Rock, Ribs & Ridges Festival – Augusta, NJ – June 29, 2025
Allman Betts Band – The Weight Band – Mattie Schell
Review & Photos – Rebecca Wolf
https://www.instagram.com/rebeccawolfconcertphotos/
June 2025 brought the15th annual Rock, Ribs and Ridges Festival to Sussex County, NJ. This three-day musical celebration combines award-winning barbecue, thirst-quenching beverages and a mix of classic, Southern, country, and blues rock music. Some bands have been performing together for decades and are known for their iconic musical numbers and others artists have more recently emerged on the music scene.
Eleven acts performed during the festival, beginning on Friday evening with two bands known for their beloved 1970s numbers, Orleans with their smooth soft rock hits, “Dance With Me” and “Still the One” and the classic Southern rock sound of Atlanta Rhythm Section and their timeless songs, “So Into You” and “Imaginary Lover.” Saturday brought a full day of music with five bands on the docket, including NJ local blues rock band the Matt Coffey Band; Six Gun Sally, performing across the Northeast and paying tribute to treasured Southern and classic rock bands of the 1970s; Black Stone Cherry, a hard Southern rock band formed in Kentucky in 2001 who’ve released 8 studio albums; the Artimus Pyle Band with the former Hall of Fame Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer at the helm, passionately and authentically performing Skynyrd’s Southern delivering classics; and Grand Funk Railroad, the 1970’s high-energy, arena-packing band that released six platinum records and seven gold albums, with songs like “We’re an American Band” and a cover of “Some Kind of Wonderful.”
Sunday, brought four more bands to the Rock, Ribs and Ridges stage. Having not attended the Friday and Saturday shows, I excitedly arrived at the festival, enthused to be seeing three of the four performances that day. The sunny, fiercely hot day did not detract from fans coming to the fairgrounds in droves (as well as those who’d camped on the property for the weekend.) I made it just on time for the first performance of the day, Mattie Schell, a newer artist on the music scene, having just released her debut solo album Everything Means Nothing. Having seen Mattie Schell perform just several days prior, opening for the Allman Betts Band in Connecticut, I was thrilled to be seeing her again. Schell is an incredibly soulful vocalist. Her bluesy tone and rasp instantly conjure up thoughts and feelings of Amy Winehouse and Janis Joplin and her lyrics are heartfelt and relatable.
Schell and her bass player, husband Nate Gilbert, opened the set with the passionate title song from her album but quickly left the stage after the first number. Returning after about 20 minutes she shared with the audience that she’d felt like she was going to pass out. Now recuperated, Schell continued to beautifully perform numbers from her album for the next 20 minutes. “She really is great!” the security guard by the stage confirming to me what I had told him. “My son is in a band and I’m around music all the time. I’m not sure everyone here gets how great she really is. She’s like a combination of Amy Winehouse and Janis Joplin!” I was thrilled that my enthusiasm for Schell was matched by another (and I’m sure others.) Hopefully her debut album is just the start for this incredible vocalist and songwriter.
Arriving on the stage and bringing avid fans into the increasingly blazing hot sun at the stage front, was The Weight Band. The Weight Band, was formed in 2013 by Jim Weider, renowned guitarist and guitar player for The Band (as well as, Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble, Jim Weider Band) to carry on The Band’s legendary music. Over the past 12 years, The Weight Band, including keyboardist/vocalist Brian Mitchell (Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble), keyboardist/vocalist Matt Zeiner (Dickey Betts), drummer/vocalist Michael Bram (Jason Mraz) and bassist/vocalist Albert Rogers (Jim Weider Band, Jimmy Vivino), have done just that, bringing The Band’s beloved music to fans across the US and internationally. The Weight Band has also released four albums. Their second studio album, 2022’s Shines Like Gold showcases original music that exemplifies a dynamic Americana sound, mixing blues, country, soul, folk and roots rock. This masterful work is a clear sign that while The Weight Band is skilled at paying homage to the music of The Band, they’re also successful at creating their own identity.
That’s just what these musical artists did from the set’s opening number, a cover of The Band’s “Back to Memphis,” itself a 1973 cover of Chuck Berry’s 1967 recording. The audience’s attention was immediately engaged, the onstage energy helping to ward off thoughts about the sun’s burning rays. I was instantly engaged as well. With limited information about The Weight Band, and my first time at a performance, I didn’t know the musical backgrounds of the band members. I knew there was a “connection” to The Band but I didn’t know how they were related. Were members of The Band still performing with The Weight Band? Did The Weight Band include offspring of members of The Band (like the Allman Betts Band)? While I attempted to garner some quick information before the musicians’ arrival, my knowledge remained minimal.
When guitarist Jim Weider emerged onstage with his Fender Telecaster my first thought was he didn’t look like a typical rock-and-roller (age aside) with his patterned, short-sleeved button-down shirt, light-wash jeans and black track sneakers. However, the audience cheers and applause at his arrival made it clear this was not just any guitarist, nor any band member. Weider was clearly a “big deal” in the band. I quickly observed that while Weider remained on the end of stage left, and looked calm, cool and collected playing his guitar, as his fingers worked masterful magic on the strings. It was after the show that I realized Weider was not new to me. Six years prior, I’d photographed Weider during a Masters of the Telecaster performance in NYC. No wonder he demonstrated incredible guitar prowess…he’s a “Master of the Telecaster!”
