HullabaLOU 2010: Rev. for the Roses

If you could hear rumbles coming from the River City this past weekend, it wasn’t Thunder Over Louisville, but the HullabaLOU Music Festival at Churchill Downs in Louisville. An estimated 30,000 to 50,000 music lovers gathered for the weekend and populated the five stages. Like Forecastle, HullabaLOU spanned three days, which could be broken down into days or even individual show tickets. The weekend was packed with acts spanning across generations, bringing crowds young and old.

As I entered the Downs, I was greeted by Michael McDonald singing “I Keep Forgettin’,” a favorite of the extensive catalog. He played individual hits, mixing in Motown and Doobie Brothers tunes seamlessly. During “She,” he muscled through falsetto tones, matching the studio quality, yet adding an edge only available live in effect. Before Michael left the stage, he reached out to the crowd: “We love you, Louisville. Stay with peace and maybe next time I see you, it will be in a peaceful world.”

The show I most wanted to see was Rev. Al Green, making him the second bucket list artist I have seen this year (Stevie Wonder being the first at Bonnaroo). There was a 20 minute delay during sound check, driving some fans to see Govt. Mule. Others wouldn’t have traded their spot for the world, myself included. The crowd that remained started a “We want Al” chant, coaxing the legend out of the shadows. In a style most fitting to the Downs, the Rev. was loaded with roses to be flung toward adoring fans, mainly of the female persuasion. That riled up the crowd all the way through the show. The Rev. spotted a “Happy Birthday” sign and blessed the birthday girl from the stage. At one point he said, “I bet there are some people that wonder if he still got it. The preacher still got it.” Truth be told, he hit those high registers like he ran the Express line.

While watching Michael Johnathan on the Bluegrass stage, I ran into the Stealing Angels — Caroline Cutbirth, Jennifer Wayne and Tayla Lynn. This is a trio with family ties to Daniel Boone, John Wayne and Loretta Lynn, respectively. Tayla talked about getting blisters from dancing on the pavement, being shocked at the crowd singing their songs and trying to keep cool. When I asked her who she was most excited to see, she mentioned Dwight Yoakam, the Avett Brothers and, “I am going to see my grandmother Loretta play. Haven’t seen her much this weekend.” Jen and Carol scooted off to the Black Crowes, which had the largest non-main stage crowd of the weekend.

Carrying on the motif of the eco-friendly festival, I ran into the Clean Vibes crew I worked with at Bonnaroo. To help lighten the load for the crew, they had a recycling redemption station, earning you one point for each piece redeemed. Prizes varied from stickers and bug balm at 25 points, to a Dave Matthews Band poster signed for 1,000 points and a camping kit for 2,000. Dave Matushik, a manager of the Clean Vibes crew, said that the high point total was around 1,200 points and he expected a surge at the end of the festival. To put it in perspective, he said, “If everyone would pick up one piece of trash before they leave, that would be tens of thousands less instantly. It doesn’t take much to make a difference.”

Since this was the first year, things didn’t always go smoothly, including low ticket sales/turnout, multiple delays in sound check process and even dropping the whole stage’s sound during the Dwight Yoakam set. Another issue was not having a second main stage to allow a larger crowd not just for the main stage set on the track. This was exposed during the Black Crowes set that didn’t have enough space for the crowd. That being said, it was an overall positive festival with great music and awesome music lovers all on one field. Hopefully next year they will be able to build on this foundation, bring in more acts that cross genres and make this a festival you don’t want to miss.

Printed in the KY Kernel, 7/29/10

Doctor M's Top 5 Shows Witnessed
1. Al Green
2. Steve Miller Band
3. Taj Mahal
4. Michael McDonald
5. Avett Brothers

Doctor M's Top 5 Shows Missed
1. Gladys Knight
2. Doobie Brothers
3. War
4. Ben Folds
5. Colbie Caillat

Other highlights captured on the scene:

•  On my way to check out Steppenwolf and Joan Osborne, I heard Sara Evans covering, “I Want You To Want Me” by Cheap Trick.

