The O-town Scene

June 06, 2013

The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY

Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/139921

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 7 of 15

Photo by Jessica Winner The sign to the Susquehanna Trail Campground off state Route 7 in the town of Oneonta. Photo by Jessica Winner The Jason Wicks Band performs at the Susquehanna Trail Campground off state Route 7 in the town of Oneonta on June 1. BRInG tHe noIse: new Venues Bringing More Music to Area Two local couples are living the axiom "Be the change you want to see" when it comes to the local music scene. Rather than bemoaning the lack of opportunities to see live music, these enterprising duos have decided to be part of the solution and open up their doors (figuratively speaking, in one instance) to bands from near and far to offer local fans more chances to hear live music. Why do they do it? How do they do it? And is there barbecue? Find out the answers to all this and more: sUsQUeHAnnA tRAILs cAMPGRoUnD: Dean and Joanne tribe From the road, the Susquehanna Trails Camp- 8 O-Town Scene June 6, 2013 ground doesn't look like much. Tall trees frame a winding trail that leads back past a few small buildings and RVs; to the west, a swimming pool and large pavilion frame a large, flat meadow. But on select nights this summer, that pavilion will become a concert stage, and the large meadow will be filled with fans - dancing, moshing, swaying or tapping toes, depending on who's playing. "We're doing a little bit of everything," explained owner Dean Tribe. "We're playing with it a little bit to see what works." Tribe hosted his first show last year, when local act Jason Wicks Band performed at the campground. That led to the campground hosting the inaugural Susquejammal, a two-day festival pre- sented by local production company liveLIVE! featuring jam and rock bands from around the region. Susquejamma is back this year, scheduled for Labor Day weekend, but Tribe and his wife, Joanne, have a full lineup of other events to bring in music fans of all stripes. And striking the right balance is enough to keep the Tribes hopping. "We were going to have Jimkata play on July 6," Dean Tribe explained, "but we found out that Phish was going to be playing at (the Saratoga Performing Arts Center) that weekend." Rather than try to compete with that, Tribe changed gears and scheduled the Upstate Rockfest, featuring rock bands with a harder edge such as Nasty Midnight, Cadaver Dogs and Krisco Fist. The event will also feature a classic car cruise-in, with trophies, and acoustic performers will take the stage in between the rock bands. The Jimkata show got moved to August and rebranded as the Oneonta Hills Rockfest; Shasta Flock, Voodelic and Titanics will join the bill. Also on tap for the summer are country, punk, ska, bluegrass and even a Neil Diamond cover band. It all started, Tribe explained, from staring at that big empty meadow and wondering what to do with it. After buying the property about five years ago, he got to thinking that it might make a good place to put a stage. "There's not a lot of outdoor venues around here," Tribe observed. The stage, which went up last summer, is accompanied by a small outdoor kitchen, where hungry concertgoers can dine on chicken barbecue. "We started that during Susquejamma, and it was really popular," Tribe explained. As they gear up for the summer season (their first concert of the summer, featuring the Jason Wicks Band, was June 1), the Tribes are hoping word will get out about their little hideaway off Route 7. "Facebook has been a good avenue for us to get the word out; we also do radio advertising, and hand our fliers, but word of mouth is the biggest for us," Tribe explained. "It seems like people are starting to hear about us, and we hope that keeps up." Tribe is determined to give his customers good value for money. Free tent camping is included in ticket prices for the festivals, and children's admission is usually discounted or free. "Some of these music festivals get pretty expensive," Tribe observed. "It's really important to us to keep our prices reasonable." With tickets priced as low as $5 (for a country concert by Sundown, on July 13) to $35 (for sameday tickets to the Aug. 9-11 Bluegrass Festival), it's safe to say Tribe has kept his promise. To see the complete lineup, visit the campground's Facebook page at facebook.com/susqehannatrailcampgroundandmusicpark.

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of The O-town Scene - June 06, 2013