Weider was not the only band member who displayed dynamic instrumental skills. Brian Mitchell, showcased his abilities on the keys on both the keyboard, and accordion, while Matt Zeiner took over on keyboard while Mitchell played accordion, then returned to performing on his Hammond organ. Anchoring the band at center-stage was bassist Albert Rogers, his emotional energy observed in his face, as he squinted his eyes, bowed his head and jammed on the bass. The sound and spirit of Americana, roots rock, folk rock music doesn’t lend itself to musicians making grand movements about the stage or displaying powerful energy on their instruments. The passion in the musicians’ performances is often more subtle and nuanced. Except maybe if you’re drummer Michael Bram who’s joyful and entertaining facial expressions made him the most visually impassioned performer in the band.
The band members’ energy and spirit was most clearly witnessed through their passionate vocal performances, both in their beautiful harmonies and well as when each member individually stepped out on lead. All four vocalists performed beautiful vocal renditions of The Band members’ distinctive vocals, while adding in their personal touch. Mitchell with the character and energy of his raspy, jiving vocal energy; Zeiner with a warm, rich powerful tone, and Rogers with a high, clear breezy sound. These talented and experienced musicians brought their individual musical abilities together creating a band that successfully blends their own style while keeping alive the classic sound and spirit of The Band. Songs in the set included: “One More Shot” (The Levon Helm Band cover), “Deal” (Jerry Garcia cover), “Shines Like Gold,” “Ophelia” (The Band cover), “Time is a Thief,” “Whistle Stop,” “Out of the Wilderness,” “Highway 61 Revisited” (Bob Dylan cover), “Chest Fever,” (The Band cover), “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” (The Band cover), “Up on Cripple Creek” (The Band cover) and “The Weight” (The Band cover.)
After two performances under the blazing sun you might think the crowd would begin to dissipate. However, you’d be mistaken. Up next at Rock, Ribs and Ridges was the beloved Allman Betts Band, a musical group with an avid fan following. Allman Betts Band has a wide range of fans that’s continued to grown in the 7 years since Devon Allman (song of Greg Allman) and Duane Betts (son of Dickey Betts) joined musical forces to create the Allman Betts Band. While some fans may have initially been come out to see the band as a way to connect with their beloved Allman Brothers Band, most have since become fans of the Allman Betts band as well, due to the incredible musical talents of this next generation of musicians.
This summer the Allman Betts Band’s tour, the Lucky Sevens Tour, has been celebrating seven years since the formation of the band. While in many marriages seven years is often considered a time of potential strife, “the seven year itch”, the Allman Betts Band remains intact and are still performing, though avid fans would love to see the release of a third album. While Devon and Duane have continued to tour separately and work on their own projects, they come back together to tour as the Allman Betts Band, thrilling fans by performing their vision for Southern rock music, as well as the iconic songs of their legendary fathers. The June 29th performance at Rock, Ribs and Ridges was the final day of the 2025 Lucky Sevens Tour, so both the band and the fans were ready for an end-of-tour blast.
A musical celebration was what the fans received, as the band was on fire, and not due to the intense heat. From the moment “Wash in CM7” instrumentally opened the set and segued to “Magnolia Road” (a band and fan favorite) the band members’ enthusiastic energy was evident, with Allman and Betts singing together and jamming on their guitars at centerstage. As singer-songwriters, Allman and Betts have written songs for their two albums, both together and individually. During the hour and a half set the two traded lead vocals on Allman Betts numbers, as well as a several beloved Allman Brothers classics. Combining their voices, the two created rich vocal harmonies, with fellow bandmates, Justin Corgan (bass, vocals), Alex Orbison (drums, vocals) and Johnny Stachela (slide guitar, vocals) additionally joining in the vocals.
With three lead guitar players, the multi-layered, harmonizing of Allman, Betts and Stachela’s guitars are a prominent feature of their sound. Betts is a master on the guitar and watching him passionately perform extended guitar pieces, on songs including “Autumn Breeze,” from their 2019 debut album Down to the River grabbed your attention. Coming to the edge of the stage, Allman waved his arms and signaled for the crowd to stand, for the next number, the iconic Allman Brothers’ song “Blue Sky.” Audience members did not need much encouragement, eagerly rising to their feet and joining Betts on lead vocals, as Stachela demonstrated phenomenal skills on slide guitar. Returning to their seats, audience members remained thrilled as the upbeat, feel-good guitar energy of “Blue Sky” transitioned to the powerful, aching spirit of the Allman Brothers’ “Midnight Rider,” with Allman’s soulful, dynamic vocals. “Thank you for supporting music made by real human beings!” Allman announced to the audience, who responded with resounding cheers. “No computers…just people making music!” The audience continued to applaud.
The set included “Raining Straight Down,” a number the Allman Betts Band was asked to record for a Neal Casal tribute album, as well as “Savannah’s Dream,” an incredible 12:00 minute instrumental composed by Betts, providing each guitar player opportunities to showcase their individual expertise on their guitar. “Good Ol’ Days,” and “Shinin” brought the band and the audience back to their debut album, before the set came to an end with the Allman Brothers’ exhilarating instrumental “Jessica,” giving John Ginty had an opportunity to showcase his dexterity, speed and musical expertise on the keys, and closing with the tender, touching iconic Allman Brothers’ “Melissa.” This combination of new and old, Allman Betts music and Allman Brothers music was a perfect ending to the Lucky Sevens Tour…the older generation having “brought” the younger generation together….a spark that helped ignite the Allman Betts Bands’ success. Here’s to the next lucky seven years!
The Rock, Ribs and Ridges Festival continued that evening with George Thorogood and the Destroyers. However, three performances on a extraordinarily hot day was enough for me. So, I departed very hot and very happy, having enjoyed a great day of classic, Southern, country, rock music. I think next year I am going to have to partake in the award-winning barbecue as well!!
