I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH A GOOD FREND OF MINE DAVE EHMANN. FOR THOSE THAT DO NOT KNOW DAVE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE FESTIVALS ON THE EAST COAST. ADIRONDACK INDEPENDENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL IS LOCATED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BEAUTIFUL LAKE GEORGE DURING LABOR DAY WEEKEND.  HERE WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS WE ALL WANT TO KNOW ABOUT OUR FAVORITE FESTIVAL!

 HEY DAVE HOW IS IT GOING? I HOPE YOU ARE READY FOR A ANOTHER AWESOME FESTIVAL SEASON. I KNOW YOU ARE PROBABLY HARD AT WORK ON THE BIGGEST PARTY OF THE YEAR ADIRONDACK INDEPENDENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL. WE LOVE THIS FESTIVAL AND THE WHOLE CREW RUNNING THE SHOW! HOW DOES THE FESTIVAL COME TO FRUITION EACH YEAR AND WHO DO YOU HAVE ON YOUR TEAM THAT MAKES THE MAGIC HAPPEN EVERY YEAR?

Each year we start planning immediately after the festival ends. (In reality I think about the 2 years ahead)   The team is who makes it all happen. I do most of the planning and the team executes that plan. There’s no I in team, frends, or famly. If I list one I’d have to list them all because they all rock!

 WE HAVE HEARD THROUGH THE GRAPE VINE YOU ARE CURATING ANOTHER FESTIVAL A FIRST YEAR FESTIVAL THIS  CALLED “FINS UP LAKE GEORGE” NOT A JAM FESTIVAL BUT MORE OF A COUNTRY, CAJUN , ROCK AND ROLL. CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS TROPICAL PARADISE YOU ARE BRINGING TO LAKE GEORGE?

Yes you heard right, I was approached by two local business people who are Parrotheads (the equivalent of Deadheads or Phish heads for the Jimmy Buffett/Trop Rock genre) to produce Fins Up LG. It has been very interesting to dive into a culture I was unfamiliar with and curate what we hope to be one of the big three festivals in this genre, in the country.

 HOW LONG IN ADVANCE DO START TO PLAN OUT THESE EVENTS? I’M SURE GETTING A PERMIT TO THROW THE BEST PARTY ON THE EAST COAST IN LAKE GEORGE ISN’T EASY! IS THERE ANY STRUGGLES YOU FIND YOUR SELF GETTING INTO WHILE PLANNING A PARTY SO BIG?

I save our dates two years in advance. Most events at the festival space are recurring so we plan ahead.
We deal with two municipalities in order to secure the site and have to get right on it.
Lake George is a tourist town so there are always new events looking for dates and places.

 BOOKING BANDS CAN BE INTERESTING FOR A FESTIVAL. KNOWING EACH BAND SETS THE TONE FOR THE WHOLE WEEKEND. THE ACTS YOU CHOOSE AT LAST YEAR’S AIM FEST MADE US FEEL RIGHT AT HOME! LAST YEAR WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE 2 INCREDIBLE HEADLINERS TWIDDLE AND PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG AMONGST MANY OTHER HONORABLE MENTIONS. THIS PROVED TO BE AN ABSOLUTE HEATER OF A WEEKEND!  HOW DO YOU TRAVERSE THE DELICATE JUGGLING ACT WITH MANAGERS?

It’s always interesting but everyone involved does this on the regular so, knock on wood, we haven’t had any issues. My perspective is that if you feed people well and provide what they need, people stay happy.

 STRESS WHEN YOU HAVE COUPLE DAYS TO BUILD THE SHOW BEFORE THE PROVERBIAL “MAGIC HAPPENS”. ITS CRUNCH TIME. 5,000 PEOPLE ARE EAGER TO STORM YOUR EVENT AND ENJOY A NIGHT OF MIND BLENDING ROCK AND ROLL. DOES THE STRESS OF BUILDING THE EVENT GO AWAY WHEN THE SHOW STARTS? DO YOU GET TO RELAX A BIT MORE AS THE BANDS START PLAYING?

 We build the site all week, this is actually the least of the stress for me because I have help now, whereas I used to have to do most of it myself. Once the show starts, my radio never stops. I try to turn it off and watch at least one song by every artist.

