The Stepkids Breakthrough at All Good

Jeff Gitelman with The Stepkids

Newcomers to the scene, The Stepkids, played a short yet solid set at All Good Music Festival and Campout 2013 at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio.  They had a primo slot on Friday afternoon sandwiched between All Good staples Darkstar Orchestra and Leftover Salmon.  Hailing from Bridgeport, CT, The Stepkids consist of guitarist/vocalist Jeff Gitelman, bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Dan Edinberg, and drummer/vocalist Tim Walsh.  The Stepkids were a pleasant surprise being a relatively unknown band to most of the people there.  They would fluently switch in and out between groovy psychedelic jams and layered jazzy ensembles.

Looking Forward to the 2013 All Good Festival

Furthur at All Good Festival

All Good Music Festival and Campout 2013 returns to Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio July 28-22 for another four days of love, harmony, and musicianship. This year’s festival follows in the tradition of honoring the Grateful Dead culture with the foremost headliner being Furthur featuring Phil Lesh and Bob Weir. The rest of the lineup contains lots for anyone to enjoy no matter what kind of music they are into. Notable performances will include Pretty Lights, Primus, and Dark Star Orchestra. Bluegrass fans will take delight in seeing Yonder Mountain String Band, Keller Williams with The Travelin’ McCourys, and The Infamous Stringdusters.

http://www.allgoodfestival.com

The Wood Brothers at All Good Festival

The Wood Brothers

Friday afternoon at All Good Music Festival and Campout 2012 emphasized a variety of musical
genres. You had reggae and funk, and then you had some deep folky Americana music performed by three piece band called The Wood Brothers. Two brothers, Chris and Oliver, came together to
collaborate after each had already established their own music career. Chris Wood is a founding
member of Medeski, Martin, and Wood, and Oliver co-founded the band King Johnson.

The Flaming Lips Magic at All Good Festival

Wayne Coyne with The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips are known for their delightful on-stage theatrics and crowd engagement.  This was especially the case when they performed for a jam packed audience at the 2012 All Good Music Festival and Campout in Thornville, Ohio.  The Lips started out the show by playing arguably one of their best songs, “Race for the Prize.”  The next two hours would hold numerous other philosophical yet entertaining songs including a cover of Pink Floyd’s “On the Run”.  

SOJA Stirs Up All Good Festival

SOJA

Nothing beats a little reggae on a Friday afternoon at All Good Music Festival and Campout.
That’s why it was so pleasing to see SOJA (Soldiers of Jah Army) bring a little poppy roots fusion to the main stage. This high-energy Washington D.C. based band really got the crowd pumped in the warm Ohio sun. The octet knew exactly how to utilize its percussion and horns sections in a way that can get anyone to dance whether they knew the band or not. Topped off by Jacob Hemphill’s lyrics that SOJA’s fans were belting out as he sang, they created the perfect light-hearted medley of ear-pleasing melodies. It seemed as if everyone was in a good mood as the band played their song “Strength to Survive,” which is the title track from their new 2012 album. One of the best things about All Good is their rotating performances on two adjacent main stages, so all sorts of people were able to catch this rockin’ set as they soak up the good vibes from the beautiful festival environment.

Bob Weir & Bruce Hornsby with Branford Marsalis

Bruce Hornsby, Brandford Marsalis and Bob Weir

All Good Festival 2012 was a great year for fans of the Grateful Dead, with many of the surviving original members in attendance to play shows. Although Bob Weir, Phil lesh, and Mickey Hart decided to each do their own thing, it was a magical weekend for deadheads young and old alike. Bob Weir opened up Thursday on the main “Dragon” stage after a short Trampled by Turtles set by coming onstage with Piano virtuoso Bruce Hornsby and Saxophone Legend Branford Marsalis. Both Hornsby and Marsalis played with the Dead in the 90’s, so this was quite an astounding family reunion that all of the fans in the overwhelmingly large crowd could appreciate.