large- an aspect of this festival that I haven’t seen at any others. There will be 6 stages, a fully staffed area for children, and also an art studio for live art!



And other entertainment as well!



Typically, most other festivals are not capable of fitting in two nights of any band. How Bear Creek managed to fit in 2 nights of 17 different bands is beyond us! Among this group of bands playing two nights is Lettuce, Umphrey's McGee, Toubab Krewe, Dumpstaphunk, and Zach Deputy.

Also playing at Bear Creek this year is Moe., Soulive, Bernie Worrell & Social Lybrium, Big Sam's Funky Nation, The Dead Kenny G's, The New Deal, Break Science....well the list goes on and on, so check out the website!


The artist's at large at Bear Creek this year is one hell of a treat. Skerik is among these artists, and has played with many great musicians, spending a while on tour with Les Claypool and his fancy band, as well as juggling a few bands of his own (The Dead Kenny G's being one of them!). Also on this list is Mike Dillon (who has worked with Skerik, Les Claypool, Galactic, etc), Fred Wesley (known for his work with James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic and Bootsy’s Rubber Band), and The Shady Horns (Ryan Zoidis and Sam Kininger of Lettuce!). Knowing that these artists will be jumping on stage to jam at various points is an aspect of this festival I am very excited for.

Not only is the music going to be amazing, but the venue is incredible as well.



Located in Live Oak, FL at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, this is probably one of the best venues for a festival Ever. Picture it: bath houses, disc golf, hiking trails, golf-cart rentals, modern cabins, mini golf, sports lounge, swimming pool, fishing lake, bat houses, and canoe trips. We couldn't think of anything else we might need at a festival!




Bear Creek 2010 is being sponsored by Starr Hill. Do not fear, there will be delicious beer.


Here's the link to the Bear Creek forum. Chat with others about rideshare, line-up, or any other details!
http://www.funknjam.com/phpBB2/index.php?sid=a569b82b4e1013f59746b490972f2d1f


Head over to this website for tickets, or any other information you might need! Day by day line up is up, hourly schedule will be announced a couple weeks before the festival.
www.bearcreekmusicfestival.com

Rustic Overtones Review!

By guest writer Devon Mitchell!

The Rustic Overtones, an amazing band that has been drawing attention to crowds both young and old for several years, have been touring to promote their newest album "The New Way Out" which was released in September of 2009.

The band originated in Portland, Maine and began playing live, local shows when they were just teenagers. Adding more venues as often as possible, they quickly found that people would fall in love with the group and their diverse sound.

What I have found and love about the Rustic Overtones is the fact that their music has a little of just about everything. There's definitely something for everyone and every mood, ranging from a little punk rock to jazz to funk…everything you could really ask for from a band.
I have been lucky enough to see these guys play several times this year, with a few more upcoming shows that I plan on attending as well, and I never leave disappointed. I am just as excited to see them play next time as I was before my first Rustic show ever. I have to say, getting to see them play live two nights in a row this month certainly made my summer.

The first show was at The Stone Church, a smaller bar located in Newmarket, NH which fits about a total of 100 people. Talk about being able to get up close and personal with the musicians! The venue was packed full, again with the audience ranging quite a bit in age. The second show was the 4th annual Hill 'N The Ville Music Festival located in Waterville, Maine on September 11th. This show took place outside during the day, and was definitely a more family friendly event. Due to this atmosphere, I was able to truly notice the diversity of fans that this group has acquired over the years. A large portion of these fans were under the age of 18 (who can't see them play at a bar) and were dancing and rocking out to the sound of these guys, along with their parents and grandparents even! We got lucky with beautiful weather for this outdoor event. Both sets Friday and Saturday were very pleasurable to say the least.

You can see that these guys totally enjoy what they are doing, and are never lacking in soul or rhythm. Rustic closed both shows with one of their bigger singles "Combustible" off of their CD Viva Nueva. Dave Gutter joined the crowd for this song, and everyone just ate it up. Makes for the perfect ending to an already good show.
Even though the Rustic Overtones have become more popular with their new CD, they always remain loyal to their hometown of Portland and state of Maine. To me, that means a lot. It seems as though people forget where they came from when they 'make it' This is certainly is not the case with these guys.
As someone that has been a Rustic fan for quite sometime now, I can honestly say that I enjoy their newer CD just as much as their old. Even with the new approach i still feel like I am listening to the same band. The break they took did not seem to interrupt the uniqueness that makes the Rustic Overtones so special.

So, one way or another, whether your an old fan or someone that is just tuning in, I highly suggest you catch a live show of these guys. I promise you will not be disappointed, and you always get more than you pay for!
Also, check out their new CD "The New Way Out" which you can find at Bullmoose, Amazon and Itunes as well, or you can always pick up an old one too!

Interview with The Rustic Overtones!

The Rustic Overtones played a great show at The Stone Church in New Market, NH on Friday 9/10.



Dave Gutter was kind enough to meet with TWLSB after the show so we could ask a few questions about the band. Enjoy!

TWLSB: You guys all took a break for a while, right?

DG: Yea, we took a break for about 4 years.


TWLSB: You all kind of went your own ways, each going through individual musical growth, so was it difficult to pick back up where you left off?

DG: It wasn’t actually...it was a very natural progression getting back together. I think someone once said that it’s like riding a bike with five of your other friends. It was a really good thing, we all kind of missed it a lot. We all love the music and love the shows. It’s a real natural energy that I think we missed a lot. As soon as we got back together it was very invigorating and fun.


