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A Weekend In Review: The Werk Out Music & Arts Festival August 12, 2016 13:08

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

Words by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen

Year in and year out, music fans can count on summertime presenting an overwhelming variety of options to satisfy their musical appetite.  The vast majority of national acts pack their schedules with gigs from coast to coast, and it seems as if there is a major music festival every weekend.  Last weekend was the quintessential example, as Ohio-based jam/rock band The Werks hosted it's annual "homecoming" weekend: The Werk Out Music & Arts Festival.   

The Werk Out began in 2010 at Zane Shawnee Cavernsan indian reservation with underground crystal caves in Bellefontaine, Ohio.  The festival quickly outgrew that area and relocated to Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio, where it has now been held for the past five years.  After hearing the rave reviews over the past few years and diving deep into The Werks' catalog, I knew that this was the year for a summer journey from Alabama and Ohio.  This ended up being easily one of my best decisions in recent memory.

From the moment we arrived on Thursday afternoon, the positive vibes were flowing from every angle.  An enthusiastic, welcoming staff directed our group to a prime camping spot, and we made at least 10 new friends before the campsite was even completed.  While there are numerous elements of The Werks that I have come to love, it's the positive culture that surrounds the band really seals the deal.  

Upon entering the festival grounds for the first time, Chris Houser (lead guitar - The Werks) was playing on the main stage with his very first band, Cheezcake, who set a perfect tone for the weekend.  Shortly after, we had the pleasure of catching several tunes from Sassafraz, a super talented group from Columbus which produced The Werks' newest band member, Jake Goldberg (bass).  Our first journey to the "Big Tent" led us to Mister F, who provided some serious funk prior to Dopapod taking the main stage.

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

Dopapod has quickly become one of the jam/festival scenes hottest acts, and their success is justified with every performance.  Watching those guys perform, with a beautiful sunset in the distance, made for a very special moment early on.  We even got to sing "Happy Birthday" to the bands audio engineer/light designer Luke Stratton, as the band called him to the stage for a cake presentation.  Shortly after sunset, the crowd shifted just a matter of feet to the "Side Stage," where America's favorite power funk army Turkuaz ignited one of the biggest dance parties of the weekend.  It's truly amazing to witness the production and chemistry of this band in person.  They advertise "power funk," and they absolutely deliver "power funk."

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

The main stage was now set for the weekend's first set from The Werks, who took the stage fully participating in the evening's "track suit" theme.  The band came out firing with classics such as "For Today," "For You," and "Fire Eater," and even debuted a cover of Elton John's "The Circle of Life" from The Lion King.  A classic duel on the keys between Dan Shaw and special guest Todd Stoops occured during "G-Funk," before a massive "Hard to Find" > "Cloud Hopper" > "Hard to Find" would close out the set.  This was particularly satisfying, as my last Werks festival set was cut short when a nasty thunderstorm hit during "Cloud Hopper" at AURA earlier this year.  Another cover was debuted for the encore when the band busted out "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas.  Somehow or another, Lettuce was up next for a late night set in the big tent, and night one at The Werk Out couldn't have been much hotter.

Watch The Werks perform "G-Funk" with special guest Todd Stoops here:

Video by izeoftheworldphotos

Photos by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

Day two at Legend Valley picked up right where Thursday left off, and the party was alive and well in The Big Tent by early afternoon.  The Big Damn Jam served as a touching tribute to Norman Dimitrouleas, the former keyboardist of The Werks who tragically passed away in January of this year.  Norman had always wanted the band to play The Beatles' Abbey Road in it's entirety, and his brother Dino, Todd Stoops, and many others performed the album in epic fashion.  Next up was an early afternoon dose of heavy funk courtesy of Kung Fu, a band that always brings the party and never disappoints.  

Anyone that has been to a music festival understands that you have to be strategic; often leaving one set earlier than you would like to in order to catch one of those "must see" bands.  This was the story of Friday afternoon, but that's definitely not a bad problem to have.  It was now time for CBDB to kick off a 60-minute set it in The Big Tent.  These guys never cease to amaze me.  This would be the band's first performance with bassist Mike Sinopole, and you would've thought he'd been with the band for years.  The highlight of the set came in the form of two debuts: a cover of the Grateful Dead's "Loose Lucy" followed by a brand new original, "She's Mobile."  I can't help but predict very big things to come for CBDB in the near future.

