[Full Moon Resort – photo by nyctaper]
The Truck America Festival this past weekend in Big Indian, New York, was not so much a festival as a summer camp for like-minded musicians. In an age when “festival” has come to mean a glut of unrelated bands playing an uninspired set and moving on, Truck America was a leap back in time. We arrived on Friday and were immediately greeted by friendly faces, many of whom would later entertain us. In the Roadhouse, Tim Easton’s Friday late night set was witnessed by Gary Louris, Jason Russo (Hopewell), and Cat Martino, all of whom would play together on stage for Gary’s set on Saturday. We saw Jonathan Donahue of Mercury Rev watching a set by Spouse early on Saturday, while we realized that the band on stage were folks we’d chatted with on Friday. It was that kind of weekend. At the center of it all were the brothers Bennett, Joe and Robin, who made everyone welcome. On Saturday, Joe personified the spirit of musical community. He played bass with Gary Louris, violin with Neil Halstead, trumpet with Mercury Rev, scored the orchestra for Mercury Rev, and conducted the band. Similarly, Robin played with a series of bands throughout the weekend, and both emceed.
Friday night’s highlights included the amazing set by The Joy Formidable in the main tent, who by happenstance stayed the night in the room next to mine in the main house of the resort (pictured above). After a very long day, I literally began to nod out on top of my equipment when I was jolted awake by a phenomenal 3 a.m. set in the roadhouse by Hopewell.
[photo by nyctaper]
Saturday was relaxing day, and we stayed primarily in the main stage tent (pictured above), while enjoying five different bands. Gary Louris, Mercury Rev and Neil Halstead (who spent the day chasing his toddler) were all highlights. Throughout the weekend, the scenic beauty of the Catskills provided an ideal setting for what was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend of the best indie-folk that the world has to offer.
[Esopus Creek runs through the Resort – photo by nyctaper]
With the great assitance of the Festival’s excellent sound crew, we captured nine separate sets. We expect to post these individually over the next couple of weeks, along with more details from the Fest, and sincerely hope that our readers will support the bands and next year’s Truck America Fest.
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