By Michael Ryan
WINDHAM – They have not risen to the level of rising from the grave, but the legendary sounds of the Grateful Dead will be alive and well for the birth of the “Cave Mountain Catskills Music Festival.”
“Joe Russo’s Almost Dead” band, performing cover songs from the original appreciatively expired, are one of the popular acts for the 2-day concert, September 15 & 16, at Windham Mountain.
They will be the headliners on Friday, with “Weezer,” a not-short-of-breath American rock band, topping the bill on Saturday.
Between 4,000 to 5,000 attendees are anticipated per day, according to ski slope director of marketing and communications Kate Sullivan.
The show christens what ski slope officials hope will be a continuing series of summer experiences, productively utilizing what would otherwise be ghostly space, waiting for winter snow.
Town board members discussed the festival during a recent meeting, doing preliminary preparations in terms of having a police and ambulance presence available, a customary practice with large-scale events.
And there is also the matter of Windham’s newly adopted Noise Law which sets strict limits on before-and-after-dark decibel readings.
“Their representatives have already spoken to us, finding out what they will need to do if a waiver is necessary,” town supervisor Thomas Hoyt says.
“They might not have to ask for extension,” Hoyt says, referring to the legal deadline for loudness impacting others in the neighborhood.
“Windham Mountain has the ability, with their [Music on the Mountain] summer concerts, to work on where to put their speakers.
“Plus, they are contemplating not going past ten o’clock [the current cutoff hour]. They are taking a conservative, responsible avenue,” Hoyt says.
“They own a lot of the property around there anyway. As long as they are reasonable and stay within the parameters of the law, we think it will be good for the town.
“Anything they do there is a community revenue source, filling the hotels and restaurants. This is being professionally organized. It’s not just somebody saying, ’hey, let’s have a party,’” Hoyt says.
Sullivan, in a WRIP radio interview, said the festival is a “true collaboration between Brooklyn Made, Crush Music and Windham Mountain.”
All entities involved in the production “wanted to bring this event specifically to Windham Mountain,” Sullivan said.
“The promotion companies have been working closely with the town to make sure we are in compliance, being good neighbors.
“We are excited to be able to bring this to Windham, to Greene County and the region at large, and to have the caliber of these acts,” Sullivan said.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and Weezer share the stage with an eclectic lineup including Dinosaur Jr., the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Thunderstorm Artis, Lee Fields and Albert Hammond Jr.
They are joined by Courtney Marie Andrews, Sheer Mag, Channing Wilson, Charlotte Rose Benjamin, Elijah Wolf, Matt Suscich and The Bones of Mr. Jones, playing near the back patio at the base lodge.
As far as making the festival a regular thing, Sullivan said, “all of the parties bringing this together are hopeful about what this could mean for the future.
“We will wait and see. This is not necessarily an extension of what we have been doing, in terms of the programming, but it definitely is a carrying over of that momentum,” Sullivan said.
“September is a great time to be in Windham with the fall foliage and people getting ready to transition from that summer mode.
“It will be great music with awesome views as a background,” Sullivan said, noting the bands will perform on what is colloquially known as the Wooly Bear section of the ski slope grounds.
Music starts at 5 p.m. each day with tickets offered online for one or both dates, Sullivan said, noting the name of the festival comes from the surrounding terrain.
“If you look at a topographic map, the actual peaks that the ski mountain is on is called Cave Mountain and West Cave Mountain,” Sullivan says.