Wallkill had evicted the Woodstock Music and Art Fair from Howard Mill’s site. It was three weeks before the festival was to start.
Stories vary of who found Max Yasgur’s field one county away in Bethel.
The one I’m buying is the one Ticia Bernuth Agri, simply Ticia Agri at the time, tells.
Ticia Bernuth Agri
Happy Avenue
She and Michael Lang, lead organizer and font of good vibes, drove northwest on NY Rt 17 from Orange County, NY into Sullivan County, NY. They got off at the Monticello exit and headed west on Rt 17B.
Ticia’s story is that about 9 miles later, she was the one who spotted Happy Avenue in Bethel.
But Happy Avenue is not where Max Yasgur’s field was. Happy Avenue was not where Max Yasgur lived, but the name was certainly enticing.
Michael and Ticia had to drive a mile north on Happy Avenue before coming to the West Shore Road intersection and then, fortuitously, making a left and even then having to drive another mile before arriving at the Hurd Road/West Shore Road intersection and seeing Max’s field from the bottom. It caught their eye.
Then to find Max whose home and dairy farm were about 3 miles from there.
Ticia Bernuth Agri
Who’s Ticia Agri
According to a 2009 Sea Coast online article, Agri was born in New York City and grew up in the Hudson Valley. At age 16 her parents divorced and both moved to Europe.
She lived with her father in Rome, but traveled to 72 countries, including India, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
These travels — and her stories about living on a dollar a day, coming across Arabs with bejeweled sabers, visiting a guest palace — got her the job with Woodstock Ventures in the spring of 1969.
Keep the Dream Flowing
There is a Keep the Dream Flowing podcast and in 2019 Ticia was interviewed for it. By the way, the podcast is an excellent one for those interested in hearing stories about Woodstock from people who are or were involved in the famous event. It’s available via the usual platforms, but the early episodes seem to be only available via Spotify.
Woodstock Appears
Also her Facebook pagew the caption: My favorite photo of Michael and I working
In the podcast (Episodes #3 and #4 from July 22 and 30, 2019 respectively) she describes herself as an adventurer and open to new people, places, and things.
In 1969, her then boyfriend who knew Stan Goldstein (one of the festivals key organizers) told her that Goldstein was looking for an assistant to Michael Lang. She describes her reaction to the remark as a karmic one: she simply knew the job would be hers despite no experience in such matters.
The boyfriend initially ignored her requests for an interview, but Ticia’s persistence paid off. She got the interview, impressed Goldstein with her extensive travel experiences, and became Lang’s assistant.
Her main job, an impossible one, was to keep Lang on time and on task. She tried.
Wes Pomeroy
One of the first decisions she helped with had to do with security. In one interview, the applicant described having dogs and hoses to insure tranquility. Both Agri and Lang knew he was not the one.
The next person was Wes Pomeroy who wanted security to simply help attendees. They knew he was their person. He “got it.”
Agri speaks about the festival’s intent being a blueprint for how things could be and how they tried to execute that blueprint. And doing that without commercializing the event. It was just “being together in Oneness.”
She describes Michael Lang as a “Manifester,” someone who wants and seeks the best for everyone. The opposite of a con-artist who is always connives for their own best interests.
How Max Yasgur?
There are versions of how Woodstock Ventures and Max Yasgur. What Ticia related was that shortly after Wallkill evicted the festival, Elliot Tiber contacted Ventures offering permits and a site. When Lang and Agri arrived, the permits looked OK, but the site was a swamp.
Lang and Agri drove west on 17B and Agri saw the Happy Road street sign and yelled to Michael, “Turn!” They eventually saw the field, went back to Tiber and asked him whose land it was: Max Yasgur.
She also describes that despite the intensity of having to build their venue in three weeks, many of the hundreds of attendees who showed up days early became part of the process to create, to manifest, the event.
And how the locals offered assistance to the thousands of young people walking miles and miles toward the site.
“All toward the greater good.” “It was a moment of oneness and freedom.”
Afterwards
She later moved to Woodstock and got involved in renovating a house. She became a road manager for a couple of bands, worked on other festivals, eg. Atlanta Pop Festival,
In the 1990’s, she led a meditation group at The Light and Healing Center in Exeter, NH, Where she created The Ribbon Breath Meditation. She studied over 4000 hours of Neuro Linguistic Programming, Ticia received a three year training certificate from Center IMT, for Integrative Manual Therapy, trained with the carrier of the medicine for the Aztec nation, Tzenwaxolokuatli, studied Plant Spirit Medicine with Eliot Cowen, studied shamanism for 7 years, And received her teaching certificate in 2007.
