Northlands Music & Arts Festival, held in the mountainous area outside of Swanzey, NH, has become one of the country’s last pure jam-band-based festivals. With two alternating main stages—The Mountain Stage and The Echo Stage—and no overlapping sets, the festival offered a rare chance to catch every note and see all the bands in their complete glory. With close to 30 acts, there’s a lot to cover, so let’s dive right in!

Friday, June 13th

The five-piece prog-rock jam band Squeaky Feet got things going with a short but sweet set of crunchy improvisational rock. The Denver-based quintet delivered a memorable clutch of songs that went from thick chords to introspective sonic vistas.

Mountain Grass Unit did their Birmingham, Alabama hometown proud. Their excitable, energetic bluegrass was an enjoyable counterpart to the more drum-heavy jams planned for day one. A mid-set cover of The Beatles‘ “Get Back” was a high point, but the polish and spirit of their original compositions easily stood on their own.

Mountain Grass Unit – Northlands Music & Arts Festival – 6/13/25

The Super Sonic Shorties, a “Ladies Only” collective project anchored by drummer and band leader Nikki Glaspie (The Nth Power) with Northlands artist-at-large Kanika Moore and Shira Elias (Cool Cool Cool) on vocals, Jessica Lurie on flute, Marcie Chapa on percussion, Angie Swan on guitar, Amy Bellamy on keys, Tonya Sweets on bass, and Marcie Chapa on percussion brought their laid-back superband vibe to the stage for a loose set of soulful and funky jams. Their tribute to the recently passed Sly Stone‘s signature tune “Thank You (Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Agin)” showed each member of this not-so-regular supergroup doing what they do best—getting funky.

Dirtwire is a hard-to-describe trio of multi-instrumentalist music makers Evan Fraser, David Satori, and Mark Reveley, who produce truly unique music that varies from song to song. Leaping from instrument to instrument with maniacal glee and aided by special guests The Green Mountain Horns (Avery Tuper on baritone and Matt Doliver on tenor sax) to thicken their sound, Dirtwire’s sheer originality set them and their tunes apart from the pack.

Future funk sextet Lettuce took the sun-dappled stage Friday afternoon with some potent tunes that hit the crowd like a refreshing wave of joy. Cheered on by bassist Jesus Coomes, the dance party in front of the stage was deep and wide. Horn players Ryan Zoidis (sax) and Eric “Benny” Bloom (trumpet) added breathy washes and sonic punctuation to Adam Deitch‘s always impressive kit work. Keyboard maestro Nigel Hall kept the spaces between notes full of rich life while guitarist Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff got some clean and clipped funk licks in wherever and whenever the mood struck.

Fast rising jam band Eggy mounted the Echo Stage with a tasty and appropriately echo-laden set. Solid vocal work from Bailey and the entire band’s enjoyable harmonies helped make their tunes both memorable and infectious. Holly Bowling sat in on a rocking cover of the Crosby, Stills & Nash classic “Southern Cross”, giving Battat a little company in his nest of all things keys.

The String Cheese Incident took the Mountain Stage for its headlining set with all the energy built during the day waiting for them. The band never wastes a surfable vibe, and they were more than ready to ride the wave.

Cheese played two full sets, and that still wasn’t enough. With a mixed bag of classics like “Miss Brown’s Tea House” and modern tunes like “Trip The Light Fantastic”, the same standard of excellence applied throughout. Speaking of excellence, Kanika Moore came out and helped make the second-set Allman Brothers Band cover of “Whipping Post” one of the most memorable musical moments of the day.

The String Cheese Incident – Northlands Music & Arts Festival – 6/13/25

Saturday, June 14th

Chicago-based funky soul outfit Sneezy got a chance to show what they could do to all the early rising music fans who made it to their set. Their brand of soulful music, mixed with their musicianship, undeniable energy, and sheer dancing joy was as adorable as it is contagious.

Bassist Karina Rykman has had a blessed path with top-shelf gigs and collaborators to this point in her career, but she has most certainly earned every opportunity and made the most of each. Now, her radiant positivity, matched by her poppy yet sonically dense songwriting skills and the musicianship of her backing band—featuring Adam November on guitar and Chris Corsico on drums—is helping her climb festival bills and sell her own records at an impressive rate, and her Northlands turn did nothing if not entertain.

Karina Rykman – Northlands Music & Arts Festival – 6/14/25

Since we’re looking at the overall thrust and upbeat vibe of Saturday’s bands, it would be wrong not to celebrate the inclusion of Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, who were next on the bill. Don’t let Donato and his cohorts Will “Mustang” McGee, Nathan “Sugarleg” Aronowitz, and Will “Bronco” Clark’s Nashville cowboy aesthetic fool you. This band is more than capable of taking you to deep space and back. In fact, “Space Is The Place” seemed to be DDCC’s mandate for most of their set, and the audience definitely showed their appreciation every chance they got.

Newgrass purveyors Kitchen Dwellers are no strangers to the far reaches of the musical spectrum. When Torrin Daniels straps on his banjo and is joined by fellow KD members Shawn Swain on mandolin, Joe Funk on bass, and Max Davies on guitar, they can and will set their musical controls for the heart of the universe. That said, the band had no problems touring the swampy musical backwoods, especially when joined by Bowling and Donato for a southern rock classic, Little Feat’s “Dixie Chicken”.

