Don't like the weather? Wait a minute....

Telluride Bluegrass Festival, June 19-22, 2008; Telluride, CO

It’s raining and small chunks of snow are dropping from the sky. I suppose it’s supposed to be hail, but it’s so warm that it just hits the ground with a bit of a “sploosh”. This is happening right now. Look at that sky. But, at the moment I am sitting on the back balcony at the home of my new friend, Mark, listening to The Dhuks at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. I can hear the music from the guy’s back porch…it doesn’t get much better than that.

Telluride, in and of itself, is a pretty amazing place – and the Bluegrass Festival here epitomizes the town. This festival is the antitheses of Bonnaroo, which was something of a daily battle to survive. Telluride has been a complete pleasure. The air is crisp and clean, the days have been sunny and comfortable (except for the moment – and I’m currently well protected), all of the people have been a pleasure to meet…. It’s simply a joy to be here.

Everyone really cares about the entire event. The staff, the festivarians, the artists... People LOVE this place. This is the 35^th year of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, these folks have honed the art of festivation. There are general guidelines about how things function here, and people accept them and follow them – not only willingly, but with passion. The festival takes place in the town park and there are lines “painted” on the grass to delineate different areas of “seating” which are respected 100%. There are places for everyone. Sun-shelters are allowed up to one point, high-backed chairs to another, low-backed chairs and so on. …and the people respect these areas. There is even a “no-tarp” area behind the sound-board tower designated for dancers.

My favorite sign is one of the first you see once you come through the gates. It reads: “ALL SMOKERS: PLEASE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE COMFORT OF ALL NON-SMOKING FESTIVARIANS”. I love the sign, and I love even more that it is taken completely seriously. After feeling totally smoked out at Bonnaroo, with all the cigarette and cigar smoke (yes, cigars were rampant at Bonnaroo) lingering in the thick humid air, this is literally a breath of fresh air.

Another great experience, from Mark’s back porch, is watching the daily “Land Grab”. This happens when the gates open and the people who have been waiting in line all night and day (often in shifts – called “line sitting”) are allowed in to stake their claims with their tarps and sun-shelters and so-on. They actually play a recording of the William Tell Overture (played on the Banjo, of course) as the people sprint across the field and find the perfect spot to throw out their tarps in a flourish to mark their territory for the day. It is truly a sight to behold. Mark tells me that they sit in line and give each other tips on the best way to fold the tarps so they can unfold them most efficiently once they get to the desired spot.

…hmm….remember the snow and rain? It’s gone, and the sun is now beating down on my legs as they stretch out before me. I’ll write about the music another time. I think it’s time for me to go get changed and get on with the festivating!

It’s all about people…

One morning at Bonnaroo, Brandon sort of lamented about how he wants to do some traveling to discover new landscapes – but it disappoints him that the people he meets along the way will influence his response to the world around him. I was fascinated. To me, what is an experience with out other people? I think humans are naturally social creatures – some more than others, but still, we all depend on and respond to other people in some way or another. Sure, scenery has something to do with experiences, but.... I would still be living in the beautiful Northwest, in the shadow of Mount Rainier, if it hadn’t been for the people in my life who I realized were simply more important that mountains and temperate weather.

I know for a fact that my experience at Bonnaroo would have been completely different if Brandon and I hadn’t met at check-in and camped next to one another. If my neighbor had been any of the other pre-fest volunteers, I am sure I’d have had a fine time, but I think that because we were both on our own when we arrived, it created a bond between us. It just happened very organically. We set up our camps together, shared space and time and energy and conversation… we sort of kept an eye on one another while maintaining our independence, too. That was a major bonus.

We were there for a week. I think a lot of us who were on pre-fest felt a special sense of community together. Those first few days there was a real camaraderie. In fact, one of my favorite memories is of the big circle around Dar’s giant apple-shaped citronella candle on Tuesday night. We were all just spending time together, like a simple “Camp-out.” On Wednesday morning, it was a classic scene when I left for my shift. All that stood in the center of the camping field was the cooler and the melted apple. It was a shocking change when I returned to see the entire field filled with tents and cars and people. The new volunteers were just fine, but I surely felt a special bond with the other “pre-festers.”

When I was leaving on Sunday night – it was just getting dark and most of the people were still there. I have to say that I felt a little bit sad pulling out of the drive. I was almost overwhelmed with that "end of summer-camp" feeling. The festival itself was big and hot and loud and at times a real challenge, but the people I met and worked with made it a strangely special time. Camp Bonnaroo? It really is the people that make the difference. Not the crowds… but the individuals who touch your life. I am really glad to have them influencing my view of this life.

