festivalPass Stories

Ivan Jackson is the unique front man of Brasstracks. In this episode, Pat Tully sits down with Ivan to discuss his life in music and how his passion drives him.

Growing up in a musical family, Ivan’s Dad was offered the band leader job on one of the longest running shows on TV. He tells the story of how his father said “no” and how that led to even bigger moves for his family. 

Ivan attended the famous LaGuardia High School in Manhattan, the performing arts public high school that inspired the hit 80’s drama “Fame.” From there he continued his education and quickly went into business for himself producing music in a Brooklyn loft he rented with a friend. 

That hustle would continue as he continued to make a name for himself, collaborating with the likes of international K-Pop sensation BTS as well as Mark Ronson, Miley Cyrus and many more.

Soon a collaboration with Chance The Rapper would lead to 2 Grammy Nominations. Another with Harry Styles would lead to another. 

Hear more about these stories and some great music festival stories here on this episode of FestivalPass Stories. 

 

To find out more about Brasstracks and their music:

Brasstracks website: http://brasstracks.co/

Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brasstracks/ 

Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/brasstracks

 

Connect with Festival Pass!

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/getfestivalpass/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/getfestivalpass/ 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/getfestivalpass

 

Website - https://festivalpass.com

Welcome back festival friends! When music and Summer meet in Atlanta it can mean only one  thing: Festival season!  

 

On this episode, our host, Pat Tully, sits down with the founder of The Candler Park Music  Festival, Josh Antenucci. Josh cut his teeth in the live events business in Washington, DC, where  he began working in bars, nightclubs and live events while at George Washington University in  the heart of downtown DC.  

 

His love of music and live event production led him to launch his own DC music festival and  would lay the foundation for his next move further south to Atlanta. 

 

Antenucci co-founded Atlanta’s Rival Entertainment in 2004 and operates three independent  venues including the iconic Center Stage Theater. 

 

Since its origin, Rival Entertainment has narrowed focus on the creation and production of  unique live concert experiences, which Antenucci produces, overseeing event operations,  production, concessions & safety. Notable events include the annual Candler Park Music  Festival in Atlanta’s Candler Park neighborhood. 

 

Josh shares insight, challenges and successes along the way including producing Outkast’s  infamous 3-day reunion concert, Prince’s last live performance at Atlanta’s Fox Theater and  more.

 

Check out more about Josh and Candler Park Music Festival 

 

Festival website https://candlerparkmusicfestival.com/ 

 

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candlerparkmusicfestival/  

 

Connect with Festival Pass! 

 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/getfestivalpass/

 

Instagram  https://instagram.com/festival_pass/

 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/pass_festival

 

Website - https://festivalpass.com

Festival friends, when music and Meade (what?) come together along with jousting and giant turkey legs, it can only mean one thing: Renaissance Festival and on this episode, our host, Pat Tully takes us on a mystical tour of the Scarborough Renaissance Festival, stating in early April and going right into May! This is no weekend warrior festival, folks.

 

A North Texas Spring tradition since 1981, the Scarborough Renaissance Festival has everything you can imagine from a time period event and much more. Crowds are delighted by world class jousting, arts and crafts and of course the food. And who can go to a Renaissance festival without having a proper chalice of Meade? Yes, the fermented honey beverage from medieval times.

 

Wait until you hear the stories about the Renaissance and Celtic themed weddings!

 

And of course, there’s the world class unique shopping village and so much more. Enjoy the episode and you don’t even have to be in costume to do so.

 

Here’s more about the Scarborough Renaissance Festival:

Festival website https://www.srfestival.com/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theSRFestival/

 

Connect with Festival Pass!

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/getfestivalpass/ Instagram

https://instagram.com/festival_pass/ Twitter

https://twitter.com/pass_festival Website

https://festivalpass.com

Welcome back, festival friends. On this episode of festivalPass Stories, our host, Pat Tully, sits down with a guy who was born in the home of The Blues, Memphis. When you grow up there, the music is in your blood. Jim Ethridge knows all about that.

