Jennifer Kirk

Two weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of being a guest at the annual Southern Girls Rock’n’Roll Camp located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Southern Girls Rock’n’Roll Camp (otherwise known as the SGRRC) is a week-long day camp for girls age 10-17 held at Middle Tennessee State University. The camp was founded by Kelley Anderson of Those Darlins.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/4110596[/vimeo]

Anderson founded the camp as a student at MTSU after attending a rock camp in Portland, Oregon. The camp teaches instrument instruction including drums, guitar, keyboards, bass and vocals in addition to songwriting and recording techniques. Each year the camp features workshops and panels from women who work in all facets of the music industry. However, the most important lesson that is taught at the camp is not an instrument but rather how each girl can empower themselves and help create and strengthen their self esteem.

I had the opportunity to attend many of the sessions throughout the day as if I was a camper. The morning started as most summer camps do with an assembly with all the girls and volunteers gathered together to stretch, get loud and finally disperse for their instrumentation instruction for most of the morning. READ ON for more from Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp…

It’s been a while since we’ve had a post on the Felice Brothers, so when Jennifer Kirk told us she shot the band (bang, bang, bang went Jennifer’s Camera) at the Masters Musicians Festival in Somerset, KY; we asked if we could share them with our readers. Let’s take a look…

The Felice Brothers are part of The Big Surprise Tour which kicks off in Hampton Beach, NH on August 4. They’ll be joined by Old Crow Medicine Show, Dave Rawlings Machine and Justin Townes Earle. The tour runs for two weeks. READ ON to check out the rest of Jennifer’s photos…

It’s been a crazy few weeks since pop megastar Michael Jackson passed away and we’ve seen everything from people randomly starting dance parties in the middle of the street to U2 paying homage to the Man in the Mirror to people leaving gifts in front of Neverland Ranch. These are all just small examples on just how much Michael’s music touched the world.

We’ve also witnessed a complete 180° on the way the press has treated Michael after his death. Let’s face it – it’s been easy to laugh or make assumptions about someone that’s different than us, particularly Michael Jackson. We’ve seen him go from a healthy, young superstar to the pale, shattered ghost he became in his last years on earth. Regardless of what you think of his life, his choices or his actions – I would like to tell you a story of how Michael Jackson once saved my life.

It occurred in the late 1980’s, my parents had just divorced and I lived with my mother most of the time. Every day after school I would go to my across-the-street neighbor’s house where both my best friend and baby sitter lived. I would stay there all afternoon and into the early evening until my mom got off work. At first, it was great. I had access to a go-cart, Atari, mechanically inclined Legos and a club house that my best friend and I would use to play in all the time. I mean, what more could a kid ask for? It was a great place to play after school.

READ ON to find out how Michael Jackson saved Jen’s life…

Over the past few hours I’ve been contemplating the best way to do a review of Bonnaroo. It’s almost impossible to convey all of the sights and sounds I took in over the past 4 days. Music echoed in my ears for 10-15 hours each day starting last Thursday evening and continued on through Sunday night. Bonnaroo is the mammoth feast that even the most starving music fan cannot take in completely. There is simply not enough time to do everything you’d like to do. It’s impossible. Yet every year I set myself up to go see a hectic music schedule and try to stick to it.

[Phish on Sunday]

Sometimes, that’s not the best laid plan for the ‘Roo. Everyone’s experience is different. It depends on everything: where you’re camped, who you’re with, what time you came in, the weather forecast and who you’re actually excited to see. Never the less, here is my attempt to summarize my musical feast.

THURSDAY – Car Carrier Blues

After a rain storm in the morning, gas-filling and car-packing I made my annual trip down to Manchester for Bonnaroo 2009. It took me a while to get setup but after meeting up with some friends I finally made my trek down to Centeroo in time for People Under the Stairs. They were a great way to start out the festival right – their hip-hop performance got everyone up, moving, and most importantly celebrating the kick-off of a kick-ass music weekend.

READ ON for more of Jennifer Kirk’s Bonnaroo 2009 review…

As you read this I should hopefully be in the process of purchasing dry ice and other last minute essentials preparing for my annual 45 minute trek south to one of the largest, best run music festivals in the country.

