The Big Up Festival was a three-day festival that consisted of music, arts, and culture. The festival took place at Sunnyview Farm in
Ghent, New York
Ghent is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States, with a ZIP code of 12075. The population was 5,303 at the 2020 census, down from the 2010 census. Ghent is centrally located in the county and is northeast of the city of Hudson.
H ...
that bring together musical entertainment, interactive art, and sustainable initiatives. Organized by Shireworks Productions, The Big Up had its roots in music events and festivals as well as an underlying theme of
environmental awareness
Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks ...
.
Sunnyview Farm
The festival's location, Sunnyview Farm, was established as a dairy and later as the thoroughbred racing horse farm of
Morris Levy
Morris Levy (born Moishe Levy; August 27, 1927 – May 21, 1990) was an American entrepreneur in the fields of jazz clubs, music publishing, and the independent record industry. Levy was cofounder and owner of Roulette Records, founding partner ...
, described by ''
Billboard'' as "one of the record industry's most controversial and flamboyant players."
[Fred Goodman, ''Morris Levy severing music industry ties'', Billboard, 20 December 1986, p.1,71]
/ref> At ''Sunnyview'', Levy entertained, among others, John Lennon and Tommy James. Zach Levy, of Shireworks Productions, is producer of the Big Up Festival — and Morris Levy's son.
After the ''Let it Roll Festival'' in 2009, the 1500 acre Sunnyview Farm became a venue for small festivals and concerts with accommodating five performance stages, an onsite farmer's market, local vending, large-scale multimedia installations, and workshops to highlight sustainable skills and collaborative art.
::Location of Sunnyview Farm:
2009 Let it Roll Festival : End of Summer Extravaganza
2009's Let It Roll: End of Summer Extravaganza, which ran September 18, 19, 20, was produced by Zach Levy (son of Morris Levy
Morris Levy (born Moishe Levy; August 27, 1927 – May 21, 1990) was an American entrepreneur in the fields of jazz clubs, music publishing, and the independent record industry. Levy was cofounder and owner of Roulette Records, founding partner ...
), Ruralliance, Number Line Productions and the band Pawnshop Roses. The event was a two-night, three-day music and camping Featuring 31 bands. The name came from Pawnshop Roses' song "Let it Roll." After the 2009 Let it Roll Festival, Shireworks Productions changed the festival name to "The Big Up."
2010 The Big Up Festival
The 2010 Big Up Festival originally announced festival dates as June 17–19, but later rescheduled to August 5, 6 and 7 due to scheduling conflicts. The Big Up ran for three days from August 5–7, 2010. The Big Up 2010 artist lineup included two sets from RAQ and performances by Headtronics, Telepath, Pnuma Trio, Emancipator, Big Gigantic
Big Gigantic are an American instrumental electronic hip hop and jazz musical duo based in Boulder, Colorado.
The band have played at a wide range of music festivals, including Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Lollapalooza, Ultra Musi ...
, Roots of Creation, OTT, Sub Swara, The Breakfast, Kung Fu, Twiddle, NY Funk Exchange, Eskmo
Brendan Angelides, better known by his previous stage names Eskmo and Welder, is an American electronic music producer and composer. He has released music on the record labels Interscope, Ninja Tune, Planet Mu, and Warp Records. In a 2010 revie ...
, and Higher Organix. In addition, there were performances from Roots of Creation, The Indobox, BuzzUniverse, Archnemesis, Lucid, Twiddle, Dirty Paris, Timbre Coup, NY Funk Exchange, Sonic Spank, Beam & Deem, Consider The Source, Ultraviolet Hippopotamus, Dopapod, The Maniac All-Stars, Capital Zen, Nadis Warriors, The Jack, Mentally Ill, Leila, Ian Stewart, DJ Brad Lee, Blue Boy Productions, ELECTRONICAnonymous, Tucci, JamAntics, Moses & The Electric Company, The Edd, The High Peaks Band, Pia Mater, Fever Train, Mos Opus, Seed, lespecial, Positive Mental Trip, The Aposoul, Sugar Proof, The People's Blues of Richmond, Deafened by Love, Asleep in a Box, Wobblesauce, Mondo Gecko, John Snyder Performing, horiZonwireLess, Rogue Chimp, MAAZE, and The Grey Area.
2011 The Big Up Festival
The 2011 Big Up Festival was held on July 28, 29 and 30, 2011. The event featured 50 hours of electronica and jam band music on multiple stages, arts, culture, and multimedia experiences and included a woods village with its own stage, vending, activities and camping accommodations. The Big Up Festival 2011 also featured increased arts and multimedia installations throughout the entire festival grounds.
2013 The Big Up Festival
The 2013 Big Up Festival was held on August 8 – 10 on County Route 11 at Hemlock Hollow Farm, in Claverack, NY. The event featured performances by artists and musicians including Holy Fuck
Holy Fuck is a Canadian electronica band from Toronto. They were a part of Dependent Music, a music label and artist collective that began in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 2004 until its closing. They were then a part of the Young Turks label and in ...
, Escort, Jojo Mayer & Nerve, Higher Organix, Kung Fu, Dopapod, Brothers Past, Normal Instruments, Party Supplies, FiKus, and other artists.
Ruralliance and Shireworks Productions
In 2007, Ruralliance produced Shirefest. This was the group's first music festival held on August 3, 2007, in New Marlborough, MA. Shire Fest brought together a variety of music from jam to electronic. There was also art, dancers, multimedia displays, and food and craft vendors. After the Shire Fest, Ruralliance began putting together more events such as Harvest Ween at Catamount Ski Area in South Egremont and OTT in the Shire with Sub Swara on Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...
of 2009, at the East Over Resort in Lenox, MA
Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. The town is based in Western Massachusetts and part of the Pittsfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,095 at the 2020 census. Lenox is the site of Shakespeare & Company and Ta ...
.
References
External links
The Big Up
Railroad Street Youth Project
Shireworks Productions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Up Festival
Music festivals in New York (state)