Tag: Music

Live Music Archive Gems

There is a reason that the Live Music Archive is in my blogroll: its amazing. It, along with Last.fm, put nearly all the music I could ever want online at no charge.

In case you don’t know, the LMA is a repository for live recording from trade-friendly artists. Basically, folks record and upload shows of bands that are cool with it. Its all legal, and its all good. There are a lot of bands I already knew about on the LMA, but its also a great place to find bands you’ve never heard of. Here are a bunch of both:

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Festivals

Journeyman by New Monsoon
[audio:http://www.archive.org/download/nm2004-03-13.shnf/newmonsoon20040313d1t3_64kb.mp3]

So it looks like waka gave me the cold shoulder. They’ve emailed the folks who they want to volunteer, and I didn’t get an email. Pretty sure it didn’t get spammed either, so that’s a bummer. I applied again, just in case, but I’m not really expecting anything. It’s weird because I remember last year, a week before the festival they were still looking for people. Guess things picked up. Or they really don’t like me.

So I’ve been looking at other potential festivals. I’ve ruled out Bonnaroo because its huge, and I was there last year, but honestly its still better than a lot of alternatives. The only thing really keeping me away from there is the volunteer deposit they require (so you don’t take your wristband and ditch). I don’t have money, which is why I’m volunteering. Summer Camp requires a deposit as well, and 10,000 Lakes doesn’t even seem to have volunteers. Gathering of the Vibes is close, and is accepting volunteers without a deposit, but the lineup sucks (so far), so I don’t really have a reason to go. All Good is looking like the best option right now, so I’m waiting for them to send out volunteer apps. All Good is the week before Grey Fox, so that would be a solid two weeks of festivals, without stop. Cool.

OMG Lag

So its been a week without posts. Quasi busy week, but even with that nothing especially interesting happened that warranted blogging about it. Normally that’s when I’d write about something that happened a long while ago, or write about something that doesn’t have a time limitation. But I didn’t. So I’ll write about someone else.

I Promise Tomorrow Today by Ali Telmesani
[audio:http://john.paganetti.com/wp-content/uploads/44%20-%20I%20promise%20tomorrow%20today.mp3]

Ali has been recording stuff for a while, and its been getting better and better. And this song is really good. He needs a website, but since he doesn’t have one, check out his purevolume page.

Rosebud

New Soul by Yael Naim
[audio:http://neurotoxik.free.fr/mp3/yael%20naim%20-%20yael%20naim%20(2007)/yael%20naim%20-%2003%20-%20new%20soul.mp3]

I got to go sledding yesterday for the first time in years. I don’t know why, but of all the things I do in the winter, I haven’t gone sledding since I went to college. With some friends, we went exploring Wesleyan’s campus for decent hills, staircases, and other things with an incline.

We got a good amount of sledding in, and were cold and wet by the end of it, but the best run of the day for me was my first. Dan and I got there before the others, and ran out to the street so we could sled down there before the plow trucks came. I had wanted to do something similar this last new year’s eve, since they were calling for snow, and I figured most everyone would be off the streets. Unfortunately, it never snowed, and I didn’t get that chance. But sledding headfirst down the middle of a road is every bit as fun as it sounds. Next time, we’ll have to try and find an even steeper hill.

Sidenote, I’ve been listening to Yael Naim all day. Her song is featured in the new Macbook Air commercial, which is what turned me on to her. Give her stuff a listen, its worth it.

Grey Fox 2008

The Bluegrass Country by the Del McCoury Band
[audio:http://www.archive.org/download/del2001-07-21a.shnf/del01-07-21a10_64kb.mp3]

It has been a few years coming, but it seems that the farm that has been home to the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, and the Winterhawk Bluegrass Festival before that, and the Berkshire Mountain Music Festival before that, has been sold. I’ve gone to this festival every year of my life, and it has always been on the Rothvoss Family Farm in Ancramdale, NY.

A few years back, when we went up on the hill fully believing that it was the last year we would have there, I brought up a camera of my own for the first time. That was when I took these pictures, hoping I’d be able to remember the place itself. There aren’t many pictures of the stage or the performers because many other photographers have taken far better pictures of those subjects than I ever will. But I tried to take pictures that would remind me of walking around the hill, what it sounded like sitting in the amphitheater, or the sound of the music I heard from my tent as I drifted off to sleep. We were lucky enough to get two more festivals before the sale of the farm was official.

