River of Life Music Festival

meeting

2009-04-30T08:03:00.001-07:00

Monthly concert, calvary chapel, ark city

2009-04-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

Music festival redux

2008-10-06T19:39:00.001-07:00

Finally rested a bit, and now I can write some about the festival.
There were some obstacles, as I guess you have heard. Faulty generators blew up some amps. Remedy Drive didn't want to hook back up and you couldn't blame them for not wanting to risk their equipment and their safety.
We were something like two hours late getting started, maybe more.
There was a mad rush to find an electrician - no easy task on a Saturday afternoon.
The guy from Graham's electric came through and got us rolling. The generators were rented from a place in ponca city. One was putting out twice as much power as it was supposed to, and that caused the problems.

Rex Riggs brought us a good generator. It was one he uses for welding.
We got it hooked up but didn't hook up the whole package. There was a long discussion about what to do. I considered trying to move it to a church. No one liked that idea.

Remedy Drive has a nice light show, but we didn't even try that.
We finally got rolling around 5:30.
Cut the acts down some. The musicians got 30 minutes instead of an hour, and we carried on.
We lost a lot of people when we were sitting around in the sun waiting.
I think the crowd would have been better if we had started on time, because a lot of people did leave.
There were people arriving around 6.
I was surprised that we did not have more people. It was on a saturday, and i thought i actually promoted it more this year than i did last year. We even spent more on radio advertising this year.
But there were lots of other things going on the same day, and that probably hurt some.

We did have a decent crowd. Id say there were 300 people there in the evening. Lots of kids really liked Remedy Drive. I liked them too. It was good rock and roll.
Not sure they will be back. Last year before they left, they told me they had a great time and wanted to come back. This year they said they had a good time, and didnt mention coming back.
Can hardly blame them after they lost two amps and had damage to a piano. Probably worth several thousand dollars.
Also a local church, Calvary Chapel, lost some equipment because of the generators.
Not sure how that will shake out.
But we probably wont use generators anymore. Maybe we can get electricity put in.
It shouldnt be as hard as it is to get electricity put in. There are just people who are stumbling blocks that keep it from getting done.
Its a long story. Everyone says do it, even the people who could make it happen, but then they dont do whatever it is they need to do.
The electric companies position is that if it is only used once a year, they wouldnt make anything off it, so they dont want to do it.
I believe that if we had electricity there, and a few events, other people would want to have events too.
KACY tried to have an event there.

Anyhoo. We had some good music.
As I wrote in the other post, someone called the cops on us.
I didnt believe the people who told me that there was a cop waiting at the highway.
But there was. He was nice. Just asked us to tone it down.
The generators started making a buzzing sound, and there was a minor power surge. That freaked the band out so they shut the sound down.
So we did quieten down, but not because of the complaint.

What happened next was very cool though.
Remedy Drive guys broke out their acoustic guitars and sat around the stage and played. People gathered at the stage and listened.
They showed what kind of musicians they are. They played hard and sang loud so everyone could hear even without amplification.
It was a very nice ending to a long day that had been full or trials.

There are lots of questions now. Im too tired to think about many of them
What direction will we go in from here?
Location is a concern. We could just do indoor shows. Would be a lot easier, but not as much fun.
We could do several shows through the year instead of one big one.
We could get more into local talent.
I like the idea of bringing in a band, but ... no matter how good they are, if no one has heard of them, they wont come.
Remedy Drive is a band that is taking off. Their cd is on the charts. They have tours booked across the nation. They are going to be touring with the Newsboys - which is one of the biggest christian rock bands there are anywhere.
So we were lucky to have them.
But would people rather come and see local bands.
Im sure if we put together something like .. .Revival, Butler Brothers, and Julie Sutton, we could get a decent crowd.

AND what is our goal? In one sense, my goal is to promote the levee and develop that area. But maybe the music should be the top priority. I think there are people who share my music vision. Thats an interesting choice that Ill have to think about.

There are many people who worked hard. I appreciate all their efforts. Several people also contributed money, about $5,000. Im pretty sure we will break even, unless we get sued to replace damaged equipment.

I suppose it was not the success it was a year ago, but several people have been encouraging me to press on.
I do want to press on. I just want to re-evaluate the direction.
We need to learn from the experience.
Lesson No. 1 is that small generators are probably not a good idea. I still dont understand why they worked so well last year and not this year. They were the same type of generators.

