Hoxeyville Music Festival 2010 (8.22.2010)

With a bit of a foggy mind, I awoke to the warmth of the Sunday morning sun. Saturday night had been one for the memory books… the quintessence night for a fan of jam music. A Greensky Bluegrass collaboration with the Grateful Dead rhythm section, The Great American Taxi Jam-a-thon of 2010 and then of course, how can we forget, The Rhythm Devils. This very easily could have ranked as one of the top five best nights of music I have ever seen. And when you have a night like that, the next day can be a little hard to get into. Nonetheless, with coffee in hand, the Rachael Davis Band began to sooth our souls. Joined by a couple of the Steppin’ In It men, this music was exactly what I needed. Apparently Rachael had experienced a particularly raucous Saturday evening, but sounded as beautiful as ever as I closed my eyes to let her notes sink in. Joshua Davis was jamming on the keyboards while Dominic John kept the bass steadfast. Half asleep in my lawn chair to the sweet sound of Rachael’s voice, all I remember about this set was feeling revived. To keep with that theme, a few of us decided to head up to the Pine River for a dip. It was damn cold, but it was cleansing. Rejuvenation. Rebirth.

Steppin’ In It

We had to miss Jen Sygit’s set for our swim in the Pine, but by the time we got back to the festival grounds, Steppin’ In It was in full swing. I once heard a man at the Green Door (the band’s permanent residency in Lansing) say “If you can sit here and listen to Steppin’ In It play music, and NOT get up and dance…” he paused for a second as he searched for his words, “than you must be DEAD!” What an amazing statement. This is hands down one of Michigan’s most talented group of musicians. Andy Wilson is currently getting his PhD in Jazz Studies from Michigan State University and writing a book about playing the harmonica. He’s that good. John Cassidy has some of the tightest, most spot-on and tasteful chops that I have heard in a long time. His timing, along with his hi-hat foot, is relentless and flows in perfect unison with Dominic’s unwaveringly solid bass playing. With The Reverend Mike Lynch controlling all things keys, the electric sextet is complete and Steppin’ In It is transformed into an absolute musical giant. Complex and freewheeling solos come spinning off of Joe Wilson’s steel guitar before his brother Andy takes over on the harmonica. With Mike hammering away on the organ, and Josh Davis moving smoothly up and down the scales of his electric guitar, tunes that were once simple in their foundation become fresh and new again. This band jams in the sense that someone, somewhere is always throwing in something unexpected that leaves the rest of the gang smiling and laughing, looking at each other like “did you just hear that?” Joshua is the unmistakable voice of Michigan roots music and his gift for songwriting is something special. Our state should know about this band, about the sounds they create, and about some of the most down-to-earth musicians that I have yet to have the privilege of meeting.

Strange Arrangement

Next up on the Cadillac stage would be the Chicago based quartet, Strange Arrangement, a band that I had never heard before. My buddy Frazier had been raving about these guys and their “happy funk” music for quite some time so I figured it would be wise to catch this set. As soon as I heard the wildly diverse notes coming off of that stage, I knew these guys could jam. “Happy funk” doesn’t even begin to describe this band’s musical styling as I heard bits and pieces of funk, jazz, jam, progressive and psychedelic rock all come screaming off the stage within minutes of my arrival. Although vocals never seemed to be at the center of this band’s focus, each of the four members took their turn behind the microphone, offering up a whimsical sort of style that seemed to compliment their sound quite well. I immediately took note of keyboard player Joe Hettinga and his outstanding ability to jam. His style seemed to offer a real jazzy feel to this bodacious blend of rock music. But he never retracted from the sounds of his equally talented band mates; Jim Conry was absolutely shredding on his Gibson guitar while Kevin Barry brought some heavy, heavy heat on the seven string bass. I always enjoy watching a talented bassist play the seven string. There just seems to be that much greater of a range of sounds emanating from the guitar. In the meantime, drummer Bob Parlier attacks the skins in an aggressive and controlled manner, seemingly conducting the wide variety of stops, starts, and time changes that are taking place simultaneously within Strange’s music. This was easily one of the most impressive sets I witnessed from a band that I previously knew nothing about. With endorsements from Chicago jam legends, Umphrey’s McGee, there is no disputing the fact that these guys are up and coming. Go see Strange Arrangement.