Photo by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen

We quickly made it back to the main stage as Twiddle kicked off their set with the classic "Jamflowman."  It had been way too long since I had seen these guys, and I was quickly reminded why they have really blown up recently.  Fortunately, they were scheduled for an additional set on Saturday, which allowed me to scoot back over to The Big Tent just in time for Backup Planet, one of the most promising young bands I have seen in years.  I was introduced to this band earlier this year at AURA Music & Arts Festival, when they delivered one of my favorite sets of the weekend.  These guys managed to exceed some very high expectations.  Backup Planet is the real deal, and they might have the best cover of "Whipping Post" that I've ever heard.

Photo by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen

Dopapod was now back on the main stage for another amazing sunset performance, only to be followed by a wildly energetic set on the side stage from live electronic act Zoogma.  I've had the pleasure of watching Zoogma work their way up from the college bar scene to the national festival scene, and I couldn't be happier for their success.  You get everything from electronic blues/rock to hip-hop with Zoogma, and how could you not get down to that?

The stage was now set for one of the weekend's biggest moments: two full sets of STS9.  There was a significant number of the Tribe faithful who came to The Werk Out specifically for this moment, and they were rewarded with a stellar festival performance.  The first set had two extremely unfortunate moments; the first of which involved a fan hopping on stage, climbing on drummer Zach Velmer's kit, and taking a trust fall onto the drummer mid-song.  Velmer handled the situation like the true professional that he is, and the band picked up right where they left off.  The set was then cut short due to technical/power issues, but the band returned for it's second set and gave Legend Valley an absolute gem.  The "Hubble" > "Orbital" > "Hubble" segue was as tight as anything I've heard from this band.  "World Go Round" made for an epic dance party to close out the set, and the "Breathe In" encore was simply perfect.  I couldn't have more respect for this band's response to a few unfortunate issues that were out of their control.

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

It was now time for The Werks to continue the party in the big tent, which some might have seen as a difficult task after two powerful sets of STS9.  The boys kicked things off with a bang as they worked through the powerful instrumental "Lights Out," followed by the first "Transformational" since November of 2015.  They even finished the "Cloudhopper" from Thursday night.  Dino Dimitrouleas returned to the stage for an extended jam on "Rollin," and two of my personal favorites, "Find Your Way" and "You're Not Alone," closed out the set in heavy fashion.  

You would think this had to be the end of the evening, but the most unique moment of the night was yet to come.  The stage was now set for Twerkapod, a one-time 90's tribute set featuring a rotating cast of members from The Werks, Dopapod, and Twiddle.  What proceeded after 2:30 AM was nothing short of beautiful, epic, and hilarious.  For a more detailed recap and video footage of the Twerkapod set, click here.

Watch Twerkapod perform Blues Traveler's "Run Around" here:

Video by Charles Izenstark: izeoftheworldphotos

As we entered the final day at Legend Valley, the positive energy was contagious, and we were faced with yet another killer lineup.  Broccoli Samurai kicked things off early on the main stage, and these guys blew my mind.  The Cleveland-based four-piece held down a ridiculously melodic groove from start to finish, and they have some of the best song titles I've ever heard of.  I'm really looking forward to following this band moving forward.  

Members of The Werks, Twiddle, and Greensky Bluegrass joined forces for the Matt Butler's Everyone Orchestra, which opened things up for some truly amazing improv jamming.  I had heard a lot about this project over the years, but this was my first time witnessing it in person.  The constantly rotating cast always brings something new to each stage, and watching this collection of musicians in this capacity was a definite highlight.  BIG Something proceeded to absolutely crush the side stage, while The Werks headed over to the VIP tent for a three-song acoustic set which included Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer," "Fall," and "Better Than Before."  This was my first time seeing these guys in an acoustic setting, and it only further affirmed how diverse this band can be.

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

Greensky Bluegrass was next up on the main stage for one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend.  We took advantage of the grass hill back toward the vendors to enjoy the set full of all of the Greensky classics.  It had been quite some time since I'd had the pleasure of seeing these guys live, and damn...they were amazing.  They even brought out Mihali Savoulidis from Twiddle for "Last Winter in Copper County."  As soon as Greensky finished, Twiddle would take the side stage by storm for their second set of the weekend, which featured many of my favorites, such as "Be There," "Lost in the Cold," Syncopated Healing," and "Frankenfoote."  

