As a long time festivarian I’m pretty tolerant of most behavior. But I think there are appropriate times and places for everything.
I understand the fun of a drum circle, having been a participant in several over the years. But starting one at 2am at a festival known for its musicality and acoustic instruments seems a little out of place.
TBF is not Bonnaroo or Coachella and I’m hoping it never turns into that type of fest. Drum circles work well at those places but I respectfully ask that town park remain an acoustic heaven. At the very least if u want to drum please END it by 2 am instead of starting then!
Sorry to sound like an old fart about this but I’d much rather hear the mandolin next door than the drums from across the campground.
Well John, we have dealt with that for years, Steamboat 2 campers, sleep all day and are just getting rolling at 2am and go all night long. Your only hope is to fall asleep before they get started.
Complaining about noise while AT a world class music festival…classic! Life must be hard LMFAO! Sleep when you’re dead or rent a condo like a normal person. Quit being a a Debbie Ninny Downer while in Telluride, it’s very unbecoming.
Well mark it down on the calendar and get your smite buttons ready I guess. I agree with Mandhoe. Bring your earplugs and be prepared for anything other than silence.
Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome…The Inevitable Douchebags!* The Totally Talentless, Musically Uninformed, Auto-absorbent Purveyors of Inebriated Self-Gratification and Rhythmical Non-sense for your listening dis-pleasure, forcing their special brand of timing incompetence on captive audience after captive audience. With any luck, they’ll be performing at the head of Mandhoe and Schlagger’s tents in 2016 since no one in their right mind would listen to these buffoons during normal waking hours. They love this stuff…no, really.
Check out this link to an appropriate venue and calendar where you can expect them to be performing in the interim: http://highsierramusic.com/
“The Inevitable Douchebags” is a copyrighted trademark of The Inevitable Douchebags, LLC.
Wow. I didn’t really think I deserved that. Just saying that Town Park probably isn’t the best choice if you want peace and quiet. There are many good places to stay, even other campgrounds. With that said, I would bet that if he had politely asked them to move their drum circle, they most likely would have. I’ve never met an unreasonable person at TBF. I would never ever do that, but I would let it slide if it happened.
You’re right, you didn’t deserve flak for stating your opinion and I agree with you about being prepped for picking and jamming sounds (which I enjoy)- nothing I said above was really intended to be aimed at you. I’ve had a real pet peeve about self-indulgent types using the festival as cover for rude, inconsiderate behavior since an amplified late-night rave was set up in the primitive area in 2009 (mostly by outsiders sneaking into TP.) So I have met what I consider to be unreasonable people there.
To me, drum circles have questionable (almost zero) musical value and fit in the category of self-indulgent behavior in the first place. It turns to rude when the majority of people nearby are trying to sleep because they came there to see real musical acts perform. Ear-plugs can tune out most acoustic instruments, but really don’t do too much for drums, especially bad drums. There are festivals where it may be appropriate, but I hope the consensus is that TBF is not that place.
My jab above was aimed at drum circle participants, not you. I apologize if you took it as anything other than that.
I think the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life is when people come together to listen and make music. Love and light and self expression all shine at Fest and it is this huge feeling of contribution on all levels. If you feel you can contribute to the music that is around you this is an effort to build community. Drumming to drum is removed and you are not an island.
Debbie Ninny Downer? Nah. I EXPECT to have music wafting thru the beautiful Town Park trees at night. In fact every night I went to bed with the thump-thump-thumping of a distant standup bass, or an echo of mandos and banjos, or rounds of applause. That’s not only expected, it’s enjoyed! It’s a big part of TBF and I’d never complain about it even if the band was sitting next to my tent. But there’s something different about drumming, when speed and volume are the goals.
As I said, drum circles can be a blast. I just think this might not be the most appropriate fest for them, or for tubas, barking dogs, fireworks, wailing electric guitars, or (like a few years ago) people who are tripping who suddenly decide to take up the trumpet at 4 in the morning.
It’s not about getting a good night’s sleep. It’s about the music.
No matter what your take on this- I’m an involuntary insomniac- I think it is best to say that drum circles just so happen to make a sound that carries very far (it’s about percussion after all) No need to get into whether or not there is talent involved (I’ve seen some pretty bad ass drummers at drum circles!) but yeah, you’ll make more friends if you take it up the canyon a mile or two. That being said, I doubt in of the drum circle attendees are reading this. A very civilized conversation though, I must admit…including apologies. Don’t see that kind of coolness on very many forums!
Back in the 1980’s drums were banned at The Philadelphia Folk Festival. (https://pfs.org/folk-festival) What do you think the dirty smelly hippies (of which I’m one) did then? Started banging on the Spot-A Pots!!! Not using just drumsticks and hands either. We’re talkin’ using firewood clubs, giant branches, fists, their own heads, anything! Now THAT was annoying …
Speaking as a drummer, I would agree that drum circles have no place in Town Park during the festival, but I don’t think percussion needs to be banned int he campground outright. I enjoy seeing someone sitting in a picking circle with a cajon, so long as they’re respectful.
HAHa! I got a laugh after hearing Bevin say that drumming circles shut down picking circles. Then after coming back from Nightgrass looking for who might still be up picking, ran into the drummers. I don’t recall anyone else picking in Town Park at that point. Maybe over at Cascadia or Howdy, I don’t remember for sure.
Complete John, they were in your backyard! Shoot I thought I saw you with a drum in your hand!! :lol :lol