On a sunny Sunday evening, stage left, at the Home County Folk Festival, my uncle stumbled upon an old friend, poet, busker, eccentric and local legend Roy Mc Donald. An old chum of both my almost equally eccentric father and uncle :-D, and an acquaintance of mine, Roy has been a part of the London landscape for years, known for his tweed jacket, long braided beard, which he says he has been growing for decades, sharp humour, laden cloth bags and friendly demeanor. To the uneducated and unaware population, Roy is often mistaken as a street senile, but for those in the know and for those open minded enough to listen, absorb and observe the likes of Roy Mc Donald, the reward is a true one-of-a-kind gem, unafraid to express, reflect and spread happiness and intelligence lost in a world of self centered protectionism. When we parted on that perfect evening, he not only took time to send best wishes to my Dad and other long parted friends, he told us to open our hands and placed a single polished stone in our palms with a prayer for friendship and happiness. Some may think that is crazy, I think they are crazy. Thank you Roy and right back at ya':-)
Ask anyone what there favorite part of summer is, things like holidays, beaches, swimming, camping, cottages, fishing, long days and for some, even longer nights come to mind. Between these long days and long warm nights is definitely one of my favorite moments of summer, a time when the warm golden tones of summer reach their peak, a time when the shadows grow long and the crickets begin their serenade for the parade of fireflies. A time when diamonds form over the rivers and streams and a silent peace settles over the countryside. Sunset is without a doubt the pinnacle of any summer day for me. What better way to celebrate this magic hour than with a portrait from Lucid Musings. If my imagery wasn't enough to get you thinking, then certainly 20% all mid-week location sittings during the month of August should. Come join me and let's watch the sunset together...really...you won't regret it:-)
The weekend of July 11-12 was one of quick visits, quick passing rain showers, quick Indian and Afghan dishes, quick Belizean, Malaysian and Arabic instrumentations on stage, quick performances from aerial silks in downtown St. Marys, quick visits with my father and step-mom, visiting from Toronto and a quick and ubiquitously mandatory hot dog from my good friend Shawn, served by my other good friend Shawn (must be confusing during busy times...:-))).....and yes, quick pictures. As many people who know me know, a big part of my working and non-working summer is spent absorbing as many new sights, sounds and smells at the myriad of festivals near and far and this weekend was no different, just the time allowed to sponge these senses was a little more limited. The summer like weekend in this un-summer like summer kissed Victoria Park in London for our Friday night visit to the always fantastic free offerings at the 15th annual Sunfest. This is the first time I had been to Sunfest in 2 years, due to my project in the Balkans last year and a Tobermory escape the previous year and I can only say it has unbelievably, even got better. The promoters and organizers of this fest have really put London on the map, providing not only the area's best multi-cultural event, but a national star, all free, all for the taking and all in our backyard. Sunfest has grown organically since its 1995 inception, providing a family friendly event on a caliber usually only seen in cities with a much larger population and ethnic demographic. The beauty of the "culturefest" verses your straight up music festival, especially for those who love to travel is that it allows you to capture a snapshot, or a fleeting memory of a past trip. In the short period I was able to visit this year, the sounds brought me back to a dusty road in Cambodia, a street performance in Mostar, Bosnia and the backstreets of Dangriga, Belize, enroute to buy a Garifuna drum that matched the performers on the stage Friday evening, ten years ago Christmas. It is the option to taste and taste again flavours of the world in compact (almost too compact at times, considering the 1000's flowing through the food court) patchwork of Indian, Afgany, Jamaican, Cuban, Mexican, Greek and many more. The last piece of the jigsaw puzzle that makes the perfect world map that is Sunfest is the vendors, that save for the 2 or 3 felt blanket, pressboard laminate Kramer, pot leaf flag selling (really...why does Sunfest need this shit?) , provide an endless maze of world handicrafts and my favorite T-Shirt vendor "Unlearn", where I bought my yearly token "So-Con-T", as the last rays set over another successful year at Sunfest, can't wait for next year:-) http://www.sunfest.on.ca/
While the Sunfest was raging down in London, St. Marys had a quality act all its own with the 14th annual Heritage Festival. Again, due to other engagements, I didn't get to soak up as much of this annual cornerstone event as I would like to, but I know it was a great success, with fireworks, street dance, a new local performers stage and the crowd pleasing, talented and subtlely adult humour tinged Aerial Angels. If you where there you know what I mean, if not, imagine a good Spongebob episode, where the adult inuendos are woven seamlessly into a childrens performance without even making a blib on the thought process radar of anyone under 15...a true art...LOL:-) The attendance throughout the weekend was apparently very good for all the free events. A big hats off to Kelly Lyn at tourism and her staff in pulling off another wonderful and ever improving mid July shining of our historic core. http://www.townofstmarys.com/discover/discover.aspx?id=1422
So go the lyrics to the one hit wonder Arthur Brown's wacked out experiment into the music industry. A somewhat awkwardly unforgettable and grating song from the post-Summer of Love fallout. Anything but awkward, yet definitely unforgettable where the annual fire performers at this
year's Mountain Jam festival. Awe inspiring in talent, beautiful in content and sensual in delivery (high on the sensual for the girls, high on the awe inspiring for the guys:-D). Although I didn't capture them during their full medieval sass garb display Friday night because I had packed my camera away for the day, I did catch this performance, in their "airport runway crew" look. Most likely because the temperatures dipped to the freezing mark that night, a few more clothes where in line, but the heat was still very apparent...have a look:-)
During the last week of May, it was time again for me and my Canon appendage to hit the road again on another "Road Trip". For the second time in less than 2 months I found myself back in the Catskills, this time for my usual Woodstock pilgrimage and a bi-annual visit to one of the best festivals in the North East U.S., the 5th anniversary of Warren Haynes' Mountain Jam. Situated halfway up one of the highest mountains in the region, at the Hunter Mountain Ski Resort, surrounded by spruce pine, and tanned by the sun and sweet spring breezes, Mountain Jam is a festival with grounding, conscience (ummm...maybe not taken literally, as with most festivals freedom of expression is openly practiced and consumption and morality could be taken in question, but in the blanket sense of the word:-)) , organization, location, and most of all good and highly accessible music, music, music! After a rainy beginning in Woodstock, the weather began to clear as we headed up the slim mountain road, past the eye so carefully carved on a cliff face, tears of moisture bleeding from the stone at its cusp, into the clouds and for a moment felt as if the road below disappeared into the fog surrounding us on all sides. Rounding a sharp hairpin turn and cresting the mountain we descended into the valley as the skies opened over the gathering tents on this morning approach to "The Jam". The only "walk-in" camping festival I attend during the summer swing, Mountain Jam offers (at the inconvenience of an uphill load-in and a burnt-out Sunday/Monday load-out) the freedom of open space, first come/first serve random peg down-tarp out ski sloped slumber. If slumber is what you choose, with 2-3 late night stages giving the jumped up energetic fans plenty to glow to until the blues begin to colour the black skies for a new day. Cool sun was on order for this years festival after a brief and ritual shower Friday and the fans soaked it up as much as the fine offerings of musicianship. This is a musician's festival, with a jam thrust. Headlined by The Government Mule, not only kicking off Friday night's camper's only festivities, but busting out another punching bag to close out the main stage on Saturday. A brilliant trio orchestrated by the scene's workhorse, Mr. Warren Haynes, the Mule, as they are affectionately known are not only masters of there originals, but a highlight of every show is there blown away covers of the best of the best. Selections from Hendrix "If 6 turned out to be 9", Stevie Wonder's "Superstition", Canada's own, Mr. Ronnie Hawkins with "Who Do You Love", Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower", Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love", and "When the Levee Breaks" an absolutely stellar tip of the had to Neil Young with "Cortez the Killer", but most memorable was the absolutely mind blowing rendition of "When The Music's Over" by Mr. Mojo aka the Lizard King, aka James Douglas Morrison. As seductive fire performers twisted, swirled and became at one with the music, the mountain became the garden, a 60's era time warp of epic proportions and one of those transcendent exuberant moments that brings me back and solidifies to me the power of live music.
From Tea Leaf Green's hippie ethos on "The Garden Part III"....
"Darlin' let's let our hair grow long We can work on a farm, maybe live on a mountain. I got an old hound dog, likes to run, He needs a lot of room and he hates to be chained up."
Just like me, just like we are supposed to be."
...as the clouds parted Friday afternoon, to Jackie Greene's power swagger on Velvet Underground's "Waiting For My Man" as I danced down the warm afternoon mountain after a gondola lift, to the Sunday brunch of BK3 (Bill Kreutzman's new project) hitting their stride with a all out crowd shifting version of "Bertha", to the hula hoop forest encoring Michael Franti's performance, that left me with a face breaking smile. From that high five to that knowing smile, from the open weekend friendship of a stranger to a familiar face and a realization of someone met at an event from year's past, life at festival is a patchwork of these moments. Leaving the mountain after The Allman Brother's soared with the always stellar "Soulshine" and I entered the parking lot, I looked up at the last rays of sun over Hunter Mountain and looked down to see a epitaph to the weekend made with gravel carefully placed on the pavement with a peace symbol, a heart, a smiley face, a sun, and a starry night. Simple, untouched and a perfect summation of a perfect weekend:-)
When we parted on that perfect evening, he not only took time to send best wishes to my Dad and other long parted friends, he told us to open our hands and placed a single polished stone in our palms with a prayer for friendship and happiness. Some may think that is crazy, I think they are crazy. Thank you Roy and right back at ya':-)
