Kicking off Langerado '08

I have to be blunt- last night was rough. Say what you will about everything being “part of the festival experience” but sitting in the pouring rain for four hours while trying to get to the camping spot is not fun. Trying to set up a tent in said pouring rain is not fun. And finding out you have to navigate your tent stakes around cow pies is DEFINITELY not fun.

But just when we had resigned ourselves to our wet misery, something truly awesome happened.

It stopped raining.

So now, to the festival we go.

Langerado had big aspirations this year. A packed line-up, new site and higher tickets sales have created some ridiculous buzz around jamheads and festival goers. Each of the stages looks like a mainstage (save for the smaller Green-A-Rado stage) and this is one of the most spread out Shakedown Streets I’ve seen.

Let’s get to the music already. We headed out around 8:30ish to try to catch the already-delayed Les Claypool set. We came up to the Swamp Stage last night to find some guy slapping this pipe-looking thing (I’m sorry but my ‘puter battery is running low and I don’t have time to look up the proper term.) ANYWAY the artist formerly known as Mike Silverman produced such manic, disturbingly awesome sounds that a lot of the people in the audience mistook him for Les Claypool.

Claypool, for that matter, played the best set I’ve seen him play. Dressed in a Herman-Munster-like flat top plastic mask, he rocked the forty-five minute set (set-list coming up).

However, it’s what he said before his last song that really set the tone of Langerado for me: “Just think Ferris Wheel thoughts,” he said, pointing to the ride to the right him.

With Ozomatli, Sam Bush, The Roots, The Beastie Boys and Umphrey’s McGee’s late night set coming my way today, staying positive shouldn't be too difficult.

Thank Les.

Langerado 2008: Here We Go!

I’ve just arrived in sunny Florida and thought I would just check and make sure you’re geared up to get down at Langerado 2008. Like all festivals, Langerado has a no glass products policy, so make it easy on yourself and the staff and make sure you shuck the glass and opt for plastic instead.

I read an interesting discussion thread the other day that warned of an outbreak of red ants on the site this year. The best way to protect yourself from these annoying critters is to pack and wear a couple pairs of long socks and closed-toe shoes. Also, it’s always good to make sure you have plenty of bug spray. We are, after all, going to be camping in the Everglades in the middle of March.

Speaking of which, have your rain gear ready and waiting; weather.com has predicted we will have thunderstorms Thursday, Friday and early Saturday. Rain is part of the festival experience- pack a poncho, grab those galoshes and have fun stomping your feet in the mud. Luckily, Florida rains tend to be patchy and not ongoing, so hopefully the sun will peek out long enough to send us Northerners back home with a little sun in our skin.

Finally, I have been told that those of you who have the patience to wait out the crowd are welcome to stay overnight on Sunday and pack up and ship out early Monday. Let’s work together to ensure we leave the site as clean as we find it- garbage bags will be provided to everyone in attendance

I’ll be on site all weekend to bring you updates on what’s going on as the insanity that is Langerado 2008 kicks off festival season in the US. Stay tuned, stay dry and of course, have fun.

Gearing up for All Good 2008

By Samantha Spector

It’s the All Good Music Festival’s twelfth birthday this year and it’s business as usual for the people over at Walther Productions. As in years past, All Good will boast a kick-ass lineup at one of the most beautiful venues in the U.S. (That's Michael Franti’s description, not mine).

So let’s celebrate. For the weekend of July 11-13, the sleepy West Virginia countryside will be transformed into a thriving, churning, throbbing mass of energy as 17,000 music fans invade Marvin’s Mountaintop to worship our favorite jamrock deities.
The buzz on All Good is that it’s the best festival for jam fans to congregate, and for once the media has it right. All Good is what Bonnaroo used to be before Superfly let it become corporate and turned it into an over-hyped pop fest.

Let’s start with the headliners. Widespread Panic are apparently back together and share the boldface type with Phil Lesh and Friends. It’s anyone’s guess as to who Phil will bring onstage for his set. I have my heart set on cameos by Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, each of whom are at the festival with their own bands (Gov’t Mule and Trucks’ and Susan Tedeschi’s Soul Stew revival). If you have followed my festival writings , you are already well aware of my Gov’t Mule fixation--if Warren Haynes and Susan Tedeschi sing together, I might just lose it. Hearing their voices resonate throughout the mountains is sure to be something special (I’m listening to Tedeschi’s version of “Angel From Montgomery” and getting goosebumps as I write this.)

Keller Williams returns this year with the WMDs and Mr. Michael Franti will rock us once again with Spearhead. Last year, Franti hit the Rope-A-Dope stage for an acoustic set before rocking the main stage with the rest of the band--four hours of Franti in one day kept us smiling for weeks later. I was lucky enough to run into Franti at the Nocturnals set the next day- the man is magnetic, onstage and off.

Moving on. Medeski Martin and Wood will channel their manic grooves while we bake in the sunshine (hopefully this year we’ll stay high and dry). I’ve been told not to miss Railroad Earth and will definitely be in the audience for Tea Leaf Green, who nearly blew the roof off the barn at Mountain Jam last year.

I opted to sit out for The Bridge last year. Big mistake. Thankfully, I somehow managed to get my hands on the set and it has been in constant play on the iPod since. Here’s hoping the boys bust out “Brother Don’t” during the show.

I expect some rocking late night sets from Pnuma Trio and RAQ, always look forward to seeing Hot Buttered Rum and can’t wait to check out Bonerama, The Wood Brothers and Bassnectar for the first time. All Good is the kind of festival that will rock you into the early morning and keep you at peace for months to come. You’ll come for the lineup, be amazed at the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains and come back the following year because the experience of being that isolated and enthralled is something that is hard to put into words.

