For nineteen years, the smell of fall in the Florida air around The Spirit Of The Suwannee Music Park has meant one thing… it’s time to dance under the stars to the sounds of of a mix of Americana and soulful sounds of the Magnolia Festival.
Heavyweights like the Tedeschi Trucks Band joined punk-folk heroes The Avett Brothers, rising stars Lake Street Dive, funk from The Motet, New Orleans and The Rebirth Brass Band, bluegrass from the Steep Canyon Rangers and Jeff Austin and his band, uplifting soulful sets from The Lee Boys and one featuring Grateful Dead tunes from Keller Williams and his More Than A Little Band, and perennial fest stalwarts Jim Lauderdale and Donna The Buffalo and even one of the original bluegrass boys, the legendary Del McCoury himself.
Though the stages were filled with legends, one of the biggest stars to see in the weekend was not a person, but a place, the park itself. The park’s beloved amphitheater stage hosted many of the finest sets of the weekend, but the concert field boasted a massive additional stage to handle the sheer volume of eager attendees, while the large indoor music hall made much more intimate sets possible. Sunny perfect days gave way to crisp, clear bight, with music echoing from campfire picking parties til the break of dawn.
Day One: Thursday, October 15
Much of the under card on the first day were bands who had set the regional scene buzzing, including the wailing guitars of the Parker Urban Band, a southern fried rock showcase with The Ivey West Band and show stealing Corbitt Brothers, with fiery fret board work of Newsome Corbitt matched by the jaw dropping harmonica work of his brother Isaac. It’s not something you see as much of these days, and his breathing control and use of drenching distortion made it a seemingly special occasion.
The Motet kicked up the party with their first set of the weekend, as the titanic twosome of Dave Watts and Garrett Sayers weaved an intricate and potent mix of rhythmic, snaking funk bottom, while Joey Porter held court with sweeping organ lines. Colorado sons The Congress, who have toured with Tedeschi Trucks and Thursday headliners Lake Street Dive brought a strong blues infused rock spirit to the weekend.
Urging the crowd to dance, The Motet’s Jans Ingber got up and showed them how he got down, and the crowd, spurred by his example, happily followed suit and a proper dance party got under way. Lake Street Dive brought their riveting stage presence to close out the Amphitheater Stage and showed why they are not only fan favorites, but critical darlings as well. There’s no debating the raw feminine energy put out by front woman Rachael Price, but the musicianship that backed her up, particularly from trumpeteer and guitar player Mike Olson. Intense drum fills flowed into snappy bass lines, all punctuated by disparate yet harmonious wind and string leads, all under the sure control of Price. The Thursday night pre-party came to an end with a enthusiastic but dance weary crowd headed to tents and cabins, ready for the first full day of music.
Day Two: Friday, October 16th
With the ice broken so well the previous day, there was nothing to do but wake up, roll up our sleeves and get back to it. More great regional acts started off the day, and their fans took great delight in seeing their hometown heroes rocking quickly winning themselves new fans with their song craft. Berry Oakley’s SKYLAB crashed into the stage in a massive crash of fuzzed out guitar and straight rock, Applebutter Express brought a sweet as honey bluegrass sound to the music hall and the tradition of rock’s rebellious spirit was kept alive by the throwback energy and swagger of The Mojo Gurus.
Blues guitar icon, actor and possible warlock Col. Bruce Hampton took the stage and, though showing some visible discomfort in his stride, seemed to use that pain to bring yet more poignancy to his singing and sweet, sorrowful tone. Hampton’s set came alive on Uncle Charles’ Porch Stage, which rests halfway between the massive Meadow stage and the oak surrounded Amphitheater.
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Following Col. Bruce, The London Souls brought a big apple flair to the park, continuing in the hard rock inspired bent the weekend seemed to have as it’s lifeblood. That said, not every guitar was dripping in molasses, as the clean, pure sound of stringed instruments of all kinds was on display as well. The Steep Canyon Rangers returned to the park, and showed why they are considered the musicians musician band, with fierce crescendos and cutting fiddle work that had the crowd kicking up sand as they slipped into hoedown mode.
