Saturday, November 30, 2013

Bonsai Rock Graffiti Cleanup

Bonsai rock is one of Lake Tahoe's most famous photography sites Full cleanup gallery  
Famous Lake Tahoe photography site Bonsai Rock got tagged with about 50 sprayed on graffiti over Labor Day weekend 2013.  I went out to a graffiti cleanup event at Bonsai beach organized by Dylan Eichenberg and People of Tahoe, Inc.




As Dylan Eichenberg said: "I've been helping to organize this graffiti cleanup effort.  I first saw the pictures two weeks ago, and I came down to the beach because a good friend of mine, Cody Lieberman with People of Tahoe company organized the first graffiti beach cleanup.  We decided that day that we couldn't really do as much as we wanted to, so we decided that we really needed to take some action and get the community together to clean up this unique area.

So, what we did is that first we talked to the state parks, the League to Save Lake Tahoe, the US Forest service, the TRPA, and a bunch of important organizations at Lake Tahoe that deal with environmental cleanup; and we decided that, you know, this is something that we could totally take on. We're trying to get as much of this graffitti as possible.  They've tagged over 50 rocks out there.  You may have seen the pictures on Facebook, and they don't even come close to what's out there.  So, it's gonna take a lot of us and we're gonna get it, hopefully, pretty much done today.  State parks won't be able to get it until July so what we're doing here is really gonna make a big difference."


We worked hard scrubbing all day with wire brushes, blowtorches, and graffiti remover.  The rock I was scrubbing was so thick with paint there were archeological layers: scrape off the silver and there's black underneath, scrape off the black and there's blue and gold underneath... Despite two people scrubbing, I never did get all the way down to bedrock on the rock pictured above.  Luckily most of the rocks weren't as heavily covered as this one as you can see:

Photos from the Adopt Bonsai Beach group

Graffiti before

After cleanup

Regarding the cleanup product, Cody Liberman, co-owner of People of Tahoe said: 

"The product we've been using out here is this product called Motsenbocker's Lift Off.  It's actually an environmentally friendly based cleanup.  It's a solution that breaks down spraypaint as well as cleaning it up, but it's still environmentally friendly.  You know, it doesn't polute the lake, it's not harmfull, and so far it's been the only solution.  We've tried many things, we've done scrub brushed, we've taken torches to try to change the effect of the paint and nothing has worked as well.  


So, we're out here, we've got a bunch of people we've gathered up.  The pictures have gone viral, and, like I've said you can see behind us that we're cleaning up, and it's everywhere.  

And I'm with People of Tahoe.  I'm the owner, I'm the co-owner and we've contributed a bunch of stuff.  You know,we've brought a bunch of stuff and we've reached out to Meeks Hardware in South Lake Tahoe and they've donated all kinds of Motsenbocker product that's cleaning up for us.  Truckee hardware as well as Incline has donated Motsenbocker as well as buckets and brushes.  We actually had a local Safeway that's donated some food out here for us.  And, y'know, we've reached out and tried hard and we've spent some money on the company, with the company money and it's worked out.  We're just reaching out and trying to get a good cause going."


The graffiti has been particularly rough on local photography tourisim.  "Bonsai beach is one of the main places that photographers come to Lake Tahoe to make their images." said North Tahoe area photographer Martin Gollery   "This is a well known and famous and well loves area for Lake Tahoe area photographers, and this is one of the places where we bring people when other photographers come from elsewhere to visit Lake Tahoe and want to see a special location.  And so, for us as photographers, this has been a real travesty because it spoils our images and it spoils what we want to show to people that visit."

My Message to Potential Taggers:

And finally, a message for those of you who are aspiring graffiti artists.  Though it is terrible to do graffitti on nature, there is a place for graffiti in society and if you are a grafitti artist in the Lake Tahoe area there is a great non-profit called Sphere of Influence.  (Contact them on facebook) Sphere of Influence can find you legit places to put up your art where you can do graffiti and get away with it and know that your art is going to be standing for years and years with nobody scrubbing it off.  So, PLEASE, graffiti artists, don't tag on nature.  Perfect your art on plywood at home and then call Sphere of Influence and they will give you a lightbox to decorate the way you want. It's really cool.

