Fun Fun Fun Fest Line-Up Announced

I'll be a first timer at FFF this year. Pretty stoked!

Hippie Arms and Caravans: Making my way to Governor's Island

The very first major concert I went to without parents was Dave Matthews Band. It was the night before I graduated from high school and my friend had an extra ticket. I remember obsessing over what I was going to wear, nervous to spend the evening with two cute college boys listening to a band who's lyrics and melodies had carried me though adolescence. There is nothing quite like a Dave Matthews concert, the melodies, jams, hippie dancing, and the way Dave has his own little dance he does across the stage (we've all imitated it at some point). It is the very definition of euphoria. I have seen Dave eight more times since then.

This summer I will travel from the heat of Central Texas up to Governor's Island with NYC as the backdrop for Dave Matthews Caravan. It will take trains, planes, and ferries to get there, and will no doubt be worth all of it. It will be the perfect way to kick off my fall of Festivals, which will include ACL, and Fun Fun Fun Fest, only this one will feature Dave headlining each night. Can't complain about that!

Will you be at Caravan? Who are you most excited to see?

ACL After Shows Announced

You mean there's more?? What bliss!

ACL announced their after show line-up today, for those hoping not to leave the Neverland of ACL music.  Check it out here.

You can also enter to win stage-side viewing of Foster the People during their Friday show. Sweet deal!

Utopia Festival

Tickets go on sale this week for Utopia Fest, a unique festival in Western Texas Hill Country  in October. It’s a festival that’s not trying to be the biggest or sell the most tickets. In fact, they only sell 1500! Their mission is to bring a variety of groups to play an intimate festival. Sounds like Utopia to me!

Notes from the Jazz Fest: Rochester Recap

Eastman Theater

Rochester, NY during the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival is magical. The whole city turns out in full force  to celebrate great music. Whether it is the talent of the high schools on “Jazz Street,” the dance  music wailing from the Big Tent, or headliners the likes of Bela Fleck or Elvis Costello (what I wouldn’t give to have seen Elvis!), the music is euphoric!

Haiku for Shuffle Demons

cacophonous sound

wild bass and dancing trombone

maniac music

Year after year I am astounded by the talent of Rochester’s youth. 

One of the best parts of the festival is the surprises I never expect. On Wednesday night I wandered into Christ Church to the sound of seductive piano by the Alan Benzie Trio. He would hold his fingers over the keys as I waited in breathless anticipation for the sound I knew he would create.

Haiku for Alan Benzie Trio

Dark church shadows dance

breathless, contorting to sounds

of seductive keys

Last year as my mother and I left one venue on our way to the next, a gentleman on the sidewalk turned to us and said, “Hey, weren’t you two the ones dancing up front?  You guys were great!” There is so much great music, subtle music in a darkened church, even music that makes me cry, but there is also great music for dancing! Most nights found me in front of the Big Tent stage dancing with my mother to trombones or the other worldly sounds of Slavic Soul Party (pictured above)

Slavic Soul Party!

Trombone Shorty on the streets of Roc!

Trombone Shorty ~ Backatown by verveforecast

I love the way the Rochester Jazz Festival has such a versatile selection of music. There is music for dancing and letting loose, music for the contemporary, the traditional, cacophonous, or music for quiet listening. There’s brass and strings, plucking and strumming. And while all of the music is great, incredible even, every once in a while there is music that is transformative. It’s the kind of music that touches a part of the soul.

Last night Grace Kelly did that for me. As this young girl wailed on her saxophone and filled Kilbourn Hall with sound, I sat in the very back of the balcony smiling in the dark as her rich sound enveloped me. At only 19, Kelly is confident on stage, artfully weaving dynamics and melodies with her voice and sax. Her cover of Summertime was remarkable and the audience erupted in applause and praise.

And then Grace Kelly came out for her encore. She quietly lured us in with hushed, subtle sound and began playing Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Before I knew what was happening, tears were streaming down my face in the back of that concert hall. In all of my years of concerts, I’m not sure that has ever happened to me before. And so I sat with salted cheeks and allowed myself to be taken away by her sound.

Haiku for Grace Kelly:

floating from below

wafts enriching, dynamic

soul transcendent sax

Grace Kelly signing autographs after the show

Check out her albums on itunes. She is sure to change  your world.

Wade In The Water - Bemsha Swing by gracekellyjazz

This week I packed up my shorts, put away my sunscreen and left my sweat in Austin, Texas for a few days in the nice, cool north. While this is a chance to see my family and catch up with friends I haven’t seen since Christmas, it is really a trip to attend the Rochester Jazz Fest, which I have never missed. This unique, delightful, musically rich festival is worth traveling from anywhere to catch.

Last night I caught Bonerama, a trombone trio (with guitar, bass and drum support) who filled the big tent with New Orleans sounds. Vetrans of the fest, concert-goers knew not to bother to look for vacant seats; Bonerama is for the dance floor. I knew I had found jazz heaven when I was snaking my way through the crowd in a conga line, the marching beat of the drum and  tuba beating time and the wailing of the trombones coursing through my soul. It was jazz fest perfection!

Bonerama by Highsteppin Productions