Doing the Berkfest groove (Berkshire Mountain Music Festival, Aug. 13-15)
by Seth Rogovoy

(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Aug. 5, 1999) -- This weekend, the second annual Berkshire Mountain Music Festival takes place in Great Barrington at the Butternut Basin ski area. Like last year's festival, which was held over a rainy weekend in June at Steele's Family Farm in Lanesboro, this summer's festival features a huge assortment of bands over the course of three days.

While the music that will be presented will reference a wide variety of styles, including rock, jazz, bluegrass, folk, hip-hop, funk, soul, pop, Latin and blues, what unites most of the performers on the bill is a dedication to the perpetuation of the groove.

The particular groove in question is one whose lineage can be traced to two primary sources - the Grateful Dead and James Brown. They might seem like unlikely bedfellows - one a group of bedraggled, white hippies raised on bluegrass, the other an outrageously slick, pomaded black entertainer -- but their legacy comes together in the music of the bands at Berkfest which boast a Brown-derived, relentless funk pulse and a Dead-derived, improvisational sensibility.

If most of the performers can be loosely grouped together in the groove, acid-groove, neo-hippie or jam-band categories, they all bring their individual approaches and influences to the music. It is these subtle and not-so-subtle differences that separate the wheat from the chaff, and which will ultimately decide whether these bands will rise or fall.

Take, for example, two of the headliners: Los Lobos, who perform Friday night at 8, and Soul Coughing - led by Simon's Rock alumnus M. Doughty -- who will bring the curtain down on the weekend on Sunday at 7. While both groups grew out of a specific geographic and musical scene, they forged strong identities of their own out of deep-rooted authenticity within which they continue to reinvent themselves and their art.

This is what keeps people coming back to their recordings and performances, and it is this dynamic which will separate the generic jam-bands - those who are just part of a greater trend -- from the few, true, musical visionaries among them.

Speaking of jamming, a couple of improvisational highlights of the festival hold out the promise of spontaneous sparks. The Berkfest Allstar Jam will take place on Saturday at 3 on the Mainstage, featuring Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Brothers Band, jazz guitar great John Scofield, Bob Moses, DJ Logic, Fuzz of Deep Banana Blackout and Nate of Percy Hill.

Also, on Saturday night at 10:15, the late-night lodge will play host to a tribute to Jerry Garcia - the founder and leader of the Grateful Dead who now reigns from beyond as the honorary godfather of the entire jam-groove movement. Musicians participating include members of The Slip, Miracle Orchestra, Jiggle the Handle and the Rockett Band. Berkfest '99 will also put some local artists in the spotlight along with the national and regional headliners. Soul-folk singer-songwriter Robby Baier, himself no stranger to the funky groove, will perform on Friday at 7 and again on Sunday at 3. The Rev. Tor Band will perform on the showcase stage on Friday at 1, followed by Chillbone at 2.

And while Acoustic Junction has long called Colorado home, the band boasts pretty strong Berkshire ties, and will undoubtedly draw a crowd on Friday at 7:30. So too will Electric Blue and the Kozmic Truth, whose lead singer, Callie Katsounakis, is a Berkshire native, when they perform on Friday at 6.

The Berkfest Bands:

Here's a sneak preview of some of the bands scheduled to perform at Berkfest. For more info visit http://www.berkfest.com on the Internet. Times are approximate, most bands will appear twice, and the schedule is subject to change.

Percy Hill: This New Hampshire-based quartet builds its jams upon a foundation blending catchy melodies, jazzy riffs, funky rhythms and obtuse lyrics, a formula adding up neatly to neo-Steely Dan. Not since Becker and Fagen ruled the noir-jazz side of pop-rock has there been a keyboard-drenched album of white funk as infectious as "Color in Bloom," the group's self-produced debut. (Friday, mainstage, 5 p.m.; Saturday, showcase, 4:20)

Vinyl: Formed in Mill Valley, Calif., in 1995, this octet specializes in all-instrumental funk grooves with jazzy soloing. With such a large instrumental palette from which to draw, including trumpet, saxophone, flute, keyboards, percussion, bass, guitar and drums, the group stretches out in different directions. On "Live at Sweetwater," recorded at the famed Mill Valley nightclub in 1997, the group tackles Latin rhythms, reggae, and even turns in an intriguing bit of ersatz Middle Eastern klezmer-funk called "Last Camel to Vegas." (Sunday, mainstage, 12:15, showcase, 4:20)

