10KLF 09

Back in 2003, when the 10,000 Lakes Festival first started, Jerry Joseph of the Jackmormons said to me,  “The problem with jam bands is nobody can write a good song.” Well, I think he would certainly eat his words this year.
       
Next week’s 10KLF is richly blessed with singer/songwriters and song-driven bands, rather than purely instrumental constructs that have dominated jam festivals in the past. There are full bands like Railroad Earth, Enchanted Ape, Cloud Cult, Public Property, Nathan Miller Band and Rock Plaza Central, who is musicalizing Faulkner. And there are intimate singers like Todd Snider, Kathleen Edwards, Evan Watson, Zack Deputy, Joe Pug, Corey Chisel, the duet Honeyhoney and Minnesota’s own Mason Jennings.

These are seasoned songwriters who are not just mining their interiors for cerebral angst but are offering up emotion-driven material that has something to say. And, they are artists I would strongly suggest penciling in on your 10KLF schedule.

 

Dave Matthews Band

By Justin McKenzie
Contributing Writer

 

It’s been almost four years since the Dave Matthews Band has played a public concert in Minnesota, and a lot has changed. Incorporating jazz-fusion, rock, folk, bluegrass, funk and blues elements, the genre-busting band has experienced the unthinkable on August 19, 2008. Tragedy and ensuing disbelief struck the DMB family and community with pain and depth that would forever alter the band as founding member and saxophonist, Leroi (Roi) Moore passed away in Los Angeles due to complications stemming from an ATV accident in June at the age of 46. The band’s future was unforeseen.

With an album in the works and different writing sessions taking place before Moore’s death, many questioned what would become of the Dave Matthews Band.

What resulted was a fitting tribute to their late friend and arguably their most impressive and important album in almost a decade. The band, Matthews on guitar and vocals, Stefan Lessard on bass, Carter Beauford on drums and violinist Boyd Tinsley as well as long time friend, collaborator and guitarist Tim Reynolds, jazz trumpet player Rashawn Ross and producer, Rob Cavallo, went back into the studio to continue work on the new album. They traveled to a studio in New Orleans early in 2009 and recorded the band’s seventh studio release on RCA Records, “Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King.” The album debuted at number one on Billboard’s charts in June.

“Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King” is an album that brings in many of the quality elements that the Dave Matthews Band has made its own. The opening track, titled “Grux” (which was the nickname for some of the band members, most commonly referring to Moore and his sense of humor) is a blue jazzy solo. Moore’s contributions can be found all over the album. “Grux” and a hidden track that follows 35 seconds after the final track wrap up the album nicely, gently honoring the late sax player.

The first single, “Funny the Way It Is” sounds very familiar to the band’s early material, while “Why I Am,” “Squirm” and “Time Bomb” give the band an opportunity to extend their rock roots. The ballad, “Baby Blue” is a soft and poignant tribute to Moore. The album carries some familiar themes from DMB’s past work, dealing with grief and loss, questioning blind allegiance to faith and the destruction it causes, and highlighting negligent treatment by people of others and the environment, all the while offering hope for those seeking it. DMB fan and 10KLF attendee Chad Harris of Minneapolis offered up his review of the album.

“Upon my first listen of Big Whiskey, the thought that permeated through my mind was ‘Yes! DMB is back!’ Their overall sound continued to evolve but what came out was a flawless album that had so much energy and emotion, I’m certain it will stand the test of time. From the opening notes to the closing ones, it takes you on a roller coaster ride of amazing music. It blows your socks off in ‘Shake Me Like A Monkey,’ it makes you cry in ‘Baby Blue’ and generates fond memories of Leroi in ‘Why I Am.’ To put it simply, it is a DMB album through and through… and I love it!”

Last summer, immediately after Moore’s accident, long time friend and guest saxophone player Jeff Coffin of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, agreed to fill in for Moore, and the summer tour continued. Coffin contributed and recorded BWGGK and will continue to tour with DMB in 2009. What Coffin has brought to the Dave Matthews Band is a significant stage presence and flare that can really light up the stage. To refer to him as a “quick-study” wouldn’t begin to acknowledge the professional and artistic abilities Coffin has exemplified with DMB’s vast catalog.

