Rothbury by the Music: Online Exclusive

By Scott Baker

With the second Rothbury in the books, the senses are still overloaded a week later from all the sheer music and art surrounding the four days of music, music, and more music in a sustainable community. There was plenty of outside activities to be had around the clock, green programs and late night parties to be had. But with the music starting around 12:30 p.m. and going until around 4 a.m. every day, it’s hard not to get your fill.

The sand was blowing on the campgrounds where tents, RV’s, and pop-up campers made their pilgrimage. Just within a mile or less, depending on the camper’s individual situations was an oasis located on the Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, MI. Four different stages, three of which housed national acts pretty much around the clock, were spaced around the campground between different path ways. The Tripolee stage was located right at the entrance for the main grounds, which hosted—depending on the time of day—guest speakers, musical acts, even an auction. As ticket holders would pass in, they were greeted immediately by the stage and what was going on around it. Sales of drinks, food, swag, and sustainable companies were found all along nearly every path from that point on. The middle paths lead you to the Sherwood Forest which was the center of all the activities. By night, the forest lit up into dancers’ frenzy and kept the heartbeat of Rothbury itself wide awake. Just to the right path, The Ranch Arena stage is the first main stage you come upon if followed closely. Cutting to the left, through the forest, the Sherwood Court stage was the center of attraction in the main middle grounds of Rothbury. To the far left, the main stage and broadest opening, The Odeum could be found. It played host to the headliners of the festival, such as Bob Dylan, The Dead, String Cheese Incident, and The Disco Biscuits. Not to mention the many colorful acts that followed them. The Black Crowes, Willie Nelson, Lotus, and Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley (with NAS), got to be the late afternoon warm up’s for the night’s big event. Yeah—as if they weren’t already big enough!

King Sunny Ade & His African Beats, performer at The Odeum on Friday afternoon was the first thing to blow the doors off anything conventional. From the bright yellow clothing, to the heartbeat of the African percussion and chants, Ade is a rare treat to be touring the U.S., let alone be an early day feature at such a big festival. Breathtaking grooves by his electric band complete with the feel and vibe that they absolutely loved every second of their own performance was quite evident. The small gathering at 1:45 soon grew into an appreciation society of dancers, hippies, and onlookers that could only but stare and smile at the big sound coming directly from Africa to Rothbury, MI. It was hard to leave the vibe, but music was kicking off everywhere.

Brett Dennen had the 2 p.m. slot on Friday afternoon, well across the Ranch to The Ranch Arena. Dennen was one of the few return-performers to play Rothbury after helping kick off the event in 2008. His modern sound and young age captivated the audience, which was big last year and twice the size this year. The red-head writes his songs of peace and understanding in a very personal fashion. Live, he expands upon them, walking all around the stage, occasionally strumming his guitar to fill the grooves in.  Barefoot in the sunshine, Dennen is the future of all good things in music; talented, unique vocals, memorable tunes, and a give-everything esthetic, vibing his personality in real-time to the audience like a big group hug. Dennen was once again, outstanding.

Locking into a sound all his own, Femi Kuti & The Positive Force eclipsed the sunshine at 5:15, decked with a tight band, brilliant horns, and a trio of dancers/percussionists up front that were dressed in beautiful African colors. Kuti had an agenda to play his sax in and out of the groove of the band and it made for quite an eclectic set. Shaking the grounds around him on the Sherwood Court stage, a majority of the audience caught up with the band to hear his unique hybrid of Afro-beat with a fusion of African roots music. It was truly soul expanding, much like the King Sunny Ade show previously in the day.

Also on Friday, Soulive, originally an electric jazz/funk instrumental trio out of New York City—now complete with horns and an occasional vocalist—picked up the groove in the Sherwood Court at 7 p.m.  Offering funky B3 organ, ripping guitar and a drummer that could have performed solo he was so phat. Backbones were slipping in the sand to their style of slam. The sound was dialed in ‘nut-on’ and the tunes gravitated towards the old-school sound that the greats could pump out in the ‘50s and ‘60s in a hot NYC jazz club. There is no doubt as to why the biggest names in music look up to these cats as they took their house party to the masses.

Sting Cheese Incident’s big reunion was the first course of ‘fandom’ as many travelers from around the United States flew, drove, or bussed just to get the only slice of Cheese offered this year. Granted there was a quick warm up show in their home state of Colorado earlier in the week, but Rothbury proved that the boys were never far away and even since their break a few years ago, they have all found time in their side projects to still hang together. After all, it is their own publicity company, Madison House, which is the major company behind Rothbury, so it was going to only be a matter of time that they’d get to play the big party. Kicking off Friday night’s finale with Rollover>Can’t Stop Now, SCI was building steam and maintained all their fine tricks of the trade; brilliant bluegrass/rock, mixed with a progressive and fusion undertone. Billy Nershi’s acoustic picking was clear and dominant, riding on top of drummer Michael Travis and percussionist Jason Hann’s pounding grooves as the set progressed. Bassist Keith Moseley locked the groove for everyone, while singing much of the set. All the fireworks came from keyboardist Kyle Hollingsoworth and guitarist/electric mando/violin player Michael Kang, as they weaved patterns of color around each song. The incredible light show and ‘big tent’ performers that danced, shadowed, or climbed around the band as they played heightened the experience. SCI was locked in on giving 110% back to the crowd, which by the end of the week was nearing 35,000.

