Going on a totally trippy trip: Locally groovy band to rock 40th anniversary Woodstock
Celebrating its 40th anniversary of bringing peace, love and happiness to the flower children of the 60s, Woodstock 2009 is taking the farm field of northern New York by storm this weekend, with one of our very own local rock groups cordially invited to entertain the groovy masses.
The musicians of Yazgars Farm have been invited to perform at this weekend’s 40th anniversary Woodstock reunion in Bethel, N.Y.
Kirk Richards, lead guitarist and vocalist for the band, explains how it all went down.
“A Woodstock concert rep saw the band’s name at The Reef, believe it or not (the original land Woodstock was held on was named Yasgur’s Farm, after its owner, Max), in ’94 and asked for us to join in the reunion show its silver 25th anniversary, he said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, sure. And your brother owns General Motors, too. I figured it was a hoax, just someone running their mouth in a bar. But it wasn’t a joke.”
After rockin’ the 25th anniversary concert, Kirk said the reps invited them back in 1999, then in 2000.
“It’s gonna be a big hoopla,” he said.
“And back in ’94, I talked with Miriam Yasgur, the wife of Max Yasgur, who passed away earlier. We were gonna fly her over, but she just got over a heart operation. She liked the name of our band, and appreciated the fact that we altered the name enough.”
The group packed up with a carvanning convoy Tuesday, heading to New York just a few days before the big show, which is actually taking place Friday to Sunday, Aug. 14, 15 and 16.
They’ll perform at the underground “Song3” VIP event Aug. 14 and 15th, on Yasgur’s original farmland, actually having played on it a couple times before for thousands of far-out fans.
“We played the actual field in ’94 before it was bought out, turned into a memorial and commercialized,” Kirk reminisced.
Yazgars Farm will be rockin’ with some true living legends, including Leslie West (Mountain); Richie Havens; Country Joe; the Dave Matthews Band; Earth, Wind and Fire; Chicago; Jefferson Starship; Big Brother and the Holding Company; 10 Years After; Canned Heat and more.
“Original Woodstock was a cultural phenomenon,” Kirk said. “Now it’s the 40th anniversary, and now with the new movie ‘Taking Woodstock,’ it’s going to be huge.”
All about the band
Yazgars Farm, a regularly performing rock band from around the area, formed in 1989, and Kirk said “this whole Woodstock thing has really held the band together.”
Kirk, the only original member of the group, rocks with Gordon McCreery, Tara Bounamici and Joe Gazorreli.
The band got its name back in ’89, “when the drummer just kind of did it out of nowhere,” Kirk said. “It came from a Crosby, Stills and Nash song, ‘Woodstock,’ written by Joni Mitchell. We were doing that kind of music the 60s and 70s so it really worked.”
Yazgars Farm plays regularly three to four times a month around the area especially Fort Myers Beach.
You can catch the group at The Lighthouse Tiki Bar every Saturday or so, as well as Jimmy B’s Rooftop Bar at least twice a month sometimes three and the Iron Rhino (east Naples). They also rock at lots of biker events and other functions.
For more info on Yazgars Farm or to book them for your private function or business entertainment line-up, visit YazgarsFarm.com, email KirkEXP@aol.com, or call the band hotline: 495-3317.