Impulse Music & Arts Festival 2012

Pyramid & Snuggles (Photo Credit: Mikey Curtis)

Rock Camp Productions was thrilled to attend the very first annual Impulse Music & Arts Festival this year, down in Union Point, Georgia! The festival, brought to you by Whateverz Klever Presents, spanned the beautiful Durhamtown Plantation Resort, a few thousand acre atv/motocross track/resort. I would estimate that about 2,000 people attended the fest, and the line-up was incredible!!! Boombox, Archnemesis, Papadosio, Emancipator, The Polish Ambassador, Zoogma, and EOTO (not to mention so many more). Rock Camp Productions produced the large, centerpiece installation of the festival, a 30' tall, stretch fabric, pyramid - which was live-painted throughout the weekend by Crazyredbeard a.k.a. Jonathon Blake. RCP also produced the all-night, raging, DJ booth in camping Friday night, with DJ RahBee, as well as the body painted and morph suit aliens, the ufo, Snuggles and The Panda, Siddhartha Glo and Puff T. Magic-Dragon!

Seth and I left Rock Camp pretty early on Tuesday. We headed into Floyd, VA to pick up a crew member, Mark, and had a little car trouble, putting the truck in the shop and delaying our arrival on site for Impulse a day. We crashed the night at a friends house, picked up the truck bright and early Wednesday morning and headed to Georgia.

It was a 6.5 hour drive from Floyd, VA...and we weren't really sure whether or not we were lost for about the last two hours of the trip. But we made it, checked in and set up camp before dark. There was a lot to do, but we were there, and that was half the battle!

Seth & The Pyramid

Thursday morning Seth and Mark headed out towards Loew's Home-Improvement to gather some essentials for pyramid building and puppet fixing. With hardly any materials to begin work while they were out, instead I organized and cleaned up camp...meticulously re-packing and placing every item. Around 3pm three of my crew members arrived: Rachel, Lauren and Lauren. Rachel went to high school with me, and the Laurens were her friends from SCAD. I had to hoof it ~1/4 mile from camp to the lodge to check the girls in, and guided them back to camp. Jonathon Blake and Julia (his 4 1/2 month pregnant, and incredibly amazing girlfriend) arrived and set up camp with us just a little later.

Crazyredbeard and crew painting stretch fabric

Eventually Seth and Mark returned with materials: pvc, joints, spray paint, glue, and so much more...and we all began work on the installation. We had been informed upon arrival that our installation was actually the centerpiece of the festival. The pressure was on...this had to be huge and it had to be great! But as we laid out our materials we realized, they boys  hadn't gotten the proper joints at Loew's! And they'd been gone all day - the store was an hour away! Not to mention it was getting later (probably 5pm at this point...) Seth had no choice but to head back out, because without those pvc joints, the center-pole of the centerpiece of the festival would not go up!

Robbie and Jennie arrived not long after dark and immediately began helping us set up. By 9pm Seth still had not returned and we were all worried. He'd been gone for hours. And we still had nothing put together! Finally I saw the truck come around the corner...and I had a tear in my eye. Robbie and I were about ready to start calling hospitals! Seth had gotten a little lost on the back roads of Georgia, and a little turned around, but he got the joints! We got to work immediately - we glued and spray painted pvc, we took measurements and took them again. I had to make Rachel and the poor Laurens move our gear and vending booth 4 times that day!! It was all kind of a crazy and chaotic, but by 3am we had a gorgeous pyramid standing! Jason and Seth stayed in the venue to complete the UFO while the rest of us headed back to camp.

The Pyramid, and Hunter working on the UFO

Getting the pyramid up was a job! We sunk the centerpole on some rebar, took measurements then 4 people took hold of the stretch fabric and stretched it equally, trying to keep the centerpole (made of flexible pvc) straight. We anchored the fabric with rebar an mounted blacklights around the structure. Then Jon began painting. He'd not worked with spray paint much before, but you'd never guess it as he brought life to the panels of fabric around the pyramid.

Seth and I watched the sun rise on Friday, and braced ourselves for the beginning of the festival. Around 8am (Friday) we went down to straighten out and get credentials for us and our crew. I submitted our list to Katie Smegielski, Impulse's incredible volunteer coordinator. Immediately I had profound respect for her and the way she ran her crew, and my respect only grew throughout the festival. It was only a matter of time until I found out she was a close friend of Jon's and she's from CT (I'm from Hartford!). Now I consider her a friend, and truly look forward to working with her in the future. Marcos would serve as our contact on site, throughout the festival, and was also incredibly on point. He was easy to find, easy to talk to, and always helpful.  I would love to work with him again as well!

Once we had our credentials we headed down into the venue, only to see our once-beautiful pyramid bowing down in the wind. Carefully and quickly we had to take it down, and in only 15 minutes Seth and an incredible volunteer, Hunter Hall, sunk a 30' telephone pole by hand!! Hunter and Seth took turns attacking that hole with post-hole diggers, a pick, and a dig bar....and my god they had the pole sunk safely in the ground before the gates of the festival opened to the public! They had blisters the size of nickels! Robbie was also instrumental in getting the pyramid up! His spacial reasoning and knowledge of construction was invaluable!

Hunter atop a ladder as we fix the pyramid

Then we began the job of adjusting the stretch fabric on the pyramid. Hunter scaled a ladder, and skillfully arranged the fabric as the rest of us attached it to it's rebar mounts. We could not have erected that pyramid without Hunter, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him from the bottom of my heart!

The Pyramid was up, and it wasn't going anywhere. Jon began painting away, and Jennie, Justin and a small crew set up our vending booth. We bumped into our good friends All Systems Glow, and we were thrilled to see their glow-dome not far from our pyramid! Robert (the master mind behind All Systems Glow) and Jason are two of the coolest guys you'll ever meet. Jason introduced us to his sister Stephanie, and she's an incredibly badass chick. We had an amazing time with those guys all weekend.

Jennie and Robbie worked to set up our DJ stage in the camping area. DJ RahBee (a.k.a. Robbie) began playing sometime during Papdosio, and didn't quit till 6am. He threw down a badass set, and there were tons of people raging the campgrounds with led hula-hoops, fire poi, led poi, panda bears and aliens! It was one helluva party!

As evening rolled around we finished checking in the rest of our crew, Beth and Dave, and prepared for some late night dragon sets. We got Puff T. out for Boombox and Papadosio. Finally Seth and I crashed in the back of the truck, I don't even remember falling asleep!

Puff T. Magic-Dragon (Photo Credit: Mikey Curtis)

Saturday was hot! Jason made us egg sandwiches with bacon on them, and candied bacon on the side for breakfast. We couldn't bring ourselves to do much in the hot midday sun, however Rachel, Beth, the Laurens and I did a body-painted alien set down at the pyramid while David ran around in one of our alien morph suits.

Rachel and I as body painted aliens!

Seth worked hard on Sid, our giant glowing male stick figure puppet all day and by evening we were able to do a puppet set, a dragon set, and a dragon chasing puppet set! Jason even puppeteered the head of the dragon during the duet-set (while Seth puppeteered Sid), joining a short list of people who've ever handled Puff's head! Crazyredbeard had made incredible progress on the pyramid and it looked fantastic!

I did an alien set with Jason as The Panda. We raged down at Area 51, which had a really cool set up!

