Sunshine Hootenanny: Brilliant Debut
Turner Moore and Jillian Grant and their dedicated staff had just hosted their second successful venture, the springtime festival Sunshine Get Down at Florida Sand Music Ranch. They decided to hatch another event, this time a fall fest, also in Brooksville. They named it Sunshine Hootenanny, and, on a really tight time schedule, produced an event of near perfection November 21-23. I’m just piling on here because Frank Imburgia of JamBase also offered effusive praise, and Relix also got in the game! And we also connected with Nate Riggs of Music Festivals Podcast. There is a video of moe. below thanks to them.
What was so magical about Sunshine Hootenanny? Just about everything, except perhaps the flood waters from Hurricane Milton that have simply not receded on the West Coast of Florida. That being the case, the Hootenanny crew did everything possible to maximum space and accommodate the 1200+ patrons who delighted in the music, the vibes, and the camaraderie (if not the suddenly arctic-like temperatures!).
The primary pavilion housed the main stage, and an excellent portable stage was set up just to its side. Patrons had merely to turn from one stage to the other to catch EVERY NOTE (except the renegade sets, of course!). There were vendors for food, drinks, clothing, and the regular Shakedown Street sorts of booths we always enjoy.
I was blessed to be tapped to MC the event along with great friend and musicologist Matt Hillman, who was simply superb. First nod goes to Audio One Sound, who were simply spectacular all weekend. A festival without earplugs is a joy indeed. Laser Fox lit up the joint, and there were fabulous LED walls behind each stage courtesy of Schlangin Pixel.We are thankful to Gulf Coast Harm Prevention for their presence. Harry Popick and crew recorded EVERYTHING. Brier Media Event Photography were great, and thanks to numerous other archivists as well. And it was all the fault of Obsession Productions!
There was, incidentally, music. And it was incredible, especially in its range and depth. One of the most consistent comments of the weekend was how people enjoyed the great variety each day. CAN CONFIRM. See below.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21
Low Ground Trio gave Hootenanny a huge lift with a very special bluegrass trio set of wonderful tunes. It was impossible not to focus of the beautiful vocals of upright bassist Amanda Accardi, especially on songs such as “St. James Infirmary” and “Russian Lullaby.” The sound was pristine, and the trio’s cover of the Bob Wills gem “Take Me Back to Tulsa” was my favorite of the weekend (well, until moe. tore through that “Meat” medley Saturday). Halfway through the set, they invited up the superb Billy Gilmore (The Grass is Dead), filling out the sound even more.
[LowGround3: Big Sandy River, St. James Infirmary > Jerusalem Ridge, Just Another Heartache, Blackberry Blossom > Compadres of the Old Sierra Madre, The Wanderer, EMD, Take Me Back to Tulsa, Squirrel Hunters, Good Women’s Love, Wheel Hoss, Don’t You Come Running Back to Me, Russian Lullaby > El Cumbanchero]
We were camped next to Rich Sheldon and his bandmates, a wonderful bunch of guys and their ladies (and the best boy ever). So it was a blast to hear Sheldon et alii turn themselves into The Strolling Moans with a great, varied set of Stones hits. The entire band was locked in; apparently, this is the fault of Brett Andress at The Ale & the Witch, who suggested the cover set.
I confess I was unfamiliar with guitarist Steve Connelly, entirely my misfortune. He was spectacular. Keyboard wiz Matt Frick (he mainly plays guitar?!) was outstanding as well. Frick on acoustic guitar and vocals and Connelly on slide played the best cover of “Wild Horses” I’ve ever heard. Sheldon was the consummate frontman, wisely not doing any splits.
[SHELDON: Under My Thumb > Ain’t to Proud to Beg, Start Me Up, Wild Horses, The Last Time, Ruby Tuesday, Loving Cup, Miss You, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Paint It Black, It’s Only Rock ’n Roll, You Can’t Always Get What You Want]
At last spring’s Sunshine Get Down, we got to see Foolish Sextet featuring festival organizer Turner Moore. This time, he brought his Ship of Fools ensemble up from Sarasota for a joyous romp through the Grateful Dead songbook. The set never bogged down (I know you know what I mean), and the addition of the Bob Dylan tune was outstanding. The set had such a flow to it, especially as they did justice to “Cumberland Blues,” “New Speedway Boogie,” “Althea,” and a soaring “Bertha.”
