Jason Shrum, Author at Rock Oracle

September 22, 2024 Jason Shrum

Bourbon & Beyond: Day Two

So now we reside in Day Two of Bourbon & Beyond. Day one nearly killed me as I realized that 10 hours standing in the sun after driving three hours to get here was too long of a day for this 50-year-old. There is nowhere to hide at this festival. There are tents around the Expo Center, but the tents seem hotter as they are jammed with people and there is no catching a breeze. I applaud the staff as they have done a great job of handing out free cold waters to people in the pit areas in front of the stage. These are certainly the danger areas of the festival. I’ve seen a few people get carried out due to the heat and the medical tents keep a heavy rotation of people getting IV’s. So, Day Two, I decided I was going to dial it back a bit so that I could go a little heavier the following days. It’s all about pace, right?!

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September 21, 2024 Jason Shrum

Bourbon & Beyond: Day One

Here I am, in my hotel room, just north of Louisville, Kentucky in Sellersberg, Indiana pondering what I have seen over the last two days. It’s Bourbon & Beyond and it’s a lot. According to local news sources and the Bourbon & Beyond website the festival is bringing in $12.5 million dollars in local revenue and over 270,000 concert goers over the four days of music. The venue, which is located at The Highland Fairgrounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center, between the airport and the University of Louisville, is a massive lot of land as you would imagine. The festival started in 2017 and has grown immensely since its inception. This year hosts 110 bands/artists and 5 different stages located across the property.

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September 12, 2024 Jason Shrum

Jon Bon Jovi Saves A Woman In Crisis

Bon Jovi has worked with vulnerable people through his Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, which provides food, affordable housing, job training and social services to people experiencing hunger, poverty and homelessness. Bon Jovi also has had training in speaking to individuals during difficult situations. In February, Bon Jovi was recognized as the MusiCares Person of the Year for his philanthropic efforts.

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September 10, 2024 Jason Shrum

Let Them In!

There are so many other great bands that haven’t made the cut either. Groups like The Guess Who, DEVO, Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies, Soundgarden and on and on. I surmise that the walls are only so big and that this “committee” can only select few, but my rebuttal is C’MON MAN!

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September 1, 2024 Jason Shrum

We Had the Time of Our Lives

Green Day headlines their Savior’s Tour with The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid and The Linda Linda’s The last time I went

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August 29, 2024 Jason Shrum

Fresh Lemons : Nothing Canned

The Lemonheads are an indie/alternative/punk band, originally from Boston, Massachusetts formed in 1986, and they were playing their two most successful albums tonight. The setlist was It’s A Shame About Ray which was constantly in my cars cassette player my senior year of high school (1992), and Come On Feel The Lemonheads (1996) which featured the single “Into Your Arms”.

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August 28, 2024 Jason Shrum

Oasis is Back, Definitely Maybe

We never saw The Beatles reunite but some current fans find this to be equal to or greater than that reconciliation. And if Fab Four from Liverpool were bigger than Jesus (John Lennon’s words), then how big is this news?! If you don’t recall in 1996, Noel Gallagher “joked” in an MTV interview that Oasis was bigger than The Beatles, but he later denounced his claims saying he was “high” at the time.