Jason as The Panda

After scrubbing off my head-to-toe green body paint with baby-wipes, I finally passed out...but Seth stayed up all night to work on Molly (our giant female stick figure).
Sunday seemed even hotter than Saturday, and our day sets were limited. Jason and I made pancakes down at the All Systems Glow dome. We didn't have a bowl, so we cut a gallon jug in half. Then we didn't have a spoon so I used a giant glowstick to mix the batter. But we made some badass pancakes...then Jason made some more candied bacon. We fed a bunch of people...but that was about all we could handle in the sun.
By the time EOTO rolled around, we were ready. We threw down a badass dragon set for them, and they responded with the best shout out...no, song...that Puff's ever received! The climax of which was "What's that dragon smokin'?...oh God I hope it ain't that bath salt shit..." from Jason Hann! Thanks Boys! Check out the video here: EOTO @ IMPULSE "What's that dragon been smokin'?"
It was Stephanie's 23rd birthday and she helped us dragon for EOTO...so Seth and I gave her a Puff T. pin and patch! I hope she had a great birthday, we had a great time with her!

During the set I dislocated my knee. Jason, in full Panda garb, helped me over to Jamcare, where  I scored an ace bandage and some ibuprofen. The Jamcare guys provide a fantastic service that's been needed on the scene for some time! They are trained medical professionals equipped to decide whether someone is just spun, or require medical attention.

Not long after, we began to break down shop. Unfortunately we broke down the pyramid before we got a chance to show the EOTO guys, who we bumped into on site.
It  didn't take us long to break down our gear, but packing the truck was a puzzle! Luckily Jason and Stephanie were there to help! Steph gave me the most beautiful jade bracelet, we said our goodbyes, and hit the road.

Sid & Puff at the Pyramid

We got off site around midnight, and stopped at a motel in Lincolntown, GA around 3am. We had such a great weekend at Impulse. Most of the people on site were helping to produce the festival on some level. The sense of community and love and creation on site was incredible.

Pyramid with paint by Crazyredbeard (Photo Credit: Mikey Curtis)

Pyramid (Photo Credit: Mikey Curtis)

The Durhamtown Plantation guys also did a great job all weekend. The infrastructure of the grounds was incredibly useful, the layout was nice, and the staff seemed supportive and interested. They were helpful and attentive all weekend...

Rock Camp Productions has never produced a show like we did at IMPULSE. We built the centerpiece installation of the festival. Seth and Hunter sunk a telephone pole by hand! Crazyredbeard live-painted the 30' piece all weekend! And then that EOTO set!!! We worked our butts off, and it showed. We also had a great time, and truly learned about ourselves, our relationship to art, and our relationships with each other. I'd like to thank IMPULSE and Whateverz Klever Presents for providing us this incredible opportunity.

Ultimately IMPULSE 2013 will not be a festival you want to miss. We urge everyone to check it out. Everyone involved was passionate and creative, which made for a vibrant and magical vibe all weekend long. We had a great time, everyone on our crew had a truly life changing experience. Thanks IMPULSE. Thank you, for a real good time.

Pyramid (Photo Credit: Mikey Curtis)

Rock Camp, WV to the Durhamtown Plantation Resort in Union Point, GA for Impulse 2012

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The Durhamtown Plantation Resort Website

RCP @ IMPULSE 2012 PHOTO CONTEST

Make sure you snap plenty of pictures of Rock Camp Productions performances, puppets and installations at Impulse Music & Arts Festival 2012  BECAUSE...

We are holding a PHOTO CONTEST!!

Monday, June 18-22, 2012 you may submit your photos here or email them to jessica@rockcampproductions.com !

Monday, June 25, 2012 first, second, and third place winners will be announced!

1st Prize: 2 VIP tickets to The 4th Annual Pink Moon Music & Arts Festival, September 15-16, 2012 in Rock Camp, WV, a Puff T. Magic-Dragon Pin & Patch

2nd Prize: 2 General Admission tickets to The 4th Annual Pink Moon Music & Arts Festival, September 15-16, 2012 in Rock Camp, WV, a Puff T. Magic-Dragon Pin & Patch

3rd Prize: 1 General Admission ticket to The 4th Annual Pink Moon Music & Arts Festival, September 15-16, 2012 in Rock Camp, WV, a Puff T. Magic-Dragon Pin & Patch

Honorable Mention(s) Prize: A Puff T. Magic-Dragon Pin & Patch

Guidlines:

-Photos must be from this year's Impulse Music & Arts Festival, June 15-17.
-The main focus of the photograph should be a Rock Camp Productions installation, performance, performer(s), and/or character.
-Photo may not depict any illegal activities or anything against the rules of the festival. Nudity IS acceptable...
-By submitting a photo you are confirming that it is your own personal property and that you have the right to distribute it.
-Any photos submitted may be reproduced and used by Rock Camp Productions online and in promotional materials.
-Must be 18 or older to receive tickets to Pink Moon.

 

Keep updated at the Facebook event page for this contest. Also RSVP to IMPULSE via their Facebook event page.

How to prepare for a Music Festival with Rock Camp Productions!

Seth and I have been very busy planning and preparing to go to Impulse Music & Art Festival this coming weekend! Getting ready for a festival is always, in my opinion, fun but stressful. I'm always completely convinced that I am going to forget absolutely everything. Well, I usually forget some things...but it hasn't happened yet that we show up to a fest completely empty handed!

A lot goes into prepping to leave the farmhouse and head off for a weekend (in this case almost a week)! We are leaving Rock Camp early Tuesday morning headed for the Durhamtown Plantation in Union Point, Georgia. Some of our crew is riding or caravanning with us, and some of them are meeting us there. I have the whole crew, and their contact information, on a list in my RCP binder, as well as directions to the fest, our contact person, Jared Parfrey, and his contact information, a copy of our contract, and my packing/gear list.

DJ RahBee is one of the featured members of our crew. He is coming with his DJ equipment (turntables, speakers, monitors, etc). Our friend and RahBee's girlfriend, Jennie Morse, is coming also with her glass art to vend. Crazyredbeard, a.k.a. Jonathon Blake and his 4.5 month pregnant girlfriend Julia are also featured members, and will be attending with Redbeard's painting gear and art to vend. August J. Heisler is yet another featured member of the crew, will be our photographer on site, and comes with his photography equipment!

As far as RCP gear we are bringing Puff T. Magic-Dragon, Dr. Molly and Siddhartha Glo, as well as all of the tools and materials we need to tweak them (and all of our pieces and installations): 

wire snips, pliers, at least one hammer, electrical tape, gaff tape, duct tape, clear tape, pvc tape and glue, gorilla glue, wire, chord, multiple sewing needle and plenty of thread, scissors, a slew of high tech gadgets to use as sound and motion sensors (sequencers, rechargeable battery packs, control boxes etc.),  extra kite fabric (rip-stop nylon) and pvc, extra lighting equipment (everything from EL wire, to rope lights, to compact flourescents, to christmas lights and lasers), TONS of 9-volt batteries (as well as a few AA, AAA, C, D...just in case), at least four extension chords and several powerstrips, the "dragon-battery" (Puff T's power source) with adapter and heavy duty backpack, frame packs for puppets, and as many zip ties as we can get our hands on.

Bear suits on a crew member's tent!

We're also bringing a lot of spandex/lycra (a.k.a. stretch fabric), heavy duty plastic tubing, aircraft cable, anchors, tent stakes, rope, bungee chords, several small posts, body paint in a variety of colors (including glow in the dark), lots of paintbrushes and sponges, clothespins, a number of different kites and windsocks, a projector and laptop with charger, and our seemingly-bottomless-and-yet-recognizable box of costumes including many silly hats and sunglasses as well as men's, silver, glittery, knee-high, platform boots.

