Category Archives: Live Event Report

Video is a tiny window to look outside the box. Strictly for your viewing pleasure.
日常のスナップショット、ちっちゃなビデオを添えて召し上がれ。

Etcetera, Live Event Report

INFLUX: Oakland’s new FREE monthly party lighting the night up

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It was not a groundbreaking news to hear The Night Light — a.k.a. Oakland’s favorite neighborhood bar in Jack London — has another cool event on the horizon.

In the past, they’ve organized some impressive DIY-style annual music festival and led me to discover some cool local acts like Unconditional Arms and Halcyonaire. So I was very excited to see how the new event will take form.

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Symbolic stag statue and landscape painting on the bar wall.

Influx is the name of the monthly party organized by my friend Jeff from Unconditional Arms, which is totally FREE to walk in and brought together some amazing live music by local Bay Area bands.

This past Monday was the first night of party, so I decided to grub a quick dinner at The Half Orange in Fruitvale (highly recommended to try their burgers) and hop over to The Night Light.

Here’s DIY video report of Influx #1. Enjoy!

The place was packed even though it was otherwise quiet Monday night. Since the next couple of Influx parties are scheduled on Friday nights, the venue is expecting more people to show and share great times. I am definitely going to make my trip over to Oakland more often to attend the series of this awesome party!

Here’s 5 reasons why you should go to the next INFLUX:

  1. It is FREE to enter and drinks are dirt cheap.
  2. You can meet and hang out with some of the most talented independent artists and buy merch directly from their hands. Best way to support the artists and local music scene.

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  3. You will meet new people from different walks of life.
  4. It is a perfect place to get to know the awesome independent music scene in Bay Area. Throughout the series of INFLUX nights you will probably develop affinity to certain bands’ music style and become new fan. Beautiful thing is, you can catch them again at the next local shows!
  5. The Night Light is located right in the heart of Downtown Oakland in Jack London Square area so there are many great restaurants and bars (such as Trappist and Beer Revolution) nearby to check out before/after the event.

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Influx is awesome new nightlife in Oakland that you just cannot miss. Go to The Night Light’s facebook page for the information on next INFLUX event: facebook.com/thenightlightbar/

Last but not least, here’s some taste of live set from Influx #1.
Be sure to check out bands’ website for upcoming shows and release information!

Strawberry Girls: strawberrygirls.bandcamp.com/
Belle Noire: bellenoire.bandcamp.com/
Covet: covetband.bandcamp.com/

America, Etcetera, Live Event Report

#020 – Symbiosis Gathering 2015 (Oakdale, CA)

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（日本語は下にあります↓）

On one rather hectic morning in August, I received a phone call from my friend Erik who I have been losing touch for years since our paths had diverged from entertainment battlefield also known as Los Angeles. I still remember the last time I saw him in Los Angeles back in 2013 after my return to US from short expedition to UK. Nothing much has changed in our friendship since and we were still the same human being but obviously leading different lives as far as our career paths go. The days of working together on video projects back in college are behind us; Erik continued on his passion in filmmaking while I gradually deviated from that path. We had a good drink and chat at the old LA stomping ground (“Bigfoot West” to be precise) and promised to work together in different projects whenever we get the opportunity to call that shot.

Two years later, a surprising phone call from Erik molded the weekend of adventure in the nowhere land otherwise known as Oakdale California. The idea was this: Erik’s girlfriend, Alyssa, is working for lifestyle magazine and needed someone to photograph the moments at Symbiosis Gathering for her article. And that lucky “someone” turned out to be me. Ticket for the press was held at the box office so I drove over to the festival ground next morning – picked up few lifeline supplies (e.g., snacks and some fresh strawberries from farm vendors along Route-120 en route to Yosemite’s direction) – showed up at the entrance, did a little bit of finagling to prove myself as the press person (thanks to Alyssa’s help) and BADA BING! I have entered the gate to the wonderland in the name of Symbiosis Gathering!

