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Strange, But True:
Strangefolk's Garden of Eden

by Jeff Waful

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They did it right. Strangefolk's fourth annual Garden of Eden Festival went off without a hitch. The vibe of the weekend was what made it special. The most impressive aspect of the entire affair was the fact that over 3,000 people came out to see one band on the final weekend of an extremely busy festival season. Although The Gordon Stone Band and Bread and Puppet performed, the fans showed up primarily to see Strangefolk.

Having worked at the Berkshire Mountain Music Festival a few weeks earlier, I was eager to see how Strangefolk would run their event. The thing that really stuck was how simple everything was. Instead of trying to go overboard with a bunch of bells and whistles, the site was laid out in a very basic and efficient fashion. There were no problems. The traffic arriving to the festival moved extremely smoothly and there were never any real backups. Green Mountain Security, who have become a familiar sight at events such as Phish's annual festivals and Berkfest, deserves a lot of credit. They are stern, yet respectful of the fans. This is one of the most important elements to putting on a successful festival. If fans are treated with respect, they have nothing to rebel against.

Since music didn't start until late afternoon, I decide to take a walk around the site and observe. Because of the recent disgrace that was Woodstock '99, the first two things I checked on were port-o-lets and bottled water; two important factors when dealing with the masses. Water was selling for two dollars, half the cost of Woodstock's inflated price. The port-o-potties seemed rather clean and well maintained throughout the weekend as well. It seemed as though the Strangefolk organization really hit their stride in this, the fourth year of putting on their annual event. "We've seen some festivals that have had some shortcomings," says Strangefolk bass player, Erik Glockler. "We learned from ourselves last year. We made a lot mistakes. It's really the people on our team, Brett (Fairbrother), Andre (Gardner) and Sam (Ankerson). This time around, I don't really have that many complaints, because we learned almost everything we had to last year. At other festivals, like the Gathering of the Vibes, you see how to do it correctly. This last time around, everything was done so well, that we just tried to use that as a guideline."

The production definitely seemed to be improved since last year. The stage was larger and the speakers were "flown" which allowed the sound to carry better. Nat Koren, Strangefolk's engineer, had the sound as crisp as I've heard in recent memory. (Nat also works for Atomic Sound, who provided the sound system, so he was very familiar with the PA). The lighting system was more complex than last summer as well. There were intelligent lights in addition to the conventional Par Cans. Brett Fairbrother, Strangefolk's manager, was the lighting director and worked along side moe.'s LD, Chris Ragan. Needless to say, the lights were immense.

Strangefolk hit the stage at 8 PM Saturday evening. The band set up differently than normal on stage (Glockler, Genauer, Trafton from left to right). "It's nice to mix things up every once in a while," says guitarist Reid Genauer. "You just kind of get a different perspective on what your contribution is and what the others' contributions are. You hear it and you feel it differently. The vibe is certainly altered."

As soon as the first notes of the opener, "Poland" rung out, the hillside erupted with a synergy that seemed to fuel the band. There was a positive vibe in the air, due in part to the weather, but also because of the fact that there was no one to answer to. Strangefolk was running the show. There were no time factors. "The whole tone of the event was awesome and it was such a stress free situation," says Genauer. "This is the fourth year that we've done it as performers so we were more comfortable and calm and sort of laid back. I know I had a moment on stage. It's such an aerobic and certainly emotional exercise to be up there and I often lose myself. It's such a different perspective to have. It's like a one-track state of mind. There was a moment when I was relaxed enough that I could look out and just see this sea of people moving in unison. I had this distinct sensation of being privileged and just feeling that it was such a great opportunity as a person just to be in that position, in that given moment in time. It was really, I think for all of us, a highlight."

The first set was very energetic and set the tone for a long night. One of the highlights was the mesmerizing jam in "Dance." During the peak of Jon Trafton's guitar solo, he looked up at the rest of the band with a huge grin on his face. It occurred to me that Strangefolk's music is very similar to the fashion in which they produced the festival. They don't get ahead of themselves. They play simple chord progressions, but make every note count. The groove is thick. Many bands in this genre show off odd time signatures and complex compositions that can sometimes lack personality. Strangefolk's music is, ironically, rare in the jam band world. The harmonies are tight and the progressions are conventional. It gives the audience something to latch onto, before they dive into a long improvisational section. The band keeps their audience constantly in tune with what they're doing on stage. Their music puts smiles on people's faces.

The first set ended with a cover of the Door's "People Are Strange", sung by drummer, Luke Smith. The song was the first of many carefully selected covers played by Strangefolk over the weekend. "Each year we've worked out some covers or some old Strangefolk songs or something special to make the Eden shows a little different from all of the others," remarks Smith. "We just started compiling a list of tunes that we thought would be cool that had 'strange' in them somewhere, either in the title or in the lyrics themselves."

