FESTIVAL PREVIEWS
All Good Festival Thornville, OH / July 19-22 by Amanda Macchia / photo by Brian Hockensmith
What are you looking for when booking musicians?
We seek independent acts who are strong and relevant in the jam scene. Acts that have great original music, a strong organization and buzz within the scene. We aren’t out there looking for groups that have the shiniest press kit or most YouTube video hits. Because we don’t have any overlapping sets, the bands we select are even that much more important; the group needs to “own” the audience and really deliver in their live set.
What do artists get out of performing at All Good?
Tim Walther is the founder of All Good Music Festival & Campout. He also books shows year round in the mid-Atlantic region. Performer had a chance to chat with Walther about All Good’s booking process and how indie artists can get involved with the festival.
Get the inside scoop on All Good’s booking process. How does the booking process work for All Good?
We gather ideas for All Good acts all year long and keep our minds open. Since we work with a number of these acts in the club markets of Baltimore and D.C., we get an up close and personal sense of the band, their organization and their growth pattern. We listen to our fans, we take polls following each All Good, and every holiday season we have fans submit their wish list for the top ten acts that they would like to see at All Good. We also take input from colleagues, staff, and friends. As the talent buyer, I ultimately decide who is getting an offer and how to coordinate the schedule.
Is there a preferred way for managers or agents (or artists themselves) to approach the festival for booking?
The preference is that they email me submissions for the event starting in September. We typically begin to put offers out in October. We work from a top-down philosophy of going after the headliners, and then going after the direct support for the headliners, and on down the line until we eventually get to the band that opens the stage at noon.
Do you actively seek independent and up-and-coming artists? We strive to book the acts that are just on the cusp of breaking to the next level. Again, with our year round relationships with these acts on the club circuit, we are able to keep on top of the strength, growth and buzz of the up-and-coming artists.
The artists get treated with the highest level of respect and professionalism. They perform to an extremely enthusiastic and focused group of fans amongst a swirling level of energy that builds and develops around the main stage as fans enjoy our no-overlapping sets concept from start to finish. They’re not simply the “talent” that performs to our “audience” – the feeling we surround ourselves with at All Good is a community vibe where everyone is treated with a high level of respect. The happier the musicians are when they walk onto the stage, the better their performance.
What else sets the festival apart from other summer music festivals?
We have remained true to our roots from where we began 16 years ago. We offer the best concentration of jam-centric music in the country, and with no overlapping sets we set the fans up to see every minute of every band. Beyond that, it is our opinion that we create a vibe unmatched by any other. www.allgoodfestival.com
“Pitchfork head honcho seeks obscure bands to expose fest-goers to new music.”
Pitchfork Festival Chicago, IL / July 13-15, 2012 by Candace McDuffie photo by Francis Chung
32 JULY 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
With a slew of music festivals dominating this summer’s landscape, it is pivotal for each one to possess their own appeal in order to avoid being overlooked. And Pitchfork President Chris Kaskie not only made this his top priority when booking this year’s lineup, he went above and beyond the call of duty to gather an eclectic and highly sought after array of artists. From indie’s most luminous voices (Feist, Beach House) to bona fide party starters (Hot Chip, Sleigh Bells), Kaskie has his bases covered. Even Vampire Weekend couldn’t forgo headlining the last night of the festival. It’s all because Pitchfork Music Festival, much like its online publication, successfully feasts off of its sole principle: to satisfy their readers. “This [festival] was created as a physical version of what we do online,” Kaskie explains. “We made sure that it is a manageable size and is carefully curated - it’s a tangible event for emerging
music.” When it came to selecting which musicians would make for an unforgettable weekend, Kaskie’s approach is more common sense than formulaic. “We wanted to have [artists] who were more obscure, since the goal is having people check out and discover great music.” At this point in our conversation, Kaskie spits responses with speed comparable to bullets. But instead of coming off as manic, it is clear that he is just a highly organized individual. “We also tend to go with bands that were a good fit before as well as ones who the fans want to see. We’re careful with how we craft our lineup.” That’s not to say putting together an event in Chicago for 20,000 music goers with scorching temperatures doesn’t have its hurdles. “In terms of logistics, I’m responsible for the well-being of all of those people. I make sure everyone can have fun and be safe,” he divulges. “But with Pitchfork, it’s for better or worse.” www.pitchfork.com/festivals/chicago/2012