Actual bluegrass royalty was on hand in the form of Del McCoury, one of the legendary Bill Monroe‘s backing band, The Bluegrass Boys. Having moved into the role of elder statesman of the genre, McCoury mixes a unflappably upbeat demeanor with a folksy candor that is nigh irresistible. He’s stocked his band with several of the finest players on the planet, with three award winning joining him at the center mic, including fiddle hero and Jason Carter, and Del’s own sons Ronnie and Rob McCoury. It seemed fitting somehow that, at a festival known for its generational heritage, a family was bringing love to the audience with songs written across the decades.
The Travellin’ McCourys, which are Del’s sidemen and sons stepping out on their own, brought a different flavor shortly after their Meadow stage set with former Lee Boy and drop and sacred steel firebrand Roosevelt Collier. With the Lee Boys familial aspect matching The McCourys, and both acts having recorded together in the past, the sense of two music clans coming together was made only stronger by their joint set, which had all the trappings of neighbors sharing a front porch jam.
The Tedeschi-Trucks Band’s headlining set was easily one of the high points of not just the day, but the weekend. Derek Trucks, blues and slide guitar prodigy showed the power of his lineage, his innate talent for guitar manifested itself so early that he was playing stages across the country while his friends were still playing tag. Susan Tedeschi has a similar life long passion for music, singing in choirs and bands since childhood, and playing a mean guitar herself. When the pair met and married, there were those across the country who were overjoyed at the prospect of an upcoming world destroying guitar revolution, led by their sure to be super powered children.
While we all watch the skies for that fateful day, we have all benefited from the result of their merging their solo efforts into the award winning band that resulted from blending their mutual backing players into one whole. Lovers of the slide guitar, southern gospel tinged rock music, as exemplified by Trucks’s previous band, The Allman Brothers, and the pure blues sound of Susan Tedeschi’s voice were in heaven, as their two hour plus set wound through a mixture of each artists personal staples and songs from the bands two albums.
Earlier this year, the band gave a show stopping performance of Joe Cocker‘s Mad Dogs And Englishmen album, and they brought a hint of that with their closing encore rendition of Cocker’s take on The Beatles classic “With Little Help From My Friends.” No sooner had the last strains of that epic tune faded than the funky sounds of the Motet’s second set of the weekend, a late night throw down on the main stage kept the party going til the wee hours of the night.
Day Three: Saturday, October 17th
Though the spirit was willing, it was fortunate that the music didn’t start til noon as weary patrons were working hard to reassemble mids blown by the previous nights festivities. Steve Pruett brought us all Back From The Brink, and brought his family along for the ride. Those who had had to make tough decisions the previous day as to which act to catch were delighted at second chances to see Col. Bruce, the Steep Canyon Rangers and The Corbitt Brothers.
Fresh blood in the form of the always energetic, mildly dangerous Jeff Austin brought his mandolin madness to the park, picking and grinning, and frowning, and just generally contorting himself while mixing in songs from his newest solo record, tunes from a planned future release and even some much requested material from his Yonder Mountain String Band Days. The New Orleans Suspects and The Rebirth Brass Band played on separate stages, wisely, for if the two acts were allowed to play side by side the entire festival would have turned into a Crescent City funk explosion that could have easily caught the surrounding areas for years to come.
While having a wide range of influences is always a good thing, you don’t hear of many bands trying to fuse the punk rock snarl with the heart wrenching earnestness of folk, but that blend is what makes The Avett Brothers so unique. Growing from their mohawk and metal studded jacket days, though their outer shells may have softened, their passion has only grown, and the loyalty and devotion of their fan base is a sight to behold. The brothers, Scott and Seth, have been playing together in bands since the nineties, and have mastered the “Nirvana” model of hushed tones and whispered words to draw the listener in, followed by bombastic explosions of furious energy that takes hold of listeners with an iron clad grip. The last few years have seen them expand their previously bare bones aesthetic, adding three members to their touring band, including fiddle player Tania Elizabeth who brought a infusion of feminine energy that matched the masculine power that emanates so wildly from the band. Delighting the audience with a set that started out with some of their newer material, the band truly connected with their rabid fans during the second half, that saw many of their classics, like “Die, Die, Die“, “Salina“, and a rendition of “Kick Drum Heart” that, if the technology existed to harness it, could have provided enough raw energy to have powered the festival for the entire weekend with watts to spare.
