Hootstock has come in to roost.
The annual eclectic music festival near 100 Mile House is not shutting the gate, but it is getting closer to home. The show was having success, so much so that the handmade event needed to settle down or risk flying the coop.
"Well Hootstock 2018 was an incredible success. The artists performances were exceptional as always, with 30-plus acts on five stages over the weekend," said Steve Roy, one of the main organizers.
"Unfortunately as with a lot of small festivals we struggle with the 'commercial' success of Hootstock," Roy continued. "Our family and friends have always subsidized the event by supplying the sound equipment, countless hours of labour and much in-kind support as well as thousands of dollars each year."
If the family and friends put in a lot of time, supplies and money, Roy and his wife Astrid Hensey lived and breathed it, almost year-round. Roy said there was a lot of love for the Hootstock event, but there was also a lot of apathy around their town, and it was taking the fun out of the experience.
"Astrid personally spent so much time and effort before the event on advertising, community outreach, social media, and during the event making sure everyone was happy and fed that she mostly missed the performances and visiting with friends that we see on an infrequent basis," he said. "For myself personally, and my buddies, we spent a week before setting up and a week after breaking down. So needless to say we get fairly burnt out. Coupled with the lack of commercial success as far as getting folks out to the event and the total lack of local support, we have decided to change things up."
The festival will go on, but it will be simplified. Instead of the spacious Forest Grove community grounds, the show will go on with a new name reflecting the new location.
"For 2019 and beyond it will be called Homestock and it will be held at our farm in Forest Grove the same weekend, third one in July," Roy said. "This event will be word-of-mouth only with invitations sent out to previous supporters of Hootstock. The event will not technically be a public event. The performances will not be as intense, so only one main performance stage, with a jam stage, so a little more casual."
That's not to say there won't be effort put into the presentation. Roy, Hensey and festival friends will be building a new mainstage plus a community kitchen "and some artwork in the forest, something I've wanted to do for years."
The farm already has ample camping, drinking water, outhouses and those basic amenities.
Musicians are invited to perform, but there is now a formula for payment in lieu of contractual guarantees. Acts will get remuneration based on a combination of their playing time in balance with attendance revenues.
The shows will also be set up for acts to record their sets either by video or audio feeds through the sound board.
"We are encouraging anyone that would like to perform to contact us and we will see if we can fit you in. I'm sure we can," said Roy. "We have already had much interest, so get a hold of us sooner than later. We are super stoked for what is to come and we didn't want the idea of Hootstock to become extinct, so we have just evolved into another form. I am looking forward to what will be."
Anyone with an interest in attending Homestock or performing there can reach out at the previous event's email address: hootstockfestival@gmail.com.
