Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers

Taken with instagram

Wed, 30 May 2012 18:54:47 -0400

Taken with instagram

Just me, hollaraaaiiinnn (Taken with instagram)

Wed, 30 May 2012 18:52:05 -0400

Just me, hollaraaaiiinnn (Taken with instagram)

Taken with instagram

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:53:45 -0400

Taken with instagram

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:53:34 -0400

Taken with instagram

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:53:08 -0400

Taken with instagram

Mon, 28 May 2012 16:24:05 -0400

Taken with instagram

Mon, 28 May 2012 16:22:51 -0400

Taken with instagram

Mon, 28 May 2012 16:22:37 -0400

Taken with instagram

Mon, 28 May 2012 16:22:35 -0400

Taken with instagram

Mon, 28 May 2012 16:22:08 -0400

Taken with instagram

The many phases of Kevin, my producer and bassist (Taken with...

Sat, 26 May 2012 18:25:11 -0400

The many phases of Kevin, my producer and bassist (Taken with instagram)

kevinpritchard: This song is called Dr Dre. We may have gone...

Sat, 26 May 2012 15:47:07 -0400

kevinpritchard:

This song is called Dr Dre.

We may have gone overboard on this one.

Cleaning time (Taken with instagram)

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:32:30 -0400

Cleaning time (Taken with instagram)

Video games are often more profitable than movies. Call of Duty...

Thu, 24 May 2012 19:10:48 -0400

Video games are often more profitable than movies. Call of Duty 3 alone brought in over 4 billion more dollars than the highest grossing movie of all time, Avatar… The crazy thing? The superstars of this medium are no more than pixelated, three dimensional bits of geometry. Even the most hard core gaming fans only know a few of the names of developers behind these operations.

This is the live action trailer to Metro. I’m pretty damned stoked to see how it turns out!

_ In the midst of 2000 raging alternative kids, shirtless and...

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:39:00 -0400

In the midst of 2000 raging alternative kids, shirtless and covered in sweat as thick as melting jello, I thought to myself…
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“Man, my band is really out of place here…”
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I hadn’t much time to ponder, as a girl hucked herself offstage right towards me - her knees bludgeoning me square in the chest. We both came crashing to the ground, slowly being overtaken by a cess pool of pure, raging energy. But as to be expected with any metal show, a hand reached out a yanked me up. Then, after exchanging high fives, Norma Jean continued playing. I pretended to know all the words, which is pretty easy to do at metal shows…
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It was so awesome…

The best part about BLED fest for me though? The fact that an awesome DEMF after party awaits me in the evening. On the surface, they seem to be polar opposites. Even with dubstep as prominent as it is, alternative/scene kids and ravers would seem to be at odds. But at the core, there’s little difference. In both cases you have massive groups of people - all representing different ideals, cultures, colors, identities, and orientations gathering around the vibrations of air; sounds they find universally appealing.
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The music might be different, but the feelings are all the same. Being at the heart of a rave at 4am feels almost identical to being inside of a mosh pit. There’s something special that is evoked from being mashed next to thousands of sweaty people all jiving to the same groove. There’s no past. There’s no future. Just you, the music, and everyone else. An unadulterated moment.
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Have you ever been to church and got that feeling? The music blaring, hands raised to the lord, and some mad praising happening… How about a comedy show? Ever notice how much more funny they are live? Humans naturally love being around humans, even if some don’t think they do. With some music to lay down a groove for everyone to ride, there’s just no resisting the appeal of a good live show.

