The Spudfest 2004
Thursday July 5, 2004 – 11:32PM
"So this is the point of rock – we’d always kind of wondered what our endless labors were for. Who’d have thought we’d find the answer in the middle-of-nowhere Wyoming at mile marker 130?"
Five hours before, vee device had been heading down the on-ramp, merging into the northward flow for their first inter-state adventure. Watching clouds build, they sped towards the westering sun. And now, here they were, somewhere between Rawlins and Rock Springs. Intrigued, Deej clambered up to inspect the revelation while the road manager, Mr. X, looked on. As it turned out, the "Point Of Rock" was self-explanatory, feeling no need for further comment.
At Rock Springs, they went right on 191, tearing through midnight skies like the lightening above. The white lines blurred under headlights caress, the hours grew wee, and before they knew it, they were pulling into Jackson Hole by 2:30AM.
Friday July 6, 2004 - 7:30AM
Morning broke over the slumbering revolution in a Days Inn parking lot. A hand landed on vee's chest:
"We'd better get out of here man," said the vigilant Deej.
No sooner had the engine rumbled to life than was Mr. X hopping up from his fence-side bed, hoping he hadn't been forgotten. Like a flash, they were off to find a morning's meal. The local Village Inn happened to be across the street, and lured them in with its promises of the "Best Pies in America." Leaving empty plates behind, the three went to wander the waking streets of Jackson Hole. Highlights included: four gigantic antler arches, the local fire-station, and Mountunes - an independent music store. After surveying the sights, vee and Mr. X forged a stream and climbed a mountain in order to warm-up for the day ahead. As vee felt like a fool wading across in his underpants, holding his jeans and shoes high above his head, he cursed the fact that his friend had both short pants and long legs. Deej shook his head and observed their progress from the mini-mart, awaiting his uncle. It's funny how many bridges appear once you've made it to the other bank... oh well, they would be useful on the way back.
Time came and the three drove up and over Teton Pass into Idaho. A giant potato and a drive-in movie screen marked their destination. After registration and the obligatory "let's pretend we're driving the antique trucks" pictures, it was up to Grand Targhee Resort to catch a few snippets from the film festival before sound-check. Raiders Of The Lost Ark: The Adaptation and Echelon were the films of the hour - both were found to be quite entertaining.
1:30 rolled around, and once again, they piled into the car - screaming down the road like an angry banshee. As a matter of fact, banshees were the topic of discussion as they flew down Stateline Road. vee proposed that a banshee was a screaming tree. The other two quickly dismissed this idea and decided instead that it was a demon which could move with great haste. (Both parties were wrong - but we'll let you look that one up on your own.)
In the midst of all the sound-checking bands, vee and Deej had the good fortune of meeting Arlan Feiles and Cristopher Lucas, both solo artists whom had performed the night before. And so, two hours before show-time, Arlan agreed to sit in with the band on piano. Thus, a hasty introduction to the vee device canon was arranged for the new member. When they stepped on stage, things began with a bang - "The Trials of Being Photogenic." A loose connection to the piano's mic was rectified halfway through the song and suddenly - everything came together. My goodness... piano certainly added a great new dimension to the sound.
But there were more surprises in store. As the song was ending, Mr. Lucas walked in front of the stage carrying drumsticks. Pointing to them with a beaming smile, he got a nod from vee and made his way to the drum-set on stage. Wow. The band had not only doubled in size, but had added two instruments never before seen in its arsenal. This would be an adventure. As the set wore on, the sound gelled with an unbelievable ease. You never would have guessed that they had never played together. The only point at which the set slowed was when vee's A-string broke. Luckily, he had thought far enough ahead to bring a back-up guitar. Next time, he will think even further ahead and tune it as well. After the two minute guitar tuning lull, they concluded with an entertaining cover of "Closing Time."
10:38PM - The Timberline Bar - Victor, Idaho
It just so happened that the band's burgeoning drummer had gotten wind of a special happening in Victor that evening - "Fight Night... yeah!" And so, the five new friends found themselves standing in the heart of small-town America. On the far side of the sea of humanity filling the bar was a boxing ring. Locals could sign up to fight another random person also wishing for fisticuffs. The sprightly Mr. X had the gusto (or temporary lack of sanity) to put his name on the list, but alas, time ran out before his name was called. "If I get hurt," he said, "just remind me that pain is a part of life." What fearless bravado exists in the heart of our Road Manager. Such actions are worthy of a "Huzzah!"
Driving back to the Spud, a local law-enforcement official stopped vee to give him a commendation for being designated driver. The revolution is always aiming to please.
Saturday, July 7, 2004
The day dawned on another parking-lot sleeping spot, except this time, the parking-lot was a great big field in the shadow of the Grand Teton. It was the last day of SpudFest. It was to be a day of mountainside frisbee-golf, a stop at Big Hole Music, funny movies about Mormon boy-bands, and the music awards. vee and Deej awoke and set off immediately to find Mr. X, who had opted for a condo-invitation the night before. They found him walking down the road towards the drive-in. Relating their impressions of the day before, they concluded that it was quite possibly the longest day of discreet events any of them had ever lived.
In any case, we are pleased to announce that vee device as a group took home more awards than any of the other bands in attendance: Cris with the "Audience Award" and Arlan with the "Producers Award." Congratulations to both of you - it was an honor to share the same stage. Huge thanks to Lauren, Dawn, and everyone who helped bring SpudFest together. And as always, a big thank you goes out to all who turned out to support the vee revolution.
And thus the SpudFest was over. Friends parted, heading to destinations across the country. But this wouldn't be the last time they'd see each other; no, some bonds run deeper than that. Down US 287 the revolution went on a bright Sunday morning - the road that would take them all the way home.