Category: Interviews
Celebrating 20 Years of Gathering of The Vibes: Founder Ken Hays x Vinyl Mag
Gathering of the Vibes has a rich history, a strong family, and a visionary as a leader. Over the past 20 years the festival has developed into a musical experience that is built on community and a deep love for music.
The festival that many have come to love today started out as a weekend of remembrance and celebration. It was August 1995 and the recent passing of Jerry Garcia was weighing heavy on the Grateful Dead community. Mourning fans on the East Coast planned to pay their respects to the late Garcia with a formal Central Park service scheduled by the Parks Department, much like what had taken place in San Francisco. After being postponed per request of the Grateful Dead, the gathering was ultimately cancelled by the Mayor’s office.
“Mayor Giuliani cancelled the official memorial in Central Park so we got together and did it ourselves,” shared Ken Hays, Founder of Gathering of the Vibes. “It all happened very organically. We went up to SUNY Purchase and spoke with the director of Performing Arts. They have a beautifully facility up there and they allowed camping, as they had held some family camping events on their campus in the past. Sure enough, we were going through and planning all of the logistics, we put up a small stage, invited some bands, and Deadhead Heaven – A Gathering of the Tribe was born. It turned out to be a beautiful weekend celebrating the life of Jerry and The Dead that following May in 1996.”
What began as a memorial to facilitate some sense of closure for East Coast Deadheads, this initial gathering of The Tribe was just the beginning of something beautiful for Hays and fellow music lovers. “I was with Bob Kennedy and were looking over a sea of tents during the sunset the first night of Deadhead Heaven and we knew that we had to keep this going,” said Hays. “This was something incredibly meaningful for people in attendance and it was one of the few ways to get everybody together. Every year when The Dead came to town we would hang out and party, and with Jerry gone we knew that opportunity to get together with our friends would be limited. Everyone got along so beautifully that weekend so we decided to do it again the next year- we changed the name and doubled in size.”
From the very beginning, this event was started out of love; a love for The Dead, a love of the community, and a love of music. It’s this type of affection that keeps attendees coming back to Gathering of the Vibes year after year. “Today, the festival is very similar to the seed from which it began: love of music and community. Those things never change and that is what is so unique about Vibes and the family it brings together,” shared Hays.
The “tribe” Vibes brings together over the course of the weekend goes far beyond your average festival family. Gathering of the Vibes is welcoming to children and prides itself on being a family-friendly festival.
“When there are children around, it heightens that sense of community and it seemed like the right thing to do,” shares Hays. “We’ve made sure we have activities to entertain the kids, we have designated family camping, and we have special security measures in place for children. Last year we had around 2,300 children and that continues to grow. I personally love going to the family area and the kids area and see all the smiling faces.”
For Hays, those smiling families and attendees are one of the most rewarding aspects of producing Vibes year after year. “Looking out from the stage and seeing so many smiling faces, and then going over to the kids corner and seeing parents playing with their kids, that is what is rewarding about this festival,” Hays explains. “It’s an incredibly meaningful role I play here. It’s those smiles and exposing people to new bands and art they have never experienced before that makes it worth it. My job is to help set the stage for thousands of people with their positive vibes to come and celebrate. Those positive vibes are contagious and hopefully they will go home and spread the positivity to their communities and people who couldn’t join in the weekend.”
Hays has been at the helm of the Vibes ship since the very beginning and has faced and overcome many obstacles along the way. Looking back on the past 20 years, Hays shared with Vinyl Mag one of his biggest learning experiences throughout this journey: “I’m incredibly lucky that I have an amazing group of people that surround me and support me. And I think I’ve learned that I’ve always been hands on and continue to be hands on. I’ve been able to let go and trust those who have my back more now more than ever. And I think that’s one of the things I’ve learn over the years; it’s to be able to let go and trust that the people in key positions have things covered. Micromanaging has been my thing for a long time and to be able to let go and know everything is going to be handled properly is huge, and I am lucky to have an amazing group around me.”
As we approach the milestone celebration for Vibes, this team Hays speaks so highly of is hard at work preparing for the momentous weekend. With community always at the forefront of Vibes’ mission and goals, teams are in place supporting green initiatives, non-profits, food drives, and other programs that give back to the local community. Additionally, the festival boasts a stellar lineup that includes the likes of Wilco, The String Cheese Incident, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Weezer, Gregg Allman, and Warren Haynes. “I’m excited about our Friday night with String Cheese doing a couple sets, and welcoming Wilco, Ben Harper, and Weezer to Vibes for the first time,” said Hays. “We also have a bunch of up and coming artists that are really great artists and I think people are going to be excited when they see them. I think we have a really have something for everybody”
Back in 1996, Hays may not have known what his gathering would ultimately turn into and look like 20 years later, but Vibes has truly turned into something remarkable. When thinking about the future and the next 20 years for Gathering of the Vibes Hays has a list of musicians he would love to invite to come out and play but most of all, he would just like to see the festival and Vibes community stay relatively the same as it’s been. “Honestly, I’d like to see more of the same,” Hays said. “At Vibes people are just stronger and more united as a community and family. I want to see more of that; more love that can be expressed and a desire from all to leave the space at Vibes better than how we found it.”
Green & Sustainable Vibes
Nestled along the Connecticut shoreline, surrounded by historic Bridgeport, lies 325 acres of lush stretches of lawn, towering trees, beautiful beaches and spectacular views of Long Island Sound. Not only is Seaside Park a summer destination for beachgoers, it is also home to Gathering of the Vibes.
In its twentieth year, Gathering of the Vibes will return to Seaside Park this summer (July 30-August 2) and celebrate this momentous year with a lineup that includes the likes of Wilco, The String Cheese Incident, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Weezer, Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes, and many many others.
While the festival boasts a stellar lineup year after year, the true headliner of the weekend is Seaside Park. There are not many festivals where your campsite is situated in a beautiful park along a waterfront. While the park makes for an incredible backdrop, festival attendees also must take extra care of the environment around them.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), trash and litter along our coasts and in our waterways can be harmful to our health, the environment, and the economy. Most marine debris that ends up in the water is man-made and begins its journey on land; this is trash that is not recycled or properly thrown away on land. For example, litter left behind by festival goers at Gathering of the Vibes could be picked up by the wind or washed out by rain and end up in the ocean. Any debris that finds its way into coastal waters not only affects the appearance of the surrounding waters, but also has potential to harm many kinds of animals and wreak havoc on the ecosystem.
