Written by Lou McCoy
Scranton, Pennsylvania’s Peach Music Festival hosted at Montage Mountain is quickly approaching, and I, a 4 year attendee, couldn’t be more ready.
From Thursday July 25th to Sunday July 28th, you’ll find me groovin’ up and down the mountain just as I have every Summer since 2014. Peach is close to my heart for too many reasons to count, and I’m going to explain to you, the readers, why you need to join the jam this year.
With its jam band, bluegrass, funk, and jamtronica mixes, featuring artists such as Trey Anastasio, Phil Lesh, Dopapod, String Cheese, and many more, this year’s Peach Fest is going to be a doozy. Day 1: We’ve got the flock on deck ready to throw down with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. If you haven’t checked them out yet, they’re the next big thing in the festival scene. So, if you’re into upbeat, high-energy funk music with positive vibes all around, their set isn’t one to be missed.
Billy Strings
Also a must-see act over the weekend, Billy Strings, will be a new one for me though a recent favorite of new-grass fans and bluegrass purists alike. Our boys from Buffalo, Aqueous, will also be shredding Thursday for all my friends who’d like to partake in an evening of face melting awesomeness. In their triumphant return to the mountain, The String Cheese Incident will round off the night with what we already know will be a glorious set. So, as you may have gathered from the day one lineup, Peach is going to start off with a bang and be nothing but a rip roarin’ good time from there.
Now, if you want to get weird, Friday is when the magic will happen. Altering our perception of reality–Lotus, Moe, Magic Beans, and Dopapod, will all be contributing to the weird. To top it all off there will be, of course, more String Cheese Incident because, I think we all can agree, there can never be enough Cheese. There is so much good music on Friday, I don’t know where, who, or what I’ll be, but what I do know is this: Wherever I end up, It’ll be in front of quality music, hanging with quality people.
Dopapod
Out of all the amazing acts on Friday, I am most stoked to see Dopapod. Made up of some of the most talented musicians on the festival circuit, Dopapod makes my feet move like no other. On another note, I’m also stoked to see the Allman Betts Band. I more than appreciate the legacy the Allman Brothers and Greg Allman (may he Rest In Peace) brought to this mountain. I am looking forward to paying tribute to that legacy with some good old southern rock.
By Saturday, the whole mountain will have come alive. For an insanely good musical experience, the most obvious choice is Trey Anastasio Band. Plagued with lightning and a torrential downpour, Ill never forget their 2016 Peach set, and I highly encourage you to come out for the show. We also have Goose to look forward to, another amazingly innovative group of protegès that are funky as heck and really know how to move a crowd.
Me (Lou McCoy) at Peach Festival
Sunday always proves a great opportunity to simply relax on the side of a mountain in beautiful PA. Get ready to kickback and have your heartstrings tugged on by the beautiful, soulful voices of Warren Haynes and Grace Potter. For our bluegrass fans out there, Yonder Mountain String Band will also grace us with their tunes. On our last night, a must-see for me has got to be Phil Lesh and Friends. Last year, LITZ bassist Logan Litz and I had the pleasure and honor of watching the Phil Lesh and Friends set from backstage. Their set was magical. Peach Music Fest is magical. It’s host to not only quality artists but quality vendors, ensuring your entire festival experience will be, as always, from start to finish, one for the books.
