Haha... Found a Video.

A video of the Avett Brothers on Conan has been found! Excellent! I can stop obsessing now and get back to work.

The Avett Brothers on Conan - Sorry, No Video

All right, so there was a YouTube Video of the Avett Brothers' Conan O'Brien appearance for about 12 seconds, but apparently NBC likes to own things, so it's been removed. Copyright violations are bad, I know, but it was still cool, and I still wanted to share it with those who missed it.

If you didn't happen to stay up that night, here's a quick recap: The Avett Brothers played "Paranoia in B Flat Major", which comes from their new (and unbelievably good) record, "Emotionalism", which you need to get if you haven't yet. It's not a screamer, it's an edgy but pretty ballad that gives lots of good singing time to both Scott and Seth. The real surprise was their look: they were not vaguely frightening suit-clad mountain men, but rather clean-cut, coiffed hipsters. Really, really cute ones.

We're psyched to say "we know them when...", and even more psyched that even though they're becoming big ol' stars, they're still happy to play at little ol' GrassRoots.

The Avett Brothers on Conan O'Brien TONIGHT!

Yeah, so it's been a good week for GrassRoots Festival bands on late-night television. The Cat Empire on Jay Leno on Monday, and now the Avett Brothers on Conan O'Brien tonight.

I'm sick as a dog and don't feel like blogging anymore (it's finally summer, and I come down with the flu. Perfect.) but I promise that I will post a YouTube clip of the Avett Brothers' performance if I find one.

The Cat Empire on Jay Leno TONIGHT!

Awesome, right? The Cat Empire, who we're reeeeally looking forward to having at GrassRoots this summer, are going to be on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight. Mike Myers is also on the show, so... well... Party on! Excellent!

We're not sure what song they'll be performing, but I'm really hoping it's "Sly", because I'm pretty sure that song is about me. The first part of the lyrics go:

"With frizzy hair
Was a metaphor
Festival time
Then this woman
Is a goddess on that festival shrine"

Okay, yeah, I know that I've never met the Cat Empire or seen them in person, but frizzy hair and festival goddess? It's gotta be about me. Okay, maybe I'm not the only curly-haired festival attendee that ever existed, but a girl can dream, right?

In any case, their CD is called "Two Shoes" and we highly recommend it.

If you miss the Tonight Show, check back here; I bet there'll be a YouTube video of it which I'll try to post if I find it.

Pets at GrassRoots

So, we have a hard-and-fast rule about pets at GrassRoots - they're not allowed. Yes, we love puppies and kittens and all of our furry friends (except tarantulas... *shudder*), but we feel that GrassRoots is just not the place for them to be.

Many people who travel to the festival from far away choose to keep Fido and Fluffy at Trumansburg-area kennels instead of a kennel back home, simply so that they can stop in and visit a couple of times over the weekend.

So here are some kennels in the Trumansburg/Ithaca area... locals, please feel free to chime in with a comment at the bottom if you have any specific info/reviews/recommendations:

The Bed and Biscuit - 607.277.2126 (10 mi.)

Highland Farms Boarding Kennel - 607.273.3251 (20 mi.)

Ithaca Animal Care and Luxury Pet Resort - 607.275.9240 (15 mi.)

Canine Comfort - 607.273.4342 (20 mi.)

You can also always google an Ithaca-area veterinarian and ask for their recommendation.

Currently Listening To: The Cat Empire: Two Shoes

Band List Announced, Early Bird Ticket Sales Closed

Hey all!

Well, we've announced our band list (read it here) and we're (ahem) pretty darn proud of it, if we do say so ourselves. It's eclectic as all get-out, representing pretty close to every genre of music that exists. There's already good-natured in-fighting among the office staff, deciding who has to work during which band's festival set.

We've also closed our early bird ticket sales, which actually means that a nice "calm before the storm" period has set in (most people buy their tickets either before the EB deadline or well into the regular advance ticket pricing period); we're doing stuff like getting the program together, sending out press releases, coming up with radio ads, etc. These nice, low-stress tasks conveniently coincide with the first really solid streaks of warm weather and sunshine, so it works out well.

So, leave us a comment and tell us which bands you're most stoked to see!

Camping Questions

The most common questions we get in the office are regarding camping. We sell camping by site (NOT as a ticket-inclusion) because the Trumansburg Fairgrounds has limited onsite space. Selling by site allows us to keep better track of how much onsite space is and will be used for camping. So that's the "why"... here's the "how".

There are 3 camping options available through GrassRoots itself (this doesn't count local campgrounds or festival neighbors selling space in their backyards). There is onsite vehicle camping, onsite tent camping, and offsite camping.

Onsite Vehicle Camping - This is sold out for 2007. It sold out in March this year because, due to new health department regulations, we had fewer spots to sell. A vehicle camping ticket gets the ticketholder either one car and one tent OR one RV/bus/large van. Only four people are allowed per site. Vehicle campers enter through the back gate (Rabbit Run Road) and the sites are located in the infield and behind the track. New: Extra tent tickets can be purchased to go along with the vehicle camping sites. They are specifically assigned to your site; you must have a vehicle camping pass in order to buy them. Price: $95, plus $40 for an additional tent

Onsite Tent Camping - These are still available for 2007. A tent camping ticket gets the ticketholder one tent sticker. Four people maximum are allowed per tent. Tent camping is in the wooded area behind the Cabaret Hall and the craft vendors. Tent camping ticket holders enter through the front gate. They can either pull their car into the small load-in area next to the front gate and unload their stuff, leaving someone with it while the other person goes and parks the car OR they can park their car at the off-site parking lot and just haul everything over to the site in one fell swoop. Price: $40

Offsite Camping - This is the best option for people who really want to spread out, or who want quiet camping. This campsite is located on Agard Road (about a mile from the festival site) and is serviced nonstop by a shuttle bus that runs back and forth from the festival. An offsite camping ticket gets you a car and two tents, with a reasonable amount of space, your choice between wooded land or flat land, etc. Price: $40, only for sale on the day of the event at the offsite area.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

• All of our campsites are primitive. No plug-ins, no electricity, etc. We generally do not allow people to run generators, either, as they are quite noisy... if your neighbors complain, we will ask you to turn it off. There are showers available on-site; we recommend camp showers (the Coleman ones are decent - just make sure you use earth-friendly soap and shampoo) if you are camping offsite.
• Onsite camping is noisy. The stages run well into the wee hours, if you can't sleep through music, onsite camping is not for you. If you like to be right in the thick of it, though, it's definitely the place to be.
• There is potable water available both onsite and offsite, so if you'd like to bring some containers, you can fill them up. You also might consider buying some jugs of water to bring with you, or even just fill up your container at home... this will save you the time of waiting in line.
• No fires! On wet years, we'll sometimes make some designated fire pits at offsite, far away from tents, but generally, no fires. None. You can have a well-controlled hibachi grill or a Coleman camp stove, but be smart and have some sort of fire-put-out-er substance available (an extinguisher for gas, water for flame) if you decide to cook your own food. If we catch you lighting a bonfire, we will not only extinguish the flames, but we will confiscate all of your marshmallows and graham crackers and proceed to eat them in front of you while making obnoxious noises of delight. This will make you very sad, you really don't want it to happen.
  

More questions? Leave them in a comment or send them to me at megan-AT-grassrootsfest-DOT-org and I'll address them ASAP!

Currently Listening: The Best of Memphis Minnie