She has taught shamanic classes, and worked as a karmic healer in Italy, France, the UK and in the United States. She is currently doing long distance healings as well as working as a meditation guide to teach students to journey with their spiritual teachers to the upper, middle, and lower worlds in a safe and ethical way with the proper protocols to clean karma and Heal oneself and others.
Organizing any large event is like putting together a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. And we could say that Woodstock was a jigsaw puzzle without a picture to go by.
Woodstock made famous the names Michael Lang, John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld, Chip Monck, John Morris, Wes Pomeroy, and Hugh Romney/Wavy Gravy, but some people were just as important and aren’t nearly as well known.
It was Monday 18 August 1969. Sha Na Na had left leaving everyone feeling good. Fun entertainment.
Next was the moment, that for many at the festival, as good as the long list of performers had been, was the one they had looked forward to: Jimi Hendrix.
Unfortunately, most of the crowd had had to leave before he took the stage around 9 AM. Why? Perhaps school. Perhaps getting the family car back home. Likely a summer job. Or simply too tired, dirty, and hungry to stick it out any more.
In the minutes before, those who were able to stay could still hear helicopters, the stage crew tapping mics, called instructions, and, of course, a request by MC Chip Monck, to please get off the light towers.
He does thank everyone there for “making all this possible…it’s been a long one, but it’s been delightful.” The crowd applauds.
After Chip introduced the band as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Hendrix politely explained that “they’d gotten tired of the Experience…so we decided to change the whole thing around and call it Gypsy Suns and Rainbows. For short…Band of Gypsys.”
Then he introduced the band. Someone in the crowd asked if he was high and he responded a few moments later that “I’ve got mine.”
The nearly 2-hour set was one of the longest in Hendrix’s cut-short career. This group performed just twice more before disbanding and was the only time Hendrix performed with a second guitarist.
A song Jimi wrote and it first appeared on his Band of Gypsys album released by Capitol Records on March 25, 1970. The band had recorded the album at the Fillmore East in January 1970.
Well I travel at the speed of a reborn man I got a lot of love to give From the mirrors of my hand I sent a message of love Don’t you run away Look at your heart baby Come on along with me today Well I am what I am thank god Some people just don’t understand Well help them god Find yourselef first And then your tool Find yourself first Don’t you be no fool Here comes a woman Wrapped up in chan Messin’ with that fool baby Your life is pain If you wanna be free Come on along with me Don’t mess with the man He’ll never understand I said find yourself first And then your talent Work hard in your mind So you can come alive You beter prove to the man You’re as strong as him Cause in the eyes of god You’re both children to him Da da doo doo Everybody come alive Everybody live alive Everybody love alive Everybody hear my message Hey, ooooo
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Hear My Train a-Comin’ (Getting My Heart Back Together Again)
Written by Jimi Hendrix, it also appeared on the Band of Gypsys album
Well, I wait around the train station Waitin’ for that train Waitin’ for the train, yeah Take me home, yeah From this lonesome place Well, now a while lotta people put me down a lotta changes My girl had called me a disgrace
Dig The tears burnin’ Tears burnin’ me Tears burnin’ me Way down in my heart Well, you know it’s too bad, little girl, It’s too bad Too bad we have to part (have to part)
Dig Gonna leave this town, yeah Gonna leave this town Gonna make a whole lotta money Gonna be big, yeah Gonna be big, yeah I’m gonna buy this town I’m gonna buy this town An’ put it all in my shoe Might even give a piece to you That’s what I’m gonna do, What I’m gonna do, What I’m gonna do
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Spanish Castle Magic
Written by Jimi Hendrix, it had been on the Axis: Bold as Love album recorded from May – June and October 1967 in London. It was released in December 1967.
It’s very far away It takes about half a day To get there If we travel by my… Dragonfly
No it’s not in Spain But all the same You know It’s a groovy name And the wind’s just right Hey
Hang on my darling Hang on if you want to go You know it’s really groovy place And it’s just a little bit of a Spanish castle magic
The clouds are really low And they overflow With cotton candy And battle grounds Red and brown
But it’s all in your mind Don’t think your time On bad things Just float your little mind around Look out
Hang on my darling yeah Hang on if you want to go It puts everything else on the shelf With just a little bit of Spanish castle magic Yeah baby
Hang on my darling yeah Hang on, hang on if you want to go It puts everything else on the shelf With just a little bit of Spanish castle magic Hey Its all in your mind A little bit of daydream here and there
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Red House
Written by Jimi, it had appeared on his debut album in the UK, Are You Experienced. The US release did not include Red House.
