by Zack Teibloom

6:00- I interview Balkan Beat box about their new album, why they flew from Israel for the show and hear them joke that one of them used to be a woman.

7:15- Union Board tent is pretty dead. The DJ is rocking out and pointing on the beats, but 15 people including two little kids reading comic books aren’t that into it.

7:30-  Balkan Beat Box show. The host is enthusiastic but the crowd is hesitant at first. They don’t know what to expect and have no idea their minds are about to be blown. Two members of the band come out in animal masks and they get in a line and create a drum line. Sometimes it’s a rap show, sometimes it’s a dance party with horns and shredding guitar, and then you’ll find you’re rocking out to the ancient Isreali instrument, the shofar. 20 rows of people of all ages jump up and down and getting wild when Tamir rips his shirt off and has the crowd in hysterics. As predicted, BBB brought the house down. Ever since I saw them create a dance party at Bonnaroo as “Super Jam” featuring nearly half Phish and The Dead was going full steam on a competing stage, I realized I had to see them. Don’t miss your chance to see them Saturday night. Here’s a profile Weekend did of them this summer…

http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.php?adid=search&id=36398

8:45- I make a quick stop at Subway to cash in a free cookie coupon. The manager gave me seven cookies for free and was more interested in smoking cigarrettes and talking about an illusive blunt then “serving people.” I don’t think Jared the Subway guy would be proud.
8:50- I go to the Bluebird to check out  Inner Visions, a reggae band. Girls got mardi gras beads at the door, but it wasn’t much of a party inside. Inner Visions was pretty good, but the crowd was so sedated I got bored after a few minutes. Half the crowd was sitting down, but a middle aged crowd did get down to some shuffling, reggae dancing. On my way out I saw a guy who I once took a picture of at a Sushi restaurant becuase he was rocking an amazing mullet. I was sad to see he’d let his hair grow out and now it was just an awkward long gray ponytail. What a letdown.

8:55- People are pouring out of the tent for Carpathian Folk Quartet. I walk around and find that a lot of tents are overflowing.

9:15- Les Yeux Noir sings a lullaby they heard when they were kids. It would have done the job for me. I moved on.
9:25 I see a line outside the First Christian Church. Either a lot of people want to confess their sins or there’s an amazing show going on inside. No one in line seems to know anything about Yungchen Lhamo, but they know they have to see her. One woman, her voice just above a whisper, with no instrumentation to back her didn’t need to move the crowd. Just the gentle hum of the crowd as she instructed them to repeat freedom and “jon sen” over and over as she sang harmoniously over them. It was angelic and awe-inspiring. She spoke of having her monk father killed which caused her to start a foundation for single parents. Her moving, spiritual performance had a song for 9/11 and had the crowd spellboung and dead silent. When she finished people didn’t know whether clapping was appropriate at such a heartfelt church performance. A slow clap grew as everyone realized the perfect way to acknowledge her perfect performance was with a rousing standing ovation.

10:30- the DJ tent that was dead at 7:30 is now a full fledged dance party! Ori of BBB has more than 50 people on stage dancing so hard they knock the DJ table down twice and the power dies in the tent. The crowd screams NOO!! for 30 seconds until the juice is back on and Ori can keep feeding them what he called “ethno mosh new mediterranean dance hall.”

10:45- Check out Bluebird which is less crowded than 15 cent beer Wednesday for Bonsoir Catin- cajun traditional music. There’s a lot of silver haired couples square dancing and the tight bodied beer girl sticks out like a sore thumb in this much older crowd.

10:55- Back to the DJ tent for much more of Ori’s kick ass DJing. The crowd can not stop dancing and I throw my notebook and camera down to get down with the get down. “If you want more of this crazy shit come to Balkan Beat Box’s show tomorrow night!” Ori yells over the crowd who screams back their adoration. A congo line even starts on stage.

11:10- I check out Yerba Buena’s set just in time to hear them say “No, that last song WAS in english.” Michael on the Office should have brought this band in for diversity day. It’s a motley crue of a drummer that looks like an early 80s Stevie Wonder with long corn rows, yellow mesh shirt, pink pants and aviators and monstrous, tattooed guns. To add to that mix there’s a latin looking singer, a middle aged white guy with an awkward dress shirt, an african american woman with lauren hill poofy hair and a flowy dress, and two tough looking cuban guys. It got a little out of control when the Stevie Wonder look-a-like showed off his washboard abs to the delight of the crowd and did a dance that was dangerously close to a strip tease. They played 50s guitar riffs and cuban songs and were a hoot to watch, but I had to get back to the DJ tent.

1120-I run into a tall, imposing African man named Mamadou Diabate, who plays a fantastic Kora (21 string instrument) He told me he plays with a talking drum player and a xylaphone and bassist, though his cd is a solo release.

1137- I see a beaming Lee Williams- Lotus’ head honcho who said he was very happy, but that “Saturday is always bigger and more intense.” If that’s possible, then I’m excited.

Midnight- I finished off the night in the DJ tent and met up with Ori again to tell him how hard they rocked and get a few more interviews.

Check back later for more updates, lots of pictures, interviews and much more!

1:15- I showed up to Lotus and when I go to park, someone is standing in the spot smoking. I pull in cautiously and some woman comes storming at me yelling “you mother F*****, We’re saving that spot.” If she had asked nicely I would have left, but I’m not going to get pushed around. She yells about being pregnant and I felt bad for a minute until I realize, the person she’s saving to spot for…isn’t pregnant so she’s not going to walk any further. Anyway…time for music.

1:40 Canadian folk and pop legend Issa takes the stage and does a one woman show singing about paddlign through canada as an audio track of forrest and nature sounds plays behind her. It reminds me of a three-year- old’s playgroup as she repears paddle paddle and tells tales of Canadian traveling. I was thinking, man I really wish I was watching football right now. But thankfully the next two songs were cool and I enjoyed myself. I want Issa to take my future kids camping.

1:50 Issa looks into the crowd and notices how many “little people” we have in the crowd. A couple dozen small children raise their hands eagerly and she says, “Well, this song is not at all suitable for children,” as the crowd laughs. It wasn’t that bad. It was about a lover who she may or may not call back.

2:20 Issa is running out of music, because Yungchen Lhamo is late to appear on stage. Issa tells a story about how someone was killed when they ran into a low flying goose while riding a bike and other weird death stories. The crowd is not sure how to react and is awkwardly laughing so she says, “I think it’s important to laugh about death.” People are surprised and she says “I don’t have any perspective to see if I’m making a fool of myself.” She wasn’t. She read a poem and then they brought out the sweetest voiced woman I’ve ever heard.

2:45 Yungchen Lhamo is so sweet, I want her to tuck me in bed at night. She takes the stage after we learn her name means “goddess of melody and song.” Not since Dick Cheney has a name been so fitting. Lhamo has the audience spellbound as her angelic voice floats abover the ohhmm she has the crowd hum. She tells us to leave our angers here and that we normally get angry for no reason. How could you be angry when her heavenly whispers soothe your soul? I wish that crazy pregnant lady was there to calm her down. The show was special, but her performance Friday night in the church was one of the most heartwarming, emotional shows I’ve ever seen.

3:30 I stick around for a little Indian music, but have a story to write while the incredible weekend is still fresh in my head. Keep checking for updates. We’ll be updating with pictures and more.

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