Tsk, tsk, tsk. What are the odds? A news writer and a photographer covering a music festival! Actually, it sounds like a match made in heaven, but we’ll let the story do the talking — starting with the five W’s. That seems fair, right? Or, just lazy.

Who? Andy Keil and Timothy Berger. What? Rothbury Music Festival. Where? Rothbury, Michigan, of course! When? This past Fourth of July weekend. Duh! Why? Because you readers weren’t fortunate enough to attend and therefore need/desire/demand this type of coverage from yours truly, Consequence of Sound. Just be thankful we’re ecstatic to bring it to you.

Thursday, July 2nd:

Lotus:
10:45pm - Ranch Arena

Despite being the beginning to a long, long weekend, things started cooking fast, especially over at the Ranch Arena. After some meandering through the beautiful Sherwood Forest, which featured hanging glow art, gong treatments, and hundreds of hammocks for the patrons, the bustling Arena showed its true face. Little did many know that the Arena would end up being a nonstop dance fest for the entire duration of the  weekend. Nobody ever sent word to call it quits. Intense is a word that comes to mind, and it took some wild electricity to keep things buzzing.

Indiana instrumentalists Lotus kicked things off with its quirky-yet-beautiful jam pieces — all traditionally savvy, thanks to the tender improvisation from each of the band’s members. In support of their recent album, Hammerstrike, the Midwest favorites managed to squeeze in new hits like “Behind Midwest Storefront”, which entertained the awestruck crowd with Mike Rempel’s ripping, beautiful guitar solos. Lotus proved to be a great groove session to start off the festival.

The crowd was well prepared for the weekend, complete with glow sticks in hand, and fireworks were being lit as shirtless men encouraged their female compadres to do the same. While not beginner’s luck per se, Lotus was only a precursor to the late-night jam that followed. -TB

The Cool Kids:
12:00pm - Sherwood Court

Because I didn’t have an iPhone with the Rothbury app or Twitter access, I was expecting the 12:00 PM time slot to feature Kid Cudi, because, after all, that’s who was listed on the official schedule. However, as I got closer, the vocals weren’t soothing to my ears quite the way that Cudi’s usually are. When I finally saw Chuck Inglish and Mikey Rocks bouncing around the stage, I was kind of let down — Dammit.

After reality fully set in, I tried to let myself get into the set, but with so much hype and a few too many “hell yeahs,” getting even remotely close to the action was pretty much impossible.  But, after it was all said and done there were a few entertaining songs, and the small crowd seemed to be diggin’ it. For me, this was just something to do while I waited for Cold War Kids to hit the stage. -AK

Disco Biscuits:
12:45am - Ranch Arena

Not to be outdone by any means, the Mark Brownstein and Jon Gutwillig-led Disco Biscuits took the stage following their label mates Lotus. The duo worked off good vibes, and the crowd screamed for more non-lyrical magic — which they delivered ten-fold. Browstein and Gutwillig battled through a three-hour set, without a breath to spare. Gutwillig pumped his fist between riffs, while Brownstein showed off his not so contemporary dance moves. There were some surprises, too. The Biscuits mixed in lyrical pieces such as “Mirrors” along with instrumental pieces like “Basis for a Day”, which added variety to what could have been viewed as an excessive set. Things became either interesting or disturbing when the duo participated in a glow stick battle with the crowd, who pummeled them with stick after neon stick. It was all in good fun, though, and the two played along like children at recess. -TB

Cold War Kids:
1:00am - Sherwood Court

As one of the few indie acts of the festival, the Cold War Kids were the odd band out on Thursday night. Battling for fans with The Disco Biscuits on the Ranch Arena and Break Science with Adam Deitch on the out of this world Tripolee stage, Cold War Kids managed to draw a decent-sized crowd, even though they didn’t have a trippy lightshow or hard-driving bass lines. Even so, the Kids offered up one of the best shows that I’ve seen them play. They mixed the new, “Every Man I Fall For”, with the old, “Hang Me Up To Dry”, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear them toss out “Hospital Beds”, which turned into a sing-a-long (apparently not only my favorite song). -AK

Friday, July 3rd:

Man Man:
2:15pm - Sherwood Court

The first time I saw Man Man they opened for Modest Mouse, completely blowing them out of the water and leaving fans wondering, “Who are those guys?” When I saw lead singer Honus Honus’s tweet–“Heading to Rothbury fest to freak out some jam heads. We WILL be giving some poor fucker a terrible trip. Hehe…”–I was more than excited to see what stops they’d pull out for this show.

