New from Concert Cast, we present: Let’s Go Festival: A rockumentary podcast that brings the music festival to you. Our series starts in Farmington, Maine at the Sandy River Music Festival where host, Kyle Lamont follows one wildly ambitious organizer, weathers a rain storm with an unbeatable production crew and listens to local musicians break down their songs backstage, plus a late night acoustic jam by the fire. This episode reveals a music community like no other – one based in Maine’s natural sounds, enthusiasm, fresh air and talent. Created by Kyle Lamont To hear more podcasts about Concert Culture go to ConcertCast.live Concert Cast is a production of Good to Go Studios
New from Concert Cast, we present: Let’s Go Festival - A rockumentary podcast that brings the music festival to you.
Our series starts in Farmington, Maine at the Sandy River Music Festival. Here, there are no frills, just a bunch of passionate people coming together to celebrate local musicians.
Singer Jason Spooner puts it this way: “We've played a bunch of festivals where it's kind of a zoo. Big lines and port-a-potty masses and mud and the energy's just almost a little too frenetic. This is more my style, everybody's laid back and very respectful." The Sandy River Music Festival might just be one of the most Maine things out there. Fire pits to gather around, fresh mountain water to swim in, musicians to sway to. It's a festival that manages to be both eclectic and cozy, vast and very familiar.
The Venue
It seems that many Maine musicians feel that they have to leave Maine to make it in the music scene. And Mainers often feel like they have to go to big cities to hear music magic. What makes the Sandy River Music Festival so special is that when you stand in the field behind the Narrow Gauges cinema, where it is located, this feeling disappears. You are exactly where you need to be. You can feel magic in the river and in the crowds of committed music lovers. Families near campfires, friends dancing, solo campers meeting new friends. You can come to the Sandy River Festival as you are.
Lena, from the Maine band Golden Oak told me, “Every time I come home, I'm so impressed. I'm just like, What is happening in Farmington? When did you get so hip and cool and super cool?”
The Music
An amazing thing about the music here is that it doesn’t feel exclusive. You can listen to bands reference each other in their set intros, grab a beer with them after they play or join in on impromptu fire pit jams.
Many festival go-ers know the musicians too. Either indirectly, having grown up listening to them at shows or directly, as friends. And that’s a special feeling no-one takes for granted.
The Camping - Glamping
The festival is an overnight affair. You’ve got some options. You can rent beautiful bell tents that can fit up to six of your friends. Or you can bring an RV. The camping grounds are spacious and within walking distance to the very swimmable Sandy River.
The Idea Man - Meet John the Owner
“He goes into a quantum timescape. He's running so fast and so steady. It's just like a stargate opens up.” That’s just one of the ways John, the organizer of this festival is described. I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you’re looking for the story of one man backed by a superhero team of technicians, planners, builders and wizards making magic happen – have a listen to this episode of Concert Cast.
Memorial Day Lineup of musical memories
Get your tickets for this years festival here.
Special thank you to
Franklin Savings bank for sponsoring this episode. They believe in small businesses and like us, are committed to supporting our concert communities in Maine. Bank with ease at https://www.franklinsavings.bank/
This episode is created and produced by Kyle Lamont of Good To Go Studios
To hear more podcasts about concert culture go to Concert Cast.live
Co-writer and co producer: Zo Bailley Field producer: Camille Howard Editor & Engineer: Pete McGill
Let’s Go Festival_Sandy River: Presented by Concert Cast
Speaker1: [00:00:00] Hey, I'm Kyle Lamont, your host. And I want to say thank you to Franklin Savings Bank for sponsoring this episode. They believe in small businesses and, like us, are committed to supporting our concert communities in Maine. Now let's get into it.
Speaker2: [00:00:17] I [00:00:15] just never would have expected Farmington have a music. So that's what I was saying. Every time I come home, I'm so impressed. I'm just like, What is happening in Farmington? When did you get so hip and cool and cool? What is this awesome [00:00:30] music festival?
Speaker1: [00:00:31] Well, it's Sandy River Music Festival. And I'm Kyle Lamont, your host. This weekend, we're getting down to live music. We're camping, we're podcasting, and it's all part of Let's Go Festival, a new series on concert cast [00:00:45] live.
Speaker3: [00:00:46] We might just wander out into the field and play.
