Pink Moon Festival V Spotlight: Groova Scape

For over two years now, Groova Scape’s guitarist, vocalist, and bassist have been playing together with a new drummer that has been on board for about six months. The group has been involved in music they were in middle school and the vocalist began at an earlier age singing in the choir. 

Years ago the band consisted of a few different members who all worked at a landscaping company called Ground Up Landscaping. “We used to joke about making a company called Sound Up GooveScaping and after tossing this around for a few days, ‘Groova Scape’ was born with the idea of creating infectious grooves or ‘Groove Scaping’ if you will.”

The group mentioned one unforgettable experience during which they opened for EOTO. Because their bassist was late, Michael Travis sat in for Groova Scape’s bassist and that “was a very cool experience.” 

This will be their third time performing at the Pink Moon Festival and I encourage everyone to check these guys out!  

Pink Moon Festival V Spotlight: Fractal Cat

Fractal Cat as a full band was formed in 2011 when they played their first show. The band consists of Miles, Jason, Joe, Andy, and Keith but originally, Miles and Jason began working together in the studio in 2007. Miles plays lead guitar, bass, mandolin, and vocals; Jason is on drums, percussion, and keys; Keith plays rhythm guitar and vocals; Andy plays bass; Joe samples and is on keys. 

While I was able to get responses from the majority of the members, I was not able to get information from Keith because he is currently at a week-long meditation retreat with Tich Nhat Hanh and Miles informed that he “presumably he has been listening to the space between his ears.” 

Fractal Cat aims to “touch dimensions of life that can’t be expressed by words” when they perform and are provided inspiration from “life, the mystical experience, and dreams.” For individual improvement as a musician, Jason would like to improve upon ESP while Miles wants to work on his singing and lead guitar skills. Fractal Cat is also looking forward to “inspiring consciousness shifts with our music” and recording their new songs. 

This psychedelic act is going to be a must see this year!

Pink Moon Festival V Spotlight: Kings of Belmont

Kings of Belmont is from Charlottesville, Virginia. Ross, Max and Aaron have been playing music together since 2006 with the addition of Drex filing the position of drummer this year. Each member has been playing since they were in middle school and have continued to do so because it is something they like, “We play music because we enjoy doing it, we enjoy each other and it makes us smile.” 

The group used to have cook outs every Sunday in Belmont and used to joke that they were eating like kings. At that time, Belmont was kind of the bad part of town and the guys thought, “Who would want to be the king of Belmont?” They felt it had a nice ring to it and from then on have been known as the Kings of Belmont. 

While performing, the band loves “evoking emotion in the audience; moving people.” The next big thing for these guys is “world domination!” – besides Pink Moon Festival V, of course.

Pink Moon Festival V Spotlight: Moogatu

I was able to interview Pink Moon returners, Moogatu. The members include Brian Raubacher, Brian Dodds, Brian Zupruk, Chris Lee, and Steve Jacyna who have all been playing music most of their lives. 

The band played their first show in July of 2011 in Aldie, Virginia at Quail Ridge Lake and have been together for about a year and a half with their current members. The background behind the name selection was too long of a story for them to elaborate upon and was basically a “stupid name that stuck.” 

Moogatu is touring many great shows this fall including Pink Moon Festival V, supporting Dopapod and Zoogma, performing at the 8x10 on Halloween with Freedom Enterprise in addition to shows with Big Something and DeltaNINE at the 8x10 as well. Moogatu played a late night set at 4 a.m. last year at Pink Moon Festival IV, so be sure to catch their set this year as well!

Pink Moon Festival V Spotlight: The Shack Band

What began as a 6-piece with two guitars, drums, bass, keyboard and a percussionist transformed into what is now known as The Shack Band. There are only two remaining original members who moved to Richmond three years ago and have been together with the current members since. A recent addition to the group was a saxophone player added around six months ago. 

Current members include Hunter Pease on guitar and vocals, Josh Crowley on saxophone, Bobby Hudson on drums, Mason Owen on bass, and keyboardist Andrew Gillespie. The Shack Band’s name arose from “The Shack” in which Mason lived before the band ever existed. “The people who were first there for the jams called the band ‘The Shack Band’ and the name just stuck,” stated Hunter.