As the festival has grown over the years, so has the consciousness of festival sustainability and the local marine ecosystem. We chatted with Harry Moran, Sustainability Director for Gathering of the Vibes, to talk about Vibes’ green initiative, Green Vibes, the festival’s annual beach cleanup, and tips for helping keep the festival eco-friendly.
“With my passion for sustainability, I’ve always been thinking about ways to minimize our onsite footprint and harness the power of our community for positive change,” said Moran as he talked about the creation of Green Vibes. “The event has always had a very real commitment to this but with the ongoing support of Ken Hays [Founder of Gathering of the Vibes], I was able to put together a dedicated Sustainability and Outreach program to coordinate and expand all of the different components.”
The goals of Green Vibes are simple: reduce negative human impact on the ecosystems and encourage responsible stewardship toward the land, air, sea, and renewable energy resources. Green Vibes looks to harness the power of our musical community and the Vibes family and transform the world by going beyond “leaving nothing but footprints.”
Each year, with the help of the Green Vibes program Vibes makes further strides towards reducing their eco-footprint at Seaside Park.
“After every year, I do a recap to see what’s working, what can be improved and identify new ideas for the following year,” Moran stated. “We’ve been at this a long time now but there’s always room to improve. One of our successful additions to our awareness and outreach work is the brief talks related to sustainability between bands on the Green Vibes Stage. We’ve had major experts come in and share ideas in a really loose and fun setting which really engages and energizes the crowd.”
Other notable successes of the green program include:
- 22,000 pounds of recycling was gathered and kept out of landfills.
- 12,516 lbs of non-perishable food,hygiene goods, and clothing was donated to local food banks, including vendor donations of unused food to local food banks and soup kitchens.
- The Green Vibes Carbon Cutters, Green Vibes’ carbon reduction team, is now almost 900 members strong and has prevented close to 2 tons of CO2 from going into the atmosphere.
- Food and beverage vendors used compostable products.
- Environmental & social action awareness opportunities for attendees through Green Vibes Stage workshops.
- Activation of a solar-powered cell phone charging station.
While 2014 was an extremely successful year, Green Vibes is already looking towards 2015 and hopes to have the cleanest and greenest Vibest yet. The program will continue to focus on reducing the festival’s carbon footprint and will be expanding the recycling program. For the sixth year in a row, Green Vibes will partner with the Terrapin Foundation to host an annual beach clean up day a couple of weeks prior to the festival. Last year, volunteers cleaned up a local beach area, loading dozens of garbage bags with glass, plastic bags, aluminum cans, barbed wire, large pieces of wood and metal and many other objects.
The Green Vibes program and strides like the beach clean up help make sure Seaside Park remains in pristine condition; keeping neighboring beaches and the environment of Seaside Park safe and clean is one of the most important parts of the festival and the Terrapin Foundation’s mission.
If festival goers cannot make the beach cleanup, they can still play a positive role by being consciously aware of items that are brought into the festival and personal trash that is created during the the four day weekend.
“Whenever possible, bring food from local farmer’s markets or your own gardens. Repackage any food into reusable containers,” Moran suggested. “Bring reusable cups, plates, etc. to minimize what goes into the waste stream. Our food vendors use eco-friendly materials too so that’s another great option.
Green Vibes offers some great pre-festival packing tips to help lighten the environmental impact:
- Carpool: the less stuff you stack, the more people you can pack!
- Bring reusable water bottles
- Avoid bringing food that spoils easily and/or is individually wrapped
- Think reusable before you buy disposable
- Bring bags for garbage and recycling
- Avoid styrofoam coolers
- If you have to buy new, recycle the box before you arrive on-site
- Avoid bringing unnecessary items that become pesky waste: silly string, confetti, glow sticks, packing peanuts, etc.
While at the festival, campers should make sure their campsite belongings are secured to reduce wind blown trash and litter. Most importantly, at the close of the festival, pack up everything you brought with you and leave the area as nice or better than you found it.
Every attendee of Gathering of the Vibes has an opportunity, and even a responsibility, to demonstrate leadership in this area. Not only is taking care of the environment an important topic, it is also vital to be consciously sustainable at Vibes to maintain the thriving ecosystem that is Seaside Park.
Rise To The Challenge: Electric Forest’s Electricology Program
Festival sustainability does not start with being handed a garbage bag upon your arrival at the campgrounds. While that supplied garbage bag plays a vital role in encouraging all attendees to pick up after themselves at their campsites, efforts to make Electric Forest the cleanest and greenest it has ever been starts long before attendees walk through the festival gates.
Making the choice to reduce one’s waste footprint starts days and weeks prior to the festival with environmentally conscious purchasing and packing, but it also begins with education. The driving force behind necessary “eco-cation” (ecology education) prior to the start of this year’s EF has been the unique and very successful sustainability program Electricology.
Returning for its fourth year, Electricology is back with greater opportunities than ever before to get more attendees involved and make an even larger positive impact.
Last year Vinyl Mag not only highlighted the program in an interview with Rachel Wells, representative of Electricology and The High Five Program, but we actively participated in the program by bringing our recycling and trash to designated EcoZones throughout the grounds of Electric Forest, earned EcoPoints from our participation, and eventually redeemed our points by visiting one of the Electricology Stores.
As an active participant, the program seemed to make an impact on the festival as a whole. With our return to the Forest this year, we caught up with our good friend Rachel Wells to talk about the successes of Electricology 2014, new and exciting additions to the program, packing tips, green education, and glitter. Yes, glitter.
“Last year was extremely successful and we are growing along with the festival,” Wells said. “The festival has expanded its footprint over the years and we are going to keep growing to accommodate the congestion and waste produced by 40,000+ festival attendees.”
At EF 2014, the Electricology team helped collect 22 tons of compost, 8 tons of cardboard, 125 tons of recycling and 19 tons of steel and aluminum.