Guitarist virtuoso Tim Reynolds has been a good friend since the band’s early days in Charlottesville, Virginia. Reynold’s contributions to the band can be found on the band’s first three albums, “Under the Table and Dreaming,” “Crash,” and “Before These Crowded Streets,” so it was natural for him to join the tour last summer and continue into the studio for BWGGK.

Rashawn Ross, accomplished jazz trumpeter, has been touring with the band since 2005 and adds layers that completes the horns “Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King” as well as bringing his jazz solos to the stage.

Just talk to some DMB fans, and they will have no problem explaining what the appeal of the band is. Three childhood friends will be traveling from the Twin Cities to the Soo Pass Ranch, specifically for Saturday’s performance. Travis Anderson, 33, of Blaine explained why the band’s music is important to him. “I can never get enough of DMB, whether going for a jog, driving and singing triumphantly with my windows rolled down, feeling down, feeling up!”

Travis Jackson, 32, of Eagan will be a first time 10,000 Lakes Festival attendee and justified his 18 previous concerts. “The music is just so relaxing and easy to listen to. Dave Matthews Band is a band I can listen to for any occasion and their music instantly puts me in a good mood. Their concerts are so energetic and entertaining since every show offers a wide range of jamming, instrumentals and crowd pleasing songs.”

Anderson’s sentiments were similar. “No two shows are the same. I love the improvisational style, the love for the music, their chemistry on stage and the energy from the crowd and the band’s response.”

Not many bands can tour consistently, year after year, drawing crowds of 20,000 or more every concert, whether they have a new album to promote or not. Since 1991, the Dave Matthews Band has traveled to the corners of the United States, and their live shows have expanded as well. Most performances clock in around two and a half hours, night after night, changing up each set, which keeps many fans from catching multiple shows on the same tour. The band was not available at press time as they were coming back from a three week stint in Europe.

Julia, 34, will be traveling from New Hampshire for the festival. “I don’t know anyone who’s been to just one DMB show unless it’s their first. Usually the crowds are great; it’s an amazing feeling to me singing, along with thousands of fans. Plus there is always something new, a new jam or even just a new song. They are always surprising us.”

Making his second trip to the festival along with Anderson and Jackson, Ryan Abrahamson, 32, of Eagan has been to 14 shows over the past decade and has traveled to see the band as far as Las Vegas. He firmly responded to what he thought the band’s future holds. “DMB is going to keep going for another 20 years.” Hope is something that the band and their fans share in common, and no one has anyone reason to believe anything different.

 

Who: Dave Matthews Band
Where: Main Stage, Soo Pass Ranch, 10,000 Lakes Festival, Detroit Lakes, MN
When: Saturday, July 25th 8:30 PM
Tickets: http://www.10klf.com

 

 

Gomez

By Justin McKenzie
Contributing Writer
         

At what point does technology become a necessity to your band’s creative process? The five guys in the UK’s indie rock band, Gomez, had to answer that question when writing their latest album, “A New Tide (ATO).” HPR had a chance to speak to guitarist/vocalist Ian Ball via phone from his Hollywood home prior to their upcoming gig at the 10,000 Lakes Festival.

Comprised of Ball, Ben Ottewell (guitar, vocals), Paul Blackburn (bass), Tom Gray (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Olly Peacock (drums), the band will make only their second appearance in the region. They played in Fargo in 2004.
         

“The pre-production, writing process, of the album was basically all done online as I live in California, Olly lives in New York, and Ben, Tom, and Paul live in England. So we were each writing bits and sending them back and forth to each other.  The process seems to be more contemporary to those of us not in the music industry. But the final product doesn’t deceive the listener, no matter how the writing process transpired,” Ball said. “It was all done, not in a communal way, like five guys sitting around a campfire way, rather it was more scientific. I loved it. It was a positive experience, and I think we will probably do it again for our next record.”
         
The album has many different faces, staying faithful to the band’s diverse sound, with a number of songs, such as “Other Plans,” “Win Park Slope” and “Sunset Gates” going through tempo and sonic changes mid-song.