A bigger one might work.
Getting electricity would be a better option.
Moving is also a possibility. Carla Pike, who is one of the biggest supporters, wants to move it to Curry Field and develop that area.
Im not so sure. There are houses around there now.
Lots to think about.

the morning after

2008-10-05T06:26:00.001-07:00

Thanks lagonda
we had a bit of adversity, but we managed to get through it and had a good show.
we had burning generators and smoking amps, unfortunately, that was not part of the show.
after a several hour delay because of that, those that stuck with us,enjoyed a great show.

then once we got going, someone called the cops on us.
not kidding.
9:15 p.m., someone who lives nearby - two blocks is the closest house - called to complain about the loud noise.
after the day we had been through, we took it in good humor and kept rocking a bit longer.

ill post more after a get a bit of sleep.
pics too probably.

It's here. Today

2008-10-04T06:12:00.001-07:00

We're all set. Hope you all will come out to the music festival today.
This morning around 7 it was cloudy, and i even felt a very slight drizzle.
There is a chance of rain until 9 a.m., but the forecast for the day looks great.
The show is free. Donations are accepted at the festival's table.

The concert is by the levee of the Arkansas River. Its in that big field northeast of the bridge on Summit Street going south.
We are going to have some church groups sing from 2 until 3.
We start the official program at 3.

There will be food and drinks available. There may be some games such as horse shoes, badminton and so forth. I didn't confirm that with the person so I don't really know.
Lots of different styles of music. Should be something for just about anyone's taste.

Here is the schedule
2 area church groups ... praise music
3 Tim Durham............ folksy tunes with humor
4 rafa carmiri.......... classical guitarist, english and spanish
* Tim and Rafa may alternate 30 minute sets.
5 ashley reynolds....... contemporary christian praise tunes
6 geof kimber........... contemporary with an australian flavor
7 julie sutton.......... blues
8 remedy drive.......... indie rock

Come on out.
This isn't your grandmother's gospel music.

4 days to go

2008-09-30T15:55:00.001-07:00

Its just four days away. Things are going well,
Im a bit nervous as youd expect, but everything looks ok at this point.
May need a couple people to help with parking, directing traffic etc.

Also, we have t-shirts now.
I may try to get a picture a little later and post it.
If you come to the concert, you can get a t-shirt with any-size donation.
Name your own price. :)

Help spread the word.
starting at 2 p.m., we may have some local warmup bands for 30 mins or so, or maybe an hour, and start the larger program at 3.

Important update

2008-09-26T04:49:00.001-07:00

We are just over a week away. We have had our first real crisis, and we have survived.
We are not going to be able to do the Friday night part of the festival, so it will be just one day, that's Saturday, Oct. 4.
We are still going to start around 2 p.m.
There are still a couple things im working out, but it looks pretty good right now.
We are thinking about having a special parking area for handicapped and elderly people who have trouble getting around. That way, they could sit in their cars and listen to the music.
CHeck out the web site .. you can hear the bands there.
www.riveroflifemusicfestival.homestead.com

web site update

2008-09-15T07:19:00.001-07:00

just working on the web site for the RIVER OF LIFE Music Festival. You can hear examples of the bands there.

www.riveroflifemusicfestival.homestead.com

Update

2008-09-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

Revival is not coming, but Julie Sutton is.
Im really excited about who we have coming, there is something for eveyone.
It is going to be a full day of music, so you can come and go, to hear the bands you want to hear.
Im trying to get a song from each band on the web site...

Dont forget the Friday deal. we are having local bands play from 7 p.m. until about midnight. whoever wants to play, though they do have to be registered first.
We will choose one band to play on Saturday.

We have our posters now. So give me a call if youd like to have one to hang up someplace.
Tshirts should be available shortly

web site

2008-09-10T04:48:00.000-07:00

Been working on the music festival web site. I know its a bit late, but ...
Anyways, the link is

www.riveroflifemusicfestival.homestead.com

I tried putting some sound clips on there. Im just not sure if they will work in all formats.

The lineup

2008-09-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

Here's the lineup.
There is one possible change. That is the group Revival, which is an accapella group from Arkansas City. They have been around awhile and tour a lot. I should know today or tomorrow on them.

Here is the lineup otherwise.