022020 004010030027028029034035 026036037017 I don’t really think explaining Symbiosis Gathering in word would do any justice, so here’s some photos from the event to give you the idea. If you force me to describe the event in one phrase, it’s basically “Burning Man veterans’ weekend excursion.” The festival was packed with music, yoga classes, comedy, arts, and lot of arts.
This was actually my first attendance to car camp style multi-day festival. Needless to say, everything was entirely fresh experience for me:

041040025009I’ve never been to Coachella and don’t think I would ever pay big money to attend those giant festivals where type of music are overly scattered, but Symbiosis Gathering has figured out the perfect formula for their concept. Symbiosis Gathering was not a music festival, it was an art festival all packed into one place with decisive parade of music. Point and objective was crystal clear.

Music plays a major role in any form of art festival. In my opinion, lineup of music acts is what determines the overall tone of festival.
I dislike the festivals that try to bring in every musician from every genre imaginable to cater for “I listen to everything” crowd. I rather want to be at festival where type of music is focused and furthermore creates determined ambiance for the event. Riot Fest is one of the only music festivals I pay attention these days mainly for this reason. Anyways, despite the wide range of so-called music genres involved, Symbiosis Gathering was thematically on target: mind-exploration and unhinging the bodies to dance.

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Nicolas Jaar was definitely my highlight of the festival and he was slotted at the most important hour on Saturday night. Stellamara was also striking experience as far as live music goes. I would urge anyone who likes live music to see them whenever possible. All in all, musicians selected to perform at this festival seemed to find themselves in the right place and audience was well accepting.

Comedians and slam poets performed at this festival was also intriguing. The main tent in the heart of festival ground served not only as a sanctuary from the beating sun but also a community space for people to exchange new ideas and perspectives on things. The tent also lit up nicely at night and provided beautiful mood for photography and relaxation lounge. There were several interesting lectures on sustainable living and survival classes held at other tents as well.

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Above all, the great event is most enjoyable with great company.
I must thank Erik and Alyssa for bringing me on board to take photos and fully experience this amazing event. I am glad to see everything came together after long hours of work; please check out Alyssa’s work on Wild Spice Magazine for her continuing effort on creative passion.008023

On a different note, this may or may not be my last post of the year as I have some traveling plans and new ideas for next project sprouting. If you haven’t done so, please like my facebook page and follow me on Twitter (@poachedeggquest); these are the best sources to get the most up to date stories on my end in a meantime.

Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the year. See you in 2016!
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-Kosuke

大学時代の友人で今も映像製作業に全力で取り組んでるエリックという友人がいます。僕がLAに引っ越して一年後にボストンから研修先を求めてやって来た彼は僕と同じく孤立無援の新天地で新しい人とのつながりと協力を得ながら成長していった言わば後輩的な存在なのですが、今ではPVやコマーシャルの編集などで活動している現役のアーティストで、僕も尊敬している人です。

2013年にLAを離れて6ヶ月間渡英していた時期がありましたが、アメリカに戻ってから直後にLAに出張することがあり、その際に一度再会したのをあとに2年間ほどなかなか連絡を取り合うこともありませんでしたが、ひょんなことでイベントの写真撮影の協力をする機会があり、ヨセミテ国立公園の玄関口ともいえるオークデールという田舎町で行われたSymbiosis Gatheringというヒッピー系のイベントで再会を果たしました。

Symbiosisは英語で共存という意味がありますが、それはたとえばクマノミ（魚）がイソギンチャクと連携関係にあるような意味合いを含んでいて、メインとなっているテーマは「自然と人類の共存」という筋金入りのヒッピー理論に基づいたフェスティバルだったのです。

