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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Would the Porcupine Mountain Music Festival\u2019s 13th edition prove to be a convergence of bad luck? \u00a0For people who suffer from <\/span>triskaidekaphobia<\/span><\/i>, it would seem that PMMF # 13 would have been the one to avoid. \u00a0For those of us who harbor no such fears, we would have found that the unnatural fear of anything \u201813\u2019 would have resulted in our missing yet another delightful music fest in the shadow of the Porcupine Mountain Ski Hill. \u00a0As per the usual post festival wrap up, this FTV will focus on the happenings at the Singing Hills stage as that is where yours truly has spent each Friday and Saturday for a number of years. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Having received the WOAS-FM promotional package from festival director Cheryl some weeks before, it sat unmolested on my pile of summer station mail waiting for closer inspection. \u00a0The staff training day the Monday before the festival came and went so the schedule, wrist band gate pass and volunteer neck tag migrated out to my car so they wouldn\u2019t be sitting at the station on opening day. \u00a0Arriving at the hill slightly before the official gate opening time of 1 pm, I gathered my backpack of survival gear and trudged up through the chalet and climbed the path to the Singing Hills stage. \u00a0When I greeted Armadillo Sound tech Marty, he was going about his usual business of setting up the PA and stage monitors. \u00a0\u201cA little early, aren\u2019t you?\u201d was Marty\u2019s greeting and it took me back a bit as I thought I was right on time. \u00a0Guessing there had been a missed communication, I offered to help with anything Marty needed help with and then dug out the schedule. \u00a0There it was: \u00a0\u201cSinging Hills Stage – 2:45 PM – Paul \u201cMayo\u201d Mayasich\u201d. \u00a0\u00a0I was more than \u201ca little early.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Nonetheless, it was interesting to watch Marty at work even though there had been a slight mix up this year. \u00a0Marty\u2019s new truck has one of those \u2018underbed\u2019 storage areas and not opening it resulted in the big \u00a0mixing board remaining \u00a0back in the Twin Cities. \u00a0A few years back, this would have been a bigger problem but with the advent of I-Pad based tools, he was able to use an alternate setup that worked just fine without his big board. \u00a0Marty was a bit unhappy with himself, but as a true professional, he dug into his vast well of musical tech skills and made it happen. \u00a0The added bonus time gave me a chance to chat with Marty more than if I had rolled in at 2 PM. \u00a0We needed a drill to help set up Marty\u2019s collapsible awning so I trotted off to the chalet in search of the equipment cart. \u00a0A couple of people who had proclaimed that they would not be volunteering this year were at their usual stations, so the added time meant I could also good naturedly harass them about not making good on their retirement pronouncements from last year.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When Paul \u201cMayo\u201d Mayasich showed up for his sound check, he mentioned that he was from the Minnesota Iron Range and it was good to be playing in the other part of the country that understood the concept of pasties. \u00a0Of course, this little tidbit had to be worked into his introduction so as he took the stage, he was introduced as \u201cA man who knows his way around the guitar and a pasty\u201d which took him mildly by surprise. \u00a0Playing solo, he served up some raucous acoustic and slide guitar tunes using a \u00be inch wrench socket for his slide. \u00a0When asked about this after his well received set, his explanation was Finlander logical: \u201cEvery town I play in might not have a music store, but they pretty much all have a hardware store if I need to get a new one.\u201d \u00a0It was my first unconventional slide encounter for this festival (there would be more), but it seemed to work fine for Paul.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Hailing from Soldier\u2019s Grove, WI, Joe and Nikki were next on the bill. \u00a0Calling themselves The Yellow Bellied Sap Suckers, they described their musical style was \u201ca new take on old country\u201d so naturally, that was how they were introduced. \u00a0They were a charming couple and they had a little fun with Marty getting their mic and direct inputs set up. \u00a0They promised Marty that they would subtly let him know when they would be using a mandolin on a couple of tunes and they had great fun during their set by not so subtly reminding Marty they were ready. \u00a0I happened to be backstage talking drums with Jacob from the Sentimentals (the next SH stage act) and he looked a bit bewildered why they were nagging Marty with mandolin hints. \u00a0I explained that they were having a little fun with the sound guy and that was pretty much the tone of their \u2018new take on old country\u2019: \u00a0some true country wailing from the hollers of southern Wisconsin, a little kazoo, a little violin, and some humorous lyrics made me look forward to hearing them open the SH Stage on Saturday.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0North Dakota native Ana Egge had been at the festival a couple of years ago with a trio. \u00a0Since then, she had hooked up with an indie Danish band called the Sentimentals and they were touring behind their recently recorded album. \u00a0The Danish Sentimentals all spoke excellent English but little phrases required some explanation. \u00a0Guitarist MC needed a screwdriver to open a speaker cab he had borrowed to check the impedance. \u00a0\u00a0I assured him that what he was looking for on the speaker would indeed be the \u201cimpedance\u201d – unfortunately, there were no markings in the cabinet or on the speaker at all. \u00a0He opted to not take a chance on blowing up someone else\u2019s speaker. \u00a0The music they made was well crafted and interesting. \u00a0Perhaps the \u2018indie\u2019 label had me expecting something edgier, but the material Ana performed with them sounded more like \u201celectrified Ana Egge songs\u201d based on her last appearance. \u00a0I chuckled when I read an article about the festival in another local paper. \u00a0The reporter apparently missed the part about Ana being the American performing with a Danish band when they talked with her about \u00a0the small size of \u201cher country\u201d compared to American.