Photo by Nick Fitanides

Photos by Britt Nemeth

Photos by LimboJim

“Live from Nateva!”

Day Three: “Bobby and Phil revisit Oxford Plains.”

Oxford Plains, ME – In the twenty-two years (and one day) since the Grateful Dead performed at the Oxford Plains Speedway on July 3, 1988 (the second of two dates that the band performed that month in the Pine Street State), much has changed.  Dead figurehead, Jerry Garcia, has passed on.  The Red Sox have won two world championships.  There is a legitimate festival in the state of Maine.  

It might be that the festival in Maine is the most surprising of the group.  Garcia’s passing seemed a sad inevitability and the Sox were on course to reverse some curses. Few might have envisioned that the Nateva Music and Camping Festival would welcome back two Dead alums playing the songs that imprinted the band’s unique sensibilities into the musical subconscious of so many, yet here they were.

Perhaps that sensibility is not buried too deeply.  A near capacity crowd was anxiously awaiting Phil Lesh and Bob Weir’s “Furthur,” which with the wonderfully adept guitar stylings of former Dark Star Orchestra member, John Kadlecik, provided a worthy tour through one of the most impressive existing catalogs of American music.

The first sign of their dexterity with the songs of the Dead was a reworked take on “Mississippi Half-Step (Uptown Toodeloo).”  The first set rang with such classics as “Ramble on Rose,” a strong segue from Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” into “Cumberland Blues,” and the set concluding, “Casey Jones.”

A generous break between sets allowed for most of the Nateva crowd to mingle and say their farewells to friends both new and familiar.  The beaming glows on the faces of each of the weekend warriors spoke volumes to Nateva’s success, as did the response to the Furthur second set opener, “St. Stephen.”

As the second set built to a slow boil, fueled by the Spencer Davis Group classic, “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” melting into, “Eyes Of The World,” and the timeless traditional, “And We Bid You Goodnight,” the 4th of July vibe just begged for some “U.S. Blues.”  A sturdy fireworks show followed the anticipated encore and was unlikely in that it managed to meet the set’s intensity.  It also sent the crowd home with smiling faces.

George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic had hips shaking, as well as heads scratching, as the big man met his assembled audience sans his trademark dreads.  In a tan suit best described as safari wear, Clinton allowed P-Funk to power a jumping set before taking the helm for the likes of, “We Want The Funk.”  Backstage, the gorgeous Chris Russell commented that he had personally kissed each member of the seemingly infinite Clinton entourage, as well as the sizable Zappa Plays Zappa party.  Between both acts that’s a lot of jamming licks, and a lot of kisses.

Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi delivered a cover of Delaney and Bonnie’s,  “Comin’ Home,” that not only fit perfectly within their set of southern fried sensibilities but also seemed to encompass the mind-set of so many who felt that they’d found home, if only for the weekend.

And therein lies the beauty of the first Nateva Music and Camping Festival.  As an observer who has heard so much music during the last three days that the sound of two revving Harleys sounded like a bass being sound checked on stage this morning, there was truly a sound at Nateva for everyone. 

From the inside out, the first Nateva Music and Camping Festival was the sort of dream that only the boldest visionary might see.  For those who came and enjoyed, it is a dream that you both idealized and enjoyed.  Good for you… and good for us.  Let’s do it all together again next year.

Please travel safe and be in touch.  We can’t wait to see you again!

-Tom Kielty

The Flaming Lips

Photos by Nick Fitanides

Photos by Britt Nemeth

She and Him 

Ryan Montbleau Band

Roots of Creation

John Brown’s Body

Photos by Britt Nemeth

Photos by Britt Nemeth

Photos by LimboJim

“Live From Nateva!”

Day Two: “Sun-Screen and Flaming Lips”

-Oxford Plains, ME – On the second day of the inaugural offering of the Nateva Music and Camping Festival the powers-that-be blessed the sight with an absolutely gorgeous summer day.  Weather is hard to call in this neck of the woods.  Perhaps an easier prediction would have been that the Nateva line-up of music would blow around with an eagerness to brush against so many genres.

This ideal could not have been more beautifully illustrated than by the Flaming Lips.  From the bombastic opening of confetti cannons and an ad-hoc dance squad of guys and girls in fantastically orange ensembles, one could be forgiven for thinking that they’d lapsed into a time of easy air travel and readily recognizable rhythms.  

Frontman, Wayne Coyne (who was spotted on the side of the Maine Stage checking out the likes of Grizzly Bear, She & Him, and Drive-By Truckers throughout the day), was forthcoming in his Nateva love.  He called out the volunteers and the workers who made the port-a-potties, “clean enough that I’d put my ass on them.”

Working from a set that drew from the band’s eclectic catalog, the Flaming Lips proved, once again, that they might be America’s most durable band.  If the instantly recognizable, “Jelly,” was not sufficient proof of the band’s wonders with a hook, then the plaintive cries of “Yoshimi” worked to remind listeners of an ever evolving act. 

The Lips were preceded by the throbbing beats of STS9 (who also got a Flaming Lips shout-out).  With an anxious crowd waiting for the headliner, STS9 delivered a beat and synth heavy set that called at points on three keyboards, and the loops that go with each, to dance with guitar.  It’s not easy to serve salad when the masses are screaming for steak but STS9 put enough meat into their set to warm up the masses wonderfully for the Flaming Lips.