まるで予備知識もなく、エリックと彼のガールフレンドに言われるがままに会場のあるオークデールまで来ましたが、これがすごいインパクトでした。どれぐらいすごいインパクトだったかというと、それはたとえばメキシコとカリフォルニアの国境沿いにある町ティフアナとか外国人観光客でごった返しているタイのリゾート・アイランドのような「フリーキー」で一見「無法地帯のようだ」とでも表現しましょうか。荒地の真ん中にポツリとある湖の畔に展開されたフェスティバル会場のゲートをくぐるとそこはまさに『Mad Max』とか映画に出てくるような無国籍で自由奔放な世界が広がっていました。至る所に巨大なアートが展示され、人は皆思うがままの衣装に身を包み（あるいは一切包まず笑）砂塵の舞う荒れた大地を行き交う難民の群れのような趣がありました。フェスティバルの会場は湖に向かって突き出た島の中に広がり、30℃は余裕で超えた炎天下から逃れるかのように人々は次々と水に飛び込み、浮かぶ奇怪な船には巨大なアンプとDJセットが組み込まれそこから沸き起こる爆音の音楽に人々は踊り狂い、これがコミューンに住む共同体というものなのか？と訳のわからないまま一人合点せざるをえない光景でした。
いやぁ、本当におもろいものを見せてもらった。

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物珍しさで何を見てもどこまで歩いても「普通」ではないこのフェスティバルは、写真やビデオを撮るのにはうってつけの場所でした。しかも友人の手伝いで来ているのでスタッフ専用のエリアにも入れたりでかなり満喫できました。本当にエリックさまさまです。

本当にコネクションって大切だなと感じ入ると同時に、クリエイティブなことをやり続けながら自分なりの意義とか目標を見つけることも考えさせられた経験でした。このブログもそんなことを思いながら始めた訳ですからね。

最後になりますが、今回の投稿がPoached Egg Quest今年最後の投稿になります。新年に向けてさらに多くの旅とアイディアがありますので、ご興味があれば是非フェイスブックのページを「いいね」してフォローしてください。そっちの方で色々な情報をあげていく予定ですので（^O^）/

それでは皆様、よい年末をお過ごしください。

Until then,

康介

America, Hiking and Camping Stories, Live Event Report

#019 – Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (Big Sur, CA)

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（日本語は下にあります↓）

Always feel the good ‘ol “California Dreamin'” blasting off my car stereo as I drive past the flock of out-of-State-tourists who believe their vacation time is the moment of history. One sunny weekend in August, a group of adventurers embarked on a scenic excursion to the legendary coastal resort. Big Sur–a breaking tide whose color is bluer than the bluest of paints–is surely legendary and most beautiful part of California that you must visit in order to claim that you have properly visited California.

Getting to Big Sur from either end of two major hubs of California (Los Angeles on the South or San Francisco on the North) is easy. You just have to take Route-1 all the way. The view of drive along the Pacific Ocean is breathtaking. At one point we have ran into a local artist who was working on the landscape painting. The California born artist told me he moved back from East Coast after several decades of career venture; he said there’s something about California, particularly Big Sur that always pull him right back. An easy glimpse at the Ocean and its sapphire blue reflection doesn’t require much effort to struck my heartstrings either.

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Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is where we based our campground for this weekend trip. It was quite lucky how we managed to book a decent size campsite right by the flowing river. Our campsite was located further in the depth of woodsy park and perfectly sheltered from the wind by tall trees and hills. On the first day, we unpacked our backpacks and headed directly to the river for a short hike… with beer cans in our hands of course.

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On Day 2, we decided to do another 12 mile drive southward to enter Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park for mildly elevated beautiful hike on Ewoldsen Loop Trail (4.5mi). Ewoldsen Loop offered range of natural beauty from redwood forests to grand panoramic view of Pacific Ocean that quickly put us in awe.

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Special bonus about Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is that even if you decide not to do the hiking, you can still receive one of the most iconic views of Big Sur with ample walk from the parking lot. Julia Pfeiffer Falls is without a doubt one of the most immediately recognizable waterfall that every tour magazine and website uses on its cover page (such as goofy website titled Poached Egg Quest). From the coastal observation point you can admire the wonder of this serene white powder beach tucked away in the cove.

