Another musical highlight of the festival was the Sam Kininger Band's Sunday afternoon set. Not only did SKB get the crowd raging with their sassy and sophisticated brand of funk, but their lineup also features two outstanding female instrumentalists, Amy Bowles (keys, Jazz Criminals) and Nikki Glaspie (drums). They were two of few female musicians performing (another notable was saxophonist/vocalist Kalmia Traver of John Brown's Body), so it was a treat to chat with Amy about her experience at Up North. "It was very positive," Amy said. "It was a very well put together festival. Everything was extremely professional from the moment we arrived until we were done with our set… It was very much a community-driven event. I felt like it was sort of a marker for Boston, because there were so many people from the Boston music scene and just the whole New England scene in general. It was really great to be part of it; I think we were all really pleased." Like many of the artists at Up North, Amy was coming from one gig and was on the way to play another, which made the producers' attention to detail even more crucial. She added, "Things were worked out ahead of time; everybody was on the ball. As soon as we pulled in, immediately the crew helped us with our gear, things were getting set up. All the bases were covered very efficiently. Sometimes at festivals no one knows what to do; no one knows how to help you set up your gear." Friends who were part of the SKB crew as well as Up North staff jumped in to check the monitors and add the finishing touches. "It's really essential," Amy said, "especially in a situation like that where you don't have a lot of time. You have to set up really quickly; there is this time crunch that can create a lot of stress. It's so nice to have people on hand who know what to do." Amy also commented that Up North didn't seem like it was in its first year: "Usually with festivals, the first one is sort of a trial run, it's got glitches, but it didn't seem like that -- it seemed like it had been going for years!" Not forgetting that the success of the festival was due to a collective effort, she added, "It could have also been the conduct of the people. The people were very respectful, the campers. It was a great vibe… I really wasn't expecting it to be what it was. I had no idea. And then to roll up and see all my friends from Boston -- it was great. I think it's cool that they kept it in the family. I want to say thank you for having us, and we want to come back."

While the Sam Kininger Band was playing on the last day of the festival, I looked out into the crowd and saw people standing in the front of the audience, watching the band wide-eyed, mouths agape. It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon and it seemed like everyone within earshot was dancing. As I was surveying the scene, my friend Torrey turned to me and quietly and very deliberately said, "We are so lucky." That sums it up perfectly. No one knew what to expect when they arrived at the Up North Festival, but everyone left Hiram feeling a little bit lighter, and a little bit more connected. Big ups to all of our friends Up North. May we all be blessed with such great musical kinship. See you next year!