scamn
Ferris Wheel Rider
Posts: 97
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Post by scamn on May 16, 2010 15:35:37 GMT -5
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Post by wvmountainweir on May 16, 2010 15:59:47 GMT -5
Nice article. Sounds like this fest can really do a lot for the Oxford hills area, which seems to have fallen on hard times. Hopefully everyone acts like polite guests and we will invited back for years to come...
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Post by vincheese on May 17, 2010 13:22:00 GMT -5
so no dropping hoagies in the punch powl.
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Post by spiderpig on May 26, 2010 22:04:59 GMT -5
Another story in the news. This one's from bostonherald.com: Grateful for a career switch
Exec starts rock festivalNewton’s Frank Chandler used to devote much of his spare time to following the Grateful Dead. Thanks to an unexpected career twist, they are now following him. For almost a decade, Chandler was the national sales director for Boston Capital Securities, pushing federal tax credit funds that invest in affordable housing properties. In 2007, the company shut down his division - leaving him with the unenviable task of laying off 27 people and then himself. “They were very considerate with the severance packages,” he says. “But I never thought I would ever leave there. I was sure this was where I would end my career. But timing is everything and the financial world was melting.” Having the luxury of a safety net and some time to re-evaluate his career, Chandler started parsing the various levels of work satisfaction. “I liked my job, but I didn’t really love it. There was a lot of stress that came with the territory. There’s nothing casual or humorous about dealing with other people’s money.” “I saw myself getting older and my opportunities getting fewer,” he adds. So Chandler, who celebrated his 48th birthday last weekend, turned to his passion. During his 23-year career as a retail broker, including stints at Smith Barney and Bear Stearns, he would sneak away to as many concerts as possible. He’s seen the Grateful Dead, and their subsequent reincarnations, more than 150 times. After half-heartedly pursuing other career opportunities in the financial services sector, Chandler experienced a “Field of Dreams” moment and started planning a three-day mega-concert from scratch. The open field is the Oxford County Fairgrounds in central Maine and he’s expecting up to 15,000 music lovers to pitch tents from July 2-4. Showcasing more than 50 bands, his inaugural Nateva Music & Camping Festival is headlined by Further (featuring Grateful Dead singer guitarist Bob Weir and bassist Phil Lesh), the Flaming Lips, Jakob Dylan, George Clinton & the Parliament Funkadelic and moe. Chandler hired experienced concert promoters and security experts to organize the event, but getting the original Grateful Dead performers - and the throngs they attract - was a lucky coup. A popular music festival in Michigan, which previously had booked the band for July 4th weekend, recently went belly-up without warning. “Other than Phish, I would say that Further is at the top of the food chain for music festivals,” says Chandler. “I’m now working 19-20 hours a day to get everything ready, but I have never worked so hard with such joy.” In just 18 months, Chandler has gone from working alone in his basement to employing 300 people for the summer festival. The Nateva name, which many assume has Native American origins, comes from combining the names of his children, Nate, 7, and Eva, 4. “At first, I thought I had to come across like I was a big corporation. But people really like the idea that this will be a family-run music festival,” he says. “You should feel comfortable bringing your kids because I am bringing mine.” “Most people think I’m nuts for doing this,” says Chandler. “But if this works out, and I can provide for myself and my family, then I’ll be the luckiest guy in the world. If I weren’t laid off, I never would have taken this kind of risk. And without risk, there’s no potential for reward.” |
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Post by spiderpig on May 26, 2010 22:09:43 GMT -5
Yet another (from patriotledger.com)
SOUTH SHORE INSIDER: Mitchell Fishman
Former Putnam executive in charge of music and camping festival
