Former New Groove of the Month U-Melt performed alongside RAQ, New Monsoon, The Codetalkers, Green Lemon, Particle and several other acts at Asheville, NCs first annual Ashefest this past weekend. U-Melt performed late night Friday and welcomed three members of another nocturnal group, Particle, to the stage for an extended jam during a cover of Medeski, Martin & Wood’s ‘Bubblehouse.’ During the song, Particle’s Steve Molitz joined U-Melt’s Zac Lasher behind the keys, while Particle’s Eric Gould replaced U-Melt’s Adam Bendy on bass and Darren Pujalet took over for George Miller on drums. U-Melt’s rhythm section then section returned to the stage to finish the song, before slipping into the original Panacea.
Particle offered its own set Saturday night and used the opportunity to debut a handful of new originals including The Great Unknown and Find A Way. A troupe of firedancers also performed in front of the stage during the early portion of the groups set, before moving to the stage to perform behind the Los Angeles quartet. Later that evening, Gould and Pujalet stuck around to jam with another former New Groove of the Month, Green Lemon, during their late night set.
Particle begins a three night run through Alaska on September 6, while U-Melts summer tour will continue this Thursday with a show at Ann Arbor, MIs The Blind Pig.