So, here we are back from another weekend. What did all of you guys do this wonderful sun filled three days? Well, if you had the chance to be in New MIlford, Connecticut, you would have had the best weekend of your lives. I usually write about art, but after all that I experienced, I have come back to write about both art, music, and family.
For the past three years, (this being the third one), The boys at Oddstock, Jeffrey Goreson and Steve Miller, Get together the finest bands around, artists, and fans, put them in a large camping ground, near a picturesque river, and watch for three days and nights the creativity, love and music flow. Besides a large stage, and a smaller inside stage( for late night bands), there is a large bonfire. Not just a campfire, but depending on who is tending to it, ranging from a little 4ft campfire, to one year, 20 feet of warm, stand next to the sun kinda fire.
Check out these bands!!
Now for the bands. Let's just begin by saying, all the bands are amazing!! I couldn't have picked a better line up. The range is from Rock, to old timey, to country grass blues, to punk, to hip hop, to ecclectic....and somehow they make it all flow. My band, Strangebird, had the fascinating luck to get in the last minute and play the late slot this year, and it was worth every minute!! BUT!!!! As a fan of music, I have to say there were many moments where I felt like I was at my first concert. You all know that feeling in your body when you are in the crowd and they are one and dancing and moving to the music, and you just know you are in the right place and time in the universe. I just have to give a special now to some of the bands that did this for me this year, and I recommend you out there to check these guys out.
The Red Hots ( for sultry singing and a sizzling band),
Queen Anne's Revenge,
The Atom Family (Spoken word, Hip hop and Jazz fusion at it's best) New Album out!!!
Spectral Fangs( another fantastic Duo)
My band with Joey Curry, Strangebird
and so many others!!!!
One of those moments was when Zen Dudes and the Universe were doing there usual seamless performance, and they kicked into a cover of The PIxies, "Where is my mind?', the crowd just lost it, and I truly felt again what it was like to be a fan, a kid again. The reasons for playing music. I just looked around and saw the same expression on everyone's faces, as they swayed and danced. It didn't stop there. My mind was literally blown over and over again. The Atom Family ( Lead by spoken word artist Atom Rush, who took on the inside stage this year; came in quiet with a mixture of actual jazz musicians, not samples, and spoken word, and hiphop, and then ingnited the crowd!!!!!!). I hadn't seen that kind of energy in a long time.
One a last note about the performances. I did not see one Cell phone up during the performances I was able to see. People were actually present and enjoying themselves.
Lastly, I wanna give some love to everyone who made it feel like the largest family gathering in the world. To Jeffery Goreson and Steve Miller, who always are making sure everyone is doing well and having a good time. Kaitlin Anne, Who was running around doing the same!!! The very talented artists and crafters, especially The always warm and ecclectic painter Liz Mullins, who I had to chance to exchange one of her lovely pieces to hang in my studio!!!(I'll post a pic of that later. Thanks you for John Chapman( from a few of the bands out there including Zen Dudes) for helping us get our band up and running. Well that is all for now, and I can't wait for next years Oddstock!!!