“People started organically creating piles of broken EZ ups, tents, and chairs on their own and that is a huge part of our labor, gathering that up. We collected and recycled over 20 tons of that stuff, so to have campers build these massive 30 foot mounds on their own on Sunday was really awesome.”
Everyday of EF there will be people on site working the fields and grounds picking up litter; but just because there are volunteers in place to pick up the trash, that doesn’t mean attendees can’t do their part in the clean-up process.
“If every person who attends Electric Forest leaves their waste tied up, in the appropriate bags, just sitting there in a nice little pile at their campsite, we could be out of there in 24-48 hours. We really could. That is our goal,” said Wells. “Everything we’re trying to do here is to cut down that cleanup. Not because we want to get done early, but because it’s going to save money for the festival and in return invest in other amazing opportunities for people to participate and it’s really going to make a statement to the community that we care and we want to come back every year.”
While one of Electricology’s goals for 2015 is to significantly cut the cleanup, the program also hopes to increase participation and educate all while having fun.
“This year our message is a little stronger,” Wells said. “The message is Rise to the Challenge. We feel like we’ve had a few years, so we know we’ll be having a lot of attendees who will be returning to the festival and I feel like this message will help EF veterans to teach the younger generation coming in and new attendees, and I think we can really make an impact. I think it’s absolutely possible to engage everyone and get everybody to set a standard for how we leave a music festival.”
Electricology started setting the eco-standard for this year’s EF by taking over the festival’s Facebook and Twitter pages one month out from the event. In addition to providing EcoTips, Electricology also talked about some of this year’s program engagements. Electricology is always experimenting with new ways to encourage participation and distribute prizes to increasing amounts of supporters. Each contest has hidden goals to increase waste diversion or reduce the post festival cleanup time, while still being a fun activity for guests.
Returning to the program is the Electricology Leaderboard Contest where EF’s top EcoPoint earners will compete for secret prizes and two tickets to next year’s festival. Additionally, Electricology has instated the Electricology Prize Cart, a mobile solution to crowd litter and instant gratification for the masses. The Prize Cart will circulate the entire festival footprint, inspiring random mass litter pickups wherever it goes, in exchange for a variety of instant prizes.
“Basically if you see our prize cart, they’ll be in areas where there is the most litter and we’re going to be inspiring these flash mobs for litter picking up and anyone who participates will get instant prizes,” Wells said. “So, for example, we might say that the first five people who can help us pick up an area by the food court will win an awesome cool prize and we might even end up taking them on our cart with us and head off to some place awesome!”
Also, for the first time this year, Bell’s Brewery will present the EcoPoints Party for top participants with pizza from Spicy Pie. The EcoPoints Party will include a special performance by the winner of Plug In’s Instrumental Forester Competition, KC Roberts & The Live Revolution. This invite-only party will take place on Sunday, to celebrate the greatest contributors to Forest Greening.
During our chat, we also asked Wells if she had any tips for this year’s festival and if she had any suggestions for things we should just leave at home.
“As renewable energy becomes more and more available and affordable, I would love to see people using LED flashlights, and coming up with some different kinds of reusable chargers and batteries. It would be great to see some alternative energies being used.”
Wells once again stressed the importance of leaving packaging home. Bought new camping gear? Unwrap it and take it out of its cardboard box, and recycle the packaging at home. Ultimately, leaving the packaging at home isn’t just going to cut down the clean-up time, it’s also going to cut down on the labor. As Wells explained last year, “Sometimes, there’s a few extra days of post production clean-up there that could have been cut if people had just left some of that stuff at home.”
In addition to items attendees should think twice about bringing, one surprise is glitter. While Wells would never tell anyone they can’t bring glitter to the festival she did explain how the Electricology team takes care in cleaning up all the leftover glitter found on site.
“Glitter is extremely hard to pick up and it goes everywhere, and there is only so much we can do to pick it up. We go around to where the campsites used to be and we’ll use a Shop-Vac to vacuum up the leftover glitter piles. Sometimes we’ll actually have to shovel out a part of that dirt and throw it away. All year round horses roam in the field where the GA camping is, so it’s important to us, that even those tiny little pieces of glitter get picked up. Within a month after the festival a horse is going to be grazing over that area and it’s very import that all those tiny little details are taken care of. Every little speck of glitter means just as much as the giant tents left behind.”
Wells also suggested leaving home plastic water bottles and bringing reusable water bottles. Hydration is a hot topic at this year’s EF and the festival will be installing 20 water stations throughout the Forest.
Festival sustainability starts and ends with each attendee. In order to keep our Forest clean and thriving, we must all be responsible with the things that we bring with us. Through Electricology, it is possible to inspire and motivate people to do the right thing and Rise To The Challenge. Of course the prizes and incentives are great, but as Wells stated, “It’s not just about getting a prize, it’s about doing what you’re supposed to be doing at Electric Forest and that’s something we’re abiding by. If you’re member of the Forest Family then this is something that you do.”
Life is Loud, Protect Your Ears
In recent years it seems like every day is some sort of national day of celebration. Everything from National Doughnut Day, to Put a Pillow On Your Fridge Day (say what?), to Bloody Mary Day (we’ll drink to that), the monthly and daily observances are endless.
Among these fun, quirky, and bizarre days of recognition, there is one day that is worth our attention: May 31st, National Save Your Hearing Day.
Save Your Hearing Day is a yearly reminder to turn down the the music and the loud noises in our lives. It is best celebrated in peaceful environments while abiding by the 60:60 rule: listening to music at 60% of volume capacity for less than 60 minutes (this applying to concerts as well). 1
With festival season upon us, there is no better time than now to honor this day and our ears. We sat down with our good friend Katie Carmody, founder of We’re hEAR For You, to talk about hearing loss and prevention, and to gain an understanding of “how loud is too loud.”
Noise exposure accounts for much of hearing loss in adults and has been noted as a primary factor in hearing loss in young adults and adolescents. Recreational and community noise exposure can lead to high frequency hearing loss and tinnitus. Damage from noise exposure can often be traced to listening to amplified music through headphones or sound systems, while playing music, attending concerts or dance venues, or other noisy activities.
