Kickin' it in C-Town

Nope, not Chicago. I'm talkin' Carnation, baby.

Anyway, we hit the first annual Carnation Mosaic Music & Arts Festival to check out our fave singer-songwriter, Jonathan Kingham. He was headlining the all-day event, which was complete with artist booths, crafts in the barn, and food. Jonathan's set was set for 6:30 in the evening, and we got there with a few minutes to spare. As we drove down the long driveway to the farm hosting it, we noticed there were plenty of signs for parking. I could see cars parked across from the farm in a large lot. But as we got there, the lot was practically empty.

There was nobody manning the ticket booth, so we just walked in. What was inside was pretty sad. Here's this big field, room enough for a few thousand people. Practically empty. At this time, there were only two art booths, and there were three food booths. None getting that much business. On the field, in front of the little stage for the musicians were about thirty or so people, spread out.

Jonathan played a long set to round out the event. He featured some old tunes and plenty of old ones, which as far as I can tell will make his next release an eclectic one. It went across the board: folk, R&B, country, a little jazz. And as usual, he busted into an improv rap during his Rain song.

After the set, we talked to him a bit. I kidded him, telling him that he's gotten used to playing small crowds. On the way out, we bought a CD from one of the other performers, Bill Mallonee. We felt bad about not paying the entry fee, but one of the organizers, Nancy told us not to worry about it. Lisa gave her 20 bucks anyway. Nancy was grateful. I don't know if they made enough to make back what they spent. Having gone to some bit of trouble to host an event (though certainly not to this extent) ourselves, we can feel their pain.

I hope this festival comes back next year. I think some more advertising will help bring the crowds in.