Friday Aug. 7, 5:30pm-12am • Saturday, Aug. 8, 2pm-12am
Local is the theme of this multiday all-ages festival that combines art, beer and original music to two stages at the intersection of Seventh and Washington streets in downtown Springfield. The Downhome Music Festival was created by musicians for music lovers, as festival co-founders Josh Catalano and Shane Turnidge are mainstays in Springfield’s bar and music scenes. Catalano sings, writes and plays guitar for many bands; his most recent projects including Josh Catalano & The Dirty Thoughts and The Lazer Dudes. Turnidge is the owner and operator of the Celtic Mist Pub on Seventh Street.
The festival, now entering its fifth year, was created when Turnidge and Catalano noticed a pattern among local music festivals where bands were performing and drawing in a lot of money for festivals, but not profiting from admission. “Our idea was to gather up all these smaller, original bands and give them a chance to get up on the big stages, make some money and get their name out there,” says Catalano. To be considered for Downhome Music Festival, all acts must meet two criteria: one, they must perform original music, and two, they must feature local musicians as band members.
Although the full lineup has yet to be officially released as of press time, Catalano has informed Illinois Times that this year’s musical lineup includes the boisterous Bottle Rockets, featuring local musician Keith Voegele on guitar, a Love Hogs reunion, and Springfield party-punk-rockers, The Timmys.
But there is more to Downhome Fest than meets the ears. The festival also features a massive beer tent with more than 100 craft beers, with brews and ciders served on tap, in bottles and in cans. Other popular attractions include local food vendors, and a children’s area featuring crafts, activities and inflatables such a bounce house and water slide. The addition of an art tent featuring local artisans and crafters was so successful that organizers have decided to bring it back with even more vendors.
Downhome Music Fest takes an entrepreneurial approach to ticket sales. Every band in the lineup is given a stack of advance tickets to sell at a price of their choosing. Most bands sell the tickets at the suggested price, which is $5 apiece. The bands are permitted to keep all proceeds from these advance sales. Tickets are also available at the gate the day of the event, and those proceeds are divided among the performers. The rest of the event is almost entirely volunteer driven. The beer tent is staffed by a combination of craft beer distributors and volunteers, and other volunteers work in shifts to ensure the event runs smoothly.
A full lineup and event schedule will be posted on http://downhomefest.org. To purchase tickets, buy directly from the bands on the list (preferred), or just show up with cash the day of the festival. Either way, you’ll be drinking, rocking and art-ing for a very good cause.