If there is one thing that the Equifunk Music Festival is full of this year, all you would have to do is take one look at the lineup card and you would realize that it’s all about the monster collaborations that will be taking place from August 16th-18th in Equinunk, PA. Basically, expect a weekend long superjam, with some of the best in the funk and jam worlds.
We figured we would give you a rundown of the unique and outrageously mind-blowing collaborations that have been announced for this year’s Equifunk. Here is our Top 5:
Soulive w/ Shady Horns and Maceo Parker
What else could possibly be said about this collaboration? One of the best soul jazz trio’s in the game, and the man that has played saxophone with James Brown, George Clinton & Parliament and Prince (just to name a few)?!? Yes, please! This is going to be one set that you will not want to miss.
The M&M’s (Marco, Mali, Mercurio, Moore, Medeski, and Maceo)
Part of this collective of M&M’s – John Medeski (MMW), Papa Mali (7 Walkers), Rob Mercurio and Stanton Moore (Galactic) – made its debut at NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge in May. Add the mad scientist Marco Benevento and Maceo Parker to that mix at Equifunk and you can call this combination simply MAGNIFICENT (you like that, right?). And the nice thing about these M&M’s is that they melt in your mind, not in your hand (which is great, because who wants to deal with that?)
Pork Tornado (w/ Jon Fishman)
Co-Founded by Phish drummer Jon Fishman and Dan Archer (producer of Phish’s Lawn Boy) on guitar and vocals in 1997, with  Joe Moore (saxophone, vocals), Aaron Hersey (bass, vocals), and Phil Abair (keyboards, vocals) the group made its return to the stage earlier this year for a one-off show at Burlington, VT’s Higher Ground; their first in over a decade. The only other show they have scheduled is, yep, you guessed it, at Equifunk. Get ready for a set of rock originals with a little country-western flair, and some covers thrown in for good measure.
The Equifunk All-Stars (Roberts, Shand, Dillon, Moore, Hall and Casey)
Give us Eddie Roberts and Pete Shand of The New Mastersounds, the ever-inventive Mike Dillon, the groove alchemist Stanton Moore, and two of the rising stars in the scene with Nigel Hall and James Casey and you will witness a set that simply will not let up at all from start to finish. These dudes are going to throw down some serious funk; it ain’t no question.
Anders Osborne w/ John Medeski
Anders Osborne can do it all; the guy can flat out rock, he can play the blues, has got a touch of country, and all with straight soul. And he is no stranger to a good collaboration, as he recently tore up the New York area with Dragonsmoke, a group comprised of Osborne, Ivan Neville, Stanton Moore, and Rob Mercurio. Team him up with avante-garde jazz master John Medeski and things are bound to get weird….in the best way possible!
Check out why Equifunk is one of our “Summer Festivals to Not Miss” this year. Between the music, the event taking place at an actual summer camp, a raging all-day Pool Party on Saturday, and all-inclusive beer and food on Friday and Saturday, you can’t go wrong.
To purchase tix, and for more information, go to www.equifunk.com
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