I'm pretty weary this morning as I write about yesterday's great bands. I was kept awake all night last night by a group of campers who were still keyed up after George Clinton's fantastic set. These folks brought their own karaoke setup and some would-be rapper laid really bad rhymes on us. I finally got a couple of hours sleep after security pulled the plug on them after two warnings.

Last weekend I had the good fortune of attending the Mile High Music Festival in Denver, or more appropriately Commerce City, Colorado.  This year was the festival's inaugural year, and as far as I could tell, the affair went off without a hitch.  And I love festivals.  There is something savory about the vibe put off by people at a festival, something uniquely and honestly human.  Even though the weather is hot, even though there are lines for the bathroom, lines for food, lines to buy tee shirts, even

As we drove into this year's 10KLF at about 1:30 in the afternoon, I thought we'd have to wait to get into our campground. We'd even gotten some subs to tide us over while we waited. Instead, we were the first car at the gate at that moment in time, no line, and not many people in the field at the entrance. We noticed that the Viking and Blue Ox campgrounds were empty.

One of the interesting twists to this year's 10,000 Lakes Festival is the inclusion of two new bands with some screeching metal influences. One is Dub Trio out of Brooklyn, bringing hip-hop and hard core with a peaceful message, and the other is The Hue, out of Chicago.

At the All Good Music Festival held this past weekend in Masontown WV, the motto by which attendees live by is also the name.  How convenient.  Despite the mantra that anything goes, the festival has been noted as one of the better organized, least problematic, and most entertaining of the summer.

Amanda Bell was covering the Rothbury Festival on behalf of the Grateful Web.  Her pictures are starting to roll in.  Right now we have Thursday

Grateful Web was again on-hand today at the Mile High Festival, just outside of Denver, Colorado. Check out photos & video clips from today's bands and festival-goers.  We'll have a lot more

One of the most unusual acts at this year's 10,000 Lakes Festival is Minneapolis artist, Heatbox.   Aaron Heaton, performing as Heatbox for the past five years, has created a one-man show that has to be seen to be believed. He's not a comedian, and he's not a singer or a rapper, though there is some of that in his show.  He definitely is not a musician, and he's the first to admit that.

Merging American rock with African benga music from Kenya is a bold mix, but Extra Golden has the daring and the chops to do it. Ian Eagleson (guitar) had been studying African music since 1995, traveling as often as he could to Kenya to document traditional popular music played by the masters of the craft. When Eagleson got a visa to live and conduct his research on his Ph.D.

The inaugural Mile High Festival is taking place this weekend.  Grateful Web is on hand to snap pictures, video clips and expect a write-up from the weekend soon.  Please check back for lots more pictures soon.

Enjoy,

The Grateful Web