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| Photo courtesy of Brian Band |
When Strings and Sol was announced, Colin and I thought (for a few days anyway) that we could pull it off. Then we came down to reality and faced the hard truth that we would be sitting this one out. Luckily, plenty of Kinfolk were able to go, and some of them wanted to share their stories with all of us.
Along with many of you, I watched Facebook as the photos and updates rolled in. It was such a good feeling to see the photos of everyone greeting each other and getting the party started. The following is a mix of stories that will surely bring back a lot of memories if you were there; and if you weren't there... maybe this will be the push you need to pull the trigger for Strings and Sol 2!
Shari Band:
Brian and I got to Dreams in Tulum, Mexico Tuesday evening. After a speedy check in we were taken to the room that
would ruin hotels for us for a while (In a good way…). The night air was warm
enough to make the tropical rainstorm we were caught in a pleasure to walk
through. Ocean Front Suite - here we come! The grounds at Dreams were a rainbow
of colored lights on palm trees and fountains that made me think of our
daughters. River and Willow would have had a BLAST, but this was a party for
Mom and Dad. Finally we got to our room; we were on the ground floor... "man I
hope our upstairs neighbors are cool".
Brian switched to Festival Mode and
started to explore our new home. “I’m going outside to see how far the water
is from here. HOLY CRAP." I peeked out the back door to see what
he was freaking out about and BAM, the stage was 50 feet from our little back
yard. Brian and I couldn’t believe our luck as we stood there gawking and
pointing and looking at each other. “Hey - Shari, Brian.” What? I have a cool room AND friends nearby?
We looked up only to see Mike Honig and Andy Hall calling down to us from the
balconies above. “Hey guys come on up.” So we did... After a few shots of
Tequila and a great visit (yes - the upstairs neighbors were cool), we went back
downstairs to our room and crashed.
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| Photo courtesy of Cy Routh |
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Donnie Bee:
Day 1: “Take Me Down to the Paradise City Where the Grass is Blue and the Girls Are Dreadies”
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After sound check, we had four hours until the official kick off toast. Plenty of time to settle in and get ready for what turned out to be two rippin’ sets from Yonder.
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| Photo courtesy of Stephenie Gardner |
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Lori Gleason:
The day finally came with great anticipation, the first day of the Strings and Sol Festival. Many people arrived early to tour Mexico before the shows. Alison and I made the most of our time and went to see Chichen Itza and then stayed in Playa del Carmen for a few days with some other Kinfolk before the start of Strings and Sol.
Upon our arrival at Dreams Resort, I had one more exciting event before the music started; I was lucky enough to be able to renew my good friends Brian and Rebecca Ray's vows on the beach at Dreams. What a beautiful day it was.
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| Photo courtesy of Lori Gleason |
Yonder finally came on stage and you could feel the excitement in the air. My girlfriends Alison, Stephenie, Dale, Nilima, Liora, and Uyen all assumed our positions on the rail to get ready for a fantastic night. Jeff welcomed everyone to the first annual Strings and Sol (That sounds like it will happen again). He also welcomed Jason Carter from the Traveling McCourys on the fiddle! In true Jeff fashion he made a witty comment, “If a silver phoenix rises from the sea this week, I’m glad we are doing it together!”
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One of my favorite classic Yonder tunes started the evening off - “Out of the Blue”. Jason’s fiddle added an awesome dimension to the music. Everyone was bouncing to the beat in the sand. It was Ben’s turn to say hello and he told us some good advice, “not to get sand up in that thing!” Nice but true, Ben! “Criminal” came next. It gave me a taste of home in Colorado when I heard the lyrics “going back to Colorado”. Love it! We were ready for some bluegrass and knew we were going to get some, especially with Jason on the stage. They dedicated the set to all the other bands that were playing there: Leftover Salmon, Railroad Earth, and The Infamous Stringdusters. What an excellent selection of bands to play with Yonder! Dave had to give his input by saying that he was going to kiss Vince Herman on the head! Ok, we were ready for some bluegrass in paradise! “High on a Hilltop” was up next. This song got the crowd hopping. I was really excited to hear “Left Me in a Hole” next. I love hearing that song so early in the set. You could see the crowd singing along. Next it was Jason’s turn for a song, yee-haw! With a couple notes we heard “Old Dangerfield”. Just what we needed, some good old fashioned bluegrass! There was a lot of banter between the banjo and fiddle. Ben chimed in next and said there were a lot of horrible things they had to do to get to play in Mexico, and this song was all about them. “Troubled Mind” came next, and then “Pretty Daughter” really got us rocking. Could this set get any better? Yes! Jason’s fiddle solo just added fuel to the fire. Dave was really on it for this song! “All the Time” calmed the crowd down a little. Adam was flawless. “Holdin” continued the mellow vibe, and Ben really belted it out while smoke filled the ocean air. Adam’s strumming lead us into “Only a Northern Song”. The tempo picked up with the banjo, guitar and fiddle. Then the mando and bass kept building, and the fiddle finished it off. Wow is all I have to say! Ben took out his bow and pulled us into the next song, “No Expectations”. I really love the sound of the bow on the bass! Dave was mesmerizing on the banjo, and everyone was in harmony. Whew, set break!
