Almost a year ago when the Beach Road Weekend Music Festival in Martha’s Vineyard was first announced with Wilco and Beck as the headliner, I bought tickets and blocked August 25 – 28 (2022) on my calendar in Sharpie ink.  I knew logistics from NYC were not going to easy, so I secured plane tickets quickly and a killer place to stay with my gang pronto. Early planning and a heavy deep dive into the music of the lesser known bands proved genius (or at least a good idea)… that along with great weather and a well-organized festival group… Beach Road was spectacular in so many ways.

1. The dual side-by side stages (ala Mountain Jam) was key in allowing acts to set-up without disturbing the performing band on the parallel stage AND provide the opportunity for fans to set-up camp in one location for the entire day. Moving from stage to stage at big festivals is exhausting.  The flow of people through the well-laid out festival grounds was super even during peak capacity.  The healthy mix of mature audiences with younger music fans was a plus too. There is definitely something to using a shark-filed moat around the island to keep out the riff raft and unite avid fans.

2. The list of bands was robust. Wilco, Beck, Jason Isbell, The Avett Brothers, Billy Strings, Lucinda Williams was solid.  The secondary bands were even better and excited me most, especially Dawes, Mt. Joy, Caamp and Lettuce.  The Day 2 and Day 3 bands hit their hour long sets hard and provided an all day variety show reminiscent of the all-star reviews that featured Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Elvis, Carl Perkins and more. The music was top notch!

3. Day 1 (Friday) got off to a slow start. One my favorites Mt. Joy, and Shovels and Rope, one of my friend Farzin’s besty bands were flat. It happens. The Grateful Dead cover by Mt. Joy was a mail in. I look forward to seeing them play their new album next week at College Street Music Hall. This band keeps getting better.

The funk band of the day, Khruangbin, was also not great. After a better, but way too long set by Lord Huron (sounds like Stray Cats meet Deer Tick to me), The Avetts injected much need spunk and hop into the 10,000 fans beginning to foam at the mouth for fun.  I have seen The Avetts a bunch of times and they are always entertaining and fun. Their stellar performance was similar to the last time I saw them at Jazz Fest (click here for that). I was uniquely touched by their song “Satan Pulls The Strings”. Those intimate moments with a song often come out of left field and keep you coming back for more.

4. The Day 2 funk band, Lettuce, caught big grooves and fed off the eager audience to deliver a massive dose of mid-afternoon music magic. Followed by a solid Dawes and Guster set, Billy Strings tore through an electric set that had many impressive moments that supported his fast growing reputation as a top-tier talent. It was nice that Beck didn’t take himself too serious and had lots of cheery moments. He wore the old guy dance artist in a white suit well. Lots of fun sing along songs to close out a great Day 2.

Here is a nice clip of Billy Strings if you have not seen him yet…

5. Day 3 was my favorite. Brett Dennen’s Napoleon Dynamite-like presentation was a real treat.  When I mentioned to someone nearby that he is a male version of Courtney Barnett (who I also saw for the first time at Mountain Jam in 2016 – click here), he nodded like my Edgar Alfonso bobble head doll and pointed to his Courtney Barnett tee-shirt.  After an old-school folk Emmylou Harris shift, my favorite set of the weekend by Caamp raised the bar with every song. Connecting so deeply with an audience that is not familiar with your songs is always a big phat marker for a special set. (See the Mt. Joy show I caught at Tippy’s in New Orleans – click here). The Caamp set was like seeing Dylan play with The Band.  All the stars were aligned for them and us.

Here is great clip of them from the show…

Most acts would struggle following such a milestone set, but Jason Isbell took the stage with a jalapeno piss and vinegar swagger that proved a great transition at the 5:30 pm mark. Isbell continues to impress me every time I see him (click here for the last show at Jazz Fest). The guitar solo and oak sturdy backbone beat on “My Kind” made my festival highlight list.

Last but not least was the godfather of modern Americana rock — WILCO. The band flipped the switch mid-set that transformed the band from the pop rock Dr. Jekyll to a much welcomed groove rocking Mr. Hyde. The foot stomping “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” was a great finale sending fans away with a huge smile and lifelong memories for the many groups that traveled far and wide to participate.

6. Avoiding the overcrowded streets of Edgartown was key to a pain-free weekend. The mid-morning excursion to Larsen’s for lobster rolls and late night tequila-fueled ping pong battles added special nuggets to the music fun.

7. One odd and one annoying thing about the festival facilities… There was this enormous white tower that served no purpose and probably cost a bundle. There was no tequila sold onsite.

In closing… This weekend trip was yet another example of where music was the core of immense joy and fun for me. Beach Road has etched its way onto my life’s ongoing soundtrack of life.

Flap your winds music fans… if you haven’t watched all of the interviews for my Music People Project (pick one and dive in… you will smile).

Peace and love…