By the way,  We really do have a good street art scene in South Lake Tahoe.  Don't let the Bonsai rock graffiti fool you, graffiti can be right in the right places. Check out my interactive walking tour of South Lake Tahoe Street Art to see some of the legit art you can see there.


Saturday, November 23, 2013

Spyncycle at the Electric Mushroom

DJ Bigg Pfun pours vodka for DJ Sensei C-Stylez

I was invited down to the Electric Mushroom Nightclub in Stateline to film a DJ session by Gardnerville-based dubstep/EDM collective Spyncycle featuring Reggae Ambassadors.  It was a great night of DJ music with the best light show in town.  




See more pictures of this event in my Google+ gallery. 

Friday, November 1, 2013

November 2013 Concerts in Tahoe: Macy Gray, Shaggy, Gov't Mule, Tahoe Food and Wine Festival

Oct 30 / Nov 03 Rachel Feinstein / Brandt Tobler @ Improv at Harvey's
November 01-02 A-Train @ Cabo Wabo
David Lunning @ Moody's Bistro
November 01 DJ Big Chunk / DJ Keenan @ Peek Tahoe
McConkey @ Harrah's South Shore Room
Freeway revival @ Whisky Dick's Saloon
Gjestar, DJ Alcheme, Ben Boot @ Electric Mushroom
Rick and Jason @ McP's
Dan Copeland @ Cottonwood bar and grill
Chris Zanardi & the High Beamz @ Crystal Bay Club

November 02 Kytami (of Dheli 2 Dublin) / Jay Tablet, Boomtown @ Whisky Dick's
Leonhardt / Brandon Fox / Molly Taylor / Seth Hall @ Classic Cue
DJ Rick Gee / DJ SN1 @ Peek Tahoe
Gov't Mule @ Harrah's south shore room
  Diverse Mentality feat. Handsome Dodger, Critical Conflict, Beatstax, Flysofee, Freezeto, Iron Mike, Diskfunction, Highbreed, Cosmo Coyote @ Electric Mushroom
Mystique @ McP's
  Helena and the Bear @ 968 Park
Winter Job Fair @ Squaw Valley
Truckee ski and snowboard swap
Highway Poets @ Crystal Bay Club
November 03 DJ Chris English @ Cabo Wabo
November 04 Cash Only Band @ Cabo Wabo
November 05 DJ J-Bird @ Cabo Wabo
Glen Smith @ McP's
November 6-10 Jack Gallagher / Dylan Mandlsohn @ Improv at Harvey's
November 06 Jesse Kalin Carson @ Cabo Wabo
JG Duo @ McP's


