June 27, 2017
Head up into the mountains of the Sierra Nevada for the High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, CA, Thursday-Sunday, June 29th to July 2nd:
THURSDAY, JUNE 29th
Grandstand STS9, 9:30 PM – 11:30 PM The acclaimed instrumental act combines numerous influences, including funk, jazz, psychedelic, and hip-hop. But they’re best known for their live concerts (QRO photos), which stretch to over two hours, and feature improvisational collaborative work not known in the jam-band community. Their festival performances, however, go even bigger (QRO photos at a festival), like at High Sierra ’14 & ’12 (QRO photos at High Sierra ’12). |
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Galactic, 7:00 PM – 8:45 PM Hailing from New Orleans, Galactic (QRO photos at a festival) is a five-man funk band. They combine traditional jazz with brass-heavy funk that’s much like the city’s signature sound. Thrown into the mix are their cutting edge, ‘new school’ horns and the regional hip-hop known as New Orleans Bounce. Galactic (QRO photos at a festival) succeeds in producing a sound that’s entirely new while still paying homage to the style that made the Big Easy famous. Since their 2015 album Into the Deep was released, the band’s been touring across the country, and return to High Sierra (QRO photos at High Sierra ’12) to play twice. |
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White Denim, 4:45 PM – 6:15 PM Out of Austin’s psychedelic rock scene comes White Denim (QRO live review at home in Austin), but they’re more accessible than most psych-rock (QRO live review), like on last year’s Stiff (QRO review). They return to High Sierra to play twice. |
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Jeff Austin Band, 2:45 PM – 4:00 PM Progressive bluegrass mandolin player Jeff Austin was part of the core of the jam outfit Yonder Mountain String Band (QRO photos at a festival last year), but took a leave of absence in 2013 due to the pending birth of his child. While his absence from Yonder has become permanent, he has since formed his own band (QRO photos at a festival), and in 2015 released his own record, The Simple Truth. He returns to play High Sierra a second time with his own band. |
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Big Meadow Con Brio, 10:00 PM – 11:30 PM Billy Strings, 8:00 PM – 9:15 PM BIG Something, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM River Whyless, 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM Hamish Anderson, 2:05 PM – 3:20 PM Sweet Crude, 12:10 PM – 1:25 PM |
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Vaudeville Tent The Record Company, 12:00 AM – 1:30 AM – QRO photos at a festival Fruition, 9:45 PM – 11:15 PM – QRO photos at a festival Phutureprimitive, 7:45 PM – 9:00 PM The Nth Power, 5:45 PM – 7:00 PM Afrolicious, 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM – QRO photos at High Sierra ‘14 I Draw Slow, 1:45 PM – 3:00 PM Tank & The Bangas, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM – QRO photos outdoors |
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High Sierra Music Hall The Brothers Comatose, 2:00 AM – 3:45 AM Travelin’ McCourys with Jeff Austin, 12:00 AM – 1:45 AM – QRO photos at a festival |
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The Funk’n Jamhouse Dopapod, 1:45 AM – 3:45 AM The Werks, 12:00 AM – 1:15 AM |
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The Mineral Building Troubadour Session: Hamish Anderson, Sam Craft, Alexis Marceaux, Billy Strings, 12:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
FRIDAY, JUNE 30th
Grandstand Ween, 9:30 PM – 11:30 PM Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo form Ween (QRO live review), which had been one of the more enduring and out there acts out there, with a wide-ranging fan base more typical of jam bands (QRO photos at a jam band festival). They had a jam band-like longevity – twenty-eight years until Freeman had to call it quits in 2012. But you can’t push th’ little Ween without making them come up (QRO photos at a festival), as they’ve reunited last year for a handful of shows (QRO photos at a festival), following it up this year (QRO photos at a festival) with a full-fledged tour (QRO live review) and release of GodWeenSatan Live (QRO review), including returning to High Sierra. |
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Mike Gordon, 7:15 PM – 8:45 PM If you’re going to High Sierra, you already know who Mike Gordon is. If Phish (QRO photos) has made themselves into the next generation Grateful Dead, then Gordon is the next generation Phil Lesh. He’s done everything from play above the marquee at the Ed Sullivan Theater to make movies & books. He plays his third High Sierra. |
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Hard Working Americans, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM High Sierra welcomes the return of rock ‘n’ roll supergroup Hard Working Americans (QRO photos), which includes Todd Snider, Dave Schools from Widespread Panic (QRO photos at a festival), Neal Casal of Chris Robinson Brotherhood (QRO photos at High Sierra ‘14) and more. They play High Sierra twice. |
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Also: The Travelin’ McCourys, 2:45 PM – 4:15 PM – QRO photos at a festival Fruition, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM – QRO photos at a festival |