NEWTON — Perfect summertime activities include cooking outdoors, camping and listening to live music. Thanks to Mitchell Fishman and the other folks who are bringing the Nateva Music & Camping Festival to Maine in July, all three things can be done over one weekend. Fishman, the chief operating officer of Nateva, had his start in the financial world. Fishman worked for Putnam Investments for 25 years before his retirement in March 2009. Fishman, a 51-year-old Braintree resident, worked as a consultant until he received a call in November asking him to work on the festival. Nateva is scheduled to be a three-day music festival from July 2 to 4 on the Oxford Fairgrounds in Maine. Headliners will include artists such as Passion Pit, She & Him, Grizzly Bear, the Flaming Lips and George Clinton. Ticket prices range from $89 for the show on Sunday only to $250, which includes a weekend pass plus a camping pass. Attendees who don’t like to camp can stay at nearby motels or rent a recreational vehicle for the weekend as part of the VIP package, which sells for $2,000. Fishman has seen ticket sales in places from as far away as Japan and London, as well as every state in the U.S. Bands are scheduled to play from noon to midnight, and even later on a late-night stage. Fishman has been working with three other individuals to bring this project to life out of the home of Nateva founder Frank Chandler in Newton. How did you get involved with this festival? I got a call from a friend of mine at Putnam who said “I know this guy, Frank Chandler, who started his own business and he would love to hire someone as his chief operating officer. ... When I spoke to Frank for the first time, I said, “I’m not your guy, I don’t know anything about the business.” And he said: “You’re perfect. ... When the music’s playing and the festival is going on, I don’t need my chief operating officer wanting to go backstage. I need someone who is making sure the port-o-potties are clean and the vendors are happy. What exactly is your role in this festival as its chief operating officer? It’s just like my job at Putnam. I was the chief administrative officer for the sales division at Putnam. … I’m kind of like their air traffic controller. You have all these balls in the air and you have to make sure they fly smoothly and none of them crash. Same thing here. How did you come up with the name? The reality of it is this is a family business. Frank has been running our world headquarters out of his home and Frank has two children, Nate and Eva. Therefore, Nateva. It is great because it’s representative of what we are, just a couple of people who got together, started a business, and are now friends working together to make something special for everyone. How did you choose the location? What we found in Oxford was a welcoming community, the Oxford fairgrounds is 100 or so acres of grounds with a racetrack, so it’s a perfect venue for our concert. We are (putting) two stages at one end of the track, and filling up the other end with vendors. It has running water, it has electricity, it has a lot of buildings we can use for a late night stage and what we’re calling a “cool zone.” In the middle of July, it can be hot so there’s buildings that people can go into (and) get out of the sun and relax a little bit. Are there plans to do this festival again next year? We have the ultimate goal in making this an enjoyable festival for all. The actual people that are attending, the employees, the bands and artists themselves, and the whole community. Oxford Fairgrounds has opened its arms up to us and welcomed us to have this festival and we’re doing the best we can to make sure that this is enjoyable for them as well. So would we do this for only one festival and be done with it? No, our goal is to do more than one of these a year. … Our goal is to make this a great festival, to make it repeatable, so the artists want to come back again, the fans want to come back again, the community wants us back again, and that the employees want to do it again. I’ve never worked so hard and made so little in my entire life (but) this has been a very rewarding experience on many different levels. |
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scamn
Ferris Wheel Rider
Posts: 97
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Post by scamn on May 27, 2010 3:06:39 GMT -5
Heres another new post. www.mofga.net/Forums/tabid/56/afv/topic/aff/49/aft/211/Default.aspxThe vending manager of Nateva; the concert to be held at the Oxford County Fair Grounds is looking to have a modest Farmer's Market for Sat July 3rd and Sunday July 4th at the concert. There are available about 3-5 spots each of those two days, depending on how much each is selling. Some could come one day if desired. The cost would be $100 per spot per day, includes two worker passes, up to two additional tickets could be purchased for $100 each (day passes, no camping), two vehicle maximum, and insurance would be required as well, which if the vendors don't have it can cost $125 for the one event or $350 for a year. We're definitely interested in real farmers, not others (first), and the more local and organic the better. It's a combination of wanting to help locally and wanting to offer a different option than the other (MUCH HIGHER) paying food vendors that will be there. All items must be approved for sale by me in advance. It'd be a nice treat to offer fresh fruit, produce, and maybe just a few other items like doughnuts, since it's not a normal festival item and would go over well, and homemade muffins, perhaps pies, but that is about as prepared or cooked as we can have. No salads or soups (great, now I'm getting hungry). It would be fairest to the