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We all kept our rail spot for set 2 after getting some refreshments - it was all inclusive after all! “East Nashville Easter” started off the second set. Jeff was on the pedal. What a great set opener. It’s been a while since I have heard that song and I was glad to hear it, but their instruments seemed to get out of tune a bit with the humidity. “How ‘Bout You” came next, and I have to say that Jason stole that song with his fiddle. The next song was no surprise - “Corona”. Of course the crowd was totally into it. Then Ben had a really bad joke, “it’s national sound guy day, get it? 12-12-12???” Oh well, onto more music. One strum and I knew it was “Polka on the Banjo”. I’m so glad they brought this back into the rotation. It’s such an upbeat tune and it was great to see all of my old and new Kinfolk friends dancing around with smiles on their faces! “Night Out” was up next. Jason added more of a bluegrass twist to the song. “Part 1”> "Too Late Now” kept the beat going. “Sometimes I’ve Won” and “Pass this Way” mellowed us out a bit. There was a little tease with Jeff’s mando, and I knew it was “Althea”. Awesome Dead cover. Everyone was excited to hear it as well. As I heard the instruments rumble, I thought of Dorothy, because “Looking Back Over my Shoulder” was next. Adam was really jamming, and they were all playing their hearts out. The build-up to “Dawns” was amazing. The lights were dancing with the music. I have to say that Ted did an amazing job on the lights. Wow! We were all really excited to hear “Boatman” next. The entire crowd was bouncing up and down. We were all barefoot dancing in the sand. I can never hear this song too much. Jeff created his own verse, “Dance all night with Jason Carter in your pants!” That was an awesome second set, but we knew they couldn’t leave us without an encore. They came back with the Split Lip Rayfield song “Crazy” followed by “Ramber’s Anthem”. What an awesome night - and this was just night one!!!
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Donnie Bee:
Day 2: “Feet in the Dream”
My personal favorite day was the second day. It was noon and I was ready for more music in paradise. After a refreshing swim in the Caribbean Sea, we headed poolside for some “Name That Tune” with the always entertaining Vince Herman. The winners of the loose-ruled, improvised game received t-shirts, small souvenirs, and coveted bottles of tequila for guessing a song from Vince Herman’s iPod or stumping him with a song he couldn’t play on his guitar.
David DeGrandpre:
Waking up, at a time that seemed to be far too early following Yonder's opening set, was not an easy thing on the second morning of Strings and Sol. Just 24 hours prior, I had arrived at Denver International Airport and began the journey to Tulum. The first day had only ended a few short hours prior, and here was the beginning of day two. Yet, as the prior night's haze fell away, the excitement of going deep sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico took hold. Grabbing a quick breakfast, I headed to the waiting bus, where a good crowd of people gathered, waiting to leave. As the bus filled up, we were soon on our way to Captain Rick's Sportfishing Center for a few hours on the ocean.
Adam Aijala of Yonder Mountain and Carey Harmon of Railroad Earth were the hosts for this excursion, and Drew Emmitt of Leftover Salmon joined in as well. I had been lucky enough to be placed on Adam's boat after registering, and as the larger crowd split out amongst several boats, Adam, Matt, Zach, Kyle, Jessie, Benjy, Vince, and myself boarded the Reel Stripper and were welcomed by the captain and first mate who would lead that day's adventure. Settling in on the boat, introductions were made and the first beers of the morning were cracked. Heading out to the gulf, we had the option to either troll for game fish or go bottom fishing. Trolling for game fish was a unanimous decision and the first mate went about setting up for it. Given that the boat had one fighting chair, we had to decide the order. We all agreed to let Jessie take the first go, and then the remainder of us drew straws to determine the order. As luck would have it, I drew the longest straw, setting me up to potentially fish after Jessie.
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| Photo courtesy of David DeGrandpre |
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The next couple of hours drifted by as conversation filled the boat while any fish in the area avoided our hooks. Adam was a great host and the conversation ranged over a variety of topics, from his practice habits to banter about the Red Sox to his love of fishing and a fishing trip he had taken to Alaska. For him, as for the rest of us, this was really the first time he had been game fishing, so there was a certain excitement that hung over the boat as we waited for that first fish to strike.
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And
strike it did. A couple hours or so into the trip, the line on one of the rods
started flying out, a clear indicator that something had taken the bait. The
first mate quickly grabbed the rod and set it up in the fighting chair, where
Jessie was set to battle whatever was on the other end. As she began fighting
it, the rest of us reeled in the other rods to ensure no lines would tangle in
the effort to bring this fish onboard. The excitement on the boat was palpable
as everyone looked towards the moving fishing line. After only a couple
minutes, the fish jumped for the first time, breaking the surface of the water,
and giving us a distant look at the sailfish on the other end. Seeing it break
the water was something most of us had never seen, and intensified the
excitement on the boat.