We’re hEAR for You (WHFY) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the awareness of noise-induced hearing loss, hearing loss prevention, and the use of earplugs among the music community. The organization promotes the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus by educating individuals about the risks of noise exposure and the importance of of using hearing protection. WHFY provides free earplugs at a variety of music venues in Georgia and at a growing number of music festivals nationwide, and also offers free hearing screenings through the University of Georgia Speech Hearing Clinic.
“Hearing conservation has been a passion of mine because I have always been a huge music fan, mostly due to my father,” said Carmody. “I grew up listening to music nightly at home, and going t concerts with my family. I always knew that my father had tinnitus, or constant ringing in your ears, which developed after seeing a concert in his earlier years. Knowing this, and as an avid live music fan, I knew the importance of protecting your hearing. Now, working in the music industry, and being around live music on a daily basis, it is my crusade to educate music lovers of all kind about using hearing protection and the science that supports it.”
The constant ringing of the ears that Carmody mentioned is one of the many effects of noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). NIHL can be caused by a one-time exposure to an intense sound or by continuous exposure to loud sounds over an extended period of time (The louder the sound, the shorter the time period before NIHL can occur). The severity of the hearing loss depends on the level, duration, and frequency content of the exposure. Exposure to dangerous levels of noise can often be traced to listening to amplified music through headphones or sound systems, while playing music, attending rock concerts or dance venues, and other everyday noisy activities. Short term effects of NIHL can include auditory fatigue and possible ringing the following day, and can even lead to long term effects such as hearing loss to the point of needing hearing aids.
So how loud is too loud? According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), both the level of noise and the length of time you listen to the noise can put you at risk for noise-induced hearing loss. “Sound is measured in decibels (dB). The higher the decibel level, the louder the noise, and the louder the sound, the shorter the time period before NIHL can occur,” Carmody said. “Normal conversation occurs around 60dB. Exposure to sound over 85dB for more than 7 minutes without hearing protection results in noise induced hearing loss. Concerts can run 120+, the same for Sporting events.”
For those who attend concerts/festivals and have never thought about hearing protection, Carmody offered a few points to consider:
- Noise induced hearing loss is 100% permanent and 100% preventable. It is essential you use hearing protection.
- When your ears ring after a show, it is your ears telling you your hearing is damaged, and you will not hear at that frequency again.
- If you have to raise your voice/scream to communicate with someone next to you, its too loud! Wear earplugs, take a break & move farther away from the speakers.
Carmody also had a message for individuals who may believe they can deal with the consequences at a later date:
“Hearing loss is gradual. Many times you may not know you have hearing loss, unless you get your hearing checked by an audiologist. Here’s a great example of our logic: When you go in the sun, say at a music festival, you take many precautions to protect yourself; sunscreen to protect your skin, shoes to protect your feet, sunglasses to protect your eyes, what about your ears? It is as simple as that, especially at a live music event! Noise exposure is damaging, and we should be more considerate of our ears, and the role hearing has in our lives. To be smart about your hearing now will save you a lot of trouble in your later years. Hearing loss is gradual, therefore you may not notice that you have hearing loss, until it is too late! Take action now, to prevent irreversible damage down the road.”
Interested in protecting your ears? There are several different forms of hearing protection to choose from:
- Foam earplugs – ideal for casual concert-goers: It’s the starter earplug and WHFY provides these in mass at festival & concerts nationwide.
- High Fidelity reusable earplugs – We recommend all live music fans to invest in a pair of high fidelity reusable plugs, like Earlove, that are high quality and provide a flat response decibel reduction. Also, reusable = less waste! The preserving our environment, like preserving our hearing, is important to We’re hEAR For You. Using reusable (and higher quality) earplugs helps reduce the amount of waste generated at live music events.
- Musicians Earplugs – For musicians! Yours ears and ability to hear are your life, your love and your career! See your local audiologist for more details.
- Children’s Hearing Protection Earmuffs – Not only are they adorable, but the earmuffs provide superior hearing protection for those little ears.
We’re hEAR for you has partnered with Headcount this festival season and will distribute earplugs at these upcoming festivals:
Wakarusa
Mountain Jam
Bonnaroo
Electric Forest
Solid Sound
High Sierra
All Good
Camp Bisco
Moonrise
Floydfest
Newport Folk
Gathering of the Vibes
Lollapalooza
Outside Lands
Arise
The Peach
Lockn’
ACL
No Room For Hate When You Give Back: Electric Forces at Electric Forest 2015
“Do not be afraid to live and smile more. Life is too short.”
“I remember how I felt, and I remember how beautiful everybody was and how I literally had gone from seeing existence as a curse to realizing it’s the most incredible gift that we have.”
It was in this moment at Electric Forest 2012 when Pat Hawco began his mental healing process.
On his final patrol as a minesweeper in Afghanistan, Hawco stepped on a land mine and lost his leg. Like a lot of veterans, he returned home with an anger that surrounded the fact that he would be handicapped for the rest of his life; a hurdle unto itself. While recovering from his injury in Southern California, Hawco had the opportunity to attend a music festival that boasted a lineup with some of the biggest names in electronic music today. From this experience, Hawco ended up falling in love with the electronic scene and the people he met, and he began using this music to replace his anger.
“Even before the military I was an angry person,” Hawco said. “I remember the years leading up to going into the military, I was this rotten angry person and I had never really given myself a chance to smile and be a happy person. There was some kind of block I had towards the ‘it’s better to be positive’ attitude.”
Hawco was still caught up in the mindset of Afghanistan, the ethos of the Marine Corps, and his own resentment when he accepted an invitation to join his friends at Electric Forest in 2012.
“I didn’t know what to expect. I showed up and literally those four days changed my life. It turned the entire idea I had towards humanity on its head. I entered with the anger and hate and left with love and compassion. It also showed me the appreciation for life that I was looking for.”
This self-realization, along with a chance encounter and interview with a reporter the following year at Electric Forest in 2013, opened the doors to the creation of Electric Forest’s Electric Forces Program. A collaborative effort, the Electric Forces Program is inspired and led by veterans with the support of members of the Electric Forest production team and the Electric Forest family. Launched in 2014, the program is a unique onsite festival activation where U.S. Military Veterans and Electric Forest festival-goers shared their stories of transformation and community in music.
