July Issue: Home | Editors | Features | Columns | Photos | Regional | New Groove Road Trip | Tour Journal | Venue | Levels | Ghosts | Homegrown | Inaudible | CDs | Charts

Mid-Atlantic Regional Report
Edited by Anthony Coloneri - ester8@mindspring.com

---

Great Blue Heron Festival
July 2-4, 1999 - Sherman, New York

by Rob "Gumby" Hillard - Editor, Deadheads Music Calendars

The 8th Annual Great Blue Heron Festival in the tiny Western New York hamlet of Sherman was a rousing success for both festivarians and musicians alike. While it is difficult to convey all of the weekend's activities, here are a few worth mentioning...

The Jennie Stearns Band on the main stage Friday evening was dreamlike, and brought back vivid memories of her amazing Grass Roots 98 set where she was backed by members of The Hix (plus Richie Stearns, and Kathy Ziegler and Mary Lorsen on vocals). The band she assembled for the Blue Heron was equally adept at recreating the sound of her incredible debut CD, _Angel With the Broken Wing_. Friday night's JSB lineup featured fiddler Chad Crumm and electric guitarist Gary Wright, both of The Hix, husband Richie Stearns on tenor guitar, plus two of her Ithaca bandmates, bassist Rich DePaolo and drummer Bill King. Kim Sherwood-Caso provided excellent harmony and backing vocals. The set featured most of the tracks from her CD (Angel With a Broken Wing, You Crossed The Line, Holding On, Caroline, Georgia Pine, Beautiful Eyes), plus a great set closer of Richie doing his classic "Ribbons & Bows," which, according to Richie, was written about the Blue Heron Festival. My memory is a bit scant, but I also think DTB's Jim Miller came out and played acoustic guitar during "Holding On."

Zydeco Experiment (Donna the Buffalo's bayou-based alter-ego, with Jim Miller on guitar, Tara Nevins on accordians, Jeb Puryear on "lead" Epiphone bass and Joe Thrift on washboard, plus a rotating cast of drummers and other performers) in the Blue Heron dance tent is always a treat, and the reception was wildly ecstatic as the springy wooden dance floor was ***packed*** with two-steppers and goofy-footed dancers well into the wee hours of the morning. This was a well-deserved throng for what simply has to be the best damn Zydeco dance band north of the Mason-Dixon line. I stuck it out til 2:30am, opting to get some rest in the hopes of shedding the last remains of a head cold before taking over as festival emcee on Saturday afternoon... My wife stayed on till the end, and reported that the band taunted the crowd throughout the night, vowing they would outlast them all. A foolish dare, considering that many in the crowd were likely chemically-enhanced. In the end, the band lost the endurance battle but emerged victorious nonetheless. As the morning light approached, Zydeco Experiment slowly gave way to Sunny Weather (with Jeb and Tara playing on through the crossover), who kept the party rolling until sunrise.

Speaking of Sunny Weather, this great young Ithaca band is showing tremendous promise after a somewhat shaky start at Grass Roots just two short years ago. Continual practice and enlightened support from their fellow Tompkins County musicians has helped this roots-rock outfit to form a tight pocket of Zydeco-based fun, into which they invited an enthusiastic Blue Heron crowd with two great main stage sets, and two early morning dance tent sets. While, at first glance, Sunny Weather's simple arrangements and strong Zydeco influence may draw strong comparisons to a young Donna the Buffalo, the band is certainly pursuing their own distinct musical path. Trevor MacDonald (who toured as a stage tech with the DTB entourage for a few years, occasionally playing washboard with Donna and guitar with Zydeco Experiment) has developed into a powerful frontman, switching back and forth between accordion and guitar. Their excellent self-titled debut can be scored at the Funky Side. Be sure to check out these folks at the Grass Roots Festival later this month, as they are certainly a musical force to be reckoned with...

Speaking of spirited performances from young bands, how about those Organic Groove Farmers? While I'd had a chance to preview their new self-titled CD before the fest, I was not fully prepared for the full-powered jug band set they ripped off in the dance tent on Saturday night. Highlights of this musical love-in included a powerhouse rendition of the Allman's "Jessica" and a crowd-rousing "How Mt Girls Can Love." Sadly, this U of VT based outfit will be disbanding after their Grass Roots swan song (although they expressed interest in reuniting at Blue Heron again next year). So be sure to see them in all their glory before their musical magic dissipates forever...