The second set began with perhaps my favorite Strangefolk song "All the Same". To be honest, it's not the type of song I usually enjoy, but for some reason, it really clicks with me. Glockler's bass line stay's the same (appropriately) throughout the song, creating a subtle pedal point with Trafton's arpeggiated ostinatos. The set also included a jam that strayed from the folk-rock feel into a Middle Eastern mode that concluded with a "Norwegian Wood" quote. Later in the set, the band covered the moe. song, "Stranger Than Fiction". This served two purposes. One, it kept with their theme of covering songs featuring the word "Strange". It also was a tribute to their friendship with the moe. organization. Whereas some groups might view other bands in their genre as competition, Strangefolk were happy to cover their friends' song. The fact that moe.'s lighting director was willing to work for Strangefolk also reinforces the fact that these two bands are looking out for each other, (a relationship that Strangefolk share with Percy Hill as well).

Towards the end of the set, somebody broke out the dreaded glow sticks, which have plagued Phish shows in recent years. I'll spare you my ranting and raving on the subject, but let's just say, I am not the biggest fan of the 'sticks. (Although I was mildly impressed that whoever brought them at least waited for the appropriate song, "Things That Fly"). I really hope that this immature trend does not spread to other bands' shows. I watched in disappointment as a few bad apples chucked glow sticks at the band. Immediately following the show, several fans swarmed like vultures to the piles of trash that littered the concert grounds as the Grateful Dead blared over the PA. The entire place was clean within a half-hour. (This more than made up for the glow stick incident, in my book). It was very impressive to see a crowd of people treating their surroundings with such respect. "We had a good crowd," says Smith. "We had a good number of people turn up, people that were excited to come and have a good time. We didn't have any trouble and it was a respectful crowd. They picked up after themselves. They were conscious about taking good care of each other and just having a good, safe time."

Instead of the harsh "all right folks, it's time to go home" reality of most concerts, fans were eased into the rest of their night by the sweet sounds of Jerry as they walked back to their tents.

Making my way through the camping area after the show, I sensed a real unity amongst the crowd. The turnout was big enough to make the festival a success, but small enough to keep it intimate. The entrepreneurs were not as prevalent as they have come to be at other festivals. It was a long night to say the least. The Vermont air was crisp and the mood was festive, as night became early morning. By sunrise, most people had found their way to their tents. It was alright though, there was nothing to wake up for. Strangefolk wouldn't be going on for another twelve hours.

I don't care much for camping. I prefer an air-conditioned hotel room and a shower. However, for this one weekend, I figured I'd rough it and get the true festival experience. Around 11:30, I stumbled out of a very hot tent in search of caffeine. The weather was once again beautiful. There was no music scheduled until 5, so Sunday consisted mostly of relaxing and socializing. This created a sense of suspense for fans who had to wait all day to see live music again. By the time The Gordon Stone Band hit the stage around 5, the crowd was well rested. The band played a danceable set comprised of funk, blue grass and everything in between. It was a nice addition to the weekend and was very well received by the crowd. Strangefolk took the stage just before 8 and opened with Jimi Hendix's "Manic Depression". Later in the set, Stone joined the band on pedal steel for "Whatever", "Speculator" and "Sad". (He played on the studio versions of "Whatever" and "Sad" from the album Weightless in Water). The set ended oddly with a reprise of "People are Strange" by the Doors.

One of the highlights of the night was the set two opener. As the band broke into the Dead's "Feel Like a Stranger", two girls danced between the stage's translucent backdrop and a pair of lights. This created giant dancing shadows behind the band. It was simple, yet very effective. Keeping with the theme, "Strange Ranger" was next and maintained the crowd's energy. "There was definitely a positive vibe going on," explains Genauer. "Everyone there had one intention and that was to have a good time. People did it in a respectful, mindful, peaceful and truly magical way. There was a definite reciprocal energy. Everyone was sending good vibes and the band was receiving it and hopefully sending it back out and it just clicked."

The band did four encores including Cream's "Strange Brew", John Lennon's "Strange Days" and Madonna's "Beautiful Stranger". "There were a bunch more we could have done," says Genauer", but initially we thought we would just do a mini set of all of them. That was our plan and it just felt like somehow it would be a stronger presentation if we had genuine Strangefolk tunes to attach them to, rather than doing a completely foreign set." The show ended with the 'folk epic "So Well" which was segued into from "Beautiful Stranger".

The event was a success on all levels. Strangefolk, along with All Points Bookings, put on a festival that others should take note of. "The management end of it just gets tighter and tighter every year" adds Genauer. "They definitely learn what works and what doesn't and what the needs are for a crowd of that size. Organizationally, it was virtually impeccable. So that sets a stable foundation for a good time, just because the potential for mayhem is greatly reduced and everybody feels secure, from the people putting it on as well as the people attending."

Jeff Waful works in the Jambands.com news department and manages Uncle Sammy. He is in need of sleep.