Shoreline Core Dump

I am just back at the computer after sitting in a nice cool tub for 20 minutes and eating some left over clam chowder that hit the spot perfectly. I'm going to try and write down the things that I remember about the performances at the Shoreline Festival this year.

Day 1

• Getting there and setting up was a bit of an effort, with our lovely little tent village that we got for ourselves (using a very wide definition of the word 'family'), we got 9 people and 5 tents in a cool little circle around a common area where we mostly shared everything since invariably no one would be fully prepared and some person would gladly share whatever they brought that everyone else forgot. That system worked brilliantly.
  

• Metric? Totally awesome. Totally crowdsurfed. Totally didn't get near the front in time.
• Some great jam-type bands played indoors until morning. I stayed up until the sun came up taking in the happenings and wandering. Lots of fun.

Day 2:

• Woke up around 10:30, thought "OK, I'm definitely putting sunscreen on today, right after I go wash up." 15 minutes of walking later.. "OK, I'll put some on after I eat something". Of course you know what happens, I might as well have put on a bright red shirt then to save me the trouble of having to coordinate outfits with my skin later. Everyone else ended up in the same boat, though, looking like cooked lobsters and feeling the burn.
• Got to the stage just in time to see Iron Giant. I've kept hearing great things about these guys but haven't picked up their CD yet, so all I knew about them was j.pants assessment that they were "totally sabbath". Can't go wrong with that, of course, and oh did they ever rock the noonday sun and all the hardcores who were out while the cool kids slept.
  
• Slowcoaster played after Iron Giant, not an easy act to follow, but they spiced the music up with help from Tamara, a really talented singer who recorded on their latest album.
  
  
• e.co. doesn't let a little thing like being stuffed in a tent favella stop him from making some of the best food I've had in ages.
  
• JSB and Buck 65, Saturday's main performers, were incredible. JSB's set was shorter than when they do a show by themselves, so unfortunately too much time was spent playing those damn long instrumentals that their fans insist on hearing every single show. That cuts severely into their ability to play songs that might have a scrap of life left in them. But that's OK, they did a good job as jam band journeymen last night.
  
  Buck 65 blew me away, mostly because I didn't know what to expect since I don't know his music, and he hit us with about 4 different styles, including a spoken word bit at the end that was a real risk but people went for it and it was a very original and unique show.
  
  
• They had a DJ keeping us moving well into the early hours, with the unique addition of a live singer who improved on the spot as he did his thing on the turntables. Very cool time, had a blast and I'm totally happy I stayed up for it and all rhe rest of the late=nigt goings-on.
  
  
• Mars Hill ended the morning with groovy beats and the only 5am trumpet I'll ever hear since I'm never joining the army. Whoever made up the schedule really knew how to cap off a night of intense house music.
  
  
• The next day we were all pretty groggy and dying of sunstroke, but I managed to pay full attention to Brooke Miller's set. I don't know how it is that at her age she can probably out fingerpick Bruce Cockburn and sing with the confidence of Joni Mitchell, but here we are, and she totally played my favourite song of hers right when I asked for it. :)