After fighting the fish for a while, Jessie offered up the fight to me, and in a quick change, I settled into the fighting chair and took up reeling the sailfish in. It took several more minutes of reeling and letting it run before it reached the side of the boat. With it by the edge of the boat the first mate quickly stepped in, ushering us all back from the edge and pulling the roughly 50 pound sailfish into the boat. The next minute was a frenzy as cameras were quickly passed to the captain and the sailfish placed into our hands for multiple photos. With a multitude of photos taken, the sailfish was quickly returned to the ocean and the boat was awash in excited conversation about the fish and the hope of catching several more before we had to return to shore.
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Shortly
before we entered the harbor, something grabbed that line and started running.
The first mate grabbed the rod to hook it, but sadly, it got away. Whatever was
on the other end of that line did not get away empty-handed however, as all
that remained of the baitfish was its head. Fortunately, we did not go away
from this trip empty-handed either, between the sailfish and the smaller
baitfish. Returning to the dock, it turned out we had the most successful trip
amongst the boats, with the only game fish caught that day. A couple of the
other boats had turned to bottom fishing and caught some smaller fish, but our
sailfish was literally the catch of the day.
With
great memories and new friendships made, we headed back to the bus to return to
the resort for the rest of day two of Strings & Sol. The music of the
Stringdusters, Railroad Earth, and Salmon awaited us later that day. And while
the music that day was great, the fishing trip was definitely the highlight of
day two, and one of my favorite memories of Strings & Sol.
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| Photo courtesy of Matt Meganck |
The morning of day two, after a nice breakfast, we met Neil, Gregg,
and Stephanie in the lobby for a trip to the COBA ruins - an hour away. When you
go - RENT A BIKE. It feels old here. It’s an awe inspiring place. Rising from
the jungle, mountains made from pure manpower. The ruins are impressive. We
spent the day biking, hiking, and climbing the surrounding area. After a quick
lunch, we knew we had to head back to the van and Tulum. Goodbye Coba... thank
you for a real good time.
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What could be better than a tour of the Coba Ruins in Mexico
with friends? How ‘bout a tour of the Coba Ruins in Mexico with
friends followed by a beach blowout with The Infamous Stringdusters!
Lori Gleason:
All Kinfolk were anxious to participate in at least one of the excusions in Tulum. We chose the Taco Tour with Jeff. This took place on 12/13/12 before the music started and just in time for lunch. The excursion was to include 3 local Tulum taco restaurants, a cooler full of cervesas, some rediculous straw hats and Jeff as our host!
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| Photo courtesy of Nilima Kutty-Jones |
We boarded a tour bus and a local host introduced himself as "Jeff Austin" also. He was quite entertaining. Then Jeff came on the mic and cracked some jokes and made us all welcome. So we hit the town of Tulum, the first place was pretty casual with tiki huts and our feet were in the sand. Jeff was the host with the most, making sure he went around to each person to say hello and chat. This place had a tasty salsa bar. After we all chowed down on some tacos, we were off to our bus and onto the next location. This place was a little nicer and we all sat at one big table. We all tried on the huge sombreros and laughed a lot. More tacos and beers later, we piled onto the bus to our next location, the Beach Club. This place was really cool. The bar had swings for barstools, we ate on the beach next to the water and could go swimming if we wanted to. On the tour were some Kinfolk that were having a taco eating contest. I think one of them ate up to 17 tacos! Wow! The food was the best here and the location was awesome!
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Before we knew it, we had to board the bus to get back to Dreams and The Infamous Stringdusters taking the stage. This excursion was really a blast and it was worth every penny in food and fun. And of course we drank all the beer supplied by the hotel on the bus!
Shari Band:
Just before the Dusters took the stage, I asked my awesome upstairs neighbor, Janice, if we could hang my Gettin' Dusted beach blanket from her deck. "Sure, Come on up." They kept it hanging up all weekend! Thanks Janice, you are so cool!
Just before the Dusters took the stage, I asked my awesome upstairs neighbor, Janice, if we could hang my Gettin' Dusted beach blanket from her deck. "Sure, Come on up." They kept it hanging up all weekend! Thanks Janice, you are so cool!
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As soon as I heard the first few notes of "Ain’t No Way Of Knowing" I made for the beach. It’s a great thing when you open your door to Mike Honig, all smiles, dancin’ past on his way to the stage. We found spots up front with plenty of space to dance and got down to business.
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Next up - "High Country Funk". This is one of those songs that you feel in your spine. I don’t understand how anyone can stand still during this little chunk of fun.
"Hitchhiker". This tune is a Monster. I love, love, love it! Be prepared to dance yourself silly ‘cause The Dusters came to throw down. Andy Falco!!! I could stop and listen to Andy on this for days on end. This jam just floats along, it’s effortless perfection - or at least Falco makes it seem effortless. “Give it up for Andy Falco on guitar." INDEED! “Corona Light all the way Bitches.”
"How Far I’d Fall For You". I
really wanted to hear this south of the Border, such a great dancin’ tune. I
thought of my friend Zach Hightower who just got engaged to the lovely Lacey Gordon.
I knew he wanted to hear this tune, too. Such a happy day!