This is nothing new to the human experience. As long as humans have been humans, we’ve been partying with the aid of the arts. Go back 10,000 years… you’re now a cave man and your tribe has just killed a yeti. What next? Booze up round the camp fire, whip up the drum circle, smudge out some cave paintings, and feast like a bunch of, well… savages! Seriously, partying is a bi-product of the communicative nature of humans. There’s always reason to celebrate :)
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I encourage you to check out either of these festivals this weekend, especially if you don’t feel strongly towards their respective genres. Put a smile on your face, have a cold brew, bring a friend (and maybe meet some new ones), and open yourself up. Be a sponge for the moment. Also, drink water and be safe!!!
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With love,
Joey

[Note: We’re playing from 9-9:30pm at BLED fest this year on stage E, which is the indie stage. We’re playing a more stripped down set with a cello player. We’re really excited! Also, this year is not centered around metal - mostly alt rock and indie]

Photo

Mon, 21 May 2012 18:55:45 -0400

Wompapalooza 2012

Sun, 20 May 2012 22:16:00 -0400

As you may or may not know, I’ve been a major fan of electronic dance music for a long time now. On the eve of 2008, I made a trip to Toronto to visit some of my World of Warcraft Canadian guild mates. As it turns out, they were very involved in the local EDM scene and convinced me to attend a “techno” rave with them on new years at the Guv night club. Long story short, my mind was blown and I never really looked back. It all happened right around the same time as when I began to get into songwriting, composing, and producing. Without a doubt, it was an interesting time in my life.

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I’ve always kept tabs on Michigan’s EDM scene and have spent considerable amounts of time DJing house parties and at various clubs in my area. My band has taken priority over my electronic endeavors, but I still wanted to stay involved. When the opportunity to assist with Wompapalooza this year arose, I jumped on it. It provided me a way to give back to an artistic culture that I very much admire.

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My “jobs” were as follows…

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I was to DJ, Emcee, and run the Groove Academy after hours stage. In addition, I was to volunteer, jumping into help with anything that needed it. I had absolutely no monetary association with the festival, but I held a lot of personal love and pride with it. I put countless hours of hard work and a bit of my own cash into curating a vision that felt was quite attainable.

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And that vision? To provide a festival experience that above all else valued the following: 1) Art 2) Music 3) Community

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My first personal defeat was when all of the major after stages got shut down immediately after the festival headliners. We tried to open them up a number of times on consecutive nights, but the neighbors weren’t having it. It wasn’t security, nor the festival owners, but rather crappy neighbors and an extremely condescending police force. At a festival, people start partying around 9pm and are peaking around 11 or midnight. Of course, the party doesn’t end there. My after hours stage was intended to give people comfortable, entertaining, and safe place to dance to the wee hours. When that got shut down, there was nothing for anyone to do. So people got messed up. Like, really messed up. Drugs and alcohol are a norm for any festival, but here they were rampant. I spent many of my am hours tending to people who simply took too much. With Groove Academy taken out of commission… I can’t lie, I was effing heart broken. Having spent months planning this stage and booking a solid lineup (I had clearance from the festy grounds, too), I can’t even express how defeating it was.

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I’m the type that gets high when I see people all having fun to something I’ve worked hard to create. Boom.

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Everyone probably knows by now that a lot of money was lost at Wompapalooza. Again, I had no monetary association, so I have little insight into the books, but I know many people lost a lot. This festival was put together by an extremely passionate and creative person; however, the business side of things were obviously muddy. I can say from the bottom of my heart that he is an outstanding and passionate human being with the best intentions. It’s unfortunate that money ruined this experience for so many people, but in the real world, you cannot underestimate the dollar. #cream

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A little later in the festival - and after an extremely fun night off - the seriousness of the situation was expressed to me. It was quite clear from the start that much, much more help was needed to keep this festival running. There were 10,000,000 things to be done and only one man to answer to all of it. A few of us stepped up and started making decisions when decisions weren’t being made. We worked our effing butts off and it was one the most difficult tasks I’ve had to undertake in sometime. I apologize to any of the DJs who are upset with me. I had to change around set times due some contractual agreements that were apparently overlooked while artists were being booked. I did the best I could and went with my heart on many decisions. It’s unfortunate that my reputation has been tarnished with some of you in the EDM scene. Hopefully you’ll give me a chance to redeem myself at some point. Honestly, I don’t really care at this point. It’s quite insignificant in every way.