Speaker1: [00:00:48] Head on over to a late night acoustic jam by the fire pit. Let's go see what's going on.
Speaker4: [00:00:56] All of my favorite Portland musicians were playing today. Yeah, me too. He's like a [00:01:00] buddy fest.
Speaker1: [00:01:00] I'm with my field producer Camille, who you'll hear throughout the episode. They'll be narrating their experience, talking to festival goers, bands and roadies and also looking out for me. You have a little.
Speaker5: [00:01:12] Lipstick on your teeth.
Speaker1: [00:01:13] Thank you. That's my signature [00:01:15] look. We've arrived a few hours before Gates opened to set up camp and scout the stellar location.
Speaker2: [00:01:23] Something that happens when, like, you're in nature, too, You know, you're looking out and you're like, You have the music [00:01:30] here. You have the sun on your face, like the trees next to you.
Speaker1: [00:01:34] That's Lena, and she's the lead singer of the headlining band Golden Oak. What? What is happening? Paint us a picture, you lovely songwriter.
Speaker6: [00:01:42] It's a beautiful venue. It's so nice. [00:01:45] It's just overlooking the big field there and the mountains in the background.
Speaker2: [00:01:48] And I feel like it's golden hour right now, which is golden hour, my favorite hour. I'm drinking a tumbledown.
Speaker7: [00:01:55] Brewing company, half of ice and beer. It's the color of the golden [00:02:00] hour.
Speaker6: [00:02:01] It's beautiful. Early spring, Memorial Day, Maine, very green, just bloomed. Maple trees and some pine trees in the background. Beautiful sort of fluffy clouds, gorgeous sunset. [00:02:15] Here's some nice electric guitar in the distance and smell lots of good pizza and burgers and all kinds of goodies. Yeah, I mean, it's just like, this is like the perfect venue because it feels really welcoming and yeah, [00:02:30] just very homey. But yeah, I love it here so much. I mean, like all my so much of my music is just about being.
Speaker1: [00:02:36] In Maine, you know that singer and songwriter Pete Kilpatrick?
Speaker8: [00:02:40] I'm brand new to, you know, the Pete Kilpatrick band, Dave [00:02:45] Mallett. All of these things are new to me. I've never really heard them. I'm, you know, I listen to I don't know, Abba. Who knows? This is so much better and it's local. You know, you have an opportunity to actually meet the people who [00:03:00] are making the music and they make really good music, which is fun.
Speaker1: [00:03:04] And you just heard from Kathy from Portland who says that music festivals are a way to discover new favorite bands, and we're on the same page about that. Well, not so much [00:03:15] about the Abba thing, but you get the point. That's what I love about this festival is finding new bands. Just what you said. I'd never heard about you, to be honest. Yeah, I'm sorry. No, that's okay. But I can't stop listening to you.
Speaker6: [00:03:26] Do you have, like, a favorite song of ours or. I like.
Speaker1: [00:03:29] Evangeline. [00:03:30] It's time we got back to the venue.
Speaker9: [00:03:34] It's really cool to see all of the campers here, too. Like all the tenting. Like, that's a that's a cool touch. And I think that would be really neat to do one of these days or maybe next year, come in, tent out, because [00:03:45] it's just a gorgeous spot. They've got, I think, blonde games going on. I think there's cornhole over there. And again, just tons of kids just running around having a good time. And I haven't seen anybody that's in a bad mood.
Speaker1: [00:03:56] And that's Tara. She's here in her RV.
Speaker8: [00:03:59] So you can either bring your [00:04:00] camper, you can bring your tent, you can bring your or you can rent one of their tents, which makes it easy.
Speaker1: [00:04:04] So the tents she's talking about aren't just any old camping tents. They're stunning bell tents. They can sleep up to six people. I know this because [00:04:15] I've rented one from the festival. I'm not a camping pro by any means. I guess you could say I'm bare bones, bougie. I'm a fan of the blow up mattress, my comforter and pillow. For those who would rather [00:04:30] not. Camp Farmington has got you covered with hotels, restaurants, shops. It's a charming New England town.
Speaker10: [00:04:37] Socialized all the way down this line yesterday, talking to different people from different places and what their rigs are about. But that's as far. And we're headed to Renee's to shop. That's our other. When [00:04:45] I come to Farmington, I got to go to Randy's. That's our other.
