Photo by Jesse Faatz

The annual Northlands Music & Arts Festival returned to Swanzey, NH over the weekend. As previously reported, the multi-day event boasted what will likely be the only performance by The Slip this calendar year, though drummer Joe Russo ended up filling in for Andrew Barr at the last minute. 

The New Hampshire event also served as the backdrop for a reunion performance by Twiddle. On Friday, Twiddle guitarist Mihali invited out founding Twiddle keyboardist Ryan Dempsey near the end of a set with his current solo band, which features two members of the most recent Twiddle lineup–bassist Zdenek Gubb and drummer Adrian Tramontano–for a pair of Twiddle tunes, “Syncopated Healing” and “When It Rains It Poors.” Twiddle officially went on hiatus in November 2023, but the quartet did make a surprise appearance at Vermont’s Frendly Gathering last summer. 

The festival also fostered a number of collaborations. During a Sunday headlining set by the Disco Biscuits, singer Kanika Moore emerged to help the group debut a cover of Christine McVie’s classic late-’80s Fleetwood Mac song “Everywhere.” Moore then remained on stage as the band busted out their take of Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar” for the first time since June 7, 2023. Also of note, the group opened their show with a standalone song, a version of “Digital Buddha,” for the first time since October 30, 2015, according to DiscoBiscuits.net. 

The two-set show capped off a busy day, full of cross-pollination. Earlier Sunday, Moore joined both Andy Frasco & The U.N. for “Perfectly Yours” and “Dancin’ Around My Grave” and Jennifer Hartswick for a take on Sonny Thompson’s “I’ll Drown in My Tears.” (At other points during the weekend, Hartswick made an appearance with Frasco on David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” and both Frasco and Disco Biscuits keyboardist Aron Magner made their way to the campground stage to jam with Moore.) And not to be outdone in the sit in department, Frasco turned in a surprise appearance with Sqwerv for “Tweezing in the Name” on Sunday, and Dogs in the Pile covered Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady” for the first time with the help of Moore and Natalie Brooke on Saturday.