Saturday highlights, aside from the powerful main stage set by Donna the Buffalo, included a kick-off old-timey jam on the main stage, anchored by DTB's Joe Thrift on fiddle, The Hix's Keith Brand on banjo and Chad Crumm on fiddle, and Richie Stearns on banjo. Other contributors included members of KinFolk and Hillbilly Fun Park... Yeehaw! Whatta way to start the day...

Another great musical memory was made by the surreal Saturday afternoon soundscapes created Philly's The Hix, whose trance-like rendition of "High On a Mountaintop" during a light summer rain will be forever engrained in my festival psyche. The crowd begged for more, but few encores were granted over the course of the weekend to help keep things moving along on schedule.

Short - but OH SO sweet - was a 30 minute acoustic set by Rusted Root percussionist Jim Donovan, who also conducted several drumming and meditation workshops at the festival. Playing acoustic guitar, Donovan sang three of his own tunes (including a moving version of "Truth," which was one of the highlights of the Eight Naked Buddhas' set at Blue Heron 97) before inviting out Jim Miller (acoustic guitar) and Tara Nevins (rub board) for a show-stopping unplugged "Voice in My Head." There was also a great tin whistle player out there, whose name I sadly forget. About mid-point through the tune, Jeb strapped on his electric and joined the fray, cutting off some delicious leads and setting the tone for their epic headlining set. WOW!

Just before Donna's set, Stratocaster madman Bill Kirchen & Too Much Fun got the crowd's blood pumping with a fiery hour-long set of high-octane diesel-billy, and capped his set with his classic "Hot Rod Lincoln" in which he embedded a rollicking rock'n'roll revue medley that many thought might never end... Definitely the surprise act of the weekend for me. Excellent roots-rock for those of you with a retro view.

Introducing Donna the Buffalo on Saturday night was a personal highlight, and the experience is one I will not soon forget. While my wife and I had seen Donna twice before attending our first Blue Heron Fest back in 95, it was this very event that fully established their position as one of my family's top-priority musical acts. Five years later, I find myself standing on the Blue Heron's main stage introducing the very band that myself, and a vast majority of the capacity crowd, had traveled so long to see... Definitely a very moving experience.

Here it is, as I recall blurting it out:

"I've seen a lot of great dance bands in my life. Some of them spend a lot of time trying to find the groove. Once they get there, they often to waste a lot of energy bouncing back and forth, in and out, and around the groove.

This band IS the groove (HUGE crowd roar of approval here).

They are a...

G-enuinely
R-ockin
O-utrageously
O-riginal

V-ital source of musical
E-nergy

It is a true privilege to welcome back to the Great Blue Heron - Donna the Buffalo!"

My personal highlight of Donna's Saturday nighter was definitely the "Mystic Water," a cool blast from the past that was punctuated by some incredible jamming by Puryear and Nevins, who actually embraced each other at the end of the tune! Rusted Root's Jim Donovan sat in for most of the set, and his talking drum added killer punctuation to some of the more rhythmic numbers, especially two newer Donna songs, "Arrows Pointing Sideways" and "Positive Friction." This set was a great moment for both the band and the festival and the band definitely rose to the occasion.

Sunday started out slow and easy with the Songwriter's Circle, an annual event that used to be hidden away in the dance tent but was wisely moved to the main stage three years back. This year's entourage included Colorblind James Experience frontman Chuck Cuminale, Jennie Stearns, Chad Crumm of The Hix, Joe Thrift, Tom Stahl, Jeb Puryear, and the duo of Tara Nevins and Jim Miller. While I was drawn to hear Tara, Jeb, and Joe, the most controversial offering came from Stahl, a Buffalo-based songwriter who jokingly dedicated "Must Be Nice Being God" to festival organizer David Tidquist. Jeb's first tune was a short, sweet little ditty called "Impossible," but I'm drawing a blank on his second tune right now... Tara & Jim's sweet rendition of "Troubles" was timeless, and helped ease the pain of missing their impromptu _Mule to Ride_ workshop session at Telluride. Tara explained that the chorus of the song is based on a traditional spiritual she learned from a blind autoharp player (whose name I forget at the moment), but that she added new verses. I also found that I enjoyed this song much more without the indian chanting that is overlaid on the recorded version. Joe was rightfully nervous playing amongst these great songwriters, but his own offerings were quite wonderful, especially his positively kind "On Top of the World."

