Book Contest! Win a Limited Edition Copy of The Experience: Jimi Hendrix at Mason's Yard

Book Contest! Win a Limited Edition Copy of The Experience: Jimi Hendrix at Mason's Yard

Been a busy late summer/early fall at my full-time job... lot's of traveling and such with minimal time for concerts, music and audio system tinkering. Stumbled upon this great looking photo book of Jimi Hendrix and thought I'd pass along the contest link to win a copy.  Though I was only three when he passed, Jim was one of a handful of artists that had an incredible influence on my developing musical tastes during my teenage years.  Needless to say he remains one of the most vital musicians even 40 years hence and is still in constant rotation at my home.

Stay tuned for a summary of the summer's music fests we attended and a review of a new audio toy... the fantastic Wyred4Sound DAC-2.

2007 Bonnaroo Music Festival

Now that we are in the heart of the summer music festival season, and having just returned from the 2010 All Good Festival in WV, here’s an archive post of my '07 Bonnaroo review which originally appear in the July 2007 edition of Affordable$$Audio (affordableaudio.org).  I'll be posting a summary of this year's festivals soon.

Bonnaroo is not for the faint hearted. Everything about this 4-day music festival is extreme and nothing is done in moderation. The size is enormous with more than 10 stages, more than 120 musical acts and an audience somewhere around 100,000. The schedule is daunting with a start time around noon each day and running until nearly dawn the next day. Then there is the oppressive heat, the choking dust, the seeming bottomless beer kegs and the endless campground parties.

AK Fest 2010

This year’s annual AK Fest, sponsored by audiokarma.org, was held on May 1-2 at the Sheraton in Novi, MI, just outside of Detroit.  It just seems to get bigger and better every year, now spread across three floors of the hotel with several large listening rooms in addition to the typical hotel guest rooms as well as a much more spacious swap room.  Great music, fantastic equipment and good people were in abundance.  Allow me to apologize in advance if I did not give your room the full measure due… there was just too much too see.  (Click here for Flickr picture gallery)

A Look Back at AKFest '08

I couldn't make it to last year's AKFest but I'm looking forward to the 2010 iteration that is just around the corner (May 1-2, Novi, MI, akfest.com).  Put on by audiokarma.org, below is my coverage of the 2008 show which originally appeared in the webzine Affordable$$Audio (affordableaudio.org).  I've got a bunch more photos at photobucket.

Spring in Michigan. You can’t always count on the weather, but rest assured that AudioKarma Fest will draw the hibernating audiophiles out of their listening rooms for a weekend of great sounds. Now in its fifth iteration, this annual event brings together manufacturers, retailers and AudioKarma.org members side-by-side and cross-pollinated in rooms at a hotel just outside of Detroit.

The White Stripes "Under Great White Northern Nights"

Just watched The White Stripes’ latest DVD release last night – “Under Great White Northern Lights.”  It follows them as they traipse through some of the more remote cities of Canada during the summer of 2007, playing free shows in unusual and sometimes incredibly intimate locales during the daytime hours, and putting on regular shows at night (though it’s always still light out when they finish given the northern summer latitudes).  There are also several interviews, backstage glimpses and visits with locals captured on film, all of it culminating with their 10th anniversary performance in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia.

Good Vibes at AKFest '07

Looking forward to AudioKarma Fest (AKFest.com) coming up next month in Novi, MI. Here’s a retrospective of my first visit in 2007 to this combination audio aficionado get together, manufacturer/retailer exhibition and all around celebration of musical enjoyment. Make sure to check out audiokarma.org as well. Photos are at Flickr.

At this event, you’ll find the big boys like McIntosh and Marantz set up in hotel rooms adjacent to AK Members showing off their personal systems, many of which consist of DIY and vintage equipment. In one room you might listen to a $20,000 pair of line arrays and then walk across the hall to “DocBrown’s” room with his thrift-shop $25 Electrovoice speakers on Red Rose monoblocks.

Welcome to AudioSnoop

Welcome to AudioSnoop, a place where I’ll document my search for funky sounds, cool equipment, great music and inspired performances. First a few caveats…