Day 1 of FloydFest offers sanctuary, blissful tunes in mountain setting

Brandi Carlile, Phil Lesh highlight first day in Virginia

Article and Photos by Bill Foster

In the world of festivals, FloydFest occupies a unique niche. Not as jammy as Lockn’ but crunchier than Bonnaroo. Not as young as Forecastle but younger than Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. It’s a camping festival but one where many of the tents are right next to the stages. There are a ton of local bands, many of which will play three to four times, but there’s great headliners, too. It’s set in the Blue Ridge Mountains, right off the parkway, in what is without a doubt the most beautiful setting for a festival I have ever seen.

As this was my first time, day one was dedicated to getting the lay of the land, just wandering around and seeing what there was to see. The festival is set on a sloping hill, with the smaller main stage set down in a holler, in a natural amphitheater of sorts. The larger stage is at the far end and can be seen from the parkway. In between are stages in beer gardens and tents, and there is an extensive children’s area. (FloydFest is the most child-friendly festival I have seen.) There is an extensive outdoorsy component, too, with zip lines and rock climbing onsite, as well as nearby mountain bike excursions and sunrise hikes.

My day began with Asheville’s The Broadcast on the main stage. Frontwoman Caitlin Krisko is a powerhouse, and the band’s psychedelic jam rock was loud, fast and fun, a perfect introduction to the festival. At the other end of the fest, down in the holler, I caught Songs From the Road Band. Led by mandolin wiz Mark Schimick, the dressed-in-white quintet plays newgrass and crowd-pleasing, jammy bluegrass, and the large crowd ate it up, cheering after every solo. I then wandered over to the beer garden to catch Circus 9. Another newgrass band with a Knoxville connection, Circus 9 has grown weirder since the last time I saw them. Weirder in the best possible way, that is. They stretch the definition of bluegrass to the breaking point, playing music that is closer to acoustic prog rock or exploratory jazz, on occasion, while still breaking out a folk number from time to time.

New York-to-Nashville songwriter Becca Mancari was up next on the main stage. Her quirky, off-kilter pop resonated perfectly. Quasi-Knoxvillians Tuatha Dea played on the Pink Floyd Garden Stage. Their frantic stage antics and catchy melodies went over big with the capacity crowd, and they were the band that I have had the most people ask me about since.

For me, however, Thursday was all about Brandi Carlile. I’ve seen her a lot recently, and every time it’s the same thing: Carlile sings something emotional like “The Story” or “The Joke,” and I look at 10 women on the front row singing every word and crying, and I lose it and bawl. Every. Single. Show. This one was no exception. But that emotional connection is why, as large as her following has grown, Carlile has barely begun her ascent. With catchy songs, emotional stories and a dynamic and exciting stage show, Carlile is heading for the Springsteen/U2 heights of superstardom.

Although they go by the name of their lead singer, Brandi Carlile is actually a group made up of the singer-songwriter and twins Tim and Phil Hanseroth, who split everything equally. Live, the twins flank Carlile on guitar and bass, and they perform a lot of choreographed actions. They are augmented by two keyboards, a drummer and a trio of strings and background vocalists who were used to beautiful effect on a spellbinding piano-and-strings cover of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You.” Carlile also delivered a ferocious, jamming cover of “Madman Across the Water.” However, the highlights were all her own songs, the aforementioned duo along with “Hold Out Your Hand,” “Raise Hell,” “Pride and Joy” and a three-song encore of “Rock You,” “Every Time I Hear That Song” and “A Party of One.” This was a wonderful show, but I have the sense that it is barely the beginning.

The evening concluded with Phil Lesh and the Terrapin Family Band on the packed smaller main stage. The holler at night is a sight to behold, as folks pack the hillsides looking down at the stage and the mountains behind it. My Grateful Dead aversion is well-known by now, but I have to admit that this was an entertaining set. The Terrapin Family Band are an evolving collective that changes with every show, but they were all intuitive, amazing musicians who found their way into some interesting jams. Highlights for me were “Truckin’” and a smoking rendition of “Layla” along with a collection of Dead hits and a nice set of fireworks that ended the two-and-a-half-hour set at just past 1 a.m.

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