This year, Freedom Fest fell a bit flat. Entries and attendance were
both down. Some blamed the heat wave that had passed through, while
others put more faith in the string of unpredictable weather events preceding
the event. Something in the air played a larger role though; likely,
nothing more than poor marketing and promotion. Folks were still getting
used to the idea of the annual cardboard regatta occurring on the 4th of July
weekend.
Mostly clear skies offered up another beautiful day splashing about in and
around Sandy Beach. The only five entrants to the contest offered
amusement in the late morning hours on the beach, intertwined with contestants
face down in watermelon. Rain threatened as the day wore on, and a
bit of lightening eventually chased most out of the water.
Hunger eventually pushed our party towards other points on the map of this
little town, along with the promise of a cool pillow in a darkened room for a
few hours. Foul weather eventually gave up on the region and a little
nap time renewed vigor towards additional beach activities later in the
day. Arriving just before sundown, the lawn chairs had already
begun to litter the sand in anticipation of the coming show.
The rockets' red glare and bombs bursting in the air eventually pulled
through and lit the night sky, raining down electric streamers, reflecting
across the water in a festival of lights comparable to few. A view
from the sand or down in the water could only be bested by one floating in
the middle of the small inland ocean. We had missed the music, the
races had flopped, but none of it really mattered among family, friends and
few hundred acquaintances, under sparkling night skies.
While visiting the great state of Arkansas, we had the opportunity to check out this event, which had been elusive for several years. The endurance of some of these hand manufactured boats was quite surprising, and amusing at times. Apparently, the theme of the year was Star Wars, and there were quite a variety of flotation constructions about the landscape of Sandy Beach. All of the contraptions endured the warm waters quite well, and really did not take on any water. It was quite surprising, considering the construction materials permitted. A few, while water tight, contained a few minor design flaws that caused disintegration under pressure. One almost fell apart at the starting line, and eventually did, prior to the finish line. It was quite a lot of fun though, and a full house on the beach in spite of threatening rain. We look forward to getting back to it again. view more photos from this event or add your own to the mix
The final night was finally here, and all the winners from the previous weekends, alongside their runner-up made one last appearance in their finest, then their own swim wear, and finally in swimwear provided by Hawaiian Tropic. Only one would go on to the regional contest. Shotgun Jackson provided his usual distractions on the microphone, with drinks and dancing, courtesy of beats from DJs Steve Thorell and Bill Pile, all around for those that stayed to the very end. view more photos from this event ... and if you want to see what led up to this date, the preliminaries ... Week 5 Week 4 Week 3 Week 2 Week 1
We had not been out to the bull riding spectacle in quite awhile, and the upcoming Professional Bull Rider Built Ford Tough Championships seemed to be as good of a time as any. It was in Kansas City, at the Sprint Center, and featured some of the best of the best. I took several photos throughout the night, and experimented with a feature I found on a small camera that I didn't know it had. Slow motion video of these rides is just the thing to do. I pulled all of those little videos together, along with the photos, laid in a track and created the YouTube below. view more photos from this event
story & photos by bPositive ~ What is it about tropical locals that are so relaxing and rejuvenating? Whatever it is, South Miami Beach, sure has its share. It was the last week of March and I was returning there for my seventh visit to sample all the dance music offered during the annual Winter Music Conference electronic dance music conference. The Winter Music Conference, a humble name, but an event that shapes the year of so many artists and fans of electronic dance music. During this one week in March nearly the entire dance music industry relocates to the small city of South Miami Beach, on Florida’s southeastern tip, jutting out into the Atlantic ocean. And, thousands of dance music enthusiasts from all over the US and around the world join them to hear the largest selection of national and international dance music stars to play in the US all year long. Many don’t even attend the WMC conference itself, finding plenty to attract them among the hundreds of music showcases...
A Valentine's Day performance by the band Not Quite Brothers down at Knuckleheads Garage found a high-energy tribute to classic rock and pop that kept the audience engaged from the first note to the last of a three track encore. Indeed, the entire setlist proved to be a nostalgic journey through various eras, featuring faithful and energetic renditions of hits from artists like Queen, The Killers, AC/DC, and even a few crowd shouters from other genres such as "Beer Never Broke My Heart" by Luke Combs. The ability of the band to transition between power ballads, high-octane rock anthems, country jams, and other cross-genre favorites demonstrated solid technical skill. They covered these tunes with an impressive vocal range and tight harmonies, particularly evident during their covers of the more vocally demanding tracks. The lead singer brought his own charismatic energy to the stage, maintaining a lively atmo...
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