Making Food and Music Mix
Though BottleRock is mostly known for its festive atmosphere and head-turning musical lineup, the Williams-Sonoma Culinary Stage is an often-underappreciated location responsible for some of the event’s most iconic memories. With professional equipment provided by the stage’s namesake company, the culinary stage brings celebrity chefs from around the world and challenges them to create food with some of the festival’s musicians at their side.
One of the most popular time slots at the stage included legendary television cook Martha Stewart bringing her own brand of heat as she grilled Macklemore and Ryan Lewis in front of an audience of hundreds. The Seattle duo withered under Stewart’s roasting session: Macklemore claims he doesn’t drink or smoke, while Lewis hasn’t found anything he wouldn’t drink or smoke. But the chicken wings the three created carried enough spice to share. The crowd went absolutely insane when the chicken wing server was none other than Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry, who threw a wing into the crowd as if he was dropping 3’s from the top of the key.
The Future of Music
What comes to mind when you think of American music? The history of Americana, folk and country 
music paints a varied and colorful description of the country’s artists over the years, which they’ve pulled from the culturally diverse tones of the blues, funk and jazz movements for inspiration, creating a modern twist on old classics. For Corey Harper, creating his own musical style starts with remembering what his parents played on the radio when he was growing up.
Harper is from Portland, Ore., but the fledgling grunge movement on the West Coast wasn’t popular around the household. “Most of the time, we’d listen to some of the great Southern guitarists in rock and blues. Stevie Ray Vaughan was a favorite.”
A professed fan of John Mayer and Ben Howard, his debut EP, “On the Run,” is a blend of classic rhythm guitar combined with the lyrical lilt of an artist born 40 years past the prime of Buffalo Springfield.
“When I write music, I try to clear my mind and calm myself,” he says. “Lyrics come best for me when I’m focused, but sometimes the melody comes to me first and I write lyrics to match that.”
www.coreyharpermusic.com
Listen Responsibly with Libratone
In 1915, Napa-based Danish engineer Peter Jensen created the world’s first practical moving-coil loudspeaker. The innovation became the key in audio technology that enabled musicians to perform to loud crowds without worrying whether their instruments would be loud enough.
Following the legacy of Denmark-Napa innovation, Danish company Libratone became a sponsor for 2017’s BottleRock festival to showcase just how far audio technology has advanced since the 20th century.
“Music is such an integral part of today’s culture, so we developed a product people can carry around so they can set up professional-level music anywhere they go at the touch of a button,” says Henrik Böwadt, vice president of marketing and development at Libratone. “We have also partnered with Spotify so you can create and download playlists in advance, then use one button to send it to the speakers without having to cross multiple apps.”
For unobtrusive listening, the Q-series of Libratone headphones uses sound-canceling technology for both in-ear and over-ear setups. “You can control how much you need based on your situation,” says Böwdat. “If you’re on the job and need to hear what’s going on, there are minimal settings that eliminate background noise but lets you hear everything else. The maximum settings would be for audiophiles or people who don’t want to be disturbed.”
Libratone’s products are available from their website and on Amazon. Look for the trademark Nightingale.
www.libratone.com