Camp and costumes at GOTV 2010

Aside from all of that production and performance gear, we also have to bring a small suite of camping and survival gear, so that our six days in Georgia are spent in pique festie comfort! We are going to have a very large crew at Impulse...probably 15 people! They each have been told to bring their own food, drink, and gear, but that being said Seth and I still try to take really good care of our crew members. 

Me & Seth - Truck Bed Perspective at All Good 2011

We'll have to bring at least two coolers (with ice!), lots [and lots] of Coca-Cola (some to share, but mostly because I am a Coca-Cola addict! I can't get enough of that brown, syrup-y goodness!!!), plenty of Gatorade, at least twice as much water as we think we need, plenty of beer (but no glass, festival rule!), granola bars (some vegan), Oreos, beef jerky, tuna fish (if we get cans we have to remember a can opener), and [of course] candy!

Seth and I do not usually pitch a tent...instead we pop up a couple of ez-ups at the end our pick-up truck. We have a surprisingly comfortable, floppy, twin mattress we throw in the back of the truck (which has a Leer cover) and that's where we sleep. I'm thinking of investing in two battery-powered fans, because once the sun comes up that truck bed gets HOT! And it's sure to be hot in Georgia in June.

One ez-up serves as "camp", where we sit, hang out, eat and relax, and the other serves as a sort of dressing room/costume-closet/storage tent where we keep all of our gear and prep for performances. We have a special pile of tapestries which we hang with string and clothes pins from the ez-ups to serve as makeshift walls. My favorite is a small one, bright yellow, that simply says "rage" in big purple letters...it's a great "identifier" ("My camp is the one with the "rage" flag over there!").
The weather in Union Point is looking just a little bit wet and rainy  for the weekend (30% chance of rain/isolated thunderstorms Friday and Saturday, but 0% chance on Sunday!) so we'll have to bring a bunch of big tarps! I have learned to keep all valuables, as well as clothing and anything you really want to stay dry locked in the car (or in our case, the cab of the truck)!

Camp at Camp Barefoot 2011

During a festival "camp" is your base of operations. Camp is essentially your home for the 3 or 4 (or 6) days you spend at the fest. It might seem tough at times, but keep your campsite clean and somewhat organized...you'll be thankful in the long run!

RCP gear at All Good 2010

 And of course we cannot forget the essentials:

plenty of garbage bags (which we give out generously), extra blankets, at least two pillows, a fitted sheet and a couple of top sheets, several camp chairs (and a round, leopard print chair we inherited from Tom Johnson at GOTV '10), lots of sharpies (plenty black, and a few in various colors), a couple extra sweatshirts and jackets, extra socks, all RCP merchandise for sale, any promotional materials we need (for Pink Moon and other festivals we are attending this summer), a battery powered boombox with a small collection of cds and extra batteries, a first aid kit, hand sanitizer and wet-ones (it's almost like a shower...), bug spray and sun block, extra hair elastics, tampons and maxi-pads, a number of camping lanterns, headlamps and flashlights (bring a few headlamps as these always seem to sprout legs and walk off), plenty of toilet paper and a few roles of papertowels, ten times as many lighters as you think you can possibly go through, two or three cartons of cigarettes, matches, and in the case of Impulse, a little bit of firewood.

Seth at Camp Barefoot 2011

I think that about covers it for Rock Camp Productions festie essentials. Personally I bring:

two outfits for every day I'll be on site (in this case 6 day, 12 changes of clothes). I try to bring a good spread of hot weather clothes and warmer clothes for the [usually] cooler evenings. Comfortable clothes only...I have no interest in working or partying in uncomfortable attire...even if it is sexy. I'd rather wear body paint. Anyway my typical festie garb includes shorts, jorts, leggings, t-shirts, a couple of apron tops, some comfy sundresses, sweats, and mostly just my skeleton unitard!

Other personal festival essentials include a fully charged cell phone with charger (wall outlet and car charger), camera with clean memory card and fully charged battery with charger, fully charged iPad with charger, my notebook and a few pens/pencils, wallet with photo id, plenty of lighters, my knee brace, a toothbrush and toothpaste (perhaps even mouthwash!),  cheap sunglasses, sneakers, flip flops, Crocs, and galoshes!

RCP artist, crew member, and bear engineer: Christian Chritzer

The day before we leave (so tomorrow) we clean out and pack up the truck completely. I always try to clean the house up, especially our bedroom and the bathroom. It's always nice to come home from a festival, all grimy, stinky, sore and exhausted to take a nice clean shower and crawl into a clean, comfortable bed. Seth washed the sheets and blankets today, and yesterday he and I finished painting and cleaning the bedroom. It looks phenomenal, and is way cleaner than it's been in upwards of a hundred years!

I usually shower the night before and  the morning we leave, so I can at least begin the weekend squeaky clean and comfortable. Shave legs, brush hair, brush teeth, brush teeth again, possibly paint finger and toe nails. I lay out a comfortable outfit the night before, something presentable but still soft and loose enough to not get incredibly annoying over the 7.5 hour drive to Georgia.

So Tuesday, after we shower and make the bed, we'll be out the door and on the road! I can't wait...IMPULSE is going to be our first festival of the year. I feel incredibly fortunate to do what I do for a living...and appreciative that I am able to enjoy work and play pretty simultaneously.

See you at IMPULSE!!

Festival Feature: IMPULSE Music & Arts Festival, June 15-17, 2012

    IMPULSE Music & Arts Festival will be held June 15-17, 2012, at the Durhamtown Plantation Resort in Union Point, Georgia. Rock Camp Productions is excited to be bringing our special brand of festival experience to you for IMPULSE this year! We don't want to give away all of the surprises we have in store for IMPULSE attendees...but what we can tell you is we are developing a totally unique and new installation and performance specifically for IMPULSE, and it is going to be out of this world!!! DJ RahBee, Crazyredbeard and photographer August Heisler are joining our crew to help blow your minds.
    IMPULSE is brought to you by the fantastically talented folks over at Whateverz Klever. The line-up is  incredible...including Papadosio, Boombox, EOTO, Zoogma, Archnemesis, Emancipator, Minnesota, NastyNasty, The Polish Ambassador, and so many more!
    The stellar line-up is not the only thing worth the anticipation though. IMPULSE promises more mind-blowing art installations than you can count, from a large variety of artists and companies (including RCP) ! They promise breath-taking light shows, including lasers and 3D mapping, as well as a special "Saddle Span" tent from Area 51 Productions.
   IMPULSE also has a number of wild activities planned, if you're brave and daring enough to take an adventure. They are offering guided ATV tours as well as an amateur Sasquatch hunt through the seven thousand acres of Durhamtown's thick forest. There will also be a motorcross stunt show, as well as road bike and BMX freestyle shows.
   Another plus to this Georgia fest, is it offers wooded camping with fires. IMPULSE implies there will be performances, installations, decor and more popping up throughout the two-hundred acre campground throughout the weekend.
   There are only a few rules...as with every festival or large gathering of people. No glass, no tanks, no illegal activities of any kind...you know the deal! Be good, be careful, and this is sure to be a great weekend!
    Make sure you catch a couple of performances by Rock Camp Productions, with DJ RahBee and Crazyredbeard!! We'll be performing at our installation site and throughout the venue all weekend! Puff T. Magic-Dragon and friends will be around, so be prepared for some good, old fashioned, festie fun in addition to our new and exciting surprises! And make sure you snap some cool pictures...we will be having a special RCP @ IMPULSE photo contest!! Details to come; keep up to date on our Facebook page! An check out IMPULSE on Facebook here.

