The second ever Catskill Mountain Jubilee took place this past weekend. Nestled within the Catskill Mountains at the Blackthorne Resort, the festival provided a great mix of nature and comfort. There was a pool with DJs playing throughout the weekend, several stages, including a late night rave hangar, lakes, cabins, even a haunted house!
The music was phenomenal throughout the whole weekend. Sit ins included Aqueous & Friends featuring Craig Broadhead, DJ Logic & Friends as well as Star Kitchen featuring James Casey and Natalie Cressman, and DrFameus featuring Glyfiks were the musical sets that stood out to me. Put a saxophone in my face and I’m hooked!
Dark Star Orchestra played four sets over the course of both nights with the first night being a recreation of 6/3/76. Highlights included a “Might As Well” opener, “Lazy Lightning,” “Dancing in the Streets,” and a thumping two-song encore featuring “The Wheel” and “The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion).” The second night proved to be much slower and the “Drums” jam was going nowhere. An incredible “White Rabbit” encore brought life back into the crowd, but not without the sound dropping out for a bit.
After the main shebang there was much to do, late night shows were aplenty. DJ Logic with Craig Broadhead, James Casey, & Natalie Cressman was my favorite late night shindig but I also enjoyed Baked Shrimp at 3 a.m.
Laura Lee’s gospel set was soul touching and right during that Sunday morning church time. Marc Brownstein made a funny crack about how shorts aren’t showbiz appropriate as he mustered through the hot sun in jeans at the Star Kitchen set.
Catskill Mountain Jubilee has something going for it; the grounds are really enjoyable. With every event there’s issues and problems that need to be solved but seeing how well it’s done for it’s second year, I think this festival has a bright future ahead. It has a good mix of live and electronic music, activities, chill spots, amenities, and a good crew.
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