The Shack Band is extremely dedicated to their work, it encompasses their life but they would not have it any other way, “We are all very passionate and we play because we love music as well as our instruments. We all collectively have embraced no longer having weekends to spend with friends, missing family vacations, and not making the greatest money,” said Hunter “But once we are on stage we all know why we do what we do and why we sacrifice all that we sacrifice.” The loyalty of the band can be seen in the measures of sobriety taken when playing they are able to perform at their utmost best because “the band comes first.” 

One of the latest songs which they are most proud is “Muddy Waters.” Give it a listen and be sure to catch the live version in two weeks at the festival!

The Shack Band was extremely influential in making Pink Moon Festival IV happen by providing sound in a crisis. These guys are deeply connected with our Pink Moon family because not only are they outstanding musicians, but they are also amazing people!

Pink Moon Festival V Spotlight: Aarodynamics

Aarodynamics is the solo project of Aaron Malander and is yet another Pink Moon first-timer! A 22-year-old native from Herndon, Virginia who has been working on this project for the past year and half but started loop pedal stuff and production about five years ago. Aaron has been playing music for about 12 years and guitar for about 10 years. 

The pseudonym of Aarodynamics originally began as his rap alias which solidified itself after many performances and bookings and has remained his stage name. Today, artists such as Keller Williams ushered him into the jam scene and from there into festivals and overall bringing his “love of live music where it is today.” 

As for current musical aspirations, Aaron wants to improve upon his guitar playing and singing and even has plans of taking vocal lessons to make this happen. 

Off topic - when asked what candy bar he would be and why he responded with “I would be whichever candy bar the ladies like the most. So… Dove?”  

Aaron is a pretty witty guy from what I have observed, but word around town is he is an even better musician, so be sure to check him out at Pink Moon Festival V! 

Pink Moon Festival V Spotlight: Envoy

As the festival quickly draws closer, we have decided to briefly highlight some of the musicians that will be performing at Pink Moon Festival V this year!

Our first focus is on Envoy, a Pink Moon first-timer! Envoy is a four-person progressive rock and jam band from Richmond, Virginia. The group consists of Josh McCormick on drums, David Russell and Taylor Smith on guitar, and Kyle Setterlund on bass. 

They began playing together early in the summer of 2012 and are self-described as “really great upside down rock.” The band name has evolved since its beginnings a little over a year ago; what started out as “Envoy to the Open Fields” was shortened to Envoy because they felt it was overall confusing. 

Individually, the members have been playing since they were in the 5^th or 6^th grades with the exception of Josh, who “has been playing since he was spawned onto the earth,” Taylor informed. 

Envoy preps a little before every show by singing barbershop quartet renditions of their originals and partake in sharing a ceremonial bowl of rice. As for performing a show, Envoy agreed that “the energy that the crowd feeds back to you is the best part of any show.” 

\Every musician has those weird experiences that cannot be forgotten, whether it be a show or a fan encounter.  I asked Envoy what their weird moment would be to which they responded, “It’s all been weird.” Of course they followed up with stating their performance at Addis EthiopianRestaurant in Shockoe Bottom of Richmond took the cake, “We were blasting all this music to a bunch of families trying to enjoy their sourdough flatbread wraps.” If you can visualize this, I am sure you can see how it was a bit odd too! 

Well, folks, there you have it from Envoy. Be sure to catch their set at Pink Moon Festival V in 15 days!

A Weekend in Bartow: Camp Barefoot 7 Review

Photo Credit Jessie Gordon

Thursday, August 22^nd was here before I knew it and the Rock Camp Productions crew was en route to Camp Barefoot 7! The drive was worth every minute. We were greeted by smiling faces and the sounds of great music in addition to the incredible mountains that surrounded the entire venue. After going through the motions of getting camp set up and unpacked, we ventured out to explore the venue and catch up with a few friends. 

Thursday held Pink Moon Festival’s own Urth followed by performances from Conspirator and Silo Effect with Brothers Past performing a great late night show. Friday began with a bit of rain but as the day progressed the weather greatly improved! EOTO performed a nothing less than a mind-blowing set that had the whole venue entranced. The Motet followed with the funkiest of funk! This was undoubtedly my favorite performance of the entire weekend and I was clearly not the only person impressed! 

Puff T. Magic-Dragon also had a great time running around the venue and felt so much love from the crowd. Saturday was full of great performances that included a few  that will be playing at Pink Moon this year – The Shack Band, Octopus, Kings of Belmont, Galaxy Dynamite!, and People's Blues of Richmond. I really cannot convey how great Saturday was with so many amazing musicians like Toubab Krewe and Keller Williams to Kyle Hollingsworth and Tiny Boxes. 

