Music festival season is upon us. It began with SXSW in March, and it won't relent until Lollapalooza wraps up in August. Tens of thousands have and will continue to flock to remote regions of the United States to get a fix of music that they love passionately and don't hear on the radio. Wide open spaces host these musical pilgrimages in all corners of our great nation.
Well, in most of them. New England is known for its beautiful environs and Mayflower progeny in khakis, but not its music festivals. Frank Chandler, CEO of the Nateva Music Festival, hopes to change that. Last year Chandler stepped out from behind the financial services desk where he'd been for twenty-three years. Then he did what we're all told to do after college: he integrated his passion and his career. As Chandler puts it, "Northern New England is filled with highly educated and musically sophisticated people. The big bands and the top of the music food chain never makes it up there. It stops in Boston. There was a market, a demand. I thought I had game and I could bring it."
And bring it he has. The camping and music festival, which is slotted for July 2-4 in Oxford, Maine, touts a lineup including the Flaming Lips, Passion Pit, Grizzly Bear, and She & Him. Chandler acknowledges that, “It's important to know who you are and where you fit into the universe. We're not Rothbury, we're not Bonnaroo; we're not on a mountain, and we're not on Long Island Sound. We are a New England festival bringing world class bands to a smaller venue.” Indie-rockers aside, Chandler is bringing some of the premiere jam bands to Nateva. The preeminent Grateful Dead iteration Furthur fill the headliner slot on Sunday, and sit amongst the veritable jam-band all-stars Umphrey's McGee and Moe. With Phish out of the festival circuit this summer, jammers world-wide will be punching their tickets for Oxford.
Nateva is the combination of his kids' names: Nate and Eva. Chandler's a family oriented-guy, and hopes to instill that feel for the weekend. He says, “We're capping the attendance at 15,000 people. We're trying to bring the vibe of a small festival to the 4th of July.” Chandler is a smart guy; he's aware of the kind of recreational activities that festival-goers are apt to engage in. He's a proponent of individual personal liberty, provided that freedom doesn't involve nitrous tanks. On combining the festival and family feel, he says, “Parents can bring their children and make sure the things they do are appropriate. We respect people's privacy and respect people's rights to partake in whatever they want to partake in, but everyone should be able to take their kids out to see live music.”
It's relevant to point out that Chandler is a total Deadhead. He recalls, “I went to my first show at the Cape Cod Colosseum in 1979. I don't know how many shows I went to, but it was a lot of shows. Getting Furthur was important because I felt they were the top of the food chain for the jam bands. We chose July 4th because that was when Furthur was clear to do this with us.” This Deadhead has a vision for this debut festival that he hopes will keep people coming back in years to come. Chandler is “trying to bring a jam-based core but expand beyond that for longevity. We think a music festival is a place to see your favorite bands and be introduced to new ones.” From George Clinton to Dweezil Zappa, The Kind Buds to the McLovins, there's surely something for everyone. When I mentioned I was a twenty-six-year-old indie music enthusiast and Brooklyn resident, Chandler announced: “You are my demographic. I'm throwing a 4th of July party.”
Pitchfork isn't talking about this festival because Frank Chandler isn't pandering to the hipster elite. His focus is on bringing indie rock fans and jam band fans together, because “they're closer than people think.” Chandler notes, “Ghostland Observatory is Friday night before Moe. If those jam band fans give these guys a chance, they're gonna love 'em. When they hear them, see the laser light show and the effects - they're going to love them. Indie-alt and jam bands are a great mix.”
There are always rumors. I asked if he'd heard any the likes of the Lips covering Dark Side or a surprise appearance. He answered, “Phish is not coming. Bruce is not coming. I think the Stones are elsewhere. But we put together a first rate lineup that's unheard of in the state of Maine and New England.”
You know, it's hard to argue with the guy.
Weekend camping passes are available for $249, or admission for the 4th of July is only $89. Tickets and more information at www.NatevaFestival.com.