This past Saturday I had the pleasure of attending BreakFEST, a single day, four band chillfest. Our gps led us to a barely marked dirt road somewhere in the middle of New Hampshire. We arrived at the gate to the festival which was marked with only a single balloon, a Mondo Gecko sticker and a “Private Drive” sign. We had to laugh. In front of us was a seriously steep dirt road, full of rocks and uneven terrain. Our sedan would not be climbing this hill. So we grabbed what little gear we brought and began trekking up the mountain. I was delighted to find wild raspberries growing all along this little road.

As we walked, we started to faintly hear some music. It grew louder as we walked and our anticipation grew. Finally I could make out what the band was playing. It was an awesome rendition of the classic Grateful Dead song Bertha!  Later I found out that Tim Palmieri and Jordan Giangreco from The Breakfast were sitting in with Mondo Gecko for this tune).  At this point I was jumping up and down with excitement and knew that Mondo Gecko was in full swing, jamming away. We continued up the road and arrived at the festival grounds. A small clearing on a fairly steep hill, complete with a small stage, merch tent, an outhouse, and about 40 tents. This place was cool. Really small and relaxed, no hassles at all (well except for getting there). The band kept going and played a stellar version of The Lizards, by Phish and rounded it off with a hefty handful of original tunes as well. My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed the music created by this four piece Boston band out of Berklee School of Music, known as Mondo Gecko. Their seamless blend of funk, jazz, and psychedelic rock is upbeat, infectious and more than enough to satisfy a craving for some fun jam music. After their show, I was able to sit down with the band and talk with them about how they got their start, their musical influences, and their plans for the future. Read the interview here