Speaker1: [00:04:47] Goal. Music festivals, no matter what type, have a rhythm to them. They're like a song composed of unique sounds. We challenged ourselves to make a Sandy [00:05:00] River song using sounds that we captured while on location throughout the weekend. You're hearing a little bit now.
Speaker11: [00:05:11] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:05:12] Pick to pick [00:05:15] right up on it.
Speaker1: [00:05:36] The [00:05:30] tone of this musical piece or festival is reflective of the music lineup. Folk rock rich with storytelling, and [00:05:45] fittingly enough, the majority of the musicians playing sing about nature. The festival is designed for laid back music lovers for families. I mean, there's no Shakedown Street or late night parties, but signature festival sights and sounds [00:06:00] about kids running in the field, people playing cornhole flying kites, people emerging from tents or campers in the morning, walking to the bathrooms, toothbrush in hand. Easy chatter with neighbors grilling, drinking. The [00:06:15] community. Vibes here are strong. This is Lena from Galdenoch and Eleanor Buckland. They're Farmington Darlings who performed on the second night of the festival.
Speaker7: [00:06:27] Hey, Dad. Hey, Dad. How do you move [00:06:30] over a little bit? We're doing, like, a fun little interview. Oh, okay. Classic. Thanks, Dad. Yeah. That's okay. Anyway. Yeah. But I also think it's like it was always [00:06:45] so magical growing up here and such a community minded place. And so music was a big part of that. Absolutely.
Speaker2: [00:06:55] I think just growing up in Maine is a part of that. Like, we're just immersed. We're very lucky to be like immersed [00:07:00] in this beautiful natural place mountains, lakes, rivers, you know, forests. It's it's incredible.
Speaker7: [00:07:08] I feel so grounded here. And so it was really special to play a lot of this music, [00:07:15] a lot of these songs tonight on stage. And I'm like, Oh, I've never played these songs in Farmington outside in this place. That was such a huge part of why [00:07:30] I am the musician I am.
Speaker1: [00:07:31] While dialing in our camp, we get a special visit. I think it's John, the festival owners little golf cart coming to check on us.
[00:07:42] Is that John? There [00:07:45] he is. How you doing? Hi.
Speaker6: [00:07:48] Oh, you already started. We're rolling.
Speaker9: [00:07:50] Baby.
Speaker6: [00:07:50] Get out of the way.
Speaker1: [00:07:52] It's official, John, when you have a golf cart. John's from Farmington, and he owns the Narrow Gauge cinema, which offers both indoor and [00:08:00] drive in movie experiences. And the Sandy River Music Festival is on his property. I met him when I was here recording an episode about drive in concerts during COVID and immediately recognized that he likes to think [00:08:15] outside the box.
Speaker2: [00:08:16] Like when John has an idea, it's 110%. Like he goes fully and in the best way and so impressively and like to provide a space like this for the community [00:08:30] of Farmington, we.
Speaker1: [00:08:31] Talk about how expansive and gorgeous the field is. Unlike bigger festivals where.
Speaker12: [00:08:37] You can hear the person really snoring next door or they burp and you hear it. So you want some. I want to keep it personal space, but by the same token, I think [00:08:45] we have plenty of room here to to dot this out.
Speaker1: [00:08:48] And then he points to the edge of the field, past the looming rain clouds. Yeah, it's sort of dark over here on the south side. We're just 50 yards away is the Sandy River. He [00:09:00] shares with me one of his ideas.
Speaker12: [00:09:02] We'll cut that path in and then put put a deck or a dock in for the for the weekend so that people can just have something to go out in and off of.
Speaker1: [00:09:11] John has a dry sense of humor. He's self-deprecating [00:09:15] despite his clear vision. Do you know what's going on?
Speaker13: [00:09:18] Well, once in a while.
Speaker1: [00:09:20] He's also not one to sit in an office all day delegating work.
Speaker14: [00:09:25] So he was out here mowing the other night. I don't know what time he got done. 9:00 at night.
Speaker1: [00:09:30] That's [00:09:30] his wife, the wizard by his side, who manages and executes his big ideas. Cool. What are you doing right now?
Speaker12: [00:09:37] I'm going to start getting the green room ready.