I had missed Saturday's main stage set by Colorblind James Experience so that I could check out the afternoon Zydeco Experiment set in the Dance Tent. So on Sunday, I planted my ass firmly in the grass to see exactly what this eclectic Rochester-based band had to offer. Putting the experience into words is quite difficult, even for a writer like myself. But suffice it to say that their clever jug band blend of blues, jazz, and folk was *ideal* for relaxing in the Sunday sun. Chuck "Colorblind James" Cuminale writes most of the band's mind-bending material, plays both vibraphones and guitar, and sings in a rich baritone is as soothing as a strawberry banana smoothie on a hot summer's day. Their short set highly increased the value of their stock in my musical portfolio, enough so that I picked up a copy of their most recent release _I Could Be Your Guide_ and have pegged them as a "must-see" band when we attend the Grass Roots Festival in a few short weeks.

While Donna's Saturday set was a veritable masterpiece, their Sunday set truly captured all of the magic that is the Great Blue Heron Festival. My 7-year old daughter handled the formalities here, as it was too much for me to try and put my feelings about this band into words twice in one weekend. Her well-rehearsed intro went as follows:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce the most funnerific band in the whole wide world, Donna the Buffalo."

After performing several songs of their own, and Jim's great cover of Jim Lauderdale's "Halfway Down," Jeb invited his old friend Dave Sale up for a rocking take on his "Famous Monsters." Later, they brought up Jennie Stearns for a magical "Green," also from _Angel With a Broken Wing_. Richie Stearns was up next, and did two of his songs, including another great, extremely animated version of "Ribbons & Bows" that simply brought the house down. There was a killer version of "Big Parade" in there somewhere, and the always classic "Living in Babylon" encore simply made my daughter's weekend (her favorite song). Any Donna set is a good Donna set, but the Blue Heron sets are always a notch above the rest.

I should also mention that we padded our already Buffalo-heavy holiday weekend with yet *another* set of Donna on Monday afternoon at the Westmoreland County Arts & Heritage Festival near Greensburg (30 minutes northeast of Pittsburgh). Like us, the band arrived late and deliriously sleepy after a wild and wooly Blue Heron weekend. The late start meant their 90 minute set got trimmed to an hour, but it was still well worth the 50 mile drive nonetheless. They played on a stage that sat out on a pod in the lake, with two big fountains at either side of the stage. Jeb said afterwards he would've jumped in the water a few times if he knew that his electric guitar wouldn't have laid waste to him and all the ducks. Their self-professed lack of energy didn't show in a set that seemed handpicked for those who had seen their two previous performances. This setlist isn't complete, just from my scant memory, and I know I'm forgetting (or adding) a few...

Twin Lakes Park, Greensburg, PA
7/05/99
Hit the Groove
Tides of Time
Positive Friction
It Will Be Right Soon
Seminole Wind
It's Just Me
Push Comes to Shove
Hollywood Dream

By the way, Jeb mentioned at Blue Heron that Donna would be backing up Jim Lauderdale during his Friday night set at Grass Roots, so Trumansburg-bound Herd-members should add this set to their own "must see" lists for the weekend. Also, word has it that Tara and Jim plan to make the trip to upstate New York for the Winterhawk Bluegrass Festival this year (July 15-18, one week before Grass Roots), and that Tara will participate in a fiddle workshop with Cape Breton fiddler Natalie McMaster and the Del McCoury Band's Jason Carter (supposedly taking place on Friday at 6pm). Most likely, Jim and Tara will also jam with their good friends Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys in the Dance Tent on Saturday Night. For fans of bluegrass that have never made the trip to Winterhawk, this is one of the personal highlights of the northeast summer festival season. In fact, it is such an endearing event that our family opted to do Winterhawk instead of Grass Roots for several years, until the latter moved to a week later in July last summer.