 

The founder of “Lost Art Music Festival” started his music career when he began hosting a radio show at the University of Georgia. Upon graduating, he immediately went to work for Vanguard Records and then onto a digital marketing agency where he worked directly with talent and brands on major campaigns.
He then joined City Winery and helped to grow the company to multiple US Cities beyond NYC where it all started.

 

At City Winery, a live music venue focused on intimate entertainment and fine food and drink, he got the idea too launch a festival for fans of his favorite music and what he calls “The best in Americana.” Now in it’s second official year (after a forced Covid pause), the festival will feature some of the best blues and Americana music. It takes place at the Foxhall Resort outside of Atlanta. Festival attendees can expect a true hospitality experience like they would get at City Winery, with great
beer, wine and food options. Presented by Cathead Distillery, VIP packages are available and camping packages are available as well.

To find out more about the festival and buy tickets/packages check out the information below:

Lost Art Music Festival website: https://lostartmusicfest.com/

Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lostartmusicfest/

 

Connect with Festival Pass!

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/getfestivalpass/ 

Instagram - https://instagram.com/festival_pass/ 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/pass_festival 

Website - https://festivalpass.com

Friends, welcome back to FPS. We LOVE talking music and on this episode, our Host, Pat Tully,  sits down with artist Bill Small. As far back as Bill can remember, there was music in the small household and he got the bug early, thanks to his sisters taste in music.

He’s made a living as everything from a singer to a songwriter to an entrepreneur and a Mystequiero...we’ll find out what that means in the episode. Theater was a big love in Bill’s life and in high school he worked at the Whole Theater company in New. Jersey.

After high school he went to the Berklee College of Music in Boston.  He eventually made his way to Austin, TX where he has been a member of a few bands.

The next (and current) stop on his music tour is Nashville, TN.
Pat catches up with Bill and his life in Nashville, while discussing touring with his bands and the art of writing the perfect song.

 

Check out Bill’s new music and stay connected with him on his website and his facebook page.

His website: https://billsmallmusic.com/
Follow him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wbsmall

 

Connect with Festival Pass!

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/getfestivalpass/

Instagram -
https://instagram.com/festival_pass/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/pass_festival

Website -  https://festivalpass.com

On the latest episode of festivalPass Stories, our host, Pat Tully sits down with Chef, author, and entrepreneur, Paul Virant.

 

The restaurant business is tough, and you need the right attitude to just survive, let alone thrive, but Chef Virant has done just that, thrive. Pat goes through Chef’s culinary journey from after school kitchen jobs to owning his own restaurant. Chef Virant takes us behind the kitchen door to hear his personal story of passion and inspiration in the food industry and the good, bad, and ugly he has seen along the way. He ‘dishes out’ some incredible stories from his days at The Culinary Institute of America and to his early days back working for Chef Wayne Nish in New York City.

 

A native of Chicagoland, he gets his big break and his dream comes true when he is invited to audition for the legendary Chef and Restauranteur, Charlie Trotter. His audition story makes him a restaurant legend.

 

But the big moment comes when he realizes a need for Chicago City style restaurants in the fast growing and affluent suburbs of Chicago, like Hinsdale. Soon he opened Vie and it quickly becomes a hit. He’s the talk of the town and is awarded a coveted Michelin Star.

 

From there he opens Vistro Prime and then it’s back to the city to open Chicago’s first okonomiyaki restaurant, serving both Hiroshima and Osaka styles of the savory Japanese pancake. Gaijin was born. The word means “outsider” in Japanese. Chef Virant embraces this perspective and honors traditional preparations and techniques, as well as his well-known passion for pickling and preserving (true story).

 

Oh, and he is an author as well! And how could we forget his stints on Iron Chef America and Chopped!

 

As a business owner he knows how important it is to give back to the community. So, when he is not running his restaurant empire, you can find him volunteering for schools and charities in the Hinsdale and Chicago area.

 

Find Chef Virant at https://www.paulvirant.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/paul_virant/ 

 

Connect with Festival Pass!

