For Tim Walther, it doesn’t get much better than this year – at least, when it comes to the 2008 All Good Music Festival and Camp Out, Walther’s annual festival at Marvin’s Mountaintop in Masontown, W. Va.
The man behind Baltimore-based Walther Productions booked what he called his biggest headliners yet – Phil Lesh and Friends and Widespread Panic – for the 12th edition of the festival, held July 11 to 13. Lesh is the former bassist of the Grateful Dead, and Panic will headline a record seventh night at Bonnaroo in June.
“This year is really the triumphant year for us,” said Walther, a self-described Deadhead for 30 years.
But Walther is selling himself short – in 2006, he nabbed former Phish members Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon, who were touring as a four piece with Marco Benevento and Joe Russo, and last year he got the then-newly reunited Leftover Salmon to close the festival.
This year’s festival also boasts a Friday late-night set by Gov’t Mule and performances by Michael Franti & Spearhead, Martin Medeski Scofield & Wood and Keller Williams and the WMDs.
Walther started All Good in 1995, but back then, it was called the Full Moon Festival, he said. Walther’s career as a promoter started simply enough, handing out fliers for bands to get free tickets to shows, he said.
“Then we started working with more and more bands,” he said. “Then after a few years we started [the festival].”
At the inaugural Full Moon Festival at Wilmer’s Park in Brandywine, Md., Walther said 1,000 people attended and bands were basically playing for free – only taking money Walther made at the gate.
“We weren’t guaranteeing [the bands] anything,” Walther said. “The first festival we threw … was more like throwing a big party.”
After trying out different locations, Walther said he finally decided on Marvin’s Mountaintop, the festival’s fifth location, in 2003.
One aspect of the festival All Good boasts about is its continuous flow of music – there’s no overlap. The main stage and the side stage are next to each other, with bigger bands playing full sets on the main stage and smaller bands playing tweener – or in between – sets while the next main stage act is setting up.
“The fans really enjoy it,” Walther said. “I know when I go to a lot of these other events, you spend your day chasing the festival. We try to put bands out there that everyone wants to see. We like building this central concert area. You can get there at noon and stay within 10 feet for 16 hours. We see the [crowd’s] energy grow, and by Saturday, we start to see that. It’s a magical thing.”
Performers, such as The Bridge’s guitarist Cris Jacobs, also appreciate the lack of overlapping sets.
“As far as the festival goes, it’s an amazingly run festival, and there’s no overlap, so it’s just a killer vibe,” he said.
The Bridge, a Baltimore-based jam band that has worked with Walther often through the years, will play All Good a record fifth year in a row this year, Jacobs said. Last year was the first time the band played the main stage.
“We opened the festival last year, and there was probably like 5,000 to 6,000 people out watching while we were playing, which was supposedly one of the biggest receptions they’ve had for an opener of the festival – it was amazing,” Jacobs said.
Having the band play so many years in a row is a testament to the core of the festival, one of the few remaining festivals to stick to what it started with: the jam band community. You won’t find many indie-rockers, rappers or popped collars at All Good.
“It’s the type of bands we work with [at Walther Productions] all year round,” Walther said of All Good’s lineups. “We like to mix it up and bring bands into the fold that people aren’t aware of. There’s so much music under this umbrella called the jam band scene that you can keep it diverse. I don’t think All Good and indie bands fit.”
Guitarist Nat Keefe of string band Hot Buttered Rum recalled his 2006 All Good experience fondly – what he remembers of it.
“We played there once before, and we had a really good time,” Keefe said. “My perception of the festival was altered by the moonshine we were drinking, but our set was really fun. It was our first time playing West Virginia, and all kinds of people showed up for our set. I was just impressed by the quality of music that was there across the board.”
But fans still face one problem: With so many other festivals around with more bands and more diverse lineups, why should they attend All Good?
“One, people know what to expect at the All Good Festival,” Walther said. “The name itself invites really positive energy. For me – I’m certainly biased – I think it’s some of the best energy at a festival. The no overlapping sets is something that’s really strong for us where people know they can see everything they want to see. And the lineup itself – people know these are the bands they want to see. People want to go back to a good time.”
The All Good Music Festival and Camp Out is July 11, 12 and 13. Tickets for a weekend pass cost $139. Fans who wish to arrive early to catch the July 10 pre-party must purchase an early arrival camping pass, which costs $15 per person in advance, $30 at the gate. For more information and a full lineup, visit www.allgoodfestival.com.
Rudi.greenberg@gmail.com