Speaker6: [00:09:40] Get the put the beer on ice. Gotta make sure we have plenty of hand sanitizer. [00:09:45]
Speaker12: [00:09:45] We have a really good crew of electricians, carpenters. I mean, my carpenters are out there dying last night, helping, putting up the. The the tents and stuff. You know, my wife's here working behind the scenes tirelessly, my staff. So they pitch in. I mean, they go, what [00:10:00] crazy idea, John come up with next. And, you know, now he's going to be grumpy and we'll put up with it.
Speaker1: [00:10:05] So while we're talking, it's hard to ignore the elephant in the field. The weather forecast, the vibe is strong, strong feeling that mountain energy, this [00:10:15] rain is definitely not coming over here, is it?
Speaker12: [00:10:19] I don't know. I keep hearing different stories.
Speaker1: [00:10:20] He's a little worried here. John's referring to Eric. He's one of the guys in the production.
Speaker12: [00:10:24] Crew about these microbursts because he's had experience up here because we're coming off the mountains.
Speaker1: [00:10:28] While John prepares [00:10:30] the epic Green Room area, complete with. Ping pong tables, fire pits, comfy couches and an awesome food spread.
Speaker12: [00:10:37] So Big Sky Grill. Where are you going To grab some food is over here. Yeah. Okay. So that and then you can just walk along the path there and then [00:10:45] down onto the.
Speaker1: [00:10:46] You can get down onto the river, right, Camille And decide to head in that direction. Bet you're gonna build yourselves as we walk on a nicely paved dirt trail, which is also great for bike riding, by the way. [00:11:00] The sun peaks in and out of the clouds and we enter a neon tunnel.
Speaker8: [00:11:05] And all these stunning, stunning.
Speaker7: [00:11:06] Trees.
Speaker1: [00:11:07] Oh, my goodness. We cut in through the forest, walk a few yards, and the piece de resistance comes into full [00:11:15] view. Wow. This is beautiful. Isn't it?
[00:11:22] Cool. What? Water swimming. Beat through from the back. Truth is, I think I found the one smooth [00:11:30] soul and a whole lot of fun. Living by the water treats us way. You see, has a whole lot to tell.
Speaker1: [00:11:45] Now [00:11:45] I know why they call it Sandy River. It's really nice. Little sand bars. To walk out onto and see like nice granite outcropping where bridge used to be. Butterflies [00:12:00] are dancing around two mallard ducks just cruising up the river. Like this is not bad for a backyard of a music festival.
Speaker2: [00:12:13] I used to swim there like, you [00:12:15] know, after high school.
Speaker1: [00:12:16] Here's Lena again from Golden Oak.
Speaker2: [00:12:18] Be like, Let's meet at the Sandy River. Go swimming and talk about your crushes. Yeah, exactly. There definitely was a party spot along this river that was called Far Beach. [00:12:30] So you just be like, all right, walk along the field for a while until you hear voices and then you've reached the right spot. Yeah. So growing up in Farmington was great. Yeah.
Speaker1: [00:12:44] Yeah, definitely. [00:12:45] If we aren't overselling the location of the festival at this point, let me just drive it home one more time. The distance between the stage and the river is less than a 15 minute walk where basically you get the best of both [00:13:00] main summer worlds swimming and hanging out by a crisp mountain river and live music.
Speaker7: [00:13:07] This is honestly a spot, though.
Speaker1: [00:13:10] This spot is picturesque. Let's not forget we're in Maine and here the [00:13:15] weather does tend to change fast.
[00:13:19] All right, here comes the wind, tarp and everything.
Speaker15: [00:13:29] A forager finds [00:13:30] a family secret on the forest floor from producer Kyle Lamont and director Jim Picarello comes the mushroom hunters. A modern day fairy tale made in Maine on Mount Desert Island. Good to go. Studios.com to watch.
Speaker1: [00:13:45] I'm [00:13:45] on stage with the production crew of ocean Sound and lighting. They're wheeling out black road cases from their big box truck. The independent company is owned and operated by Jack Murray and their ACES for live music and event production [00:14:00] in the New England area. I've been.
Speaker6: [00:14:01] Working with Jack, like off.
Speaker4: [00:14:03] And on for like ten years since we've both been doing it, and he just does it real good. And he's a he's the guy to follow. Everything he [00:14:15] does is like either correct or hilariously funny. So grab.