• Avett Brothers crowd started sparse due to the Black Crowes stealing about 85% of the festival crowd. It built right after the Crowes went off, perfect timing for their intense string plucking close.

• Steve Miller had a tribute to a fallen band member, Norton Buffalo, with the song, Wild Mountain Cherry. He mentioned that he played the song with Norton over 3,000 times and never got tired of it. “Say hi to Les Paul for me.

• The Chill Zone provided 20,000 square feet of misted covered space through the grounds.

• Michael Johnathan tuned his banjo while talking to a newly married couple from Jasper, IN

• Al Green’s covers included: Sugar Pie Honey Bunch (Four Tops), My Girl (Temptations) Bring It On Home to Me (Sam Cooke), Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding) and Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison)

• Hog Operation, my surprise of the festival, covered The Beatles “Eleanor Rigby” to close their set on the Bluegrass stage.

Q & A with Michael Johnathon of the Woodsongs

The great thing about local music festivals is that they seem to have many local artists perform. Festivals such as Forecastle as well as HullabaLOU feature several Lexington acts. One of the most notable Lexington acts that will be playing at HullabaLOU is Michael Johnathon, founder and host of the Woodsongs Radio Hour. Johnathon is an accomplished musician, with nine albums, including the upcoming release “Ravenwood,” and is a prolific writer, with the play “Walden: The Ballad of Thoreau” firmly under his belt. Johnathon sat down with the Kernel as he was getting things ready for Joan Baez to take the Opera House stage for a Troubadour Series concert, the 299th of the series.

Q. How did HullabaLOU target you to be on the lineup?
A. They called my agent and made it happen. Looking to make an interesting day of it. I am a folk singer that plays the banjo with a string quartet, so they thought that would liven up the Bluegrass stage, not straight Bluegrass.

Q. Who are you excited to see at HullabaLOU?
A. I’ve worked with the Avett Brothers, they’ve been on Woodsongs three times. Rhonda Vincent has been on Woodsongs five times and is coming back in October. These are all friends of mine. Ben Sollee used to be my cellist on the broadcast, you know, and I am so proud he is taking off the way he is. I think because the classic nature of what she represents, I think Loretta Lynn is a special, that’s a special performance. This is a uniquely rare moment to see something of true legacy.

Q. How do you see the current generation absorbing their music, and how does a festival like HullabaLOU give an outlet?
A. Life moves at cyber speed. This is the first generation that is receiving all of their art in a two-dimensional art form. Young kids today don’t experience three-dimensional art. They hear an artist through their ear buds on their iPods and iPads and go check them out on YouTube, (they) don’t go check them out at a club. I think events like HullabaLOU is a great opportunity for families to enjoy music as a three-dimensional art form. A lot of it.

Q. Talking about your new album “Ravenwood” coming out soon, you wanted to make an album that felt like you were playing in a cabin in the woods. How did you get to the mindset to go to that good place?
A. I just came off of doing the big “Walden” play production, which was a play I wrote about Henry David Thoreau’s final two days in a cabin at Walden woods before he left. He was there for two years, two months and two days, so the play is the final two days before he left Walden pond. I am a tree hugger by nature, not the political kind, just the kind that loves the Earth. “Ravenwood” is the cabin in your heart; it’s the cabin in your mind, no matter where you live. It’s the cottage in the woods of your spirit, even though you may be living in an urban condo, third-floor high-rise. We need that centered place.

Q. You performed the song “Cars” on Woodsongs and infused comedy with musicianship. What kind of response or feedback have you had from that?
A. “Cars” has gone viral, cool internet song, radio is catching up with it. The national syndicated show “Car Talk” just featured the song on the air for the second time. As of this week, it’s on the New Music Weekly Top 30 for country radio, so its getting commercial country airplay, which is strange because I’m not a country artist. It features JP Pennington, the founding member of Exile, which is a country band, and John McEuen from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. To me, the song “Cars” is an ironic way to prais the greenness of the modern car. If you listen to the song, it’s praising the efficiency of the modern car and lamenting the fact that they’re just not cool anymore. Nothing compares to a 1968 Mustang 4-speed convertible. Nothing will. The era of the fun, sexy car is gone, as it should be, but it’s a shame. It’s a shame that we haven’t managed our resources in a way so we can still have fun. 

