Folks, a few of us have started talking about getting together to hear some of the ways we're all applying the Bose system to our music.

Because of the number of owners here on the West Coast, I'm picturing a weekend gathering at a centrally located hotel in California with a conference room where we could play, listen and network. There are a quite a number of artists on this forum I've been wanting to hear including Californians Joseph, ASAT, jazzhorn1 and holliwil. I'd love it if ST would come down with a guitar. I could drag my wife along with her NS Design cello to perform one of my electronic soundscapes, and of course I'd be happy to help with keyboard chores if we want to assemble a backup band.

I'm looking for a way to make this practical for the most people, especially folks who'd be flying in from out-of-state. I'm thinking that a city on Amtrak's Coast Starlight route might offer the most options for vacation potential. Folks could easily combine a Bose-o's gathering with a visit to the Bay area, Los Angeles or elsewhere. I would personally love to take in a long weekend in Paso Robles enjoying winery tours and hot springs.

MTM has suggested sometime between February and mid-March as optimal for folks seeking a winter break. Could we pull an impromptu gathering together that quickly?

quote:

I would personally love to take in a long weekend in Paso Robles enjoying winery tours and hot springs.

I have a good chance of talking my wife (A.K.A.- the planning commissioner) into that, she loves the wine country. I'll keep you posted.

Jeff

Keep me posted. Great idea and I would love to be part of that! We are working a lot of Saturdays but let me know when you put it together and I'll see what I can do.

Wow, the Bose-O's gathering in California.. how fun what that be...!!

There's a good chance I might be able to arrange a Bose-O gathering in our beautiful sound/dance studio hidden on a mountain top in Big Sur.

We could have some of the Big Sur Natives (dancers and percussionists) do a small performance especially for the Bose-O's, We are like family and I'm sure some will oblige.

We always have anywhere from three to five Bose systems there in the studio (also a performance and rehearsal space) available at almost anytime.

This is a beautiful studio with a glorious grand piano and other assorted instruments. Omar Sosa recorded an album there a couple of years ago. Maybe Alan would be so kind as to tinker on the piano for us admirers.

However, the leader's of the Big Sur Natives are on a vacation-property hunting tour in New Zealand until mid-April. If we schedule for spring, I can probably pull this off.

It's a tremendous, open high ceiling space made especially for the purpose of music and dance. A prestigious piece of Big Sur architecture.

Ciao, the Joseph

This sounds like it'd be an incredible experience!

Joseph - that sounds amazing. Not sure I understood what you meant about the dates. Spring means?

Joseph, I am quivering with excitement. How about inviting Rick Turner and Lloyd Baggs to come? They're close enough to drive and are totally into the project.

If you can nail down a timeframe, I am there.

ST... to be more exact, what I meant was maybe sometime in April or May.

However, we can all coordinate the exact time together so everybody who wants to make it will be able to attend.

Maybe even June, if later is better for everyone. Or early April, if earlier is better.

How does that sound to those interested so far?

Oh, and Ken knows it's totally okay to bring the above mentioned acoustic guru figures up to the Hidden Barn.

Oh and by the way, that's what the studio is called: the the Hidden Barn.

It's a magical place to say the least. If any of you are familiar with Big Sur beaches, it's located on a mountain top above PFEIFFER BEACH (google it). A breathtaking beach used in many movies.

It's quite a drive down Highway 1, and then up a dirt road to the very top of a mountain. Al Jardine of beach boy fame has his studio on the mountain right next to it and directly across from the Hidden Barn is some mountain-cliff, beach front property owned by Ted Turner. So you can imagine the expansiveness...

For those coming from afar... you might want to make a vacation of it. There's much beauty to take in if going to Big Sur.

And for the rest of you within driving distance, you might want to plan on spending sometime on the beach before heading up the dirt road to the Hidden Barn. PFEIFFER BEACH is just about 300 yards down the road.

Anyhow, it is in progress now... finger's crossed and palms facing upward (sorry, couldn't help myself...)

The Big Sur Natives kindly have agreed to present a performance especially for the Bose-O's. So I just have the philanthropist owner of the Hidden Barn left to confirm with... He is somewhere on the open seas on a Yacht trip... unreachable for the time being...

Ciao, the Joseph

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quote:

Originally posted by Joseph:
How does that sound to those interested so far?