Speaker2: [00:14:18] More stuff.
Speaker4: [00:14:19] We'll follow him and do anything.
Speaker1: [00:14:20] Because Ocean sound and Lighting are familiar with the venue. So what's your setup here?
Speaker4: [00:14:26] This is specifically the Farmington package.
Speaker1: [00:14:28] They've noticed that John [00:14:30] knows how to hook it up.
Speaker4: [00:14:31] There's copper that goes to there from stage so we don't have to run lines to there. It's kind of nice. In fact, John did a great job every time we came up here. At first when they were building it, we'd be like, Man, I wish I had that. And the next time we would come, it would have that. Like, I wish I had that. [00:14:45] And then he'd get that. And it's like, I wish we had five runs to the booth. Bam, five runs to the booth.
Speaker1: [00:14:51] The guys are setting up, keeping things light hearted. Despite the massive rain cloud looming above.
Speaker4: [00:14:56] Us, this is pitched down a little bit.
Speaker16: [00:14:59] We can get a shim [00:15:00] for that.
Speaker6: [00:15:00] What time is the first band we figured out?
Speaker16: [00:15:04] Yeah, we need to plug in the drums real quick. Yeah.
Speaker6: [00:15:07] Did you bring a quarter inch for your drum?
Speaker16: [00:15:09] Well, we need Phantom. Give him Phantom.
Speaker6: [00:15:13] Thank you, Phantom.
[00:15:14] When you set up [00:15:15] a band in the rain.
Speaker16: [00:15:19] Oh, we're going to be like a bunch of wet puppies. Oh.
[00:15:21] All right, here comes the wind, harp and everything.
Speaker1: [00:15:27] Sheets of rain are [00:15:30] crashing down on us. Everyone runs for the nearest cover. Sitting in our beautiful bell tent listening to this.
Speaker5: [00:15:43] Rainstorm.
Speaker1: [00:15:46] It's [00:15:45] really peaceful. It makes me want to take a nap. It's the perfect conditions for nap. Waiting it out. But [00:16:00] in typical main mountain rainstorm form, it's quick and gone, leaving in its wake birdsongs and crisp, clean air.
Speaker9: [00:16:15] This [00:16:15] is.
Speaker17: [00:16:17] Um. Just after, um, huge rainstorm at Sandy River.
Speaker18: [00:16:26] I've lost track of time now. It feels like a new day.
Speaker1: [00:16:30] Way [00:16:30] too long. Camille and I are feeling refreshed and also antsy. So we start walking around the festival grounds.
Speaker19: [00:16:43] Bailey? Yes. John said you can start. [00:16:45] So start checking people in. Yeah, I've already been doing that.
Speaker1: [00:16:49] So we meet back up with the production crew who's sweeping rainwater off the stage. How did you fare?
Speaker16: [00:16:56] Oh, better than expected. Not quite so great.
Speaker8: [00:16:58] At least it wasn't blustery. [00:17:00]
Speaker1: [00:17:00] Yeah.
Speaker6: [00:17:04] This is the real rock and roll industry right here. Oh, yeah. It's sweeping stuff. Things you.
Speaker1: [00:17:10] Could use. John and his team are scrambling to set up the front of house, [00:17:15] so.
Speaker20: [00:17:15] But I always rather work and throw a party than go to a party myself. It gives me something to do. I'm socially awkward. So you like having a job? I like having a purpose. Yeah. Yeah. It doesn't have to be a job, but, like, having a purpose [00:17:30] just makes it more fun.
Speaker1: [00:17:32] Meet Chuck. He's John's longtime friend who's currently setting up the beer tent. Oh, and when I look for John to see what he's up to.
Speaker16: [00:17:40] Good luck finding.
Speaker7: [00:17:41] Him. Yeah. Where's he?
Speaker16: [00:17:43] Don't have.
Speaker21: [00:17:43] Any idea. He sometimes [00:17:45] disappears in the middle of things, I think.
Speaker1: [00:17:47] Oh, really? Just to take a moment. No, I.
Speaker21: [00:17:49] Think usually we just can't find him. When we.
Speaker20: [00:17:51] Want him. He goes into a quantum timescape. He's running so fast and so steady. It's just like a stargate opens up.
