Ben
from Mountain God here.
The
whole purpose of this piece is to give readers a sense of what
Hoverfest 2014 was like, how Mountain God got there, and how the
event came together. Additionally, rather than give a minute by
minute account, I’ll take the risk of getting pretty personal to
show you all just what this event meant to our band.
For
those of you who don’t know, Hoverfest was a single day festival
held in Portland, Oregon on August 23rd, 2014. The event
included such acts as Mountain God, Holy Grove, Wounded Giant, Eight
Bells, Witch Mountain, Acid King, DANAVA, and Yob. The impetus for
the show was to gather bands and friends together in one setting, all
of which/whom were connected by the genre of doom/sludge/stoner rock,
or to brilliant amp builder Nial McCaughey of Hovercraft Amplifiers.
The event was an absolute, rousing success, with huge props given to
Todd from Cravedog Entertainment, the legendary Billy Anderson, as
well as Nathan Carson from Witch Mountain and Nanotear Booking.
A
little background….
While
this piece isn’t intended to give a complete story of Mountain God
necessarily, readers should have a touch of information about whom we
are so as to provide context for how we got to Hoverfest (have faith,
you’ll see how everything will unfold…). Mountain God’s story
began in May of 2012 when Ian Murray (drums) and I (vocals, guitar)
got together to jam. I had decided the previous fall that I wanted to
get a doom band off the ground, and when I couldn’t find players in
the suburbs I opted to make the hour trek weekly into Brooklyn, where
there is fairly awesome underground scene. Ian and I found one
another through craigslist and instantly hit it off, with him adding
killer drums to the riffs I had written previously. The band’s
lineup was finalized that August with the addition of Nikhil Kamineni
(bass, engineering) and Jon Powell (keys). We put out one EP called
“Experimentation on the Unwilling”, and have a second tentatively
called “Forest of the Lost” ready to be mastered. While our
lineup has changed due to the travails of work and schedule, Mountain
God is still going strong as a three piece with the addition of
Dickler Dialogue on drums. They are all such great people, past and
present members alike, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed creating music
with them.
Hovercraft
Amplifiers…
Right
around the time MG started recording our first EP, New York was
blasted by Hurricane Sandy. Our studio in Gowanus was pretty much
washed away, with both Nikhil and Jon losing the vast majority of
their gear. I remember looking at a pic of a collapsed wall inside
the space and thinking, “we’re done”. I was devastated for
them, as they collectively lost in the neighborhood of 15,000 dollars
worth of gear not to mention the destruction of their facility. Many
bands and studio owners had their livelihoods taken by this act of
nature.
Mountain
God regrouped, finding a new space in DUMBO, and temporarily using my
own subpar gear that I pulled out of my apartment living room. Now,
I can’t remember what particular day it was exactly, but I
distinctly recall Nik uttering the word Hovercraft in response to
what the hell we were going to do. He had been surfing the net and
came across Nial McGauphey, who at the time had just started his
company and had been putting his amps up for sale. Nik raved about
the sound and talked about the innovative nature of how Nial would
use recycled parts to create these beautiful, vintage sounding tube
amps that easily could take on any Marshall, Orange, Matamp or Sunn.
So,
Nik bought a cool looking orange Falcon for a totally affordable
price and we eagerly awaited its coming. When it arrived and was
fired up, we were blown away by what came out. It was no different
than hearing that first chord or sound off of a great transformative
album….we just sort of knew that these were the amps that were
going to define our tone. For me personally, it rivaled and in many
ways surpassed any head I had ever played. We got hooked across the
board. Sure enough, we currently own multiple Falcons, Dwarvenauts,
and a single Baltar for bass. It also doesn’t hurt that Nial is
easily one of the most knowledgeable builders in the field, and
incredibly fun to interact with. His passion for the craft of amp
making and music in general is refreshing given our world of cookie
cutter, poorly designed products and mass consumers who only want the
cool, hip thing regardless of quality.
Hoverfest
2014….
This
past spring, after ordering the Baltar, I was sitting on my couch in
front of my laptop and randomly asked Nial if he had ever thought
about holding a festival, representing all the bands that used his
gear. He said yes, that it was something that he would love to work
on. Having put the conversation out of my mind, I was struck a few
months later when Nial and Nathan Carson followed up with our band
and told us about Hoverfest. They finished by saying that they held
an opening spot for us if we wanted it. I was pretty taken aback,
even more so when I found out whom we would share the stage with.
While it made absolutely zero financial sense, as often happens in
this industry, it was decided quickly within the ranks of the band to
spend a few days in Portland and play this show.
Most
squares, those soulless cadavers that walk the streets each day with
only thoughts of money, conformity, and keeping up with the Jones’
can’t understand this concept. I ran into a few of these types in
the weeks preceding our little adventure, those mundane characters
who say things like, “travel all that way for 30minutes of
playing??? How do you even know anyone will be there to see you at
noon???”
It’s
true that the trip literally cost thousands and none of us in MG are
particularly wealthy. For us, though, sharing a stage with Yob and
all of the other awesome bands on the bill means far more than having
a few extra bucks lying around in the old bank account. Money can be
made again, but opportunity doesn’t always knock twice. It’s not
everyday that someone gives a band the chance to play with genre
definers like Witch Mountain and Acid King, with their wealth of
experience, hard work, sweat, and devotion to music so paramount.
For us, the chance to share the stage with these giants was never a
real question. Not to mention meeting the man who helped MG find its
sound, tone, heart, and soul through the production of the most
badass amps around. Not to mention working with Billy Anderson. Not
to mention meeting new, awesome people who like to go to festivals to
listen to the kind of music we play and enjoy. No brainer.