[SFOOLS: Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodeeloo, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Just Like Tom Thumbs’ Blues, The Music Never Stopped, Ramble On Rose, Cumberland Blues, New Speedway Boogie, Althea, Bertha]
Before the final set from Tru Phonic, band founder and leader Jake Salter noted that they had played before on the second stage, always hoping for a shot at the main stage here in Brooksville. Not only did they get on the main stage, but Tru Phonic were the evening’s headliners, and they responded with a set worthy of that role.
Salter stood stage left, leaving much of the focus on three very talented saxophone players (Daniel Garcia, Ryan “shorty” Crabbs, and Reese Montgomery) and a clear view of the drummer. Electricity crackled throughout their set, including three great cover songs, plenty of sax and more of Salter’s outstanding guitar-shredding (he also plays keyboards). At some point, Ryan “shorty” Crabbs tossed in great quotes from Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King.”
[TRU: Breakaway, Things are Looking Up, Fonzarelli’s Jam, Whacha Gonna Bring (The Motet), Lately, Mt. Crushmore (Lettuce)/No One Sees, Patrick*, City by the sea > F#unk*, Money Don’t Buy Me Time > Ghostbusters, Animal (Goose) > Missouri, Never Know]
Day one down. Bluegrass, a Stones tribute set, some delicious Dead music, and killer funk to cap it off.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22
You’ve certainly seen posts about things you can do to support musicians you love, including those that don’t cost money (not a lot, at least). That was in evidence Friday morning, as Woody & Sunshine were preparing to take the stage. They were greeted by friends — friends from a decade ago in Colorado — there to support the duo. And the couple brought their teenage children with them. All four of them paid rapt attention to music all through Saturday. I want the children to appreciate what an important thing they did, although they might not yet realize it. THIS IS THE WAY.
To say I was bowled over by Woody & Sunshine would be an understatement. She plays electric banjo, although you would swear it was a guitar, and synths; he plays keyboards, guitar, and synths, and he handles production. And they both sing. Delightfully. But what set this apart, especially given that it began at 11:30 a.m., was how bouncy, eclectic, joyous, fun, and engaging it was. Other teases popped up during the set such as “Get Lucky.” Their seamless presentation was wonderful, their playing excellent. I’m looking forward to seeing them again!
[W&S: What is Love, Splinter > Echo, Playroom, Barbie Girl > Bm Jam > Em Jam > Sand Sea, Thang > Midnight Moonlight]
Fil Pate appears in various disguises, including rocker, bluegrass master, solo looper, and music educator. For this show, it was Friends of Fil, his jazz organ trio, this time featuring two great players from Sandujazz: Alex Ocón, drums, and Julián Pernett Castilla, organ. The set of jazz standards soared immediately with “Footsteps” and “Softly As In a Morning Sunrise.” Reese Montgomery from Tru Phonic joined them on tenor for a strong “Caravan.” He also sat in set closer “Well You Needn’t.” And they played the jazz fusion masterpiece “Jan Jan” by Grant Green. Pate is a true star! WOW!
[FoFil: Footsteps, Softly As In a Morning Sunrise, Caravan, Jan Jan, On Green Dolphin Street, Well You Needn’t]
As noted, diversity was one of Sunshine Hootenanny’s strengths. We went from the eclectic duo opening the day to brilliant organ/guitar jazz, and now it was time for reggae. One Love Rising is the brainchild of Derrick MacDonald, who has been on the Tampa and Ybor City reggae scene for more than a quarter century. The group featured familiar faces Juanjamon (keyboards, tenor sax, vocals) and Este Love (guitar, backing vocals) with MacDonald on drums and lead vocals. Also invited up was Dan Jones on guitar. They took us on a trip through some deep reggae roots with a number of Bob Marley’s tunes, especially “War” and “Exodus.” The set was well received and spawned lots of dancing!
[1LR: Instrumental Medley, Lively Up Yourself, Jammin’, Is This Love, Africa Unite, So Much Trouble in the World, War, No More Trouble, Could You Be Loved, Exodus, Do You Like Reggae (Original)]
The Grateful Dawg tribute honors the duo recordings of Jerry Garcia and David Grisman; Billy Gilmore (The Grass is Dead) and Mickey Abraham were magnificent recreating that unmistakable Dawg sound! The pairing created magic with Dead covers such as “Jack-a-Roe” and “Friend of the Devil,” Irving Berlin’s “Russian Lullaby,” and more songs from the Garcia/Grisman albums, closing out, appropriately, with “Grateful Dawg.”