When Hawco’s interview started gaining attention and made its way back to the Forest HQ, the team knew they wanted to do more for veterans.
“From the beginning, we got in contact with Pat and asked ‘what can we do?’” explained Electric Forest’s Plug In Program Director Lia Holland. “His reply was that he and his fellow veterans wanted to serve the community, and we were taken aback that they flipped our question on its head and wanted to know what they could do for us! Since then, we’ve been challenging our internal teams to find places for as many veterans as possible to join us to build and run the festival. This is a collaboration – as much as possible, we encourage veterans to speak for and represent themselves in their work on the event with the Electric Forces Story Project.”
The Electric Forces Story Sharing Initiative is returning for its second year and invites the Forest Family to share their tales of change and renewal through the festival experience on camera. This year, StoryCorps, a nonprofit that has created the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered, will make all stories available to be digitally shared with friends, family, and the future. These stories will also be preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The dream of Hawco and StoryCorps is to capture the collective wisdom of humanity through this creation of oral history.
“Last year, it was more about me telling my story. This year, my goal is to let everyone else tell their story,” explained Hawco. “There is this big lesson you can learn from everybody and I want to take those lessons and transfer them to real life.”
While the festival activation itself is based on individuals and their stories, this year, in collaboration with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the program includes two new additional opportunities to involve even more veterans: The Electric Forces Workshop Program and The Electric Forces Veterans Building Crew. The workshop program invites veterans to share the inspirations and interests that have helped them in their healing process. From yoga to sustainable agriculture, a wide variety of interests are combining to offer opportunities for service and learning to all. A team of veterans will be of service behind the scenes of the festival as The Electric Forces Build Crew and they will join the Electric Forest community as builders and creators.
“The program has grown much larger in its first year than we ever imagined,” said Holland. “We received over 100 applications, and our crews scrambled to find more work with the festival so that we could invite every single veteran who applied to join a team. After a huge effort on the part of our operations crew, we sent out job offers to all of the veterans to join everything from the medical staff to campground hosts. During this process, it was jaw dropping how skilled our veteran applicants are – I think we’re going to have the best crew ever this year with them on it!”
Through these activations, Electric Forces aims to coordinate community building and bridge the gap between veterans and civilians through healing. “I want to melt the gap between everybody,” Hawco said. “I don’t want there to be anymore groups, especially veterans and nonveterans. I don’t want anyone to think about it like that anymore. I know there is that separation, but I feel like there doesn’t need to be as much as one as there is.”
“With each interaction that takes place between military and non-military Forest Family, so-called ‘veterans issues’ become problems that we share, and that we face together. We want to create as many opportunities for that connection as possible,” Holland explained.
Over the course of the festival weekend, Electric Forces will bring people together from all walks of life. Although these connections, along with all of the other opportunities for veterans and civilians, are the main focuses of the program, something greater is at work here. Beyond these new connections, beyond the collecting of stories, beyond the employment opportunities, this program will not only provide life lessons, but Electric Forces will ultimately change lives.
“The greatest lesson from this program is a lesson that life teaches every time you learn deeply about someone different from you – don’t make assumptions about people, their motivations, or their circumstances. Each person is unique, and what is healing for one may seem strange to another. We all have to find our own paths toward healing and happiness, and embrace our differences on that journey,” shares Holland.
Every single person has their own struggles. We all have our individual paths to walk down and we must find our own ways to discover healing and happiness. Hawco’s mental healing process began and continues at this music festival. It was here that his perspective on life changed and where he began to view his situation as a gift rather than a detriment. His work with Electric Forces has been an outlet for his own personal healing and he shared the insight that, “There is no room for hate when you give back.”
From a person full of anger and rage to an individual that loves life and has compassion, Hawco’s transformative story is one of hope. For anyone still searching for their new beginning in life, Hawco offer’s these simple words, “Do not be afraid to live and smile more. Life is too short.” While this may be easier said than done for some, participation in this year’s Electric Forces has the ability to open the doors to personal healing.
Over the years, many Electric Forest attendees have experienced the pure magic of this festival; they have found comfort, healing, and protection within the Sherwood Forest, they have received unconditional acceptance from the Forest Family, and they have never been freer to be themselves. With Hawco has an incredible example, many who have walked through those festival gates have rediscovered their true selves and have been able to begin their own personal journeys towards healing from their festival experience.
Through her work with the festival, Holland has been fortunate to see how Electric Forest has evolved into not only one of the best music festivals in the country, but a place of healing: “Electric Forest has become a place of healing through the intentions of everyone who is involved with the event. Once a space is created to encourage strangers who share a love of music and art and life to slow down and find each other, relationships blossom. When that seed of connection was planted, and the space was created, the Forest Family itself became the greatest curator of the festival’s capacity to be a place of healing and inspiration. It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve had the fortune to see.”
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Vinyl Mag would like to take this moment to thank and recognize all who have served our country. We honor the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in order to preserve our freedom and our way of life.
Boyfriend x Vinyl Mag
“I’m Boyfriend. That’s who I am fully now. This is my job. This is my identity.”
Boyfriend is a former school teacher turned rapper from New Orleans who preforms a cabaret-style strip tease during her sets and says “fuck” a lot. She introduces herself to me with a hug as we meet for the first time at Athen’s famous Clocked diner (Boyfriend asked me if I minded starting our interview and photo session there so she could fulfill her “chocolate milkshake Athens tradition”).
We find seats at the high-top counter, and almost immediately our conversation mimics that of two friends who haven’t seen each other in a long time. Boyfriend patiently fills me in on the few details I couldn’t gather about her on the internet, and after a few minutes I realize she is not at all what I was expecting her to be. She’s relaxed and open, noticeably comfortable in her own skin – there is an edge to her but also a gentleness that makes you lower your own guard. “Do you have any regrets?” I asked pointedly. After a brief pause Boyfriend looks at me, “My gut instinct is ‘no,’ because you learn from everything. I have mistakes but not regrets.”
Early on in her career, Boyfriend chose not to reveal her real name to keep her private and personal lives separate and has chosen to stick with the alias since leaving her double life behind. “Initially I was working with kids and didn’t want those two lives to intertwine, but now that it’s started, why should anyone know my name?” she says with conviction. “I’m Boyfriend. That’s who I am now fully, now that I’ve quit that job. This is my job. This is my identity.”
