Over the rest of the weekend-long fest I caught more primo sounds. I'd heard some of Dan Eaton's stuff before, and my wife always comes running to the TV for new recipes whenever he's on, but I'd always pegged him as a mellow rocker. That's not the case at all. Eaton and his band laid down a rockin' roots-rock set that would've blown the lid off The Keg if it weren't in a basement.

Swati followed with her effects-augmented acoustic beatitude. She sings and plays pretty, and her use of electronic elements gives an added texture to the sound and story. Her tune about a hooker in Atlantic City was bittersweet and powerful.

Nevergreen mixed casual reggae with a casual groove the right way. Often the mixing of more than one casual equals a lazy. Not with these cats. The groove was righteous, and singer Sara Passamonte's voice is sexy smooth.

Despite all the hard work and talent, attendance was rather dismal. What this festival lacked was bigger names to anchor each night. How about Ray Davies or Paul Westerberg, or Ben Folds next year? Just a thought.

I'm not going to punish the pioneering music fans who were there; we know who we are. And I believe this festival is a good idea, and still has a good chance in the future.