“Memorial Meltdown” 2022 Recap and Photos -By: Andrzej Pilarczyk

The Adirondack Independence Music Festival launched its “Memorial Meltdown” over the Memorial Day weekend, May 28th, and 29th.  Under sunny skies with rolling clouds, the air was filled with the enchantment of Spring and two days of first rate Jam Band music at the Charles R. Wood Park in Lake George, NY.

The event billed as “2 Nights Of Twiddle & Friends” featured the Vermont based group’s improvisational skills spearheaded by guitarist-vocalist Mihali Savoulidis. The quartet’s impeccable fusion of reggae, funk, rock and jazz-rock has catapulted them into the stratosphere as one of the best “Live” ensembles around the national ‘Jam’ scene.

Saturday’s openers were The Whiskey Dicks w/ special guests Ryan Dempsey & Joe Cirotti,  Marble Eyes, and the wizardry of Lucid, a progressive quintet that invited Twiddle’s guitarist to join them for an explosive guitar-led band jam. Sunday’s line-up included Baked Shrimp, Sophistafunk and the spectacular Grateful Dead tribute band, Roots Of Creation.

In the vernacular of ‘Dead Heads,’ the two-day festival helmed by a grinning David Ehmann, was ‘magic’ in every way. It was a return to the happy fun, smiles, dancing and laughter of the festival’s pre-Covid years with several thousand people enjoying food, drink and craft vendors; their friends, families, kids and significant others; and lots of great music just rolling off the stage embracing the audience!