Flood City Music Festival

[oldster]

Went to it for some time on both Friday and Saturday.  My favorites were Billy Price, Los Straitjackets, and Eilen Jewell.  Didn't see Robert Cray.  Left during Galactica (sp?) because it was late and because it wasn't my style of music.  I think that they were good, as were Los Lobos, but not interested.  Eric Tessmer was talented, but I didn't stay for him, either.  Some of the bands (Tessmer, Lobos, etc.) adjust their sound seemingly for a larger venue and it was too loud for sensitive older ears..... 

I find it interesting that on these forums we spend a zilion posts trashing everything about Johnstown and Cambria County and what we see as not being available to us, but I can't find much said about this great festival.  If you didn't go and if you like music and people you missed a great weekend.

Just my opinions.

[Alfred E. Neuman]

...I worked this weekend and was unable to make it in....i really was interested in seeing Robert Cray and disappointed i missed out......sounds like there was some good music to be heard......

[RobinQuillonsHair]

Went down Saturday evening and enjoyed Devon Allman's Honeytribe, had the fish tacos (I suppose there was fish in there somewhere), caught the end of Los Straitjackets, had a Pulled Pork sub (where were the napkins?), watched Eileen Jewell (the only act onstage at that point) and then helped bring down the house with Galactic.  It was a great evening for Johnstown but I didn't really see many people I knew.

[Citizen X]

Went down Saturday evening and enjoyed Devon Allman's Honeytribe, had the fish tacos (I suppose there was fish in there somewhere), caught the end of Los Straitjackets, had a Pulled Pork sub (where were the napkins?), watched Eileen Jewell (the only act onstage at that point) and then helped bring down the house with Galactic.  It was a great evening for Johnstown but I didn't really see many people I knew.

A fish taco AND a pulled pork sub? I guess they were all out of red meat by the time you showed up.

[RobinQuillonsHair]

Slim pickings.  There were only three or four food booths.

[Citizen X]

Slim pickings.  There were only three or four food booths.

That's exactly why the Ethnic Festival is the best annual event in Johnstown.

[oldster]

The ethnic festival is certainly better, in my opinion.  But I liked it better when it was the Folk Fest.  With this new festival they are able to get better acts, but the food and atmosphere are less.

[RobinQuillonsHair]

There's still a lot of room for improvement with the Flood City Music Festival.  Why have two stages side by side?  Why so few food booths?  Why were there times when the main act wasn't performing only one stage was in use?  An even bigger act should be brought in next year to perform at Point Stadium.

If you missed Robert Cray for $10 at Flood City Music Festival you can catch him for $32, $39 or $43 at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg on October 29.

[Citizen X]

The ethnic festival is certainly better, in my opinion.  But I liked it better when it was the Folk Fest.  With this new festival they are able to get better acts, but the food and atmosphere are less.

The Ethnic Festival  epitomizes Johnstown culture more than any other event that I can think of. Well, except for Polkafest maybe.

[pbal]

Long post. May end up on laurelight, but who knows, considering my last post there was for last year's FCMF.

@RQH: Two rolls of paper towels strung on a rope above the right end of the counter. Sal does the same thing on his pizza truck.

The Food: I didn't miss the over-priced, over-cooked, sitting-in-the-hot-sun-all-day Bailey's at all, and didn't need more than Clem's and an ice cream. Sal was parked across from the By George Friday night, so I got some good eats cheap before I went in.

The Layout: Yeah, the train station area was an abortion. No traffic patterns and far too congested for the headliners. They oughtta think about limiting it to one stage and reconfiguring Festival Park for 2 stages. And those cheap plastic chairs suck. I liked Conemaugh Stage when it faced the other way. You could see the stage as you walked through the old mill gate, and it heightened the anticipation as you approached. But, as it was set up this weekend, we got a nice breeze coming up the valley on Sunday afternoon.

The Music - The Good: I found religion when the Mon River Ramblers broke into Sweet Child of Mine. Hallelujah! My life is GOOD! And I owe all my joy to the Lord. Thank you Jesus! I feel truly sorry for the other 6 billion people in the world who will never hear a bluegrass Guns 'n Roses.

I wanna go to Heaven and have Eric Tessmer's baby. In 90 minutes that boy can dissect, deconstruct and reconfigure every blues riff known to man. Eric James Tessmer is NOT in a class by himself, but he deserves better than to be compared with those other great Texas bluesmen whose names are better known. IMHO, he stands alongside them. I'm obviously blues-starved in this town.

DiStefano is another brilliant guitar player. He and the West Hills All Stars can hold their own with anyone who played this weekend.

The Bad (that's 'bad' as in 'good' but a different 'good' than 'good'): Los Straitjackets - great sound and a kitschy hook, but they've got to be perpetually on the road. I can't imagine they could attract a local, week-to-week following.

Jimmy Adler Band - great presence and musicianship, but Jimmy should lose the Grecian Formula and try to do something about the whole Eddie Munster/John Travolta love-child look. Loved Midnight Special.

I was standing in front of the beer tent for Los Lobos, just behind the cheap plastic chairs, and the sound was atrocious. I don't know if it was the acoustics, the sound man, or the band, but it just wasn't right. Moved a little ways up the alley and it sounded better. I'm old and tired, so I listened a bit and went home.

Love Robert Cray's talent, but he's just a bit too mellow for me. There were probably scheduling issues, but, ideally, they would have opened the fest w/Cray and closed it w/Los Lobos.

The Ugly (as in it can mean whatever you want): Anders Osborne - the guitar work was extroadinary, and his ballads were soaring and lyrical, but he lost me with that funky, hard experimental crap. I don't need a 10 minute feedback solo, no matter how structured the feedback is.

Devon Allman's Honeytribe - complete disappointment. The only decent tune was the Allmans cover.

The Bogarts - decent musicians, but the frontman's vocals were a real yawner. He ought to learn how to sell a song, or, as the spirtual son-in-law suggested, pick up a female vocalist.

Anyway, I had a real good time. Maybe because the baby girl and her guy were with me for most of it. Happy to pay the 30 bucks weekend/lounge admission, again, in part, in the hope for bigger and better next year. To the 80% TD poll respondents who said they weren't going to attend, especially those offended by the admission fee; we didn't miss you at all. In fact, we hope you keep staying away. Who needs all that whining? Enjoy YUM @ the Ethnic Fest. Maybe this year your mullets will be as good as theirs.

[WDVE]

Gee pbal, I didn't realize you were a talented music critic for the Rolling Stone.  Nice informative post.

[oldster]

Excellent post, pbal. 

I'd add that the pigs from Beulah Methodist were very good.

Did anybody else notice that in the station they had well mixed drinks priced at $6.00 and mixed drinks at $5?      So I just had multiple huge Jack on the rocks for $5 and left it at that....

[The Rock]

Enjoy YUM @ the Ethnic Fest. Maybe this year your mullets will be as good as theirs.

Mullets > Keith Partridge hair

[yoyo]

Excellent post, pbal. 

I'd add that the pigs from Beulah Methodist were very good.

Did anybody else notice that in the station they had well mixed drinks priced at $6.00 and mixed drinks at $5?      So I just had multiple huge Jack on the rocks for $5 and left it at that....

keeping it simple is usually the way to go.