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Big Meadow Earth, Wind & Power, 9:30 PM – 11:30 PM The Record Company, 7:35 PM – 8:50 PM – QRO photos at a festival Billy Strings, 5:40 PM – 6:55 PM White Denim, 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM – QRO live review Tank & The Bangas, 1:50 PM – 3:05 PM – QRO photos outdoors I Draw Slow, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM Butcher Brown, 10:15 AM – 11:30 AM |
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Vaudeville Tent Deer Tick, 11:30 PM – 1:30 AM The dirty side of alt-country garage-rock comes to High Sierra in the form of Deer Tick (QRO photos outdoors), who’ve been rockin’ bigger & bigger stages (QRO photos) and wilder & wilder shows (QRO live review) since the release of 2011’s Divine Providence (QRO review) and 2013’s Negativity. They play return to High Sierra (QRO photos at High Sierra ’12), to play it twice. |
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Also: Dopapod, 9:30 PM – 10:45 PM River Whyless, 7:30 PM – 8:45 PM BIG Something, 5:15 PM – 6:45 PM The Werks, 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM Con Brio, 1:15 PM – 2:30 PM Sweet Crude, 11:15 AM – 12:30 PM |
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High Sierra Music Hall Galactic, 1:45 AM – 3:45 AM Hailing from New Orleans, Galactic (QRO photos at a festival) is a five-man funk band. They combine traditional jazz with brass-heavy funk that’s much like the city’s signature sound. Thrown into the mix are their cutting edge, ‘new school’ horns and the regional hip-hop known as New Orleans Bounce. Galactic (QRO photos at a festival) succeeds in producing a sound that’s entirely new while still paying homage to the style that made the Big Easy famous. Since their 2015 album Into the Deep was released, the band’s been touring across the country, and return to High Sierra (QRO photos at High Sierra ’12) to play twice. |
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Also: Afrolicious, 12:00 AM – 1:15 AM – QRO photos at High Sierra ‘14 The Anatomy of a Band, 5:45 PM – 6:45 PM Heavy Metal Hoedown, 4:15 PM – 5:15 PM Soul Time!: A Celebration of the Music of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM Shady Grove: The Music of Doc Watson, 1:15 PM – 2:15 PM A Stanton Moor Drum Academy Master Class, 11:45 AM – 12:45 PM Blues Jam, 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM |
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The Funk’n Jamhouse Manic Focus, 1:45 AM – 3:45 AM John ‘JmaC’ McCarten has gone from being trained in classical at an early age to ultra-modern EDM beats today, playing his second High Sierra in a row. |
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Also: Phutureprimitive, 12:00 AM – 1:15 AM The Mineral Building Troubadour Session: Gio Benedetti, Bo Carper, Ben Morrison, Pamela Parker |
SATURDAY, JULY 1st
Grandstand Trey Anastasio Band, 10:00 PM – 11:30 PM Trey Anastasio Band, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM If you’re going to High Sierra, you already know who Trey Anastasio is. If Phish (QRO photos) has made themselves into the next generation Grateful Dead, then Anastasio is the next generation Jerry Garcia. He’s done everything from play above the marquee at the Ed Sullivan Theater to get a Tony nomination for his orchestration of Broadway musical Hands on a Hardbody. Somehow this seems to be his first time at High Sierra, but he makes up for that by playing two back-to-back sets on Saturday. |
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Andrew Bird, 5:45 PM – 7:15 PM Chicago multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird (QRO live review) plays everything from guitar to whistle, but is best known for his impressive violin work (QRO photos), which manages to be both timely and timeless (QRO photos) on such albums as Armchair Apocrypha (QRO review) and more, up to last year’s Are You Serious. Bird (QRO photos) is a great addition for a festival (QRO photos outdoors), or anything else: he even did the whistling in The Muppets. |
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The Greyboy Allstars, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM San Diego’s soul/jazz/funk ensemble The Greyboy Allstars includes Karl Denson (though not his Tiny Universe – QRO photos at a festival). They play return to High Sierra (QRO photos at High Sierra ’13), to play twice. Also: The Brothers Comatose, 12:45 PM – 2:15 PM |
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Big Meadow Deer Tick, 10:00 PM – 11:30 PM The dirty side of alt-country garage-rock comes to High Sierra in the form of Deer Tick (QRO photos outdoors), who’ve been rockin’ bigger & bigger stages (QRO photos) and wilder & wilder shows (QRO live review) since the release of 2011’s Divine Providence (QRO review) and 2013’s Negativity. They play return to High Sierra (QRO photos at High Sierra ’12), to play it twice, this session acoustic. |
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Carolyn Wonderland, 8:05 PM – 9:20 PM Singer/songwriter Carolyn Wonderland has won a slew of Austin Music Awards from her hometown – and her marriage to ex-SNL writer, ex-Daily Show correspondent A. Whitney Brown was officiated by The Monkees’ Michael Nesmith. She plays twice at High Sierra ’17, for like her sixth time at the festival. |
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Also: El Ten Eleven, 6:05 PM – 7:25 PM – QRO photos Keller Williams, 4:10 PM – 5:25 PM – QRO photos at a festival The Suffers, 2:15 PM – 3:30 PM – QRO photos at a festival The Lil Smokies, 12:20 PM – 1:35 PM Kat Myers & The Buzzards, 10:40 AM – 11:50 AM |
