When it hits, it hits all at once doesn’t it? I think I’ve been having so many problems with my thyroid the last few days because my girlie problems hit about a week early, so I expect to definitely be sleeping more and more over the next few days.

As long as I can drag myself out to Spittoono on Friday I don’t care how much time I spend sleeping this week. I’ve only missed one Spittoono in the last 8 years or so, and I don’t plan on missing it again this year.

Courtesy of Spittoono.org

What is it?

Spittoono originally started as a redneck festival created by a bunch of guys sitting around drinking beer at the Esso club.

Yes the Esso club was a gas station that sold beer, and eventually the beer outsold gas. When Esso switched over to Exxon, the Esso Club remained the same, and it’s just as important to Clemson students as the football games.

The guys who created Spittoono wanted a redneck version of Spoleto, the Festival of the Performing Arts held in Charleston each year.

We didn’t much care to see a bunch of guys prancing around on stage wearing tights or singing in Italian. You can’t even CLOG to that kinda music! We figured that what we needed was a festival of the REDNECK performing arts, with music performed on electric guitars and banjos and other REAL instruments. And we needed to show that bunch what a REAL performance was like.

Over the years other redneck festivals in the area have caused Spittoono to take a more southern rock feel, and I like it that way. Various unsigned bands from all over the upstate perform all weekend long showcasing their talents. The festival is more than just a bunch of music ranging from rock to bluegrass. It raises money for area charities through food/drink sales and the sales of an annual t-shirt. All the bands play for free, and admission is free. Everyday day you see thousands of people stopping by to enjoy the music from college kids to families with kids in a Bugaboo stroller. The church crowd is there for the bluegrass and the baby boomers are taking themselves back in time with the cover bands playing tunes from the 60s.

Speaking of those Bugaboo strollers, have you seen those?  I think their pretty nifty looking.  Not only do they fold down in seconds, but they are so versatile.  I love how many ways you can flip the thing to make it work for the moment, and the fact you can switch out fabrics to your preferred color of the moment is adorable.  When we have kids I think I may have to convince Hubby we need one of these.  Anyway, back to Spittoono.

My father-in-law’s band used to play every year at Spittoono, and I guess you could say we were his roadies. Instead of being out in the crowd we’d be back behind the stage or up on the side of the stage watching the show waiting to move equipment, and I thoroughly enjoyed that.

I’m one of those people who doesn’t stick to mainstream music. I’m constantly searching for the unknown, looking for something great, and a lot of times there are little unknown bands out there that I think sound way better than any of the mainstream stuff. Festivals like this give me a chance to not only celebrate the history of our area, but I can explore new bands while helping to raise some extra funds for local charities.