November 07 Drought Relief @ Cabo Wabo
North Star @ McP's
Local heroes night @ Squaw Valley (Support teachers and direfighters)
Greensky Bluegrass / Fruition @ Crystal Bay Club
November 08-09 Audioboxx @ Cabo Wabo
November 08 DJ Los / DJ Keenan @ Peek Tahoe
Ron's Garage @ McP's
The Roemers @ West Side Pizza
  Hip-Hop birthday w/ Young Yogi, D Prince and Bala, DJs Sutra and Hyphonix @ Electric Mushroom
Mojo Green @ Crystal Bay Club
November 09-10 South Tahoe food and wine festival feat. Robert Irvine (of "Dinner: Impossible") Singing chef Andy LoRusso, and Rocky Fino, author of "Will Cook for Sex"  
November 09 Manic Bros @ McP's
DJ SN1 / DJ Rick Gee @ Peek Tahoe
Macy Gray, Zeb Early / Mark Sexton Band @ Crystal Bay Club
November 10 DJ Chris English @ Cabo Wabo
November 11 Veteran's Day
Cash Only Band @ Cabo Wabo
November 12 DJ J-Bird @ Cabo Wabo
November 13-17 Wendy Liebman / Steven Kravitz @ Improv at Harvey's
November 13 Ron's Trio @ McP's
Cash Only Band @ Cabo Wabo
November 14 Black Dahlia Murder, Skeletonwitch, Fallujah, Noisem @ Whisky Dick;s
Jackson and Jesus @ McP's
Jesse Kalin @ Cabo Wabo
Passport to Dining @ King's Beach
November 15-16 A Train @ Cabo Wabo
Warren Miller's "Ticket to Ride" @ Harrah's
November 15 DJ Miles Medina / DJ Keenan @ Peek Tahoe
4-Way Street @ McP's
The Roemers @ West Side Pizza
  Pray for Snow party: Spyncycle feat. DJ Sensei C Styles, Bigg Phun, Clayton & Ramone @ Electric Mushroom
Polyrythmics / Multipleks, Ground$core @ Crystal Bay Club
November 16 MC Ringo, DJ Rick Gee, DJ SN1 @ Peek Tahoe
  United Defiance, Maiden's Sorrows, Barking Spiders, CAF @ Classic Cue
Blue Frog Blues Band @ McP's
Melvin Seals, JGB, Orgone / Terraplane @ Crystal Bay Club
November 17 Something Blue Wedding Expo feat. Anne Roos @ Montbleu
  DJ Chris English @ Cabo Wabo
November 18 Cash Only Band @ Cabo Wabo
November 19 Shaggy feat. Rayvon / Thrive, Dubfyah @ Blu in Montbleu
DJ J Bird @ Cabo Wabo
November 20-24 Dennis Blair / Alan Bursky @ Improv at Harvey's
November 20 Goodal Boys @ McP's
Jesse Kalin Carson @ Cabo Wabo
  Truckee Bike Park Party w/ Forget the Roses @ Cottonwood bar and grill
November 21 Harmony Road @ McP's
Cash Only Band @ Cabo Wabo
First day of Ice Skating @ Northstar
November 22-23 Nothin Personal @ Cabo Wabo
November 22-24 Valhalla holiday faire @ Valhalla
November 22 Heavenly / Kirkwood / Northstar opening day (weather permitting)
DJ Leslie Perez / DJ Keenan  @ Peek Tahoe
Trunk Monkey @ McP's
An Elegant Affair @ Boatworks mall in Tahoe City
Keyser Sose @ Crystal Bay Club
November 23 The North face presents "Into the Mind" @ Montbleu
Winter White Party for Boys and Girls Club w/ DJ Ryan Palmer @ Riva Grill
Bass for Snow III feat. Dub Virus, Psy-Fi, and Mr. Rooney @ Electric Mushroom
DJ SN1 / DJ Rick Gee @ Peek Tahoe
Tumbleweed Wanderers @ Crystal Bay Club
November 24 DJ Chris English @ Cabo Wabo
November 25 All hail the Yeti, Weapon Status Red @ Rojo's
Cash Only Band @ Cabo Wabo
November 26 Gene Warren @ McP's
DJ J Bird @ Cabo Wabo
Nov 27 / Dec 01 Rocky LaPorte / Ron Morey @ Improv at Harvey's
November 27 Tone Cookin @ McP's
Jesse Kalin Carson @ Cabo Wabo
Opening Day @ Squaw Valley (weather permitting)
November 28 JKC Band @ Cabo Wabo
Nov 29 - Dec 09 Heavenly Winter Ignite
November 29-30 Unbuckle Apres party w/ Heavenly Angels @ Tamarack Lodge
Route 111 @ Cabo Wabo
November 29 Black Uhuru, Mike Pinto, Dubfyah @ Blu in Montbleu
Black Friday all black party feat. DJ Aspect @ Electric Mushroom
DJ Charisma / DJ Keenan @ Peek Tahoe
  Dirt Starship, DC Fallout, Yankee Brutal, Dearly Divided @ Whisky Dick's
Ron's Garage @ McP's
New Riders of the Purple Sage / Gurbtron, Heidalicious @ Crystal Bay Club

November 30 Porter Robinson feat. Audien @ Montbleu
Tower of Power @ Harrah's South Shore Room
Clinton Sparks @ Peek Tahoe
  Catacomb sessions w/ Tony Krtave, Erik Lobe, Penn7, Mike Mason @ Electric Mushroom
  OsKillah, Dingo Weasel, Joel O'Connor @ Classic Cue
The Upshots @ McP's
Season Pass party @ Squaw Valley feat. DJ OmJah to belefit Protect Our Winters / Shane McConkey

foundation
Local's Last Waltz featuring Jellybread, Downbeat @ Crystal Bay Club


Click here for the November 2013 Tahoe playlist if your browser doesn't support embedded playlists.

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