The 2nd Annual High Desert Music Festival & BBQ Showdown!!!

The rest of the title
follows with "...the way it oughta BE."

As stated in the title,
this was the 2nd Annual High Desert Music Festival,
 held in Victorville, CA. And there was SO much music 
to choose from. Between Saturday and Sunday - I only got 
to see maybe 7 bands. I say only because this represents somewhere between only 1/3 and 1/4 of 
what was available.

Last year,
I was contacted as
they were putting together the first,
with the hope that I'd have the time to do an
interview. Just a GLANCE at the lineup made me
want interviews - and more! Seems some folk in
Victorville were trying to get something going.
Man, were - they - ever! Enter Debbie Yopp 
and Noble Jackson. Pictured below, 
that's Debbie in the middle.

Debbie and Noble run the event.
And I mean run! They're the planners,
greeters, hospitality, and in between - runners
of errands. Could be getting a headliner in place...
could be getting some more ice and water 'cause we
went through the first 8 cases. That kind of thing.
As Debbie puts it, they're connecting the dots.
Lotsa dots TO connect here! Lotsa music.
It's a music-fest, okay? 

(That's Tierra, up above, appearing for the second year)

The first year,
in addition to a great GREAT music 
lineup that included (Stray Cat) Lee Rocker, 
Tierra, Caravan of Allstars, Ray Brooks 
and SO much more...

...There was food. 
BBQ ribs and pulled pork,
greens and everything else that
goes into a good Southern meal! There was
also a blues exhibit which consisted of several
stations where you could see a look at a variety of
pictures with a narration playing on an audio loop.
The exhibit wasn't there this year, as pieces of it had
been requested by a gallery in Northern California,
and also by the Blues Hall of Fame
in Cleveland, Ohio.

This year, 
as mentioned, the full title included 
some very special words: BBQ Showdown! 
Not just another backyard barbecue, mind you. 
There were 33 teams from all over California and 
Arizona... some of whom ya may have seen on whatever cooking show you may watch. The teams were competing, 
not only for bragging rights, but also to go to the next 
level of competition - some 50,000 dollars or 
more at stake (or steak).

(Above, representing Lady of Q, one of the winners of one of QUITE a few categories. 

Also, Tom of Far West Meats, and Noble Jackson) 

And of course the music!
Bands that I know and love already, 
like Big Papa and the TCB...

Artists I've interviewed in the past 
and REALLY wanted to see in live performance, 
like Ray Brooks...

And bands that I knew OF, and wanted to catch live - 
Rod Piazza...

Lakeside...

Caravan of Allstars...

And Five Tempting Men - Motown at its best!

Also bands I'd NEVER heard of. 
Some that while I didn't get to see, but DID get 
to hang with. And after checking them out, I'm gonna
 enjoy seeing what comes next. 
Bands like Franc...

Destenee...

And a new friend in the form of an author whose book 
on Sam Cooke JUST came out. 

She has some 
great projects coming up in the future as well. 
Looking forward TO 'em.

Even a few folks that I DID not expect. One of the MC's was Beverly Broadus Green. That's Snoop's Mom. 

And no - I didn't 
get any (real) inside info on Snoop. 
Didn't ask. I hung out and spoke with a woman 
about her - not one of her kids.

So why am I going into all this... letting you know about something that's already passed by?

To get you to go NEXT year. 
I don't know the lineup yet - but ya really 
need to try to make it. It's gone beyond being a
 good effort. It seems more of a 
raging success!

And I'll be doing interviews and/or write ups on QUITE a few of the artists mentioned above.

So check back, would ya?

The Human Canvas - Hands Down, Some of the Best So Far!

Or maybe... Hands Up?

 

 

Anyway...

Once Again proud to post

the work of my Goddaughter  - so far

the only Human Canvas work that I've posted

that has not been my own. I can't tell ya

just HOW proud I am.

 

And - once again,

to protect her anonymity,

we'll just refer to her as Kalynn Smothers.

 

You can see

more of her work on

a couple of posts published earlier,

The Human Canvas - Some REAL Handywork,

and then later, The Human Canvas - A Snake Handler.

Go back now and hover over each of these titles

for a link to those sessions.

 

You really should go check those out,

as this next pic is something akin to the style

Kalynn was using at this point. There were several

pieces that wound over and around the hand - often

through the fingers. Much like an imagination of

ribbon or something flowing

through and around.

 

 

Then this next one

appeared on her Moms' leg

one evening. Not sure if Val was awake

for it or not...

 

 

But I sure like it!

Then came this series of elephants.

All of these showed up on my Facebook page one day.

All of 'em. If you look through the clues in the background,

ya might call this series, "Bored in the Band Room".

Nowhere near the same style or feel as the rest

of Kalynn's work so far, but fun.

 

A nice, fun, break.

 

 

 

 

 

But then back to

something that felt more like

the earlier stuff. Felt more like it maybe,

but there's REALLY something

 new developing here!

 

 

I mean...

Just look. Jeesh!

 

 

And then this very recent post...

 

 

And then this next one.

The one that made me NEED to

show these again. Actually - I was feeling

that two pictures up. The one with the (closed) band

folder (which, by the way, I STILL think makes

JUST about the best backdrop!

 

 

Kalynn,

Thank you SO much

for sharing these with me...

And allowing me to share these on my

site. It may mean only a few hundred to a 1000

extra views of your work, but it's a cool cool COOL

addition to my Human Canvas series!

 

Thanks again.

 

 

 

The Human Canvas - Into The Woods

 

Into The Woods

(Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim)

 

But in this case,

it's the end of an evening with Lenore.

I had drawn three pieces on her, which I've published as "Serpentine Fire", "Harry Potter and the Order of the

Phoenix Feather", and "Every Rose Has Its Thorn".

If you wanna go back and see THOSE individual

sessions, go back and hover over the name of

each one. I've embedded a link.

 

 

Back to the woods though.

THESE woods. An orange orchard, actually.

I've always loved this spot - day or night. It's now

special for me for other reasons...

 

 

But it's always presented great photo opps...

 

And I've always found

the trees to have QUITE an animated feel.

 

The idea had been forming

for quite some time to draw on someone,

and do some night photography.

 

And REALLY take

advantage of this backdrop I'd been presented

with SO many times before.

 

 

So...

Once again...

 

Meet Lenore.

 

After the third drawing,

It was a matter of going up to the orchard...

 

 

And sort of finding ourselves amongst the trees.

I actually had a very specific tree picked out,

but we ended up elsewhere.

 

 

But that's the great thing

about an orange orchard. There are SO many

trees with a VERY expressive sense.

 

 

 

This shawl was originally brought

for a bit of warmth, and a bit of protection for

the drawings, but it became

a great prop...

 

With tones that worked for color OR black and white.

 

And really, just a lot of nice photos.

 

 

But now...

Lose the wrap, and work once again on

blending in with the trees.

 

 

 

I mean REALLY blend in with the trees.

 

 

Oh yeah.

How about some shots

that actually show some of the drawing.

 

 

This was really

a great time to step away from the drawings,

 and just be photographer - playing with exposures...

 

 

...and effects.

 

We'll see you again soon.