Dave is…
At Snoe.down in Killington, VT
Snoe.down is the band moe.’s winter festival, a chance to see some music and do some snowboarding. When I moved back to town, in addition to the bag and Zulu shield I brought back from Africa, I brought back two bags from Christmas in Illinois. One of them was my snowboard bag. So given that my earthly possessions on the East Coast for the last couple months consist of a couple pairs of pants, some t-shirts, a collection of Zulu weaponry and a snowboard, I might as well get as much use out of it as I can.
After our success earlier this month Jeff and Gregg were in and we added Derick.
An overnight drive got us up there on Friday morning in time for some of the best sausage, egg and cheese on a croissant I have ever had before we hit the spectacularly empty slopes.
Gregg won the title for Worst Wipe-Out of the Weekend for a SPECTACULARLY failed attempt at going off-piste.
Jeff meanwhile despite occasionally achieving dangerous speeds, avoided any major spills for the second consecutive outing.
After a full day we shifted from the slopes at Killington to Spartan Arena in Rutland where the local hockey team’s home ice was given over to the show. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings opened it up. Part of that soul revival, they have been huge in New York for the last few years and on my list of bands to see for a while.
Really high energy set. Sharon Jones in addition to having a hell of a set of pipes really knows how to own a stage. And the Dap-Kings, man they are really smooth backing band. The only downside was the crowd wasn’t as filled in as they deserved.
Moe. followed with a strong opening night performance. Mexico got the crowd into it immediately and the first set included a sweet Four. But it was really a solid Faker>Tailspin that I enjoyed most. I’ve loved Faker since I used to listen to it on a bootleg on my Discman walking home through Soho after my evening classes back in college.
Set I: Mexico, Captain America> Four, Queen of Everything, Shoot First> Moth
Set II: Raise A Glass, Faker> Tailspin, Cape Cod Girls> Water> Bearsong> Hector’s Pillow>Timmy Tucker
Encore: She Sends Me, Spine Of A Dog1
1 double speed due to time constraints
Day II
Derick and his sock-gloves explores a part-time job as a highwayman.
The day started with more amazing sausage, egg and cheese croissants and then another full day on the hill. Even with it being a Saturday and tons of hippies in town for moe. the runs weren’t crowded at all.
Well cept for one intersection where a teenage snowboarder rocketing down a blue absolutely laid out some European beginner which sent him literally flying a few feet into the air and then down another few feet into drainage ditch. I thought he was dead, frankly, but he popped up in time to get absolutely laid into by the victim. Easily the worst accident I’ve ever seen on the hill.
The whole afternoon bands were set up and playing at the lodges, culminating in a rare outdoor winter moe. set at the base of one of the runs. The weather was too nice and the lure of the slopes too much for us to hang out with the hula-hoopers for too long. Besides it was a lot more pleasant listening to them play from the lift, or coming down the tail end of the runs.
In fact Derick and I, after inadvertently going down a terrain park and a mogul run (I’ll never let him lead again) paused after a wipe out to watch from up there. Sounded like a pretty good set from the parts I heard with St. Augustine, Akimbo and Happy Hour Hero all echoing up the hill.
Set I: St. Augustine, Skrunk, Not Coming Down> Wormwood> Okayalright, Akimbo, Crab Eyes, Happy Hour Hero> Seat Of My Pants> Sensory Deprivation Bank
Encore: Down Boy
Back at Spartan Arena for the second night it was just me and Gregg as Jeff and Derick opted for bowling. Hippie shit just isn’t for everyone I spose. A shame cause Railroad Earth was spectacular. Man, I cannot see that band enough.
Set 1:
Mighty River -> Like A Buddha, Bread and Water, Bird In A House, Warhead Boogie ->1759, Mourning Flies, Long Way to Go
Bird in the House was spectacular, as always and Long Way to Go was solid, and it was much more crowded than last night.
In fact the place was packed by the time moe. went on-stage. Moe. can be a hit or miss thing. When they are on their shows can be great, but when they are off there is just no saving it. It’s all just directionless bass jams. This whole weekend luckily they were pretty on. The highlight of their weekend was the first set Stranger Than Fiction>Cissy Strut>Stranger Than Fiction followed by Plane Crash. Real, real solid.
Set I: Wind it up> Spaz Medicine, Understand, Stranger Than Fiction> Cissy Strut1>Stranger Than Fiction, Plane Crash
Set II: Threw It All Away, The Road> Lazarus> The Road, Blue Jeans Pizza> Bring It Back Home, Nebraska, Opium> 32 Things
Encore: Willin’, New York City
Sunday morning we got back up and managed to wedge in practically another full day on the slopes before driving back down to the city. Really was an excellent weekend, which is great cause I am about four days away from ceasing even the slightest leisure activities till mid-May.
(Note: All the good pictures of the bands? Not taken by me. Credit to those who took them.)