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As our day of hiking and sunbathing come close to an end, we decided to stop at tiny town called Loma Vista for an ice cream. Instead of simply concluding the trip with luscious vanilla ice cream, we walked into Big Sur Taproom adjacent to the store for a quick Sunday drink. This action was rather most awesome decision we have made in this trip (which was only surpassed by the In-N-Out burger stop on the way back to SF). Taproom has a very spacious patio in the back where people gather around to play board games and play songs on acoustic guitar. Some sports was on tv and all the good people in the area were there to hang out. Sometimes all it takes is to enter the bar doors to truly appreciate the vibe of the place.

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Near Big Sur Taproom, there was this very hippie garden with cool artifacts.
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All in all, Big Sur is one of the most scenic destinations in California and I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for epic coastal adventures. It’s a place for great outdoors, and Jack Kerouac surely written all about it. The place makes you want to give him another try even if you already decided to hate him.

  • Camping and overnight stay is recommended at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park check the park’s website for availability and current condition.
  • Famous Julia Pfeiffer Falls is located outside of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and it’s easily accessible by foot without “hike.”
  • Wonderful detail of beautiful Ewoldsen Loop Trail hike can be found on this website.
  • If you are more adventurous and/or been to Big Sur multiple of times, perhaps try Botchers Gap for backpacking.

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カリフォルニアでロードトリップをするなら確実に行っておきたい自然名所があります。
ビート・ジェネレーション系の作家ジャック・ケルアックの著書の舞台でも有名なBig Sur。ここだけはちょっと無理してでも絶対に行ってみてほしいですね。

もう2ヶ月前の話になりますが、会社の友達とBig SurにあるPfeiffer Big Sur State Parkまでキャンプに行ってきました。サンフランシスコから車で3時間ほど、さほど遠い場所ではないので週末を利用して気軽に出掛けられるのが魅力です。

僕はどちらかというと山派なのでキャンプをするならヨセミテなどのほうが好みなのですが、海沿いにあるBig Surはまた一味違った魅力を持つ場所です。ルート１沿いにキャンプのできる場所は幾つかありますが、今回利用したPfeiffer Big Sur State Parkはアカスギの林を入った奥地にキャンプサイトが広がっていて、山でのキャンプに慣れた人にも違和感なく楽しめます。

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Parkから更に12マイルほど南に車を走らせるともう一つの州立公園Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Parkに行き当たります。
こちらの公園には旅行雑誌などでもよく取り上げられているJulia Pfeifferの滝があり、観光客も基本的に多いです。滝を見るのには公園の駐車場に車を停めて見に行くのが一番わかりやすいのですが入園料が掛かります。歩くことに問題がないのであればルート1沿いの少し離れた場所に車を停めて展望台まで降りていくのがスマートかもしれません。ちなみにPfeiffer Big Sur State ParkとJulia Pfeiffer Burns State Parkは同じ入場券で出入りが可能なので、どちらかの公園で支払いのレシートをもらってあればもう一方の公園でも使えます。

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Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Parkで一押しのアクティビティはEwoldsen Trailのハイキングコースです。中級者向けの4.5マイルのコースは生い茂るグリーンの林を切り抜けて太平洋まで出るバラエティーに富んだルートで、山と海の双方の魅力を存分に楽しませてくれます。

海と緑に囲まれたこのBig Surはまさにベスト・オブ・カリフォルニアの名に相応しい美しい大自然のゆりかごですので、ルート1沿いに長距離のドライブをする際には必ず立ち寄りましょう！

  • Ewoldsen Trailのハイキング・コースはここのウェブサイトに詳しく載ってます。
  • Big Sur付近でおすすめのバックパッキング・コースは？と訊かれたら間違いなくBotchers Gapを推薦します。以前ここでこのコースの魅力を紹介しました。