KNOTTY BOY E-ZINE   |   JUNE 2004

Da-da-da DAAAAA! Is that the sound of slamming lockers, slapping flip-flops and mobs of sun-tanners we hear? OK, so the last one doesn't really make a sound (unless you count the embarrassing noise an almost-empty bottle of Banana Boat makes when you're squeezing out the last drops), but none the less, summer is finally upon us! It's time to dust off your sunglasses and hit the summer scene, and with a ton of concerts and festivals, it's hard to really know where to start - Burning Man? Shambhala? Bumbershoot?... ALL of them!?  No matter if your hitting the road to every freakin' fest you can fit, or just lounging in the sand and sun, one thing is for sure - it's time to funkify (or perhaps de-funkinfy) your hair for the summer, and Knotty Boy is here to help you every step of the way. 

  No, kiddies, we won't be happy until your head is as refreshed as a Slurpee on a white-hot, pavement-melting day!

And what's Knotty Boy up to for the summer you ask? WELL . . . .

  The list we've put together of things to do this summer is sooo long, any moaning about how you made a nasty liquor mix from your dad's cabinet stash, guzzled it down and then shaved off your dreads because you were BORED will not be tolerated. (How many times have we heard that around here - *shudder*) - Anyway, pay attention, cuz here are few good times to keep you off Ritalin this summer!

Canada -------------------------

•  http://www.interlog.com/~ufojoe/ocff.html  Awesome complete link to all folk and general music festivals listed all across our great nation from coast to coast. Have fun!

• http://www.canehdian.com/events.html More of everything in Canada happening this summer to which you can wear your maple leaf with pride.

•  http://www.romwell.com/travel/advisory/atract/festi/canfest.shtml  Lists it all from jazz festivals to that bastion of Canadian culture, The Calgary Stampede - ride ‘em, cowboy!

• http://www.saltspringmarket.com/music/music_canada.htm  Good listing of Canadian music festivals, and also check out the market website from Knotty Boy's hometown of Salt Spring Island

• http://www.omfestival.com/index.html One of Canada 's longest-running and most famous leave-no-trace outdoor parties.  

• http://www.evolvefestival.com/ In its fifth year, this 3-day, 225-acre outdoor party in Nova Scotia features five stages of bands and djs.  

• http://www.shambhala.cc/  Six-year-old Shambhala is the ultimate BC hippy festival August 13-16^th.

US -----------------------------

• http://www.festivalfinder.com/This pretty much sums up everything happening in the US this summer. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

• http://www.burningman.com Only the biggest week-long grand-daddy of all outdoor art and music festivals in the US !

• http://www.michfest.com/ Michigan Womyn's Music Festival

• http://www.progpowerusa.com/index.php  Atlanta prog-metal fest in September.

• http://www.seattlehempfest.com/  Knotty Boy might be vending here! Check the links page for other hemp fests in the US .

• http://www.bumbershoot.com/  More great music in Seattle at one of America 's largest urban arts fests.

International --------------

•  http://www.rockreview.co.uk/festivals.asp Every band I can think of ever wanting to see RIGHT HERE, you lucky Brits!

• http://www.womensfestival.com This is a pretty funky link to festivals by and for women all over the world.

• http://www.reggaefestivalguide.com  Holy reggae festivals, batman! There's a million of them here!

• http://thefestivalzone.com/ Rock festivals all over Europe , including countries we've never even heard of.

• http://www.musicalonline.com/Festivals%20International.htm A bit more formal and has listings for summer string camps in Hong Kong ! You could go anywhere with this link!

• http://www.irielion.com/irie/ Huge listing of reggae festivals and events going on in The Netherlands and Belgium - and here we thought Vancouver was Hippy Capital of the World.

 
If you have any other summer event recommendations, fire them to us here at Knotty Boy and we'll add them to our Links page!

Now, while you're at these charming little tea parties, you have to make sure you take care of your dreads, of course. Summertime's when the living is easy, especially if you follow Jervais, Princess of Dreadfulness' guide to good summer dreads. There's loads to make note of, so we command you, in all that is Knotty, to read on. Otherwise villainous fairies will come and do wicked things to your dreads while you're fast asleep in your tent somewhere out in the forest-  mwahaha.