[GDawg: Jack-a-Roe, Ballad of Casey Jones, Shady Grove, Friend of the Devil, Russian Lullabye, Freight Train, Dawg’s Waltz, Rosa Lee McFall, Off to Sea Once More, Walkin’ Boss, Two Soldiers, Grateful Dawg]
It was The Reality’s turn to funk things up. They proceeded to throw down a massive dance party, packing the floor with smiles and twirls. Juanjamon and Dan Jones already had their equipment on stage from the One Love Rising set, joined by powerhouse drummer BA Jones and the weekend’s best vocalist: Caleb Bone (also, bass). Favorites such as “Sweet Tooth” and closing “All My Time” evoked squeals, and their cover of “Walking on the Sun” was a blast!
[REALITY: Where is Lucy > Goddess > Sweet Tooth, Walking on the Sun, Dive In to the Sea > Pour One for the Boys > All My Time]
Sarasota was back in the house as RJ Howson, guitar and vocals; Berry Oakley Jr., bass and vocals, and drummer bringing you superb Southern rock. They roared out with ‘Mountain Jam” before setting in on lots more music from the ’60s and ’70 such as “Little Wing” and “Help Me.”
[RJH & BOJr: Mountain Jam, Little Wing, Help Me, Evil, …]
It has been several years since Bobby Lee Rodgers has graced the stage in Brooksville. He has been busy playing with Jazz is Dead in their excellent new iteration. Along with Brian Tate and Rich Horrigan, the trio tore through some of Rodgers’ best material and some newer songs, too. “Electronic President” has taken on more relevance since the time it was written, and “Victor the Snakeman” is always a welcome set addition. Rodgers is one of the best guitarists around, and after “Fire Fly” he invited Fil Pate to join them for the final tune. The two superb players and music educators ripped up Rodgers’ best-known composition, “Outer Space.”
[BLR: The Freeze, Electronic President, Formula 1, Victor the Snakeman, Radio, The Car, Land of the Cover Band, Fire Fly, Outer Space]
When Karina Rykman and her trio played Suwannee Hulaween three weeks earlier, it was 86° in the sweltering afternoon sun. She told us they had hopped a plane earlier this morning from New York, expecting something similar, not the 55° and dropping temps in Brooksville. She mentioned that she wore her jacket and long-sleeve shirt to stay warm in the airplane; she did shed the jacket.
Guitarist Adam November is a monster, and Chris Corsico is excellent on drums, and with the bouncy Rykman they offered a dynamic set featuring great single “Joyride” and tunes from the album of the same name, her anthemic “City Kids” with a huge jam stuffed in the middle, a dandy cover of “Psycho Killer,” and early composition “Elevator” as encore.
[KR: Skylark/Slowlark, Joyride > Plants > Dirty South, Springtheme > City Kids, Crawdad Song, Goji Island, Reboot, No Occasion > Psycho Killer > Daft Punk, Adam Dance, Elevator]
Sunshine Hootenanny was fortunate to snag the last two U.S. shows for moe. this year, and they were absolutely lit both nights. There was a long intro to “St. Augustine,” the perfect way to begin. The first great sequence of songs began with keyboard phenom Nate Wilson singing “Yellow Tigers,” which melted into “Ricky Marten,” and “George” before the delicious twin lead guitars of Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier on “Down Boy.”
After “Rise” yielded to favorite “Happy Hour Hero,” with Rob Derhak in great voice and Wilson on Hammond B3, we were treated to an amazing “Seat of My Pants > Sensory Deprivation Bank” and a set-closing “Buster.” Vinnie Amico powered the set on drums start to finish. Percussionist Jim Loughlin sounded great, but Thor Bendicksen and I later noted we wanted to hear more from him, especially on vibes. Apparently, they must have heard us, because Saturday it was time to go to the Jim!
[moe.22: St. Augustine, Understand, Yellow Tigers > Ricky Marten > George > Down Boy, Rise > Happy Hour Hero > Seat of My Pants > Sensory Deprivation Bank, Buster]
Here is the opening “St. Augustine” from the Music Festivals Podcast YouTube page. Thanks, Nate!