There’s a red house over yonder, that’s where my baby stays. There’s a red house over yonder, baby, that’s where my baby stays. Well, I ain’t been home to see my baby in about ninety nine and one half days, ‘Bout time I see her.
Wait a minute, something’s wrong. The key wont unlock the door. Wait a minute, something’s wrong, baby. The key wont unlock the door.
I got a bad, bad feeling that my baby don’t live here no more.
I might as well go on back down, Go back ‘cross yonder over the hill. I might as well go back over yonder Way back yonder ‘cross the hill, (That’s where I come from) ‘Cos if my baby don’t love me no more.
I know her sister will!
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Mastermind
Larry Lee had just returned from Vietnam two weeks earlier when Jimi, his Nashville guitar buddy, invited him to join his Gypsy Sun and Rainbows band. He wrote Mastermind.
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Lover Man
Written by Jimi, it would appear after he died on the Isle of Wight album, released by Polydor in November 1971.
Here he comes, baby, here comes your lover man Here he comes, here comes your lover man I see him out your window, baby Leap out as fast as I can Reach up, baby those are my runnin’ shoes Reach up, baby, and let me get my runnin’ shoes See your man coming, I’ve got no time to lose
I wanna love you longer than even I wanna love you stronger, stronger but I wanna love you all night long but If that’s your man, baby, over yonder
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Foxy Lady
Written by Jimi, it appeared on his debut albums both in the US and UK.
Foxy, foxy You know you’re a cute little heart breaker, ha foxy, yeah And you know you’re a sweet little love maker, ha foxy
I want to take you home, haha yeah I won’t do you no harm no, ha You got to be all mine, all mine Ooh foxy lady, yeah Foxy, foxy
Now-a I see you come down on the scene Oh foxy You make me want to get up and a scream foxy, oh baby listen now I’ve made up my mind Yeah, I’m tired of wasting all my precious time You got to be all mine, all mine Foxy lady Here I come foxy
Yeah I’m gonna take you home I won’t do you no harm no You got to be all mine, all mine Foxy lady Here I come baby, I’m commin’ to get ya
Ooh foxy lady yeah yeah You look so good foxy Oh yeah foxy Yeah give us some foxy Foxy foxy lady Foxy lady
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Jam Back at the House (Beginnings)
Jimi explains…”“Yeah well A like I said before we only ran up s few numbers, so let me try and do this one. Like we were just jammin’ at the house. We don’t have A name for yet, it’s just like an instrumental. So we’ll just go along with it. It goes something’ like this. “
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Izabella
Jimi: “before we go any further, we’d like to say that you all really had A lot of patience. Three days worth. You’ve proved to the world what can happen with a little bit of love and and understanding and sooouuuunnnds.
[loud guitar feedback]
“Yeah, thank you very much. i’d like to do this song dedicated to maybe a soldier in the army. singin’ about his old lady that he dreams about and humpin’ a machine gun instead or it could be could be a cat maybe tryin’ to fall in love with that girl baby, but a little bit too scared. that’s where the problems come from sometimes isn’t it? i meen the cat is really insecure a little bit. So the call girls groupies and they call girls this. and they call passive people hippies and bla bla, woof, woof, all down the line That’s because their not in love man that’s what’s happening. that’s the other half of a man, is woman. and we’d like to play a thing called Izabella, and don’t you ever forget it.“
Girl, i dream about you every night Every night Hey, girl you know we got a war Got a war to fight So i think about you every day Oh, and i hope you listen to me right
Hey, izabella Girl, i’m fighting this war for the you Hey little girl i fight this war for the children and the world and you So i hope you hear me baby, yeah Cause what i try to tell you is true Hey Izabella I fight this war for the children and you Hey girl, i said i fight this war for the children and you Please save your love for me Then i’ll know the fightin’ is true Izabella Hey Izabella I’m gonna fight this war against nature, my heart “Thank you very much. and i’d like to go on with another slow thing. I’d like to get by with a little bit of jam messin’ around with back At the house. i think we’re going to call “get my heart back together Again”
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Gypsy Woman/Aware of Love
You can hear from the Rhino soundtrack that the Jimi and the band don’t have a specific setlist already decided. Larry Lee does two songs.