Unfortunately, it was nothing over the top–same white clothes (except for Honus Honus), same white face paint, same banging on random shit. That’s not to say the show wasn’t great, because it was; I was just expecting something more. I think it’s very safe to say that they ruined a trip for at least one festie kid Friday morning. -AK

Broken Social Scene:
5:45 pm - Ranch Arena

Those at Rothbury were fortunate for a variety of reasons (e.g. Dylan, The Hold Steady, not to mention being at a friggin’ music festival for the Fourth of July weekend!), but Canada’s very own indie supergroup, Broken Social Scene, made Rothbury one of its few stops this summer, as they are currently recording an upcoming album. Kevin Drew noted his surroundings immediately by saying, “Please be careful when you do drugs, some drugs are not good drugs, some drugs are cleaning products”. Serious notes aside, they tore through their hour and fifteen minute set with room to spare, prompting additional tunes at set’s end. They included songs off their two major releases, with such hits as “7/4 (Shoreline)” and “Fire-Eyed Boy”. However, they brought out some new tunes as well, such as “Forced to Love”. The set featured additions from some brass guests on the Canning piece “Love is New”. BSS ended the set with classics “Almost Crimes”, “Major Label Debut”, and “KC Accidental”. After viewing most of their set backstage, Kevin Drew walked by me asking quickly, “How did we sound?” After noting my approval, the band scooted off stage with smiles. They give you the impression that they love performing and that they do care what their fans think. -TB

Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley & Nas:
6:30pm - The Odeum

Strolling on stage more than a few minutes late, Nas came out with his tongue and finger blazin’, letting the whole crowd know just how he feels about broadcast censorship, shouting “fuck the radio” throughout. Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley remained elusive, only hitting the stage after the photographers were purged from the pit. So, the closest I could get to Bob Marley was a generation’s difference plus about 20 rows of hippies. The two shared the stage for a few songs, and after Nas handed it over to Marley, I headed back to the press tent and open bar to prep my mind for being blown by String Cheese Incident. -AK

Soulive:
7:00 pm - Sherwood Court

Jazz group Soulive graced Sherwood Court for an early evening show. They brought their funky grooves and melodious sax solos to the sun-bathed masses and encouraged the crowd to participate in the fun. As per usual, they included cover material, such as an energetic version of Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up”. The trio of Neal Evans, Alan Evans, and Eric Krasno were joined by vocalist Nigel Hall and Shady Horns.

The String Cheese Incident:
8:45 pm - the Odeum

To try to describe String Cheese Incident live is not an easy task. Describing who stole the show at Rothbury 2009, however, is. If it wasn’t known already, Rothbury 2009 was Cheese’s fest. After touring last in 2007, with mixed reviews, Cheese came to Rothbury for its only 2009 performance. The band shined brighter than imaginable, displaying mastery of its craft without even a smidgen of rust.

Cheese’s eclectic setlist provided a little of everything, playing bluegrass tunes like “Black Clouds” and “Restless Wind”. They also included tasteful covers of Talking Heads’ “Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place)” and Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground”.

However, the true fun to be had was in the crowd, where what seemed like millions of glow sticks littered the ground. A large assortment of blow up toys were tossed around, as well as large beach balls. One epic, red beach ball–over 40 feet in diameter–made its way through the middle of the crowd. The tunes that accompanied this wild action were favorites “Texas”, “Way Back Home”, and “Blackberry Blossom.”.