The outdoor season is here! Be prepared and your dreads will survive it all with flying colors!

All right, nature babies, let's start off with a list of things you'll need!

Sunscreen
I can already hear you asking: "What does sunscreen have to do with my dreads, oh beautiful-and-magnificent-Princess-of-all-things-dreadful?" (Okay, so maybe I embellished on the last bit.) The answer is, your scalp needs it, of course! During the summer months, whether we've had maintenance or not, our scalps soak up the summer sun just like the rest of our bodies do. Without dreads, your scalp is normally covered by hair, and thus protected somewhat from the sun. However, when you have dreads, your scalp is often more exposed, leaving it more vulnerable to nasty burns.

  Allow me to illustrate with a little story:

  One day in the land of Denmark (Længe leve Danmark!), a beautiful dreaded Princess decided to get dread maintenance. The maintenance was brilliant, and once it was completed she decided to go on a six hour bike-ride through northern Denmark , as it was a bright, sunny day and she wanted to make the most of it. The ride went wonderfully, but when she got back to her palace and had rested a while, her scalp started to feel very tight and uncomfortable. She walked to her looking-glass and behold! Her scalp looked like one of the royal lobsters - court-jester red, very hot and VERY tight-feeling!

  Over the next few weeks, the tight, burning feeling began to subside, but her scalp started to itch and then began peeling - yes, her Royal Dreadfulness had a royal case of flakey scalp! If only she'd had some wise soothsayer to tell her to wear some friggin' sunscreen!

So there you have it. Consider me your royal soothsayer and grab yourself some sunscreen, or even better, wear a dreadband or dread hat. To apply the sunscreen, put a little on your finger tips and dab it on all of the parts of your scalp that are exposed. It won't hurt your dreads and it washes out no problem. Don't be a royal dummy like the Princess  protect your scalp from the sun this summer!

Knotty Boy Dread Shampoo Bar

Whether you've tried the Knotty Boy Dread Shampoo Bar or not, here's a few cool things you probably didn't know about your trusty little block of goodness. First of all, it's totally eco-friendly! This means that not only can you wash your dreads in lakes, ponds, rivers and oceans, but you can do so without hurting fragile ecosystems and our beautiful earth. The shampoo bar is the perfect thing to take camping. Not only can it be used as an all-over face and body wash (just keep it outta your eyes!), you can use it for washing dishes, clothes and everything else.  The best part is they are light, small and don't blow up in your bag like liquid soaps and shampoos. Make it a must-have on your camping and outdoor-fun list.

Extra Toilet Paper and Garbage Bags

Okay, so I know this is sort of out of my domain but wanted to remind you – it sucks not bringing enough toilet paper. Moving on

Knotty Boy Peppermint Cooling Moisture Spray

Nothing is worse than being at a festival that has minimal or no showering areas. Did you know our Peppermint Cooling Moisture Spray is a great refresher for when you don't have access to showers and are unable to wash your stinky body, itchy scalp and dreads? Peppermint essential oil is an instant bacteria and germ-killer, and there's a lot of that in this fantastic spray. Not only that - it's a really great thing to bring with you into those horrid Port-A-Potties. Open the door, stick your arm in while plugging your nose with the other hand, spray like a maniac, walk in and do your thing. It will make it a much less traumatic experience! Plus, the guy who goes in after you will appreciate it - how's that for random acts of kindness?

Salt Water

Did you know that swimming in the ocean is one of your dreads' favorite thing to do? This vacation, take full advantage of that large body of water if you're near one and give your dreads some salty love. It's especially good for new dreads as it tightens them up like crazy, and let's face it, everyone likes a cool dip in the blue ocean on a hot summe r d ay. For mature dreads, you can give them a rinse after if you're worried about them getting too dry or brittle.

  If you're nowhere near a large body of salt water, you can close your eyes and pretend you are by grabbing some of our Salt Spring Island Mist Knot-Tea and spraying up a perfect storm to freshen and tighten your dreadlocks. Smells great, too!

  I think that's it for me this month. It's been pretty busy around here lately with all the TV show stuff, fashion shows and party planning. Woo! I sound like such a glamour-puss - really I'm just a nerd at heart, promise. My point? With everything to do I'm still trying to think up some clever nickname for Adrianna - don't worry, it'll come to me, and when it does… boy-oh-boy, is it going to be a doozy.