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I would also like to address the whole “organizers running away” thing. The main organizer was told to take shelter away from the camp grounds, as informed by the head of security, for his own personal safety. He had no intentions of leaving and resisted the notion for some time, until convinced otherwise by none other than his parents.

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I also left the campgrounds. I knew some serious stuff was about to happen and wanted to get the $5000 in gear I had stored in an unlocked shed off the campgrounds for fear of it being stolen. I started packing up at midnight and by the time I had everything back home it was nearly 3:30am. I absolutely emotionally and physically drained. You have no idea what I had to go through on that last night. A piece of me died. You know, you have this vision that shatters before your eyes. I was no more than a volunteer for this event, but I placed my heart and soul into it.

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I don’t regret leaving. By that time, I was aware of the monetary situation. I had also realized that I had become a “leader” of the festival due to my active involvement. However, I never once had any insight to the books. I was never intended to be dealing with money and I had no influence in any of it prior to - or during the festival.

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I could have either lied to everyone - and told them I had no idea what the money situation was, or I could tell the truth. Either way, the responsibility was not mine and I had neither the energy nor the heart to make it my problem. Above all else, I felt the worst for security. I ended up working with them quite closely and they did so much more than we asked of them. Really, if there was an unsung hero at this festival, it was security. Some were extremely desperate for money. I didn’t have it in my heart to break that news to them. Maybe I’m just a fucking coward.

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I value mindfulness and compassion for life beyond just about anything else. Guys, I tried my damned hardest here. I made the best decisions I could with the information and materials given to me. I truly fought for something I believed in last weekend. I’m unendingly sorry for those who lost money. Hell, I lost money too… It’s unfortunate when you try your best to do the right thing and you’re punched in the face for it. I don’t blame anyone for being upset though… We’re all hurting here. Word on the street is that everyone will be getting paid though, so, for the sake of lots of people, hopefully something works out.

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I’m kind of an average musician at best. I consider myself a song-writer; a collector of experiences. My job is not to shred on guitar, but rather to collect experiences and articulate them through sound. My job is to live life at it’s fullest - and Womp provided countless opportunities of experience that will influence and curate many creative projects to come. These experiences will shape my current being and in effect will alter the course of my life. I take nothing back. I regret nothing.

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I met so many amazing people and fostered some new friendships that would have never existed otherwise. I saw the other side to running a festival. The much darker side. I became more confidant and assertive in a management situation. I learned to be more firm with people, while still being mindful of their feelings. I learned that lots of things I have no control over, but I can still make rational and mindful decisions in the face of chaos. This was a learning experience like no other and I feel that I grew in many, many ways.

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From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone who stepped up to make this festival happen. It was the idea of one man, but hundreds of other creatives were involved from the start. We all had small visions of our own, but together, they constituted something greater; something we all truly believed in. We hope that everyone who attended can find a few moments that they willingly keep with them, regardless if those moments were good or bad.

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It’s often that tucked away in the rubble is where we reexamine the pieces that once held something together. From this, we learn how to strengthen our foundations to one day rebuild. You have to lose it all sometimes to get anything. Without death, there wouldn’t be life.

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Sincerely,
and with all the love,

Joe Hertler

Therainbowseekers.com is now in working order. Make sure to take...

Thu, 17 May 2012 18:22:05 -0400

Therainbowseekers.com is now in working order. Make sure to take the fun quiz (Taken with instagram)

The Flow Hertler signature 100% real man fur coat. Coming soon...

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:45:47 -0400

The Flow Hertler signature 100% real man fur coat. Coming soon to a Macy’s near you! (Taken with instagram)

Fitting way to end the night (Taken with instagram)

Sun, 13 May 2012 03:04:02 -0400

Fitting way to end the night (Taken with instagram)