Articles

Sep 11 2012

Axe the Winery: An Intimate Night of Sts9

When Atlanta-born and Santa Cruz-based Sound Tribe Sector 9 announced that they would be doing an “Axe the Cables”, where they cut the computer cords away and play with only classical instruments including a grand piano, on a winery in Northern California, it was a no-brainer to get tickets, and the best ones possible. The show was so enticing, Randall Thompson of Omaha, NE, who had never seen STS9 bought a literally last-minute plane ticket to join the group.

Marijuana Fights Cancer and Helps Manage Side Effects, Researchers Find

Mounting evidence shows ‘cannabinoids’ in marijuana slow cancer growth, inhibit formation of new blood cells that feed a tumor, and help manage pain, fatigue, nausea, and other side effects.

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Cristina Sanchez, a young biologist at Complutense University in Madrid, was studying cell metabolism when she noticed something peculiar. She had been screening brain cancer cells because they grow faster than normal cell lines and thus are useful for research purposes.

Medical marijuana backers seek to repeal L.A. dispensary ban

If enough signatures are gathered, a referendum to overturn the prohibition would go before voters in March, coinciding with the mayoral primary.

Los Angeles' new law prohibits storefront sales of marijuana at dispensaries such as this one. Those who fail to comply risk jail time and fines of up to $2,500 a day.

Los Angeles' new law prohibits storefront sales of marijuana at dispensaries… (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles…)

Outside a Trader Joe's in Silver Lake, a man in sunglasses and flip-flops called out questions to bag-toting shoppers.

"Do you support medical marijuana?" he asked. "Well did you hear what City Hall just did?"

An army of signature-gatherers has hit Los Angeles streets in recent weeks in a drive to repeal a recent ban on marijuana dispensaries. If activists can collect the roughly 27,400 names required within the next three weeks, a referendum to overturn the ban would go before voters in March.

The pot shop vote would share the ballot with the mayoral primary contest — an addition that could spice up the mayor's race and test the clout of the medical marijuana community.

Seeking to increase their influence in recent months, dispensary owners have coordinated contributions of thousands of dollars to the campaigns of some council members, and a labor union made up of dispensary workers has held boisterous rallies outside City Hall.

If the measure gets on the ballot, the immediate effect would be the temporary suspension of the ordinance outlawing dispensaries, officials said. That would leave the City Council back where it was a month ago, before it approved the ban in a last-ditch effort to impose its will on an unconventional industry that has so far eluded regulatory control.

Officials celebrated the ordinance when it was passed, saying it gave the city a long-sought legal instrument to shut down dispensaries, especially those that have brought repeated complaints from neighbors. "Relief is on its way," City Councilman Jose Huizar promised residents.

But some defiant dispensary owners have vowed to keep their doors open, even as the city has begun notifying them that they must shut down by Sept. 6. In a letter mailed this week, city lawyers warned dispensary operators that they risk jail time and fines of up to $2,500 a day if they fail to comply with the ban.

The new law prohibits storefront sales of marijuana but allows groups of three or fewer to cultivate and share the drug.

Marijuana activists say that the new restrictions won't work and that growing medical-grade pot is an expensive science most patients can't afford. They argue that the ordinance violates a state law guaranteeing safe access to the drug for those who need it.

That claim was the basis of a lawsuit filed against the city Friday by a medical marijuana trade association that represents patients, dispensaries and growers.

Marc O'Hara, director of the Patient Care Alliance, said the dispensary ban is "heartless" and denies patients their right to assemble.

Jane Usher, special assistant to City Atty. Carmen Trutanich, said she had not seen the lawsuit. A similar challenge to a previous city ordinance that attempted to regulate dispensaries was rejected by a judge, she said.

Los Angeles officials have struggled for years to come up with a workable policy, partly because of contradictory court rulings on what cities can do to regulate distribution of medical marijuana. The city is battling more than 100 lawsuits over its earlier attempts to regulate dispensaries, Usher said.

