By: David Schultz

Ever since Woodstock and Monterey Pop cast a mythological aura around the festival experience, it has evolved into a nuanced creature. Festivals like SXSW in Austin and CMJ in New York City cater towards industry folk; Goliaths like Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo attract adventurous fans interesting in the discovery of new music and grand spectacle the event and band-oriented jamfests like moe.down, Camp Bisco and the upcoming Festival 8 slake the thirst of specialized fanbases with multiple performances and hand-picked lineups. There are also a handful of festivals that have more modest aspirations, simply aspiring to be a friendly, peaceful gathering in a panoramic setting with a smattering of fine bands to provide the soundtrack.

This past weekend, Number Line Productions in conjunction with Pawnshop Roses hosted the inaugural Let It Roll Festival at the 1,500 acre Sunnyview Farm, a locale that has served as a retreat and recording space for the likes of Willie Nelson, Levon Helm and John Lennon. Having an aversion to camping, I opted against going native for the weekend, choosing instead to make my way to Ghent on Saturday afternoon to catch the majority of the second day. After being greeted at the grounds by Zach Levy, who served as Let It Roll’s de facto Max Yasgur, we were directed up to the campgrounds and performance space. As the festival was well into its second day, things were already in full swing. Small little communities of tents dotted the farm’s sprawling acreage and should the gorgeous mountain view provide too much a distraction, we could follow the siren song of Leroy Justice playing “Temporary Cure.”

The main stage occupied the corner of a mammoth (inactive) horse barn that has been modified into a wonderful concert space. Open to the entire crowd, each band could play as if in a quarter-round. The more traditional outdoor stage, which essentially served as a side stage, was set up a couple hundred yards away and afforded the opportunity to enjoy some music while inhaling some fresh mountain air. The crowd for the event included a good number of college age kids, a handful of families with small children and a few of the hairy hippie types without which, any music festival would be found lacking.

Ironically, Saturday’s slate of bands consisted primarily of bands that made a similar trek upstate from New York City. In that vein, Leroy Justice’s potent Seventies-era classic rock gave way to the eclecticism of BuzzUniverse, who were joined by violinist Meredith Bogacz and The Jack’s Rosie Lazroe, which then yielded to Let It Roll’s headliner, The Marco Benevento Trio, who on this night were made up of Dave Dreiwitz and Andrew Barr.

Philadelphia’s Pawnshop Roses, the impetus and a major motivating force for the festival, played sets on Friday and Saturday. Much like their recent stop at the Bowery Electric, the Roses Saturday set had a harder edge than their previously jangly sound. On the outer stage, Vermont’s Joshua Panda Band, which included Bryan Dondero (Blues & Lasers/Grace Potter & The Nocturnals), moved between bluegrass and blue-eyed soul, comically calling out into the darkness to gauge the interest from afar. From the looks of him, you might not have expected him to bust out an Otis Redding cover. One of the toughest singers to emulate, Panda expertly handled “Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)” with the aplomb of a master.

Anyone that’s spent time around people trying to do anything in the music business knows that ideas are easy, execution is difficult. The number of roadblocks that confront even the simplest of ventures can be stupefying and once those are overcome, you have the daunting task of getting people to spend their money on the event. Given the sprawl of the event, it’s hard to gauge how many people spent their weekend at the inaugural Let It Roll festival. As day turned to night, more and more people made the music barn the focus of their attention, peaking with Benevento’s appearance; an uninformed estimate would have the attendance at a few hundred. A modest beginning for what will hopefully become an annual event.

Labels: BuzzUniverse, Josh Panda Band, Leroy Justice, Marco Benevento, Pawnshop Roses