Volunteer of the Week: Katie Emerson

Katie Emerson has been involved with Rock Camp Productions for over five years, and has contributed to performances including All Good 2010 & 2011, Floydfest 2010, Pink Moon I and III, as well as countless work and prep parties on the mountain.
Katie is not only a trained massage therapist and cleaning woman extraordinaire...she's a phenomenal caretaker, a hard worker, and a great friend.


At any given RCP event Katie can be found in one of many roles - a dancing skeleton parading around with our Dancing Bear mascots, attending to the needs of our crew and artists and assisting with hospitality, or helping to keep order in an otherwise chaotic industry.
We love having Katie around, whether it's to work or play. She is always a bright and bubbly addition to the room, and her presence is always a boon. We love you Katie!



- All roads lead to Rock Camp

Location:Rock Camp, WV

It's Saturday!!

Today was such a lovely day. The weather was a bit cooler, and a bit more humid and grey than it's been, but Sethro built a nice fire in the fireplace and did a bunch of laundry (the dryer always warms up the house some). I've been fiddling around on the Internet....and I'm still mind-boggled by Twitter. There are way too many "hash tags" and "ats" and whatnot....it looks like another language to me. I know I'm an old lady...that fact was confirmed by our ten cats and my obsession with catching every episode of Jeopardy.
Seth spent a lot of time in the garden today, what with the sun not beating down and all. He planted the beautiful flowering vine Slatkin brought for Pinky, a bunch of the flowers and vegetables we got from Gore's (the great little greenhouse down Rt. 219 near Peterstown, WV)...and he planted me this adorable little herb garden on our front porch (I'm definitely dragging it to Christiansburg!!)

Aunt Peggy, Grandma, Isaac & Cici (Rusty's kids, 6 and 2 years old respectively) stopped by this afternoon. Isaac wanted to see the kitten he and his sister are adopting (as soon as the kittens are fully weened).
I'm looking forward to a nice quiet evening. The sun has broken through the clouds for this last hour of daylight, and the mountain is alive with the sounds of crickets, cicadas and other bugs, woodpeckers, and all different types of birds. Everything is incredibly green and wet, and the setting sun shimmers off the grass and leaves like silver.

As Seth gave me a tour around the yard, of all of his freshly planted fruits, flowers and veggies, we stopped by the little strawberry patch in the corner of our garden. We found a decent handful of strawberries, but we'd missed most of them. Seth has this great idea of creating a pretty large painted mandala of the seasons, and when everything blooms/produces/bears fruit. My grandparents have a huge saw blade painted with all four seasons, a piece of art I have always loved, and I imagine what Seth describes to be something like that saw blade, only much larger, and much more detailed than just winter, spring, summer and fall.

- All roads lead to Rock Camp

Location:Rock Camp, WV

Our House

Today was Seth's very last day of teaching dance class at James Monroe High School. I was up until 3am baking cupcakes for his class (it takes a long time to cook 40 cupcakes with only one 6-cupcake pan...), which came out incredibly well if I don't say so myself. As a special treat he also brought n glowsticks and taught them a few poi moves.
I'm very proud of Seth...while teaching high school didn't exactly come naturally to him, he really gave the job all he had and did a really good job. Those kids may not have come out star dancers...but they learned a lot. Seth proudly showed me a few of his students final projects...and I was really, truly impressed.
After Seth got home we futzed around the house a bit, hung out with Slatkin, and then, around 2pm we headed out to Blacksburg. We looked at four houses...one in Blacksburg, one in Christiansburg, one in Merrimac, and one in Newport. We think we found the house too! A gorgeous place in Christiansburg....I hope it works out. I'm so in love with the open space kitchen/living room, the master bedroom, the LAUNDRY ROOM, well...to be honest, I'm in love with the whole house! It's perfect!
We stopped at the Cascade Cafe in Pembroke, VA on our way home. We're both exhausted from the long day (four hours of house-hunting AND Seth taught this morning!!) and we're both zoning out without iPads, not actually doing much of anything. I'm trying to muster the energy to throw together a late-night snack...but it's not looking promising!


- All roads lead to Rock Camp

Location:Rock Camp, WV

My Family Tree is Full of Nuts...

Today was a good, incredibly productive day. Seth sent in his grades for his high school dance class, and didn't have to head into work until noon. I spent the majority of my day online, typing up content for our new, soon-to-be-launched website, writing press releases, answering emails, and posting (professionally) on Facebook.
Seth got home from high school just as I was taking the laundry off of the line.  We cleaned up the house a bit, and I found the truck keys, and around 3pm David Slatkin, our mutual friend from Cleo, got in to the farm from his place in Charlottesville, Virginia. Slatkin is a graduate student (studying religion, specifically Buddhism) at the University of Virginia. He's made it out to our last two Pink Moon Festivals, and is on a very short list of Cleos who've been to Rock Camp. He's also dragon'd with us before, for EOTO in Charlottesville, and for Particle at Pink Moon III.
Seth gave Slatkin the new-and-improved, spring tour of the farm while I continued working into the evening. I made vegan, veggie, fried rice for dinner with red peppers, onions, broccoli, garlic and mushrooms.
Now all I've got to do is make 35 cupcakes for Seth's final dance class tomorrow morning and go to bed. I'm exhausted, but I feel generally accomplished!

Slatkin & Little Kitten, "My Family Tree is Full of Nuts!"

Rock Camp Productions will be at Rootwire Music & Arts Festival August 16-19, 2012

Rock Camp Productions is excited to be bringing our famous glowing characters to this year's Rootwire Music & Arts Festival in Logan, Ohio, August 16-19! We will be present all weekend, parading our giant glowing stick figure puppets Dr. Molly and Siddhartha (Sid) Glo throughout the venue, and the amazing Puff T. Magic-Dragon just might make a special appearance through the campgrounds! Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for incredible, and once-in-a-lifetime shows all weekend, not only from RCP & friends, but throughout the festival.

Sid & Molly Glo

     It looks like Rootwire 2012 will be as spiritually grounded and mind-blowingly artistic as years past, at least that's the impression I got from their Facebook event page:

"What is Rootwire? Simply an environment designed from the ground up to inspire and enlighten, created entirely by those in attendance. It is an attempt to re instill the values of the original psychedelic movement, to transform society. Also, to banish the pitfalls of todays modern music festivals, which are funded by corporations, and designed solely for profit.

Rootwire 2k12 will feature the Live Music, Visual, and Performance Art of the Nations Greatest Visionary Masters. 3 Stages, Massive Circus Tent, Visionary Art Gallery, Art installations, Guided Meditations, Yoga, and Ceremonies, Forums and Live Speakers, Film viewings, Woodland Lighting, Wooded camping, Workshops and Lessons, and much much more.

It has been said time and time again, Rootwire is the ideal festival, but dont take it from us, ask someone who has attended and they will surely tell you this is the ONE not to miss!

We invite you to be yourself, all are welcome, come home to Rootwire."

Pre-sale tickets are $85 (for general admission camping throughout the weekend) and are available here. 

So get your tickets and spread the word, Rock Camp is going to Rootwire!!

Struggling Angel

A beautiful song, written by Keith Moseley and Kyle Hollingsworth for the late Sarah Gewald. She is survived by many friends and family, including close Rock Camp Productions friend, and EOTO's old road manager, Sarah's husband, Chris Gewald. Go to the SCI bandcamp site, make a donation of your choice and download the song! 100% of donations go to Front Range Hippotherapy (www.frontrangehippotherapy.com) in Sarah's name. Please support this great cause by making any size donation you feel comfortable with and download this beautiful, heart wrenching song.





- All roads lead to Rock Camp

Location:Everywhere

Artist Feature: Galaxy Dynamite!