One of the great traditions of Magfest is the picking parties that spring up around the campfires around the 100 acres of camping available at the Spirit Of The Suwannee. The festival long ago stepped in and made it official, helping bands like Quartermoon hold court all night long, welcoming all comers and playing til fingers could simply go no more. Across the grounds, near the small lake that rests outside the main gate, “Sloppleryland” boasted collaborations between players from many of the days acts, like members of the Steep Canyon Rangers and Lyndsay Pruett, alongside patrons and anyone who wanted to lift their voice in song.
Day Four: Sunday, October 18
After three days of nearly non stop mayhem, the festival wisely pared down the production to a single stage, giving exhausted fans a chance to come down to the amphitheater with their chairs and hammocks and recover. Among these slightly bleary faces are fans who have been coming to the park for the Magnolia Festival since its first show nineteen years ago, including several groups of fans that have gone from friends to family to…secret societies.
Members of the so-called Magfest Mafia, who have made their presence known with a sense of style and charity, were on hand as always, styling in their suits and lending a helping hand to the park workers, patrons, and each other, providing an idea of what family can be at its finest. They aren’t all related by blood, but they have come to consider each other brother and sister and have quietly accepted a central truth of life that evades so many…that together in love we are stronger than alone in sadness. Throughout the crowd you see them in their matching shirts, passing out flowers food and smiles to those in need, and loving the music that united them into the shining example they have become.
Grampa’s Cough Medicine and park royalty Jim Lauderdale helped the crowd come alive again, just in time for one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend, Keller Williams’ “Grateful Gospel” set with his “More Than A Little” funk band. Keller reworked several of the Dead’s more uplifting songs, like “Eyes Of The World“, “Franklin’s Tower“, and “Ripple” into soulful classics, and with the aid of former Jerry Garcia Band guitarist Stu Allen, brought a blend of reverence and reinvention to songs that have literally been written into the fabric of the lives of millions.
Williams’ trademark sense of exuberance and good cheer was a perfect fit for the the mood, time and day, as even the most tired fan could not help but be drawn to their feet by the joyous sounds coming from an obviously delighted band. Those who had any questions as to whether or not the material was being handled properly were overjoyed to be reminded of one of the Grateful Dead‘s most powerful messages: “If you get confused just listen to the music play.”
Finally, it was time for the closing set by the band that is literally the heart of Magnolia Fest, Donna The Buffalo. Having played every one of the last eighteen festivals, DTB knows full well the bonds of family, generations and love that mark this festival. They’ve watched from their onstage perch as children have grown into players that have come to join them on the stage, as people have met and fallen in love while dancing to their songs and as, sadly friends have fallen to the ravages of time, as we all must someday.
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Rather than dwell on the negative, DTB, as always, brought their blend of Americana, zydeco and folk to a fervent fan base, known as the Herd, who hung on every word, note and expression while cheering their band to always greater heights. In a sense, Donna The Buffalo is the distillation of the living spirit of the festival, and their closing set brought everything together, as the tribe that is made up of festival regulars and new faces alike shared one last burst of mutual joy before finally returning to reality after the closing notes…taking with them a renewed spirit of hope for the power of cooperation.
Sadly, several folks who have made this festival what it is have fallen over the last year or two, and I want to take a quick moment to honor their memory. Fiddle player and actual rocket scientist Susan Cunningham was honored all weekend by the band Quartermoon during their campfire jams with a shrine of photos and mementos that was moved to the stage during Keller’s set. Production worker and artist Nick Crago also had his memory kept alive by the staff. Finally, park art coordinator and poster artist for the festival Bean Spence painted a memorial for fallen park master of all things mechanical, Buffalo.
A small shrine to Buffalo was built alongside the park electrical boxes that he had helped maintain so well for so many years, while flags flew from the stages. Buffalo had many gifts, from his ability to produce nearly any part or tool needed, no matter how obscure, to the calming effect he had on all those around him. Tales of mysteriously appearing much needed gear abound since his departure, and many feel his spirit lingers over the Suwannee, keeping a light on for those who not only hear the music, but bring the make the music possible through their hard work. It takes a team…scratch that…it takes a family to bring these events to life, and in the nineteen years of the Magnolia Festival we have gained so many wonderful friends, and lost many of the best people you could ever hope to meet. That’s how life goes, and rather than fight the tides, the only sensible thing any of us can do is enjoy the moment as fully as we can, and when outr number is called, know that the next generation will step up as we roll away.
