At La Casa del Árbol treehouse and seismic monitoring station near the volcano Tungurahua in Ecuador, brave visitors can try their luck with the Swing at the End of the World, a somewhat rickety swing that extends out over a nearby canyon.
Powder Ridge Rock Festival - 1970
Announcement and preparations
Tickets were sold by mail at a price of $20 for the whole weekend. The announced line-up of musicians included:
Day 1: Eric Burdon & War, Sly and the Family Stone, Delaney & Bonnie, Fleetwood Mac, Melanie, Mountain, J.F. Murphy and Free Flowing Salt, Allan Nichols, James Taylor
Day 2: Joe Cocker, Allman Brothers, Cactus, Little Richard, Van Morrison, Rhinoceros, Ten Wheel Drive, Jethro Tull,
Day 3: Janis Joplin, Chuck Berry, Bloodrock, Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack, Grand Funk Railroad, Richie Havens, John B. Sebastian, Spirit, Ten Years After
Robert Santelli stated in Aquarius Rising that an appearance by Led Zeppelin was also planned.
Lawsuit
Powder Ridge might have been a legendary hippie music fest had things gone right. In the year following Woodstock, however, things often went wrong for hippie music fests, which went into “a long spiral of decline”.Thirty of the forty-eight major festivals planned for 1970 were cancelled, usually due to swiftly materializing local opposition. Powder Ridge, however, made national news because of the arrival of tens of thousands of ticketholders despite the event's cancellation. The New York Times followed its progress in about thirty articles before, during, and after the event.
Middlefield residents, worried about the impact of the crowd on their small town, received an injunction against the festival just days before it began.
When the owner of the ski resort tried to contact the promoters to tell of the injunction, they could not be found. It looked like the event was never going to happen anyway.
Local authorities posted warning signs on every highway leading to Middlefield: "Festival Prohibited, turn back".
By 1970, rock festivals were regarded as having a political dimension. Carol Brightman wrote that "Rock shows... such as the Powder Ridge concert... were increasingly being covered by the national media as civil events, one step removed from street demonstrations." The CIA had Powder Ridge, like other rock events, under surveillance, and noted in a July 30 situation report that "hippie-type young people [were] already beginning to assemble in the area."
Promoters, however, kept hinting that there was still a chance that the concert would be held: "It's a total wait and see thing," a spokesman said and, after all, Woodstock had almost been cancelled too.
Approximately 30,000 people came to the site for the weekend. Most of the musicians, however, did not show up. Only Melanie and a few local bands actually performed during the three-day weekend. One of these local bands was "The Mustard Family" who, in the dark of night, hauled their instruments and equipment into the festival, by back roads and trails, and performed for the enthusiastic crowd. The official poster for the festival lists New York band, Haystacks Balboa, as the special opening act on Thursday night. The band's equipment was stopped by the authorities and the musicians gathered at a local cafe to await word as to their performance. After long negotiations, the band's manager advised the band to return home, there was to be no performance.
The festival scene
Drugs were openly sold and commonly consumed at the festival. Rock doctor William Abruzzi (also at Woodstock) was there to treat bad LSD trips, and said there were more bad trips at Powder Ridge per capita than at any other music festival he'd ever worked. He attributed some of the problems to the barrels of "electric water" that were available for free public consumption; people were invited to drop donations of drugs into these barrels, creating drug cocktails of unknown strength and composition.
William Manchester writes: One of the more sensational scenes, attested to by several witnesses, occurred in a small wood near some homes. A boy and a girl, both naked and approaching from different directions, met under the trees. On impulse they suddenly embraced. She dropped to her knees, he mounted her from behind, and after he had achieved his climax they parted—apparently without exchanging a word.
According to The New York Times, observers who had been at both Woodstock and Powder Ridge were struck by the contrasting moods of the two festivals:The gentle euphoria—the grins, small smiles, and exchanged "V" signals— of people milling through the muddy fields of Bethel seemed to be missing at Powder Ridge. Instead, last night and this morning, the major pastime here was often shuffling walks along paved roads by grim-faced young men and women who looked remarkably similar to old people moving slowly along the boardwalks of the Rockaways or Atlantic City.
In his autobiography, Nothing's Sacred, comedian Lewis Black claims to have attended the festival with some friends. Black explains in depth his activities of the weekend, including drug experimentation, failing at his appointed parking attendant job, and the downturn the concert took after a fiery speech from a Black Panther of the militant New Haven, Connecticut contingent, which happened to coincide with a thunderstorm. Black theorizes that under the effects of hallucinogens, many attendees probably thought that the Black Panther was actually causing the storm, and many began to experience bad trips.
According to The New York Times, observers who had been at both Woodstock and Powder Ridge were struck by the contrasting moods of the two festivals:The gentle euphoria—the grins, small smiles, and exchanged "V" signals— of people milling through the muddy fields of Bethel seemed to be missing at Powder Ridge. Instead, last night and this morning, the major pastime here was often shuffling walks along paved roads by grim-faced young men and women who looked remarkably similar to old people moving slowly along the boardwalks of the Rockaways or Atlantic City.