 

  For those of you who don't already know Galaxy Dynamite! is an incredible psychedelic rock band out of Norfolk, Virginia. They are one of my favorite bands, even though I only discovered them a couple of years ago. I first heard their catchy name at the official Hulaween after-party at the NorVa in 2010, with EOTO and DJ RahBee (where Puff T. Magic-Dragon appeared). Galaxy's unique and vibrant sound left me wanting more and more, and I made sure to book them for Pink Moon III, in 2011, here in Rock Camp.
   The members of the band, Baker Cunningham (guitar, synth), Sam Wolfe (bass), and Mike Mahgerefteh (drums), are young but phenomenally talented musicians. Each of them has been playing and creating music since their adolescence, and their individual influences shine through in their tight jams and trance-y melodies, ranging from greats such as Joe Satriani, to Nirvana, to Ozric Tentacles and The Disco Biscuits. The guys try to be as "organic as possible when coming up with new material". They have never used a pre-made set-list to guide their shows to date, and are a truly live and improvisational band. Their "songs" are more like themes which can branch off in any collimation. "Not having the constraints of written structure allows for so much more freedom to take the music in any spontaneous direction [they] choose at that moment".
   Galaxy Dynamite! has been performing pretty prolifically since their conception two years ago. They began by playing a weekly open mic night at 37 & Zen in Norfolk, Virginia. On June 26, 2010, they played their first professional gig, a party for Penthouse Energy Drinks at the Regal Beagle in Virginia Beach. Since the addition if their new guitarist/keyboardist, Baker Cunningham, in January, they've practiced constantly, and their sound has evolved and grown. Sam and Mike have been creating music side by side for nearly a decade, having played in three different bands together since high school, and their close friendship shines through in their cohesive and endless jams.
   It's precisely those endless jams that set Galaxy Dynamite! apart from other bands. Where as most groups must reconvene their jam, or bring the jam full circle, to go back into the last lines of a song, Galaxy Dynamite's "songs" are more like transient overlapping themes that flow like cosmic strings through their sets. If that riff sounds good, they go with it, build on it, and play it out. They don't always know if what they try onstage will work, sometimes it doesn't...but more often than not Galaxy Dynamite! sounds amazing, and the feeling is mutually displayed on the faces of players and audience members alike. Such pure improvisation is, to me, indicative of incredible talent, and is something few bands can actually pull off. Not just anyone can get onstage with such energy and enthusiasm, and produce such soulful and fluid music off the cuff. Their unique style launches them into a lofty category with improvisational greats like EOTO.
   Early in the game the guys dreamed of playing the NorVa. They have attained that goal (plenty of times over) having now performed there with EOTO, Ozric Tentacles and Conspirator. They have appeared with many other big names and talented performers including Boombox, Future Rock, Ballyhoo, The Heavy Pets, Iration, Sonic Spank, The Mantras, Damn Right, and DJ RahBee, and in incredible venues throughout the region and beyond, including The National (Richmond, VA), Emilio's (Richmond, VA), Cleo of Alpha Chi (Hartford, CT) and Pinky's Farm (Rock Camp, WV) to name a few.
   Speaking as a booking agent, promoter and stage manager,  these guys are cool and incredibly easy to work with. They rage hard at every performance, and always seem to give 110%, with huge smiles on their faces the whole time! They genuinely just want to get out and play, and are constantly putting themselves out there for new and exciting opportunities. Galaxy Dynamite! is determined to take it as far as they can, to keep the jam going. And they are definitely going places.
   They are currently holding a residency at City Dogs in Richmond, Virginia. They are also booked for  Pink Moon 4, here in Rock Camp, WV September 15th. For a complete list of their upcoming tour dates, music, and more information visit their website at www.galaxydynamite.com and visit their Facebook page! If you're interested in booking this unique group whose organic electro groove has the straightforward ferocity of a punk band, contact Allie at (703)-362-4728 or send an email to galaxydynamite@gmail.com

The Longest, Best, Weirdest Day Ever

The last 36 hours have been incredibly weird, but also insanely fun. It all started at 12pm on Friday...and ends with me, sitting on the couch, on the stage in my front yard, in Rock Camp WV, listening to the incredible sounds of DJ RahBee, who is spinning live, right next to me, for the first night of our Memorial-Day-Weekend-Work-Party! Wow that was a run on sentence my high school English teacher would be proud of...
Anyway...Friday at 12pm Molly and Jerm and I headed from Cleo to my Dad's house in Bristol. Molly and I took on the daunting task of cleaning (gasp) the basement, while Jerm weed-whacked the ridiculously steep and huge hill in front of the house. We were so grimy and tired after four hours of decently hard labor (definitely hard labor on Jeremy's part)! Our friend Adam, who also resides in Bristol, came over to help and hang out. He and Molly left right before Jerm and I took off from my Dad's around 5pm for a Dave Matthews Band concert at The Meadows (or whatever it's called these days...it will ALWAYS be the Meadows) in downtown Hartford. We met up with Erica (my little sister), Ashley (my best friend from high school), and Melissa (another friend from high school) on lot. They'd been tailgating for awhile, so Jerm and I tried to sell some Puff T. pins and patches. Seriously...actually...like 10 different Bros and Way-Underage-Preppy-Bitches actually, seriously asked us what a patch was. "What's a patch?" Wait, what...really? We bumped into one guy on lot who called us out as actual "heads" in a sea of posers and just straight up idiots. We laughed at the crowd for a little while, and ultimately left on the note: "you know dude, only one in ten thousand come for the show".
And it was a great show, despite the trashed KIDS everywhere. Jerm and I did have to leave early though...because we booked it straight out of Hartford at midnight, on the dot. And so Saturday began.
The drive was wonderful. Best drive back to Rock Camp ever! Daybreak hit as we rolled through Pennsylvania (which, we determined takes a quarter of the entire time of the trip to drive through). As we drove through Maryland and West Virginia (the teaser part, before hours of Virginia driving) the clouds were rolling down along the hills and fog covered the road. It was beautiful. From there the hours progressed, we drove down the road, and the most magnificent weather broke through the cloud cover. By 9am it was already hot, and incredibly bright, clear, and just so gorgeous. Even though we were beyond exhausted, Jerm and I were having the best time...especially once we hit the back roads of Monroe County.
We made the trip in record time...10.5 hours from Hartford to Rock Camp without driving even one mile per hour over the speed limit (thank god for cruise control) the whole way. Straight shot - all night, and we pulled up to the farmhouse at 10:30am, just in time for the work weekend, to a very scruffy, very happy Sethro. He gave me a huge hug and kiss, gave me a bouquet of lovely pink peonies (not to mention two beautiful hanging pink petunia plants), and a tour of all of the cleaning up he'd done on the farm. We proceeded to relax and regale stories of each others weeks, seated comfortably on the front porch. Sabrina and Justin came up, followed shortly by Melrod and Katie! After a good bit of catching up, hugging, and whatnot, we began picking up the yard and front porch. Katie and Sabrina did a bang-up job cleaning the porch...it's so tidy and comfortable now. While Melrod mowed the grass, Justin and Seth gathered wood for bonfires and grilling, Jerm weed-whacked the entire yard, and Katie, Sabrina and I cleaned up the front yard. Around 6pm Robbie and Jennie came around! We talked business for awhile then Robbie set up his equipment on stage and the rage began. He's been playing for about two hours and he's been on fire! He's been mixing up an incredible set and it doesn't seem like he's winding down at all. It's been a pretty glitch-hoppy set, with some funky house and a little drum and bass thrown in. Jennie is attempting to teach Jeremy to hula-hoop (with and led hoop, which is hysterical to watch). I think if he'd just listen and feel the flow of RahBee's beats he'd get it. Then again, maybe Jerm's just not built to move like that. Anyway, it's entertaining.
This is such a phenomenal way to end such a great trip up north, such a great drive, and such a great day working and playing with great friends. I'm dead tired, but sitting here on the couch, on the stage, listening, watching and relaxing next to my all time favorite DJ/producer, with some of my closest friends...well, there's no place I'd rather be.









