Jamming at a summer music festival isn’t hard to do, but choosing which ones to attend can cause quite the debacle for concertgoers.

For the jam-band scene, one particular festival incorporates all of the fixings needed for an incredible four days of music enjoyment.

The All Good Music Festival and Campout was named one of the best summer festivals by Rolling Stone Magazine because of its diverse line-up and harmonious setting surrounded by West Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains.

The festival is held on Marvin’s Mountaintop in Masontown, W.Va., with 655 acres of land for roughly 20,000 people to camp, shop and rock to 40 hours of electronic, jam, rock, bluegrass, reggae and funk.

“The setting is so ideal. You’re on top of this mountain in West Virginia with a rural terrain,” said Rob Barraco, keyboardist of the band Dark Star Orchestra. “You really get the feeling that you’re outside of the box there.”

One major factor in setting apart the All Good Festival from other summer fests is the adjacent stages for the performances. Because there are no overlapping sets, attendees won’t miss any performers on the two side-by-side stages.

“You can actually see every band that’s on the line-up,” said Dave Weissman, All Good Festival media director. “You don’t have to run from stage to stage to see it.”

The fans chose 40 to 60 percent of the acts. Included bands are Furthur featuring Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, Widespread Panic, Umphrey’s McGee, Yonder Mountain String Band, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi Band, Dark Star Orchestra, The New Deal and Fort Knox Five, among others.

This year attendees can look forward to four days of music instead of three, with the Thursday Throw-Down, which hosts the extra night of music on the main stage. A four-day pass will include admission to the Thursday Throw-Down featuring Dark Star Orchestra, The New Deal, Fort Knox Five and several small performances.

“In terms of things that are new, we are just polishing things we already have and just adding a few more things that are new. We can’t really shift it too much,” Weissman said.
The All Good Festival will be held in Masontown, W.Va., from July 8 to 11. Tickets are $169, camping included.

From Columbus to the front gate at the All Good, it’s roughly a four-hour drive.

“It’s a skip and a jump from Ohio to West Virginia,” Barraco said. “Within the Mid-West they (Ohio State students) aren’t going to find a better festival.”