Chromeo:
12:30 am - Sherwood Court

After Cheese, many wandered over to hear the funky Michael Jackson-esque beats of Montreal-based Chromeo. The group stood on stage with its keyboards (female leg stands of course), with Dave-1 on guitar and P-Thugg with his trusty talk box. The duo served up songs like “Momma’s Boy”, “Fancy Footwork”, “Bonified Lovin’”, and “100%” to the dancing crowd, who clearly hadn’t tired despite the previous mega-set that just ended at the Odeum.

Dave-1, at one point, teased the audience by asking, ”How many out there are not wearing flip flops?” P-Thugg dubbed the clear minority of shoe wearers as ‘gangsta-gangsta’, which led to a crowd favorite, “You’re so Gangsta”.Though not a jam band act, Chromeo definitely convinced the crowd they were ready to party at Sherwood.

Saturday, July 4th:

Zappa Plays Zappa:
4:30 pm - Sherwood Court

Dweezil and crew offered a tantalizing set of old Zappa tunes at Sherwood Court Friday afternoon. The younger Zappa showed his mastery of his father’s work without an ounce of sweat. Really, the guy made it look look like it was a walk in the park. Not to say he was disinterested, because the whole band enjoyed the set, but Dweezil certainly knows what he’s doing onstage. Set highlights included “Apostrophe” and the spoken word piece “Montana”.

John Butler:
6:15 pm - Ranch Arena

Acoustic genius John Butler brought his solo act to Ranch Arena on Saturday. He noted warmly halfway through his set, “It’s nice to arrive at a place I’ve never been, halfway around the world from my home and still have a heap of family waiting for me.” He treated fans to songs like “Treat Your Momma”, “Daniela”, “Better Than”, and “Johnny’s Gone”, a song about former Prime Minister John Howard of Australia.

The peak of the set came with the 10-minute acoustic epic “Ocean”, which featured an incredible display of finger-picking and two-hand tapping on his 11-string guitar. His brother-in-law, Nicky Bomba (of John Butler Trio), came out to play drums for the second half of his set.

Les Claypool:
6:30pm - Sherwood Court

The Black Crowes:
5:30pm - The Odeum

The Atlanta-based Black Crowes landed a solid slot on the main stage, just before Bob Weir and The Dead. With many fans staking claim to prime Dead-viewing real estate as early as 10 AM, The Black Crowes played to a nice, big crowd. -AK

The Dead:
8:00pm - The Odeum

There’s not a whole lot that needs to be said about The Dead playing two sets on Saturday night other than maybe they should have swapped set times with Bob Dylan. Phil Lesh had a touching moment when he told the crowd he was saved by an organ donor. “Please turn to the person you love and tell them ‘I want to be an organ donor.’ It’s the easiest thing in the world,” he said. Of course that was after melting the faces of nearly 30,000 fans and a killer fireworks show celebrating our nation’s independence. -AK

With classics like “Voila Lee Blues”, “China Cat Sunflower”, and a terrific “Drum/Space”, the crowd felt the power of all the legends on stage. Everyone will say that The Dead greatly miss guitarist legend Jerry Garcia, but with Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Warren Haynes, and Bill Kreutzman on stage, there was no lack of star power present for this Saturday jam fest. As the band started its encore with the stellar U.S. Blues, fireworks appropriately were set off and lasted for almost ten minutes, which made for one of the more memorable scenes of the weekend. -TB

MSTRKRFT:
12:15am - Sherwood Court

I headed over to the Sherwood around 12:20 expecting MSTRKRFT to hit the stage a little late due to The Dead’s extended set. After waiting about five minutes, I headed back to watch The Dead finish up. So, by the time I got back, I missed the first three songs and wasn’t able to photograph them. That is until we managed to land a spot backstage where we continued our own personal dance party. The highlight of the night was “Bounce”, a track featuring N.O.R.E. and Isis that fit the night perfectly with the chorus “All I do is party, All I do is party.” Unfortunately, the fun came to an end when the guys announced that they were MSTRKRFT, grabbed their gear and quickly exited the stage, leaving thousands of fans screaming for more. -AK