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23
Blue Skye Pipe & Drum from Sarasota bill themselves as “The only all-female pipe band and Celtic performance band in the US!” (although they had two ringers in there). They marched to the stage, set up, and gave us a tour of Celtic music of all varieties, from the theme of an RPG (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim) and a Loreena McKinnett hit to standards such as “Loch Lomond” and “Wild Mountain Thyme.” The group featured pipers, drummers, a bassist, and some gorgeous singing voices. They are always a welcome site at music festivals like Hootenanny.
[BSP&D: Pileman’s/Rown, Jig Set, MacGregor/ Carswell, Waterbound, Loch Lomond, Top Deck in Perth, Polka/Hills, Oran, Skyrim, Crystal, Cooley’s Medley, Mummer’s Dance, Wild Mountain Thyme, Savage Daughter, Wolf, Skye Boat, Anne Lauri, Tag Team solos, Tenor Salute, AG/STB]
At Sunshine Get Down last spring, students from Sgammato Music School blew up their Saturday slot with great music. Fast-forward to Hootenanny: same result! We are forever indebted to our music educators.
The Jocelyn Hobson Band was up first. Actually, that turned out to be Sgammato and another Sgammato student, since Hobson’s other players couldn’t be there. Sgammato always wants his students to understand that sometimes you just have to roll with the punches. Hobson, who plays guitar and sings, did just that, joined by Sgammato on bass and Lea Tort on drums (she was in the great punk band BOYCOTT! that played Get Down). What followed was a lovely set of music, including a cover of another Sgammato School graduate (JudyAnne Jackson).
[JHB: Velvet Elvis (Casey Musgraves), Infinity (Emily Roberts), Tennessee Orange (Megan Maroney), Dear Dolly ( Ashley Anne), Counting Stars (OneRepublic), Old Soul (JudyAnne Jackson), Fairweather (Have Gun Will Travel)]
Alleycat K had the second half of the time. She (Alexandra Karafilis) plays bass and sings, joined by guitarist Dom Fusco and Max Karafilis on drums. This was a rockin’, punked-up set that got the early crowd going. You know our music scene will survive and thrive when you see this amazing youth movement. The curveball this time was that there was more time left over, and they filled it with music and joy.
[AlleycatK: Chicago is So Two Years Ago (FOB), Retraced, Crush (Selena Gomez), You Make Bad Things Not Suck (Meg Smith), Out There, Rot, Beverly Hills (Weezer), Little Monster (Royal Blood), GITC, Dom’s Song]
Joe Roma, leader of excellent group Row Jomah, worked with the band and several other to create a tribute titled Royale with Cheese to feature music from Quentin Tarantino films plus audio clips of notable scenes from his movies.They offered up set so diverse, swinging from “Jungle Boogie” to “Little Green Bag” to “Undun” without batting an eye. There was the obligatory twist contest (the winners got a trophy) during “You Never Can Tell” and pure joy in “Let’s Stay Together.” The members of Row Jomah (Mel Walsh, Dylan Chee-a-Tow, Vinny Svoboda, and Austin Llewellyn) played this set with real relish.
Vocalist Pam-a-lama Songstress was featured on several tunes and sang backup on others; her big (HUGE) number was the amazing “Bang Bang.” Singer and percussion master Dave Gerulat (too many bands to mention) put the exclamation on the set singing “Stuck in the Middle with You.”
[ROYALE: Jungle Boogie, Little Green Bag, Undun, Strawberry Letter 23, Miserlou, Woohoo, Across 110th Street, Son of a Preacher Man, You Never Can Tell, Cat People, Let’s Stay Together, Bang Bang, Stuck in the Middle with You]
Grandpa’s Cough Medicine hadn’t played in these here parts for far too long. They were a welcome breath of fresh bluegrass with incredible picking and a side of scathing social commentary, unbridled savagery, and heavy-metal attitude. Among the awesome flat-picking and trio bluegrass was Bret Bass’ important public service announcement about pedophiles: “Blood and Justice.”
Jerryland featuring guitarist celebrates the music of The Jerry Garcia Band. There are Dead sets, and there are Dead sets, but this group always plays music defined by “How Sweet It Is.” The key member is Paul Wolf, a guitarist also in excellent band Dead Set Florida. For this show, he rounded up some usual suspects: Christian Walker, bass and vocals, and Michael Garrie, drums, both also in Dead Set Florida. An unusual but very welcome addition was keyboard star John Richardson, who has been on the area scene for almost two decades.
