One Hundred Years: GRAMMY Museum oversees Woody Guthrie Centennial

Photo and logo courtesy of the Woody Guthrie Archives
Photo credit: Robin Carson, circa 1942

Last week, one of the country's biggest music and multi-media festivals went down in Austin, TX. This year's SXSW paid tribute to one of America's icons, Woody Guthrie. Bruce Springsteen delivered the keynote speech in which he discussed Guthrie's influence on his own work and career. The festival schedule included special performances of Guthrie's songs by folk singers Jimmy LaFave and  Eliza Gilkyson and Colombian rock sensation Juanes, who sang live in English for the first time. Also part of the schedule of events was a panel presentation moderated by Bob Santelli, Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum and a leading Woody Guthrie historian, with participating members (including Nora and Arlo Guthrie) sharing personal stories and historical perspectives as part of the conversation. And Tom Morello, who had a showcase on Friday night, led a group of Occupy Austin demonstrators in a sing-along of "This Land Is Your Land," a song considered by some as America's alternative national anthem.

Free Like Me to Play Chinatown Moon Festival on Saturday Night

If you missed the two Saturdays of Chinatown Summer Nights, or had so much fun, you want more, this Saturday night is the 73rd Annual Moon Festival featuring Eddie Lin from Deep End Dining as host on the chef cooking stage. And for the first time ever, a non-Asian band will play the Festival, and that is a story onto itself. Last Saturday, Free Like Me that features Lucy Gallant from Australia and Daniel Urbina from Venezuela came to Chinatown with their videographer to gather footage for their music video. What they didn't know was that they had come upon Chinatown Summer Nights, a festival that the Downtown News had given special recognition to earlier this year for transforming three Chinatown summer evenings back in 2011.

Silver Lake Jubilee: A festival's mission for sustainability

An upcoming partner event this spring (May 22 & 23, in fact) is the Silver Lake Jubilee. This brand new, two-day art and music festival celebrates the cultural offerings of Silver Lake and surrounding neighborhoods. When I first learned of Silver Lake Jubilee, I was excited to help support the event as it seemed a perfect fit for ExperienceLA fans: family-friendly, promotes art and cultural awareness, embraces the community...In speaking with the event organizers to get additional details, I discovered that they were interested in promoting not just a community, but a sustainable community.

This intrigued me. I wondered how a festival of any size can go green beyond providing recycling bins. So the organizers put me in touch with one of their partners, Leslie VanKeuren from Sustain LA. Leslie is working with SLJ to help design a festival that will have "zero waste" when all is said and done, meaning that 90% of waste will be diverted from landfills through recycling, composting, and by designing out the waste.

I was surprised to learn all the various ways waste could be "designed" out of an event. For instance, I never really stopped to think about the water I purchased on those hot summer days attending music festivals. Nor did I think twice about what my food was served in or on. Sure, I was at least aware of putting my water bottle into the recycling bin, and making sure my disposable plates and aluminum foil went into the waste basket. But I never even considered that those items might not be necessary in the first place.

One of the ways SLJ will look to reduce waste is by encouraging the use of reusable beverage containers. Food vendors will also be educated on options for plating and serving that are biodegradable. Solar panels will be brought in to supply energy to the event. And festival goers can do their part by taking Metro or other public transportation, or riding their bikes to Silver Lake Jubilee (bike valets will be available). Volunteers will also be available to provide more information for those interested in learning how to be more effective in reducing your carbon footprint.

Of course, while these are just a few of the ways that SLJ hope to achieve a zero waste and carbon neutral status, the event won't accomplish its green goal simply by design. The biggest challenge is to change how people think about waste. Surely it won't happen overnight, but the effort is a start. At least for me, learning about SLJ's goals and the steps it's taking has made me more aware and conscientous of the waste I produce on a daily basis (shocking!), and adjust some of my behaviors. It will be curious to see whether other festival attendees will be affected in the same way and make a conscious effort to help eliminate waste while they're enjoying the jubilee. It's exciting to think about the possibility of LA one day becoming a leader in sustainable living.

As a side note, check out the calendar listing, or back on our blog for event updates as musical acts are confirmed!


-Julie