I also discovered how much of a role Boyfriend’s English contributes to her writing. “With rap, especially, all of the pressure is on the words. A regular song is like a pistol, and a rap song is like an AK-47, because you have so many more words in a three-minute period than you have in a basic song. There’s a lot more that you can pack in. You’re also using a lot of English literature tools in it, like alliteration or internal rhyme. When I talk about rap songs, or music in general, I use the same terms. I think about songs as stories with the same narrative structure, with a main character, with a voice, either first person, second person. Typically rap is in first person. Also, I think of the hook of the song as the main idea. If the song is an essay, then the hook is a thesis, your statement that everything points back to. If the song veers off and doesn’t stay true to that hook, then it’s not as strong, to me. I like to look at songs as tightly packed nuggets of information and stories. Also, I don’t play an instrument, so I’m not a ‘musician.’ I deal with words, and I’m trying to expand that part of myself a little bit more. I do incorporate melody and syncopation and rhythm, but I don’t sit down and play the drums or play guitar. I approach music as concept, idea, theme, what do I want to say philosophically. Then employ instruments to help get that across, whereas other musicians would approach it the exact opposite way. They build something out of sound and find what words match the sound, whereas I do it the opposite.”
In the end “the work,” as she refers to her rap career, is to empower women, even though Boyfriend doesn’t box herself into the role of a “feminist rapper.” “There’s this semi-famous story that William Faulkner was writing, not fantasy but really ‘out there’ short stories that had nothing to do with his history. One of his peers was like, ‘Write what you know.’ That’s when he started writing some of the greatest southern literature of all time, because he was writing what he knew about. For me, I know what its like to be a woman, so that’s where I speak from.”
Even though sometimes speaking from that place lands her in awkward situations. “What I want to do is to create a safe atmosphere during my shows. It’s about breaking down this invisible fourth wall between who is on stage and who isn’t and making connections. I make eye contact. I spend my whole set trying to build a connection with people in the audience, so when they come over to the merch table afterwards and offer to fuck me, I can’t get that mad. Because I just spent all this time trying to make them feel comfortable, so it’s really just about boundaries. It doesn’t freak me out or make me feel uncomfortable. The only thing I am not okay with is someone touching me without permission or following me, and that’s not ever happened. If anything, it opens up a dialogue, and that’s good because so often people are afraid to just talk…at the very least that’s kind of what I’m going for – for people to just not be so scared…I’m the type of girl that high fives a dude that comes onto me with a bad line. I might not be interested in banging, but that took balls, dude! Bring it on.”
Shaky Knees 2015: Xavier Rudd x Vinyl Mag
If you’ve kept up with the festival circuit at all in the last decade, you have undoubtedly heard of solo instrumentalist Xavier Rudd. The native Australian, through his proficiency in a variety of culturally unique instruments, creates truly impressive albums that blend world music with vocals reminiscent of the artists that have inspired him, such as Ben Harper and Natalie Merchant. Rudd has toured as a solo act for more than a decade and is noted for his eclectic assemblage instruments, including didgeridoos, djembes, organettes, and others as he captivates crowds with his outward-emanating charisma and talent.
With his ninth studio album, Xavier Rudd has pieced together a band under the moniker “The United Nations” composed of nine musicians hailing from various locales around the world in what he deems his “dream project.” The album, Nanna, employs a heavy reggae tone, making it no surprise that it was mixed by Errol Brown, known for his work with Bob Marley. In the lyrics, Rudd blends this reggae with calypso and polyphonic sounds. Strong themes of harmony and togetherness resonate throughout the album to bring about a hopeful dream for what the future may hold if we can all just get along.
Vinyl Mag: The members of The United Nations all have very eclectic heritages as well as musical backgrounds. How did The United Nations come to be, and what effect do you perceive that diversity to have had on the recording process and resulting sound of Nanna?
Xavier Rudd: The UN came together very organically, feels like our ancestors had a cup of tea and decided to put us together. Everybody has a different story and a different background, and when the musical influence of everybody’s stories come together, they created a very eclectic and interesting record.
VM: You seem very connected to your Aboriginal heritage, being proficient in yidaki and other native instruments, and many of your songs seem to promote discussion on the subject. With music being such an integral part of the Aboriginal culture, how do you interpret your connection between that culture and your own music?
XR: Sometimes our ancestors choose music to guide us or challenge us. I feel my music is oftentimes just me holding space for the spirit to come through. I don’t judge this or involve my ego in trying to analyze it. I am content in saying that it’s not for me to know.
VM: There is a very fluid message of togetherness and harmony throughout the album. You seem to have a strong vision for the future. What would you say is the backbone of your philosophy?
XR: Patience. Humans have become very accustomed to a fast paced society that doesn’t resonate with our natural progression in our natural place in creation. Patience has become extra hard for human beings so much so that I think we have almost lost touch with what that really means.
VM: You grew up in a very small town in Australia [Torquay, Victoria >7,000 pop.]. What strikes you as the most notable memory to have stuck with you from growing up in a small town?
XR: Space, time alone, and being in the bush.
VM: Erroll Brown has a quite a musical history in the reggae world, working with notable acts such as Peter Tosh, Rebelution, and the one-and-only Bob Marley. How was the process having him involved in the creation of Nanna? What most drew you to him as a musical engineer?
XR: Erroll’s involvement was very organic also, he appeared at the right place at the right time, and was presented to mix this record. It really was a perfect match.
VM: How does it feel being out in front of the audience instead of playing behind the (super-cool) instrument command-center-set-up you have?
XR: It feels groovy. I am having a great time.
VM: What is next for Xavier Rudd, and what does the future hold for Xavier Rudd and The United Nations?
XR: Not too sure; I don’t plan much of anything really. We will let the spirit guide this amazing project and see where it lands.
Be sure to catch Xavier Rudd and the United Nations playing the Boulevard Stage at Shaky Knees this Sunday at 6:45 p.m.!
