Quiet Color

by jessica f.

The following seven top-of-the-roster bands are playing at both Rothbury and Wakarusa festivals this summer: The Black Crowes, Gov’t Mule, STS9, Yonder Mountain String Band (personal favorite), Les Claypool, G Love & Special Sauce, and Shpongle.  Rothbury general admission tickets cost about $250 while Wakarusa’s are going for $119, half the price. What does Rothbury [Michigan, July 2-5] have that Wakarusa [Arkansas, June 4-7] does not? A few things, including an effective corporate backed marketing strategy.

Artist: dj BC Song: Yoshimi Battles Snoop Dogg

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Rothbury is being run by AEG, the second largest concert production conglomerate in the United States next to Live Nation. Wakarusa is produced by Wakarusa. Rothbury is marketing themselves on the green movement platform, which is fantastic in theory, but lets take a look at the corporate sponsors of each festival an think about how deep AEG’s skin is green. Rothbury is brought to you by: Budweiser, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco, Southern Comfort, Sweet Leaf Teas, Ben & Jerry’s and Merrell.  Ben & Jerry’s, I love your ice cream, especially during my own “greener” moments. Corporate sponsors, you have your benign saving the world efforts that allow you to sleep at night or whatever but when it comes down to it you are machines with bottom lines and employees who are paid unlivable wages, probably manufacture your products in third world countries under unsafe conditions. You are the reason the world needs saving in the first place. (Except you Ben & Jerry’s, come to Brooklyn, we’ll make brownies). Wakarusa’s partners include: New Belgium Brewing, Fat Tire Amber Ale, Mulberry Mountain Lodging & Events, Everybody’s Nuts Pistachios, Relix magazine, Dickies and Jam Base.

photo by Stu Haury

What do you think costs more, a Budweiser at Rothbury or an Amber Ale at Wakarusa? Actually I am pretty sure that most of Wakarusa’s sponsors are broke. Relix is a music magazine, a category of business that is no longer turning a profit. The pistachio brand has undoubtedly been hard hit by salmonella scares. It makes more sense to support the little guy than to give your money to Goliath in a green shirt. Wakarusa’s activities include morning yoga, fishing and hiking whereas at Rothbury your main activity will be supporting the green movement by emptying your pockets for shitty beer and overpriced veggie burritos.

In terms of moneymaking artists with recognition, Rothbury is featuring blockbuster names that Wakarusa is not including The Dead, Bob Dylan, The String Cheese Incident, Bisco, and Ani Difranco. Lets explore beyond the top 15 performers. I do not have the right to tell anyone which funky beats should or should not make his or her heart thump but I’ll share my kryptonite and you can show me yours – it is called the unfair comparison game. Langhorne Slim is playing at Wakarusa while Toubab Krewe is playing Rothbury. Langhorne’s folk love or lack thereof tunes melt me down but the sensation is nothing compared to the Appalachian meets West African funk of Toubab, counterpoint Rothbury.

This is a summer where the decisions you make with the few dollars you have makes a difference. Check out the lineups for both festivals – Rothbury and Wakarusa – and riddle me, if you were stranded on a desert island and the only way to get off was to buy a ticket for one of these festivals, which one would you chose?

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