Speaker1: [00:17:58] It seems as if we've all [00:18:00] entered a Stargate passage because before I know it, people have arrived. They're here ready to see music walking around the grassy knoll, setting up their tents, setting up their camping chairs, hanging out, settling in for a beautiful [00:18:15] afternoon and evening of music.
Speaker11: [00:18:17] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Check two. Yeah, yeah. Two. Yeah two. Yeah, yeah two. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker6: [00:18:28] There's some new Sharon folks [00:18:30] in the crowd tonight who.
Speaker20: [00:18:34] We yell that out everywhere. And this is the only place we ever hear you got to get out of town.
Speaker6: [00:18:37] New Sharon, people. I just got to say what an honor it is to be to share the stage with David Mallet and his sons.
Speaker11: [00:18:44] And my dad says. [00:18:45]
Speaker3: [00:18:45] Earlier, he says, I like the pointy tents. It seems like a place where there would be jousting.
[00:18:54] Boys. This one's called.
Speaker11: [00:18:56] Firefly. Ready? Here we go.
Speaker22: [00:18:59] Mother Earth [00:19:00] will make you strong if you give her love and care.
Speaker1: [00:19:05] David Mallett breaks the festival in, which isn't hard for him to do, considering he's been playing music in Maine for well over four decades. When Garden Song [00:19:15] comes on, a song that's been recorded hundreds of times and is considered part of the American folk lexicon, I see people of all ages mouthing the lyrics and inch by inch, row.
Speaker22: [00:19:28] By row going [00:19:30] to make this garden grow. All it takes is a rake and a hoe and the piece of fertile ground. And inch by inch. Row by row. Someone [00:19:45] blessed these seeds.
[00:19:46] I. Someone warm them from below til.
Speaker22: [00:19:51] It just sort of happened. Yeah, I just was sort of struck with the beauty of it all and [00:20:00] I was in my 20s. And just felt like something I ought to do. Inch by inch, row by row. And I could hear it. I could sort of hear it as I wrote it down.
Speaker16: [00:20:12] Guys are doing well, We're called the Pete Kilpatrick band. We're so [00:20:15] happy to be here tonight playing some tunes for you.
Speaker1: [00:20:17] With Grass in Between My Toes, mountain air rushing through my hair, Hearing my favorite song by the Pete Kilpatrick band called Evangeline Makes My Heart Soar. I never [00:20:30] want this moment to end.
[00:20:33] Choked the sky. How we harm you.
Speaker22: [00:20:39] With neon signs.
[00:20:42] The sound. Not far [00:20:45] behind us. Your hand was trembling. It's out of my. We're almost at the border. Have you? The [00:21:00] boy like me won't forget. The nights that we spent. But it all.
Speaker22: [00:21:13] Goes by [00:21:15] so fast.
Speaker1: [00:21:18] An amazing thing about this festival is that it doesn't feel exclusive. For instance, after a musician plays, you can gather around the fire and listen to them break down their songs.
Speaker6: [00:21:29] That is a song [00:21:30] that I wrote from another person's perspective. I just had the idea come up in my head of like two bank robbers, like young bank robbers from Maine, like in the early 1900s, like a young like Bonnie and Clyde, sort of, but like trying to escape [00:21:45] up in, like, to Canada, like from the up to the Canadian border. So I don't know, that is a song. I just put myself in someone else's shoes.
Speaker1: [00:21:55] Other songs come from his personal experiences.
Speaker6: [00:21:58] I feel like the more I can connect people [00:22:00] with things that happen to me on a personal level, the more they connect with it because they can kind of like feel the that it's a real thing. It's because those are the songs that I connect with when it's an artist that [00:22:15] you can just kind of feel their emotions in the music.
Speaker1: [00:22:19] Then Jason Spooner hits us with an absolute summer banger called Backyard Blues. I sitting.
Speaker23: [00:22:27] On my front porch, I can just [00:22:30] remember.
[00:22:32] The summer is so sweet. And that's walk in my.
Speaker23: [00:22:38] Direction, long and slender.
[00:22:42] Those three words she said to [00:22:45] me. It's beautiful. Is [00:23:00] wonderful.
Speaker1: [00:23:04] When and where were you when you wrote Backyard Blues?