- All roads lead to Rock Camp

Location:Hartford, CT to Rock Camp, WV

Bleeps and Bloops and definitely a few Womps!

Jeremy and I are still in Connecticut, bouncing between Cleo and my Dad's house. We've been busy, throwing the graduation party on Sunday, my dress fittings, Rock Camp Productions work (having "real" internet is an incredible treat), not to mention Jeremy has done a bunch of yardwork for my dad.
I want to mention again that Eric & Ricky did a fantastic job on Sunday. The tunes were really good, and they played for a long time. They're good DJs and good guys!
I've spent today catching up on some business work, hanging around my dad's, while Jeremy weed whacks and whatnot. I watched DJ RahBee's broadcast on the-lost-art.com/live from 12-2pm. Erica (my little sister) even tuned in! It was a badass show. He plays every Wednesday on The Lost Art from 12-2pm EST...so remember to tune in. It's a cool site, and they have DJs of all kinds playing all the time, but RahBee is the only one on the site in his genre.
I fed Jeremy, who used to be  a butcher, a veggie burger for lunch. When I asked him how it was, he said, and I quote, "It's food. It's better than some things I've eaten."
We're sticking around up here until Friday, catching Dave Matthews at the Meadows in Hartford, then driving home for a Memorial Day Work Weekend! We're just beginning to adjust and feel rested, and there's a c-r-a-z-y weekend ahead of us. I am looking forward to getting home to Seth and the Farm though!

On the road again...

Jeremy and I have been on the road since 5pm Thursday. After stopping at Riffe's, Sabrina's, The New River Grill, and Jennie's we got on the road finally around 9:30pm. We drove all night to CT...no traffic, no trouble...straight shot. It only took us eleven hours as opposed to the usual fourteen!
We arrived at Cleo at 7am on Friday. Jerm and I passed out on the couch watching Avatar: The Last Airbender.
I woke up to one of my best friends Molly Dill, and we spent the day catching up and enjoying each others company. Around 7:30pm we headed over to Sully's (in Hartford) to check out the venue and say hello to Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. We grabbed some pizza at Lena's then headed home till the show started.The drummer scootered over to the house to chill for a bit, before heading back to Sully's for the show. But when we got there it became the dragon show would just be impossible...too small a venue with too many people! We were bummed, but it was ok since Pigeons came back to Cleo after the show and we got to chill!
We spent Saturday at my dad's, relaxing and recovering from the craziness of the two days previous. It was a great break before Sunday: Trinity Graduation.
The weather on Sunday was gorgeous ! It was sunny and bright and very very hot! We headed out to the Trin quad for the actual graduation ceremony around noon. It was long, but nice...and then we headed down to tent city to celebrate. A huge congratulations to all of my Cleo grads, and friends: Molly Dill, Chau Pham, Hannah Kaneck, Will Moffit, Queyn Tran, Terri Incampo, Dippi, Timmy, Elsie, and everyone else!
We headed back to the house and Eric (Gengar) Robinson and his friend Ricky came out to DJ for the Graduation Party RCP produced for Molly and Timmy. They're great guys and very talented DJs. Found them through the Festival Artists Collective! This was the second show they've played at Cleo, the first being Spring Break Blowout.
After not and incredible amount of sleep Molly and I headed out to Canton to meet up with my mother and sister, then well headed to Torrington for my wedding dress fitting. It's an incredibly gorgeous dress,but it definitely needed some alterations. It was too long, and almost impossible to shorten (for reasons I don't want to get into so as to not give away too many details)...the moral of the story being...I can't wear crocs for the wedding. Super. Frowny. Face. I have to wear actually pretty tall wedges, which spurred and very frantic, very silly emergency shoe store visit. Blah, but the dress is gorgeous. The seamstress is a slightly crazy, very funny, very Italian, little old lady...and she's a character.
We grabbed lunch after the fitting then Molly and I headed back to Cleo. Probably headed home to dads later, but for now I'm just relaxing. These trips are always just exhausting!


- All roads lead to Rock Camp

Volunteer of the Week: Paul Roberts

This week's volunteer is the loyal, dedicated and hardworking friend of RCP, Paul Roberts!

Paul has attended Pink Moon 2 & 3, and countless work weekends. He has a tendency of bringing cool people along to experience Rock Camp and our Pink Moon Family, and always works really hard...well past simply earning his ticket.


Paul laid ALL of the Pink AstroTurf on our backlight mini-golf course, has painted, pruned, mowed and weed-whacked all over the farm, helped build our laundry line, and continues to come back again and again! We always have a great time together. You can find Paul's initials on the cement block next to the mini-golf course.


Paul has also been on our dragon crew. He was Puff's tail for our set at Pink Moon 3 for Particle, and he came with us to a EOTO sow in Richmond, VA, at The National. Despite getting ticketed relentlessly by some spunyun, he had a great time, and he was unquestionably a great dragoneer!


I always love when Paul visits Rock Camp! He really appreciates the farm, in all of it's beauty. He's a good friend, and is always incredibly helpful. I love that he's part of the family!


- All roads lead to Rock Camp

Location:Rock Camp, WV

Artist Feature: DJ RahBee

  DJ RahBee is the Rock Camp Productions Resident DJ as well as a production partner with The Pink Moon Festival. His unique style and incredible showmanship has kept dancers throughout Appalachia and beyond raging for over 16 years!
  He first got into the industry listening to Herbie Hancock's Rockit with DJ Grand Wizard Theadore, Run DMC and Slick Rick/Dougie Fresh. RahBee explains, "what they were doing in the early '80s was revolutionary and unheard of. It was incredibly cutting edge music at that time." He was hooked, and continues his journey in the music industry today. His music is ever evolving and progressing, as electronic music is ever evolving and progressing, with new technology and exciting opportunities.

  According to RahBee his style is "all over the place" - spanning a huge cross-section of EDM genres from Dubstep, all kinds of House, Glitch,  to Glitch Hop, and more. RahBee calls his tunes "LazerBassMusic".
  No matter what he's playing, RahBee's "old school" style of icorporating turntablism with cutting edge music has a powerful effect.. We've all been to that show where it appears all the DJ is doing is pressing play on an iPod....not DJ RahBee! Every show is alive, and RahBee by no means stands there pressing buttons. On the contrary RahBee caresses the vinyl like you would a beautiful woman, manually manipulating every sound that booms out of the speakers and through our bodies. He produces jaw dropping mixes, and articulates every track masterfully. New music constantly flows from his fingers before anyone else has a chance to play or even hear it anywhere else.

  DJ RahBee has appeared with a wildly impressive roster of artists throughout his career; Griz, Freddy Todd, iLL So Naj, EOTO, Papadosio, and members of The Glitch Mob, just to name the slightest cross section. Some highlights RahBee mentioned from his career include opening up for EOTO at the NorVa in VA Beach for the Official Hulaween After-party in 2010, performing at Rootwire Music Festval in 2011, not to mention opening for Ooah of the Glitch Mob.