Day three proved to have a strong hold on all the stages as weekend ticket holders poured in. Dr. Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys brought bluegrass direct from the source. For a man that has been logging miles for over 50 years, Stanley had probably not seen a view from the stage quite like Saturday morning at Rothbury. Gazing, almost fear-like at the hippie and tie-dye crowd that stood before him dancing, his first objective was to showcase his fine band which features his son, Ralph Stanley, Jr. on banjo and vocals. As the crowd got to see a living legend, he didn’t begin singing himself until well into the set. However, the fresh approach on the main Odeum stage at 1:30 in the afternoon was exciting enough. The music came across pure and vocally enthralling, as the Clinch Mountain Boys knew how to get down and play. It was a great start to the day.

Son Volt was kicking off their tour at Rothbury and featured many new songs from their brand new CD, American Central Dust which was just released July 7. Jay Farrar and company had the inevitable slot that featured a bit of rain at the Ranch Arena, which turned into a big-drop waterfall for around 10 minutes. That didn’t stop them from having one of the finest sets of the weekend, delivering electric and acoustic roots Americana music that they have been defining since 1995.

Jackie Greene was the 3:30 performer at the Odeum and received a brilliant ovation from fans and fest-goers. Last year, he toured as a member of the Phil Lesh & Friends band, which closed the first Rothbury Festival. This year, he brought his band and shimmered through one fine tune after another in his rootsy, electric songwriter style. His catchy lyrics, young Bob Dylan looks, and solo ability on the guitar as well as the organ kept the sunshine vibe up for most of the Deadheads who were starting to congregate.  Lesh joined Greene towards the end of the set to get the crowds attention that July 4^thwas going to be more than just a fireworks day-off, it was to be an all-American Grateful Dead gathering to celebrate all that’s  good in the U.S.A., circa 2009. Rothbury was lucky to play host.

Zappa Plays Zappa was the storm that came out of the calm. Gracing the middle Sherwood Court stage at 4:30, it followed both Jackie Greene off the Odeum, Reed Thomas Lawrence who graced the light crowd up front at the Tripolee stage with his acoustic trio and superior vocals, and Railroad Earth on the Ranch Arena stage, who is quite possibly the biggest up-and-coming band in the jam band world with it’s cross of bluegrass and electric roots. Dweezil Zappa took it upon himself to change all the paces that had been starting over the course of the previous days and bring his father Frank’s music to the forefront.  Kicking off with Apostrophe’ and rolling into a song from 200 Motels, Zappa Plays Zappa were spot-on musicians Frank would be proud of, as well as a band onto themselves that had complete fun with the music. Whereas the sounds of the world could be heard every day and every night up to that point, roots, acoustic, African, jazzy, jammy, etc., Frank Zappa’s music stood out like a bare tree in the desert. With an audience brimming over from Railroad Earth and packing the venue out to the Sherwood Forest, Dweezil and company had one of the most outstanding sets over the entire weekend. Along with Soulive from the same stage the day before, ‘school was in’ with the instrumentation and charts. Zappa was a breath of unique air, as well as a ‘second year vet,’ returning to Rothbury.

The Black Crowes was another exceptional set on Saturday, July 4^th, kicking off their set at 5:30 in the afternoon to a massive crowd reception at the Odeum. Starting their set with ‘Wiser Time,’ the Crowes created their own mellow groove with a big hit opener. Rather than hit off with the dual guitar team of Rich Robinson and Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), it was keyboardist Adam MacDougall and bassist Sven Pipien that created a long layer of sounds and funk, opening up Chris Robinson to get the dance party started, while drummer Steve Gorman, along with Rich Robinson, and Dickinson kept the floating groove with smiles all around. With the bright sunshine hitting the band at their peak, the Crowes hit with Evergreen, Ozone Mama, and a Downtown Money Waster>Thorn In My Pride that absolutely smoked. The guitars by then were swaying and weaving and it was apparent the band was ‘on their game.’ The rhythm section of Pipien and Gorman were air tight, giving Chris Robinson plenty of vocal play and the band more than enough space to create. The Crowes were as exciting as they have ever been.

