Pages

Showing posts with label Victor Wooten. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Victor Wooten. Show all posts

Monday, June 3, 2013

Summer Camp Music Fest 2013 Photo Filled Saturday Recap #SCamp #SCamp13 #SummerCampFest



Check out our full set of Saturday SCamp13 shots above

  ChiILin' in Chillicothe with Victor Wooten (5 time Grammy winner & bass player for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones) and Reed Mathis (bass, vocals for Tea Leaf Green)  

Check back with ChiIL Live Shows & ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often.   We have video interviews with Dumpstaphunk, Victor Wooten & Reed Mathis, & Roscoe Bandana along with some live footage from the workshops coming soon.



Reed Mathis, Bonnie Kenaz-Mara (AKA:  ChiIL Mama), & Victor Wooten at Summer Camp Music Festival 2013 (Photo credit Roger Patteson--Jams Plus Media) All other photos (that I'm not in) are by Bonnie Kenaz-Mara for ChiIL Live Shows



SCamp13 Saturday began on a high note... or should I say low note, with a rockin' bass workshop with Artist At Large, Victor Wooten and Reed Mathis. The day before, I got to hear Victor sit in with Keller Williams & Dumpstaphunk!   He was all over SCamp.





After a rockin' improvised bass session, Victor & Reed asked for questions from the audience.   This guy below worried that his hands were too small for him to be a great bass player and asked advice from the pros.   


Their answer?   "Quit using the size of your hands as an excuse and get out there and play!"



I ducked out briefly in the rain to see one of our Chicago favs, Henhouse Prowlers.   Despite the damp drizzle, they had a huge turnout.   Everyone was dancing in the mud, singing along and having a stellar time.   I LOVED the visual of the lady who brought two large Mason jars of hot chicken soup and passed them around to her friends as hand warmers before they shared the soup.   True down home comfort!   It was a stellar way to spend a rainy Saturday.   

I grabbed a quick bite to eat, then ducked back to the church which was warm and dry.   The musicians played with great energy and enthusiasm, obviously enjoying the chance to jam with others they generally don't play with including friends and musicians whose work they admire.   That's truly the genius and magic of music fest mash ups.

Drums & Percussion Workshop With Vinnie Amico (Moe) Randall Moore (Ragbirds) 

by the end of the workshop, regular fest goers & drummers from a number of other bands playing SCamp joined in on a big jam session.





I caught up with 2 members of Roscoe Bandana for an awesome video interview inside the "Roscoe Bandana Van", while the rains streamed down (coming very soon).   We've been covering them for months now.   Check out ChiIL Live Shows past coverage here.  These guys are going places.   Look for them opening for Fun this summer. Finally the rains eased up in time for KDTU at the Sunshine Stage.


Karl Denson's Tiny Universe (guest appearance by Dominic Lalli-Saxophone/Producer from Big Gigantic) 
BTW... Lalli holds a Masters Degree from the Manhattan School of Music

I'm a HUGE fan of saxaphone.   My grandfather played and so did my little sister.  I've also seen Karl Denson a number of times over the years, so I was stoked to hear he'd be back at Summer Camp again with KDTU.   They went on my must see list early on.   It was an extra sweet sax bonus to see him rock the stage with Big Gigantic's Dominic Lalli!



















Of course I SCamp for the music, but I also dig the character & characters...


like the chicken hat Scottsman, leopard man and more.   Special shout out to the brave & snarky metal heads, rockers and punks who represent.  I thought it was amusing to see NIN hats, Iron Maiden hoodies and a Guns N Roses Tee at a "hippy" fest.


All of my friends (except two) rode the rail (front row) & stuck it out for 2 sets of Umphrey's McGhee in the cold, heavy rains that came right on the heels of KDTU.   They were prepared with ponchos. 

   







(Molly got a shout out & a signed hat from UM on Friday for lining up to secure her front row spot in the early afternoon)





I must admit, any Umph Love I had was trumped by the thought of my macbook pro & thousands of $$ in camera gear potentially getting destroyed in my backpack.   Those priorities made me head for our camp site and ride out the storm with another weather wimp, some vodka lemonade, candles, glowing solar lantern light, and great conversation, in our communal screened in porch.   

We could still hear the music through the woods until the thunder & rains escalated, then we turned to shuffle play and rocked a lotta the band Morphine, Talking Heads, XTC, and a sweet mix for a stormy night.   The woods were gorgeous and we thoroughly enjoyed hearing, smelling, and watching the storms without getting soaked.



Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Summer Camp Music Fest 2013 Photo Filled Friday Recap #SCamp #SCamp13 #SummerCampFest











































The slideshow above features our full set of shots from Friday including the good, the bad and the ugly.   We're sharing them all, just this once, before we break it down by bands, best of, and themes.   That way if you and your friends crossed my path or you're a band fanatic and just can't get enough, you'll get to see ALL the shots.   


We're back from ChiILin' in Chillicothe, with a ton of wet n muddy camping gear we are unsuccessfully attempting to dry in the back yard between ongoing rain showers.   We're also back with loads of great show shots, band video interviews, and fun memories.   It wasn't all sole sucking muck!

Highlights of the Thursday night pre party were: 

a fast fiddlin', folk rockin' set by Cornmeal, with the inimitable Allie Kral.   SCamp was her last weekend with the band.   Look for her in the coming months playing out with a number of bands including Hot Buttered Rum.   You can follow her fiddle playing sparks across America this summer with her new Reverb Nation Page here.    





We've shot Allie a zillion times over the years.   Check out some of our past stills right here. 

For lots more just put Cornmeal or Van Ghost in the side searchbar at ChiIL Live Shows or ChiIL Mama.  I had a chance to talk with her after her pickin' set Sunday and I later gave a mini video interview about Allie that will air on the SCamp site in the near future.   Basically I thanked Allie for not being a Barbie and for being a great role model for girls out there--proving you can be yourself, let your talent shine through and make it in the boys' world of the music industry without being a 90lb blond in mini skirts.   She's a pure joy to see in action and sparks fly when she plays.




The second highlight was a mindblowingly excellent set by Chi-town's own, Digital Tape Machine.   I'm generally not crazy about house music or techno, but these guys can PLAY.   3 words that changed my mind... they.  play.  INSTRUMENTS.   They really got the crowd going and I would go see them live again in a second.  A day later their set was all anyone wanted to rave about in the press room and throughout the SCamp grounds.  Sure they have the requisite mac laptop, but these guys play actual instruments too, for a compelling combo.   Highly recommended.   Wanna check out their sound.   

5 tracks from their Summer Camp 2012 Set and lots more are FREE on their site.   Click here.


Digital Tape Machine is a Chicago-based band featuring Kris Myers, Joel Cummins, Joe Hettinga, Bryan Doherty, David Arredondo, Marcus Rezak, and Dan Rucinski. The digital, yet analog force behind Digital Tape Machine produces a very modern, electronic sound. Often compared to video game music, elements of electronic dance, tech house, dance house, deep house, post-industrial, drum ‘n bass and hip-hop are all woven into a live show. This edgy, danceable music has been met by enthusiastic crowds who are thirsty for more. The band is rapidly gaining momentum from late night festival sets and sold out shows.

All photos are copyrighted by Bonnie Kenaz-Mara for ChiiLLiveShows.com and ChiiLMama.com.   Please contact us for permission to repost unless you're just doing a quickie FB, Pinterest or Twitter share and then reposting is fine as long as you give us photo credit.   Enjoy!



Ian Neville (guitar) of Dumpstaphunk



FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS:  Dumpstaphunk rocked The Starshine Stage in a late night set, after a brush with death and a sleeping driver on cruise control on their way to SCamp!   Check out our video interview soon for all the details.




FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS:   The Wailers on The Sunshine Stage






FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS:  Interviewing Victor Wooten, Artist at Large, and hearing him play with long time fav Keller Williams with his new configuration... More Than a Little.   As if that wasn't cool enough, they played my "theme song"-- Once in a Lifetime, Talking Heads!!   Happy happy joy joy.



Joe Hettinga (Digital Tape Machine), Joel Cummins (Umphrey's McGhee), Ivan Neville (Dumpstaphunk)

SCamp is intimate workshops in "the church" where you can get up close & personal with the pros and hear some stellar mashups like this power trio improvising on keyboards!!   *Annual Keyboard Workshop led by Joel Cummins (center)


SCamp is Eco-Friendly



SCamp is Family Friendly



SCamp is Freaky Fun



SCamp is 4 Days of Nearly Non Stop Music 



SCamp is Camping With Old Friends That I Only Get To See Annually at Summer Camp.



SCamp is Weird Coinkidinks, Like Driving 3 Hours Away To Discover I'm Camping Next To A Neighbor Who Lives Blocks Away and Rents From Long Time Friends of Mine!!



SCamp is good people, characters, and creative costumes!





 SCamp is daily doses of Umphrey's McGhee













SCamp is carnival rides, colored lights, spinning hoops--poi balls-- and glo sticks lighting up the night with a riot of color.








Check back with ChiIL Live Shows & our fam friendly site, ChiIL Mama, like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often over the coming weeks and you can relive SCamp13 in all it's fun in the sun & wet n wild glory.   We have loads of photos, video band interviews and more!

Google Analytics