  While playing with incredible musicians is certainly an exciting aspect of the job, RahBee's favorite part about DJing is "playing for people who really get it and really enjoy the music for what it is!" According to RahBee there is no feeling more exhilarating than "looking out over a crowd of people while they dance and cheer for you!"
  DJ RahBee is currently booked for the Happiness & Harmony Festival, this weekend, as well as multiple dates and festies throughout the summer (dates below). RahBee also holds a weekly live slot on the Internet radio station The Lost Art, every Wednesday from 12-2pm.
  Be sure to check out and "like" his Facebook page, and while you're at it...tune into his SoundCloud for some great mixes. I promise, you won't be able to stay in your seat...DJ RahBee brings the party anytime, anywhere.

DJ RahBee's Upcoming Tour Dates:

Happiness & Harmony Festival - May 18-19

Nomadic Roots Music Festival - June 28-30

Housequake w/ Doc Martin - August 3

Rootwire Music & Arts Festival - August 16-19

Camp Barefoot 6 - August 23-26

The 4th Annual Pink Moon Festival - September 15-16

The WerkOut - September 20-23

A Very Good Day

It was a wonderful day on the mountain. After Seth got home from teaching dance at the local high school we ran some errands in Union, the town over. We picked up a pizza and wings from Queen's and arrived home to a message from the director of the Directing and Public Dialogue MFA program at Virginia Tech! Seth returned the call, and come to find out he was accepted into the program! They only take ONE candidate, so I am very proud!!
Looks like we'll be living in Blacksburg, VA next year! I'm already looking for a pet-friendly, smoker friendly place to live!
Needless to say after that Sethro was is a fantastic mood. He even had the patience to give me a few Photoshop lesson while I whipped out an EPK (electronic press kit) for a friend and client of mine. I finished a rough draft, and it came out really well if I don't say so myself!
We also spent a lot of time hashing out proposals to a few new festivals. It's a lot of work, and I've been doing a ton of writing lately, but I enjoy it...and Seth gets this glimmer in his eyes when we discuss puppets and dragons.
I also got a pretty decent guitar lesson of of Seth. He's really a phenomenal guitar player...I am not. I've got a few chords down pat, but my transitions between them are pretty awful and I can barely figure out how to strum or keep time...which is silly because I'm a trained signer and have pretty good rhythm in general. Just have to keep practicing I guess!
All in all it was a really great day. I'm incredibly proud of Seth and I'm optimistic for the future!


- All roads lead to Rock Camp

Location:Rock Camp, WV

Super Duper Early Bird Special!

NOW THROUGH FRIDAY!!

$15 Pink Moon Tickets, ONLY until we post our line-up!
Expires May 18, 2012


Send a check or money order made out to Seth Abramson for $15 to:

Pink Moon Festival - Ticketing
c/o Seth Abramson
RR 1 Box 137
Lindside, WV 24951

All envelopes must be post marked by Friday May 18, 2012. Please include your full name in the return address (so we may send you your tickets!)

Save $5 ($10 ticket!?!) by using your paypal account! Send $10 to jessofrockcamp@yahoo.com, and email your full name and address to the that address as well.



- All roads lead to Rock Camp

Location:Rock Camp, WV

Volunteer of the Year, RIP Isaac Wegbreit

Everyone at Rock Camp Productions mourns tonight. I was just informed of the untimely passing of Pink Moon Family Member, Rock Camp Productions Volunteer, and all around great guy, Isaac Wegbreit.

I first met Isaac at Elysian Fields Festival 2011. He was super psyched for Pink Moon 3! And then he started coming to work weekends with his best friend Paul Roberts. He was certainly among the greatest of volunteers, painting, building, mowing, dealing with trash, and exploring the corners of the farm with the rest of us. And every night he partied down with the rest of us! He was always such a good time, charismatic, and fun.

If you come to Pink Moon 4, stop by the small cement square just next to the first hole on our mini golf course. There you will see Isaac's initials, along with Paul's, mine and Seth's, and all of our all star volunteers from that weekend. Leave a flower, leave a kiss, and remember how many people it takes to build a strong, fruitful community...and how many are lost along the way.

Thank you, Isaac, for all of the smiles, laughs, and good times we had together. Pink Moon is for you, and all those we've lost along the way.

An untimely death is always hard on the community. Grieve. Love each other. Breathe deeply. Come together, and stay strong. And don't forget to celebrate. Celebrate Isaac's life, the joy he brought those around him, and the fact that he lives on in us, his friends and family. Remember him, but do not dwell. Hold onto him, but also let him go. Do not dwell. Don't ask yourself "what if?"...and don't blame yourself. Just know that, no matter what you choose to believe, he is in a better place.

We love you Isaac. We will miss you forever. Rest in peace, brother. Rest in peace.


For anyone who would like to read his obituary it can be found here (funeral details can be found there): http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timesdispatch/obituary.aspx?n=isaac-lyle-wegbreit&pid=157563651&fb_source=message

- All roads lead to Rock Camp

Location:Rock Camp, WV

Rock Camp Productions Volunteer of the Week!

Welcome to our new weekly feature, the Rock Camp Productions volunteer of the week!



This week we'd like to honor Jesse Zimmerman! Jesse is a Rock Camp veteran for sure, having lived here on the mountain just before, during and after Pink Moon 2 in 2010. Jesse has been to tons of Rock Camp Productions and Pink Moon work weekends, and can often be found mowing acres upon acres, gathering fire wood, weed whacking, or fixing wiring around the farm.



We met Jesse at the Elysian Fields Festival 2010 in Boyce, VA. Not long after that he came out to live on the farm with us and helped us prepare for Pink Moon 2. Earlier this year Jesse was initiated into the co-Ed literary society, Cleo of Alpha Chi, in Hartford, CT.


Since then Jesse has done countless Rock Camp Productions tours with us. He has appeared under Puff T. Magic-Dragon, for EOTO, Papadosio, Keller Williams, DJ RahBee, The Bridge, and many more.

Jesse is an invaluable member of Rock Camp Productions. He is always helpful, hard-working and considerate. We are very thankful to have him on board, year after year, and glad to have him as part of our family.


- All roads lead to Rock Camp

Location:Rock Camp, WV

Spring Weekend!

It's a quiet Saturday afternoon up on the farm. Paul rolled up to visit last night, and is hanging out for the weekend. He's from Richmond, and has been to two out of three Pink Moons and more work weekends than I can count!
Sabrina and Justin also came up; so with me, them, Paul, Jeremy and Seth it was a downright party up here. We chilled, watched "Caddyshack" and I wrote up content for our new (in-the-works) Rock Camp Productions website.



Today has been a relatively mellow day as well. Sabrina's stepdad brought up her short-bus today! It's SO cool! I made hamburgers and veggie burgers stuffed with onion and green peppers, and homemade relish for lunch, out back on our grill. Seth's grandpa made it years ago out of stones from an ancient chimney and foundation on he farm. An the wood fire adds such flavor!
Now we're hanging out with kittens, I mean, how could we resist? They're so darn cute! Seth's Aunt Peggy, her brother Rusty and his two kids are visiting the mountain as well. Rusty has a get-away cabin up past our house. All of them are down in the park cleaning up! It was our intention to go to church with Peggy and Grandma on Sunday for Mother's Day!


We definitely needed this mellow spring weekend. Seth has been super stressed out, with his grad school application pending and his high school students have been a handful (as high schoolers always are...), and I've been super stressed as well planning the wedding and Pink Moon and our summer tour.

And finally check out this neat blog post about the very talented DJ RahBee on The Space Haven...

http://thespacehaven.com/dj-spotlight-rahbee/


- All roads lead to Rock Camp

Location:Rock Camp, WV

Spring has Sprung!

