How does Musikfest, the annual festival in Bethlehem, select its bands?
The 10-day annual festival brings 400 bands to Bethlehem in August.
If you can’t find something to listen to at Musikfest, you must not like music.
The 10-day annual festival brings 400 bands to Bethlehem every year. The 10 headliners grab a lot of the attention, but it’s the hundreds of other acts that make the ‘Fest the largest free music festival in the nation.
The festival site lists at least 20 genres, and bands pick and choose from among these to define their sound from “alternative/jazz/soul” to “blues/Americana/rock.”
“With over 400 bands at Musikfest, diversity is the key to success,” said Patrick Brogan, the chief programming officer for Musikfest’s parent group, ArtsQuest.
With so many styles at play, how does the festival keep it all balanced? How does it make sure one region or sound isn’t overrepresented at the expense of another?
It’s not easy, Brogan said.
Putting next year’s lineup together starts even before this year’s ‘Fest concludes.
“We already have a list of groups we weren’t able to get in this year that we want to get in next year,” Brogan said. “Truly the music you discover in August we are putting together in the middle of winter.”
About 2,000 bands a year submit applications to play. ArtsQuest has an 18-member committee of volunteers to recommend ‘Fest worthy groups. They work with six staff members to arrive at the final list.
Some bands are recruited. Brogan is excited this year to have reeled in JJ Grey & Mofro, a soul-rock band from Florida.
Brogan said it’s important to balance out male and female performers, to include diverse ethnicities and gender identities.
“We want the community to see itself on stage,” he said.
Geography is also part of the selection process. About a third of the bands are from the Lehigh Valley. Another third is from the Mid-Atlantic region. This includes the burgeoning Brooklyn scene, upstate New York, down to Maryland and Washington D.C.
The remaining third is from everywhere else.
“We get a lot of artists from Nashville and Austin and Los Angeles,” Brogan said. “We have artists coming from five different countries.”
The festival has tried to adapt to its evolving audience over its 39-year history. The festival added Plaza Tropical in 2007 to appeal to the city’s growing Latino population. As country music has gone more mainstream, the ‘Fest has added headliners like Kelsea Ballerini.
The multiplicity of sounds is what makes Musikfest stand out. You might come to see one act but catch a completely unexpected band while waiting for a beer.
“You may come to see a party band like Sofa Kings but on your way there you see a jazz band playing on Main Street. Now you’re listening to them on Spotify on your way home,” Brogan said. “The discovery is what people love so much about Musikfest. It’s really a discovery festival.”
Discover more
If you haven’t heard these bands, ArtsQuest Chief Programming Officer Patrick Brogan suggests you check them out when Musikfest comes to town.
JJ Grey and Mofro, 9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, at the Air Products Americaplatz at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks. The Musikfest website describes this soul rock band as “at times a funk rave-up, other times a sort of mass-absolution for the mortal weaknesses that make him and his audience human.”
Shovels and Rope, 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11, at the Air Products Americaplatz at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks. The married folk duo has been “carving out a niche in the music world with strong, roots/indie/folk/rock-inspired efforts,” the Musikfest website says.
Reservoir Hill, 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11, at Martin Guitar Stage at Yuengling Lagerplatz. This country-rock band from Allentown gets its inspiration from The Zac Brown Band, The Allman Brothers Band, Tyler Childers, Chris Stapleton, Tom Petty and ZZ Top, according to the Musikfest website.
Jackson Pines, 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8, at Provident Bank Main Street. This duo form Jackson, New Jersey, plays “indie folk, drawing on the melodies and arrangements of bluegrass and mountain music,” the Musikfest website says.
The Youngers, 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, IBEW Local 375 Liederplatz. This folk/Americana-indie-rock group from southeastern Pennsylvania was founded in 1999 and has opened for Marty Stuart, Lee Rocker, David Allen Coe, Wayne Hancock, and most recently, Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters, the Musikfest website says.