Interview with Moccasin Creek Festival Founder Bill Poss
15th May 2014 • 4 comments
Thirty Roses Bill, as promoter of the upcoming Moccasin Creek Festival as well someone who is performing at the fest you must be extremely busy these days! Thank you so much for taking a few minutes to answer some questions for us. Can you tell us a bit about how Moccasin Creek Festival came about?
Bill Poss In my 20 years of playing music around North America and abroad I have been to many, many festivals. They have had a huge impact on me personally and they have opened my ears to some great music I never would have heard otherwise. I love the way people seem to be able to get closer to the earth, closer to their God, closer to each other when they get out of their routine and join together for some great music. I’m hoping to provide the framework for that kind of transcendent experience.
Thirty Roses Was there a particular reason behind choosing the Lake Sara location rather than the big, open field most festivals take place in?
Bill Poss There are plenty of big open fields to choose from around here! I love the lake, the beauty of the nature around it. The lake is home to lots of fish and animals, but also amazing birds including eagles, osprey, blue herons and tons of songbirds. It’s a gorgeous place to be. And I grew up on the lake, swimming, skiing, canoeing, fishing. So it was a natural choice for me. And the Stage at the Marina at Lake Sara has a great stage and the perfect space for the size of festival I want to have.
Thirty Roses While music is clearly the most important part of Moccasin Creek Festival, it’s going to offer many things. The festival is on the lake, there’s a beach, there are going to be kayaks and canoes to rent, family activities, food, art and craft vendors; it seems to be an overall celebration of essentially everything. Was that intentional or serendipitous?
Bill Poss Well it started out with music in mind and I started thinking of the many ways this location is family friendly. I have a five year old and we were recently at a festival in Ear Falls, Ontario, up North of Lake Superior, and they had canoes. I loved being able to take the canoe out with my son and paddle around. He fished (with no hook!) while I paddled. We swam and had a great time. I’m happy that people will have that opportunity. There is also a beach there. The campgrounds are a couple hundred yards away. Cabins are nearby. So the location is well suited for a great family getaway. And kids 15 and under are free.
Thirty Roses The lineup is a blend of, as you said on the festival website, “seminal acts of alternative country and Americana music: the Bottle Rockets, Fred Eaglesmith and Robbie Fulks” and excellent modern purveyors like Matt Poss Band, Tif Ginn, Chain Station, Poss Brothers Revue, Firebox” and Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real have since been added to the lineup as well. How did these artists become involved?
Bill Poss Well Matt Poss is my brother and Tif Ginn is my ex-wife! I have been working and touring with Fred Eaglesmith for the last 7 years, so we have a relationship. I have met Robbie Fulks and Lukas Nelson in my travels. Chain Station has a local connection in Alex Thoele and I’ve known him for years and I play with their band when I tour in Colorado, great, high energy bluegrass. Firebox and Heather and Marty are great local bands. Poss Brothers is me and my brothers. Elizabeth McQueen is a long-time friend and collaborator. When I heard she was leaving Asleep at the Wheel, I called her and invited her. Swamp Tigers and CeCe and the Bandits are great bands with local connections. I don’t know the Giving Tree Band but I have heard great testimonials. They look like a perfect band to close out Saturday night. The Bottle Rockets were the biggest question mark. I was a huge fan of theirs in the 90’s and I still love them. I was originally hoping to get the Gourds, but I found out they were on hiatus, so when I heard the BRox were on the road again, it was a no-brainer. There were a few others I wanted but didn’t get, like Todd Snider, Corb Lund, Chris Knight, and Mary Gauthier. Maybe next year…
Thirty Roses What can people expect from the festival?
Bill Poss It’s going to be a small footprint, so if you stay on the grounds, you can’t walk more than a couple hundred yards in any direction. I’m expecting a few hundred people, five hundred at most, so it’s an intimate affair by festival standards. You won’t need binoculars! I’m trying to provide a couple of food vendors who will offer a nice variety of food with some healthy options. There will be beer and wine available. I’m a beer drinker and am going to have a nice selection of beers available. We expect to have art and craft vendors and I’m talking to a tarot card reader about coming. I’d like to have face painting and some art-participation things for the kids. More on that later.
Thirty Roses Is there anything specific you want to make sure people know about Moccasin Creek Festival?
Bill Poss Tickets are available at www.moccasincreekfestival.com. I’m working on having a shuttle service running from Effingham, where there are lots of hotels and restaurants. Bring a camp chair, but not a gigantic thing. Low-back chairs only. We will have parking and if you need handicapped drop-off, just let us know when you get there. This is a rain or shine event, watch the weather and dress appropriately.
Thirty Roses Thanks so much for chatting with us today! We can’t wait to see you at the festival!
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