RedGorilla Music Fest (Brian Waymire)
Austin, TX // SXSW
Interview by Jordan Fischels
Q: I understand that the Red Gorilla Music Festival consistently holds shows that are free and open to the general public instead of restricting it to only badge holders – Why do you think this is such an important part of the festival experience?
A: A big, huge part of it is 6th Street: it is typically free, no cover music the rest of the year. So when we started this, we wanted to give that vibe back to the people here in Austin; to give them an opportunity to go to some free events, just like they normally would, because so much of 6th Street is swallowed up with them having to have a wrist band or a badge. So we just wanted to give back part of the street to the local Austin people.
Q: I know that Red Gorilla Music Festival began under the name DreamScapers Artists Showcase until 2007. What prompted the name change and why Red Gorilla?
A: That’s an interesting story. At the time, I had a company called DreamScapers and we just did artist development. It was one of those things that when it started with four bands, it was four bands we worked with. And then when it became 12 bands, we worked with most of them, but by the time it was the fourth year, we had about 125 bands. It had gotten so big that we weren’t, as a company, working with these artists. So, we just thought it would be better to rebrand it as an event instead of as our company showcasing artists. So, we went over and over, probably 1000 names to come up with Red Gorilla. We initially were going to call it Gorilla Music Festival; but there was a company out of New York that was really close to that name, and we didn’t want to create any confusion. So we called it Red Gorilla.
Q: The festival throughout the years has been known to host between 300-550 bands, artists, and DJs throughout the years. What do the numbers look like for this year? Did you ever imagine that the festival would grow to be such an integral part of SXSW?
A: 527 is the most we’ve had. That was crazy. It was 11 stages that year. That was in 2007 or 2008, I believe. It was too much, way too much! I didn’t think it would grow to be what it is now. We didn’t start it with that intention at all. We just started it to give independent artists a little outlet, and to give the locals a place to go for free without a cover. And, then it just sort of accidently grew into this. Since about 2006, we’ve been fostering that growth a little bit, not just us, but a lot of our partners who support the fact that we want to keep it free and open to the public. A lot of those companies support the artists. They allow us to do this, because it’s a very expensive event to put on. We bring in sound to every venue. We bring in backline for all of the bands. It’s just become a machine to feed. So we did have to foster that growth, but we still have really maintained the fact that we are all about exposing those new up and coming artists.
Q: What has been your favorite part of SXSW this year?
A: A couple of things. There is a girl named Laura Johnston from L.A. that I really had no idea who she was before I listened to her submission. She just blew me away. I think she is super talented. There is a guy named Robert Fortune from New Orleans that really knocked my socks off. I think he could be the next Jack White. I think he is insanely good. There have been a few highlights, but I would definitely say discovering Laura Johnston here. That was really cool. I always love to discover something that I just know is going to go! As soon as you see it, you know. You just kind of know out of 450 bands, when you see that one and it’s just spot on, you just know it.
Q: Anything you’re looking forward to in the future?
A: As far as the future goes, we definitely are expanding into other markets as a festival. We’ve launched events in 10 other cities around the country last year. Within the next three years, I would say we plan to be doing events in about 20 cities around the country. So, we are talking to some other people that are partnering with us on that. That should be really interesting.
Q: What has been the “Highlight” of your career?
A: Well, I’m a booking agent by trade, so growing up; I was a huge fan of Nappy Roots, a hip-hop band, and being able to sign that band and become their agent was kind of a highlight for me. I would say that was a real highlight in my career because I was such a fan before I worked with them.
