Downhome Music Festival
July 26-27
Seventh and Washington streets
“Financially, it's getting trickier every year,” said Jay Wheeler, who is responsible for behind-the-scenes logistics for Downhome. “I understand Barry [Friedman] backing out of Blues & BBQ – the overall investment into an event of any real scope is pretty heavy, and sponsorship has been harder to get.”
Wheeler said that he’s found the city to be reasonable and accommodating to work with. “The cost of everything goes up, especially when you're dealing with police and security and stuff like that. But it doesn't look like the price for public works or the actual police security has really gone up at all. It's mostly the cost of everything else – everything just costs more and it's really hard not to pass that cost directly on to your patrons.”
More than most local festivals, a large part of Downhome’s mission has always been to act as a source of support and exposure for local bands that play largely original music, which is not always the most reliable road to commercial success.
“I think one of the best aspects of Downhome is that we give the bands the opportunity to sell their own tickets – that's money directly into their pockets. And then the gate (money from admissions) pretty much all goes to the bands themselves,” Wheeler said.
Downhome Music Festival schedule:
Friday, July 26
5 p.m.: Scarlet’s Darling
5:30 p.m.: Doom Buggy
6 p.m.: Sonic Sunday
6:45 p.m.: Wolf Crick Boys
7:30 p.m.: The Deep Hollow
8:15 p.m.: They Came In Droves
9 p.m.: Los Injectors
9:45 p.m.: Almost Homeless
10:30 p.m.: The Station
11:15 p.m.: The Lovelorn
Saturday, July 27
Colin Helton Band: 3:30 p.m.
Master Bastard: 4:15 p.m.
Emily Perkins: 4:15 p.m.
Joel Gragg & The Filaments: 5 p.m.
ThornhillL 5:45 p.m.
Cody Lee Moomey: 5:45 p.m.
Trace: 6:30 p.m.
Kate Laine: 7:15 p.m.
Ella Gibson: 7:15 p.m.
Go! Tsunami: 8 p.m.
The Timmys: 8:45 p.m.
Fireside Relics: 8:45 p.m.
Wayward Motel: 9:30 p.m.
Tom Irwin: 10:15 p.m.
Hip Hop Power Hour: 11 p.m.
