Luke Dow – An Xperience Interview

Luke Dow – An Xperience Interview – by Rob Smittix.

RRX: You’re a busy guy.

LD: Oh, no doubt, it’s crazy.

RRX: I’m very much looking forward to the Rock the Dock Music Festival on Saturday, July 12th, Lake George, New York. And it’s got a killer lineup this year!

LD: Yeah, we kinda outdid ourselves. I did not expect to get who we got, and I am super stoked that we did.

RRX: It’s already one of the greatest events. I look at Lake George, and it’s like the summer place to be. They have a lot of outdoor and music events. But what separates Rock the Dock from the rest of them … to me, it’s the most enjoyable one. It’s the fact that you’re at the docks and you have access to all the boats. It’s like the coolest thing ever.

LD: Yeah, that was my Dad’s idea. For the longest time, he dreamt about using the ships as grandstands and having a stage down on the pier. He wanted Willie Nelson, and I said … “Dad, we can’t afford Willie, but we’ll try to put something together,” and it’s just grown and grown. Who knows? Maybe Willie will answer my calls one day. But either way, I’m absolutely stoked with Umphrey’s McGee … once again, I’m still in a bit of disbelief that they wanna come and play our little festival!

RRX: I think they’re gonna have a blast, too, because it’s quite a unique thing. How long has this been going on?

LD: Our first-ever Rock the Dock was back in 2017, when we were celebrating the 200th anniversary at the Lake George Steamboat Company. And that’s why I kinda wanted to make my dad’s dream a reality. I had a bunch of friends who were in Formula 5 back then, and we had them as the headliner and then built the show around the jam band scene. I remember that first year we had them, Capital Zen, Mister F, and Goose.

RRX: That’s a pretty damn good way to start.

LD: Back then, Goose was only 1,500 bucks. Now I can’t even get them for … probably 100-150 grand.

RRX: Wow, that’s wild.

LD: Yeah, they’ve really blown up.

RRX: That’s cool. Well, you helped them get there.

LD: I’d like to think so. At the very least, they did come over to my house afterwards and partied with us for a bit. So that was cool. I’ve got that to hang my hat on at least.

RRX: Absolutely, that’s something that you’ll never forget. So your dad had this dream, and I think that’s a really cool piece of the story that I’ve never heard before.

LD: I was just happy to help one of his dreams finally come to fruition. It’s been awesome to keep that going even though we had to take a few years off due to COVID.

RRX: Right. Yeah, I try to forget about that. But it definitely affected us, especially live music.

LD: Oh, for sure. Didn’t have it for years.

RRX: Yeah, if you did, you were doing it illegally.

LD: No, we couldn’t really hide the boats in the middle of the woods somewhere.

RRX: My wife and I went to Rock the Dock last year, and we had a tremendous time. There’s something about watching the show, but then being able to go in and you get yourself a drink or something to eat on the inside of whatever boat you choose to go in. It feels like everyone is VIP here.

LD: Some folks suggested that we have the top deck of a certain ship be for certain price points, and I’m like … no, I want everyone to enjoy it, and that’s why we have the price set so low. I want as many people to come as possible, and I want everyone to have the same ability to have the same experience, whether it be on the boat just right across from the stage or from the side boats, where it might be a little quieter. No assigned seating, I want people to just explore.

RRX: It’s a wonderful event, and like you said, it’s affordable. Tickets are only $55!

LD: And a portion of that goes to the Lake George American Legion.

RRX: I love that.

LD: For their scholarship funds and whatever else they do to help our local vets.

RRX: That’s a great cause to go towards. And it’s not just Umphrey’s McGee this year, you’ve got Pink Talking Fish, Chestnut Grove, Wild Adriatic – those guys are wild and they just put out a new album, I’m sure they’re gonna play some of that, the Switch, and Neon Avenue.

LD: Yeah, Pink Talking Fish, I’ve loved those guys for a while. I’m glad they wanted to sign up with us. Wild Adriatic, those guys, we’ve had them on years ago and then I was pretty bummed when they decided to take some time apart but super happy that they’re coming back together. Same with Chestnut Grove – they took a year and a half off, which I was super bummed about because they really bring the energy. I’m glad they’re back together and back at it. The Switch … I like to go back to the days of Rock the Dock with Formula 5. I feel like everyone’s kind of in our family, so if I can bring people back that helped make our festival what it is. Whether it be Joe Davis in Neon Avenue or James Woods of the Switch … Years ago, we had Annie in the Water; Matt Richards with them and Greg Marek would step in here and there. It’s always great to have those guys come back because, as I said, for the first three years, they were the headliners, so it’s always great to keep them in the fold.

RRX: It absolutely is. Well, very much looking forward to it. Again, that’s July 12th, 4 to 11 pm. It’s a Saturday in Lake George, New York.

LD: And Capital Zen are playing at The Lagoon for the late-night show.

RRX: So that’s like the after party, right?

LD: Yup, free to everyone!

RRX: Well, you really can’t beat that price. Is there anything else that you wanted to say to people to encourage them to come on out?

LD: We got a good lineup of food trucks coming back: The Mac Factor, Tres Mijas, The Extra Mile Pizza, All Fired Up, Cooley’s Ice Cream Truck, Freddy’s Rockin Lemonade, and more. And then we’ve got a bunch of great craft vendors coming, including one of our old food truck guys who now has started making sauces. He put down the spatula and picked up the whisk.

RRX: Oh, no kidding.

LD: Tim Smith … everyone who buys his stuff, a portion of the proceeds of his sauces will go to the American Legion as well. Anthony Richichi’s coming back with his artwork. Lake George Life’s coming in. I’m in my car right now, so I feel terrible. I don’t have everyone’s name in front of me, but we’ve got a lot of great craft vendors and great food trucks here. We’ll even have a nine-hole mini-disc golf putting course set up off to the side again.

RRX: I love that. There’s so much going on, and it is happening right in the center of everything in Lake George. People don’t even have to leave to go get food because you’ve got more than enough to choose from.

LD: Yeah, but if people do have to head out to their cars or whatever, reentry is allowed with the wristband. Or if they wanna run over to the beach real quick and jump in the water and then head right on back in, feel free.

For tickets or more information, visit: rockthedocklg.com

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