Flash Mountain Flood | 2018-06-30 | Beanstalk Music & Mountains Festival at Rancho Del Rio, Bond, CO [SBD/AUD Matrix]

For the last of my favorite batch of recordings to-date…check out my pull from Flash Mountain Flood at Beanstalk.

These sets will forever hold a special place in my heart for several reasons. First off – if it weren’t for John Loland of The Jauntee having a 9V battery for me, the whole side stage would have remained un-taped that day (this would have included the Yak Attack sets). This was my first time running two separate rigs on two separate stages, bouncing back and forth during the last minutes of each set. This was also the first time I got to use my CA14 omnis courtesy of Chris Church which provided the perfect on-stage presence to make these recordings pop.

Before the set started, the band was thrown a curveball when no one could locate rhythm guitarist Wes Rather. He was supposed to meet up with the band at the festival but never had and the band was now 30 minutes to show time. After hearing all this from keyboardist Paul Copoulos. I jokingly said “Let me know if you need me to rage Rider” to which he replied “Dude we might not be too far from that”.

After Part & Parcel finished their set, it was time for the first of the 30 minute tweener sets granted to Flash Mountain Flood. With Wes still nowhere to be found, the band pressed on as a quartet and launched into a rapturous jam carved out by piercing lead guitar lines floating on a cloud of organ wails. Feeling out this new lineup, the band stretched their legs a bit with the jam, just long enough to get the blood flowing. After thanking the crowd, the band then introduced Jack Cloonan of the Jack Cloonan Band to help out on a rousing rendition of the John Prine tune “Fish & Whistle” and a bopping rendition of “Need To Breathe”. The moment “Need To Breathe” hit, the band seemed to already be locked into a groove that flirted with rock and jazz elements before easing into the more funky soulfulness of the song.

The second set opened with another exploratory piece, this time almost twice as long as the previous excursion. It rambled onto the set with a dusty swagger that seemed more comfortable in its current configuration with each passing note. The band then followed-up with a tight cover of The Grateful Dead’s “That’s What Love Will Do For You”. The bluesy number faded into an equally bluesy jam soaked with psychedelic undertones which slowly drifted in-and-out of itself before its ending refrain. The band then closed out the set with a heartfelt rendition of “Angel From Montgomery”, once again inviting up Jack Cloonan to help out on guitar and vocals. The song is always a fitting closer, its just how it is.

By the third set there was still no sign from Wes. By this point I believe the band had caught wind that he had a flat tire and was still trying his best but would most likely not make it. Still, the show must go-on, and Flash Mountain Flood still had some resources to pull from. The set kicked-off once again with the core-four configuration but this time instead of the exploratory jam to start the set, the band launched right into a snappy version of “Lay Down Sally”. After a fiery run through the Clapton classic, the band decided to call-up some friends. John Granzow (Cold Smoke Cannon) on acoustic guitar and Winston Heuga (Tenth Mountain Division) on mandolin joined the band for their original blues romp “Dreamin'”. The interplay between both guitarists and Winston’s mandolin provided a broad pallet of motifs that kept the song feeling fluid. After bringing the song round for a few goes the band then settled in for the last song of the set.

At this point the band called me up on stage to perform the last tune with them. I chose “I Know You Rider” cause I figure everyone know its and I love that it’s a traditional i.e. no one knows exactly who wrote it. I gotta say, mad respect to the Flash Mountain Flood guys. If this at all sucks, I promise its because of me, but if it rocks at all, its a true testament to how great of musicians these guys are. Completely un-rehearsed, these guys indulged me in a true curveball moment I didn’t think would happen. For a few minutes, I was playing at Beanstalk. It was an honor to play with them and I can only hope it doesn’t sound too rough. I have nothing but incredible things to say about FMF, especially Paul Copoulos who has always gone out of his way to make my experience in the scene nothing short of the best. Thank you for this incredible memory I’ll cherish forever.

Flash Mountain Flood | 2018-06-30 | Beanstalk Music & Mountains Festival at Rancho Del Rio, Bond, CO

-= Set 1 =-
01. (Intro)
02. Jam 1
03. (Banter I)
04. Fish & Whistle (John Prine cover)[1]
05. (Banter II)
06. Need To Breathe

-= Set 2 =-
07. Jam 2
08. That’s What Love Will Do For You
09. (Banter III)
10. Angel From Montgomery (John Prine cover)

-= Set 3 =-
11. Lay Down Sally (Eric Clapton cover)
12. (Banter IV)
13. Dreamin'[2]
14. (Banter V)
15. I Know You Rider[3]

Show Notes: These sets were performed as a series of ~30-minute tweeners on the “Lookout Stage” on the third and final night of the annual Beanstalk Music & Mountains Festival. They performed in-between Part & Parcel, Amoramora and Mungion. The band’s normal rhythm guitarist Wes Rather was unable to attend the show due to a flat tire so the band invited several guitarists who just happened to be attending the festival up for several songs.
[1] “Fish & Whistle” featured Jack Cloonan (Jack Cloonan Band) on acoustic guitar.
[2] “Dreamin'” featured John Granzow (Cold Smoke Cannon) on acoustic guitar and Winston Heuga (Tenth Mountain Division) on mandolin.
[3] “I Know You Rider” featured Space Tapes (Taper) on acoustic guitar/vocals and Winston Heuga (Tenth Mountain Division) on mandolin/vocals.

Thank you to Flash Mountain Flood and Beanstalk Music Festival for being cool with taping/sharing shows. Go see live music and support your local artists! #spacetapes

LINK: https://archive.org/…/FMF2018-06-30.CA14.omnis.AUD.SBD.Matr…