Returning to West Virginia after a year on hiatus and several years at Legend Valley in Thornville, OH, the 18th All Good Music Festival was back in full swing at the scenic Berry Hill Farm in Summit Point, WV. The sights and sounds over the three days of music were truly transcendent, as All Good put together one of the most spectacularly stacked festival lineups of the season. From rock to bluegrass and funk to electronic dance music, All Good had all the bases covered for an outstanding event. Here’s how we saw it:

Day One

Despite sour forecasts for the first evening of music at All Good, the sun eventually prevailed and Vermont quartet Twiddle took the stage to an early, enthusiastic crowd that was ready to start soaking up an amazing three days of sounds. Tinged with reggae themes and good island vibes, it wasn’t long into Twiddle’s inaugural All Good set before they had the crowd’s heads bobbing and rocking side to side with a ripping and ambient “Jamflowman > Frankenfoote” segue that was accented by an absolutely soaring rendition of the band’s “Syncopated Healing.” As the kids would say: they killed it.

[Mihali Savoulidis, Zdenek Gubb, and Brook Jordan of Twiddle]

Pennsylvania bluegrass product Cabinet took the stage next for their first of two sets at All Good, the only band to play multiple sets at the festival. The playing was fast and furious; the harmonies angelic, particularly notable during “Old Farmer’s Mill” on Thursday and “Caroline” on Friday.

In terms of meshing musical genres, All Good did a tremendous job with scheduling this year. Thursday night was a prime example. After Cabinet ended their set, the dynamic John Butler Trio brought out their Australian roots and rock with a captivating performance that only Butler & Co. could give. The instrumentation and vocals were as rich and vibrant as anything played during the festival. As JBT finished up, it was time for the first funk blowout of the festival by The Motet. With horns blaring and grooves booming, the Denver fixture served up a sweet 1-2 of KC & The Sunshine’s Band “Get Down Tonight” followed by Kool And The Gang’s “Jungle Boogie” to cap off their set.

[John Butler and Grant Gerathy of JBT]

Thursday’s main course began with a large helping of moe., a delightful side of Greensky Bluegrass, and finished up with dessert via STS9.

All Good Festival veterans moe. took the Dragon Stage at 10 p.m. and launched into a set that featured significant jamming (see “Brent Black”), with everyone getting in on the action. From guitarists Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier (wearing their 25th Silver Anniversary gear) playing off one another on “Silver Sun”, to bassist Rob Derhak rolling out licks like water cascading over a waterfall, and drummer Vinnie Amico and percussionist Jim Loughlin stirring the pot with massive percussive explosions during the set ending “The Pit”, their was great depth and texture to their improvisation that had to have any moe.ron licking their chops. Nothing but smiles from All Gooders.

[Rob Derhak of moe.]

Greensky Bluegrass picked up where moe. left off on the Crane Stage and explored several songs from their highly acclaimed record If Sorrow Swims, including “Demons,” “Kerosene,” “Burn Them,” and “Windshield” as well as a memorable cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City” sandwiched between “Broke Mountain Breakdown.” There’s nothing these guys can’t do right now whether it’s playing an intimate club show, playing a late night festival spot or taking the stage at Red Rocks Ampitheatre, Greensky continues to be on the up and up.

[Greensky Bluegrass]

STS9 rounded out the first night of All Good, and it was a set not to be missed. The jamtronica pioneers laid down some of the most cavernous beats and darkest grooves of the weekend, having some of the best lighting schemes around to accentuate the mood (guest lighting by Phish’s Chris Kuroda). The entire concert bowl at Berry Hill Farm was illuminated in wonderful shades of green, red, purple, and blue and as for the music, runs through “Gobnugget”, “Poseidon”, and “Moonsocket” had fans celebrating their first night at All Good in grand fashion while a “Really Wut? > Rockit (Herbie Hancock) > Really Wut?” closer kept them dancing all the way back to their camps unto the wee hours of the morning.

[STS9]

Day Two

The second day began hot and heavy with the sweet beats of electronic syndicate Zoogma taking the Dragon Stage at 11 AM. The band would bust out an emphatic cover of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” as well as a jam on The Eagles’ “Hotel California” before turning the stage over for Cabinet’s second set of All Good. Picking up where they left off the evening before, Cabinet delighted fans to some classic grass and for good measure, brought out Railroad Earth’s multi-instrumentalist Andy Goessling to play saxophone on “Mr. Spaceman.” Goessling is a true chameleon. He can blend in and adapt with anyone. It was definitely one of the highlights of the day, as was Brooklyn’s funk powerhouse Turkuaz.