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Vaudeville Tent Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles, 11:30 PM – 1:30 AM Ott & The All-Seeing I, 9:30 PM – 10:45 PM Manic Focus, 7:30 PM – 8:45 PM Polyrhythmics, 5:30 PM – 6:45 PM Aoife O’Donovan, 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM – QRO photos at a festival Gene Evaro Jr., 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM Achilles Wheel, 12:15 PM – 1:30 PM Butcher Brown, 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM |
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High Sierra Music Hall Hard Working Americans, 1:45 AM – 3:45 AM High Sierra welcomes the return of rock ‘n’ roll supergroup Hard Working Americans (QRO photos), which includes Todd Snider, Dave Schools from Widespread Panic (QRO photos at a festival), Neal Casal of Chris Robinson Brotherhood (QRO photos at High Sierra ‘14) and more. They play High Sierra twice. |
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Also: Jerry Joseph & The Jackmormons, 12:00 AM – 1:15 AM High Sierra Bluegrass Pick, 5:15 PM – 6:30 PM Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More: A Gregg Allman Retrospective, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM The 40th Anniversary of Terrapin Station, 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM Punk vs. Funk (of the Seventies Kind), 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Grateful Dead Jam, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM |
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The Funk’n Jamhouse BoomBox, 1:45 AM – 3:45 AM From the center of Southern Rock in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, is BoomBox (which includes Zion Godchaux, son of Grateful Dead members Keith and Donna Jean Godchaux). They play return to High Sierra (QRO photos at High Sierra ’14), to play twice. |
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Also: El Ten Eleven, 12:00 AM – 1:15 AM – QRO photos |
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The Mineral Building Troubadour Session: Andy Dunnigan, Jonny Mojo Flores, Paul Kamm, Kat Myers, 12:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
SUNDAY, JULY 2nd
Grandstand Gov’t Mule, 9:30 PM – 11:30 PM Many festival jam bands draw their lineage back to sixties hippie bands like The Grateful Dead, but few as directly as Gov’t Mule (QRO photos). Originally begun as a side-project to the reformed Allman Brothers Band in the early nineties, Gov’t Mule was right at the cusp of breaking out on their own in 2000 when bassist Allen Woody died. But guitarist Warren Haynes and drummer Matt Abts recovered to become a festival mainstay, featuring a rotating cast of guest members and being guest members, like Haynes’ work in The Dead. They (QRO photos outdoors) play their third High Sierra, now behind this year’s Revolution Come…Revolution Go. |
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Snarky Puppy, 7:15 PM – 8:45 PM Snarky Puppy is a Grammy-winning pop-instrumental improvisational act – kind of a perfect fit for High Sierra. |
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Also: Keller Williams’ Grateful Gospel feat. Stu Allen, 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM – QRO photos at a festival Grupo Fantasma, 2:15 PM – 3:45 PM – QRO photos at a festival The Lil Smokies, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM |
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Big Meadow BoomBox, 10:00 PM – 11:30 PM From the center of Southern Rock in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, is BoomBox (which includes Zion Godchaux, son of Grateful Dead members Keith and Donna Jean Godchaux). They play return to High Sierra (QRO photos at High Sierra ’14), to play twice. |
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Also: Lebo & Friends, 7:50 PM – 9:20 PM Achilles Wheel, 5:50 PM – 7:05 PM Bokanté, 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM Carolyn Wonderland, 11:45 AM – 1:15 PM |
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Vaudeville Tent Gene Evaro Jr., 9:30 PM – 11:00 PM Jerry Joseph & The Jackmormons, 7:30 PM – 8:45 PM SunSquabi, 5:30 PM – 6:45 PM The Suffers, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM – QRO photos at a festival David Lindley, 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM Kat Myers & The Buzzards, 11:30 AM – 12:45 PM Midtown Social: Band Contest Winner, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM |
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High Sierra Music Hall The Greyboy Allstars, 1:45 AM – 3:45 AM San Diego’s soul/jazz/funk ensemble The Greyboy Allstars includes Karl Denson (though not his Tiny Universe – QRO photos at a festival). They play return to High Sierra (QRO photos at High Sierra ’13), to play twice. |
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Also: Polyrhythmics, 12:00 AM – 1:15 AM Guitarmageddon: Summer of Love, 5:15 PM – 6:30 PM Survival of the Freshest: A History & Evolution of the Deep Funk Revival, 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM Skerik’s Improv Lab, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Bloody Mary Ball, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Funk Jam, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM |
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The Funk’n Jamhouse Ott & The All-Seeing I, 1:45 AM – 3:45 AM SunSquabi, 12:00 AM – 1:15 AM |
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The Mineral Building Troubadour Session: Jerry Joseph, Lebo, Eric McFadden, Lesley Grant, 12:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
For festival website, go here: http://highsierramusic.com/
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