Camp Bisco X: The Volunteer Experience

Sorry kids, no Bisco this year.
Treating the property and town like a cess pool has finally
caused the event to be cancelled.  Thanks for ruining it.
Guess you’ll have to do your shitty drugs somewhere else.

In the meantime please check out one year’s write up
Camp Bisco XI Womps Mariaville’s Indian Lookout Again
Happy memories or random nuggets of wisdom for you nervous first timers

You’re welcome
Click the “facespace” link above to tell us how great we are

Hit the volunteer gate  at 5:30.  We were told to be there by 10 a.m. at the latest.  As I watched the car ahead of me drive in, the biker running the gate told me I was too early and to come back at 9.  I stared up out of my car window in disbelief, attempting to reason with him before he got annoyed and shooed me away.  I put the car in reverse, grumbling to myself.

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Syracuse’s Big Splash Against Gas Drilling

Sunday June 12 dawned dreary and gray.  The seemingly endless deluge that was spring 2011 in the Northeast lingered yet again, debating whether it was time to let the sunshine through.  Stray droplets splattered the ground as the wind occasionally gusted, forcing the loitering weather pattern on its way.

Dutch Bucket System kicking off the music

The Syracuse Big Splash was planned as a day of protest, education and music, promoted through the local networks of activists and the bands themselves who had volunteered their time to draw attention to a worthy cause.  The Finger Lakes Clean Water Initiative coordinated the event with the help of a number of local organizations dedicated to the environment.  The week before the same event (with a different musical lineup) had been held in Binghamton, an epicenter of gas drilling protest, with several thousand attending to show their support and enjoy the music.

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The People’s Fest III

After a month and a half of dreary days the rain ceased falling in time for the first weekend of May.  The sunshine was welcomed with open arms as New York tried to shake itself dry for a few days at least.  In Newfield, New York, just outside of Ithaca, Triptime Entertainment worked to prepare everything for one of the early festivals of the season.

The ground was soggy after fighting to dissipate weeks of almost constant rain with hail occasionally mixed in to keep us on our toes.  We parked the car and I trod delicately through the wide open, gently sweeping descent to stand before a massive stage that looked well used.  The wooden structure was large enough to fit an orchestra, the roof defending against the weather thirty feet above.  A peace sign wrapped in Christmas lights hanging high upon the rear wall completed the decor.

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René Breton – Asleep in Green

On March 17 René Breton released their first album as a full fledged musical ensemble.  Featuring twelve tracks the quartet recorded and released on Fifth Ace Records, this offering is all the more interesting because it is accompanied by a thin tome of short stories and drawings.  Twelve tales, each with its own visual representation, fill the hard covered pages, adding further depth to each musical score.

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Dubstep Descends on Central New York

The line for the show was down the block on Tuesday night.  Bitter night air tugged as snow flakes piled up on the streets and sidewalks.  We stood motionless for what seemed like a long time before shuffling a few steps forward, only to stop suddenly again.   What is this place coming to we wondered.  A trio of friends in front of me laughed while the pretty blonde twirled her hula hoop, debating whether or not she could bring it in.

“But it’s the Westcott” she stated.  Her boyfriend and I simply shook our heads.

“It’s a techno show.  The place is probably packed” he reminded her.  She sighed before running back through the snow, hoop in hand.

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Hot Day at the Den

A hall that once held billiards now holds music.  Friday, January 15th a band that is quickly becoming a Northeast institution took time out from recording some new music to spend an evening in Saratoga Springs.  The foursome made the trip from their base in Lowell, Massachusetts, opening the night for Tao & Company, a amalgamation of members from several different groups.

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René Breton in the snow

A group of musicians as concerned with their art as their music braved the snow to play the Westcott Theatre Tuesday the 7th.  Travelling to Central New York after a show at the Mercury Lounge in New York City René Breton made it through the early season extended snowstorm.  Unfortunately the two openers for the Nashville based quartet did not and only a few dozen denizens fought their way through the early winter weather to catch an earful of their surreal sounds.

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What is hydrofracking???

For a more in depth look at the possible effects of
horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking for short,
please also see our longer feature article:

The Argument Against Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing (Part I)

Hydraulic Fracturing has gained more attention as the public becomes aware of our government’s machinations.  Hydrofracking for short, it involves shooting a mixture of high powered water, sand and a cocktail of unknown chemicals (they’re a “trade secret”) hundreds, if not thousands, of feet below ground to force natural gas out of the pores of rock, shale in this case.
How they do it

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