Shaky Knees 2015: Tennis x Vinyl Mag
Tennis is hitting up Shaky Knees Festival this weekend along with bands like Manchester Orchestra, James Blake, Kaiser Chiefs, The Mountain Goats, and Mac DeMarco. The band is currently on tour to promote the re-release of its third LP, Ritual In Repeat, via Communion on May 12.
I spoke to vocalist and keyboardist Alaina Moore on the way to a sold-out show at the Troubadour on the tour, the re-release, and Shaky Knees.
Vinyl Mag: I read earlier that your Troubadour show was sold out; is that correct?
Alaina Moore: Yeah! It sold out the day tickets went on sale. It’s really amazing, and it’s not a feeling we’ve ever had before.
VM: You’ve only been on tour for about a week so far. What have those shows been like?
AM: It’s been a week, but there have only been three shows. The West Coast is full of extremely long drives, so we’ve mostly been driving. That’s not the best part, but the shows have been great so far. We love the band that we’re touring with – our friends, The Shilohs – they’re amazing people and super talented. I feel so spoiled for having a really good time.
VM: Now, this tour is to promote the re-release of 2014’s Ritual In Repeat…what was the inspiration for choosing to put this record back out there with extra content?
AM: I think it’s something that’s becoming common now. I won’t lie, a lot of it comes from the pressure from the way people consume music now. With streaming and online distribution, there’s an insatiable desire to bring new music that far outpaces an artist’s ability to actually make it. We’re finding people’s attention span for albums is over in one month for something that took a year to write. On our first tour, I had people ask if we were touring for another new record, and I was completely taken aback.
VM: Going backwards now, when you released Young & Old in 2012, it was critically acclaimed and got a lot of attention towards the band. When you release music now, do you ever feel pressure to relive the hype from the previous effort?
AM: No, I don’t. The kind of attention we got with our first record is a different kind of attention. It was all about us being new. There’s something even better than being new; it’s being established and having a trusting relationship with your fans. I would way rather have that than be the newest thing. We’ve had great achievements, but I think some of that can’t be duplicated, so I feel no pressure.
VM: The band will be stopping by Atlanta for a set at Shaky Knees this weekend; have you been in Atlanta before?
AM: My family lives in Atlanta, so I go multiple times a year.
VM: That’s awesome! What’s your favorite thing to do in the city?
AM: I do nothing; I just go home to my parents and play with their Corgi, Baxter.
VM: Somewhat related to that, what other bands are you looking forward to seeing at Shaky Knees?
AM: I have no idea who else is playing! I haven’t even looked. I’m sure it’s a bunch of amazing musicians I’d love to see, but at festivals I usually don’t see anyone. We get there and barely have time to load in and find where we’re going to play. Then we load out, and by then, the festival’s over. The nice thing is that, although I don’t get to watch anyone play, I get to meet people that I really respect. It’s an honor to be there.
VM: Well, the good news is that headliners of the day you’re performing are The Strokes, Pixies, and the Mountain Goats.
AM: Their headliners are amazing, and I probably won’t see them, but I’m very excited that they’re there. I’ve seen the Pixies before, but I’ve never seen the Strokes. I’m thrilled to be on the lineup alongside them; it’s very humbling.
VM: Is there anything else you’d like to say?
AM: We look forward to seeing everyone there!
Be sure to catch Tennis on tour:
05/05 Austin, TX @ The Parish
05/06 New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
05/08 Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival
05/09 Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
05/10 Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
05/12 Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
05/13 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
05/15 Philadelphia, PA @ Milkboy
05/16 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
05/17 Allston, MA @ Great Scott
05/19 Toronto, ON @ Virgin Mobile Mod Club
05/20 Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
05/21 Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio
05/22 Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
Shaky Knees 2015: Jukebox the Ghost x Vinyl Mag
Jukebox the Ghost are heading to Shaky Knees Festival this weekend to play alongside the likes of The Strokes, the Pixies, Brand New, American Football, Death From Above 1979, TV On the Radio, Wavves, Tennis, The Kooks, Surfer Blood…and that’s just the Friday lineup. Having just signed to a new label and released a brand new self-titled album, Jukebox is already having a big year. We grabbed some time with guitarist/vocalist Tommy Siegel to talk about Shaky Knees, their new release, and what’s up next.
Be sure to catch these guys on their US tour this summer, and check out our interview below!
Vinyl Mag: I saw you guys at South by Southwest, and you were fantastic. How did you enjoy the week?
Tommy Siegel: SXSW was totally crazy, per usual! It’s such an insane event, and it’s hard to see just how weird it is unless you’re playing. Under normal circumstances, you’d be nuts to do four shows a day with no soundcheck while borrowing other bands’ gear, but that’s totally par for the course for the festival. We’ve done it enough years to learn to embrace the chaos!
VM: Did you see anyone you loved?
TS: I saw Deerhoof, who are my favorite band…ever, possibly? They never disappoint.
VM: Who are you most excited to see at Shaky Knees?
TS: I’ve never seen Ryan Adams, so I’m looking forward to that!
VM: Are you staying for Friday and Saturday (I see that you’re in Virginia on Sunday)?
TS: Unfortunately just for Friday! So we’ll be missing some great shows.
VM: What is your favorite song to play live?
TS: Right now, I love playing “Girl.” It’s so refreshingly spacious and slow in our catalogue, and I love getting to play bass for a change.
VM: Do you prefer touring or recording?
TS: Totally different animals! At this point in music history, you can’t really do one without the other. If you only did one for your whole life, I think your head would explode.
VM: Where did you record Jukebox the Ghost?
TS: Los Angeles! We recorded most of the record with Dan Romer, an amazing producer and long-time collaborator with the band. Love that guy.
VM: Why did you decide to make this album a self-titled? How does it differ from your previous releases?
TS: It felt like the first album we’ve ever done where we threw all of our previous constraints to the wind – and I think it set up the kind of intensity that we’d like to apply to all our albums in the future. Not to say we’ll always be making records as slick, but that the process was so intensely rewarding and open. Felt like hitting the reset button.
VM: How did you choose the single for the album?
TS: We kinda didn’t – the label did! But since we went in with the concept of recording an album of all singles, we didn’t disagree with the choice. Any song would’ve been fine.
VM: You signed with Cherrytree in January – how did that come about?
