No matter your skills or interests, there's a way for you to participate in the creation and manifestation of Black Rock City, both at the event and year-round.
Will anybody be playing bluegrass, Western, jazz, or other acoustic musics? I'll be there with button accordion and maybe fiddle, but at least harmonica.
Keeping America safe from techno, trance, and tribal.
I'd show up for some acoustic stuff! I found myself lonely for it last burn. Only so much OONTZ OONTZ OONTZ a girl can take before it all sounds the same. We heard some really inspiring slower emotive electronic stuff, some great stuff played by that radio station and some imteresting electracoustic, as well as some live funk/soul/bluesy stuff that was fun to dance to. As for jamming, I can only sing a little and perhaps fumble a few notes on guitar.. but my girl can play quite well. In 2003 there was this very cool jam space, a tent with all these instruments in there, a mic and stuff. People could just wander in and join in. There was this lovely woman improvising a song on the spot there. It was great! Hope to find another such space this year. I'll be straining my ears for the organic strings and things..
There was this 'blue grass' band that played at the Golden Cafe last year. In general I can only listen to 30 mins of blue grass, but these guys were not only really good, but also did modern rock and classic rock blue grass covers, and also BM-customized lyrics. They were very entertaining.
Wish I could tell you more. Perhaps somebody else knows who they are, or check out the Golden Cafe this year. I also saw some acoustic music at an irish pub of some sort (not sure where I was!) in '04. Both were afternoon shows, that's probably your best bet. There's definately acoustic music at BM, but I don't know about finding it on purpose. I don't know about finding anything on purpose at BM.
PrincessCharming wrote:...I'll be straining my ears for the organic strings and things...
And when they've found my Celtic harp and I, we'll take the strain away and make them feel nice and relaxed.
Love without hope, as when the young bird-catcher Swept off his tall hat to the Squire's own daughter, So let the imprisoned larks escape and fly Singing about her head, as she rode by. -Robert Graves
OBOP hosts LIVE, ACOUSTIC guided jams every night in the YinYang Lounge, a large circus tent...we'll have a baby grand, drums and 'desert' instruments; so bring your accordian, cello, harp, bassoon, drum, guitar, didg, whatever ...
Hey, I'm going to be gifting acoustic guitar strings and restrings. so if you got a rats nest up in your headstock, or if you just need some new strings stop by my tent and I'll set you up like a pro. we'll be in a red "Jeep" tent with a big blue canopy and an orange flag with an oak tree.
cheers,
Andrew
(Boatguy)
Never get out of the boat.
Absolutely goddamn right.
Unless you were goin' all the way.
Kurtz got off the boat. He split from the whole fuckin' program.
OBOP's YinYang lounge is back for 2007!!! Now booking music, performances and workshops in our beautiful, comfy space. Esplanade location posted as soon as we get it!!!!! E-mail for more info,,,,,
Please feel free to share your talents at the Summer of Love camp. We'd "Love" to have you acoustic guitars. Although our theme is mostly 60s, other similar genre rock music is welcome too (sorry techno!)
Drum circle people too. We'll have an elevated deck with sound stage as well as lower participation stage with mic. But guitars would be great. Black Rock Woodstock NEEDS guitar acts!
Its awesome to see some accoustic music at the burn!!! Once again, if you need a restring while at BRC just stop on by Casa de Sangre de Cristo's Holy Blood Orgy Camp(somewhere in AEZ, maybe) and get a professional quality restring as our gift to the acoustic community - clothes and blood entirely optional.
-Boatguy
PS. I'll have a few sets of violin, Mando, and banjo strings as well .
Yeah!!!! Blood Orgy :-D
Never get out of the boat.
Absolutely goddamn right.
Unless you were goin' all the way.
Kurtz got off the boat. He split from the whole fuckin' program.
So far, we have a mandolin picker for sure, and a classic-rock/blues-type guitarist likely in our Kinetic Sculpture Racing Camp 2008. It does not look like I have time to organize a full fledged "Real Music Camp" like I have been dreaming of, but we'll definitely have some civilized melodies and harmonies in KSR Camp.
