Culture
First Annual August Moon Music Festival Set for Saturday
By: Kelly Fisher
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Ohio University employee and WOUB-AM host Michael Tedesco has traveled the world and spent time just about everywhere from sea to shining sea. But there’s one thing about Athens, Ohio, that has kept him enthralled since his arrival years ago: the music scene.
“There’s just so many good bands and musicians, and a good community that supports them no matter what, and that’s what I think is kind of rare,” he said.
The saturation of musical talent mixed with local engagement provided solid ground for Tedesco to kick start the August Moon Music Festival, presented by Ohio University’s Scripps College of Communication and College of Fine Arts, WOUB Public Media, ACRN All Campus Radio Network, Brick City Records, Women In Music Industry and WOUB-AM’s Radio Free Athens.
The festival, which is being offered free of charge, takes place at the Scripps Wilhelm Amphitheater on Saturday, Aug. 29 from 2-10 p.m. Tedesco, the festival director, said his goal was to cater to students.
“This festival is kind of like the best of everything we have to offer,” he said. “Everyone who knows (the bands) and has seen them loves them.”
The event will feature performances from Angela Perley & the Howlin’ Moons, The D-Rays, Waivada, Wolfmen, Water Witches and Knots, featuring Eli Chambers.
Some of the bands are comprised of local scene stalwarts while others are made up of OU School of Music faculty, which Tedesco called a “rich artistic community of musicians.”
“How has this not happened? How is this not something that happens all the time?” he said of his reaction to finding out that there was not already a similar festival in Athens. The closest thing, he said, was the Nelsonville Music Festival.
In any case, Tedesco hopes that Saturday’s inaugural event will be the first of many August Moon Music Festivals.
“There’s almost an embarrassment of riches of talented people in this community,” he said. “There’s so much potential here.”
For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.