10 Best Mountain Jam Performances

Less than a month after the death of Beastie Boy Adam “MCA” Yauch, the Roots hit the stage of Mountain Jam VIII to rock a stellar performance of the B-Boys’ classic ‘Paul Revere’ in his honor.

Singer-songwriter Citizen Cope appeared at Mountain Jam IV, turning in a groove-heavy version of ‘Let the Drummer Kick,’ a tune off his 2002 self-titled debut album.

Brooklyn, N.Y.’s own Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds headed upstate in the summer of ’12 to show off their eclectic blend of gut-busting soul and new-school funk. Here, the nine-piece act perform ‘Make It Rain.’

Few performers today are as impassioned as Charles Bradley, a former James Brown impersonator who signed with funk revival label Daptone Records in 2002 and finally issued his debut album, ‘No Time for Dreaming,’ in 2011. ‘Why Is It So Hard’ is a definite standout, and he performs it here with his six-piece backing band, the Extraordinaires.

Ben Folds Five reunited for their first proper concert performance in more than a dozen years as one of the headliners of Mountain Jam 2012. Check out bassist Robert Sledge’s unplugged guitar cord solo at about the two-thirds mark of this, their run-through of ‘Song for the Dumped.’

This ain’t your little brother’s version of ‘Pumped Up Kicks.’ The Travelin’ McCourys are joined by Virginian guitarist Keller Williams for a bluegrass version of the song that put Foster the People on the map.

Alaska-born, Oregon-based progressive rockers Portugal. The Man were a part of the Mountain Jam lineup back in 2011. Watch them here performing ‘People Say,’ the lead single off their 2009 debut album, ‘The Satanic Satanist.’

Another Brooklyn-based act headed north as Jewish rapper Matisyahu hit the stage of Mountain Jam in 2010 to perform ‘One Day,’ the gold-certified single from his 2009 album, ‘Light.’

This infectious number may have been a tad overplayed when it surfaced on Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ 2009 debut album, ‘Up From Below,’ but it’s always a welcome addition to any set list — and this 2011 performance is no exception.

The Avett Brothers teamed up with Simone Felice of Upstate New York rockers the Felice Brothers at Mountain Jam VII for a compelling cover of the Bob Dylan classic ‘Just Like a Woman,’ which first turned up on the folk-rock icon’s 1966 album ‘Blonde on Blonde.’