saluqi Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I've driven many times from Albuquerque and from South Carolina to that area, I grew up near Albany, NY. If you're coming up I-95 it can get hairy through NJ, but I haven't driven that way since the 80's, no idea how the drive is anymore. A 14 hour drive is about my max anymore for a single day if I'm alone, with 2 drivers going longer isn't a problem, just rest when you get bleary. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I would say try to do the last hour or so of the trip during daylight. All the roads leading to North Adams are curvy and remote, so driving them for the first time at night wouldn't be too fun. I came in one year after dark and felt pretty creeped out! You might aim to drive to, say, Albany or Poughkeepsie on Thursday, get a cheap hotel somewhere, and then finish the drive on Friday so you can get into North Adams with a little time to explore before the festival starts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SarahC Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Yeah. That's probably what we were gonna do. I'm not really sure of where a good place to stop would be along the route, but we're going to take 2 days to get up there for sure Quote Link to post Share on other sites
theashtraysays Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 ^ same here. It's 15 hours total from here (Lexington), so I'd like to get to within 3 hours or so on Thursday, then drive up early Friday and be there by noon. Something like Syracuse or Utica. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Magnetized Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I have about an 11 hour drive from Norfolk. I do it in one day but we leave at 6 AM and blaze on up to North Adams to get in before too late on Thursday night. "A little bleary / worse for the wear and tear". But there's time for dinner and a good night's sleep, then we get to wake up in charming North Adams and spend the day exploring Mass MoCA. I highly recommend spending some time at the museum, by the way. There's so much going on during the festival itself that it's hard to visit the galleries for the regular museum exhibits. If you go on Thursday before the action gets started it's much more leisurely and you're not conflicted about what you might be missing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thejokeexplained Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I would say try to do the last hour or so of the trip during daylight. All the roads leading to North Adams are curvy and remote, so driving them for the first time at night wouldn't be too fun. I came in one year after dark and felt pretty creeped out! You might aim to drive to, say, Albany or Poughkeepsie on Thursday, get a cheap hotel somewhere, and then finish the drive on Friday so you can get into North Adams with a little time to explore before the festival starts.SS 2 we flew in late to Albany after getting stuck on a lay over in Dull-Ass airport for about 6 hours. Driving from Albany to N.Adams late night, tired and fog was not very safe. But we made it driving carefully and dodging what seemed like dozens of deer. If we had been i a car for 13 hours i don't think i could have handled that last hour. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RaspberryJam Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 ^ same here. It's 15 hours total from here (Lexington), so I'd like to get to within 3 hours or so on Thursday, then drive up early Friday and be there by noon. Something like Syracuse or Utica. Utica sucks. And I'm from Utica. But it would be a good stop for the night. Albany would be better though. Closer, shorter drive the next morning. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mariana neri Posted April 17, 2015 Author Share Posted April 17, 2015 Solid Sound Special Programming announcedhttp://solidsoundfestival.com/solid-sound-special-programming-announced/ In addition to four stages of live music, a full lineup of comedy plus a museum-full of world-class contemporary art, the Solid Sound Festival has presented audiences with a wide array of diverse, eclectic, non-musical programming since its 2010 inception. 2015 will be no exception, as evidenced by the festival’s just-revealed roster of special programming. Confirmed list of Solid Sound Special Programming: Interactive Wilco Timeline – A gallery exhibit featuring historical photographs and memorabilia from Wilco’s 20-year history, with crowd-sourced memorabilia and written recollections from fans. Make Drums / Play Drums – Festival attendees participate in a prepared drumhead-making session with Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche and then perform with Kotche in the world-premiere of a newly-commissioned orchestral piece written by Kotche for D’Addario. Circus Smirkus – Vermont’s award-winning international circus has been promoting the skills, culture and tradition of the traveling circus since 1987. Festival programming includes The Red Trouser Show by renowned street performance duo David Graham and Tobin Renwick, as well as the presentation of Silent Clowns: A Celebration of Silent Film Comedians with Smirkus Founder Rob Mermin. This laugh-filled film program compares the pantomime styles of the great silent stars