Rafael Irizarry - Classical guitarist from Florida, also sings in spanish.
Tim Durham - Local musican, adds humor to his songs.
Julie Sutton - From Winfield. You have to hear this lady sing. She is amazing. Blues, Jazz, a little rock, and some soulful singing.
Geoff Kimber - who has played in Arkansas City before. He is a native australian now living in south carolina. Mostly a keboard player and singer.
Ashley Reynolds- Was here last year and wowed the crowd. Young lady from Gillman City, Mo..
Remedy Drive - Rock and roll for the kids. An up and coming indie band. They signed with someone this year, and just released their latest cd.

More to come.

Sept. 5

2008-09-07T07:05:00.001-07:00

We have had a little bump in the road on the music festival, but its turning out for the good.
Looks like Shannon Gackstatter wont get to play after all. She is really good. Not her fault, just bad timing. We also wont have the Butler Brothers.

BUT, We are going to have Julie Sutton. I first heard of her a couple months ago, and first heard her music over the weekend. All I can say is .... OH MY GOODNESS>
She is really something. Bluesy-Jazzy - kinda singer. Great original material.
You need to come hear her. You will be amazed. An incredible combination of the spiritual and sensual all in one voice.

Also we may get the local group Revival. They have been around awhile. They are going to let me know for sure on Monday.
So looks like the bands are set - of course ive said that before - but hopefully now they are.

We have local musicians Tim Durham, Revival, and Julie Sutton.
Out of towners - who were here last year, Remedy Drive and Ashley Reynolds.
Out of towners who are new - Rafael Irizarry (classical guitarist) , and Geof Kimber, an australian now living in south carolina, keyboard player and vocalist.

Thats seven acts.
Also Friday night will be local bands from area churches, Mostly youth bands.
There is a home football game, so we will be starting that up late, hoping to catch the after game traffic.

Ive got some helpers now. Can always use more, but it is good to have some lined up.
Could use some more cash.

Ok, yall can go back to debating the hospital deal now. :)
Or we could debate the order of musicians on the program.

remedy drive videos

2008-08-28T06:07:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of videos with Remedy Drive.
The first one is their new single that is getting played on the radio
the second one is a promotional thing about their tour.
i thought it was cool that ark city is listed ..

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTK0la4jyXg"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD4A2qy2pfE"

Aug. 21

2008-08-21T17:02:00.000-07:00

We are just over six weeks away from the second River of Life Music Festival.
We still need money and still need helpers.
But it is coming together.

We have several bands lined up, as well as food, crafts and other entertainment items.
Remedy Drive will be back as the featured band. They signed with Word Records this year and their next album is due out Aug. 26. They are getting played some on Christian radio stations out of Ponca.
Check them out at www.remedydrive.com

Ashley Reynolds will be back.

Geof Kimber will be here for the first time. He has been to Arkansas City before and is an interesting musician.

Local musicians will be Tim Durham and Shannon Gackstatter.

We could add a couple more before its over.

Round Two

2008-05-07T04:11:00.000-07:00

We are starting to think more seriously about the second River of Life Music Festival.
It went very well last year. That was great. Now I am a bit nervous because now I have something to live up to.
Last year there were no expectations because no one knew what to expect.
Oh well, its still an adventure.
Here we go.

The feature band last year Remedy Drive, is coming back. They may be the featured band again this year. You can check them out at www.remedydrive.com

Ashley Reynolds is likely to be coming back. its not a done deal, but we are talking.

Not sure who the other bands will be, but we would like to have more bands.

It will be bigger this year. It is on a weekend, so we can go throughout the day on Saturday. We will probably start the music sometime in the afternoon and go into the night.

I am thinking about trying to have something on that Friday night, but ... that may or may not happen.

The other cool thing is Sunday afternoon.
There is the Praise in the Park event that is held each year at Wilson Park, the first weekend of November. They are joining us. They will be moving over to the river site with us for their event.

I am still looking for people to get involved.
If you are interested, give me a call or an email.

or reply here.

concert aftermath

2007-10-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

The first River of Life Music Festival was great.
At about 20 till 6 there were like 10 people there and I was starting to get nervous. Then I saw cars start to come rolling in and I felt better. We started about 6:15 and by the time the second act got going there were lots of people there.
We had about 500 people according to most guesses. I didn't try to count how many people there were.

But it has been a great adventure and as you might expect, I am pretty worn out. Feels strange today to not have something like generators of flyers to worry about.

This shows what can happen in Arkansas City. This place where the concert was is basically a big vacant lot. Its a big field with nothing going on. The old meat packing plant was there at one time.

