New Orleans has a long history for many great American traditions, and New Orleanians have always put their unique spin on everything they do. One New Orleans native has taken it upon himself to add yet another twist to a longstanding NOLA tradition: the music festival. Local lawyer turned concert promoter, Don Kelly, felt compelled to do something with an abandoned construction site that’s sat dormant since Hurricane Katrina. He’s promoting the city’s first environmentally conscious music festival, Project 30-90, on September 5, 2009.
Featuring acts like Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Ghost Land Observatory, and Von Bondies, they’re sure to draw lots of attention from local music fans and beyond.
Here’s what we discovered when we dug a bit deeper with founder Don Kelly:
AK: I can only imagine what it takes to organize a music festival. How was it different organizing a green music festival as opposed to the standard issue? Pros/Cons?
Don: Organizing a festival with this much emphasis on being environmentally conscious has been a more taxing process than a normal festival. More logistical elements are in play – for example, instead of simply telling the crew to plug the sound equipment in, we’re calculating [our energy] needs and making sure we’ll have enough solar panels and turbines to power our stages. We can’t simply place trash cans all over the grounds and be done with it – there have to be bins for different kinds of waste, all labeled and manned with guides to let guests know what goes where. However, by starting out with this emphasis as the overriding principle, it’s been much better than trying to reconfigure something with 10 or 20 years of established programs. And to be honest, there is no blueprint to follow, so it’s incredibly exciting to think that we could be setting the tone for the future of the industry.
Clearly this represents an opportunity to be innovative. Now that you’ve discussed the challenges, have there been any happy accidents along the way? Any improvements as a result of greening the act?
The biggest happy accident has been the paperless tickets. People love this idea, and it makes so much sense — nothing to print, mail, transport or throw away. It was primarily created a year or so back as a method to defeat ticket scalping by having the buyer whose credit card was used to buy the tickets present on-site to pick up the tickets. Another thing I’ve loved is discovering the number of artists in the New Orleans area that utilize some form of recycled or reusable material in their art. Our arts market will be featuring these artists, and some of the things they make are mind-blowing even before you learn they are made of or on something reused.
It’s always been a dream of mine to organize a music festival because I’m a total music geek. My secret motivation would be to meet all my favorite musicians. How did you decide on the lineup for Project 30-90?
As a music geek myself, this lineup is made up of bands I like, but that also play well with our target audience. Having to be mindful of the fact that this is a business, and not a party at my house, makes the choices a mixture of personal and economic reality. We want this festival to have national acts, so we can demonstrate that green events can be grand in scope and vision. I think this lineup does that, and in future years we’ll get bigger and bigger.
Speaking of national acts, how bout that Grace Potter and the Nocturnals? Do you expect Grace Potter to be as attractive in person as she looks in her promotional material? Do you agree that she looks more attractive when she’s playing the guitar?
No Comment.
Fair enough. And moving on: What was your motivation for hosting the event in New Orleans? What’s been the reaction from the city (the people and the politicos)?
New Orleans is my hometown, and is a place that traditionally does large social gatherings very well – such as Mardi Gras or Super Bowls. As a city, we aren’t known for being very green. It just seemed to me that New Orleans was the perfect place to mesh the festival and eco-friendly efforts. Plus, there is a wonderful entrepreneurial culture in New Orleans right now that makes this the perfect time to push the envelope.
How does sustainability factor into that reaction?
The reaction to the fesival has been a combination of enthusiasm and skepticism. People from all walks of life are very excited and supportive of the idea. We get offers of help all the time. At the same time, there has been a great deal of questioning, “Can you really do that?” That adds some fuel to our fire.
What kind of help do people offer?
The most common thing we’re getting is the “I just have to be involved” messages on email. I think that shows this is connecting with people on the right level and they are passionate about the goals.
Do you think sustainability plays into that reaction?
Sustainability absolutely plays into that reaction. I think most people’s reactions have been overwhelmingly positive and it’s because more and more people are beginning to make choices about the way they live that are environmentally conscious. This event connects with people in that regard, in addition to connecting with them as fans of music, festivals and fun.
Was sustainability a factor in deciding the actual location for Project 30-90?
Yes, the location of the site is no accident. Its a 13 acre site in the city that was to be used to build the next phase of the New Orleans Convention Center. Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina caused that construction project to be postponed indefinitely. Thus, there is this enormous tract of land not being used and as I drove by it every day, I knew it would be a great site for this festival. Luckily the Convention Center liked the festival idea too, so we began working with them to make the space usable for events like 30-90. The hope is that other events will follow us to this site and thus get it back to being used as a green gathering place.
What’s a 30-90?
The name is a play on the longitude and latitude coordinates of New Orleans. Those two lines intersect on the globe at a very special place. Our event is also an intersection of sound and sustainability, so the name is a perfect fit.
If you were me, what question would you ask you about Project 30-90?
I’d ask if I am crazy to start a new festival during the worst economic times in decades without major backing from one of the concert giants? And the answer may be slightly crazy, but the fact is there is never a perfect time to start a business in any industry. There could always be more investors or research or planning, so you just have to take the leap.
So true.
