the life I lead

Not only have I begun to get excited about the upcoming Summer Festival season, I have also started to notice the sort of life I lead when I am not on "Festival Tour".

The life I live right now is very different but not opposite of my Summer time life! I love that I can keep my attitude about people, music and the culture that follows the Festival life even in the everyday life I lead!

I treat people the way I want to be treated anytime, anywhere. I hope everybody does this too! I seem to smile more than the average person on any given sidewalk, on any given street, any day of the week. Does anyone else notice this kind of thing too? I look people in the eye and genuinely SMILE! Why is this odd? I noticed the difference in interaction when I came back from my last Festival tour. I was on "the Road" for about 6 months, working and playing at various festivals around the country. When you are travelling around going from one Festival to the next, you begin to understand human nature. You see what people are like, when they are truly themselves, for a whole weekend! They are not at work, are not in their "normal" environment, so therefore, are usually more friendly. Maybe this is why I keep going back year, after year... People are themselves. They show their true colors and leave many of their inhibitians at home. Sometimes you can pick the one person out of the crowd who should NOT have left ALL their inhibitians behind! But that, like in society is something you just deal with, laugh and move on, unless there is a danger involved of course.

I also look forward to the "family" you make all your own and the new wonderful friends you make while on Festival tour. I have experienced both ways of going to Music Festivals. I have been a Festival-goer, someone who goes to play, play, play! I have also been a Vendor. I like both, so I made myself become a "Festafarian- who works".  I have been extremely lucky over the years to have worked along side some really great small business owners, who go from show to show, making their living as Festival Vendors. These people are the "family" I was talking about. They go to the same shows (usually), sometimes you caravan, and you often end up at a lot of the same places as other vendors, between shows. Everyone becomes close and there is always something to talk about. I have so many great buddies from all over for this reason!

I worked for awhile with "The Spinsterz". What a great website this is! If you are on the look out for Hula Hoops, Fire dancing materials, awesome performers or information about fire spinning and Hooping, start here. Working with thespinsterz.com allowed me to show my love for Hula Hooping almost on a daily basis. I was able to show all sorts of people how to Hoop, everyday, while on tour, what more could I ask for? I also showed off all the fire toys that the Spinsterz makes, did demo's and helped out at tons of fire shows.

Small businesses are what the backbone of this culture is all about. Remember to keep supporting them, they are in YOUR community, going and doing the same fun things you/we all do! I know that this is a FUN, but extremely hard way to make a living, because every show is a complete mystery, you never know what you are getting into, until the festival actually starts!

I also worked for lightupwire.com. Check out this website too, for all of your fun EL Wire needs. EL Wire(ElectroLuminescent wire) is a dream for costumer's and especially for all you Burner's out there. This guy really travels for his job! Based in Florida, Glen, starts out his Summer in May and he doesn't get back down South until mid November! He does so many Festivals and everyone seems to know this guy. I traveled with him through 35 states, and just as many major cities. I learned about so many more Festivals that I didn't even realize exsisted, until I went to them! I had always wanted to go to "Magnolia Fest", in Florida, but I don't live anywhere near there and was always somewhere else. But I got to go last Summer and I am SO glad I did. What an amazing Festival, I felt like part of the family the whole time. The venue is beautiful, and the people were warm. And the music was something I will always remember, it was well worth deciding to work for the whole summer tour, from beginning to end to go to this Festival and also to "Bear Creek". This event is held on the same property as Mag Fest, a lot of the same people were there, but the music, the music was FUNKY! Really,really FUNKY!

This is where I fell in love with 2 bands... Big Sams Funky Nation, and the New Mastersounds. I love horns, and funk, I got to feel the funk the whole time I was on that property! I recomend this Festival highly, especially this year. I just saw the line-up, I wont be missin' this one, I'll tell you that!

In the middle of all this Festival going was Burning Man. This is more than a Festival, more than just an "event", it is a sub-cultural phenomenon. I was already on the road, why not add this in to the mix too? I had wanted to be at Burning Man for 2 years prior, but due to health, I was unable to attend. I was in great health this time, had the money and was already in an RV with great people and was invited to camp at a super-fun-crazy-awesome Theme camp. I wasn't going to turn that down.

I am really glad I went! I live my life the way Burning Man Festival "lives" for a week in the desert! Full of love, hope, curiosity and friendship. Well I suppose if you ask other folks who have been to Burning Man, maybe they would say some of the same things I did to describe Burning Man, but maybe not. That's the beauty of this place, it's not a Festival, it's a movement, a do it yourself, radical, everyone- is- involved- kind of thing. You can see and do anything while on the Playa, anything that your heart desires or your mind can dream up! I felt like I had never felt before. I felt like a kid who had just been GIVEN Disneyland, not just a kid who GOES to Disneyland!

You can get a million things out of Burning Man, but what you will take with you, no one can ever take away, the memories, and the FEELINGS that you had while out in the desert, on a dried up lake bed, in 115 Degree heat, in the middle of Summer...

Summer is just around the corner, are you ready?

~live, love, bliss, laugh, DANCE~

Melissa Magic

YIPPEE!!