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"Like I Do". Andy Falco should take a turn at the
mic more often. I always take time at least once during a show to stop and really
take notice of what’s going on around me, who I’m with, what it feels like to be
right there right then. I decided
now was that time. The sun was still warm, but beginning to dip low behind the
stage. Looking to my left, was my husband and best friend Brian Band and to his
left our great friend Neil Cohen - Happy as clams. Further down left, on the
rail - in front of Andy and Travis - were some of my beautiful Kinfolk Family. Cy
and Nicole Routh and their super cool daughter, Maya, along with Ted Atwell,
who had just hoisted Maya up for a better look at the stage - pure bliss! Soundtrack
provided by the Dusters.
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I decided that I needed a twirly skirt, some water, and a
few beers. I was on a mission. Our room was so close that you could feel the
band through the floor. I grabbed the beverages and did a quick skirt over the
shorts change with Superhero Speed, making it back before Travis started vocals
on "Long and Lonesome Day". As Brian and I cracked our
beers, we got ready to get movin’ again.
They followed with "All The Same". Great set placement - gave us dancers a chance to catch our breath. Travis on vocals, smooth as always.
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Until...
... Panda cut through, pickin’ the yummy run from another new favorite tune - my other runnin’ through my head when I wake up tune -> -> ->
"Something On The Wind". I LOVE the vocals on this. This tune makes me dance!!! CHRIS PANDOLFI makes me dance! A+ Well done boys.
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As the Sun set on our little beach party, Andy Hall stepped up to the mic for "Hillbillies
(Getting Down The Road)". Man oh Man - we were about to get Dusted by one of the
best jams of the show! Panda and Andy Hall trading back and forth... they just
kept going, pushing the tempo faster and faster, till we are all in a complete
FRENZY!!! So much fun.
The next tune, "17 Cents" was dedicated to
everyone who dropped their last dime - Getting to Strings and Sol.
"100 Years From Now". We were off to another barn burner. With Panda pickin’ strong out of the gate, Andy
Hall layin’ down the vocals, Andy Falco and Jeremy rippin’ it up as they soloed,
and Travis holdin’ it all together like a champ, they hit it out of the park.
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Then before you knew what was happening, they transitioned to "Walkin’ On The Moon", just like
butter. With a nice echo effect to accent a few of the vocal phrases. (That’s pretty
fancy Travis...) Awesome dancin’ in the sand tune. Right about this time, we started to get a tropical breeze
off the water, perfect for time with The Andys.
"Bonapartes". This song
showcases the talents of Andy Falco and Andy Hall. We started off gently swaying,
not unlike the palm trees behind the stage. With the warm breeze and an outdoor
venue with friends, it was like summer stopping by for a December visit. “Hey remember me? You’d better get
ready because Summer is back, Bitches, and The Andys are about to bust out!" We
were not disappointed.
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"He’s Gone". Aww, Travis.
Hangin’ out with friends, playin’ with his brothers on a beach in Mexico, almost a new Daddy, with nothin’ left to do, but smile smile smile. Cheers to you. I’m pretty picky about who covers Jerry tunes, and I must say it’s an honor to listen to the Stringdusters
play "He’s Gone". They do it justice.
You KNOW the big guy in the black t shirt was looking down on our little
beach, grinning from ear to ear. Thanks Jerry, Thanks Dusters.
“There’s a man out there in a yellow T shirt. And he came
all the way from Seattle. Sometimes he dresses like a taco, and I can see him
come runnin’ - all the way from the bar. This one’s for you Max.” "When The Night Comes Around". Big from the start. Jeremy sawed the hell out of this one, as Andy hall belted it out. Go boys- that’s pure fire
right there.
We cascaded into "Lovin’ You". I Love this
song. I love the vocals. I love
the awesome stoney jams, and I love the sassy little rager at the end that gets
everyone on and off stage moving. OH YEAH, and I love how Jeremy comes back in
for that last chorus, like a smack from your Mamma. Yee Haw!
"Blackrock". The buildup to
the ”meat” of this song was so sweet, you knew what was coming - and the Dusters
made it look so easy. Mind melting music. From here on out it was intense. It was sweaty
and it was amazing to see The Infamous Stringdusters push it to the max. These
last 8 minutes (or so) were some of my favorite of the festival. It was an all out stompfest, and I didn't want it to end.
We caught The Stringdusters at their poolside jam the next day and again right before Yonder on Saturday night. The Infamous Stringdusters - Masters at leaving us wanting more!
We caught The Stringdusters at their poolside jam the next day and again right before Yonder on Saturday night. The Infamous Stringdusters - Masters at leaving us wanting more!
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Donnie Bee:
Yonder had the closing duties and somehow took it up another notch with two more killer sets. I must admit that I had to listen to part of this from the king sized bed in my room, but really, that ain’t so bad.
Donnie Bee:
After a break for
dinner, Railroad Earth began their first set of the weekend. The clouds parted and the stars were
shining bright. We watched the
show from a balcony for a while and decided we should head down to the beach to
see if we could catch the meteor shower that was supposed to be at its best at
ten. We grabbed a couple lounge
chairs and were not disappointed!
Amazed, we laid there, watching shooting stars until Leftover Salmon took the stage. We listened to part of the set from our lounge chairs, but not being able to keep still any longer, we took off for the stage to dance to the rest of the show.
Personal Peaks: Watching meteors fall from the sky as the “woo-hoo-hoos” from Railroad Earth’s “Fisherman’s Blues” echoed through the air; “The Battle of the Andys”-Andy Thorne, Andy Goessling, and Andy Hall trading licks during Leftover’s set.
