Gathering Of The Vibes

Added to music I've seen are the following bands, all at Gathering of the Vibes: Sea Side Park - Bridgeport, CT:
Keller Williams and Moseley, Droll & Sipe
George Clinton and P-Funk
Deep Banana Blackout
moe.
Moonalice
Assembly of Dust
Max Creek
The Levon Helm Band
Bob Weir and Ratdog


This was an awesome time...It was my first festival and it was everything I expected and some things I didn't. It was hot in Bridgeport, people were family in a respect, and everyone enjoyed themselves fairly well. All of this I expected. I did not expect that moe. would only play for 20 minutes, but a ridiculous thunderstorm made it a necessity. But expectations usually get shattered at shows. I got there just in time for the last couple of Keller Williams songs and he didn't dissapoint, but I was sad to miss most of the set. Damn traffic! The Vibes dance that he did was priceless as Keller's dancing always is, and his backing band (Moseley, Droll & Sipe ) was fantastic as well.

George Clinton and P-funk was good but not great, I can see their appeal but it just didn't grip me as well as the other bands did. I caught the last little bit of Deep Banana Blackout and it seemed like they had an all right thing going on as well.

moe. came on and started to establish their groove playing a pretty slow but energetic version of mexico. It was the perfect set-up before they really got into it and then, the rain came. soaking everyone and forcing tarp over the equipment it came down in droves with huge lightning strikes lighting up the sky. I went to bed around 1:15 with no hope of seeing moe. and doubtful that late night performance "Lettuce" would be coming on. I was sadly mistaken.

The next day, Moonalice started us off in the morning with a fantastic set, especially their rendering of Sugaree. I spent a good deal of time surveying vendors, with some beautiful things. and wandered away the day with some good tunes on stage with the likes of Max Creek. I was also not expecting the State Radio show to be canceled and was even more deeply saddened when I found out that it is led by one of the members of Dispatch, a high school favorite of mine. Guster came on and I went back to the tent but caught a bit of it when I went back and on the radio in the shuttle ride. It wasn't really anything special and I felt it was a bit musically bland for a show with so much talent for improvisation and grooviness. But to each their own.

Levon Helm's Band was fantastic, I am a huge fan of "The Band" but it was neat to see what Levon did for his own project. It really showed his true colors in a unique way. Bob Weir came on and did a couple of songs with him which were good as well. Levon had other band members fill in for the singing which was a disappointment but I only hope he's in good health and will give us more good times in the future. Seeing Levon was a huge treat for me as I've been woken up with the band on many many days through my life and have always held their songs dear. Especially good from this set was a version of The Weight.

Bob Weir was good as well although I didn't stay for long as I had a six hour ride home. This also means that I missed Sunday, which is too bad as I'm sure that Buddy Guy and Crosby Stills and Nash put on amazing shows.

Overall, an amazing first festival experience. moe.down here I come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If anyone finds any tapes of any of the performances, please send them to me or shoot me a link.

Branches

Today awoke suddenly,
A mad sun burning
Through clouds. His ego
Shining through to the ground.
Fumbling through the day
Riding a wobbly train,
An enormous bleeding stain
in the reflection of sky.

Leaves piled high on branches,
Below, the shade's screams grow as
Grass begging for light,
Panicking for water,
And burning in forest fires
From the anger
Of the lonely sun.

While I've Been Gone

Lately I've been up to getting pretty much nowhere. I had a great opportunity arise for my living situation, I'll be moving back east of Albany to live with family for a year while I take a leave of absence form school. I'll have a good job and possibly be able to quasi-apprentice at a recording studio. I would be able to really get my feet under me over the next year and it'll really help me get ahead of the game a little.

I've been doing a little guitar playing, not much as I was out of town digging ditches for a few days but some. I have been contemplating doing a little drawing as well and look forward to actually carrying through with it. I've been obsessing over my last.fm as well as looking into getting some recording stuff so that I could start up my own recording gig. I'd love to record some demos for my friends and such. I've also been learning a decent amount about cars. I learned the basics of how an engine works, so that was neat. Howstuffworks.com had some fun animation that was also very helpful.

I'm about to make a big life change but I'm excited for it. I don't mind change and I do my best to embrace it even though I miss the way things used to be. But I'll be back in a year and we can start anew.

Look forward to a post either before or after the weekend. I may put up an album review and also a line-up for the Gathering Of The Vibes Festival that I will be attending Thursday-Sunday. Please feel free to comment on any past, present, or future posts as the comment feature is fixed.

Salutations from the side hill,
Zah

Another Shot At That Red Head

Just try not to let life walk right by your cage; bite that motherfucker.

One More Shot At That Red Head
Dedicated to my father.

When I think of you
Up in a corner where your
Spirit hangs
You and some red head that crossed your mind
Batting eye lashes over some green eyes
And you two just sway to the sound
Of your beating heart
Pumping so far away in this hospital room
Thanks for leaving some music so that we don't have to just sit here in the silence
I've thought of what I would say to you
To your last tune
I tried it all.
I said I love you and thank you and goodbye and I'll never forget you and that you were so strong and how you lived so good.
But none of that ever needed to be said and
Neither did anything else
After all, what do you say to the man who
Gave you everything?
I had my foot down and I made record speed
I said hi and I cried but not like the day I realized I was your son and the grey sky smiled and the truth came.
But how's that redhead?
Careful Pa,
I didn't like the last one.

driving rain

driving rain

I'm lost in found footage
Footsteps of film reals
Tearing down the freeway
In a muscle in the arm
Of some indignant youth
Like a blood cell in an organic
Traffic jam, and we're all staring
At the crash but it wasn't our fault.

The only words that come
Out of my lips are brambles
And broken sighs that feel
So good to exhale but don't
Make me feel as though I'm
Breathing; the feeling of feeling
Can sometimes
Take your breath away.

The Life and Times of a Cosmic Sheep

The Life and Times of a Cosmic Sheep

I don't feel like writing about
how we are all alive, I've
convinced myself for now
and I think we all understand.

I don't feel like writing about
how there is some intrinsic
universe filled with energy
matter and darkness.

I don't feel like writing about
myself. I am what I am and
I will stay that for now, but soon
a change will happen.

I don't feel like writing about
war or poverty or race issues
or news headlines as I think
it's all a misunderstanding.

I do not feel like writing about
my issues and my problems
my struggles as a human
my dumbness as a cosmic sheep.
But what else is there?

Writer's Decomposeur

Writer's Decomposeur

I have no words, no images
just overwhelming life
living through me. Call it the universe
call it god, call it out on all the things that
it's doing wrong but you still can't
change the past even though it seeps
into the presents that we put under
trees and watch all the leaves fumble
and fall and gather on stone walls
in orchards and fields they duel for a place to
decompose back into the earth.

Modest Mouse: Good News For People Who Love Bad News

As a side note, I realize that I primarily review albums that are rather old, but I more do it to show what I like and the music that has helped or moved me the most. Enjoy!

This album has been practically a life saver to me. Isaac Brock's introspective lyrics and his jagged guitar get inside of my head and almost allow me to have conversations with myself because the music feels so relevant to real life for me. It is the perfect album to get me out of a slump and also to make me understand how beautiful life is no matter what it dishes out. Lines like "If life's not beautiful with all the pain, I'd rather never ever see beauty again," and "If it takes shit to make bliss, well I'm living pretty blissfully." Both of those lines are from the track titled "The View." He perfectly captures mortality, struggle, pain, and hardship and its place amidst the beauty of living life. As my friend once said, the words feel so good. Amen.