10,000 Lakes Festival and onward

10,000 Lakes Festival is hands down the prettiest place on the planet to stage a festival. The lineup up this year, although lacking in comparison to previous years, was solid from top to bottom and having the opportunity to see Soo Pass Ranch and go rip on some of the bands playing was an absolute blessing. Zach and I were able to travel up through Wisconsin in no rush, pick up Jeremy and prepare for a short visit to 10KLF. This is the second time I've been there...I went in 2007 with my good friend Gayle and absolutely flipped out. Umphrey's, String Cheese, Ratdog, moe, Bisco, Particle were all there and it was a great opportunity to get rooted in some really good Midwest bands. This year's 10,000 Lakes Festival was headlined by Dave Matthews Band, two nights of Widespread Panic and Wilco. Umphrey's, Boombox, Pretty Lights, The Macpodz, Steez and ZD were also on the lineup, making it another SOLID year of music as what is one of the sickest festie grounds I have stumbled across.
We got into the festie around 4 PM, which left us plenty of time to take it all in before Zach's 10 PM set on the Saloon Stage. I toured around the stage, meeting some folks and preparing for later that evening. I immediately knew my plan of attack though...I was like a kid in a candy store, haha. I grabbed some waters and headed over to Lake Sallie to take in some tunes and relaxation. 10KLF is about 25,000 people so the grounds are spread out, but not massive in size by any means. Northwoods and Lake Sallie are the campgrounds closest to the concert bowl and have plenty of lakes to find yourself lost in. You don't even have to go into the concert bowl - just tie a raft to a tree and call it a day! One of my favorite signs all weekend was "10KLF 2009 - Don't Drown!" It's just a magical experience to be able to go rage a band, then walk five minutes to the lake or natural jacuzzi stream and just unwind. Lake Sallie has really evolved it's campground stage, which holds music by the lake throughout the festival. Wednesday was the day Zach would be performing, but was only a half day at the festival so no music even got started til 6 PM. I was able to swin, walk around some campgrounds, grab dinner, see Widespread and Nathan Miller Band and just enjoy the grounds for quite sometime before Zach hit the stage. The sad part, if there had to be one, was that Zach had to perform 16 hours away in Louisville, KY on Friday so we had to leave the festival early Thursday at the latest.
This trip was extra special for me cause I had been here once before. After 2007, I told myself I'd be back again. 10KLF takes band recommendations and I easily pumped out 25 e-mails following 2007 that said something like: Zach Deputy! Get Zach Deputy! You might not know who he is - just go see him, book him, and enjoy! In January, I talked to Zach's manager and learned that 10KLF called him inquiring about Zach. Knowing that 10KLF would be a stop on the summer tour was such a topping on the cake. Zach is doing well in the Midwest, but being on the bill at probably the largest festival in the Midwest is huge! He was playing on the Saloon Stage, which is a large barn with seating around the back and and balcony up top. From the porch that surrounds that barn, folks could sit outside the venue and look over the festival down onto the main stage area.
Zach went on stage from 10 - 11:30 PM with a half hour for load in and breakdown. Zach has such a simple setup, festivals and venues love him, but that means we can only break down so quickly. We would have people in our face asking what they could help move or assist with. Wrapping cords is one of the most relaxing parts of the job for Jeremy and I. We sit on stage, breaking down the set, joking with one another and talking to fans. At festivals, it's get in get out. Everyone on the staff at 10KLF was so gracious and helpful though, we felt like kings when we got there.