It's definitely spring here on the farm! Everything is incredibly green, flowers are blooming, we have almost 1 month old kittens, and Jeremy has already had to mow the yard four or five time.



It's always beautiful here on the farm, but spring is really special. One of my favorite pass times is sniffing (new-to-me) heirloom irises, that have been here a lot longer than I've been alive. There are the fairly conventional light purple irises (they smell like artificial grape flavor) which are everywhere down here, dark purple irises that smell like vanilla, dark purple and yellow irises that smell like lemon-bar desserts, yellow irises that smell like lemons, big white irises that smell like white Necco wafers, little dark purple Japanese irises that don't smell like anything at all, and pink irises that smell like strawberries! And I'm NOT crazy, Seth and our friend down the road, Joel, confirm!



Joel has got the most beautiful gardens! Flowers of all kinds surrounded by rock sculptures, fruit trees, and a couple acres of fruits and veggies! I'm so envious!



I love this time of year. The only thing I don't love about it is the bugs. And they're going to be bad this year because we've had such a mild winter! Luckily we've got plenty of cats. Stealie, the only not-white kitten from Ophelia's litter, and the only one we decided not to spay, had four beautiful kittens on 4/20. Two boys and two girls. Seth and I are keeping the two boys, one of which is bright orange and we named him Jerry (the other three kittens are dark tabbies). One of the girl kittens is a bobtail. The long tailed girl kitten, who we've dubbed Althea is going to my best friends Isaac and Danny. the other two kittens, the bobtail girl and the tabby boy are to-be-named, and the bobtail girl is looking for a home!



So this brings our current cat total to ten! Cosmic Charlie, Oedi-pussy Galore, Two-Eyes, Blue-Eyes, Bobby McGee, Stealie, Althea, Jerry, Kitten #3 and Kitten #4! Not to mention our two dogs, Virginia (Ginny) and Lucy! Thank God we live of a farm right?!


- All roads lead to Rock Camp

Location:Rock Camp, WV

Dancing with Dragons

Check out our feature article in Headstash!!!

http://www.headstash.com/magazine/artist-spotlight/1612-dances-with-dragons


- All roads lead to Rock Camp

April Fools

We've been on a crazy run since March 31st when we opened EOTOs tour with them at The Electric Factory with Shpongle. It was a phenomenal show, a great crew (Raph, Bea, Pete, Brian, Jeremy, Seth and myself). We gave Travis a 5-hour-energy pre-show and I his words "save the gig"....and we raged Puff T. at all the right moments! It felt magical!! After the show we helped them break down their brand new Lotus stage.
From Philadelphia we headed to Pittsburgh (a longer ride than we'd anticipated...) and did more Dragon shows in costume for April Fools, with EOTO at Mr. Small's theater. After the show the sockets for the power drills had been misplaced, so Jeremy and I pitched in and helped break down the Lotus stage with a hand socket wrench and our fingers. Got it done!
On the weekend on April 5th we had a work weekend. A bunch of great folks came out and we got the store significantly cleaned out! My mother and grandparents came by so my mother could see the mountain before the wedding.
April 9th Jeremy and I headed to Charlottesville to do another show with EOTO. Another great show, despite some resistance from the venue. We did four dragon sets and Jeremy Panda'd all night. We spent the night at Slatkin's and headed out the next morning.
We pulled in to Cleo at 9:15pm. It was great, finally a chance to relax. Seth and Jesse arrived at my dad's on Wednesday. And Thursday began Jesse and Jeremy's initiation into Cleo.
Monday Seth and Jesse headed home. Jeremy and I have been recovering since. I've been working on a bunch of Rock Camp Production busywork as has Seth. he's also applying for the directing MFA program at VA Tech.
I'm producing a party at Cleo tomorrow (4/20) including Galaxy Dynamite!, DJ RahBee, and Puff T. Magic-Dragon! It's going to be one hell of a blow out. And then, finally I get to go home to my sweetheart!


- All roads lead to Rock Camp

Location:Up and down the East Coast

Spring Break Blowout

    Jeremy and I left Rock Camp around 7:30am on Wednesday the 14th, heading straight for CT. We picked up Jesse (via RT 66....that exit off of Rt 81 always makes me think of Dugald....) and magically, 10 hours later we just slipped by the tail en of NYC rush hour traffic, and crossed into CT. We listened to my iPad, on shuffle, the whole ride...and I tell you, it has a serious Beatles and Phish bias.
I dropped the boys off at my dad's house and rushed to Cleo. It was wonderful to see everyone again. We chit chattered late into the night, after I threw a book or two and Matt Piros and gave multiple hugs across the board, I headed back to my dad's and crashed out...exhausted from 14 hours of driving, 750 miles and so many friends. My eyes didn't open till 11am on Thursday (15th) even though I'd set alarms for 9:30am. I grabbed Jesse and Jerm and we headed out to Cleo. Mostly we just chilled...getting ready for the crazy party we were about to throw and introducing Jerm and Jesse to the various members of the house and their quirks. 

    Our VA DJs and Visual Artists arrived around 5 or 6pm, and we just gave them time to rest up, shower and get ready to throw down. Susan Helfrich began setting up blacklights and incredible spandex fabric decor, transforming the field house into an incredible, out of this world, party scene. Our fire spinners showed up (Find them at Sasha FireGypsy on the Facebook)....and even though Sasha had been sick as a dog the past few days, those girls were hot (pardon the pun) and ready to perform!  They Threw it down in front of the house all night long (after Roarke and I okay'd it with Campus Safety).
   We had seven DJs cranking....3 Cleo alums: DJ Oce, DJ Slava, and DJ BC as well as non Cleo DJs: DJ Viah, DJ Diabeats, DJ Gengar, and Artist Alex Kristoff. Brendan (DJ BC) brought his RCP commissioned/inspired dragon 'Tronic, which we hung as installation art above the bar.

While our attendance wasn't as high as we hoped: we weren't serving alcohol, and it was the Thursday before Spring Break. Despite all that it was one hell of a time. We ran around the house with Puff T. Magic-Dragon and around the campus a bit, freaking out freshman with giant glowing dragons and Molly's megaphone. I still lost my voice from too much screaming, smoking and singing.

Friday we chilled hard until evening, when all us Cleos and Jerm and Jesse (prospectives) partied down! Jeremy and I didn't get much sleep Friday night, so Saturday we took our time loading up the truck and getting the finality of my crap out of Cleo. I was in no shape to drive, after my weekend of sleep deprivation and debauchery....so Jesse got us past NYC, through Jersey into Allentown PA (with my help, how I stayed awake...the world may never know) where we stopped at a cheap and only mildly creepy motel. It had a heart shaped, red, whirlpool tub next to the bed (the whirlpools didn't work, and we didn't have hot water till 7am so the room only ended up costing us $10!!)
Sunday I powered through, dropping Jesse off in Manassass, and headed straight back for Rock Camp. We took the exit for the "back way" (159-311-3) but realized we were out of gas, and about to be in huge trouble, and magically found our way back onto the interstate and to an open gas station. Then just road rt. 219 (which runs all the way to Buffalo NY) home.
When we finally got up our bumpy dirt driveway to our cute, comfortable, welcoming farmhouse....we realized Seth was already in bed PASSED OUT and he'd locked us out. Jeremy and I spent an hour trying to jimmy our way into the house...and finally found our entrance. After such a crazy trip it felt good to be home. It didn't take Jerm long to pass out on the couch, and I headed upstairs to cuddle with Seth after missing him for over five days. Silly, I know...but I love the guy!