Outside the Trader Joe's, Web developer Adam Zadikian signed the petition, saying medical marijuana is a part of the city's culture and is here to stay.

"People are not going to stop smoking," he said. "I don't think prohibition works."

Some other petition-signers acknowledged that they had reservations about the rapid growth in the number of pot shops in Los Angeles, and about lax restrictions on who qualifies to be a medical marijuana patient.

"Sometimes I think it's too easy," Alberto Lopez said. "I see them every four blocks. It's crazy, but I guess it's safer than getting it on the corner."

Supporters of the dispensary ban said repealing it would be a step backward.

"It just puts us back in the status quo where there is no regulation," said Michael Larsen, president of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council. His neighborhood has attracted a large number of dispensaries in part because of its proximity to other cities, including Burbank and Glendale, that don't allow them.

"It's a no man's land. It's a crazy free-for-all for pot stores," he said. "I cross my fingers they won't be able to pull it off."

as reported by Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times

photo credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles

Zoe Evergreen

Published on 19 August 2012

Jul 27 2012

Electric Forest Festival: in Review

Last June, the annual flood of good people, music, and vibes returned to the woods of Rothbury, Michigan. One year later, the Electric Forest Festival kept the tradition alive and took it to new levels with the assistance of game-changing performances from the nation’s top acts, an incredible venue, and a smoothly conducted weekend.

The excitement for four days in “the Forest” budded February 1st when the initial lineup was announced, boasting three nights of String Cheese Incident, two nights of Sound Tribe Sector Nine, Thievery Corporation, Girl Talk, Santigold, Steve Aoki, Ghostland Observatory, Richie Hawtin, Major Lazer, Big Gigantic, Mimosa, and more. The all-star electronic music lineup with sprinkles of top-notch jam and bluegrass attracted music fans of all shapes and sizes. To some festival-goers, it was a no-brainer when budgeting summer travel plans.

“When the lineup came out, the multiple nights of both Sound Tribe and String Cheese sold me right away. I also attended Bonnaroo, but I needed the electronic fix as well,” said Drew Carpenter, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska. “I saw both Cheese and Tribe and Hangout and they took it to a whole new level at Electric Forest,” added Carpenter, “it was an incredible experience.”

Walking through the forest to the different stages was the perfect emotional warm-up for the set of your destination; enormous lit decorations including a growing butterfly and LED lasers that shot for what seemed like miles between tall, hammock-tethered trees. During the day, fans could tie hammocks in the forest and get a much-needed break from the heat (regularly in the upper 80s and 90s during the day) and the skin-blistering sun. Water, proper nutrition, rest, and shade were essential components to surviving four days in the Forest. Food vendors included pizza, gyros, a general store with packaged snacks and fruit, as well as organic and vegan options. Beer options were rather limited, and hard alcohol was limited to vodka drinks and margaritas, which were fantastic and refreshing during the hot days. If lucky, you could also catch a tasty homemade bloody Mary in the wee hours from one of many festival entrepreneurs (the best of which donated to Conscious Alliance, a Colorado-based nonprofit). Nothing served by vendors gave fans the feeling that some of the musical artists delivered with some next-level performances.

The main-event, String Cheese Incident, did not use playing three days straight, as well as percussionists Michael Travis and Jason Hann performing an EOTO set, as an excuse to slack for a note throughout their 6-set Electric Forest run. A first night “Desert Dawn” encore led the way for Cheese to melt Foresters on the second night with a neck hair raising rendition of “RiverTrance”.

“This RiverTrance was unlike any I have heard before. They slowed down the beginning which provided the perfect buildup for a knee-slapping ending that was a perfect backdrop for fireworks and the Octopus parade through the crowd,” said first-time festival goer Matthew Rapp, 23, of Boulder, Colorado.