There was one other plan afoot which ran aground when there was not another drum kit available. Garrie and moe. drummer Vinny Amico have been friends for decades, and the plan was to play the set with dual drummers. That didn’t work, but Amico* took over for “The Harder They Come” and “They Love Each Other.”
Their set honored Phil Lesh and Jerry Garcia and was a loving tour through these great songs. Realizing they had three more minutes, they huddled to determine the shortest song they could do, and of course it was “BIODTL”!
[JERRY: Box of Rain, How Sweet It Is, Friend of the Devil, The Harder They Come*, That’s What Love Will Make You Do, Mission in the Rain, Run for the Roses, They Love Each Other*, Cats Under The Stars, Deal; E: Beat It On Down the Line]
Speaking of Chris Sgammato, there was a late cancellation on the main stage. Organizers scrambled, trying to weigh various options. The only real option? Let Sgammato assemble a band to play. So of course he did. He contacted the drummer of his band Displace, Evan Thibeault, who came… but he had no time to get his kit. They ended up with Lea Tort’s kit from the Jocelyn Hobson set. Sgammato set up his keyboards and had his alto sax. Where could he find musicians? How about the band on the next stage?
In prompt order, some Dogs in a Pile piled on, including Jeremy Kaplan, keyboards; Jimmy Law, guitar; and Sam Lucid, bass. WHAT? At some point, DIAP’s other guitarist, Brian Murray, made it 4 out of 5 dogs, or DOGS IN DISPLACE! Eventually, they needed to prepare for their own set. Vinny Svoboda and Dave Gerulat snuck up there at some point. Sgammato called Dom Fusco (Alleycat K) to join them on Displace tune “Friction.” Then came the big audible. Alleycat K reassembled on stage and rocked totally out, led by Fusco, for almost 15 minutes, to the great delight of the crowd, who really got into it. Sgammato and School FTW!
[Sgammato Jam: The Chicken, Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked, Valerie, ?, Forget You, Don’t Let Me Down, Friction, KIDS]
Dogs in a Pile have enjoyed a huge year, including touring with Andy Frasco & the U.N. (31 shows together!). There status as great jamsters is now even more firmly cemented. They were the perfect choice as headliners along with moe., and they rocked a jammed a tremendous set.
Several songs into their heady set, they invited moe.’s Al Schnier to join them for “Feel Like a Stranger,” which soared! Schnier then offered a wonderful, heartfelt compliment to the band, praising them. Well done, well deserved.
Drummer Joey Babbick (the only Dog not in Dogs in Displace) and Sam Lucid on bass drove the set from start to finish with superb time, and guitarists Law and Murray wrangled back and forth with abandon. “White Rabbit” has been a recent setlist addition, and its inclusion was welcome here.
[DIAP: You Didn’t Hear It from Me, My Disguise, Ugly Song, Feel Like a Stranger*, Samba for Sam, Creep, Shenanigans, TDP3 / Gumball, Jack & Coke > White Rabbit, Bugle, Say Something]
I had shared that we were hoping for more Jim Loughlin during moe. night two. To say we got our wish would be an understatement! They opened with the triple whammy of “Not Coming Down > Wormwood > OK,” and it was clear they had truly upped the ante.
And then it happened: for me, the greatest, most intense jam sequence I have ever encountered. “Billy Goat” began, and soon it was the Loughlin show. They melted that into a completely insane jam of “Meat > Water > Meat,” so intense I had to remind myself to breath. Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier were in amazing form, with Rob Derhak blowing it up on bass.
There are many, many reasons why Nate Wilson is such a valuable addition to the band, but perhaps none so obvious as his piano and vocals on “The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys.” Amico and Loughlin were raging as the band worked through “32 Things” and then “Four,” with Garvey tossing in a great “Inca Roads” quote. And they shut down the inaugural Sunshine Hootenanny with “Down Dog.”
[moe.23: Not Coming Down > Wormwood > OK, Billy Goat > Meat > Water > Meat, The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys, 32 Things, Four, Down Dog]
BRILLIANT NIGHT. BRILLIANT WEEKEND. BRILLIANT EFFORT BY
TURNER MOORE, JILLIAN GRANT, AND OBSESSION PRODUCTIONS!
Thank you! And be sure to check out Sunshine Get Down April 10-12. That lineup (and it is poppin’) will be released later this week.
