LYME Fest--Day One

"You're either on the bus, or you're not."  --Merry Pranksters

Capt'n Trips kept the shuttles running from Missoula to Rock Creek for the Love Your Mother Earth Festival, and a $10 pass granted unlimited access for all three days.

The first sign I saw upon arrival, was not promising, but further down the path things looked better.

Electronic DJs had a beautiful pulpit to operate from, and the sound was scheduled from afternoon until 8am.

My first goal was to catch the Voodoo Horseshoes at the Ramble Stage. Let's see around the bar to back east corner, and what do you know... Here we go baby. This party is about to roll. 

The walk from the campground stage to the main stage and back provided this old man plenty of exercise. The first hike back to the campground was to see my friends, Slowly but Shirley. 

I'm headed for the main stage to check out Sister Monk, when I hear enticing sounds from the Ramble Stage. Who? Humanlab. Never heard of 'em, but definitely worth hearing. Regular readers know I love it, when the music takes an infectious fun turn. 

Sister Monk is on stage, as the sun disappears down the river. Oh boy, more of that fun stuff, I was just talking about, tied to some powerful drumming from this folksy trio. Note: Sister Monk will play the Hat this Wednesday, June 16, and Equaleyes is also on the bill. See you there. 

Molten glass was being shaped late into the night. The next day, a sign warned stoners not to stare at the flame too long. 

It's almost midnight, Miller Creek is on stage, fire jugglers are twirling flame, as Kitchenpoet turns towards home and bed. Much more to follow. Two more days to be reported right here soon, and soon there will be matching sets on the Flickr archive.

Hempfest 2009

Mother Trucker showed up at Hempfest, the first time I'd seen her since Love Your Mother up at Lolo. Of course, I had to have the Captain's Booty, for old times sake.

Several local bands are named after natural disasters, and the best I've heard is Rising Waters. I didn't even know who they were until this event. I immediately recognized Mike Avery up front, because he does the open mike at Sean Kelly's on Mondays.

The line up for Hempfest was top quality from start to finish, including some old favorites.

Ruthie sang and danced, and it doesn't get any better than that.

Speaking of Ruthie, she has teamed up with Tonsofun to create a dynamic hip-hop duo. They played the Palace on Tuesday, September 15.

Just the tip of the iceberg. There are three sets, on flickr, for this blog posting, titled Rising Waters @Hempfest 2009, Zeppo @Hempfest 2009 and Dynamic New Hip-Hop Duo.

Night on the (Zoo) Town

Stencils are an art form and media coming into their own. It's quick and easy to apply, can carry a message and, when done right, can be entertaining and informative. There's a wall filling up with them in the hallway connecting the Badlander to the Golden Rose.

Mother Trucker can often be found in the alley behind the Top Hat, or, if you prefer, down the alley towards Higgins from the Rhino. On the recommendation of a friend, I tried the Captain's Wench. No, that's not her in the photo; that's one of Mother Trucker's able assistants. The Captain's Wench is a spicy mahi-mahi mix on a bed of fries. Maybe those fries didn't belong in a healthy diet, but the generous portion filled me up.
Seems I spend a lot of time on this corner, because the action is here, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights.
Two ways to travel.