Pink Moon Festival V Review

Making my way down Interstate 81 South with Envoy in tow – it was finally September 12^th. Their set started at 3 p.m. and we were going to be cutting it oh so close but all of this left my mind as we left Union, West Virginia and drove down the old and familiar Willowbend Road to the farmhouse. Words cannot even begin to explain how filled with happiness I was when I reached the long, rocky driveway. It had only been three weeks since I left the farm to go back to school, but it felt like years!

Once I got to the house and the band got to where they needed to be, I set up camp and was ready to start working. While Jess and Seth managed things around the venue, I worked a while at ticketing at the gate. The day was hot and beautiful in the mountains and on this particular weekend, encompassed by music.

More and more people arrived steadily throughout the day Friday. I was even lucky enough to have my very own father attend the festival this year – give him a first-person perspective of exactly what it is that I do for Rock Camp Productions.

With the inflow of people, a cool front also passed through Rock Camp providing a perfect temperature for the remainder of the weekend. As attendees where getting set up, High Street and the Northerners started the day off right and put everyone in good spirits. PBR rocked the Shangri La stage followed by the Shack Band. Rumpke Mountain Boys and David Gans arrived later just in time for their sets. Despite some bus trouble, they made it to Rock Camp though. The only issue that presented itself was that David Gans was set to perform within twenty minutes and they still were not at the stage yet. So the one and only John Church and his handy dandy golf cart made their way down to scoop David for his set. 

Soon to follow, Rumpke Mountain Boys were on their way to the farmhouse to hang out a bit before they played later that night. In the meantime, I hung out around the campsite with friends where we were all able to enjoy David’s set at the Farmhouse Stage. The rest of the night included GalaxyDynamite, Moogatu and Rumpke’s sets (including an additional set with DavidGans). The Rumpke Mountain Boys brought their “trashgrass” straight to Pinky’s Farm! The group named this style from blending bluegrass and jamgrass to create something all their own. With amazing banjo, mandolin, bass and acoustic guitar technique, Rumpke had captured the crowd – looking around it was clear that everyone was having a great time!

Friday was wrapping up and I made my way back down to the gate after meandering around for a bit.

Because the air had cooled down quite a bit since the night before, Jeremy had started a small bonfire earlier in the evening that proved to be essential as the night progressed. Friends upon friends made their way down to the gate to sit by the fire and enjoy each other’s company and partake in light banter. It was the second night of Pink Moon V and it was obvious that the weekend was just going to get better!

Saturday began with music from Nice Couch, FractalCat and the Northerners followed by the Mad Anthonys, Threesound, Golden Guns, Funk Punch and Kings of Belmont. The weather was still exceptional and I really cannot stress enough how perfect everything during the weekend of Pink Moon V was! After spending some time here and there, I was able to catch a bit of Urth’s set which turned out to be completely mesmerizing! This group had an immense impact on a few of my friends who were still talking about their performance even hours after they played. The evening continued with the Former Champions, Sol, and Big Something bring a BIG crowd to the main stage around 11 that night. Octopus, Plaeground, Tek Subport and Aarodynamics all played amazing sets for the remainder of the night and into the early morning.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Professor Marvel started the day off with some good jams followed by my personal favorite of the weekend – the KIND! The KIND is known for their amazing Grateful Dead covers and with a voice like Wendy Godley’s, they are really unforgettable. 

Sunday also included an animated set for M.H. and his Orchestra. This group really knows how to keep an audience captivated not only through their music but also through the overall performance throughout their set. Around seven, things got funky with the Good Funk on the Shangri La Stage followed by sets from Greenhouse Lounge and Bassdread.

Photo Credit Jason Hann

Then there was EOTO. But as Jason Hann would say, “EgOaTO.” Not only was their set so much fun and jammy, but the duo were accompanied by Jed the goat (an awesome pet of a member of the Pink Moon Family) hence the name “EgOaTO.” EOTO played for an incredible 3.5 hours, for an beautiful, tight-knit, intimate crowd. Their performance this year was by far one of the best that I have seen!

So, here you have a bit of my weekend at Pink Moon Festival V at Pinky’s Farm. The weekend was magical, beautiful and all-around perfect. 

I truly could have not asked for better company for which to work, and to see everything come together as it did is incredible. I am so very grateful that I have the opportunity to work with Rock Camp Productions and to also have Jess and Seth as my absolutely amazing bosses and friends. I would like to give a huge thanks to the two of you for all the hard work you go through during the year to make Pink Moon as great as it is! 

I would also like to thank all of the musicians and artists for taking the time to be interviewed and for their awesome performances at the festival this year. Another thank you goes to the staff and volunteers that helped keep things running smoothly, we could not have done it without you all!

What a wonderful Pink Moon it was indeed.