Like it's worth keeping open every weekend from April to June.

Are there nice bed and breakfasts near the beach you might recommend, or something clean and relatively inexpensive like a Holiday Inn Express?

Hi Alan,
Holiday Inn Express near Big Sur
http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/mapsearchresul...ts&_requestid=127804

Joseph,

I'll try to leave some dates open, I really would like to experience this. Sounds Amazing!

If I remember right, there's some pretty nice campgrounds down there, also.

Jeff
http://www.theunmentionables.com

Jeff and Alan..

Yes, there's some real nice campgrounds & cabins quite near the location. In fact, you have a choice of some really nice spots right on the Big Sur River... which is just before the ocean and just before the mountain top.

Here's one of the closest:

http://www.fernwoodbigsur.com/
http://www.fernwoodbigsur.com/camping.html

Then there's the famous River Inn. It's a little further up the road.

http://www.bigsurriverinn.com/main.html

Both places have campgrounds and cabins. The River Inn being the more expensive of the two. There's also a few other, maybe even better choices too (a litte more rugged maybe...)

Many of these are inexpensive and a few are even closer to the sight... obviously the Pfeiffer Beach camping sight being the closest...

http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/camping.html

Oh... and we don't have to do it on a weekend. We can do it on a Monday night even or another weeknight (but not on a Thursday)...

Mondays are when we always rehearse in the Studio... So the studio is ours, guaranteed, every Monday night... that's also when we, the Big Sur Natives, usually do private gatherings for the Esalan Institute and such...

As for myself, I'm not sure what weekends will be available come April or May ... I've already booked up a lot of next year and am continuing to check in the gigs on the calendar ...

So this may be the tricky part... working out the logistics so everyone who wants to be involved, can be...

Ciao, the Joseph

Brock Bradford, a very accomplished percussionist, is the leader of the Big Sur Natives and also a well known photographer...
Just for sharing and out of curiosity, here's some of his work. The Hidden Barn studio is decorated with his photographs... the Goddess series are photos of some of our dancers.
http://www.heartbeatbigsur.com/pages/common/photo.html

Brock and his wife Teresa (the dance instructor and Matriarch of the Natives... she also owns the Heartbeat gift shop at the River Inn) are looking forward to our Bose-O gathering.

Folk in this area are very creative, non-conforming individuals. It's an alternative world... The Bose-O's West will expand their minds simply by osmosis ...

Beautiful photography!

It sounds to me like the "official" Bose-o's workshop/showcase should be on Monday, then, to allow those with weekend gigs to participate. Might we have use of the Hidden Barn starting earlier in the day, culminating in a Big Sur Natives performance or open rehearsal that evening?

Barring an orchestra concert, I myself will likely arrive Saturday for some hiking and general R&R. As we get closer to locking down a date, let's try to arrange some informal get-togethers with anyone else arriving early.

Joseph, if you book a cool gig for that weekend, be sure to give us the details so we can come by and heckle.

3 days till the NAMM show... you CA people going to see eachother there ?

I've made tentative plans to say hi to Steve-at-Bose on Thursday, but if anyone else from the message board is attending, please let me know. We can meet for an overpriced hot dog next to the "how loud will it go" bashing cymbal demo. Always a special treat.

This would be a great time! I hope we can work it out.

Dan

Oh Bose-O dudes~~ I'm so bummed the Natives aren't happening until the Spring. I was hoping to bring some folk into see them this month. This Bose-O's West gathering sounds really fun and would be a trip to hear everybody live and in person, especially master Alan.

Pfeiffer Beach is the beach with the famous cavern, or porthole or something like that which you can see the sunset through. This beach is a must see~~a must to experience. It's where I like to take a date when I want to get out of town~~to get a long way from Santa Cruz. Check out Brock's photos~~a lot of those are of Pfeiffer Beach.

I don't know what's in store for me come Spring. I have some important duties which I have to tend to around then~~so we'll see I guess. But it's not like I don't have access to the Big Sur Natives. They are always just around the corner for me, it's the rest of you who've got my curiosity going.

Okay.. rounded up some photos of the Hidden Barn in Big Sur (thanks to Brock Bradford..)

Now, these chairs in the photo are not part of the studio.. this was a set up for an Omar Sousa concert (as it is also used as a concert hall). This will provide some insight into what it looks and feels like...

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Another one from a different angle...