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Reviews, Pictures and Videos From Catskill Chill 2012

: By Jordan August, Cory Castelluccio and Andrew D.; Published on September 12, 2012

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Photo Credit: Jordan August

Catskill Chill 2012

September 7-9 – Hancock, NY

3rd year – Estimated Attendance: 5,000

Festival Website: http://www.catskillchill.com/

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Recap Video

Video Credits:

Shot by: Jordan August
Edited by: Andrew D.
Music by: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
Graphics by: Ofer Zmora

Weather

The Catskill Mountains are known for abrupt storms, and this year they really lived up to their reputation with a Saturday afternoon tornado warning that forced campers to head to shelter.

We only had to endure heavy rain for a few hours (only . . . ), so everything ended up ok, but the set times were a bit delayed.

Other than the wet terrain, the weather was perfect early-autumn – warm and temperate. You were comfortable in short-sleeves or a hoodie and the heat didn’t wake you up before 11:00 a.m.

Photo Credit: Jordan August

Festival Highlights

Covered stages. Even when the weather wasn't up to par, or when the sun was too exhausting, the covered and rain-proof venues were a great way to escape. And it made for great light shows on the tin ceilings.

Intimate atmosphere. The campus was set up really well for attendees to easily make it from their campsites to the stages and vendors. You could tell that everyone was able to spend more time feeding themselves and hanging with new friends. Also, festivalgoers had numerous run-ins with performers from the weekend with guys like Adam Deitch, Chuck Morris and Nigel Hall walking around the grounds.

The cabins. Having a bathroom, bed and shower is worth the extra cost. It makes each day more comfortable and allows you to experience more music without fatigue. Some campers even brought mini-fridges so they didn’t have to splurge on ice. The after-parties with FiKus, Shwizz, SoLariS and Psyclic Nature put a special, unique twist on the end of the day.

Photo Credit: Jordan August

Sound quality. Each stage had excellent sound all weekend. I expected Club Chill to be slightly off because it was such an odd amphitheatre room, but the sounds were crisp and clear. The Main Stage was basically a covered concrete floor with bleachers so I expected an echo but they seemed to have anticipated that and adjusted accordingly. Whether you were in the bleachers, the pit or the hill outside the pavilion, you heard some amazing music.

Increased number of food vendors. It was a nice change from last year in that there was more variety and trucks were scattered throughout the site. Also, prices weren't out of control expensive and beer was only $3.00.

The schedule. While it was difficult to pull yourself away from the music since the lineup was a constant barrage of awesome, it was also made to flow perfectly from one act to another and one genre to another. The acts you wanted in the day were in the daytime and the acts you wanted late-night were late. There were very few, if any, hard decisions to be made between one act and another because the third stage was usually a different genre of music entirely. Well done by the organizers.

Other highlights included . . .

Conspirator's Chris Michetti joining former bandmate Todd Stoops and Kung Fu on stage for a dark jam that harked back to the RAQ days of old.

Dopapod covering the "Jeopardy" theme song.

Soulive playing "Eleanor Rigby" and "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" with Nigel Hall.

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong's "Ghostbusters" cover.

Lotus playing the fastest two-hour set ever, where people didn't stop moving the entire time.

Kick Rocks ending the festival on a high note with jazzy jams and Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter."

Photo Credit: Jordan August

Atmosphere

The atmosphere was obviously a top priority at Catskill Chill. The campus is so gorgeous and it’s really an honor to see music and party at such a beautiful place. The way the cabins, vendors and campsites are set up, it makes it really easy to meet a lot of new people and check out merchandise you usually miss due to long lines.

People were nice and friendly and there were no arguments or strange confrontations all weekend. If DelFest and Camp Barefoot made a baby, it would be Catskill Chill.