If you saw my previous article, then you know that I have been treated to a little get away and as promised it's time to spill the beans
Just in case you didn't check out my little prelude here
So let's get to it then?
We left my house at just after 14:00 to start off with our 224km journey towards the Karoo Saloon, situated just before Barry Dale in South Africa. Where were we headed?
This was my first year at Jess fest and was it a ball. Having been beat from working till 6:00am the morning I had a few drinks upon arrival and decided to opt for a power nap...
After I awoke from my slumber the party started. I was just in time to catch Light and Shade for their first set of the weekend. It was a massive jam with an abundance of drinks, ball powder from the east and big smiles all round. See below some of the shots of the night.
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Then before I forget I bumped into my new friend Nozha that I met in Mozambique. She has a pretty damn great voice on her and I'll post some of her stuff in a next article. Here the two of us are below after I received a sturn talking to, due to missing on of her prior performances.
I don't really fall in love with a lot of places but the Karoo Saloon has firmly cemented it self in my heart for ever as did Jess Fest. As I mentioned in the prelude, these events play a massive roll that I feel a lot of people over look. Firstly the Karoo Saloon is a live music venue in the middle of nowhere... (Sorry guys but it's true) That however isn't a bad thing because it makes music feel that bit more special. Jess the creator of Jess Fest also co-owns a booking company called That Other Booking Company - TOBC for short. This is a venue they often book for as well so by having their own private event there it increases the potential of future shows, due to new faces coming through and like me falling in love. I Mean look at this places face???
Most of all though, in a country where live music and especially the rock/blues industry are taking big knocks it's small fests like these that not only grow the industry but with the size it ensures only the best of the best people are there that really love and enjoy the music and for the people playing that once again makes living life as a minimum wage musician livable.. trust me I should know.
I hope you guys enjoyed that and please check out everyone and thing with the hyperlinks and if you live in South Africa or plan on visiting go give Marius and his family a hello from me. PS they also make great food and he tells great stories. Especially the one about the pot in the piano.
Until the next one...
Get Dirty and Stay Sexy!!!!