Watch video footage of Greensky Bluegrass w/ Mihali Savoulidis of Twiddle here:

Video by Charles Izenstark: izeoftheworldphotos

The main stage was now set for what you could easily call the weekend's main event.  The Werks were slated for two sets, and they took the stage in full tuxedos.  "Alive" kicked off the set and bust outs of "Give or Take" and "Cruel Stone Blues" would follow.  The always powerful "OG" ultimately led into a cover of Edgar Winter Group's "Frankenstein" which closed out the first set in epic fashion.  "Drop" kicked off the second set, which has to be one of the most clever songs in recent history.  An extended "Werk Out Jam" moved into an "Immigrant Song Jam," and things truly took off from there.  

The sequence of "Finding Destiny" > "Galactic Passport" > "Finding Destiny" > "Galactic Passport" > "Finding Destiny" was on another level.  A raging rendition of "Onslaught" provided a classic Werks rager to close the second set.  The decision to encore with "Carry Me Back Home" came as no surprise, as the emotional tune had not been played since prior to the passing of Norman Dimitrouleas.  Dino returned to the stage for this one, which was an emotional, touching tribute to say the least.  Midway through the song, Rob Chafin addressed the audience and invited the entire Werk Out crew to the stage for the song's closing chorus. 

Watch the "Finding Destiny" > "Galactic Passport" sequence here:
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Watch The Werks' perform "Carry Me Back Home" here:

Videos by Charles Izenstark: izeoftheworldphotos

As many readers will understand, you're just never going to make it to every set that you plan for over the course of a weekend festival.  After three full days and two very late nights, I didn't have it in me to make it back over to The Big Tent for the two remaining sets from The Motet and Earphunk (Daft Phunk).  This was defintely my biggest regret of the weekend, but as the old saying goes, "You can't make 'em all."  There was a noticeable buzz amongst the campground surrounding both late night sets, and it sounds like Earphunk went above and beyond, with a set that went far beyond the time they were obligated to play until.  This came as no surprise, as that's the type of performance that those guys are known to give.  

As I wrap up what is easily one of the longest articles in the history of this website, I can't help but wonder if there is anyone who has actually continued reading to this point.  For anyone who has, thank you for reading through my memories of this amazing weekend.  There is no brief or concise way to justifiably recount this experience.  When thousands of fans come from every corner of the country to gather in the spirit of music and art, it is truly a beautiful thing.  The Werk Out was circled on my calendar for several months, and the anticipation which surrounded it was very real.  My expectations couldn't have been much higher, and they were exceeded each and every night.  I can't say enough about the job that Rob Chafin and the entire Werks crew has done in building and growing this festival into what it has become.  The Werk Out Music & Arts Festival was an experience that I will never forget, and I can't wait to return in 2017.

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions


Looking Ahead To The Werk Out: An Interview With Rob Chafin June 8, 2016 16:11

 

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

Interview by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen

We recently had a chance to catch up with Rob Chafin (drums/vocals) of The Werks, in an effort to learn more about one of the summer's hottest festivals, The Werk Out Music & Arts Festival.  In addition to handling the duties behind the kit for The Werks, Rob also serves as talent buyer for The Werk Out, which is celebrating it's seventh anniversary in 2016.  The festival is scheduled for August 4th-6th at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio, featuring acts such as The Werks (three nights), STS9 (two sets), LettuceGreensky Bluegrass, DopapodTwiddle, and many more.  

Let's get started and talk a little Werk Out.  You guys started this festival in 2010, making this year number seven.  How did this idea come to life, and how have things progressed over the years? 

Rob: We started The Werk Out in 2010 at Zane Shawnee Caverns in Bellefontaine, Ohio.  It was an indian reservation with underground crystal caves, so it's not technically part of Ohio.  It was pretty ridiculous the first two years.  We quickly outgrew that area and moved it to Legend Valley, where the festival has been held for the past four years. Legend Valley is obviously historic with the Grateful Dead playing there, as well as bands like Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and countless others throughout the year.  The Grateful Dead would have around 60,000 people out there.  It is literally Legend Valley.  It's an honor to be able to have our party there now.  This is certainly on the trajectory of being the biggest Werk Out, by far.     

It's great to see the universal growth of the bands on this lineup, like Dopapod, Twiddle, Greensky, and of course The Werks.  Last year you guys brought in Umphrey's McGee, and this year it's Sound Tribe Sector 9.  I look at this festival as a collection of the best bands in the jam scene. 

Rob: Well thanks man.  It's definitely great being a musician as the talent buyer because I’m able to be in the trenches, see who are absolutely killing it and bring them to the festival.  Luckily, a lot of these bands are our friends!  It's amazing to look back at all of the bands who have played The Werk Out.  Having STS9 and Umphrey’s at our event is truly an honor.  Even GRiZ played back in 2013 when he was getting started, and he's absolutely huge now.  The Floozies are blowing up.  Greensky Bluegrass played back in 2012, and now they're back as a headliner...watching Dopapod grow every year.  It's absolutely incredible.  