Photo Credit Jessie Gordon

The weekend was filled with good vibes from everyone and from that a euphoric atmosphere encompassed those three days in beautiful, rural West Virginia. Thank you, Camp Barefoot for such a lovely weekend and also a big thanks to the musicians, artists, organizers, volunteers, and attendees for making it all come together! 

Camp Barefoot 7 Preview (August 22-25th)

Rock Camp Productions is thrilled to be bringing Puff T. Magic-Dragon out to Camp Barefoot, August 22-25th in Bartow, WV!

Keep an eye out for Puff T. and our signature Dancing Bear Mascots for chances to win FREE tickets to Pink Moon Festival V! We will also have Puff T. hat pins and patches available for sale, designed by Crazyredbeard! 


This will be RCP's 5th time performing at Camp Barefoot! Plus, we LOVE partying in WV - and you know this is going to be a great time!

8 Pink Moon V bands will be playing CB7 this weekend, and 14 of the bands playing this weekend at Pink Moon Festival veterans! Do you know which ones??

And here's some great info from Barefoot's event page:

The Camp Barefoot 7 Music and Art Festival in Bartow, WV Starting on Thursday, August 22 through – Saturday, August 24, 2013.

Kyle Hollingsworth Band ft Anders Osborne & Motet Horns
EOTO
Conspirator
Keller Williams & More Than A Little (Solo & Full Band Set)
New Mastersounds
Particle (Pink Floyd Tribute Set)
Tea Leaf Green
ZOOGMA
BREAK SCIENCE
Jennifer Hartswick Band
Brothers Past
That 1 Guy
Toubab Krewe
The Motet (2 sets) "Parliament Funkedelic Tribute set & Original Set"
Nigel Hall (Lettuce)(Artist at Large all Weekend)
Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band)(Artist Large all Weekend)
Ras Puma (Thievery Corporation)(Artist at Large all Weekend)
Dangermuffin
The Mike Dillon Band
Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band
Juno What?! (2 sets)
American Babies (2 sets)
The Broadcast
Consider the Source
Cris Jacobs Band
DJ Williams Projekt
James Justin & Co.
Tiny Boxes & Friends (Jennifer Hartswick, Nigel Hall, Motet & etc)
Mekong Express
Ras Puma w/ Antero Reggae Band
The Big Payback "James Brown Tribute set"
A Morning Session w/ Travis Rinehart & Friends
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (2 sets)
Silo Effect (2 sets)
The Archives
Jazzam
Segway (2 sets)
Imperial Blend
DELTAnine
The Kings of Belmont
Tiny Boxes (2 sets)
Funkuponya
People's Blues of Richmond (2 sets)
The Greens (2 sets)
Woodwork (2 sets)
The Shack Band
The Southern Belles
The Judy Chops (2 sets)
The Boatmen
Hound Dog Hill (2 sets)
Savi Fernandez Band (2 sets)
The Polychrons
The Dharma Initiative (2 sets)
Antero
Octopus
Second Self
Pseudo Blue
The Deluge
Grapefruit Fred
Freedom Enterprise
3 Fifths
Family Tree
Funk Punch (2 sets)
Galaxy Dynamite
Urth
Bigfoot County
Bats Dynamic Strings Band
Sarah Lynna & Misfit Toys
The Trongone Band
Ricochet Red
Camryn Wessner


Get your tickets early at www.campbarefoot.org

More Adventures in Rock Camp (August 12th)

The morning sun was peeking through my curtains and gently waking me for the day. I made my way downstairs for a nice, hot cup of coffee while I checked my email and other things online. Initially, I thought the day would be just like any other business day on the farm, but little did I know it would be quite the adventure! The truck was fixed and need to be picked up from the mechanic, so Seth and I started down the mountain towards town. 

The day was shining brightly and the air held a hint of humidity that would eventually bring rain, but I’m getting ahead of myself so I will save that bit for later! We took the back roads to the shop during which we made a few stops along the way and were even halted on our journey by an unmoving cow in the middle of the road. 

Our first stop was at Joel’s, a very close friend of Jess and Seth. Joel had the most magnificent garden which I was fortunate enough to tour! It was full and rich of vegetation and flowers and everything green – raspberries, grapes, apples, potatoes, squash, edamame, peaches, and the list goes on forever.

