Yonder Mountain String Band played every night of the festival, and not one of their sets was the same. The band’s two newest members, Jacob Joliff on mandolin and Allie Kral on fiddle, tore it up.
Photos by Stephen Ironside
Folk.
It’s not only the defining genre of music for Yonder Mountain String Band’s Harvest Music Festival, it’s much more than music. It’s people, kinfolk. It’s culture. It’s a way to address a group of people.
At Harvest Fest, which was my first time, I saw just about every iteration of the word folk demonstrated. It started with the fine folks that ended up being my group’s neighbors that were extremely friendly, generous people who fed us and shared stories at our campsite. I witnessed another festival wedding between two fine folks during Andy Frasco and the U.N.’s daytime set that was followed immediately by a chorus of “I Found Myself.”
Dave Simonett of Trampled by Turtles serenades the crowd with his Minnesota bluegrass vocals.
I found the most definitive incarnation of a folk singer at Willie Watson’s flawless performance, with Donna from Donna & The Buffalo by my side in awe. I found the most radical version of folk music at the hoorah jam session that was Foley’s Van’s final performance with their guitarist and several special guests. The Carolina Chocolate Drops played the most fantastic, authentic folk music at the festival, and informed the crowd along the way about our country’s folk roots, even incorporating what sounded like a Gaelic jig into their set. Then there was the best folk cultural reference of the festival when Yonder Mountain String Band opened their Friday night set with their rendition of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” theme song.
By and large, I had a folkin’ good time at Harvest Fest. And the weather? Damn near perfect.
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So you could say folk and bluegrass are defined by the banjo, acoustic guitar, vocal harmonies, mandolin, fiddle and the upright bass, possibly keys. You might find yourself thinking there’s only so much those instruments can do in that style.
Niko Daoussis, a multi-instrumentalist for the Shook Twins, played the violin in Shook Twins style —bluesy, quirky and edgy.
Well, if you made it to Yonder Mountain String Band’s Harvest Fest you’d see just how close minded of an idea that is, and you’d probably be blown away by how far those two genres have evolved into progressive, rockin’, beautiful, bluesy, funky, psychedelic string music. Yonder Mountain makes for a great host band, as they just about touch on each and every one of those genres in their unique sets — every night was unique from the last.
Some of my favorite sets by artists that didn’t exactly fit the conventions of bluegrass and folk would have to be the genre-bending country-metal band Dirtfoot, the funky Louisiana Dumpstaphunk, Shook Twins, Coyote Union and the one-man-funk-band Henry + The Invisibles. I know I must have missed out on several other great acts, but those all left a memorable impact on my experience.
Fayetteville locals Shawn James and the Shapeshifters brought their gravely, gritty folk-rock to Harvest Fest during their Thrusday night set.
As far as the festival vibe goes, it carries a lot of good stuff from its older sister, Wakarusa. Because of the much smaller amount of people there, the festival had such an intimate feeling to it. I want to compare it to feeling like a party or reception, where there’s two micro and macro worlds: your campsite and the stage area. Wakarusa felt like one giant festival that I was immersed in, whereas this felt like a thing I could visit whenever I please, jumping between the two worlds.
In general, I don’t think I have much of any negative things to say about the festival. Everyone there was so nice (maybe a little bit on the drunk and trippin’ side) and quick to lend a helping hand. This vibe really helped make the festival feel like a quaint
The Oh Hellos, consisting of 13 members, who are rare to see, but their set Thursday night was honestly kind of beautiful and passionate, evoking a type of worship music vibe.
party where you could either throw down or relax in the fall weather. The age range was vast, from little kids to elders just kickin’ it. Nothing felt overwhelming or out of control, at least to me. The food there was great, too. I think I had the best fried chicken biscuit of my entire life there.
I look forward to seeing how this festival continues to grow, and I hope to see Pipeline Productions and Yonder Mountain String Band continue to show more love and respect for the ever-morphing genre of folk music that this region cherishes.
It was common to see many festival attendees walking around with their instruments strapped to their shoulders, ready for impromptu jam sessions.
In the mornings, organizers hosted group yoga sessions for the festival goers to start their day.
