THE COOLEST CHILL: HANCOCK FEST CELEBRATES THE GOOD TIMES ONE LAST TIME

The Catskill Chill Festival is celebrating its last year at the idyllic Camp Minglewood in Hancock from September 18th through the 20th.

The blowout blast is sure to last the ages. The lineup has never been better, the atmosphere has never been more chill, and there will never be anything again quite like it. “Bittersweet,” is the word used in my discussion with the wonderful Destiny about the festival's sixth and final year at the location. The beauty of the Catskills, and Upstate New York in general, is quite often forgotten when destinations like New York City or Niagara Falls are so nearby.

But ‘destination’ is just what the Catskill Chill is not. It’s not a check mark or a tourist trap. It’s an experience; it’s a conglomeration of natural beauty: the kind you grow up and forget that it’s special, that you are special; with music evocative of natural emotions, and folks who truly believe the party is not as important as the vibe. This is not a festival like Bonnaroo or Electric Zoo, where yes, the music is the point, but many festival-goers indulge in experiences enhanced or altered by chemicals, and that is their intention in going to the festival.

The Catskill Chill doesn’t throw out this model. It doesn't say, in Mr. Mackey's words, “Drugs are bad, mmkay?” Instead, the Chill focuses on just that- a vibe of easiness. Making everyone fall into their element through comfort, creating frequencies of love and beauty that suggest that maybe, just maybe we’re all in this together, we're all in this to live harmoniously, and to create a gracious and gorgeous life for everyone and everything around us. That's why festival-goers- or ‘Chillfam’ as they are called- often come back year after year, young children can be seen scampering around the grounds, and all in all, a sense of camaraderie hangs heavy in the air.

Now of course, what is most interesting to any and all of us about a music festival is, after all, the music, and I perhaps have meandered a little on my way to tell you about that. I just got a little excited. Headlining the festival will be Upstate New York's acclaimed jam-band moe. A few months ago, I had the chance to interview moe.’s Rob Derhak, who informed me that there was going to be no moe.down this year, which has been a staple on the Upstate festival circuit for the past 10 years. So it’s no surprise that festival organizers jumped on the chance to have the famed band headline the festival.

It’s not just jam that you can find at the festival. The billing runs the gamut from Americana to bluegrass to funk, and everything in between. Chillfam favorites Dopapod will be returning, as well as Ithaca’s SOLARiS and New Jersey pickers the Brummy Brothers. Lettuce and Lotus (both of which contain members who attended the summer camp at Minglewood) are returning, and Zappa plays Zappa- featuring Dweezil Zappa on guitar as well as a band of handpicked musicians- will be shredding Frank Zappa’s tunes after a successful European tour. It’s a family-friendly lineup, as long as your family is chill, and fits well with the community vibe endorsed by the festival. There will be arts and crafts abounding, as well as food vendors, ice for sale, and on-site ATM's.

Tickets are well on their way to being sold-out, so hop on over to catskillchill.com (where you can also find more information, including the full lineup) and pre-order yours today. The Catskill Chill festival will be held from Friday, September 18th to Sunday, September 20th. Campers can arrive starting at 9am on Friday, the music will start around 3pm and continue into the wee hours of Sunday night. Please note that pets are not allowed at this event. The festival is also a green event, and trash, recycling, and composting services will be available. I’ll see you there.