Penciled In

I have posted to the right what I call a "Tentative Schedule".  The scheduling of this, in my opinion, is going to be the toughest part.  With multiple festivals taking place at the same time all over the country, it's going to take some effort to include a variety of them while making the trip feasible and cost effective. 

The dates listed are based off of the 2010 schedule.  Actually, a couple are based off of 2009 because the festival is on hiatus for this year for whatever reason.  Since most festivals take place around the same time each year, I felt the information at hand would be good enough to start mapping this out.  As the 2011 dates are announced, they will be inserted, and the master schedule will begin taking shape.  At that time tickets will begin being purchased. 

A few things will be considered when choosing a festival. 

Location
Styles of music represented
Reputation
Admission costs
Camping

I don't want to drive 1,500 miles to get to the fourth bluegrass festival in a row to find out it's fledgling beyond belief but costs $200 and have no place to sleep. 

An Idea is Born

I've started taking the first steps towards what I think at the very least would be an incredible summer.  Starting in Austin, TX at South by Southwest in March of 2011 and ending back in Austin in October at Austin City Limits, the summer would be spent hitting as many music festivals of any and all varieties as possible.  From Cajun, to Reggae, to Folk, Jazz, and Indie, music lives somewhere in the heart of every culture and is enjoyed and celebrated by people in every demographic across the country.  How well represented are these genres, cultures and demographics within the landscape of America's music festivals?  That's what I intend to explore.

Of course, exploration comes with a price.  And in this case, I assume it to be a little salty.  So, the next several months will be spent securing funding (mostly through hard work and shameless begging) for admissions, camping/lodging fees, equipment (computer upgrade, still and video cameras, etc.), and of course food and travel expenses.  As with everything, I expect the list to continue to grow as time progresses. 

As things slowly move along and are finalized (schedule, equipment purchased, etc) I will continue to keep you updated.  So, check back for updates or to even offer suggestions about different festivals, things to check out along the way, or just say hi.