Jimi Hendrix's Shokan House — Electric Sky Church

In the summer of 1969, Jimi Hendrix leased a large house in West Shokan, in the Catskills near Woodstock, which he used as a base for rehearsals and communal living in the weeks leading up to the Woodstock Festival. He called the loose musical collective that gathered there the 'Electric Sky Church,' and the sessions were an attempt to develop a new, more expansive approach to his music beyond the Experience. The house hosted a rotating cast of musicians, friends, and hangers-on through the summer.

Hendrix's appearance at Woodstock on August 18, 1969 — the final performance of the festival, delivered to a depleted crowd at sunrise — became one of the most iconic moments in rock history, particularly his deconstructed rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' The Shokan house rehearsals were part of his preparation for that performance and for the Band of Gypsys project that would follow. The Catskills setting appealed to Hendrix as a quieter alternative to New York City.

The West Shokan house is a private residence in the rural Catskill Mountains and is not accessible to the public. The area retains a wild, forested character, and the Ashokan Reservoir — one of New York City's main water sources — is visible nearby. Visitors to the Woodstock area sometimes seek out the general vicinity as part of broader Hendrix pilgrimage itineraries.