In his autobiography, Nothing's Sacred, comedian Lewis Black claims to have attended the festival with some friends. Black explains in depth his activities of the weekend, including drug experimentation, failing at his appointed parking attendant job, and the downturn the concert took after a fiery speech from a Black Panther of the militant New Haven, Connecticut contingent, which happened to coincide with a thunderstorm. Black theorizes that under the effects of hallucinogens, many attendees probably thought that the Black Panther was actually causing the storm, and many began to experience bad trips.
S.S.S. the SIGUE SIGUE SPUTNIK Era
Early years
Tony James sought to form a "fantasy band" after leaving Generation X He recruited Neal X (Whitmore) via an advert in Melody Maker, and then set about recruiting a singer. After considering approaching Andrew Eldritch and Annie Lennox, he recruited Martin Degville after meeting him in the YaYa clothes shop in Kensington Market where he was working. Degville was a clothes designer and supplied the band's wardrobe, and YaYa became the band's base. Early names considered for the band included Sperm Festival and Nazi Occult Bureau, and they had not decided on a name by the time they played their first concert, supporting Johnny Thunders in Paris. James's former Gen X colleague and then drummer for Thunders, Mark Laff, played that first gig with the band.
On their return to London, they recruited drummers Ray Mayhew and Chris Kavanagh, both of whom acquired drum kits from former drummers for the Clash, Topper Headon and Terry Chimes respectively. There was a further Clash link, with Mick Jones working with the band as live sound engineer. At the suggestion of Fachna O'Kelly, manager of The Boomtown Rats who had provided much of the band's equipment, the band adopted the name Sigue Sigue Sputnik—believed to be a reference to a Russian street gang (which was said to translate as "burn, burn satellite". Though the spelling "sigue" does not exist in Russian, which uses the Cyrillic alphabet, the equivalent Russian word сиг does exist, but with the unrelated meaning of a type of whitefish of the Coregonus genus). A more plausible source of the band's name is an actual Filipino prison gang founded in the 1960s, Sigue-Sigue Sputnik, "sigue-sigue" meaning "care-free" and "sputnik" a reference to the Russian-made satellite launched in 1957. They also recruited Degville's YaYa co-worker Yana (real name Jane Farrimond) to play keyboards. The band's sound was, according to James, arrived at by accident, when he inadvertently mixed elements of film soundtracks with their demo track "Love Missile F1-11" while putting together a video compilation from his favourite films.
Reunions
In 1995, James and X formed a new version of the band with singer Christopher Novak, John Green (keyboards), and former Gen-X guitarist Derwood. Their song "Cyberspace Party" was a major hit in Japan, and an album, Sputnik: The Next Generation, was released there, selling 50,000 copies. The band split up again but reformed in 1998, this time with Degville back on vocals and with Claudia Cujo on drums, as Sputnik 2.0. They reformed again in 2001 with Degville and Neal X, which resulted in the release of Piratespace. In 2004, Degville left the band to pursue a solo career, and has performed as Sputnik2, Sputnik2 The Future, and Sigue Sigue Sputnik Electronic (SSSE). Neal X has been playing with Marc Almond. James later formed the group Carbon/Silicon with Mick Jones.
Image
James claimed that he had chosen his bandmates for their looks, and the band's slogan was "Fleece the World". James billed the band as "Hi-tech sex, designer violence, and the fifth generation of rock 'n' roll".
The themes and imagery in the band's songs were often influenced by futuristic, dystopian or post-apocalyptic films such as A Clockwork Orange, The Terminator, Blade Runner and the Mad Max trilogy. Visually, their image included fishnet masks and brightly coloured wigs.
The band's music, image and inspiration also mashed together a range of other pop culture influences, including former Tronics member Zarjaz and electronica influences of Suicide and the New York Dolls.
Singles
1986 "Love Missile F1-11" - UK No. 3, SA No. 2
1986 "21st Century Boy" - UK No. 20
1986 "Massive Retaliation"
1986 "Sex Bomb Boogie"
1986 "Sci-Fi Sex Stars"
1988 "Success" - UK No. 31
1989 "Albinoni vs. Star Wars" - UK No. 75
1989 "Dancerama" - UK No. 50
1989 "Rio Rocks"
2001 "Love Missile F1-11" (Westbam remix)
2002 "Everybody Loves You"
2004 "Grooving With Mr. Pervert"Other album appearances
1990 David Bowie Songbook
2000 Virgin Voices: A Tribute To Madonna - Volume Two
2000 Don't Blow Your Cover: A Tribute to KMFDM
2000 Covered In Nails: A Tribute To Nine Inch Nails
2001 A Gothic-Industrial Tribute to The Smashing Pumpkins
 |  |  |
Reunions
In 1995, James and X formed a new version of the band with singer Christopher Novak, John Green (keyboards), and former Gen-X guitarist Derwood. Their song "Cyberspace Party" was a major hit in Japan, and an album, Sputnik: The Next Generation, was released there, selling 50,000 copies. The band split up again but reformed in 1998, this time with Degville back on vocals and with Claudia Cujo on drums, as Sputnik 2.0. They reformed again in 2001 with Degville and Neal X, which resulted in the release of Piratespace. In 2004, Degville left the band to pursue a solo career, and has performed as Sputnik2, Sputnik2 The Future, and Sigue Sigue Sputnik Electronic (SSSE). Neal X has been playing with Marc Almond. James later formed the group Carbon/Silicon with Mick Jones.