It wasn't really me that made this happen.

we're on GO

2007-10-23T04:53:00.000-07:00

The River of Life Music Festival is today at 6 p.m.
Everything is set and ready to go.

We have been sweating out the weather forecast as we anticipated the concert on the river.
The forecast for today and tonight looks excellent at this point.
Should be clear and in the low-60s when the concert starts, and in the mid-50's by the time the show starts.

Saturday morning the forecast was for rain. We had some alternative sites ready, but thankfully we will be able to move ahead with plans.

It has been a wild ride getting to this point. There have been obstacles, but in every case we have had divine intervention to make things work out. You can call it coincidence if you like, but I don't think anyone could be that "lucky."
Timing has been amazing, and things have been provided at just the point needed.

Realize too that this is our first adventure with putting on a concert. We don't even know what may go wrong tonight. Surely something will. We will deal with it as best we can so I hope people will bear with us.

People have asked why it is on the river.
That really is the point of the concert. That field by the levee, by the old meat packing plant on Summit, is a perfect place for outdoor concerts. I Hope to show that it can be done, and hopefully other people will want to do the same thing.

Here is my ulterior motive :)
That we have more musical events there, and many that im not even involved with. Then, after we get that going, maybe we can get some trees and brush cleared out on the other side of the levee, and have a real riverside park.

For 5 years Ive said we need to develop the river areas. We are wasting a tremendous resource by ignoring our rivers. This is the first step.

So come on out tonight and enjoy the show. It's free.

There's something for every age musically speaking.

7 days and counting

2007-10-16T05:05:00.000-07:00

We are a week away from the concert.
We have about everything set to go. Now if the weather will just cooperate.

This music festival has come together so well that I cannot help but think it is the hand of God moving it forward. We have had some obstacles, but so far they have all been overcome. Usually not through our own ingenuity, but "just somehow."

We are trying to spread the word as much as possible now. So tell everyone you know about the concert, and try to come.

Bring blankets and lawn chairs to sit on. There will be some seating, but not very much.

countdown begins

2007-08-27T04:42:00.000-07:00

We are officially less than two months from the big day - 6 p.m. Oct. 23.
That is the Tuesday of Arkalalah week. The concert is going to be in the big field between the Levee and the old meat packing plant, off South Summit near the bridge.

We are thinking of having some sort of event there in September, just to familiarize people with the place. Im surprised that a lot of people don't seem to know where it is, but it is a perfect spot for outdoor concerts.

We are set with our performers.

Tim Durham will be playing between the other groups. His solo guitar work and humor songs are bound to please everyone. He also has a good message, and is a talented musician.

The opening band will be the Butler Brothers, and they could just as easily be the headline band. They are music ministers at First Baptist Church, and we well known locally for their musical talent.

Next up will be Ashley Reynolds, a talented young singer from Missouri. Last year she was named pop vocalist of the year at a Kansas City music festival, which is a pretty nice award. She has a unique sound, that I think sounds like Jessica St. James, but she also brings her own individuality to the state. Much of her music and songs center around purity and drawing close to God.

The headline act will be Remedy Drive.
This is a fine band that we were lucky to get. They have been touring with some of the top bands in the country, and will be going into studio to make a CD very soon, so we caught them between the two. They are from Lincoln, Nebraska.
They are an Alternative band, so it is modern rock and roll. Even so, their music is not so heavy as to drive older people away.

Soon I will have links to the bands and even more information.

This is a free concert.

There is an account set up at CornerBank, called the Christian Music Fund, where donations can be made.

Email us at musicfestival@sbcglobal.net

The vision takes shape

2007-08-20T05:03:00.000-07:00

Howdy folks.

Our music festival is about two months away, and it is starting to take shape.
The times are set, and the bands are set. We have about decided on the schedule too, probably start it at 6 p.m. on Oct. 23.

There's still lots of things to do, and we still need a good bit of money.

There is a bank account set up at CornerBank, called the Christian Music Fund, where donations can be made.

This is the first music festival of what I hope will be many to come.

I have a vision for Arkansas City, and I am going to do what I can to make it happen.
I have a few really cool people helping me so far. Telisa Rohr and Monica Hinson, just to name two, are warriors that make things happen.
We have a few others helping.
We could use a few more, so if you would like to get involved, give us a call.

But back to the vision.