existing food vendors if it focused strongly on fruit/produce, and have to keep it small and brief, say 9 am to 1 pm. We are open to yours and others' thoughts and suggestions on hours. Do you have a market either weekend day or just Thursday? I thought I read something that said there was a local market there on Thursday afternoons? The days of the event are Thursday PM - Sunday 7/4 midnight, but everyone will have full coolers until Saturday usually. There should be about 5-7000 camping people (not sure what the estimate is calculated to be) spread out all the way to the school. The location would likely be near but not in the main fair vending triangle. This could be a great opportunity, if you can get even 10% of the campers to shop at your stand that would be a great base and the 5-7000 does not include the day traffic. If people are interested but may not have the work force, contact me and we will see if we can find staff(quality people who need work). Contact for more information and to sign up. Rick Ginsburg Operations Manager Nateva Music & Camping Festival 617-598-0700 Office 781-248-3591 Cell rick@natevafestival.com OR David Rowles Vending Manager Nateva Music & Camping Festival www.natevafestival.cominfo@natevafestival.com |
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Post by spiderpig on Jun 12, 2010 21:36:59 GMT -5
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Post by spiderpig on Jun 26, 2010 0:00:47 GMT -5
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Post by joshuagyoungesq on Jun 26, 2010 1:23:38 GMT -5
There have been a few mentions in the Bangor Daily News. This is the most recent: www.bangordailynews.com/detail/146919.htmlIt’s less than a week away from the biggest paying music festival Maine has seen since Phish rocked Limestone in 2003, and concert promoter Frank Chandler is feeling pretty good about everything. Cautious, but good. After all, the Nateva Festival, announced last year and building on powerful buzz ever since, is poised to become Maine’s answer to big-name festivals around the nation, like Coachella and Bonnaroo. The fun kicks off with a preview night on Thursday, July 1, and continues into the wee hours of Sunday, July 4, at the Oxford Fairgrounds. For Chandler, it will cap 18 months of working and planning. “It’s all about creating this little temporary community that is centered around music,” said Chandler. “It’s uniquely intimate, since we’ve capped ticket sales at 15,000. It’s not like other festivals, where there are just thousands upon thousands of people. We don’t want anyone to feel overwhelmed. That was always the goal.” The end result of all that planning is Nateva, which over the course of four days will bring a wide array of jam bands, indie rockers, blues, bluegrass, folk and funk artists to western Maine, along with local bands. They range in genre from pioneering psychedelic indie rockers The Flaming Lips to Further, composed of members of the Grateful Dead. In between, there’s the elegant, cerebral rock of Grizzly Bear, the powerful blues duo Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, funk legends George Clinton and P-Funk All Stars, and more than 40 others. No wonder you’re supposed to camp out on site. There’s so much to hear and see. Chandler, a self-described jam band fan, knew he wanted a strong jam presence — hence the performances from groups like Umphrey’s McGee, Moe and Sound Tribe Sector 9. But there are still legions of fans of other genres that are just as interested in attending a large outdoor festival. “I think having the core of any festival be about jam bands is a smart move, because jam band fans are some of the best fans out there. They’ll travel hours and hours to go see their favorite band,” said Chandler. “But a one-genre festival is lacking. That’s why we tried to have a strong indie and alternative edge to it, surrounded by bluegrass and electronica and all kinds of genres.” Though festival-goers will come for the music, they will be exposed to lots more than just bands during the four days of the event. Chandler and company have planned an assortment of other activities, including a farmer’s market featuring Maine farmers and growers, a Ferris wheel, late night movies on a big screen, and a sig-nificant children’s area for parents who wish to bring their families. There’s even a silent disco, in which participants put on individual headphones and dance, though to onlookers they appear to be moving in silence. Chandler also wanted to showcase some of the great bands Maine has to offer. These include Portland-based rockers Grand Hotel, Portland indie band Brenda, Dover-Foxcroft-originating alt-country band the Mallett Brothers, and Bangor jam-funk group Mudseason. Anthony Ambrosino, lead singer and guitarist for Mudseason, heard the news the band was accepted back in April, after they had submitted a SonicBids electronic press kit in ordered to be considered for inclusion. His band, which also includes bassist James Morong, drummer Windell White and keyboard player Jed