Elliot's Bicycle Service and Beverage Dispensary expects to be at 5 & G. Bicycles repaired, loaned and whatnot. Hours likely to vary.
I'll be bringing my squeeze box again this year. Can't wait to jam. Met a lot of accordion players last year... Lots of fond/ fun memories playing with some really talented folks.
About 4 years ago I heard a fiddler going at it... followed the music to find a bunch of cajun musicians. Sat in their camp for a while. Out came a guitar, then some percussion as the fiddler kept playing. I kept my accordion in my back back until I caught on to what they were doing, then asked to join in.
After about 1/2 hour of having a ball playing with them, this woman got up, went into her RV and came out with HER guitar. I said "how come you didn't grab it before?" "I didn't think we were in a rush honey child" she replied.
Later, as I left, one of the guitar players put down his guitar and said... "hold on there" he went into his RV and came out with HIS accordion!
I had to tear myself away, the night was young and there was more music to discover out there.
The band that played at the Golden Cafe is the Packway Handle Band, and they truly kick ass - highly recommended, wherever on planet Earth you may run across them.
BTW, anyone interested in performing with our house band, Holy Cow, should drop us a line earlier rather than later - there may even be room for a few more musician members this year, if you're looking for a home in BRC.
I want to bring my Baby Taylor to have on hand for jammin' and such, but am concerned about the elements and how unkind they may be. Any tips on how to keep a wooden instrument alive on the playa? Please advise asap, as I fly out on Sunday and need to decide whether to bring it or not.
I built a humidifier out of a small plastic bottle. Cut both ends off and pop some holes through it. Then stuff it with a wet sponge or two. Keep it in your guitar case... and moisten when needed.
Was I just lucky, or was there an overall improvement in the "sound art" this year? I seemed to hear less techno and more music than the previous two years.
And now that I have three burns behind me and I am no longer quite so dazed by it all, I shall make a deliberate effort to find the accoustic music next year!
Elliot's Bicycle Service and Beverage Dispensary expects to be at 5 & G. Bicycles repaired, loaned and whatnot. Hours likely to vary.
Last year I opened a gallon jug of water and kept it in my car with my accordion (accordion was in a closed canvas back pack with a home made humidifier... see post above)...
the extra moisture helped my acoustic instrument sound better.
Anything acoustic is good, as long as you make the instruments yourself, and you use natural tempering and make your own instruments, and play while standing on your head...
The Alps fill the mind with an agreeable kind of horror. - Addison
This'll be my first Burn, and I will absolutely be bringing a mandolin. Right now I'm just trying to figure out which one to bring, and I've narrowed it to three choices: my regular flat top mando, a mando-banjo (a bit heavier, but louder and easier to take apart for post BM cleaning), or buy a cheap beater mando.
I've jammed with a mandolin player... beautiful sound.
I suggest that you bring or make a humidifier for it. I took a small plastic bottle 1.5" diameter by about 4" high and cut the top and bottom off and riddled it with holes. You put in a wet sponge and you are all set.
As far as which instrument to take, it's a toss up. Personally, I would go for the instrument that sounds the best.
But there's a lot to be said for bringing one that is lighter that you don't care about.
I've been bringing my accordion out for the past 10 years.. with proper care and a some cleaning when I'm off the playa, it's been fine.
NEWS BLAST! Found out I'll be playing Center Camp on Tuesday between 12:30 and 1:00pm... if anyone is around... please say hi!
we should have 2 travel guitars at the starfucks camp this year, just got mine delivered today....thinking about bringing the mandolin aswell but its a bit of a trek so I might leave it this time
I took erhu (chinese bowed string instrument) lessons last year at adult ed. I think it opened, or at least challenged, my head/hand channels a bit since it was so different from anything else I ever tried. I'd like to bring one, but was told that the glue that holds on the python skin (really!... although mine is so cheap it's probably garter snake) is very senstive to heat. Based on the "not sad to wreck it" model for what I bring to burning man, I may bring it along. I think the case in the shade with some sort of damp evaporative cover draped over it may keep it cool enough. It can sound like a violin, or like a very distressed siamese cat in my case. I got a neat little holder for it that slips on a belt and holds it so I can walk around with it, also a mute...