Flowmotion Summer Meltdown, Aug. 9-12, Darrington, WA

Flowmotion Summer Meltdown has been going on for some years and kicked off on August 9th, a warm Thursday night appreciation performance for devoted, early arriving fans. Whitehorse Amphitheatre in Darrington, WA is where all of us campers settled in for the 4 day event. With no showers or real bathrooms it's a long weekend of port-a-potties and washing off in the river. This was a beautiful setting with the mountain behind the seating area and lots of merchandise booths to peruse in between bands.

ALO at Nuemos in Seattle, WA on 8/3

New Monsoon opened for ALO or Animal Liberation Orchestra in Seattle at Neumos on Friday night, August 3rd touring in support of their new album "Roses & Clover" which was released May 1st, 2007. The evening was packed full of high energy jams, with a few special guests, Bo Carper from New Monsoon and Josh Clauson from Flowmotion both adding their crafty guitar work. This was my first ALO show, and it was a great one. Highlighted by Zach Gill, his talent was colorfully displayed on keyboards, the ukulele, and this megaphone-pipe looking thing. It created this cool electronica sound and spread smiles and cheers all around the club. The four-piece collective more commonly known as ALO, Zach Gill (keyboards/vocals), Steve Adams (bass/vocals), Dan Lebowitz (guitars/vocals), and Dave Brogan (drums/vocals), found their musical roots in the feel-good vibe, breezy town of Santa Barbara, California and nurtured their sound on the campus of the University of California. We will here a lot more to come from these west coasters , I am sure.

Earth, Wind & Fire, St. Michelle Winery, Woodinville WA, July 22nd

This legendary band has been around for more than 35 years and put on a great show. I have been wanting to see them for as long as I can remember. Combining Jazz, Soul, Funk, Cuban, Latin and R&B they seemed to hit it just right for three decades with singles we all know if we hear them like "Serpentine Fire" and "September." Maurice White still heads it up as the lead with his brother Verdine and Ralph Johnson. Philip Bailey had all the grey ponytails and spouses dancing and twirling away to his ballads mid-show. It slowed the night down a bit, but it was hot, humid and muddy, and since almost everyone had a bottle of wine, who cared?! Sitting on garbage bags and swatting mosquitos wasn't the worst time I ever had so I can't complain too much. The horn section rocked and all the other members on percussion were great too. With recent collaborations with Black Eyed Peas leader, Wil I Am and producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis they are still moving along with new music to keep us dancing the nights away for years to come.