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The BeachLife Ranch will continue through Sunday, September 18 with headliners.
The BeachLife Ranch Country and Americana Festival kicked off with a performance by Myron and the Dying Breed. This up and coming 20-year-old from rural Michigan and his band tore into a rocking set under the midday sun with songs from their debut album, “Just Another Asshole with a Guitar.”
The Hither stage is located on the parking lot of the Seaside Lagoon.
If the lagoon had not been drained for the festival, Yonder would be underwater.
The crowds have time to move between the stages.
The John Doe trio were at the beach. The photo was taken by Garrick Rawling.
The bright side of John Doe
John Doe was the first musician on the stage. They were joined by David J. Carpenter and Bryan Head. It was strange for the co- founder of one of LA’s all-time to belt out the song in the sun.
The acoustic guitar that Doe plays in his trio is plugged into an amplifier which distorts and rocks with the soft stuff. His punky-country outfit, The Knitters, and X were also in the set. The most perfect song in the spirit of the festival was from the solo album, “The Westerner.”
There was a hit for The Flamingos called “I Only Have Eyes For You”. As they played it out, they gave us a warm sweet moment.
The Hither stage was next to where White Buffalo were performing. His albums are becoming more rocking. There are some righteous hints of Eddie Vedder when he turns on full voice.
Jamestown Revival, a vocal revival
The Yonder stage was taken over by a Texas based company. The band grew out of two people. The sound is built around their friends. The highlight of their performances is when they break a song down to vocal harmony. The dynamic was effective and a welcome change from the amount of thumping bass that overwhelmed the mix of every act on both stages. Revival’s bass player wore a black leather jacket, hat, and tight pants in the heat of the day.
The band’s name is a tribute to the early U.S. settlements. They are Americana in the truest sense of the word. They wrote “California (Cast Iron Soul)” when they relocated to Los Angeles. They had the crowd singing “California, I don’t even know you, Taking me away from home…” during their high point.
Yorn on 12 string
Pete Yorn and his band performed on the Hither stage for the first time in 2 years. They were excited to be in front of a crowd. In a nod to the ubiquitous corporate whiskey advertisements, Yorn went back to his debut release, “life on the chain”, the first track on an old album. Yorn is a seasoned pro and he is a roots rocker. Along with songs from his decade-long career, he debut a few promising songs from his new album, “Hawaii.” The fracas is traced to the Flying Burrito Brothers. The spark of their country excursions came from the influence of Gram.
Waxahatchee Creek
The Yonder stage was next to Waxahatchee, the baby of singer/song writer/pianist/educatorKatie Crutchfield from Waxahatchee Creek. The first set of the day was more melodic than rhythmically driven. Her trio’s songs had a nice backbeat, with lovely harmony between her bassist and her vocalist. Her band returned as the setting sun was catching her face to cover Lucinda Williams’ “Abandoned.”
Old Crow, with a Dylan assist
The Old Crow Medicine Show was on the Hither stage when the breeze blew and it was time for the show to end. The target demographic of “Ranch Life” is loud and rowdy with songs about cocaine and whiskey, all done in a high-energy, partying redneck way. The multi-instrumentalists mix in instruments such as banjos, fiddles, and keyboards. The fragments of a partially written Bob Dylan song were found and turned into one of the biggest selling singles of all time.
Lumineers light up the night
The last act of the night began with a dark stage and a video. As dusk fell, the light show was at its most dramatic, and the house was full of people. The founding members of the band are both from Colorado. The crowd was on board when they played their song. It was the first time a group of people came together. Their music is similar to that of The National, Bon Iver, and others. It’s atmospheric and dramatic. They had the crowd in the palm of their collective hands when they launched into their first hit, “Ho Hey.”
Hall & Oates, concert of hits
The finale of the festival was performed by Hall & Oates, the most well known country artists on the roster. They played in front of a large crowd, except for the corporate areas. These guys have been at it since 1972 and are in their 70s. This was a topnotch set from an act that could perform a whole concert of hits.
The touring organization of H &O is topnotch. The audio/ video introduction with some of their hits mixed into the soundtrack enhances anticipation for the headliners. Sound engineering was perfect. It is a good bet that the difference was H&O’s own technicians, who got a good full spectrum of clear sound, with good full bass, without the hip hop thump.
They are a Philadelphia pop act. The H&O show featured two of country music’s greatest hits, “Rich Girl” and “Method of Modern Love.” The video segments produced for specific songs on the large screen behind the stage were engaging. A giant image of a 1970s television set in a living room frames their cover of the Righteous Brother’s hit “You’ve Lost That Loving feeling.” When H&O threw a curve ball with an unexpected deep cut from their 1974 album War Babies, it made this reporter’s night. It’s a great place to go to the beach for a night out. The ER is a hospital.