A pre-dawn dusting of snow fell on southern Oregon, wrapping Ashland like a gift.  Morning’s bright sun melted white back to green to reveal the start of the 10th Ashland Independent Film Festival.  By midday, the endless crisp, blue sky instead hung low, grey, and ominous.  A freakish snow squall swirled around the queue in front of the Varsity waiting for the first slate of films, then the clouds lifted and the world shone bright again. Those changes - from cheery to dreary and b...

  Baffin Babes There are no babes like the Baffin Babes. Vera, Emma, Inge and Kristin- four Scandinavian girls who tackled a burly 1,200-km ski trip across Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic in 2009-will talk about the challenges of their expedition, including sleeping in a tent in 40 below with polar bears as their closest neighbors. Wade Davis Wade Davis is an Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. He holds degrees in anthropology and biology and a Ph.D...

What happens when three diverse, yet influential electric guitar virtuosos, from ages spanning across three generations, meet for the first time at length to discuss and tour their hometowns, upbringings, how their bands formed,  political instability and social setbacks, their methods to their musical madness, and living room like jam sessions?   On Jan 23, 2008, self taught guitarist, producer, composer, and founder of Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, known for his bow, slide guitar, eastern scal...

"It Might Get Loud" Up close with Jimmy Page, U2's, The Edge and Jack White/"The White Stripes"/"The Raconteurs"What happens when three diverse, yet influential electric guitar virtuosos, from ages spanning across three generations, meet for the first time at length to discuss and tour their hometowns, upbringings, how their bands formed, political instability and social setbacks, their methods to their musical madness, and living room like jam sessions? On Jan 23, 2008, self taught guitarist, ...