FAMILY IS A BIG PART OF OUR DNA. YOU MADE ME FEEL LIKE FAMILY THE FIRST DAY I MET YOU IN 2017 AND I HAVE BEEN VENDING ADIRONDACK INDEPENDENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL EVERY YEAR SINCE. EVENTS USUALLY DON’T BUILD UP SUCH A GOOD REPUTATION UNLESS ITS RUN WITH A GOOD HEART AND BY SOME ONE WHO TRULY LOVES WHAT THEY DO. WHY DO YOU DEVOTE YOUR LIFE TO MUSIC IN THE WAY YOU DO?

Because I’m crazy no doubt. And thank you for those kind words.
It’s my goal to make each and every person I meet feel the same as I made you feel.
Your name is all you are given in this life and it’s up to you, what you do with it.

WE ALL KNOW YOU DIDN’T START GOING TO CONCERTS YESTERDAY. WHAT WE DON’T KNOW IS WHAT WAS THE FIRST SHOW YOU EVER ATTENDED. WHAT WAS THE FULE BEHIND GETTING YOU TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?

My first major concert was Charlie Daniels Band at SPAC 1977 maybe.
It was full circle when I was able to bring him to Lake George in 2018.
That was huge for me.
My second major concert was Good Ole’ Grateful Dead in 1984 at SPAC. That pretty much sums up why I do what I do now.
My pops owned a bar in Albany that had some great acts when I was like 5 years old and I’m sure that planted them seeds as well.

For those that want to relive the Grateful Dead at Spac here is the link!
https://archive.org/details/gd84-06-24.nak.connor.4628.sbeok.shnf

 ADK IS THE PERFECT DAY FESTIVAL THE ONLY THING THAT COULD MAKE IT THAT MUCH BETTER WOULD BE A VENUE THAT SUPPORTS ON SIGHT CAMPING. ALTHOUGH WE WOULD LOSE THAT INTIMACIES OF BEING RIGHT SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF LAKE GEORGE. HAS THIS BEEN SOMETHING YOU HAVE BEEN INTERESTED IN IN THE FUTURE?

For a different festival yes. For AIMF, no. What makes AIMF special is the fact we take over the whole town. Peeps are camping, glamping, staying in dive hotels and staying in 5 star hotels. It’s the beauty of the diversity that makes AIMF so special.
I have a few spots I could do a camping festival at and maybe that’ll happen but for now I’m good with what I’ve got going on.

TWIDDLE HAS BEEN AN ABSOLUTE STAPLE IN AIM HISTORY! ARE YOU AT THE LIBERTY OF BEING ABLE TO DISCLOSE IF TWIDDLE OR MEMBERS OF TWIDDLE WILL BE THERE THIS YEAR?

Twiddle is and has always been invited to do anything I do. I consider the whole crew and fans my famly. Sometimes schedules aren’t cohesive, sometimes they are. I guess we will have to wait and see which it will be.

 THROUGHOUT THE YEARS AND ALL THE BANDS YOU HAVE BOOKED IS THERE ONE SET/ ONE NIGHT THAT MEANS THE MOST TO YOU?

Circa 2012 maybe? Towers hall at fort William Henry for Capital Zen and Twiddle. Rager of a night and just happened that Lucid was traveling up I-87 from another gig and I was able to coerce them into stopping in and setting up for a set at 4am. The music went till 7am, the party never stopped.

 WHO IS CURRENTLY IN YOUR TOP 10 FAVORITE ARTISTS.

Thats a tough one, no particular order.
Moe., Lettuce, Turkauz, Twiddle, PPPP, Goose, Eggy, Midnight North, G-Love, Lespecial, Raisinhead, strange Machines, Rich Ortiz, Soule Monde, and my new fav the Higgs.

 IF YOU WERE TO LEAVE ANY ADVICE TO THE UP AND COMERS IN THE WORLD, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU LEAVE THEM REGARDING BOOKING BANDS AND HOSTING A FESTIVIAL

It’s a jungle out there, persistence is key to success.
Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
Always Always Always feed and pay your peeps as promised.
If your first thought process is “I have to make money” maybe rethink your motivation for doing what your doing.

Dave Ehmann

improvrecords@gmail.com

www.adkmusicfest.com
www.finsuplg.com