Because there was so much to see, we stayed in the garden haven for about an hour and I was also able to tour Joel’s house. It was completely beautiful and packed with character and wonderful details. During the tour, he presented me with a grapevine wreath shaped into a peace sign – which is amazing!

We soon continued on our venture to the mechanic’s with the addition of a few cucumbers and carrots from the garden. We did have a second pit stop before getting the truck at Mark’s house. Mark also had a luscious garden but had an even greater abundance of farm animals! There were sheep, turkeys, chicken, and so many others but my favorite were the cutest little (and big) dogs!

One of them had one blue eye and one brown eye and also spent a good portion of its life in Brooklyn with Seth but found his way here to Rock Camp.

We didn’t stay there nearly as long as we did at Joel’s and got to the mechanic’s around 2 p.m. and started back up the mountain to the farm. After getting back, I got some RCP work completed while Seth and Jess watched the new episode of Breaking Bad. Towards the afternoon, we had a date to meet the mechanic once again, but this time it dealt with a different type of transportation. He led us about 20 minutes away to the field where he has his horses and cattle. We spent an hour or so with the horses and were able to see a few of the tiny calves that had recently been born! 

Thunder could be heard in the distance while we were on the way home and stopped at the store to pick up a few veggies for the evening’s dinner. The rainy drive home was extended slightly by a wrong turn along the way but the air turned so cool that it was perfect for riding. 

Around 8 p.m. or so I began preparing the vegetables for the ginger carrot and sweet potato soup I was making for the evening accompanied with easy listening from Neil Young and Janis Joplin. It’s one of my favorite recipes and Jess and Seth loved it as well! We all enjoyed our meal by the warm fire. This leads me to now, still by the fire, and watching the Office with the best bosses and friends for which an intern could ask!

I hope everyone has enjoyed their day as much as I have and has the loveliest night – don’t forget to step outside to see the Perseids tonight, it should be an amazing light show! 

Prajñā: A Vacation Preview (August 9-11)

Rock Camp Productions is thrilled to be bringing Puff T. Magic-Dragon out August 9-11th to Prajñā: A Vacation at Healing Waters Farm, West Virginia!

Keep an eye out for Puff T. and our signature Dancing Bear Mascots for chances to win FREE tickets to Pink Moon Festival V! We will also have Puff T. hat pins and patches available for sale, designed by Crazyredbeard!

We would also love to do a Community Dragon Building Workshop - a.k.a. we would like to build a "Puff 2.0" and we think that there is no better place to do so than Prajñā! We'll be bringing materials to get this new dragon well underway!

Be sure to look for the Pink Moon Family campsite - we'll be decked out with Pink Moon Festival signs and lots of pink, pink, pink!

Photo Credit Grateful Web

Here's some more information on Prajñā: A Vacation from their event page:

★ PRISM & The Foundation Present, Prajñā: A Vacation ★

Prajñā is the highest kind of spiritual wisdom. It teaches us how to see and understand the true self. It teaches us how to see reality, how to end the cycle of rebirth and gain liberation. This is not in the realm of worldly knowledge. Prajñā wisdom is something very special, very profound and can be difficult to understand. We therefore need to be patient.

Prajñā wisdom indicates that which is able to understand Tao, realize Tao, cultivate the self, release one from the bondage of birth and death and leap over the mundane. This is not common intelligence. It is the wisdom which is the root and origin of the body of Tao. This cannot be the result of cognition. Rather, it's the great wisdom achieved through complete engagement in the cultivation of one's body and mind. It is this level of wisdom which is Prajñā. The word wisdom, which we commonly use, cannot express the full extent of the meaning of the word Prajñā.

The Vacation will be a Conscious Gathering at Healing Waters Farm in West Virginia. The Land is about 2 hours from Baltimore City, located along the Beautiful Capacon River. This is a Weekend Camp Out where we can get a chance to Relax, Have time to ourselves, Be around Friends, Meet new people, and just get away from it all. This is an Intentional Gathering where the Participant is the Host. Each person Vacationing is invited to Co Create this Experience.

You are Encouraged to:
Be Yourself~
Bring Gifts for Others~
Meet New People~
Respect the Space, and Each Other~
Help One Another~
Smile~
Be Truthful~
Share Your Ideas, Skills, and Energy~
Display Your Talents~
Wear Costumes~
Meditate~
Have Great Conversations~
Dance~
Laugh~
Make, or Bring Your Art~
Be Creative~
Have Fun~
Love~

~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~

This is a Camp Out where We Collectively Facilitate the Experience. Bring Everything you may need or want along with whatever you feel you are able to bring to assist in creating a Wonderful Experience for Everyone else involved. Think Rainbow, Think Burner, Think DIY, and Lets come together and Raise the Vibration!!!

