Bay-to-Breakers 2008

the world's longest party was sick again this year. every stretch of the bay-to-breakers 7.5 mile course was covered with frolicking revelers, hours after the first kenyans crossed the finish line.

we stuck to our normal routine, running the race first and then circling back with a keg to get in the mix.

for more race coverage, check out the SF Chronicle article.

and here are a few stills from the action:

chug one to get one...

crowd control...

get your keg on...

kodiak bear "runs' his firs B2B...

seesaw...

dude, i lost my car...

some crazy old codger...

johnny dangerous and the good doctor...

jumpy, jumpy....

momma bojon keepin' the peace...

Jazz Fest From Afar

alas, no direct representation from camp bojon at the jazz fest in new orleans this year. but at least we did get the chance to experience the fest vicariously through some friends of bojon, spearheaded by the tireless james stanford.

agent stanford is stationed in jackson hole, wyoming, and this gunslinger runs a blog called the JH Underground that chronicles the scene. here is an excerpt from his coverage of this year's jazz fest:

Finally, around 3 a.m., came the featured band, Morning 40 Federation, an explosion of energy possibly described as “punk funk.” To say this group’s lyrics are irreverent would be as much an understatement as saying the Mississippi River is big. A small but rabid crowd of mostly locals was practically bouncing off the walls.

It was like this the whole Jazz Fest. I can’t count the number of times the music picked me up in a way that caffeine or other stimulants could not. Experiencing a festival in this manner, all day and all night, takes the stamina of a mountain climber, and Jazz Fest is Everest.

In New Orleans each spring, one eats and breathes music: blasts of brass, the bumping funk, the zydeco that streams like sunshine. You are dancing from your first night out until that panicked moment at 5 a.m. when you hail a cab to the airport.

All this takes place in a city at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and the Caribbean, a city so rich with character, so fertile and green, the air perfumed with jasmine.

The feeling is one I wish I could bottle and uncork several times throughout the year.

hop on over to the JH Underground to read more about this year's fest.

and here are some photos courtesy of brother stanford (thanks, JS):

carlos santana jamming with "doctor" charles neville...

stevie wonder playing his first ever jazz fest...

the wild magnolias sharing the stage with widespread panic...

michael franti playing a benefit gig in the ninth ward...

george porter linking up with phish keyboardist, page mcconnell...

the wyoming flag flying high...

hurricanes a flowin'...

it's on at the new orleans bingo show...

fest producer, quint davis...

habitat for humanity helping to rebuild...

impromptu sidewalk jam...

chillin' at the fest...

all saint's day at the congo square...

and, last but not least, late night with karl denson...

Coup De Ska

bojon's own, pistol pete alcorn, is blowin' horns these days with an up and coming funk band called coup de ska.

agent alcorn dropped the news on us only a few weeks back that not only did he play trumbone but also he had started a band that was playing a round of gigs in the bay area.

dude, who knew?

we caught up with tour in russian hill at the red devil lounge. and it happened to be on a night when coup de ska was sharing the bill with the groovy music makers from livermore, Justi*Fi.

great to catch up with JT and his Justi*Fi crew. been a while since our paths have crossed, and it's refreshing to see that their energy is still strong.

check out a few clips from the action:

- fidel alcorn [VIDEO]
- anotre cervesa [VIDEO]
- Justi*Fi [VIDEO]

and a few more stills from the eve:

supporting the home team...

more support...

coup de skaaaaaaa...