Author: jamie

Lockn Festival 2014 Fifteen Most Memorable Sets

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Lockn Festival 2014 | Fifteen Most Memorable Sets on JamBase.

Words by: Stu Kelly
Images by: Ian Rawn

15 Most Memorable Lockn’ Festival 2014 Sets

The 2014 Lockn’ Music and Arts Festival was packed full of highlights featuring some of the most well respected and artistically creative bands touring the circuit today. With two main stages adjacent to one another, festival attendees were treated to the luxury of not missing a note of music in the main festival area. Two other stages were used for early morning sets and late night after-parties and everything was scheduled around the main stages, giving fans a chance to begin seeing music as early as 11 a.m. and staying up past 4 a.m.

The entire culture and atmosphere can only be described as something majestic and intrinsically beautiful. Approximately 30,000 people constructed this utopian society fueled by love and the desire to explore and preserve the festival culture. Stepping into this society, even for the weekend, felt like experiencing another world where anything is possible and there’s nothing to worry about.

[More Of Ian’s Lockn’ Photos = Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday]

The entire weekend was full of interesting collaborations and inspiring covers as this year’s lineup featured everything from local bands who had to fight for their spot on the main stage, through the Rockn’ to Lockn’ contest, to the other side of the spectrum of rock and roll royalty. This particular environment worked so well not only due to the caliber of talent booked but also the schedule of the events as they were set to unfold. It was especially interesting to see String Cheese Incident sandwich their sets with Umphrey’s McGee as well as former members of the Grateful Dead the following day. The same fluidity could be felt as Widespread Panic traded sets with Phil Lesh, Tom Petty and the Allman Brothers.

Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi Acoustic Set: 12:00 a.m. Triangle Stage 9/5 

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Right as Rain – Original Song Lyrics

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Right as Rain – Original Song Lyrics

music in my head, but i can't hear it
music in my head, but i can’t hear it

I wrote this song back in 2009 (the picture above is from 2009 too lol), and found this half-finished, draft blog post with the lyrics and some background about the song. So now, just 5 short years later (5 years? reallly?), here you go!

Right As Rain – 2009

The inspiration came from a school project my son had to do on The Water Cycle. The other day it hit me that many of the relationships that I’ve had follow the same cycles. They always start off making you feel like you can just float off into the atmosphere forever…but sooner or later you fall back to earth. You can sink deep into the roots of the earth, grow and nourish the lives around you, or go with the flow and let yourself be washed out into the sea, into the seas of humanity. Just another drop of water in the ocean of humankind.

Learn how to place music on itunes at ReverbNation.com

You can download the MP3 for free from the player above or here: http://reverbnation.com/jamiegray

Lyrics, Right as Rain

Like a dew drop in the sunshine
We float into the atmosphere
Heated by the passion of the day
Drifting higher and higher
Cooling on the winds of fear
Until there’s nothing left to say
Smiles now have turned to ice
Too heavy for the air to hold
Falling we go falling thru the dark
Melting on the way back down
Splashing as we hit the ground
Thunder crashing in a lightning spark
It’s always right as rain
The circle starts again
This time you and me
Next time wait and see
Round and round we spiral thru the pain
Round and round and round and round again
Which path shook we take this time
Should we flow down to the sea or should we
Try to reach the heavens while we can
Join with mighty river currents
Or sink into the earthen roots
Try to choose, try to understand.
But like a dew drop in the sunshine
We float into the atmosphere
Here we are again now anyway
Drifting higher and higher
Flying on the winds of change
Wishing we could both just float away

©2009 – Jamie Gray Music – All Rights Reserved

Are Low Music Sales Simply Due To Bad Music? – hypebot

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Are Low Music Sales Simply Due To Bad Music? – hypebot.

That’s been my guess for A LONG time. A LOT of bad music, empty of innovation and creative spark, filled with studio enhancement tricks to make talentless singers sound adequate, being shoved down our throats by the major labels, who then turn around and blame the bands and their fans for the piracy that is OBVIOUSLY killing music sales…

How about this…Indie Artists are producing and publishing volumes of great music everyday, and people are spending their consumer dollars ELSEWHERE. Yes, that’s right Sony, people are choosing to buy REAL MUSIC directly from REAL MUSICIANS and artist friendly music services, and it’s cutting into your sales and profits.

Like they say on Shark Tank…if you’re selling a crappy product, your sales are going to suck. OK, they don’t actually say that, but tell me it isn’t true?

Maybe if the record labels stop exploiting artists and fans, and start finding new, innovative, and inspired acts that are creating new and imaginative art, they can get back on track. Or, they can keep doing what they’re doing…exploiting crap for profit while shunning any semblance of true inspiration, and carving thier niche in history with the dinosaurs and 8 track tape decks in the car.

Anyhoo, check out the article that I sorta read before going off on this rant. Are Low Music Sales Simply Due To Bad Music?

Doc suggests weed made Michael Brown Crazy

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Seriously?? Where the f%ck do they find these “experts” that say these ridiculous things.

Autopsy doc suggests that weed made Michael Brown act

Doc Says Weed made Michael Brown Crazy

First, this is just pure speculation. Opinion. Based on zero facts.

Second, there is no evidence to backup the assumptions that this un-armed man…let’s not forget that however he was acting, he was not armed…was acting “in a crazy way”, and in fact the majority of witness accounts say just the opposite. Only the shooter/cop seems to think the Michael Brown was a threat, and this quack is inserting his professional…but wholly scientifically inaccurate OPINION into this issue, as an obviously desperate attempted diversion to obscure the truth and blame it on marijuana. Same as they did with Trayvon. Same as they always do.

The only “crazy” or “erratic” behavior most marijuana users experience is the munchies and/or uncontrollable laughter. Without other drugs added into the mix (which the good doc here, when you listen to the garble coming out of his mouth, seems to be trying to imply were also involved, although no official evidence to supports this) the likelihood of drug-induced violence is essentially nil, since pot on it’s own has never been shown to induce violence.

By and large, this is just exactly what it seems…a big fat attempt to divert attention from the shooter/cop and place blame on the victim. I mean, he’s black so he must be a violent drug crazed criminal now, right? Shame on you for reporting this idiot’s opinion Fox News, and shame on you, “creepy Fox Newsbot Greta Van Susteren”, for being who a tool of the polarized political playground we call governance.   

Autopsy doc suggests that weed made Michael Brown act “in a crazy way” the night he was shot by police | Marijuana and Cannabis News | Toke of the Town.

US House of Representatives faces Wikipedia ban

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At least SOMEONE is holding Congress accountable for their actions. Kudos to Wikipedia admins.

US House of Representatives faces Wikipedia ban thanks to trollish edits.

…someone tied to that House IP address edited a description of series regular Laverne Cox from “a real transgender woman” to “a real man pretending to be a woman”. You can check out the full (and we mean full) debate on the offending IP address’ talk page…

US House of Representatives faces Wikipedia ban thanks to trollish edits