★ Please Decorate Your Camp Sites. Light Up Your Areas.

★ Bring things to make this Fun and/or Relaxing. The more we all take part, the more abundant the weekend will become.

★ Enjoy the River so Bring Clothing to Swim. Multiple fire pits on site as well.

★ Please Bring Drums and Instruments. Drumming is more than Wanted and Encouraged. (No P/A Systems Please.)

★ Lead a Workshop, A Discussion, Teach Yoga, Group Meditation, Teach/Share Skills, Talents, And/Or Anything else you like. (There will be a Community Tent/Space with Blank Schedule to be Filled for use of these purposes, or Create your own areas to do your thing). The more people with something to share or teach the Better, so Bring Your Talents!!!

★ Fire and Flow Artists, Face Painters, and more requested. Share/Have Fun or Teach a workshop!!

★Saturday Night Community Pot Luck. If you are able, Please Bring Something to Share with people you meet as we intend to have a Large Community Pot Luck Saturday Night.

★ Bring Lots of WATER. And Food. Again, whatever you will need for the outdoors and the weekend.

★ PRISM and THE FOUNDATION will also have Surprises Planned!! We encourage everyone to help make this a Beautiful Vacation Including Us.

~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~

THIS IS A DONATION BASED EVENT

★ $10 - $20 Donation Requested. Includes Entire Weekend of Camping & Parking. Please Donate Whatever You Can.

★ GATES:
Friday Open - 11am / Close 2am
Saturday Open - 9am / Close 2am

IMPORTANT INFO:

★ Please CAR POOL. Space for Parking is Extremely Limited. Cars with 3 or More passengers will be HIGHLY Appreciated.

★★★ LASTLY, THIS IS A LEAVE NO TRACE EVENT. EVERYONE IS ASKED NOT ONLY TO KEEP ALL TRASH COLLECTED, BUT TO ALSO TAKE IT WITH THEM WHEN THEY LEAVE. THERE IS NO TRASH PICK UP/COLLECTION FOR THIS FARM.

~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~

★ If you wish to get involved, lead a workshop/discussion, anything, feel free to contact us as we would Love Your Involvement. Or simply show up and share :-)

★ All of our Animal and Pet Family and Friends are Welcome as well. As long as they get along with other Animals and Humans, They are more than Welcome. :-)

Rock Camp Productions Crew Roster Application

Ever wanted to be on the Rock Camp Productions crew to a festival likeGathering Of The Vibes, All Good Music Festival, Camp Barefoot, or the Pink Moon Festival! Then fill out this application and email it with a picture of yourself to jessica@rockcampproductions.com to be added to our RCP Crew Roster!

Pink Moon Festival 2013 Volunteer Application

Want to be a volunteer on site at this year's Pink Moon Music & Arts Festival? Well fill out the application below and email to Mindy Priddy at mindy@rockcampproductions.com

Gathering of the Vibes Festival Review (July 25-28)

Thursday, July 25^th had finally arrived. Anticipation and excitement filled the Rock Camp crew as we all were packing away the final supplies needed for our extended weekend trip to the 18th Annual Gathering of the Vibes. Not only did the weekend mark Jess and Seth's anniversary, but it also marked the 9th year that Rock Camp Productions would attend the festival! We were on the road by 10 a.m. headed to Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut - a solid 11 hours of traveling. Though a long journey, the sunny drive was accompanied with tunes from the Grateful Dead, Jim Croce, and the Allman Brothers traced with light conversations. This combination generated nothing less than happy spirits!

We arrived around 9 p.m. just as the rain was ceasing. We checked in and were in search of a spot to set up camp. We found a prime location directly beside of the 1876 Solders’ and Sailors’ Monument that was the perfect distance from the stages. Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead tribute band, could be heard in the distance so we knew it was time to get set up and grace the crowd with Puff T. Magic-Dragon. Thursday night would mark Puff’s first appearance in his brand spankin’ new dragon skin. We had spent the entire day before cutting, sewing, and sizing Puff T.’s newest skin with a Stealie patch along his spine. Puff finally came out for Dark Star’s second set and was lovingly welcomed to yet another GOTV by the mass of people! After a good run through, we came back to camp and rested up a bit for Friday.

