third annual Northland Music and Arts Festival Heading into day two on June 14, 2024, the lineup can only be described as stacked, jam-friendly bands. The event was held at the Cheshire Fair in Swanzey, New Hampshire, and it didn’t rain during the live music. Performers include Goose, Pigeons playing table tennis, Spafford, event, selaher, Giant Panda Guerrilla Dubbing Team, magic beansand LSD.
The festival is held in the foothills of southwestern New Hampshire, with a beautiful mountain backdrop behind dual main stages and a smaller camping stage. During the festival, many artists create canvases on-site, and there are also a large number of festive gifts such as shirts, pins, dream catchers, etc. Clean, fresh air is a pleasant added bonus.
Charleston, South Carolina funk band The Psycodelics opened the show on the Echo Stage. They combine blues, jazz, disco and fresh funk rock.
The funky, almost electronic sounding Magic Beans from Colorado were next on the mountain stage. Their lineup includes guitarist Scott Hatch, keyboardist Casey Russell, bassist Chris Duffy and drummer Cody Welsh. Despite the early hour, their set was a lot of fun. They really enjoyed their dance performance which made the show even better.
The Panda Guerrilla dub team took the next Echo Stage honors. This psychedelic roots reggae quintet from Rochester, NY brings an authentic sound and tons of energy. It was exciting to finally see them live.
Big Something brings their Southern alternative rock style to the mountain scene. Members include drummer Ben Winograd, multi-instrumentalist Kathy Cranford, bassist Matt Laird, lead guitarist Jesse Hensley, multi-instrumentalist Josh Karger Er and guitarist Nick McDaniels. Their sound ranges from funk to reggae to heavy metal and everything in between.
Echo Stage returns with bluegrass singer-songwriter, mandolinist and guitarist Sierra Hull. The Tennessee-based artist brings plenty of Southern charm to the album along with an impressive selection of guitars.
Music returns to the mountain scene with Spafford, a jam-rock quartet from Arizona who are no strangers to long jams. The lineup includes Jordan Fairless (bass/vocals), Nick Tkachyk (drums/percussion/vocals), and Cory Schechtman (keyboards/saxophone). Guitarist Mike Gantzer replaced Brian Moss on guitar. They released two great covers from pre-2000, starting with Filter’s “Take a Picture.” They ended the show with “Mad World” by Tears For Fears.
Next, the ping pong pigeons took off on the Echo Stage, accompanied by a plethora of performances and some special guests. The Baltimore, Maryland-based quartet consists of guitarist Greg Ormont, bassist Ben Carrey, guitarist Jeremy Schon and drummer Alex Petropulos.
This very funky yet extremely dirty jam band plays a lot of old tunes and new songs. Beneath the Surface to be released in 2024 Times of Day, saw Ormon jump off Petropoulos’ drum stand and soar into the air. Next up is the classic Henrietta, and the fiery Underworld. The band then moved on to “Something For Ya.” Music from The Beatles’ “Come Together” began to blend in, and the band welcomed guitarist Rob Compa and singer Kanika Moore to the stage for an enhanced version of the classic tune. . The show ended with several classic tunes, including “Horizon,” “The Liquid,” and “Avalanche.”
Goose, an indie improv quintet from Connecticut, closed out the show on the main stage. Crowds gathered in front of the Mountain Stage for two more Aviary jams. Goose’s current lineup includes guitarist Rick Mitarotonda, bassist Trevor Weekz, drummer Cotter Ellis, percussionist Jeff Arevalo and multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach.
The first set started with “Turbulence & the Night Rays”, a song by Goose’s predecessor Vasudo. Starting with “Earthlings or Aliens?”, they delivered some serious scares throughout the rest of the set. This plays nicely into the old school tune “Turned Clouds,” which happens to happen just as the partly cloudy summer sky warms up with a fierce sunset. The band continued playing songs from their earlier catalog, including the unnecessarily funky “Jive I” > “Jive Lee,” which ended the show with a bang. Indeed, a little goes a long way.
The second episode features the 15-minute “Same Old Prank” released in 2021 prank night club. New drummer Ellis shows off his talents on this heart-wrenching performance. Next up is the blues-rock-infused “Thatch,” which lasts eighteen minutes. Lighting director Andrew Goedde lit up the stage and Mitarotonda crushed the solos.
Another old song “Wysteria Lane” written by Weekz brought more heat to this fiery band. The Jam took a right turn and went straight into The Who’s “Eminence Front.” This cover feels like a song written specifically for this band and certainly has fans excited. Newer song “Feel It Now” occupies the penultimate position. This incredible two-part festival performance concludes with the lively original song “Animals.”
See more photo from the next day exist Northland! Also, jump to our photo and review from first day.
spafford show list
put: Jam, Can’t Find My E-Cigarette, Leave the Light On, Diesel Drive > Take Photos1 > Giants in a world of light and madness2
notes: 1. filter, 2. cry out of fear
Pigeon table tennis set list
put: Porcupine, Under the Surface, Henrietta> Underworld, Do Something for You> Walk Together12horizon > liquid , avalanche
notes: 1. The Beatles, 2. With Kanika Moore and Rob Compa
Goose set meal list
Setting one: Turbulence and nighttime light, Earthlings or aliens? > Zhuanyun, Jive I > Jive Lee
Set 2:Same old prank > Thatch, Wisteria Lane > Prominent Front1Feel it now, animal
sound check: All blues, love and lazy poets
Coach’s Notes: 1. Who
Goose suit list from ergus.net