Those of you farther south that can't make it to Grass Roots (or are looking for even *more* summer excitement) should circle August 20-22 on your calendars, as Donna is appearing that weekend at Stompin 99 on a Sunday bill that also includes the (just added) David Grisman Quintet, Charlottesville's Acoustic Syndicate, and the Lonesome River Band. Other acts appearing at Buffalo Gap Camp in Capon Bridge that weekend include Doc Watson, Peter Rowan & Tony Rice, Nashville Bluegrass Band, John Cowan Band, Ralph Stanley, and the Seldom Scene.

Til later... I hope you all are enjoying this ride as much as I am :)

---

OCTOPOET
June 29, 1999 - Nuyorican Poets' Cafe, New York City

by Lawrence Duarte.

When the flyer was handed to me at the Gathering of the Vibes, I just shoved it into my back pocket and forgot about it. When I returned to New York City, dazed and tired, I threw my clothes into the washer machine and forgot about them for a while, too. But a week later when I put my jeans on I found a crumpled piece of paper in my back pocket. The same flyer that was handed to me at the vibes. Partially destroyed, I was still able to make out the day and time of the event. Octopoet? What's Octopoet? Hmm, featuring members of Max Creek, Spin Doctors, Gil Scott Heron Band, Joe Gallant, spoken words by Frank Messina? Sounds interesting. Only $8.00, hmm. I'm there.

I've heard of Frank Messina and saw him perform his spoken word gig at the Vibes briefly, but I never knew this cat packed so many goods into one basket. When I entered the club, I instantly noticed Cecil Taylor in the audience. After a beer, I got the nerve to approach him and ask him when he's going on tonight. "I'm not playing, man, I'm here to see the show. What about you?" At that moment I knew I just better shut up and see the gig for myself and ask questions later.

The lights go down and the stage brightens with the presence of Mark White of the Spin Doctors and Joe Gallant doubling up on bass, Brian Jackson, the long time collaborator with Gil Scott-Heron on piano, Max Creek drummer Scott Allshouse, sax gurus Elliott Levin and Erik Lawrence, Jamaican master percussionist Larry McDonald, Phil Kramer on guitar, three back-up vocalists and wordman Frank Messina at center stage. From the moment the band started, I felt at home. My apprehensions and curiosities went out the window and my ears easily absorbed the candy that Octopoet was dishing out to me. Although this was booked as a jam session, the "tunes" were orchestrated beautifully, never losing the dynamic groove that Mark White, Gallant, Allshouse and McDonald had established. The three female back-up vocalists, Lucy Woodward, Laura Berman and Marya Lawrence seemed to grab hooks off Messina's words and embellish them very well. Messina's delivery was exceptional. Although I've seen several spoken word gigs before, I knew that this particular collaboration wasprobably unprecedented. The band was grooving over Messina's words like butter. Of course, the bar being close by helped with the lubrication of my ears. But I knew this was serious stuff. The fusing of poetry and music has long been a testy genre. While most spoken word artists lean on catchy licks or loud, crashing guitar riffs to back up their thin metaphors, Messina is clearly a cut above the rest. His poetic content varied from tales of travel and love gone astray to pure celebration of poetry and the muse. In effect, Messina celebrates the human condition in all its joy and misery. Messina is clearly a pro and it's no wonder he gains respect from the best musicians in the jazz and rock worlds. He's got several books and three cd's out at the moment. But I had to remember, this was a jam session with no real tunes being played. There were a few hints of Miles Davis's "In a Silent Way" and a few chords of "Dark Star" in the second set I think. But overall, this was pure jamming without one piece getting thrown out of proportion. Messina's recitation kept the jams solidified with very tight resolves. Frank invited Brooklyn hip hopper Pauley Ethnic on stage for a super high energy rap and another poet, Cherie, in the second set. I have to give a lot of credit to Messina for rounding up these cats and making one hell of a party at the Nuyorican Cafe'. A real treat to any fan of jam band music. Let's hope this best kept secret stays accesible, for the word is already hitting the streets like hard rain. The Octopoet series continues Tuesday, July 27 and Tuesday, August 31.

Lawrence Duarte is a freelance columnist for Down Beat, New York Press and many fanzines across the planet.