There are folks who I see only once a year at Grey Fox, and they’re as close as any friends I have. There was a certain atmosphere on the hill that came from both the people and the place. The people will certainly stay with the festival as it moves, but what I hope for more than anything is that the atmosphere comes with them.

I’m grateful for the 21 years I had on the hill. I’m certainly sad to have to move on. Grey Fox was always my image of a perfect society, and I’ve always identified it as home – where I felt most comfortable. I just hope I can keep the memories of the hill alive in my mind.

I’m going to try and post some stories from the hill over the coming weeks.

Bonnaroo 2008

One Rabbit Race by Brothers Past
[audio:http://www.archive.org/download/bp2006-06-10.dpa4022.flac16/bp2006-06-10dpa4027d1t01_64kb.mp3]

If I wasn’t certain before, I am now. There is no way I’ll be going this year. Led Zeppelin is headlining this year. This means two things: tickets will cost more, and the atmosphere will be even farther from what I’m looking for. Last year, it was pretty bad with lots of people going exclusively for Tool, but Zeppelin will draw an even larger crowd.

That isn’t even taking into account that they’re likely not even worth seeing anymore. I would have loved to see them in their prime, but I’m not so sure it would be worth seeing them today. The Police were absolutely unimpressive last year, and I honestly don’t expect much more from Zeppelin.

So it looks like Wakarusa this year. I’m looking forward to it, since it seems to be more of a jam scene, with folks more my speed. Its also a festival more my size (80k-100k is really too much). I’m planning on volunteering…anyone interested in coming with?

Still Crunch Time…but…

Shakedown Street by The Grateful Dead
[audio:http://www.archive.org/download/gd87-03-30.nak.braverman.10922.sbeok.shnf/gd87-03-30d1t01_64kb.mp3]

So I’m right in the middle of crunch time, but I feel great. It is currently 0330ish, and I just finished a paper for my 0930 class, where I will have to take notes on what is going to be on the final. After that, I have to come back to my room and study for two tests I’ll be taking at 1400. Yesterday I was up until 0400 or so writing a paper for my Anthro class, before that I was working on Philosophy. And next week I have finals. But for some reason, none of that has phased me.

On Tuesday, after one philosophy class and before another, I was listening to a Grateful Dead concert (specifically, this one) and I started feeling really good. When I left to go to philosophy, I had Shakedown Street stuck in my head, and I guess that kept me feeling good. When I got back, I listened to some more good music, and I really haven’t stopped since. Maybe the music is to blame. Maybe I don’t care about school and haven’t noticed yet. Maybe I’m just happy. I don’t much care – I’ll take it.

What a weekend

Runaway Overlude by moe.
[audio:http://www.archive.org/download/moe2007-09-29.flac/moe2007-09-29d1.flac/moe2007-09-29d1t03_64kb.mp3]

I had a mighty fine weekend. I think it is best explained by my Saturday. On Saturday I woke up in Bozrah, CT, which is out in the middle of no where – really beautiful country. I was at a party there the night before, and spent the night. Once everyone had woken up (11-12ish) we got working on breakfast. Well, some of us did. Not everyone has the ability to cook things other people would want to eat, but we all pitched in here and there. All to the sounds of the Beatles, which is much more fun in the morning than I would have ever expected. The vibe in that kitchen was so wonderful, it couldn’t possibly preface anything bad.

Mike was coming up to UConn later that day, and after that we’d be heading to see moe. at the Chevy Theater. Two VIP tickets had fallen into my lap Friday morning when my dad called me up and asked if I wanted them. He apparently had won them in a raffle, but had gotten the date wrong, and wouldn’t be able to go to the show. So I got back to UConn around 4ish, took a shower, shaved, and as I’m coming out of the bathroom Mike calls and says he’s here. So I go to meet him, get more food, and then we hang around the dorms a bit. At 6ish we take off for moe., whom neither of us had seen before. I’ve been listening to them for years, but I hadn’t been to a show yet. And the show was awesome. The song embedded in this post is from that show, and if you click the link above, it’ll bring you to the whole three hour show. See for yourself, it was a mighty fine time.

After the show we headed back to Middletown where we hung around for a while with some friends, and then passed out around 2 or 3. I want to do it again.