BONNAROO IS NOT SCHEDULED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION!

Bonnaroo - June 12 - June 15

Here is an example of what I am talking about:

After 2 days of work in the hot sun, followed by two days of Festivating in the hot sun, with limited sleep (due to the morning sun baking me in my tent every morning, forcing me up and out of the tent by 8:00 or so each day) I was faced with the challenge of Saturday. Bands I wanted to see playing from Noon until 4 am, not only few breaks but many of the bands overlapping. I was determined to pace myself so I could take it all in. By shear effort to conserve energy, I missed the noon performance of the Wood Brothers with John Medeski and Kenny Wolfeson. I just couldn’t get my self organized to make the trek from the camp ground to Centeroo in time. So my day started with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings at 1:30. Already it was too hot, so we (Brandon and I) went into the Fuse Barn, where it was air conditioned, fortunately they were televising her performance. At 2:45, Brandon and I split up so he could see the more relaxed Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quintet (featuring BelaFleck) while I headed to the more upbeat Little Feat (so much for conserving energy and staying cool - I danced my butt off.) As soon as they were done, I hiked over to the “Which” stage to catch the 2^nd half of Gogol Bordello, the “gypsy punk” band. The band is totally high energy, but I was already pretty spent. I crashed out a bit in some shade while listening to the lead singer screams his lungs out and run around stage like a madman.

Brandon and I connected up after that for a little while, but again, our musical tastes differed. After a short break (back to the AC at the Fuse Barn) he went to see Ben Folds while I headed to “That Tent” to see Zappa Plays Zappa I stayed through performances of songs from Them or Us and Joe's Garage, and then went off to discover Ben Folds. I had never seen him, nor have I really listened to him, but he was great. Quite a performer, really connects with the crowd, is a great musician and a little bit silly. A good quality in my book!

Meanwhile, I was totally missing Levon Helm as well as Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, both of whom I had completely enjoyed at Mountain Jam and would have liked to have seen again. I just figured that it was a good idea to make the most of the summer and see new acts as well as old favorites.

As soon as that was over, I went into the main “What” stage field to claim some space for Jack Johnson – who played a nice mellow set which gave me a chance to rest up for the evening events. Pearl Jam played after Jack Johnson, on the same stage. Wholly crap! What a show! The whole band was really tight and Eddie Vedder expressed some strong views, strong emotions and even showed his clever side. On the whole, Pearl Jam was totally impressive. They played an hour longer than they were scheduled for, until 1:00 am or so, which caused me to miss the beginning of Phil’s set – but I figured, “when am I going to have the chance to see Pearl Jam again?”

It was after 1:00 am, but there was still more music to be had. I went back to the Which stage to check out Phil Lesh and Friends. They were in the middle of a mellow Birdsong when I got there and then did a Dark Star that while fairly charged for Dark Star, it was still Dark Star. I started to nod off during his set and Brandon, after nudging me awake, looked at me and simply said, “it’s time” and sent me off to bed. I went willingly. It was about 3:15 am.

I can’t believe was unable to stay up for Phil. “Back in the day” I never had to leave a show because I was too tired. What does this mean? Does this mean my taste in music is more akin to the taste of the “younger set” who can spend 24 hours in the hot sun and still groove all night? I’m sure I was once upon a time able to do this. I just don’t understand, but I blame the Bonnaroo schedulers. It can’t be me! I am NOT old. Really…. I’m not….

Pre-ROOOO!

Bonnaroo Pre-fest-(June 8 - 11).

Man! This is a massive festival. In past years they have had upwards of 95,000 people at Bonnaroo (yes, that is the correct number of zeros!) Compare this with the last two festivals I worked, at 8,000 to 9,000 people, it's a bit of a shock. This being such a large organization, I feel that my ability to make strong connections has been much more difficult, but I feel like the folks I did work with were happy to have me there, and there have been a few little connections and reconnections that could lead somewhere.