Profeta, will play at 11 a.m. Sunday, kicking off that day’s festivities. “We are just thrilled, thrilled, thrilled. It’s a whole new experience,” said Ambrosino. “The folks at Nateva understand things, and they seemed to get what we’re all about.” Ambrosino and company have had an eventful few weeks. Word of the Nateva gig came on the heels of the band learning they were being included in the equally large-scale KahBang Festival, set for Aug. 14 and 15 on the Bangor Waterfront, and at the Winterport Music Festival, Aug. 7 in downtown Winterport. For Nateva, Mudseason has added a three-piece horn section, dubbed the Black Fly Horns, featuring Bangor trumpet player John Patterson, Orono sax man Les Rhoda and Bar Harbor flute phenom Hannah Summers Jones. “It’s been a really gratifying few months here, between all these great gigs and people kind of coming on board with the things we’re trying to do,” he said. “I’ve been playing music all my life, so to have some important things fall into place is just awesome, and I want to thank everyone who’s helped us along for coming to the dream we have.” Though he’s coming at it from a different angle, Chandler, the Nateva organizer, is in many ways in the same boat. Chandler was laid off from a job at a financial services firm in Boston in 2008. Instead of staying in his field, he pursued a career change that incorporates his passion: music. “I wanted to combine my livelihood and my passion,” said Chandler. “What better opportunity than something like this?” All weekend camping passes to the Nateva Festival are sold out, but day passes and weekend passes with satellite camping still are available. For ticket information and full band schedules, visit www.natevafestival.com. Believe me — there’s far more than just what’s listed here. |
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scamn
Ferris Wheel Rider
Posts: 97
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Post by scamn on Jun 26, 2010 12:32:20 GMT -5
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Post by spiderpig on Mar 6, 2011 14:14:26 GMT -5
Nateva granted gathering permit; Further not returningOXFORD — Selectmen on Thursday granted a mass gathering permit for the 2011 Nateva Music and Camping Festival, just in time for band announcements. Festival organizers have announced they'll release the names of bands performing at the 2011 Nateva Festival on Monday morning. The festival is set for a Aug. 4-7 at the Oxford Fairgrounds on Pottle Road, the same location as the inaugural event last year. At Thursday's meeting, organizer Frank Chandler said Further, which includes former members of the Grateful Dead, won't be returning this year. Jim Britt, spokesman for the festival, confirmed Further isn't on the bill, but said he's still receiving names of bands this weekend. “It's the classic race to the finish scenario,” he said Friday. This year, the town of Oxford voted to change its mass gathering ordinance to notify residents near large gatherings of the permit hearing. Attendance was sparse, and one Pottle Road couple, who complained last year before the festival, showed up Thursday to express support. “I made a big stink about it,” Deborah Wiles, who with her husband was an opponent of the 2010 festival, said. She said in 1988 when the Grateful Dead played at Oxford Plains Speedway, “Everyone was held captive in their house.” With thousands showing up across the street from her home, Wiles had expected a bad weekend. Wiles said when organizer Frank Chandler made promises of how he'd handle the festival last year, she was skeptical. Before the festival, she told Chandler that if it went as well as he said, “Then I'll be the first one to admit that I'm wrong.” On Thursday, Wiles stayed true to her word, despite several disturbances last year. She said someone set off bottle rockets in her backyard near her woodpile. “I have a gas stove, and those gas tanks weren't too far away,” Wiles said. “That wasn't Frank's fault.” Wiles hopes for added security on her street this year, especially on Sunday night when the festival ends. Still, Wiles said she never felt unsafe, despite living nearly across the street from the main entrance to the festival. She said each morning, Oxford Police Chief Jonathan Tibbetts went door-to-door in her neighborhood, asking residents if there had been any problems the night before. The permit allows up to 14,999 attendees, but Chandler said at the hearing he plans to limit the event to 9,999. According to Britt, the limit “is in Nateva's best interest given the site and our desire for a small intimate festival.” Selectmen voted unanimously to grant the permit, which is conditional on Chief Tibbetts and Fire Chief Scott Hunter creating a plan and guidelines on ensuring public safety. This year, selectmen raised the fee for mass gatherings of up to 14,999 people to $300, from last year's fee of $250. The extra $50 covers the costs of notifying residents near the fairgrounds of the public hearing.
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