Day 3: "All Bets Are Off"
Leftover Salmon had the honors of kicking off day three. “If you have been pacing yourself, that stuff’s over now!” declared Vince Herman. The party was ragin’ just as hard as ever so it was almost unnecessary. The “Battle of the Andys” continued, this time with Andy Falco of the Stringdusters battling Andy Thorne. It was clear that the bands weren't slowing down any more than we were!
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Personal Peaks: Chillin’ in the pool, drink in hand,
listening to my favorite bands; Leftover’s cover of “Lovin In My Baby’s Eyes” while
dancin’ with my wife
Day Four: “How Can it be Day Four
Already?”
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When I awoke there was a small pit in my stomach that told me that this was day last. However, there was still more fun and
music to be had. An autograph
session and the “Pickin’ Clinic” that ended with the artists kicking back and
watching as the fans got a chance to play some songs for them! “That was so
cool to see Vince(Herman) and Drew(Emmitt) watchin’ me play!” I overheard one
of the pickers say. After a small
lunch, we headed out for some snorkeling right off the beach to swim with some
fish at the nearby coral reef. It was then decided that the best place to hear the next Railroad Earth set would be
from the pool. Good choice! Doing the back stroke never sounded so
good.
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Sam Littlehale:
Strings N Sol was quite the experience. Bluegrass on the
beach, while a relatively new experience, it sure didn’t take long to get used
to! Railroad Earth started the music off the last day at 4. The sun was still up
and people were ready to get their feet moving. Railroad started off slow and
picked up into an awesome "Mission Man" with special guest Drew Emmitt, who came back later on. The excitement in the crowd was almost tangible as they moved on
to a great "Saddle of the Sun", fitting in perfectly as the sun was now low in
the sky behind the stage.
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| Photo courtesy of Sam Littlehale |
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While it was the last day and it was still hot out, the
crowd was one of the most audibly and visibly excited of the weekend, a tribute to
how much Hobos love their RRE. The set was not near over as they play a great "Happy Song" into "Walk Beside Me", followed by a slow and soulful "Old Man and The
Land" with Andrew Altman on the electric bass, as he was most of the weekend. The
set then took a surprising turn to something I have only witnessed once
before, Railraod Earth with keys. Joel Cummins, keyboardist for Umphrey’s McGee
was at the resort early for Mayan Holidaze - another fest at the resort the
following week. They welcomed him to stage and played an absolutely incredible "Elko" with some back and forth between Joel and Tim that won’t soon be forgotten.
Numerous Hobos went throughout the crowd, handing out playing cards during the
first few minutes of the song and when the line “hit me!” came over the
speakers hundreds of cards were flying through the air. The crowd was absolutely
ecstatic with the rare occurrence of keys and how wonderfully it “played” out.
Whether planned or not, as Joel got up and almost left… they ended up keeping him
on for one more - which turned out to be a very unique RRE classic, "Bird in a
House". Joel exited after a solid round of applause and RRE followed up, closing
out the set with "The Jupiter" and "The 119".
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They started off the second set with
Drew Emmitt back up onstage and opened it with a "Gold Rush". Drew only stayed on
for the first song and took his leave before a big bass intro to a great, very
jam-packed, "Spring-Heeled Jack". As they brought the "SHJ" down we saw Andy
Goessling bring out the flute and heard the beginning notes to a slow "Hunting
Song" that was followed up by a much quicker "John’s Jig". Up next was a "Smiling Like a Buddha" to sum up the crowd's excitement from the fantastic daytime set.
Then came the last song, which Tim dedicated to a couple that had just gotten
married on the beach the previous day. They played "Everything Comes Together" to
close out the fantastic final RRE set of a truly incredible weekend.
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Donnie Bee:
Our “Last Supper” and it was back
to the beach for the last Stringdusters set… and they were bringing the
heat! By the end of the set they were playin' so fast I saw sparks flyin’ from their fingers.
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I was still catching my breath as
Yonder took the stage for the first of their last two sets and they proved that
they shall not be out done.
David DeGrandpre:
"What a Beautiful Thing"
As
I stood on the beach in Tulum, waiting for Yonder to come on stage, it was hard
to believe that Strings & Sol was nearly over and that in less than 24
hours I would be on a plane back to Denver. It was a beautiful night, with a
relatively clear sky and a warm breeze blowing over the ocean. Railroad Earth
and the Stringdusters both played earlier sets leading up to this moment as
people drifted onto the sand, awaiting Yonder's final performance at Strings
& Sol. The three previous days were a blur, full of incredible people and
music, a wealth of memories made on the beaches of Tulum. And now, one more
Yonder show remained to add to those memories.
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Prior
to the show, the topic of guests sitting in had come up, as Yonder's
performances to this point had been guest-free, with the notable exception of
Jason Carter, of course. Would the final night turn into the clusterpluck one
might expect when you have as many talented bluegrass musicians in one place as
were at Strings & Sol? One
early and unexpected answer to that question came with the appearance of a red
Nord keyboard onstage to the left of where Dave stands. With the start of Mayan
Holidaze scheduled for only a couple days after Strings & Sol ended, it was
easy to surmise at that point that one of the Holidaze keyboard players would
be joining Yonder at some point in the evening. Putting speculation aside, the
anticipation grew until the crowd erupted as Yonder and Jason Carter took the
stage once more.