I only had two work shifts in the three days of pre-fest preparations - so the first full day in Tennessee was spent relaxing and enjoying the local flavor. I met Brandon, "little" brother and camp-mate, upon check-in. Proximity and timing brought us together and he has turned out to be a great new friend. We were both free on Monday, so we connected up with Mollie (Delfest Hula-hooper/Rex Jam supporter at Mountain Jam) and went to check out Rutledge Falls on the suggesting of Nancy and Wes from FESS Security. What a treat it was. I don't think I've mentioned that it's F*!#'in HOT in Tennessee. The water in the swimming hole under the falls was so crisp and cold - and the falls themselves were so incredible.... what a beautiful day. We left for some Mexican food and margaritas - and then back to the falls for an afternoon dip. Eventually we went back to camp and spread the word about this amazing place so our fellow volunteers could take advantage of it if they had the time. (I'm working on figuring out the whole "flicker" thing - so I'll post photos when that gets done!).

Work started for me on Tuesday, with Vendor Coordination and Check-In. I was a Vendor Escort (...now get your brains out of the gutter!), so my job was to lead vendors from the check-in point to their vending site or camping site in a golf cart. I have to say that I really enjoyed the job - riding down the road on the cart gave me a nice breeze to help me stay cool... and it beat the hell out of unloading trailers full of merchandise in that heat! The best part about that job was when I looked up from my cart at the new vendors who had just arrived and there he was.... Thom Mond! I went to college with Thom at UNH and haven't seen him since 1991 or so. It's been so great catching up with him and getting to know his wife, Sally, and their staff, Zack and Jen. It is because of Thom and Sally that I am able to do this blog update mid-festival, as his booth, Apsara, is right behind the Microsoft tent where the wifi is plentiful! (as well as beautiful clothes and jewelry!).

Wednesday's shift, Employee Check-In, seemed a bit ridiculous. There were about 16-20 volunteers waiting to do work that could have been done by 7 or 8, or less. The folks doing the actual checking in were completely overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people they had to process, and all we had to do was to bring the parking sticker to the cars and put them on the windows. I know that they need to be careful about how credentials are distributed, but it seems like there HAS to be a better way. It was frustrating for me to feel so underutilized and to know that there was probably a ton of stuff some of us could have been doing elsewhere that would have been more productive. I tried to find things to do to be helpful. I wound up expiditing stickers for a while, which spread the work out a little, and I did help some young volunteers deal with a medical situation by connecting them with the right people, so I suppose I made the most of the situation.

... ok - the music is going to start in about 45 minutes and I'm pretty hot, so I'm out. Stay cool and drink lots of water! (ok... I guess that is really advice for me)

Simple twist of fate...

So - I have had a small change of plans, and instead of the Rothbury Festival in Michigan, I have decided to head out to High Sierra. I really enjoyed working with the High Sierra people at Delfest, and there will be another Rex Jam there - so it will be a great situation for me. Theresa, one of my contacts from the Rex Foundation, also works for High Sierra. I'm looking forward to meeting her in person and working with her there in both capacities - as support in the Rex Jam as well as on her volunteer crew for the festival itself.

I'm feeling really good about this - but it's still a few weeks away. Coming first is my adventure to the South (Bonnaroo) and into the Mountains (Telluride Bluegrass). But for now - I think it's time for bed!

First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is.....

Mountain Jam IV, Baby! (May 30 - June 1) Great work experience, good friends (old and new) and amazing music all add up to another incredible weekend. A nice change from previous years was the relative lack of rain! (we had only a smattering on Saturday). Be sure to check the festival website for the line up, and the Mountain Jam Blog has all kinds of musical highlights.

I suppose I should have expected to see folks I knew, as Hunter Mountain is really close to home, but I saw people from all over my life! Folks from Camp Winamac days, SUNY Cobleskill days, New Hampshire seacoast days, Bruce Hornsby land, the 5Rhythms(tm) dance floor, and a whole slew of folks from the Unbroken Chain Grateful Dead Symposium/devotees of the Phurst Church of Phun (for which you can find a description at the bottom of this page). Top this with the new folks I met and worked with.... that's a lot of good energy right there, to add to the mix of music and sun.