Soulive, the formidable jazzy jam trio of Eric Krasno on guitar and brothers Alan and Neal Evens on drums and keys, respectively, produce some of the finest laidback instrumental tunes around. Whether they were grooving through their own catalog, touching on Beatles covers, or just getting lost in a musical tangent, their set was a welcome bit of tranquility in the musical mayhem on display Saturday.

Speaking of mayhem, Andy Frasco & The U.N. get the award for most chaos created. With sax spark plug Ernie Chang, guitarist Shawn Eckels, and the hard-working rhythm section of Andee “Beats” Avila on drums and Floyd Kellogg on bass, plus latest addition Allie Kral on fiddle, frontman Andy Frasco already has an insanely potent band at his beck and call. When he invited Bowling, Donato, Cory Wong, and Sneezy out, the result was a joyous, if a bit disorganized, musical mashup that was part concert, part Gallagher comedy show, and a complete wonder to behold.

Eclectic guitarist Cory Wong always brings a heady jazz fusion energy to his musical efforts, and his Northlands set was no exception. Either alone or with ensembles like Vulfpeck, Wong shows a willingness to create music that transcends genre and becomes something new and endlessly enjoyable. His onstage time was filled with an undercurrent of subversive passion and talent.

The six-headed jam hydra that is moe.—comprised of bassist Rob Derhak, guitarists Al Schnier and Chuck Garvey, drummer Vinnie Amico, percussionist Jim Loughlin, and keyboardist/flutist Nate Wilson—served as the centerpiece of Saturday’s lineup. Thanks to newly refreshed arrangements of their catalog, mandated by the addition of Wilson’s multi-instrumental prowess, moe. has entering a new renaissance that was on full display throughout their Saturday headlining turn. Both sets were loaded with classics, a few covers, and a guest appearance from Kanika Moore that kicked Deep Purple’s “Space Truckin” up a few notches.

moe. – Northlands Music & Arts Festival – 6/14/2025

Sunday, June 15th

Pianist Holly Bowling gave Northlands attendees a most welcome “Sunday Funday” wake up call. Her pure instrumentalist efforts were as mystical as they were timeless.

Holly Bowling – Northlands Music & Arts Festival – 6/15/25

Florida-based Tand, featuring guitarists Taylor Godsey and Michael Garulli, keyboardist Daryl Wolff, bassist Jordan Richards, and drummer Robert Houk, did an outstanding job getting the spirits of the crowd up for the festival home stretch.

When guitarist Scott Metzger isn’t out on the road with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, he gets his groove on with his funky trio side project LaMP with drummer Russ Lawton and Ray Paczkowski on the organ. Paczkowski is a terrific purveyor of the old-school keyboard sounds of the late ’60s and mid-’70s, and his music is a perfect fit with the Metzger’s Deady tones.

Boston’s Neighbor—composed of Richard James (vocals, keys), Rob Compa (guitar), Dan Kelly (bass), and Dean Johnston (drums)—is a rolling southern-style jam-rock collective heavy on old-school charm. At times jazzy and always head-bob-inducing, their show was welcome for its brash vibe and undeniable skill.

lespecial brought its signature blend of dense, intricate jams to Nortlands as the time to end the party neared. Lucky for them, one of their “heroes,” Brenden Baylis (Umphrey’s McGee), was on hand to join in, as was frequent collaborator Kanika Moore.

Terrapin Family Band featured a lineup of Grahame Lesh and Eric Krasno on guitar, Nikki Bluhm and Kanika Moore on vocals, Ross James on the bass, Alex Koford on drums, Jason Crosby on guitar and organ, and Holly Bowling. Their heartfelt homage to the Grateful Dead was a poignant nod to a band that helped spawn the entire jam scene. Moore’s turn at the mic on “Shakedown Street” was a show stopper that left fans speechless, and the set as a whole was a joyful tribute to legends past.

Lotus co-founders Luke and Jesse Miller along with their bandmates Mike Greenfield on drums and Tim Palmieri on guitar kept the vibes high with a rocking penultimate set. Their guitar-oriented jams and dance music energy could drive even the most staid of crowds to trance-dancing in droves.

Closing out the main stage on Sunday night, Umphrey’s McGee—with guitarists Brendon Bayliss and Jake Cinninger, bassist Ryan Stasik, keyboardist Joel Cummins, percussionist Andy Farag, and newest addition Scotty Zwang (SunSquabi, Dopapod, Ghost Light)—threw down two monster sets of prog rock jams. Zwang recently stepped in following the departure of longtime UM drummer Kris Meyers and has quickly proven that the beat is in safe hands.

Umphrey’s upped the ante with a festive parade of special guests, with Holly Bowling tucking in next to Joel in the first set for “JaJunk”, lespecial drummer Rory Dolan spotting Scotty on “Believe The Lie”, and Kanika Moore taking the second set closer, a cover of the AC/DC classic “It’s A  Long Way To The Top”, up and over the edge.

Umphrey’s McGee – Northlands Music & Arts Festival – 6/15/2025

With this year’s standout showing, Northlands Music & Arts Festival raised the bar, further cementing its place as a new cornerstone of the jam festival circuit.

Click below to check out photos from the weekend courtesy of David Gray.