From the weallbe site: “…a song originally written for The Impressions and which Hendrix and Lee had learned to perform from the soul master Curtis Mayfield when Lee and Hendrix toured with The Impressions and The Marvelettes”
Gypsy Woman
From nowhere through a caravan Around the campfire light A lovely woman in motion With hair as dark as night Her eyes were like that of a cat in the dark That hypnotized me with love
She was a gypsy woman, She was a gypsy woman
She danced around and round to a guitar melody From the fire her face was all aglow How she enchanted me Oh, how I’d like to hold her near And kiss and forever whisper in her ear
I love you, gypsy woman I love you, gypsy woman
All through the caravan She was dancing with all the men Waiting for the rising sun Everyone was having fun I hate to see the lady go Knowing she’ll never know That I love her, I love her
She was a gypsy woman A gypsy woman, a gypsy woman, a gypsy woman
Aware of Love
I’m aware of love At last, I’m aware of love’
I asked my papa not long ago Now ‘What is love’ and he said, ‘Hello, you have to find out for yourself, You cannot learn from somebody else’ And someday you’ll be aware of love, I’d say someday if you live long enough You’ll be aware of love’
Auh, but I was anxious and couldn’t wait And every little girl I took on a date Told her that I really, really loved her Vowed I’d never ever love another But found it was just puppy love I said I found yes, I did’ yes, I did It was just puppy love’
Auh, but like papa told me one day I met you I knew right then girl I had to get you Took you in my arms and really kissed you When you went away child You know I missed you
And I, I’m aware of love At last I have found true love’
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Fire
Also by Jimi and also appearing on the UK and US debut albums.
Alright! Now dig this baby! You don’t care for me, I don’t care about that. You got a new fool, Hah, I like him like that. I have only one burning desire, Let me stand next to your fire. [Let me stand next to your fire] Hey, let me stand next to your fire [Let me stand next to your fire] Oh, let me stand baby [Let me stand next to your fire] Let me stand [Let me stand next to your fire] Yeah baby
Listen here baby, Stop acting so crazy! You say your mom ain’t home, It ain’t my concern. Just don’t play with me, And you won’t get burned. I have only one itching desire, Let me stand next to your fire [Let me stand next to your fire] Yeah, let me stand next to your fire [Let me stand next to your fire] Let me stand [Let me stand next to your fire] Oh, Let me stand [Let me stand next to your fire] Oh
Oh, move over Rover, And let Jimi take over. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about Yeah! Get on with it baby!
That’s what I’m talking about. Now dig this! Ha! Now listen baby! You try to give me your money, You better save it babe. Save it for your rainy day. I have only one burning desire, Let me stand next to your fire. [Let me stand next to your fire] Oh, let me stand [Let me stand next to your fire] Let me stand baby [Let me stand next to your fire] I ain’t gonna do you no harm [Let me stand next to your fire] Oh
Yeah! You better move it baby . . . I ain’t gonna hurt you baby . . .
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)/Stepping Stone
Voodoo Child originally appeared on Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland album which Reprise had released on October 1968.
Reprise Records released Stepping Stone,with Isabella, as a single on April 8, 1970. It was the last single released by Hendrix before his death.
Voodoo Child
I stand up next to a mountain And I chop it down with the edge of my hand Well, I stand up next to a mountain I chop it down with the edge of my hand Well, I pick up all the pieces and make an island Might even raise a little sand
‘Cause I’m a voodoo child Voodoo child
I didn’t mean to take up all your sweet time I’ll give it right back one of these days I didn’t mean to take up all your sweet time I’ll give it right back one of these days
If I’ll see you no more in this world I’ll meet ya on the next one Don’t be late Don’t be late
Well, I’m a voodoo child Lord knows I’m a voodoo child, baby
While the band still plays, he introduced the band again. He also say that the attendees can leave anytime they want. They were just jamming.
Stepping Stone
Ooh-WHEE! I sure got the blues this morning, baby Yeah! And I’m here to tell you about it So you might as well pick up on it! Yeah!