I must admit that’s been both a neat and weird experience seeing Bonnaroo grow and develop as it has over the past seven years. My first ‘Roo experience was with my two college roommates, neither of which were fans of the ‘jamband’ scene. Nevertheless, I convinced them to go because they might not get to experience anything like it ever again. In preparation of exposing them to the festival scene, I made them a 3-volume mix CD set aptly titled: “Don’t Pigeonhole Us – We’re More Than Just Jambands!” And yes, I take my CD mixes seriously. I couldn’t tell you what exactly those tracks were now, but the point was I made them because I wanted to share what I knew would be a wonderful experience with others.

I could sit here and tell you about these different experiences: how the Flaming Lips 2003 late night changed my life for the better, when Levon Helm brought me to tears or how I finally learned to like Widespread Panic. But this would all be pointless if I didn’t mention the one thing that’s most important about going to Bonnaroo – being with your friends. That is what it’s supposed to be about. The epic peaks and valleys of the music that you experience serve as the soundtrack to your weekend. Having the time of your life, getting away from everything that’s wrong with the world and sharing that experience is what is important and I think sometimes we can lose sight of that. READ ON for more on Bonnaroo 2009…

[Originally Published: April 19, 2008]

“Teachers teach that knowledge waits”

April 19, 1995 – 7:55am Edmond, OK – Every morning before my 9th grade Biology class I would listen to music on my Discman while waiting for the professor to arrive. On this particular day, my musical selection had been Bob Dylan and the Band’s Before the Flood. The last track I listened to that morning was a favorite of mine It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) – little did I know the impact that song would have on me that day…not to mention the rest of my life.

“My eyes collide head-on with stuffed graveyards”

9:04am – We had originally thought that the construction project taking place at our high school was responsible for the shaking that had occurred a couple of minutes earlier. Moments later, another professor brought in a TV and turned it on to News Channel 9. Through clouds of smoke and people running this is what we witnessed:

READ ON for more about Jennifer’s Oklahoma City experience…

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the Umphrey’s McGee Variety Show(s)! Buckle up, take a seat and enjoy the show!

It would have been nice to have a ring master introduce the guys at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta last Thursday and Friday, but alas it was not to be. Even without a ring master, Umphrey’s McGee didn’t hesitate to give their all at each night’s performance.

It’s taken me a while to finally realize that I should never go to a show with any sort of preconceived notions or expectations, because when you do that you’re ultimately setting up both yourself and your favorite band for failure. One of the major factors as to why I enjoy myself at an Umphrey’s McGee concert is because the band enjoys themselves on stage. And when they are there to have a good time – you’re almost guaranteed the same privilege. Their interplay and enjoyment on stage is what keeps me going back as often as humanly possible.

READ ON for more from Jen on Umphrey’s Variety Playhouse shows…

Every morning on my way to work I pass one of the largest American flags I’ve ever had the distinction to see first hand. And every morning since the inauguration – and release of Umphrey’s McGee’s Mantis – as I wait patiently sitting at that stop light while staring at that flag I tend to bounce my thoughts back and forth between the president’s speech and the opening line to the title track of Mantis…

We believe there’s something here worth dying for…

Oh, how those lyrics ring true for our country’s past, present and future. People have fought and died to defend the ideals that our government originally set forth.

Obama touched on this issue, too, and spoke of an era of responsibility with these great words from his inauguration speech:

What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility – a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

READ ON for more of this week’s Land of Confusion column…

A press release issued today by Show Clix, a ticketing company based out of Pittsburgh, stated that they will be establishing what they call a ‘Fair Ticketing Fund’ which is a:

I’ve lived in Nashville, Tennessee for going on nine years at this point and since my residency here I’ve only traveled to Memphis one other time for a show. You see, the stretch of I-40 between Nashville and Memphis is called Music Highway — but to me it’s just flat out BOOOOORING.

[We’re All In This Thing Together]

This past Sunday was my second trip to Memphis to witness Old Crow Medicine Show and The Felice Brothers. After an (actual) enjoyable three-hour road trip and a pork-pulled sandwich from Tops the mood was set for what was witnessed at the completely new-state-of-the-art venue venue in Memphis — Minglewood Hall.

I’ve had the opportunity to see the Felice Brothers a couple of times this past year, and to be perfectly honest – their 45 minute set was the sole reason I traveled to Memphis. But the music lover I am, I decided to stick it out just to see what Old Crow had to offer. READ ON for more…