Earlier in the day, Grizzly Bear turned out to be the wildcard on the Maine Stage as tuned in hipsters stood transfixed by their “Elephant Six Collective” approach to avant rock, while far too many others hurried to the dinner bell.  Those who weathered their stomach’s callings caught a smart, and at times surprisingly aggressive, set.  Many who didn’t see this set will one day claim that they did.

Of course, She & Him didn’t come as an easy act to follow.  With their sound fleshed out by two backing singers/instrumentalists, a rhythm section of bass and drums, and an additional guitarist, M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel had plenty of room to stretch out.  While Ward’s work as a solo artist, and in such collaborations as Monsters of Folk, has cemented his credibility, Deschanel is a newly discovered treasure of a performer.  

Whether behind a Wurlitzer organ that Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers described as the “Spooner Oldham Special,” strumming a ukulele, or simply belting out a killer like, “Sentimental Heart,” Deschanel can flat out sing.  The cover of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” showed that they know their roots but She & Him can confidently move in the current day in style.

Hood should, and does, know a thing or two about performing and his Drive-By Truckers blew doors in a set slated to start at 4:20.  Fresh off a support gig for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, they delivered solid hooks via ringing guitars in a manner perhaps best mastered by Neil Young and Crazy Horse.  They even dedicated, “Girls That Smoke,” to She & Him and “anyone who tours in England when it’s cold.”

The Crash Kings may have been the nicest surprise of the big stage performers with their catchy, “Saving Grace,” mining solid guitar hooks and vocals that reached the same neighborhood that Hot, Hot, Heat and Wolf Mother have occupied.

With two nights down it seems that a true personality is emerging in this fledgling event that we now collectively call, “Nateva.”  Friendliness emerges at virtually every turn here, and with one more night, it’s your call to go make a new friend.  There’s only one day left.  This is the spot.

Go make a new friend.

-Tom Kielty

Jakob Dylan & Three Legs
Photo by Nick Fitanides

Keller Williams

Umphrey’s McGee

The Felice Brothers

moe.

Ghostland Observatory

Grizzly Bear

Ryan Montbleau Band

Big Gigantic

Photos by Britt Nemeth

Photo by Nick Fitanides

Photos by LimboJim

Photos by Britt Nemeth

“Live From Nateva!”

Day One: “Let’s All Get To Know Each Other”

-Oxford Plains, ME – The first day of the Nateva Music and Camping Festival was a little like the first day of school.   Some of the kids initially got lost between classrooms and waited for a nudge in the right direction while some found their way instinctively to where they wanted to be.  The wide-eyed smiles at the end of this first day of the Nateva Fest proved that most had found a happy spot.

They surely must have by the time that moe. hit the Maine Stage.  After an extended tuning jam the veterans from upstate New York absolutely clobbered “Rebubula” before inviting Keller Williams out for an impressively direct take on the Grateful Dead classic, “Deal.”  Once the band reignited it was a playful run that hit a high note with “Stranger Than Fiction,” a reminder of moe’s musical dexterity.

Though moe. was the first band to play under the full cover of darkness , Ghostland Observatory was the first to make use of the night sky with a lazer show that would have made Dustin Pedroia take note.  Their hip swaying beats mixed with guitar to remind of LCD Soundsystem, and the continually growing crowd embraced them.

That crowd had already pushed back to the soundboard and beyond when Boston’s own Passion Pit took the stage.  Perhaps it was some luck of the draw that found the groove-heavy Cantabrigians in the not-quite-night time set but their decidedly night-time beats seemed a bit lost in the dim mood of twilight.  Covering the Cranberries’ “Dreams” struck a chord of familiarity but “Little Secrets” had a pound that seemed more naturally directed at a club crowd.  The band’s enthusiasm for their New England setting made the daylight performance seem more a labor of love for their local followers however, and an ultimate triumph.

Jackie Green’s rubbery set included a suitably bouncy, “Scarlet Begonias,” in the slot following Jakob Dylan.  Dylan’s performance, which drew primarily from his recent, “Women and Country,” was wonderfully augmented by album contributor Kelly Hogan, as well as Nora O’Connor (perhaps best-known from Chicago alt-country darlings, The Blacks)  who delivered Neko Case’s studio parts with a live relish.  Dylan’s only nod to his non-solo career was the Wallflowers’s “Three Marlenas” but his entire rootsy set was well-received by the big ears of the Nateva faithful.

Those lucky few who had found their way to the Maine Stage early enough were treated to an Appalachian upgrade courtesy of the Felice Brothers, who played a raucously melodic boot stomper of a gig. Word of mouth must have spread quickly as their late night set at the Port City Music Hall was extremely well-attended.  

During the afternoon the always reliable Umphrey’s McGee followed the Felices and seemed to be the first act to truly engage the slumbering giant that is the Nateva audience.  An adoring crowd slathered on sunscreen and found themselves stepping into the festival with Umphrey’s holding open the door.

And now those sleepy-headed pilgrims of Nateva wake to the likes of the Drive-By Truckers; She & Him; Grizzly Bear and STS9 on Saturday before the Flaming Lips keep everyone up past bedtime again.

Moisturize before you peel, drink plenty of water, and say hello to a stranger.  We’ll see you all later.

-Tom Kielty

LETTUCE

GYPSY TAILWIND

LOTUS

Photos by Britt Nemeth