The
Festival….
Rather
than give a blow by blow account of the whole show (which would be
difficult anyway due to the great amounts of PBR’s finished with
spiced rum that I drank after our set) I’d much rather hit some of
the high points, to give readers an idea of what it felt like to not
just play, but simply be there on the grounds.
a)
The bands.
I’ve
never, in my whole life of playing music, ever encountered a group of
more humble, kind, and interesting people playing in so many great
bands. There were no egos, no walls between artist and fan, and a
sense of camaraderie that quickly shined brightly over the venue.
Simply put….everyone was so fucking nice. The music was incredible
all day. Yob’s cathartic, epic riffs, the serenity and power of
Andrea Vidal’s voice (Holy Grove), and the virtuosity of DANAVA’s
chord progressions were all things that immediately stood out. I
could go on and on about every single act.
b)
The venue.
The
show was held in an alleyway behind Cravedog, which gave the show a
very intimate feel. There was a beer garden, several food trucks
doing catering, and a merch booth for people to purchase albums,
shirts and other cool band related stuff. Turnout was awesome. Even
when MG went on at about 12:20, there were easily 50 people in the
audience, and I’d surmise that by the end of the show 400-500
people were in attendance. I also felt very taken care of by the
promoters, a level of respect that was so uplifting. Todd allowed
bands to hang out in the Cravedog office, which was filled with
snacks and the aforementioned treasure trove of PBRs (and I believe I
mentioned spiced rum?) Pizza was ordered for all of us, with bands
and event organizers meeting, sharing stories, telling jokes, and
talking shop.
c)
The gear.
For
musicians, I think it is safe to say that gear collecting can be an
obsession. When we arrived at the venue, there were about 15 or so
Hovercraft half stacks, each one being unique and available to play
on stage. That was fucking cool. Thank you Nial!!!
d)
The fans.
Everyone
was in good spirits, chatting, enjoying beverages (and possibly other
substances, but I’m not sure I can totally speak to that…) and
quality time with other people who equally enjoy music. There was a
lot of love and respect in the air, something I’ve never really
felt on the same level at a rock festival.
e)
Portland
….is
a very cool city. Great beer, tasty food with lots of
vegetarian/vegan options as well as great swathes of meat for those
that choose to embrace a more carnivorous nature. I personally had
never been to Portland or the west coast for that matter, so it was a
fun and new experience for me.
f)
Nial…
…is
a fucking genius. If only the world had more people like him,
artists and creators who are willing to put themselves and their art
out there, society would be a far more interesting place. Our band
got a chance to hang with him at his home, as he barbequed up all
sorts of meats and vegetables. It was quite good, and I managed to
sneak into the conversation that it would be great to have a
2x12/1x15 Hovercraft cab to go with my Emperor of the same caliber.
Final
Thoughts…
For
a new, underground band like ours, playing Hoverfest was a dream come
true. We work pretty hard and take our music seriously, so to see
everything pay off felt joyous. On a personal level, I had one
singular moment that stands out more than any other. Those that are
“too cool for school” so to speak may find it a bit lame, but I’m
going to recount it anyway, regardless of how I’m perceived, to
answer the question posed earlier by the squares, the one that goes,
“why would you spend thousands to go all the way out there to play
for 30minutes???
After
our set I was totally shot, soaked in sweat, and frankly, unsure of
how we sounded. For those people that don’t play, music sometimes
can sound very different on stage than it does to the crowd,
particularly when playing outside. So, as I gathered my gear and
started carrying guitars back to the rental car, my mind wandered
with thoughts of apprehension. If you’re an artist and not
constantly thinking about whether your work is being presented
accurately, you’re probably not a real artist anyway.
After
throwing the gear in the car, I made a bee line back to the stage
area to find the guys, my wife, and something cold to drink. That’s
when Mike Scheidt came walking by on the other side of the lot. With
Yob being one of my favorite bands, I waved, said hello, and was sort
of leveled when he rapidly made his way over to me. Believe it or
not, I really had no idea what I was going to say exactly, despite
knowing for months that it was more than likely that I’d get a
chance to meet him along with many other musicians. I conjured up
something along the lines of, “I’m a fan” or something in that
vein. Mike gave me a firm handshake and simply said, “you guys
sounded great”, and went on for a few seconds about the
performance. We talked for a bit and eventually shared a space in
the merch booth, at which point I got to meet Aaron and Travis at
different points in the day. One probably can imagine how surreal
this was for me.
Lame?
Maybe. Idol worship? Possibly. The way I see it….one of my
favorite bands thought our little underground band was good. And ya
know what? Maybe some other people at Hoverfest thought we were OK
as well. And that, in closing, speaking for myself, is one of the
coolest things about travelling all the way across the country on a
financially ridiculous trip to share a stage with bands that you
admire and respect. Cause maybe, just maybe, people will end up
respecting your art just as much as you respect theirs.
So,
thank you to Nial, Nathan, Billy, Todd, all of the bands, and all of
the people that came out to make Hoverfest what it was. I can
honestly say that playing this festival was as transformative,
spiritual, and uplifting as any other experience in my life. Thank
you all.
If
you were at Hoverfest, I would highly recommend that you post some
comments here about your experience, reach out to the bands via
social media, or contact any of the people I mentioned here to stay
thank you. I’m tired of so many shitty things in our society
getting praise. Let’s for once praise something that deserves
praise. Or if you’d rather, spend some time posting ridiculous cat
videos which will get 1 million hits on You Tube. Your choice.
Written by Ben Ianuzzi
I want to thank Ben for writing this awesome article on Hoverfest. Thanks Ben.
Check Out Mountain God from the links below