Jiggle the Handle: Founded and led by guitarist/vocalist Gary Backstrom, Jiggle the Handle plays a mix of catchy, upbeat, group-harmony-laden folk-rock that often merges in and out of psychedelic jams on its album "In It Again." The album also includes a version of a traditional West African chant. Besides Backstrom, the other band members bring experience from jam-bands including Hypnotic Clambake, Another Planet and Max Creek, making Jiggle sort of a jam-band supergroup. (Saturday, showcase, 6; Sunday, mainstage, 1:45)

Joules Graves: A singer-songwriter in the Ani DiFranco mold, right down to the name of her independent label, Rabble Rouser (hints of DiFranco's Righteous Babe), Seattle-based Joules Graves sends out fiery missives - what she calls "gutsy tribal folk" -- in the form of guitar-and-djembe fueled songs. On "Plunge," Graves comes out against rape, child abuse, liposuction and corporate consumerism and in favor of lesbian sex, love, bird metaphors and "people of the Earth tribe." (Saturday, lower lodge, 5:25; Sunday, mainstage, 10 a.m.)

Miracle Orchestra: This Boston-based quartet (guitar, drums, saxophone, bass) shies away from the word "jazz," but the group's jams atop hard-rocking funk beats transcend the sometimes pedestrian noodling of the typical groove outfits and take them into more sophisticated improvisational territory worthy of the term "spontaneous composition." As heard on the group's album, "Coalescence," the ensemble also boasts great group dynamics - the soloists don't just veer off into never-never land, but the musicians travel together, which is the ideal of collective improvisation. (Sunday, showcase, 6)

Addison Groove Project: In 1996, five musicians from Wellesley High School got together and formed Addison Groove Project, dedicated to the perpetuation of the funky groove. The group's eponymous debut CD showcases its horn-heavy lineup - the group sports two saxophonists and a trumpeter who triples on guitar and vocals. Bass, drums and keyboard round out the jazzy lineup. (Friday, showcase, 3:05)

The Rockett Band: The Rockett Band combines a song-oriented approach based in rootsy, classic rock -- featuring Dan Rockett's Stephen Stills-like vocals and group harmonies -- with an open approach that veers into Traffic or Grateful Dead-like jam-band territory. Guitars are the main deal here, spiced with funky Hammond B-3 organ and Fender Rhodes keyboard. This band could be the missing link between Jimi Hendrix and Hootie and the Blowfish.

(Friday, mainstage, 1; Saturday, showcase, 11:30 a.m.)

Soulive: Soulive is a classic-style organ trio featuring brothers Alan Evans on drums and Neal Evans on Hammond B-3 organ, with Eric Krasno on guitar. Only together since last March, the musicians have deep roots on the groove scene as veterans of jam bands including Moon Boot Lover, Greyboy Allstars, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe and Lettuce. Based on a listen to an impressive promotional CD the group is circulating, they lay down some seriously funky grooves with just three pieces. (Friday, mainstage, 3:30, late-night lodge, 10; Sunday, showcase sun deck, 3:45)

Blind Man's Sun: This New Jersey-based sextet combines jazz, funk, psychedelic rock with calypso and Caribbean spices to make for a unique fusion - if you've never heard Phish. If you have, they'll remind you of the best that band has to offer, as well as the Who, Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Kansas, Styx and a hundred other progressive-rock bands from the '70s, all attached to a very contemporary groove. The group's wit, intelligence, and perverse eclecticism makes it worthy of Frank Zappa. (Sunday, showcase, 1)

The New Deal: One of the most original bands on the bill at Berkfest, this Toronto synth-bass-drums trio sets itself the challenge of performing improvised, organic electronic music without samplers or sequencers. The result, as heard on the aptly-titled "This Is Live," is a dreamy ambient soundscape, with minimalist riffs slowly morphing over beat-box rhythms and phat bass lines. They would be ideal for the late-night chill room, but they've been programmed to appear in the morning and early evening. (Saturday, lower lodge, 6; Sunday, showcase, 10 a.m.)

