THE CAPITOL GROOVE – FIRST YEAR – BUSHNELL PARK – HARTFORD

THE CAPITOL GROOVE – FIRST YEAR – BUSHNELL PARK – HARTFORD

By Joe Perusse

The inauguration Capitol Groove it was held on the lawn at Bushnell Park on June 29th and 30th and in my opinion was a resounding success. The music was great, there was plenty of food and drink options, free water and orange stations. There was never a long line waiting for any of these options. The VIP area, chair and blanket section and standing areas were clearly marked and email updates came throughout the weekend.

Headlining the show, quite rightly, was The Cap Groove All Stars with a mix of Hartford's finest musicians playing Funk, Blues, Jazz, R&B and Hip Hop. Singers Erica Tracy, Brandon Serafino and Briana Maia each sang 2 songs and bassist Doug Wimbish from Living Color closed out the set with a hip hop medley. Joining them on stage were Andy Sorenson (Guitar), Paulie Philippone (Keys), Tom Sullivan (Bass) and Dwayne Keith (Drums).

He was followed by the legendary trio Say She She consisting of singers Piya Malik, Sabrina Mileo Cunningham and Nya Gazelle Brown. They had some catchy songs and got the crowd dancing.

Ozomatli from Los Angeles was a cool party band with urban Latin influences. They threw shirts into the crowd, joked that it was hotter than Satan's baby, and enjoyed walking around Hartford meeting the brawlers. Ending the last song of their set with an instrumental march through the crowd kept the party theme intact. Band members include Wil-Dog Abers (Bass), Raul Pacheco (Guitar), Justin “El Nino” Poree (Rap Vocals, Percussion), Asdrubal Sierra (Lead Vocals, Trumpet), Ulises Bella (Sax) and Jiro Yamaguchi (Drums). ).

Photos by Isaac Nines Photography

Trampled By Turtles a bluegrass band from Minnesota, not exactly the mecca of bluegrass, had more people heading to the barricades for a closer look. Dave Simonett (vocals, guitar) founded the band and made a brilliant decision to hire Ryan Young (Fiddle) as it was hard to take your eyes off his impressive playing. Tim Saxhaug (Bass), Erik Berry (Mandolin), Dave Carroll (Banjo) and Eamonn McLain (Cello) complete the lineup.

Shakey Graves from Austin Texas performed some blues, folk, country and rock and shared a funny story about being young and moving out of his parents' house to go away with his girlfriend to make music. He does not highly recommend this path to success.

Next up was the reason I attended on Saturday, The Revivalists. I've seen them before and it's always a fun show. This was no exception as David Shaw (Lead Vocals, Guitar) was his usual ball of energy running around the stage and sometimes into the crowd. Rob Ingraham (Sax) was impressive with several solo jams. Zack Feinberg (Guitar), Andrew Campanelli (Drums), George Gekas (Bass), Ed Williams (Pedal Steel Guitar), Michael Giradot (Keys, Trumpet) and PJ Howard (Drums, Percussion) kept the rain down throughout. their duration. adjust them slow down a bit. There were quite a few people leaving after the set. The rain could have been a factor as it was still early evening.

Closing out the first night was My Morning Jacket, a rock, country, psychedelic mix from Louisville Kentucky. More people headed to the standing area as this section was the busiest of the day. They definitely had the best light show we've seen yet. Extended jams throughout the set showcased the musicianship of members, Jim James (Vocals, Guitar), Tom Blankenship (Bass), Patrick Hallahan (Drums), Carl Broemel (Guitar) and Bo Koster (Keys).

Sunday started off hot and humid as Vincent Lima, a solo artist from Los Angeles took the stage. He made jokes about how badly his career is going and had a Greek mythology theme running through his set.

The heat and humidity were about to end for the day as festival organizers announced that severe thunderstorms were approaching and everyone would have to head to their cars or elsewhere to hide until it was safe to return. This was a smart decision as a massive storm roared through the area. The organizers kept everyone updated throughout with multiple emails. When we were finally allowed back into the standing room area to one side of the stage it was now closed off as a small lake had formed in Bushnell Park. Also, due to the weather, The Suffers and Tank and the Bangas' sets had to be cut short.

Trevor Hall, a combination rock and folk musician led the second part of the day. Worried about time as things were already behind schedule, he mentioned that he wouldn't talk much and would just get through as many songs as he could. He said he was impressed with the security team as they hit the many beach balls that rolled back into the crowd.

Guster, an alternative rock band from Massachusetts originally formed at Tufts University, was in a playful mood. Ryan Miller (Guitar, Vocals) was immediately concerned that you could see a coffee stain on his shirt on the big screen. He said he didn't want to disrespect Connecticut with a stained shirt, but he did right as he was about to take the stage. He then made up a song about spilled coffee.

Later, walking through the crowd with a wired microphone, he grabbed an umbrella from a fan and headed to the newly formed Bushnell Lake and danced around. Returning to the main stage he questioned the wisdom of how an umbrella was helping him with electronics in the middle of the biggest puddle in the place. Brian Rosenworcel (Drums) received a loud roar from the crowd during the introduction as he walked into Hall High in West Hartford. Adam Gardner (Guitar) and Luke Reynolds (Guitar) joined in the fun.

The Head and The Heart, an indie folk group from Seattle featured what was for me the best voice of the festival, Charity Rose Thielen (vocals, violin, guitar). There was something about her singing that really resonated with my ears. Jonathan Russell (vocals, guitar) said this was his favorite kind of festival where there was a lot of space and kids could watch. He called out the parents who brought their children, thanking them for encouraging the music. Matt Gervais (vocals, guitar), Chris Zasche (bass), Kenny Hensley (keys) and Tyler Williams (drums) round out the lineup.

The second closing night was Dispatch and the reason I was watching the show. Not because I'm a huge Dispatch fan, honestly the song I knew best in their set was 'Crazy Train' by Ozzy Osbourne, but due to the fact that my sister Claudine asked me if I wanted to go since my brother-in-law Billy and are big fans of Dispatch. They let me get closer to the stage and get that intense world. Another impressive light show and extended jams highlighted the closing act for the second night in a row.

Chad Urmston (Vocals) reported that he was impressed that everyone made it through all the rain. The crowd was singing the most I heard all weekend. The band called out the natives who lived on the land where the festival was taking place. In a really cool moment, Dispatch had The Suffers' Kam Franklin, whose set was cut short, join them for the aforementioned “Crazy Train.”

Luckily, the organizers let Dispatch play past the scheduled 10pm, as they played until 10:45, even as they returned for the festivals encore only set. Brad Corrigan (vocals, drums) is the other member of Dispatch. tour members include Matthew Embree (Bass), Jon “JR” Reilly (Percussion) and jack of all trades Mike Sawitzke (Guitar, Banjo, Trumpet, Mandolin and Keyboards).

In my opinion it was a very well organized, well organized weekend. Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam came out between The Head and The Heart and Dispatch and announced the save the date as the festival will return to June 28th and 29th, 2025. Glad to hear that for sure. He also said it was going to be bigger with 2 stages and more bands. I have mixed feelings about this. I liked the 1 stage setup. There was time between acts to grab a bite to eat, have a drink, use the rest room, or just be able to talk quietly. Sometimes bigger isn't always better. Sometimes it's how to GROOVE.

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