Cheese finished the run with fireworks figuratively and literally (multiple smuggled artillery shells were set off during the sets) by inviting Big Gigantic and The Motet tenor saxophonist Dominic Lalli out for a timely “Jellyfish” to start off their last set. A three-track encore including an outrageously fun “Johnny Cash” convinced some to purchase tickets to SCI’s three-night Red Rocks run the following weekend. The few children enjoying Cheese were treated to a hilarious Cheesy “Sesame Street” on the first night. Some fans have become disappointed with Cheese’s integration of dubstep sounds into their sets, but their timing and use of thundering bass was perfect for the Electric Forest vibe.

“Cheese just gets it and they are witnessing the power that dubstep is having. Cheese doesn’t shy away from any sound,” Rapp added,” and they are coming up with ways to stay fresh and entertain the crowd.”

STS9 brought two nights of their “Great Cycle Spectacles” show to Rothbury and invited fans onto a spaceship of sound, light, and energy. Bassist David Murphy kept the crowd in full-on boogie-mode and connected the crowd back to earth in between spacy, alien-like announcements that have kept Tribers buzzing about the bands new Spectacles sets. Saxton Waller, STS9’s lighting designer, created a beautifully illuminated combination of his Mayan temple LED screen and crossing, geometric patterns with spotlights.

“The way that STS9 incorporates their lighting into the full production is breathtaking,” said Tyler Albrecht, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska. This was Albrechts fifth time seeing the Spectacles show this year and for him, it “just keeps getting better and better.”

Tribe secured thousands of believers with a powerful “EHM” on the first night. The build-ups leading into an ever-appropriate crowd “woo” turned the Ranch Stage into one of the rowdiest parties of the weekend. Tribe also earned the Encore Trophy for dropping the ever-smooth “Metameme” on the first night and answering begging fans with a “Circus” on the second night (what Waller accomplished during Circus brought tears to some glowing faces).

Electric Forest 2012 MVP Dominic Lalli closed down the festival by joining drummer Jeremy Salken for an outrageously impressive Big Gigantic set. Lalli had already performed with String Cheese Incident as well as accompanying Griz, Pretty Lights Music artist Gramatik, and Salken as Big Gigantic for a surprise set on the Forest Stage Saturday night (unfortunately during a mesmerizing String Cheese Incident set). Big Gigantic wrapped up the amazing four day weekend with a combination of new tracks off of their newest album, Nocturnal, and older rap remixes, including a “Notorious Thugs” remix and a remix of Jay-Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”. Lalli’s tenor saxophone melodies lay perfectly atop their top-notch electronic production, and his constant crowd connection kept worn-out festival goers alive and dancing throughout their longer-than-planned set.

No word-count restricted review could ever encompass all that can be and was experienced over four days in Rothbury. The combination of the beautiful venue and stages filled with amazing talent from sunrise to the wee dark hours make Electric Forest one of the most talked about music festivals in the nation. After attending Snowball, Bonnaroo, and now Electric Forest, I confidently claim that the Forest is the best festival of the summer.

Best Set: Tie between STS9 Saturday and String Cheese Incident Saturday 2nd Set

Disappointing: Mimosa- Young, talented Bay-Area dubstep producer brought the tent down at Bonnaroo, was rather average and borderline corny during his early evening Sunday set

Best Food: Spicy Pie Pizza, three slices every day (www.spicypie.com)

Hottest Purchase: Moon Mats, all-purpose foam mats were scattered throughout the forest for sleeping, dancing, or claiming territory (www.themoonmat.com)

Overall Grade: A-

Notables:
-An impressive remix of Three Six Mafia’s “Gotta Stay Fly” by Zoogma brought smiles to the faces of hip-hop fans throughout the crowd
-The artillery shell that fell over and shot through the String Cheese crowd. It’s all fun and games until you’re Cheesin’ and you take an artillery shell to the face
-Both Mimosa and Big Gigantic dropped remixes of Wocka Flocka Flame’s “Hard in the Paint”. Both outrageously fun and crowd favorites
-Michiganian’s (?) were incredibly friendly and the farmers along the campsite provided hose-downs to overheated campers, much love to them!

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