I’m ready to hit the “Country Road” running. See you on the mountain!

With five simultaneous stages, will Langerado be too much fun?

By Samantha Spector

For those of us still contending with the long, cold winter, Langerado brings a welcome kickoff to the American festival season. You’re stoked to get out of the cold and into the Florida sunshine for the ridiculously great lineup the organizers are bringing us. The problem is how to see all the bands you want considering the overlapping stage schedules.

Since the festival is at a new site at the Big Cypress Indian Reservation, nobody really knows how the festival grounds will be laid out or how to set up your weekend for maximum musical enjoyment. However, checking the schedule maker that is available on the festival website, courtesy of Jambase, starts to provide some clues.

There are five performance venues. The big venue is the Everglades Stage, where The Beastie Boys, R.E.M. and Phil Lesh & Friends are scheduled to close out Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights respectively. But the Sunset, Swamp, Chicken Hut and Greening Stages each have plenty to offer all weekend long, frequently simultaneously, beginning Thursday at 6 p.m.

For me, I don’t have too much of a problem on Thursday, except for the overlap between the late night sets from Perpetual Groove and Dark Star Orchestra. Friday also is fairly spread out until the mid-afternoon conflict between Sam Bush and Ozomatli presents a bit of a challenge. Later that night, I have to figure out a way to be in three places at once when Umphrey’s McGee, STS9 and Phix hit the stage for a triple-barreled post midnight blowout.

But even that doesn’t even compare to how exhaustingly awesome Saturday is going to be. During the day, I’ll meander in and around the stages to check out lesser known bands Railroad Earth, Blitzen Trapper and State Radio (the newest project from the guys from Dispatch). Once 5 p.m. hits, however, it’s a whole new blur.

We’ve got Citizen Cope competing with Pnuma before Thievery Corporation, The Benevento Russo Duo and RAQ all hit the stage at the same time. That leads in directly to Matisyahu, Medeski, Martin and Wood and Ghostland Observatory (check back for an on-site interview between the guys and I on Friday). The stages will be cleared for R.E.M. before The Disco Biscuits, Lee Boys, Pelican, Dan Deacon and Yard Dogs Road rock us into the wee hours of the morning.

Things will get even more interesting on Sunday. I’ll have to decide between Josh Ritter and Martin Sexton before The Funky Meters hit the stage. I have no idea why organizers decided to have Keller Williams and Grace Potter & the Nocturnals go head-to-head, but there is no question that I am going to have to forsake Minus the Bear for Gov’t Mule (Warren Haynes always wins--always.). I’m curious about the newest incarnation of Blind Melon but haven’t seen Ani DiFranco live since Bonnaroo ’04. Talk about decisions of the best kind.

They say you can sleep when you are dead, but it isn't a bad idea to bank some hours before heading out. Rest up, festie friends, it’s going to be a long weekend. Stay tuned.

Fresh Wave of Additions For Bonnaroo

Well, the lineup for Bonnaroo 2008 just gets more and more amazing as time goes on. Indie songstress Cat Power (Chan Marshall), Dweezil Zappa's tribute to father Frank, billed as "Zappa Plays Zappa," the Disco Biscuits, dance punkers MSTRKRFT and electro funkers Chromeo have been added to the bill. In addition, as if Chris Rock wasn't enough, the comedy contingent gets another big boost from the addition of Lewis Black to the lineup. More info on the lineup can be found here.

Two Types of Rock Can Be Heard at Bonnaroo 2008; Tickets On Sale Today

Yes, the headline is more than a tad cheesy. And yes, you are correct-- the blockbuster comedian pictured above, Chris Rock, is set to perform for the crowd at this year's Bonnaroo.

While it's unclear whether or not he'll be performing the biggest (quasi-musical) hit of his audio forays, "No Sex In The Champagne Room," it is clear that Bonnaroo isn't fooling around when it comes to its comedy component; indeed, this could have been argued before the announcement for Rock's appearance, as the lineup already included tried-and-trues David Cross and Janeane Garofalo. It's also clear, even this early, that no festival will really have a chance at standing shoulder to shoulder with Bonnaroo this year in terms of sheer star power.

The date that Rock will perform hasn't been announced, but he's currently scheduled to do a one-hour set on Bonnaroo's What (main) stage one of the festival's four days.

In other Bonnaroo news, tickets for the impossibly good-looking festival will go on sale today at noon EST. General admission passes will be sold first in a $209.50 batch, then a $229.50 batch, and finally a $244.50 batch. Camping and parking (not including RVs) are free, but there's a service charge of $22.95 per ticket. 

On the other hand, VIP passes go for $1,169.50 per pair (no individual passes will be sold), which gets buyers "special" shower and restroom facilities, access to a VIP lounge and pre-event party, a buffet, exclusive viewing bleachers and preferred parking, among other features. Buyers for the VIP and $244.50 batch of regular passes can also opt for a two-installment payment plan instead of paying all at once.

You can find out more about the ticket situation here.

Weir & RatDog top second round of High Sierra lineup announcements

In his first ever appearance at California's leading jam rock festival, prototypical jammer Bob Weir will headline with his band RatDog at the 18th High Sierra Music Festival July 3-6 in Quincy CA.

The festival beefed up its 2008 lineup with a second wave of artist announcements today. In addition to RatDog, the new adds are James Hunter, New Monsoon, The Mother HIps, The Lee Boys, Gandalf Murphy and The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Joe Craven and more.

These join previously announced performers including Railroad Earth, The Sparrow Quartet, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Charlie Hunter Trio and lots more. With lineup slots available for more than 75 artists, expect more headliner names to be announced in the weeks ahead.