Everything ran incredibly smooth and Zach had the fans groovin' early. The Into The Morning Into The Night > Volcano > Twisty Twisty > Eggs run got the fans moving in a big way and from then on out it was just fans flipping out for Chicken Pot Pie and Coconut. Zach's fun - he's either got ya dancing on some of the funkiest stuff you've ever heard, laughing at and confused by why Chicken Pot Pie is stuck in your head, or blown away by what exactly is happening directly in front of you during songs like Into The Morning Into The Night. Jeremy and I always enjoy talking to folks when they see his setup and scratch their head. Or when we meet people and know they have no idea what's in store for them. All the production folks on staff at the Saloon Stage came over and gave loads of compliments after the show. Loads.
I got incredibly sick during the festival for some reason, but decided to bore through it and get to see Pretty Lights for the first time. Pretty Lights is one of those bands that I know I'll love, but could never make it out to a show. I raged as hard as I could for as long as I could, but the show was lacking anyway. The energy just seemed to be missing for some reason, be it that it's Wednesday and the crowds were smaller or whatever the reason, it was just missing. Surrounded by glow sticks and barefoot dancers kept me content, but I was still pissed that I couldn't be diggin' in like I wanted to be. These festivals really are just the coolest thing going. The interactions you have with folks, the friendships you make, the bands you find, and the sights you take in will stay with you forever. People are so unique at festivals...you can be whoever you wanna be. Just taking in everything for what it is, meeting whoever you can and listening as much as you can is something I didn't do when I started going to festivals. Now, knowing exactly what I need to do to have the absolute time of my life for four days, makes it all wayyyy closer to my heart and something I need to do for as long as I can.
After Pretty Lights, Zach and Jeremy returned from the woods and we were ready to leave. It was 4 AM and we were making moves South for atleast a couple hours. We were 45 minutes from Fargo, ND and had to be in Louisville, KY by early Friday afternoon. We made it a couple hours before crashing around 6 AM. We stayed at a hotel with an indoor pool/arcade that was surrounded by balconies so I chilled in the hot tub to see if I could feel any better before our long drive to Kentucky. The next day was the day we had been dreading all summer. We started driving at 3 PM to pick up the box truck in Marion, IL before heading up to Louisville to open for The Wailers at Brown Forman Amphitheater along the river overlooking the city. Driving straight through the night, stopping only to practice disc golf or eat, we made it to Louisville around 4 PM Friday and were able to lay around Waterfront Park before load in. The show setting was nice, and the promoter/company putting on the event are some buddies of ours in the Kentucky market. Working alongside friends is always a treat! Seeing Zach play at an outdoor amphitheater got me all excited and being able to open for The Wailers was a great opportunity. This was one of two opening slots Zach has all summer. After Zach's set, we stuck around for The Wailers before heading back to the hotel for a night of Wii. We have the next two days off and only have to get up to Chicago, so the plan is Wii, disc golf, disc golf, and disc golf. We're definitely gonna be enjoying these two days off as the Sunshine CD Release Party at Schuba's in Chicago on July 28th starts a stretch of 32 gigs in 34 days taking us to the end of August. Hope to see y'all on the road at some point!