“I think a lot of it has very subtle (changes) as well, and it’s great when people pick up on the little things that we’ve done. We don’t really want to go, ‘And now here comes the crazy change. Watch out,’” Ball explained. “It’s more subtle. It’s all done with the hope that it doesn’t sound ginky or like a curve-ball.”
         
Having played all of the major gatherings in the past ten years, Gomez is not a band that is unfamiliar with the summer music festival circuit. This year will mark the band’s first appearance at the 10,000 Lakes Festival, and they couldn’t be happier with their slot on the main stage on the opening day of the festival. When asked about the choice between playing early or at the end, Ball was overwhelmingly for playing the opener, in anticipation of the excitement and energy the audience brings on day one.

“Fantastic! It’s so much better to start off a festival. We’ve played others in the past when the festival is winding down, and people have been out in the sun, partying for a few days previous.”

The excitement and festival atmosphere should provide a memorable experience for all who are there to witness it. This time around, Gomez hope to leave a little for the imagination for the festival goers, and that’s definitely not a bad thing.

 

Who: Gomez
When: Wednesday, July 22nd, 6 PM
Where: The Main Stage, 10KLF, Soo Pass Ranch, Detroit Lakes
Tickets:  http://www.10klf.com

 

 

 

Wilco

By Matt Beshear
Music Coordinator

 

“Are the roads you travel rough / Have you had enough of the old / Tired of being exposed to the cold / The stare of your stereo / Put on your headphones / Before you explode / Oh, Oh, Oh,Oh / Wilco, Wilco, Wilco will love you, baby.”
Jeff Tweedy, Wilco’s singer, guitarist and main songwriter, commented in a recent press release that recording their new album, “Wilco (The Album),” was the most fun he’s ever had making a record. With lyrics like the ones above from “Wilco (The Song),” the fact that they named not only an album but a song after themselves — and with great cover art (courtesy of famed photographer Autumn De Wilde) of a camel named Alfred at a birthday party — its not hard to see what he means. 

Recorded at Neil Finn’s studio in New Zealand as well as at their loft in Chicago, “Wilco (The Album)” is their second release with the current line-up and first release that features the same line-up as the album before. Early reports had it sounding experimental like “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,”  but once it leaked in early May, it was apparent it was more akin to the last record, “Sky Blue Sky.”

There are moments where their inner Sonic Youth comes out like “Bull Black Nova,” a song that’s as dark and weird as its title and one of the only ones that features guitarist Nels Cline’s blistering axe work. But, mostly, the record is a mix of a few upbeat Big Star sounding tracks like “Wilco”  and first single, “I’ll Fight,” and prettier tracks like “One Wing” and the epic closer, “Everlasting Everything.” 

The album debuted at number four on the Billboard charts, with 100,000 copies sold, so it appears the leak didn’t affect them much. And never a band to be too worried about downloading, once it leaked the band immediately put the album on their web site streaming and asked anyone that downloaded the leaked copy to make a donation Inspiration Corporation, an organization that helps low-income families in Chicago. 

Their current tour has mostly been booked at theatres and ballparks, and the U.S. portion ends with their performance at 10KLF. Arguably, the best American recording band out there, they’ve also become one of the best live ones. Drummer Glenn Kotche is as good of a drummer as exists; bassist John Stirratt is the other half of the rhythm section and is a talented songwriter in his own right; Mikael Jorgensen and Pat Sansone are both multi-instrumentalist threats; Jeff Tweedy is one of the best songwriters of the last 20 years; and then there’s Nels Cline with his jazz, surf-rock shredding solo’s making him worth the price of admission alone. Look for this to be one of the best shows of the festival.

Who: Wilco
What: 10,000 Lakes Festival
Where: Soo Pass Ranch, Main Stage
When: Thursday, July 23 9:30pm

 

 

William Elliott Whitmore

By Janie Franz
Staff Writer

 

One of the most skilled 10KLF singer/songwriters is William Elliott Whitmore, the son of poor Iowa farmers who surrounded young Will with the richness of music. “I had the amazing fortune of having a pretty musical family. Both my grandpas played the banjo. My father played the guitar, and my mother played the accordion,” he said in a phone interview.