Speaker6: [00:23:08] Well, that was a group effort, I got to say. Dan Boyden, our drummer, came up with that groove, which I just loved. We [00:23:15] kind of had the song mapped out, and so he brought it into our little rehearsal space at the time, and this is the way we work. And I think it was springtime coming into summer, and it all came together just like, yeah, like a real summertime.
Speaker24: [00:23:25] Kind of rocker.
Speaker1: [00:23:27] What's your guitar you're playing tonight?
Speaker6: [00:23:29] I've got a Gretsch [00:23:30] duo jet that I absolutely love and it's been behaving on me. So hopefully I feel like this is good weather for a guitar to behave.
Speaker1: [00:23:38] The crowd is feeling it and I see John orbiting the venue. I run over to check in to see how he's doing. We feel relieved [00:23:45] right now that people are here having a good time.
Speaker12: [00:23:47] Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think, you know, from my mind I see kind of the the the drop balls that we had and we've got a fair number that we have to kind of firm up. Now, what we're doing internally is making a list of a punch [00:24:00] list of get right for tomorrow. Yeah. You know, so. If I don't fire everybody tonight.
Speaker1: [00:24:05] You gotta love the humor. And we also talk with some fans.
[00:24:09] So what do you think so far of the festival? Well.
Speaker8: [00:24:15] I [00:24:15] love it. We didn't get here until like five ish. And we've got one of the tents over there, so that was pretty cool. Yeah, And it's bigger than we expected. So win win there. The weather cleared up.
Speaker12: [00:24:28] Here's my take. It's. [00:24:30] It's beautiful here. Look at the sky. It's blue. It's fantastic. The grass is green. The music is good. We're hanging for some food. We're drinking beer. What could be better?
Speaker4: [00:24:45] This [00:24:45] is unbelievable.
Speaker9: [00:24:46] One little kid gave us a free rock and asked us if we wanted a free rock. And we said, Of course we do. Granted, we're standing on crushed rock, but this kid was an entrepreneur and he was selling free rocks and we were here for it. It was cute. [00:25:00] It's just a really good vibe.
Speaker1: [00:25:03] The Mallett Brothers Band kick things into High gear. Their song, Living on Rock and Roll, has people up on their feet.
Speaker3: [00:25:28] Yeah, [00:25:15] especially like it came up like during [00:25:30] like COVID kind of where, like, you know, everybody's having like, a little bit of a existential crisis and stuff, and all of a sudden we're out of work and, like, wondering what we're going to do. And then my brother came up with that song and it was kind of just like just so energizing, [00:25:45] you know, like, this is what we do. It's great you get a little break here, but we're going to get back to it. And yeah, it was cool. You know, the timing was right.
Speaker2: [00:25:55] You guys are really bringing the groove like you.
Speaker25: [00:25:58] I mean, dancing to live music [00:26:00] is absolutely my favorite thing.
[00:26:02] Of course, we're going to do another tune or two. Might as well get to it.
Speaker3: [00:26:08] Before the cops show up. We're going to bring our Luke and his dad, David Mallet, up for this.
[00:26:15] Talk [00:26:15] to me about how cool it is to, like, have your sons be like musicians. Yeah, it's pretty indescribable. And to have them be so good and have such a grasp of the art form and the business. I'm [00:26:30] sort of like really grateful and in awe. Are you going to play with them tonight? No. After their performance, I start to hear rumors that Steadman's Landing, which is a [00:26:45] spinoff of the Mallett Brothers Band, are going to play a little late night jam around the fire pit. We'll see what happens. If him and Randy feel like partying, then anything can happen in the field, so we might just wander out into the field and play. There was only [00:27:00] one way to find out. So after freshening up in my tent, heading over to a little late night acoustic jam by the fire pit, let's go see what's going on. Take [00:27:15] good care. For a squall.
Speaker1: [00:27:22] There's a chill group of 20 or so people gathered around hanging out on massive granite benches.
Speaker20: [00:27:29] This is my favorite [00:27:30] venue, by the way. This right here.
Speaker3: [00:27:34] Yeah. This is like the original music venue.
Speaker1: [00:27:36] The stone wall. Yeah, right. John's here, too, hanging out, glowing. And he's, you know, making sure everyone's happy. [00:27:45]
Speaker12: [00:27:45] What's up, Nick? You want something? You good?
