Yes!tival 2017

Amherst Junction, WI
Saturday 16th September 2017

This is an annual mini-festival to commemorate the life and music of Chad Kelly, a local legend and musician I used to hang out with and jam with back in the 90s when visiting central Wisconsin. Chad turned me on to the Holy Modal Rounders, among other things. He moved out to San Francisco quite a while ago and we lost touch, and then he was gone... So some friends round here put on a party (2009 or 2010?), which has evolved into a really excellent little festival.

Anna Jo Banjo was playing a set (just her on guitar/banjo and Dot on washboard) when I arrived, good to see her again. I got caught up in socialising some distance from the stage but enjoyed what I heard of Tuck Pence's set (he's a barroom guitarist/singer with literally 1000s of songs up his sleeve, a lot in the classic/southern rock vein). Irene's Garden played next — the Yes!tival is hosted by Sarah Ludeman, one of the two sisters at the heart of this local institution. Their lineup has settled into the one I saw in April (and thought at the time might have been a sort of semi-acoustic one-off): Sarah's playing cajon instead of acoustic guitar, Jennalee has switched from electric bass to double bass and there's a new violinist. They just keep evolving. This set was a bit looser and more jammed-out than usual, an aspect I enjoyed a lot. Guitarist Jeff apologised for having been a bit drunk but I thought it brought out a new, refreshing side to the band...nice playful interaction between his guitar and the violin.

Easily the highlight for me was a new, young Stevens Point band called Soul Symmetry who are really into the Allman Brothers among other things. Their opening instrumental was a kind of southern-space-boogie rock kind of thing, and their set included a masterful reading of "Breathe" → "Time" from Dark Side of the Moon as well as some impressive originals. At one point I felt a bit weary and sat down in a conveniently placed chair. They then went into an incrediblyt intense version of the Allmans' "Whipping Post" and while the people up front were flailing around I was like...

And I remember thinking "Chad would have loved this band!" He really would. He loved classic/southern rock as well as all the freakier stuff, and these boys could seriously rock. I could see Chad up at the front with a beer, a smoke and a big Chad Kelly grin...

Burnt Toast and Jam from Shawano played last. It was getting late and I decided to enjoy their country-rock sounds horizontally in my tent. I've seen them sporadically since '91 when they were basically a Grateful Dead cover band. This time they just played a lively "Don't Ease Me In" among their own material... I'd have got up for a full Dead set! A ridiculous amount of rain fell that night. Fortunately I was in the middle of an unnecessarily large tent and woke up dry but with a puddle either side of me. Nice to catch up with a few more people the next morning before heading back to town.

So much respect to Sarah and friends for keeping this going. There are now people (including that band who blew me away) who for reasons of age or geography never got to know Chad, but they can still enjoy this event that's held in his name. What a great way to be remembered — having yourself woven into the calendar and tied to an event that's all about peaceful togetherness, rockin' sounds and ecstatic celebration. YES!