This was a night filled with sensuality and a feeling of universal connection in the air, the epitome of psychedelic. 

The night started off with me taking a 3 hour ride down to MD, listening to a couple of new Jerry Garcia Band Shows to potentially post for my Trips Picks. It was a fairly mellow drive, not my usual trip to MD, see a police car in the bushes every 5 miles waiting to pounce on someone that steps out of line. I made fairly good time and got to the show at bout 7:30. I was able to walk right into the venue since I bought my ticket online that morning, $30 with $4 in processing fees. In hindsight, I wish I spent the extra $20 for VIP so I could have gotten closer to Alex while he was painting.

There is parking directly across the street from Sonar, since it was later in the evening you did not need to pay for the meters, free parking! I can't remember the last time I went to a show and did not have someone taking $5 or $10 for the use of their parking lot. Once you walk into Sonar you can take an immediate left which is the main room or take a right where there are two smaller rooms. Only the main room and the smaller room to the rear of the venue have bars. I was not drinking since I was driving home later at night so I can't comment on drink prices, but water was $1. The main room was large with a GA style floor and seating available bleacher style to the right of the stage.The sound in the venue is above average and there was plenty of room to dance without feeling too cramped. The lighting company, sorry not sure who they were, did an excellent job on illuminating Alex's work on display. The show was put on by Weapons of Mass Destruction Productions, perhaps they are part of the production company. They literally took his displays to another level with the oozing of colors, like a sunrise in fast forward. This was some really trippy stuff. I would give the venue 5 out of 5 stars, anything goes. No searching on the way in, no hassles during the night and a very friendly staff. 

When I first got to the show I went into the first room to the right. Alex was doing his reading in the main room, not that I was not interested, I just wanted to get my groove on. I was able to catch most of Segway's show and get a good sample of what they were offering. The band offered up some slick jams that were guitar heavy. The keys added a nice dimension to what the band was laying down, improvisational jams that kept you yearning for more. I was feeling the ambiance in the room since there were several kaleidoscope projectors going on to added some flare to the decor.Things got really funky in that room because I sold 5 star laser pens and everyone was lighting them up in the crowd at the same time.

After Segway got done with their set, I made my way over to the main room where Alex was finishing up his reading. While Telesma was setting up after Alex's reading I went outside for a smoke. Sona does not prohibit you from exiting the building once to enter, unlike alot of venues nowadays. I finished up some friendly conversations with some real chill heads and made my way back into the venue for real delight, Telesma.

Telesma was certainly the highlight of the night for me. There guys and gals were giving out a sound that is unlike anything I have come across in a long time. It is a fresh & unique sound, Jambase has classified their sound as, “electro-acoustic psychedelic world dance music”. I don't know if this is right or wrong, but I know they had me dancing and feeling the primal beat that had me wanting them to play more than they had. Telesma played for about 1 hour, offering an arrangement of instruments that was fresh and primitive, the djembe and didgeridoo. The energy at Sona during their set was mystical in nature and drew a crowd to the floor that lived up to their psychedelic classification. If given the opportunity, you should drop any pending plans and check these guys out. Out of all the new bands I have seen this year, they are by far the most innovative, creative and unique band. After the treat of Telesma, EOTO took the stage. 

EOTO  took the stage at about 1:00 by the time Telesma finished up their set and all the equipment was broken down and EOTO setup their instruments. I would have thought EOTO would have played longer than 45 minutes, but the short time they did play it was a creative treat. For those not familiar with EOTO, it is a collection of trippy drum and bass jams. Everything is created on the spot, there are no repeated setlists, unlike some "jam artists" out there doing the same show over and over again. The energy during the set was high but you could feel it slipping into the night, as the hours grew on, people were losing their focus on the music. EOTO played a tight set, but they could have played longer, but time constraints of the venues 2 am closing time cut their set short. EOTO fell secondary to Telesma to me, not that they did not play a good set, but Telesma had my attention from start to finish. 

The entire night was pure psychedelia, from the music to the lighting. I was fortunate enough to be on a mindful journey that night, a light dose of L that allowed me to soak in the colors and sounds. I was planning on staying out of those waters, but once I got inside I knew it was the right time and place for my journey. I wish I had spent the extra $20 for the VIP section, it was hard to see Alex's painting from anywhere in the general admission area. Perhaps I was a bit spoiled from Alex's Birthday party a few weeks ago in NYC, you were literally 3 feet away from Alex creating yet another masterpiece.  Telesma was surely the highlight of the night, since I only said it 3 times I lay it out 1 more time, go check these guys out!

I hope everyone got home safe from their journey, the roads were very icy coming out of the venue. Prayers and wishes that everyone arrived home with good spirits and safety.It was great to see some of my friends have made and wonderful to make new ones.  I was able to get the word out about some of our new products that we just got in and listed on the website. Truly some of the Best LSD Toys and Psychedlic Art I have found in my journies. 

Peace Love & Light to All~

DT