Willy Porter: This Milwaukee-based musician is one of the few singer-songwriters on the Berkfest bill. A listen to his album "Dog Eared Dream" suggests that Porter fits in because his songs are highly rhythmic and percussive, featuring fleet acoustic guitar instrumentals (he counts the late Michael Hedges as a key influence) in between his warm, dry, regular-guy vocals. (Saturday, mainstage, 5:30)

Disco Biscuits: One of the harder-rocking bands on the bill, this Philadelphia-based quartet is a wacky, eclectic outfit that in the course of one song can take a listener on a sonic journey through crunching heavy metal, Beastie Boys-style brat-rap, lush piano jazz, Zappa-like, psychedelic guitar-funk, prog-rock synthesizer lines, techno beats and Santana-like guitar solos. They call it "trance fusion," but its dazzling, whiplash-like virtuosity - don't blink or you'll miss a time change -- is quite unlikely to put anyone to sleep. (Friday, late-night lodge, 12:15 a.m.)

Tony Trischka Band: While rootsy groups like Phish have been dabbling in bluegrass and banjoist Bela Fleck has been harnessing all the attention for his innovative work with that instrument, Fleck's teacher, Tony Trischka, has quietly been laying down the foundation for what has finally come to full fruition in his new band as heard on his new album, "Bend" (Rounder). Make no mistake about it - although Trischka has indisputable bluegrass chops which occasionally surface here, his new band, featuring electric guitar, electric bass, saxophones, drums and even electric banjo, is a jazzy, rocking outfit. (Saturday, mainstage, 10:30 a.m., showcase sun deck banjo workshop, 2:05)

Soul Coughing: Born at the Knitting Factory, the temple of New York's downtown avant garde, Soul Coughing is as improbably successful in the '90s as the Talking Heads were in the '70s - literate, intellectual, poetic, deadpan, experimental -- a quartet led by a poet backed by three veterans of avant-garde bands. Soul Coughing is definitely not a jam band, but while delivering Simon's Rock alumnus M. Doughty's post-modern, fractured, neo-noir narratives, they just might lay down the phattest, funkiest grooves of the weekend. (Sunday, mainstage, 7 p.m.)

Other bands scheduled to appear include Big Wu, Frostbit Blue, Acoustic Junction, Jenny Reynolds, Foxtrot Zulu, Rafter Bats, Los Lobos, Leftover Salmon, The Roots, Strangefolk, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Nozmo King, Day by the River, Schleigho, and Jon Shain. Also Lorin Rowan, Yonder Mountain String Band, Uncle Sammy, the Arthur Project, the Gordon Stone Trio, Deep Banana Blackout, Spookie Daly Pride, Project Logic, Blind Man Sun, Ray's Music Exchange, Smokin' Grass, the Slip and Actual Proof.

Berkfest '99: What You Need to Know

The three-day, second annual Berkshire Mountain Music Festival takes place this year at Butternut Basin Ski Area in Great Barrington. Beginning on Friday, Aug. 13, at 1 p.m., bands will perform in various locations on the festival grounds, including a mainstage and four other showcase stages. The mainstage will feature headliners Los Lobos, The Roots, Soul Coughing, Strangefolk and about 20 other bands in the course of the weekend. The showcase will feature up-and-coming bands gunning for the mainstage, including Acoustic Junction, Addison Groove Project, Schleigho and Project Logic, as well as mainstage bands such as Big Wu, Jiggle the Handle, Percy Hill and Vinyl playing second sets on the showcase stage. The showcase sundeck provides a second stage in the showcase area so music can run continuously with no breaks for band breakdown and setup.

The indoor, lower lodge stage will offer concertgoers relief from the sun, featuring bands including Bob Moses and DJ Logic, Uncle Sammy, Foxtrot Zulu, Joules Graves, the New Deal and Rafter Bats. And the lodge at the top of the ski slope will provide partygoers with a venue in which to rock out late into the night without disturbing the neighbors.

In addition to music, the festival includes a chair lift which will continuously ferry festivalgoers up and down scenic Butternut ski slope, a shuttle bus which will transport festivalgoers to a nearby lake for swimming, late-night movies on the showcase stage, music workshops (banjo, DJ), children's games and arts and crafts, and over 30 food and craft vendors, including such local purveyors as Zampano's Restaurant. On-site camping will take place along the wooded cross-country ski trails on the property, as well as in an open camping area. Campfires and dogs are prohibited, and camp stoves are permitted in designated areas only.

Tickets for one, two, or three days are available at the gate or by calling 1-888-245-7081. Gates open Friday morning at 10 a.m. -- no one will be permitted on the grounds before then -- and again on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. More information is available on the Internet at http://www.berkfest.com.

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[This article originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on Aug. 12, 1999. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1999. All rights reserved.]