Jams heard from the mountain

Otis Mountain Get Down, an annual music festival that debuted an incredible lineup with an inspiring amount of talented musicians, left music lovers’ jaws dropped.

Otis Mountain Get Down was held Sept. 11-13 in Elizabeth, New York and came with plenty of upright bass and bluegrass swing.

Friday and Saturday were filled to the brim with funk, folk, alternative rock and electronic music.

The festival hosted 35 bands on three different stages. The crowd was excited about the diversity of the musicians.

Amongst the most enjoyable performances were the Dustbowl Revival, Damn Tall Buildings, Bella’s Bartok, Smooth Antics and Upstate Rubdown.

Upstate Rubdown showed their Appalachian soul as Mary Kenny, Melanie Glenn and Kate Scarlett’s melodic voices took over.

Accompanied by the guitar, upright bass, percussion and saxophone, the crowd went wild, kicking up dust into the air, adding that “get down” feeling Otis strives for.

Festival-goers danced in a blur of beards and flannels, hats with pins and barefoot lads.

Surrounded by the Adirondacks, the mountain held us together, absorbing the sounds.

The dust soon turned to mud as Saturday night’s most unwelcome guest showed up: rain.

Although it put a damper on many moods, the music kept roaring. Campfires tried to stay alive but the music never died.   

Even with the rain and wet sleeping bags, a weekend with friends and great music is always a pleasure.