 Watch The Werks perform "Onslaught" at The Werk Out 2015 here:

It really is.  Aside from the established acts and those you have known for years, how do you go about filling out the lineup with the up-and-comers?   

Rob:  I'm definitely always looking for the new up-and-coming acts. There is definitely a long waiting list, because while we try not to repeat everyone every year, but there are typically only a few open slots each year.  We try to keep it new and interesting.  We try to see who's been killing it lately and bring them to the party.  I'm always on the lookout for great musicians, songwriters, and of course great drummers, but I might be a little biased there (laughs).  

Click Here: Purchase Tickets To The Werk Out Music & Arts Festival

You guys have put together several epic tribute sets in recent years.  In 2014, it was The Werks, Papadosio, and Dopapod performing Dark Side of the Moon.  What other tributes have you guys done in the past?  Let's hear a little more about the Twerkapod Tribute to the 90's this year. 

Rob: Whenever we get to collaborate with our friends, it's always fun for us. We had a blast doing Dark Side of the Moon with Papadosio and Dopapod.  So of course with Dopapod, we already know it's gonna be fun to do this 90's cover set with them.  We went on tour for the entire fall last year with Twiddle, and we had some many epic superjams with them.  To be able to involve them and bring them to The Werk Out for their first year is really exciting.  We're gonna throw down and play some awesome 90's covers with some of our best friends!   

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

How do you go about selecting the setlist from such a diverse decade of music?  Have you finalized which songs will make the cut yet? 

Rob: Yeah, we already have the songs picked out.  It's top secret, classified information, of course (laughs).  I can tell you one thing though.  It starts at 2:30 in the morning, so get your beauty rest the night before! 

Wow...that's going to be epic.  So in 2014, the famous Furthur bus stopped by The Werk Out.  Is that something that has happened in the past? 

Rob: So they were doing a tour that summer.  They hit a lot of festivals, like Gathering of the Vibes and a lot of the really big ones.  We were lucky enough for them to choose The Werk Out as one of their stops.  We played "Cryptical" > "The Other One" > "Cryptical" and had Zane and Derrick come out and kind of bless the crowd beforehand (laughs).  It was really cool.  They had a blast, and we would love to have the bus come around again. 

Watch The Werks perform the Grateful Dead's "Cryptical" > "The Other One" > "Cryptical" at The Werk Out here:

 

I cant say enough about the quality of HD video footage from The Werk Out.  You guys really capture the essence of the festival and give those unable to attend a nice taste of what it's all about. 

Rob: Of course...Jeremy Sewell is one of the best in the business.  We're very lucky to have him on board. 

No doubt about that.  So aside from the music, what other activities do you guys offer at The Werk Out? 

Rob:  We have a lot of other things going on.  While it's a music festival, it's specifically a music and arts festival.  We definitely have a lot of interactive art installations.  We have over 50 live painters, and a lot of performers and fire spinners.  There's yoga in the mornings.  We have an entire workshop dome, where people are presenting workshops ranging from philosophical and introspective workshops all the way to how to make ice cream.  We also have the VIP room for meet and greets and what not. 

I think the biggest thing is that it's BYOB.  We don't sell alcohol at the festival, so everyone can bring in their own.  There is no festival of our size that does that.  We don't really advertise it, but that's how we want it.  It's one of the things I learned as a festival goer.  As an event producer, it's great to have the perspective of being in a band and an avid festival goer.  It's a rare opportunity to see all angles and try to accommodate as best as possible. 

The little things like that really go a long way.  Attention to detail and that type of decision making are a big reason why this festival has become what it is today.  You guys obviously know what it takes to throw a successful festival.  What do you feel are some of the most important factors of establishing a building an annual music and arts festival? 

Rob: First and foremost, it's crucial to have an amazing support staff and team.  We're lucky to have some of the best in the business.  The vibe is crucial.  The vibe starts with the staff and the artists, and it works its way to the fans.  When the staff and artists are all vibing, and everything is running smooth, I feel like that vibrates to the music, the crowd, and everything else.  I've always looked for that and making sure we have that strong core team.  We feel like the artists are family to us.  Listening to the fans is also crucial.  You have to talk with everyone and see what they want.  That's a big part of it, while still sticking to your guns.

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

Click Here: Purchase Tickets To The Werk Out Music & Arts Festival

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