Hookah up in the hills this weekend
By Stephanie Laird
June 19, 2008
Summer Hookah in the Hills, a three-day music festival and campout featuring six sets of music from Ohio-grown ekoostik hookah and a jam-packed lineup of national and regional performers, will be held this weekend at Kaeppner’s Woods in Hocking County.
Ekoostik hookah, a psychedelic-rock band known for intricate melodic harmonies that complement the band’s funky improvisational bluegrass style, returns to their new southeast Ohio home for the second Hookah in the Hills event held this year.
According to Curtis Manley, president of Big Events Presents, this is the first time in 12 years that ekoostik hookah has performed six sets of music over the course of a three-day festival in Ohio.
In expanding the second Hookah in the Hills held at Kaeppners Woods, a 200-acre area near Logan in the Hocking Hills region, Manley added many more national and regional artists to the lineup, as well as an additional day of hookah sets. “A show older and a show wiser,” this Hookah in the Hills will feature a separate stage tucked back in the woods for special late-night sets and nightly fire performances by Elemotion.
Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad, a reggae and experimental dub band from New York, will kick off the Summer Hookah in the Hills festivities Friday afternoon with their original roots grooves. The Paranormals, featuring John “Catfish” Juliano and Eric “Junebug” Leighton, two multi-talented and dedicated musicians who are mainstays in the Athens music scene, will take the stage next for the first of their many “tweener” sets scheduled throughout the weekend.
Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, a bluegrass ensemble with progressive musical elements, will come on next. For the last three years, Keel, a renowned flat-picking guitarist, singer and song-writer, has played with his wife, Jenny Keel, on bass fiddle and vocals; mandolin player and singer Mark Schimick; and more recently Jason Flournoy, banjo player and singer, in this project. According to Larry Keel, the band “began as a bluegrass band and turned quickly into a very progressive form of acoustic music with reggae, indie, rock, blues” and other musical influences.
Born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Keel is keeping the American mountain music heritage alive while integrating his own contemporary acoustic renditions into the traditional bluegrass style. “As they say in Jamaica, everything needs respect, and we definitely pay our respects to the writers of all that wonderful music,” said Keel on how his “feel-good powerful mountain music” honors the original bluegrass sound.
Larry Keel & Natural Bridge released their first self-titled album in 2005, which will be followed by a second volume in the near future. “We are writing new songs everyday and always trying to figure out something new,” he said.
Keel explained that his extensive performing and touring career is inspired by his “need to always learn; you can always learn if you just open your ears and mind.” Over the years, Keel’s music “has evolved from a one-sided approach to an entity that is made up of all the wonderful musics I hear and all that I am inspired by,” he said.
Ekoostik hookah’s first set of the weekend is scheduled to launch at 9 p.m. on Friday, followed by fire performances by Elemotion and Rovo during the set break and then another hookah set.
Friday night culminates with Cleveland-based JiMiller Band’s two late-night sets recreating the music of the Grateful Dead.
Jazzam, a jazz/power-funk band hailing from Pittsburgh that infuses traditional songs with new-age soul spice, are first up on the eclectic Saturday lineup. The band began touring in 2004 as a four-piece electric band, playing a broad repertoire ranging from Tricksters originals to lively interpretations of Grateful Dead songs.
Rhythm guitarist and vocalist Tom Circosta said the Zen Tricksters emerged as the East Coast’s premier Grateful Dead cover band in its early years. Today, this rock ‘n’ roll band is capable of creating satisfying and enjoyable jams that keeps fans wondering what they will do next, said Circosta.
The Zen Tricksters tour extensively with former Grateful Dead singer Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay as Donna Jean & the Tricksters. Their self-titled debut was recently released.
Following two sets by the Zen Tricksters, Garaj Mahal will take center stage prior to ekoostik hookah. This funky band incorporates an array of musical influences in their progressive tunes ranging from world music to jazz.
Strange Design will recreate Phish shows in their entirety during Saturday’s late-night performance.
On Sunday, ekoostik hookah will play two sets in the afternoon followed by EOTO, a live looping project featuring String Cheese Incident drummers Michael Travis and Jason Hann. On stage, these dueling musicians create 100 percent live and improvised dance music. EOTO will cap off the musical performances for Summer Hookah in the Hills.
In addition to three days of national, regional and local performances, multiple food and craft vendors will be on site, firewood will be for sale, beer will be available and many children’s activities will be offered.
For additional information on Summer Hookah in the Hills visit: www.hookahinthehills.com.
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