Seth & May

After the strangeness, it was Michigan sweethearts Seth Bernard and May Erlewine’s turn to do their thing. I don’t remember much about this set as far as songs go, but I assure you they were good. With their usual personnel (Mike Shimmin on the drums, etc.), Seth and May traded tunes back and forth, bringing serenity upon the Hoxeyville crowd. May has an absolutely PHENOMENAL voice. One that is recognizable by anyone who follows the Michigan folk scene. Always dressed to impress, May ran through a range of songs both new and old that had a smile plastered on everyone’s face. Often times toting a violin, her stage presence is undeniable. Seth, albeit a bit more reserved than his Airborne performance, played with the confidence and finesse that he almost always exhibits. Songs like “Zeke” came pouring out of the speakers with passion and exuberance. Towards the end of their set, May took the microphone off of it’s stand and came walking to the center of the stage for a dance-loaded rendition of a Michael Jackson song who’s title I cannot recall. It had been an amazing show from one of Michigan’s most coveted duos.

Ultraviolet Hippopotamus

After lunch we headed over to the Cadillac stage for a highly anticipated set from the Grand Rapids based band, Ultraviolet Hippopotamus. Bass player Brian Samuels let it be known that Hoxey is one of their favorite festivals to play. Kicking things off with “Square Pegs, Round Holes” > “Run Rabbit Run”, the Hippo wasted no time getting into the jams. The large turnout for this show began dancing and grooving around with smiles on their faces. One thing I have noticed since I started following this band is the dedication and appreciation that UV fans have for this music. I see the same faces everywhere… always dancing and always smiling. UVH is well aware of this dedicated fan base and seem to do a wonderful job of exhibiting their own mutual appreciation for these individuals. Hoxeyville was one of the more jam-packed Hippo sets that I have seen in quite some time. The vocals were few and far between as Sanders and Co. began bringing the heat. Extended instrumentation was the theme of the afternoon and I certainly had no complaints. Russell and Sam were at it again with their finger-taping, face-melting, fire-breathing guitar playing and I especially took note of the flawless performance from drummer Joe Phillion. Keeping time and tempo for a band like UVH is no small feat and I feel as if every time I see these guys play, Joe does a better and better job. He works his ASS off behind that kit. Casey Jones does a great job on percussion to compliment Joe’s drumming and I am realizing now more than ever how prominent this rhythm section really is. The skin on my face had long slid off of my skeleton by the time UV wrapped up their set, so I pushed it back into position and headed off towards the Hoxeyville stage.

Greensky Bluegrass

By the time I made it over to Greensky Bluegrass, Karl Denson had joined them on stage and was lacing hard into a flute solo on one of my favorite GSBG songs, “Train Junkie”. He remained on stage for another song or two and added an element to the Greensky sound that I can honestly say I have never heard before. Denson was JAMMING and trying really hard to persuade me to stay through Sunday night and catch all of his band Tiny Universe. After Karl left the stage, the Greensky boys announced that they would be bringing “all of their friends” up on stage throughout the course of the afternoon. The set had a super relaxed feel to it and you could tell that the band really felt at home here at the Hoxeyville festival. It was, after all, fellow Kalamazooian Jake Robinson who helped put this thing on. After Denson, it was Rachael Davis taking the stage for another one of my favorite Greensky Songs, “Sweetwater Sea”. Rachael only added to the beauty of this already amazing song before she traded places with Seth Bernard. Seth had proven to be one of my favorite guitarists of the weekend and surely did not disappoint as he sat in with Greensky for an intense 15-minute jam session. To close things out, Steppin’ In It front-man Joshua Davis came out sporting an incredibly slick looking guitar for an outstanding cover of his song “Last Winter in the Copper Country”. It had been a stellar set, rich with Michigan collaborations that capped off what had been an unbelievable weekend of music.

As we broke down camp and began packing up, I could hear the sounds of Moonalice coming off of the Cadillac Stage. I cringed every time I heard these psychedelic outbursts come screaming off of pedal steel guitarist Barry Sless’s instrument. With John Molo behind the drums, I couldn’t believe I was missing out on this set. It sounded like some of the most jam centered, psychedelic music that I had heard all weekend and it was just barely out of reach. Nonetheless, the weekend had taken its toll and it was time to head home. Hoxeyville had been full of amazing moments, memories, and music shared with the best of friends and all I could do as we left the festival grounds that evening was think about this time next year. Because I assure you, we will be back.