Truckhenge Music Festival II (2008)

All I can say...
...is the 2nd Truckhenge Music Festival was one hell of a great party!!!

Special thanks to Bob Cutler of the Klusterfux, Jen and Adam Angellini from Wakamojo, and Bob Curry from Side Effects, for helping us get things done.

9 bands: Wakamojo - Schumann's Resonance - Klusterfux - SideEffects - Mirror Image - Hammerjunk - Obone - Lazer Panther - The Hemorrhoids. Remember those bands, I'm sure you'll be seeing a LOT more about them over the next year! In fact, several of them are competing in the Battle of the Bands at the Boobie Trap bar tomorrow night (Saturday Sept. 27).

This 2nd concert was MUCH better than the first concert last year! For one, there was NO band drama to deal with; these bands work together very well! Second, since we kept more control over the event this year (instead of letting someone else take over and BS), we knew much more about what was going on, than we did last year.

I've heard anywhere from 300 to 400 people came out this year. 350 was my estimate, so we'll go with that for now. We actually lost count after 156 people signed the list - it was starting to form a line so we decided to just let people sign the list on their own.

The sound was great! Truckhenge forms such a great natural amphitheater that the sound doesn't have to be blasted up too loud - it sounds great all the way through the audience area and isn't distorted or blowing your head off.

And some of the bands played great remake songs that were also remade to include "Truckhenge" in them. That's a cool theme that I'm sure we're going to work with next year!

Oh, there will definitely be a "Truckhenge Music Festival III (2009)"! We'll have a meeting in October for anyone interested in working with us to make next year's party even better. We're already planning to spread it over a whole weekend (instead of just one night), so look for a Friday to Sunday event. If we get some sponsors and some volunteers, we may also set up a second stage.

The possibilities are here, we just need people to step up!

Thomas Lessman
Web: www.ThomasLessman.com
Blog: www.talessman.blogspot.com

Lessman's Farm website: www.LessmanFarm.com
Truckhenge: www.Truckhenge.com

Ready for 2008 Truckhenge Music Festival?

I've been so busy helping coordinate this year's concert at Truckhenge, I haven't been able to concentrate enough to update this blog! Tune in to the Jim Cates Show on CJOnline this Tuesday (Sept. 16), when I'll be on air to talk about this year's concert! (Click here to download the archived show)

Truckhenge Music Festival
Saturday September 20, 2008
NO Admission fees, free camping, and BYOB!
(Gates open at 12:00 noon, music starts at 6:00 PM)
Website: www.LessmanFarm.com/events.html

9 confirmed bands!
Wakamojo - Schumann's Resonance - Klusterfux - SideEffects - Hammerjunk - Obone - Lazer Panther - The Hemmorhoids - St. Nick

We're proud to help support the local music scene. Come out to the Lessman Farm and PARTY with some of Topeka's best local bands. Hope to see you there!

Thomas Lessman
Web: www.thomaslessman.com

Lessman's Farm website: www.LessmanFarm.com
Truckhenge Concert page: www.LessmanFarm.com/Events.html

Truckhenge Media Coverage

Ever since I was a kid, my dad collected antique trucks. By 2001 he had several of them. Then a petty Shawnee County health inspector decided he didn't like my dad competing with some local landfills by allowing clean rubble dumping on our property. So the County took my dad to court charging him with misc. nuisances. One of which targeted my dad's collection of antique trucks. The Judge ordered my dad to "pick the trucks up". So he did!

He put them in the ground pointing up to the sky, painted them, and called them "Truckhenge". He's added several metal and beer-bottle sculptures, some boats, and more. The whole farm is really pretty cool.

The TV show "Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations" has taped the farm, and KDHE featured Truckhenge in its "Get Caught Recycling" campaign. There is also a nice video of Truckhenge at the http://www.roadsideamerica.com/ website and a good section about it at http://www.kansastravel.org/.

This Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008, there is a TV crew from Sweden that will come to Topeka to tape the Farm. Is that cool or what? My dad has definitely made a name for the farm and for himself. And believe me, it is a real cool grassroots arts park. He's happy to give tours, just make sure to stop at the house and he'll take you on a tour.

For more information, check out the official Truckhenge website, at
www.thomaslessman.com/LessmanFarm/ .

Thomas Lessman
. http://www.thomaslessman.com/
Blog: http://www.talessman.blogspot.com/
Email: talessman@yis.us