 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/getfestivalpass/

 

Instagram - https://instagram.com/festival_pass/

 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/pass_festival

 

Website - https://festivalpass.com

Born in Arizona, Julio Santo Domingo instantly became an international star as his family moved to Geneva Switzerland just a month after his birth.

 

An entrepreneur at an early age, he started a new radio show at his high school playing his favorite genre, Reggae. He named it simply “The Reggae Show.” This was just the beginning of a music career that would span the Atlantic and back over the next 3 decades.

 

Building on his fledgling high school DJ career, Julio took his arts talents to the US and attended college at Boston University. Not satisfied with the music scene in Boston, he spent every possible weekend in New York City finding the best underground parties in warehouses and clubs. At the same time, he was expanding his musical interests and amassing a large electronic music collection.

 

He realized he could DJ as well or better than any of the DJ’s at the parties he was attending, so he decided to start his own parties and used the dawn of social media to promote them.

 

After college he moved to NYC full time (where he still resides) to start a regular weekly Wednesday Reggae party at the legendary Belmont Lounge and an Electonic dance party called “Sheik and Beik.”

 

He was in high demand and would also host industry nights and one-off warehouse parties including one infamous evening at “Supreme Trading” in Brooklyn. Julio tells the legend of this Halloween party complete with cleaning a floor covered in blood moments before his guests arrived. He was then booked for a DJ gig at Art Basel. At the time he was already thinking of hosting his own underground music tent at Bonnaroo when a friend who worked at that festival, resigned. The two got together and decided to start their own in Florida and the concept for the Okeechobee Music & Arts festival was born.

His friend (Paul) found a great property and on Julio’s way home from that Art Basel gig, he saw the land, bought it and it was game on.

 

This is the 5th anniversary of Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival. Get tickets on
https://www.okeechobeefest.com/ and follow them on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/okeechobeefest/

 

Connect with Festival Pass!

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/getfestivalpass/

Instagram - https://instagram.com/festival_pass/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/pass_festival

Website - https://festivalpass.com

Welcome back friends to another episode of festivalPass Stories. This week, our host Pat Tully sits down with the dynamic duo of Mellik Gorton, and Meghan Mallan known as The Non Renewed! An Indie rock band out of Denver, the duo met through an app designed for musicians to meet. In 2019 they met up to jam with a group of people and soon realized that they were better together than in a larger band. They began playing covers of music they love and then as trust developed, they began to share music they wrote and started recording their own songs. 

 

The name “The Non-Renewed" is a tongue-in-cheek ode to Meghan’s teaching contract being “non-renewed. Meghan was a music teacher in the Denver public school system. 

 

This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it opened a door for Meghan to pursue her dream of a music career.  

 

Mellik wrote the tune That Much, tracked the vocals; then Meghan took it and ran with the production to create their first single and they were off and running. 

 

While the duo continued to explore their older writings and searching for the next single, they launched their social media campaign. Then Meghan reveals a story behind a relationship  breakup that led to another great single from the band called Smoke You Out.  

 

Pat becomes surprised to learn that both Mellik and Meghan both recently attended their first music festivals.  

 

However, the band is eager to get out on the road and get on the festival circuit. Their first big live show is taking place at The Lost Lake Lounge in Denver. Watch and follow as this band continues to grow and come to a festival near you!

 

Resources:
Instagram: @thenonrenewed
Website: https://linktr.ee/thenonrenewed

  Connect with Festival Pass! Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/getfestivalpass/ Instagram - https://instagram.com/festival_pass/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/pass_festival Website - https://festivalpass.com

Welcome back friends to a new year, and brand new episode of Festival Pass Stories Podcast! Today’s guest is the founder of the Gator By The Bay festival in San Diego, the one and only, Peter Miller. 

 

People that start live events (festivals in particular), seem to always have a passion that molds their ideas and establishes a niche. For Peter, that passion was dancing, and the enjoyment of being around great music. Peter grew up in the Washington DC area, went to UC San Diego and graduated with a BA in Communications. So, what would make a guy with experience in professional video production want to start a New Orleans inspired festival? As it is told by Peter himself, it all happened one night in Louisiana with a certain man playing an accordion. The feeling he got was indescribable, and from that moment he knew that he had to share it with as many people as possible. 

