Pygmalion Music Festival 2011
In its seventh year Pygmalion Music Festival is no unknown, fly-by music fest. The multi-day event has gained national attention and has drawn bands, people, and a following into the cities of Champaign and Urbana, Illinois.
This year’s dates are September 21st through the 25th, spanning multiple venues over the area, hosting Polyvinyl Records’ 15th year showcase, and headlining big names like Explosions in the Sky, Cut Copy, and Washed Out. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to witness history in the making as Pygmalion Music Festival takes off September 21st.
I was given the chance to interview Seth Fein, the founder of the festival and the man responsible for putting Champaign-Urbana back on the map of the music world.
Make sure to head over to the festival’s website for more information, and don’t forget to buy your tickets at www.pygmalionmusicfestival.com
Ryan Donar: Seven years of providing the best music in Illinois, five days of nonstop excitement and an enormous lineup featuring some of the most talented acts around. I'm talking about Pygmalion Music Fest held in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. Do you want to introduce yourself?
Seth Fein: Well, that's a very gracious way to put it, but I'd think I just see myself as a small piece of the puzzle; lots of wonderful promoters in Illinois obviously, and I am honored to be in the mix. I'm Seth Fein, born and raised in Urbana, Ill. Went to University of Illinois to get my degree in Creative Writing. Played in bands for over a decade, did a lot of touring, and started putting on indie rock shows when I was 22 years old. That led to my founding Pygmalion Music Festival and it's been a fun time ever since. I suppose that I parlayed my degree into enough knowledge and know-how to found and be the published and owner of a really cool online magazine based here as well: Smile Politely. In the other hours, I run a true boutique booking company, The Nicodemus Agency, handling tours for artists like Damien Jurado, Viva Voce, Stars of the Lid, +/– {Plus/Minus}, and more. I also simply adore my wife, Justine Bursoni, a lifestyle photographer, and have an unhealthy obsession with Purdue athletics. Yes, I am aware that I went to Illinois. It's just the way I was raised.
RD: The Festival lasts five days, starting on the 21st of September and ending on the 25th, how did you go about organizing all of the concerts and festivities?
SF: Well, the short answer is simply: experience. It seems like a massive, huge to-do, and it is — but for some reason, this type of organizing and development comes easy to me. If it felt too hard or difficult, I likely couldn't do it. It feels natural, and it's fun to see how the festival permeates my community.
RD: How has the process changed within the last six years? Is it easier to get all of these musicians booked and placed into their respective time slots at each venue?
SF: Well, I've spent a great deal of time and effort developing a base of sponsorship, and that ultimately affects how the festival unfolds each year. The more money I can raise, the more popular the artists are, the better the attendance and so on and so forth. So, I have a dual role: fundraiser and talent buyer/promoter. Again though, I enjoy the work, so none of it feels quite like hard labor. And I've worked some shitty jobs.
RD: What venues are being featured and are they all ages?
SF: Not all of the venues are all ages as Champaign bar age is 19+ and Urbana's is 18+. But the outdoor show on Saturday for Polyvinyl 15 Year is All Ages, as is Krannert Art Museum, Channing Murray, Red Herring and Caffe Paradiso. So there are a lot of great shows out there available for kids as well. That's very important to me.
RD: Who is sponsoring this year's Festival?
SF: Check out the website, really. Too many to list, but my four Presenting Sponsors are Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Red Bull Music Academy, 88.7 WPCD-FM, and Rdio.
RD: Do the sponsors help a lot with the funding or is it pretty easy to be positive in the bank from all of the attendees?
SF: It's pretty well all on sponsorship; I am able to offer almost $150 worth of shows to people for about $65 a ticket, so the difference has to come from somewhere. That's where they sponsors step in. Ultimately, they are offsetting those costs.
RD: This year's lineup is really exciting! Explosions in the sky, Braid, Washed Out, Cut Copy and so many more. Besides the headliners, what bands should we look out for during the week?
SF: Too many to list, you know? But my top three "under-known" artists that I am way into are Common Loon (who I represent as well), Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and The Luyas.
RD: I heard about Youth Lagoon when my buddies Matt Adler and Josh Blalock from Birp! came across some raw tracks that were sent over to them. YL has been getting a lot of attention lately, are you excited to know that this year's festival will debut nearly a dozen acts in which they will lose their festival virginity? (respectfully, of course)
SF: I guess that's part of the fun for me: debuting artists in this setting. Fact is, we've hosted more than a few artists on their rise, and that's part of the joy of hosting such an intimate festival experience. Case and point: Yeasayer performed at Pygmalion in 2007 on their first ever tour. There were about 75 people watching them, as they opened the show that night. Unbelievable show.
RD: I am personally excited for the Polyvinyl showcase. It's not very common to be able to go to a festival and catch Deerhoof one day and a band like Toro Y Moi the next. Was it much work to really arrange all of these acts in order to create a flowing mesh of shows?
SF: It does require some shape shifting, but ultimately, you just get a vision, and start plugging away. In my 7th year, it feels easier than the 6th or 5th, you know?
RD: Will any after-parties be announced?
SF: I tried to do some in year's past, and it's just too hard to manage. If people in town can get these bands to come play their basement — that's awesome, as long as its not being promoted in any real way. I'd love to see Cut Copy at a house party in Urbana!
RD: How does the festival support the city and vice versa?
SF: It's unique because there isn't really anything this big happening in multiple venues across both cities like Pygmalion. There is a lot of growth and development with our relationships right now, especially with our new Mayor Don Gerard being so wise and friendly towards the arts, but I think the festival is an economic boon in a lot of ways to certain businesses in town. Record shops, music stores, cafes, restaurants — all of them see an uptick in business, and of course, people come in from out of town and get hotels as well. But more than anything, I think its cultural. Pygmalion helps to put C-U on the map in a certain cultural realm, and that makes me very happy.
RD: What is the overall mission that you are projecting?
SF: My mission? I really just want people to have a good time at an affordable price. If I can keep doing that every year, it's a success.
