The 4th Annual Mikee Jam Fest will be held this Saturday, August 11 at Wilmer Park in Chestertown.
One of my favorite things about writing, both fiction and nonfiction, is that it gives you ?the opportunity to get to know people. If you?ve been following this series, you?ve doubtless learned more about the owners and stories behind some of the local artisans?and crafters at the Chestertown Farmers? Market. This article is a little different, as the person behind the story isn?t present at the ?market in body, but his spirit remains.
I never met Michael Robertson Jones (aka Mikee) ?but his mother Dusti would call me a posthumous friend, of which he has many. Like me, Dusti says Mikee referred to himself ?as ?a ?hippy born too late.? He loved traveling, putting a mattress in the back of his Yukon (the ?official? vehicle of his band, The Energy Field) to attend music festivals like Lollapalooza and Bonnarroo every year. I?ve been known to do that?.
According to Wikipedia, the title Bonnarroo means ?a really good time? and New Orleans musician Dr. John popularized the word. Mikee loved New Orleans as well (and even knew Dr. John!) graduating with a degree in Music Industry Studies from Loyola in 2008. His music, which you can hear on www.mikeejonesmemorial.com, was heavily influenced by New Orleans blues and jazz.
Mikee may have been singing the blues five days after moving to New Orleans, because that was when Hurricane Katrina struck the city. According to Dusti, he managed to get out of his apartment with only one guitar, his laptop computer, a pair of flip-flops, and his roommate; but all his recording equipment was irrevocably damaged when the storm broke all his windows. He rebuilt the studio in his apartment, and after graduating,?converted part of his parent?s house in Chestertown into a recording studio . In addition, he and his best friend Eddie Centofani started Lucid Arts Entertainment, LLC, which connected musicians with buyers and performance venues.
Dusti knows the prohibitive cost of good musical equipment, which is why she and Mikee?s friends created the Mikee Jones Memorial Scholarship after his death in 2009. She, Eddie Centofante, and other friends sell raffle tickets to fund the scholarship, which helps music students at Loyola buy instruments and other gear. Raffle items include hotel accommodations, restaurant and shop gift certificates in some of Mikee?s favorite places, many donated by people who knew him. The Florida Keys basket, for example, includes an outing at the Dolphin Research Center, where Mikee volunteered while he and his family were living in Marathon, Florida.
The winners of the raffle will be announced at the 4th Annual Mikee Jam Fest and silent auction, an event carried over from Mikee?s birthday parties. The Jam Fest is happening Saturday August 11, from 3-5 pm at Wilmer Park in Chestertown. Microphones and sound equipment will be provided, just bring yourself and your instruments.
To learn more about Mikee?s other adventures (including flying, skydiving, and scuba diving), hear his music, buy raffle tickets, participate in the silent auction, or donate to the scholarship-visit http://www.mikeejonesmemorial.com/
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