Peter Shapiro, Dave Frey and Hamageddon ©Jay Blakesberg

“This is kind of like the second LOCKN’ in a way,” festival co-founder Peter Shapiro reflects, as he looks ahead to this year’s event. “In many respects, it’s both the second and the sixth. It’s the sixth overall but we’re in the second year of hosting the event on the Infinity Downs side, which is where it will continue to live on. Last year was awesome but the second year of anything affords you the chance to make tweaks. Even if the first year was great like last year, you see things you want to improve. I’m excited to see how that plays out in a lot of small but important ways.”

Dave Frey, who created the festival with Shapiro, shares a similar eagerness for festivalgoers to experience these upgrades and enhancements, starting with the site’s new greenery. Earlier this year, LOCKN’s neighbors at Waynesboro Tree Nursery transplanted nearly two dozen mature trees onto the site. Frey explains, “There is no better shade structure than a tree and we strategically planted them where they will not impede sight lines.”

Frey and Shapiro both reference a series of improvements, large and small, extending from the concert field all the way down to Garcia’s Forest. However, rather than identifying each of these, they encourage folks to discover them on their own.

One of the additions that will become immediately evident is the 14 foot high, 18 foot long metal sculpture known as Hamageddon. This culinary art installment cooks a pig-on-a-spit in its belly, while intermittently blasting flames from its nose and rump. Here, chef Craig Hartman and his team from Virginia’s BBQ Exchange will serve pulled pork sandwiches throughout the fest. What’s more, on Friday, legendary bluesman and equally adept pit master Taj Mahal will contribute his own recipe and host a conversation about his efforts.

Frey enlisted the musician to participate, harking back to the 1995 installment of the traveling H.O.R.D.E. festival which Frey created along with Blues Traveler frontman John Popper (Blues Traveler will make their LOCKN’ debut this Sunday and Popper may well share a H.O.R.D.E. story or two at 7:45 PM that night when he signs copies of his memoir, Suck & Blow: And Other Stories I’m Not Supposed To Tell, in the Relix Tent at the Market).

Frey recalls how Mahal kept himself occupied on the road during his stint on H.O.R.D.E.: “Taj coordinated the Workshop Stage and everywhere we went he would call his friends for these unannounced jam sessions. One of the most memorable had three bass players: Les Claypool, Mark Sandman (Morphine) and Taj himself, with Clyde Stubblefield on drums. Early on, Taj also asked if we could get him a cooker. So we bought him a cylinder and on show days, Taj would make a list of ingredients that we would give to a runner to pick up for him. Taj would start slow cooking around noon and over the next 10-12 hours, he would drop spices in and do his thing. Then, by the time of load-out, the crew would stop by his bus and there would be a ladle and bowl. It was amazing. He’d make stews, jambalaya, all of sorts of really, really good food. So when we knew we’d have Hamageddon, we asked him if he had a great recipe for a pig-on-a-spit and of course he did because he’s a master chef. So on Friday he’ll be there to prepare it and when it comes off the spit, he’ll lead a Q&A.”

©Jay Blakesberg

One aspect out of the founders’ immediate purview, but one that Shapiro readily identifies as an altogether novel, positive development this year is the dazzling weather forecast. Four sunny, temperate days are projected for LOCKN’ 2018. Dead & Company’s Mickey Hart first took note of this prognosis a few days ago and sent a text to Shapiro, alerting him of the meteorological projections and joking that it was “fake news.”

“We’ve never had a forecast like this,” Shapiro raves. “It’s the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in late August, where there has always been a partial chance of thunderstorms. I’ve never seen these four days line up with four days of sun. Even when we did end up having four days of sun, the initial forecast was never like that.”

Beyond the setting and the infrastructure, Frey and Shapiro are both keen to talk about the music. This year will maintain the festival’s longstanding tradition of collaborative performances. As in past years, some of these have been announced in advance, a few have been set in motion but will remain a secret, while others will unfold in the moment. Frey explains that all of this is by design, particularly the opportunity for spontaneous sit-ins. “Bands never have a chance to hang out,” he offers. “Even at other festivals, they typically show up, they play and then they leave. It’s just another stop on the tour. But LOCKN’ is different because you have these bands for several days watching each other’s shows. It not only makes them step up their game but there are also plenty of conversations about music and invitations to play together. It leads to on-the-spot connections and opportunities that don’t normally happen. This year we have Dead & Co., Tedeschi Trucks Band, Umphrey’s, Keller, JRAD and Lettuce all here for several days.”

Dead & Company guitarist John Mayer has suggested he’s already embracing the LOCKN’ spirit, as this past weekend on SiriusXM’s Tales From the Golden Road, he shared his enthusiasm for what’s to follow: “There are a lot of bands I want to go see…My guitar will not be in its case very much while the festival is going on…I don’t even know that I’ll have a guitar case with me while I’m there. I want to play as much as I can.”

On Sunday night Mayer will participate in what may well be this year’s most anticipated set, which is Branford Marsalis’ guest appearance with Dead & Company. This performance will nod to Branford’s celebrated sit-ins with the Grateful Dead, starting on 3/29/90, followed by subsequent musical explorations on 12/31/90, 9/10/91, 12/10/93 and 12/16/94. Shapiro acknowledges, “When we started thinking Grateful Dead and guests, the first one we came up with was Branford. We worked to bring it about and we were happy that we were able to do so.”

As for another announced collab, Shapiro reveals, “We’ve been trying to get Jason Bonham to LOCKN’ with Umphrey’s for several years now, so we’re psyched that it’s finally going to happen. Here’s something else that people probably don’t know: I heard that Bonham came to an Umphrey’s show in Florida last week just to hang out, so that they could all get to know each other. That’s awesome and it bodes well for what’s going to happen on Friday.”

Margo Price’s pairing with Widespread Panic came about differently, as it resulted from Price’s well-received set at LOCKN’ 2017. “One cool thing is when artists play LOCKN’, they want to come back,” Shapiro explains. “Unlike most other festivals which might say, ‘We just had them last year,’ at LOCKN’ we’re happy to have them back and build that relationship. So Margo played last year and this year we offered her the opportunity to play with Widespread. Thankfully, she was into it, just like we all were.”

Indeed, another one of LOCKN’s hallmarks has been the steady presence of stellar artists. Widespread Panic will make their fifth go-round at the event this year, as will Tedeschi Trucks Band, Umphrey’s McGee and Joe Russo. At least one member of the Grateful Dead’s “Cour Four” has performed at each LOCKN’, while Virginia native Keller Williams has been on stage at all six.

So too, many folks on the crew and in the audience will keep their LOCKN’ streaks alive in 2018. Ultimately, it is the community of attendees, both newbies and vets, representing all 50 states this year, that both Frey and Shapiro reference as they sum up their feelings about what is to ensue over the coming days.

“In past years when we’ve all come together, I’ve been excited to see the extent to which people have really looked out for one another,” Frey observes. “It’s truly heartening and I expect it will happen again this year, which will ensure that all of us a have a truly great experience.”

“Our job is to set it up and that’s what we’ve done,” Shapiro adds. “Even the skies are set up, and after six years we think the fest is going to be the best it’s ever been. Now it’s time for the musicians and the fans take over. I’m excited for that part.”