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With
a few words from Jeff, we were off, as a high energy version of "Redbird"
by Shawn Camp kicked things off. This song always seems to get the crowd moving
with its bouncing bassline, and tonight was no exception, as the band was on
point from the start. Jason Carter's fiddle wove in and out of the song,
surrounding the vocals with both fast runs and long bowed notes. Things slowed down a bit with "Honestly", as Adam stepped up for his first song
of the night. This song has really grown on me over the years as the slow build
of the first section leaves you waiting in anticipation for the second half of
the song to kick into high gear. And tonight was no exception to that, as the
song slowly built up, with Jason's fiddle solo transitioning into a slowly
building Dave solo, before the band came back together and kicked into the
second half of the song with Adam's guitar leading the way.
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Ben
then took a moment to introduce Jeff, "Folks, give it up please, leading
the way this weekend, this week, with what has become a legendary taco crawl,
playing the mandolin and singing, hair blowing in the breeze, please give it up
for Jeff Austin. " While I did not go on the taco crawl, stories of it had
made their way around the resort, and it sounded like a truly fantastic time.
Jeff responded by saying, "I just feel like I look frightened or shocked
at something at all moments tonight." He followed this by dedicating the
next song to friend of the band and US Navy veteran Zach Hightower, who at the
end of the previous night's show, proposed to his girlfriend Lacey, who of
course, said yes. With that, Jeff began the introduction to "Lay It on the
Line," another newer song that has definitely grown on me. I love the
intro to this one, with its slowly played composed mandolin introduction that
transitions into a more upbeat song that showcases Jeff's songwriting while
also providing room for solos from Jeff, Adam, Dave, and Jason.
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More
banter followed, as Ben asked Dave if he had done anything cool today. Dave
responded by saying he ate taquitos and went to the spa, while meanwhile, his
wife was at home with two kids, which led Jeff to announce that just a week ago
Dave's wife had given birth to their second child. Dave quickly and
enthusiastically responded to that by saying "F*ck yeah, I doubled down on
that sh*t, let's go buddy." With that, Dave took his first turn at the mic
for the night as the band broke into "Don't Worry Happy Birthday".
This is another song that took a while to grow on me, but has really come into
its own. Ben stepped back to the mic and noted that in windy conditions an
upright bass tends to turn into a sail. He continued on, telling a story about
one time while living in Eldora, CO, he was carrying his full size upright bass
and the wind hit it so hard that it lifted him off the ground and knocked him
over. With that story told, the boys kicked into "Things You're
Selling", one of my favorite Yonder songs. The lyrics are just perfect,
and it's been a song that's helped me in my life. While Yonder is always
uplifting in even the worst of times, there are definitely songs that hit home
at various times, and this is one that has many times for me. With bare feet
dancing in the sand on the beach
in Mexico and stars in the sky above, that search for the light had come to at
least a temporary stop, as all of Strings & Sol proved to be one of those
amazing moments in life where everything negative drifts away, as you're
surrounded by amazing music and amazing people in a beautiful place.
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With
but a momentary pause following the end of "Things You're Selling",
the familiar trio of chords that kick off "On The Run" burst forward, sending the crowd into a frenzy. It's such a high energy song and you never
know where they'll take it. This proved to be a standalone version and all of
the band members came out firing on this one. Jason stepped it up again, delivering some outstanding fiddle solos throughout, pushing the rest of the
band to drive the song faster. With a strong end to it, Adam stepped forward
and pointed out the microphone in front of Jason, informing us that he'd be
singing the next one and getting some help on the fiddle. Ben did a quick
check-in with us to make sure we were having a good time, which, naturally
received a unanimous yes. He proceeded to thank everyone and noted that this
event seemed kind of like an obvious thing to do that took them fourteen years
to get smart enough to do. He then turned towards Jason and introduced the
first guests of the evening, Tim Carbone from Railroad Earth and Jeremy Garrett
from the Infamous Stringdusters.
Three
fiddles? Check. Jason Carter singing? Check. I bolted from where I had been and made my way down towards
the front where I shared some space with the roaming panda in front of the
fiddle madness that was about to ensue. As the three warmed up, Jason stepped
forward and thanked the crowd before noting that the John Hartford song he was
about to sing was the perfect song for a fiddle player to sing. And with that,
the fiddles kicked off the introduction to "Vamp in the Middle", an
absolutely great Hartford tune that had the crowd dancing hard on the sand.
While Jason's vocals were definitely great to here, the obvious highlight of
this song was the numerous times that the fiddle players went back and forth,
with Jason, Jeremy, and Tim trading leads back and forth, leading the song to a
huge peak with all three pushing each other at the same time to take the song
further and further. With the final chorus complete and one final burst of
fiddling prowess, the song ended, leaving many of us with huge grins on our
faces, having witnessed an outstanding display of musical prowess. Sadly, that
was it for the triple fiddle threat, as Jeremy and Tim departed the stage.
