Muskrat Flats rock Ohmfest 2020 and Pay Homage to their Heroes
In August 2020, the very first Ohmfest Music & Yoga Festival took place in Dover, Delaware. Ohmfest founders, Ruby Zulkowski and Johnathan Web Plummer, had originally scheduled the festival for late April 2020, but with the still new Covid-19 pandemic affecting parts of the country it became evident that the event would have to be postponed.
The festival was rescheduled for the end of August and proper precautions were put in place to make the weekend safe as well as fun. The event was limited to 250 people and CDC guidelines were implemented. Aside from some mixed weather causing problems on Saturday morning and afternoon, the weekend was a total success. Muskrat Flats played two fiery sets with highlights that included one new original, Funk Machine, and a couple of supercharged covers, the first of which came in the opening set. After playing Criminally Mine and Terrapin Terrace the gang dropped into a monstrous Help on the Way (Grateful Dead). As to not disappoint, the band quickly followed suit with a wild Slipknot (GD) into Franklin’s Tower (GD).
Download HELP ON THE WAY/SLIPKNOT/FRANKLIN’S TOWER— FREE!!
The second set would then finish with a dynamite version of the band’s song Smile with the Disco Biscuits’ …and the Ladies were the Rest of the Night sandwiched right in between. The ending of the show concluded with a reprise of Smile and a chorus of voices chanting, “…hey, he’s a Catfish…put him back in the water..!” This concluded the second set and night one of Ohmfest.
Of course we would be remiss without mentioning more of the Muskrat team performing behind the scenes. The evening’s concertgoers were also treated to a beautiful visual backdrop by LandEye Lights and sound engineer Mike Tate. The two delivered pristine sound coupled with beautiful dynamic visuals. Mike Tate is credited with mixing the soundboard audio for the new album Live at Ohmfest 2020.
This show truly does mark a clear delineation for the band. A couple of years of hard work seem to be paying off with the band gaining increasing recognition in the scene. The full audio can be heard here. Unfortunately, only the first set video survived the weekend. I guess every festival has its follies. The first set video with full soundboard mix can be found here on the band’s YouTube.
Last but certainly not least, the final touches to the Live at Ohmfest 2020 came with a little help from friend of the band, Jon Gannon (a.k.a. Blast Boyo). His ornate design seems to fit perfectly with the band’s vibe. The image he produced for the band is depicted above.