Today I experienced my first Ithaca Porchfest! Porchfest is an annual music festival in Ithaca, NY where local family bands perform on porches, gazebos, yards, driveways, and many other suburban spots located near Thompson Park. I visited Porchfest for about 2 hours and saw about 9 different bands. Some I loved, some I didn't really enjoy... but no matter what was being played, there was a good atmosphere all around. The park and streets were filled with families and pets. You could really tell that this festival was about bringing music to the people in a very friendly and neighborly fashion.
As I got off the bus, I followed the crowd and fellow students towards Thompson Park. The first band I saw was a folk/bluegrass string band called Long John and the Tights. They played their own music, mostly instrumental and upbeat folk songs with fast banjo plucking, an acoustic guitar, a violin, and a steady upright bass in the back. As I found myself tapping my foot, I quickly counted the 2/4 time signature used in the majority of their songs played. A few songs had some vocals, where one of the banjo players sang a few lyrics, but mostly the focus was on the string instruments and their lively sound. There was a fairly large crowd gathered and the music had a bunch of children dancing. This was a great introduction to Porchfest and I was ready to see what else the festival had to offer.
After walking around and seeing a few other artists, I found my way to this band called The Immortal Jellyfish. When I first approached their porch, they were playing a Judy Collins cover. The crowd here was much larger than the previous stages I had been to, and I knew that these guys were a local favorite. I started to realize that they were a cover band after they continued to play songs the crowd knew, and giving shout-outs to various artists. A lot of the songs they covered I didn't recognize, but the crowd knew exactly what they were playing. Keep in mind, the age group of this concert was mostly middle aged and up, and I definitely admired the musical knowledge of the crowd. After a few covers, a percussionist joined them on stage, and one of the guitarists pulled out a silver saxophone. They immediately changed their music style from 70' pop/rock covers to a bluesy jam-band! It was really impressive and I loved how they could so easily mix up their sound.
After a while, I left The Immortal Jellyfish to explore a few more porches nearby. One of the last few performances I stopped in on was a wife and husband band, The Reynolds. For some reason, I found myself being most attracted to the cover bands there at Porchfest. Leeann and Gary Reynolds played Fleetwood Mac, The Mamas & the Papas, the Beatles, and others. They performed a set that had classic rocks fans going crazy. I felt like they deserved a bit more of a crowd, albeit they were just covering songs and not performing any of their own material.
I left Porchfest 2014 feeling like I was a bit more included in the community of Ithaca, and less like a student here. The music was all around very good, and I could even see myself starting to recognize cadences and certain forms that we were learning in class. Everyone was so friendly and accepting, and the main goal of this entire afternoon event was to just give people an opportunity to hear music performed by their neighbors, and to just experience live music in a free environment. I really admire the purpose and the organization behind Porchfest, and I would really push to start up a Porchfest in my own neighborhood back home. I'll see you next year, Porchfest.
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