Founder Brings What He Loves to Floydfest
-The following first appeared as ‘Fest’ive Spirit in Sounds of Floyd, a July 2017 magazine insert publication of The Floyd Press
“I’m a lover of music. I’ve performed everything from folk, punk, jazz, reggae, old time, swing, bluegrass, blues, rock, and world music. I try to bring what I love and that’s what makes it authentic.” That’s how Floydfest co-founder Kris Hodges responded when asked how he goes about choosing bands for the festival, set to take place off the Blue Ridge Parkway (milepost170.5) July 26 – 30th.
That list of musical genres represents the range of music that the producer has been bringing yearly to the festival’s 9 stages since 2002 and what is on the roster for this year’s 17th annual festival, dubbed Freedom.
“We also put out surveys every year and listen to what our audience wants,” continued Hodges, who was sitting in the sun at the back deck of The Phoenix, the funky music venue in Roanoke’s Old Southwest neighborhood that holds Battle of the Bands for Floydfest’s On-the-Rise patron-voted competition. The Roanoke native, his festival co-founder, Erika Johnson, and the couple’s two children, currently live in Roanoke and rent out their Floyd County property.
“Roanoke is in a renaissance. It’s a great place to live and play,” Hodges said. He explained that the city is embracing culture and arts more, reminding him of when the art scene first started to flourish in Floyd. At that time, he and Johnson opened the original Oddfellas Cantina, serving local cuisine and hosting music acts, until they outgrew the space and went for their bigger dreams, which turned out to be Floydfest.
The couple’s production company, Across the Way, has recently been putting on concerts in Roanoke’s Elmwood Park, with some added Floydfest sideshow elements, like stilt walking and hooping. Last year, they brought Blondie, Brian Wilson and Huey Lewis and the News to the park.
This year, the band that Hodges plays with, Sol Searchers, opened for The Giant Jam Sandwich: A Floydfest Family Picnic that featured jam bands like Big Something and Tauk. The Sol Searchers, which Hodges describes as “Americana roots music with a strong penchant for jam and rock and roll,” made their debut performance at a Cinco de Mayo party at The Phoenix and will be playing at Floydfest.
The Patron-voted Battle of Band shows at The Phoenix have been taking place in April and May for the past three years and give Hodges a chance to see new talent. This year bands came from Floyd, Nebraska, Maine, Nashville, Asheville and all over for a chance to win the opportunity to play at Floydfest. The Phoenix will soon be expanding to include regular hours, a commercial kitchen and juice bar. Hodges, who likes to cook, was about to get back to work on a taco recipe book for venue’s food truck.
Along with theatrical sideshow entertainments, elements that have made Floydfest successful include Healing Arts, a Children’s Universe, a Teen Scene, outdoor adventures, performance arts, art and craft vending, a show-stopping Children’s Parade, farm to table food, craft beer and regional wine, green panel discussions, workshops, a recycling and composting Green Team and much more.
Speaking about the music showcased at Floydfest, Hodges noted that there is one thing that it all has in common. It’s all roots music, which he describes as music not born to make money, but to feed the human soul. “Roots music has a history of being something born by and for the people in times of hardship, in times of familial celebration, in times of social awareness.”
Dedicated to bringing quality music from all over the world to the festival, Hodges added that he lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains and will always represent the roots music of the area. He supports upwards of a dozen local bands every year but looks for hard work and commitment from all the bands he books, whether local or otherwise. “If you work hard and you’re really good, I’ll know about you,” he said.
The Wildmans, Mike Mitchell and Morgan Wade from Floyd are playing at Floydfest this year, as well as Salem-based jam band The Mad Iguanas, Roanoke’s Gote and Blue Mule, and Seph Custer and the Papa Tom Band from Franklin County. Wade and her band, The Stepbrothers, will be playing Floydfest On-the-Rise Soundcheck in the Warren Lineberry Park as part of Floyd’s Small Town Summer.
Two years ago, the festival added a busking element that is still going strong. About 22 Floyd musicians play up and down the festival walkways throughout the 5-day festival. This year the festival is adding a Galax Pickers area, the new late night scene to be held at the secret stage, where last year’s late night patrons attended a magical, previously missing, FloydFest 15, in order to leap ahead and align last year’s festival #16 with the year, 2016.
Hodges says the music he chooses for Floydfest is geared to a demographic that he relates to. “People who want to learn and grow. People and families who want to know what community feels like and want a holistic experience. I think Floydfest provides that.”
He must be doing something right because Floydfest has been widely rated as one of the best outdoor festivals in the country. It draws 12,000+ attendees each year and both patrons and musicians speak highly of the festival. “The majority of our attendance are people who come back every year to the mountain. They trust my music choices even if they’ve never heard of some of the bands,” said Hodges. He described how acclaimed musician and past Floydfest headliner Brandi Carlile called Floydfest her “church.”
“My motto has always been to treat the artists like royalty. If the musicians feel good, then they’re going to give that out and the crowd picks up on it and gives it right back.” Hodges calls that “reciprocal synergy,” a vibe that Floydfest thrives on.
This year’s festival headliners include Michael Franti, known for his dynamic live shows, globally conscious lyrics; Marty Stuart, a five time Grammy winning multi-instrumentalist country music performer; the soul-based rock of St. Paul and the Broken Bones; UK’s Grammy winning reggae band Steel Pulse; and Leftover Salmon, a direct descendant of bands like Little Feat, New Grass Revival, Grateful Dead and The Band, and more.
“Festivals have reached a critical mass,” Hodges concluded. “You have to be unique, and every detail counts. Every intention counts. Every relationship counts. That’s your relationship with vendors, patrons, artists, partners and with yourself. If your relationships aren’t healthy, you’re not going to last.” He expressed how much he loves putting on shows. “Not just shows, but experiences.” – Colleen Redman
Post notes: The photos are of Kris were taken in front of the mural wall at The Phoenix in Roanoke. To read more about Floydfest check out the Floyd Festing archive on my sidebar or click HERE or visit their website HERE. / Our World Tuesday
