Beth’s Reflections

Libra’s Return

What a lovely return to Easton Park Farm! Though it had been two years since Johnny and I first played Maverick Festival, the energy was warm, welcoming and familiar. I had forgotten that the load in area for the Barn Stage, where we played all weekend, was right next to some of the petting zoo goats. Rolo, the Pygmy goat, and Milly, the Nanny goat, were adorable and got a few pets from us before we jumped on stage for our Friday night set. It was great to be reunited with folks we hadn't seen since our 2024 tour, including Stan from Little Rabbit Barn. The set that night consisted of some older tunes and the introduction of Space Folk Explorer, which will be on the next record "It Takes All Kinds" (due out spring 2027). The crowd was big and energized, and while we were tempted to hang out late, Johnny and I had a 3.5 hour drive early the next morning so that we could be in Birmingham by 9 a.m., where we were honored to be included in the Nashville Sounds in the Round in Birmingha wasm that afternoon with Gasoline & Matches, Rainsford Brothers, Kerry, and Susannah Clegg. After that gig, we sprinted back via the charming but tiny English roads to play "Sugaree" with Jim Maving and Chris Murphy before our 9:30 pm set. 

FEARLESS

As is often the case, we make our set lists in advance and then change them day of, hour before, or even on stage depending on the vibes we are getting from the audience. Saturday night we chose to fully dive into the psychedelic Floyd sounds of our next record, and the audience went wild. Thank you to everyone who cheered, danced, and decided that their No's made their Yes's more meaningful.

SOUNDS

Something that I think confuses people is that our sound has evolved over each record. While our previous music has explored roots, harmony, and orchestration, our new rock and psychedelic sound captures a feeling a lot of us have right now, which is the desire to reject the ubiquitousness the algorithms and AI are trying to force upon us that they can eventually replicate and replace. As our album is titled, It Takes All Kind - not just one kind - and it takes human kind. That night we blasted off into the cosmos and came back down to a world of human kind that felt real and present at Easton Farm Park.

Sunday Funday

Chris asked us to join his show early Sunday, so the boys and I played a few acoustic tunes with him as sheep romped around right across the pond. We played our last set of the festival that afternoon with a more soothing and reflective set filled with gratitude and then said our goodbyes. We also left the festival with a much lighter suitcase of merch, which was a nice feeling. 

Andrew’s Insights

It was a long ride to get across the pond, but well worth that wait! Maverick was a thing of beauty, like a dream set in the English countryside. There was Beautiful farm land as far as your eyes could see. All sorts of farm animals call Easton farms their home. It was nice to see all the animals and people just enjoying and sharing beautiful vibes out there!

We got to listen to a lot of great music there and interacted with tons of lovely people. The weather was as perfect as you could hope for with temperatures never really getting above half 70 and nights in the 60s.

It really felt like home with all the sweet home alabama signs littered across the festival grounds and having an American flag flying on the 4th of July! I hope that we can make it back for next year to such a beautiful place with awesome people! Cheers maverick!

Russell’s Rundown

What a unique experience spending the 4th of July weekend celebrating the beauty and variety of americana music at the Sound Lab in Sutton (London) and Maverick Festival with our UK (and all over) friends and fellow humans.

The band that rides tight stays tight - Andrew

Upon arrival I experienced a bit of anxiety learning that my bass had been left behind in Orlando, but the production teams at SoundLab and Maverick were quick to find replacements. It was a real treat to play Scott Warman’s (@scottwarmanbass) Pino Palladino edition P-Bass for our Friday night set.

After a jet lag induced early awakening Saturday morning, I grabbed a tasty toastee from a local bakery and meandered through the streets of Woodbridge. I eventually found myself on a footpath along the River Deben, a truly pastoral vista of English countryside. Six miles upriver from the North Sea, the river was at low tide and the small sailboats rested on their kneels in the today’s flats. Several folks were rowing the river in single sculls. The serenity of this morning scene gave undoubtedly was a source of inspiration for the ambient music of local son, Brian Eno.

While Johnny and Beth were heading to Birmingham for a songwriters round, Andrew and I headed back to Maverick to catch some more music. Being there all three days was a great way to see so many artists and get to hang with them afterwards. We had a good time jamming with Chris Murphy, violinist extraordinaire. This man must have a nuclear reactor for a hear because his energy is never ceasing. Along with Chris, we were joined by Jim Maving, of The Autumn Saints, for our rendition of Sugaree during the Bob Weir and Donna Jean Godchaux tribute jam (which was amazing!).