Laterz skaterz,

Princess.. erm'. 
Knotty Jervais

Holy heckfire! It's that time again!

Check out our monthly rad-dad give-away, exclusively for eZiners!!

So, since we've talked a whole lot in this eZine about how some of our different products can save you a lot of dreadful anguish, and we're also totally rockin' the summer-fun theme this issue, we figured this month's give-away could have something to do with keeping those dreads clean, tidy and out of your face in the hot-hot-heat… Without further ado, here's this month's dealio!

Grab yourself a bottle of the Knotty Boy Peppermint Cooling Moisture Spray or a Dreadlock Rescue Combo, try a few of the Knot-Teas or a Shampoo Bar to get you through that camping trip… anything totaling a minimum purchase of $30, and we'll throw in a $14 Knotty Boy Recycled T-Shirt Dreadband of your choice for FREE! (The rasta-stripe ones are especially irie, mon.) 

To score, just load up your shopping cart, click Checkout, fill out your shipping info and, in the Comments area of that page write, "Knotty Boy told me I can checkout anytime I like, but I can never leave. Ieeeba! Give me my free _______  (pick a color) recycled t-shirt dreadband and get me outta here before I get any more overplayed Eagles songs stuck in my head!! Yes, I'm an eZiner!"

Excellent deal, no? So hop to it, folks - this special will only last until you get our next eZine! And then you'll have to cope with even MORE freebies! *sigh*

Other Knotty Goings Ons

The fashion show Knotty Boy was a part of at the Cambie Pub on May 19^th here in Vancouver was a huge success! Not only did the models' hair look spanktastic as they stomped down the carved-up tables that made the catwalk, the crowd went WILD when Knotty Boy was thanked for the styling and Jervais went up on stage and threw pairs of Knotty Boy undies into the crowd. Too bad someone was a little too boozy on free Cambie beer to take in-focus pictures of the event… Knotty naming any Sarah names!

By the time you get this eZine, we'll also have had our Grand Opening party for the Knotty Boy Lock Shop and Salon on May 27^th , we're hoping lots of people come, but we shouldn't have any trouble filling our little space, and PLUS Jones Soda will have their big pink van parked outside on the street giving away sodies all evening, so that should bring in a few freebie-grubbers at very least. Oh come on, lets be a little more optimistic, shall we?? It'll be a huge success we're sure, as the salon itself has been in only its first month - yay!

OH yes, and the chat… our Chat Room is a little bonkers at the moment as you may have noticed, so the promised Hour of Dread twice-a-month Tuesday-night chat with Jervais from 5-6pm PST has changed to an MSN open chat for now. All you do is sign up for MSN Messenger with a Hotmail or Yahoo email address, and add  to your contact list. Jervais will accept you into the chat window and you can ask her all your dreadful questions to your heart's content during that time. Any changes to the above schedule will be posted on the front page of the www.knottyboy.com website, so if it doesn't seem to be happening, check the little news box for any updates.

Well, we outta here like Vanilla Ice's career (yes, we just noticed he's playing some place called City Limits Cabaret in Abbotsford next week - ahh, poor Vanilla) and we'll see you all next month with even more rabbits to be pulled out of hats. Don't forget to let us know who, what, where, when, why and how we're doing, in your humble opinion, by filling out the Knotty Boy 5-Second Survey  - we won't know how we can be better unless you tell us, right? and hope you have tons of fun rockin' in the free world at the many music events (hopefully) in your neighborhoods this month!

Ola, amigos maravillosos!

The Knotty Crew

PS. Ultimate summer-rockin' song of the '80s?  Patio Lanterns by Kim Mitchell. Its worth the download, BEELIEVE ME. Don't believe me? Well, if you're so smart, why don't you email and tell us what your  ultimate summer-rockin' song is?? Hey, let's have a complete listing of the Super Sounds of the Summer for July's eZine - I'm adding ‘California Girls', the David Lee Roth version to my list already - that makes me already two ahead of you! BUT speaking of the Eagles, anyone that says ‘Boys of Summer' by The Ataris without  giving props to Don Henley automatically loses for-EVER! Roit, then, Knotty Boy has spoken!