Festival Travel Books: "Music Festivals from Bach to Blues" & "Wild Planet"
"Music Festivals from Bach to Blues"
- by Tom Clynes
Your guide to the musical good times!
Music Festivals from Bach to Blues is the first-ever guide to all genres of North American music festivals.
Illustrated with more than 150 photos, the book's 582 pages lead you across the
continent -- to musical gatherings catering to every taste: from upright folk to
low-down funk, back-roads country to high-brow classical, twangy bluegrass to
big- city blues, riotous rock to righteous reggae.
Author Tom Clynes (who also wrote 1995's critically acclaimed book Wild Planet!)
tells readers exactly when, where, and how to join the musical feast -- and what
to expect once they arrive. Entries capture the spirit and specifics of each
festival, and provide details on location, food, music workshops, children's
activities, and nearby attractions. Each entry also provides contact numbers
(many toll-free) for local sources of lodging and tourist information.
According to Clynes, "the overriding theme of this book is discovery of great
music, great places, and authentic culture." Since many of the festivals are
held in exciting cities and beautiful tourist destinations, Clynes says the book
is especially useful for music lovers who want to plan their vacations around
festivals.
Each genre's most important festivals are covered, but Clynes and his
research team also traveled to the nooks and crannies of the continent to bring
readers lesser-known gems like Celtic fiddle fests in Atlantic Canada, blues
meltdowns on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, and jazz and chamber music
festivals in the Rocky Mountains.
"We discovered that regional music is enjoying a spirited resurgence in
the U.S. and Canada," said Clynes, "and that authentic sounds are thriving on
the outskirts of the North American music scene." In addition to great music,
the festivals covered in Music Festivals from Bach to Blues offer opportunities
to experience local character and culture. "Readers will often find tasty food,
picturesque locations, and some of North America's most precious and esoteric
folk traditions."
Through the book's table of contents and "Festival Finder" indexes,
readers can easily access events by genre, location, date, and festival name.
Plus, a special section on music workshops details the many outstanding programs
where music lovers can learn from world-class musicians.
Music Festivals from Bach to Blues (ISBN 0-7876-0823-8) is published by Visible Ink Press.
"Wild Planet!"
- by Tom Clynes
1,001 Extraordinary Events for the Inspired Traveler
The product of nine years of festival-hopping through Asia, Europe and the
Americas!
Interested in attending a lavish vegetarian banquet for 600 monkeys in
Thailand? How about a sloppy battle with ripe tomotoes in Spain? A "devil's
carnival" in Bolivia? Or a zydeco festival in Louisiana?
You'll find all the details -- what happens, how to get there, and who to
contact -- in "Wild Planet! 1,001 Extraordinary Events for the Inspired
Traveler" (Visible Ink Press, $18.95)-- the first ever event-focused, worldwide
travel guide, by Tom Clynes.
"Wild Planet!" is a colorful collection of festivals, celebrations, and
other gatherings from more than 100 countries on every continent (there's even
an event in Antarctica). This extraordinary collection of annual events captures
the world's locales at their most brilliant, open, artistic, and musical -- when
they're most alive.
Inspired travelers will discover...
-Dance dramas performed by masked Buddhist monks in the shadow of Everest
-Elephant processions in Sri Lanka
-Maori war canoe regattas in New Zealand
-Extraordinary tribal festivals in places as diverse as Ghana, Madagascar,
Southern China, Peru, and Papua New Guinea.
Travelers will also find fresh new angles on destinations like Europe,
where cities and towns are alive with folklore and fun each summer. There are
processions of papier-mache giants in France and Belgium...bull stampedes and
"wine wars" in Spain...Viking games in Scandinavia...Classical music in
Budapest. Even England's wild side is exposed, with its beer festivals and giant
reggae street parties!
"Wild Planet!" demonstrates that one needn't venture to the world's
geographic and cultural extremes to find unique and unusual events. In North
America's cities and heartland you'll discover the Wilderness Woman Competition
in Alaska...a microbrewery taste-fest in Oregon...a transvestite spoof on
Woodstock in New York City...and summer music festivals galore.
Author Tom Clynes said he decided to write "Wild Planet!" to feed my own
fascination for diverse cultures, and to provide access to the world's
extraordinary events for travelers who want to participate in the life and
culture of the places they visit." Through these events, he said, "you can
experience the rhythms of local life when they're cranked up to their
uninhibited peak."
Arranged by world region and illustrated by more than 200 photographs,
the events in "Wild Planet!" were chosen for their richness, authenticity,
variety, and degree of spectacle. "Wild Planet" also includes interesting
sidebars covering everything from religion in Mexico and beer in Belgium to
"America's Coolest Tourist Trap." There are tips on running with the bulls in
Pamplona, enjoying a funeral in Bali, and arranging a meeting with the Dalai
Lama in India.
"Festival Finder" indexes provide access to events by Subject/Interest,
Date, and Event Name/Location. Readers can use the indexes to plan trips around
events, or to work celebrations or festivals into a existing itineraries.
"Wild Planet!" (ISBN 0-7876-0203-5) is published by Visible Ink Press and
available in book stores nationwide.
The author would like to thank the following people at Visible Ink Press:
Martin Connors, Ken Benson, Christa Brelin, Cathy Dauphinais, Barb Eschner,
Pamela Galbreath, Becky Nelson, Betsy Rovegno, Jenny Sweetland and Lauri Taylor.
Visible Ink Press