Nestled in the heart of Appalachia in the western part of Virginia, FloydFest celebrated their 16th annual music festival this last weekend of July. It was everything that attendees could ask for and much more – great music, good vibes, and beautiful scenery.
Technically a five day festival, the real meat of the festival began on Thursday, July 27th. Walking around just to get my bearings straight, I was first drawn to a smaller stage nearby. My ears not deceiving me, a stellar and very pop version of “Scarlet Begonias” was being played by a group comprised of young men. Thirty minutes into the festival and I heard the first Grateful Dead cover. It couldn’t have been more classic. The band was Feel Free, and after getting the entire tent to sing along with the Garcia/Hunter classic, they played some of their own danceable tunes. Feel Free was certainly a pleasant surprise to begin the festival experience.
Another smaller band that played on Thursday were the Forlorn Strangers. Unfortunately technical issues dogged the first 45 minutes of the set. The musicians themselves anxiously awaited to play, and finally they realized they didn’t need any electricity, so they brought their instruments to the floor in front of the stage and rocked out traditional folk and bluegrass that made the crowd happy. Their originals were tight, and the cover of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” was a great sing-a-long.
On the main stage, Anders Osborne perhaps brought the first truly rock-n-roll edge to the festival. With all the musicians exerting maximum energy, they rocked through songs found on his newest release like “Different Drum,” “Fools Gold,” and “Hurt.” The band seemed to be having so much fun rocking out, but Mother Nature had a different plan. A torrential downfall began near the end of his set, causing him to end it early. The heavy rain, and subsequent thunder and lightning, lasted for nearly two hours bringing the festival to a standstill. Even when it stopped festival organizers were cautious how to continue as radars looked bleak.
Nonetheless Thursday headliner Railroad Earth was able to play their headlining slot for the night, and for the fans that stayed out late in the cold, they were rewarded with an awesome set that featured “Potter’s Field” with a huge jam and classics such as “Bird in a House.” It was cool to see Railroad Earth play a full set and not throw in the towel because of the bad conditions, so Thursday ended with a bang from the jamgrassers.
Friday followed with big names and up-and-coming groups alike. The Hip Abduction was one of the first acts performing in the day. Their eclectic mix of jam, rock, reggae, and calypso melted into a unique sound that isn’t easy to describe. What is easy is to say how awesome they were. Besides having nice melodies and songs that were easy to get into, they could all go into a percussion jam (all musicians participated) or could bust out a kora (Google it) to add to their sound. It was a great set from a band that may not be on your radar but should be.
Texan Shakey Graves made sure to portray his Texas roots, displaying the flag and making multiple comments bout his native state amidst his fantastic storytelling. Shakey was fun and really reminded fans that music and storytelling go together. Rich Robinson played a set that was fairly standard but enjoyable. Then the main acts began for the big-name portion of the night.
The Wood Brothers soothed the crowd with their acoustic tunes. The highlight of the night was indubitably Nahko & Medicine for the People, if judging by the size of the crowd. As far as the eye could see, the field was filled with people. There were lots of teenage girls present as was notable in the cries and shrieks that would be reminiscent of a Jonas Brothers concert. Nahko was certainly a lot more pop than I imagined, but that is not a bad thing. His music was good and his message was even better. He did a great job of expanding the good vibes of the festival. Leftover Salmon ended the night with a great set. It wouldn’t be the last we would see of them.
The big day for festivals is always Saturday, and Floydfest is no different. Attendees were settled in, the biggest headliners were slated to play, and the rain from Thursday was a thing of the past. Keller Williams got things going with his guitar-driven music, filled with loops and effects and all sorts of things Keller. The most energetic of all sets was performed by Femi Kuti and the Positive Force. His 54 years of life experience were betrayed by his singing, playing, and most exceptional youthful exuberance onstage. True to his father’s legacy and to his own musical career, Femi made sure to preach a positive message of Africa, humanity, and the way in which one should live.
Warren Haynes followed on the main stage, bringing along his Ashes & Dust Band. The group went through a plethora of songs from a number of sources. They opened with great version of “Spots of Time,” a tune from their album. “Patchwork Quilt,” Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower, “and Allman Brothers’ “Blue Sky” (with “China Cat Sunflower” teases) and “Jessica” all appeared in the setlist. It was a great set from one of the biggest names in the jam scene.
