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| It’s time to jam at the McDowell Mountain Music Festival | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Chris Hansen Orf, Get Out | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| April 24, 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
So break out the drum circles, the suntan lotion (or sunscreen), the good vibes and the Frisbees, and get ready to get your jam on. Here’s the rundown on the bands who will perform on the main stage Friday and Saturday. FRIDAY, APRIL 25 1:30 p.m.: Mikel Lander & Meredith Moore. Singer/guitarist Mikel Lander and singer Meredith Moore, both of Tempe, team up with friends to kick off the MMMF with a set of jazz-tinged blues. 2:30 p.m.: Steve Reynolds Band. Flagstaff-based guitar virtuoso Steve Reynolds infuses his blues with jazz, traditional Irish folk and rock. Reynolds is a former Telluride Blues and Brews champ in the solo blues category. 3:30 p.m.: The Subdudes. During their two-decade recording career, the New Orleans-based combo combines the jazzy sounds of their own stomping grounds with elements of funk and R&B. 5 p.m.: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Vermont is famous for syrup, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, jam rockers Phish, and now for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, whose bluesy rock has landed them a major label deal with Hollywood Records and TV spots on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” and “Good Morning America.” 7 p.m.: Robert Randolph and the Family Band. The pedal steel guitar is associated mainly with country music — or it was, anyway, before Robert Randolph emerged from New Jersey earlier in the decade using the instrument as a solo centerpiece for his band’s brand of blistering funk and soul. 9 p.m.: Gov’t Mule. Started in 1994 by Allman Brothers Band guitarist Warren Haynes (who ranked 23rd on Rolling Stone magazine’s 2004 list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time), Gov’t Mule has become more than just a Haynes side project, releasing 11 CDs in their 14-year existence. SATURDAY, APRIL 26 11 a.m.: Peppermint James. Valley-based trio Peppermint James list influences as diverse as The Beatles, Bob Marley and Ravi Shankar, and flesh out their sound with such world music instruments as the sitar and mandocello. Noon: Mojo Farmers. Fresh off hosting their second two-day Mountain Mojo jam in Jerome, Tempe-based jam combo Mojo Farmers, featuring guitar virtuosos Bill Baker and Chris Losey, are set to release a new album in the coming months. 1:30 p.m.: Toubab Krewe. Folks who believe there’s nothing new under the musical sun should check out this North Carolina band, who through extensive travels in West Africa have adapted that region’s sounds to their own “Dirty South” music. 3:30 p.m.: JJ Grey & Mofro. One listen to JJ Grey and you’d swear you were hearing the ghost of Otis Redding being channeled through a white kid from Jacksonville, Fla. JJ Grey & Mofro deliver a gumbo of blues mixed with soul and Southern rock. 5:30 p.m.: The Wailers. Kingston, Jamaica’s The Wailers are about as legendary as it gets in rock history, releasing several albums before backing Bob Marley from 1974 until the reggae icon’s death in 1981. 7:30 p.m.: Blues Traveler. Featuring the work of harmonica virtuoso John Popper, Blues Traveler broke out of the jam band circuit into the alt-rock mainstream with their hit “Runaround” in 1995. While the band has yet to duplicate the chart success of that single, Blues Traveler remains a popular live act. 9:30 p.m.: John Butler Trio. John Butler has been a star in his native Australia since his debut CD in 1998, scoring several platinum albums down under, and has established a large following in the States through touring and appearances at the Newport Folk Festival and on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.” McDowell Mountain Music Festival When: Gates open noon Friday, April 25, and 10 a.m. Saturday, April 26 Where: WestWorld of Scottsdale How much: $55-$95 per day for adults; $20 per day for ages 11 to 16 Info: (480) 312-6810 or mmmf.net Contact Chris Hansen Orf by email, or phone (480) 898-5684 |
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