Lost Sailor Brings Jam-Band Sound to Oakley’s
by Robert Brune
ARKVILLE — Labor Day weekend became a celebration of live music throughout Delaware County, and Oakley’s Wood-Fired Pizza and Grill joined the festivities by welcoming South Jersey band Lost Sailor to its outdoor summer stage for an evening of Grateful Dead-inspired improvisation and extended jams.
Performing in Oakley’s courtyard, Lost Sailor brought a sound rooted heavily in the Grateful Dead while incorporating influences from Phish and the broader improvisational jam-band tradition. Songs frequently opened into extended instrumental passages, allowing the musicians to explore the kind of spontaneous interplay that has defined both of the band’s primary influences.
The performance was particularly fitting for Oakley’s, where live music has become an increasingly important part of the Arkville restaurant’s identity. While Labor Day traditionally signals the unofficial end of summer, the Oakley’s Crew made it clear that the outdoor season is not finished.
“The summer at Oakley’s isn’t over yet,” the Oakley’s Crew said in a statement, announcing plans to continue presenting music on the outdoor stage through Halloween. The season will conclude with the restaurant’s second annual Halloween party, including prizes for costumes.
The restaurant also plans to continue karaoke every Friday with DJ Froggy appearing between scheduled events. An Oktoberfest celebration is being planned for the fall as well.
Oakley’s has expanded its capacity for the growing crowds with a new enclosed pavilion complementing the outdoor stage area. The Oakley’s Crew said the combined spaces now provide more than 300 seats, helping the restaurant accommodate customers during its busiest events.
“We are so happy to see new and familiar faces,” the crew said. “We welcome everybody and love our community.” They also credited the restaurant staff for working throughout the summer to serve customers across the expanded seating areas, adding, “We at Oakley’s say thank you to everybody.”
For Lost Sailor, Saturday’s appearance may also mark the beginning of a continuing relationship with the Catskills. The South Jersey musicians are avid skiers and plan to return to Oakley’s during the upcoming ski season. The band is also hoping to expand its winter presence in the region with potential performances around Belleayre Mountain, Hunter Mountain and Plattekill Mountain.
That combination of skiing and live music could make the Catskills a natural second home for a band already comfortable stretching songs into long, exploratory performances.
As Labor Day weekend wound down, Lost Sailor’s performance also demonstrated how the region’s traditional summer entertainment season increasingly stretches beyond the holiday itself. Oakley’s intends to keep its stage active into late October, and with ski season following soon afterward, live music in Arkville is showing few signs of slowing down. For Oakley’s, summer may be ending. The music isn’t.