James claimed that he had chosen his bandmates for their looks, and the band's slogan was "Fleece the World". James billed the band as "Hi-tech sex, designer violence, and the fifth generation of rock 'n' roll".
The themes and imagery in the band's songs were often influenced by futuristic, dystopian or post-apocalyptic films such as A Clockwork Orange, The Terminator, Blade Runner and the Mad Max trilogy. Visually, their image included fishnet masks and brightly coloured wigs.
The band's music, image and inspiration also mashed together a range of other pop culture influences, including former Tronics member Zarjaz and electronica influences of Suicide and the New York Dolls.
Discography
Albums
1986 Flaunt It - UK No. 10
1988 Dress for Excess - UK No. 53
2001 Piratespace
2002 Blak Elvis vs. The Kings of Electronic Rock and Roll
2003 Ultra Real
1986 Flaunt It - UK No. 10
1988 Dress for Excess - UK No. 53
2001 Piratespace
2002 Blak Elvis vs. The Kings of Electronic Rock and Roll
2003 Ultra Real
Compilations
1990 The First Generation
1997 The First Generation – Second Edition
1998 The Ultimate 12" Collection
1999 Flaunt It + Dress for Excess - French single CD edition of both albums (minus "Success" and "Dancerama").
2000 Sci-Fi Sex Stars
2001 21st Century Boys: The Best of Sigue Sigue Sputnik
2003 The First Generation - Vid Edition
2008 1984 Flaunt It: Demos and More
1990 The First Generation
1997 The First Generation – Second Edition
1998 The Ultimate 12" Collection
1999 Flaunt It + Dress for Excess - French single CD edition of both albums (minus "Success" and "Dancerama").
2000 Sci-Fi Sex Stars
2001 21st Century Boys: The Best of Sigue Sigue Sputnik
2003 The First Generation - Vid Edition
2008 1984 Flaunt It: Demos and More
Singles
1986 "Love Missile F1-11" - UK No. 3, SA No. 2
1986 "21st Century Boy" - UK No. 20
1986 "Massive Retaliation"
1986 "Sex Bomb Boogie"
1986 "Sci-Fi Sex Stars"
1988 "Success" - UK No. 31
1989 "Albinoni vs. Star Wars" - UK No. 75
1989 "Dancerama" - UK No. 50
1989 "Rio Rocks"
2001 "Love Missile F1-11" (Westbam remix)
2002 "Everybody Loves You"
2004 "Grooving With Mr. Pervert"Other album appearances
1990 David Bowie Songbook
2000 Virgin Voices: A Tribute To Madonna - Volume Two
2000 Don't Blow Your Cover: A Tribute to KMFDM
2000 Covered In Nails: A Tribute To Nine Inch Nails
2001 A Gothic-Industrial Tribute to The Smashing Pumpkins
Videography
Videos
1986 Love Missile F1-11
1986 21st Century Boy
1986 Sex Bomb Boogie
1988 Success
1988 Dancerama
1988 Albinoni vs Star Wars
1988 Rio Rocks
2002 Everybody Loves You
2003 Live in Tokyo - DVD
Videos
1986 Love Missile F1-11
1986 21st Century Boy
1986 Sex Bomb Boogie
1988 Success
1988 Dancerama
1988 Albinoni vs Star Wars
1988 Rio Rocks
2002 Everybody Loves You
2003 Live in Tokyo - DVD
Creative Costumes Of Still-Practiced Pagan Rituals Of Europe
Now these are not your averageHalloween costumes. For two years, French photographer Charles Fréger has been traveling throughout 19 European countries and trying to capture the spirit of what he calls “tribal Europe” in his “Wilder Mann” series. What he found was a huge array of pagan rituals, mainly related to the winter solstice and spring renewal, focusing on the common myth of the “wild man.”
It appears that the tradition of men dressing up as wild animals and monsters, which dates back to neolithic times and shamanism, is still very alive nowadays. The mythological figure of a “wild man” represents the complicated relationship humans have with nature and life and death cycles. His series explores the different interpretations of such figures – while some cultures depict him as covered in flowers or straws, others possess the features of bears, goats, or horned and hairy beasts.
Website: charlesfreger.com
It appears that the tradition of men dressing up as wild animals and monsters, which dates back to neolithic times and shamanism, is still very alive nowadays. The mythological figure of a “wild man” represents the complicated relationship humans have with nature and life and death cycles. His series explores the different interpretations of such figures – while some cultures depict him as covered in flowers or straws, others possess the features of bears, goats, or horned and hairy beasts.
Website: charlesfreger.com
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