Freedom Fest ‘03
Hot Fun in the Summertime on Marion Court
What began as "hey wouldn’t it be great if" idea six short weeks ago, blossomed into a great day of music and summer fun on July 4th in Lancaster. Yes I’ll admit I was quite proud of the way Marion Court Room’s Freedom Fest ‘03 turned out. But even if I hadn’t played a very small role in its production, I would still be thrilled with the achievements of my friends Tony Kirchner and Michael Geesey for bringing together an impressive line-up of talent and a great day for all who attended.
The sun was already blazing when I made my way across the vast prairie that separates Marion Street from the Brunswick hotel in downtown Lancaster. Ok, so it wasn’t really that great a distance, but in that sun it sure felt that way. Artists and food vendors lined Marion Street and provided kids of all ages with face painting, games and a refreshing celebrity dunk tank. With temperatures approaching triple digits, more than a few of us considered volunteering some time in the tank that day. Captain Morgan himself anchored his booth on the street and proceeded to entertain all day long. His band of merry men somehow got replaced by some scantily clad maidens, much to the delight of the security guards who seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time at the Captain’s digs.
Food, drink and marauders all took a back seat to some amazing live 
music. Music was really what this day was about and Mr. Kirchner pulled in some stellar regional talent to entertain us. Two stages were set up with each band starting on one stage just as another wrapped up. I’ve been to a lot of events where this sort of schedule is planned, but somehow never quite works out that way. Thanks to a great production staff and the bands themselves, the schedule at FF went off without a hitch.
Falcon Jones kicked the day off with a rousing set on the larger A stage set up at the end of Marion 
Street. Forty minutes later, Map of Hawaii kicked off stage B set up between the Court Side Lounge and MCR and kept things hopping. We no sooner applauded their last tune than central PA’s favorite alt-country boys Wayne Supergenius took center stage and took over with their catchy melodies and soul-piercing lyrics. You might think that missing a few regular players would disrupt a performance by a band this tight. Not an issue on this day or the previous days gig in Harrisburg. Although it was kind of a kick to yell out "Tony!" backstage and see how many replies you got.
Darcie Miner was next up on the B stage. Damn that girl can sing! You’re going to be hearing a lot from this one in the years to come, catch her locally now while you still can. The oh-so-entertaining Jellybricks were next up on A. Larry Kennedy’s energy and enthusiasm are infectious and if you didn’t feel like at least tapping a toe at the beginning of their set, you were definitely moving by the end.
Two more performances followed by Eye Wish Eye and Nothing But Oregano. As much as I wanted to see these bands, my need for some quality time with a cold beverage and an air conditioner won over and I retreated to the interior of the Court Room. Inside everyone was buzzing about the great music and beautiful day we had managed to pull off.
By the time I sauntered out to catch Ike’s performance, the crowd was heating up and the sun was going down. I was pleased to see a Philly favorite on the bill and glad that John Faye and company could make time for this event. The band recently released "Parallel Universe" and has been making stops up and down the east coast to promote it. They garnered a super sweet spot at the recent Y100 Feztival in Philly and are headed south later this month for another Atlanta road trip.
Alas, no time to trade turnpike lore with John as the Stephen Reso band was set to take on stage A. After an introduction by the lovely Jen Shade from 105.7 the X, the music took over and Reso had the audience in his back pocket from start to finish. While Reso’s music has been tossed into the Pop category, its heart and soul run much deeper than your average mainstream tune. Stephen is a true artist and his abundance of talent spills over into the music he creates. Whether it’s in the driving "DemiGod" or even covering the Hooters classic "Don’t Take My Car Out Tonight", Reso and the band are pros who know how to work the music. Check out July’s Barfly for Stephen’s take on the world of pop.
More powerful original performances were cranked out by AJ & Altercana, the Martini Brothers and Mike Giblin’s Parallax Project. The Martini’s put themselves out there like no one else on the central PA circuit and it was great to see and hear Mike’s music again. All this led up to the funkadelic All Mighty Senators headlining the main stage. The Senators are a quirky bunch of fellows from Baltimore who definitely kick dat groove in an old school way. They hit the stage around 11 and the crowd was moving by 11:01. Rolling Stone recently referred to drummer/vocalist Landis Expandis as something "like a love child of Sly Stone and the Velvet Underground’s Moe Tucker". That one I had to see, but I’ve returned a believer. Their blend of rock and soul was the perfect end to a perfect day and as much fun as I was having, I was damn glad to get those heels off.
Again, major kudos to Michael Geesey and company for not only dreaming up this baby, but for getting it all together in such a short time. I think we all had our doubts and fears at some point, but we pulled if off! On a personal note, I’d like to thank my own family, especially Colin, for putting up with the madness on my end and for giving up mommy all day on the 4th.
I’ll close with a brief review of the day by Lancaster Mayor Charlie Smithgall "Hey this is nice!"