My dream is to have more concerts and more festivals for music.
I like music of all kinds. Southern Rock, followed by Southern Gospel, are my two favorites, but music is music. So really, I don't care if its rock and roll or the symphony playing classical tunes.

I do draw the line at gangsta rap, but thats another story.

There are lots of high-quality musicians in our area. I see no reason to not take advantage of that and have more venues for performing.

Our first festival does have two "out of town" acts. It also has two local groups.

I hope to have more shows. Arkansas City could be come a regional center for live music. Actually make it Cowley County. Winfield has some great events as well. All the towns of Cowley COunty could get involved.

Anyone else have this vision?

Friday update

2007-08-17T05:08:00.000-07:00

The festival is coming along.
We are making progress, and continue to work on our obstacles.

The musicians are set.

We had our first "group" meeting last week. It was fun and I was encouraged by the people there.

We could use a few more people who want to get involved in the project.

Let me know if you are interested.

We need people who are comfortable calling people and visiting people to ask for money.

We have enough to pay for the deposits for the band, but still need a few thousand dollars.

Remember, CornerBank has an account set up called the Christian Music Fund, where deposits can be made.

Ill try to get info on the bands, as well as pictures, as soon as I can.

We also have a logo now, which is really cool. Ill try to get it on here soon as well.

jj

moving ahead

2007-08-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

Tuesday a core group is meeting to begin the process of making this concert happen.
I have a few people who are going to be involved.
We need more people though, and will need volunteers before, during and after the concert.

This is not "my" project. It is a project of the people of Arkansas City. I am the one that kinda got it started, but I hope it will take on a life of its own.

We don't even have a formal group yet. We don't know what the future holds obviously, but the hope is that we can have a yearly event here.

After Tuesday we will hopefully have more definite direction, and we will be more focused and have a plan.

So far it has been exciting.

Getting really real

2007-08-11T06:43:00.000-07:00

Oh My Goodness, this thing is getting real.
Yesterday I sent word to the bands to send me contracts. Once I get that read over and filled out, i'll have to send in deposits.

Lots of people have been encouraging, and have said they would support it.
This is the first of what I hope will be several concerts on the levee.
I am depending on my community to support me in this. It will be financed pretty much through donations. I believe the money will come in.

I have a bank account set up at CornerBank in Arkansas City. If anyone wants to donate, you can contact me, or go to CornerBank and say its for the "Christain Music Festival" fund.

I hope no one is put off by the word "Christian."
It is a sad commentary on our society when that word is considered a bad word by some people, but thats fodder for another column another day.

Probably in the 80's "Christian Rock" was a cut below mainline secular rock, but these days it has caught up from a quality standpoint, and from a technological standpoint.

It is interesting to me that many bands are not calling themselves "Christian" bands anymore. I like that idea. In my own life I don't separate the Christian from the secular. Art is art is art...

That's quiet a tangent. Anyway ...

I feel it is important to have that first show for free.

I think the most interesting thing is just that I keep learning new things. Little did I know that 2-3 months is not enough time to put on a concert. Oh well, sometimes its better to not know what can't be done.

But this show is relatively small in the overall scheme of things.

This is my way of trying to do something positive to change attitudes in Arkansas City.

I'm still looking for help. If anyone wants to get involved, get in touch with me.

james

Who will be playing

2007-08-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

Bands scheduled so far:

Remedy Drive. An up and coming band out of Lincoln, Nebraska. They have been touring with some of the top alternative bands in the country and plan to make another CD very soon. I feel lucky to have found them. They have a very nice sound, upbeat rock and roll. They are fine musicians, and have a great message.

Ashley Reynolds
A new singer on the contemporary music scene. She has a very nice voice and a nice message.

Local talent
The Butler Brothers

Tim Durham

More to come.

What's this about a music festival?

2007-08-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

Well, the wheels are slowly starting to turn, and I'm finally starting to get a bit nervous.
I have never tried anything like this before, so I don't even know what can't be done.
I am planning a contemporary Christian (dare I say rock and roll) festival for Arkansas City.
This blog will keep people up to date on the goings on concerning the festival.

Here is the basic deal.
On Oct. 21 there will be 3 or 4 bands performing near the levee in south Arkansas City.
Not sure when the show will start, but the bands are about lined up.

This is the Monday of Arkalalah week, so maybe we can attract some of that crowd over when they are not busy.

I have had great encouragement by everyone.
I still need financial contributions as well as prizes to give away. I need help of all kinds, so if you are interested, get in touch with me.