By the time you read this, I will be at the Autumn Wine Festival. Unfortunately, their musical lineup this year doesn’t promise to be anywhere near as good as the one at last weekend’s Good Beer Festival.
Let’s start with the program – you can’t tell the players without a program! (Assuming you can read it, of course. Otherwise I took a picture for nothing.)
This means that the first band up was alex&shiloh, who played on the small side stage near the front entrance. Thus people coming in at the beginning were treated to their music.
Unfortunately, as was the case with most of the side stage bands, I didn’t get to hear them either – remember, I was there to work at and coordinate a booth (along with drinking a little beer!)
But I could easily hear the main stage, and first onstage there Saturday was the eclectic sound of Interesting Monsters.
They certainly played with a bit of a twist, although to be honest they weren’t my cup of tea. Not to say they are bad musicians, just not my style.
More to my musical liking – but unfortunately placed on the side stage – was the Davis Holiday Band.
From what I was able to hear during my trips to get a sample splash, they were rocking some good covers. But I know Wes Davis as a talented musician anyway so this wasn’t surprising.
Returning to the main stage, it was another fine band that mixed originals and covers, The Electric Co.
They definitely have their roots in classic rock, to be sure.
A guy whose roots were in some downhome blues completed the side stage bill on Saturday. I think Dr. Greg Belcher, my partner in crime for most of the day, truly enjoyed the sounds of Chris English. He seemed to disappear for an awfully long time…
But the biggest crowds of the weekend came for Saturday’s final act, the well-known party band Love Seed Mama Jump.
Let’s put it this way – if I were in a bar and drinking, I’d hang for them. They like the classic rock found on your ’70’s FM stereo to be sure.
So that concluded the bill on Saturday, and the throngs which showed up had a veritable cornucopia to choose from. Yet it had nothing on Sunday’s lineup for variety.
It started out with songstress Nancy Micciulla; just her and her guitar.
Since she’s a semi-frequent ‘Live Lixx at Six’ guest I have heard her and I knew she could sing. It’s too bad more weren’t listening.
Next up on the main stage: the groove rock of Blackwater.
They seemed like a pretty good way to start the main stage day by giving me a jam band feel.
Back over on the side stage, they had the vocal stylings of Time Police.
What little I heard basically reminded me of a updated, much more hip version of a doowop band – one instrument but three vocalists who could do harmony or rhythm, depending on the song.
Sunday’s biggest crowd didn’t wish to wait around, as many came to see this band.
Chester River Runoff has developed an avid following in these parts by being a solid bluegrass band. Needless to say, it’s not my style but the folks who came to see them surely weren’t disappointed.
The final two bands – well, they were more my style. First was Naylor Mill to close out the side stage (conveniently, the Redskins won just before they were set to play so those who were there were there to listen.)
I actually stuck around to listen to a few songs (and record the video which I debuted last night) so let me tell you these guys are tight and – dare I say it – pop radio-friendly. I should have picked up the CD but didn’t. And the chicks dig ’em.
And most of you should know that I really, really like Lower Class Citizens.
Yes, I do want them to ‘Keep On’ playing that rock n’ roll. If you’ve ever heard them (and if you’re any sort of FNV fan here you have) it’s easy to detect their Led Zeppelin influence. Indeed, they got the Led out for a midset medley of Zeppelin tunes that got a lot of people headbanging. (I was banging my head to the originals they did.)
They provided a fitting end to a great weekend of music that the people who put the Good Beer Festival together would be hard pressed to top (although I bet I could if I tried!) But it was a lot of fun, and good tunage to drink beer to.