Photo Credit govibes.com

Around lunch Friday, a few dancing bears came out to get down to Assembly of Dust at the Main Stage. Assembly of Dust plays a variety of music and was formed by Reid Genauer in 2002. They put on quite the show! The bears were also spotted hanging around the Green Vibes Stage listening to David Gans and later around the festival grounds giving hugs and bringing smiles to everyone! David Gans will be playing at the 5th Annual Pink Moon Festival in Rock Camp this September! Railroad Earth played earlier afternoon, one of my personal favorites, and they did not disappoint! The sextet opened with their well-known “Elko,” which is from their fourth album that was released in 2006. 

The day continued with other great performances by musicians such as Galatic, JohnScofield, and Tedeschi Trucks Band! Evening started to fall over Seaside Park, which meant only one thing – Puff T. Magic-Dragon would be waking from his slumber and begin gearing up to check out Phil Lesh & Friends on the Main Stage with guest appearance by John Scofield.

Photo Credit gratefulweb.com

Puff was so impressed with everything he was hearing that he danced around for both sets of Phil and even came out for a beautiful encore of “Ripple.” The night was quite over for Puff either; he stopped in for Connecticut's own, Deep Banana Blackout, at the Green Vibes Stage for late night as well!

Saturday was yet another gorgeous day by the Long Island Sound! Dancing bears were making their way around the grounds once again and happened to run into a few puppet friends from Ash Street Puppetworks that were parading around! The Main Stage had phenomenal musicians all throughout the day. The Roots, a Philadelphia group, performed around midday with a spectacular show with Grace Potter & the Nocturnals playing shortly afterward and blowing the crowd away with Grace’s killer vocals. Gov’t Mule, formed by Warren Haynes and Allen Woody in 1994 as an Allman Brothers Band side project, played later in the evening and was absolutely incredible! Phil Lesh & Friends played again with another impressive performance with yet another guest appearance from John Scofield in addition to Bill Evans on saxophone for which Puff made dragon appearances during the first and second sets as well as making his way to catch Papadosio’s electronic and progressive rock vibes emanating from the Green Vibes Stage for late night.

Phot Credit B.K. Angeletti

The Sunday sunrise over the sound was one that will be forever ingrained in my memory. It was a lovely morning spent with new and old friends all embracing the magic that was Vibes. The Children’s Parade took place around 11 a.m. where Puff T., our bears, and fellow puppeteers from Ash Street Puppetworks in addition to others trekked on to see Andy the Music Man until it was time for the World Peace Ceremony. The ceremony featured Wavy Gravy, an entertainer and activist for peace and was a member of an entertainment and activist commune at Woodstock called the Hog Farm (a true inspiration to Rock Camp Productions). During this time, the parade continued throughout the crowd of flag-holders, representing  different countries. A prayer of peace was spoken for each country with a “may peace prevail” before every mention of the country. After the World Peace Ceremony, our bears danced away throughout the day hitting the crowds for Max Creek and Kind Buds! The day held great performances by Blues Traveler, John Butler Trio, and the Black Crowes, which drew quite the audience! I had met a few festival goers that had purchased a Sunday pass solely to see the Black Crowes and after seeing them live I can understand why they have such a dedicated following!

Photo Credit Jeremy Pantovic

The weekend slowly came to a close with another beautiful sunset by the water. Vibes was an incredible time for me during which I formed bonds with people I would not have met otherwise and a deeper relationship with my fellow Rock Camp crew members. It was the most perfect weekend. The energy that comes from the community of musicians, artists, festival goers, and staff can only be defined as good, positive vibes. If I was not already in happy enough spirits when I arrived, it certainly generated an even more elated feeling as we pulled out of Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut headed south back to mountains of West Virginia.

A huge thanks to all of the musicians, artists, staff, volunteers, and festival goers for such an amazing weekend! Be sure to check out Rock Camp Productions and Puff T. Magic-Dragon on Facebook! We love you!

Photo Credit Gathering of the Vibes

Gathering of the Vibes (July 25-28) Preview

Rock Camp Productions is thrilled to be bringing Puff T. Magic-Dragon out July 25-28th to the 18th Annual Gathering of the Vibes in Bridgeport, Connecticut!