After the festival Sunday we ventured north and met our friend Craig Gould at the Tamworth Tap for their American Beer Festival. After winding down there we found a hotel, but unbeknownst to us it was right next to a loud sports bar getting ready for the England-Mexico World Cup Match that wouldn’t start until 2am. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to sleep while the sports bar was blaring loud music and young fans were shouting during every tense moment, I found a more adult pub and settled in with a pint to watch the match. It was a great, competitive game and worth staying up for and I had some good conversations with locals that had stayed up for the early morning match.

The next morning we headed to Heathrow and Andrew and I parted ways with Johnny and Beth. We had a group hug and selfie celebrating a successful and validating week of shows. It was a long flight and drive back to Montgomery, but I relish the opportunity to do it again!

Sunday Sun Celebration

Set 3: sunday sun celebration

Mourning Sounds

Awake

Sun & Shower

Into the Still

Islands

Pre-perfect

Perfect

Rising Tide

You Are Beautiful

Goodbye Woodbrige:

Sunday morning came after the best night’s sleep in a long time. We made preparations to check out of the lodging, and then headed down to Brownbread Bakery for an excellent toastie and coffee. We gathered ourselves and made it to Maverick just in time to see some of earliest scheduled music.

Sunday’s Set

Our Set began at 13:05, we decided to celebrate the sunshine after take people on a journey through darkness the night before. Mourning sounds and awake are the first two tracks from our second full length record. They explore the importance of being present in the moment and awake to the experiences of life. Next up, “Sound & Shower” is a tune from our award winning children’s album, MicroPARTY, that reminds us that it takes the Sun, showers, and a little bit of love to grow flowers in this world. “Into The Still” is a powerful tribute to a life well lived by our friend Cas Still. “Islands” is a song about taking steps and believing in yourself, but also keeping yourself open to the help of friends. Let’s be islands, but let’s be an archipelago so that we’re never alone. The perfect suit is about understanding our imperfections so that we can realize perfection is acceptance. Once we do that, we can lift each other up just like the rising tides! Last but not least, “You are Beautiful” is a tune that w wrote on New Year’s Eve in 2020 as a reminded that we can all add beauty to this world.

See you Out there, Somewhere.

We had an incredible time at Maverick! We felt like true ambassadors for Alabama and connected with some many wonderful people. Come see us sometime! Festivals like these are rare, so take care to keep up the stalwart support as it continues!

This wall is old.

One More Round

After we checked out of Maverick, we hopped over to Tamworth Tap to be the surprise guest at the end of their American Beer Fest. What a way to cap off the weekend. Seeing friends old and new, and making plans to barbecue.

Now let’s hear from the rest of the band

- Johnny

Check out this video Russell snagged of the final encore at Tamworth Tap! (forgive to poor quality)

Saturday night Psych

Set 2: saturday night psych

Ear for Sympathy

All Kinds

The Undertoad

Fearless

Night Demons

Raygun Blaster

DAY MISSION:

Birmingham Symphony Hall - Jennifer Blackwell Auditorium

Saturday morning began with Beth and I up with the sunrise. We were invited to perform at the Nashville Sounds In The Round by Sally and Steve of Gasoline and Matches. We left Woodbridge around 10 till 6 to arrive for a 9am load in. The drive. was smooth except at one point an erratic man shouted as he passed me on the right emphatically pointing at the left lane. I was in center with cruise control on at the speed limit of 70. There were lorries going 60 in the left and a wide open right. He sped off, crossed two lanes form right to left, and then pulled up on another car ahead and did the same, this time coming in early enough to force the car to hit their brakes to avoid collision. It was a good way up as I was starting to grow road weary. We made it to the show without incident. The Jennifer Blackwell story on the dedication intrigued me. It said:

“Jennifer had a spiritual connection with music and an open-hearted eagerness to explore music in all its varieties, from her beloved opera to the popular music of the 60s.”

We shared the stage with 4 other great outfits, traded songs about life, and connected with some open-hearted people in the room with us. I even got to play one of the nicest Steinway’s I’ve ever touched.

Our mate Craig who we owe so much gratitude!

FESTIVAL DAY 2:

Russell and Andrew stayed behind and headed to the Festival around 11:00.