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Some
brief tuning took place before the boys kicked into a monster version of
"Peace of Mind" to close the set. This is another of my favorite
Yonder songs, so needless to say, it had me dancing hard for a fantastic
seventeen plus minutes. They spared no effort in this one, as the entire band
really let loose and the crowd responded in kind. Jeff took lead
for the start of the jam and pushed it towards some darker territory,
constantly changing between quickly picked runs and sharply chopped chords.
Jason took over several minutes in and picked up right where Jeff left off,
bowing sharp and fast runs treading towards the edge of darkness. Dave's banjo
picking was outstanding in the back of the jam while Jeff threw on his envelope
filter to add some extra dark funk to the mix. Adam and Dave took their solos
respectively as the whole song moved to that space where it slowly builds and
builds. Dave's solo was excellent, leading the band in slowing down and
speeding up the tempo as it kept building. As Dave wound down his solo, Jeff
stepped back to the mic and
briefly started one of his raps. I wasn't able to catch all of it, but it
started with "Tell me darling Sally how does your hair grow? Does it grow
real long, does it grow to the floor?" With the dark vibe of the music and
Jeff's rap, I personally hoped it would veer into a "Riverside",
particularly as following his rap, Jeff threw his envelope filter back on for a
short dark funky jam. This led into a breakdown of the song, with some staccato
chords and fills by Ben and Jeff. This quickly built back up before bursting
out of the jam and back into "Peace of Mind". Adam took a quick solo
before passing it off to Dave who brought us back to the final verse with a
strong banjo solo. The song wound down in its typical fashion, with Ben and
Jeff going back and forth for the "You and I" part before pushing the
song to its final crescendo, with Jason laying down some furious fiddle behind
the vocals. With a powerful ending, Jeff thanked us and the band left the stage
to end set one.
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"You
folks ready for one more little blast here? You ready to have Jason Carter make
you tingly in all the right spots again?" Jeff greeted us once again,
mentioning that some friends would be joining them during the set. Some quick
tuning and we were on our way with the choppy opening of Bill Monroe's
"Southern Flavor". This is such a great instrumental and had everyone
back onto the sand and dancing. There was definitely an added sense that this
was it! This was the last set of music we would get on our Mexican vacation,
the last chance to dance in the sea and on the sand. Dave laid down a very
strong solo in this before yielding to Jason who once again absolutely tore it
up. Jeff stepped up the mic again and asked how many Colorado folks were there,
eliciting a fairly loud response from the crowd. He then gave us the exiting
news that it would be snowing in Denver the next day, and that we'd all be
"the assholes at the airport in shorts and sandals." With that little
reminder, Adam took us into "Another Day", a fitting song given its
reference to snow and its overall theme of going home.
Following
"Another Day", the first guest of set two came out as Jeff introduced
Joel Cummins from Umphrey's McGee, who took his spot behind the keyboard and
played a quick warm up as the band tuned. And with that, feedback poured forth
from the speakers as Jeff threw on his distortion pedal and Ben stepped up to start
"New Deal Train". I really like this song, and it was great hearing
Joel add some piano to it, as it fit very well into the mix alongside Jason's
fiddle and Jeff's feedback manipulation. Joel's playing in general fit the song
very well and felt right at home with Yonder, and this song in particular. It's
rare that a keyboard player joins Yonder, despite the wide number of guests they
have every year, so it's definitely great to hear. With only a momentary break,
the band started into "Ragdoll", with Joel changing his keyboard
sound to an electric piano to fit the dark mood of the song more appropriately.
Dave laid down a quick solo before giving way to Joel, who laid down a quick
but haunting solo before giving way to the next verse. Adam and Jason took the
next solos, with Adam's patiently building before passing it over to Jason, who
played a very melodic solo before giving way to the next verse. And then, a
lengthy jam segment took over. And as the band cohesively built the song up, one
instrument gave way to the other as it headed into some slow, spacey
territory. Dave's banjo work soon took over, propelling the jam forward as Jeff
threw on his filter once again, adding some funk mandolin to the mix while Joel
brought in some otherworldly sounds behind it. The jam built slowly until Jeff
pushed it to a peak before slowing it back down and taking it into the final
chorus with one final frenzied build up. I have to say, I love that they've started jamming this song
as out, as it has definitely developed its own dark and funky vibe.
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A
bit of banter ensued as Jeff welcomed Andy Hall of the Stringdusters to the
stage to join in on the fun and expand the band's sound even further. With
that, Jeff kicked off the familiar intro chords of "Girlfriend is
Better". This song is usually a monster, and with the extra musicians on
stage, tonight was no exception. While too many guests can sometimes crowd a
song too much, this proved to be the perfect vehicle to bring together the
various instruments. A lengthy jam ensued while myself and everyone around me
danced even harder on the sand. After some high energy solos, the jam slowed
down with Jason's fiddle and
Andy's dobro hanging over everything as Joel produced some atmospheric effects
in the background. Suddenly Ben's bass cut through with the signature bass line
leading the ensemble back into the main theme of the song. Joel stepped up and
took a high energy electric piano solo while the band pushed the tempo of the
song, driving it back to its final verse in a powerful fashion. With that, Joel
and Andy stepped off stage, and Ben stepped to the mic, reminding us to break
the news of how amazing Strings & Sol was to our friends gently in order to
minimize their regret in not coming. You could tell in moments like that and
many, many others, just how happy they all were to be there and to have thrown
such an incredible event.