 

At first glance, it may seem a bit “random” to bring the culture of the bayou to sunny California. Gator By The Bay festival delivers such an authenticity, that the event is even supported by the state of Louisiana and its community. It’s the largest Louisiana-themed event on the West Coast. It takes place on Mother’s Day weekend, and is four days jammed-packed with entertainment for the whole family. The festival is also encouraged by the city of San Diego, and the San Diego Bon Temps Social Club. Gator By The Bay was established in 2001, and plans on making its marvelous return in 2022. 

 

So, what goes on at “SoCal’s Premiere Cajun, Zydeco, Blues, Live Music & Crawfish Festival? Well…a little bit of everything. Not only are there thousands of pounds of crawfish that comes in from Louisiana, but there are also alligator, gumbo, barbecues that run all day, beignet vendors, and every other delicious treat that New Orleans has to offer. There is also the market area where you can buy all sorts of jewelry, art, and other trinkets that make great gifts. The music that you hear from the moment you walk in is spectacular. Everywhere you go, you’ll be sure to hear a different sound that keeps the crowd smiling. And it’s all capped off with a big parade, led by Peter Oliver himself. 

 

There is no replacing the celebration that is Mardi Gras which happens on March 1st this year, but Gator By The Bay is an experience all it’s own that you don’t want to miss. Watch this episode to hear Peter’s stories, and to get more info on how to get tickets for this May. 

 

“I walked into the bar, 1988, the Thursday before Jazz Fest, and I hear this band and the guy had an accordion, and I couldn’t believe it, I found it and I didn’t even know I was looking for it.” - Peter Oliver

 

Catch the interview on Festival Pass Stories! https://festivalpass.com/stories

 

Resources: 

Gator By The Bay’s Website: https://gatorbythebay.com 

Gator By The Bay’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/GatorByTheBay 

Gator By The Bay’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gatorbythebay/ 

Gator By The Bay’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gatorbythebay/

 

Connect with Festival Pass!

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/getfestivalpass/ 

Instagram - https://instagram.com/festival_pass/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/pass_festival 

Website - https://festivalpass.com/

Hello friends! Welcome back to another episode of Festival Pass Stories podcast with host Pat Tully. Today’s guest is the captain of all vibes, the owner and founder of Whet Travel and Groove Cruise, Jason Beukema! 

 

If you’ve been following this podcast, you are probably familiar with some of our guests that stared live events with out-of-the-box concepts. Jason has successfully composed a festival like we’ve never seen before. Jason started in the business as a motor couch tour manager for Southern touch Tours. After learning the industry, Jason put his BA in Entrepreneurship from Central Michigan University to good use. He decided that he wanted to give people a joyous experience in his own way. So in 2004, he founded Groove Cruise, and the rest is history. 

 

The mission of Groove Cruise is to, “create world-class festival experiences for lovers of dance music as a way to connect and celebrate life on the open ocean. If you love beautiful scenery, great food, like-minded people, and electronic and dance music, you have to get on this ship somehow. It’s not just a floating music festival either, but also hosted parties and entertainers all over the ship. Groove Cruise is known as “the love boat” because of engagements and weddings going on. 

 

The year 2022 is going to be huge for GC, starting with events in Orlando and Cabo in January. 

 

“I use to read evaluations about what people like and don’t like about vacations…it has nothing to do with where you go, it’s all about who you’re with. So, my whole business is based on being around like-minded people.” - Jason Leukemia (Groove Cruise) 

 

Catch the interview on Festival Pass Stories! https://festivalpass.com/stories

 

Resources:

Groove Cruises’s Website: https://www.groovecruise.com 

Groove Cruises’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrooveCruise

Jason Beukema’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traveljason/ 

Jason Beukema’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traveljason/ 

 

Connect with Festival Pass!

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/getfestivalpass/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/festival_pass/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/pass_festival

Website - https://festivalpass.com/