“But I was always interested in writing. I was interested in writing before I really loved singing and playing guitar. I would write poems and stories, and I had this old antique typewriter that my mother found at a garage sale. I would peck out little stories and poems on that. Now, I’ve gone back to pen and paper. I just like the flow of pen and paper.”
Though he was surrounded by musical instruments, it was his voice that intrigued him early on. “I discovered at pretty young age that I really liked to sing and just yell and holler,” Whitmore said. “I’d take popular songs from the radio and rearrange them and kind of put my own words to them. Even as a little kid, I’d make up little fake radio shows and have fake guests and I’d sing songs.”
Getting a musical instrument into his hands, though, really was a matter of time. “I finally started paying attention to the acoustic guitar that my dad had in the corner of the living room that I hadn’t really paid much attention to before. When my hands got big enough to actually fit around the neck, I started learning to play chords. Then it was a whole new world! Then I could make a few chords and take my little poems and songs and actually make them my own.”
He says that not only did having all that music around and having parents who encouraged his creative efforts help shape his musical career, there was also the fact that he lived on a farm. “We grew up really poor on a farm in Leek County, Iowa. You had to find your own entertainment,” Whitmore said.

“Now, I just feel so glad that I was in such a nourishing environment for that. I developed a style of playing on my own because of that isolation. By the time I got into music, my folks weren’t into playing music as much. They were just glad that I was. I didn’t have anyone to play with really so I’d just go off an play on my own. That’s why I’ve developed a style I did, like trying to keep a beat with my foot, while singing and playing guitar. I tried to make as much noise as I could for one person. I could just play my songs and express my feelings.”
He called on that creative well when he parents died when he was a late teen. He poured all of that into a trilogy that he recorded in stages. “Hymns for the Hopeless,” “Ashes to Dust,” and “(Song of the) Blackbird” helped him work through his loss while exploring some bigger ideas. These albums also led to his current, more globally-focused “Animals in the Dark.”
But at 19, Whitmore decided that he needed to share these songs with the world. “I set up shows where anyone would let me,” he said. “I ended up doing that for years and years, doing tours of the nation as little DIY shows in people’s basements, in people’s living rooms, in backyards, in record stores, even in an abandoned railroad depot.”

edThat was 12 years ago. “That was when I thought this is really what I want to do for a living, and I’ve got nothing tying me down. I’m just going to take off and play music. It has really worked out, and now it actually pays for itself because I can make a living at it. And farm living is pretty cheap. I don’t have much overhead. I’m by myself on tour so I’m not paying band. I’m not paying a manager. I’m not paying any of that. That allows me to keep doing what I’m doing.”
His audiences have grown. In fact, his hobo folk life has endeared him to people all across this vast nation. “I love it so much. I love meeting new people and turning strangers into friends,” Whitmore said.

“I travel so much that I know I’m going to see a lot of these folks again, and I do. When I go to a town, I know the folks I’m going to see at the shows because I’ve been there before. It’s kind of a comforting thing as well that I’m establishing these relationships. After all, that’s what it’s all about. We try to travel through this social sculpture we call humanity in a positive way and maybe make a good change on the way. Or, at least have fun… I want people to have a good time or feel sad or feel happy or just feel something.”
William Elliott Whitmore has come a long way. “Later on in life, I really actually had something to say. It went from silly little poems and songs to really having ideas that I wanted to express. I lost a lot of people close to me. So, that was just another way to deal with things and turn it into something good. That’s when it really clicked, when I actually had something real to say and could express myself that way. It kind of rolled from there into a little bit of politics.”
And that’s what “Animals in the Dark” is mainly about. It started out as sort of an indictment of the past eight years but morphed into something deeper and broader. “I wanted to express a certain discontent not only with the current political climate but one that has existed since man could walk on his hind legs… You can’t just say things are wrong. Everyone knows that. I wanted to express that, but also to delve deeper into what makes human beings the way we are and how we interact with each other because what matters is human relationships. Those in power will always tend to exploit those who will let them. But that’s a truism that’s been going on since man could even have a thought, and it always will go on because we’re flawed creatures… But more important than that is humans can make beautiful things and treat each other in a kind way. That’s what matters more… I feel like there is hope in the world. And that’s how we’re going to overcome the tyrants of the world. We’re going to make beautiful things.”
And William Elliott Whitmore does. In the nakedness of guitar or banjo and voice, Whitmore’s intense vocal delivery has a bit of a Delta blues sharecropper as well as a bit of the rugged rawness of Springsteen or the joyful rock tones of GB Leighton. That intense vocal delivery and his truthful lyrics just cut through all the crap (political and musical) and gets right to your soul and emotion.
Gone are the living rooms and basements. Nowadays, you can only catch William Elliott Whitmore at bigger clubs or at events like 10KLF. He’s definitely a singer/songwriter Jerry Joseph would appreciate.