Another
great Ben song, "Finally Saw the Light", was next, and this one is
always great to hear. It was fairly straight forward and led into an upbeat
"Shake Me Up", which has definitely become a great song to get down
to. Dave's banjo playing was particularly on point during this one as the song
moved from the song's theme to a jam and then back to the theme, and so on. Ben
took an outstanding bass solo during this one, shaking the beach and everyone
on it. Jeff and Adam both thanked us before kicking off "Little
Lover". This is a fun, straight forward bluegrass tune of Dave's and
featured some solid soloing from both Jeff and Adam. Adam quickly reintroduced
Andy Hall to the stage before the opening notes of "Traffic Jam" rang
out over the sand, delighting the crowd and starting a frenzy of dancing. Maybe
it was knowing we were nearing the end, maybe it was the slowly creeping
delirium of little sleep from the past three days, or maybe it was just the
pure energy of "Traffic Jam", but everyone was getting down as if it
were day one as the
band seemed to turn it up a notch for this one, pushed forward by the added
energy of Andy and Jason. Andy turned in a couple of particularly strong dobro
solos on this one, reminding everyone how well he fits with Yonder. From his
appearance during the 2011 New Year's run to various sit-ins during Cabin Fever
2012 to the Kinfolk celebration, he simply fits in so well with Yonder.
"Traffic Jam" closed out the set in style, with a lot of energy,
leaving an ecstatic crowd wanting more. With a quick thanks from Jeff, the band
left the stage, and we were left to wait their quick return for the encore.
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With
a short break, the band returned with a number of guests from Railroad Earth
and the Infamous Stringdusters, while Jeff informed us that all of Leftover
Salmon had been kidnapped and that we should watch for them on milk cartons. With
that, Joel Cummins, Andy Hall, Tim Carbone, John Skehan, Andy Goessling, Chris
Pandolfi, and Andy Falco all came out to join Yonder and Jason Carter. Jeff
gave a long thank you to all the musicians, Cloud 9, the crew, and the
incredible staff that took care of us. He also alluded to future plans for
Strings & Sol, as they didn't plan this to simply be a one year thing.
Certainly, that was news that we were all excited to hear.
Dave teased the riff to "Two Hits and the Joint Turned Brown", which was followed immediately by Ben kicking off the familiar bass line and Jeff
reminding us it was our last chance to dance. And dance we did, as everyone on
stage pushed the groove forward and traded solos back and forth. Jason and Tim
provided some more dueling fiddles during one of the longer solo breaks,
pushing the song to a great peak before returning to the chorus. At some point,
the roaming panda bear and Vince Herman appeared on stage with a washboard,
joining in the festivities, prompting Jeff to ask Vince to say some words to
the crowd. Vince briefly rapped about smoking some Mexican weed before Jeff
took back the vocals and brought the song to a great finish, leaving all
of us excited and exhausted, and no doubt wanting more.
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With
that, it was off to the main bar to grab one final drink, spend some last
moments with new and old friends, enjoy the last few hours I had in Mexico, and
soak in what had taken place over those four days. There's nothing quite in the
world like Strings & Sol, at least to me. Dancing in the sand, dancing in
the ocean, getting to spend four days with four amazing bands, and getting to
meet a ton of new friends. It was truly an amazing experience and one I look
forward to doing again. Jeff put it simply but perfectly during that last
night, simply saying, "What a beautiful thing."
What a beautiful thing, indeed.
For any “Jamgrass” fan, there was nowhere else on earth to be except at Cloud 9’s newest adventure, The Strings & Sol festival in Tulum, Mexico. On a tropical beach strait from your day dreams, a four day party at an all-inclusive resort with Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth, Leftover Salmon, The Infamous Stringdusters, and 1000 of your closest friends! Rubbing elbows with your musical heroes but with enough elbow room on the dance beach to give each person exactly how much space they wanted. In the day time you could go on excursions like deep sea fishing and snorkeling led by some of the artists, or just chill on the beach or in the pool and wait for the evening music, when each set of tunes was more epic than the last. During the shows you could listen from the pools, watch from the ocean, or boogie on the beach. Everyone sat in with everyone else and at times it was hard to tell exactly which band was “supposed” to be doing the set. Perfect weather and a meteor shower topped it all off to make it one of the most memorable festivals of all time.
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Written by Shari Band, Donnie Bee, Lori Gleason, David DeGrandpre, and Sam Littlehale; with an introduction by Dorothy St.Claire.
With photos by Brian Band, Cy Routh, Stephenie Gardner, David DeGrandpre, Lori Gleason, Matt Meganck, Nilima Kutty-Jones, and Sam Littlehale
With photos by Brian Band, Cy Routh, Stephenie Gardner, David DeGrandpre, Lori Gleason, Matt Meganck, Nilima Kutty-Jones, and Sam Littlehale
Download Yonder's shows from Yondermountainlive!
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