TWEED RIVER MUSIC FESTIVAL
July 31 - Aug. 2
given the several projects he is always working on.
Thayer’s latest album, Sundowser, was released
the week prior to Tweed and was celebrated by all in
attendance. This was the first album ever recorded
in Thayer’s self-built studio, which is solar powered.
The walls and windows of his studio were salvaged
from other construction projects, while the trees
that had been grown on the property were used in
the timber frame.
Thayer has added ‘inventor’ to his list of skills
with the creation of the Bojotar, which made its recording debut on Sundowser. The Bojotar is part
banjo, part resonator guitar, and part electric guitar. Thayer explained, “I found myself more and
more as either a frustrated guitar player trying to
play banjo or a banjo player trying to play it like a
guitar and lugging several instruments to gigs. The
Bojotar was born out of necessity.”
The Bojotar was built partly from the support of
a friend and fellow Vermont musician, Joey Leone.
Thayer shared his invention with Leone while the
two were playing a gig together, and he soon found
himself on the phone with Michael Robinson, President of Eastwood Guitars. They shipped Thayer a
box of parts to experiment with and the end result
was modified into Eastwood/Airline’s Bojotar.
Thayer’s currently working on his next album
with his new band (not Perfect Trainwreck), a tribute to Dock Boggs and Mississippi Fred McDowell,
a project that is perfectly suited for the Bojotar. He
is joined by Alex Abraham on upright bass and JD
Tolstoi on organ. Thayer explained that his drummer, Jeff Berlin, suffered a stroke, but is determined
to make a one-hundred percent recovery. With this
in mind, Thayer requests that those with high blood
pressure see their doctor and do something about it.
Including Thayer’s set on the Main Stage on Saturday, Tweed River 2015 consisted of over 30 acts.
Some of the performers had found out their friends
were playing at Tweed River, so they insisted on
joining in on the lineup, too. Following his European tour, Christopher Paul Stelling did exactly this.
Beyond Stelling’s first appearance at Tweed River, other performances by Smith & Weeden, Lydia
Loveless, Waylon Speed, JP Harris and the Wrong
Reasons, Jesse Dee, and Caitlin Cantywere new to
the 2015 lineup as well. Returning performances
came from Tim Gearan, Andrea Gillis, White Dynomite, Joe Fletcher, and The Curtis Mayflower.
The festival was intimate, not because of the
lineup or the number of attendees, but more from
the fact that the musicians didn’t just show up for
the day of their set and leave when it was over. Instead, many planned to spend time with friends and
good music. Essentially, Tweed River is a reunion.
As for the layout of the Waitsfield location, it was
impossible to find a bad view of the Main Stage. The
easy up tents that were set up along the perimeter
Winter • 2015
made it nice to hide away in the shade. Just that in
and of itself, made those feel fortunate to be at this
small music festival scene during the heat wave. At
larger festivals these details are impossible to come
across due to space restrictions. The crowds bake
out in the sun, often without even getting a glimpse
of a real life performer.
The balancing act for festivals like this one comes
in making it better, but not necessarily bigger; striving to keep it family friendly and promoting individualism as much as community.
When asked if there were any acts that stuck out,
Thayer mimicked my thoughts. “The Wiles (Lula
Wiles) sincerely blew me away and Dan Blakeslee
is always a real treat,” he said.
Thayer continued, “Most bands project their
sound and they broadcast their message. What the
Wiles did was kind of the opposite. They aren’t trying to push their music. They invite people and if
they like it, they listen a little closer.”
The collaborations and late night campfire popup sets contributed to the unique vibe of the Tweed
River Music Festival. The musicians gathered along
with their fans to create a stellar crowd and a sense
of community that is often absent at larger festivals.
As many of the fans were also performers there was
little observable divide between the two.
Fans were invited to join the artists aboard
the Tweed River Bus, a chill hang out spot where
a few people even received tattoos over the weekend. Musicians seemed to get a second wind as they
gathered around the campfire with their stringed
instruments and treated us to collaborations that
continued well into the wee hours.
It is this type of pop-up collaboration that Thayer would like to see continue and grow in coming
years. As Thayer plans for the next Tweed River
Music Festival he says, “I want to keep going forward, making it better.” ■
*Tweed River Photo Gallery
By Rich Gastwirt
cidermag.com • CIDER
MAG • 23