[Cabinet with Railroad Earth’s Andy Goessling]

Boasting one of the strongest crowds for day sets all festival, Turkuaz absolutely blistered their All Good debut. The band’s rhythm section lead by drummer Michelangelo Carubba and bassist Taylor Shell were a FORCE. Tight and extremely well organized, Turkuaz put down an array of nasty grooves and funk patterns all set long that had the crowd dancing start to finish (see, “Lookin’ Tough, Feelin’ Good). Come noon, All Good Festival fixture, Baltimore’s own The Bridge had the Crane Stage totally engaged, as they were one of the most well received band’s at the festival. With a dash of bluegrass, funk and plenty of rock to spare, they solidified their place as one of the staples of the All Good community.

The next 12 hours were a classic hostage situation: the lineup for the rest of the day would not allow for any music to be missed. Leave to go back to your camp to get a meal or a drink, and you were liable to miss something incredible. Enter Antibalas. Brooklyn based and consisting of a small village of incredible musicians, their hallmark funk and afrobeat themes reigned throughout Berry Hill Farm on tracks like “Dirty Money”, “Gold Rush”, and “Sanctuary”, moving even the stiffest of security staffers. They even threw in a raging version of Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me” and The Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed And Painless”.

[Amayo of Antibalas]

The most exciting improvisational set at All Good came from Matt Butler’s Everyone Orchestra. An impromptu, yet technically scheduled jam session, the Everyone Orchestra was made up of members of North Mississippi Allstars (Cody Dickinson & Chris Chew), Railroad Earth (Tim Carbone), The Bridge (Cris Jacobs), Cabinet (Pappy Biondo) and Turkuaz (Michael Carubba, Shira Elias, Josh Schwartz, Greg Sanderson and Chris Brouwers), the fantastic thing about EO is that every time “it” plays, it’s always fresh and organic; never the same set list, let alone the same lineup twice. Intermixing everyone’s distinctive strengths and featuring all the musicians at one point or another, the Everyone Orchestra truly gripped the imaginations of both those on stage playing the music and those who showed up to watch the beautiful mishmash.

[Matt Butler & The Everyone Orchestra]

The “Americana” label is thrown around a lot in music today, but if there were ever a threesome of bands that deserve that tag, The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Railroad Earth, and The Word pretty much fit the bill. The CRB is a bit of a throwback, but in a uniquely modern way. Their farm-to-table rock band approach is refreshingly authentic, as was showcased throughout their set with tunes like “Jump The Turnstile,” “Shore Power,” and “Vibration & Light Suite.”

Perhaps the setting in the Appalachians Mountains, in a stronghold of bluegrass and all things Americana played a part, but the All Good crowd was raving about Railroad Earth because no matter which way you cut it, this band delivers every time out. In any given night you’re likely to hear RRE go deep on one of their instrumental compositions and hear primary songwriter Todd Schaeffer dial up any combination of his eloquently penned songs. “When The Sun Gets in Your Blood” was particularly fitting with the sun beating down on the All Good faithful, as was “Grandfather Mountain” which saw one of the only sit-ins of the weekend when The CRB’s Neal Casal added his electric waves to the mix. And just a couple songs later “Warhead Boogie” had plenty a “hobo” getting down. It stood out as one of the most exciting sets of the weekend.

[John Skehan of Railroad Earth]

Speaking of electric waves, The Word knows a thing or two about that. Comprised of an all-star cast including Robert Randolph, Chris Chew, Luther and Cody Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), and John Medeski (Medeski Martin & Wood), the crowd got a taste of The Word’s soul food in a relatively short amount of time. It’s the kind of funk and soul that makes you want to bounce and nod your head in rhythm and your lip to want to curl up over your nose. They sound like they’ve been playing consistently for a decade and not as a side project that has only played intermediately over the years.

One of the most anticipated sets no matter whom you talked to at All Good was Joe Russo’s Almost Dead. With peers on hand (including members of Railroad Earth and The CRB) as well as a swelling crowd of Deadheads on the Crane Stage, Russo and his Merry Pranksters laid out some early, classic Grateful Dead material as well as a few of the hits. Beginning with a spacey jam into “Reuben & Cherise,” a funky “Feel Like A Stranger,” a far-reaching “King Solomon’s Marbles,” and then an incredibly deep “Alligator,” JRAD continues to make the Dead’s catalog come alive in ways we haven’t seen elsewhere and have made the material distinctly their own. The set rounded out with crowd favorites “Sugar Magnolia” and “Franklin’s Tower.” No complaints there.

