I attended the first year of Summer Camp @ Three Sisters Park-Chillicothe, IL in 2001, but haven’t been back since due to living out of state and making those tough festival choices we all are forced to make! After eight years of my absence, I came back to find a very different experience...but only compared to the first.

The second annual ROTHBURY Festival at the Double JJ Ranch in Michigan promises four days and nights of music by 60+ bands this July 4^th Weekend.  Today, ROTHBURY announces a handful of new artists just added to the lineup.

Music, art, dance and above all, consciousness, will all bloom from the same good vibe bud June 26 through June 28 with the fourth installment of SONIC BLOOM. Set for the beautiful Mishawaka Ampitheatre, nestled in Poudre Canyon outside of Ft. Collins, Colorado, SONIC BLOOM is a whirlwind of camping, elite electronic music and human performance, all set to the earthy vibes of the Rocky Mountains.

September on the West Coast not only marks the time of year University of California, Santa Barbara rolls back into session, it also heralds the return of the WEST BEACH MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL.  Event producers Twiin Productions have announced that one of America’s only beach festivals will return for its third year Friday, September 18, Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20, 2009.

There is no better way to celebrate the country’s independence and the spirit of Colorado than a day of fun and festivities in the Colorado Rockies. For the first time ever, music, parade, food and fireworks will meet in a family environment at the Peak to Peak Music Festival in Nederland, CO, on the Fourth of July. With a long-standing musical heritage and Fourth of July festivities already in place, Nederland is the perfect mountain town for both young and old to celebrate the holiday.

Buzzworthy indie festival MONOLITH presented by Esurance, happening September 12 and 13 at Colorado’s breathtaking Red Rocks Amphitheater, today announces plans to harness the power of  social networking realms such as Facebook and Twitter to unveil its 2009 artist lineup.  Over the next 12 business days, MONOLITH Facebook friends and Twitter followers will be the first to know which of their favorite bands will hit the stage during this year’s festival. 

In keeping with the event's continued effort to balance renowned national touring acts with local artists, Norwalk, CT-based singer, songwriter and musician PJ Pacifico has earned the final slot on the 2009 Gathering of the Vibes Main Stage. Pacifico will be the festival's opening bookend to one of his earliest musical influences Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN), who will close the festival on Sunday, July 26.

Step by step, summertime is getting closer … the most beautiful period of the year with many festivals to choose from. One of those splendid festivals, is GentJazz, which takes place from July 8 to July 19 in the gardens of De Bijloke, one of the most beautiful sites of the city, an ideal environment for those who like to be busy with music, dance and other forms of art.

Louis Molinary is convinced that the Stones wouldn’t really care if he wasn’t able to make his mortgage next month.  The fifty-something real estate developer from Charleston, SC  is quick-stepping into the festival alongside me, headed back to the picking tents.  He tells me he’s new to bluegrass music and wants to hear some more, he said.. Until last year, when a longtime friend finally convinced him to come, Molinary had been more of a fan of The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin.