Diario

Keller Williams - Freaker
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Dude, All Good Music Festival was f**king awesome. This year had a killer line up. Thursday night was Keller Williams and Lotus. Friday night was Hill Country Revue, Big Nazo, That 1 Guy, Galactic, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Todd Snider, Les Claypool, The New Mastersounds, Bob Weir and Rat Dog, Bassnectar, moe. Saturday night was Mad-Sweet Pangs, Cornmeal, The Bridge, Jeff Austin, Buckethead, Assembly o Dust, Yonder Mountain String Band, Lake Trout, STS9, Dumpstaphunk, Ben Harper, SOJA, Umphrey's McGee. Sunday night was The Recipe, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Donna the Buffalo, Tea Leaf Green, BK3, Dark Star Orchestra. There were others who played that I didn't mention, and unfortunately I missed some of these bands I did mention.
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I went to Echo Project last year, and skipped out on All Good. That made me forget how dirty All Good is. Not the dust, every festival has the dust, but the attitude. Echo Project is run by a bunch of hippies dedicated to cleaning the planet, so you can imagine that there was not even cigarette butt on the ground at there. All Good, on the other hand, is a like a loosely controlled anarchy. I mean there is enough order to maintain bathrooms, first aid and just keep the festival running, but its f**king nuts. There were piles of trash everywhere, from Thursday to Sunday, but after Tea Leaf Green played on Sunday everyone started cleaning up. By Monday morning the place was as clean as Echo Project. All Good is just a completely different form of reality.
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I had to work Thursday, so I missed Keller William and Lotus. Which sucked because I love both those bands. We drove through Thursday night and Friday morning and I was down at the show from Hill Country Revue to Robert Randolph. I had planned to go back to camp and cook dinner during Todd Snider and make it back for Les Claypool and the late night shows, but I passed out. Sometime during Bob Weir I woke up cold, and wondered into a tent. When I pulled the blanket over myself somebody pulled it back. That's when I realized I was in the wrong tent. I never did find my own camp that night.
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On Saturday I wore my kilt, a dress shirt and a tie. Might seem an odd thing to wear at a concert, but nothing is out of place at these festivals. For example, there was a guy dressed up like Waldo from the 'Where's Waldo?' books, there was a girl that wore nothing but body paint, there was an entire band that wore mascot costumes (probably killer in July heat), and of course all order of face paint, fairy wings, fox tails, masks, hats, and tie-dye. Anyway, I regress, on Saturday I was down at the music from Cornmeal at 1pm to Umphrey's McGee at 2am. That 13 hrs of dancing and jamming out, has left my legs sore for the next couple days.
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Sunday was a short day. The music started at 10am and ended at 7pm. Its kinda designed for the poor people that have to work on Monday. I am not a big fan of Dark Star Orchestra, so I went back to camp to pack while they were playing. Probably the best All Good I have ever been to, and that's saying something. I have been to that festival nine times now, and looking forward to next year.
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Biggest downside is the f**king hills. All Good is in the mountains of West Virginia. The size of the festival has grown, and some people are camped on the other side of the mountain. I was fortunate enough to have my brother volunteer for work at the festival. That gave him discounted beer and a camping location relatively close. I never did cash out on the beer. Instead, I carried 2 camel packs, one full of water and the other full of bourbon.

311 - All Mixed Up
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I made two big mistakes at this show. First I left my cooler of beer and lawn chairs at home, and second I went with a chick who doesn't go to concerts. The amphitheater in Raleigh is a great venue for tailgating. The beer on the inside is expensive and the parking lot is just set up perfectly. The chick I went with never really heard of 311 and this was the second concert she ever went to. To put that in perspective, I have already been to 11 this year. Usually its not bad to introduce people to new music, but she kinda just sat there and didn't dance at all. Oh well, her loss. If you are not there to dance, how are you going to enjoy the music?
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I ran into the tickets the day before the show. A friend couldn't make it and was hawking his tickets to anyone who would take them. I am not the one to pass up the opportunity, but I had no idea who to go to the show with. I grabbed some random chick at work and asked her if she would like to go.
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Ziggy Marley opened for 311, and they were alright. I am not a big fan of Ziggy and he has been having an off season this tour. 311 is a strange combination of music types. The are some songs that are more rap, some that are more rock, and some that are more jam. The mix does make for an interesting show though. It was the first time I have ever seen them live, and they did put on a good show. I wouldn't mind going out again for another 311 show.

Soldiers of Jah Army - Time Come Due
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I have loved this band for quite some time; however, never seen them live until a couple weeks ago. This was long overdue.
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The Jewish Mother in Virginia Beach is a small bar/restaurant with a stage. Because its so small, many shows sell out and very fast too. My friend who just moved to Portsmouth got the as soon as they went on sale, and apparently the show sold out shortly after. Small venues offer a much more personal edge to concerts. You are actually able to get to the stage and cheer for the band.
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The Movement was the opening band for SOJA. Although I had never heard of this band before, I decided to buy their CD. Well worth it too, The Movement is a great reggae band.
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Unfortunately due to the small venue and enthusiastic crowd, I was not really able to hear SOJA. Not in any sort of bad way either. Its just that they played only a very few songs that I knew, but the crowd knew them all. I couldn't really appreciate the introduction to new SOJA songs, but the show was fun anyway.
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The biggest draw back to the concert was the price of the drinks. The Jewish Mother is a little expensive, but not outrageously so. That was until I asked for a cup of water. The pricks charged me $1 for a cup of water. Not a bottle of water, a cup of water. I mean I was DD, and after 8 beers I really wanted some water. Oh well.
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The next day after the show I had planned on going to the beach, but the closest I got was to the boardwalk and then we found a bar. I never touched the sand. Amazing how that happens sometimes, isn't it?