I’m a man At least I’m tryin’ to be I’ve lived before The other half of me I’ve lived before That you don’t want me But in this search For nothing desperately Oh, I’m tryin’ tryin’ Not to be a fool I’m tryin’ tryin’ Lord to keep my cool, baby tryin’ so hard to keep it together
After I find, baby That true love of mine I’m just rollin’ screamin’ Cryin’ flyin’ Can’t be trusted, but busted Rolling Stone
You’re a woman At least you say you are You’re a woman At least you look like you are You’re a woman At least you taste like you are But you can take it off In bed with my guitar And then you leave them Throw me outside To cry, cry To the moon and the nighttime Save my soul, You can’t find All you want is a ticket to ride After you show me everything It did prove otherwise You just rollin’, screamin’, cryin’ good love is sometime, but can’t be trusted Steppin’ Stone Steppin’ Stone Steppin’ Stone
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Star Spangled Banner
According to Joel Brattin, professor of literature at Worcester Polytechnic Institute: It was not the first time Hendrix had performed The Star Spangled Banner. In fact, there are nearly 50 live recordings of Hendrix playing the national anthem, 28 made before Woodstock. They range from about a minute to more than six minutes; the Woodstock version was three minutes and 46 seconds. It was among the best
He adds, “And, certainly, no other version is so iconic.”
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Purple Haze
Purple Haze appeared on both the US and UK releases of Hendrix’s debut album. It was released as the second single on March 17, 1967.
Purple haze all in my brain Lately things, they don’t seem the same
Acting funny, but I don’t know why ‘Scuse me while I kiss the skyPurple haze all around Don’t know if I’m coming up or down Am I happy or in misery?
Whatever it is, that girl put a spell on me Help me! Help me! Ah no, noYeah! Purple haze all in my eyes
Don’t know if it’s day or night
You got me blowing, blowing my mind
Is it tomorrow, or just the end of time?No, help me No, yeah purple haze Oh no, no Oh, help me Tell me, tell me Can’t go on like this You make me blow my mind No, no, no No, no, purple haze
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Woodstock Improvisation/Villanova Junction
From the Woodstock Fandom site: Following “Purple Haze” is an improvisation…by Hendrix alone. He breaks out with a lot of fascinating guitar riffs, many of them which could have formed great songs if he lived somewhat longer. It’s simply amazing watching him play, totally in control of what he’s doing, yet he’s still improvising or playing song patterns from memory. When the rest of the band rejoined they continued with their last number “Villanova Junction”, a fine instrumental Blues song.
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Hey Joe
The crowd continues to call out requests. According to the above referenced Woodstock Fandom site, as he is about to begin the last song of his set, the last song of Sunday’s songs, and the last song of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair,
…Hendrix considered playing the very rare “Valleys of Neptune” which was only released posthumously, mostly on bootlegs. But he didn’t play the song (and never played it for the rest of his career on stage). He can be heard saying: “Ok, now don’t laugh at us. We gonna try this one song called Valleys of Neptune… oh, no I forgot the words of that, I forgot the words of that! I can’t do it.” This is quite ironic because most recordings of “Valleys of Neptune” don’t have any lyrics, so why should he play it at Woodstock with lyrics? But maybe Hendrix couldn’t remember the guitar patterns and notes or it was totally unplanned anyway. Instead he launched into “Hey Joe”, a more classic song.
Hey Joe Where you going with that gun in your hand? Hey Joe I said, where you going with that gun in your hand?
I’m going down to shoot my old lady You know, I caught her messing around with another man I’m going down to shoot my old lady You know, I caught her messing around with another man And that ain’t too cool
Hey Joe I heard you shot your woman down You shot her down, now Hey Joe I heard you shot your old lady down You shot her down to the ground Yeah
Yes I did, I shot her You know, I caught her messing around, messing around town Yes I did, I shot her You know, I caught my old lady messing around town And I gave her the gun I shot her!
Hey Joe (said now) Where you going to run to now? Where you going to run to? Hey Joe (I said) Where you going to run to now? Where you, where you going to go? Well, dig it
I’m going way down south Way down to Mexico way Alright I’m going way down south Way down where I can be free There’s no one going to find me
Ain’t no hangman going to He ain’t gonna put a rope around me You better believe it right now I got to go now
Hey Joe You better run on down Goodbye everybody, ow! Hey Joe, uh Run on down
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
Denouement
The crowd continued to call for more. But Chip Monck closed the Fair with:
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. We’ve got one little trip we’d like to lay on you, if at all possible, there’s a couple of packages of garbage bags here, if on your way out you wouldn’t mind taking one, filling it up, and leaving it where you fill it, that certainly would be appreciated. Anything you can do to give us a hand to leave this area somewhat the way we found it. I don’t think it will ever be quite the same, but somewhat the way we found it certainly would be appreciated.
It’s been a delight seeing you may we wish you anything that the person next to you wishes for you.
Good wishes, good day, and a good life.
Thank you
1 year, 1 month, and 1 day later, Jimi would die.
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock
What's so funny about peace, love, art, and activism?