Q. Any surprises from the new album being received?
A. I was interested that XM Radio has picked up “The Ballad of Bojangles” because that is a complete rewrite of the classic Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles.” It’s taking his story and completely rewriting it, from scratch. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band had the original hit of “Mr. Bojangles” and John MeEuen of the NGDB is performing with me on the rewritten ballad of Bojangles, validating the effort.
I was a little concerned. It’s like doing a complete rewrite of “Stairway to Heaven.” You know, who in the heck do you think you are? It’s a tribute to Jerry Jeff Walker, one of our finest Texan songwriters. It’s an American classic song and the fact that it’s number three on XM Radio is a validation for me as a songwriter.

Q. Have any other festivals or projects this summer?
A. I just came back from the Gamble Rogers Folk Festival in St. Augustine, just did the Florida Folk Festival, doing HullabaLOU. I do about 70 concert dates a year, 44 Woodsongs, record an album, do a “Walden” play. It’s pretty busy, but it’s fun.

Q. You wouldn’t change it for the world, I’m sure.
A. Not hardly, not hardly at all.

Michael Johnathon will be playing HullabaLOU on Sunday on the Bluegrass Stage from 4:30 to 6 p.m. with the Hippie Chick String Quartet.

Check out the rest of the HullabaLOU lineup at www.hullabaloufest.com and more about Michael Johnathon at www.michaeljohnathon.com and www.woodsongs.com.

Johnathon will also be playing with JP Pennington, J.D. Crowe, Alien Blue, Paul Felice and others for a fundraiser on August 3rd at the Kentucky Theatre to benefit Almira Fawn. For more details on the benefit, go to www.amirafawnbenefit.com.

Printed in the KY Kernel, 7/21/10 

Forecastle 2010: Rockin' the River City

The summer is marked with great music festivals across the country. One of the notable ones is in our backyard, so to speak. The 9th Annual Forecastle Fest was held at Waterfront Park in Louisville this year, a first-time use of the locale. With an estimated 30,000 in attendance, it has a more intimate feel than some of the larger summer festivals. This festival is perfect not only for the typical festivalgoer, but those who aren’t into camping or multiple-day events.

Forecastle can be broken up into individual days, which leads to being commuter friendly. You can also enjoy the full-scale festival, though it is in the city and camping isn’t the most ideal. Nonetheless, the festival is a blessing for the state to have. Like Bonnaroo, Forecastle is eco friendly, with free recycling games, various types of recycling receptacles scattered through the park and food vendors using compostable items for food service.

The thing about a music festival is the love and respect everyone shows to each other, unlike any other gathering in my experience. One thing I noticed off the bat was the amount of Lexingtonians who were jamming on the river. WRFL had a table, the March Madness Marching Band was roaming around, and many friends I may have crossed paths with more than once. Even J. Gumbo’s of Lexington treated me to a few meals. I talked with some of the owners about being a festival food vendor. “Forecastle is our first festival, which fell in our laps, being based in Louisville,” principle owner Charlie Farnsley said. “The Lexington store loses 50 to 60 percent of its customer base during the summer and festivals help soften the blow. “It’s rewarding to see repeat customers. We had one guy come by seven times.”

Just like at any festival, you are always on the go to witness great music and spectacles.

Working at the Coke Zero trailer, Alysha Harris, a 2010 UK grad in speech pathology pointed out that in addition to free Coke Zero from the tap, there was free wi-fi, Wii games, and an overhead deck area to view the main stage. “This is the true VIP section and all you have to do is come in, no charge,” Harris said. “It’s a nice change of pace to come to Forecastle where there is such great music and people.”

Highlight recap inside Forecastle Fest:

• CAKE covered Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” and hinted to a new album.

• Foxy Shazam’s lead singer, Eric Sean Nally claimed to want to jump into the river after the set. I missed if he held true to his claim.

• Quinn Erwin won the Battle of the Bands and the right to open the show up on the last day of the festival.