Keep an eye out for Puff T. and our signature Dancing Bear Mascots for chances to win FREE tickets to Pink Moon Festival V! We will also have Puff T. hat pins and patches available for sale, designed by Crazyredbeard!

We're really excited to be welcomed back again this year! It will be our 9th time attending GOTV and we couldn't be any happier!

Here's some more information on Gathering of the Vibes from there event page:

Vibes Celebrates Celebrates 18 Years!

Gathering of the Vibes is an annual music, arts and camping festival now in its 18th year. Vibes has grown into a four-day festival that has featured such world-class talent as Crosby, Stills and Nash; all original members of the Grateful Dead; the Allman Brothers Band; Jane's Addiction; James Brown; the Black Crowes; Buddy Guy; Elvis Costello; George Clinton and P-Funk; Bruce Hornsby; Les Claypool; and many, many more big names, while continuing to showcase extraordinarily talented, young, up-and-coming bands to the 20 thousand people who attend each year.

Held in six different venues over its seventeen years, Vibes 2012 marked the festival's eighth return to Seaside Park in Bridgeport, CT, making Seaside Park the Vibes venue more than any other place.

Vibes has become the Northeast's most family friendly music festival -- springing from traditions born in the Grateful Dead community.

During the band's 30 year run, the Grateful Dead sparked the creation of an unparalleled sub-culture of loyally devoted enthusiasts. More than just another band, the Grateful Dead became a way of life for thousands of self-proclaimed Deadheads.

For decades, Grateful Dead shows served as a community-building institution where followers revelled with friends both old and new.

When Jerry Garcia died in 1995, these fans were left with a void.

In 1996, Ken Hays, a local businessman and Grateful Dead aficionado, got some of his friends together to throw a memorial party for Garcia on the campus of SUNY Purchase. Aptly named "Deadhead Heaven - A Gathering of the Tribe", the event provided a forum for music lovers to celebrate the life of Garcia and to reunite for a weekend of spiritual renewal. In 1997, the festival relocated to Croton Point Park, NY and was re-named "Gathering of the Vibes."

In each year since, Gathering of the Vibes has carried the spirit of these initial events forward by creating wholly unique musical experiences for attendees from far and wide. The folks who come to the Vibes annually to build and renew their bonds of friendship comprise the community that has affectionately become known as the Vibe Tribe.


Vibes 2013 promises to be even more spectacular than ever!


www.gatheringofthevibes.com/tickets
www.twitter.com/vibetribe
http://pinterest.com/VibeTribe/
http://www.youtube.com/user/gatheringofthevibes

Under the Stars Festival Review

Friday, June 19^th started out just like any hot, summer day at the farm, but this particular day would eventually lead our crew to Quail Ridge Lake in Aldie, Virginia. We were packed and ready to go by early afternoon and headed down the road to spend our weekend with an incredible community of artists and musicians at Under the Stars Festival. After a few hours of driving we finally made it and were embraced by the looming humidity of the day. 

Photo credit: Galaxy Dynamite!

The location was ideal! There were just enough trees and an incredible lake that was perfect to dip into to cool off. The main stage was in a prime spot right beside of the lake so anyone swimming could still enjoy the music. Many people were taking advantage of this with about 25 people in the water at any given time!

We had our bear to emerge just in time for Beggars Tomb Band. These guys were an amazing Grateful Dead tribute band and it was obvious by the crowd they had drawn that they were really talented musicians! 

The evening progressed wonderfully with music by DELTAnine, ELM (formerly Segway), and Silo Effect. Saturday proved to be just as great as the night before with all sorts of wonderful musicians and even performances by a few of Pink MoonFestival’s own Former Champions, Galaxy Dynamite!, and Moogatu! A personal favorite of mine included Sunny Trippel from On the Bus. This woman is an incredible singer with amazing vocals that left a lasting impression!

Photo credit: Wookie Post

Overall the weekend was truly remarkable! We had such a great time with everyone at Under the Stars and a special thanks to Family is Forever for hosting such a wonderful event – we love you!

Happen to take a picture with a bear this weekend? Be sure to check out a few bear pictures from this weekend on the Rock Camp Productions Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/rockcampproductions

Pasture Palooza 4 Review

Seth, Jake and I left from Rock Camp at 12pm on Friday, June 28th for the 4th Annual Pasture Palooza Music & Arts Festival. The sun was shining brightly and there was barely a cloud in the sky. We packed up the car and hit the road, Jake following us on his Harley.