Midwest swing

What a crazy couple of weeks it's been since we got back from the Virgin Islands. After a couple days off, we packed up the box truck and played a few southern gigs before starting the Midwest swing that will take us up to The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, 10,000 Lakes Festival in Minnesota, and Schuba's in Chicago for Zach's CD release party on July 28th.
The Midwest swing came to a hault quickly as the box truck broke down in Marion, IL as we were on our way to a gig in St. Louis. With absolutely no rental cars within a 50 mile radius, we had to shack up for the night and prepare for a long drive up to Michigan the next day. Our day started early, leaving the hotel at 6 AM in preparation for a 10 hour hike up to The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor. The Blind Pig is a great room, favorites of many great bands, and was a gig I've been looking forward to for quite some time. We loaded in and soundcheck rather quickly which left us an hour or so to be able to enjoy the art festival that was in town. The main streets were blocked off and lined with arts and crafts vendors, food and music. It's rare that we get to spend a lot of time in these cities we visit, but lucky for us we had a good chunk of time to take in some of the works that were on display.The Blind Pig show was also the first show Zach had played with a written setlist. Zach usually just gets up on stage and jams out, playing whatever comes to mind, but on the drive up we thought we would write one out for the night. Having a written setlist allows Zach to put on a completely different show. The show was a lot of fun, from sleeping on chairs in the green room to raging with some friendly Midwesterners in the back of the venue. We all look forward to coming back!
Being on tour is a treat in every sense of the word, but the amount of music I'm able to see is far less than if I was festie hoping like I did last summer. Knowing that we had 3 days off before 10,000 Lakes Festival, I crossed my fingers in hopes that we would be able to go see Umphrey's McGee open for Dave Matthews Band at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. That might not mean much to anyone else, but it meant the world to me. I'm a music nerd, I like venues just as much, if not more, than the music. The first band I really started to follow was Dave Matthews Band back in 2002. I went everywhere, catching around 50 shows in 6 years and seeing some of the most amazing sights in the music world. In terms of outdoor amphitheaters, there is the big three: Red Rocks in Colorado, The Gorge in Washington and Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. I went to The Gorge in 2004 and Red Rocks in 2005, but was unable to make it out to Alpine until now. Seeing my current favorite band, Umphrey's, open for my old favorite band at one of the most breathtaking venues in the world was amazing to say the least. The place is MASSIVE! 50,000 people can stuff into Alpine, that's double the size of large outdoor amphitheaters that DMB usually plays. It's just absolutely mind-blowing to see that many people on the hill being lit up by the stage lights.
Just to recap on the show, it was great. Seeing Umphrey's was fun, but the energy was lacking as they were playing to a crowd that really didn't care. Dave Matthews Band is a talented band, but has one of the worst fanbases there is...rowdy, youngsters that just wanna get drunk. And yes I can say that, I followed DMB for years and know every single detail surrounding the DMB world. And now being in the jamband scene, I really do appreciate the people that I'm surrounded by...they're all very knowledgeable and are there for the music (and obviously a little bit of the party, I mean come on...) All that being said, DMB was on fire. When I left my last DMB show almost 3 years ago, I knew that was it. It was a business and all too similar. I couldn't look at the stage before songs cause if I saw Dave's fingerings on the guitar I could tell what song was coming next. I didn't get excited like I used to. I didn't lose my appetite and get sick before every show. It might sound weird, but that's what happened. The night before a show, I couldn't sleep; driving to the shows I would get sick with excitement and actually have to pull over. I didn't have that feeling anymore...but I did at Alpine. Dancing around smiling ear to ear, counting my blessing that this really is happening. I had that shit eatin' grin on my face, knowing that I'm doing what I love and enjoying the company of those around me. The songs off the new album were MONSTERS and I got to see some rarities like You Never Know, Pig, Proudest Monkey and Halloween. Throw in a round of disc golf with Zach and a visit to Madison, and these were some of the best days off I've had on tour this summer! Now we're on our way up to Minnesota to pick up Jeremy and head up to 10,000 Lakes Festival in beautiful Detroit Lakes. If you've never been to this festival, I highly suggest you make the trip. I will be blogging about it in a couple days, so check back to hear about everything that happened.

Virgin Island Part 2

As we walked down the hill from our resort to The Beach Bar for our last show on the islands, I mumbled to Jerome "time to go to work" and couldn't help but laugh that this truly is the coolest job on the planet. The four of us loved our time on the islands and were sad to go when the time finally came. The St. John Festival was a lot of fun, but hurt us in terms of crowd size as people would stay up all night in the village and rarely take advantage of the great music being played at all the bars in Cruz Bay.

Zach's creative songwriting was on display the entire two weeks, but the last four shows on the island will be tough to beat in terms of show quality. These run of shows were some of the best I've seen Zach play in the almost 3 years of knowing him and are worth revisiting over and over again. Funky versions of old songs, rare requests and some on the spot song writing made these gigs ones to remember. It's fun to be able to see Zach fiddle on his guitar trying to find a groove to a song that he is writing on the spot, and then hear it three days later with structure, beautiful lyrics and room to expand. This tour was a treat to say the least!

We had a handful of folks come down for the shows in the islands and to spend their 4th of July with us and it was everything it was built up to be. Dancers packed the small stage as Zach belted out some truly classic versions of some songs that have been in his catalog for quite a while now. The trees over hanging the beach were occupied by dancers and climbers as they experienced Zach Deputy in their own way. The beach was packed from the fireworks display and dozens of people could be found dancing in the water as boats with families looked on from their perch. Zach and I are now combing over all the songs from the tour so keep a look out for those songs to pop up on Myspace. Some are already up, but we're really excited to see the response to Zach's new song, Volcano. The song was written on the spot during the July 1st show at The Beach Bar and was then played at the next couple shows. We all saw this song come together with ease and agreed that it will soon be a ZD classic.

Overlooking Trunk Bay on our way to a gig in Coral Bay


Jeremy walking around Cinnamon Bay before the gig


Stuffing in the jeep to drive across St. Thomas to Hull Bay Hideaway


Jerome and Sunshine in Coral Bay


Down time at the resort


He does what he wants


Zach and Tweeter


Zach, Jeremy and Brian - three guys, a box truck and a bunch of funk!