• DEVO changed outfits four times and Mark Mothersbaugh said, “Good night, Lexington” to end the show, which puzzled most festival goers but didn’t seem to faze their good time. Natalie Lile and Steve Baron of the MMMB both claimed this to be their favorite show. “DEVO was great. Older bands like that can sometimes be lame in concert, just going through the motions. But they really put on a fun show and their new material was just as good as the older stuff.” Steve Baron – Owner of CD Central and sax player in MMMB.

• Smashing Pumpkins were the last headline band added to the lineup. After Billy Corgan continuously absorbed waves of glow sticks, he broke down and said, “I didn’t know when I picked out this shirt that I would be the target of fucking glow sticks” before batting the glow sticks away with his guitar. He also mentioned that he asked what Kentucky makes, and was told baseball bats and bourbon. He was sure to add beautiful women to that list. Lauren Sexton from Louisville was more than excited: “The Smashing Pumpkins were worth the 22-year wait to see them. Awesome, awesome show!”

• Spoon had a solid set, but you could sense the crowd growing hungry for The Flaming Lips. That didn’t stop them from doing their thing and warming the crowd for the last show of the weekend. A horn section straight out of Louisville, keeping the local flair rolling along, also aided them.

• The three shows I wanted to see most, due to missing them at Bonnaroo were: The Flaming Lips, She and Him and Bassnectar. Bassnectar, or Lorin Ashton, is an electronic music artist who focuses on pounding you with bass beats that are organic. The light show that accompanies the music is perfectly balanced. It was a glow stick galore as Bass Heads unite for Bassnectar’s beats. Lorin Ashton says, “First time with the Kentucky Straight Bassbins. Perfect crowd, excellent event, I cannot wait for Round 2!”

• She and Him started the set hot and heavy with virtually no breaks in between songs. Zooey Deschanel thanked the “I Heart U Zooey” sign maker and commented on some sunglasses. Along with M. Ward, they kept telling the crowd how awesome they were and how much they enjoyed Louisville. They covered “Roll Over Beethoven” by Chuck Berry (M. Ward sang) and “I Put a Spell on You” Screamin Jay Hawkins (Zooey sang)

• To cap the musical tour that Forecastle had conjured up, The Flaming Lips were called to tear the stage down. Without question, this was the show I had been waiting for. I missed the Bonnaroo show due to getting crowded out at the Which Stage and The Black Keys playing at the same time. Along with She and Him and Bassnectar, this was the final piece of my missing Bonnaroo trinity. Wayne Coyne did a stealthy guitar sound check to Yoshimi, forecasting the acoustic version to be played later in the show. Wayne came out in a bubble and “crowd bubbled” to start things off. Loads of confetti and smoke filled the air, even before they played a single song. Wayne even hopped on the back of a bear that came on stage. You just had a feeling that this show was magical from the beginning. Opened with the classic, “She Don’t Use Jelly” and played many songs from the Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots album as well as At War With The Mystics. There was an emotional turn in the show where Wayne connected with the crowd just before playing, “In The Morning of the Magicians” and continued through “Do You Realize?” and “All We Have Is Now” At the end of the show, I got to meet Kliph Scurlock, the lead drummer. He was gracious to take several photos with fans that hung around after the show as well as make a station ID for WRFL. It was an incredible end to the most mind-blowing show I have ever witnessed. Though each show carries something unique, this show felt even more rare. “The Flaming Lips create the most wonderful concert experience imaginable. It’s equal parts theatricality and top notch musicianship that meld with each other to create a weird, crazy, psychedelic freakout.” – Travis Walker, WRFL DJ. Wayne made mention that they would like to play Forecastle again. Maybe The Lips will bless us for the 10th installment of Forecastle in 2011. Stay tuned, my friends.

Doctor M’s Top 5 Shows Witnessed

1. The Flaming Lips

2. She and Him

3. Bassnectar

4. Foxy Shazam

5. Cake

Doctor M’s Top 5 Shows Missed

1. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

2. Widespread Panic

3. The New Deal

4. That One Guy

5. we were promised jetpacks

Printed in the KY Kernel, 7/14/10