It took us about 4 hours to reach Berryville, VA. I was following directions on my iPhone, which lead us down Honey Ln, to a dead end where we found a few other festival kids and some confusion. The lovely gal who apparently lived at the end of Honey Ln directed us down Triple J Rd to Pasture, and finally we got to 339 Minniewood Ln.

Photo Credit: Teresa Poole

The fest was set up much the same as in years past, although there were significantly more vendors this year and some cool new art installations! We set up camp in the evening sun as the rest of our crew arrived!

Unfortunately we missed Galaxy Dynamite's set, but it was wonderful to bump into Mike (GD!'s drummer) and so many other wonderful members of the Pink Moon Family as we did our preliminary wandering of the grounds.

As the most incredible sunset began the Former Champions raged on stage. Jake and Christian jumped into their respective dancing bear suits and tore it up in front of the stage. Seth and I did some Pink Moon flyering as the most incredible double rainbow bloomed over the pasture.

Baltimore MD band Pigeons Playing Ping Pong was the headliner Friday night. They have played the last 3 Pink Moon Festivals, and although they will not be able to join us for Pink Moon 5, they are still deep Pink Moon Family. And they killed it! We busted out Puff T. Magic-Dragon a few times for their incredible set.

The music ended at 12am on the dot due to the VA noise ordinances....however once the main stages shut down an incredible bonfire rager started up right in the middle of the Pasture. Paul Bee (of Cosmic Campout, Fall Freequinox and more) and his band raged some incredible covers around the campfire as most of the festival attendees sang along.

Finally Seth and I wandered off to bed, looking forward to the Saturday sun.

Saturday started off hot, and that theme continued throughout the day. I am not certain as to the actual temperatures that day, but it felt like 110 in the shade! Due to the crazy heat we weren't able to "bear" very much, and mostly just hung out lethargically in whatever shade we could find or manufacture.

Our campsite was wonderfully and strategically placed however, and we could enjoy the incredible tunes on stage right from the comfort of our camp chairs and coolers! The Southern Belles (another Pink Moon veteran) were awesome, and I was incredibly impressed by Woodwork and then Tiny Boxes, neither of which I'd heard before, but both absolutely blew my mind.

Just after Mountaintop Madness the forecasted rain came. And it came down hard. Seth, Jake and I had ducked into Jake's tent just in time, and waited it out for awhile. But as Gangstagrass' set drew closer I gave up on hiding and emerged from the tent to dance in the rain. I was super psyched for Gangstagrass....a band I had just recently discovered and ADORE. They crank out some incredible bluegrass hip-hop!!!

The rain passed entirely just in time for Gangstagrass' set. A beautiful sunset emerged as their hype man announced that they had "scared the rain off for us". They played a killer set, and tried out some awesome new material on the eager crowd. They masterfully blend a good-ol-boy country vibe, with an urban freshness and style which can't be matched. Banjo, guitar, and fiddle are matched by smooth flowing raps, and poignant lyrics.

Pink Moon Family and favorite People's Blue of Richmond took the stage after Gangstagrass. PBR's got a new drummer, and an incredible vibe. They raged an incredible set that we won't soon forget. We cannot wait to have them out to Pink Moon 5.

PBR was followed by the final act of the night, Ghost Owl, a Perpetual Groove side project. They played an awesome set, Puff T. made another appearance, and Saturday night came to a close.

Something I really love about Pasture Palooza (and Pink Moon for that matter) is the incredible sense of family and camaraderie. Most of the musicians, including the headliners (Gangstagrass, PBR, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Galaxy Dynamite! and more), hung out around the fest, before and after their sets; partying with attendees and promoting a general vibe of fun on and off stage. It is great to see artist mingling in the crowd, getting off on the experience of the festival as much as they do their sets.

Gangstagrass member with Pasture Palooza attendee
Photo Credit: Monica Hamlin

Sunday morning was rainy and quiet. Staff helped attendees maneuver the mud on their way out of the festival, as we packed up and prepared to head out. We visited our friends over at Crystal Purpose, and awesome vending booth that will definitely be at Pink Moon this year! Finally, although we dragged our feet, it was time to head home from a very successful Pasture Palooza.

A big thank you to Trevor Creany and all of the incredible people that made Pasture Palooza 4 happen! We'll definitely be back in the pasture next year, it's a Rock Camp Productions favorite!!

Me and Mindy, Rock Camp Productions Crew
Photo Credit: Mindy Priddy