The Dead brought in the 4^th of July like no one else can. Coming on over a half-hour late (much like Lesh did the year before), the crowd was slowly baking in the sunshine impatiently waiting for the first notes by the band who were performing their only summer show and reportedly the last of the year. Soon Bobby Weir was snaking his guitar into ‘Sugar Magnolia,’ as the band set their controls for the trip of the weekend. Lesh and drummer Bill Kreutzmann were the control room, shifting the groove and holding down the odd patterns. Percussionist Mickey Hart was hammering around in the mix, musically speaking and it you could tell he was locking in. Keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and guitarist Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers/Gov’t Mule) went to work at painting the outlines of ‘Magnolia,’ as the band headed into ‘Eyes Of The World,’ and a mesmerizing ‘Estimated Prophet.’ Working through other gems and jams, Haynes vocal went to front and center on Van Morrison’s ‘Into The Mystic.’ After that great choice came the legendary trio of songs in the Dead’s canon, ‘Help On The Way’>’Slipnot!>’Franklin’s Tower’ which brought the first set to the end. The night was still young and every imaginable age from child to grandparents, was dancing all over the Double JJ Ranch. Returning for the second set with the typical ‘One More Saturday Night,’ the band took to the boogie with an awesome version of ‘Shakedown Street.’ Another hair-raising pair of Dead songs, ‘China Cat Sunflower’>‘I Know You Rider’ kept the energy flowing well into the late night. After an exceptional ‘Drums’ complete with String Cheese members and other percussionists sitting in, ‘Space’ went waaaaay out there into the ozone. The noise helped pack the porta-johns. The mellow return of ‘Viola Lee Blues,’ ‘Morning Dew,’ and ‘Throwing Stones,’ could barely pick the pace up of what the band started earlier. It was sleepy time in The Dead’s ballad department.  They brought it back home coming back into ‘Sugar Magnolia’s’ Sunshine Daydream section just before the encore. ‘U.S. Blues’ and ‘Not Fade Away,’ wrapped the Dead’s event around 1:20 a.m. Sunday morning, with a fireworks extravaganza overhead during the last song. It was a great way to go out on the 4^th of July. Still, there was one more day to come. And the early morning music by the likes of Umphrey’s McGee and Sound Tribe Sector 9 were just warming up.

Highlights for day four included Grace Potter and the Nocturnals who were absolutely rocking and sensational. Potter was looking ultra fine in her disco dress, dancing dirty and bouncing around from vocal to organ and back. Her stage presence was outstanding as was her rocking vocals. Drummer Matthew Burr was another outstanding visual from around the Sherwood Court as he sometimes stood, other times leaning  as to almost fall over as he banged the hell out of his kit. Not once did he quit smiling for the entire set. The band was totally tuned in and having a great time. New bassist Catherine Popper (ex-Ryan Adams and the Cardinals) was another striking visual, adding to the sexuality that Potter was giving off and laying down incredible grooves.  The twin guitar team of Scott Tournet and Benny Yurco brought the roots rock to an incredible mid-day climax.

Willie Nelson and Family had the 6 p.m. slot at the Odeum before Bob Dylan headlined. His set was rollicking through familiar favorites and he kept the crowd singing along all night. But it was the side stages during Nelson’s set that lit the fires. Gov’t Mule over at the Ranch Arena (returning from last year) saw Haynes on his second day in a row, coming off the brilliant Dead gig the night before (and not to mention he had just sat in with Matisyahu for a tune before hitting it with the Mule). New bassist Jorgen Carlsson has brought the fire back to the low end for the band, igniting songs that the band performed with the late Allen Woody just nine years ago. Matt Abts was spectacular, always an incredible drummer/percussionist, propelling Haynes’ over-the-top soloing and keyboardist Danny Louis’ riffing. Louis was also making faces at both Carlsson and Abts, as they seemed to be completely enjoying themselves during the set. It was the first night of the summer Gov’t Mule tour as well. Both Potter and her guitarist Tournet sat in on a pair of Neil Young covers.

Across the Sherwood Forest to the Sherwood Court, Ani DiFranco held court with her trio, lighting a fire all of her own for the weekend. Perhaps the most familiar singer/songwriter on the bill, DiFranco packed the area all the way back into the forest like Zappa did the previous day.  Along with bassist extraordinaire Todd Sickafoose and her new drummer Allison Miller—who was very groovy and textural, DiFranco had as many sing-along songs as she did new numbers. President Barack Obama was a major topic of her affection, as was her two and a half year old child. DiFranco was just as intense as ever in her vocal delivery and guitar playing. She owned the weekend as the top Singer/Songwriter of 2009.

Dylan could have just played his new songs. Or songs he is currently championing. But he pulled out many of his more hit-worthy and classic material for the Rothbury crowd. A unique pull on ‘Tangled Up In Blue,’ ‘Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat,’ ‘Highway 61 Revisited,’ ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ and an exceptionally rocking ‘All Along The Watchtower, were among the highlights from his set. Roaming the parameter of the crowd, there was not a bad spot to hear Dylan or his band. Matter of fact, they had his voice dialed in better than memory can serve.  Dylan was also smiling. Now you know there was no better way to end a weekend than seeing a musician of his stature enjoying themselves to a hippie tie-dyed crowd, which for the most part has spent around four-days in the sun, baking like a stone and tripping to some brilliant songs. Rothbury had the perfect wind-down set from yet another legendary artist. Over in West Michigan, Rothbury knows how to throw the music for the fourth of July like no other.

Fem Kuti

Dweezil Zappa

Bob Weir of the Dead

Ani Defranco