[Joe Russo of JRAD]

Primus Sucks! Or so I’ve heard. Les Claypool has as large of a stage presence as I’ve ever witnessed. You can’t help but be drawn into his show and cling to his dialogue and banter like a flea on a shaggy dog. It’s something other-worldly. Armed with the most elaborate stage setup at All Good – adjacent giant sized mushrooms – and the most ferocious crowd All Good saw all weekend, all the ingredients were there for a top notch show. Primus would oblige with thumpers like “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver”, “Over The Falls”, “My Name Is Mud”, and “Jerry Was A Race Car Driver.”

[Les Claypool of Primus]

One of L4LM’s favorites Lettuce filled the 10 PM slot on Friday and as is customary, threw down one of the funkiest sets of the festival. With Erick “Jesus” Coomes at the helm on bass, Adam Smirnoff on guitar, Neal Evans on keys, Adam Deitch on drums, Ryan Zoidis on sax, Eric “Benny” Bloom on trumpet and even some vocals from the one and only Nigel Hall, you won’t ever find a party they won’t be able to handle. Pure electricity.

Late night sounds on Friday night were offered by Thievery Corporation (Eric Hilton and Rob Garza), full band style. The late night shows certainly struck a positive note with the All Good community because the amount of people flooding into the festival grounds just after 1 AM was quite notable each night. The energy was palpable and the sounds sometimes foreign, as Thievery works with all kinds of brushes, including Eastern influences, hip hop, electronica, reggae and the list goes on and on. It was an awesome performance by the All Good rookies.

[Rob Myers of Thievery Corporation]

Day Three

The third and final day of All Good saw no hangover from the first two days. Instead of attendees lulling in the fact that it was the final day of the festival, they came out with an energy that was as eager as any other day. The addition of the single-day Saturday ticket by All Good brought new life into the festival grounds and spurred on a great day of musical entertainment.

After a warm 11 AM performance from folk-hop rockers Judah & The Lion, TAUK took the Crane Stage for a ride. The bone-bruising, instrumental rock fusion four-piece laid down a heavy, devastating set, running through originals like “Mindshift,” “Sweet Revenge” and even a sneaky, under-the-radar cover of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” These guys brought the heat to what was already a muggy Saturday afternoon.

[Issac Teel of TAUK]

There was no let up in the schedule either. Local Baltimore funk band Pigeons Playing Ping Pong took the Dragon Stage and felt right at home, as it looked as though many made the short hour and a half voyage to see their hometown boys throw down. Their bouncy brand of funk in songs like “Melting Lights > Live It Up” and “Spacejam > The Hop > F.U.” made for an awfully good time despite the simmering July heat. Expect to see these guys for years to come at All Good.

 [Jeremy Schon and Greg Ormont of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong]

For those looking to bust out their dancing shoes Saturday afternoon, electronic duo, songwriter Zion Godchaux (yes, that Godchaux) and producer Russ Randolph aka Boombox ran through an upbeat set that even snuck in a cover of the Dead’s “Shakedown Street.” Mother Donna Jean Godchaux would’ve been proud. All Good did an excellent job of providing variety all day long (again). Balkan Beat Box held down their set with what I’ve been told is called “gypsy punk” while the bluegrass/folk of Elephant Revival was a nice change of pace for a lazy afternoon under the West Virginia sun. The heat got turned up another notch when southern soul rockers JJ Grey & Mofro emerged to the stage putting out some of the most heartfelt tones all weekend (“Hold On Tight”, “Brighter Days”, “Slow, Hot & Sweaty”, “Ol’ Glory”) . The Jacksonville products ooze passion for their brand of music, leaving everything out on the stage for those in attendance. As Grey yelled “Damn right it’s all good!” the entire congregation gathered at the Dragon Stage reciprocated the enthusiasm with an eruptive applause.

