Article and Photos by: Gary Flink

The 12^th annual Mountain Jam music festival took place this past weekend and, despite a few glitches that were well beyond the control of the organizers, the event was a huge success.

The festival, originally founded in 2005 by Radio Woodstock and Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers, Government Mule), is a music lover’s music festival. No glitz, no glamour, and showers optional for die-hard music fans out to enjoy a circa late 1960’s/early 1970’s throwback style festival… think Woodstock, weed and Watergate. Tie-dye, flip-flops and bandana headbands are clearly the fashion style of choice at Mountain Jam and community tent and RV living are more the rule then the exception.

Set up with two side by side stages at the base of and overlooking the Hunter Mountain Ski Resort, and one small indoor stage in the ski lodge which was only used infrequently, the event runs as precisely as a Swiss watch. The organizers of the festival must be ex-drill sergeants, because they clearly delivered their marching orders and had all of the workers, support staff, and even the artists themselves dialed in and on board to stick to the set schedule.

Whereas most festivals are spread out over a broad area with multiple stages and artist’s performances that are always overlapping, Mountain Jam fortunately breaks that mold. As one band is in the middle of their set, the band scheduled to perform next on the adjacent stage is running through sound check using stage monitors and in-line voice/audio meters to set sound levels. A five minute break between performances provides some time for final audio level adjustments, then the next band digs in for their opening song at exactly the right time.

The 50+ band line-up for this year’s festival traveled down a narrow path of musical genres. Electronic, hip-hop and rap were nowhere to be found. Funk, alt-country, blues, jam bands and classic style rock n’ roll were served up in huge and welcomed servings and heartily devoured by the faithful and enthusiastic crowd.

This year’s headliners included The Avett Brothers, Beck, Wilco, Government Mule, Jason Isbell, Courtney Barnett, Gary Clark Jr, The Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats.

While there were many highlights throughout the four day festival, the blistering set that Rateliff and his band delivered on the overcast Saturday afternoon was one of the weekend’s most memorable ones. You would never know they finally made it to Hunter, NY following a long 12-hour bus ride from a show in Ohio, as they showed no lack of enthusiasm as they took to the main stage. Starting out with “I Need Never Get Old” from their breakout debut album, Rateliff’s huge soul-filled voice got the entire crowd on their feet and involved from the very first note. The energy continued to build throughout the entire one hour set, and by the time they broke into “S.O.B” for their final song they had turned the steep sloped natural amphitheater into a mountainside dance floor.

Back to the glitches mentioned earlier…Gary Clark, Jr. was forced to withdraw the day before he was scheduled to perform due to a family emergency and, because of severe weather, the festival ended abruptly late Sunday afternoon.

Warren Haynes stepped admirably in for Gary Clark, Jr. and played a set in the allotted time slot and also grabbed his guitar and amp later in the evening for an unannounced, stripped down and amazing acoustic set under one of the rest tents. Also, for any fans that were lucky enough to have stayed around after the sudden cancellation of the end of the festival, the Avett Brothers performed an unplanned short acoustic show in the media loft in the base lodge of the ski resort.

Hats off to the producers and festival organizers for putting on an incredibly successful, enjoyable and well-run event. Life and mother nature threw them a few curve balls over the course of the festival, but they still hit this one out of the park.