TWLSB: How did Nigel Hall come into the picture?

DG: Nigel is a good friend of ours. He’s actually played with us for a while, just casually jamming with us a lot. He has like 5 gigs, so it’s really difficult to nail him down for one show with us. It was a huge pleasure to have him work with us on the album. We got him out on the road with us right after the album came out, and a little bit before, but he's definitely got a lot going on.


TWLSB: Your songs seem to have quite a range in style…is this due to a wide range of influences?

DG: Yea, it’s a huge democracy of all these influences that come from every different member. It started off as a real cluster fuck of all the influences, but it finally got to a point where we kind of honed in on which influences to use. And when we’re under those influences….well it’s just a compromise. Like, Tony listens to Slayer and Ryan listens to Charlie Parker, so you can’t really put those two together. So we took a while experimenting what styles we can put together, and we came up with some pretty unique things, and that’s kind of how our songs evolved.


TWLSB: What have you been listening to lately?

DG: I’ve been listening to a band called White Denim lately. I’ve been listening to a lot of hip-hop. There’s some Kanye West stuff that hasn’t been out on the album yet. There are these singles that’ve been leaked on the internet, real good newer stuff. I like the new OK Go record too. And The Flaming Lips.


TWLSB: Are you writing new material? How does that usually work?

DG: I usually write a lot of songs on my acoustic guitar, and I’ll bring it to the guys and they usually shape-shift the whole thing. I come with skeletons or blue prints of songs that are very open to interpretation and change. Aside from the lyrics, the whole thing can change sometimes, and I’m open to that. It’s good to have everyone from the band kind of put their stamp on it.


TWLSB: How was it starting out in Maine? Is Portland a good output?

DG: It’s challenging as far as getting out of Portland and getting to other places, but it’s a really inspirational place to live. Portland is a very beautiful, peaceful place as far as writing from your soul, and creating some really pure music. There are so many great bands there, but like some of the bands that practice in the studio next to us, they don’t even play out. It’s hard to get out in Maine.
Until recently, there was a huge lack of clubs for people to play. Even now, for like really good hip-hop, punk rock, or hard-core there’s still a lack of clubs and underage clubs. That’s the thing that’s hard about Portland; is actually getting your music out there and getting out of Portland and touring. As far as writing though, all the bands from Portland are amazing writers.


TWLSB: So how long did it take you guys to push out of Portland?

DG: We probably toured out of state when we were about 19. As soon as we could, really. You gotta try to get out of your hometown to achieve success.
TWLSB: You got out, but you still seem to stick within.
DG: Yea, we are really, really faithful and loyal to Portland, as much as we can be. We love Portland.


TWLSB: What was your most effective output though, did the record labels help most?

DG: Nope. It was getting out there and playing in front of people. The live thing is way more personal than a record. It’s so hard to reach people sometimes with a record. You know, they’re doing something else and listening to the record usually. But when it’s live, I’m the guy with the loud microphone and big lights, and you can pay attention and soak it in.
TWLSB: You guys definitely have soul to your performances too, and that energy can’t be delivered as well through a record.
DG: *Jokingly* Well, we’re lip synching, but I’m still feeling it.


TWLSB: Any local music in the Portland area you can recommend?

DG: An artist named Thommy, he’s an artist I work with that I really like. There’s a band named Brenda…Brenda is amazing. I really like Gypsy Tailwind, Grand Hotel, Plains, which is actually Dave Noyes’ band. There’s a ton of bands in Portland that I’m really into.


TWLSB: What record labels have you guys worked with?
DG: Our first major label was Arista. Then we signed with Tommy Boy, and then we signed with Velour…the labels passed us around for a while.


TWLSB: What's the biggest show The Rustic Overtones have played?

DG: This one, The Stone Church definitely. *laughs* It’s hard to say… There was a show in Connecticut, I think it’s called The Meadows. It’s kind of an interesting story. A good friend of mine gave me some pot brownies, and they didn’t work. They were so delicious though, so everybody, even people that don’t get high ate all the pot brownies. We were like ‘ yea they don’t work anyway, so don’t worry about it.’ About 4 hours later it kicked in, and we were about to go out in front of something like 40,000 people. And well, that was our biggest show.
TWLSB: How’d it go?
DG: Oh it went great. I don’t really remember much of it, but it was definitely a good show.


TWLSB: How come you guys don’t play up in the Umaine Orono area anymore?

DG: Well they used to do Bumstock and stuff, but there’s no place to play up there really…
TWLSB: Come to The Dime! It’s an excellent place to play.
DG: Is it? That’s good to know. They asked us to play a while back but I think we were really busy at the time. Good to know, though, we’ll keep it in mind.


TWLSB: Any advice for bands starting out or young musicians?

DG: You have to get out there, play at any place any time you can when you first start out. And even though it’s hard, don’t play Sweet Home Alabama and then mix in your original stuff. Just get out there, play straight original stuff, and believe it. Don’t feel like you have to rely on throwing Free Bird into the set. Try to really stand behind your original music when you start out, and people will eventually believe in it too.


Thanks again to Dave Gutter and The Rustic Overtones for their time and an excellent show, and Devon Mitchell for setting everything up!
We highly recommend that you all catch a live show of this local minded down to earth rockin' band from Portland, ME.
Go to http://www.therusticovertones.com/ to check out tour dates!