Cranberries - Ode to My Family
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It appears that I am at that age where all I do is go to funerals and weddings. This summer I am going to three weddings and my grandmother died last month. Sorry if this sound crass or insensitive, but I am kinda glad she is dead. Those last few months we tough. She was bed ridden and couldn't remember who I was. The clear pain she was in is finally released.
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So the funeral was in Hollywood Cemetery in downtown Richmond. If you live in Richmond, you know where it is and probably went on a date there. The real great thing was seeing my family again. The whole family. Since my mom is the oldest of nine children, there are a lot of cousins.
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Anyway, after the wake me and my three siblings and nine of my cousins went to downtown Richmond to see a concert. One of my brother's friends is part of a band that was playing. The headliner, a Richmond based band who I have no idea who they were, sucked. However, the opening band, 'Shout Out Out Out Out Out Out', was great.
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The music was electronic like that of STS9 and New Deal, but the local Richmond band only knew a couple tricks to play. The opening band from Canada was amazing though. I wouldn't mind going to another Shout Out Out Out Out Out Out show. They were really good.

The Band - I Shall Be Released
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A friend randomly calls me and tells me there is a good show down the road. I have never heard any of the bands on the list, but figured why not. First two bands are some emo-punk crap. They were just falling into the pathetic rhythm of the scene.
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The really sad part was the mass of high-school kids there. I was into punk as a kid myself, but I never really dressed for a show. You can tell that the majority of these kids dress a certain way to fit in with the scene. What ever happened to real punk and that 'fuck you' lifestyle that I loved. Does anyone run with that anymore?
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The band that was really good was House of Fools. They fell back to the classic rock style and opened with 'I Shall Be Released' by The Band with Bob Dylan. Funny that I think I am one of maybe ten in the crowd that recognized the song as a cover. House of Fools had a lot of good songs that they wrote as well. I can see them doing well with the right promotion behind them.

Bob Dylan - All Along the Watchtower
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Kicked off the summer season with a band I love. Actually this show was not even posted on their tour. Nor were the tickets sold on ticketmaster. I got the information from some sort of Carolina Ticketing thing. Buying the tickets really pissed me off. I bought two tickets and was charged $34 per ticket, $2 charity fee per ticket, $8 parking fee per ticket, and $13 processing fee per ticket. I mean come on. My friend and I took one car, why do we both have to pay a parking fee? it seems like one car equal one fee. Now I can understand that not everyone who buys tickets comes in one car, but a processing fee for each ticket? I bought them at the same freakin' time, so they should only have to process it once. And what the hell is a charity fee? Can that be really considered a charity? I can understand if the band asks for a charity fee and I would support that, but I doubt that the Time Warner Cable Amphitheater in Raleigh is donating any of that money. Still, I will keep the tickets and file that "charity" on next years taxes.
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Enough bickering about that. I still got the tix for $15 less than any other sight. The show was great. They played a few songs on their new album coming out on June 2nd. And this was the first time I have ever seen them play All Along the Watchtower. I have heard Dave play this before, but only on recordings. Live music is always better.
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I am sad that LeRoi Moore will no longer be with the band. We will remember you LeRoi. Jeff Coffin is amazing. He is just as good as LeRoi, but in a different way. LeRoi can never be fully replaced. I am not sure if Jeff will completely join Dave Matthews or if this is just something temporary. He played with them almost all of last year, and all the members of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones have side projects.

Pink Floyd - Empty Spaces
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So my career sent me out to Oklahoma City for more training. Now I had fun while I was out there, but it is hardly the place I want to return to. If you get a chance to go here, you might as well wave at it when you let it pass by.
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Oklahoma City is one of the biggest in the country, but that's in land area. Like all cities, there are a few places worth going to. In Bricktown there is the Tapworks, a bar with about 100 different brews. Also in Bricktown the club city walk has an 80s tribute band that plays every Sunday night (well worth it if you are stuck out there). And of course there are a few good steakhouses (you know you want to try the caff fries). Then of course the oddities of Oklahoma like the Beef Jerky Emporium (that's right a entire walmart size building dedicated to jerky).
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I am glad to be back on the east coast.

The Band - The Night They Drove On Dixie Down
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For the majority of people living outside of Virginia this holiday never existed and is a mind-blowing oddity. I mean, why would two Generals of the Confederacy be celebrated on the same day as the figurehead of the Civil Rights Movement. Well, lets look back in history.
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General Robert E. Lee was born on January 19 1807, Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson was born on January 21 1824, and Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15 1929. Pure coincidence put these three men's birthdays in a single week. As a symbol of pride among Virginians the two Virginian Generals were given a Holiday. First Robert E. Lee in 1897 with Jackson's name added to the holiday shortly after. Eighty years later Republican President Ronald Regan made Martin Luther King Day a National Holiday. Since the new National Holiday fell on Virginia's Lee-Jackson Day, King's name was added to the two Generals.
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Without any hatred Lee-Jackson-King Day remained for two decades, but in the year 2000 the holidays were separated. My guess is that the odd holiday was not completely understood by others moving into Virginia; however, many living in that state still call it Lee-Jackson-King Day. Personally I think the combination holiday promotes a kind of unity in this modern age.
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So to all I bit you a happy Lee-Jackson-King Day.