Merle/Tep FEST

As I sit here and type at this computer, my students frantically rush to finish their exam. I am calm, relaxed, and ready to get the hell out of town.

I leave in a few hours for Wilkesboro, NC, for Merlefest, a bluegrass festival created in tribute to the late bluegrass player Merle Watson.

This trip is a bit of a recognized, yet not wholly consecrated, tradition for me, as four years ago (for the first time) I attended the festival with the some of the same friends that join me this year. On both occasions, we have gone long periods of time without seeing eachother.

Unfortunately, this year's visit to the festival will be short, as the preparations for my own festival and the festival itself necessitate my early return. I will return from Wilkesboro tomorrow night. This is bittersweet.

In other news, I have succeeded in learning how to silkscreen, and I have created the now official line of Sirius.B T-shirts. The design is similar (though not identical) to the stencil featured in a previous post, which can be seen below.



The process was actually rather simple, and it is truly amazing how a bit of work at home can result in a t-shirt that looks genuinely professional. T-shirts will be on sale on a website soon for $10, though anyone interested in purchasing one sooner can write to siriusb07@gmail.com.

Finally, I leave you all with a video of the song "Start Wearing Purple," by Gogol Bordello. This Ukrainian gypsy-punk band is fantastic, and the video is supposedly quite indicative of an actual Gogol Bordello show. (Note: the singer is the main Ukrainian actor from the movie, "Everything is Illuminated".)

Have a great day.