Speaker26: [00:27:47] I'm good. All of my favorite Portland musicians were playing today. Yeah, me too. He's like a buddy fest. There was a buddy fest. I literally was friends with everybody that was here playing. Oh, that's so cool. Yeah. Super cool. We [00:28:00] wrote a.
Speaker3: [00:28:01] Song about.
Speaker11: [00:28:03] Stars. Yeah.
Speaker1: [00:28:05] As they ease into a song, I'm feeling a bit sleepy, so I walk back to my bell tent, which is emanating a warm orange light from my lantern. I [00:28:15] tuck in for the night and insider tip. You want to make sure to bring some layers because the mountain air gets a bit chilly here at night. So [00:28:30] I'm waiting for John. It's about ten inches the morning for a little recap interview. I look behind me and here he is walking up the gravel ramp that brings you into the backstage area. He's wearing his [00:28:45] Sandy River t shirt and a very cool sandy River bandana. He also is collecting garbage along the way. We post up in one of the tents set up in the backstage area, and he shares with me how much he loves Farmington [00:29:00] and his role in the community. And he's quick to follow up with a new idea.
Speaker12: [00:29:05] Building out the venue to the best of your ability is something I enjoy trying to do. I want to cut that out and terrace it a little bit. So [00:29:15] to make almost like box seats angled, not a lot, maybe just enough like 30 or 40 seats and then you would actually have your own private fire pit, a seating area, maybe even wait staff that would bring you whatever you need, but it would be like a box seat in an amphitheater. [00:29:30]
Speaker1: [00:29:30] And he acknowledges how he couldn't do it without his team.
Speaker12: [00:29:34] We've got a great support system here. I mean, and that's the part of small town living.
Speaker1: [00:29:37] Praising his talent buyer Derek Lombardi and Molly Welch, who's the graphic designer and brand builder.
Speaker12: [00:29:43] So what they've been able to do is [00:29:45] fill in the pieces that that I don't have the expertise on. And I think that's important to surround yourself with a team, right? I mean, you cannot do this by yourself.
Speaker1: [00:29:52] And while we're talking, he actually gets a text message from the bassist in the David Mallett Band.
Speaker12: [00:29:57] Hey, man, thanks for a spectacular evening event last [00:30:00] night. All the players I spoke with were totally blown away. With your hospitality and attention to detail, the venue is really maturing nicely. I hope today goes well for you and that you didn't hemorrhage too much overall. Stay out of the hot sun.
Speaker1: [00:30:11] Mike Bird That's nicely which feels like the perfect [00:30:15] note to end our interview and this episode on.
Speaker24: [00:30:18] We've played a bunch of festivals where it's, you know, kind of a zoo and big lines and port-a-potty masses and, you know, mud and the energy's just almost a little [00:30:30] too frenetic. Like this is more my style. This is kind of like everybody's laid back and very respectful.
Speaker1: [00:30:35] The Sandy River Music Festival might just be one of the most Maine things out there fire pits to gather around, fresh water, to swim in, musicians [00:30:45] to sway to. It's a festival that manages to be both eclectic and cozy, vast and very familiar. And the 2023 lineup is looking sweet. We've got Griffin Sherry from the ghost of Paul Revere, Wolf Sisters, Coyote Island, [00:31:00] who you're hearing right now, the Adam Ezra group and so many more. Me personally, I can't wait to see what John has up his sleeve this year. Head to whistlestop concert series.com to buy your tickets and to also rent out a beautiful bell tent. [00:31:15] This has been a good to go Studios production made in Ellsworth, Maine and it's created and produced by yours truly, me, Kyle Lamont. So Bailey is the co-writer and co-producer. Camille Howard is our field producer. Pete McGill, our [00:31:30] editor and engineer. And Carlo Arcos designed our Sandy River soundtrack. Special thanks to John Moore, to Molly Welch, Heidi Stanton, Drew, and to all the bands, staff and volunteers in this episode. And a very special [00:31:45] thank you to our sponsor, Franklin Savings Bank, to learn more about how easy it is to bank with them, go to Franklin Savings bank.com and to hear more podcasts about concert culture go to concert cast live. I'm Kyle Lamont and thank [00:32:00] you for listening.
[00:32:04] Baby when your mind get low.
Speaker27: [00:32:07] I want to take you higher to the place I know. Baby.