Thursday, August 27, 2009
Utah Music Festival
Posted By Gavin Sheehan on August 27, 2009, 1:25 PM
Festival season is starting to wind down, but not before
some of the more local-driven ones take their turn to showcase the finest Utah
has to offer. Starting this weekend up north.
--- The Utah Music Festival
kicks off this Saturday at the Ogden Amphitheater, featuring an slew of local
artists from reggae, hip-hop, rock, plus DJ's to entertain into the night and
urban art galore. All for just $10 the day of. You may have remembered our prior
interview with Jason Rodriguez from Studio 801, and he's back to quickly chat
with us again about the festival and all that we can expect this
year.
Jason Rodriguez
http://www.utahmusicfest.com/
Gavin: Hey Jason, how have you
been since we last chatted?
Jason: I've been doing
great. I have been hard at work in the studio and on this years Utah Music
Festival.
Gavin:
For those who don't know, what is the Utah Music
Festival?
Jason: The Utah Music Festival is a
celebration of Utah music at its best. The event is held in downtown Ogden at
the Ogden Amphitheater on 25th and Washington Blvd. We will have live
performances from Hip-Hop, Rock, Reggae, and Acoustic
musicians.
Gavin: How did the idea first come about
for the fest?
Jason: I've always wanted to put
together an event to showcase the best the Utah music scene has to offer. It has
been a dream of mine since performing at my first Juneteenth Cultural Arts
Festival in 2002.
Gavin:
Seeing how you're in Ogden I know the location must make you happy. But was
Ogden your preference or were you looking for other venues at the
time?
Jason: We were considering venues from Ogden to
Salt Lake. We ultimately decided to do the show in Ogden because the folks at
the amphitheater loved the idea. They have given us an amazing amount of support
and the festival would not have been possible without the help of John Nichols
and the staff at the Ogden events office.
Gavin: Last
year was the first event, what was it like for you planning and running that
inaugural event?
Jason: It was a test of our
determination and desire. I actually had quite a bit of help from my investors
financially, but it was up to me and my staff to get things put together
quickly. We started putting the event together in late April, so we only had
four months to get everything planned, organized, and finalized.
Gavin:
What lessons did you learn the first time around that you're now applying this
year?
Jason: I learned the importance of an early
start, four months seems like a long time but for an event of this magnitude
it's barely enough. I started earlier this year which actually saved the event
because almost all of my staff from last year didn't return, so I ended up doing
a lot more work personally. Last years festival turned out great, but I'm more
excited to see how this years event goes because I have a lot more personally
invested.
Gavin: What artists have you got on board
for this year's festival?
Jason: From Salt Lake City-
Drop Dead Julio, Emerson Kennedy, Mr.Beny Records, Roots Rawka, Silver Glen,
Hogg Boss, Self Expression Music, Bre, Definition, Zayn Jones, C-Note and more.
From Ogden- The Smash Brothas, Jebu, Young William, Itai, Young Prod,
Soulshakers Music and more to come.
Gavin:
Are there any other events or activities we can expect to see
there?
Jason: We are going to have a B-Boy battle,
Graffiti battle, Hip-Hop dancers, Dj's, and contests and prize giveaways
too!
Gavin: Are you currently looking for volunteers
for the event? And if so, how can they join
in?
Jason: We are always looking for help, for this
years festival as well as next year too. Email studio801@mail.com if your interested in
volunteering, or message us on MySpace.
Gavin:
Is there any last minute stuff we can expect or will things pretty much go as
planned?
Jason: We are ready to go! We haven't
considered too much last minute stuff, but you never know. You'll just have to
come out and see for yourself!
Gavin: Real quick,
what's the info people need to know to come check it
out?
Jason: The 2nd Annual Utah Music
Festival will be held Saturday, August 29th at the Ogden Amphitheater on
25th and Washington Blvd. Tickets are only $6 pre-sale or $10
at the gate, and are available online at our website. You can also get
them at the Music Shop located at 158 25th St. in Ogden.
Gavin:
Any last minute stuff you wanna plug or
promote?
Jason: Soulshakers Presents: The Diverse
City - a compilation album featuring some of the hottest 801 hip-hop artists
from all over the Wasatch will be releasing soon, so stay
tuned!
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