Preview: Thursday at Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival

With the Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival fast approaching, we thought we'd offer some assistance with constructing your music schedule. This post will provide a preview of the events planned for Thursday, September 11, and we'll have guides for Friday and Saturday up shortly.

One of our favorite aspects of Thursday's musical schedule is that there are absolutely no set conflicts. All bands will be playing at the Harvest Tent Stage, so it's sure to be a relaxing day filled with inviting vibes and great tunes. Musicians slated to appear are Charliehorse, Elephant Revival Concept, Green Mountain Grass, Hackensaw Boys, Mountain of Venus, and New Monsoon.

Read more info and see videos of each band after the jump

Charliehorse: 1:00pm - 2:30pm

Kicking off the Mulberry Mountain festivities will be Fayetteville, AR-based country-leaning jam band Charliehorse. This quintet is comprised of guitarist/vocalist Ben Wardlaw; bassist/vocalist Stacy Liles; multi-instrumentalist Cody Russell on pedal steel, lap steel, dobro, and banjo; drummer/mandolinist David Bright; and guitarist/vocalist Brad Helms. Incorporating elements of Southern rock, bluegrass, and funk into their sound, the band focuses on delivering quality music and having a great time in the process. They'll undoubtedly be the perfect way to set sail for the weekend, so make sure to arrive at the festival early to catch their 1:00 set.

Elephant Revival Concept: 3:00pm - 4:30pm

There certainly isn't a lack of musical talent in Elephant Revival Concept's hometown - the band hails from Nederland, CO, home of newgrass aces (and Obama supporters) Yonder Mountain String Band. Bill Nershi of String Cheese Incident fame also owns a house there. Elephant Revival Concept formed in 2006, and since then the band has been working toward carving out their own niche in the Rockies and beyond. Their folk/Americana sound smoothly blends influences drawn from bluegrass, jazz, and roots reggae. All five Elephants contribute vocally as well as through a diverse array of instruments, with Daniel Rodriguez on guitar, Bridget Law on fiddle and mandolin, Dango Rose on upright bass and mandolin, Sage T. Cook on electric banjo, guitar and mandolin, and Bonnie Paine on washboard, djembe and cello. Fun fact: Elephant Revival Concept are in the process of converting their tour bus to run on vegetable oil.

Green Mountain Grass: 5:00pm - 6:30pm

Texas transplants Green Mountain Grass began their career in Champaign-Urbana, IL but opted to relocate to Austin in 2006 to take advantage of that city's renowned music scene. They've been plugging along almost non-stop ever since, fitting in over 200 energetic shows a year. Mandolinist Dave Wolmoth, fiddler Adam "Pickles" Moss, banjoist/guitarist Trevor Smith, and bassist Jesse Dalton sculpt a unique blend of 'gonzograss'- an amalgamation of traditional bluegrass, gypsy swing, folk, funk, reggae and jazz. Their music possesses an inherent quality that compels you to get up and move, and their loose, laid-back stage personae make you feel like you're among old friends. We saw them for the first time recently and instantly became fans. For their encore, they hopped off the stage and into the sand to treat the crowd to an intimate unplugged closing song. We can't wait to see what surprises they have in store for the Mountain.

Hackensaw Boys: 7:30pm - 8:30pm

Charlottesville, VA-based Hackensaw Boys will bring in the sunset on the first day of the festival with their brand of folk/punk/bluegrass. The band's official roster is made up of Rob "Mahlon" Bullington, Justin "Salvage" Neauhardt, Jesse "Baby J." Fiske, Ferd "Four" Moyse, Ward "Spits" Harrison, and Shawn "Plang Tang" Galbraith, but their lineup frequently includes other collaborators. All six members contribute to vocal duties, and the sounds of guitars, mandolins, upright bass, harmonica, accordion, fiddle and banjo round out their old-timey feel. Their style of rapid-fire picking will get your foot tapping and your head bobbing, and likely compel you to join the dance party that doubtlessly began the moment they played their first note.

Mountain of Venus: 9:00pm - 10:30pm

Mountain of Venus, a jam band based in Fayetteville, AR, is comprised of Tanya Shylock, Jody Cohen, Dave Gesualdo, Amos Cochran, and Mike Garrett. Their guitar/bass/keys/drums set-up nurtures their extended explorations into the depths of blues and psych-rock, nicely augmented by lead singer Shylock's powerful vocals. We've been charmed by Shylock during her appearances with the Everyone Orchestra at Wakarusa, so we look forward to seeing what she can do with her full band alongside her.

New Monsoon: 11:00pm - 12:30am

We BOTheads have been long-time fans of San Francisco's New Monsoon, and it's been interesting to see them evolve over the years. Their roster has undergone many renovations over the past decade, but they've still managed to solidify their position as a staple of the jam scene. After the departure of percussionists Rajiv Parikh and Brian Carey, we felt that there was a certain sparkle missing from their live shows and were a bit apprehensive about their future direction. When we caught them this past March, however, we were delighted to find that the band's dynamics seemed to have been rejuvenated by the addition of bassist Marshall Harrell and drummer Sean Hutchinson. New Monsoon consistently deliver deliciously danceable, kinetically charged performances that are perfect for grooving, people watching, hooping, and/or mind-melting.

Other activities to watch for are nature hikes, hoop dance playshops, fire shows, and fire dance lessons. It's sure to be an incredible opening day and only a taste of what's to come the rest of the weekend.

Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival will take place Thursday, September 11-13, 2008 near Ozark, Arkansas. Two-day ($95) and three-day ($120) passes can be purchased here.

Also make sure to check out our Mulberry Mountain Friday and Saturday previews.

See you on the Mountain!

--Cereal