Media Meditation #2: bring on the noyes!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=1449987844880&set=t.1200757736

I have recently been spending a good amount of time with a recently acquired friend, Nick Noyes (pronounced noise). Over the summer, we were part of a small group that went to a number of concerts, on some hikes, and a couple crystal shows together, in addition to just hanging out, and making art. It was during these times that Nick would whip out his guitar and play.



Because he does so much outdoors, like mining crystals, going on hikes, and traveling cross-country, I have him fairly separated from the media in my mind. But even something as simple as listening to his CD, or examining the type of music he plays (loop recordings), shows that he, as a musician at least, is very involved in the media. Additionally, he has his music on Facebook, videos up on Youtube, and posts his tour dates in multiple places online.

This has been a really effective way of him getting his name out in the world of music, as it has done with many other artists. For example, The Mclovins, a jam band comprised of three 16 and 17 year olds from right outside of Hartford, CT. Two years ago, they posted a video of them in a basement, playing “You Enjoy Myself,” by Phish on Youtube.



It quickly blew up, getting thousands of views, and in the past two years, they have played over 125 shows, including a number of festivals, like moe.down.X., Nateva, Mountain Jam, StrangeCreek, Gathering of the Vibes, and Wormtown.


It is amazing how much of a role the media has played in the publicity of hundreds of independent artists, and has allowed for music to be made and become popular without the confines of main stream music.

Media Meditation #1: feelin a little wormy…

http://www.goosepimp.net/archives/388

Wormtown. Two words that many people usually do not hear in conjunction with one another, but together make the name of one of my favorite places on earth. The weekend started on Friday morning, when I packed into a minivan with all the back seats taken out with 6 of my good friends, tents, sleeping bags, coolers, glow sticks, glitter, road signs, and a hitchhiker we picked up in Springfield…. all the necessities for a great weekend.

After waiting in line, carrying our stuff from the parking lot into the woods, and setting up our home for the weekend, we head to the main stage to catch our first show of the day. The rest of my time there can be summed up as a blur of music, lights, art, friends, vending and dancing, VERY little sleep, and an all around awesome time.


This is a video from Strange Creek, the festival held at Camp KeeWanee at the beginning of the summer, featuring Zach Deputy, who is a regular headliner at both festivals.

It was very interesting for me to go to a festival knowing that I planned to write a media reaction about the experience. This is mostly because, as a general rule, I disconnect myself from the media upon pulling into the parking lot. I turn off my phone, leave it in the car, and enter the festival world. When I further examined that idea, however, I realized that I may be disconnecting myself from the media of the outside world, but I am also submerging myself in music as a medium, and taking pictures, reading ads for upcoming festivals, and exchanging contact information with new friends so that I can reconnect with them when I get home.

It is only proof of how much of a role the media have in our everyday life. The soundboards from many of the shows I saw are already posted online, in addition to pictures and videos from the campgrounds and concert fields.


Clearly, there are some who celebrate Wormtown a little too heavily.... =) Thanks to to convergence of media, I'm able to share this with all of you!

I also realized how beneficial access to the media is for me as an artist. Throughout the festival, I was walking around vending my jewelry, and was able to take custom orders from people and give them my website and contact information through which I have already been contacted by several people who are interested in purchasing pieces that I didn’t have at the festival with me.

As much as I’d like to think that I can escape the media, I have also come to really appreciate what it adds to an experience like Wormtown.

take your shoes off, stay a while

I'm Emily Snyder from Newtown, CT. I'm a junior studying graphic design at Champlain College.

This summer, I went to multiple concerts and festivals, through which I experienced many varieties of media, for example, the musical acts, lightshows, and advertisements. One of my favorite concerts was Furthur at Gathering of the Vibes.


When considering media today, there are a lot of things that I like, namely the accessiblity of information. On the other hand, I greatly dislike the fact that everyone feels the need to consistantly be "plugged in" to the electronic world. It absolutely fascinates (and disgusts) me how much time most people spend in front of the TV or computer, or how little time they spend away from their iphone.

In the future, I plan to be a freelance graphic designer, in addition to continuing to work on the jewelry that I make.