TS: Oddly enough, Martin’s (the label head) daughter heard us on a movie trailer!
VM: How is the tour going?
TS: Going great! Right now we’re just in the middle of some random dates in a relatively calm period.
VM: What is next for you?
TS: In June, we’re doing a national tour with Ingrid Michaelson that we are PUMPED for.
Jukebox the Ghost Tour Dates:
May 06 World Cafe Live at the Queen Wilmington, DE
May 08 Shaky Knees Festival Atlanta, GA
May 10 THE BROADBERRY Richmond, VA
May 30 Hop Sauce Festival Beach Haven, NJ
Jun 03 Wolf Trap Filene Center w/ Ingrid Michaelson Vienna, VA
Jun 04 The Ritz w/ Ingrid Michaelson Raleigh, NC
Jun 05 Iron City Birmingham w/ Ingrid Michaelson Birmingham, AL
Jun 07 House of Blues w/ Ingrid Michaelson Dallas, TX
Jun 08 ACL Live @ Moody Theatre w/ Ingrid Michaelson Austin, TX
Jun 11 Greek Theatre w/ Ingrid Michaelson Los Angeles, CA
Jun 12 Humphreys By the Bay w/ Ingrid Michaelson San Diego, CA
Jun 13 Fox Theater w/ Ingrid Michaelson Oakland, CAe
Jun 15 Knitting Factory Concert House w/ Ingrid Michaelson Boise, ID
Jun 16 Edgefield w/ Ingrid Michaelson Portland, OR
Jun 17 Paramount Theatre w/ Ingrid Michaelson Seattle, WA
Jun 19 The Complex w/ Ingrid Michaelson Salt Lake City, UT
Jun 23 Northrop w/ Ingrid Michaelson Minneapolis, MN
Jun 24 Chicago Theatre w/ Ingrid Michaelson Chicago, IL
Jun 25 TBA w/ Ingrid Michaelson Ann Arbor, MI
Jun 27 Blue Hills Bank Pavilion w/ Ingrid Michaelson Boston, MA
Jun 28 Thompson’s Point w/ Ingrid Michaelson Portland, ME
Jun 29 Summer Stage Central Park w/ Ingrid Michaelson New York, NY
Jun 30 Skyline Stage at The Mann w/ Ingrid Michaelson Philadelphia, PA
Aug 15 Pinelands Music Festival w/ A Great Big Pile of Leaves Millville, NJ
SXSW 2015 with Fictionist
It’s no secret the music industry can be a fire-breathing beast; if you’re not careful, you could get burned. Fictionist of Provo, Utah is doing their best to make sure that doesn’t happen. After getting dropped from Atlantic Records last year, the band that consists of Stuart Maxfield (lead vocals, guitar) Robbie Connolly (lead vocals, bass), Brandon Kitterman (guitar, bass), and Aaron Anderson (drums) decided to release the self-titled album Fictionist. We caught up with them at SXSW 2015 for an impromptu interview about their journey and starting from scratch.
In 2010, Fictionist embarked on a journey that most musicians dream of by competing in Rolling Stone Magazines Do You Want To Be a Rock & Roll Star? contest and then soon after signing with Atlantic Records. But despite having all the ingredients to make an amazing record – including Grammy award winning producer Ron Aneillo, the historic Hollywood recording studio Sunset Sound Recorders, and even having one of Elvis’ guitars at their disposal – the boys of Fictionist chose not to release the album they recorded under Atlantic.
Stuart Maxfield explained, “It represents the challenging part of our lives, the timing wasn’t great for us. We made a record that neither Atlantic nor us loved, and it just really didn’t make sense to go forward at that point. It’s an album that the world will never hear. It’s a lot of work; it took a lot of time. It’s a bummer, but it’s okay, we’re glad, because it wasn’t the right record to release. Everything has to be right.”
Having been a band for six years but devoting a good chunk of that time recording and playing songs they weren’t passionate about, Fictionist is making the most of their independence. “The silver lining was that, after we got dropped, we were able to artistically do what we wanted to do, which was huge and good for the camaraderie of the band. That’s the breath of fresh air that created the Fictionist self-titled record,” Maxfield said.
On top of creating an independent record and touring with other Provo bands like Imagine Dragons and Neon Trees, the band has also shifted some of the lead vocals from Maxfield to Robbie Connolly, who coincidentally is Maxfield’s brother in-law. Connolly said, “We met at high school in Salt Lake City. I joined this project as a guitarist, but I kept writing songs and singing, so we got to a certain point where we were using some of those. At first, it was an experiment, but it worked out.”
Thrilled to be at South by Southwest for the first time in four years, Fictionist has been traveling non-stop since the album dropped last October. Aaron Anderson said, “We’ve been touring with Mates of State. Ever since the album came out, we’ve been to a lot of the bigger cities. We’re in the process of lining up some opening slots for the summer, but we can’t mention those yet!”
Fictionist has recently announced an east coast tour in August with COIN and Neon Trees (dates below).
Jun 18 Front Conference Salt Lake City, UT
Jun 25 Utah Arts Festival Salt Lake City, UT
Jun 27 Daybreak Music Festival South Jordan, UT
Jul 09 Revolution w/ Neon Trees, COIN Fort Lauderdale, FL
Jul 10 The Beacham w/ Neon Trees, COIN Orlando, FL
Jul 11 State Theater w/ Neon Trees, COIN St Petersburg, FL
Jul 13 Center Stage w/ Neon Trees, COIN Atlanta, GA
Jul 14 The Cannery Ballroom w/ Neon Trees Nashville, TN
Jul 16 Newport Music Hall w/ Neon Trees, COIN Columbus, OH
Jul 17 House of Blues w/ Neon Trees, COIN Cleveland, OH
Jul 18 Rams Head Live w/ Neon Trees, COIN Baltimore, MD
Jul 20 9:30 Club w/ Neon Trees, COIN Washington, DC
Jul 21 The TLA w/ Neon Trees, COIN Philadelphia, PA
Jul 22 Irving Plaza w/ Neon Trees, COIN New York, NY
Jul 25 College Street Music Hall w/ Neon Trees, COIN New Haven, CT
Jul 26 Paradise Rock Club w/ Neon Trees, COIN Boston, MA