The Capitol Groove is Connecticut’s newest entry in the national summer music festival craze. Over the last few years, Connecticut has offered a summer-ending music festival at the shore, to varying results. In 2024, the folks at GoodWorks Entertainment began The Capitol Groove Festival in the heart of downtown Hartford to kick the summer off. For the second year in a row, it was a very well run, fan-friendly festival.
Please scroll down for the MisplacedStraws Capitol Groove photos and review.
Day 1
This year’s festival was really two distinct musical days. Day 1 was, what I call, the “vibes” day with more laid back, jazzy, r&b, jam-type bands, while Day 2 was more of the “riffs” day with energetic, guitar-based rock. Saturday kicked off with performances by Ghost Funk Orchestra, Improvement Movement, and Too Many Zooz, who were a late addition when Ripe was unable to perform. I arrived in time for reggae legends Steel Pulse. The British roots reggae band are celebrating their 50th anniversary and performed a set touching on their entire career.
San Diego’s Thee Sacred Souls were up next with their brand of soul mixed with pop and r&b. Frontman Josh Lane is a fantastic performer who consistently kept the crowd gathered toward the stage engaged, even climbing up on the barriers to get closer to the people in the front. While those near the stage were into the performance, the soulful vibes didn’t quite translate to those further back on the huge park lawn. This was a theme that persisted throughout the more mellow of the two days.
Thundercat held the next spot, the last before the headliners. My knowledge of Thundercat consists mainly of his time as bassist for thrash-punk icons Suicidal Tendencies. His solo work, while showing off his incredible bass playing skills, is a far cry style-wise from that band. Thundercat took the stage with a drummer and keyboard player and immediately showed his immense talent on the six-string bass. His set consisted of songs with long instrumental sections that would have played very well in a small theater, but didn’t necessarily succeed in the penultimate spot of an outdoor summer festival. There was little buzz in the crowd. Those seated on the lawn seemed to treat the set more as background music than a must-watch performance.
Saturday’s headline spot was held by Texas trio Khruangbin. The trio, bassist Laura Lee Ochoa, guitarist Mark Speer, and drummer Donald “DJ” Johnson, walked out onto a large, sparse, backlit stage with clouds of fog everywhere. The set leaned heavily on their 2024 release A LA SALA, which earned them a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist (even though they have been around since 2010). The band’s mix of global influences and psychedelia kept with the “vibes” feel of the day. Khruangbin live is more about creating an atmosphere for you to find your own enjoyment in the sounds rather than the tradition rock concert where the band is there to entertain you. The large crowd seemed into the set and locked into the trance-like music as the sun went down over Bushnell Park.
Day 2
While Day 1 featured a more mellow, chill lineup, Day 2 brought the rock. Spectre Jones and The Greeting Committee kicked off the first two slots of the day, but it was Fantastic Negrito who provided the early fireworks with a blazing set in the hot afternoon sun. With smoking guitar playing and a killer backing band, Fantastic Negrito showed that Day 2 would be totally different from Day 1. As his set went on, you could see the crowd take notice and move to the front. Fantastic Negrito is a consummate showman who was extremely comfortable on a large festival stage.
Alabama’s St. Paul and The Broken Bones were next up in the sweltering heat of day. Frontman Paul Janeway began the set a la Alannis Morrissette, pacing back and forth across the stage in constant movement. Janeway has a stage presence that can’t be denied, at one point he donned a sparkly, James Brown-style cape and headed toward the crowd. One of the highlights of their well-received set was vocalist Sammy Rae (of Sammy Rae & The Friends) joining the band for a spectacular cover of Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream”. This was my first time experiencing St. Paul and the Broken Bones live, but it definitely won’t be the last. The band was tight, the vocals were amazing, I would love to see the band do their thing in a headlining set.
Sammy Rae was back in the next slot with her band Sammy Rae & The Friends. I wasn’t familiar with the band prior but thoroughly enjoyed their set. Rae, a Connecticut native, was clearly moved to be performing at a festival where the stage faced the gorgeous state capitol building, even leading the crowd in a UCONN chant. The band’s mix of rock, pop, and funk was perfect on a hot summer day, and I have to say that I don’t think I have ever seen a band have as much fun on stage as Sammy Rae & The Friends. Whether it was their own material or covers (their newest single is the Genesis cover “That’s All” and they played a joyous version of Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4”) the band was smiling and enjoying every minute, as was the crowd.
Alt rock icons Cake had the next-to-last slot of the day. Led by John McCrea’s distinctive vocal style, the band leaned heavily on their 1996 record Fashion Nugget while crafting a set of deep cuts and hits. The band hasn’t had a new record in quite some time, but classic-era hits like “Never There”, “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”, and “The Distance” reminded fans of what a strong live band Cake was and still is.
The final set of the festival belonged to New Jersey’s Jack Antonoff and his band Bleachers. My introduction to Bleachers was their take on “Prisoners of Paradise” on the Jesse Malin tribute record Silver Patron Saints. Upon hearing that cover, I checked out some of their material. I could tell Antonoff was a very talented songwriter, but the sort of antiseptic production of the songs didn’t grab me, so I was very interested to hear them live. I can honestly say I was hugely impressed. Antonoff and his 5-man band breathe life into these songs on stage. A track like “Don’t Go Dark” becomes an anthem live, one that rivals some of the great New Jersey rock anthems. Everyone in the crowd, from those upfront to the people way out on the lawn were engaged and singing along as the band hit on all four of its studio albums, plus a song they debuted the previous night, oddly enough at the Stone Pony Summer Stage, with the familiar New Jersey title “Blood Brothers”. Bleachers was a great end to a fun Day 2.
Overall, The Capitol Groove was a big success from a fan standpoint. Parking in the area is plentiful, the grounds are easy to navigate, tons of food options, bathrooms and water bottle filling stations. This year also saw a second stage and picnic tables on the other side of the park. Saturday saw a fairly large crowd, but the Sunday crowd seemed sparse in comparison. I like the idea of two separately curated days, but I can’t help thinking if a little more star-power is needed to pull it off. I mentioned at the beginning that Connecticut also has a summer-ending festival, Bleachers was the headliner of that festival just 9 months ago. With no new music, fans may not be looking to spend festival prices to see the band again so soon. Cake hasn’t had new music in over a decade, while St. Paul and The Broken Bones just played the area a few months back.
The Capitol Groove is a great fan experience. I would love to see the lineup evolve to make it a bigger draw and have this become a yearly summer kick off tradition in Connecticut.