Russell & Andrew’s Day 2 Accounts

Beth and I returned around 17:00

Our set started at 21:35. This is a special set because all songs are unreleased songs from the upcoming album. We opened up the set with “Ear for Sympathy,” a slow build song about hearing the heart song of a place and carrying on the spirit through song. I added a message about extending a bridge of love to find our commonality with fellow humans and growing in our understanding that “It Takes All Kinds,” the title of our upcoming record. We rolled right into All Kinds. “The Undertoad” is a public service announcement about facing your fears based on a recurring nightmare I had as a child. After that we played a classic David Gilmour tune from Floyd’s album, Meddle, called “Fearless”. It’s become our anthem as we reject the conformity placed on creators by optimization for digital platforms. We reject the algorithm, and trust the human heart. It felt like the perfect cover to broadcast the vital vibrations that we exude… and it’s a preview of what’s to come. If you subscribe to our mailing list, we’ll send you an advance version of “Fearless” ahead of its release. After the set I heard the nicest story from a woman whose father did lighting for Pink Floyd in their early days. She said our set helped her understand what it must have felt to be inside a moment in time together during those early days of experimentation, when artists were chasing something new and exciting. That made my year! Next came, “Night Demons,” which was an audible for the set, but I’m glad we added it on the fly. I think I have some confidence issues with this song sometimes because of the subject nature and inspiration, so it was great to see it so well received. Then we blasted on out with “Raygun Blaster”, one of my favorite songs from the new record. I think it encapsulates the zeitgeist of now. The realization of an endless kaleidoscope of failing systems around us without a clear path forward. We can blast our selves out of this timeline by facing our fears, and being about to say “NO” so our “yes’s” become more meaningful.

Friday night At Maverick

Set 1: Electric Americana

Lonely Child

Schtick Shift

Letters

Space Folk

Thundertrain

Quiet Moon

Rising Tides

PREREQUISITE:

Friday started with a drive from Croydon after playing a show at The Sound Lounge in Sutton the night before. We met a great group of humans (all most all bassists) in a band called “The Long Version UK,” fronted by Tricia Davies Nearn on (you guessed it) bass and vocals, with John Heal on rhythm guitar and vocals, David Krupski on drums, and Peter Bruntnell on electric guitar. The night was a bit slower than we’d hoped, but we met a great band, tightened our set for Maverick, and got to meet a few really great people. We’d snagged a deal on lodging in Croydon, stayed in a nice cottage, found a great coffee shop for breakfast and drinks and departed without incident.

The Longest Version UK

WOODBRIDGE:

Maverick Festival arranged for us to stay in a lovely townhouse in for Friday and Saturday of the Festival. We checked in, took a stroll through town, grabbed a few essentials, and then found ourselves at Portion, a rotisserie based sandwich shop, for a great quick bite before heading on to Easton Park Farm. We also took a quick walk down to the waterfront to take in the sites and sounds. We didn’t spend much time in Woodbridge during our stay, but the time we did was a peaceful and restorative time. It’s a place we’d like to return and explore some more.

FESTIVAL DAY 1:

We arrived just after 17:00 with the first acts already in motion. The grounds were brimming with people and they were just getting the bars up and rolling. We were immediately met with friendly faces as we pulled into artist parking and got a quick refresher of the grounds. Russell’s bass didn’t make it on his connecting flight in Orlando (along with a lot of other people’s checked bags), so James coordinated Russell borrowing Scott's Bass for at least Friday’s set. We spent a little time running around making sure our gear was in place, caught a few minutes of a few acts, and then reported back to the Barn stage. Our set began at 18:45 and we opened up the evening with Lonely Child. It’s one of our best performing tracks in the UK on streaming platforms. We’ve reworked it a bit to be more lively and are considering recording at more current version sometime soon. As we played the crowd gathered, we settled in and before we knew it the set was almost over! Chris Murphy Joined us on Stage for Space Folk Explorer, Thundertrain, and Quiet Moon, and we closed out the set with Rising Tides as a little foreshadowing of what’s to come for the Saturday night Psyche Set.

The Mavericks of Maverick FESTIVAL 19

This year’s Maverick Festival marked the debut of the Full Band sound of Electric Blue Yonder. We were very much excited and a bit nervous to bring that sound to the Maverick Audience because it moves outside of the historic preservation and reverence into a synthesis of sounds influence by many roots musics including 60’s folk, rock, surf, and psychedelia. We are taking a different approach as we step body into Space Folk, and while we worried we might be ‘too different’ the Maverick audience showed up for us, and we put on shows that we’ll remember forever.

Beth and I first performed at Maverick 17 back in 2024 as a duo and sometimes trio with our friend and artist at large, Chris Murphy, on fiddle. We actually met Chris at the Maverick 17 just before we walked on stage together. That relationship bloomed into us swapping gigs from Key West to California. Maverick is a connector. We felt a glimpse of the community built around Maverick, but as newly added members of the family we were a bit overwhelmed by meeting so many great folks in such a short time. This year, it was nice to see those familiar faces along with a whole new cast of folks that were new to us, but in some cases had been at the festival since its inception. We felt a stronger connection to the heart of what makes a small rural festival such a strong moment of human connection.

In these posts, we’ll reflect on the three sets and our time around Maverick Festival 19, and give each of the band members a space to relate their own experiences. Come along. You belong!