 

Who: William Elliott Whitmore
Where: Saloon Stage, 10KLF, Soo Pass Ranch, Detroit Lakes MN
When: Saturday July 25, 11:30 pm
Tickets: http://www.10klf.com

 

 

Wookiefoot

By Garrett Plutowski
Contributing Writer

 

Imagine a band that revolves more around its audience and fans than themselves. Imagine a band that creates a beautiful community of believers and a sense of home. No, it isn’t the Grateful Dead or even some Zen-based New Age band. It’s actually a homegrown group — Wookiefoot, a psychedelic jam/reggae band based in Minnesota.

A band like this had to have a unique beginning, and it did. Jojo Lash and Mark Murphy (the lead singers) were friends in Oregon and played at many rainbow gatherings there. Rainbow gatherings, for those who don’t know, are events where thousands of kind souls meet outdoors, usually in national park forests, for up to a week. They pray for world peace and celebrate humanity. Lash and Murphy found the community aspect of these gatherings very appealing but never realized how much their futures would be shaped by these communities.

“We really didn’t want to be a band, it was never our desire,” Jojo Lash said. But a band they became nevertheless. They created their first CD called “Fetish,” which got some radio play, and began touring the country. They eventually ended up in Minneapolis where a fellow Oregonian had moved. But when they pulled into downtown Minneapolis, they parked across from what Lash called, “tripped out 70s house.” It was being used as a frat house at the time. It had a bar, a stage, recording studio and other amenities. They thought it would be a great place to build their own community.

They had no money to buy it, so they called on the Wookiefoot family for some help and the next week they had $8,000 to put down on the house. It became their own venue to do whatever they wanted to do. They created an underground buzz by handing out tickets on the street and adding names to an exclusive guest list and holding concerts there along with providing a variety of meditation, massage and other healing services.

As their fame spread underground, they decided to have a block party and, to their surprise, nearly 2,000 people showed up. That was only the beginning of the impact Wookiefoot would have on community building. Wookiefoot now had strong followers, supporters, players and bliss junkies. They provided an outlet for everyone’s magnificent energy to manifest into something greater.

Wookiefoot began to reach out to other communities across the world. They created the Project Earth Festival, held at Harmony Park. This festival is unique because it is run not only by Wookiefoot community members but by festival attendees. And, all of the profits go to the Wookiefoot Charities.

Lash and Murphy travel all over the world during the winter, putting money they have raised directly into the hands of people who need it. One of the recipients was a man from Cambodia who had taken in orphans maimed by land mines. Lash went to go see this man and asked what he needed. Lash said the man replied, “A truck and cigarettes to bribe officials.” Lash gave the man $3,000. In four years, Wookiefoot has raised $137,460. The vibes that these guys set up and create here on our shores reverberate onto other shores in positive ways.

Wookiefoot also does Harvest Fest in the fall. They have played at every 10,000 Lakes Festival since it began and will do so again this year. Both of these festivals are good, but neither of them have the magical spark of Project Earth. Nevertheless, any Wookiefoot show is definitely something to be experienced this summer.

 
Who: Wookiefoot
Where: Field Stage, 10KLF, Soo Pass Ranch, Detroit Lakes, MN
When: Friday, July 24, 11:30 pm
Tickets: http://www.10klf.com