with a dazzling array of clips featuring Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurel & Hardy, Harry Langdon, Harold Lloyd, Keystone Kops, and more. Roving Circus performers will be on the festival grounds throughout the weekend hula hooping, tumbling, juggling and more. Tanja Hollander’s “Are We Friends” – In 2011 Tanja Alexia Hollander set out to differentiate the real from the virtual by photographing all of her 626 Facebook friends. Since then, she has been traveling internationally, setting up in-person meetings in her friends’ homes to discover the ways in which friendship is defined and how permission is granted into one’s private, yet very public, online life. Along the way, Tanja has collected Post-It notes from communities she has visited answering the question: ‘What is a real friend?” The notes range from the silly to the profound, with the next batch to be collected at Solid Sound. The Post-It notes will be part of Tanja’s 2017 exhibit at MASS MoCA. Plugged In – Returning to Solid Sound for the fourth time, the very popular kid-friendly rock music program Plugged In focuses on empowering youth to create positive change through music. Kids of all ages and skill levels write and perform a song about a cause important to them. Naturalist Hikes – Presented by Patagonia and Osprey Packs, festival attendees can participate in two off-site hikes led by Tad Ames, president of Berkshire Natural Resources Council, on a 1.6 mile, high-elevation interpretive walk on the nearby Hoosac Range. Hikers will take in three-state views, ecological interpretation and woodland lore, along an artistically designed trail.Festivalgoers can visit Patagonia’s custom bio-diesel Worn Wear repair wagon that will be situated on festival grounds through out the weekend and visit Osprey’s tent for all-ages artistic activities. Patagonia and Osprey-sponsored rock-climber Timmy O’Neill will also be on hand to motivate hikers and entertain audiences. Story Pirates –The nationally respected education and media organization brings its action-packed musical sketch comedy written by kids to Solid Sound for the fourth time. Alan Lomax Film Series – 2015 is the Alan Lomax centennial. Born in Austin, TX in 1915, Lomax would become the foremost folklorist of the 20th century, documenting, preserving, and promoting traditional music around America and the world over the course of seven decades. This year Solid Sound will screen two Lomax films – Jazz Parades/A Celebration of New Orleans’ music culture and Appalachian Journal, a film where Lomax travels through the hills and hollers of the Southern Appalachians investigating the songs, dances and religious rituals of the Scotch-Irish pioneers who have made the mountains their home for centuries. Tintypes – Wetplate collodion photographers Jeff Howlett and Chris Morgan from Howlermano Photography will be on hand to offer one-of-a-kind Tintypes to festivalgoers. A tintype is a direct-positive image formed by pure silver deposited onto a black metal plate. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hixter Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 I was hoping they'd screen the Solid Sound documentary. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
worldrecordplayer Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 I was hoping they'd screen the Solid Sound documentary. Me too. What is the story with that doc, are we ever going to get to see it? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
smells like flowers Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 The extras sound fun and weird, as usual. Especially want to see the Lomax New Orleans music documentary and maybe stop the party long enough for a hike this year! I hope the Solid Sound documentary will be on sale, but it would be nice to see it on a big screen. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Naturist hikes. that was a close call. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mizzy Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I found myself in North Adams this weekend so I put some Wilco on and put the windows down. It felt like the right thing to do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BobDylan'sBeard Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I found myself in North Adams this weekend so I put some Wilco on and put the windows down. It felt like the right thing to do. Yeah, nothing like driving with the windows down and the Wilco all the way up! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BobDylan'sBeard Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Also, as far as driving. I've never driven to SS from far away, but I have driven in the Berkshires plenty (most recently last year when I saw Beck at Mass MoCa) - I'll just say that there are lots of long and winding roads that aren't super well-lit at night. In the day these roads are beautiful and you see some amazing scenery, at night it can be kind of a hassle. My best friend's grandparents live in Lenox, and he goes to Williams, but I think we are staying in Lenox for that weekend (or both places) - but either way for previous Sold Sounds and for Beck show we stayed in Lenox. It's like a 30-40 minute drive to North Adams, though mostly just due to the fact that you can't jsut get on a highway and drive 70-80 to get there.Anyway, as far as booking hotels/airbnb/what have you, just be aware that you may have to drive on some winding and dark roads at night. They're not especially treacherous (though in some parts of Western Mass you will find really poor quality dirt roads, but usually in residential areas or places where there are just a few homes) but, if you don't like driving in the dark it won't be too fun. Though at night these roads are pretty deserted so you can drive at your own pace. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BobDylan'sBeard Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Oh, one quick question, since I haven't been since 2010 (and that year I really only saw the Wilco show and the Jeff Tweedy solo set) - So, are the band members just walking around and hanging out during the day? I know they all bring their families, but, are they accesible to the public? Furthermore, is it frowned upon to go and say hi to them/ask for pictures? The last thng I would want to do would be to impose on them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
worldrecordplayer Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Oh, one quick question, since I haven't been since 2010 (and that year I really only saw the Wilco show and the Jeff Tweedy solo set) - So, are the band members just walking around and hanging out during the day? I know they all bring their families, but, are they accesible to the public? Furthermore, is it frowned upon to go and say hi to them/ask for pictures? The last thng I would want to do would be to impose on them.Individual band members have done special exhibitions in the museum: Nels did a guitar stomp box effects installation and demo, Pat did a drum/percussion installation and demo. Tweedy did the dunk tank and falconry. Very approachable and up close interactions. I've seen Pat walking around the gift shop in the lobby. I've never stopped any of them for a photo or autograph. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Oh, one quick question, since I haven't been since 2010 (and that year I really only saw the Wilco show and the Jeff Tweedy solo set) - So, are the band members just walking around and hanging out during the day? I know they all bring their families, but, are they accesible to the public? Furthermore, is it frowned upon to go and say hi to them/ask for pictures? The last thng I would want to do would be to impose on them.my take is that they have spent increasingly less time out in the open airs with each festival. but they are still around, sometimes out in the 'back stage' area off to the side of the larger courtyard stage. and, sometimes just out hanging around. last time i ran into Jeff and his kids at the interactive fruit exhibit (where citric acid somehow produced tones). maybe that was the 2nd one, now that i think about it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Inside of Outside Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 I saw John, Nels, Glenn, and Pat out and about the most at SS2 and SS3. Generally, people left them alone, or just said hello in passing. I got the sense that people wanted to let the band members enjoy the festival as spectators. You'll see them walking around, catching an act, or, in the case of John and Glenn, watching some of the kid's programming with their families. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
smells like flowers Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 After their Autumn Defense set at the last Solid Sound, Pat & John hung out for a meet and greet in the courtyard. Of all the guys, they seem the most accessible and appear to really enjoy interacting with fans. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BadScooter Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 SS3 had autograph sessions for some of the artists who performed, including several band members. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BobDylan'sBeard Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Cool. thanks for the answers guys. So basically, just go with the flow. Speaking of Pat and John, I am really looking forward to seeing the Autumn Defense there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 After their Autumn Defense set at the last Solid Sound, Pat & John hung out for a meet and greet in the courtyard. Of all the guys, they seem the most accessible and appear to really enjoy interacting with fans.after the epic 'night w/ Wilco' at The Orpheum a few years back, a friend and I went to the Silvertone for a beer and Pat and John ended up down there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
worldrecordplayer Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 after the epic 'night w/ Wilco' at The Orpheum a few years back, a friend and I went to the Silvertone for a beer and Pat and John ended up down there."epic" being as good a word as any to describe that night inside the Orpheum. Was the night where Tweedy announced the first Solid Sound. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kwhitehead Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 I was there that night too! The Orpheum is sort of a dump but the band seemed to play forever (in a good way.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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