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Last up on the Friday bill was a Chicago band called The Lucky Dutch. \u00a0As soon as the guitar player plugged in and started playing the distinctive guitar chords of The James Gang\u2019s classic <\/span>Funk #49<\/span><\/i>, I knew I was going to like this band. \u00a0The drummer had a large enough kit to set up that I spent most of my time passing his stuff to him over the back rail of the stage and then packing up the house kit that Jacob had used with Ana Egge. \u00a0I did manage to ask the backstory on the band name and was told, \u201cWell, that is a long story, but suffice to say it has to do with someone\u2019s high school nickname.\u201d \u00a0Fair enough. \u00a0They drew a large, lively crowd and put on an energized show. \u00a0Their melding of Prince\u2019s <\/span>When Doves Cry<\/span><\/i> segued seamlessly into a very Hendrixian <\/span>All Along the Watchtower<\/span><\/i> \u00a0got a big audience reaction. \u00a0Noting that guitar player \/ vocalist Nathan Graham \u00a0was sporting eight rings, I couldn\u2019t quite make out the one he had on his left ring finger. \u00a0When I asked him about it later, he showed me that it was a custom made slide consisting of a small metal bar attached to a ring with a little tab that let him rotate it to the palm side of his hand to play slide and back to the top of his finger when he was chording. \u00a0I got a fist bump from him and a handshake from the drummer with a hearty \u2018thanks for the help\u2019 which is always nice to hear from a band that has just finished \u00a0cutting up your stage. \u00a0I am already looking forward to The Lucky Dutch returning in the future. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When asked if they have had trouble with botched introductions, \u00a0they did confirm that they have been introduced as \u201cThe Lucky Ducks\u201d from time to time – (but not here!).<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As previously mentioned, The Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers returned to open the Singing Hills Stage on Saturday. \u00a0They put on another fun set and Nikki was stoked because she had heard someone in the campground Friday night commenting about \u201cthe girl who played violin and kazoo\u201d. \u00a0Watching the Saturday set, if finally dawned on me that Joe\u2019s appearance and comedic chops reminded me a lot of the late Joe E. Brown. \u00a0I mentioned it to them and they were not familiar with his work, but they assured me they would look him up as soon as they could find an internet connection.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Another festival returnee provided us with the biggest challenge of Saturday. \u00a0Laney Jones and the Spirits made a big enough impact last year to be asked back for two sets this year (the second being the festival closing slot on Sunday afternoon). \u00a0Laney is a coiled spring of enthusiasm and pretty much had me exhausted by the time the sound check was done. \u00a0Her band mates were tight and the camaraderie among them was obvious during setup and the show. \u00a0The Spirits guitar player laughed when I told him they sounded great in the PortaJohn down the hill, responding, \u201cThat is the one demographic we don\u2019t want to disappoint!\u201d \u00a0A few rain drops had begun to fall during the Spirit’s\u2019 set but the showers came and went without disrupting the show.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jalan (jah-LAWN is how he pronounced it) Crossland turned out to be our last act as the rain decided to pick up the pace. \u00a0Now hailing from the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, he confessed that his San Francisco upbringing by free spirited parents probably accounts for his sirname. \u00a0His combination of superb guitar and banjo work, stage patter and tunes made his a most enjoyable set. \u00a0When he asked the crowd if he should, \u201cplay it safe or go out on a limb\u201d with his next song, they opted for \u201cout on a limb\u201d. \u00a0He pointed out that they should probably be careful showing that kind of enthusiasm when he is picking up his banjo. \u00a0His story about making a rookie song writing mistake by actually using a girl\u2019s name in a song (meaning he couldn\u2019t use the same song for later girl friends) was priceless. \u00a0His conditions for having a short intense love affair with any interested ladies carried the hint of a promise that it could lead to another of his tortured love songs. \u00a0I have heard some terrific solo guitar \/ banjo \/ \u00a0song writers over the twelve years I have volunteered at PMMF, and I have to put Jalan Crossland in the top three. \u00a0He left with a couple of new gigs booked upon returning to the Big Horns.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0With the clouds running south to north and the drizzle getting heavier, it was decided that the rest of the Saturday acts would be held down at the mainstage and\/or in the chalet and busking barn. \u00a0Marty and Mary cut me loose because they didn\u2019t have an official word on what they would have to move so I set off down the hill. \u00a0I touched base with Kenny Lee and let him know I didn\u2019t have anybody to emcee for the rest of Saturday so I wished him well and headed home a little earlier than I had planned.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The festival used to run with an eye toward the sky and the normal fear of \u201cwhat happens if it rains?\u201d \u00a0The first year it did indeed rain, the revamped schedule in the chalet worked just fine. \u00a0Even though the late Saturday and Sunday acts got chased inside, nobody panicked and the attendees had a memorable festival just the same. \u00a0I just want to tip my hat to the Friends of the Porkies, the festival organizing committee, festival director and all the volunteers who make this event happen every year. \u00a0If you haven\u2019t taken the time to check out this gem of a festival, circle the last weekend of August \u00a02018 on your calendar right now. \u00a0I guarantee you won\u2019t be disappointed!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Top Piece Video:\u00a0 Speaking of the Lucky Dutch . . .