All the people I worked with at Mountain Jam were all really supportive of one another and seemed willing to give and receive input with an open mind. Everyone really wanted to work together to make it a great success. As for my work - I was assigned to the "Lost and Found" position. At first, this title gave me images of sitting in a room in some back hallway with a box of unwanted crap. Fortunately, I was WAY off base. The Lost and Found was in the main lodge, and was also the information booth. It was a perfect position for me. I got to mingle with the people, provide useful information, and best of all, I was able to reunite people with lost items while assuring others that they were earning huge karma points for bringing in found items. Some of the "reunions" were very emotional. One girl almost made me cry, she was so happy to have her bag back - we shared a good hug. As the weekend went along, the booth became more and more chaotic, but we were able to keep it organized and functioning. Funnily enough - on Sunday I had been scheduled to work "wrist bands", but after about 30 minutes in that job, Noel - the volunteer coordinator - came in with a slightly panicked look on his face and said, "Can we have you in lost and found??? We really need you there." It made me feel good to know that he felt I had handled the position well, and I was more than happy to go "home" to my post. I liked being there, and I think folks liked seeing me there. Throughout the weekend, people took the time to stop me when I wasn't on duty, to express thanks or just say "hi" as if we were all old friends... it was very warm and fuzzy for me. I'd have happily stayed there the entire time if not for the fact that I wanted to actually see the music!

Speaking of Noel - he and Lisa, who were my primary "point" people, were great to work with. I marvel at the amount of work that Noel must have put into coordinating all the volunteers and making the program run smoothly. I wonder if he had any sleep at all over the course of the weekend. Lisa... well, she was all that and a bag of chips! Any time I had a problem I couldn't address personally, she was right there to take care of it. I know the VIPs w/parking pass issues appreciated her.... of course, I was really hoping she would have needed my help in driving Michael Franti to the airport! (note: a touch of jealousy there).

Aahhhh..... Michael Franti.... This was the first time I had ever seen him perform and yes, the man is a performer. He knows how to work the crowd. He uses a lot of "shtick" for that, which doesn't really move me, but what did move me was his expression of heart. He really connects with the audience. His music is about love, perseverance, belief, and goodness. This appeals to me greatly. I liked that he had an ASL interpreter on stage with him for one song, signing the line "Everyone deserves music, sweet music" over and over again. For another song he invited a gentleman on stage to play sax as an expression to his young daughter who had recently died of cancer. His own son, having just left home to move to NYC, surprised him by showing up at the festival and Michael was completely psyched about it. He insisted his son come on stage with him and you could see the bond there. It was pretty beautiful. I probably enjoyed Levon Helm's set more than any other. So many were so good - but there was just something about the energy, the time of day, the music - it all lined up perfectly for me during his set.

The real high point of the weekend for me was, of course, the Rex Jam. This was my first Rex Jam and I think that, all things considered, it went really well. The Rex Foundation has a program called the Rex Community Caravan to help inspire people to be part of the philanthropic endeavors that were started by the Grateful Dead, when they created the Rex Foundation in 1983. I was in charge of the entire Jam at this festival and it was an amazing experience. I organized a crew of volunteers (Thanks to Mollie, Joey, Debi, Jonny Wa, Sam, Susan & Matthew, Ann Marie, Jennifer and Erica!) to help me carry out the collection of funds that went to support the Family of Woodstock. Michael Pillot, who was in charge of the Awareness Village, was my contact for the event and he was just great. Easy to work with - and an all around nice guy - he was a tremendous support. So, Michael, if you're reading - thanks!

The rush came when I, (the shy, demure wallflower you know me to be), stood on the same stage where Govt Mule, Michael Franti, Ratdog, Levon Helm and a ton of great musicians were playing that weekend and gave an appeal to the seven or eight thousand people assembled in front of me. The people I spoke with afterwards told me I did a great job and marvelled at how I seemed so poised and comfortable up there. I have much gratitude for the 5Rhythms(tm) practice, which helped me dance through my nervousness before I went up there. I have spoken in front of people before, and have always been pretty comfortable "performing" - whether it has been for a teaching evaluation, playing at open mics, doing PR for Easter Seal, or whatever - I never really get too nervous. But this was a LOT of people! I just kept reminding myself to speak slowly and clearly... (thanks to Jonny Wa and Lisa for their input). Michael Berg, the executive director of Family of Woodstock also spoke about his program. It was nice to not have to be up there entirely by myself. We raised a nice chunk of change for Family of Woodstock and I feel good about that. This one went well - the next one will be even better.

I've been fortunate that the first to festivals have been relatively small. On Sunday I leave for Bonnaroo and Telluride Bluegrass. Both of those are HUGE events. I'll let you know how things go as I can - I don't know that I will be able to bring my computer with me as I'm camping at Bonnaroo and don't have anyplace safe to leave the computer (unless I rent a car...which I'm trying to avoid if I can).

Until next time.... fest on!