Interview With Meltdown Founder Josh Clauson

Summer Meltdown is this weekend August 6th through August 9th.

 

In 15 years, what has improved the most, better band lineup or bigger crowds every year?

Wow, so much has improved and grown in the past 15 years. While the lineups get bigger and the production and the venue get sweeter each time, I have to say that the biggest improvement over the years has been in our crowd. It really has become a family out here, and we come together year after year and just keep adding more like-minded people to the celebration.

 

Josh is such a great musician, was there a band last year that is returning this year that he was overly impressed with?

Thank you for the compliment! It’s always so great to hear that people appreciate something you love doing.

Last year, Nahko and Medicine for the People was a major hit, and at first we didn’t think we’d bring them back because we don’t often repeat acts twice in a row. Then the stars aligned and we have Nahko on Friday night this year. The whole vibe of his performance and the synchronicity of the band is very impressive to me as a musician. We were so excited to announce that he’d be coming back because we knew the community would love it.

 

I think there are probably some Skagit Breaking readers that don’t realize you have an elaborate set up for kids. Can you give us a quick walk through on that side of Meltdown?

Yes! When I had my kid, I definitely noticed that a lot of festivals didn’t open their production up to welcome families and kids in a strong way. Meltdown has a lot of people who attend every year, our kids zone is an important part of the festival that has grown with us. Our awesome kids zone managers and volunteers offer everything from music lessons to talent shows to games and our annual kids parade in a shady grove next to the campgrounds. The kids zone is like a festival within the larger festival for our youngest attendees to make new friends, play in the woods, and get creative!

 

Besides the amazing setting at your location, walk me through Meltdown for someone that has not been to your event. I turned into the parking lot, now what?

You turn into the parking lot and the first thing you notice is Whitehorse Mountain towering over everything. The scale can’t be shown in pictures because this mountain is huge! Next, you see people of all ages headed into the festival – some will be dressed for our “magical animal” festival theme, some will be in shorts and flip flops – it’s all good! Once you enter, you’ll discover the campgrounds – soft pine needle floors and lots of shade, as well as elaborate camps with signs, decorations, and lots of smiling faces. There are also meadows with shade trees and amazing mountain views – all camping is first come first serve, so take your pick!
Coming out of the forest, you’ll see the amphitheater, which is like a huge concrete roman amphitheatre that seats thousands. At the top, there are food and craft vendors, and down below is our main stage and beer garden nudged up against the trees. It’ll probably be hot, so the next thing you’ll do is head down to the river, which is a path through huckleberries, moss, and ferns to various rocky and sandy river shores with people floating around, playing volleyball, and napping in the shade. Later, you’ll come back and decide that maybe you want to take a horseback ride tomorrow, and you schedule a morning trail ride for the next day with one of our adventure vendors. After some delicious food from our food vendors, you’ll dance until your legs are tired and then head back to camp to howl at the moon and sleep in as long as you want in the shade!

With the addition of implementing local excursions to promote the offerings that the community of Darrington has available, is it going to be easy to find and get to these exciting places?
Absolutely! All of our adventures (climbing, rafting, and horseback riding) leave from the festival site, so all you need to do is meet up in our adventure zone and follow your adventure team out to explore!

How would you describe the culture at Meltdown? For those that have not been to your event, describe the atmosphere?
The atmosphere of Meltdown is one of laid back celebration. We have a strong vibe of community and kindness – everyone’s here to take a break and relax, and it really shows. We aren’t a very self-conscious group – we just like to get silly and have a good time!

Are most of your band local? Who are some of the local bands our readers might know and where are they from?
We try to keep the mix of bands split between national acts and regional goodness. The PNW is so talented, and there’s so much to offer. One of our new projects this year was the Meltdown Showdown, where bands from the PNW were invited to audition to join the lineup and we ended up inviting 5 of them to perform. Those bands are Valley Green, Choir of Crickets, Surrealized, Cedar Teeth, and Willdabeast, and they’re all high quality performers that we can’t wait to see on our stages! We also have PNW talent in Delhi 2 Dublin, Sol, Phutureprimitive, Nahko, Theoretics, Eldridge Gravy and The Court Supreme, The Warren G Hardings, Tubaluba, Current Swell. A Cedar Suede, and The Hookys. If your readers don’t know those names, they will soon – we really feel like we have some of the best talent in the area on the bill this year, and that these artists are all going big places. Catch them at Summer Meltdown first!

for more information go to: http://summermeltdownfest.com