In perhaps the only bit of sadness to creep into the festival, the main headliner, Gregg Allman, was forced to cancel his set after being hospitalized in Roanoke. He had cancelled his show the night before in North Carolina, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Still, I was in the VIP tent when a person from management got on the stage and gave an announcement. He started by saying, “Folks, I have some bad news, and I am going to read it right from this paper I’m holding.” The crowd listened with a very attentive silence as he relayed the news of Allman’s hospitalization and cancellation. I was surprised that there was no collective sign of bitterness, or moaning and groaning, or bitching and complaining. Quite the opposite actually. At the end of the announcement, when the speaker asked to send good vibes to Gregg so he could heal, the audience went crazy and it was possibly the best scene of sending good energy to someone who probably direly needed it. It was a very positive thing to witness, and despite being sad that I would be missing Allman, it was a great display of humanity from fans at Floydfest.
So with Allman out, Leftover Salmon and Friends stepped up to main stage Saturday night for the headlining slot. Dubbed Buffalo Mountain Jam, it was an all-star jam session for various musicians of the festival. To say it was a highlight of the weekend would be a gross understatement. An amazing version of the Dead’s “Franklin’s Tower” formed part of the set, but the emphatic “Whipping Post” encore was the superlative tribute to the ailing Allman. With the main stage closing for the night, some fans headed to the “secret set” featuring Pimps of Joytime. It wasn’t so secret in that everybody knew about it, but it sure was a fun time that served as the “15th annual FloydFest.”
The last day certainly eased down from the fun and shenanigans of the previous four days. It had a much calmer and tranquil feeling to it, although not any less musically entertaining. One of my favorite sets was from Keller Williams and More Than A Little. It’s a group of musicians with two female vocalists, and they play a form of soulful, gospel funk. I was checking them out when, true to Keller’s love of GD, they slowly morphed one of the funkier tunes into a very elegant version of “Eyes of the World.” It caught fans completely by surprise, and it immediately had anyone who wasn’t dancing up and moving. Later in his set he was playing a song about drinking too much wine when apparently inspiration moved him brightly, and remembering it was Sunday, he brought out the Bible-inspired tune of “Samson & Delilah.” The two songs were interwoven with each other as the band went from one song into the other at least three times. It was a very fun set.
Greensky Bluegrass brought their recipe for jamgrass on the main stage and they didn’t disappoint. The final main stage act, Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers, closed the Dreaming Creek Stage with style. They played older favorites like “Jacob’s Ladder” and “White-Wheeled Limousine,” as well as newer tunes from their latest album like Valley Road. The group also provided some comic relief as well. During one of his slower ballads, one fan, dubbed the purveyor of the bubbles by Bruce, began making hundreds of bubbles to fill the air, much to everyone’s enjoyment. Hornsby, in the middle of this ballad, took notice and mentioned all the bubbles. He recalled how bubbles was once misspelled as bubles in an old yearbook, and that memory led him to start saying bubles (pronounced boo-bulls) throughout the song. Pronouncing all the hard, bilabial “B” sounds so much, he couldn’t help but throw a couple “Bad to the Bone” teases in there. The crowd soaked it up and laughed hard with each bit. Hornsby and the Noisemakers easily provided one of the most fun sets of the weekend, and it was a great way to wrap up FloydFest.
Besides all the phenomenal music just described, FloydFest offered plenty for fans to do. There was a children’s area, plenty of vendors, and a plethora of outdoor activities including but not limited to mountain biking, trail hiking, river tubing, and even disc golf complete with a nine-hole course on site. There was even a tournament on site, and yours truly took tied for third place amongst the amateurs.
And it would be remiss to not mention perhaps the most important aspect of FloydFest: the people. The vibe generated by the people was so positive. Everyone you met was extraordinarily nice and kind. All those ideals of the 60s- peace, love, kindness- were all present, and as cliché as it sounds, it embodied all the virtues of hippiedom. It made the weekend very special. The overall vibe of FloydFest will not easily be topped, and anybody who has been would probably agree. I’m already counting down until next year’s FloydFest.
Words and photos provided by Ojeda Photography. Check out a full gallery below!