Yonder Mountain String Band was back at All Good Music Festival this year, this time with newly anointed members Jacob Jolliff on mandolin and Allie Kral on fiddle. Alongside original members Adam Aijala, Dave Johnston, and Ben Kaufmann, Yonder Mountain feels (from the outside) rejuvenated and ready to make a run of great new music, as is evident from their newest record, Black Sheep. It was on full display at All Good on Saturday as the five-piece string band played every song from their new album, save one, “Landfall.” It’s great to hear new sounds from the band and listen and watch the growth of the new members. You can just tell there’s already a great chemistry brewing between all of YMSB. Set highlights included Jolliff crushing a classic take on Bill Monroe’s “Kentucky Mandolin” as well as a cover of the Del McCoury Band’s “All Aboard” book-ending the YMSB new original “New Dusty Miller.”

[Yonder Mountain String Band]

Think it’s any coincidence that the bands who have played All Good the most times throughout the fest’s history were reserved the final slots of the festival? SOJA, Keller Williams, Dark Star Orchestra, and Lotus are just about the most prolific performers in All Good’s history. Between them, they have over 30 appearances at the festival. It’s a nice courtesy by the All Good staff to pay it back to these artists and demonstrate the loyalty that can exist between artist and promoter. Great gesture.

Virginia natives SOJA brought their reggae and hip hop flair to All Good on Saturday night and threw down a real soul shakedown party. A very relaxed and free flowing set, make no mistakes about it, these fellas are the real McCoy. Lead vocalist and guitar player Jacob Hemphill is a ball of energy and always is permeating positive vibes, while it’s just always fun to see thumping bassist/dread lock extraordinaire Bob Jefferson whip his hair around and get the crowd feeling good.

[Jacob Hemphill of SOJA]

Loop master and one-man-jamband Keller Williams took the Crane Stage after SOJA’s healthy vibes and satisfied the All Good crowd with an excellently appropriate cover of John Denver’s “Country Road” as well as some K-Dub classics “Port-A-Potty,” “Celebrate Your Youth” and “Grate Crashers Suck.” There may have been no other performer throughout the three days that personified the positive attitudes of the All Good Music Festival as much as Keller. His sweeping acoustic melodies and bass lines were a sight to behold, his smile as infectious as any All Gooders. It was perfect harmony.

[Keller Williams]

Sacramento rockers CAKE took to their All Good debut next and played to a very a responsive crowd, taking jaunts through tunes like “Opera Singer”, “Rock ‘N Roll Lifestyle”, “Mexico”, “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”, and “The Distance.” Perhaps the one big curveball at All Good this year, their set finished up on the back of several head-scratching diatribes made by singer and guitarist John McCrea about modern commercialism and the general notion of just “Being” at an event rather than taking one’s phone out to record it. He definitely made a good point, although maybe not in the subtlest of ways.

The second Dead set of the weekend was sponsored by Dark Star Orchestra, and they threw down an absolute heater. A crushing “Viola Lee Blues” opened the set and was given way to an up tempo, Rob Barraco (keyboards) lead “Easy Wind.” After a “China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider,” Lisa Mackey took lead vocals for a rendition of “It Hurts Me Too” that hit the spot for blues fans all throughout Berry Hill Farm. Very impressive. The set concluded with a string of awesome segues: “St. Stephen > The Other One > St. Stephen > The Eleven > Turn On Your Lovelight.” As a bonus, DSO threw in a cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” to put an exclamation on their set.

[Dark Star Orchestra]

The final set of the 18th All Good Music Festival was left to jamtronica superstars Lotus, who kicked up the energy a notch for a rowdy late night crowd who were trying to get in their last euphoric moments at Berry Hill. Set highlights included an opening trio of “Greet The Mind,” “Suitcases” and a cover of Tame Impala’s “Elephant.” They concluded with mover and shakers “Hammerstrike,” “Spirtiualize” and a bookend to “Greet The Mind.” The only downside to their set was that it concluded what was one hell of a festival.

Whether you were trying to get up front to see your favorite band or just wanted to relax and lounge out on the hill and shoot the breeze with your friends, the All Good Festival and Berry Hill Farm had everyone covered. There was enough space all over the festival grounds, so you never felt overwhelmed by the crowd. The event staff was extremely hospitable and was more than willing to crack a joke with festival-goers at any given time. It was such an easy-going atmosphere; one couldn’t have helped but to be in a groovy mood. Not to mention the multitude of excellent, one-of-a-kind merchandise and the food vendors who provided for some delicious eating and drinking all three days. All Good went the extra mile to make 2015’s edition a truly memorable experience. Thank you, All Good!

*All photos are courtesy of Ben Petchel