music saves mountains ...

i mentioned before that wade and i volunteered at bonnaroo this past weekend w/ the nrdc. to tell you the truth - i wasn't too familiar w/ the cause until we arrived. now i'm rather passionate and had to share w/ you all.

we worked a tent for "music saves mountains" - bringing awareness to mountaintop removal coal mining.

what is mountaintop removal?

instead of extracting coal from underground, mountaintop removal blasts away mountain peaks to access the coal underneath. today, there have been over 500 peaks destroyed (devastation the size of the state of delaware), cleared over a million acres, and over 2500 local rivers and streams have been buried from debris from the blasts - polluting drinking water with toxic waste and sacrificing the safety of countless communities. the economy of appalachia has also been greatly affected. in the last 30 years, mountaintop removal in west virginia has increased production by 140% while eliminating more than 40,000 jobs.

{source: steve shames / j henry fair}

the appalachian mountains are america's oldest mountains filled w/ fresh streams & rivers that have for hundreds of years provide millions of americans w/ clean drinking water. with the future of america's oldest mountains at stake, singers and musicians have come together to fight for these cherished mountains where american music and countless songs were born.

the nrdc premiered the film "the last mountain" on thursday night and then again inside our makeshift mountain/chill zone at sundown throughout the rest of the weekend (until our projector was stolen. boo hiss.). it is a documentary on the battle over one of these mountains:

this issue hits home, nashvillians! over 250 mountains have been blown to smithereens in kentucky. nashville, tn is directly downstream from this destruction.

our goal at bonnaroo was to get the word out and get people involved by petitioning the president to change the legislation. find out more about the issues here. and be sure to sign on w/ the cause here.

{weekend update} bonnaroo!

in centeroo w/ nekos, ellen + tessa
of black and white and loved all over
{source: nekos barnes}

lots and lots of new music on my mind this monday morning following a fantastic (as well as dirty + hot) weekend at bonnaroo. while i of course loved catching the shows on the main stages (um - mumford and sons - yes please!) ... my favorite stage by far had to be the sonic stage. it gives fans the chance to see the performers in a much more intimate & rare setting.

my all-time favorite performance was definitely songwriter and clawhammer banjo player abigail washburn. she's illinois-born, nashville-based like me. and though i didn't realize it at the time, i first heard her sing at my sweet friend samantha's wedding a little over 2 years ago. as part of her new record city of refuge release tour, abigail joined w/ producer tucker martine (the decemberists, tift merritt, mudhoney) on the sonic stage saturday morning to share a short set.

{source: abigailwashburn.com}

almost 10 years ago, abigail washburn was preparing to move to china to attend law school in beijing university. before moving overseas, she embarked on a road trip down the east coast to study the banjo and was offered a record deal. talk about a quick change of plans! :) she now mixes american folk music + bluegrass w/ chinese folk music.

check out abigail washburn's npr tiny desk concert to learn all about her fantastic journey:

hello summer!

asos just sent out a fantastic little email titled "hello summer: festival fashion" which reminded me that i haven't told you about the fun little plans we have for the weekend after next.

we're heading to bonnaroo, people! :)

yes - we will probably regret it in post. i went a few years ago - and it nearly killed me (and my car - mysterious missing bumper incident). gah. a little too much heat, too much dirt, too late of nights, too many bra-less hippies and too many drugs. i kid! i did not participate in the drugs (though yes - i know that's what bonnaroo is known for.)

it's also known for it's wicked lineup. just a sampling of this years lineup:

wade has had the bonnaroo itch for a couple of years now. but let's face it - we're newly weds, we're budgeting, and we're not able to shell out 200 buckaroos a pop (that's a lot of dough no matter how much incredible music we get to hear in 4-days!). but we're not ones to pass up the opportunity to volunteer a couple hours and then spend the rest of the weekend checking out the amazing lineup!

and that is exactly what we will be doing! pretty stoked.

(we're volunteering w/ the natural resources defense council - specifically the no more mountaintop removal campaign. learn more here.)

now to check out that "festival fashion":

{click to shop}