As summer draws to a close and vacations transition into the ‘back to school’ mentality of fall, there is one live music event, in particular, which stands out from the rest. Taking place after Labor Day, Catskill Chill Music Festival returned this past weekend for its fourth annual gathering at picturesque Camp Minglewood (French Woods Festival Of The Performing Arts) in Hancock, New York. And while a chill was certainly in the air – the temperature dipped down below 40 degrees Fahrenheit over night on more than one occasion – the positive energy created by the festival’s staff and performing artists warmed up even the coldest of the attendees.
For the fourth consecutive year, Catskill Chill has embraced a certain kind of culture that is both communal and unique. Situated amongst an established performing arts summer camp, this event allows for groups of friends to rent a cabin (“bunk” is actually its proper name) for the weekend at a very reasonable rate, and thus, establish their own house within a larger home – the festival as a whole.
Therefore, in addition to clusters of tents set up wherever there is flat space (every year people camp on the tennis courts – quite the sight), hundreds upon hundreds of festival goers sleep in bunks. For anyone who has ever been to sleep away camp, the Catskill Chill is summer camp meets a modern day music festival. It’s quite the combination. Bands such as Fikus play an annual late night set in their bunk every go around. And this year, a “disco dive” set up between two cabins and several similar, impromptu dance parties could be spotted in and around the camp, further enhancing the tightly-knit musical community that this event has consistently embodied.
The “Chill,” as it has come to be known, is a funk and jam festival. However, it has also catered to the increasingly present electronic side of music on its recent bills, this year being no exception. Both Lotus and Conspirator delivered high energy, exploratory music in their respective evening slots, and DJs such as Orchard Lounge, Greg D and Speakerbot spun diverse sets which brought a certain urban flare to summer camp in the Catskills.
Another exceptional aspect of this event is the festival’s stages: a circus shed on the lake’s edge and a playhouse just up the hill (“Club Chill”) are the two most unique. The former serves as the main stage, and a centerpiece for the festival’s grounds. And the latter featured inspiring late night sets by Viral Sound and Damn Right, who played alongside Brooklyn’s DJ Logic in its rowdy, early Sunday morning performance.
This year’s Chill was headlined by members of the legendary New Orleans funk band The Funky Meters, dubbed “The Meter Men.” The performance featured special guest Page McConnell of Phish (piano, keyboard) – the supergroup played to a packed house in the circus shed on Sunday evening. Cranking out mostly Funky Meters classics such as Fire On The Bayou, the band delivered a clean, fun performance that did not stretch many improvisational boundaries, but was a treat in itself, nonetheless, especially in such a unique atmosphere.
And while it is very difficult to pinpoint the best musical showing of the weekend (since it is unfortunately not possible to see every performing act), Brothers Past, a electronic/indie rock four-piece group from Philadelphia delivered the standout musical highlight of the festival: a set packed with an eclectic palette of genres and rhythms, marked by a phenomenal rendition of Year of the Horse. The middle section of this song was rooted in a melodic two chord phrase from keyboardist Tom McKee, taking the band and every person in attendance on a furiously fast, musical journey that was both gorgeous and trance-inducing.
Amazing live music spawns from the love and appreciation of art. This creation, however, is only made possible by inspiration, which can come in many forms: from the melodies, harmonies and beats created by human touch, to beautiful natural world around these artists.
Human interaction, though, is the key ingredient to this inspiration. French Woods director Larry Siegel and festival co-owner David Marzollo have created a gem of a live music event, which has become a staple in thousands’ summer agendas. In its fourth go around, the “Chill Family” has achieved unparalleled success in the execution of a great small music festival, jam packed with a ton of talent and exceptional people. Looking forward, it will be intriguing to see how it continues to exceed beyond the boundaries of expectation for such happenings, while undoubtedly maintaining the intimate, family environment which is the core of the Catskill Chill.