The All Good Festival returned to Marvins Mountaintop in Masontown, West Virginia over the weekend. This installment of the festival featured a who’s who of jam talent, some expected collaborations and some altogether novel ones. The personnel included: Bob Weir and RatDog, moe., Leftover Salmon, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Les Claypool, STS9, Benevento/Russo Duo, PBS, Perpetual Groove, The Slip, Grace Potter, Steel Pulse, Dark Star Orchestra and many others.
One of the more surprising performances took place on Friday at the Ropeadope stage with The RatDog Experiment. The groups drummer, Jay Lane, was an animating force behind a set that bridged the worlds of hip hop and jazz with a line-up of RatDog members Bob Weir, Jeff Chimenti, Kenny Brooks and Robin Sylvester, PBS guitarist Brian Stoltz and rappers Mighty FlipSide Esq and Jawnzap7. Another interesting moment (of many) on the Ropeadope stage took place on Saturday during the Skerik Experiment when Les Claypool, moved behind the drum kit (much as he does in his film Electric Apricot- Quest For Festeroo) joining Skerik and Mike Dillon.
The late night All Good All-Star Jam on early Sunday morning proved to be another standout. moe. served as the host band and highlights included a version of Cortez The Killer with Grace Potter on vocals, Up On Cripple Creek with Reid Genauer and Assembly of Dust, Tea Leaf Green joining for Sex In The 70’s, and a set-closing move from Meat into Pawn Shop with Perpetual Groove. Bob Weir made one of the festivals other notable sit-ins, as he contributed to the Keller and the Keels set during ‘Loser > Dupree’s Diamond Blues, while RatDog later invited Williams to the stage for an extended Uncle John’s Band. Similarly, Marco Benevento lent keys to Lee Boys animated Sunday set.
The 11th Annual Allgood concluded on Sunday evening with a performance by Leftover Salmon. This was one of only four gigs the group will perform this summer in its current formation of Vince Herman, Drew Emmitt, Jeff Sipe, Greg Garrison, Bill McKay and Noam Pikelny.