STS9 (PA Set):
2:00am - Sherwood Court

Sunday, July 5th:

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals:
3:45pm - Sherwood Court

With her stunning good looks and revealing dress, Grace Potter hardly needs to play good music to capture a crowd’s attention. Fortunately for the fans at Rothbury, Miss Potter not only knows how to carry a tune, play piano, and shred a guitar, she knows how to do them all well. Thankfully, she picked a great backing band that compliments her vocals with its southern rock tinge. -AK

The Parlor Mob:
4:15pm - Tripolee

It still amazes me that The Parlor Mob hasn’t become a household name at this point in its career. Maybe it’s because bands are afraid to be shown up by an opening act, or maybe it’s just too much rock for most people to handle. All I know is that the hundred or so people watching this mid-afternoon show were hardly enough. I don’t know how anyone could walk past Mark Melicia, who resembles (dare I say it) a young Robert Plant. Not to mention the shredding of both David Rosen and Paul Ritchie paired with Sam Bey’s propulsive drumming and Nick Villapiano’s ever-present bass lines. As the guys channeled Zeppelin, the crowd grew, but with only a 45-minute set, I couldn’t help but feel shorted. -AK

The Hold Steady:
5:00 pm - Ranch Arena

If there’s one thing to know about The Hold Steady, it’s that the band always comes out with tremendous energy. Although lead singer Craig Finn may have a bit too much flair for the dramatic, the crowd clearly fed off him. “Party Pit” and “Stuck Between Stations” were fan favorites. And with lyrics like “I’m gonna walk around and drink some more,” The Hold Steady were clearly not out of place at Rothbury.

Matisyahu:
5:30 pm - Sherwood Court

The reggae-based set was amplified by the appearance of Warren Haynes. He appeared as a guest guitarist for “Kodesh” before quickly heading on to Ranch Arena for Gov’t Mule’s set. Matisyahu made it a family affair, bringing up his son and his brother to dance with the crowd. He clearly planned for more music than his time slot allowed. He left the stage wanting to play one more song but was denied by the backstage production crew.

Ani DiFranco:
7:15 pm - Sherwood Court

Folk-acoustic artist Ani DiFranco did not bring out the Limbaughs for her Sunday evening set. She introduced a special Obama tribute song by saying, “If it isn’t completely obvious, I love Barack Obama.” She went on to state that she was glad to show her passport proudly for the first time in 8 years. To add to her political speak, the labor song “Whose Side Are You On” was included in her set. Politics aside, she went through a set of beautifully composed acoustic music, which left fans everywhere nodding to her lyrics and bubbly energy.

Bob Dylan:
8:30pm - The Odeum

Is it just me, or is Bob Dylan getting old? I do my fair share of reading up, so I wasn’t expecting a mind-blowing set from one of the folk rock pioneers, but I was expecting a little singing. That expectation was replaced by a gruff Dylan that lumbered around the stage as though he wasn’t in tip-top shape. That little rant aside, this man is a freaking legend! When I could understand the words dribbling out of his mouth, I felt as though I was living the ’60s or ’70s all over again. Classics “Like A Rolling Stone”, “Blowing in the Wind”, and “All Along the Watchtower” helped make that a reality, and while the set may have been lacking in lyrical articulation, it made up for it with the crowd’s energy. I respect Mr. Dylan very much, and while he wouldn’t have been my pick to close out one of the greatest festivals of this decade, it was an honor to be standing in his audience. -AK, TB

Categories: Features, Festival Reviews
Tags: Ani DiFranco, Bob Dylan, Broken Social Scene, Chromeo, Cold War Kids, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Disco Biscuits, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Les Claypool, Live at Rothbury 2009, Lotus, Man Man, MSTRKRFT, Nas, Rothbury Music Festival, Soulive, STS9, The Black Crowes, The Cool Kids, The Dead, The Hold Steady, The Parlor Mob, Zappa Plays Zappa